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Mahānirvāṇa Tantra 8.278

Traditional

Ullāsas
14
Published
8
Verses
1201
Minutes
600
Level
advanced

Ullāsa 8 · Verse 278

ब्रह्मज्ञस्य सन्यासः, अवधूताचारकथनम्Renunciation for the knower of Brahman; the conduct of the avadhūta

Verse 278

इन्द्रियाण्येव कुर्वन्ति स्वं स्वं कर्म पृथक् पृथक् । आत्मा साक्षी विनिर्लिप्तो ज्ञात्वैवं मोक्षभाग् भवेत् ॥ २७८ ॥

indriyāṇyēva kurvanti svaṁ svaṁ karma pṛthak pṛthak | ātmā sākṣī vinirliptō jñātvaivaṁ mōkṣabhāg bhavēt || 278 ||

Translation

It is the senses alone that each do their own work; the Self is the witness, untouched: knowing this, he comes to share in liberation.

Word by word

indriyāṇi
(indriyāṇi) the senses
ēva
alone
kurvanti
do
svaṁ
their own
karma
work
pṛthak
each
ātmā
the Self
sākṣī
the witness
vinirliptō
(vinirliptaḥ) untouched
jñātvā
(jñātvā) knowing
ēvaṁ
this
mōkṣa
in liberation
bhāg
sharing
bhavēt
he comes

Meaning

As the Gītā teaches (5.8 to 9), the senses move among their objects while the Self only watches. The commentary glosses: the Self is only the seer of good and bad actions, and so is not bound by them.

Commentary

Hariharānanda Bhāratī’s Sanskrit commentary, translated

"Indriyāṇi…". It is the senses alone that each do their own work separately. The Self is only the witness, the seer of good and bad actions. Therefore it is untouched: it is not bound by those actions. Knowing this alone, the saṁnyāsin comes to share in liberation.