!! Viveka Chudamani  of Shankaracharya !!

Slokas 200-201 with meanings in English

||om tat sat ||

Viveka Chudamani Slokas 200-201


That the Jivahood which has no begining, may not have an end ( under the mistaken notion that the thing with no begining has no end), in such a case the Jivahood being permanent, how can one get Moksha is the doubt and also question of the disciple ( Sloka 194).


The guru is anwering this in a two step process. First he wants to dispel the notion that one without begining has no end. To drive home this point, Guru gives examples of things, which have no begining but do have an end.


Guru already made a point that what you you see as a fact in an illusion, disappears when the illusion removed. As an example what one sees in a dream state , disappears as soon as the dream state ends. We also have the example of rope mistaken for snake from a distance, whre in on closer examination that it is indeed a rope and the mistaken notion of snake disappears.


There is also the example of ignorance which has no begining. But as soon as relevant knowledge is made availabe that ignorance disappears. Though to start with ignorance has no begining, it met its end in the presence of knowledge. 


Guru gives these two examples in the next two slokas. Guru is driving home one point though one may seems to have no begining, it can have an end.

 

Sloka 200


अनादित्वं अविद्यायाः

कार्यस्यापि तथेष्यति।

उत्पन्ना तु विद्यायाम्

अविद्यकम् अनाद्यपि ॥200||


Here  अविद्य means ignorance. Guru is speaking about ignorance  .


अनादित्वं अविद्यायाः -

the begining less quality of ignorance 


कार्यस्यापि तथेष्यति|

similarly it is said about the effects of ignorance .


Ignorance and all the effects of ignorance are all without begining. 


उत्पन्ना  तु विद्यायाम्

with the rise of knowledge 


अविद्यकम् अनाद्यपि

ignorance is destroyed though it is beginingless. 


In the presence of knowledge the ignorance is destroyed , like bright light of sun drives away darkness. That ignorance disappears in the presence of knowledge needs no proof.


The essence of this sloka is that, just as beginingless ignorance is destroyed in the presence of knowledge, the Jiva hood seen as without begining disappears in teh presence of the knowledge of Brahman.


Now the second Sloka.


||Sloka 201||


प्रबोधे स्वप्नवत् सर्वं

सहमूलं विनश्यति।

अनाद्यपि इदं नो नित्यम्

प्रागभाव इव स्फुटम् ॥201||



Here guru is referring to the dream state..


प्रबोधे स्वप्नवत् सर्वं

on waking up, entire dream 


सहमूलं विनश्यति।

is destroyed along with its root.


अनाद्यपि इदं नो नित्यम्

though without begining it is not eternal ;


The phenominal world too, though without begining it is not eternal.


प्राग् अभाव इव स्फुटम्।

like previous nonexistence, it is proved.


Here previous non existence  -pragabhava- is hindu term of logic. When we say a thing comes in to being at a definite point in time, prior to that point in time there was a nonexistence of that thing, which is obviously begining less. This beginingless ness ceases as soon as the thing comes into being.


Using that logic the dream ceases on waking up , and the dream is not eternal.


 With these example we see that though begining less , the thing can have an end too. So fear of Jivahood which has no begining , may have no end is misplaced. In teh presence of right knowledge , Jivahood too ends resulting in Moksha. we will hear about it in the next two slokas.


||om tat sat|| 













 











 













 






 






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Viveka Chudamani Slokas 200-201 with meanings in English

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Om tat sat !

 

 

 

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