Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Uttara 71
॥
Devanāgarī
व्रजस्त्रीजन सम्भूतश्रुतिभ्यो ब्रह्म सङ्गतः ।
प्रणवत्वेन प्रकृतिं वदन्ति ब्रह्मवादिनः
Transliteration (IAST)
vrajastrījana sambhūtaśrutibhyo brahma saṅgataḥ |
praṇavatvena prakṛtiṁ vadanti brahmavādinaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
व्रजस्त्रीजन सम्भूतvrajastrījana sambhūtaarisen from the women of Vraja; born from the throng of cowherd women
श्रुतिभ्यःśrutibhyaḥby the sayings of śruti; according to the Vedic utterances
ब्रह्म सङ्गतःbrahma saṅgataḥjoined with Brahman; united with the Highest
प्रणवत्वेन प्रकृतिम्praṇavatvena prakṛtimas praṇava, nature; as the oṁkāra, prakṛti
वदन्ति ब्रह्मवादिनःvadanti brahmavādinaḥthe knowers of Brahman declare; so speak those who discourse on Brahman
Translation
The knowers of Brahman declare that she who has arisen from the women of Vraja, joined with Brahman according to the sayings of śruti, is nature, identical with the praṇava.
Version
50346912e959 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:34:47 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The mantra binds together three things that have run separately until now: the cowherd women of Vraja, the praṇava, and nature-prakṛti.
It is said that the feminine principle manifest in the cowherd women is "joined with Brahman" by the testimony of śruti and "is called nature, identical with the praṇava". In other words: their love is not a human feeling attached to a deity but a manifestation of His own power, the very one that unfolds the world and sounds in OṀ.
Hence the first mantra of this part becomes clear too, where the cowherd women, "full of love", address the Lord of all: the questioners are His own śakti in the form of those who love Him.
Note too the appeal to authority: "the knowers of Brahman declare", brahmavādinaḥ. With the same word the Śvetāśvatara begins; the book rests not on itself but on the agreement of the Vedāntins.
The next mantra will draw from this a conclusion about the very name Gopāla.