!! Viveka Chudamani  of Shankaracharya !!

Slokas 226-227 with meanings in English

||om tat sat ||


Viveka Chudamani Slokas 226-227


Slokas 224 and 225 essentially say, that the one who knows the true nature of Self, will be free from Sin, blemishes of Gunas, and death, is what we heard in the previous Sloka. If one is free from Sin and the blemishes etc, he will be free of sorrow. Being free from sorrow and free of bondages, one attains happiness (आनंद) not because of merits of the past, but because of being free from attachments etc. That happiness generated inside is the bliss.


Sloka 225 says that knowledge of being not different from Brahman provides a bliss without a second; With that knowledge of being not different from Brahman, Supreme Brahman is attained by the wise.


Here, Guru is transitioning the discussion on Self, and realization of Self to identity with Brahman. 


That Jivatma is none other than Paramatma, and that both are same is akin to - man realizing that body centric ego is not the true Self, and the true Self is beyond all five sheaths. 


These are the lines we heard earlier.

.

Now we go through Slokas 226and 227. 

Here Guru continues to talk about nondifference of Self and Brahman.


Sloka 226


ब्रह्मभूतस्तु संस्मृत्यै

 विद्वान्नावर्तते पुनः ।

विज्ञातव्य मतः सम्यग्

 ब्रह्मभिन्नत्वमात्मनः॥


ब्रह्मभूतस्तु संस्मृत्यै

 विद्वान्नावर्तते पुनः ।


ब्रह्मभूतस्तु विद्वान् - 

The learned one who realizes Brahman.


संस्मृत्यै न पुनः आवर्तते।

Does not return to the worldly life of entanglements.


2 विज्ञातव्यम् अतः सम्यग्

 ब्रह्माभिन्नत्वमात्मनः॥


विज्ञातव्यम् अतः सम्यग् - 

So that which is to be known (is)?


ब्रह्माभिन्नत्वमात्मनः-

ब्रह्म अभिन्नतवं आत्मनः-

nondifference of Self and Brahman 


Sloka 226 Summary:


The learned one who realizes Brahman, does not return to the worldly life of entanglements. So that which is to be known is the non-difference of Self and Brahman 


The one who knows the true nature of Self attains Moksha or liberation. The one who knows true nature of Self also realizes the nondifference of Self from Brahman. Realizing Brahman, he attains Moksha too.


Sloka 227:


सत्यं ज्ञानं अनन्तं ब्रह्म

विशुद्धम् परम् स्वतः सिद्धम्।

नित्यानन्दैकरसम् प्रत्यग्

अभिन्नम् निरन्तरम् जयति॥


ब्रह्म निरंतरं जयति - is the main theme of this Sloka.  ब्रह्म निरंतरं जयति means Brahman always triumphs.


What is the nature of this, 'always triumphant Brahman'? When we said Self and Brahman are one and the same, the nature of that Brahman too would be like that of Self. So, in the rest of the three lines of Sloka, we hear about the nature of Brahman which sounds like the nature of self.


Sloka 227 - nature of Brahman 


सत्यं ज्ञानं अनन्तं - 

truth, knowledge, endless.


विशुद्धम् परम् स्वतः सिद्धम् -

extremely pure, exquisite - the one without a second, Self-existing. 


नित्यानन्दैकरसम् प्रत्यग् अभिन्नम् -

Essence of absolute Bliss, not different from individual Self.


Summary of Sloka 227:

That Brahman is truth, knowledge, endless; extremely pure, exquisite - the one without a second, Self-existing; essence of absolute Bliss, not different from individual Self. 


There seem to be more repetition of words that have been highlighted many times in spiritual discourses. So, before we delve into more about Brahman, it is worthwhile to understand these words, to fix them in our mind, as we proceed in this discourse. So, we go through them one by one.


सत्यं - this is linked to सत्, which is reference to existence, that which exists at all times. That which remains the same always is Truth.  

  

ज्ञानं - knowledge through which all other knowledge is known.  It is that knowledge which lights up every other thing. That knowledge too is time invariant.


अनन्तं -  Endless. So, it is without beginning too. It is eternal. 


विशुद्धम् - pure , unblemished with presence of any other thing. 


परम्- Exquisite.  Without a second.


स्वतः सिद्धम्  -  It is known by itself; Self effulgent ;not caused by any other thing 


नित्यानन्दैकरसम्  - it is the essence of eternal Bliss. 


सत्यं ज्ञानं अनंतम् ब्रह्म - Existence knowledge and Bliss is Brahman


||ओम् तत् सत्॥























































































































 











 













 






 






Viveka Chudamani Home


Viveka Chudamani Slokas 226-227

with meanings in English

- Sloka Text in Devanagari

- Sloka Text in Telugu 

Om tat sat !

 

 

 

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