Upanishads · Kaivalya 14
॥
Devanāgarī
पुनश्च जन्मान्तरकर्मयोगात् स एव जीवः स्वपिति प्रबुद्धः पुरत्रये क्रीडति यश्च जीवस् ततस् तु जातं सकलं विचित्रम्
Transliteration (IAST)
punaśca janmāntarakarmayogāt sa eva jīvaḥ svapiti prabuddhaḥ puratraye krīḍati yaśca jīvas tatas tu jātaṃ sakalaṃ vicitram
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
पुनः च जन्मान्तरकर्मयोगात्punaḥ ca janmāntarakarmayogātand again, by the bond of deeds of other births; once more, through the karma of former lives
सः एव जीवः स्वपिति प्रबुद्धःsaḥ eva jīvaḥ svapiti prabuddhaḥthe same jīva sleeps and wakes; the same soul falls asleep and awakens
पुरत्रये क्रीडति यः च जीवःpuratraye krīḍati yaḥ ca jīvaḥand the jīva that plays in the three cities; and the soul that sports in the three strongholds
ततः तु जातम् सकलम् विचित्रम्tataḥ tu jātam sakalam vicitramfrom that was born all the manifold; from it arose all the varied whole
Translation
And again, by the bond of deeds of other births, the same jīva sleeps and wakes; and from the jīva that plays in the three cities was born all this manifold.
Version
b8bfe559c40e · published Jul 29, 2026, 3:04:38 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The verse closes the circle: sleep, waking, sleep again — and explains why the circle does not end.
It says: janmāntara-karma-yogāt — “by the bond of deeds of other births”.
The three states, that is, do not succeed one another of themselves: they are turned by what was done before. A man wakes not because he has slept enough, but because he has business.
Then appears a word worth remembering: pura-traya, “the three cities”.
The three cities are the same three states under another name: waking, dream and deep sleep are conceived as three towns through which the soul removes from one to the next.
And of the soul it is said: krīḍati, “it plays, it sports”.
An unexpected verb. A moment ago the talk was of tasting joy and sorrow, of darkness, of the deeds of former births — and suddenly “plays”.
With this word the book shifts the stress. What from inside feels like bondage looks, from without, like play; and He who does this does not suffer.
The next verse will say what lies beyond the three cities, and name that into which they fold.