न कृतेनाऽकृतेनाऽर्थो न श्रुतिस्मृतिविभ्रमैः । निर्मन्दर इवाऽम्भोधिः स तिष्ठति यथास्थितम् ॥ ११ ॥
na kṛtēnā’kṛtēnā’rthō na śrutismṛtivibhramaiḥ | nirmandara ivā’mbhōdhiḥ sa tiṣṭhati yathāsthitam || 11 ||
Translation
there is nothing to be gained by what is done or by what is not done, nor by the play of śruti and smṛti. He stays as he is, like the ocean without Mount Mandara.
Word by word
- na
- not
- kṛtēna
- by what is done
- akṛtēna
- by what is not done
- arthō
- (arthaḥ) anything to be gained
- śruti
- of śruti
- smṛti
- and smṛti
- vibhramaiḥ
- by the play
- nirmandara
- without Mount Mandara
- iva
- like
- ambhōdhiḥ
- the ocean
- sa
- (saḥ) he
- tiṣṭhati
- stays
- yathāsthitam
- as he is
Meaning
The ocean was churned by the gods with Mount Mandara as the churning rod; without it the sea is still. The commentary says the free one has no purpose left in the fruits of this world or the next, whether from acts done or acts left undone, and none in the stirrings of mind that hearing and reflection on scripture are. It then answers an objection, that the verses contradict each other: "householder or renunciant" seems to keep each in the duties of his stage, while "nothing by what is done or not done" seems to free him from all, and the still ocean speaks of a complete end of disturbance. The answer, given in the verses that follow, is the rule of verse 1: each picture holds in one respect only.