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VIVEKACŪDĀMAŅI
For you who are the Paramātman in reality, association with ajñāna produces bondage with the anātman whence arises samsära. The fire of knowledge of their distinctness will completely burn away the effect of the ajñāna with its roots.
You are the Paramātman in reality. By connection with the beginningless avidyā, anātmabandhah : bondage by the non-ātman; you identify your ātman with your gross, subtle and causal bodies. From that arises samsāra which is of the form of superimposition of qualities of sukha, duhkha etc., on the ātman. The fire of the knowledge of their separateness burns away the roots of bonds of the body produced by ajñāna and the resulting saṁsāra with its birth, old age and death, and destroys it completely.
Thus, it is clear that the bondage with the anātman is the cause of saṁsāra; the cause of that bondage is your association with ajñāna. The means to getting rid of it is the knowledge of the Paramātman. That is effected by discrimination between the ātman and the anātman. This in brief is the upadeśa. By this is shown that jñāna which springs from Vedāntavicāra is the instrument to destroy the sorrows of samsāra. It means that bondage arises from ajñāna and can be destroyed only by jñāna, not by any other means.
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Thus desiring to be fully immersed in the ambrosial waters of the pure speech coming out from the jar of his guru's mouth, the śisya enjoying these waters, questions his guru with due humility to get rid of every doubt in his mind. शिष्य उवाच ।
कृपया श्रूयतां स्वामिन् प्रश्नोऽयं क्रियते मया। यदुत्तरमहं श्रुत्वा कृतार्यः स्यां भवन्मुखात् ॥५०॥ Śişya uvāca :
krpayā śrūyatām svāmin praśno'yam kriyate mayā 1
yaduttaramdham śrutvā krtarthah syām bhavanmukhāt in The śișya said :
My master, condescend to listen. I wish to submit a question by getting a reply to which from your lips I shall feel gratified.
By this is conveyed the duty of a sişya that he should not put a question to a guru without humbly drawing his attention first. By
V.C.-6