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.

1-5] THE NATURE OF RIGHT KNOWLEDGE 93
you how there can be actions ¹ when egoism ² is de-
stroyed. Please answer.
देहाद्यारम्भसामर्थ्याज्ज्ञानं सद्विषयं त्वयि ।
अभिभूय फलं कुर्यात्कर्मान्ते ज्ञानमुद्भवेत् ॥ ३ ॥
3. (Reply). Such actions ³ produce their results by
overpowering the Knowledge of Brahman in you, be-
cause they have the power of producing the body etc.
Knowledge, however, becomes manifest⁴ when ⁴ the
results of these actions come to an end.
आरब्धस्य फले ह्येते भोगो ज्ञानं च कर्मणः ।
अविरोधस्तयोर्युक्तो वैधर्म्यं चेतरस्य तु ॥ ४ ॥
4. As knowledge and the experiencing (of pain and
pleasure) are both results of actions that have given rise
to the present body and have begun to produce results
it is reasonable that they are not incompatible with each
other. But other kinds of actions⁵ are different⁶ in nature.
देहात्मज्ञानवज्ज्ञानं देहात्मज्ञानबाधकम् ।
आत्मन्येव भवेद्यस्य स नेच्छन्नपि मुच्यते ।
ततः सर्वमिदं सिद्धं प्रयोगोऽस्माभिरीरितः ॥ ५ ॥
¹ Even those actions that have begun to produce results.
² For egoism is the root of all actions. (See the previous verse.)
³ See Footnote 3. Verse 2.
⁴ They come to an end only when they are exhausted by being
experienced and one gets absolutely disembodied freedom.
⁵ (1) Actions accumulated in previous states of existence and (2)
those that are done in this life after the realization of Knowledge.
⁶ For Knowledge destroys accumulated actions and makes im-
potent those that are done in the present life after the attainment
of Knowledge.

94 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. IV
5. The Knowledge of one's identity with the pure
Self that negates the (wrong) notion of the identity of
the body and the Self sets a man free even against his
will when it becomes as firm as the belief of the man
that he is a human ¹ being.
All ² this, therefore, is established. And reasons
have been already given by us.
¹ Identifying himself with the body.
² The compatibility of Knowledge with the actions that have
begun to produce results and its incompatibility with other kinds
of actions.