उपनिषद् · Kṛṣṇa 1.21
॥
देवनागरी
कश्यपोलूखलः ख्यातो रज्जुर्माताऽदितिस्तथा । चक्रं शङ्खं च संसिद्धिं बिन्दुं च सर्वमूर्धनि
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
kaśyapolūkhalaḥ khyāto rajjurmātā'ditistathā | cakraṃ śaṅkhaṃ ca saṃsiddhiṃ binduṃ ca sarvamūrdhani
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
कश्यपः उलूखलः ख्यातःkaśyapaḥ ulūkhalaḥ khyātaḥKaśyapa is known as the mortar
रज्जुः माता अदितिः तथाrajjuḥ mātā aditiḥ tathāthe cord — the mother Aditi, likewise
चक्रं शङ्खं च संसिद्धिंcakraṃ śaṅkhaṃ ca saṃsiddhiṃthe discus, the conch, and perfection
बिन्दुं च सर्व-मूर्धनिbinduṃ ca sarva-mūrdhaniand the dot — on all heads
अनुवाद
"Kaśyapa is known as the mortar; the cord is the mother Aditi, likewise; the discus, the conch, and perfection, and the dot — on all heads."
संस्करण
020192b2de20 · प्रकाशित 12 अग॰ 2026, 5:00:00 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
Ulūkhala, "mortar," and rajju, "cord," are named; and what is meant is the famous story of how Yaśodā bound Kṛṣṇa. This story occupies a whole chapter of the Bhāgavatam (10.9) and is, by common agreement, one of its central passages. Yaśodā, having caught Kṛṣṇa at mischief, wants to tie him to a wooden mortar. The rope is two fingers short. She brings more — again two fingers short. And so on, until she has gathered every rope in the house; and each time it fell short by exactly two fingers.
The Bhāgavatam explains what was lacking, and the explanation is worth citing in full, for it is a definition of the whole path. Two things were lacking: śrama, "effort," and kṛpā, "grace." The first finger is the mother's labor, the second His consent; and the binding succeeded only when the second appeared.
Hence the name Dāmodara, "bound about the belly with a cord," from dāma ("cord") and udara ("belly"). Let us add what is drawn from this story and is worth keeping. The infinite cannot be bound by any amount of rope; and however much is added, two fingers will always be lacking. But He lets Himself be bound by one who does not give up.
This relation is, to my mind, the finest description of how effort and grace are joined: effort is necessary and insufficient; and its insufficiency is not a flaw but a condition.