THE WORKS OF SANKARA

VIVEKA CHUDAMANI

SLOKAS 551 TO 560

   
p#arÖDkmIp¢rk¢Úptvasna¢B:
s|sa¢rvÅcr¢t    B¤¢³x¤    m¤³dEh:    ,
¢sѯD:    Þvy|    vs¢t    sa¢XvdæO    t¥ÝN£|
c@Þy    m¥l¢mv    kÚp¢vkÚpS¥n:    .   551   .  
p#arÖDkmIp¢rk¢Úptvasna¢B:    through desires engendered by the Prarabdha work
s|sa¢rvÅcr¢t   moves in the Samsara
B¤¢³x¤   amid sense-objects
m¤³dEh:   the man of realization,bereft of the bodyidea
¢sѯD:   Þvy|   like a man subject to transmigration
vs¢t   lives
sa¢XvdæO   like the witness
t¥ÝN£|   unmoved
c@Þy   of the potter's wheel
m¥l¢mv   like the pivot
kÚp¢vkÚpS¥n:   free from mental oscillation
 
551. The libberated soul  submits to the results of  his prarabdha  karma, but  remains established  in  Brahman, a witness  like  the  motionless  pivot  of  the   potter's  wheel.    
nWvE¢Ód#ya¢N    ¢vxyEx¤    ¢ny¤|³    ex
nWvapy¤|³    updSInlXNÞT:    ,
nEv    ¢@yPlmp£xdvEXtE    s
ÞvanÓdsaÓd#rspans¤mäO¢cäO:    .   552   .  
nWvE¢Ód#ya¢N   neither, sense-organs
¢vxyEx¤   to their objects
¢ny¤|³  ex   he, directs
nWvapy¤|³   nor detaches them from these
updSInlXNÞT:   but stays like an unconcerned spectator
nEv   ¢@yPlmp£xdvEXtE   s   and he has not the least regard for the fruits of actions
ÞvanÓdsaÓd#rspans¤mäO¢cäO:    his mind being thoroughly inebriated with drinking the undiluted elixir of the Bliss of the Atman

552. The  knower  of  Brahman  neither  engages nor disengages his  senses in   or from the  sense  objects he encounters, and is impervious to their pleasures as he  is  always  intoxicated  with  the  nectar  of Brahman.  
lßyalßyg¢t|    ÏyÀÏva    y¢Þt¿EÏkEvlaÏmna    ,
¢Sv    ev    Þvy|    saXady|    b#'¢vѤäOm:    .   553   .  
lßyalßyg¢t|   all considerations of the fitness or otherwise of objectsof meditation
ÏyÀÏva   giving up
y¢Þt¿EÏkEvlaÏmna   he who, lives as the Absolute Atman
¢Sv   ev   is verily Shiva
Þvy|   Himself
saXady|   and he is the best
b#'¢vѤäOm:   among the knowers of Brahman.
 
553. He is  a  personification of  Siva,  the  best  of  the  knowers of Brahman, who gives up all aims and objects, pains and pleasures and remains always in the Supreme.  
j£v°Ev    sda    m¤³:    k]taTa©I    b#'¢väOm:    ,
upa¢DnaSadq    b#'Wv    sn¯    b#'aÔyE¢t    ¢nrq¹ym¯    .   554   .  
j£v°Ev   while living
sda   always
m¤³:   becomes ever free
k]taTa©I   and attains the goal of his life
b#'¢väOm:   the perfect knower of Brahman
upa¢DnaSadq   through the destruction of limitations
b#'Wv   sn¯   is merged in the One Brahman
b#'aÔyE¢t   which he had been all along
¢nrq¹ym¯   without a second
 
554. Living  thus, always  free,with the destruction of  the  upadhis, he  becomes one with the Brahman.    
SWl¥xaE    vExsëavaBavyaEà    yTa    p¤man¯    ,
tTWv    b#'¢vÅC®E¿:    sda    b#'Wv    napr:    .   555   .  
SWl¥xaE   an actor
vExsëavaBavyaEà   when he puts on the dress of his role,or when he does not
yTa   as
p¤man¯   is a man
tTWv   so
b#'¢vÅC®E¿:   the perfect knower of Brahman
sda   always
b#'Wv   is Brahman
napr:   and nothing else.
 
