Paramahansa Upanishad 3 — Verse 3

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

सर्वान्कामान्परित्यज्य अद्वैते परमस्थितिः । ज्ञानदण्डो धृतो येन एकदण्डी स उच्यते ॥

काष्ठदण्डो धृतो येन सर्वाशी ज्ञानवर्जितः ।

स याति नरकान्घोरान्महारौरवसंज्ञकान् ॥

इदमन्तरं ज्ञात्वा स परमहंसः ॥ ३॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

सर्वान् । कामान् । परित्यज्य । अद्वैते । परम-स्थितिः । ज्ञान-दण्डः । धृतः । येन । एक-दण्डी । सः । उच्यते ॥

काष्ठ-दण्डः । धृतः । येन । सर्व-आशी । ज्ञान-वर्जितः ।

सः । याति । नरकान् । घोरान् । महा-रौरव-संज्ञकान् ॥

इदम् । अन्तरम् । ज्ञात्वा । सः । परमहंसः ॥ ३॥

IAST Transliteration

sarvān kāmān parityajya advaitaṃ parama-sthitiḥ | jñāna-daṇḍo dhṛto yena eka-daṇḍī sa ucyate ||

kāṣṭha-daṇḍo dhṛto yena sarvāśī jñāna-varjitaḥ |

sa yāti narakān ghorān mahā-raurava-saṃjñakān ||

idam antaraṃ jñātvā sa paramahaṃsaḥ || 3 ||

Translation

Nachdem er alle Wünsche aufgegeben hat, ist sein höchstes Verweilen in der Nicht-Zweiheit. Der, der den „Stab des Wissens“ trägt, heißt Ein-Stab-Träger (ekadaṇḍin). Wer aber einen hölzernen Stab trägt—der wahllos isst und ohne Erkenntnis ist—geht in schreckliche Höllen, Mahāraurava genannt. Wer diesen Unterschied erkennt, der ist ein Paramahaṃsa.

Academic Translation

Having abandoned all desires, his supreme abiding is in non-duality. He by whom the ‘staff of knowledge’ is borne is called the one-staff bearer (ekadaṇḍin). He by whom a wooden staff is borne—one who eats indiscriminately and is devoid of knowledge—he goes to dreadful hells called Mahāraurava. Knowing this distinction, he is a Paramahaṃsa.

Verse Context

• Jñāna as the true renunciant’s ‘staff’; Advaita-niṣṭhā and desirelessness (vairāgya)
• Mahavakya: Indirectly reinforces mahāvākya teaching by making Advaita-abidance the ‘supreme state’; aligns with ‘Aham Brahmāsmi’/‘Tat Tvam Asi’ as the knowledge that constitutes true ekadaṇḍa
• Atharva
• Chandas: Mixed: first pāda in anuṣṭubh-style śloka cadence; overall didactic śloka/metrical verse with an appended prose-like closing line