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Thaiththiri:ya A:ranyaka III (the Uttara na:ra:yana anuva:ka of the Purusha Su:ktham)

Purusha Su:ktham — Sri: anuva:ka portion

पुरुषसूक्त-श्र्यनुवाकः

Rishi Na:ra:yana (traditional attribution)·Vedic (Yajurveda recension)·5 verses·Recited as the closing portion of Purusha Su:ktham at every Vaishnava yajna; daily morning sandhya:; every samska:ra; at the conclusion of Vishnu Sahasrana:ma pa:ra:yana

The Vedic anuva:ka in which Sri: and Hri: are explicitly named as the two consorts of the Supreme Purusha. These verses provide the sruthi foundation for the Sri:vaishnava doctrine that Sri: is eternally inseparable from Sri:man Na:ra:yana — that the Lord is never conceived apart from the Mother.

The Sri: anuva:ka of the Purusha Su:ktham — the concluding verses preserved in the Uttara na:ra:yana portion of Thaiththiri:ya A:ranyaka III — is the place where Vedic sruthi itself names Sri: as the consort of the Supreme Purusha. Within these verses the worshipper utters the foundational invocation hri:scha te lakshmi:scha patnyau — "Hri: and Lakshmi: are Thy two consorts" — establishing in sruthi the eternal pairing of Sri:man Na:ra:yana with the Mother. For the Sri:vaishnava Samprada:ya there is no scriptural passage of greater doctrinal weight regarding Lakshmi:'s ontological inseparability from the Lord.

These five verses form the closing portion of every Vaishnava yajna, recited after the body of the Purusha Su:ktham and before the final sva:ha:. They are the Vedic warrant for the entire purushaka:ra teaching of Bhagavad Sri: Ra:ma:nuja:cha:rya: that Sri: is not subordinate, not secondary, not a divine creation, but the eternal pathni: of the Purusha, and that any approach to the Lord that bypasses Her is unsanctioned by the Veda itself. The Pa:nchara:thra A:gamas extend this teaching by naming three consorts — Sri:de:vi:, Bhu:de:vi:, and Ni:la:de:vi: — with this anuva:ka as the sruthi prama:na.

Sanskrit·Always shownIAST·Always shownతెలుగు · Telugu·Always shown

Verse 1

ह्रीश्च ते लक्ष्मीश्च पत्न्यौ अहोरात्रे पार्श्वे। नक्षत्राणि रूपम् अश्विनौ व्यात्तम्। इष्टं मनिषाण। अमुं मनिषाण। सर्वं मनिषाण॥

తెలుగు · Telugu

హ్రీ మరియు లక్ష్మి నీ ఇరువురు పత్నులు; అహోరాత్రములు నీ ఇరువైపులు; నక్షత్రములు నీ రూపము; అశ్వినులు నీ విస్తృతమైన ముఖము. ఇష్టమును ప్రసాదించుము. దానిని ప్రసాదించుము. సర్వమును ప్రసాదించుము.

English

Hri: and Lakshmi: are Thy two consorts; day and night are Thy two sides; the constellations are Thy form; the Asvins are Thy open mouth. Grant me the desired. Grant me that one. Grant me all.

Meaning

This is the doctrinally foundational verse for the entire Sri:vaishnava Samprada:ya — the place where Vedic sruthi itself names Sri: and Hri: as the two pathni:s of the Supreme Purusha. Bhagavad Ra:ma:nuja and every successor A:cha:rya cite this passage as the unanswerable prama:na that Lakshmi:'s consorthood is eternal and intrinsic to the divine nature, not adventitious. The closing ishtam manisha:na formula is the Vedic prayer of prapatti — three times the worshipper asks the Lord, through His consorts, to grant what is desired, that particular thing, and finally everything.

Verse 2

ॐ राजाधिराजाय प्रसह्यसाहिने। नमो वयं वैश्रवणाय कुर्महे। स मे कामान् कामकामाय मह्यम्। कामेश्वरो वैश्रवणो ददातु। कुबेराय वैश्रवणाय महाराजाय नमः॥

తెలుగు · Telugu

ఓం. రాజాధిరాజునకు, తిరుగులేని విజయునకు, వైశ్రవణునకు మేము నమస్కరించుచున్నాము. ఆ కామేశ్వరుడైన వైశ్రవణుడు కామములను కోరు నాకు నా కామములను ప్రసాదించుగాక. కుబేరునకు, వైశ్రవణునకు, మహారాజునకు నమస్కారము.

