उपदेशसाहस्री (आदि शङ्कराचार्य - गद्य व पद्य भाग)

THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE CHANGELESS 35 48. The teacher said, “The cause is Ignorance. Knowledge brings it to an end. When Ignorance, the cause, will be removed you will be liberated from the transmigratory existence consisting of birth and death. You will never again feel pain ¹ in the states of waking and dream.” शिष्य उवाच—का सा अविद्या, किंविषया वा, विद्या च का यया स्वभावं प्रतिपद्येयेति ॥ ४९ ॥ 49. The disciple said, “What is that Ignorance ? (what is its seat ? ²) and what is its object ? ² What is Knowledge by means of which I may come by my own nature ? ” गुरुरुवाच—त्वं परमात्मानं सन्तं असंसारिणं संसार्यहम- स्मीति विपरीतं प्रतिपद्यसे, अकर्त्तारं सन्तं कर्त्तेति, अभोक्तारं सन्तं भोक्तेति, विद्यमानं च अविद्यमानमिति, इयमविद्या ॥५०॥ 50. The teacher said, “You are the non-transmigra- tory Supreme Self, but you wrongly think that you are one liable to transmigration. (Similarly), not being an agent or an experiencer you wrongly consider yourself to be so. Again, you are eternal but mistake yourself to be non-eternal. This is Ignorance.” शिष्य उवाच—यद्यप्यहं विद्यमानः तथापि न परमात्मा । कर्तृत्वभोक्तृत्वलक्षणः संसारो मम स्वभावः, प्रत्यक्षादिभिः प्रमाणैः ¹ As real and pertaining to the Self. ² The seat and the object of Ignorance is Pure Consciousness, the Self.