mahAvAkyaratnAvaliH-Translation No. 29

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*Translation of mahAvAkyas- No.29- Sentences declaring the identity of the

jIva and brahman.*

 

101. dRSyamAnasya sarvasya jagataH tattvam Iyate,

 

brahmaSabdena tad brahma svaprakASAtmarUpakam---

 

The essence of all this perceptible world is denoted by the word 'brahman'.

That brahman is self-luminous in nature and is the indwelling self.

 

102. mAyAvidye vihAya eva upAdhI parajIvayoH,

 

akhaNDam satcidAandam param brahma vilakshyae—

 

Discarding mAyA and avidyA which are the limiting adjuncts of ISvara and

jIva respectively, the supreme brahman which is partless and Existence-

Consciousness- Bliss is indicated.

 

akhaNDa- whole, without any parts. Here mAyA is taken as the upAdhi or

limiting adjunct of ISvara and avidyA as the upAdhi of jIva.

 

vilakshyate- indicated—brahman cannot be expressed by the primary meaning of

words. It can only be indicated through its appearance as ISvara and jIva

due to upAdhis.

 

103. kshIram kshIre yathA kshiptam tailam taile jalam jale,

 

samyuktam ekatAm yAti tathA Atmani Atmavit muniH—

 

Just as milk becomes one with milk, oil with oil, water with water, so also

the meditator who knows the Self becomes one with the Self.

 

104. ghaTe nashTe yathA vyoma vyoma eva bhavati svayam,

 

tathA eva upAdhivilaye brahma eva brahmavit svayam---

 

Just as space (inside a pot) becomes space itself when the pot is

destroyed, so also the knower of brahman becomes brahman itself when his

upAdhi (the mind) dissolves (on the attainment of Self-kmowledge).

 

'He becomes brahman' means only that he realizes that he is brahman, which

he always was, but thought otherwise. The mind dissolving means that the

mind becomes free from likes, dislikes, etc., and so does not make any

judgments such as 'This is good', 'This is bad', etc., as the minds of the

unenlightened do.

End of sentences declaring the identity of the jIva and brahman.