Avadhuta Upanishad 17 — Verse 17

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

निद्राभिक्षे स्नानशौचे नेच्छामि न करोमि च । द्रष्टारश्चेत्कल्पयन्तु किं मे स्यादन्यकल्पनात् । गुञ्जापुञ्जादि दह्येत नान्यारोपितवह्निना । नान्यारोपितसंसारधर्मा नैवमहं भजे ॥१७॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

निद्रा-भिक्षे । स्नान-शौचे । न । इच्छामि । न । करोमि । च । द्रष्टारः । चेत् । कल्पयन्तु । किम् । मे । स्यात् । अन्य-कल्पनात् । गुञ्जा-पुञ्ज-आदि । दह्येत् । न । अन्य-आरोपित-वह्निना । न । अन्य-आरोपित-संसार-धर्माः । न । एव । अहम् । भजे ॥१७॥

IAST Transliteration

nidrābhikṣe snānaśauce necchāmi na karomi ca | draṣṭāraś cet kalpayantu kiṃ me syād anyakalpanāt | guñjāpuñjādi dahyet nānyāropitavahninā | nānyāropitasaṃsāradharmā naivam ahaṃ bhaje ||17||

Translation

Schlaf und Almosen, Bad und Reinheit—weder begehre ich sie noch vollziehe ich sie. Wenn Beobachter anderes erdichten, was wäre mir fremde Einbildung? Ein Haufen Guñjā-Samen und dergleichen wird nicht durch ein bloß vorgestelltes Feuer verbrannt. So nehme ich die von anderen überlagerten Eigenschaften des Saṃsāra nicht an.

Academic Translation

Sleep and alms, bathing and purity—I neither desire nor do. If observers should imagine (otherwise), what would that be to me from another’s imagining? A heap of guñjā-berries and the like would not be burned by a fire merely superimposed (in imagination). I do not partake of the attributes of saṃsāra that are superimposed by others.

Verse Context

• Adhyāropa (superimposition) and asaṅga/asaṃsparśa (non-contact) of Ātman
• Mahavakya: Echoes the import of "tat tvam asi" by denying externally imposed identities and saṃsāra-dharmas upon the Self (indirect relation).
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)