Upanishads · Yogakuṇḍalinī 1.40
॥
Devanāgarī
चतुर्णामपि भेदानां कुम्भके समुपस्थिते । बन्धत्रयमिदं कार्यं योगिभिर्वीतकल्मषैः
Transliteration (IAST)
caturṇāmapi bhedānāṃ kumbhake samupasthite | bandhatrayamidaṃ kāryaṃ yogibhirvītakalmaṣaiḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
चतुर्णाम् अपि भेदानांcaturṇām api bhedānāṃeven at all four divisions
कुम्भके समुपस्थितेkumbhake samupasthitewhen the holding has arrived
बन्ध-त्रयम् इदं कार्यंbandha-trayam idaṃ kāryaṃthis triad of locks must be done
योगिभिः वीत-कल्मषैःyogibhiḥ vīta-kalmaṣaiḥby yogis freed of impurity
Translation
"And at all four divisions, when the holding has arrived, this triad of locks must be done by yogis freed of impurity".
Version
e84c4dcd4270 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Bandha-traya, "three locks," are named, two of which were discussed when reading the fifteenth line; now the book will list and describe them. It is worth dwelling, however, on the definition given to the practitioner: vita-kalmashaih, "freed of impurity." Kalmasha means "stain, filth, impurity," and in a transferred sense, sin. That is, the locks are prescribed not to just anyone who takes them up, but to one who is already pure.
This reservation is constant in books on yoga and usually slips past attention. And yet it overturns the ordinary picture of the matter. It is supposed that exercise purifies; but it is said here that one who is already purified should exercise.
This order is consistent in these books and is stated directly in the eightfold yoga: the first two rungs are yama and niyama — restraints and observances, that is, moral rules; and only the third is posture, the fourth breath. That is, bodily work stands in third place, not first. From this the Vaishnava side draws an argument it makes constantly and worth remembering. One who takes up breath and concentration without passing the first two rungs is working on a vessel he has not washed; and everything he pours into it will spoil. The Gita speaks of such directly: "who, having restrained the organs of action, sits remembering with the mind the objects of the senses, is called a hypocrite" (3.6).