I want to know the actual meaning of 'Na tasya pratima asti' (Yajurveda 32.3)

Question

I want to know the actual meaning of Na tasya pratima asti (Yajurveda 32.3).

I am searching for the precise answer but unable to find it.

Answer 1

What you're referring to is Book 32 Verse 3 of the Shukla Yajur Veda:

na tasya॑ prati॒mā a॑sti॒ yasya॒ nāma॑ ma॒hadyaśaḥ॑ ।

hi॑raṇyaga॒rbha itye॒ṣaḥ ।

mā mā॑ him̐sī॒ditye॒ṣā ।

yasmā॒nna jā॒ta itye॒ṣa ।।

There is no counterpart of him whose glory verily is great. In the beginning rose Hiranyagarbha, etc. Let not him harm me, etc. Than whom there is no other born, etc.

Verse 10 of the Mahanarayana Upanishad of the Krishna Yajur Veda contains a paraphrase of this:

nainamūrdhvaṃ na tiryañcaṃ na madhye parijagrabhat ।

na tasyeśe kaścana tasya nāma mahadyaśaḥ ॥

No person ever grasped by his understanding the upward limit of this Paramatman, nor His limit across, nor His middle portion. His name is ‘great glory’ for no one limits His nature by definition.

In essence the verse is about how Vishnu, described in Shukla Yajur Veda Book 32 as Purusha and described in the Mahanarayana Upanishad as Narayana, is so glorious that he can't even be compared to anything.

Answer 2

na tasya pratima asti There is no likeliness of him.

This can be understood in this sense.

SB 3.28.30: The yogi then meditates upon the beautiful face of the Lord, which is adorned with curly hair and decorated by lotuslike eyes and dancing eyebrows. A lotus surrounded by swarming bees and a pair of swimming fish would be put to shame by its elegance.

There are few comparisons in this verse:

The Lord’s face is compared to a lotus, and then His black hair is compared to humming bees swarming around the lotus, and His two eyes are compared to two fish swimming about. A lotus flower on the water is very beautiful when surrounded by humming bees and fish. The Lord’s face is self-sufficient and complete. His beauty defies the natural beauty of a lotus.

Whatever comparisons or descriptions found in scriptures are only just to give an idea and thus we can say 'There is no likeliness of him'

Answer 3

Yajurveda 32.3

न तस्य प्रतिमा अस्ति यस्य नाम महद् यशः।।

There is no equivalent to that whose name is verily great.

Padmapuran uttarakhand

रुद्रो दिशति यन्मंत्र यस्य नाम महद् यशः। तस्य नास्ति उपमा क्कापि तं रामं राघवं भजे ।।

Whose mantra is given by rudra as diksha, whose name is verily great and to whom , there is no equivalent,I salute to that bhagwan shri Ramchandra.

Its quite clear that verse of yajurveda is for one and only bhagwan shri Ramchandra.

Answer 4

Pratima means idol, statue, image, picture form, etc etc in Sanskrit but here it means form. Here Vedas are talking about Nirguna Brahman who being Nirakar also takes different Saguna Sakar forms and different different names for different activities.

Na tasya pratima asti. (Yajurveda 32.3).

There is no image that describes the form of him.

Bhadma Jabala Upanishad. Chapter 2.:

ब्रह्मविदाप्नोति परम् । ब्रह्मा शिवो मे अस्तु सदाशिवोम् । अचक्षुर्विश्वतश्चक्षुरकर्णो विश्वतः कर्णोऽपादो विश्वतःपादोऽपाणिर्विश्वतःपाणिराहमशिरा विश्वतःशिरा विद्यामन्त्रैकसंश्रयो विद्यारूपो विद्यामयो विश्वेश्वरोऽहमजरोऽहम् । मामेवं विदित्वा संसृतिपाशात्प्रमुच्यते । तस्मादहं पशुपाशविमोचकः । पशवश्चामानवान्तं मध्यवर्तिनश्च युक्तात्मानो यतन्ते मामेव प्राप्तुम् । प्राप्यन्ते मां न पुनरावर्तन्ते ।

12. ".....He who knows the Brahman himself attains the Parabrahman. May Brahma, the Creator, be identical with Shiva unto me; may he be identical with Sadashiva too, OM! I have no eyes but have eyes on all sides; I have no ears, but have ears everywhere. I have no feet, hands, faces, but have feets, hands and faces everywhere. I am supported by Knowledge alone and my form is of Vidya and Vidya only. I am the lord of all and immortal. Thus realizing me, one is freed from the bondage of Samsara. Therefore I am the remover of the noose of the Pasus. The Pasus of the Deva and human groups, with concentrated mind, are making effort to reach me only. They who reach me never come back (to the worldly life), never come back."

Shvetashvatara Upanishad. Chapter 4.:

यदाऽतमस्तान्न दिवा न रात्रिः न सन्नचासच्छिव एव केवलः । तदक्षरं तत् सवितुर्वरेण्यं प्रज्ञा च तस्मात् प्रसृता पुराणी ॥१८॥

18. When there is no ignorance, then there is neither day nor light, neither existence nor non-existence, but the Shiva alone, that which is imperishable, who is the deity and adorable light of the Sāvitar (Sun) also. The ancient wisdom came out of that (Shiva).

नैनमूर्ध्वं न तिर्यञ्चं न मध्ये न परिजग्रभत् । न तस्य प्रतिमा अस्ति यस्य नाम महद् यशः ॥१९॥

19. He cannot be seen, neither above, nor across, nor in the middle. He is beyond grasp. There is no image that is true to His from. His name is glory itself.

न संदृशे तिष्ठति रूपमस्य न चक्षुषा पश्यति कश्चनैनम् । हृदा हृदिस्थं मनसा य एनमेवं विदुरमृतास्ते भवन्ति ॥२०॥

20. His form is not visible. The eyes cannot see Him. But those who know Him as abiding in the heart through their hearts and minds become immortal.

Rig Veda.:

एकं सद विप्रा बहुधा वदन्त्यग्निं यमं मातरिश्वानमाहुः || (Rig-Veda 1:164:46).

Truth/Brahman is One, wise call him by many different names.

I hope this clarifies all your queries. Prd..