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Upanishads · Śāṭyāyanīya 8
॥
Devanāgarī
पञ्चैतास्तु यतेर्मात्रास्ता मात्रा ब्रह्मणे श्रुताः । न त्यजेद्यावदुत्क्रान्तिरन्तेऽपि निखनेत्सह
Transliteration (IAST)
pañcaitāstu yatermātrāstā mātrā brahmaṇe śrutāḥ | na tyajedyāvadutkrāntirante'pi nikhanetsaha
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
पञ्च एताः तु यतेः मात्राःpañca etāḥ tu yateḥ mātrāḥthese five, however, are the marks of the ascetic
ताः मात्राः ब्रह्मणे श्रुताःtāḥ mātrāḥ brahmaṇe śrutāḥthose marks are heard [as leading] to brahman
न त्यजेत् यावत् उत्क्रान्तिःna tyajet yāvat utkrāntiḥlet him not abandon them until departure
अन्ते अपि निखनेत् सहante api nikhanet sahaand at the end let them be buried together [with him]
Translation
"These five are the marks of the ascetic; those marks are heard [as leading] to brahman. Let him not abandon them until his departure [comes], and at the end let them be buried together [with him]."
Version
1f8aa7a6fb6e · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
It is worth noting the last injunction: ante'pi nikhanet saha, "and at the end let them be buried together." That is, the marks are laid in the grave together with the body. This custom is still observed among wanderers today: the renounced are not cremated but buried, and buried with the staff.
This detail, to my mind, deserves attention, for it shows how these things were regarded. If the staff were a tool, it would be handed to another. If it were an ornament, it would be removed.
But it is buried — that is, it is considered a part of the person, as what has grown into the body is considered part of it. The Vaiṣṇava side regards outward signs the same way, and it is worth voicing this, for she is often misrepresented on this score. She does not consider a sign self-sufficient, and that a tilaka and beads without a heart are nothing, she says directly and constantly.
But neither does she consider it a matter of indifference; her argument was cited when reading the Ūrdhvapuṇḍra and is stated thus: a sign is an acknowledgment of belonging, and one who removes it removes not an ornament but the master's name. Let us add what follows from this and explains the severity of the verses to come: where a sign is an acknowledgment, abandoning the sign is a renunciation of the relationship, not a change of clothing.