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352
VIVEKACŪDAMAŅI
As gold heated in a fire gives up its impurities and attains its own lustrous nature, so too does the mind discard its impurity of sattva, rajas and tamas and attains the Real.
suvarnam puţapākaśodhitam: this refers to a process for the removal in a crucible of the impurities which conceal the real nature of an object.
puţapāka: connection with fire along with red clay in a crucible. (tena) sodhitam: its impurities separated (by it).
tyaktvā malam svätmagunam samrcchati yathā: as such gold giving up impurities, attains its real nature of brightness.
So too, in respect of the mind, i.e., the antahkarana which is impure on account of sattva, rajas and tamas. Though in accord with the statements: "effect the removal of your super-imposition by taking hold of native sattva" (see śl. 279 above), and with the Gītā text: nirdvandvo nityasattvastho bhava: "be free from duality, ever established in sattva", it is difficult to speak of the impurity of the sattvaguna not vitiated by rajas or tamas; yet, by the statement sattvam śuddhena naśyati: "sattva is destroyed by the cognition of the Suddha (Brahman)" and by the Gītā text: sa gunan samatītyaitān brahmabhūyāya kalpate; nistraigunyo bhavārjuna: "Transcending these gunas, he qualifies for Brahmanhood"; "O! Arjuna, be devoid of the three guņas", for the destruction of the rajas and tamoguņas, the mind discards its affiliation of the sattvaguņa also, belonging as that does to the realm of mithyā, the sattva also should be considered as impure. This is supported by the following text: nāsvādayet rasam tatra nissangaḥ prajñayā bhavet (Gaudapāda): "One should not taste any essence there, one should remain in one's consciousness absolutely unattached”, which means even the tasting of the (pure) or (sättvic) rasa should be given up. As it is said: yena tyajasi tat tyaja (Mahābhārata): "That by which you renounce, renounce that too." bhūyaścānte viśvamāyānivrttih: "At the end there will arise the cessation of the cosmic māyā”, and as māyā which is only of the nature of suddha sattva is said to disappear, the suddha sattva too being mithyā, must be deemed to be sullied.
neha nānāsti kiñcana: "there is no plurality here even in the least" which emphasises the non-appropriatenes (in the ātman) of the realisation of the guna and the guņin, the qualification and the qualified.
dhyānena samtyajya sameti tattvam: “discarding all gunas by dhyāna on the nirguņa Brahman, one attains Brahman". For, Brah
