उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

ईश्वरात्मप्रकरणम् ॥ ३ ॥
CHAPTER III
SELF-BRAHMAN
ईश्वरश्चेदनात्मा स्यान्नासावस्मीति धारयेत् ।
आत्मा चेदीश्वरोऽस्मीति विद्या साऽन्यनिवर्तिका ॥ १ ॥

1. The aspirant cannot know that he is Brahman
   if It be different from the Self. (It then contradicts the
   Sruti.) But if he has the conviction that he, the Self, is
   Brahman (there is no contradiction to the Sruti). This
   is (right) Knowledge which destroys Ignorance.¹
   आत्मनोऽन्यस्य चेद्धर्मा अस्थूलत्वादयो मताः ।
   अज्ञेयत्वेऽस्य किं तैः स्यादात्मत्वे ह्यन्यधीह्नुतिः ॥ २ ॥
2. What would be the use (of the description by the
   Sruti) of the qualities, ‘not² large’ etc. if they were the
   qualities of one³ other than the Self, it being not⁴ an
   object of search? But if Brahman (with these qualities)
   is the Self the ideas⁵ such as, largeness, smallness, etc.
   are negated⁶ from the latter.
   ¹ Which falsely shows that there are things other than the Self.
   ² Br. U., 3. 8. 8. ³ Personal God. ⁴ For it is other than the Self.
   See Br. U., 1. 4. 7. ⁵ Superimposed on the Self. ⁶ And thus libera-
   tion is achieved.

1-4] SELF-BRAHMAN 91
मिथ्याध्यासनिषेधार्थं ततोऽस्थूलादि गृह्यताम् ।
परत्र चेन्निषेधार्थं शून्यतावर्णनं हि तत् ॥ ३ ॥
3. Know, therefore, that the Sruti, ‘not large’ etc. is
meant to negate the false superimposition (of largeness,
smallness, etc. on the Self) as it would be a description
of a void if it were meant to negate those qualities from
one other than the Self.
बुभुत्सोर्यदि चान्यत्र प्रत्यगात्मन इष्यते ।
अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्र इति चानर्थकं वचः ॥ ४ ॥
4. Moreover, the saying,¹ ‘devoid of the vital force,
devoid of the mind and pure’ would be unmeaning if
these qualities were meant to be negated from one
other² than the individual Self, the aspirant.
¹ Mu. U., 2. 1. 2. ² For the vital force and the mind are possessed
by none other than the individual Self. It possesses them owing
to Ignorance which is removed by this negation.