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166
VIVEKACŪDĀMAŅI
By (ajñāna which is of the nature of tamas) an undiscriminating man mistakes what is not a thing as that thing. This is due to lack of discrimination. This is like thinking a serpent to be a rope. Then great calamities befall one subject to it. Hence, listen, my friend! Taking unreal things to be real is what constitutes bondage.
To the man devoid of discrimination, due to the tamas of ajñāna, there arises the idea of ātman (tadbuddih) in the body, etc., which are not the ātman (atasmin). An example is given for this. Due to absence of discrimination, when actually a serpent is before a person, not being able to differentiate, he is not aware 'this is not a a rope'; but taking it to be a rope he lifts it up and suffers untold misery therefrom. Even so, thinking the anātman to be the ātman he is subject to life-long misery. Therefore, it is concluded that asadgrahanam, taking a thing to be something else different form it is bindage.
rajjudhişanā: rajjuh buddhih: the idea that it is a rope. hi indicates certainty. sa hi bhavati bandhaḥ: it certainly becomes bondage. Listen well to this, friend.
The usual way of speaking of the super-imposition is to mistake a rope (which is the adhişthāna) for a serpent (the aropita). Here this illustration is reversed; the serpent is taken as the adhişthāna and the rope as the arcpita. This is done to bring out the disastrous consequence of taking the anātman as the ātman.
141 The answer to the question: 'How did this (bondage) arise?' is begun.
अखण्डनित्याद्वयबोधशक्त्या स्फुरन्तमात्मानमनन्तवैभवम् । समावृणोत्यावृतिशक्तिरेषा तमोमयी राहुरिवार्कबिम्बम् ॥ १४१ ॥ akhandanityädvayabodhaśaktyā
sphurantamātmānam anantavaibhavam samāvrņotyāvrtiśaktireșā
tamomayī rāhurivārkabimbam 11
Like Rāhu concealing the orb of the sun, this concealing power envelops the ātman of infinite glory, which is eternal and non-dual, manifesting itself by the power of knowledge,
