अथ कस्माद् उच्यते ओंकारः यस्माद् उच्चार्यमाण एव प्राणान् ऊर्ध्वम् उत्क्रामयति तस्माद् उच्यते ओंकारः । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते प्रणवः यस्माद् उच्चार्यमाण एव ऋग्यजुःसामाथर्वाङ्गिरसं ब्रह्म ब्राह्मणेभ्यः प्रणामयति नामयति च तस्माद् उच्यते प्रणवः । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते सर्वव्यापी यस्माद् उच्चार्यमाण एव यथा स्नेहेन पललपिण्डम् इव शान्तरूपम् ओतप्रोतम् अनुप्राप्तो व्यतिषक्तश् च तस्माद् उच्यते सर्वव्यापी । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते ऽनन्तः यस्माद् उच्चार्यमाण एव तिर्यग् ऊर्ध्वम् अधस्ताच् चास्यान्तो नोपलभ्यते तस्माद् उच्यते ऽनन्तः । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते तारं यस्माद् उच्चार्यमाण एव गर्भजन्मव्याधिजरामरणसंसारमहाभयात् तारयति त्रायते च तस्माद् उच्यते तारम् । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते शुक्लं यस्माद् उच्चार्यमाण एव क्लन्दते क्लामयति च तस्माद् उच्यते शुक्लम् । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते सूक्ष्मं यस्माद् उच्चार्यमाण एव सूक्ष्मो भूत्वा शरीराण्य् अधितिष्ठति सर्वाणि चाङ्गान्य् अभिमृशति तस्माद् उच्यते सूक्ष्मम् । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते वैद्युतं यस्माद् उच्चार्यमाण एव व्यक्ते महति तमसि द्योतयति तस्माद् उच्यते वैद्युतम् । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते परं ब्रह्म यस्मात् परम् अपरं परायणं च बृहद् बृहत्या बृंहयति तस्माद् उच्यते परं ब्रह्म । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते एकः यः सर्वान् प्राणान् संभक्ष्य संभक्षणेनाजः संसृजति विसृजति तीर्थम् एके व्रजन्ति तीर्थम् एके दक्षिणाः प्रत्यञ्च उदञ्चः प्राञ्चो ऽभिव्रजन्त्य् एके तेषां सर्वेषाम् इह संगतिः । साकं स एको भूतश् चरति प्रजानां तस्माद् उच्यते एकः । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते रुद्रः यस्माद् ऋषिभिर् नान्यैर् भक्तैर् द्रुतम् अस्य रूपम् उपलभ्यते तस्माद् उच्यते रुद्रः । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते ईशानः यः सर्वान् देवान् ईशते ईशानीभिर् जननीभिश् च शक्तिभिः । अभित्त्वा शूरणो नुमो दुग्धा इव धेनवः । ईशानम् अस्य जगतः स्वदर्शम् ईशानम् इन्द्रतस्थुष इति तस्माद् उच्यते ईशानः । अथ कस्माद् उच्यते भगवान् महेश्वरः यस्माद् भक्ताज्ञानेन भजत्य् अनुगृह्णाति च वाचं संसृजति विसृजति च सर्वान् भावान् परित्यज्यात्मज्ञानेन योगैश्वर्येण महति महीयते तस्माद् उच्यते भगवान् महेश्वरः तद् एतद् रुद्रचरितम्
atha kasmād ucyate oṃkāraḥ yasmād uccāryamāṇa eva prāṇān ūrdhvam utkrāmayati tasmād ucyate oṃkāraḥ / atha kasmād ucyate praṇavaḥ yasmād uccāryamāṇa eva ṛgyajuḥsāmātharvāṅgirasaṃ brahma brāhmaṇebhyaḥ praṇāmayati nāmayati ca tasmād ucyate praṇavaḥ / atha kasmād ucyate sarvavyāpī yasmād uccāryamāṇa eva yathā snehena palalapiṇḍam iva śāntarūpam otaprotam anuprāpto vyatiṣaktaś ca tasmād ucyate sarvavyāpī / atha kasmād ucyate 'nantaḥ yasmād uccāryamāṇa eva tiryag ūrdhvam adhastāc cāsyānto nopalabhyate tasmād ucyate 'nantaḥ / atha kasmād ucyate tāraṃ yasmād uccāryamāṇa eva garbhajanmavyādhijarāmaraṇasaṃsāramahābhayāt tārayati trāyate ca tasmād ucyate tāram / atha kasmād ucyate śuklaṃ yasmād uccāryamāṇa eva klandate klāmayati ca tasmād ucyate śuklam / atha kasmād ucyate sūkṣmaṃ yasmād uccāryamāṇa eva sūkṣmo bhūtvā śarīrāṇy adhitiṣṭhati sarvāṇi cāṅgāny abhimṛśati tasmād ucyate sūkṣmam / atha kasmād ucyate vaidyutaṃ yasmād uccāryamāṇa eva vyakte mahati tamasi dyotayati tasmād ucyate vaidyutam / atha kasmād ucyate paraṃ brahma yasmāt param aparaṃ parāyaṇaṃ ca bṛhad bṛhatyā bṛṃhayati tasmād ucyate paraṃ brahma / atha kasmād ucyate ekaḥ yaḥ sarvān prāṇān saṃbhakṣya saṃbhakṣaṇenājaḥ saṃsṛjati visṛjati tīrtham eke vrajanti tīrtham eke dakṣiṇāḥ pratyañca udañcaḥ prāñco 'bhivrajanty eke teṣāṃ sarveṣām iha saṃgatiḥ / sākaṃ sa eko bhūtaś carati prajānāṃ tasmād ucyate ekaḥ / atha kasmād ucyate rudraḥ yasmād ṛṣibhir nānyair bhaktair drutam asya rūpam upalabhyate tasmād ucyate rudraḥ / atha kasmād ucyate īśānaḥ yaḥ sarvān devān īśate īśānībhir jananībhiś ca śaktibhiḥ / abhittvā śūraṇo numo dugdhā iva dhenavaḥ / īśānam asya jagataḥ svadarśam īśānam indratasthuṣa iti tasmād ucyate īśānaḥ / atha kasmād ucyate bhagavān maheśvaraḥ yasmād bhaktājñānena bhajaty anugṛhṇāti ca vācaṃ saṃsṛjati visṛjati ca sarvān bhāvān parityajyātmajñānena yogaiśvaryeṇa mahati mahīyate tasmād ucyate bhagavān maheśvaraḥ tad etad rudracaritam
