Avadhuta

Verse 1

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

Then indeed Sāṅkṛti, approaching 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 manner of conduct and wandering?” To him the Blessed Dattātreya, supremely compassionate, replied.

Verse 2

अक्षरत्वाद्वरेण्यत्वाद्धृतसंसारबन्धनात् । तत्त्वमस्यादिलक्ष्यत्वादवधूत इतीर्यते॥२॥

Because he has realized the Imperishable, because he is worthy of the highest choice, because he has cast off the bondage of saṃsāra, and because he is the very referent of sayings such as “That thou art”—therefore he is called an Avadhūta.

Verse 3

यो विलङ्घ्याश्रमान्वर्णानात्मन्येव स्थितः सदा । अतिवर्णाश्रमी योगी अवधूतः स कथ्यते॥३॥

He who, having transcended the āśramas and the varṇas, remains always established in the Self alone—such a yogin, beyond varṇa and āśrama, is called an Avadhūta.

Verse 4

तस्य प्रियं शिरः कृत्वा मोदो दक्षिणपक्षकः । प्रमोद उत्तरः पक्ष आनन्दो गोष्पदायते॥४॥

Making ‘Priya’ his head, ‘Moda’ his right wing, and ‘Pramoda’ his left wing, ‘Ānanda’ becomes for him like the footprint of a cow—exceedingly small.

Verse 5

गोपालसदृशां शीर्षे नापि मध्ये न चाप्यधः । ब्रह्मपुच्छं प्रतिष्ठेति पुच्छाकारेण कारयेत्॥५॥

Not at the top, nor in the middle, nor at the bottom; one should contemplate the “Brahman-tail” as the foundation, and fashion this contemplation in the form of a tail.

Verse 6

एवं चतुष्पथं कृत्वा ते यान्ति परमां गतिम् । न कर्मणा न प्रजया धनेन त्यागेनैके अमृतत्वमानशुः ॥६॥

Thus, having established the fourfold path, they go to the supreme state. Not by ritual action, not by progeny, not by wealth—by renunciation alone some attained immortality.

Verse 7

स्वैरं स्वैरविहरणं तत्संसरणम् । सांबरा वा दिगंबरा वा । न तेषां धर्माधर्मौ न मेध्यामेधौ । सदा सांग्रहण्येष्ट्यश्वमेधान्तयागं यजते । स महामखो महायोगः ॥७॥

Their wandering is free; their movement is spontaneous roaming. Clothed or sky-clad. For them there are no categories of dharma and adharma, no pure and impure. Ever he performs the sacrifice that culminates in the Aśvamedha and the final offering; he is the great sacrificer, the great yogin.

Verse 8

कृत्स्नमेतच्चित्रं कर्म । स्वैरं न विगायेत् तन्महाव्रतम् । न स मूढवल्लिप्यते ॥८॥

All this action is a variegated display. One should not, at will, sing it out or proclaim it; that is the great vow. He is not tainted like the deluded.

Verse 9

यथा रविः सर्वरसान् प्रभुङ्क्ते हुताशनश्चापि हि सर्वभक्षः । तथैव योगी विषयान् प्रभुङ्क्ते न लिप्यते पुण्यपापैश्च शुद्धः ॥९॥

As the sun draws up all essences, and as fire indeed consumes all, so too the yogin partakes of objects; being pure, he is not tainted by merit and demerit.

Verse 10

आपूर्यमाणम् अचलप्रतिष्ठं समुद्रमापः प्रविशन्ति यद्वत् । तद्वत्कामा यं प्रविशन्ति सर्वे स शान्तिमाप्नोति न कामकामी ॥१०॥

As waters enter the ocean, which is being filled yet remains unmoving in its foundation, so all desires enter him; he attains peace—not the one who desires desires.

Verse 11

न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः । न मुमुक्षुर्न वै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता॥११॥

There is no cessation, nor indeed any origination; none is bound, nor is there a practitioner. There is no seeker of liberation, nor truly any liberated one—this is the highest truth.

Verse 12

ऐहिकामुष्मिकव्रातसिद्धै मुक्तेश्च सिद्धये । बहुकृत्यं पुरा स्यान्मे तत्सर्वमधुना कृतम्॥१२॥

For attaining the collections of accomplishments here and hereafter, and for attaining liberation, formerly there would have been much for me to do; now all of that is done.

Verse 13

तदेव कृतकृत्यत्वं प्रतियोगिपुरःसरम् । अनुसन्दधदेवायमेवं तृप्यति नित्यशः॥१३॥

That alone is the state of having done what is to be done (kṛtakṛtyatva), with its counter-correlates set forth; reflecting thus, one is ever satisfied.

