THE WORKS OF SANKARA

VIVEKA CHUDAMANI

SLOKAS 211 TO 219

 
p·anam¢p    kaESana|    ¢nxEDE    y¤¢³t:    ½¤tE:    ,
t¢°xEDav¢D    saX£    baEDãpaE{v¢SÝytE    ,   210   ,  
p·anam¢p   when all the five
kaESana|   sheaths
¢nxEDE   have been eliminated by
y¤¢³t:   the reasoning
½¤tE:   on Sruti passages
t¢°xEDav¢D   what remains as the
saX£   culminating point of the process
baEDâpaE{v¢SÝytE   is the Witness, the Knowledge Absolute the Atman.
 

yaE{ymaÏma    Þvy|ÇyaE¢t:    p·kaES¢vlXN:    ,
AvÞTaæOysaX£    s¢°¢vIkaraE    ¢nr¸n:    ,
sdanÓd:    s    ¢våOEy:    ÞvaÏmÏvEn    ¢vp¢àta    ,   211   ,  
yaE{ymaÏma   this Atman
Þvy|ÇyaE¢t:   which is self-radiant
p·kaES¢vlXN:   which is distinct from the five sheaths
AvÞTaæOysaX£   the Witness of the three statesas waking, dream and sleep
s¢°¢vIkaraE   the Real, the Changeless
¢nr¸n:   the Untainted
sdanÓd:   the everlasting Bliss
s   ¢våOEy:   that, by the wise man
ÞvaÏmÏvEn   as his own Self
¢vp¢àta   is to be realized.
 
210-211.  What remains when you get rid of the five sheaths as insructed in the scriptures--it is the Atman,free, self-effulgent,never changing witness of all these states. This is your true Self.
               ¢SÝy    uvac    ,
¢mÐyaÏvEn    ¢n¢xѯDEx¤    kaESEÝvEtEx¤    p·s¤    ,
svaIBav|    ¢vna    ¢k¢·°    pÜyaØyæO    hE    g¤raE    ,
¢våOEy|    ¢km¤    vÞÏv¢Þt    ÞvaÏmna{{Ïm¢vp¢àta    ,   212   ,
¢SÝy   uvac   the disciple questioned:
¢mÐyaÏvEn   as unreal
¢n¢xѯDEx¤   have been eliminated
kaESEÝvEtEx¤   after these sheaths
p·s¤   as five
svaIBav|   of everything
¢vna   the absence
¢k¢·°   in this universe but a Void
pÜyaØyæO   I find nothing
hE   g¤raE   O Master
¢våOEy|   to know
¢km¤   vÞÏv¢Þt   what entity is there left
ÞvaÏmna{{Ïm¢vp¢àta    which the wise knower of the Self should realize his identity?

 
212.   Thedisciple says: When the five sheaths go, nothing remains but a void.What is known to be          there?
 
              ½£g¤ââvac    ,
sÏym¤³|    Ïvya    ¢v¹¢°p¤NaE{¢s    ¢vcarNE    ,
Ahma¢d¢vkaraÞtE    tdqBavaE{ymÔyn¤    ,   213   ,
sv©I    yEnan¤B¥yÓtE    y:    Þvy|    nan¤B¥tyE    ,
tmaÏman|vE¢dtar|    ¢v¢Ñ¯D    b¤Ñ¯DYa    s¤s¥ßmya    ,   214   ,

½£g¤ââvac   , The Guru answered:
sÏym¤³|   rightly said
Ïvya   by you
¢v¹¢°p¤NaE{¢s   O learned man!
¢vcarNE   in discrimination
Ahma¢d¢vkaraÞtE   that by which all those modifications such as egoism
tdqBavaE{ymÔyn¤   as well as their subsequent absence (during deep sleep) are perceived
sv©I   yEnan¤B¥yÓtE   but which Itself is not perceived
y:   Þvy|   he who
nan¤B¥tyE   know that
tmaÏman|vE¢dtar|   Atman- the Knower
¢v¢ÑG   feels that
b¤ÑGya   through intellect
s¥ßmya   which is sharp
 


213.  `What you say is true, but that is the Atman, because `I' and change of any kind arer totally absent.

