यत्प्राप्य न निवर्त्तन्ते यदासाद्य न शोचते । तत्पदं शेमुषीलभ्यमस्त्येवाऽत्र न संशयः ॥ ३४ ॥
yatprāpya na nivarttantē yadāsādya na śōcatē | tatpadaṁ śēmuṣīlabhyamastyēvā’tra na saṁśayaḥ || 34 ||
- Another reading: शोचति (śōcati) for शोचते
Translation
That state, reaching which they do not return, gaining which one does not grieve, can be had by the intellect. It exists; of that there is no doubt.
Word by word
- yat
- which
- prāpya
- reaching
- na
- not
- nivarttantē
- they return
- yad
- which
- āsādya
- gaining
- śōcatē
- one grieves
- tat
- that
- padaṁ
- state
- śēmuṣī
- by the intellect
- labhyam
- can be had
- asti
- it exists
- ēva
- indeed
- atra
- of that
- saṁśayaḥ
- doubt
Meaning
The commentary raises the objection that there is no place but saṁsāra to go to. The answer is asti eva, it exists, without qualification. It then cites a purāṇa, that without the Lord of the world all this would be dark, like a world without the sun, and the Upaniṣad: one who knows Brahman as non-existent becomes non-existent himself (Taittirīya 2.6). Śemuṣī-labhyam, gained by the intellect: nothing else is needed, and no journey. That is what makes the claim both modest and very large.