Upanishads · Tārasāra 3.3
॥
Devanāgarī
ओं यो ह वै श्रीपरमात्मा नारायणः स भगवानुकारवाच्य उपेन्द्रस्वरूपो हरिनायको भूर्भुवः सुवस्तस्मै वै नमोनमः
Transliteration (IAST)
oṃ yo ha vai śrīparamātmā nārāyaṇaḥ sa bhagavānukāravācya upendrasvarūpo harināyako bhūrbhuvaḥ suvastasmai vai namonamaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
उ-कार-वाच्यः उपेन्द्र-स्वरूपःu-kāra-vācyaḥ upendra-svarūpaḥcalled by the sound 'u,' having the form of Upendra
हरि-नायकःhari-nāyakaḥthe chief of the monkeys
भूः भुवः सुवःbhūḥ bhuvaḥ suvaḥearth, atmosphere, heaven
तस्मै वै नमः नमःtasmai vai namaḥ namaḥhomage, homage to him
Translation
«…called by the sound 'u,' having the form of Upendra, the chief of the monkeys; earth, atmosphere, heaven; homage, homage to him».
Version
026d9c2f92f5 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The second is called hari-nāyaka, "chief of the monkeys," that is, Sugrīva. It is worth saying something about him, because his inclusion in such a set of eight is unexpected. Sugrīva, in the Rāmāyaṇa, is no heroic figure. He is exiled by his brother, hides on a mountain in fear, makes an alliance with Rāma out of need; and having received the kingdom, forgets the agreement and gives himself over to pleasures, so that Lakṣmaṇa has to go and remind him.
And this very Sugrīva stands second in the set of eight and is called Upendra, that is, by a name of Viṣṇu. This circumstance, to my mind, deserves noting with gratitude, for it says something important about who is accepted. The Vaiṣṇava side insists on this and points out that its own stories are built the same way. The Bhāgavatam is full of accounts of people who began badly: Ajāmila was a debauchee, Vālmīki a bandit, Jagāi and Mādhāi drunkards; and every time the story ends in acceptance.
The rule that follows from this deserves stating plainly: the beginning does not decide. What decides is how it ended; and so no story about a person can be judged until it is finished. Let us add the other side too, so it does not come cheap. Sugrīva, having forgotten the agreement, was called to order, and sharply: Lakṣmaṇa came with his bow. That is, acceptance does not mean forgetfulness will pass unaddressed; it means one is not banished for it.