Skanda Upanishad: Verse 7

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

एवं बद्धस्तथा जीवः कर्मनाशे सदाशिवः । पाशबद्धस्तथा जीवः पाशमुक्तः सदाशिवः ॥७॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

एवम् । बद्धः । तथा । जीवः । कर्म-नाशे । सदाशिवः । पाश-बद्धः । तथा । जीवः । पाश-मुक्तः । सदाशिवः ।

Recitation with translationSkanda Upanishad 7

IAST Transliteration

evaṁ baddhas tathā jīvaḥ karmanāśe sadāśivaḥ | pāśabaddhas tathā jīvaḥ pāśamuktaḥ sadāśivaḥ ||7||

Translation

इसी तरह जीव भी बंधा हुआ है। जब कर्म खत्म हो जाता है, तब वो सदा शिव बन जाता है। जीव पाश में फंसा हुआ है। जब पाश टूट जाता है, तब सदा शिव मिलता है।

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Academic Translation

Thus, the individual self (jīva) is bound; upon the destruction of karma, (it is) Sadāśiva. Likewise, the jīva is bound by the fetter (pāśa); freed from the fetter, (it is) Sadāśiva.

Word by Word

• evaṁ: thus
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: evaṁ (avyaya-pratipadika)
• Form: avyaya (nipāta)

• baddhaḥ: bound
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √bandh (dhātu) → baddha (kta-kṛdanta)
• Form: puṁliṅgaḥ, prathamā vibhaktiḥ, ekavacanam; kta-participle ‘bound’

• tathā: likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (avyaya-pratipadika)
• Form: avyaya

• jīvaḥ: the individual soul
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīva (prātipadika)
• Form: puṁliṅgaḥ, prathamā, ekavacanam

• karma-nāśe: upon the destruction of karma
• Type: Noun
• Root: karma (prātipadika) + nāśa (prātipadika)
• Form: puṁliṅgaḥ, saptamī, ekavacanam; (karmasya nāśe)

• sadāśivaḥ: (becomes) Sadāśiva
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadāśiva (prātipadika)
• Form: puṁliṅgaḥ, prathamā, ekavacanam

• pāśa-baddhaḥ: bound by the fetter
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāśa (prātipadika) + √bandh (dhātu) → baddha (kta-kṛdanta)
• Form: puṁliṅgaḥ, prathamā, ekavacanam; (pāśena baddhaḥ / pāśe baddhaḥ)

• tathā: likewise
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tathā (avyaya-pratipadika)
• Form: avyaya

• jīvaḥ: the individual soul
• Type: Noun
• Root: jīva (prātipadika)
• Form: puṁliṅgaḥ, prathamā, ekavacanam

• pāśa-muktaḥ: freed from the fetter
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pāśa (prātipadika) + √muc (dhātu) → mukta (kta-kṛdanta)
• Form: puṁliṅgaḥ, prathamā, ekavacanam; (pāśāt muktaḥ)

• sadāśivaḥ: (is) Sadāśiva
• Type: Noun
• Root: sadāśiva (prātipadika)
• Form: puṁliṅgaḥ, prathamā, ekavacanam

Sandhi Notes

• No external sandhi across words requiring split
• Compounds analyzed: karma-nāśe (tatpuruṣa), pāśa-baddhaḥ (tatpuruṣa), pāśa-muktaḥ (tatpuruṣa)

About this Verse

Central concept

Moksha (liberation) through karma-kshaya and pāśa-mokṣa; identity of jīva with Śiva (non-dual realization)

The mahavakyas

Supports the purport of «अहं ब्रह्मास्मि» (Aham Brahmāsmi) and «तत् त्वम् असि» (Tat Tvam Asi): the bound jīva, when ignorance/karma-bondage is removed, is none other than the Absolute (here named Sadāśiva).

Veda

Krishna Yajur Veda

Chandas

Anuṣṭubh (śloka)

Yoga and practice

Vairāgya and karma-yoga as preparatory means; nididhyāsana on the witness-consciousness beyond doership; meditation on releasing pāśas (bondage of identification) and resting in śiva-bhāva (pure awareness).