Upanishads · Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 5.1
॥
Devanāgarī
देवा ह वै प्रजापतिमब्रुवन्नानुष्टुभस्य मन्त्रराजस्य नारसिंहस्य महाचक्रं नाम चक्रं नो ब्रूहि भगव इति सार्वकामिकं मोक्षद्वारं उद्योगिन उपदिशन्ति
Transliteration (IAST)
devā ha vai prajāpatimabruvannānuṣṭubhasya mantrarājasya nārasiṃhasya mahācakraṃ nāma cakraṃ no brūhi bhagava iti sārvakāmikaṃ mokṣadvāraṃ udyogina upadiśanti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
देवाः ह वै प्रजापतिम् अब्रुवन्devāḥ ha vai prajāpatim abruvanthe gods said to Prajāpati; the celestials spoke to Prajāpati
आनुष्टुभस्य मन्त्रराजस्यānuṣṭubhasya mantrarājasyaof the anuṣṭubh king of mantras; of the chief mantra in the anuṣṭubh
नारसिंहस्य महाचक्रम् नाम चक्रम्nārasiṃhasya mahācakram nāma cakramthe Nṛsiṃha — the circle named Mahācakra; of the nārasiṃha — the cakra called mahācakra
नः ब्रूहि भगवः इतिnaḥ brūhi bhagavaḥ ititell us, O lord; declare to us, master
सार्वकामिकम् मोक्षद्वारम्sārvakāmikam mokṣadvāramgranting all desires, the door of liberation; fulfilling every wish, the gate of mokṣa
उद्योगिनः उपदिशन्तिudyoginaḥ upadiśantithe diligent teach it; the striving instruct in it
Translation
The gods said to Prajāpati: “Tell us, O lord, that circle of Nṛsiṃha, the anuṣṭubh king of mantras, which is called the Mahācakra — granting all desires, the door of liberation, taught by the diligent.”
Version
42025ac0e1ad · published Jul 29, 2026, 4:39:50 AM UTC
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The fifth Upaniṣad is about a diagram, and the diagram is named the Mahācakra, “the great circle”.
To the reader of this collection the subject is familiar: the fourth Upaniṣad of the pūrva-tāpanī of the Rāma-tāpanī was about a yantra, and there the diagram was built in circles from Rāma outward.
Here it will be otherwise: one circle, but with several rings of spokes — six, eight, twelve, sixteen, thirty-two.
Note the two definitions attending it: sārvakāmika — “granting all desires”, and mokṣa-dvāra, “the door of liberation”.
Two fruits are named together and without discrimination. The book has done so before: in the sixth paragraph of the first Upaniṣad, beside each limb of the mantra stood prosperity and immortality.
And the last word: udyoginaḥ — “the diligent, those who apply effort”. From udyoga, “effort, exertion”. Not “the knowing” and not “the holy”: those who work.