Shloka 61

अध्याय १६ — शङ्कर-उमा-वरदानम् तथा तण्डि-स्तुतिः (Śaṅkara–Umā Boon-Granting and Taṇḍi’s Hymn)

Devanagari script

सम्यग्‌ योगजपै: शान्तिर्नियमैदेहतापनै: । तप्यतां या गतिर्देव परमा सा गतिर्भवान्‌

Transliteration

samyag yogajapaiḥ śāntir niyamair dehatāpanaiḥ |

tapyatāṃ yā gatir deva paramā sā gatir bhavān, deva ||

Translation

Vāyu sprach: „Wahrer Friede wird durch rechte yogische Disziplin und durch die Wiederholung heiliger Formeln gewonnen, ebenso durch Observanzen, die den Leib in Askese schulen und ‘erhitzen’. O Gott, das höchste Ziel, das die Tapas-Übenden erlangen, ist nichts anderes als Du selbst—Du bist jenes höchste Ziel.“

Word by Word

• सम्यक्: properly, rightly
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: सम्यक्

• योगजपैः: by yoga and japa (meditative practice and recitation)
• योगजपैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: योगजप
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• शान्तिः: peace, tranquility
• शान्तिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: शान्ति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• नियमैः: by disciplines, observances
• नियमैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: नियम
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• देहतापनैः: by bodily austerities (lit. body-heatings)
• देहतापनैः: Karana
• Type: Noun
• Root: देहतापन
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental, Plural

• तप्यताम्: let them practice austerity / of those who perform austerity
• तप्यताम्: Karta
• Type: Verb
• Root: तप्
• Form: Present, Imperative/Optative (injunctive-like usage), Third, Plural, Atmanepada

• या: which
• या: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: यद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गतिः: course, state, goal
• गतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• देव: O god, O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

• परमा: supreme
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• सा: that
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: तद्
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• गतिः: goal, state
• गतिः: Karta
• Type: Noun
• Root: गति
• Form: Feminine, Nominative, Singular

• भवान्: you (honorific)
• भवान्: Karta
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: भवत्
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• देव: O god, O lord
• Type: Noun
• Root: देव
• Form: Masculine, Vocative, Singular

Speaker

वायुदेव उवाच

Characters & Entities

• Vāyudeva (the Wind-god)
• Deva (addressed deity; the supreme goal)

Educational Q&A

What is the core teaching?

Peace (śānti) arises from disciplined practice—yoga, mantra-repetition (japa), and niyamas that train the body and mind. The verse culminates in a theistic conclusion: the ‘supreme destination’ (paramā gati) sought through austerity is not merely a place or state but the Divine itself.

What is happening in the narrative?

Vāyudeva speaks in praise of ascetic discipline and its fruit. Addressing a deity as ‘Deva,’ he identifies the ultimate reward of tapas—attained by practitioners—as the very person of the God being addressed, emphasizing devotion and the personal nature of the highest goal.