Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Uttara 82
॥
Devanāgarī
श्रीवत्सञ्च स्वरूपञ्च वर्तते लाञ्छनैः सह ।
श्रीवत्सलाञ्छनं तस्मात् कथ्यते ब्रह्मवादिभिः
Transliteration (IAST)
śrīvatsañca svarūpañca vartate lāñchanaiḥ saha |
śrīvatsalāñchanaṁ tasmāt kathyate brahmavādibhiḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
श्रीवत्सम् च स्वरूपम् चśrīvatsam ca svarūpam caboth the Śrīvatsa and His own form; both the sign of Śrīvatsa and His own nature
वर्तते लाञ्छनैः सहvartate lāñchanaiḥ sahaexist together with their signs; abide together with their marks
श्रीवत्सलाञ्छनम्śrīvatsalāñchanam"marked with Śrīvatsa"; "having the sign of Śrīvatsa"
तस्मात् कथ्यते ब्रह्मवादिभिःtasmāt kathyate brahmavādibhiḥis therefore said by the knowers of Brahman; so speak the Vedāntins accordingly
Translation
Both the Śrīvatsa and His own form exist together with their signs; therefore the knowers of Brahman call Him "marked with Śrīvatsa".
Version
e9cbfcc5454a · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:34:47 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The mantra explains why one of the Lord's names sounds as "He who bears the sign of Śrīvatsa".
The explanation is this: both the Śrīvatsa — the curl on the chest — and His own form exist not apart from their marks. The signs are not attached to Him from outside; the form and the marks are undivided.
This continues the same teaching as in the book's first part, where it was said of sac-cid-ānanda-vigraha: the Lord's body is not a covering upon Him but Himself. Here the same is said of the marks on the body.
Hence the rule of contemplation: the details described in mantras 75–78 are not ornaments that can be dropped for the sake of the "essence". They are the essence, since He has nothing that could be separated from Him.
And again the appeal is to "the knowers of Brahman" — the name by which the book checks its assertions from beginning to end.