उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

दृशिस्वरूपपरमार्थदर्शनप्रकरणम् ॥ १० ॥
CHAPTER X
RIGHT CONCEPTION OF THE NATURE OF
CONSCIOUSNESS
दृशिस्वरूपं गगनोपमं परं सकृद्विभातं त्वजमेकमक्षरम् ।
अलेपकं सर्वगतं यदद्वयं तदेव चाहं सततं विमुक्तॐ ॥ १ ॥

1. I am the supreme Brahman which is pure con-
   sciousness, always clearly manifest, unborn, one only,
   imperishable, unattached and all-pervading like the
   ether and non-dual. I am, therefore, ever-free. Aum.¹
   दृशिस्तु शुद्धोऽहमविक्रियात्मको
   न मेऽस्ति कश्चिद्विषयः स्वभावतः ।
   पुरस्तिरश्चोर्ध्वमधश्च सर्वतः
   संपूर्णभूमा त्वज आत्मनि स्थितः ॥ २ ॥
2. Pure and changeless consciousness I am by
   nature devoid of objects (to illumine). Unborn and
   established in the Self I am all-pervading Brahman in
   the front, oblique, upward, downward and all other
   directions.
   ¹ The Sanskrit word ‘Aum’ used in the text indicates that one
   realizes Brahman by meditating on it. See Kathopanishat 1. 2. 16, 17.

112 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. X
अजोऽमरश्चैव तथाऽजरोऽमृतः स्वयंप्रभः सर्वगतोऽहमद्वयः ।
न कारणं कार्यमतीव निर्मलः सदैकतृप्तश्च ततो विमुक्तॐ ॥ ३ ॥
3. I am unborn, deathless, devoid of old age, im-
mortal, self-effulgent, all-pervading and non-dual. Per-
fectly pure, having neither cause nor effect and
contented with the one Bliss ¹ I am free. Yes.²
सुषुप्तजाग्रत्स्वपतश्च दर्शनं न मेऽस्ति किंचित्स्वमिवेह मोहनम् ।
स्वतश्च तेषां परतोऽप्यसत्त्वतस्तुरीय एवास्मि सदादृगद्वयः ॥४॥
4. No perception whatever in waking, dream or
deep sleep belongs to Me but it is due to delusion. For
these states have no independent existence nor an
existence depending³ on the Self. I am, therefore, the
Fourth⁴ which is the Seer of all the three states and
without a second.
शरीरबुद्धीन्द्रियदुःखसंततिर्न मे न चाहं मम निर्विकारतः ।
असत्त्वहेतोश्च तथैव संततेरसत्त्वमस्याः स्वपतो हि दृश्यवत् ॥५॥
5. As I am changeless the series producing pain
viz., the body, the intellect and the senses are not Myself
nor Mine. Moreover they are unreal⁵ like dream-objects,
there being a reason for inference that they are so.
¹ I.e., the Bliss of the Self. ² The word in the Text indicates
assent. The disciple accepts Brahman as the Self.
³ For they cannot have an existence dependent on the Self which
is contrary to them in nature i.e., the Self is conscious while they
are not so. ⁴ Fourth, because the Self is beyond the three
states of waking, dream and deep sleep which are superimposed on It.
⁵ The argument is this : the series is not real as they are objects
of knowledge like dream-objects which are known to be unreal.

3-8] THE NATURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS 113
इदं तु सत्यं मम नास्ति विक्रिया विकारहेतुर्न हि मेऽद्वयत्वतः ।
न पुण्यपापे न च मोक्षबन्धने न चास्ति वर्णाश्रमतोऽशरीरतः ॥ ६ ॥
6. But it is true that I have no change nor any
cause of a change as I am without a second. As I do
not possess a body I have neither sin nor virtue, neither
bondage nor liberation, neither a caste nor an order
of life.
अनादितो निर्गुणतो न कर्म मे फलं च तस्मात्परमोऽहमद्वयः ।
यथा नभः सर्वगतं न लिप्यते तथा ह्यहं देहगतोऽपि सूक्ष्मतः ॥ ७ ॥
7. Beginningless¹ and devoid of attributes I have
neither actions nor their results. Therefore I am the
supreme One without a second. Though in a body I
do not get attached on account of My subtleness² like
the ether which, though all-pervading, does not get
tainted.
सदा च भूतेषु समोऽहमीश्वरः क्षराक्षराभ्यां परमो ह्यथोत्तमः ।
परात्मतत्त्वश्च तथाद्वयोऽपि सन्विपर्ययेणाभिमतस्त्वविद्यया ॥ ८ ॥
8. Though I am the Lord³ always the same in all
beings, beyond the perishable and the imperishable,⁴
and therefore the Supreme, the Self of all, and without
a second I am considered to be of a contrary nature on
account of Ignorance.
¹ Bh. Gîtâ, 13. 31. ² I.e., having no form. See Bh. Gîtâ, 13. 32.
³ I.e., the cause. And therefore untouched by the defects of
beings in whom I reside.
⁴ The unmanifested Power of Brahman which transforms itself
into the manifested universe. See Bh. Gîtâ, 15. 16-18.
8

