Sarvasara

Verse 1

कथं बन्धः कथं मोक्षः का विद्या काऽविद्येति। जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तितुरीयं च कथम्। अन्नमयप्राणमयमनोमयविज्ञानमयानन्दमयकोशाः कथम्। कर्ता जीवः पञ्चवर्गः क्षेत्रज्ञः साक्षी कूटस्थोऽन्तर्यामी कथम्। प्रत्यगात्...

How is bondage? How is liberation? What is knowledge, and what is ignorance? And how are the states of waking, dream, deep sleep, and the Fourth (turīya) to be understood? How are the sheaths—of food, vital breath (prāṇa), mind, intellect (vijñāna), and bliss—to be understood? How are to be understood the agent, the individual soul (jīva), the fivefold group, the knower of the field, the Witness, the immutable (kūṭastha), the Inner Ruler? How are to be understood the inward Self, the Supreme Self, and māyā?

Verse 2

आत्मेश्वरजीवः अनात्मनां देहादीनामात्मत्वेनाभिमन्यते सोऽभिमान आत्मनो बन्धः। तन्निवृत्तिर्मोक्षः॥२॥

The Self—both as Lord and as the individual—takes the non-Self, such as the body and the like, to be the Self; that identification (abhimāna) is the bondage of the Self. The cessation of that is liberation.

Verse 3

या तदभिमानं कारयति सा अविद्या। सोऽभिमानो यया निवर्तते सा विद्या॥३॥

That which causes this identification is ignorance. That by which this identification ceases is knowledge.

Verse 4

मन आदिचतुर्दशकरणैः पुष्कलैरादित्याद्यनुगृहीतैः शब्दादीन् विषयान् स्थूलान् यदोपलभते तदात्मनो जागरणम्। तद्वासनासहितैश्चतुर्दशकरणैः शब्दाद्यभावेऽपि वासनामयाञ्छब्दादीन् यदोपलभते तदात्मनः स्वप्नम्। चतुर्दश...

When the mind, together with the fourteen instruments (the senses and inner faculties), abundant and supported by the sun and the like, apprehends gross objects such as sound, that is the Self’s waking state. When, with those same fourteen instruments accompanied by latent impressions (vāsanās), it apprehends impression-formed sounds and the like even in the absence of external sound and the like, that is the Self’s dream. When the fourteen-instrument complex, due to the absence of distinct cognition apart from the Supreme, does not apprehend sound and the like, that is the Self’s deep sleep. When there is continuous consciousness, the witness of the presence and absence of the three states, devoid of any intrinsic modification, that is called the “fourth” (turīya) consciousness.

Verse 5

अन्नकार्याणां कोशानां समूहोऽन्नमयः कोश उच्यते। प्राणादिचतुर्दशवायुभेदा अन्नमयकोशे यदा वर्तन्ते तदा प्राणमयः कोश इत्युच्यते। एतत्कोशद्वयसंसक्तं मन आदिचतुर्दशकरणैरात्मा शब्दादिविषयसङ्कल्पादीन् धर्मान् य...

The aggregate of the sheaths that are products of food is called the food-made sheath (annamaya kośa). When the fourteen divisions of the vital airs beginning with prāṇa operate within the food-made sheath, it is called the vital-made sheath (prāṇamaya kośa). When the Self, conjoined with these two sheaths, by means of the mind and the other fourteen instruments, performs functions such as volition regarding objects like sound, then it is called the mind-made sheath (manomaya kośa). When, conjoined with these three sheaths, the knower of particularities present therein shines forth, then it is called the knowledge-made sheath (vijñānamaya kośa). When, conjoined with these four sheaths, it abides in ignorance of its own cause—like a tree present in a banyan seed—then it is called the bliss-made sheath (ānandamaya kośa).

Verse 6

सुखदुःखबुद्ध्या श्रेयोऽन्तः कर्ता यदा तदा इष्टविषये बुद्धिः सुखबुद्धिरनिष्टविषये बुद्धिर्दुःखबुद्धिः। शब्दस्पर्शरूपरसगन्धाः सुखदुःखहेतवः। पुण्यपापकर्मानुसारी भूत्वा प्राप्तशरीरसंयोगमप्राप्तशरीरसंयोगमि...

