Bhikshuka Upanishad: Verse 5
अथ परमहंसा नाम संवर्तकारुणिश्वेतकेतुजडभरतदत्तात्रेयशुकवामदेवहारीतकप्रभृतयोऽष्टौ ग्रासान् श्वरन्तो योगमार्गे मोक्षमेव प्रार्थयन्ते । वृक्षमूले शून्यगृहे श्मशानवासिनो वा साम्बरा वा दिगम्बरा वा । न तेषां धर्माधर्मौ लाभालाभौ शुद्धाशुद्धौ द्वैतवर्जिता समलोष्टाश्मकाञ्चनाः सर्ववर्णेषु भैक्षाचरणं कृत्वा सर्वत्रात्मैवेति पश्यन्ति । अथ जातरूपधरा निर्द्वन्द्वा निष्परिग्रहाः शुक्लध्यानपरायणा आत्मनिष्ठाः प्राणसंधारणार्थे यथोक्तकाले भैक्षमाचरन्तः शून्यागारदेवगृहतृणकूटवल्मीकवृक्षमूलकुलालशालाग्निहोत्रशालानदीपुलिनगिरिकन्दरकुहरकोटरनिर्झरस्थण्डिले तत्र ब्रह्ममार्गे सम्यक्सम्पन्नाः शुद्धमानसाः परमहंसाचरणेन संन्यासेन देहत्यागं कुर्वन्ति ते परमहंसा नामेत्युपनिषत्॥५॥
अथ । परमहंसाः । नाम । संवर्त-कारुणि-श्वेतकेतु-जडभरत-दत्तात्रेय-शुक-वामदेव-हारीतक-प्रभृतयः । अष्टौ । ग्रासान् । श्वरन्तः । योग-मार्गे । मोक्षम् । एव । प्रार्थयन्ते । वृक्ष-मूले । शून्य-गृहे । श्मशान-वासिनः । वा । साम्बराः । वा । दिगम्बराः । वा । न । तेषाम् । धर्म-अधर्मौ । लाभ-अलाभौ । शुद्ध-अशुद्धौ । द्वैत-वर्जिताः । सम-लोष्ट-अश्म-काञ्चनाः । सर्व-वर्णेषु । भैक्ष-अचरणम् । कृत्वा । सर्वत्र । आत्मा । एव । इति । पश्यन्ति । अथ । जातरूप-धराः । निर्द्वन्द्वाः । निष्परिग्रहाः । शुक्ल-ध्यान-परायणाः । आत्म-निष्ठाः । प्राण-संधारण-अर्थे । यथा-उक्त-काले । भैक्षम् । आचरन्तः । शून्य-आगार-देव-गृह-तृण-कूट-वल्मीक-वृक्ष-मूल-कुलाल-शाला-अग्निहोत्र-शाला-नदी-पुलिन-गिरि-कन्दर-कुहर-कोटर-निर्झर-स्थण्डिले । तत्र । ब्रह्म-मार्गे । सम्यक्-सम्पन्नाः । शुद्ध-मानसाः । परमहंस-आचरणेन । संन्यासेन । देह-त्यागम् । कुर्वन्ति । ते । परमहंसाः । नाम । इति । उपनिषत् ॥५॥
atha paramahaṁsā nāma saṁvarta-kāruṇi-śvetaketu-jaḍabharata-dattātreya-śuka-vāmadeva-hārītaka-prabhṛtayo 'ṣṭau grāsān śvaranto yoga-mārge mokṣam eva prārthayante | vṛkṣa-mūle śūnya-gṛhe śmaśāna-vāsino vā sāmbarā vā digambarā vā | na teṣāṁ dharmādharmau lābhālābhau śuddhāśuddhau dvaita-varjitāḥ sama-loṣṭāśma-kāñcanāḥ sarva-varṇeṣu bhaikṣācaraṇaṁ kṛtvā sarvatrātmaiva iti paśyanti | atha jātarūpa-dharā nirdvandvā niṣparigrahāḥ śukla-dhyāna-parāyaṇā ātma-niṣṭhāḥ prāṇa-saṁdhāraṇārthe yathokta-kāle bhaikṣam ācarantaḥ śūnyāgāra-deva-gṛha-tṛṇa-kūṭa-valmīka-vṛkṣa-mūla-kulāla-śālā-agnihotra-śālā-nadī-pulina-giri-kandara-kuhara-koṭara-nirjhara-sthaṇḍile tatra brahma-mārge samyak-sampannāḥ śuddha-mānasāḥ paramahaṁsācaraṇena saṁnyāsena deha-tyāgaṁ kurvanti te paramahaṁsā nāma ity upaniṣat ||5||
Die Paramahaṁsas — wie Saṁvarta, Kāruṇi, Śvetaketu, Jaḍabharata, Dattātreya, Śuka, Vāmadeva, Hārītaka und andere — nehmen acht Bissen Nahrung und erbitten auf dem Yogaweg allein Mokṣa. Sie wohnen am Fuß eines Baumes, in einem leeren Haus oder auf dem Verbrennungsplatz; sie mögen bekleidet sein oder himmelsnackt. Für sie gibt es weder Verdienst noch Schuld, weder Gewinn noch Verlust, weder Reinheit noch Unreinheit; frei von Dualität achten sie