Mandukya Karika, verse 2.20-28
Text
प्राण इति प्राणविदो भूतानीति च तद्विदः ।
गुणा इति गुणविदस्तत्त्वानीति च तद्विदः ॥ २० ॥
prāṇa iti prāṇavido bhūtānīti ca tadvidaḥ |
guṇā iti guṇavidastattvānīti ca tadvidaḥ || 20 ||
20. Those1 that know only Prāṇa,2 call It (Ātman), Prāṇa, those3 that know Bhūtas call It Bhūtas,4 those5 knowing Guṇas call It Guṇas,6 those7 knowing Tattvas, call It Tattvas.8
पादा इति पादविदो विषया इति तद्विदः ।
लोका इति लोकविदो देवा इति च तद्विदः ॥ २१ ॥
pādā iti pādavido viṣayā iti tadvidaḥ |
lokā iti lokavido devā iti ca tadvidaḥ || 21 ||
21. Those acquainted with the quarters1 (Pādas) call It quarters; those2 with objects, the objects3; those4 with Lokas, the Lokas5; those6 with Devas, the Devas.7
वेदा इति वेदविदो यज्ञा इति च तद्विदः ।
भोक्तेति च भोक्तृविदो भोज्यमिति च तद्विदः ॥ २२ ॥
vedā iti vedavido yajñā iti ca tadvidaḥ |
bhokteti ca bhoktṛvido bhojyamiti ca tadvidaḥ || 22 ||
22. Those knowing the Vedas call It the Vedas1; those2 acquainted with the sacrifices, call It the sacrifices3 (Yagna); those4 conversant with the enjoyer, designate It as the enjoyer5 and those6 with the object of enjoyment, call It such.
सूक्ष्म इति सूक्ष्मविदः स्थूल इति च तद्विदः ।
मूर्त इति मूर्तविदो'मूर्त इति च तद्विदः ॥ २३ ॥
sūkṣma iti sūkṣmavidaḥ sthūla iti ca tadvidaḥ |
mūrta iti mūrtavido'mūrta iti ca tadvidaḥ || 23 ||
23. The Knowers1 of the subtle designate It as the subtle,2 the Knowers3 of the gross call It the gross,4 Those5 that are familiar with a Personality (having form) call It a person,6 and those7 that do not believe in anything having a form call It a void.8
काल इति कालविदो दिश इति च तद्विदः ।
वादा इति वादविदो भुवनानीति तद्विदः ॥ २४ ॥
kāla iti kālavido diśa iti ca tadvidaḥ |
vādā iti vādavido bhuvanānīti tadvidaḥ || 24 ||
24. The Knowers1 of time call It time2; the Knowers of space (ether) call It space (ether). Those versed in disputation call It the problem in dispute and the Knowers of the worlds call It the worlds.3
मन इति मनोविदो बुद्धिरिति च तद्विदः ।
चित्तमिति चित्तविदो धर्माधर्मौ च तद्विदः ॥ २५ ॥
mana iti manovido buddhiriti ca tadvidaḥ |
cittamiti cittavido dharmādharmau ca tadvidaḥ || 25 ||
25. The Cognizers1 of the mind call It the mind;2 of3 the Buddhi (intellect) the Buddhi4; of the Chitta (mind-stuff), the Chitta5; and the Knowers6 of Dharma (righteousness) and Adharma (unrighteousness) call It the one7 or the other.
पञ्चविंशक इत्येके षड्विश इति चापरे ।
एकत्रिंशक इत्याहुरनन्त इति चापरे ॥ २६ ॥
pañcaviṃśaka ityeke ṣaḍviśa iti cāpare |
ekatriṃśaka ityāhurananta iti cāpare || 26 ||
26. Some1 say that the Reality consists of twenty-five categories, others2 twenty-six, while there are others3 who conceive It as consisting of thirty-one categories and lastly people are not wanting who think such categories to be infinite.
लोकाँल्लोकविदः प्राहुराश्रमा इति तद्विदः ।
स्त्रीपुंनपुंसकं लैङ्गाः परापरमथापरे ॥ २७ ॥
lokām̐llokavidaḥ prāhurāśramā iti tadvidaḥ |
strīpuṃnapuṃsakaṃ laiṅgāḥ parāparamathāpare || 27 ||
27. Those1 who know only to please others call It (Reality) such2 pleasure; those3 who are cognizant of the Āśramas call It the Āśramas; the grammarians call It the male, female or the neuter, and others know It as the Parā4 and Aparā.
सृष्टिरिति सृष्टिविदो लय इति च तद्विदः ।
स्थितिरिति स्थितिविदः सर्वे चेह तु सर्वदा ॥ २८ ॥
sṛṣṭiriti sṛṣṭivido laya iti ca tadvidaḥ |
sthitiriti sthitividaḥ sarve ceha tu sarvadā || 28 ||
28. The Knowers1 of creation call It creation; the Knowers of dissolution describe It as dissolution and the believers in subsistence believe It to be subsistence. Really speaking, all2 these ideas are always imagined3 in Ātman.
Shankara Bhashya (commentary)
20-28. Prāṇa means Prājña (the Jīva associated with deep sleep) and Bījātmā (the causal self). All the entities from Prāṇa to the Sthiti (subsistence) are only various effects of Prāṇa. These and other popular ideas of their kind, imagined by all beings, are like the imaginations of the snake, etc., in the rope, etc. These are through ignorance imagined in Ātman which is free1 from all these distinctions. These fancies are due to the lack of determination of the real nature of the Self. This is the purport of these ślokas. No attempt is made to explain the meaning of each word in the texts beginning with Prāṇa, etc., on account of the futility of such effort and also on account of the clearness of the meaning of the terms.