Mandukya Upanishad Shankara Bhashya

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.43 Text अजातेस्त्रसतां तेषामुपलम्भाद्वियन्ति ये । जातिदोषा न सेत्स्यन्ति दोषोऽप्यल्पो भविष्यति ॥ ४३ ॥ ajātestrasatāṃ teṣāmupalambhādviyanti ye | jātidoṣā na setsyanti doṣo'pyalpo bhaviṣyati || 43 || 43. Those who, being afraid of the truth of absolute non-manifestation, and also on account of their perception (of phenomenal objects), do not admit Ajāti (absolute non-creation), are not much affected by the evil consequent on the belief in causality. The evil effect, if any, is rather insignificant....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.44 Text उपलम्भात्समाचारान्मायाहस्ती यथोच्यते । उपलम्भात्समाचारादस्ति वस्तु तथोच्यते ॥ ४४ ॥ upalambhātsamācārānmāyāhastī yathocyate | upalambhātsamācārādasti vastu tathocyate || 44 || 44. As an elephant conjured up by the magician, on account of its being perceived and also on account of its answering to the behaviours (of a real animal), is said to exist, so also are objects said to exist, on account of their being perceived and also on account of their answering to our dealings with them....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.45 Text जात्याभासं चलाभासं वस्त्वाभासं तथैव च । अजाचलमवस्तुत्वं विज्ञानं शान्तमद्वयम् ॥ ४५ ॥ jātyābhāsaṃ calābhāsaṃ vastvābhāsaṃ tathaiva ca | ajācalamavastutvaṃ vijñānaṃ śāntamadvayam || 45 || 45. Consciousness which appears to be born or to move or to take the form of matter, is really ever unborn, immovable and free from the character of materiality; it is all peace and non-dual. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) What is that entity—the Ultimate Reality—which is the substratum1 of all false cognitions as causality (creation), etc....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.46 Text एवं न जायते चित्तमेवं धर्मा अजाः स्मृताः । एवमेव विजानन्तो न पतन्ति विपर्यये ॥ ४६ ॥ evaṃ na jāyate cittamevaṃ dharmā ajāḥ smṛtāḥ | evameva vijānanto na patanti viparyaye || 46 || 46. Thus the mind is never subject to birth or change. All beings are, thus, free from birth. Those who know (the Truth) are never subject to false knowledge. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) Thus, that is to say, for the reasons stated above,, the mind is free from birth....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.47 Text ऋजुवक्रादिकाभासमलातस्पन्दितं यथा । ग्रहणग्राहकाभासं विज्ञानस्पन्दितं तथा ॥ ४७ ॥ ṛjuvakrādikābhāsamalātaspanditaṃ yathā | grahaṇagrāhakābhāsaṃ vijñānaspanditaṃ tathā || 47 || 47. As a fire-brand, when set in motion, appears as straight, crooked, etc., so also Consciousness, when set in motion, appears as the perceiver, the perceived, and the like. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) In order to explain the truth regarding the Ultimate Reality already stated, it is thus said:—As in common experience it is noticed that a fire-brand1 when moved, appears straight, crooked, etc....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.48 Text अस्पन्दमानमलातमनाभासमजं यथा । अस्पन्दमानं विज्ञानमनाभासमजं तथा ॥ ४८ ॥ aspandamānamalātamanābhāsamajaṃ yathā | aspandamānaṃ vijñānamanābhāsamajaṃ tathā || 48 || 48. As the fire-brand, when not in motion, is free from all appearances and remains changeless, similarly, Consciousness, when not in motion (imaginary action), is free from all appearances and remains changeless. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) As that very fire-brand, when not in motion, does not take any form, straight or crooked, etc....

