Niralamba Upanishad: Verse 25

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

आज्ञाभयसंशयात्मगुणसङ्कल्पो बन्धः ॥२५॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

आज्ञा-भय-संशय-आत्म-गुण-सङ्कल्पः । बन्धः ॥२५॥

Recitation with translationNiralamba Upanishad 25

IAST Transliteration

ājñā-bhaya-saṁśaya-ātma-guṇa-saṅkalpo bandhaḥ ॥25॥

Translation

किसी की आज्ञा मानना, डर रखना, शक करना, या खुद में गुण ढूँढना, यह सब बंधन है। मैं ऐसा हूँ, मैं वैसा हूँ, यह सोच छोड़ो।

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Academic Translation

The volitional construction (saṅkalpa) consisting of command/authority (ājñā), fear, doubt, and the attribution of qualities to the Self—this is bondage.

Word by Word

• ājñā: command/authority (injunction)
• Type: Noun
• Root: ājñā (स्त्री. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: स्त्रीलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• bhaya: fear
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhaya (नपुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• saṁśaya: doubt
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṁśaya (पुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• ātman: Self
• Type: Noun
• Root: ātman (पुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• guṇa: quality/guṇa
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (पुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• saṅkalpa: volition/mental resolve
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṅkalpa (पुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समस्तपदम्)

• bandhaḥ: bondage
• Type: Noun
• Root: bandha (पुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन

Sandhi Notes

• ājñā-bhaya-saṁśaya-ātma-guṇa-saṅkalpaḥ is a multi-member samāsa
• final -o in saṅkalpo is external sandhi (saṅkalpaḥ + bandhaḥ → saṅkalpo bandhaḥ)

About this Verse

Central concept

Bandha (bondage) through saṅkalpa and ātma-guṇa-adhyāsa (superimposition of attributes on the Self)

The mahavakyas

Supports the purport of ‘अहं ब्रह्मास्मि’ (Aham Brahmāsmi) by negating ātman’s qualification (nirguṇatva) and undermining doership/fear/doubt that contradict non-duality.

Veda

Atharva

Chandas

Prose

Yoga and practice

Practice viveka (discrimination) between witnessing awareness and mental modifications; observe fear/doubt as vṛttis; cultivate nirvikalpa orientation by dropping identity-based saṅkalpas; inquiry (ātma-vicāra) into the ‘I’ that seems commanded/afraid.