Niralamba Upanishad 34: Verse 34

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

आसुरमिति च ब्रह्मविष्ण्वीशानेन्द्रादीनामैश्वर्यकामनया निरशनजपाग्निहोत्रादिष्वन्तरात्मानं सन्तापयति चात्युग्ररागद्वेषविहिंसादम्भाद्यपेक्षितं तप आसुरम् ॥३४॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

आसुरम् इति च । ब्रह्म-विष्णु-ईशान-इन्द्र-आदीनाम् ऐश्वर्य-कामनया । निरशन-जप-अग्निहोत्र-आदिषु । अन्तर-आत्मानम् सन्तापयति च । अति-उग्र-राग-द्वेष-विहिंसा-दम्भ-आदि-अपेक्षितम् । तपः आसुरम् ॥३४॥

Sanskrit recitationNiralamba Upanishad 34

IAST Transliteration

āsuram iti ca brahmaviṣṇvīśānendrādīnām aiśvaryakāmanayā niraśanajapāgnihotrādiṣv antarātmānaṃ santāpayati cātyugrarāgadveṣavihiṃsādambhādyapekṣitaṃ tapa āsuram ॥34॥

Translation

‘ആസുര’ തപസ്സെന്നത് ബ്രഹ്മാ, വിഷ്ണു, ഈശാനൻ, ഇന്ദ്രൻ മുതലായവരെപ്പോലെ ഐശ്വര്യാധിപത്യകാമനയോടെ ഉപവാസം, ജപം, അഗ്നിഹോത്രം മുതലായവകൊണ്ട് അന്തരാത്മാവിനെ പീഡിപ്പിക്കുന്നതും, അത്യുഗ്രമായ രാഗദ്വേഷം, ഹിംസ, ദംഭം മുതലായ ദോഷങ്ങളോടുകൂടിയതുമാകുന്നു.

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Academic Translation

“Asuric,” indeed, is that austerity in which, with the desire for lordship like that of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Īśāna, Indra and the rest, one torments the inner Self by fasting, muttering (japa), fire-offerings and the like, and which is accompanied by extremely fierce passion and hatred, violence, hypocrisy and similar (defects).

Verse Context

• Tapas (austerity) and its sattvic/rajasic/tamasic (asuric) orientation; bondage through desire for aiśvarya
• Mahavakya: Indirect: contrasts ego-driven striving with knowledge implied by “Aham Brahmāsmi” (identity beyond desire for lordship).
• Atharva
• Chandas: Prose