Upanishads · Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 4.15
॥
Devanāgarī
स होवाच प्रजापतिः । ओं यो ह वै नृसिंहो देवो भगवान्यश्च ब्रह्मा भूर्भुवः स्वस्तस्मै वै नमो नमः
Transliteration (IAST)
sa hovāca prajāpatiḥ | oṃ yo ha vai nṛsiṃho devo bhagavānyaśca brahmā bhūrbhuvaḥ svastasmai vai namo namaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सः ह उवाच प्रजापतिःsaḥ ha uvāca prajāpatiḥPrajāpati said; and Prajāpati spoke
ओं यः ह वैoṃ yaḥ ha vaiOṁ. He who; Oṁ. The very one who
नृसिंहः देवः सः भगवान्nṛsiṃhaḥ devaḥ saḥ bhagavānis the God Nṛsiṃha — he is the Lord; the god Nṛsiṃha is — he is Bhagavān
यः च ब्रह्माyaḥ ca brahmāand who is Brahmā; and the one who is Brahmā
भूर्भुवः स्वःbhūrbhuvaḥ svaḥearth, mid-air, heaven; bhūḥ, bhuvaḥ, svaḥ
तस्मै वै नमः नमःtasmai vai namaḥ namaḥto him be bow upon bow; to him worship and worship
Translation
Prajāpati said: “Oṁ. He who is the God Nṛsiṃha — He is the Lord, and He is Brahmā. Earth, mid-air, heaven! To him be bow upon bow.”
Version
99b944693ae4 · published Jul 29, 2026, 4:39:50 AM UTC
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The litany begins, and it will last thirty-two paragraphs.
To the reader of this collection its form is familiar to the last word. The Atharvaśiras: “he who is Rudra, he is the Lord, and he is Brahmā… to him bow upon bow”. The Rāma-tāpanī, uttara 4: “he who is Śrī-Rāmacandra, he is the Lord, and he is Brahmā… earth, mid-air, heaven, to him bow upon bow”.
Three books, three names — and one and the same formula, with one and the same first member: Brahmā.
This is the genealogy of the genre. The Atharvaśiras is the eldest of all, and from it came both tāpanīs; but this litany is not a borrowing — it is their common form of confession.
Its meaning is everywhere one. The name standing as subject is not one of the enumerated: the enumeration is called by its name.
Note the refrain: bhūr bhuvaḥ svaḥ — three utterances, three worlds. The Atharvaśiras lacks it; the Rāma-tāpanī has it. So our book is nearer to the latter than to the Śaiva exemplar.
The next thirty-one paragraphs will add a name apiece.