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VIVEKACŪDAMAŅI
71
pathyamauşadhasevă ca kriyate yena rogiņā 1 ārogyasiddhirdụstā'sya nānyānușthitakarmaņā 11
A man regains his health by himself taking medicine and observing diet. But any action done by another cannot help him (to get rid of his disease).
To get rid of his disease, it is the sick man himself that must take medicine and observe the diet. If another man does this, the sick man's disease will not be cured. Śrī Bhagavatpāda mentions here both diet and medicine. It is implied that in the matter of release from samsāra, the former stands for the discipline of sādhanacatuştaya, and the latter for listening to the words of śruti and that both these are means to jñāna.
56
वस्तुस्वरूपं स्फुटबोधचक्षुषा स्वेनैव वेद्यं न तु पण्डितेन ।
चन्द्रस्वरूपं निजचक्षुषैव ज्ञातव्यमन्यैरवगम्यते किम् ॥५६॥ vastusvarūpam sphuţabodhacakṣuşā
svenaiva vedyam na tu paņditena 1 candrasvarūpam nijacakşuşaiva
jñātavyamanyairavagamyate kim 11
The nature of an object should be apprehended by oneself only through the eye of clear knowledge, but not from another though he may be a scholar. The nature of the moon should be known by seeing it with one's own eyes. Is it known through others?
sphutaḥ: undefiled by doubt etc; a knowledge that has risen from hearing, meditation and firm reflection (śravaņa, manana and nididhyasana) and which is free from every kind of imperfection.
vastusvarūpam: the nature of the ātman as it is, i.e., that it is non-different from the Paramātman.
svenaiva vedyam: must become the object of one's own comprehension; not to be learnt by a scholar (pandita) who is other than oneself. suka and Vāmadeva had direct realisation of Brahman and became liberated. But of what benefit was it to others? Sri Bhagavatpāda gives an apposite example. The nature of the moon which removes heat and generates joy must be known through one's own eyes. Can it be known by others bereft of eyes? Or, if it is seen by others who have eyes, can that remove the heat of this person or give him joy? Like that here.
