Devanagari
एवं त्रिवृदहङ्कारो भूतेन्द्रियमनोमयै: ।
स्वाभासैर्लक्षितोऽनेन सदाभासेन सत्यदृक् ॥ १३ ॥
Verse text
evaṁ trivṛd-ahaṅkāro
bhūtendriya-manomayaiḥ
svābhāsair lakṣito ’nena
sad-ābhāsena satya-dṛk
Synonyms
evam
—
thus
;
tri
—
vṛt — the threefold
;
ahaṅkāraḥ
—
false ego
;
bhūta
—
indriya — manaḥ — mayaiḥ — consisting of body, senses and mind
;
sva
—
ābhāsaiḥ — by its own reflections
;
lakṣitaḥ
—
is revealed
;
anena
—
by this
;
sat
—
ābhāsena — by a reflection of Brahman
;
satya
—
dṛk — the self-realized soul .
Translation
The self-realized soul is thus reflected first in the threefold ego and then in the body, senses and mind.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
A reflection in water reflected on a wall is inferred to come from the image reflected on water, and the sun situated in the sky is inferred by this reflection on water. Similarly, the jīva, existing with the imposition of three-fold anaṅkāra, is inferred by its reflection in the body, senses and mind, and from this, Paramātmā is inferred by the jīva purified by bhakti.
How the jīva can be understood and then how Paramātmā can be understood are explained with an example. When the reflection of the sun in water without disturbance appears on the clean wall of a house, people sitting in a corner of the house first sees the reflection on the wall. They think, “Where is this reflection coming from?” They then infer that it is the reflection of the bright sun on still water, reflected on the wall. Where does the reflection on the water come from? They then infer that the sun is shining in the sky and by is reflection in the water, creates the reflection on the wall. Intelligent people first see the manifestations of Paramātmā in the body, senses and mind since it possesses consciousness. Then they ask “Where does this manifestation of Paramātmā come from?” They infer that the jīvāṭmā, which exists by misidentification in the three fold ahaṅkāra, is a ray of the manifestation of Paramātmā by its reflection in the body, senses and mind. By the presence of jīvātmā, filled with bhakti (sadābhāsena), who is a manifestation of the Paramātmā, one then realizes Paramātmā, full of existence, knowledge and bliss (satyadṛk).
Purport
The conditioned soul thinks, “I am this body,” but a liberated soul thinks, “I am not this body. I am spirit soul.” This “I am” is called ego, or identification of the self. “I am this body” or “Everything in relationship to the body is mine” is called false ego, but when one is self-realized and thinks that he is an eternal servitor of the Supreme Lord, that identification is real ego. One conception is in the darkness of the threefold qualities of material nature — goodness, passion and ignorance — and the other is in the pure state of goodness, called
śuddha-sattva
or
vāsudeva.
When we say that we give up our ego, this means that we give up our false ego, but real ego is always present. When one is reflected through the material contamination of the body and mind in false identification, he is in the conditional state, but when he is reflected in the pure stage he is called liberated. The identification of oneself with one’s material possessions in the conditional stage must be purified, and one must identify himself in relationship with the Supreme Lord. In the conditioned state one accepts everything as an object of sense gratification, and in the liberated state one accepts everything for the service of the Supreme Lord. Kṛṣṇa consciousness, devotional service, is the actual liberated stage of a living entity. Otherwise, both accepting and rejecting on the material platform or in voidness or impersonalism are imperfect conditions for the pure soul.
By the understanding of the pure soul, called
satya-dṛk,
one can see everything as a reflection of the Supreme Personality of Godhead. A concrete example can be given in this connection. A conditioned soul sees a very beautiful rose, and he thinks that the nice aromatic flower should be used for his own sense gratification. This is one kind of vision. A liberated soul, however, sees the same flower as a reflection of the Supreme Lord. He thinks, “This beautiful flower is made possible by the superior energy of the Supreme Lord; therefore it belongs to the Supreme Lord and should be utilized in His service.” These are two kinds of vision. The conditioned soul sees the flower for his own enjoyment, and the devotee sees the flower as an object to be used in the service of the Lord. In the same way, one can see the reflection of the Supreme Lord in one’s own senses, mind and body — in everything. With that correct vision, one can engage everything in the service of the Lord. It is stated in the
Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu
that one who has engaged everything — his vital energy, his wealth, his intelligence and his words — in the service of the Lord, or who desires to engage all these in the service of the Lord, no matter how he is situated, is to be considered a liberated soul, or
satya-dṛk.
Such a man has understood things as they are.