Verse 14

Yagyavalkya

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

मांसपाञ्चालिकायास्तु यन्त्रलोकेऽङ्गपञ्जरे । स्नाय्वस्थिग्रन्थिशालिन्यः स्त्रियः किमिव शोभनम् ॥१४॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

मांस-पाञ्चालिकायाः । तु । यन्त्र-लोके । अङ्ग-पञ्जरे । स्नायु-अस्थि-ग्रन्थि-शालिन्यः । स्त्रियः । किम् । इव । शोभनम् ॥१४॥

IAST Transliteration

māṃsa-pāñcālikāyās tu yantraloke 'ṅga-pañjare | snāyv-asthi-granthi-śālinyaḥ striyaḥ kim iva śobhanam ||14||

Translation

ਮਾਸ ਦੀ ਪੁਤਲੀ ਵਰਗਾ ਇਹ ਦੇਹ—ਯੰਤਰ-ਲੋਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਅੰਗਾਂ ਦੇ ਪਿੰਜਰੇ ਅੰਦਰ ਬੱਝਿਆ, ਸਨਾਇੂਆਂ ਤੇ ਹੱਡੀਆਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਗੰਢਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਭਰਿਆ—ਇਸ ਵਿੱਚ ਇਸਤ੍ਰੀਆਂ ਦਾ ‘ਸੌੰਦਰਯ’ ਅਸਲ ਵਿੱਚ ਕੀ ਹੈ ਜੋ ਸ਼ੋਭਦਾ ਹੈ?

Academic Translation

But in the mechanical world—within the cage of limbs—of this puppet of flesh, furnished with knots of sinews and bones, what indeed is ‘beauty’ in women?

Verse Context

• Vairāgya (dispassion); deha-ātma-bhrānti correction; śarīra as yantra (instrument)
• Mahavakya: No direct mahāvākya; serves as preparatory teaching (sādhana-catuṣṭaya: vairāgya) supporting realization implied by ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’
• Yajur
• Śukla-Yajurveda (Vājasaneyī) — traditional later classification for the Yājñavalkya Upaniṣad Shakha
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)