Shloka 51
Mokṣa-dharma Yoga-Upadeśa: Equanimity, Sense-Restraint, and Vision of the Ātman (आत्मदर्शन-योगोपदेशः)
आत्मानमालोकयति मनसा प्रहसन्निव । तदेवमाश्रयं कृत्वा मोक्ष याति ततो मयेि,तत्त्वज्ञ जीव अपने-आपको शरीरसे पृथक् देखता है। वह शरीरके भीतर रहकर भी उसका त्याग करे--उसकी पृथकृताका अनुभव करके अपने स्वरूपभूत केवल परब्रह्म परमात्माका चिन्तन करता हुआ बुद्धिके सहयोगसे आत्माका साक्षात्कार करता है। उस समय वह यह सोचकर हँसता-सा रहता है कि अहो! मृगतृष्णामें प्रतीत होनेवाले जलकी भाँति मुझमें ही प्रतीत होनेवाले इस संसारने मुझे अबतक व्यर्थ ही भ्रममें डाल रखा था। जो इस प्रकार परमात्माका दर्शन करता है, वह उसीका आश्रय लेकर अन्तमें मुझमें ही मुक्त हो जाता है (अर्थात् अपने-आपमें ही परमात्माका अनुभव करने लगता है)
ātmānam ālokayati manasā prahasann iva | tad evam āśrayaṃ kṛtvā mokṣaṃ yāti tato mayi ||
The brāhmaṇa said: With his mind he beholds the Self, as though smiling. Taking refuge in That alone in this manner, he attains liberation—thereafter abiding in Me. The knower of truth sees himself as distinct from the body; even while dwelling within it, he inwardly relinquishes it by realizing its separateness. Fixing his contemplation on the one Supreme Brahman, he comes to direct realization of the Self with the aid of discerning intelligence. Then he remains almost laughing at the thought: “Alas! like water imagined in a mirage, this world—appearing only within me—has kept me deluded in vain until now.” One who thus beholds the Supreme takes refuge in Him and finally becomes free in Me—meaning, he comes to experience the Supreme as his own very Self.
ब्राह्मण उवाच
Educational Q&A
Liberation arises from discriminative knowledge: recognizing the Self as distinct from the body, taking refuge in the Supreme Reality alone, and realizing that the world’s binding power is like a mirage—an appearance that vanishes upon true insight.
A brāhmaṇa-teacher describes the inner state of a truth-knower: he contemplates the Self, inwardly renounces identification with the body, realizes the Supreme, and then ‘smiles’ at his former delusion; by relying on that Supreme, he attains final freedom, described as abiding in (or as) the Supreme.