THE WORKS OF SANKARA

VIVEKA CHUDAMANI

SLOKAS 451 TO 460

¢SÝy    uvac
åOanaEdyaÏp¤rarÖD|    kmI    åOana°    nÜy¢t    ,
AdÏva    ÞvPl|    lßym¤¢êÜyaEÏs¦¾baNvt¯    .451.

åOanaEdyaÏp¤rarÖD|

which has fashioned this body prior to the dawning of knowledge

kmI

the work

åOana° nÜy¢t

is not destroyed by that knowledge

AdÏva

without yielding

ÞvPl|

its fruits

lßym¤¢êÜyaEÏs¦¾baNvt¯

like the arrow shot at an object

451. The disciple said: Yes, all actions vanish after knowledge; but what of prior actions? Knowledge cannot destroy their effects, like an arrow that has been shot.

ÛyaG#b¤Ñ¯DYa ¢v¢nm¤I³aE baN: pàaäO¤ gaEmtaW ,
n ¢t¿¢t ¢CnäyEv lßy| vEgEn ¢nBIrm¯ .452.

ÛyaG#b¤Ñ¯DYa

with the idea that it is a tiger

¢v¢nm¤I³aE

which is shot

baN:

the arrow

pàaäO¤

then

gaEmtaW

when the object is perceived to be a cow

n ¢t¿¢t

does not

¢CnäyEv

but pierces the object

lßy|

check itself

vEgEn

force

¢nBIrm¯

with full

452. You shot a cow thinking it was a tiger and now you find your mistake; but the arrow completes its work.
½£g¤ââvac
p#arÖD|    blväOr|    Kl¤    ¢vda|    BaEgEn    tÞy    Xy:
sØyg¯    åOanh^taSnEn    ¢vly:    p#aÀs|¢ctaga¢mnam¯    ,
b#'aÏmWÀymvEßy    tÓmytya    yE    svIda    s|¢ÞTta    -
ÞtExa|    t¢ÏæOty|    n¢h    Àv¢cd¢p    b#'Wv    tE    ¢ng¤INm¯    .453.

½£g¤ââvac

The Guru said

p#arÖD|

Prarabdha work

blväOr| Kl¤

is certainly very strong

¢vda|

for the man

BaEgEn

of realization

tÞy Xy:

and is spent only

sØyg¯

by the actual

åOanh^taSnEn

by the fire of perfect knowledge

¢vly:

are destroyed

p#aÀs|¢ctaga¢mnam¯

previously accumulated

b#'aÏmWÀymvEßy

realizing their identity with Brahman

tÓmytya

that alone

yE svIda

are always

s|¢ÞTta

living

ÞtExa|

to those

t¢ÏæOty|

none of the three

n¢h

are not there

Àv¢cd¢p

always

b#'Wv

the transcendent Brahman

they

¢ng¤INm¯

are verily

453. The teacher says: Yes, you are right. Prarabdha is very powerful and will bring effects. knowledge destroys what has been accumulated and actions   in the future, but not what is done. But he who is in Brahman is unaffected by all   the three cases.
upa¢DtadaÏØy¢vh£nkEvl    -
b#'aÏmnWvaÏm¢n    ¢t¿taE    m¤nE:    ,
p#arÖDsëavkTa    n    y¤³a
Þvp"aTIs|bÓDkTEv    jag#t:    .454.

upa¢DtadaÏØy¢vh£nkEvl

devoid of identification with limiting adjuncts

b#'aÏmnWvaÏm¢n

in his own Self as Brahman, the one without a second

¢t¿taE

who lives

m¤nE:

for the sage

p#arÖDsëavkTa

the existence of Prarabdha work is

n y¤³a

meaningless

Þvp"aTIs|bÓDkTEv

having any connection with the objects seen in the dreamstate

jag#t:

of a man who has awakened from sleep

454. Prarabdha pertains to the upadhis, which do not affect one in Brahman. It is not correct to attribute things in a dream to one who is awake.
n    ¢h    p#b¤Ñ¯D:    p#¢tBasdEhE
dEhaEpyaE¢gÓy¢p    c    p#p·E    ,
kraEÏyhÓta|    mmta¢mdÓta|
¢kÓt¤    Þvy|    ¢t¿¢t    jagrEN    .455.

