उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

विशेषापोहप्रकरणम् ॥ ६ ॥
CHAPTER VI
NEGATION OF ATTRIBUTES
छित्त्वा त्यक्तेन हस्तेन स्वयं नात्मा विशिष्यते ।
तथा शिष्टेन सर्वेण येन येन विशेष्यते ॥ १ ॥

1. The Self Itself is not qualified by an arm which
   has been cut off and thrown away. Similarly, It is not
   qualified by any of the remaining things¹ by which It
   is (thought to be) qualified.²
   तस्मात्त्यक्तेन हस्तेन तुल्यं सर्वं विशेषणम् ।
   ऽनात्मत्वेन तस्माज्ज्ञो मुक्तः सर्वैर्विशेषणैः ॥ २ ॥
2. Therefore all the qualifications are similar to the
   arm (cut off and) thrown away as they are all non-Self.³
   So the Self is free from all qualifications.
   विशेषणमिदं सर्वं साध्वलंकराणं यथा ।
   अविद्याध्यासतः सर्वं ज्ञात आत्मन्यसद्भवेत् ॥ ३ ॥
   ¹ The gross and subtle bodies and their attributes.
   ² See verses 91-94, Ch. 18.
   ³ For they are all superimposed on the Self.

1-6] NEGATION OF ATTRIBUTES 99
3. It is reasonable that, like ornaments,¹ all these ²
are qualifications (of the Self) owing to superimposition
through Ignorance. When the Self is known they prove
to be unreal.
ज्ञातैवात्मा सदा ग्राह्यो ज्ञेयमुत्सृज्य केवलः ।
अहमित्यपि यद्ग्राह्यं व्यपेताङ्गसमं हि तत् ॥ ४ ॥
4. After rejecting the object portion ³ one should
accept the Self as the knower ⁴ free from all qualifica-
tions. The ego,⁵ the object portion, is also like the
part of the body cut off.⁶
यावान्स्यादिदमंशो यः स स्वतोऽन्यो विशेषणम् ।
विशेषप्रक्षयो यत्र सिद्धो ज्ञश्चित्रगुर्यथा ॥ ५ ॥
5. The Self of which the whole of the object portion ⁷
is the qualification is different from it. Bereft of all
qualifications It has an independent existence like that
of a man ⁸ possessing a variegated cow.
इदमंशोऽहमित्यत्र त्याज्यो नात्मेति पण्डितैः ।
अहं ब्रह्मेति शिष्टांशो भूतपूर्वगतेर्भवेत् ॥ ६ ॥
6. As it is not the Self the object portion in the
consciousness ‘I’ should be renounced ⁹ by the wise.
¹ Falsely appearing to be the qualifications of the wearer.
² See footnote 1, verse 1 above. ³ See foot note 7, verse 5.
⁴ Pure Consciousness, the witness. ⁵ Though to the ignorant
it appears to be Self. ⁶ See verse 1 of this Chapter.
⁷ In the consciousness ‘I’. ⁸ The man has an existence in-
dependent of the cow, so has the Self an existence independent of
the ego etc., Its qualifications, It having no connection with them.
⁹ See footnote 13, verse 2, Chapter 2.

100 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. VI
As It was mixed with egoism¹ previously² the remain-
ing³ (non-object) portion is implied by the word 'I'
in the sentence 'I am Brahman.'
¹ It is mixed with the Self, just as a snake may be said to be
mixed with a rope in a rope-snake i.e., a rope mistaken for a snake.
² Just as a Military Captain is called a Captain even after he has
retired, so, we call Pure Consciousness 'I', even after It has been
discriminated from the ego. ³ Pure Consciousness.