Mandukya Upanishad Shankara Bhashya

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.7 Text सप्रयोजनता तेषां स्वप्ने विप्रतिपद्यते । तस्मादाद्यन्तवत्वेन मिथ्यैव खलु ते स्मृताः ॥ ७ ॥ saprayojanatā teṣāṃ svapne vipratipadyate | tasmādādyantavatvena mithyaiva khalu te smṛtāḥ || 7 || 7. The serving a purpose (as means to an end), of them (the objects of waking experience) is contradicted (opposed) in dream. Therefore they are undoubtedly admitted to be illusory on account of their (both waking and dream) being with a beginning and an end....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.8 Text अपूर्वं स्थानिधर्मो हि यथा स्वर्गनिवासिनाम् । तानयं प्रेक्षते गत्वा यथैवेह सुशिक्षितः ॥ ८ ॥ apūrvaṃ sthānidharmo hi yathā svarganivāsinām | tānayaṃ prekṣate gatvā yathaiveha suśikṣitaḥ || 8 || 8. The objects (perceived by the dreamer), not usually met with {in the waking state) undoubtedly, owe their existence to the (peculiar) condition in which the cognizer, that is, his mind, works for the time being, as in the case of those residing in heaven....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.9-10 Text स्वप्नवृत्तावपि त्वन्तश्चेतसा कल्पितं त्वसत् । बहिश्चेतोगृहीतं सद्दृष्टं वैतथ्यमेतयोः ॥ ९ ॥ जाग्रद्वृत्तावपि त्वन्तश्चेतसा कल्पितं त्वसत् । बहिश्चेतो गृहीतं सद्युक्तं वैतथ्यमेतयोः ॥ १० ॥ svapnavṛttāvapi tvantaścetasā kalpitaṃ tvasat | bahiścetogṛhītaṃ saddṛṣṭaṃ vaitathyametayoḥ || 9 || jāgradvṛttāvapi tvantaścetasā kalpitaṃ tvasat | bahiśceto gṛhītaṃ sadyuktaṃ vaitathyametayoḥ || 10 || 9-10. In dream, also, what is imagined within by the mind is illusory and what is cognized outside (by the mind) appears to be real....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.11 Text उभयोरपि वैतथ्यं भेदानां स्थानयोर्यदि । क एतान्बुध्यते भेदान्को वै तेषां विकल्पकः ॥ ११ ॥ ubhayorapi vaitathyaṃ bhedānāṃ sthānayoryadi | ka etānbudhyate bhedāṅko vai teṣāṃ vikalpakaḥ || 11 || 11. If the objects cognized in both the conditions (of dream and of waking) be illusory, who cognizes all these (illusory objects) and who again imagines them? Shankara Bhashya (commentary) The opponent asks, “If the objects, cognized in the-waking and dream states, be devoid of reality, who1 is the cognizer of these,—objects imagined by the mind, both inside (subjective), and outside (objective)?...

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.12 Text कल्पयत्यात्मनाऽऽत्मानमात्मा देवः स्वमायया | स एव बुध्यते भेदानिति वेदान्तनिश्चयः ॥ १२ ॥ kalpayatyātmanā''tmānamātmā devaḥ svamāyayā | sa eva budhyate bhedāniti vedāntaniścayaḥ || 12 || 12. Ātman, the self-luminous, through the power of his own Māyā, imagines in himself by himself (all the objects that the subject experiences within or without). He alone is the cognizer of the objects (so created). This is the decision of the Vedānta....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.13 Text विकरोत्यपरान्भावानन्तश्चित्ते व्यवस्थितान् । नियतांश्च बहिश्चित्त एवं कल्पयते प्रभुः ॥ १३ ॥ vikarotyaparānbhāvānantaścitte vyavasthitān | niyatāṃśca bahiścitta evaṃ kalpayate prabhuḥ || 13 || 13. The Lord (Ātman), with his mind turned outward, variously imagines the diverse objects (such as sound, etc.), which are already in his mind (in the form of Vāsanas or Saṅkalpas or desires). The Ātman again (with his mind turned within), imagines in his mind various (objects of) ideas....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.14 Text चित्तकाला हि येऽन्तस्तु द्वयकालाश्च ये बहिः । कल्पिता एव ते सर्वे विशेषो नान्यहेतुकः ॥ १४ ॥ cittakālā hi ye'ntastu dvayakālāśca ye bahiḥ | kalpitā eva te sarve viśeṣo nānyahetukaḥ || 14 || 14. Those that are cognized within only as long as the thought of them lasts, as well as those that are perceived.by the senses and that conform to two points of time, are all mere imaginations....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.15 Text अव्यक्ता एव येऽन्तस्तु स्फुटा एव च ये बहिः । कल्पिता एव ते सर्वे विशेषस्त्विन्द्रियान्तरे ॥ १५ ॥ avyaktā eva ye'ntastu sphuṭā eva ca ye bahiḥ | kalpitā eva te sarve viśeṣastvindriyāntare || 15 || 15. Those that exist within the mind (as mere subjective imaginations) and are known as the unmanifested as well as those that exist without in a manifested form (as perceived objects),—all are mere imaginations, the difference lying only in the sense-organs (by means of which the latter are cognized)....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.16 Text जीवं कल्पयते पूर्वं वचो भावान्पृथग्विधान् । बाह्यानाध्यात्मिकांश्चैव यथाविद्यस्तथास्मृतिः ॥ १६ ॥ jīvaṃ kalpayate pūrvaṃ vaco bhāvānpṛthagvidhān | bāhyānādhyātmikāṃścaiva yathāvidyastathāsmṛtiḥ || 16 || 16. First of all, is imagined the Jīva (the embodied being) and then are imagined the various entities, objective and subjective, that are perceived. As is (one’s) knowledge so is (one’s) memory of it. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) What is the source of the imagination of various objects, subjective1 and objective2 that are perceived and appear to be related to one another as cause and effect?...

