Upaniṣads · Bhasmajābāla 1.13
॥
Devanāgarī
पूते वामहस्ते वामदेवायेति निधाय त्र्यम्बकमिति सम्प्रोक्ष्य शुद्धं शुद्धेनेति संमृज्य संशोध्य तेनैवापादशीर्षमुद्धूलनमाचरेत्
Transliteración (IAST)
pūte vāmahaste vāmadevāyeti nidhāya tryambakamiti samprokṣya śuddhaṃ śuddheneti saṃmṛjya saṃśodhya tenaivāpādaśīrṣamuddhūlanamācaret
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
पूते वाम-हस्ते वाम-देवाय इति निधायpūte vāma-haste vāma-devāya iti nidhāyahaving placed it in the pure left hand with «Vāmadevāya»
त्र्यम्बकम् इति सम्प्रोक्ष्यtryambakam iti samprokṣyahaving sprinkled it with the mantra «tryambaka»
शुद्धं शुद्धेन इति संमृज्यśuddhaṃ śuddhena iti saṃmṛjyahaving wiped it clean with «the pure by the pure»
तेन एव आ-पाद-शीर्षम् उद्धूलनम् आचरेत्tena eva ā-pāda-śīrṣam uddhūlanam ācaretby it alone let him perform the rubbing from feet to head
Traducción
«Having placed it in the pure left hand with [the mantra] «Vāmadevāya», having sprinkled it with the mantra «tryambaka», having wiped and cleansed it with the words «the pure by the pure» — by it alone let him perform the rubbing from feet to head».
Versión
8f8b51f76f4f · publicado 12 ago 2026, 5:00:00 UTC
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The uddhūlana, «rubbing», is described: the whole body, from feet to head, is covered with ash. Worth noting is the phrase śuddham śuddhena, «the pure by the pure». The ash is already pure; and it is purified once more with something pure.
At first glance this phrase is superfluous, but in fact it is precise. Purification in these books is not a single act but an order: every thing entering the rite goes through it, even if it is already pure. Behind this lies an understanding worth spelling out. Purity is not a property acquired once and for all, but a state requiring renewal; and a thing purified yesterday is purified again today — not because it got dirty, but because purity is not something stored up.
The Vaishnava side understands this the same way, and so considers no purification final. Service begins with ācamana, rinsing, every single time; no one says, «I already bathed yesterday». Separately worth mentioning is the left hand. In Indian custom the left hand is unclean and is not used for eating; yet the ash is placed precisely in the left. This is explained by the fact that the right must remain free for applying it; and this detail shows that the rite was composed by someone who actually performed it.