91. prakṛtyākāśavaj-jñeyāḥ sarve dharmā anādayaḥ, vidyate na hi nānātvaṁ teṣāṁ kvacana kiñcana. ~G
प्रकृत्या – by (their very) nature; आकाशवत् – (unattached) like the space; ज्ञेयाः – should be known; सर्वे धर्मा – all entities (souls); अनादयः – beginningless; विद्यते – appears, exists; हि – indeed; न नानात्वम् – no variety (plurality); तेषाम् – among them; क्वचन – at any time; किञ्चन – at all ~G-trC
91. All entites are by their very nature, beginningless and unattached like the space. There is not the slightest variety (plurality) in them in any way, at any time. ~G-trC
91 All Atmans (Dharmas) are to be known, by their very nature, to be beginningless and [unattached] like 4kasa. There is not the slightest variety in them in any way or at any time. ~G-trN
Sarve dharmah, all the souls; jneyah, are to be known, by those who hanker after liberation; to be prakrtya, by nature; akasavat, analogous to space, in point of subtleness, freedom from taints, and all-pervasiveness; and (to be) anadayah, eternal. Lest any misconception of diversity be created by the use of the plural number, the text says by way of rebutting it: nanatvam, plurality; na vidyate, does not exist; tesam, among them; kvacana, anywhere; kim cana, even by a jot. ~S-trGm
The word Dharma used by Gauḍapāda does not mean appearance. ‘Dharma’ literally means ‘attribute’, which is, according to the Vedānta philosophy, non-different from the substance—as the heat and the light are non-different from the sunshine. ‘Dharma’ is used by Gauḍapāda to mean Jīva which if taken as attribute of Brahman is non-different from it. ~N
The use of the plural number in the word Atmans may suggest a multiplicity in Ultimate Reality. But the plural number is used in consideration of the multiplicity of jivas seen from the empirical standpoint. Each of the innumerable jivas seen by the ignorant is realized by the wise to be the birthless and non-dual Atman. The second sentence of the text utterly refutes the notion of multiplicity. It is not a fact that multiplicity should be taken to be real even at the present time and in the phenomenal world created by maya. Atman is ever free from maya. The notions of time, space, and causality create the false idea of multiplicity. They are the product of ignorance. Atman is untouched by ignorance. Therefore Gaudapada designates the non-dualistic doctrine as the doctrine of ajati, that is to say, of non-creation or non-manifestation. ~N
92. ādi-buddhāḥ prakṛtyaiva sarve dharmāḥ suniścitāḥ, yasyaivaṁ bhavati kṣāntiḥ so‘mṛtatvāya kalpate. ~G
आदि – from the very beginning; बुद्धाः – illumined one; प्रकृत्या- एव – by their very nature; सर्वे धर्माः – all egocentric entities (souls); सुनिश्चिताः – immutable; यस्य – who; एवम् – with this knowledge; भवति – remains; क्षान्तिः – rests, is calm; सः – that person; अमृतत्वाय – of immortality or realising the highest Truth; कल्पते – capable of ~G-trC
92. All egocentric entities are, by their very nature, illumined from the very beginning and they are ever immutable in their nature. He who, with this knowledge, rests without seeking further knowledge is alone capable of realising the highest Truth. ~G-trC
92 All jivas are, by their very nature, illumined from the very beginning. There can never be any doubt about their nature. He who, having known this, rests without seeking further knowledge is alone capable of attaining Immortality. ~G-trN
Since just like the ever effulgent sun, sarve dharmah, all the souls; are prakrtya eva, by their very nature; adibuddhah, illumined from the very beginning; that is to say, as the sun is ever shining, so are they ever of the nature of Consciousness. S-trGm
Like the sun, whose nature is unchanging light, the jivas are always illumined. It cannot be said that Knowledge, which is the stuff of Atman, is destroyed by ignorance and created by spiritual discipline. Atman can never be associated with ignorance. If one could observe from the sun one would never see any cloud or mist. // The seeker of Liberation does not stand in need of any further knowledge to strengthen his own conviction or to convince others. The sun does not need any other light to be sure of its luminous nature. ~N
93. ādi-śāntā hyanutpannāḥ prakṛtyaiva su-nirvṛtāḥ, sarve dharmāḥ samā-bhinnā ajaṁ sāmyaṁ viśāradam. ~G
आदि – from the very beginning; शान्ताः – peaceful; हि – indeed; अनुत्पन्नाः – unborn; प्रकृत्या-एव – by their very nature; सुनिर्वृताः – completely detached, free from saṁsāra; सर्वे धर्माः – all egocentric entities; सम – equal, sameness, uniform; अभिन्नाः – divisionless, not separateness; अजम् – unborn; साम्यम् – sameness, unform; विशारदम् – purity ~G-trC
93. All egocentric entities are from very beginning and by their very nature all the same, unborn and completely free; they are characterised by sameness and are nonseparate from one another. Therefore, the separate entities are in reality nothing but Ᾱtman, unborn, always established in ‘sameness’ and ‘purity.’ ~G-trC
Since sarve dharmah, all the souls; are adisantdh, tranquil from the beginning, always peaceful; and anutpannah, birthless; prakrtya eva sunirvrtah, completely detached, by their very nature; sama-abhinnah, equal and non-different; and since the reality of the Self is ajam, birthless; samyam, equipoised (uniform); visara- dam, holy; therefore there is no such thing as peace or Liberation that has to be brought about. This is the idea. For anything done can have no meaning for one that is ever of the same nature. ~S-trGm
