Upanishads · Tripurātāpinī 27
॥
Devanāgarī
सप्तमे धामनि तृतीयमेतस्या एव पूर्वोक्तायाः कामाद्यं द्विधाधः कं मदनकलाद्यं शक्तिबीजं वाग्भवाद्यं तयोरर्धावशिरस्कं कृत्वा नन्दिविद्येयम्
Transliteration (IAST)
saptame dhāmani tṛtīyametasyā eva pūrvoktāyāḥ kāmādyaṃ dvidhādhaḥ kaṃ madanakalādyaṃ śaktibījaṃ vāgbhavādyaṃ tayorardhāvaśiraskaṃ kṛtvā nandividyeyam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सप्तमे धामनि तृतीयम्saptame dhāmani tṛtīyamin the seventh abode, the third
काम-आद्यं द्विधा अधःkāma-ādyaṃ dvidhā adhaḥwith Kāma at the start, twofold, below
मदन-कला-आद्यं शक्ति-बीजंmadana-kalā-ādyaṃ śakti-bījaṃwith Madana's portion at the start — the seed of power
अर्ध-अव-शिरस्कं कृत्वाardha-ava-śiraskaṃ kṛtvāhaving made them half-headed
नन्दि-विद्या इयम्nandi-vidyā iyamthis is the vidyā of Nandi
Translation
«In the seventh abode — a third [portion] from that same, previously named: with Kāma at the start, twofold, below — «ka»; with Madana's portion at the start — the seed of power, with the summit of speech at the start; having made them half-headed — this is the vidyā of Nandi».
Version
c6a7d99f2c26 · published Aug 7, 2026, 5:19:24 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The listing of the twelve continues, and here it is analyzed by structure, not by substance. The reason is simple: the subject of these lines is initiation, not reading. A mantra with transposed syllables is already a different mantra; it is transmitted orally, with an indication of stress, length, and order. One who reads from a book will not compose it correctly regardless, and if he does compose it, most likely he will do so wrongly.
Tantric compositions themselves make this qualification: such mantras are deliberately encoded. Their syllables are named not directly but by names — «Kāma», «Madana», «portion» — and the key to the names is given at initiation. The book is written so that it cannot be used without a guide.
This precaution is reasonable, and its explanation is simple. A mantra taken without a guide is another's property taken without asking; the matter here is not secrecy for its own sake, but the fact that along with the mantra is transmitted the right to utter it. The name Nandi, standing here, is the name of Śiva's gatekeeper — the bull that lies at the entrance of every Śaiva temple. That one of the twelve vidyās bears his name is a reminder: at the entrance someone lies, and one cannot pass by him.