!! Viveka Chudamani of Shankaracharya !!
Slokas 214-216 with meanings in English
||om tat sat ||
Viveka Chudamani Slokas 214- 216
Sloka 214
शिष्य उवाच,
मिध्यात्वेन निषिद्धेषु कोशेषु एतेषु पंचसु।
सर्व अभावं विना किंचित् न पश्यामत्र हे गुरो।
विज्ञेयं किमु वस्वस्ति स्वात्मानात्र विपश्चिता॥
First Line:
मिध्यात्वेन निषिद्धेषु कोशेषु एतेषु पंचसु
कोशेषु एतेषु पंचसु -
in the five sheaths
मिध्यात्वेन निषिद्धेषु -
negated being associated with delusion
Second line:
सर्व अभावं विना किंचित् न पश्यामत्र हे गुरो |
सर्व अभावं विना -
except the absence of everything
किंचित् न पश्यामत्र हे गुरो -
O teacher, I do not see anything
So here the Disciple says the following.
After having negated everything as unreal being associated with delusion, I do not see anything other than the absence of everything.
After negation of everything , what is left is nothingness, which the disciple signals as being unable to see anything . But in fact - that there is nothing - is being grasped by him. By his Self which is also the witness.
Third line:
विज्ञेयं किमु वस्वस्ति स्वात्मानात्र विपश्चिता॥
rephrased as
विज्ञेयं किमु वस्तुः अस्ति
स्व आत्मना अत्र विपश्चिता॥
स्व आत्मना अत्र विपश्चिता -
विपश्चिता अत्र स्व आत्मना
By the seeker here by himself
विज्ञेयं किमु वस्तुः अस्ति -
what entity is there to be realized?
Here disciple is asking a question.
"O teacher , after having negated everything as unreal being associated with delusion, I do not see anything other than the absence of everything. What entity is there to be realized by the seeker himself ?
It is a bewildering thought that having negated everything as not self being associated with ignorance, what is left is a nothingness. What to make of that nothingness or what is to be realized out of this nothingness.
Sloka 215- 216
गुरु उवाच,
सत्यमुक्तं त्वया विद्वन्
निपुणोऽसि विचारणे।
अहं आदि विकाराः ते
तदभावोऽयमप्यथ॥215||
सत्यमुक्तं त्वया विद्वन् -
o learned one rightly spoken by you
निपुणोऽसि विचारणे -
you are an expert in enquiry
ते अहं आदि विकाराः -
these modifications like ego etc
तदभावोऽयमप्यथ -
in their absence , this this is left
"O learned one rightly spoken by you , as an expert in enquiry. This is that which is left in the absence of these modifications like ego etc
Teacher elaborates on this that is left in the absence of all those modification negated as being non self.
सर्वे येनानुभूयन्ते
यः स्वयं नानुभूयते।
तं आत्मानं वेदितारं विद्धि
बुध्या सुसूक्ष्मया॥216||
सर्वे येनानुभूयन्ते -
सर्वे एन अनुभूयन्ते
अवन्नी ऎवरिचेत अनुभविंपबडिनवो
all this is perceived by that
that ( ego etc) by whom it is experienced
यः स्वयं नानुभूयते -
यः स्वयं न अनुभूयते
the one who does not experience that
तं आत्मानं वेदितारं विद्धि
तं वेदितारं आत्मानं विद्धि
know that which knows everything, as the knower
बुध्या सुसूक्ष्मया -
realize that with an extremely subtle intellect
( Realize that ) with a subtle intellect
the thought is summarized as follows:
That ( ego etc) by whom it is experienced , the one who does not experience that ( by whom it is experienced), know that which knows everything with a subtle intellect , as the knower .
There is a little subtlety in expression here. Sum and substance of that is the following. The modification etc which were experienced by non self, which were not experienced by that which is left after negation of everything , know that as the knower of everything with a subtle intellect .
||om tat sat||