दृश्यं नाऽस्तीति बोधेन मनसो दृश्यमार्जनम् । संपन्नं चेत्तदुत्पन्ना परा निर्वाणनिर्वृतिः ॥ ६ ॥
dṛśyaṁ nā’stīti bōdhēna manasō dṛśyamārjanam | saṁpannaṁ cēttadutpannā parā nirvāṇanirvṛtiḥ || 6 ||
Translation
If, through the knowledge "the seen does not exist", the mind has been wiped clean of the seen, then the supreme bliss of nirvāṇa has arisen.
Word by word
- dṛśyaṁ
- the seen
- na
- not
- asti
- exists
- iti
- thus
- bōdhēna
- through the knowledge
- manasō
- (manasaḥ) of the mind
- dṛśya
- of the seen
- mārjanam
- the wiping clean
- saṁpannaṁ
- has been done
- cēt
- if
- tat
- then
- utpannā
- has arisen
- parā
- supreme
- nirvāṇa
- of nirvāṇa
- nirvṛtiḥ
- bliss
Meaning
The commentary raises a question. Is the experience meant here the Self itself, or something else? Nothing else could be meant, for whatever is other than consciousness is inert and cannot experience. But if it is the Self, it is already there: why a teaching? The answer: the Self is indeed experience itself, but it is mixed up with the seen and so not recognised. A turn of the mind, the direct knowledge of the Self, removes the ignorance; the seen, born of that ignorance, is then known to be unreal at all three times, like a conjurer's show, and the witness of it alone is real. The bliss of nirvāṇa was always present; it "arises" only in the sense that it is no longer hidden. This, says the commentary, is the fruit of the teaching.