Upanishads · Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 4.26
॥
Devanāgarī
ओं यो ह वै नृसिंहो देवो भगवान् याश्चतस्रोऽर्धमात्राः भूर्भुवः स्वस्तस्मै वै नमो नमः
Transliteration (IAST)
oṃ yo ha vai nṛsiṃho devo bhagavān yāścatasro'rdhamātrāḥ bhūrbhuvaḥ svastasmai vai namo namaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
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
याः चतस्रः अर्धमात्राःyāḥ catasraḥ ardhamātrāḥwhich are the four half-measures; those that are the four half-mātrās
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
Oṁ. He who is the God Nṛsiṃha — He is the Lord, and He is the four half-measures. Earth, mid-air, heaven! To him be bow upon bow.
Version
137f95e21b70 · published Jul 29, 2026, 4:39:50 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The twelfth name is “the four half-measures”.
Ardha-mātrā, “half-measure”, is what remains of the syllable Oṁ when the three sounds have sounded out: the thinning in which are distinguished bindu, nāda and further — down to complete soundlessness.
We met the same in the fortieth mantra of the litany of the Rāma-tāpanī, where “the four half-measures” were named; and there I noted that this is what remains when the sound has already died away.
The agreement of the two litanies here is verbatim, and it shows how much these books are of one school.
Note that the number four is here too: four feet of the Ātman, four parts of the mantra, four measures of the syllable, four half-measures.
The book has been counting by fours since its first paragraph.