ब्रह्मज्ञस्य सन्यासः, अवधूताचारकथनम्Renunciation for the knower of Brahman; the conduct of the avadhūta
Verse 268
ब्रह्मज्ञानविशुद्धानां किं यज्ञैः श्राद्धपूजनैः । स्वेच्छाचारपराणां तु प्रत्यवायो न विद्यते ॥ २६८ ॥
brahmajñānaviśuddhānāṁ kiṁ yajñaiḥ śrāddhapūjanaiḥ | svēcchācāraparāṇāṁ tu pratyavāyō na vidyatē || 268 ||
Translation
For those purified by the knowledge of Brahman, what need of sacrifices, of śrāddha and worship? For those who act at their own will there is no fault of omission.
Word by word
- brahma
- of Brahman
- jñāna
- by the knowledge
- viśuddhānāṁ
- for those purified
- kiṁ
- what need
- yajñaiḥ
- of sacrifices
- śrāddha
- of śrāddha
- pūjanaiḥ
- and worship
- sva
- their own
- icchā
- at will
- ācāra
- who act
- parāṇāṁ
- for those
- tu
- indeed
- pratyavāyō
- (pratyavāyaḥ) fault of omission
- na
- no
- vidyatē
- there is
Meaning
The commentary sets the objection this answers: would such people not incur "pratyavāya", the fault of omitting prescribed rites? No: for one purified by knowledge of Brahman, rites have no further hold. "Svecchācāra", acting at one's own will, is the avadhūta's freedom: not license, but the freedom of one no longer driven by desire (verse 264).
Commentary
Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated
To the question "if those who worship with the Brahma-mantra take saṁnyāsa without performing the sacrifices, the śrāddha and the rest, would they not incur the fault of omission (pratyavāya)?", he says "brahmajñāna…" and the rest.