mahAvAkyaratnAvaliH- Tramslation No. 23

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*Translation of mahAvAkyas- No.23- Sentences conveying instructions.*

 

 

 

75. dRshtR-darSana-dRSyAdi tyaktvA vAsanayA saha, darSanapratham AbhAasam

AtmAnam kevalam bhaja-

 

dRshtR-darSana-dRSyAdi- the triad (tripuTI) of seer, seeing and seen, i.e.,

all worldly experience.

 

tyaktvA- giving up.

 

vAsanayA saha- along with vAsanAs.

 

darSanapratham- which is worth seeing (realizing),

 

AbhAsam- effulgence (in the present context). This word also means

'semblance' as in 'AbhAsavAda'.

 

AtmAnam kevalam bhaja- meditate on the pure Self.

 

Giving up indulging in worldly affairs, along with all vAsanAs which prompt

one towards worldly action, meditate on the pure Self which is self-luminous

and which alone is worth knowing (realizing).

 

76. bhogaikavAsanAm tyaktvA tyaja tvam bhedavAsanAm-

 

Giving up your inclination towards enjoyment of worldly pleasures, give up

the tendency to see difference.

 

77. tyaja dharmam adharmam ca ubhe satyAnRte tyaja. ubhe satyAnRte tyaktvA

yena tyajasi tat tyaja---

 

Give up (the notions of) dharma and adharma and give up both (the notions)

of reality and unreality. After giving up both the notions of reality and

unreality, give up that by which you give up these (i.e., the mind).

 

These are very profound statements appearing in the mahAbhArata. Dharma,

adharma, reality, unreality, are relative terms. The Lord says in SRImad

bhAgavata, skandha XI, chapter 21, " What is right may in certain

circumstances be wrong; what is wrong may, if enjoined as a duty, become

right. The rules that declare what is right and what is wrong thus show only

that the distinction is based on no intrinsic difference " .

 

The world appears real to us. But from the absolute point of view it has no

reality. Thus all these are notions created by the mind. It is the mind that

creates notions of what is favourable and what is unfavourable. We have to

go beyond all these notions. As the Gita says, we must go beyond the guNas.

 

S.N.Sastri

 

(to be contd)