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

ഗുഹ മറുപടി പറഞ്ഞു— “മാലയിലെ മണികൾ പ്രവാളം, മുത്ത്, സ്ഫടികം, ശംഖ്, വെള്ളി, അഷ്ടാപദ, ചന്ദനം, പുത്രജീവിക, താമരവിത്ത്, രുദ്രാക്ഷ— ഇവയായിരിക്കാം. അതിന്റെ രൂപം ‘അ’ മുതൽ ‘ക്ഷ’ വരെ എന്നായി ധ്യാനിച്ച്, ഭാവം ജാഗ്രതയോടെ വേണം. സ്വർണം/വെള്ളി/ചെമ്പ് ഘടകങ്ങളാൽ, മുഖത്ത് ‘മുഖം’യും വാലിൽ ‘പുച്ഛം’യും വെച്ച്, അന്തർമുഖ ആവർത്തനക്രമത്തിൽ കോർക്കണം।”॥२॥

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