Niralamba Upanishad: Verse 26

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

यागव्रततपोदानविधिविधानज्ञानसम्भवो बन्धः ॥२६॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

याग-व्रत-तपः-दान-विधि-विधान-ज्ञान-सम्भवः । बन्धः ॥२६॥

Recitation with translationNiralamba Upanishad 26

IAST Transliteration

yāga-vrata-tapo-dāna-vidhi-vidhāna-jñāna-sambhavo bandhaḥ ॥26॥

Translation

यग, व्रत, तप, दान, यह सब के लिए जो नियम बनते हैं, उनको जानना भी बंधन है। जब तुम सोचने लगते हो कि यह करना है, वो करना है, तो तुम खुद को बाँध लेते हो।

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Academic Translation

Bondage is that which arises from the ‘knowledge’ (jñāna) of injunctions and prescriptions—(concerning) sacrifice, vows, austerity, and gifts.

Word by Word

• yāga: sacrificial rite
• Type: Noun
• Root: yāga (पुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• vrata: vow/observance
• Type: Noun
• Root: vrata (नपुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

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

• dāna: gift/charity
• Type: Noun
• Root: dāna (नपुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• vidhi: injunction/rule
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhi (पुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

• vidhāna: prescribed procedure/arrangement
• Type: Noun
• Root: vidhāna (नपुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समासाङ्ग)

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

• sambhava: arising/origin
• Type: Noun
• Root: sambhava (पुं. प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुल्लिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन (समस्तपदम्)

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

Sandhi Notes

• yāga-vrata-tapo-dāna-vidhi-vidhāna-jñāna-sambhavaḥ is a multi-member samāsa
• no additional external sandhi besides visarga loss before bandhaḥ in recitation (sambhavaḥ + bandhaḥ)

About this Verse

Central concept

Karma-kāṇḍa–based bandha; doership (kartṛtva) sustained by vidhi-jñāna (knowledge of injunctions)

The mahavakyas

Clears the ground for Mahāvākya-realization by distinguishing aparā-vidyā (ritual/injunctive knowledge) from liberating self-knowledge; aligns with the thrust of ‘तत् त्वम् असि’ (Tat Tvam Asi) by shifting identity from doer to Brahman.

Veda

Atharva

Chandas

Prose

Yoga and practice

Karma-yoga as purification is not denied, but attachment to vidhi and ritual identity is flagged; for meditation, reduce rule-bound mental proliferation, cultivate inner renunciation (tyāga) and śravaṇa–manana–nididhyāsana; watch for ‘spiritual ego’ built from practices.