Akshamalika Upanishad 2 — Verse 2

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

तं गुहः प्रत्युवाच— प्रवाल-मौक्तिक-स्फटिक-शङ्ख-रजत-अष्टापद-चन्दन-पुत्रजीविका-अब्जे रुद्राक्षा इति । आदिक्षान्तमूर्तिः सावधानभावा । सौवर्णं राजतं ताम्रं तन्मुखे मुखं तत्पुच्छे पुच्छं तदन्तरावर्तनक्रमेण योजयेत् ॥२॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

तम् । गुहः । प्रत्युवाच । प्रवाल । मौक्तिक । स्फटिक । शङ्ख । रजत । अष्टापद । चन्दन । पुत्रजीविका । अब्जे । रुद्राक्षाः । इति । आदि-क्षान्त-मूर्तिः । सावधान-भावा । सौवर्णम् । राजतम् । ताम्रम् । तत्-मुखे । मुखम् । तत्-पुच्छे । पुच्छम् । तत्-अन्तर-आवर्तन-क्रमेण । योजयेत् ॥२॥

IAST Transliteration

taṃ guhaḥ pratyuvāca— pravāla-mauktika-sphaṭika-śaṅkha-rajata-aṣṭāpada-candana-putrajīvikā-abje rudrākṣā iti | ādikṣāntamūrtiḥ sāvadhānabhāvā | sauvārṇaṃ rājataṃ tāmraṃ tanmukhe mukhaṃ tatpucchhe pucchaṃ tadantarāvartanakrameṇa yojayet ||2||

Translation

Guha replied: “The beads may be of coral, pearl, crystal, conch, silver, aṣṭāpada (a certain seed/wood), sandalwood, putrajīvikā seed, lotus-seed, and rudrākṣa. The mālā is to be formed from ‘a’ at the beginning to ‘kṣa’ at the end, with an attentive inner disposition. It should be joined with fittings of gold, silver, or copper—placing the ‘mouth’ at its mouth and the ‘tail’ at its tail—arranged according to the inward-turning sequence.”

Academic Translation

Guha replied to him: “(Beads may be) of coral, pearl, crystal, conch, silver, ‘aṣṭāpada’ (a kind of seed/wood), sandalwood, putrajīvikā (putrajīvaka seed), lotus-seed, and rudrākṣa. (The mālā is to be) of a form beginning with ‘ādi’ and ending with ‘kṣānta’, with attentive disposition. One should join (it) with gold, silver, or copper (fittings); (placing) the ‘mouth’ at its mouth and the ‘tail’ at its tail, arranging according to the inward-turning sequence.”

Verse Context

• Ritual supports (upakaraṇa) for mantra-upāsanā; purity of means (sādhana-śuddhi)
• Mahavakya: Indirect: emphasizes disciplined upāsanā as a preparatory aid toward nondual realization taught by mahāvākyas.
• Atharva
• Atharva-veda (late/para-Upaniṣad tradition; specific śākhā not securely attested) Shakha
• Chandas: Prose