Verse 3488-3494

Sanskrit text, Unicode transliteration and English translation by Ganganath Jha:

समस्तधर्मनैरात्म्यदर्शनात्तत्प्रकाशितात् ।
सत्कार्यदर्शनोद्भूतक्लेशौघस्य निवर्त्तनम् ॥ ३४८८ ॥
आत्मात्मीयदृगाकारसत्त्वदृष्टिः प्रवर्त्तते ।
अहं ममेति माने च क्लेशोऽशेषः प्रवर्त्तते ॥ ३४८९ ॥
सत्त्वदृक्प्रत्यनीकं च तन्नैरात्म्यनिदर्शनम् ।
अभ्यासात्सात्म्यमायाते तस्मिन् सा विनिवर्त्तते ॥ ३४९० ॥
तन्मूलक्लेशराशिश्च हेत्वभावात्प्रती(ही?)यते ।
तस्मिन्नसति तद्धेतुर्न पुनर्जायते भवः ॥ ३४९१ ॥
तदत्यन्तविनिर्मुक्तेरपवर्गश्च कीर्त्त्यते ।
अद्वितीयशिवद्वारमतो नैरात्म्यदर्शनम् ॥ ३४९२ ॥
सर्वेषामपि तीर्थ्यानामहङ्कारनिवर्त्तनात् ।
मुक्तिरिष्टाऽऽत्मसत्त्वे च नाहङ्कारो निवर्त्तते ॥ ३४९३ ॥
शक्तकारणसद्भावाद्विषयस्याप्यदूषणात् ।
तद्दूषणे त्वभावेन विपर्यासः प्रसज्यते ॥ ३४९४ ॥

samastadharmanairātmyadarśanāttatprakāśitāt |
satkāryadarśanodbhūtakleśaughasya nivarttanam || 3488 ||
ātmātmīyadṛgākārasattvadṛṣṭiḥ pravarttate |
ahaṃ mameti māne ca kleśo'śeṣaḥ pravarttate || 3489 ||
sattvadṛkpratyanīkaṃ ca tannairātmyanidarśanam |
abhyāsātsātmyamāyāte tasmin sā vinivarttate || 3490 ||
tanmūlakleśarāśiśca hetvabhāvātpratī(hī?)yate |
tasminnasati taddheturna punarjāyate bhavaḥ || 3491 ||
tadatyantavinirmukterapavargaśca kīrttyate |
advitīyaśivadvāramato nairātmyadarśanam || 3492 ||
sarveṣāmapi tīrthyānāmahaṅkāranivarttanāt |
muktiriṣṭā''tmasattve ca nāhaṅkāro nivarttate || 3493 ||
śaktakāraṇasadbhāvādviṣayasyāpyadūṣaṇāt |
taddūṣaṇe tvabhāvena viparyāsaḥ prasajyate || 3494 ||

From the realisation of the doctrine of the ‘soul-less-ness of all things’ as taught by him, follows the cessation of the whole mass of afflictions due to the notion of things having such existence. This notion of the reality of things appears in the form of ‘self’ and ‘things related to the self’, it is only when there are notions of ‘i’ and ‘mine’ that the whole mass of afflictions becomes operative.—The said perception of ‘soul-less-ness’ is the enemy of this notion of reality; hence when the former becomes duly absorbed and realised, the latter disappears; therefore the entire mass of afflictions due to that notion of reality ceases, on account of the absence of its cause; and when that ceases, there is no more birth due to that. Thus there being absolute liberation from birth, this state is spoken of as the ‘final goal’.—Thus the perception of ‘soul-less-ness’ is the door to unrivalled ‘good’.—All other philosophers have held that liberation follows from the cessation of the ‘i-notion’; but if there is a ‘soul’, this ‘i-notion’ can never cease; because its efficient cause would always be there; so the objective of that notion too would not be abrogated. If it were abrogated, there would be negation of it, which would mean a complete volte-face on their part.—(3488-3494)

 

Kamalaśīla’s commentary (tattvasaṃgrahapañjikā):

Having thus shown that the words of Buddha are conducive to ‘Prosperity’, the Author proceeds to show that they are also conducive to the ‘Highest Good’:—[see verses 3488-3494 above]

