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Gopala Tapani Upanishad

 
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Gopāla-tāpanī Upanishad is an Upanishad, associated with the Atharvaveda. It figures in the Muktika canon of 108 Upanishads (as number 95).

Contents

Origins

As with most of the late Upanishads, the Gopāla-tāpanī is said to be attached to the Atharva-veda. In the Muktikā, the distribution of the Upanishads between the Ṛg, Śukla-yajus, Kṛṣṇa-yajus, Sāma and Atharvan is rather complicated. Nevertheless, all four Tāpinī Upanishads (Nṛsiṁha, Rāma, Tripurā and Gopāla) are also listed there as belonging to the Atharvaveda Of the 108 Upanishads commented on by Upanishad Brahmayogin, eight are Śākta, fifteen Śaiva, and fourteen Vaiṣṇava. The Vaishnava Upanishads are Kṛṣṇopaniṣad, Mahā-nārāyaṇa, Rāma-tāpanī (Pūrva and Uttara), Nṛsiṁha-tāpanī (Pūrva and Uttara), and Gopāla-tāpanī (Pūrva and Uttara), Ātma-bodha, Nārāyaṇa, Rāma-rahasya, Vāsudeva, Hayagrīva, Kali-santarana, Garuḍa and Dattatreya. Although the Nṛsiṁha-tāpanī appears to be one of the earliest of the Vaishnava Upanishads, neither it nor any of the others has achieved the kind of special status amongst later Vaiṣṇava schools that the Gopāla-tāpanī has.

Dating the tāpanīya Upanishads

There are many problems in trying to date the Gopāla-tāpanī, as none of the reference points that we have are very solid. The Muktikopaniṣad, which lists Gopāla-tāpanī as one of the 108 Upanishads, is itself undated and is thus not of much help. The Gaudiya Vaishnavas also quote the Gautamīya-tantra at the beginning of the Gopāla-tāpanī in order to establish that this Upanishad is śruteḥ śiraḥ, the topmost text of the Shruti literature, as view that can be disputed. The quote does indeed seem to be a reference to Gopāla-tāpanī, but unfortunately we have no firm dates for the Gautamīya-tantra, so this too is of little help. Early book by Keśava Bhaṭṭa - Krama-dīpikā may or may not have borrowed elements from Gopāla-tāpanī, but it is more likely that they have a common source as Keśava does not quote or refer to Gopāla-tāpanī anywhere. Gopāla-tāpanī, Gautamīya-tantra and Krama-dīpikā all show the influence of a Kṛṣṇa-centred Pancaratric or according to others Bhagavata tradition,[1] which may also have produced the Nārada-pañcarātra.

The first of the Tāpanīya Upanishads is believed to be the Nṛsiṁha, which served as the model for the others which took this name. The Nṛsiṁha-tāpanī has a commentary attributed to either Gauḍapada or Śaṅkara. Other than these, the earliest reference to this work is the 14th c. Madhva scholar Vidyāraṇya's Anubhūti-prakāśa, in which there is a chapter on the Nṛsiṁha Uttara-tāpanī Upanishad. It is thus concluded that Nṛsiṁha-tāpanī Upanishad must at least be older than the 14th c. Since there are no earlier references to the work, however, it is not likely that it is much older. Taking all these things into consideration, the earliest possible date for Gopāla-tāpanī would appear to be somewhere in the 13th or 14th c. This concords with the opinions of other scholars. [2]

The meaning of the series name

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.[3] Deussen reads tapanīya,[3] 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 esoteric doctrine concerning the ascetic surrender to Nṛsiṁha."[3]

Editions and early commentaries

  • Prabodhānanda Sarasvati [4]
  • Kusuma Sarovaravala Kṛṣṇadāsa’s edition (Kusuma Sarovarawala is only used for commenting on the text of the Upanishaad itself)[5]
  • Kuśakratha dāsa’s English translation
  • Jīva Goswami commentary
  • Viśvanātha Cakravarti commentary
  • Siddhāntī Mahārāja edition and comments
  • B.V. Tripurari edition and comments

Also found quoted

Verses as reference: used in Krishna sandarbha by Jiva Goswami

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

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


Excerpts

eko 'pi san bahudhā yo 'vabhāti. Although the Lord is one, He is present in innumerable hearts as many. 1.15
eko vaśī sarva-gaḥ kṛṣṇaḥ. In that abode there is only one Supreme Personality of Godhead, whose name is Kṛṣṇa.1.21
tam ekaṁ govindam: "You are Govinda, the pleasure of the senses and the cows." sac-cid-ānanda-vigraham: "And Your form is transcendental, full of knowledge, bliss and eternality."1.35
yo brahmāṇaṁ vidadhāti pūrvaṁ yo vai vedāṁś ca gāpayati sma kṛṣṇaḥ: "It was Kṛṣṇa who in the beginning instructed Brahmā in Vedic knowledge and who disseminated Vedic knowledge in the past." 1.24
kṛṣṇo vai paramaṁ daivatam: "Kṛṣṇa is the Supreme Personality of Godhead." 1.3

References

  1. ^ [|Flood, Gavin D.] (1996) (in Engl.). An introduction to Hinduism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 341. ISBN 0-521-43878-0. http://books.google.com/books?id=KpIWhKnYmF0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=gavin+flood&sig=q_waAYpO_WokCivKS2OtlwsG2dw#PPA118,M1. Retrieved 2008-04-21. "Early Vaishnava worship focuses on three deities who become fused together, namely Vasudeva-Krishna, Krishna-Gopala and Narayana, who in turn all become identified with Vishnu. Put simply, Vasudeva-Krishna and Krishna-Gopala were worshiped by groups generally referred to as Bhagavatas, while Narayana was worshipped by the Pancaratra sect."
  2. ^ Farquhar, J.N. (1920). An Outline of the Religious Literature of India. Oxford University Press. p. 266.
  3. ^ a b c Deussen, P. (1980). Sixty Upanishads of The Veda, trans. VM Bedekar and GB Palsule. Delhi. ISBN 0842616454. Vol II, pp. 809-888. He has translated the Rāma Pūrva and Uttara-tāpinī and the Nṛsiṁha Pūrva and Uttara-tāpinī Upanishads.
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ Kṛṣṇadāsa Bābājī, Kusumasarovara, Radha Kund: Gaurahari Press, 1955
  • B. V. Tripurari (2004). Gopala-tapani Upanisad. Audarya Press. ISBN 1-932771-12-3. 
  • Farquhar, J.N. (1920). An Outline of the Religious Literature of India. Oxford University Press. 
  • Deussen, P. (1980). Sixty Upanishads of The Veda, trans. VM Bedekar and GB Palsule. Delhi. ISBN 0842616454. 

Further reading

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

External links


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