When, through the cognition of pleasure and pain, there is an inner agent concerned with what is beneficial, then in a desired object the cognition is a pleasure-cognition, and in an undesired object the cognition is a pain-cognition. Sound, touch, form, taste, and smell are causes of pleasure and pain. When one is seen to follow merit and demerit, producing as it were conjunction with a body already obtained and conjunction with a body not yet obtained, then it is called the conditioned individual (upahita jīva).

Verse 7

मन आदिश्च प्राणादिश्चेच्छादिश्च सत्त्वादिश्च पुण्यादिश्चैते पञ्चवर्गा इति। एतेषां पञ्चवर्गाणां धर्मीभूतात्मा ज्ञानादृते न विनश्यति। आत्मसन्निधौ नित्यत्वेन प्रतीयमान आत्मोपाधिर्यस्तल्लिङ्गशरीरं हृद्ग्र...

“Mind and the rest, breath and the rest, desire and the rest, sattva and the rest, merit and the rest”—these are said to be five groups. The Ātman, as the substratum (dharmin) of these five groups, does not perish except in the absence of knowledge. That adjunct (upādhi) of the Ātman which, in the proximity of the Ātman, is apprehended as eternal—this is called the subtle body (liṅga-śarīra), also the knot of the heart (hṛd-granthi).

Verse 8

तत्र यत्प्रकाशते चैतन्यं स क्षेत्रज्ञ इत्युच्यते॥८॥

There, that consciousness which shines forth is called the Knower of the Field (kṣetrajña).

Verse 9

ज्ञातृज्ञानज्ञेयानामाविर्भावतिरोभावज्ञाता स्वयमाविर्भावतिरोभावरहितः स्वयंज्योतिः साक्षीत्युच्यते॥९॥

The knower of the appearance and disappearance of the knower, knowledge, and the known—(that principle) itself is free from appearance and disappearance; self-luminous, it is called the Witness (sākṣin).

Verse 10

ब्रह्मादिपिपीलिकापर्यन्तं सर्वप्राणिबुद्धिष्ववशिष्टतयोपलभ्यमानः सर्वप्राणिबुद्धिस्थो यदा तदा कूटस्थ इत्युच्यते॥१०॥

That which, from Brahmā down to the ant, is apprehended as the unchanging residual remainder in the intellects of all beings—present in the intellect of every living creature—then and in that respect is called “kūṭastha,” the immutable, abiding Self.

Verse 11

कूटस्थोपहितभेदानां स्वरूपलाभहेतुर्भूत्वा मणिगणे सूत्रमिव सर्वक्षेत्रेष्वनुस्यूतत्वेन यदा काश्यते आत्मा तदान्तर्यामीत्युच्यते॥११॥

When the Self, becoming the cause for the recognition of the true nature of the differences conditioned by the kūṭastha, shines as threaded through all fields (bodies and minds), like a string through a collection of gems—then it is called the “antaryāmin,” the inner ruler.

Verse 12

सत्यं ज्ञानमनन्तं ब्रह्म । सत्यमविनाशि । अविनाशि नाम देशकालवस्तुनिमित्तेषु विनश्यत्सु यन्न विनश्यति तदविनाशि । ज्ञानं नामोत्पत्तिविनाशरहितं नैरन्तर्यं चैतन्यं ज्ञानमुच्यते । अनन्तं नाम मृद्विकारेषु मृ...

Brahman is truth, knowledge, and infinite. Truth is imperishable. “Imperishable” means: when space, time, objects, and causes perish, that which does not perish is imperishable. “Knowledge” means the continuous consciousness free from origination and destruction; that is called knowledge. “Infinite” means the full, all-pervading consciousness—like clay in clay-modifications, like gold in gold-modifications, like thread in thread-modifications—present throughout the manifested cosmos beginning with the unmanifest; that is called infinite. “Bliss (ānanda)” means: whose nature is happiness-consciousness, an immeasurable ocean of bliss, and the residual essence of happiness; that is called bliss.

