Upanishads · Mahā 4.77
॥
Devanāgarī
उत्पन्नशक्तिर्बोधस्य त्यक्तनिःशेषकर्मणः योगिनः सहजावस्था स्वयमेवोपजायते
Transliteration (IAST)
utpannaśaktirbodhasya tyaktaniḥśeṣakarmaṇaḥ yoginaḥ sahajāvasthā svayamevopajāyate
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
उत्पन्न-शक्तिः बोधस्यutpanna-śaktiḥ bodhasyain whom the power of awakening is born; in whom the might of insight has arisen
त्यक्त-निःशेष-कर्मणःtyakta-niḥśeṣa-karmaṇaḥwho has left deeds without remainder; who has cast off doings without residue
योगिनः सहज-अवस्थाyoginaḥ sahaja-avasthāfor the yogin, the natural state; for the practiser, the inborn condition
स्वयम् एव उपजायतेsvayam eva upajāyatearises entirely of itself; comes to birth all of its own accord
Translation
“For the yogin in whom the power of awakening is born and who has left deeds without remainder, the natural state arises of itself.”
Version
d26e46f5fde9 · published Jul 29, 2026, 6:29:20 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
A continuation of the preceding, and in it a definition of what “natural” means.
Sahaja is literally “born together with”, inborn. Sahaja-avasthā is the state that need not be maintained: it is you.
And it is said that it svayam eva upajāyate — “arises of itself”. It is not attained.
This is what distinguishes it from every attained state. The attained must be held, and it departs as soon as you stop holding. The inborn remains.
Two conditions are named. The first — utpanna-śakti bodhasya, “the born power of insight”; power, not information. The second — tyakta-niḥśeṣa-karman, “having left deeds without remainder”.
The latter must be understood in the light of 4.10 and 4.39: what is left is not the deeds, but the making of them one's own. Otherwise the verse would contradict the book, which has twice said that the householder is no worse than the hermit.