संसारोत्तरणे जन्तोरुपायो ज्ञानमेव हि । तपो दानं तथा तीर्थमनुपायाः प्रकीर्तिताः ॥ २२ ॥
saṁsārōttaraṇē jantōrupāyō jñānamēva hi | tapō dānaṁ tathā tīrthamanupāyāḥ prakīrtitāḥ || 22 ||
- Another reading: संसारात्तरणे (saṁsārāttaraṇē) for संसारोत्तरणे
Translation
For a creature's crossing of saṁsāra, the means is knowledge alone. Austerity, charity and pilgrimage are said to be no means.
Word by word
- saṁsāra
- of saṁsāra
- uttaraṇē
- for the crossing
- jantōr
- (jantoḥ) of a creature
- upāyō
- (upāyaḥ) the means
- jñānam
- knowledge
- ēva
- alone
- hi
- indeed
- tapō
- (tapaḥ) austerity
- dānaṁ
- charity
- tathā
- and
- tīrtham
- pilgrimage
- anupāyāḥ
- no means
- prakīrtitāḥ
- are said to be
Meaning
An-upāyāḥ, not means. It is as blunt as anything in the work, and it needs reading in its place. Vasiṣṭha does not say that austerity and charity are useless. He has spent sargas urging effort, and the verses just ahead will send him to teach ritual to those it suits. He says they are not the means to this particular end, the crossing. A boat is excellent, and it will not take you up a mountain. These practices purify and steady a person, and that fits one to receive knowledge, but what is received is still knowledge. The honest question for a practising reader is whether one's practice is making one clearer, or is only making one's stay here more comfortable.