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.17 Text अनिश्चिता यथा रज्जुरन्धकारे विकल्पिता । सर्पधारादिभिर्भावैस्तद्वदात्मा विकल्पितः ॥ १७ ॥ aniścitā yathā rajjurandhakāre vikalpitā | sarpadhārādibhirbhāvaistadvadātmā vikalpitaḥ || 17 || 17. As the rope, whose nature is not really known,, is imagined in the dark to be a snake, a water-line, etc., so also is the Ātman imagined (in various ways). Shankara Bhashya (commentary) It has been said that the imagination of Jīva (the Jīva- idea) is the source of all (other) imaginations (ideas)....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.18 Text निश्चितायां यथा रज्ज्वां विकल्पो विनिवर्तते । रज्जुरेवेति चाद्वैतं तद्वदात्मविनिश्चयः ॥ १८ ॥ niścitāyāṃ yathā rajjvāṃ vikalpo vinivartate | rajjureveti cādvaitaṃ tadvadātmaviniścayaḥ || 18 || 18. When the real nature of the rope is ascertained all illusions about it disappear and there arises the conviction that it is the one (unchanged) rope and nothing else; even so is the nature of the conviction regarding Ātman. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) When it is determined that it is nothing but the rope alone, then all illusions regarding the rope disappear and the (non-dual) knowledge that there exists nothing else but the rope, becomes firmly established....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.19 Text प्राणादिभिरनन्तैश्च भावैरेतैर्विकल्पितः । मायैषा तस्य देवस्य यया संमोहितः स्वयम् ॥ १९ ॥ prāṇādibhiranantaiśca bhāvairetairvikalpitaḥ | māyaiṣā tasya devasya yayā saṃmohitaḥ svayam || 19 || 19. The Ātman is imagined as Prāṇa and other endless objects. This is due to Māyā (ignorance) of the luminous (Ātman itself) by which It is (as it were) deluded. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) If it be definitely ascertained that Ātman is verily one, how could it be imagined as the endless objects like Prāṇa, etc....

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 ।...

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.29 Text यं भावं दर्शयेद्यस्य तं भावं स तु पश्यति । तं चावति स भूत्वासौ तद्ग्रहः समुपैति तम् ॥ २९ ॥ yaṃ bhāvaṃ darśayedyasya taṃ bhāvaṃ sa tu paśyati | taṃ cāvati sa bhūtvāsau tadgrahaḥ samupaiti tam || 29 || 29. He (the inquirer) cognizes only that idea that is presented to him. It (Ātman) assumes the form (of what is cognized) and thus protects (the inquirer). Possessed by that (idea) he realises it (as the sole essence)....

Mandukya Karika, verse 2.30 Text एतैरेषोऽपृथग्भावैः पृथगेवेति लक्षितः । एवं यो वेद तत्त्वेन कल्पयेत्सोऽविशङ्कितः ॥ ३० ॥ etaireṣo'pṛthagbhāvaiḥ pṛthageveti lakṣitaḥ | evaṃ yo veda tattvena kalpayetso'viśaṅkitaḥ || 30 || 30. This Ātman, though non-separate from all these, appears, as it were, separate. One who knows this truly imagines (interprets) (the meaning of the Vedas) without hesitation. Shankara Bhashya (commentary) Though this Ātman is verily non-separate1 from these, the Prāṇa, etc.,—like the rope from such imaginary ideas as the snake, etc....