Erdklumpen, Stein und Gold gleich. Nachdem sie den Almosengang unter allen Ständen geübt haben, schauen sie überall nur das Selbst. Dann, gekleidet in das, was gleichsam zufällt, ohne Gegensätze, ohne Besitz, der reinen Meditation hingegeben, im Selbst gegründet, nehmen sie zur festgesetzten Zeit Almosen nur zur Erhaltung des Lebensatems. Sie wandern durch verlassene Häuser, Tempel, Heuhaufen, Ameisenhügel, zu Baumwurzeln, in Töpferschuppen, Opferhallen, an Flussufern, in Bergeshöhlen, Spalten und Grotten, zu Wasserfällen und auf nacktem Boden; dort, auf dem Brahman-Weg vollkommen vollendet, mit gereinigtem Geist, legen sie durch die Lebensweise des Paramahaṁsa und durch Saṁnyāsa (Entsagung) den Körper ab. Diese heißen Paramahaṁsas — so lehrt die Upaniṣad.
Now, those called Paramahaṁsas—such as Saṁvarta, Kāruṇi, Śvetaketu, Jaḍabharata, Dattātreya, Śuka, Vāmadeva, Hārītaka, and others—taking eight mouthfuls of food, seek liberation alone on the path of yoga. They dwell at the root of a tree, in an empty house, or in a cremation-ground; (they may be) clothed or sky-clad. For them there are no (notions of) merit and demerit, gain and loss, purity and impurity; free from duality, they regard clod, stone, and gold alike. Having practiced alms-round among all social classes, they see the Self alone everywhere. Then, wearing what comes (as it were) by chance, free from pairs of opposites, without possessions, devoted to ‘pure’ meditation, established in the Self, they take alms at the stated time only for sustaining life-breath. Moving in deserted houses, temples, haystacks, anthills, at tree-roots, potters’ sheds, sacrificial halls, riverbanks, mountain caves, hollows, clefts, waterfalls, and bare ground—there, fully accomplished on the path of Brahman, pure-minded, by the conduct of the Paramahaṁsa and by renunciation, they abandon the body. Such are called Paramahaṁsas—thus (teaches) the Upaniṣad.
- prabhṛtayo 'ṣṭau → prabhṛtayaḥ aṣṭau
- sarvatrātmaiva → sarvatra ātmā eva
- nāma ityupaniṣat → nāma iti upaniṣat. Long locative list after ācarantaḥ is treated as a series of locative singulars (adhikaraṇa) with ellipsis of 'in/at'
About this Verse
- Central concept
- Atman-Brahman non-duality (Advaita), jīvanmukti ideal, aparigraha, samatva
- The mahavakyas
- Strongly aligned (implicit): ‘ahaṁ brahmāsmi’/‘tat tvam asi’ expressed as sarvatrātmaiva—seeing the Self alone everywhere; practical outworking of non-dual realization.
- Veda
- Atharva
- Chandas
- Prose
Yoga and practice
Nididhyāsana (‘śukla-dhyāna’ as steady pure contemplation), samatva (equanimity), pratyāhāra through radical non-attachment; minimal alms at fixed times supports meditation without lethargy or indulgence.
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