It is accepted by all that Liberation consists in the absolute cessation of the series of Births and Rebirths. But the only means of attaining this consists in the Teachings of the Blessed Lord; as it is only here—and nowhere else,—that we have the ‘teaching of the doctrine of no-Soul’, which is the sole destroyer of ‘Afflictions’ which are the source of ‘Birth and Rebirth’; and all other Philosophers are wedded to the false doctrine of the ‘Soul’. Thus it is the word of the Blessed Lord alone which, as being the means of attaining Prosperity and Highest Good, can be the indicator of Dharma; hence it is this alone that should be depended upon by all who seek their own welfare.—Such is the purport of the whole text.

The meaning of the words is now explained:—

Question:—“How do you know that the mass of Afflictions arises from the notion of the real existence of things?”

Answer:—‘The notion of the reality of things, etc. etc.’—This has been already explained by us before.

Question:—“If the mass of Afflictions arises from the notion of the real existence of things, even so, how is it set aside by the perception of ‘Soul-less-ness’?”

Answer:—‘The said perception of Soul-less-ness, etc. etc.’—‘Notion of reality’—i.e. the notion of existence; i.e. the idea that things are really existent,—of this, the ‘perception of Soul-less-ness’ is the ‘enemy’—opponent.—This also has been already explained by us before.

‘The former’—i.e. the Perception of ‘Soul-less-ness’,—‘the latter’—i.e. the notion of the real existence of things.

‘Due to that’—due to the notion of real existence.

‘On account of the absence of its cause’—i.e. on the cessation of its cause in the shape of the notion of real existence.

‘When that ceases’—i.e. when the mass of Afflictions disappears.

‘Due to that’—i.e. due to the Afflictions.

‘There is no more Birth’;—when the cause is not there, the effect cannot appear; if it did, it would do so without cause.

‘Absolute liberation from it’—i.e. from the Afflictions or from Birth, there is absolute liberation, there being no more Birth; as it has been declared that ‘Final Liberation consists in absolute emancipation from it’.

Says the Opponent—“Under other systems also the Perception of Truth has been held to be the means of ‘Highest Good’, and the ‘Ten Noble Paths’ also have been laid down as leading to ‘Prosperity’, Why then should the doctrine of Soul-less-ness be the only way to Liberation?”

The answer to this is as follows:—‘All other Philosophers etc. etc.—For instance, all ‘thought-phases’ having their source in the ‘I-notion’, there is Liberation on the cessation of this notion;—on this point all men seeking for Liberation are agreed. This cessation of the ‘I-notion’, however, is not possible under the other philosophical systems; as they are all obsessed with the false notion of ‘Soul’, and this notion of ‘Soul’ is the very root of the said ‘I-notion’, So long as this ‘Soul’ is there obsessing the men,—and this, in its perfect state, is the cause of the ‘I-notion’,—and its own objective, in the shape of the ‘Soul’ has not been abrogated,—how could the said ‘I-notion’ cease?—This has been thus declared—‘So long as the Mind is beset with the I-notion, the series of Birth and Rebirth does not cease; and so long as the idea of the Soul is there, the I-notion does not cease; there is no other Teacher, except Thyself, who teaches the doctrine of no-soul; hence there is no other Path to Peace except the one declared by Thee’. The reason for this lies in the fact that the properties of the Mind cannot be pulled out like thorns and thrown away; they have arisen from the wrong notions of things, and as such they automatically cease on the cessation of their cause in the shape of the said wrong notions.

It might be argued that—“the Yogin does abrogate it”.

The answer to that is—‘If it were abrogated, etc. etc.’—If the ‘Soul’ were abrogated (and repudiated), it could be repudiated only in the words ‘it does not exist’; as otherwise, there would be no point in repudiating it. Because if, after having accepted the ‘Soul’, one were to repudiate it as the ‘source of pain’, then such repudiation would he useless; because the repudiation of a thing is done for the purpose of abandoning it; and no abandoning could be possible of what one regards as his ever-lasting self; hence the said repudiation would be useless.—Nor can those other philosophers repudiate the ‘Soul’ as being non-existent; because when they have regarded the Soul as existent, if they regard it as non-existent,—this would mean a complete volte-face on their part.—(3488-3494)