Inside a vessel of many perforations is placed a great lamp, radiant and illuminating.
Awareness blazes outward via instruments of eyes and all the senses
through which it emanates forth. Thus I know, shining, that alone is illuminating the entire world.
Commentaries
The stanza opens with a beautiful picture, which explains the ‘theory of perception’ in Vedānta. The infinite Consciousness by Itself never illumines anything, inasmuch as, in the absolute Awareness there are no objects for It to illumine. Electricity itself has no incandescence; only when the current passes through the filament, it bursts out into its light manifestation. Similarly, when Consciousness functions in the intellect, then the ‘beam of light’ reflected by the intellect is the intelligence, by which we come to illumine the objects of the world outside. ~Chinmayananda
In the previous verse, Shankara established that the individual consciousness in our body is the same as the all-pervading Universal Consciousness. This is the truth declared by the mahāvākya tat tvam asi. Because the Consciousness referred to as ‘you’ (tvam) in the mahāvākya is already present in our body, we are able to say that the Consciousness in us is the same as ‘That’ (tat) Universal Consciousness. It is only with the help of the gross and the visible, we can infer the subtle and the invisible. If it were not so, our search for truth would be as baseless as trying to search for the snake that is no longer on the ground. ~Rao
The Kena Upanishad expresses this beautifully: “Pratibodha-viditaṃ matam”—“When pure Consciousness is recognized in every act of knowledge, that is true understanding.” Not in some special, exotic experience, but in the most ordinary acts of knowing, the extraordinary truth is always available. This is the profound teaching of the fourth verse. That Consciousness which shines through your senses right now as you read these words, that Awareness which knows these thoughts as they arise in your mind—that is Dakshinamurti, that is your guru, that is your own true Self. ~Sarvapriyananda
The source of light, both for the individual and the cosmos, is the Self. The individual is able to know objects because of the luminosity of the Self. The objective universe can be known because of the light of the Self. In self-consciousness, of the form 'I know', it is the Self that is Awareness. But for the basic Awareness, none can know and nothing can be known. It is true that this awareness is not evident at first. That is because it is hidden in avidyā, nescience, even as a lamp placed within a pot remains unseen. But it is not a hermetically sealed pot that contains the lamp; it has several holes through which the light of the lamp streams forth. Similarly, avidya is itself made manifest by the Self. There are many chinks in it which give it away. In the body-mind complex which is a product of avidya, for instance, there are avenues of knowledge. The sense-organs are not themselves the sources of knowledge. It is the Self that functions through them. Similarly, the objects of the world which are inert cannot become manifest by themselves. It is by the reflection of the Self's luminosity that they become manifest. ~Mahadevan
Translations
nānā-cchidra-ghaṭodara-sthita-mahādīpa-prabhā-bhāsvaraṁ jñānaṁ yasya tu cakṣurādikaraṇa-dvārā bahiḥ spandate, jānāmīti tameva bhāntam-anubhātyetat-samastaṁ jagat tasmai śrī-guru-mūrtaye nama idaṁ śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrtaye. (4) नानाच्छिद्रघटोदरस्थितमहादीपप्रभाभास्वरं – (just like) the bright light of a great lamp placed in a pot having many holes; ज्ञानं – knowledge; यस्य – whose; तु – indeed; चक्षुरादिकरणद्वारा – through the eyes and other sense organs; बहिः – outside; स्पन्दते – flashes; जानामि – I know; इति – thus; तम् - Him; एव – only; भान्तम् – illumining; अनुभाति – after whose light, shining; एतत् – this; समस्तं – whole; जगत् – universe of objects; तस्मै – to Him; श्रीगुरुमूर्तये – the divine Teacher; नमः – prostration; इदं – this; श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये – to Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti
4. He whose intelligence ‘flashes’ outside through the eyes and other sense organs, just like the bright light of a great lamp placed in a pot having many holes and after whose shining, this whole universe of objects shines; to Him, the divine Teacher, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, is this prostration. ~Chinmayananda
All this world shines after Him alone shining in the consciousness "I know,"—after Him alone whose consciousness, luminous like the light of a mighty lamp standing in the bosom of a many-holed pot, moves outwards through the sense-organs such as the eye. To Him who is incarnate in the Teacher, to Him in the Effulgent Form Facing the South, to Him (Siva) be this bow! ~Sastri
To Him who is luminous like the light of a great lamp set in the belly of a pot with many holes: to Him whose knowledge moves outward through the eye and other organs: to Him, who shining as I know', all this entire universe shines after to Him of the form of the Preceptor, the blessed Dakshina-murti, may this obeisance be! ~Mahadevan
Obeisance to him, Śri Daksiņāmūrti, who is the Guru, whose consciousness is flowing out through the senses like the eyes etc., even as a powerful light kept within a pot full of holes (flowing out through the holes) following whom the resplendent One-this whole world is shining and thinks, 'I know.' ~Harshananda
To him alone who is inherent in the whole universe, shining by his presence, like a splendid great radiant lamp of knowledge as ‘I know’ standing in a mighty perforated jar and shining out through the holes as the eyes and so on; to him in the blessed guru and in the representation of wisdom facing south, deep homage. ~Denton
Line 1: nānā-cchidra-ghaṭodara-sthita-mahādīpa-prabhā-bhāsvaraṁ
nānā (नाना): Many; various.chidra (छिद्र): Holes; perforations.ghaṭa (घट): Pot; pitcher.udara (उदर): Inside; belly; interior.sthita (स्थित): Seated; placed; staying.mahā-dīpa (महादीप): Great lamp; powerful light.prabhā (प्रभा): Luster; rays; radiance.bhāsvaram (भास्वरम्): Shining; brilliant; illuminating.
Line Meaning: Shining like the radiance of a great lamp placed inside a pot that has many holes.
Line 2: jñānaṁ yasya tu cakṣurādikaraṇa-dvārā bahiḥ spandate
jñānam (ज्ञानं): Knowledge; consciousness; awareness.yasya (यस्य): Whose; of whom.tu (तु): Indeed; verily.cakṣuḥ-ādi (चक्षुरादि): The eyes and other senses (ears, nose, skin, tongue).karaṇa (करण): Instruments; organs of perception.dvārā (द्वारा): Through; by means of; via openings.bahiḥ (बहिः): Outward; outside.spandate (स्पन्दते): Streams forth; vibrates; emanates.
Line Meaning: Whose consciousness indeed streams outward through the eyes and other sense organs.
Line 3: jānāmīti tameva bhāntam-anubhātyetat-samastaṁ jagat
jānāmi (जानामि): "I know."iti (इति): Thus; in this manner.tam (तम्): Him (the Supreme Consciousness).eva (एव): Alone; only.bhāntam (भान्तम्): Shining; luminous.anubhāti (अनुभाति): Shines after; reflects; illuminates because of.etat (एतत्): This.samastam (समस्तं): Entire; whole.jagat (जगत्): Universe; world.
Line Meaning: When a person says "I know," they are reflecting Him; the entire universe only shines because it reflects His primary light.
Line 4: tasmai śrī-guru-mūrtaye nama idaṁ śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrtaye
tasmai (तस्मै): To him; to that.śrī-guru-mūrtaye (श्रीगुरुमूर्तये): To the personification of the sacred teacher.namaḥ (नमः): Salutations; prostrations; bowing down.idam (इदं): This (offering).śrī-dakṣiṇāmūrtaye (श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये): To the Lord facing south (Lord Dakshinamurti).
Line Meaning: Salutations to that auspicious guru, who is the embodiment of the divine Lord Dakshinamurti.
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