Mandukya Karika, verse 4.49-50

Text

अलाते स्पन्दमाने वै नाऽभासा अन्यतोभुवः ।
न ततोऽन्यत्र निस्पन्दान्नालातं प्रविशन्ति ते  ४९ ॥

alāte spandamāne vai nā''bhāsā anyatobhuvaḥ |
na tato'nyatra nispandānnālātaṃ praviśanti te || 49 ||

49. When the fire-brand is in motion, the appearances (that are seen in it) do not come from elsewhere. When, the fire-brand is not moved, the appearances do not go elsewhere from the motionless fire-brand. Further, the appearances, when the fire-brand is not moved, do not enter into the fire-brand itself.


न निर्गता अलातात्ते द्रव्यत्वाभावयोगतः ।
विज्ञानेऽपि तथैव स्युराभासस्याविशेषतः ॥ ५० ॥

na nirgatā alātātte dravyatvābhāvayogataḥ |
vijñāne'pi tathaiva syurābhāsasyāviśeṣataḥ || 50 ||

50. The appearances do not emerge from the firebrand because they are not of the nature of a substance. This also applies to Consciousness on account of the similarity of appearances (in both cases).

Shankara Bhashya (commentary)

Moreover, when that very fire-brand is in motion, the appearances, straight or crooked, etc., do not come to it from anywhere else outside the fire-brand. Nor do the appearances go elsewhere from the fire-brand when it is motionless. Nor, again, do the appearances, enter into the fire-brand when it is motionless. Moreover, those appearances do not emerge from the fire-brand as something that comes out of a house. The reason is that appearances are not of the nature of substance. The appearances have no reality. Entrance, etc., can be said of a real thing but not of anything unreal. The appearance of birth, etc., in the case of consciousness is exactly similar, for,1 appearances are of the same nature in both the cases.