Upādhi refers to a “limiting adjunct” or a “conditioning factor” that seemingly restricts or modifies the true nature of the ātmā (the Self).

It is derived from the idea of something that is “nearby” (upa) and “transfers” (dhi) its attributes to another, creating a false identification.

Specifically, upādhi is that which, by being in proximity, superimposes its own qualities onto the pure, limitless Awareness — making you mistakenly think that these qualities belong to your true Self.

To put it simply, upādhi is like a colored glass placed before a clear, colorless crystal. The crystal, which represents your true Self (Awareness), appears to take on the color of the glass — though in reality, it remains ever pure and unchanged.

This superimposition is not real, and it is the teacher’s job to help the student differentiate between the upadhi (that which is not “I”) and the true “I”, awareness.

The Nature and Mechanism of Upādhi

Let’s see how upādhi operates in your life. According to Vedanta, upādhi is not just a single entity but comprises various layers that condition your perception of who you are. These layers are the śarīra traya (three bodies) and the pañca kośas (five sheaths). They act as upādhis because their attributes are falsely transferred to the ātmā, making you identify with their limitations.

That’s why “I” invest entire life into removing sense of limitations from “me”, because that which is limited (body-mind) is erroneously taken to be “I”. But in reality, “I” (like the clear crystal) is always free of upadhis.

Three Bodies as Upādhi:

Three bodies superimposed on “I”, generate experience of pain, pleasure, sorrow, confusion, clarity, ignorance, knowledge, etc. Let's see which body generates which experience…

1. Sthūla Śarīra (gross body): Made of the five grossified elements (pañcīkṛta mahābhūtas) — this body is the abode of pleasure and pain (sukha-duḥkha bhoga āyatana). When you say, “I am fat” or “I am old,” you are superimposing the gross body’s attributes onto your ātmā, which is beyond such physical traits.
2. Sūkṣma Śarīra (subtle body): Comprising seventeen components including the five prāṇas (physiological functions such as digestion, circulation), mind (manas), intellect (buddhi), and sense organs (indriyas) — this body is the instrument of experience (bhoga sādhanam). When you think, “I am hungry” or “I am emotional,” you are transferring the subtle body’s conditions to your true Self.
3. Kāraṇa Śarīra (causal body): This is the seed state of ignorance (mūlāvidyā), the root cause of the other two bodies. In deep sleep (suṣupti), when you say, “I was inactive,” you attribute the passivity of the causal body to your ātmā, which is ever active as pure consciousness.

Five Sheaths as Upādhi:

These five sheaths or layers, further veil your true nature, each with its own function, yet none are truly you:

1. Annamaya Kośa (food sheath): Related to the gross body, it makes you think, “I need food to survive,” as if your existence depends on anna (food).
2. Prāṇamaya Kośa (energy sheath): Tied to physiological functions, it leads you to say, “I am tired,” attributing breath and energy fluctuations to your Self.
3. Manomaya Kośa (mental sheath): The seat of emotions, it causes you to feel, “I am upset,” mistaking mental states for your essence.
4. Vijñānamaya Kośa (intellectual sheath): The realm of thought and decision, it makes you claim, “I am intelligent,” as if intellect defines you.
5. Ānandamaya Kośa (bliss sheath): Even the joy experienced in deep sleep or meditation is a reflection, not the original bliss of ātmā. When you cling to this joy, saying, “I am happy only when I rest,” you are still bound by an upādhi.

Each of these is an upādhi because it transfers its attributes to you, the atma, through a process called adhyāsa (superimposition). This is not a real transfer but an apparent one, born of ignorance.

Just as a red flower near a crystal makes the crystal appear red without altering its nature — these upādhis make you seem limited — though you remain vibhu (all-pervading) and kevala (pure and non-dual).

Why Upādhi Matters: The Root of Misery

Let me show you why understanding upādhi is crucial. The presence of these limiting adjuncts creates a false sense of individuality (jīvatva) in you, making you feel separate from the infinite Brahman. This illusion is the root of saṃsāra — the cycle of birth, death, and suffering.

When you identify with the upādhis, you take on their pains and pleasures, their births and deaths, as your own. You say, “I am suffering,” or “I am mortal,” forgetting that you are nitya (eternal), śuddha (pure), and mukta (ever-free).

