Upanishads · Bhasmajābāla 1.5
॥
Devanāgarī
किं भस्मनो द्रव्यम् । कानि स्थानानि । मनवोऽप्यत्र के वा । कति वा तस्य धारणम् । के वात्राधिकारिणः । नियमस्तेषां को वा । मामन्तेवासिनमनुशासयामोक्षमिति
Transliteration (IAST)
kiṃ bhasmano dravyam | kāni sthānāni | manavo'pyatra ke vā | kati vā tasya dhāraṇam | ke vātrādhikāriṇaḥ | niyamasteṣāṃ ko vā | māmantevāsinamanuśāsayāmokṣamiti
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
किं भस्मनः द्रव्यम्kiṃ bhasmanaḥ dravyamwhat is the substance of the ash?
कानि स्थानानिkāni sthānāniwhat are the places?
कति वा तस्य धारणम्kati vā tasya dhāraṇamhow many times its wearing?
के वा अत्र अधिकारिणःke vā atra adhikāriṇaḥwho here are the qualified ones?
माम् अन्तेवासिनम् अनुशासयmām antevāsinam anuśāsayainstruct me, the pupil
Translation
«What is the substance of the ash? what are the places? what are the mantras here? how many times its wearing? who here are the qualified ones? what is their rule? instruct me, the pupil, for the sake of liberation».
Version
02f2630c92f1 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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There are six questions, and they are put in a businesslike way: from what, where, with what words, how many times, for whom, under what rule. Worth noting is the fifth: ke vā atra adhikāriṇaḥ, «who here are the qualified ones?». Adhikārin means «entitled, fit, admitted»; this word is one of the chief ones in Indian books. It was discussed when reading Yoga-kuṇḍalinī (1.12): each is prescribed for according to his state, not by a single common measure.
The question of entitlement in ritual books is a question of caste: to whom it is permitted. And the answer this book will give is a caste-bound one: to brahmins — and this must be said plainly in its place. The Vaishnava side answers the same question differently, and has long done so. Entitlement for it is determined not by birth but by śraddhā, faith; and the Gītā says that «even one of bad conduct, if he worships Me without deviation, should be considered righteous» (9.30) — and the next verse adds: «women, vaiśyas, śūdras, and even those of low birth — all attain the highest path» (9.32).
This verse, incidentally, is one of the most contested in its history and has provoked irritation for centuries; and it is worth saying that the irritation was not theological but caste-bound. Separately worth mentioning is the word antevāsin, «pupil», literally «one dwelling near [the teacher]». The pupil is named for the fact that he lives close by; and this is the same as was noted about the word upaniṣad (Rudra-hṛdaya 52p): knowledge is transmitted nearby and while sitting.