तस्माद्विचारेणाऽऽत्मैवाऽन्वेष्टव्य उपासनीयो ज्ञातव्यो यावज्जीवं पुरुषेण नेतरदिति ॥ १० ॥
tasmādvicārēṇā’’tmaivā’nvēṣṭavya upāsanīyō jñātavyō yāvajjīvaṁ puruṣēṇa nētaraditi || 10 ||
Translation
Therefore, through inquiry, the Self alone is to be sought, contemplated and known by a person for as long as life lasts, and nothing else.
Word by word
- tasmād
- (tasmāt) therefore
- vicārēṇa
- through inquiry
- ātmā
- the Self
- ēva
- alone
- anvēṣṭavya
- (anveṣṭavyaḥ) is to be sought
- upāsanīyō
- (upāsanīyaḥ) contemplated
- jñātavyō
- (jñātavyaḥ) known
- yāvajjīvaṁ
- for as long as life lasts
- puruṣēṇa
- by a person
- na
- not
- itarad
- (itarat) anything else
- iti
- thus
Meaning
This repeats the Upaniṣadic instruction in other words, and the commentary reads the three verbs as hearing, reflection and contemplation, leading to direct seeing. Yāvaj-jīvam, for as long as one lives: the instruction has no end date. Na itarat, nothing else: this sets one thing above all the rest of a life's concerns, and it means what it says. Everything else one does may be done well, in its place, and all of it comes second.