Upanishads · Avadhūta 2
॥
Devanāgarī
यो विलङ्घ्याश्रमान्वर्णानात्मन्येव स्थितः सदा । अतिवर्णाश्रमी योगी अवधूतः स कथ्यते
Transliteration (IAST)
yo vilaṅghyāśramānvarṇānātmanyeva sthitaḥ sadā | ativarṇāśramī yogī avadhūtaḥ sa kathyate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
यः विलङ्घ्य आश्रमान् वर्णान्yaḥ vilaṅghya āśramān varṇānwhoever, having stepped beyond the orders and castes
आत्मनि एव स्थितः सदाātmani eva sthitaḥ sadāabides always in the Ātman itself
अति-वर्ण-आश्रमी योगीati-varṇa-āśramī yogīa yogi who has transcended castes and orders
अवधूतः सः कथ्यतेavadhūtaḥ saḥ kathyateis called an avadhūta
Translation
Whoever, having stepped beyond the orders and castes, abides always in the Ātman itself — that yogi, who has transcended castes and orders, is called an avadhūta.
Version
cb19e75f3e2c · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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The definition is given through ativarṇāśramī, "one who has transcended castes and orders" — a word discussed when reading the Pāśupata (22). Note the order in the line: first vilaṅghya, "having stepped beyond," and only then ātmani eva sthitaḥ, "abides in the Ātman." One steps beyond what was underfoot; and this verb presupposes that the person was walking, not sitting.
This qualification, I think, matters more than anything else here. Only one who has passed through the orders can transcend them; and one who never entered them has transcended nothing — he simply walked past them at a distance. The Vaiṣṇava reading holds this rule firmly and applies a measure I have repeated more than once: one who has outgrown his duties has more of them; one who has evaded them has fewer. This measure is verifiable from outside and cannot be faked.
Let us add that the word sadā, "always," is likewise not placed idly. One who abides in the Ātman only at times, yet has stepped beyond the orders for good, is a person in the most dangerous position: the duties are already gone, and the support is not yet there.