उपनिषद् · Rudrākṣajābāla 1.11
॥
देवनागरी
समाः स्निग्धा दृढाः स्थूलाः कण्टकैः संयुताः शुभाः । कृमिदष्टं भिन्नभिन्नं कण्टकैर्हीनमेव च
लिप्यंतरण (IAST)
samāḥ snigdhā dṛḍhāḥ sthūlāḥ kaṇṭakaiḥ saṃyutāḥ śubhāḥ | kṛmidaṣṭaṃ bhinnabhinnaṃ kaṇṭakairhīnameva ca
शब्दशः अर्थ
संस्कृतIASTअर्थ
समाः स्निग्धाः दृढाः स्थूलाःsamāḥ snigdhāḥ dṛḍhāḥ sthūlāḥeven, smooth, firm, large
कण्टकैः संयुताः शुभाःkaṇṭakaiḥ saṃyutāḥ śubhāḥjoined with thorns — auspicious
कृमि-दष्टं भिन्न-भिन्नंkṛmi-daṣṭaṃ bhinna-bhinnaṃworm-eaten, cracked in pieces
कण्टकैः हीनम् एव चkaṇṭakaiḥ hīnam eva caand lacking thorns
अनुवाद
Even, smooth, firm, large, joined with thorns — auspicious. Worm-eaten, cracked, lacking thorns …
संस्करण
1261ad5c1740 · प्रकाशित 12 अग॰ 2026, 5:00:00 am UTC
उपलब्ध भाषाएँRUENश्लोक बदलें इन कुंजियों से
The list of marks begins — first the good, then the bad — and it is worth noting how material it is. These marks are the marks of merchandise: is it whole, is it firm, is it not worm-eaten. No mysterious property is named here; everything listed can be checked by anyone who takes the seed in hand.
The word kaṇṭaka, "thorn," denotes the little bumps on the surface of the seed; their absence the book counts a fault, because a smooth seed most often turns out to be a fake — turned from some other seed. And here is revealed what is usually unnoticed in such lists: the book presupposes counterfeits. It would not have said what to guard against if there were nothing to guard against; and this whole list is, in essence, instruction for a buyer.
This case is worth holding on to, because it is rare. A tradition that trades in wonders here itself warns that the object of wonder is counterfeited — and thereby unwittingly admits that there is a trade circling around it. The Vaiṣṇava side, in similar cases, says exactly the same, and about matters more important than seeds. Its books are full of warnings about false teachers; and the basis there is the same: where much is promised, sellers are sure to appear.