Verse 13

एतद्वस्तुचतुष्टयं यस्य लक्षणं देशकालवस्तुनिमित्तेष्वव्यभिचारि तत्पदार्थः परमात्मेत्युच्यते॥१३॥

That referent whose defining mark is non-deviation (invariance) with respect to place, time, object, and cause—this is the meaning of the word “tat” (That); it is called the Supreme Self (Paramātman).

Verse 14

त्वंपदार्थादौपाधिकात्तत्पदार्थादौपाधिकभेदाद्विलक्षणमाकाशवत्सूक्ष्मं केवलसत्तामात्रस्वभावं परं ब्रह्मेत्युच्यते॥१४॥ माया नाम अनादिरन्तवती प्रमाणाप्रमाणसाधारणा न सती नासती न सदसती स्वयमधिका विकाररहिता न...

That which is distinct from the conditioned meaning of “tvam” and from the conditioned meaning of “tat” due to the difference of their limiting adjuncts—subtle like space, of the nature of mere existence alone—is called the supreme Brahman. “Māyā” is beginningless yet has an end; it is implicated in both valid and invalid knowledge; it is neither real, nor unreal, nor both; it is self-dependent, free from modification; when examined it is devoid of any definable characteristic other than being “other than the real”—that is called māyā. Ignorance (ajñāna), though insubstantial and unreal, is, even in the three times, taken by the ignorant as truly existent; for worldly people it is indescribable as “this is thus”—it cannot be definitively stated.

Verse 15

अज्ञानं तुच्छाप्यसती कालत्रयेऽपि पामराणां वास्तवी च सत्त्वबुद्धिर्लौकिकानामिदमित्थमित्यनिर्वचनीया वक्तुं न शक्या॥१५॥

Ignorance (ajñāna)—though insubstantial and unreal—is, even in the three times, regarded by the ignorant as truly existent; for worldly people it is indescribable as “this is thus”; it cannot be definitively stated.

Verse 16

नाहं भवाम्यहं देवो नेन्द्रियाणि दशैव तु । न बुद्धिर्न मनः शश्वन्नाहङ्कारस्तथैव च ॥ अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्रो बुद्ध्यादीनां हि सर्वदा । साक्ष्यहं सर्वदा नित्यश्चिन्मात्रोऽहं न संशयः ॥ नाहं कर्ता नैव भोक्त...

I am not a becoming entity; I am not a god; nor am I the ten senses. I am not the intellect, not the mind; nor indeed the ego-sense. I am without vital-breath and without mind, pure, ever beyond the modifications of intellect and the rest. I am ever the Witness, eternal, consciousness alone—without doubt. I am not the agent, nor the enjoyer; I am of the nature of the Witness of Prakṛti. By my mere presence the body and the rest function, as though non-inert. I am immovable, eternal, ever-blissful, pure, consisting of knowledge, stainless. I am the Self of all beings, all-pervading, the Witness—without doubt. I am Brahman alone, knowable through all Vedānta; I am not an object of knowledge such as space, wind, and the like. I am not form, not name, not action; I am Brahman alone, whose nature is Existence–Consciousness–Bliss.

Verse 17

नाहं भवाम्यहं देवो नेन्द्रियाणि दशैव तु । न बुद्धिर्न मनः शश्वन्नाहङ्कारस्तथैव च ॥ अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्रो बुद्ध्यादीनां हि सर्वदा । साक्ष्यहं सर्वदा नित्यश्चिन्मात्रोऽहं न संशयः ॥ नाहं कर्ता नैव भोक्त...

I am not a becoming entity; I am not a god; nor am I the ten senses. I am not the intellect, not the mind; nor indeed the ego-sense. I am without vital-breath and without mind, pure, ever beyond the modifications of intellect and the rest. I am ever the Witness, eternal, consciousness alone—without doubt. I am not the agent, nor the enjoyer; I am of the nature of the Witness of Prakṛti. By my mere presence the body and the rest function, as though non-inert. I am immovable, eternal, ever-blissful, pure, consisting of knowledge, stainless. I am the Self of all beings, all-pervading, the Witness—without doubt. I am Brahman alone, knowable through all Vedānta; I am not an object of knowledge such as space, wind, and the like. I am not form, not name, not action; I am Brahman alone, whose nature is Existence–Consciousness–Bliss.

