Verse 1

Avadhuta

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अथ ह सांकृतिः भगवन्तम् अवधूतं दत्तात्रेयं परिसमेत्य पप्रच्छ—भगवन्, कोऽवधूतस्य? का स्थितिः? किं लक्ष्म? किं संसरणम्? इति। तं होवाच भगवो दत्तात्रेयः परमकारुणिकः॥१॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

अथ । ह । सांकृतिः । भगवन्तम् । अवधूतम् । दत्तात्रेयम् । परिसमेत्य । पप्रच्छ । भगवन् । कः । अवधूतस्य । का । स्थितिः । किम् । लक्ष्म । किम् । संसरणम् । इति । तम् । ह । उवाच । भगवः । दत्तात्रेयः । परम-कारुणिकः ॥१॥

IAST Transliteration

atha ha sāṅkṛtiḥ bhagavantam avadhūtaṃ dattātreyaṃ parisametya papraccha—bhagavan, ko ’vadhūtasya? kā sthitiḥ? kiṃ lakṣma? kiṃ saṃsaraṇam? iti. taṃ hovāca bhagavo dattātreyaḥ paramakāruṇikaḥ. ||1||

Translation

তখন সাঙ্কৃতি ভগবান্ অবধূত দত্তাত্রেয়ের নিকট গিয়ে জিজ্ঞাসা করল—“ভগবন্, কাকে অবধূত বলা হয়? তাঁর অবস্থা কী? তাঁর লক্ষণ কী? আর তাঁর বিচরণ/আচরণ কেমন?” তখন পরম করুণাময় ভগবান্ দত্তাত্রেয় উত্তর দিলেন॥১॥

Academic Translation

Now, indeed, Sāṅkṛti, having approached the Blessed one—Dattātreya, the Avadhūta—asked: “O Lord, who is (called) an Avadhūta? What is his state? What is his distinguishing mark? What is his mode of conduct/wandering?” To him the Blessed Dattātreya, supremely compassionate, replied.

Verse Context

• Avadhūta-lakṣaṇa (marks of the liberated sage) and jīvanmukti
• Mahavakya: Sets up the teaching that culminates in identity-knowledge (e.g., ‘tat tvam asi’) as the basis of the Avadhūta’s state.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Prose