Upanishads · Tripurātāpinī 6
॥
Devanāgarī
परो भगवान्निर्लक्षणो निरञ्जनो निरुपाधिराधिरहितो देवः । उन्मीलते पश्यति विकासते चैतन्यभावं कामयत इति । स एको देवः शिवरूपी दृश्यत्वेन विकासते यतिषु यज्ञेषु योगिषु कामयते
Transliteration (IAST)
paro bhagavānnirlakṣaṇo nirañjano nirupādhirādhirahito devaḥ | unmīlate paśyati vikāsate caitanyabhāvaṃ kāmayata iti | sa eko devaḥ śivarūpī dṛśyatvena vikāsate yatiṣu yajñeṣu yogiṣu kāmayate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
परः भगवान् निर्-लक्षणःparaḥ bhagavān nir-lakṣaṇaḥthe Highest Lord, without a mark
निर्-अञ्जनः निर्-उपाधिः देवःnir-añjanaḥ nir-upādhiḥ devaḥunstained, without wrapping, the God
उन्मीलते पश्यति विकासतेunmīlate paśyati vikāsateopens, sees, blossoms
चैतन्य-भावं कामयतेcaitanya-bhāvaṃ kāmayatedesires the state of consciousness
सः एकः देवः शिव-रूपीsaḥ ekaḥ devaḥ śiva-rūpīhe, the one God, in the form of Śiva
Translation
«The Highest Lord, without a mark, unstained, the God without wrapping — opens, sees, blossoms, desires the state of consciousness; he, the one God, in the form of Śiva, blossoms with appearance and desires — among ascetics, among sacrifices, among yogīs».
Version
712e94218a40 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The line places negations and living verbs side by side, and the whole matter lies in this proximity. First the negations: nirlakṣaṇa, «without a mark»; nirañjana, «unstained»; nirupādhi, «without wrapping» — as in a thousand other places. And then — unmīlate, «opens» (literally «opens the eyes», from mil, «to close the eyelids»); paśyati, «sees»; vikāsate, «blossoms»; kāmayate, «desires». Four verbs in a row, and all four about a living being: opens its eyes, looks, unfolds, wants. The last is stated directly: kāmayate caitanya-bhāvam, «desires the state of consciousness», that is, wants to be conscious.
The argument here has already been made more than once, and there is no need to repeat it; let us pause instead on the word unmīlate itself. It is taken from everyday usage and means awakening — this is said of one who has opened his eyes after sleep. To say this of the markless can only mean that «markless» means «without marks familiar to us», not «without any at all».
His desire, moreover, is called directed: yatiṣu yajñeṣu yogiṣu, «among ascetics, among sacrifices, among yogīs» — that is, turned toward those who seek Him. Such desire is not hunger, but a movement to meet.