555. Different  dresses make for different  characters, but the  actor is  always the same;  so too, Brahman  remains  the same, whatever be the  name  or form assumed.
 
yæO    Àva¢p    ¢vS£NI|    stpNI¢mv    traEvIp¤:    ptnat¯    ,
b#'£B¥tÞy    ytE:    p#agEv    t¢Åcd¢g"na    dÂDm¯    .   556   .  
yæO   Àva¢p   anywhere
¢vS£NI|   dried
stpNI¢mv   the leaf
traEvIp¤:   of a tree, the body
ptnat¯   wither and fall
b#'£B¥tÞy   who has realized his identity with Brahman
ytE:   of the Sannyasin
p#agEv   is has already
t¢Åcd¢g"na   by the fire of knowledge
dÂDm¯   been burnt
 
556. The leaf that falls from  the  tree  dries up; so  too is the  body burnt  in  the   fire of  knowledge when the aspirant attains Brahman.  
sdaÏm¢n    b#'¢N    ¢t¿ta    m¤nE:
p¥NaI{¹yanÓdmyaÏmna    sda    ,
n    dESkala濫ctp#t£Xa
ÏvHqma|s¢vzq¢pÎf¢vsjInay    .   557   .
 
sdaÏm¢n   in the Reality
b#'¢N   Brahman
¢t¿ta   lives
m¤nE:   the sage who
p¥NaI{¹yanÓdmyaÏmna   as Infinite Bliss,the One without a second
sda   always
n   dESkala濫ctp#t£Xa   does not depend upon the customary considerations of place, time, etc.
ÏvHqma|s¢vzq¢pÎf¢vsjInay    for giving up this mass of skin, flesh and filth

557. Time,  place, or circumstance, in  giving  up  the body, should be of no consequence for one who is always set in Brahman.
dEhÞy    maEXaE    naE    maEXaE    n    dÎfs    kmÎflaE:    ,
A¢vïa¶dyg#¢ÓTmaEXaE    maEXaE    ytÞtt:    .   558   .  
dEhÞy   of the body
maEXaE   for the giving up
naE   maEXaE   is not liberation
n   dÎfs   nor that of the staff
kmÎflaE:   and the water bowl
A¢vïa¶dyg#¢ÓTmaEXaE    but, consists in the destruction of the heart's knot
maEXaE   liberation
ytÞtt:   which is nescience.
 
558. Liberation  consists in  tearing the knots of ignorance from the heart, not  in     giving  up the body, or giving up the staff or the pot that the Sanyasi has.
k[ÚyayamT    nïa|    va    ¢SvXEæOE{¢p    cÏvrE    ,
pNI|    pt¢t    cEäOEn    traE:    ¢k|       S¤BaS¤Bm¯    .   559   .  
k[ÚyayamT   in a small stream
nïa|   va   or a river
¢SvXEæOE{¢p   or a place consecrated to Shiva
cÏvrE   or in a crossing of roads
pNI|   pt¢t   a leaf falls
cEäOEn   traE:   that to the tree
¢k|    of what
S¤BaS¤Bm¯   good or evil effects is
 
559. The leaf may fall anywhere, in  a ditch, a field, or a  temple yard, but that means nothing  to the tree.
 
pæOÞy    p¤ÝpÞy    PlÞy    naSvdqdEhE¢Ód#yp#aN¢Dya|    ¢vnaS:    ,
nWvaÏmn:    ÞvÞy    sdaÏmkÞyanndak]tErqv¦Xvd¢Þt    cWx:    .   560   .  
pæOÞy   of a leaf
p¤ÝpÞy   or flower
PlÞy   or fruit (to a tree)
naSvdq   the destruction
dEhE¢Ód#yp#aN¢Dya|   of the body, organs, Pranas and Buddhi is
¢vnaS:   the destruction
nWvaÏmn:   not affect the Atman
ÞvÞy   one's
sdaÏmkÞya   the Embodiment of Bliss
nndak]tErqv¦Xvd¢Þt   true nature, like the tree
cWx:   that survives.
 
560 The  destruction  of the  body,  senses,  vital  forces,  mind, islike the destruction of the leaf, flower or fruit. The  Atman remains blissful, like the tree.        
PROCEED TO SLOKAS 561 TO 570
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