Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Uttara 75
॥
Devanāgarī
अष्टपत्रं विकसितं हृतपद्मं तत्र संस्थितं ।
शङ्खध्वजातपत्रैश्च चिह्नितं चरणद्वयम्
Transliteration (IAST)
aṣṭapatraṁ vikasitaṁ hṛtapadmaṁ tatra saṁsthitaṁ |
śaṅkhadhvajātapatraiśca cihnitaṁ caraṇadvayam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अष्टपत्रम् विकसितम्aṣṭapatram vikasitameight-petalled, opened; unfolded, with eight petals
हृत्पद्मम्hṛtpadmamthe lotus of the heart; the heart-lotus
तत्र संस्थितम्tatra saṁsthitamestablished there; abiding firmly in it
शङ्खध्वजातपत्रैः चśaṅkhadhvajātapatraiḥ cawith the conch, the banner and the parasol; with the signs of the conch, the standard and the canopy
चिह्नितम् चरणद्वयम्cihnitam caraṇadvayammarked are both feet; the pair of feet is marked
Translation
In the opened eight-petalled lotus of the heart He abides, and both His feet are marked with the signs of the conch, the banner and the parasol.
Version
6bee08cdad92 · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:34:47 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The description of the contemplated form begins, and it begins from below — from the feet.
The place is indicated: "the eight-petalled lotus of the heart". The same diagram described in the Pūrva-tāpanī as a yantra for outward worship now turns out to be within the contemplator. The outward throne and the heart are one and the same place.
The marks on the feet — the conch, the banner, the parasol — belong to the signs of the great man, mahā-puruṣa-lakṣaṇa: by tradition these and other marks are discerned on the Lord's feet. Contemplation, then, is guided not by a general impression but by traits.
This matters for practice: a mind given an exact detail holds better than a mind told to imagine "radiance". The description at mantra 10 of the first part was built the same way — eyes, garment, garland, company.
The following mantras will rise from the feet to the chest, arms and head.