Upanishads · Rudrākṣajābāla 1.6
॥
Devanāgarī
तज्जपाल्लभते पुण्यं नरो रुद्राक्षधारणात् । धात्रीफलप्रमाणं यच्छ्रेष्ठमेतदुदाहृतम्
Transliteration (IAST)
tajjapāllabhate puṇyaṃ naro rudrākṣadhāraṇāt | dhātrīphalapramāṇaṃ yacchreṣṭhametadudāhṛtam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
तत्-जपात् लभते पुण्यंtat-japāt labhate puṇyaṃfrom repeating with it, a man obtains merit
नरः रुद्राक्ष-धारणात्naraḥ rudrākṣa-dhāraṇātfrom wearing the rudrākṣa
धात्री-फल-प्रमाणं यत्dhātrī-phala-pramāṇaṃ yatthat which is of the measure of an āmalaka fruit
श्रेष्ठम् एतत् उदाहृतम्śreṣṭham etat udāhṛtamthat is declared the best
Translation
A man obtains that merit from repeating with it, from wearing the rudrākṣa. That which is of the measure of an āmalaka fruit is declared the best.
Version
684f81b8db56 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The counting is over, and now begins what the book seems truly to have been written for — an assessment of quality. The measure taken is the dhātrī-phala, the āmalaka fruit (Indian gooseberry) — the size of a large plum; a seed of this size is declared best. This transition deserves note as a change of genre. A moment ago it spoke of merit in hundreds of koṭi, and now it will speak of size, smoothness, thorns, and worm-holes; and all this will be set out with the thoroughness of someone who knows the goods.
This combination occurs constantly in ritual books, and it is, to my mind, not comical but instructive. The sublime and the material lie side by side without embarrassment, because for the writer this is one and the same matter: if a sign truly means what is said of it, then it must not be chosen at random. The Vaiṣṇava side does the same: it too specifies from what wood beads should be cut, how many knots they should have, with which hand they should be counted. The only difference is that these details are nowhere named there as a condition of grace — they are named propriety, that is, how it is proper to handle something dear.
The distinction between condition and propriety is what deserves to be kept in mind throughout this book. The same rule can be understood as "otherwise it won't work" or as "otherwise it's discourteous"; and on the choice of understanding depends whether the rite becomes service or trade.