!! Viveka Chudamani  of Shankaracharya !!

Slokas 397-400 with meanings in English

 
.Viveka Chudamani Slokas 397-400:

In the earlier  Slokas Guru elaborated on Brahmam taking recourse to a simile.  Just as the wave, surf, whirlpool, bubbles etc.,are not different from water,  everything from the body to the ego is nothing but "chit". The Universe known mind and speech is all Brahman only. Only the ones drunk with wine of Maya talk about 'you' and 'I', as being different though in reality both are only a form of Brahman.

To drive his point about Brahman  Guru compares  Brahman to space to highlight the limitlessness of Brahman which is like limitless space. Then says those who realize that, "I am brahman", should live in that state of Brahman with eternal Bliss.

In the Slokas 397-400 Guru teaches that once the mental exercises are stilled and stay on Brahman, nothing else is seen. All the non-self entities are for the name sake only. What stands out is Brahman only.

Sloka 397

शवाकारं यावत् भजति मनुजः तावदशुचिः
परेभ्यः स्यात् क्लेशो जननमरण व्याधिनिरयाः।
यदात्मानं शुद्धं कलयति  शिवाकारमचलम्
तदा तेभ्यो मुक्तो भवति तदाह श्रुतिरपि॥397॥

1  शवाकारं यावत् भजति मनुजः तावदशुचिः:
   
शवाकारं यावत् भजति-
as long as one worships the corpse like body

मनुजः तावदशुचिः:-
till then man remains impure;

As long as one worships the corpse like body till then man he remains impure.

The impurities are further clarifies in the next line.

2 परेभ्यः स्यात् क्लेशो जननमरण व्याधिनिरयाः।

परेभ्यः स्यात् क्लेशो -
( there is) suffering from other sources ;
जननमरण व्याधिनिरयाः-
such as birth death disease etc;

The causes of impurity are sufferings born out of birth death and other diseases. As long as one worships the corpse like body till then he remains impure due to the suffering from birth, death, disease etc

3 यदात्मानं शुद्धं कलयति  शिवाकारमचलम्

यदात्मानं शुद्धं कलयति - When he realizes himself as a pure one ; 
शिवाकारमचलम्  - as an unchanging auspicious form

When he realizes himself as a pure immovable or unchanging auspicious form, then he become free (of that conditioning that he is that impure corpse like body). He becomes that pure embodiment .
 
4 तदा तेभ्यो मुक्तो भवति तदाह श्रुतिरपि

   तदा तेभ्यो मुक्तो भवति -
   then he is free from those very sources;

   तदाह श्रुतिरपि -
   The Shrutis too say the same thing;

When he realizes himself as a pure immovable auspicious form, then he becomes free those very sources ( corpse like body) which made him impure in the first place. The Shrutis also say the same thing

Sloka summary 397 :

As long as one worships the corpse like body till then he remains impure. There is suffering from other sources such as birth death disease etc When he realizes himself as a pure immovable auspicious form, then he become free those very sources which made him impure. The Shrutis also say the same thing

Sloka 398

स्वात्मन्यारोपिताशेष
अभासवस्तुनिरासतः।
स्वयमेव परं ब्रह्म
पूर्णमद्वयमक्रियं ॥398॥

1 स्वात्मन्यारोपिताशेषा -
  स्व आत्मना आरोपित अशेष -
  all those many things superimposed on Self ;
2 आभासवस्तु निरासतः - 
  with the rejection of things representing non-Self;

With the rejection of all those many things, representing non-Self, superimposed on Self, the one with discrimination will realize exactly that which was realized by the disciple when he rejected five sheaths as being non-self;


3 स्वयमेव परं ब्रह्म -
 himself is that Supreme Brahman;

4 पूर्णमद्वयमक्रियं-
which is complete without a second and beyond all activities;

With the rejection of non Self what remains is that Self or Brahman which is infinite, without second, and beyond all activities;

Sloka summary398 : 

With the rejection of all those many things, representing non-Self, superimposed on Self, realizes himself as that Supreme Brahman which is complete without a second and beyond all activities


Sloka 399

समाहितायां सति चित्तवृत्तौ
परात्मनि ब्रह्मणि निर्विकल्पे।
न दृश्यते कश्चिदयं विकल्पः
व्रजल्प मात्रः परिशिष्यते ततः॥399॥

1 समाहितायां सति चित्तवृत्तौ -
when all the function of the mind are quietened;

2 परात्मनि ब्रह्मणि निर्विकल्पे -
(merged) in that supreme Brahman without differences;

When all the function of the mind are quietened, and merged in that supreme Brahman without differences,- what follows is obvious; then what is experienced is pure Self ; After that realization, the thoughts non-self are left alone as meaningless words.

3 न दृश्यते कश्चिदयं विकल्पः-
nothing is seen of variegated forms

4 व्रजल्प मात्रः परिशिष्यते ततः -
What remains of variegated forms is only names.

Sloka summary 399 :

When all the function of the mind are quietened, and merged in that supreme Brahman without differences, then nothing is seen of variegated forms and what remains of variegated forms is only names

Sloka  400

असत्कल्पो विकल्पोऽयं विश्वमित्येकवस्तुनि।
निर्विकारे निराकारे निर्विशेषेभिदा कुतः॥ 400॥

1 असत्कल्पो विकल्पो अयं विश्वमिति एकवस्तुनि

एकवस्तुनि - in that one entity;

अयं विश्वमिति विकल्पः असत्कल्पो -
the variegated universe imagined is false;

The variegated universe (in many different forms and shapes)  imagined in that one entity namely Brahman, is false. That variegated universe it self is a form of Brahman.

2 निर्विकारे निराकारे निर्विशेषेभिदा कुतः -
  निर्विकारे निराकारे निर्विशेषे -
  in that which is without changes , without form, absolute ( Brahman)
  भिदा कुतः -
  where is the difference ?

Where is the difference in that in that Brahman which is without changes, without form, abolsute.

Sloka summary 400 :

The variegated universe imagined in that one entity namely Brahman, is false. Where is the difference in that in that Brahman which is without changes , without form, absolute

||om tat sat||

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