Upanishads · Avadhūta 24
॥
Devanāgarī
देवार्चनस्नानशौचभिक्षादौ वर्ततां वपुः । तारं जपतु वाक्तद्वत्पठत्वाम्नायमस्तकम्
Transliteration (IAST)
devārcanasnānaśaucabhikṣādau vartatāṃ vapuḥ | tāraṃ japatu vāktadvatpaṭhatvāmnāyamastakam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
देव-अर्चन-स्नान-शौच-deva-arcana-snāna-śauca-worship of the deity, bathing, purification
भिक्षा-आदौ वर्ततां वपुःbhikṣā-ādau vartatāṃ vapuḥlet the body carry out alms-gathering and the rest
तारं जपतु वाक्tāraṃ japatu vāklet speech repeat the 'ferrying' [syllable]
तत्-वत् पठतु आम्नाय-मस्तकम्tat-vat paṭhatu āmnāya-mastakamand let it likewise recite the crown of tradition
Translation
Let the body carry out the worship of the deity, bathing, purification, and the gathering of alms; let speech repeat the 'ferrying' [syllable] and likewise recite the crown of tradition.
Version
d55dfb49e3aa · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
This line is the direct opposite of the fourteenth, and how to reconcile them was discussed there: I do not desire and do not initiate, but let the body do it. Look at the list, for it is full and nothing is left out of it: devārcana, "worship of the deity"; bathing; purification; the gathering of alms; the repetition of tāra, "the ferrying [syllable]" (that is, the praṇava, discussed when reading the Pāśupata, 1.19); and the reading of āmnāya-mastaka, "the crown of tradition" — that is, the upaniṣads. Let us note especially the first: worship of the image. The book, which nine lines above rejected hearing and reflection, here commands the body to worship the deity; and this is no slip, but a direct instruction.
This is exactly why the Vaiṣṇava reading cites this line gladly. In books of this cast, worship of the image is usually declared a matter for lower stages; but here it is placed alongside the repetition of the praṇava and the reading of the upaniṣads — and placed first. Let us add that the Gītā itself, in the chapter on who receives what, commands Arjuna the very same thing: "do deeds for Me, worship Me, be My devotee" (11.55; 18.65). And note: there this is said to one who has just been shown the universal form — that is, not a beginner.