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VIVEKACŪDAMANI
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तस्मात्सर्वप्रयत्नेन भवबन्धविमुक्तये । स्वेनैव यत्नः कर्तव्यो रोगादेरिव पण्डितैः ॥ ६८ ॥
tasmātsarvaprayatnena bhavabandhavimuktaye | svenaiva yatnaḥ kartavyo rogāderiva punditaiḥ 11
Hence the wise must themselves strive by every means for release from the bonds of saṁsāra as from disease, etc.
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tasmāt: therefore: that is, because a person's bondage cannot be got rid of by another, so, he himself must strive for it by the following means: acquiring the sadhanacatuṣṭaya qualification, humbly approaching his guru, listening to the vedanta texts which he teaches, meditating on their meaning, concentrating on the same to the exclusion of all other ideas, and comprehending the truth of Brahman in the state of nirvikalpa niṣṭhā and then attain mokşa. Merely by uttering the word Brahman liberation cannot be secured.
sarvaprayatnena: by every means, by the effort of śravana etc., mentioned earlier.
bhavabandhavimuktaye: for the liberation from the bonds of samsāra commencing from avidya and ending with the body.
svenaiva: by themselves, by those who are caught up in the samsārabandha, shackles of samsara.
panditaiḥ: by the wise.
rogādeḥ: from disease etc., i.e., from disease, hunger, thirst etc. As medicine, food and water have to be taken by oneself to get rid of disease, hunger and thirst respectively, so, by oneself should the effort be made to get rid of bhavabandha.
The idea is that having very firmly acquired the sadhanacatusṭaya made up of viveka and the rest, a sadguru, one who has realised the Sadvastu i.e., Brahman, should be sought and approached.
The appropriateness of this meaning is evident from the insistence twice already that one must endeavour by every means to obtain liberation.
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Having thus eulogised the śisya who has acquired intense longing for liberation (tivra mumukṣā) the guru applauds his question
