Upanishads · Yogakuṇḍalinī 3.23
॥
Devanāgarī
स्वस्वोपाधिलयादेव लीयन्ते प्रत्यगात्मनि । अण्डं ज्ञानाग्निना तप्तं लीयते कारणैः सह
Transliteration (IAST)
svasvopādhilayādeva līyante pratyagātmani | aṇḍaṃ jñānāgninā taptaṃ līyate kāraṇaiḥ saha
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
स्व-स्व-उपाधि-लयात् एवsva-sva-upādhi-layāt evaby the mere dissolution of their own limiting conditions
लीयन्ते प्रत्यक्-आत्मनिlīyante pratyak-ātmanithey dissolve in the inner self
अण्डं ज्ञान-अग्निना तप्तंaṇḍaṃ jñāna-agninā taptaṃthe egg, heated by the fire of knowledge
लीयते कारणैः सहlīyate kāraṇaiḥ sahadissolves together with the causes
Translation
"By the mere dissolution of their own limiting conditions, they dissolve in the inner self; the egg, heated by the fire of knowledge, dissolves together with the causes".
Version
e1e14562219a · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
The key word here is upadhi, "a limiting condition," discussed when reading Bhavana (p41): that which gives a thing an appearance not its own. It is said: with the dissolution of the limiting conditions, everything dissolves in the inner self. The answer to this was given there in full, and there is no need to repeat it; let me recall only the substance. The removal of a limiting condition reveals not emptiness, but the thing's own properties: a crystal, set apart from a red flower, remains transparent, hard, and faceted.
One thing worth adding pertains to this line. It says sva-sva-upadhi, "each one's own limiting conditions"; and the word sva-sva, "each has his own," presupposes that different beings have different ones. And if the limiting conditions belong to each individually, then the distinction among them already exists prior to any limiting condition; otherwise there would be no one to whom to say whose is which.
This argument is constantly brought forward in disputes and is, I think, among the strongest. To attribute conditionedness to someone, one must have that someone prior to the conditioning. Otherwise there is no one to attribute it to. Separately, a word must be said about the phrase jnana-agnina taptam, "heated by the fire of knowledge." Fire here again, and again it dissolves; and the image of smelting was discussed when reading the first chapter (1.76). There, however, a crucible was also required, and it was named the fellowship of those walking.