Upanishads · Yogakuṇḍalinī 3.14
॥
Devanāgarī
समाधिमेकेन समममृतं यान्ति योगिनः । यथाग्निर्दारुमध्यस्थो नोत्तिष्ठेन्मथनं विना
Transliteration (IAST)
samādhimekena samamamṛtaṃ yānti yoginaḥ | yathāgnirdārumadhyastho nottiṣṭhenmathanaṃ vinā
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
समाधिम् एकेन समम्samādhim ekena samamsamadhi, at once, equally
अ-मृतं यान्ति योगिनःa-mṛtaṃ yānti yoginaḥimmortality do yogis attain
यथा अग्निः दारु-मध्य-स्थःyathā agniḥ dāru-madhya-sthaḥas fire, dwelling in the midst of wood
न उत्तिष्ठेत् मथनं विनाna uttiṣṭhet mathanaṃ vinādoes not rise up without friction
Translation
"[Having attained] samadhi, at once and equally, do yogis attain immortality. As fire, dwelling in the midst of wood, does not rise up without friction…**
Version
b9b1fc96abc0 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
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A simile is given, and it is among the finest in this book: agnir daru-madhya-sthah, "fire, dwelling in the midst of wood." The image is Vedic and among the oldest: fire is obtained by the friction of two sticks, arani; and on this rite many passages of the Upanishads are built — both in the Shvetashvatara (1.13–14) and elsewhere. Its thought is this: fire already exists in the wood; it is not brought in, but summoned by friction. Wood is cold to the touch and yet carries fire within it; and without friction it will not come out.
This simile, like the milk and the butter (3.6), speaks of hidden presence; and the Vaishnava side uses it in the same direction. It is worth noting, though, its limit too, for every simile has one. Fire is drawn from wood by a man; and so this simile works in favor of effort. But what this same book itself said in the second chapter (2.5) — a meeting — is not won by effort.
So friction here too is an image of preparation, not of production. One must rub; but whoever says fire will come only from friction has forgotten that in the wood it already was — and was placed there not by the one who rubbed. It is worth adding that in the very rite of kindling fire there are two sticks: one lies still, the other turns. Fire is born not from one, but from their meeting; and that everything in these books comes from union was discussed when reading the first chapter (1.44).