This Liberation is really not something external and to be acquired. Atman, which is ever free, has never been covered by a veil. The effort to get rid of samsara or attain Bliss is meaningless. Nothing that is done with reference to an entity whose nature is immutable serves any purpose. ~N
94. vaiśāradyaṁ tu vai nāsti bhede vicaratāṁ sadā, bheda-nimnāḥ pṛthag-vādās-tasmāt-te kṛpaṇāḥ smṛtāḥ. ~G
न वैशारद्यम् तु वै – no purity (perfection) at all; अस्ति – there can be; भेदे – plurality; विचरताम् – those who rely; सदा – always; भेदे – separativeness; निम्नाः – enmeshes in (the idea of); पृथक्- वादाः – those who assert separativeness of things (dualists); तस्मात् – therefore; ते – they; कृपणाः – unfortunate, narrow minded (lit. pitiable); स्मृताः – traditionally considered to be ~G-trC
94. Those who always rely on the concept of separativeness can never realise the inborn natural purity of the Self. Therefore, those who are enmeshed in the idea of plurality and those who assert the separativeness of individual things and egos are called unfortunate or narrow minded. ~G-trC
94. Those who always wander in the realm of separateness cannot realize the purity of Atman. Their minds are inclined to differentiation and they assert the separateness of the Atmans. Therefore they are called narrow-minded. ~G-trN
Since they are bhedanimnah, have a proclivity for duality, follow duality, that is to say, confine themselves to the world-who are they? Prthagvadah, those who talk of multiplicity of things, or in other words, the dualists -- tasmat, therefore; they are smrtah, traditionally held to be; krpanah, pitiable. For, na asti, there is no; vaisbradyam, perfection; tesa sada vicaratam bhede, for those who are ever roaming about in duality, that is to say, for those who ever persist in the path of duality conjured up by ignorance. Consequently, it is proper that they should be objects of pity. ~S-trGm
The Sanskrit word kripana, in the text, means a miser, that is to say, one who, though possessing wealth, cannot enjoy it. The dualist, though he is none other than the non-dual Atman, cannot enjoy the Bliss and Freedom that the Knowledge of Non-duality bestows upon its knower. ~N
95. aje sāmye tu ye kecid-bhaviṣyanti suniścitāḥ, te hi loke mahā-jñānās-tac-ca loko na gāhate. ~G
अजे – unborn, birthless; साम्ये – ever the same, uniform; तु – on the other hand; ये केचित् – those who; भविष्यन्ति – will become (are); सुनिश्चिताः – firm in their conviction; ते – they; हि – indeed; लोके – in this world; महाज्ञानाः – people of highest wisdom; तत् – that (Reality); लोकः च – ordinary men, however; न गाहते – cannot understand ~G-trC
95. In this world, they alone are said to be of the highest wisdom, who are firm in their conviction of the Self, which is unborn and ever the same. Ordinary men cannot understand that (Reality). ~G-trC
95 They alone in this world are endowed with the highest wisdom who are firm in their conviction of the sameness and birthlessness of Atman. The ordinary man does not understand their way. ~G-trN
Ye kecit, those -even women and others, who perchance; bhavisyanti, will become; suniscitah, firm in conviction, that `This is so indeed'; with regard to the nature of the ultimate Reality, aje samye, which is birthless and uniform; te hi loke mahajahnah, they alone in this world are possessed of great wisdom, or in other words, endowed with unsurpassing knowledge about the Reality. Ca na lokah, and nobody, no other man of ordinary intellect; gahate, can dip into, that is to say, grasp; tat, that thing, viz their path, the content of their knowledge-the nature of the ultimate Reality. ~S-trGm
Even the gods, who are said to move in a higher plane of consciousness, stand stupefied before the knower of Brahman; for the gods have not yet transcended the realm of duality. The wise, seeing the non-dual Atman everywhere, do not broadcast their knowledge or perform miracles in order to convince people. ‘That is why the ordinary man cannot understand them. The wise lead a spontaneous life in harmony with their convictions. No one except those who have similar experiences can understand them. ~N
In the literature of Upaniṣad there is no condemnation debarring an individual to enter and achieve his own real nature, based upon the accident of his birth or chances of his association or the state of his age, sex or class. Even women have equal right and chance to this highest experience of Reality. They are not barred in any sense of the term. // The ordinary man in the street cannot and will not understand the perfections reached by the Godmen, the jñānī, because unlike yogins he will not care to stoop down to play the tamāśā (display of jugglery) on the stage of life, he shows no siddhis, no supernatural magic or fantastic feats of achievement. ~C
Legend:
C: Chinmayananda
G: Gaudapada
Gm: Gambhirananda
N: Nikhilananda
P: Paramarthananda
S: Shankara
S/G: Sandeepany / Gurubhaktananda
Sw: Swartz
tr: translated by
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