Upanishads · Tripurātāpinī 29
॥
Devanāgarī
नवमे धामनि पुनरागस्त्यं वाग्भवं शक्तिमन्मथशिवशक्तिमन्मथोर्वीमायाकामकलालयं चन्द्रसूर्यानङ्गधूर्जटिमहिमालयं तृतीयं षण्मुखीयं विद्या
Transliteration (IAST)
navame dhāmani punarāgastyaṃ vāgbhavaṃ śaktimanmathaśivaśaktimanmathorvīmāyākāmakalālayaṃ candrasūryānaṅgadhūrjaṭimahimālayaṃ tṛtīyaṃ ṣaṇmukhīyaṃ vidyā
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
नवमे धामनि पुनः आगस्त्यंnavame dhāmani punaḥ āgastyaṃin the ninth abode, again Agastya's
शक्ति-मन्मथ-शिव-शक्ति-मन्मथ-śakti-manmatha-śiva-śakti-manmatha-power, Manmatha, Śiva, power, Manmatha
उर्वी-माया-काम-कला-लयंurvī-māyā-kāma-kalā-layaṃearth, māyā, the abode of the portion of desire
चन्द्र-सूर्य-अनङ्ग-धूर्जटि-महिमा-लयंcandra-sūrya-anaṅga-dhūrjaṭi-mahimā-layaṃthe abode of the greatness of moon, sun, Ananga, Dhūrjaṭi
तृतीयं षण्मुखीयं विद्याtṛtīyaṃ ṣaṇmukhīyaṃ vidyāthe third — the vidyā of Ṣaṇmukhī
Translation
«In the ninth abode — again Agastya's summit of speech: power, Manmatha, Śiva, power, Manmatha, earth, māyā — the abode of the portion of desire; the abode of the greatness of moon, sun, Ananga, and Dhūrjaṭi — the third: the vidyā of Ṣaṇmukhī».
Version
deced2486dc8 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The line is composed entirely of names, and behind each stands a story. Manmatha, «disturber of the mind», and Ananga, «bodiless», are names of the god of love, Kāma; the second he received from Śiva: burned by His glance for interrupting His austerity, he was left without a body and has since been called the Bodiless One. Dhūrjaṭi, «heavy-haired», is a name of Śiva himself — of the one whose matted locks grew heavy from the waters of the Ganges. Ṣaṇmukha, «six-faced», is Skanda, Śiva's son, born of the six mother Kṛttikās and hence given six faces.
All three names come from a single story: how Kāma was burned because the gods needed Skanda's birth, while Śiva remained in austerity. This story is famous and is interpreted in various ways. Worth adding to it an observation of no small weight. Kāma was burned — and remained; having lost his body, he did not perish, but began to act without one, and since then, they say, acts all the stronger. The burning of desire did not destroy it, but made it invisible; and anyone who has fought desire by mere denial knows what happens afterward.