उपनिषद् · Gopāla-tāpanī Uttara 76
॥
देवनागरी
श्रीवत्सलाञ्छनं हृत्स्थं कौस्तुभं प्रभया युतम् ।
चतुर्भुजं शङ्खचक्र शार्ङ्ग पद्म गदान्वितम्
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
śrīvatsalāñchanaṁ hṛtsthaṁ kaustubhaṁ prabhayā yutam |
caturbhujaṁ śaṅkhacakra śārṅga padma gadānvitam
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
श्रीवत्सलाञ्छनम्śrīvatsalāñchanammarked with the Śrīvatsa; having the sign of Śrīvatsa
हृत्स्थम्hṛtsthamon the chest; on the heart
कौस्तुभम् प्रभया युतम्kaustubham prabhayā yutamand the Kaustubha, full of radiance; and the Kaustubha jewel with its brilliance
चतुर्भुजम्caturbhujamfour-armed; having four arms
शङ्खचक्र शार्ङ्ग पद्म गदान्वितम्śaṅkhacakra śārṅga padma gadānvitamfurnished with the conch, discus, bow, lotus and mace; provided with the five signs
अनुवाद
On His chest are the sign of Śrīvatsa and the radiant Kaustubha; He is four-armed, with the conch, discus, bow, lotus and mace.
संस्करण
cc6de12d14d3 · प्रकाशित 28 जुल॰ 2026, 2:34:47 pm UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The description rises to the chest. Śrīvatsa is the curl of hair on Viṣṇu's breast, a sign of Śrī's presence; the Kaustubha is the jewel obtained at the churning of the ocean.
Here the form is called four-armed — unlike the Pūrva-tāpanī, where Kṛṣṇa was described two-armed, with a cowherd's garland. There is no contradiction: the book has already spoken of twelve forms and of the quaternity, and the contemplation spoken of here follows the form honoured in Mathurā.
In the very next pair of mantras it will emerge that a second possibility is offered too: the contemplator may hold in mind a flute and a herdsman's horn instead of the weapons. So the Upaniṣad shows that the form is not imposed but offered.
Note that five objects are listed though there are four arms: in such descriptions the attributes are listed without being assigned one by one to the hands.