Upanishads · Avadhūta 1
॥
Devanāgarī
अक्षरत्वाद्वरेण्यत्वाद्धृतसंसारबन्धनात् । तत्त्वमस्यादिलक्ष्यत्वादवधूत इतीर्यते
Transliteration (IAST)
akṣaratvādvareṇyatvāddhṛtasaṃsārabandhanāt | tattvamasyādilakṣyatvādavadhūta itīryate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अ-क्षर-त्वात् वरेण्य-त्वात्a-kṣara-tvāt vareṇya-tvātfrom imperishability, from desirability
धृत-संसार-बन्धनात्dhṛta-saṃsāra-bandhanātfrom having cast off the bonds of the round [of rebirth]
तत् त्वम् असि आदि-लक्ष्य-त्वात्tat tvam asi ādi-lakṣya-tvātfrom being pointed to by the words 'that thou art'
अवधूतः इति ईर्यतेavadhūtaḥ iti īryatehe is called 'avadhūta'
Translation
From imperishability, from desirability, from having cast off the bonds of the round [of rebirth], from being pointed to by the words 'that thou art' — he is called avadhūta.
Version
2cd9f1a008ab · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
An interpretation of the name by syllables is given, a device usual in the upaniṣads: a word is broken into parts, and a word is matched to each. A — from akṣara, "imperishable"; va — from vareṇya, "desirable" (the same word as in the gāyatrī); dhū — from dhṛta-saṃsāra-bandhana, "having cast off the bonds of the round"; ta — from tat tvam asi. It is worth noting that this interpretation is not real etymology. In fact avadhūta simply means "shaken off, one who has shaken off," from ava-dhū, "to shake off"; and this image is beautiful in itself — as one shakes dust from clothing.
But the breakdown by syllables is done not for linguistics, but for memory: a name broken into four words is remembered together with the teaching. This device in old times replaced a table of contents. The Vaiṣṇava reading treats the word avadhūta with respect, for in the Vaiṣṇava tradition too it is honored: Ṛṣabhadeva and many others were so called. But it is worth remembering that it denotes a state, not a title one may claim for oneself: one who has shaken off dust is seen by his garment, not by what he has declared about it.