उपनिषद् · Gopāla-tāpanī Pūrva 3
॥
देवनागरी
तदुहोवाच ब्राह्मणः ।
कृष्णो वै परमं दैवतम् ।
गोविन्दान् मृत्युर् बिभेति ।
गोपीजनवल्लभज्ञानेन तज्ज्ञातं भवति ।
स्वाहयेदं संसरतीति
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
taduhovāca brāhmaṇaḥ |
kṛṣṇo vai paramaṁ daivatam |
govindān mṛtyur bibheti |
gopījanavallabhajñānena tajjñātaṁ bhavati |
svāhayedaṁ saṁsaratīti
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
तत् उ ह उवाच ब्राह्मणःtat u ha uvāca brāhmaṇaḥto this Brahmā said; the creator answered them
कृष्णः वैkṛṣṇaḥ vaiKṛṣṇa indeed; truly Kṛṣṇa
परमम् दैवतम्paramam daivatamis the supreme Deity; is the sovereign god
गोविन्दात्govindātof Govinda; before Govinda
मृत्युः बिभेतिmṛtyuḥ bibhetideath is afraid; death trembles
गोपीजनवल्लभज्ञानेनgopījanavallabhajñānenaby the knowledge of the Beloved of the cowherd women; by knowing gopī-jana-vallabha
तत् ज्ञातम् भवतिtat jñātam bhavatithat becomes known; this is made known
स्वाहयाsvāhayāby svāhā; through the power of "svāhā"
इदम् संसरतिidam saṁsaratithis revolves in the round; the world passes from state to state
इतिitithus; so
अनुवाद
To this Brahmā answered: the supreme Deity is Kṛṣṇa; death is afraid of Govinda; by knowing the Beloved of the cowherd women everything is known; and by svāhā this world revolves.
संस्करण
45283af54ee5 · प्रकाशित 28 जुल॰ 2026, 2:22:17 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The answer is built so that each question is met by a name of its own — and all the names belong to One.
To the question of seniority: "the supreme Deity is Kṛṣṇa". Said without qualification and without hierarchies, and this is one of the lines for whose sake the Upaniṣad is cited.
To the question of death: "death is afraid of Govinda". Note the choice of name — not a formidable one but a cowherd's: what death fears is not a punisher but a Herdsman.
To the question of omniscience: "by knowing gopī-jana-vallabha everything is known". And here is the key to the whole book: the knowledge that covers everything is called the knowledge of Him who is dear to the cowherd women. Not might and not infinity, but a relation of love turns out to be that through which the whole is known.
To the question of the round: "by svāhā this world revolves". Svāhā is the call with which an oblation is poured into fire; here it is a name of His energy, that śakti which sets the world in motion.
Four answers — four words: Kṛṣṇa, Govinda, gopī-jana-vallabha, svāhā. An attentive listener already hears in them the mantra that will be spoken of further on; but the sages have not yet understood this, and so they ask again.