Gaudapada's   Karika   on   the  Mandukya  Upanishad
  ALATASANTI   PRAKARANA
}anenakazkLpen   xmaRNyae   ggnaepman!     ,
}eyai-Úen   s<buÏSt<   vNde   iÖpda<   vrm!  .  1 .

åOanEn

by a knowledge

AakaSkÚpEn

comparable to space

DmaIn¯

the souls

y:

who

ggnaEpman¯

resembling the sky

åOEya¢B°En

nondifferent from the objects of knowledge

s|b¤¼:

has completely realized

tm¯

Him

vÓdE	(I) salute

¢¹pda|

among the bipeds(i.e.personified as human)

vrm¯	the greatest

4.1.   He,   who   is   the   greatest   among   humans(personified   as   a   human),   who   is   all-pervasive like   space,   but   the   same   as   the   Self,   and   who   is   possessed of   the   Self-knowledge   that   knows   the   attributes   of   the Self   to   be   false,   like   the   qualities   of   space,   (my) salutation   unto   Him(i.e.   Lord   Narayana,   from   whom   Gaudapada seems   to   suggest   having   received   this     knowledge).
ASpzRyaegae   vE   nam   svRst!Tvsuoae   iht>    ,
Aivvadae=ivéÏí   deiztSt<   nmaMyhm!          . 2 .

AÞpSIyaEg:

that Yoga known as "Asparsa Yoga"

vW

indeed

nam

named

svIst¯Ïvs¤K:

giver of joy to all beings

¢ht:	beneficial

A¢vvad:

free from dispute

A¢vâ¼:

non-contradictory

c

and

dE¢St:

instructed

tm¯

to that

nma¢m

bow down

Ahm¯

I

4.2.   My   salutation   to   that   Yoga,   called   "Asparsa"   yoga, that   is   untouched   by   sense   objects,   that   is   agreeable    and   conducive   (for   liberation) to   all, is   free   from   controversy,   and   is instructed   by   the   scriptures.
-UtSy   jaitimCDiNt   vaidn>   keicdev   ih  ,
A-UtSyapre   xIra   ivvdNt>   prSprm!         . 3 .
B¥tÞy                -   of   an   existing   thing

ja¢tm¯

the birth

iÅC¢Ót

postulate

va¢dn:

disputants

kE¢ct¯   ev

only some

¢h

verily

AB¥tÞy

of non-existing thing

AprE

others

D£ra:

wise

¢vvdÓt:

while disputing

prÞprm¯

among themselves

4.3.   Some   scholars   affirm   that   birth   implies   things   already   existing   while   others   contend   that   only   non-existent   things   can   come   into   being.
-Ut<   n   jayte   ik<icd-Ut<   nEv   jayte     ,
ivvdNtae=Öya   ýevmjait<   OyapyiNt   te     .  4 .

B¥t|	pre-existing

n

not

jaytE

takes birth

¢k|¢ct¯

anything

AB¥t|

non-existing

n   ev

never indeed

jaytE

takes birth

¢vvdÓt:

while disputing

A¹ya	non-dualists

¢h   evm¯

indeed thus

Aja¢tm¯

absence of birth

Áyapy¢Ót

declare

tE

they

4.4.   Those   who   thus   quarrel   among   themselves   that   there   was   no   need   for   birth   for   things   in   existence,   or   that   there   can   be   birth   only   for   things   not   already   in   existence,   are  thus   providing   support   for   non-dualism.
OyaPymanamjait<   tErnumaedamhe   vym!       ,
ivvdamae   n   tE>   saxRmivvad<   inbaext    .  5 .

ÁyaÔymanam¯

declared

Aja¢t|

birthlessness

tW:

by them

An¤maEdamhE

approve

vym¯

we

¢vvdam:

quarrel

n

not

tW:

them

saDIm¯

with

A¢vvad|

free from dispute

¢nbaEDt

understand

4.5   We   are   in   line   with   the   protagonists   of  the   theory   of   no   creation. But   we   do   not   contend   with   those   who   dispute   this. And   we   take   no sides   in   this   dispute   in   so   far   as   the   Self   is   concerned.
AjatSyEv   xmRSy   jaitimCDiNt   vaidn>    ,
Ajatae   ým&tae   xmaˆR   mTyRtam!   kwme:yit   .  6 .

AjatÞy

of an unborn

ev

alone

DmIÞy

of positive entity

ja¢tm¯

birth

iÅC¢Ót

vouch for

va¢dn:

those who argue

Ajat:

unborn

¢h

indeed

Am¦t:

deathless

DmI:	positive entity

mÏyItam¯

the state of mortality

kTm¯

how

eÝy¢t

will attain

4.6   The   dualists   contend   that   a   birthless   entity   can   have   birth.   That   which   has   no   birth   can   have   no   death.    How   then   can   a   birthless   thing   have   death   ?
n   -vTym&t<   mTy¡   n   mTyRmm&t<   twa       ,
àk«terNywa-avae   n   kw<icÑiv:yit              . 7 .

n

not

Bv¢t

becomes

Am¦t|

immortal

mÏyI|

mortal

n

not

mÏyIm¯

mortal

Am¦t|

immortal

tTa	similarly(becomes)

p#k]tE:

one's nature

AÓyTaBav:

the mutation of

n

not

kT|¢ct¯

whatsoever

B¢vÝy¢t

will take place

4.7   An   immortal   entity   cannot   have   death.  So   too,   that   which   has   death   cannot   be   immortal.   How   can    anything   contradict   its   nature   ?
Sv-avenam&tae   ySy   xmaˆR   gCDit   mTyRtam!   ,
k«tkenam&tStSy   kw<   SwaSyit   iníl>       .  8 .

ÞvBavEn

by nature

Am¦t:

immortal

yÞy	according to whom

DmI:	positive entity

gÅC¢t

attains

mÏyItam¯

the state of mortality

k]tkEn

what is created

Am¦t:

immortal

tÞy

for him

kT|

how

ÞTaÞy¢t

continue to be

¢nàl:

unchanging

4.8   If   anyone   holds   that   a   thing   that   is   immortal   can   change  its   nature,   how   can   liberation   that   has   been attained   be   lasting?  
sa<isiÏkI   Sva-aivkI   shja   Ak«ta   c   ya  ,
àk«it>   seit   iv}eya   Sv-av<   n   jhait   ya   . 9 .

sa|¢s¢¼k£

permanently acquired

ÞvaBa¢vk£

natural

shja

co-born

Ak]ta

non-produced

c

and

ya

that

p#k]¢t:

nature

sa

she

i¢t

thus

¢våOEya

is to be known

ÞvBav|

nature

n

not

jha¢t

change

ya

that

4.9   Nature   is   to   be   understood   as   that   which   is   attained   fully,is   co-born,   is   natural,   is   not   produced   and   never   has   mutation.
jramr[inmuR­a>   svˆR   xmaR>   Sv-avt>      ,
jramr[imCDNtZCyvNte   tNmnI;ya          .  10 .

jramrN¢nm¤I³a:

free from old age and death

svI

all

DmaI:

entities

ÞvBavt:

by nature

jramrNm¯

old age and death

iÅCÓt:

thinking of

ÅyvÓtE

fall

mn£xya

because of thought

tt¯	that (kind of)

 
4.10   In   fact,   the   individual   selves, because   of   their   innate   nature,   are   not   bound   by old   age   and   death. They   are,   nowever,   deluded   by   constantly   thinking   of those   attributes
as   their   own.
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