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VIVEKACŪDAMANI
In the world, there are sons, grandsons and others who will free a person from his debts. By begetting sons, by acting up to the father's words, by bestowing wealth, they release the father from śāstraic or from worldly debts. But, another person cannot release one from samsāric bondage, i.e., the bondage that begins with the ahamkāra and includes the body. The superimposition that one has made on the anātman like the antahkarana etc., has to be dispelled only by the person who has made it. None else'can bring it about
54 The perceptual delusion that one is under has to be removed only by one's own right perception. When a father'mistakes in twilight a rope for a serpent, and gets frightened, if his son sees it properly as a rope, his right perception cannot remove his father's fright. Similarly, a bondage which one has got into has to be removed only by oneself, not by another. This is clearly explained by Śrī Bhagavatpāda giving a number of illustrations with the view that, understanding this truth, men may quickly endeavour towards their liberation.
मस्तकन्यस्तभारादेः दुःखमन्यनिवार्यते ।
क्षुधादिकृतदुःखं तु विना स्वेन न केनचित् ॥५४॥ mastakanyastabhārādeh duḥkham anyairnivāryate 1 ksudhādikstaduḥkham tu vină svena na kenacit il
The pain caused by the heavy load laid on the head etc., . can be removed by others (taking the load off their heads). But the pain of hunger etc., cannot be assuaged by anyone except oneself.
ādi here refers to other causes of pain like those produced by chaining hands and feet.
anyairniväryate: is removed by others, by taking the load off from the head and putting it down etc., or by breaking the chains.
ksudhādi etc. The grief caused by hunger etc., is not relieved by another than oneself. If a son eats food or drinks water, the hunger or thirst of the father is not removed.
55 Śri Bhagavatpāda gives another example: पथ्यमौषधसेवा च क्रियते येन रोगिणा। आरोग्यसिद्धिदृष्टाऽस्य नान्यानुष्ठितकर्मणा ॥५५॥