Upanishads · Tārasāra 3.6
॥
Devanāgarī
ओं यो ह वै श्रीपरमात्मा नारायणः स भगवान्नादस्वरूपो भरतो भूर्भुवः सुवस्तस्मै वै नमोनमः
Transliteration (IAST)
oṃ yo ha vai śrīparamātmā nārāyaṇaḥ sa bhagavānnādasvarūpo bharato bhūrbhuvaḥ suvastasmai vai namonamaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
नाद-स्वरूपः भरतःnāda-svarūpaḥ bharataḥhaving the form of the resonance, Bharata
भूः भुवः सुवःbhūḥ bhuvaḥ suvaḥearth, atmosphere, heaven
तस्मै वै नमः नमःtasmai vai namaḥ namaḥhomage, homage to him
Translation
«…having the form of the resonance, Bharata; earth, atmosphere, heaven; homage, homage to him».
Version
1db4f817cf70 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Bharata was discussed when reading the second pāda (2.9); here it is worth examining bhūr bhuvaḥ suvaḥ, repeated in all eight mantras. These three words are the vyāhṛtis, "utterances," and in ritual are spoken before the gāyatrī. They denote the three worlds: earth, the atmosphere, and heaven.
It is worth asking why they are here, for in a mantra addressed to a person they seem superfluous. The answer, to my mind, is this: they denote scope. Homage is not offered in a corner and not to oneself; it is offered so as to cover the three worlds.
Behind this stands the conviction that one person's prayer is not a private matter. He prays not for himself alone and not only on his own behalf. The Vaiṣṇava side shares this conviction and expresses it in a custom worth mentioning. All its service ends with distribution: what has been offered is given out to everyone, including strangers and outsiders; and no rite is held complete until it has been distributed.
The reasoning given is the same as here: what is received does not remain with the receiver. Let us add what follows from this for understanding prayer in general. A prayer that ends on oneself is, by this reckoning, unfinished; and the three words standing at the end of each of these mantras are a reminder that it has a continuation beyond the one praying.