Upanishads · Yogakuṇḍalinī 1.5
॥
Devanāgarī
ऊर्वोरुपरि चेद्धत्ते उभे पादतले यथा । पद्मासनं भवेदेतत्सर्वपापप्रणाशनम्
Transliteration (IAST)
ūrvorupari ceddhatte ubhe pādatale yathā | padmāsanaṃ bhavedetatsarvapāpapraṇāśanam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
ऊर्वोः उपरि चेत् धत्तेūrvoḥ upari cet dhatteon the thighs if he places
उभे पाद-तले यथाubhe pāda-tale yathāboth soles, as is proper
पद्म-आसनं भवेत् एतत्padma-āsanaṃ bhavet etatlotus posture it becomes, this
सर्व-पाप-प्रणाशनम्sarva-pāpa-praṇāśanamdestroying all sins
Translation
"If he places both soles on the thighs as is proper, it becomes the lotus posture, destroying all sins".
Version
112a8957bfcb · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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Padmasana, "lotus posture," is described: both feet are placed soles-upward on the opposite thighs. The description is precise and serves as a guide: one can sit by it. It should be said honestly, though, that this position does not come to everyone at once, and for some it does not come at all — and there is no disgrace in that.
The promise — sarva-papa-pranashanam, "destroying all sins" — is the usual praise in these books, and its measure was set when reading Devi (22): purification is not the annulment of what was done. Let me say what pertains to the matter about the posture itself. Its meaning is not in difficulty and not in merit, but in stability: the crossed legs form a triangle, the body stands on it by itself, without effort, and does not topple when attention withdraws inward. It is chosen for this very reason: the sitter must forget the body, and one can forget it only when it does not fall.
The Vaishnava side treats postures without any disdain and without any enthusiasm. Whoever can sit so, let him sit; whoever cannot, let him sit as is comfortable, for the Name may be repeated and heard in any position. The Gita, however, does describe a posture, and its own is simple: "on a steady seat, neither too high nor too low, with cloth, skin, and grass" (6.11); and its first requirement there is stability, not complexity.