Gopala Tapani Upanishad

Gopāla-tāpanī Upanishad is a Sanskrit text, and 1 of the later Upanishad attached to the Atharvaveda.[2][3] The Gopāla-tāpanī is one of the four Tāpinī Upanishads (Nṛsiṁha, Rāma, Tripurā and Gopāla).[3]

Gopalatapani
mukhya upanishad
Devanagariगोपालतापिन्युपनिषत्
IASTGopālatāpanī
Title meansSurrender to Krishna
DateUncertain, 8th to 6th century BCE
TypeVaishnava
Linked VedaAtharvaveda
Chapters9[1]
Part of a series on
Vaishnavism
 Hinduism portal

The Upanishad belongs to the Tandya school of the atharvaveda.[1] Like the gopal tapani Upanishad is an anthology of texts that must have pre-existed as separate texts, and were edited into a larger text by one or more ancient Indian scholars.[1] The precise chronology of gopal tapani Upanishad is uncertain, and it is variously dated to have been composed by the 8th to 6th century BCE in India.[2][4][5]

It is one of the largest Upanishadic compilations, and has eight Prapathakas (literally lectures, chapters), each with many volumes, and each volume contains many verses.[6][7] The volumes are a motley collection of stories and themes. As part of the poetic and chants-focussed atharvaveda, the broad unifying theme of the Upanishad is the importance of speech, language, song and chants to man's quest for knowledge and salvation, to metaphysical premises and questions, as well as to rituals.[1][8]

The gopaltapani Upanishad is notable for its lilting metric structure, its mention of ancient cultural elements such as musical instruments, and embedded philosophical premises that later served as foundation for Vedanta school of Hinduism.[9] It is one of the most cited texts in later Bhasyas (reviews and commentaries) by scholars from the diverse schools of Hinduism.

Date

Farquhar dates it to have been composed after Nṛsiṁha-tāpanī Upanishad, which he estimates to be complete by the 7th century.[2] He states that the first of the Tāpanīya Upanishads is believed to be the Nṛsiṁha, which served as the model for the others which took this name.[2] But it is not sure whether the text was of 7th century because it has no mention in Shankara's works. The Gopalatapani text was extensively commented by the 16th-century scholar Jiva Goswami placing the two limits on its composition century.[4] The 14th-century scholar Vidyaranya commented on Tapani series of Upanishad, so it is possible the text existed by then.[2]

The meaning of the series name
ॐ

The wise and enlightened sages declare
that the pleasure potency
of God, Sri Radha, and all living beings
are also contained in Om.

—Gopalatapani Upanishad, II.56[5]

The Sanskrit word tāpanīya in the context of these Upanishads is not clear. The word is found in four different forms: tapanīya, tāpanīya, tāpinī, tāpanī. Tāpanī is the most common form used in titles and references, but this appears to be an abbreviated form of the more correct tāpanīya, which appears in the texts themselves. According to Monier-Williams verdict we should assume tāpanīya ("gold") to be the name of a school of the Vājaseyani Saṁhitā that produced the four Upanishads bearing this name. This assumes that they come from a common source something disputed by others, who believe that the three other works were written on the model of the Nṛsiṁha-tāpanī as a result of the success enjoyed by that work in bringing legitimation a particular ancient tradition containing Nṛsiṁha mantra.[6] Deussen reads tapanīya,[6] which means "that which must be heated" or "gold". It also has the meaning of "self-mortification".

The process of self-purification is often compared to smelting gold, which is heated repeatedly in fire to remove any impurities. Deussen thus explains the term is as follows: "Tapanam (austerity) is burning pain-suffering or ascetic self-sacrifice; Nṛsiṁha-tapanam thus means ascetic self-surrender to Nṛsiṁha. Therefore Nṛsiṁha-tapanīya Upanishad is "the doctrine concerning the ascetic surrender to Nṛsiṁha."[6]

Early commentaries
Narayana

I am imperishable. I am omkara that never grows old, dies or knows fear. I am immortal. I am verily the fearless Brahman. Therefore I am liberated and indestructible.

Brahman is pure existence, the universal form and light. He is all pervasive, and one without a second, but through māyā he becomes fourfold.

—Gopalatapani Upanishad V.52-V.53[7]

  • Prabodhānanda Sarasvati [8]
  • Jīva Goswami commentary
  • Viśvanātha Cakravarti commentary

Early books quoted in

Verses as reference: used in Krishna Sandarbha by Jiva Goswami

Verses as reference: used in Hari Bhakti Vilasa by Gopala Bhatta Goswami

Recent editions and commentaries
  • Kṛṣṇadāsa Kusuma Sarovarawala’s edition (Kusuma Sarovarawala is only used for commenting on the text of the Upanishaad itself)[9]
  • Bhakti Srirupa Siddhāntī Mahārāja edition and comments
  • B.V. Tripurari edition and comments
  • Kuśakratha dāsa’s English translation

Concordance of different editions and commentaries
Pūrva

Tripurari
Vishvanatha Cakravarti
Prabodhānanda Sarasvati
Jiva Goswami commentary
Kuśakratha dāsa's English translation
Kṛṣṇa Sandarbhua by Jiva
Hari Bhakti Vilasa by GBG

