Verse 18

Niralamba

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

बन्ध इति च अनाद्यविद्यावासनया जातोऽहमित्यादिसङ्कल्पो बन्धः ॥१८॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

बन्धः इति च । अनादि-अविद्या-वासनया । जातः । अहम्-इति-आदि-सङ्कल्पः । बन्धः ॥१८॥

IAST Transliteration

bandha iti ca anādi-avidyā-vāsanayā jāto ’ham ity-ādi-saṅkalpo bandhaḥ ||18||

Translation

“बन्धन” यही है—अनादि अविद्या की वासनाओं से उत्पन्न ‘मैं’ आदि का संकल्प ही बन्धन है ॥१८॥

Academic Translation

And ‘bondage’ is the thought-construct beginning with ‘I’ (aham, etc.), arisen from the latent tendencies (vāsanā) of beginningless ignorance.

Verse Context

• Bandha as ahaṃkāra/adhyāsa rooted in anādi avidyā and vāsanā
• Mahavakya: Directly preparatory to Mahāvākya realization: the ‘I’-construct (ahaṃkāra) must be discriminated from the true ‘I’ (Ātman) for ‘aham brahmāsmi’ to be owned as immediate knowledge; also clarifies the obstacle to ‘tat tvam asi’ (misidentification with the ego).
• Atharva
• Chandas: Prose