114 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. X
अविद्याया भावनया च कर्मभि-
विविक्त आत्माऽव्यवधिः सुनिर्मलः ।
दृगादिशक्तिप्रचितोऽहमद्वयः
स्थितः स्वरूपे गगनं यथाऽचलम् ॥ ९ ॥
9. Not distanced¹ by anything from Itself and un-
touched by Ignorance, by false conceptions (of possess-
ing a body etc.) and by actions the Self is very pure.
Without a second and established in My real nature like
the immovable ether I am (thought² to be) connected
with the powers of seeing and other perceptions.
अहं परं ब्रह्म विनिश्चयात्मदृङ् न जायते भूय इति श्रुतेर्वचः ।
न चैव बीजे त्वसति प्रजायते फलं न जन्मास्ति ततो ह्यमोहता ॥ १० ॥
10. There is the saying of the Śruti³ that one who
has the sure conviction about oneself that one is Brah-
man is never born again. There being no⁴ delusion,
there is no birth. For, when the cause is not there
there cannot be any effect.
ममेदमित्थं च तथेदमीदृशं तथाहमेवं न परो न वान्यथा ।
विमूढतैवं न जनस्य कल्पना सदा समे ब्रह्मणि चाद्वये शिवे ॥ ११ ॥
11. False conceptions of people such as, ‘mine,’
‘this,’ ‘thus,’ ‘this is so,’ ‘I am so,’ ‘another is not so,’
etc., are all due to delusion. They are never in Brahman
which is auspicious, the same in all and without a
second.
¹ See footnote 1, p. 60.
² Through Ignorance. ³ Kath. U., 1. 3. 8.
⁴ For one has known the Self.

9-14] THE NATURE OF CONSCIOUSNESS 115
यदद्वयं ज्ञानमतीव निर्मलं महात्मनां तत्र न शोकमोहता ।
तयोरभावे न हि कर्म जन्म वा भवेद्वयं वेदविदां विनिश्चयः ॥ १२ ॥
12. All grief and delusion are removed from those
great souls when there arises the very pure ¹ knowledge
of the non-dual Self. It is the conclusion of those who
know the meaning of the Vedas that there cannot be any
action or birth in the absence of grief ² and delusion.²
सुषुप्तवज्जाग्रति यो न पश्यति द्वयं तु पश्यन्नपि चाद्वयत्वतः ।
तथा च कुर्वन्नपि निष्क्रियश्च यः स आत्मविन्नान्य इतीह निश्चयः ॥
13. It is the conclusion here (in the Vedântas) that
one who, though perceiving ³ the world of duality in the
waking state, does not,⁴ as a man in deep sleep does
not,⁵ perceive it owing to duality being negated and who
is (really) actionless even when (apparently) acting, is a
man of Self-knowledge ; but no one else is so.
इतीदमुक्तं परमार्थदर्शनं मया हि वेदान्तविनिश्चितं परम् ।
विमुच्यतेऽस्मिन्यदि निश्चितो भवेन्न लिप्यते व्योम इवेह कर्मभिः ॥
14. This Right knowledge described by me is the
highest because it is ascertained in the Vedântas. One
becomes liberated and unattached (to actions) like the
ether if one is perfectly convinced of this Truth.
¹ I.e., free from all doubts. ² Ignorance implied by them.
³ Apparently. ⁴ I.e., does not perceive it to be real.
⁵ Duality gets merged in Ignorance in the case of deep sleep but
in the case of Self-knowledge it gets negated in all the states.