उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

140 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. XIV not fit for liberation but must be considered to be cer- tainly rejected by Brahman. सादित्यं हि जगत्प्राणस्तस्मान्नाहर्निशैव वा । प्राणज्ञस्यापि न स्यातां कुतो ब्रह्मविदोऽद्वये ॥ १५ ॥ 15. Even¹ for a knower of Prâna² the world with the sun is Prâna and, therefore, there is no day³ or night³ for him ; how then can they be for a knower⁴ of Brahman in which there is no duality ? न स्मरत्यात्मनो ह्यात्मा विस्मरेद्वाप्यलुप्तचित् । मनोऽपि स्मरतीत्येतज्ज्ञानमज्ञानहेतुजम् ॥ १६ ॥ 16. The Self whose Consciousness never ceases to exist neither remembers⁵ nor forgets Itself. That the mind remembers the Self is also a knowledge caused by Ignorance.⁶ ज्ञातुर्ज्ञेयः परो ह्यात्मा सोऽविद्याकल्पितः स्मृतः । अपोढे विद्यया तस्मिन्न्रज्ज्वां सर्प इवाद्वयः ॥ १७ ॥ 17. If the supreme Self be an object of the know- ledge of the knower, it must be a superimposition due to Ignorance. It is the Self without a second when that superimposition is negated by right knowledge like a snake in a rope. ¹ Though he has not gone beyond all difference. ² Prâna is the being identifying himself with the universe. A meditator on Prâna gets identified with him. ³ So, no duties to be done in particular hours of the day and night. ⁴ Who has gone beyond duality. ⁵ Therefore a man of knowledge is free from the duty of concen- trating his mind. (See footnote 3, previous verse.) ⁶ For the mind is non-conscious and cannot remember anything.