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Shloka 17

Brahmopadeśa on Saṃnyāsa, Tapas, and Jñāna (ब्रह्मोपदेशः—संन्यासतपोज्ञानविमर्शः)

इस वृक्षपर रहनेवाले (मन-बुद्धिरूप) दो पक्षी हैं, जो नित्य क्रियाशील होनेपर भी अचेतन हैं। इन दोनोंसे श्रेष्ठ अन्य (आत्मा) है, वह ज्ञानसम्पन्न कहा जाता है ।।

vayudeva uvāca | asmin vṛkṣe paryavasthitau (mano-buddhi-rūpau) dvau pakṣiṇau staḥ, yau nityaṃ kriyāśīlau sanāv api acetanaḥ | etābhyāṃ śreṣṭho 'nyaḥ (ātmā) sa jñānasampanna iti kathyate || acetanaḥ sattva-saṅkhyā-vimuktaḥ; sattvāt paraṃ cetayaty antarātmā | sa kṣetrajñaḥ sarva-saṅkhyāta-buddhir guṇātīto mucyate sarva-pāpaiḥ ||

Dijo Vāyu: «En este árbol moran dos aves—figuras de la mente y del intelecto—siempre activas, y sin embargo insensibles en sí mismas. Superior a esas dos hay otra: el Sí mismo (Ātman), llamado dotado de verdadero conocimiento. Prakṛti, el ‘sattva’ primordial más allá de toda enumeración, es insensible; distinto de ella, el alma individual es despertada e iluminada por el Regente interior (Antaryāmin), el Sí mismo supremo. Cuando el conocedor del campo (kṣetra) llega a comprender todos los principios de la existencia, trasciende los guṇa y queda liberado de todo pecado».

अचेतनःinsentient
अचेतनः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootअचेतन
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सत्त्व-सङ्ख्या-विमुक्तःfree from the enumeration/category of sattva (i.e., beyond the guṇas/saṅkhyā)
सत्त्व-सङ्ख्या-विमुक्तः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootविमुक्त
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सत्त्वात्from sattva / from primordial nature
सत्त्वात्:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootसत्त्व
FormNeuter, Ablative, Singular
परम्the higher/supreme (one)
परम्:
Karma
TypeAdjective
Rootपर
FormMasculine, Accusative, Singular
चेतयतेmakes conscious / illumines
चेतयते:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootचेतय्
FormPresent, Third, Singular, Ātmanepada
अन्तरात्माthe inner Self
अन्तरात्मा:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootअन्तरात्मन्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सःhe/that
सः:
Karta
TypePronoun
Rootतद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
क्षेत्रवित्knower of the field (body/realm)
क्षेत्रवित्:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootक्षेत्रविद्
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
सर्व-सङ्ख्यात-बुद्धिःwhose understanding has fully enumerated/known all principles
सर्व-सङ्ख्यात-बुद्धिः:
Karta
TypeNoun
Rootबुद्धि
FormFeminine, Nominative, Singular
गुण-अतिगःone who has gone beyond the guṇas
गुण-अतिगः:
Karta
TypeAdjective
Rootअतिग
FormMasculine, Nominative, Singular
मुच्यतेis released
मुच्यते:
Karta
TypeVerb
Rootमुच्
FormPresent, Third, Singular, Passive
सर्व-पापैःfrom all sins/evils
सर्व-पापैः:
Apadana
TypeNoun
Rootपाप
FormNeuter, Instrumental, Plural

वायुदेव उवाच

V
Vāyudeva
V
vṛkṣa (tree metaphor)
T
two birds (mind and intellect)
Ā
Ātman
A
Antarātmā/Paramātman
P
Prakṛti (mūlaprakṛti/sattva)
K
Kṣetrajña

Educational Q&A

Mind and intellect are active instruments but not self-luminous consciousness. True awakening comes from the indwelling Supreme Self (antarātmā/Paramātman). When the knower of the field discerns the principles of prakṛti and the Self, he transcends the guṇas and becomes free from moral and karmic impurity.

Vāyudeva delivers a doctrinal instruction using the metaphor of a tree with two birds. He identifies the ‘birds’ with inner faculties (mind and intellect) and points beyond them to the Self and the inner Ruler, framing liberation as the result of discriminative knowledge and guṇa-transcendence.