Upanishads · Tripurātāpinī 93
॥
Devanāgarī
तानेकधा संभवति तदोमिति । हंसः शुचिषद्वसुरन्तरिक्षसद्धोता वेदिषदतिथिर्दुरोणसत् । नृषद्वरसदृतसद्व्योमसदब्जा गोजा ऋतजा अद्रिजा ऋतं बृहत्
Transliteration (IAST)
tānekadhā saṃbhavati tadomiti | haṃsaḥ śuciṣadvasurantarikṣasaddhotā vediṣadatithirduroṇasat | nṛṣadvarasadṛtasadvyomasadabjā gojā ṛtajā adrijā ṛtaṃ bṛhat
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तान् एकधा संभवतिtān ekadhā saṃbhavatibrings them together into one
तत् ओम् इतिtat om itithat is «om»
हंसः शुचिषत् वसुः अन्तरिक्ष-सत्haṃsaḥ śuciṣat vasuḥ antarikṣa-satthe goose, seated in the pure, dwelling in the atmosphere
होता वेदि-सत् अतिथिः दुरोण-सत्hotā vedi-sat atithiḥ duroṇa-satthe priest at the altar, the guest in the house
ऋतं बृहत्ṛtaṃ bṛhatthe great law
Translation
«Brings them together into one — that is «om». — «The goose, seated in the pure; Vasu, dwelling in the atmosphere; the priest, seated at the altar; the guest, seated in the house; existing among men, in the best, in the law, in the sky; born of the waters, born of the cow, born of the law, born of the mountain — the great law».
Version
e016ed01d3b2 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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One of the most famous verses of the Vedas is cited (Ṛgveda 4.40.5), repeated also in the Kaṭha-upaniṣad (2.2.2) and in the Śvetāśvatara. This verse deserves analysis, for it is built unusually. It consists entirely of a list of places where He sits: in the pure, in the atmosphere, at the altar, in the house, among men, in the law, in the sky. And its second half is a list of births: from the waters, from the cow, from the law, from the mountain.
It is remarkable that the list runs from top to bottom and back, observing no propriety. Beside «existing in the sky» stands «the guest sitting in the house»; beside «born of the law» stands «born of the cow». No distinction between high and low; and this, apparently, is deliberate.
The word atithi, «guest», matters more than the rest in this series. Atithi literally means «having no day», that is, one who comes without warning, on any day; and hence a guest in a Vedic household is received always, whoever he may be. To call the highest a guest is to say that It comes unannounced and into the house, rather than dwelling out of reach.
This explains too why the verse is loved by Vaishnavas. It is not about majesty and not about extent: it is about the fact that the One sought in the sky sits by the hearth and eats what is offered. A guest is not comprehended — a guest is received.