Upanishads · Yogakuṇḍalinī 3.27
॥
Devanāgarī
विज्ञानात्मा तथा देहे जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तितः । मायया मोहितः पश्चाद्बहुजन्मान्तरे पुनः
Transliteration (IAST)
vijñānātmā tathā dehe jāgratsvapnasuṣuptitaḥ | māyayā mohitaḥ paścādbahujanmāntare punaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
विज्ञान-आत्मा तथा देहेvijñāna-ātmā tathā dehethe discerning self, so in the body
जाग्रत्-स्वप्न-सुषुप्तितःjāgrat-svapna-suṣuptitaḥthrough waking, dream, and deep sleep
मायया मोहितः पश्चात्māyayā mohitaḥ paścātby maya deluded, then
बहु-जन्म-अन्तरे पुनःbahu-janma-antare punaḥat the end of many births, again
Translation
"The discerning self, so in the body, through waking, dream, and deep sleep, — deluded by maya, then, at the end of many births, again…**
Version
8e11cfa18e44 · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Vijnana-atma, "the discerning self," is named, and it is said to be mayaya mohita, "deluded by maya." Worth noting is who is named deluded here: not Brahman and not Ishvara, but the self within the body. This matters, and it was discussed when reading Rudra-hridaya (42), where the question was raised: whose maya is it, and on whom does it act? Here the book answers directly: it acts on the jiva.
This answer is precisely the Vaishnava one, and it deserves note, for it was not given by us. If the self within the body is deluded, then it exists before the delusion: one can only delude something that exists; and so it is not invented by maya, but only led into error about itself. Worth noting too is the second: bahu-janma-antare, "at the end of many births." That is, the way out is described not as instant insight, but as what happens after a long course.
The Vaishnava side accepts this entirely and speaks of it in the Gita's own words: "at the end of many births, the knower comes to Me; very rare is such a great soul" (7.19). Both there and here — many births; and there it is added that such are few.