English

Om. To the King of Kings, the irresistibly victorious, we offer our salutation, to Vaisravana. May He, the Lord of desires, Vaisravana, grant me, who desires desires, my wishes. Salutation to Kubera, the son of Visravas, the Great King.

Meaning

The Yaksha-king Kubera is invoked here as the cosmic treasurer subordinate to Lakshmi:'s dispensation — the same figure named in Sri: Su:ktham verse 7 as deva-sakha. The Pa:nchara:thra tradition reads this passage as establishing that even the lord of all material wealth is himself dependent on the Mother for what he distributes. The chain of dependence — devotee asks Kubera, Kubera asks Lakshmi:, Lakshmi:'s pleasure is the Lord's pleasure — is the operative order of every Vaishnava prayer for prosperity.

Verse 3

तद्विष्णोः परमं पदं सदा पश्यन्ति सूरयः। दिवीव चक्षुराततम्। तद्विप्रासो विपन्यवो जागृवांसः समिन्धते। विष्णोर्यत् परमं पदम्॥

తెలుగు · Telugu

ఆ విష్ణు పరమ పదమును సూరులు (నిత్యసూరులు) సదా దర్శించుచుందురు, ఆకాశమున విస్తరించిన నేత్రము వలె. ఆ పరమ పదమును జ్ఞానులు, స్తుతిప్రియులు, సదా జాగరూకులైన విప్రులు ప్రజ్వలింపజేయుదురు.

English

That supreme abode of Vishnu — the Su:ris (the eternal seers / Nithyasu:ris) behold it always, like an eye unfurled across the sky. Wise sages, ever-praising, ever-wakeful, kindle it — that supreme abode of Vishnu.

Meaning

The famous rik tad vishnoh paramam padam — the Vedic statement of paramapada, the Supreme Abode of Vishnu, which the Sri:vaishnava Samprada:ya identifies as Vaikuntha. The Su:ris are the Nithyasu:ris — Ananta, Garuda, Vishvaksena and the eternal hosts who behold the Lord directly, without intervening obstruction. This is the verse Bhagavad Ra:ma:nuja places at the threshold of His Vaikuntha Gadyam: it is the destination toward which every prapatti to the Mother is directed.

Verse 4

ऋतं सत्यं परं ब्रह्म पुरुषं कृष्णपिङ्गलम्। ऊर्ध्वरेतं विरूपाक्षं विश्वरूपाय वै नमो नमः॥

తెలుగు · Telugu

ఋతము, సత్యము, పరబ్రహ్మము, నలుపు-పసుపు వర్ణముగల పురుషుడు, ఊర్ధ్వరేతస్కుడు, విరూపాక్షుడు — విశ్వరూపునకు మరల మరల నమస్కారము.

English

The cosmic order, the Truth, the Supreme Bramhan, the Purusha of dark-tawny complexion, of upward-flowing seed, of uniquely-fashioned eye — to Him who is the form of the universe, salutation, salutation.

Meaning

The verse identifies the Purusha of the Su:ktha with parabrahman, declaring Him to be ritha (cosmic order) and satya (eternal truth). For the Samprada:ya this is the warrant that the Purusha of the Su:ktha is none other than Sri:man Na:ra:yana Himself — Bhagavad Ra:ma:nuja's central thesis in the Sri: Bha:shya. He whose consorts were named in the opening verse (hri: and lakshmi:) is here named as the very ground of all being. Salutation is repeated twice to mark the act as definitive.

Verse 5

नारायणाय विद्महे वासुदेवाय धीमहि। तन्नो विष्णुः प्रचोदयात्॥

తెలుగు · Telugu

నారాయణుని తెలిసికొందము; వాసుదేవుని ధ్యానించెదము. ఆ విష్ణువు మనలను ప్రేరేపించుగాక.

English

May we know Na:ra:yana; may we meditate upon Va:sude:va. May that Vishnu impel us.

Meaning

The Vaishnava Ga:yathri:, which closes the Uttara na:ra:yana anuva:ka — the Vedic mantra that the Samprada:ya treats as the supreme mantra of bhakti-yoga. Three names are uttered in deliberate sequence: Na:ra:yana (the Lord in His full ontological supremacy), Va:sude:va (the Lord as the abode of all souls), Vishnu (the all-pervading One). Coming immediately after the naming of Sri: and Hri: as His pathni:s, this Ga:yathri: is the Vedic seal of the purushaka:ra teaching: the One we meditate upon is never alone — He is contemplated as eternally accompanied.

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