Upanishads · Bhasmajābāla 1.7
॥
Devanāgarī
सोऽन्वीक्ष्य पूतं प्रातरुदयाद्गोमयं ब्रह्मपर्णे निधाय त्र्यम्बकमिति मन्त्रेण शोषयेत् । येन केनापि तेजसा तत्स्वगृह्योक्तमार्गेण प्रतिष्ठाप्य वह्निं तत्र तद्गोमयद्रव्यं
Transliteration (IAST)
so'nvīkṣya pūtaṃ prātarudayādgomayaṃ brahmaparṇe nidhāya tryambakamiti mantreṇa śoṣayet | yena kenāpi tejasā tatsvagṛhyoktamārgeṇa pratiṣṭhāpya vahniṃ tatra tadgomayadravyaṃ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सः अन्वीक्ष्य पूतं प्रातः उदयात्saḥ anvīkṣya pūtaṃ prātaḥ udayāthe, having examined, pure, at dawn before sunrise
गोमयं ब्रह्म-पर्णे निधायgomayaṃ brahma-parṇe nidhāyahaving placed cow dung on a palāśa leaf
त्र्यम्बकम् इति मन्त्रेण शोषयेत्tryambakam iti mantreṇa śoṣayetwith the mantra «tryambaka» let him dry it
प्रतिष्ठाप्य वह्निं तत्रpratiṣṭhāpya vahniṃ tatrahaving established fire there
तत्-गोमय-द्रव्यंtat-gomaya-dravyaṃthat dung-substance
Translation
«He, having examined it, pure, at dawn before sunrise, having placed cow dung on a palāśa leaf, with the mantra «tryambaka» let him dry it; having established fire there by some means, according to the rule of his own household fire, that dung-substance…»
Version
3e7bab7b93d8 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The answer proper begins, and it turns out to be a recipe: cow dung is taken, dried, burnt, and ash results. Let me say this plainly and without squeamishness, for the subject demands clarity. Cow dung in India is a substance of everyday use and reverence: floors are smeared with it, fires are lit with it, cakes for the sacred fire are made from it. Its use in ritual is, then, the use of ordinary fuel, not a rarity; and to a person there it holds nothing shameful.
Reverence for the cow explains the rest: what comes from the cow is held pure, for the cow nourishes. On the five products of the cow — pañca-gavya — see the discussion when reading Bhikṣuka (4), where it was noted that this custom is a custom of its time. The Vaishnava side reveres the cow no less and for the same reason; but it does not smear itself with ash. Its mark is applied with clay — and clay, moreover, from sacred places: from the bank of the Yamunā, from the root of tulasī. The latter was discussed when reading Mudgala (26).
The difference between ash and clay, on reflection, is a difference of images. Ash is what remains from what was burnt: a sign of an end. Clay is what is used for shaping: a sign of a beginning, of a substance fit for work.
Separately worth mentioning is the word tryambaka, «three-eyed»: this is the mṛtyuñjaya mantra, discussed when reading Tripurātāpinī (3), with its famous «like a cucumber from the vine».