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VIVEKACUDAMAŅI
317
arises: by the śruti: Yatra tvasya sarvamātmaivābhūt tat kena kam paśyet (Brh.): "Where for him everything is ātman which can be seen by what?”; and by the Gītā text: raso'pyasya param dřstvā nivartate: “Seeing the Supreme, all his tastes (tendencies) turn back”, where will be the sense-objects? Where more will be thought of them and where, most of all, will be external action? When the vāsanā of thinking oneself as Brahman becomes strong, all the three made up of tendency, longing and action get annihilated.
aśnute: prāpnoti: attains.
318 For one who is not able to see everything as Brahman, the guru gives out a method by saying that the cause should be subdued by the subjugation of the effect.
क्रियानाशे भवेच्चिन्तानाशोऽस्माद्वासनाक्षयः ।
वासनाप्रक्षयो मोक्षः स जीवन्मुक्तिरिष्यते ॥३१८॥ kriyānāśe bhaveccintānāśo'smādvāsanākşayaḥ | vāsanāprakşayo mokşassa jīvanmuktirişyate 11
When the action is destroyed, longing ceases; that will lead to annihilation of vāsanā. The annulment of vāsanā is itself liberation. That is called jīvanmukti.
Jivanmukti: liberation while alive.
Each previous factor recalls the suceeding one. There will be no longing without vāsanā, and there will be no action without longing; the destruction of the cause is to be inferred from the destruction of the effect. Thus, effort should be made by a person till the state of 'no action' arises. Then, there arises complete destruction of vāsanās; that itself is liberation. Such a state is said to be jīvanmukti, liberation even while alive. For it is said: muktim prāhuḥ tadiha munayaḥ vāsanātānavam yat: "The munis say what is called mukti is attenuation of vāsanā.” Vāsanā is the subtle condition of a thing. Its attenuation means destruction.
After isyate: is desired or meant, brahmavibhiḥ, 'by those who know (have realised) Brahman' is understood.
319 That those three get annihilated when the vāsanā of being Brahman (sadbhava vāsanā) gets strengthened is explained with an illustration.
