Devanagari
एवं प्रत्यवमृश्यासावात्मानं प्रतिपद्यते ।
साहङ्कारस्य द्रव्यस्य योऽवस्थानमनुग्रह: ॥ १६ ॥
Verse text
evaṁ pratyavamṛśyāsāv
ātmānaṁ pratipadyate
sāhaṅkārasya dravyasya
yo ’vasthānam anugrahaḥ
Synonyms
evam
—
thus
;
pratyavamṛśya
—
after understanding
;
asau
—
that person
;
ātmānam
—
his self
;
pratipadyate
—
realizes
;
sa
—
ahaṅkārasya — accepted under false ego
;
dravyasya
—
of the situation
;
yaḥ
—
who
;
avasthānam
—
resting place
;
anugrahaḥ
—
the manifester .
Translation
When, by mature understanding, one can realize his individuality, then the situation he accepts under false ego becomes manifest to him.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The jīva who remains alert without ego when merging the sense objects, senses, mind and intelligence in prakṛti by sleeping, but who, though indestructible, with the destruction of ahaṅkāra, falsely thinks that he also has been destroyed, becomes distressed like a person who has lost his wealth. However, after careful reflection on these matters, he attains understanding of the existence of the ātmā, who is the shelter of the ahaṅkāra and the body, and is the Lord’s object of favour.
“As the sun is perceived by the eye (which is a form of the sun), Paramātmā is realized by the ātmā, who is a jṣānī endowed with some bhakti. That we know well. But show me the jīva separate from the three-fold ahaṅkāra directly, just as I can see the eye and ear.” The answer is given in three verses. He who is without ahaṅkāra in the body, mind and senses when merged by sleep in pradhāna (asati), so called because it is unmanifested, realizes the jīva.”
“Well! Though one achieves destruction the mind, intelligence and senses by yoga practice, it is amazing that sleep alone can bring about this result of realizing ātmā!”
When ahaṅkāra and the results of ahaṅkāra-- the sense objects, senses, mind and intelligence-- are destroyed by merging them into prakṛti, the jīva (draṣṭā), thinking that these things have been destroyed since he cannot see them, falsely thinks that he also has been destroyed. The ignorant sleeping jīva is then compared to a person who has lost his wealth. However, the person does not lose his attachment to lost wealth, (and therefore he grieves.)
The meaning is this. With absolute destruction of the elements which create covering on the jīva by yoga practice, the jīva becomes blissful in his own form. This is not like the temporary condition of deep sleep or universal devastation. When a treasure is lost, there can be no bliss in such poverty, but there can be happiness if the person loses his attraction for wealth. Similarly, even though one may destroy material coverings by deep sleep or universal destruction, without the jīva’s detachment from enjoyment, one cannot attain one’s svarūpa, and without bhakti and jṣāna, one cannot attain detachment. Thus because of the presence of material impressions and ignorance even during deep sleep, the realization of ātmā is insignificant.
“But in deep sleep one is not aware of anything at all.” That is not so. One may say “I slept happily. I was not aware of anything.” However, without knowledge of particulars, without recollection of one’s ātmā, that statement could not even be uttered. That is expressed in verse 16. Moreover, the jīva is the shelter (avasthānam) of the body, a combination elements and senses with ahaṅkāra. After taking shelter of the jīva, the ahaṅkāra, body, senses, mind and intelligence begin to enjoy the sense objects. The jīva is favored (anugrahaḥ) by the Lord because he is given the quality of being an enjoyer like the Lord.
Purport
The Māyāvādī philosophers’ position is that at the ultimate issue the individual is lost, everything becomes one, and there is no distinction between the knower, the knowable and knowledge. But by minute analysis we can see that this is not correct. Individuality is never lost, even when one thinks that the three different principles, namely the knower, the knowable and knowledge, are amalgamated or merged into one. The very concept that the three merge into one is another form of knowledge, and since the perceiver of the knowledge still exists, how can one say that the knower, knowledge and knowable have become one? The individual soul who is perceiving this knowledge still remains an individual. Both in material existence and in spiritual existence the individuality continues; the only difference is in the quality of the identity. In the material identity, the false ego acts, and because of false identification, one takes things to be different from what they actually are. That is the basic principle of conditional life. Similarly, when the false ego is purified, one takes everything in the right perspective. That is the state of liberation.
It is stated in the
Īśopaniṣad
that everything belongs to the Lord.
Īśāvāsyam idaṁ sarvam.
Everything exists on the energy of the Supreme Lord. This is also confirmed in
Bhagavad-gītā.
Because everything is produced of His energy and exists on His energy, the energy is not different from Him — but still the Lord declares, “I am not there.” When one clearly understands one’s constitutional position, everything becomes manifest. False egoistic acceptance of things conditions one, whereas acceptance of things as they are makes one liberated. The example given in the previous verse is applicable here: due to absorption of one’s identity in his money, when the money is lost he thinks that he is also lost. But actually he is not identical with the money, nor does the money belong to him. When the actual situation is revealed, we understand that the money does not belong to any individual person or living entity, nor is it produced by man. Ultimately the money is the property of the Supreme Lord, and there is no question of its being lost. But as long as one falsely thinks, “I am the enjoyer,” or “I am the Lord,” this concept of life continues, and one remains conditioned. As soon as this false ego is eliminated, one is liberated. As confirmed in the
Bhāgavatam,
situation in one’s real constitutional position is called
mukti,
or liberation.