Upanishads · Tripurātāpinī 7
॥
Devanāgarī
कामं जायते स एष निरञ्जनोऽकामत्वेनोज्जृम्भते । अकचटतपयशान्सृजते । तस्मादीश्वरः कामोऽभिधीयते । तत्परिभाषया कामः ककारं व्याप्नोति । काम एवेदं तत्तदिति ककारो गृह्यते । भस्मात्तत्पदार्थ इति य एवं वेद
Transliteration (IAST)
kāmaṃ jāyate sa eṣa nirañjano'kāmatvenojjṛmbhate | akacaṭatapayaśānsṛjate | tasmādīśvaraḥ kāmo'bhidhīyate | tatparibhāṣayā kāmaḥ kakāraṃ vyāpnoti | kāma evedaṃ tattaditi kakāro gṛhyate | bhasmāttatpadārtha iti ya evaṃ veda
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
कामं जायते सः एषःkāmaṃ jāyate saḥ eṣaḥdesire is born; he, this one
निर्-अञ्जनः अ-काम-त्वेन उज्जृम्भतेnir-añjanaḥ a-kāma-tvena ujjṛmbhateunstained, by desirelessness unfolds
अ-क-च-ट-त-प-य-शान् सृजतेa-ka-ca-ṭa-ta-pa-ya-śān sṛjatecreates the sounds «a», «ka», «ca», «ta», etc.
तस्मात् ईश्वरः कामः अभिधीयतेtasmāt īśvaraḥ kāmaḥ abhidhīyatehence the Lord is called Kāma
कामः क-कारं व्याप्नोतिkāmaḥ ka-kāraṃ vyāpnotiKāma pervades the sound «ka»
Translation
«Desire is born; he, unstained, unfolds by desirelessness: creates the sounds «a», «ka», «ca», «ta», «ta», «pa», «ya», «śa». Hence the Lord is called Kāma; by this convention Kāma pervades the sound «ka»…»
Version
9c09d64326d9 · published Aug 7, 2026, 5:19:24 AM UTC
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Here the book takes up its chief task — parsing syllables — and the device must be explained, otherwise it is incomprehensible. A-ka-ca-ta-ta-pa-ya-śa is a list of the eight classes of the Sanskrit alphabet: vowels, gutturals, palatals, retroflexes, dentals, labials, semivowels, sibilants; it is said, then, that He creates the whole alphabet, named by the first letters of its classes. Then He is called Kāma, «Desire», and Kāma «pervades the sound ka»: the first syllable of a name is taken as a sign of the name-bearer itself. This is the whole device, and it will recur to the end of the book — a word is taken, its first syllable is taken, and the syllable is set into the mantra.
This device is legitimate as a mnemonic and as a way of compressing a teaching into a short word; in this capacity every school without exception uses it. It has no probative force, however: from the fact that «Kāma» begins with «ka» nothing follows about what Kāma is like. Hence Vaishnava theology is built not on syllables but on statements — on what is said in whole sentences. A syllable is a sign; a sentence is an assertion; one argues and agrees about assertions.