Verse 28

Niralamba

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

सङ्कल्पमात्रसम्भवो बन्धः ॥२८॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

सङ्कल्प-मात्र-सम्भवः । बन्धः ॥२८॥

IAST Transliteration

saṅkalpa-mātra-sambhavo bandhaḥ ||28||

Translation

सङ्कल्पमात्रसम्भवो बन्धः—मनःकल्पनया एव बन्धनं जायते।

Academic Translation

Bondage arises solely from mental construction (saṅkalpa) alone.

Verse Context

• Bandha (bondage) as saṅkalpa/kalpanā; Māyā as superimposition (adhyāsa)
• Mahavakya: Supports the purport of ‘tat tvam asi’ and ‘ahaṃ brahmāsmi’ by implying bondage is not intrinsic to the Self but due to superimposition in thought.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Prose