Verse 4

Mahavakya

Sanskrit (Devanagari)

अथ संसृतिबन्धमोक्षयोर्विद्याविद्ये चक्षुषी उपसंहृत्य विज्ञायाविद्यालोकाण्डस्तमोदृक् । तमो हि शारीरप्रपञ्चमाब्रह्मस्थावरान्तमनन्ताखिलाजाण्डभूतम् । निखिलनिगमोदितसकामकर्मव्यवहारो लोकः ॥३–४॥

Padapatha (Word Split)

अथ । संसृति-बन्ध-मोक्षयोः । विद्या-अविद्ये । चक्षुषी । उपसंहृत्य । विज्ञाय । अविद्या-लोक-आण्डः । तमः-दृक् । तमः हि । शारीर-प्रपञ्चम् । आ-ब्रह्म-स्थावर-अन्तम् । अनन्त-अखिल-अजाण्ड-भूतम् । निखिल-निगम-उदित-सकाम-कर्म-व्यवहारः । लोकः ॥३–४॥

IAST Transliteration

atha saṃsṛti-bandha-mokṣayor vidyāvidye cakṣuṣī upasaṃhṛtya vijñāyāvidyā-lokāṇḍas tamo-dṛk | tamo hi śārīra-prapañcam ā-brahma-sthāvarāntam anantākhilājāṇḍa-bhūtam | nikhila-nigamodita-sakāma-karma-vyavahāro lokaḥ ||3–4||

Translation

अब संसार में बन्धन और मोक्ष के विषय में विद्या और अविद्या—इन दोनों ‘नेत्रों’ को भीतर समेटकर और उनके स्वरूप को जानकर यह समझो कि अविद्या से बना यह लोकाण्ड अन्धकारमय दर्शन है। यह अन्धकार ही देहधारी प्रपञ्च है, जो ब्रह्मा से लेकर स्थावर तक फैला हुआ, असंख्य जगदण्डों के रूप में प्रकट होता है। समस्त वेदों द्वारा प्रतिपादित सकाम कर्मों का व्यवहार-क्षेत्र यही लोक है।

Academic Translation

Now, having withdrawn (i.e., gathered inward) the two “eyes” that are knowledge and ignorance with regard to bondage and liberation in saṃsāra, and having understood (their nature): the “cosmic egg” of the world constituted by ignorance is a vision of darkness. For darkness indeed is the embodied manifold (prapañca), extending from Brahmā down to the immobile (beings), becoming the endless totality of (world-)eggs. The world is the sphere of transactional activity of desire-motivated rites, as proclaimed by all the Vedas.

Verse Context

• Avidyā (ignorance) as the basis of saṃsāra; vidyā as the means to mokṣa; prapañca as tamas when misconstrued
• Mahavakya: Prepares the ground for mahāvākya-realization by diagnosing avidyā as the cause of saṃsāra; aligns with the intent of “Aham Brahmāsmi / Tat tvam asi” as knowledge that dispels ignorance.
• Atharva
• Chandas: Prose