Upaniṣads · Jābāladarśana 5.4
॥
Devanāgarī
पर्वताग्रे नदीतीरे बिल्वमूले वनेऽथवा । मनोरमे शुचौ देशे मठं कृत्वा समाहितः
Transliteración (IAST)
parvatāgre nadītīre bilvamūle vane'thavā | manorame śucau deśe maṭhaṃ kṛtvā samāhitaḥ
Palabra por palabra
SánscritoIASTSignificado
पर्वत-अग्रे नदी-तीरेparvata-agre nadī-tīreon a mountain-top, on a riverbank
बिल्व-मूले वने अथवाbilva-mūle vane athavāat the root of a bilva, or in a forest
मनोरमे शुचौ देशेmanorame śucau deśein a pleasant, pure place
मठं कृत्वा समाहितःmaṭhaṃ kṛtvā samāhitaḥhaving built a hut, concentrated
Traducción
"…on a mountain-top, on a riverbank, at the root of a bilva, or in a forest, in a pleasant, pure place, having built a hut, concentrated…"
Versión
21764f1eb240 · publicado 12 ago 2026, 5:00:00 UTC
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The place is described, and worth noting in it is the word manorame, "pleasant," literally "gladdening to the mind." This detail, for all its simplicity, speaks to the compiler's good sense. It is not said "in a harsh place," "in a cave," "in a cemetery"; it is said — in a pleasant place.
Behind this stands an understanding worth stating: it is easier to concentrate where nothing is unpleasant. A person who has sat down in an unpleasant place will be occupied by the unpleasantness. This rule, it must be said, is violated more often than any other. There is a tendency to think that the harsher the setting, the more valuable the practice; but in fact a harsh setting occupies the whole attention, leaving none for the task.
The Vaishnava side reasons about place in the same way, and adds to "pleasant" one more thing, decisive for it: a place where He is spoken of. The Bhagavatam says that discourse of Him among two or three is more effective than solitude; and its practice is arranged so that a person does not so much withdraw as come together with others. This difference deserves stating, for it determines the whole manner of life. The book on yoga sends one to a mountain-top, to the root of a bilva, into a forest — that is, away from people. The Vaishnava sends one to where people have gathered; and solitude, for it, is not the goal, but a means occasionally employed.
Let us add that the hut prescribed here is neither luxurious nor squalid, but simply built; and this whole detail is kept in the same spirit of moderation as the rule of the quarter-empty stomach (1.19).