स्वयमेव विचारस्तु स्वत उत्थं स्वकं वपुः । नाशयित्वा करोत्याशु प्रत्यक्षं परमं महत् ॥ २३ ॥
svayamēva vicārastu svata utthaṁ svakaṁ vapuḥ | nāśayitvā karōtyāśu pratyakṣaṁ paramaṁ mahat || 23 ||
Translation
And inquiry itself, having destroyed its own body which arose from itself, quickly brings about the direct, the highest and great.
Word by word
- svayam
- itself
- ēva
- indeed
- vicāras
- (vicāraḥ) inquiry
- tu
- and
- svata
- (svataḥ) from itself
- utthaṁ
- which arose
- svakaṁ
- its own
- vapuḥ
- body
- nāśayitvā
- having destroyed
- karōti
- brings about
- āśu
- quickly
- pratyakṣaṁ
- the direct
- paramaṁ
- the highest
- mahat
- and great
Meaning
The commentary takes inquiry here as the direct realisation of the Self that comes from it. This too has a body: the world, which arose from the Self and is in truth not other than it. By destroying ignorance it destroys that body, and gives to those who know the highest good, which is their own Self, unveiled and without limit. Inquiry does not add a new reality; it removes the world's claim to be one, and what was always direct is left.