Upanishads · Mahā 3.44
॥
Devanāgarī
ज्वलतामतिदूरेऽपि सरसा अपि नीरसाः स्त्रियो हि नरकाग्नीनामिन्धनं चारु दारुणम्
Transliteration (IAST)
jvalatāmatidūre'pi sarasā api nīrasāḥ striyo hi narakāgnīnāmindhanaṃ cāru dāruṇam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ज्वलताम् अति-दूरे अपिjvalatām ati-dūre apithough very far from the burning; though quite distant from those who blaze
सरसाः अपि नीरसाःsarasāḥ api nīrasāḥthough juicy, savourless; though full of sap, devoid of savour
स्त्रियः हि नरक-अग्नीनाम्striyaḥ hi naraka-agnīnāmfor women, for the fires of hell; for women, for the flames of the netherworld
इन्धनम् चारु दारुणम्indhanam cāru dāruṇamare fuel fair and cruel; are kindling comely and merciless
Translation
“Far from the burning and full of sap, they are yet savourless: for women are the fair and cruel fuel of hell's fires.”
Version
2939fa0476b0 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse is built on wordplay worth unpacking, or else it sounds like mere abuse.
Sa-rasa means “juicy, moist” and at once “full of savour, of charm”. Nīrasa — “dry” and “savourless, insipid”. That is, it says: full of sap — and insipid.
The second play is at the end: cāru dāruṇam — “fair and cruel”, and the words are assonant almost past telling apart.
The image is the same as in the previous verse: fuel. Green wood is far from the fire — and yet its destiny is to burn.
Let me say plainly what to think of this verse. As a description of women it is unjust and is not supported by the book elsewhere. As a description of what craving turns into for the one who has yielded to it, it is exact: what is fair to look at proves to be kindling.
This series, I repeat, ends with verse 3.48, where the true target is named — bhoga-icchā, the desire to enjoy itself. All the preceding is the approach to it.