उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

282 A THOUSAND TEACHINGS [CHAP. XVIII Liberation which is free from unhappiness, activity and desires ? सकामः सक्रियोऽसिद्ध इति मेऽनुभवः कथम् । अतो मे विपरीतस्य तद्भवान्वक्तुमर्हति ॥ २१५ ॥ 215. (Objection). You should say why I, though of¹ an opposite nature, should feel that I have desires and activities and am not Brahman. इहैव घटते प्रश्नो न मुक्तत्वानुभूतये । प्रमाणेन विरोधी यः सोऽत्रार्थः प्रश्नमर्हति ॥ २१६ ॥ 216. (Reply).² A question on this subject³ is reason- able, but it is not reasonable to ask why one is free. It is only a thing contrary to evidences⁴ that should be questioned. अहं निर्मुक्त इत्येव सदसीत्यन्यमानजः । प्रत्यक्षाभासजन्यत्वाद्दुःखित्वं प्रश्नमर्हति ॥ २१७ ॥ 217. The knowledge that one is free arises from a different⁵ evidence viz., the evidence, 'Thou art That.' Arising from fallacious perceptual evidence unhappiness deserves an explanation. पृष्टमाकाङ्क्षितं वाच्यं दुःखाभावमभीप्सितम् ॥ २१८ ॥ ¹ Of the nature of Brahman. ² Verses 216—228. ³ I.e., why one feels unhappy though one is Brahman according to the evidence of the sentence. ⁴ E.g., the sentence, 'Thou art That.' ⁵ Different from perceptual evidence and so on.