Upaniṣads · Śvetāśvatara 2.10
॥
Devanāgarī
समे शुचौ शर्करावह्निवालुका- विवर्जिते शब्दजलाश्रयादिभिः ।
मनोऽनुकूले न तु चक्षुपीडने गुहानिवाताश्रयणे प्रयोजयेत्
Transliteración (IAST)
same śucau śarkarāvahnivālukā- vivarjite śabdajalāśrayādibhiḥ /
mano'nukūle na tu cakṣupīḍane guhānivātāśrayaṇe prayojayet
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
समेsameon level ground; on a place without slope
शुचौśucauon clean ground; on a tidy place
शर्करावह्निवालुकाविवर्जितेśarkarāvahnivālukāvivarjitefree of gravel, fire and sand; clear of pebbles, fires and loose sand
शब्दजलाश्रयादिभिःśabdajalāśrayādibhiḥby sound, water, shelter and the rest; with the amenities of quiet, water and cover
मनः-अनुकूलेmanaḥ-anukūleagreeable to the mind; favourable for the mind
न तुna tubut not; and yet not
चक्षुपीडनेcakṣupīḍanehurting the eye; wearying the sight
गुहानिवाताश्रयणेguhānivātāśrayaṇein a windless shelter, like a cave; in a sheltered, draught-free refuge
प्रयोजयेत्prayojayetlet him apply himself; let him set himself to it
Traducción
On ground level and clean, free of gravel, fire and sand, convenient for quiet, water and cover, agreeable to the mind but not hurting the eye, in a windless shelter like a cave — there let him give himself to contemplation.
Versión
a839da1a8235 · publicado 28 jul 2026, 14:13:46 UTC
Disponible enRUENPasa de verso en verso con
A mantra on choosing a place, and what wins one over is its domestic concreteness. Level — so as not to slide; clean — so as not to be distracted; free of gravel, fires and loose sand — so that nothing pricks, burns or settles.
Then three gentler conditions: sound, water and shelter. The place should be quiet, or with the even noise of water, near drinking water, under a roof. The Veda does not romanticise asceticism: a man who is going to sit for a long time needs water and a roof.
Then the chief rule is stated, covering all the particular ones: mano-anukūla, "agreeable to the mind". No list can replace this measure — the place that will serve is the one where the mind grows quiet of itself. And at once a limit, lest the rule be taken too broadly: "but not hurting the eye", that is, not such that beauty or variegation draws the gaze to itself. Pleasant, yes; entertaining, no.
The last word is about stillness: guhā, "a cave", and nivāta, "windlessness". In the śāstras the cave has a second sense too — the hiding place of the heart; but here what is said first is the simple thing: not in an open wind.
On this mantra Vedānta leans in discussing whether special places and hours are obligatory for remembrance. Its conclusion is this: there are no proper injunctions about quarter and time, and there is only one — "where the mind grows clear". A holy place remains the best means, but a crowd cancels even that; the criterion is always inward.