Upanishads · Yogakuṇḍalinī 1.78
॥
Devanāgarī
जाड्यभावविनिर्मुक्तममलं चिन्मयात्मकम् । तस्यातिवाहिकं मुख्यं सर्वेषां तु मदात्मकम्
Transliteration (IAST)
jāḍyabhāvavinirmuktamamalaṃ cinmayātmakam | tasyātivāhikaṃ mukhyaṃ sarveṣāṃ tu madātmakam
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
जाड्य-भाव-विनिर्मुक्तम्jāḍya-bhāva-vinirmuktamfreed from the state of inertness
अमलं चित्-मय-आत्मकम्amalaṃ cit-maya-ātmakamstainless, consisting of consciousness
तस्य अति-वाहिकं मुख्यंtasya ati-vāhikaṃ mukhyaṃfor it, the over-carrying is chief
सर्वेषां तु मत्-आत्मकम्sarveṣāṃ tu mat-ātmakambut for all, it consists of me
Translation
"Freed from the state of inertness, stainless, consisting of consciousness; for it the over-carrying is chief, but for all it consists of me".
Version
4410fc24f1a4 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
In the line stands a word that has not appeared once in this book before and deserves note: mat-atmakam, "consisting of me." "I" appears — that is, the speaker, who until now had remained an impersonal exposition of techniques. Who is speaking is not clear from the line; most likely — Shiva, for the book is addressed to Gautama (1.3) and in the first line it said "I shall set forth." But the very appearance of the first person changes the register: until now it was "thus it is done"; here — "consisting of me."
Worth noting is that here too the book follows the general structure of such compositions. The exposition of techniques is conducted impersonally; and as soon as speech turns to what it is all for, the speaker appears — and speaks in the first person. This trait is worth remembering, for it recurs throughout this literature. The Gita begins with a description of the field and the armies, and ends with the words "abandoning all dharmas, come to Me alone" (18.66); the Bhagavatam begins with a question from sages, and ends with what He says.
The Vaishnava side draws from this a conclusion worth stating. Of the impersonal one can speak impersonally; of the One for whose sake everything is, one cannot speak impersonally — and language itself turns to "I" and "you" as soon as it reaches the substance. It is worth adding that jadya, "inertness," is the very word jada by which, in Rudra-hridaya (45), the material distinction was denoted; and here again it is set against chit, "consciousness."