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VIVEKACŪDAMAŅI
385
vam vidvān amrta iha bhavati: "Knowing Him-Brahman-thus, one becomes immortal here"; kşinaḥ klesaiḥ janmamȚtyuprahānih: “On the cessation of all griefs there is destruction of birth and death"; jñātvā śivam śāntim atyantameti (Chand.): "Knowingrealising—the auspicious, one attains infinite peace" etc. Also: samāne vrkṣe puruso nimagno'nāśayā socati muhyamānaḥ justam yadā paśyatyanyamāśam asya mahimānamiti vītaśokaḥ 11 (Mund.): "Immersed in the body and deluded by it, one grieves helplessly. When one sees the lord—the ātman-other than the anātman-extolled by the great, one attains eminence getting rid of all grief."
By this śloka the meaning conveyed in the previous sloka is proved by the reference to the fruit, namely, that the knowledge of the true nature of the ātman results in absolute and complete removal of sorrow while knowledge of the anātman is bad fruit.
398
To the question how the form of pure auspiciousness accrues to the ātman, it is replied:
स्वात्मन्यारोपिताशेषाभासवस्तुनिरासतः।
स्वयमेव परं ब्रह्म पूर्णमद्वयमक्रियम् ॥३९८॥ svātmanyāropitāśeşābhāsavastunirāsataḥ, svayameva param brahma pūrņam advayam akriyam 11
By the removal of all impure features super-imposed on the ātman, one remains as the supreme Brahman, the infinite, non-dual and non-acting. svātmani āropitāni: imagined, super-imposed by mere ajñāna.
aśeşābhāsavastūni: all the things of the nature of the anātman and with impure qualities.
nirāsataḥ: by being destroyed by śruti, yukti and nididhyāsana, scripture, reasoning and contemplation,
svayameva param brahma pūrņam advayam akriyam: one is oneself the supreme Brahman, the plenal, secondless and actionless. This is supported by a statement of the wise: anveștavyātmavijñānāt prāk pramātặtvamātmanaḥ 1 anvistassyāt pramātaiva pāpmadoşādivarjitah | gaunamithyātmano'sattve putradehädibādhanāti sadbrahmätmähamityevam bodhe kāryam katham bhavet 11 : “The ātman is known as a pramātā, knower, before the knowledge of the atman which has to be sought arises. When it has been sought and attained, it is free from the taint of knowership etc. When this is cancelled by the realisation 'I am the Reality which is Brahman', V.C.-26
