Mandukya Karika, verse 4.45

Sanskrit text, IAST transliteration and English translation

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.? It is thus replied:—Though unborn fit appears to be born. As for example, we say that Devadatta is born. Again it appears to move (though it is free from all motion): as we say, “That Devadatta is going”. Further, it appears as an object in which inhere certain qualities. For instance, we say “That Devadatta is fair and tall”. Though from the standpoint of the Ultimate Reality, Consciousness² is ever unborn, immovable, and not of the character of material objects, yet it appears as a. Devadatta who is born, who moves and who is known to be fair and tall. What is that entity which answers to these descriptions? It is Consciousness which, being free from birth, change, etc., is all peace and therefore non-dual.

Anandagiri Tika (glossary)

¹ Substratum—From the standpoint of Reality, the Ātman* is not even a substratum; for, nothing whatsoever exists, in relation to which the Self can be called the substratum. The term* “Substratum” is used in connection with Ātman only from the relative standpoint.

² Consciousness—That is, Ātman.