214. The Atman understands everything but is understood by none.The Atman is the knower of all, to be known only by pure intellect.

tÏsa¢Xk|    BvEäOäOïïïEnan¤B¥tyE    ,
kÞyaÔynn¤B¥taT©I    sa¢XÏv|    naEpy¤ÇytE    ,   215   ,  
tÏsa¢Xk|   has for its witness
BvEäOäOïïïEnan¤B¥tyE    that which is perceived by something else
kÞyaÔynn¤B¥taT©I   when there is no agent to perceive a thing,
sa¢XÏv|   as having been perceived at all
naEpy¤ÇytE   we can not speak of it
 
215.   You are the witness of what you see.If you see nothing, the concept of witness does not arise.
AsaW    Þvsa¢XkaE    BavaE    yt:    ÞvEnan¤B¥tyE    ,
At:    pr|    Þvy|    saXat¯p#ÏygaÏma    n    cEtr:    ,   216   ,  
AsaW   this
Þvsa¢XkaE   BavaE   Atman is a selfcognised entity
yt:   because
ÞvEnan¤B¥tyE   It is cognised by Itself.
At:   hence
pr|   the individual
Þvy|   soul is itself
saXat¯p#ÏygaÏma   and directly the Supreme Brahman
n   cEtr:   and nothing else.
 
216.   Who can be the witness  of the one who cannot be seen ? Therefore the Atman is witness of Himself because he knows himself.
jag#t¯Þvp"s¤x¤¢çOx¤    ÞP[ztr|    yaE{saW    sm¤Çj¦ØBtE
p#Ïyg#¥ptya    sdahmh¢mÏyÓt:    ÞP[r°WkDa    ,
nanakar¢vkarBa¢gn    iman¯    pÜy°h|D£m¤Kan¯
¢nÏyanÓd¢cdaÏmna    ÞP[r¢t    t|    ¢v¢ÑG    ÞvmEt|    ¶¢d    ,   217   ,  
jag#t¯Þvp"s¤x¤¢çOx¤    in the states of wakefulness, dream and profound sleep
ztr|   clearly
yaE{saW   that which
sm¤Çj¦ØBtE   manifests Itself
p#Ïyg#¥ptya   which is
sdahmh¢mÏyÓt:   always, thy own Self
r°WkDa   within thy heart
nanakar¢vkarBa¢gn   which are of diverse forms and modifications
iman¯   this
pÜy°h|D£m¤Kan¯   which witnesses the egoism,the buddhi,etc.,
¢nÏyanÓd¢cdaÏmna   and which makes Itself felt as the ExistenceKnowledgeBliss Absolute
r¢t   which shines
t|   that
¢v¢ÑG   felt
ÞvmEt|   this Atman
¶¢d   in your heart
 
217.  The void you see is the Atman, not separate from it. He manifests as a uniform consciousness in all the three states, the witness of all change, blissful and intelligent. He is to be known in your heart.  
GzaEdkE    ¢b¢ØbtmkI¢bØb
malaEÀy    m¥FaE    r¢vmEv    mÓytE    ,
tTa    ¢cdaBasm¤pa¢Ds|ÞT|
B#aÓÏyah¢mÏyEv    jfaE{¢BmÓytE    ,   218   ,

GzaEdkE   in the water of a jar
¢b¢ØbtmkI¢bØb   the reflection of the sun
malaEÀy   seeing
m¥FaE   the fool
r¢vmEv   it is the sun itself
mÓytE   thinks
tTa   similarly
¢cdaBasm¤pa¢Ds|ÞT|   the reflection of the Cit(the Atman which is KnowledgeAbsolute)caught in the buddhi
B#aÓÏyah¢mÏyEv   through delusion, identifies himself
jfaE{¢BmÓytE   the stupid man thinks.
 
218.  The fool mistakes the reflecion of the Sun in a jar of water to be the Sun itself. So too the reflection of the Atman in the Upadhis (ego) is ignorance and the fool thinks it is the Atman.
Gz|    jl|    tdqgtmkI¢bØb|
¢vhay    svI||    ¢v¢nr£ßytE{kI:    ,
tzÞT    et¢ÏæOtyavBask:
Þvy|p#kaSaE    ¢vѤxa    yTa    tTa    ,   219   ,  
Gz|   the jar
jl|   the water
tdqgtmkI¢bØb|   and the reflection of the sun in it
¢vhay   leaves
svI||   all these
¢v¢nr£ßytE{kI:   sees the selfluminous sun
tzÞT   the wise man
et¢ÏæOtyavBask:   illumines these three
Þvy|p#kaSaE   is independent of them
¢vѤxa   the same man
yTa   this is
tTa   that
 
219. Get rid of the reflection in the water and you see the real Sun ; so too rid yourself of the three states and you see the Atman, the effulgent cause of all manifestations.  


PROCEED TO SLOKAS 220 TO 230 
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