Verse 3

Paramahansa

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

सर्वान्कामान्परित्यज्य अद्वैते परमस्थितिः । ज्ञानदण्डो धृतो येन एकदण्डी स उच्यते ॥

काष्ठदण्डो धृतो येन सर्वाशी ज्ञानवर्जितः ।

स याति नरकान्घोरान्महारौरवसंज्ञकान् ॥

इदमन्तरं ज्ञात्वा स परमहंसः ॥ ३॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

सर्वान् । कामान् । परित्यज्य । अद्वैते । परम-स्थितिः । ज्ञान-दण्डः । धृतः । येन । एक-दण्डी । सः । उच्यते ॥

काष्ठ-दण्डः । धृतः । येन । सर्व-आशी । ज्ञान-वर्जितः ।

सः । याति । नरकान् । घोरान् । महा-रौरव-संज्ञकान् ॥

इदम् । अन्तरम् । ज्ञात्वा । सः । परमहंसः ॥ ३॥

IAST Transliteration

sarvān kāmān parityajya advaitaṃ parama-sthitiḥ | jñāna-daṇḍo dhṛto yena eka-daṇḍī sa ucyate ||

kāṣṭha-daṇḍo dhṛto yena sarvāśī jñāna-varjitaḥ |

sa yāti narakān ghorān mahā-raurava-saṃjñakān ||

idam antaraṃ jñātvā sa paramahaṃsaḥ || 3 ||

Translation

സകല കാമനകളും പരിത്യജിച്ച്, അവന്റെ പരമസ്ഥിതി അദ്വൈതത്തിൽ തന്നെ നിൽക്കുന്നു. ‘ജ്ഞാനദണ്ഡം’ ധരിക്കുന്നവൻ ഏകദണ്ഡി എന്നു വിളിക്കപ്പെടുന്നു. എന്നാൽ കാഷ്ഠദണ്ഡം മാത്രം ധരിച്ചു, വിവേചനമില്ലാതെ എല്ലാം ഭക്ഷിക്കുകയും ജ്ഞാനരഹിതനുമായവൻ—മഹാരൗരവം എന്നു പേരുള്ള ഭയങ്കര നരകങ്ങളിലേക്കു പോകുന്നു. ഈ വ്യത്യാസം അറിഞ്ഞവൻ തന്നെയാണ് പരമഹംസൻ.

Academic Translation

Having abandoned all desires, his supreme abiding is in non-duality. He by whom the ‘staff of knowledge’ is borne is called the one-staff bearer (ekadaṇḍin). He by whom a wooden staff is borne—one who eats indiscriminately and is devoid of knowledge—he goes to dreadful hells called Mahāraurava. Knowing this distinction, he is a Paramahaṃsa.

Verse Context

• Jñāna as the true renunciant’s ‘staff’; Advaita-niṣṭhā and desirelessness (vairāgya)
• Mahavakya: Indirectly reinforces mahāvākya teaching by making Advaita-abidance the ‘supreme state’; aligns with ‘Aham Brahmāsmi’/‘Tat Tvam Asi’ as the knowledge that constitutes true ekadaṇḍa
• Atharva
• Chandas: Mixed: first pāda in anuṣṭubh-style śloka cadence; overall didactic śloka/metrical verse with an appended prose-like closing line