Upanishads · Bhasmajābāla 2.46
॥
Devanāgarī
पत्रैः फलैर्वा जलैर्वान्यैर्वाभिपूज्य विश्वेश्वरं मां ततोऽश्नीयात्
Transliteration (IAST)
patraiḥ phalairvā jalairvānyairvābhipūjya viśveśvaraṃ māṃ tato'śnīyāt
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
पत्रैः फलैः वा जलैः वाpatraiḥ phalaiḥ vā jalaiḥ vāwith leaves, or fruits, or water
अन्यैः वा अभिपूज्यanyaiḥ vā abhipūjyaor having honored with something else
विश्वेश्वरं मां ततः अश्नीयात्viśveśvaraṃ māṃ tataḥ aśnīyātme, the Lord of the universe, let him then eat
Translation
«With leaves, or fruits, or water, or having honored [me], the Lord of the universe, with something else — let him then eat».
Version
0fe82eac458c · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Here is the proviso for whose sake it was worth going through all the threats: one may honor with patraiḥ phalaiḥ vā jalaiḥ vā anyaiḥ vā, «leaves, or fruits, or water, or something else». That is, after all the prescriptions about what to make ash from, what to bathe with, and how many times, it is said: anything at all will do. Compare this with the Gītā, for the coincidence is again almost word for word: patraṃ puṣpaṃ phalaṃ toyam, «a leaf, a flower, a fruit, water» (9.26).
Four items, and three of the four coincide. This list was discussed when reading Bhāvanā (p36), where the essential point was noted: it is deliberately made up of things everyone has, and the value of an offering lies not in the thing but in the fact of its being given. The Vaishnava side builds its whole teaching of accessibility on this verse, and it is worth noting that here the same thought is voiced by a book of a different camp.
Separately worth mentioning the word anyaiḥ vā, «or something else». It is, to my mind, the best of the whole list: a list can be exhausted, and one can say «I have neither the one nor the other»; but «or something else» is inexhaustible. This is the door every ritual book is eventually forced to leave open; and to whom every such «or» opens the door was discussed when reading the first chapter (1.10, 1.23).