Verse 5

Avadhuta

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

गोपालसदृशां शीर्षे नापि मध्ये न चाप्यधः । ब्रह्मपुच्छं प्रतिष्ठेति पुच्छाकारेण कारयेत्॥५॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

गोपाल-सदृशाम् । शीर्षे । न । अपि । मध्ये । न । च । अपि । अधः । ब्रह्म-पुच्छम् । प्रतिष्ठा । इति । पुच्छ-आकारेण । कारयेत् ॥५॥

IAST Transliteration

gopālasadṛśāṃ śīrṣe nāpi madhye na cāpy adhaḥ | brahmapucchaṃ pratiṣṭheti pucchākāreṇa kārayet ||5||

Translation

ਨਾ ਉੱਪਰ, ਨਾ ਵਿਚਕਾਰ, ਨਾ ਹੇਠਾਂ— ‘ਬ੍ਰਹਮ-ਪੁੱਛ’ ਨੂੰ ਹੀ ਪ੍ਰਤਿਸ਼ਠਾ (ਆਧਾਰ) ਮੰਨ ਕੇ ਧਿਆਨ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ; ਅਤੇ ਇਸ ਧਿਆਨ ਨੂੰ ਪੁੱਛ-ਆਕਾਰ (ਪੂੰਛ ਦੇ ਰੂਪ) ਵਿੱਚ ਰਚਣਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ।

Academic Translation

Not at the top, nor in the middle, nor at the bottom—(one should contemplate) the ‘Brahman-tail’ as the foundation; one should fashion (this contemplation) in the form of a tail.

Verse Context

• Brahman as pratiṣṭhā (ultimate ground/support) and the pañca-kośa/ānandamaya imagery of ‘brahma-puccha’
• Mahavakya: Indirect: aligns with ‘prajñānam brahma’/‘ayam ātmā brahma’ insofar as Brahman is the underlying support rather than a located object.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)