Verse 18

नाहं भवाम्यहं देवो नेन्द्रियाणि दशैव तु । न बुद्धिर्न मनः शश्वन्नाहङ्कारस्तथैव च ॥ अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्रो बुद्ध्यादीनां हि सर्वदा । साक्ष्यहं सर्वदा नित्यश्चिन्मात्रोऽहं न संशयः ॥ नाहं कर्ता नैव भोक्त...

I am not a becoming entity; I am not a god; nor am I the ten senses. I am not the intellect, not the mind; nor indeed the ego-sense. I am without vital-breath and without mind, pure, ever beyond the modifications of intellect and the rest. I am ever the Witness, eternal, consciousness alone—without doubt. I am not the agent, nor the enjoyer; I am of the nature of the Witness of Prakṛti. By my mere presence the body and the rest function, as though non-inert. I am immovable, eternal, ever-blissful, pure, consisting of knowledge, stainless. I am the Self of all beings, all-pervading, the Witness—without doubt. I am Brahman alone, knowable through all Vedānta; I am not an object of knowledge such as space, wind, and the like. I am not form, not name, not action; I am Brahman alone, whose nature is Existence–Consciousness–Bliss.

Verse 19

नाहं भवाम्यहं देवो नेन्द्रियाणि दशैव तु । न बुद्धिर्न मनः शश्वन्नाहङ्कारस्तथैव च ॥ अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्रो बुद्ध्यादीनां हि सर्वदा । साक्ष्यहं सर्वदा नित्यश्चिन्मात्रोऽहं न संशयः ॥ नाहं कर्ता नैव भोक्त...

I am not this becoming; I am not a god, nor am I the ten senses. I am neither intellect nor mind; likewise I am not the ego-sense. I am without vital-breath, indeed without mind, pure—ever the witness of intellect and the rest. I am always the witness, eternal, consciousness alone—without doubt. I am not the agent, nor indeed the enjoyer; I have the form of the witness of Prakṛti. By my mere presence the body and the rest function, as if non-sentient things were acting. I am unmoving, eternal, ever-blissful, pure, made of knowledge, stainless. I am the Self of all beings, all-pervading, the witness—without doubt. I alone am Brahman, knowable through all Vedānta; I am not an object of knowledge having the form of space, wind, and the like. I am not form, I am not name, I am not action; I alone am Brahman, of the nature of existence-consciousness-bliss (Sat-Cit-Ānanda).

Verse 20

नाहं भवाम्यहं देवो नेन्द्रियाणि दशैव तु । न बुद्धिर्न मनः शश्वन्नाहङ्कारस्तथैव च ॥ अप्राणो ह्यमनाः शुभ्रो बुद्ध्यादीनां हि सर्वदा । साक्ष्यहं सर्वदा नित्यश्चिन्मात्रोऽहं न संशयः ॥ नाहं कर्ता नैव भोक्त...

I am not this becoming; I am not a god, nor am I the ten senses. I am neither intellect nor mind; likewise I am not the ego-sense. I am without vital-breath, indeed without mind, pure—ever the witness of intellect and the rest. I am always the witness, eternal, consciousness alone—without doubt. I am not the agent, nor indeed the enjoyer; I have the form of the witness of Prakṛti. By my mere presence the body and the rest function, as if non-sentient things were acting. I am unmoving, eternal, ever-blissful, pure, made of knowledge, stainless. I am the Self of all beings, all-pervading, the witness—without doubt. I alone am Brahman, knowable through all Vedānta; I am not an object of knowledge having the form of space, wind, and the like. I am not form, I am not name, I am not action; I alone am Brahman, of the nature of existence-consciousness-bliss (Sat-Cit-Ānanda).

Verse 21

नाहं देहो जन्ममृत्यु कुतो मे नाहं प्राणः क्षुत्पिपासे कुतो मे । नाहं चेतः शोकमोहौ कुतो मे नाहं कर्ता बन्धमोक्षौ कुतो मे इत्युपनिषत् ॥

I am not the body; whence could birth and death be for me? I am not the vital-breath (prāṇa); whence could hunger and thirst be for me? I am not the mind-stuff; whence could grief and delusion be for me? I am not the agent; whence could bondage and liberation be for me?—thus teaches the Upaniṣad.