Upanishads Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 1.9

Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī UpaniṣadNṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 1.9

2208 / 5341

Upanishads · Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 1.9

॥

Devanāgarī

उग्रं प्रथमस्याद्यं ज्वलं द्वितीयस्याद्यं नृसिंहं तृतीयस्याद्यं मृत्युं चतुर्थस्याद्यं साम जानीयाद्यो जानीते सोऽमृतत्वं च गच्छति । तस्मादिदं साम यत्र कुत्रचिन्नाचष्टे यदि दातुमपेक्षते पुत्राय शुश्रूषवे दास्यत्यन्यस्मै शिष्याय वा चेति

Transliteration (IAST)

ugraṃ prathamasyādyaṃ jvalaṃ dvitīyasyādyaṃ nṛsiṃhaṃ tṛtīyasyādyaṃ mṛtyuṃ caturthasyādyaṃ sāma jānīyādyo jānīte so'mṛtatvaṃ ca gacchati | tasmādidaṃ sāma yatra kutracinnācaṣṭe yadi dātumapekṣate putrāya śuśrūṣave dāsyatyanyasmai śiṣyāya vā ceti

Word-by-word

SanskritIASTMeaning

उग्रम् प्रथमस्य आद्यम्ugram prathamasya ādyam“ugra” — the beginning of the first; “ugra” — the first word of the first foot

ज्वलम् द्वितीयस्य आद्यम्jvalam dvitīyasya ādyam“jvala” — the beginning of the second; “jvala” — the first word of the second

नृसिंहम् तृतीयस्य आद्यम्nṛsiṃham tṛtīyasya ādyam“nṛsiṃha” — the beginning of the third; “nṛsiṃha” — the first word of the third

मृत्युम् चतुर्थस्य आद्यम्mṛtyum caturthasya ādyam“mṛtyu” — the beginning of the fourth; “mṛtyu” — the first word of the fourth

साम जानीयात्sāma jānīyātlet him know the chant; let him understand the sāman

तस्मात् इदम् सामtasmāt idam sāmatherefore this chant; hence this sāman

यत्र कुत्रचित् न आचष्टेyatra kutracit na ācaṣṭeis not expounded just anywhere; he does not declare wherever it may be

यदि दातुम् अपेक्षतेyadi dātum apekṣateif he wishes to give it; should he wish to hand it on

पुत्राय शुश्रूषवे दास्यतिputrāya śuśrūṣave dāsyatihe will give it to an obedient son; he will entrust it to a son ready to serve

अन्यस्मै शिष्याय वाanyasmai śiṣyāya vāor to another pupil; or else to another disciple

Translation

“Ugra” is the beginning of the first quarter, “jvala” — of the second, “nṛsiṃha” — of the third, “mṛtyu” — of the fourth: so let him know this chant; who knows attains immortality. Therefore this chant is not expounded just anywhere; and if one wishes to transmit it — he will transmit it to an obedient son or to another pupil.

Commentary

Here begins a riddle that will stretch through the whole Upaniṣad, and it is worth saying at once what it is.

The mantra-rāja of Nṛsiṃha is an anuṣṭubh of thirty-two syllables, and it runs: “Ugraṁ vīraṁ mahāviṣṇuṁ jvalantaṁ sarvatomukham, nṛsiṃhaṁ bhīṣaṇaṁ bhadraṁ mṛtyu-mṛtyuṁ namāmy aham” — “To the terrible, the valiant, the great Viṣṇu, the blazing, with face turned everywhere, the man-lion, the fearsome, the good, the death of death itself — I bow.”

The book does not write it out in sequence. It gives it one word from each quarter, and gives it in four places: here — the first words, in the eleventh paragraph — the second, in the thirteenth — the third, in the fifteenth — the last.

Here the first are named: ugra, jvala, nṛsiṃha, mṛtyu.

Why so? For the same reason as the secret code in the fourth Upaniṣad of the pūrva-tāpanī of the Rāma-tāpanī: so that the mantra not be read by a casual eye. Only one who has read to the end and been given the explanation can assemble it.

And at once — the rule of transmission: not “just anywhere”, but to an obedient son or to a pupil.

Note the word śuśrūṣu — “desirous of hearing, ready to serve”; from the root śru, “to hear”. The condition is set not by birth but by disposition: the one who wants to listen.

Version

e2bff8f59feb · published Jul 29, 2026, 4:39:50 AM UTC

Available inRUEN

PreviousVerse Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 1.8 NextVerse Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 1.10

Page between verses with