Upanishads · Bhasmajābāla 2.45
॥
Devanāgarī
जपेत्त्रिवारं रुद्रानुवाकम् । आदित्यं पश्यन्नभिध्यायन्स्वकृतकर्मकृद्रौद्रेरेव मन्त्रैः कुर्यान्मार्जनम् । ततो भोजयित्वा ब्राह्मणान्पूतो भवति । अन्यथा परेतो यातनामश्नुते
Transliteration (IAST)
japettrivāraṃ rudrānuvākam | ādityaṃ paśyannabhidhyāyansvakṛtakarmakṛdraudrereva mantraiḥ kuryānmārjanam | tato bhojayitvā brāhmaṇānpūto bhavati | anyathā pareto yātanāmaśnute
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
जपेत् त्रि-वारं रुद्र-अनुवाकम्japet tri-vāraṃ rudra-anuvākamlet him repeat the hymn to Rudra three times
आदित्यं पश्यन् अभिध्यायन्ādityaṃ paśyan abhidhyāyangazing at the sun, meditating
स्व-कृत-कर्म-कृत्sva-kṛta-karma-kṛtperforming his own work
ततः भोजयित्वा ब्राह्मणान् पूतः भवतिtataḥ bhojayitvā brāhmaṇān pūtaḥ bhavatithen, having fed brahmins, he becomes pure
अन्यथा परेतः यातनाम् अश्नुतेanyathā paretaḥ yātanām aśnuteotherwise the dead one endures torment
Translation
«Let him repeat the hymn to Rudra three times; gazing at the sun, meditating, performing his own work — with the same mantras of Rudra let him perform the bathing. Then, having fed brahmins, he becomes pure; otherwise the dead one endures torment».
Version
d0fc9210b8db · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Worth noting the phrase sva-kṛta-karma-kṛt, «performing his own work». That is, the atonement is performed not instead of the person's usual occupations, but alongside them: the person does his own work and reads the mantra while doing it. This detail, for all its plainness, is worth mentioning. The rite does not demand that a person drop his work; it is inserted into the work.
The word sva-karma, «one's own work», is one of the chief ones in the Gītā: «better one's own work, poorly done, than another's, done well» (3.35); and there too — «honoring by one's own work Him from whom beings proceed, a person attains perfection» (18.46). This last verse deserves being quoted in full, for it is, to my mind, the best thing said on the matter. Not «drop your work and serve», but — serve through your work.
The Vaishnava side rests on this, and so its communities include merchants, farmers, and scholars; no one is required to abandon his trade in order to begin. Separately worth mentioning the end of the line: pareto yātanām aśnute, «the departed endures torment». The threat of posthumous torment is present, and the measure of such threats was discussed when reading the first chapter (1.22): threatening for cruelty and threatening for an unperformed rite are different things.