उपनिषद् · Rāma-tāpanī Uttara 2.8
॥
देवनागरी
सा सीता भवति ज्ञेया मूलप्रकृतिसंज्ञिता । प्रणवत्वात्प्रकृतिरिति वदन्ति ब्रह्मवादिनः
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
sā sītā bhavati jñeyā mūlaprakṛtisaṃjñitā | praṇavatvātprakṛtiriti vadanti brahmavādinaḥ
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
सा सीता भवति ज्ञेयाsā sītā bhavati jñeyāshe is to be known as Sītā; her one must know as Sītā
मूलप्रकृतिसंज्ञिताmūlaprakṛtisaṃjñitānamed the root nature; called mūla-prakṛti
प्रणवत्वात् प्रकृतिः इतिpraṇavatvāt prakṛtiḥ itibecause of the praṇava — “prakṛti”; by the praṇava's nature — “prakṛti”
वदन्ति ब्रह्मवादिनःvadanti brahmavādinaḥsay the discoursers on Brahman; declare the knowers of Brahman
अनुवाद
“She is to be known as Sītā, named the root nature; and because of the praṇava the discoursers on Brahman call her prakṛti.”
संस्करण
8dde460cf104 · प्रकाशित 29 जुल॰ 2026, 5:15:19 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
She is named by name, and named twice: Sītā and mūla-prakṛti — “the root nature”.
Mūla-prakṛti in Sāṅkhya is that first stuff out of which the whole world unfolds and which itself unfolds out of nothing. Her identification with Sītā sets Rāma's wife at the very foundation of the universe.
But it is joined with the previous paragraph in such a way that the sense comes out not Sāṅkhyan at all. There it was said: she acts “by the power of Rāma's nearness”. So the world's first ground is not independent; Sāṅkhya, however, holds prakṛti independent of the puruṣa.
Here is the difference worth keeping: Sāṅkhya has two equals; our book has two inseparables, of whom one acts by the nearness of the other.
The word praṇavatvāt — “because of the praṇava” — refers back to the preceding paragraphs: prakṛti is so called because she is part of the syllable Oṁ, as Rāma's brothers were its parts.
Note how it ends: “say the discoursers on Brahman”, brahmavādinaḥ. The book does not pass this off as its own invention and appeals to the knowers.
With this the verse insertion ends. Next comes what no one expects: the Māṇḍūkya word for word.