1
1
1
1
1

2
2
2
2
2
82
1.160

3
3-6
3
3-6
3
82
1.160

4
7
4
7
4
1.160

5
8-9
5
8-9
5
1.160

6
10
6
10
6
1.160

7
11
7
11
7
1.160

8
12
8
12
8
187
1.160

9
12
9
13
9

10
12
10
14
9

11
12
11
15
10
153

12
13
12-14
16
11-12
153

13
14
15
17
13
153

14
15
16
18
14
1.161

15
16-17
17
19
15
1.161

16
18
18
20
16
1.162

17
19
19
21
17

18
20
20-22
22
18-19

19
21
23
23
20
1.163

20
22
24
24
21
1.164

21
23
25
25
22
1.165

22
24
26
26
23
64
1.166

23
25
27
27
24
1.167

24
26
28
28
25
106
1.168

25
26-27
29-32
29
26-28
64
1.169

26
28
33-36
30
29-30
83
1.169

27
29
37-38
31
31
1.172

28
30
39-40
32
32-33
1.172

29
31
41-42
33
34
93

30
32
43
34
35
1.173

31
33
44
35
36
1.174

32
34
45
36
37
1.175

33
35
46
37
38
1.176

34
36
47
38
39

35
37
48
39
40

36
38
49
40
41

37
39
50
41
42
99,106,153

38
40
51
42
43

39
41
52
43
44

40
42
53
44
45

41
43
54
45
46

42
44
55
46
47

43
45
56
47
48

44
46
57
48
49

45
47
58
49
50

46
48
59
50
51

47
49
60
51
52-53
1.177

48
50
61
52
54
82
1.178

'Uttara


Tripurari
Vishvanatha Cakravarti
Prabodhānanda Sarasvati
Jiva Goswami
Kuśakratha dāsa's English translation
Kṛṣṇa Sandarbhua by Jiva Goswami

1
1
1
1
1

2
1
2
2
2-3

3
2
3
2
4

4
3
4
3
5

5
4
5
4
6

6
4
6
4
7

7
5
7
5
8

8
6-7
8-9
6-7
9

9
7
10
7
10

10
8
11-12
8
11

11
9
13
9
12

12
10
14
10
13

13
11
15
11
14
177

14
12-13
16
12
15

15
13
17
13
16-19

16
14-15
18
14-15
20

17
16
19
16
21

18
17
20
17
22

19
18-20
21-24
18-20
23

20
21
25
21
24

21
22
26
22
25-26

22
23
27
23
27

23
24
28-31
24
28
99

24
25-27
32-35
25-27
29-32

25
28
36
28
33-34

26
29
37-38
29
35-36
106

27
30
39-40
30
37-38
106, 177

28
31
41
31
39-40
106

29
32
42-43
32
40

30
33
44
33
41
172

31
34
45
34
42
106

32
35-36
46-47
35-36
43-45
106

33
37
48
37
46

34
38
49
38
47

35
39
50
39
48a
106

36
40
50
40
48b
106

37
41
51
41
49a

38
42
52
42
49b

39
43
53
43
50

40
44
53-58
44
51-53
87,153

41
45
59
45
54

42
46
60
46
55

43
47
61
47
56

44
48
62-63
48
57-58

45
49
64
49
59

46
50
65
50
60

47
51
66
51
61

48
52
67-68
52
62

49
53
69
53
63

50
54a
70
54
64

51
54b
71-73
55
65

52
54c
73
56
66

53
54d
74
57
67

54
55
75
58
68

55
56
76
59
69

56
57
77
60
70

57
58
78-79
60-61
71-72

58
59
79
61
73-74
106

59
60
80a
62
75
106

60
61
80b
63
76
106

61
62
80c
64
77

62
63
80d
65
78

63
64
81
66
79

64
65
82
67
80

65
66
83
68
81

66
67
84
69
82
82

67
68
85
70
83

68
69
86
71
84

69
70
87
72
85

70
71
88
73
86-87

71
72
89
74
88-89

72
73
90
75
90

73
74
91
76
91

74
75
92
77
92

75
76
93-94
78
92-93

76
77
95-96
79
94

77
78
97-98
80
95

78
79
98-99
81
96-97

79
80
100
82
98

80
81
101
83
99

81
82
102
84
100

82
83
103
85
101

83
84
104
86
102

84
85
105
87
103

85
86
106
88
104

86
87
107
89
105

87
88
108
90
106

88
89
109
91
107

89
90
110
92
108

90
91
111
93
109

91
92
112
94
110

92
93
113
95
111

93
94
114
96
112

94
95
115
97
113

95
96
116
98
114

96
97
117
99
115

97
98
118
100
116

98
99
119
101
117

99
100
120
102
118
gollark: The original thing was designed for base defense on TC6.1 or whatever.
gollark: Or are annoying.
gollark: Well, if they say that [REDACTED], for example.
gollark: What do you mean?
gollark: Anyway, the THOR system was in its main incarnation on CNLite able to very imprecisely laser-strike anyone within the spawn city within range of the transmitters.

References
  1. Hattangadi 2000.
  2. Farquhar 1920, p. 266.
  3. Tinoco 1997, p. 88.
  4. Tripurari 2004, pp. 3-4, 8-11 with footnotes.
  5. Steven Rosen (2006), Essential Hinduism, Praeger, ISBN 978-0275990060, page 218
  6. Deussen, P. (1980). Sixty Upanishads of The Veda, trans. VM Bedekar and GB Palsule. Delhi. ISBN 0-8426-1645-4.Vol II, pp. 809-888. He has translated the Rāma Pūrva and Uttara-tāpinī and the Nṛsiṁha Pūrva and Uttara-tāpinī Upanishads.
  7. Tripurari 2004, pp. 154-155.
  8. Tripurari, Prabodhānanda Sarasvatī: From Benares to Braj" in the Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies. Vol LV, Part 1, 1992, pages 52-75
  9. Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī, Kusumasarovara, Radha Kund: Gaurahari Press, 1955

Bibliography

Further reading
  • B. V. Tripurari (2004). Gopala-tapani Upanisad. Audarya Press.
  • Narang, S. (1984). The Vaisnava Philosophy According to Baladeva Vidyabhusana. Nag Publishers.
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