Upanishads · Nṛsiṃha-tāpanī Pūrva 5.7
॥
Devanāgarī
अरैर्वा एतत्सुबद्धं भवति वेदा वा एते अराः पत्रैर्वा एतत्सर्वतः परिक्रामति छन्दांसि वै पत्राणि
Transliteration (IAST)
arairvā etatsubaddhaṃ bhavati vedā vā ete arāḥ patrairvā etatsarvataḥ parikrāmati chandāṃsi vai patrāṇi
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अरैः वै एतत् सुबद्धम् भवतिaraiḥ vai etat subaddham bhavatiby the spokes this is firmly bound; with the spokes this is fast fixed
वेदाः वै एते अराःvedāḥ vai ete arāḥthese spokes are the Vedas; these spokes are the Vedas
पत्रैः वै एतत् सर्वतः परिक्रामतिpatraiḥ vai etat sarvataḥ parikrāmatiby the petals it goes round everywhere; with the petals it circles everything
छन्दांसि वै पत्राणिchandāṃsi vai patrāṇithe petals are the metres; the leaves are the chandas
Translation
By the spokes this is firmly bound, and these spokes are the Vedas; by the petals it goes round everywhere, and the petals are the metres.
Version
c0e56be13725 · published Jul 29, 2026, 4:39:50 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A short paragraph explaining what the wheel is made of.
The spokes are the Vedas; the petals are the metres.
The distinction is exact and worth examining. A spoke holds: it goes from the hub to the rim and does not let the wheel fold. A petal is outside; it is open and turned in all directions.
And different verbs are used of them: by the spokes the wheel is subaddham, “firmly bound”; by the petals it sarvataḥ parikrāmati, “goes round everywhere”.
The Vedas, then, hold; the metres move.
Note that both are speech. The wheel is assembled wholly of speech: the hub is a syllable, the spokes are the Vedas, the petals are the metres, the rim is māyā.
Here is the whole diagram of this book. The Rāma-tāpanī built its yantra out of persons — Sītā, Hanumān, the ministers; here the diagram is composed of measures and Vedas.
The next paragraph will inscribe the mantras into it, and it will be the most detailed paragraph of the Upaniṣad.