Atma Upanishad 27: Verse 27

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अमुष्य ब्रह्मभूतत्त्वाद् ब्रह्मणः कुत उद्भवः । मायाक्लृप्तौ बन्धमोक्षौ न स्तः स्वात्मनि वस्तुतः ॥

यथा रज्जौ निष्क्रियायां सर्पाभासविनिर्गमौ । अवृतेः सदसत्त्वाभ्यां वक्तव्ये बन्धमोक्षणे ॥ २६–२७ ॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

यथा । रज्जौ । निष्क्रियायाम् । सर्प-आभास-विनिर्गमौ ।

अ-वृतेः । सत्-असत्त्वाभ्याम् । वक्तव्ये । बन्ध-मोक्षणे ।

(पूर्वार्धः सह: अमुष्य… वस्तुतः)

Sanskrit recitationAtma Upanishad 27

IAST Transliteration

yathā rajjau niṣkriyāyāṃ sarpābhāsavinirgamau | avṛteḥ sadasattvābhyāṃ vaktavye bandhamokṣaṇe || 26–27 ||

Translation

Wie man bei einem reglosen Seil vom Auftauchen und Zurückweichen des Schlangen‑Scheins spricht, je nachdem ein Schleier (Unwissenheit) vorhanden ist oder nicht, so spricht man — nur in dieser Weise — von Bindung und Befreiung.

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Academic Translation

Just as, in an inactive rope, the appearance and withdrawal of a snake-appearance are spoken of because of the presence or absence of covering, so too are bondage and liberation spoken of (only in that manner).

Verse Context

• Adhyāsa (superimposition) and nivṛtti (sublation) as the basis for speaking of bandha–mokṣa
• Mahavakya: Clarifies how Mahāvākya-realization sublates error: the ‘I’ (tvam) is recognized as Brahman (tat), dissolving the imagined snake of limitation.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Anuṣṭubh (śloka-style)