उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

तत्त्वज्ञानस्वभावप्रकरणम् ॥ ४ ॥
CHAPTER IV
THE NATURE OF RIGHT KNOWLEDGE
अहंप्रत्ययबीजं यदहंप्रत्ययवत्स्थितम् ।
नाहंप्रत्ययवह्न्युष्टं कथं कर्म प्ररोहति ॥ १ ॥

1. How can those actions of which the root is
   egoism¹ and which are accumulated in the mind pro-
   duce results when they are burnt² by the fire of non-
   egoism, (the right Knowledge that one is neither the
   doer of actions nor the experiencer of their results) ?
   दृष्टवच्चेत्प्ररोहः स्यान्नान्यकर्मा स इष्यते ।
   तन्निरोधे कथं तत्स्यात्पृच्छामो वस्तदुच्यताम् ॥ २ ॥
2. (The objector). Actions burnt by the fire of
   Knowledge may produce results like the seen ones (of
   the actions of a man of Knowledge). (Reply). No.
   They are due to another cause.³ (The objector). I ask
   ¹ Identification of oneself with the gross and subtle bodies.
   ² Hence, actions accumulated in previous births are not obstacles
   to liberation when the Knowledge of Brahman arises.
   ³ I.e., those actions of past lives which have given birth to the
   present body and have begun to produce results.