Mandukya Karika, verse 4.78


Text


बुद्ध्वा'निमित्ततां सत्यां हेतुं पृथगनाप्नुवन् ।
वीतशोकं तथा काममभयं पदमश्नुते ॥ ७८ ॥

buddhvā'nimittatāṃ satyāṃ hetuṃ pṛthaganāpnuvan |
vītaśokaṃ tathā kāmamabhayaṃ padamaśnute || 78 ||

78. Having (thus) realised the absence of causality as the Ultimate Truth, and also not finding any other cause (for birth), one attains to that (the state of liberation) which is free from grief, desire and fear.

Shankara Bhashya (commentary)

Through1 the reasoning indicated above, one knows the absence of duality, which is the cause of birth and thus realises absolute non-causation as the Ultimate Truth. Further, he2 does not see the reality of anything else as cause, such as religious merit, etc., which may enable one to attain to the position of gods, etc. Thus freeing himself from all desires, he attains to the highest state, i.e., liberation (knowledge) which is free from desire, grief, ignorance and fear. That is to say, he no longer becomes subject to birth and death.