Skanda Upanishad: Verse 11

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

त्यजेदज्ञाननिर्माल्यं सोऽहंभावेन पूजयेत् । अभेददर्शनं ज्ञानं ध्यानं निर्विषयं मनः । स्नानं मनोमलत्यागः शौचमिन्द्रियनिग्रहः ॥११॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

त्यजेत् । अज्ञान-निर्माल्यम् । सः-अहम्-भावेन । पूजयेत् । अभेद-दर्शनम् । ज्ञानम् । ध्यानम् । निर्विषयम् । मनः । स्नानम् । मनः-मल-त्यागः । शौचम् । इन्द्रिय-निग्रहः ॥११॥

Recitation with translationSkanda Upanishad 11

IAST Transliteration

tyajed ajñāna-nirmālyaṃ so'haṃ-bhāvena pūjayet | abheda-darśanaṃ jñānaṃ dhyānaṃ nirviṣayaṃ manaḥ | snānaṃ mano-mala-tyāgaḥ śaucam indriya-nigrahaḥ ||11||

Translation

અજ્ઞાનના નિર્માલ્યને ત્યજી, ‘સોઽહં’ ભાવથી પૂજા કરવી. અભેદદર્શન જ જ્ઞાન છે; ધ્યાન એટલે વિષયરહિત મન. સ્નાન એટલે મનમલનો ત્યાગ; શૌચ એટલે ઇન્દ્રિય-નિગ્રહ.

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Academic Translation

One should cast off the garland-remnants of ignorance and worship with the attitude ‘I am He’. The vision of non-difference is knowledge; meditation is the mind free from objects; bathing is the abandonment of the mind’s impurities; purity is the restraint of the senses.

Word by Word

• tyajet: one should abandon
• Type: Verb
• Root: √tyaj (dhātu)
• Form: vidhi-liṅ (optative), parasmaipada, prathama puruṣa, ekavacana

• ajñāna-nirmālyam: the refuse/remnants of ignorance
• Type: Noun
• Root: ajñāna (prātipadika) + nirmālya (prātipadika)
• Form: napuṃsaka, dvitīyā ekavacana

• saḥ: he
• Type: Pronoun
• Root: tad (sarvanāma-prātipadika)
• Form: puṃliṅga, prathamā ekavacana

• aham-bhāvena: with the sense of 'I (am That)'
• Type: Noun
• Root: aham (sarvanāma) + bhāva (prātipadika)
• Form: puṃliṅga, tṛtīyā ekavacana

• pūjayet: one should worship
• Type: Verb
• Root: √pūj (dhātu)
• Form: vidhi-liṅ (optative), parasmaipada, prathama puruṣa, ekavacana

• abheda-darśanam: non-dual vision
• Type: Noun
• Root: abheda (prātipadika) + darśana (prātipadika)
• Form: napuṃsaka, prathamā ekavacana

• jñānam: knowledge
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (prātipadika)
• Form: napuṃsaka, prathamā ekavacana

• dhyānam: meditation
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyāna (prātipadika)
• Form: napuṃsaka, prathamā ekavacana

• nirviṣayam: objectless; free of sense-objects
• Type: Adjective
• Root: nir- (upasarga) + viṣaya (prātipadika)
• Form: napuṃsaka, prathamā ekavacana (agreeing with manaḥ)

• manaḥ: the mind
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (prātipadika)
• Form: napuṃsaka, prathamā ekavacana

• snānam: bathing
• Type: Noun
• Root: snāna (prātipadika)
• Form: napuṃsaka, prathamā ekavacana

• mano-mala-tyāgaḥ: abandoning the mind’s impurities
• Type: Noun
• Root: manas (prātipadika) + mala (prātipadika) + tyāga (prātipadika)
• Form: puṃliṅga, prathamā ekavacana

• śaucam: purity
• Type: Noun
• Root: śauca (prātipadika)
• Form: napuṃsaka, prathamā ekavacana

• indriya-nigrahaḥ: restraint of the senses
• Type: Noun
• Root: indriya (prātipadika) + nigraha (prātipadika)
• Form: puṃliṅga, prathamā ekavacana

Sandhi Notes

• so'ham-bhāvena resolved as saḥ + aham-bhāvena (visarga before vowel → o’)
• ajñāna-nirmālyaṃ, abheda-darśanaṃ, mano-mala-tyāgaḥ, indriya-nigrahaḥ are compounds (no further external sandhi required)

Verse Context

• Sādhana as inner purification; jñāna-dhyāna redefined as abheda-darśana; so’ham-bhāva
• Mahavakya: Directly aligns with ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ (and the so’ham upadeśa) by prescribing worship in the ‘He-I’ identity; reinforces ‘tat tvam asi’ via abheda-darśana.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)