उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

सूक्ष्मताव्यापिताप्रकरणम् ॥ ९ ॥
CHAPTER IX
SUBTLENESS AND PERVASIVENESS
सूक्ष्मताव्यापिते ज्ञेये गन्धादेरुत्तरोत्तरम् ।
प्रत्यगात्मावसानेषु पूर्वपूर्वप्रहाणतः ॥ १ ॥

1. A succeeding one in the series of earth¹ etc.
   ending with the innermost Self is found to be subtler
   and more pervasive when a preceding one is negated.²
   [When we negate a preceding one we get a subtler
   and more pervasive one till at last the innermost Self
   is reached which is of the nature of Existence and
   Consciousness and is the material³ Cause of everything,
   and therefore, absolutely all-pervading and the subtlest.]
   शारीरा पृथिवी तावद्यावद्बाह्या प्रमाणतः ।
   अम्ब्वादीनि च तत्त्वानि तावज्ज्ञेयानि कृत्स्नशः ॥ २ ॥
2. External earth is the same as that pertaining to
   bodies. Water⁴ etc., the other categories also are,
   ¹ Earth, water, fire, air and the ether.
   ² Known to have no separate existence from a suceeeding one,
   its cause. ³ See Br. Sû., 1. 4. 23. ⁴ External.

108 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. IX
without exception, known to be the same ¹ according to
evidences.²
[When all the elements either external or pertaining
to bodies are ascertained to be pervaded by the Self no
distinction is known to exist between the external
elements and those pertaining to bodies as the Self only
then exists. See Br. Sû., 2. 1. 14.]
वाय्वादीनां यथोत्पत्तेः पूर्वं खं सर्वगं तथा ।
अहमेकः सदा सर्वश्चिन्मात्रः सर्वगोऽद्वयः ॥ ३ ॥
3. Always Pure Consciousness I am one without a
second, all and all-pervading like the ether before the
creation of air and other elements.
ब्रह्माद्याः स्थावरान्ता ये प्राणिनो मम पूः स्मृताः ।
कामक्रोधादयो दोषा जायेरन्मे कुतोऽन्यतः ॥ ४ ॥
4. It has been ascertained that all the beings from
Brahmâ³ down to the immovable creation are My
bodies. From what other source will blemishes like
lust, anger, etc. come into Me ? ⁴
भूतदोषैः सदाऽस्पृष्टं सर्वभूतस्थमीश्वरम् ।
नीलं व्योम यथा बालो दुष्टं मां वीक्षते जनः ॥ ५ ॥
5. People look upon Me, the Lord ⁵ residing in all
beings and always untouched by their defects, as tainted
¹ As those pertaining to the bodies. ² Measure—Ram Tirtha.
³ The soul invested with the aggregate of subtle bodies.
⁴ They do not by nature belong to me as they come and go ; nor
can they come to Me from anywhere else as there exists nothing
else except Me. ⁵ I.e., the cause, and the cause is never
touched by any of the properties of its effects.

2-8] SUBTLENESS AND PERVASIVENESS 109
(with those defects) like a boy who (erroneously) looks
upon the sky as blue.
मच्चैतन्यावभास्यत्वात्सर्वप्राणिधियां सदा ।
वपुर्मे प्राणिनः सर्वे सर्वज्ञस्य विपाप्मनः ॥ ६ ॥
6. As the intellects of all beings are illumined by
My¹ Consciousness all beings are bodies belonging to
Me who am all-knowing and free from all sins and virtues.
जनिमज्ज्ञानविज्ञेयं स्वप्नज्ञानवदिष्यते ।
नित्यं निर्विषयं ज्ञानं तस्माद् द्वैतं न विद्यते ॥ ७ ॥
7. Objects that come into being and are capable of
being made the objects of Knowledge are as unreal
as those known in dream. As duality has no (real)
existence Knowledge is eternal and objectless.
ज्ञातुर्ज्ञातिर्हि नित्योक्ता सुषुप्ते त्वन्यशून्यतः ।
जाग्रज्ज्ञातिस्त्वविद्यातस्तद्ग्राह्यं चासदिष्यताम् ॥ ८ ॥
8. As there is nothing other than the Self in
dreamless sleep it is said by the Sruti² that the Consci-
ousness of the Knower³ is eternal. (As Knowledge is
really objectless) the knowledge of objects in the waking
state must be due to Ignorance. Accept then that its
objects are also unreal.⁴
¹ I.e., by Me Who am Pure Consciousness.
² Br. U., 4. 3. 23-30. ³ Consciousness is the real nature of the
knower like heat which is the nature of the sun.
⁴ For the changeless Self cannot be the seat of knowledge nor
can the non-conscious intellect. Therefore Knowledge in the
waking state with its objects cannot but be falsely superimposed on
the Self which alone is real.

110 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. IX
रूपवत्त्वाद्यसत्त्वान्न दृष्ट्यादेः कर्मता यथा ।
एवं विज्ञानकर्मत्वं भूम्नो नास्तीति गम्यते ॥ ९ ॥
9. It is clearly understood that Brahman cannot be
the object¹ of knowledge just as It cannot be the
object² of seeing etc. as It has no colour, form and
the like.
¹ It is said in the Chhândogyopanishat (7. 24. 1) : ' Where one sees
nothing else, knows nothing else it is Brahman', from which it
might be inferred that one does not see or know anything else, it is
true but one sees and knows the Self. The above verse is to remove
this doubt. The Chh. text (7. 24. 1) prohibits in Brahman the
duality appearing to be real during Ignorance.
² It is said in the Brihadâranyakopanishat (2. 4. 5) : ' The Self
should be seen, heard, reflected upon and meditated on.' So there
may be a doubt that the Self is the object of seeing etc. The
present verse is to remove this doubt. The Br. text (2. 4. 5) is
really intended to make people turn away from the non-Self. It is
not to teach them that the Self is object of seeing etc.