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....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.51-52 Text विज्ञाने स्पन्दमाने वै नाऽऽभासा अन्यतोभुवः । न ततोऽन्यत्र निस्पन्दान्न विज्ञानं विशन्ति ते ॥ ५१ ॥ न निर्गतास्ते विज्ञानाद्द्रव्यत्वाभावयोगतः । कार्यकारणताभावाद्यतोऽचिन्त्याः सदैव ते ॥ ५२ ॥ vijñāne spandamāne vai nā''bhāsā anyatobhuvaḥ | na tato'nyatra nispandānna vijñānaṃ viśanti te || 51 || na nirgatāste vijñānāddravyatvābhāvayogataḥ | kāryakāraṇatābhāvādyato'cintyāḥ sadaiva te || 52 || 51-52. When Consciousness is associated with the idea of activity (as in the dream and waking states), the appearances (that are seen in it) do not come from elsewhere....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.53 Text द्रव्यं द्रव्यस्य हेतुः स्यादन्यदन्यस्य चैव हि । द्रव्यत्वमन्यभावो वा धर्माणां नोपपद्यते ॥ ५३ ॥ dravyaṃ dravyasya hetuḥ syādanyadanyasya caiva hi | dravyatvamanyabhāvo vā dharmāṇāṃ nopapadyate || 53 || 53. Substance may be the cause of another substance. That which is not substance may be the cause of another which is not substance. But the Jīvas (or beings) cannot be possibly anything like substance or other than substance....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.54 Text एवं न चित्तजा धर्माश्चित्तं वापि न धर्मजम् । एवं हेतुफलाजातिं प्रविशन्ति मनीषिणः ॥ ५४ ॥ evaṃ na cittajā dharmāścittaṃ vāpi na dharmajam | evaṃ hetuphalājātiṃ praviśanti manīṣiṇaḥ || 54 || 54. Thus (external) appearances (objects) are not caused by the mind nor is the mind produced by them. Hence men of discrimination hold the principle of the absolute non-evolution or negation of causality. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) Thus, for1 reasons already stated, the mind is verily of the nature of the essence of the Self....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.55 Text यावद्धेतुफलावेशस्तावद्धेतुफलोद्भवः । क्षीणे हेतुफलावेशे नास्ति हेतुफलोद्भवः ॥ ५५ ॥ yāvaddhetuphalāveśastāvaddhetuphalodbhavaḥ | kṣīṇe hetuphalāveśe nāsti hetuphalodbhavaḥ || 55 || 55. As long as a man persists in the belief in causality he will find the working of cause and effect. But when attachment to causality vanishes, cause and effect become non-existent. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) What happens with regard to those who cling to the belief in cause and effect?...

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.56 Text यावद्धेतुफलावेशः संसारस्तावदायतः । क्षीणे हेतुफलावेशे संसारं न प्रपद्यते ॥ ५६ ॥ yāvaddhetuphalāveśaḥ saṃsārastāvadāyataḥ | kṣīṇe hetuphalāveśe saṃsāraṃ na prapadyate || 56 || 56. As long as there is faith in causality, the (endless) chain of birth and death will be there. When that faith is destroyed (by knowledge) birth and death become nonexistent. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) What is the harm if the law of cause and effect continues to operate?...

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.57 Text संवृत्या जायते सर्वं शाश्वतं नास्ति तेन वै । सद्भावेन ह्यजं सर्वमुच्छेदस्तेन नास्ति वै ॥ ५७ ॥ saṃvṛtyā jāyate sarvaṃ śāśvataṃ nāsti tena vai | sadbhāvena hyajaṃ sarvamucchedastena nāsti vai || 57 || 57. All this is seen to be born on account of the illusion of experience (due to Avidyā); therefore nothing is permanent. Ally again, as one with the Ultimate Reality is unborn. And therefore there is nothing like destruction....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.58 Text धर्मा य इति जायन्ते जायन्ते ते न तत्त्वतः । जन्म मायोपमं तेषां सा च माया न विद्यते ॥ ५८ ॥ dharmā ya iti jāyante jāyante te na tattvataḥ | janma māyopamaṃ teṣāṃ sā ca māyā na vidyate || 58 || 58. Those Jīvas (entities) or beings are said to be born. But that birth is never possible from the standpoint of Reality. Their birth is like that of an illusory object....

Mandukya Karika, verse 4.59 Text यथा मायामयाद्बीजाज्जायते तन्मयोङ्कुरः । नासौ नित्यो न चोच्छेदी तद्वद्धर्मेषु योजना ॥ ५९ ॥ yathā māyāmayādbījājjāyate tanmayoṅkuraḥ | nāsau nityo na cocchedī tadvaddharmeṣu yojanā || 59 || 59. The illusory sprout comes forth from the illusory seed. This illusory sprout is neither permanent nor destructible. The same applies to Jīvas. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) Now, is the birth of Jīvas, that are seen to exist, illusory? To this question, our reply is as follows:—From1 an illusory mango seed is born a mango sprout which is equally illusory....