Verse 16

Parabrahma

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

तेभिर्धार्यमिदं सूत्रं क्रियाङ्गं तन्तुनिर्मितम् ॥ शिखा ज्ञानमयी यस्योपवीतं च तन्मयम् । ब्राह्मण्यं सकलं तस्य नेतरेषां तु किंचन ॥१६॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

तेभिः । धार्यम् । इदम् । सूत्रम् । क्रिया-अङ्गम् । तन्तु-निर्मितम् ॥ शिखा । ज्ञान-मयी । यस्य । उपवीतम् । च । तत्-मयम् । ब्राह्मण्यम् । सकलम् । तस्य । न । इतरेषाम् । तु । किञ्चन ॥१६॥

IAST Transliteration

tebhir dhāryam idaṃ sūtraṃ kriyāṅgaṃ tantunirmitam || śikhā jñānamayī yasyo pavītaṃ ca tanmayam | brāhmaṇyaṃ sakalaṃ tasya netareṣāṃ tu kiṃcana ||16||

Translation

ಅವರಿಂದ ಈ ಸೂತ್ರವನ್ನು ಧರಿಸಬೇಕು—ತಂತುಗಳಿಂದ ನಿರ್ಮಿತವಾಗಿದ್ದು ಕ್ರಿಯಾರೂಪ ಕರ್ಮಕಾಂಡಕ್ಕೆ ಸಹಾಯಕ ಅಂಗ. ಯಾರಿಗೆ ಶಿಖೆಯೇ ಜ್ಞಾನಮಯವಾಗಿದ್ದು, ಉಪವೀತವೂ ಅದೇ ಜ್ಞಾನಸ್ವರೂಪವಾಗಿದೆಯೋ, ಅವನಿಗೆ ಸಂಪೂರ್ಣ ಬ್ರಾಹ್ಮಣ್ಯ ಸೇರಿದೆ; ಇತರರಿಗೆ ನಿಜವಾಗಿ ಏನೂ ಇಲ್ಲ.

Academic Translation

This thread (sūtra), made of strands and serving as an auxiliary to ritual action, is to be worn by them. For him whose tuft (śikhā) is constituted of knowledge and whose sacred thread (upavīta) is of that (knowledge) itself, the whole of brahminhood belongs to him; for others, indeed, it is nothing at all.

Verse Context

• Jñāna as the true upavīta; inner qualification for Brahminhood; Mokṣa-sādhana
• Mahavakya: Indirect: emphasizes jñāna as the means to realize Brahman/Ātman (aligns with the purport of ‘aham brahmāsmi’/‘tat tvam asi’ as lived knowledge rather than external sign).
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)