Vivekachudamani
by Shankara | 1921 | 49,785 words | ISBN-13: 9788175051065
The Vivekachudamani is a collection of poetical couplets authored by Shankara around the eighth century. The philosophical school this compilation attempts to expose is called ‘Advaita Vedanta’, or non-dualism, one of the classical orthodox philosophies of Hinduism. The book teaches Viveka: discrimination between the real and the unreal. Shankara d...
Verse 114
प्रज्ञावानपि पण्डितोऽपि चतुरोऽप्यत्यन्तसूक्ष्मात्मदृग्
व्यालीढस्तमसा न वेत्ति बहुधा संबोधितोऽपि स्फुटम् ।
भ्रान्त्यारोपितमेव साधु कलयत्यालम्बते तद्गुणान्
हन्तासौ प्रबला दुरन्ततमसः शक्तिर्महत्यावृतिः ॥ ११४ ॥prajñāvānapi paṇḍito'pi caturo'pyatyantasūkṣmātmadṛg
vyālīḍhastamasā na vetti bahudhā saṃbodhito'pi sphuṭam |
bhrāntyāropitameva sādhu kalayatyālambate tadguṇān
hantāsau prabalā durantatamasaḥ śaktirmahatyāvṛtiḥ || 114 ||114. Even wise and learned men and men who are clever and adepts in the vision of the exceedingly subtle Ātman, are overpowered by Tamas and do not understand the Ātman, even though clearly explained in various ways. What is simply superimposed by delusion, they consider as true, and attach themselves to its effects. Alas! How powerful is the great Āvṛti Shakti of dreadful Tamas!