ब्रह्मोपदेशे दृष्टान्तो यस्तवेह हि कथ्यते । एकदेशसधर्मत्वं तत्रान्तः परिगृह्यते ॥ ५४ ॥
brahmōpadēśē dṛṣṭāntō yastavēha hi kathyatē | ēkadēśasadharmatvaṁ tatrāntaḥ parigṛhyatē || 54 ||
Translation
When I give you an illustration here in teaching Brahman, only its likeness in one part is taken in it.
Word by word
- brahma
- Brahman
- upadēśē
- in teaching
- dṛṣṭāntō
- (dṛṣṭāntaḥ) an illustration
- yas
- (yaḥ) which
- tava
- to you
- iha
- here
- hi
- indeed
- kathyatē
- is given
- ēkadēśa
- in one part
- sadharmatvaṁ
- likeness
- tatra
- in it
- antaḥ
- only
- parigṛhyatē
- is taken
Meaning
The commentary: in the illustration of the rope, which teaches the ground of the snake that appears on it, only the point of being a ground is taken; not that the rope is real or blissful as Brahman is. Another commentary's note: do not conclude from the rope and the snake that the rope too is as real as Brahman. Every illustration breaks down somewhere, and the reader is told in advance where to stop.