Why is he called Oṃkāra? Because, being pronounced, he raises the breaths upward — therefore he is called Oṃkāra. Why is he called Praṇava? Because, being pronounced, he makes the Ṛgveda, the Yajurveda, the Sāmaveda and the Atharvāṅgirasas bow before the brāhmaṇas — therefore he is called Praṇava. Why is he called All-pervading? Because, being pronounced, he pervades everything through and through, as oil a ball of sesame, and reaches everywhere — therefore he is called All-pervading. Why is he called Infinite? Because his end is not found, across, above or below — therefore he is called Infinite. Why is he called the Crossing? Because, being pronounced, he carries across and protects from the great fear of the womb, birth, disease, old age, death and the round of being — therefore he is called the Crossing. Why is he called white? Because, being pronounced, he wearies and makes weary. Why is he called subtle? Because, being pronounced, he becomes subtle, abides in the bodies and touches all the limbs. Why is he called lightning-like? Because, being pronounced, he shines in the manifest great darkness. Why is he called the highest Brahman? Because he is the higher, the lower and the refuge, and makes the great grow by the great. Why is he called the One? Because, having swallowed all the breaths, the unborn creates and releases; some go to the ford from the south, others from the west, the north and the east — and here is the meeting of them all: he, become one, moves among the creatures. Why is he called Rudra? Because by the seers, and by none else — by those devoted to him — his form is swiftly attained. Why is he called Īśāna? Because he rules over all the gods by his sovereign and generative powers. Why is he called the Lord Maheśvara? Because at the ignorance of the devotee he cherishes him and bestows grace, creates and releases speech, and, having abandoned all states, by knowledge of the Ātman and the sovereignty of yoga he is magnified in the great. Such is this deed of Rudra.
49b7e392dd29 · प्रकाशित 29 जुल॰ 2026, 3:17:52 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The longest section of the book, and it is built as an analysis of the previous one: thirteen links of the chain, and of each it is asked, “why is it so called?”.
The device is constant in the Upaniṣads. We saw it throughout the Rāma-tāpanī: the name of Rāma was parsed by the root rā, the name of Rāvaṇa by ru, the word “mantra” by man and trā. Here the same is done with a whole row at once.
Let us walk through the chief ones.
Oṃkāra — “because, being pronounced, he raises the breaths upward”: the syllable lifts the prāṇa, and the ascent of the prāṇa is both dying and liberation.
All-pervading — with a simile found nowhere else: “as oil pervades a ball of sesame”. The sesame cake is soaked through with its own oil; the one cannot be parted from the other.
The Crossing — and the explanation is given in the same words the Rāma-tāpanī used: “from the great fear of the womb, birth, old age, death and the round of being”. The coincidence is nearly verbatim, and it shows the two books to be of one family.
The One — and the explanation is astonishing: “some go to the ford from the south, others from the north — and here is the meeting of them all”. He is one, that is, because all the roads converge; the unity is proved not by the denial of the many but by their confluence.
Rudra — “because by the seers, and by none else — by those devoted to him — his form is swiftly attained”. The word bhakta stands here for the first time in the book, and it stands with a condition: the form is not attained by everyone.
And the last, Maheśvara — “because at the ignorance of the devotee he cherishes him”. A difficult phrase, and it should be taken thus: he shows mercy not for knowledge, but despite unknowing.
That is the most Vaiṣṇava place in the whole book. Grace is given not as a reward to the knower, but as help to the unknowing one who is His.
The section ends with the words tad etad rudracaritam — “such is this deed of Rudra”. Not “doctrine” and not “nature”: a deed, a life.