Avadhuta Upanishad 20 — Verse 20

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अहं मनुष्य इत्यादिव्यवहारो विनाप्यमुम् । विपर्यासं चिराभ्यस्तवासनातोऽवकल्पते ॥२०॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

अहम् । मनुष्यः । इति-आदि । व्यवहारः । विना । अपि । अमुम् । विपर्यासम् । चिर-अभ्यस्त-वासना-तः । अवकल्पते ॥२०॥

IAST Transliteration

ahaṃ manuṣya ityādivyavahāro vināpy amum | viparyāsaṃ cirābhyastavāsanāto 'vakalpate ||20||

Translation

اس (الٹ فہمی) کے بغیر بھی ‘میں انسان ہوں’ وغیرہ جیسا عرفی برتاؤ ممکن ہے؛ کیونکہ یہ الٹ فہمی دیرینہ عادت بن چکی وासनاؤں (پوشیدہ میلانوں) سے پیدا ہوتی ہے۔

Academic Translation

Even without this (error), the conventional usage such as ‘I am a man’ is possible; (for) the inversion arises from long-practiced latent impressions.

Verse Context

• Vyavahāra vs pāramārthika; vāsanā (latent tendencies) sustaining viparyaya
• Mahavakya: Clarifies post-realization language: mahāvākya-realization can coexist with empirical ‘I’-talk without reintroducing bondage (indirect relation).
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka)