This page from the Jabala Upanishad of the Atharvaveda describes the qualities of a paramahamsa, the highest grade of sannyasin. It explains that one who goes to Kurukshetra and sees a sannyasin should recognize them as a paramahamsa. The text defines a paramahamsa as one who does not hate other sannyasins and who does not cause agitation to those who are not hated. The passage concludes the Jabala Upanishad, emphasizing non-hatred and equanimity as essential characteristics of the supreme renunciant.

Sanskrit

Jābālopaniṣad

This Sanskrit manuscript fragment preserves portions of two significant Upaniṣadic texts—the Jābāla Upaniṣad and the Kaivalya Upaniṣad—interspersed with extensive Vedāntic commentary. The text delineates the qualifications and spiritual attainments of the paramahaṃsa sannyāsin, emphasizing the sacred geography of Kurukṣetra as a site of liberation (avimukta), and expounds upon meditative practices leading to kaivalya (absolute aloneness). The commentary employs sophisticated hermeneutical techniques characteristic of medieval Indian scholasticism, including pratinidhi-nyāya (substitution methodology) and reflections on the relationship between vyāvahārika (conventional) and pāramārthika (ultimate) realities. The manuscript exhibits typical features of late medieval or early modern Sanskrit transmission, with phonetic orthographic variants and interlinear glosses suggesting active pedagogical use within a traditional learning environment.