Avadhuta Upanishad 21 — Verse 21

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

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

Padapatha (Word Split)

आरब्ध-कर्मणि । क्षीणे । व्यवहारः । निवर्तते । कर्म-क्षये । तु । असौ । न । एव । शाम्येत् । ध्यान-सहस्रतः ॥२१॥

IAST Transliteration

ārabdhakarmaṇi kṣīṇe vyavahāro nivartate | karmakṣaye tv asau naiva śāmyed dhyānasahasrataḥ ||21||

Translation

ആരംഭകർമ്മം (പ്രാരബ്ധം) ക്ഷയിക്കുമ്പോൾ ലോകവ്യവഹാരം നിവൃത്തമാകുന്നു. എന്നാൽ ആ പ്രാരബ്ധം ആയിരം ധ്യാനങ്ങളാൽ മാത്രം ശമിക്കുകയില്ല; കർമക്ഷയം സംഭവിക്കുമ്പോഴേ അതിന് അവസാനം വരൂ.

Academic Translation

When the karma that has begun (prārabdha) is exhausted, worldly transaction ceases. But that (prārabdha) does not subside merely by thousands of meditations; it ends only with the exhaustion of karma.

Verse Context

• Prārabdha-karma and the jñānī’s non-doership amid residual embodiment
• Mahavakya: Supports the implication of ‘अहं ब्रह्मास्मि (ahaṃ brahmāsmi)’: realization removes doership/identification, while prārabdha continues until exhausted.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)