उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

तत्त्वज्ञानस्वभावप्रकरणम् ॥ ४ ॥ CHAPTER IV THE NATURE OF RIGHT KNOWLEDGE अहंप्रत्ययबीजं यदहंप्रत्ययवत्स्थितम् । नाहंप्रत्ययवह्न्युष्टं कथं कर्म प्ररोहति ॥ १ ॥

1. How can those actions of which the root is egoism¹ and which are accumulated in the mind pro- duce results when they are burnt² by the fire of non- egoism, (the right Knowledge that one is neither the doer of actions nor the experiencer of their results) ? दृष्टवच्चेत्प्ररोहः स्यान्नान्यकर्मा स इष्यते । तन्निरोधे कथं तत्स्यात्पृच्छामो वस्तदुच्यताम् ॥ २ ॥
2. (The objector). Actions burnt by the fire of Knowledge may produce results like the seen ones (of the actions of a man of Knowledge). (Reply). No. They are due to another cause.³ (The objector). I ask ¹ Identification of oneself with the gross and subtle bodies. ² Hence, actions accumulated in previous births are not obstacles to liberation when the Knowledge of Brahman arises. ³ I.e., those actions of past lives which have given birth to the present body and have begun to produce results.