उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

10 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS
14, 15. If the disciple says, "How did I speak
wrongly, Sir?" The teacher would reply, "Because by
your statement, 'I am the son of a Brāhmana belonging
to such and such a lineage etc.' you identified with the
Self devoid of birth, lineage and purificatory ceremonies,
the body possessed of them that are different¹ (from
the Self)."
स यदि पृच्छेत् कथं भिन्नजात्यन्वयसंस्कारं शरीरं, कथं वा
अहं जात्यन्वयसंस्कारवर्जित इति ॥ १६ ॥
आचार्यो ब्रूयात्—शृणु सोम्य यथेदं शरीरं त्वत्तो भिन्नं
भिन्नजात्यन्वयसंस्कारं, त्वं च जात्यन्वयसंस्कारवर्जितः, इत्यु-
क्त्वा तं स्मारयेत्—स्मर्तुमर्हसि सोम्य, परमात्मानं सर्वात्मानं
यथोक्तलक्षणं श्रावितोऽसि 'सदेव सोम्येदम' इत्यादिभिः श्रुतिभिः
स्मृतिभिश्च । लक्षणं च तस्य श्रुतिभिः स्मृतिभिश्च ॥ १७ ॥
16, 17. If he asks, "How is the body possessed
of the diversities of birth, lineage and purificatory cere-
monies (different from the Self) and how am I devoid
of them?"—The teacher would say, "Listen, my child,
how this body is different from you and possessed of
birth, lineage and sanctifying ceremonies and how you
are free from these." Speaking thus he will remind the
disciple saying, "You should remember, my child, you
have been told about the innermost Self which is the
Self of all with its characteristics as described by the
Srutis such as 'This² was existence, my child' etc., as
also the Smritis, and you should remember these charac-
teristics also."
¹ i.e., of the nature of the non-Self. ² Chh. U., 6. 2. 1.