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Verse 3

Mahavakya

अथ संसृतिबन्धमोक्षयोर्विद्याविद्ये चक्षुषी उपसंहृत्य विज्ञाय—अविद्यालोकाण्डस्तमोदृक्। तमो हि शारीरप्रपञ्चम् आब्रह्मस्थावरान्तम् अनन्ताखिलजाण्डभूतम्। निखिलनिगमोदितसकामकर्मव्यवहारो लोकः॥३–४॥

अथ । संसृति-बन्ध-मोक्षयोः । विद्या-अविद्ये । चक्षुषी । उपसंहृत्य । विज्ञाय । अविद्या-लोक-अण्डः । तमः-दृक् । तमः । हि । शारीर-प्रपञ्चम् । आ-ब्रह्म-स्थावर-अन्तम् । अनन्त-अखिल-जाण्ड-भूतम् । निखिल-निगम-उदित । स-काम-कर्म-व्यवहारः । लोकः ॥

atha saṃsṛtibandhamokṣayor vidyāvidye cakṣuṣī upasaṃhṛtya vijñāya—avidyālokāṇḍas tamodṛk | tamo hi śārīraprapañcam ābrahmasthāvarāntam anantākhilajāṇḍabhūtam | nikhilanigamoditasakāmakarmavyavahāro lokaḥ ||3–4||

ਫਿਰ ਸੰਸਾਰ-ਬੰਧਨ ਅਤੇ ਮੋਖਸ਼ ਨਾਲ ਸੰਬੰਧਿਤ ਵਿਦਿਆ ਅਤੇ ਅਵਿਦਿਆ ਰੂਪੀ ਦੋ ‘ਨੇਤਰਾਂ’ ਨੂੰ ਸਮੇਟ ਕੇ, ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦਾ ਸਵਰੂਪ ਜਾਣਿਆ—ਅਵਿਦਿਆ ਤੋਂ ਉਤਪੰਨ ਲੋਕਾਂਡ ਹਨੇਰੇ ਦੀ ਦ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਟੀ ਹੈ। ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਉਹੀ ਤਮਸ ਹੀ ਸ਼ਾਰੀਰਿਕ ਪ੍ਰਪੰਚ ਹੈ—ਬ੍ਰਹਮਾ ਤੋਂ ਲੈ ਕੇ ਸਥਾਵਰਾਂਤ ਤਕ ਵਿਸਤਾਰਿਤ—ਅਨੰਤ ਸਰਵ-ਜਾਂਡ-ਰੂਪ ਹੋ ਕੇ ਵਿਆਪਕ। ਸਮੂਹ ਵੇਦਾਂ ਦੁਆਰਾ ਉਪਦੇਸ਼ਿਤ ਸਕਾਮ ਕਰਮਾਂ ਅਤੇ ਵਿਧੀ-ਵਿਹਾਰ ਦਾ ਖੇਤਰ ਹੀ ਇਹ ਲੋਕ ਹੈ।

Now, having withdrawn (i.e., gathered in) the two ‘eyes’—knowledge and ignorance—pertaining to bondage in saṃsāra and to liberation, and having discerned (their nature): the ‘egg of the world’ born of ignorance is a vision of darkness. For darkness indeed is the embodied manifold (the phenomenal proliferation), extending from Brahmā down to the immobile (plants, etc.), constituted of endless, all-encompassing cosmic eggs. The world is the sphere of activity of desire-motivated rites and actions taught by all the Vedas.

Avidyā (ignorance) as the basis of saṃsāra; karma-kāṇḍa as within vyavahāra; viveka between vidyā and avidyāMahavakya: Prepares for mahāvākya realization by devaluing avidyā-born world-appearance and sakāma-karma as non-liberating; mahāvākyas function on the vidyā side to reveal identity with Brahman beyond ‘darkness’.AtharvaChandas: Prose