Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Uttara 84
॥
Devanāgarī
सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति अहंकारश्चतुर्भुजः ।
पञ्चभूतात्मकं शङ्खं करे रजसि संस्थितं
Transliteration (IAST)
sattvaṁ rajastama iti ahaṁkāraścaturbhujaḥ |
pañcabhūtātmakaṁ śaṅkhaṁ kare rajasi saṁsthitaṁ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सत्त्वम् रजः तमः इतिsattvam rajaḥ tamaḥ itisattva, rajas, tamas; the three guṇas
अहंकारः चतुर्भुजःahaṁkāraḥ caturbhujaḥthe I-sense is the four arms; ahaṅkāra as the four arms
पञ्चभूतात्मकम् शङ्खम्pañcabhūtātmakam śaṅkhamthe conch, consisting of the five elements; the śaṅkha made of the five elements
करे रजसि संस्थितम्kare rajasi saṁsthitamabides in the hand of passion; resting in the hand of rajas
Translation
Sattva, rajas and tamas together with the I-sense are the four arms; and the conch, consisting of the five elements, abides in the hand of passion.
Version
c1d8d7e649db · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:34:47 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The four arms are interpreted as the three guṇas and the I-sense: that is, the four-armed form is an image of the whole composition of nature — its three strands and the "I" by which they are bound into a person.
The conch is called made of the five elements and placed "in the hand of passion", rajasi: the hand associated with motion and creation holds the matter of the world.
This mode of reading does not cancel the literal form. It adds a second layer to it: the contemplator sees a conch and at the same time understands that within it lies the whole material world.
Thereby the old dispute over whether the Lord's form is "symbolic" is resolved. Here the answer is clear: the form is real, and it is also meaningful; one does not cancel the other, just as the sound of a word does not cancel its sense.
The following mantras will continue: the discus will prove to be the mind, the bow the primal māyā, the mace knowledge.