Upanishads · Tārasāra 3.5
॥
Devanāgarī
ओं यो ह वै श्रीपरमात्मा नारायणः स भगवान्बिन्दुस्वरूपः शत्रुघ्नो भूर्भुवः सुवस्तस्मै वै नमोनमः
Transliteration (IAST)
oṃ yo ha vai śrīparamātmā nārāyaṇaḥ sa bhagavānbindusvarūpaḥ śatrughno bhūrbhuvaḥ suvastasmai vai namonamaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
बिन्दु-स्वरूपः शत्रुघ्नःbindu-svarūpaḥ śatrughnaḥhaving the form of the dot, Śatrughna
भूः भुवः सुवःbhūḥ bhuvaḥ suvaḥearth, atmosphere, heaven
तस्मै वै नमः नमःtasmai vai namaḥ namaḥhomage, homage to him
Translation
«…having the form of the dot, Śatrughna; earth, atmosphere, heaven; homage, homage to him».
Version
6e9b5eb0a66f · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Śatrughna, "slayer of enemies," is the least conspicuous of the four brothers: the Rāmāyaṇa says almost nothing about him. But his service is known, and it deserves attention: he stayed with Bharata. That is, while Lakṣmaṇa served Rāma, and Bharata ruled in the name of his sandals, Śatrughna served Bharata — that is, a servant.
This position has its own name in Vaiṣṇava teaching and is held the highest of all: dāsa-anudāsa, "servant of the servant." Caitanya defined himself precisely this way, and his words deserve citing, for in them the reckoning is carried to its limit: gopī-bhartuḥ pada-kamalayor dāsa-dāsa-anudāsaḥ, "the servant of the servant of the servant of the lotus feet of the one who sustains the cowherd women." Three "servants" in a row are placed there deliberately. Each pushes the speaker one step further back; and the further back he pushes himself, the closer, by its reckoning, he turns out to be.
This rule deserves stating, for it is the reverse of the usual. In the world, standing is measured by closeness to the chief person; here, by readiness to serve the one who serves. The reasoning given is this: one who wants to serve the Lord Himself may perhaps be seeking honor; but one who agrees to serve His servant will receive no honor, and so his service is pure.
Hence Śatrughna, of whom there are almost no lines in the story, stands in this set of eight on a par with the rest; and the dot, bindu — the smallest of all marks — fell to him by merit.