Upanishads · Avadhūta 32
॥
Devanāgarī
अहो ज्ञानमहो ज्ञानमहो सुखमहो सुखम् । अहो शास्त्रमहो शास्त्रमहो गुरुरहो गुरुः
Transliteration (IAST)
aho jñānamaho jñānamaho sukhamaho sukham | aho śāstramaho śāstramaho gururaho guruḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
अहो ज्ञानम् अहो ज्ञानम्aho jñānam aho jñānamoh knowledge, oh knowledge
अहो सुखम् अहो सुखम्aho sukham aho sukhamoh happiness, oh happiness
अहो शास्त्रम् अहो शास्त्रम्aho śāstram aho śāstramoh scripture, oh scripture
अहो गुरुः अहो गुरुःaho guruḥ aho guruḥoh teacher, oh teacher
Translation
Oh knowledge, oh knowledge! Oh happiness, oh happiness! Oh scripture, oh scripture! Oh teacher, oh teacher!
Version
6da651631c48 · published Aug 6, 2026, 4:24:37 PM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The last verse of the book, and it consists entirely of four exclamations, set in pairs. Look at the order: knowledge, happiness, scripture, teacher. The first two are what the person received; the second two are that through which he received it.
And it is on this order that I will pause, for it overturns half the book. Let us reread. In the thirteenth line it was said: let those who have the right expound the scriptures, but I have none. In the sixteenth: let those who have not known listen, but I have no need to listen. And now the last words of gratitude name scripture and teacher.
That is, the very person who, in the middle of the book, rejected listening and teaching, ends by thanking the book and the teacher. And he thanks each twice — by exclamation, not by argument. This is why the Vaiṣṇava reading says: listen to the book, not to its arguments. Its arguments lead to solitude and indifference; but its final word is gratitude to two: to what was said, and to the one who said it.
Let us add that the order here is right too. Scripture is named before the teacher, and the teacher last; and what is closest is named last. The book ends with the word guru, and no better word for an ending could be found.