Upanishads · Rāma-tāpanī Pūrva 4.61
॥
Devanāgarī
कामिकापञ्चमूलान्तस्तान्तान्तो थान्त इत्यथ । स सानन्तो दीर्घयुतो वायुः सूक्ष्मयुतो विषः
Transliteration (IAST)
kāmikāpañcamūlāntastāntānto thānta ityatha | sa sānanto dīrghayuto vāyuḥ sūkṣmayuto viṣaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
कामिका पञ्चमूलान्तःkāmikā pañcamūlāntaḥ“kāmikā”, with the end of the fifth root; kāmikā at the close of pañca-mūla
तान्तान्तः थान्तः इति अथtāntāntaḥ thāntaḥ iti athaending in “ta”, ending in “tha” — thus; ending on ta, on tha
सः सानन्तः दीर्घयुतःsaḥ sānantaḥ dīrghayutaḥhe, ending in “sa”, with the long one; that one, with the close of sa, with length
वायुः सूक्ष्मयुतः विषःvāyuḥ sūkṣmayutaḥ viṣaḥthe wind, with the subtle one, poison; vāyu with sūkṣmā, viṣa
Translation
“Kāmikā” with the end of the fifth root, ending in “ta”, ending in “tha”; he, ending in “sa”, with the long one; the wind, with the subtle one, poison…
Version
05d4cfba51a9 · published Jul 29, 2026, 5:15:19 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The fifth verse of the code, and it is harder than the previous ones: here the letters are indicated no longer by names of powers but grammatically — “ending in ta”, “ending in tha”.
The device is mixed: some words from the śakti row (kāmikā), some from the elements (vāyu, viṣa), some direct indications of sound.
The transmission of these verses in our witnesses diverges, and they cannot be restored with confidence. I say this outright, for to pretend the text is clear would be deception.
The rule worth keeping in reading such places: do not read meaning where there is none, and do not invent. Before us is a memorandum spoiled by copyists, and it is best conveyed as it stands.
I will note only vāyu — “the wind” — and viṣa — “poison”. Wind in these books means prāṇa, the breath; poison — what kills. Both words have stood in the list of letters before.
Three verses remain, and in the last of them the book will finally name the number: forty-seven.