Vivek Chudamani

Author(s): Shankaracharya, Madhavanand Swami
Publisher: Advaita Ashram

Page 6

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4. The man who having by some means obtained a human birth, with a male body and mastery of the Vedas to boot, is foolish enough not to exert for self-liberation, verily commits suicide, for he kills himself by clinging to things unreal.
VIVEKACHUDAMANI
इतः को न्वस्ति मूढात्मा यस्तु स्वार्थे प्रमाद्यति । दुर्लभं मानुषं देहं प्राप्य तत्रापि पौरुषम् ॥ ५ ॥
5. What greater fool is there than the man who having obtained a rare human body, and a masculine body too, neglects to achieve the real end' of this life?
['The real end &c.-viz., Liberation.] om वदन्तु शास्त्राणि यजन्तु देवान्
कुर्वन्तु कर्माणि भजन्तु देवताः । आत्मैक्यबोधेन विनापि मुक्ति
र्न सिध्यति ब्रह्मशतान्तरेऽपि ॥ ६ ॥
6. Let people quote scriptures and sacrifice to the gods, let them perform rituals and worship the deities, there is no Liberation for anyone without the realisation of one's identity with the Atman, no, not even in the lifetime' of a hundred Brahmâs put together.
[1Lifetime &c.-i.e., an indefinite length of time. One day of Brahmâ (the Creator) is equivalent to 432 million years of human computation, which is supposed to be the duration of the world.]
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