Upanishads · Gopāla-tāpanī Uttara 102
॥
Devanāgarī
ओं समानात्मने (नमः) ।
ओं तत्सद् भूर्भुवः
स्वस्तस्मै वै समानात्मने नमो नमः
Transliteration (IAST)
oṁ samānātmane (namaḥ) |
oṁ tatsad bhūrbhuvaḥ
svastasmai vai samānātmane namo namaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ओं समानात्मनेoṁ samānātmaneoṁ, to Him whose essence is samāna; oṁ, to the soul of the balancing breath
नमःnamaḥobeisance; homage
ओं तत् सत्oṁ tat satoṁ, that is the truth; oṁ, that is the real
भूः भुवः स्वःbhūḥ bhuvaḥ svaḥearth, air, heaven; the three worlds
तस्मै वै समानात्मनेtasmai vai samānātmaneto Him whose essence is samāna; to that very soul of samāna
नमः नमःnamaḥ namaḥobeisance and obeisance; homage again and again
Translation
Oṁ, obeisance to Him whose essence is samāna. Oṁ, that is the truth; earth, air, heaven. To Him whose essence is samāna, obeisance and obeisance.
Version
7f300da41c0b · published Jul 28, 2026, 2:36:50 PM UTC
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The third breath: samāna — that which "balances". It is credited with distributing what is eaten through the body, the even assimilation of food.
Among the five breaths it is central both in position and in action: prāṇa goes upward, apāna downward, and samāna holds the balance between them.
The obeisance to the balancing power is placed in the middle of the litany — and this is fitting: the one who utters these invocations is himself seeking balance.
Note that in the ancient texts samāna is also linked to the digestive fire, of which it is said that the Lord dwells in the body as this very fire. So the invocation turns out addressed to what is happening in us right now too.
The litany runs through the vital forces one by one, as beads are told; and after each sounds the Name.