Śaṅkarācārya illustrates this with a beautiful example: just as the moon reflected in moving water appears to tremble, though the real moon in the sky is still — so too does your ātmā seem to be agitated by the fluctuations of the upādhis — though in truth, you are nirvikāra (unchanging).

This mistaken identity, caused by upādhis, is what binds you to a sense of limitation (paricchinnatva) and incompleteness (apūrṇatva), driving desires (kāma) and actions (karma) that perpetuate suffering.

The Path Beyond Upādhi: Realizing Your True Nature

The good news is that the upādhis do not truly bind you; they only appear to.

The solution lies in jñānam (knowledge), which alone can remove the āvaraṇa śakti (veiling power) of māyā that causes this confusion. As Śaṅkarācārya teaches, you don’t need to physically destroy the upādhis — the bodies and sheaths will continue as long as prārabdha karma (past actions bearing fruit) persists. Instead, you must remove the notion of reality you give to them.

This is done through vicāra (inquiry) using methods like anvaya-vyatireka (co-presence and co-absence logic)…

Ask yourself: when the gross body is present in waking, I am; when it is absent in dream, I still am; in deep sleep, when even the subtle-body is inactive, I remain. Thus, you, the ātmā, are distinct from these upādhis — they come and go, but you are ever-present.

Another powerful tool is dṛk-dṛśya viveka (discrimination between the seer and the seen)…

Recognize that all upādhis are dṛśya (objects of perception), while you are the dṛk (the seer), the unchanging witness. Just as the sky remains untouched by the clouds that pass through it, you remain untainted by the upādhis that appear in your consciousness.

Emotional Connection: Seeing Yourself as Free

Imagine yourself as the vast ocean. The waves, bubbles, and foam on the surface are like your upādhis — they arise and disappear, but do they ever change the ocean’s depth or essence? No!

Similarly, these bodies and sheaths come and go, but you, the ātmā, remain as sat-cit-ānanda (existence-consciousness-limitless), untouched and infinite.

Feel this truth in your heart: you are not the limited “I” bound by upādhis; you are the boundless Self, ever free.

When you realize this, even while living in the body, you become a jīvanmukta (liberated while living).

The upādhis may persist due to prārabdha, but their pains and pleasures no longer disturb you. Like a crystal that appears colored but knows it is not — you see the upādhis as mithyā (apparent, not real) and rest in your true nature.

Detailed Insights: Upādhi’s Technical Nuances

Let me deepen your understanding with a few technical insights. Śaṅkarācārya specifies three conditions for something to be an upādhi:

1. It must be sannihita (nearby or in proximity) to the ātmā.
2. It must adhyāta (transfer) its attributes to the ātmā.
3. This transfer must be ādhyāsika (apparent, not real) — not vāstavika (actual). For instance, a stain on a carpet transferring to your clothes is real and requires effort to remove, but the color of a flower on a crystal is apparent and needs no washing — just a shift in vision.

Moreover, the upādhis create a mutual superimposition (anyonya adhyāsa) between the ātmā and the anātmā (not-Self).

This causes you attribute ātmā’s reality to the upādhis, thinking the brain has consciousness (something 99.9% of neuroscientists believe) — and the upādhis’ limitations to the ātmā, thinking you are mortal. Mortality belongs to the body-mind, not “I”.

This confusion is the work of māyā’s āvaraṇa śakti, which veils your true nature, and vikṣepa śakti, which projects multiplicity out of the One Self.

Conclusion: Your Journey to Freedom

So upādhi is the veil that hides your true glory, making you see yourself as small and bound when you are vast and free.

Through the teachings of Vedānta, you are invited to peel away these layers through śravaṇam (listening), mananam (reflection), and nididhyāsanam (contemplation).

As you transcend identification with each upādhi — from annamaya to ānandamaya — you rest in your fullness, wholeness — knowing that you are Brahman, non-dual and infinite.

You are not the body, not the mind, not even the bliss of sleep — you are the witness, the sākṣī, beyond all upādhis.

Let this truth resonate within you, and may it guide you to the peace that is already yours. 

If you wish to solve the upadhi problem through a teacher, check here for live classes you might be interested in joining, or can take this self-paced course.