नीहारं हृदयाटव्यां मनस्तिमिरमाशु मे । केन विज्ञानदीपेन भिन्धि तत्त्वविदां वर ॥ २१ ॥
nīhāraṁ hṛdayāṭavyāṁ manastimiramāśu mē | kēna vijñānadīpēna bhindhi tattvavidāṁ vara || 21 ||
Translation
The mist in the forest of my heart, the darkness of my mind: with what lamp of knowledge will you pierce it? Pierce it quickly, best of the knowers of truth.
Word by word
- nīhāraṁ
- the mist
- hṛdaya
- of my heart
- aṭavyāṁ
- in the forest
- manas
- (manaḥ) of my mind
- timiram
- the darkness
- āśu
- quickly
- mē
- my
- kēna
- with what
- vijñāna
- of knowledge
- dīpēna
- lamp
- bhindhi
- pierce it
- tattva
- of truth
- vidāṁ
- of the knowers
- vara
- best
Meaning
The forest of verse 16 returns, now within: the heart is the wood, ignorance its mist (nīhāra) and its darkness (timira). The commentary unfolds it. The heart is a forest because it is hard to enter; ignorance is a mist because it chills and covers; and it is a darkness because it closes the eye of discernment of the mind that has set out to seek the Self. Rāma asks for a lamp, the lamp of vijñāna, knowledge that is understood and not only heard. The other commentary has the sun of knowledge clear the fog. The question "with what lamp?" is real: Rāma does not know what the teaching will be. He knows only that there is darkness and that his teacher has light. The reader may find it enough to know that much to begin.