Verse 14

दुःखिनोऽज्ञाः संसरन्तु कामं पुत्राद्यपेक्षया । परमानन्दपूर्णोऽहं संसरामि किमिच्छया॥१४॥

Let the suffering ignorant ones wander in saṃsāra as they please, dependent on sons and the like. I am full of supreme bliss—by what desire should I wander in saṃsāra?

Verse 15

अनुतिष्ठन्तु कर्माणि परलोकयियासवः । सर्वलोकात्मकः कस्मादनुतिष्ठामि किं कथम्॥१५॥

Let those who wish to go to the other world perform actions. I am of the nature of all worlds—why should I perform actions, for what, and how?

Verse 16

व्याचक्षतां ते शास्त्राणि वेदानध्यापयन्तु वा । येऽत्राधिकारिणो मे तु नाधिकारोऽक्रियत्वतः ॥१६॥

Let those who are qualified here expound the treatises, or even teach the Vedas. But for me there is no such entitlement, for I am without doership, without the performance of action.

Verse 17

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

Sleep and alms, bathing and purity—I neither desire nor perform them. If onlookers imagine otherwise, what is another’s imagining to me? A heap of guñjā-berries and the like is not burned by a fire merely superimposed in thought. Likewise, I do not partake of saṃsāra’s attributes that others project upon me.

Verse 18

शृण्वन्त्वज्ञाततत्त्वास्ते जानन्कस्माञ्छृणोम्यहम् । मन्यन्तां संशयापन्ना न मन्येऽहमसंशयः ॥१८॥

Let those who have not known the truth listen. I, having known, why should I listen? Let those who have fallen into doubt think; I do not think—I am free from doubt.

Verse 19

विपर्यस्तो निदिध्यासे किं ध्यानमविपर्यये । देहात्मत्वविपर्यासं न कदाचिद्भजाम्यहम् ॥१९॥

One who is inverted in error engages in nididhyāsana; what meditation is there for one who is not inverted? I never resort to the inversion of taking the body to be the Self.

Verse 20

अहं मनुष्य इत्यादिव्यवहारो विनाप्यमुम् । विपर्यासं चिराभ्यस्तवासनातोऽवकल्पते ॥२०॥

Even without this error, conventional usage such as “I am a man” can still occur; for the inversion arises from latent impressions long cultivated.

Verse 21

आरब्धकर्मणि क्षीणे व्यवहारो निवर्तते । कर्मक्षये त्वसौ नैव शाम्येद्ध्यानसहस्रतः ॥२१॥

When the karma already set in motion (prārabdha) is exhausted, worldly dealings cease. Yet that prārabdha does not subside by thousands of meditations; it ends only with the exhaustion of karma.

Verse 22

विरलत्वं व्यवहृतेरिष्टं चेद्ध्यानमस्तु ते । बाधिकर्मव्यवहृतिं पश्यन्ध्यायाम्यहं कुतः ॥२२॥

If you desire the thinning out of activity, let meditation be for you. But I—seeing the transactional activity of karma as already sublated—how could I meditate?

Verse 23

विक्षेपो नास्ति यस्मान्मे न समाधिस्ततो मम । विक्षेपो वा समाधिर्वा मनसः स्याद्विकारिणः । नित्यानुभवरूपस्य को मेऽत्रानुभवः पृथक् ॥२३॥

Since there is no distraction for me, therefore there is no samādhi for me. Distraction or samādhi would belong to the mind, which is subject to modification. For me, whose nature is eternal experience, what separate ‘experience’ could there be here?

Verse 24

कृतं कृत्यं प्रापणीयं प्राप्तमित्येव नित्यशः । व्यवहारो लौकिको वा शास्त्रीयो वान्यथापि वा । ममाकर्तुरलेपस्य यथारब्धं प्रवर्तताम् ॥२४-२५॥

“What had to be done is done; what was to be attained is attained”—thus indeed always. Let transaction—worldly, scriptural, or otherwise—proceed according to what has already begun, for me who am a non-agent and untouched.

Verse 25

कृतं कृत्यं प्रापणीयं प्राप्तमित्येव नित्यशः । व्यवहारो लौकिको वा शास्त्रीयो वान्यथापि वा । ममाकर्तुरलेपस्य यथारब्धं प्रवर्तताम् ॥२४-२५॥

“What had to be done is done; what was to be attained is attained”—thus indeed always. Let transaction—worldly, scriptural, or otherwise—proceed according to what has already begun, for me who am a non-agent and untouched.

