उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

162 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. XV
38. One should ascertain whether Pure Conscious-
ness, the witness of all the mental modifications is
knowable or not (and, if knowable,) whether It is an
object of knowledge or not.
अदृष्टं द्रष्ट्रविज्ञातं दभ्रमित्यादि शासनात् ।
नैव ज्ञेयं मयान्यैर्वा परं ब्रह्म कथंचन ॥ ३९ ॥
39. The supreme Brahman is never capable of being
known by me or others according to the teachings of
the Srutis, 'unseen seer',¹ 'unknown¹ (knower)' and
'finite'² (if thought to be known), and so on.
स्वरूपाव्यवधानाभ्यां ज्ञानालोकस्वभावतः ।
अन्यज्ञानानपेक्षत्वाज्ज्ञातं चैव सदा मया ॥ ४० ॥
40. Independent of every other knowledge, of the
nature of the Light of Pure Consciousness and not dis-
tanced by anything³ Brahman, my own nature is always
known⁴ by me.
नान्येन ज्योतिषा कार्यं रवेरात्मप्रकाशने ।
स्वबोधान्नान्यबोधेच्छा बोधस्यात्मप्रकाशने ॥ ४१ ॥
41. The sun does not require any other light in
order to illumine itself; so, Knowledge⁵ does not require
any other knowledge except that which is its own nature
in order to be known.
¹ Br. U., 3. 7. 23. ² Ke. U., 2. 1.
³ Like the reflection of Itself. See also footnote 1, p. 60.
⁴ Not as an object of knowledge but as a non-object.
⁵ Pure Consciousness.