Upanishads · Jābāladarśana 7.10
॥
Devanāgarī
सर्वपापानि नश्यन्ति भवरोगश्च सुव्रत । नासाभ्यां वायुमाकृष्य निश्चलः स्वस्तिकासनः
Transliteration (IAST)
sarvapāpāni naśyanti bhavarogaśca suvrata | nāsābhyāṃ vāyumākṛṣya niścalaḥ svastikāsanaḥ
Word-by-word
SanskritIASTMeaning
सर्व-पापानि नश्यन्तिsarva-pāpāni naśyantiall sins perish
भव-रोगः च सु-व्रतbhava-rogaḥ ca su-vrataand the disease of existence, O one true to his vow
नासाभ्यां वायुम् आकृष्यnāsābhyāṃ vāyum ākṛṣyahaving drawn in wind through the nostrils
निश्चलः स्वस्तिक-आसनःniścalaḥ svastika-āsanaḥmotionless, in the svastika sitting-posture
Translation
"All sins perish, and the disease of existence, O one true to his vow. Having drawn in wind through the nostrils, motionless, in the svastika sitting-posture…"
Version
26324d590ead · published Aug 12, 2026, 5:00:00 AM UTC
Available inRUENPage between verses with
Worth noting is the expression bhava-roga, "the disease of existence." This expression is among the finest in Indian books, and deserves examination. Bhava means "becoming, existence, being in the cycle"; and it is called a disease.
That is, mere dwelling here is described as an illness; and everything done is treatment. The Vaishnava side holds this image and develops it in detail. For it, the Lord is called bhava-raughya-bhishak, "physician for the disease of existence"; the Bhagavatam is called a medicine, hearing is called the taking of a remedy, and devotees are called convalescents.
It is worth examining why this image is good, for it is better than many others. A sick person is not guilty of his illness — at least not as a criminal is guilty. He is approached not with condemnation but with treatment; and a physician who scolds a patient for being ill is a bad physician.
Hence a teaching that calls our trouble a disease turns out more merciful than one that calls it guilt. Let us add the other side of the image, often forgotten. A sick person must take the medicine; and no sympathy from a physician helps one who will not drink the remedy.
The combination of both sides is, in my view, the correct relation: neither condemning oneself for the illness, nor pretending the cure will happen by itself.