Verse 26

अथवा कृतकृत्येऽपि लोकानुग्रहकाम्यया । शास्त्रीयेणैव मार्गेण वर्तेऽहं मम का क्षतिः ॥२६॥

Or else, though I am one who has accomplished what is to be accomplished, out of a wish to bestow grace upon the world I proceed only by the scriptural path; what loss is there for me?

Verse 27

देवार्चनस्नानशौचभिक्षादौ वर्ततां वपुः । तारं जपतु वाक् तद्वत् पठत्वाम्नायमस्तकम् ॥२७॥

Let the body engage in worship of the gods, bathing, purity, alms-begging, and the like. Let speech repeat the Tāraka mantra in japa; likewise, let it recite the crest of the Veda, the essential teaching.

Verse 28

विष्णुं ध्यायतु धीः यद्वा ब्रह्मानन्दे विलीयताम् । साक्ष्यहं किंचिदप्यत्र न कुर्वे नापि कारये ॥२८॥

Let the intellect meditate on Viṣṇu; or else let it dissolve into the bliss of Brahman. I am the witness; here I do nothing at all, nor do I cause anything to be done.

Verse 29

कृतकृत्यतया तृप्तः प्राप्तप्राप्यतया पुनः । तृप्यन्नेवं स्वमनसा मन्यतेऽसौ निरन्तरम् ॥२९॥

Satisfied by the state of having done what is to be done, and again by the state of having attained what is to be attained, thus content, he reflects within his own mind continually.

Verse 30

धन्योऽहं धन्योऽहं नित्यं स्वात्मानमञ्जसा वेद्मि । धन्योऽहं धन्योऽहं ब्रह्मानन्दो विभाति मे स्पष्टम् ॥३०॥

Blessed am I, blessed am I: I know my own Self directly, always. Blessed am I, blessed am I: the bliss of Brahman shines clearly for me.

Verse 31

धन्योऽहं धन्योऽहं दुःखं सांसारिकं न वीक्षेऽद्य । धन्योऽहं धन्योऽहं स्वस्याज्ञानं पलायितं क्वापि ॥३१॥

Blessed am I, blessed am I; today I do not behold worldly sorrow. Blessed am I, blessed am I; my own ignorance has fled—somewhere away.

Verse 32

धन्योऽहं धन्योऽहं कर्तव्यं मे न विद्यते किंचित् । धन्योऽहं धन्योऽहं प्राप्तव्यं सर्वमत्र सम्पन्नम् ॥३२॥

Blessed am I, blessed am I; for me there exists no duty whatsoever. Blessed am I, blessed am I; everything to be attained is here accomplished.

Verse 33

धन्योऽहं धन्योऽहं तृप्तेर्मे कोपमा भवेल्लोके । धन्योऽहं धन्योऽहं धन्यो धन्यः पुनः पुनर्धन्यः ॥३३॥

Blessed am I, blessed am I; what comparison in the world could there be for my contentment? Blessed am I, blessed am I—blessed, blessed, again and again blessed.

Verse 34

अहो पुण्यमहो पुण्यं फलितं फलितं दृढम् । अस्य पुण्यस्य सम्पत्तेरहो वयमहो वयम् ॥३४॥

Ah, merit! Ah, merit! It has borne fruit—borne fruit—firmly. Of the attainment of this merit—ah, we! ah, we!

Verse 35

अहो ज्ञानमहो ज्ञानमहो सुखमहो सुखम् । अहो शास्त्रमहो शास्त्रमहो गुरुरहो गुरुः ॥३५॥

Ah, knowledge! Ah, knowledge! Ah, happiness! Ah, happiness! Ah, scripture! Ah, scripture! Ah, the guru! Ah, the guru!

Verse 36

इति य इदमधीते सोऽपि कृतकृत्यो भवति। सुरापानात्पूतो भवति। स्वर्णस्तेयात्पूतो भवति। ब्रह्महत्यात्पूतो भवति। कृत्याकृत्यात्पूतो भवति। एवं विदित्वा स्वेच्छाचारपरो भूयाद् ॐ सत्यमित्युपनिषत्॥३६॥

Thus, whoever studies this teaching becomes one who has fulfilled what is to be fulfilled. He is purified from drinking intoxicants; he is purified from stealing gold; he is purified from killing a brāhmaṇa; he is purified from sins born of sorcery and from what ought not to be done. Knowing thus, let one be devoted to conduct according to one’s own will. Om—Truth: thus is the Upaniṣad.