n ¢h

not there

p#b¤Ñ¯D:

who has awakened

p#¢tBasdEhE

with regard to his dreambody

dEhaEpyaE¢gÓy¢p c

and the dreamobjects that ministered to that body

p#p·E

in that world

kraEÏyhÓta|

any idea of "I"

mmta¢mdÓta|

or "Mine" and this is the object

¢kÓt¤

but

Þvy| ¢t¿¢t

lives, as his own Self

jagrEN

quite awake

455. One who is awake does not identify himself with the body or the   actions of the dream state. So too one awake in Brahman does not identify himself with the body of the dream state.

n    tÞy    ¢mÐyaTIsmTInEÅCa
n    s|g#hÞtÇjgtaE{¢p    è¾:    ,
tæOan¤v¦¢äOyI¢d    cEÓm¦xaT©I
n    ¢nd#ya    m¤³    it£ÝytE    D#¤vm¯    .456.

n tÞy

not, to him

¢mÐyaTIsmTInEÅCa

nor is he seen to maintain that dreamworld

n s|g#hÞtÇjgtaE{¢p

he has no desire to substantiate the unreal objects

è¾:

not to be seen

tæOan¤v¦¢äOyI¢d

if he still clings to those

cEÓm¦xaT©I

unreal objects

n ¢nd#ya

not yet, from sleep

m¤³ it£ÝytE

declared to be free

D#¤vm¯

emphatically

456. Therefore he does not subscribe to acquire what is unreal. If he does so, he is still in the dream state.
t¹ÏprE    b#'¢N    vtIman:
sdaÏmna    ¢t¿¢t    naÓyd£XtE    ,
Þm¦¢tyITa    Þvp"¢vlaE¢ktaT©I
tTa    ¢vd:    p#aSnmaEcnadaW    .457.

t¹ÏprE

similarly

b#'¢N

in Brahman

vtIman:

he who is absorbed

sdaÏmna

with that eternal Reality

¢t¿¢t

lives

naÓyd£XtE

and beholds nothing else

Þm¦¢tyITa

as one has a memory of the objects

seen in a dream

tTa ¢vd:

so the man of realization

p#aSnmaEcnadaW

of the everyday actions such as eating

457. So one in the Supreme state, sees nothing else.He lives in the world, but his actions in the world are like memories of the dream state.
kmINa ¢n¢mItaE dEh p#arÖD| tÞy kÚÔytam¯ ,
nanadEraÏmnaE y¤³| nWvaÏma kmI¢n¢mIt: .458.

kmINa

by Karma

¢n¢mItaE

has been fashined

dEh

the body

p#arÖD|

Prarabdha work

tÞy

with reference to it

kÚÔytam¯

one may imagine

nanadEraÏmnaE

to attribute the same to the Atman

y¤³|

not reasonable

nWvaÏma

for the Atman is never

kmI¢n¢mIt:

the outcome of work

458. This body is the result of actions and prarabdha pertains to the body.But the Atman is beyond the body and its prarabdha.

AjaE    ¢nÏy    Saát    i¢t    b#¥tE    ½¤¢trmaEGvakq    ,
tdaÏmna    ¢t¿taE{Þy    k[t:    p#arÖDkÚpna    .459.
AjaE "birthless

¢nÏy eternal

Saát i¢t and undecaying"

b#¥tE declare

½¤¢trmaEGvakq the Srutis,whose words are infallible

tdaÏmna identified with That (Atman)

¢t¿taE{Þy to the man who lives

k[t: how can

p#arÖDkÚpna Prarabdha work be attributed?

459. The scriptures affirm that the Atman is unborn, eternal, and universal and     that can never be false.
p#arÖD|    ¢sÒy¢t    tda    yda    dEhaÏmna    ¢ÞT¢t:    ,
dEhaÏmBavaE    nWvE¾:    p#arÖD|    ÏyÇytamt:    .460.
p#arÖD| Prarabdha work

¢sÒy¢t can be maintained

tda only so long

yda as

dEhaÏmna identified with the body

¢ÞT¢t: one lives

dEhaÏmBavaE ever identifies with the body

nWvE¾: no one admits

p#arÖD| Prarabdha work

ÏyÇytamt: hence, should be rejected in his case

460. One sees prarabdha while in the body, but giving up the body is giving    up the other.

PROCEED TO SLOKAS 461 TO 470 RETURN TO INDEX OF VIVEKA CHUDAMANI