आदावेव हि नोत्पन्नं दृश्यं नाऽस्त्येव चेत्स्वयम् । द्रष्टुर्दृश्यस्वभावत्वात् तत्संभवति मुक्तता ॥ २६ ॥
ādāvēva hi nōtpannaṁ dṛśyaṁ nā’styēva cētsvayam | draṣṭurdṛśyasvabhāvatvāt tatsaṁbhavati muktatā || 26 ||
Translation
If the seen never arose in the beginning and does not exist of itself, then, since it is not the seer's nature to be seen, release becomes possible.
Word by word
- ādau
- in the beginning
- ēva
- at all
- hi
- indeed
- na
- not
- utpannaṁ
- arisen
- dṛśyaṁ
- the seen
- asti
- exists
- cēt
- if
- svayam
- of itself
- draṣṭur
- (draṣṭuḥ) of the seer
- dṛśya
- seen
- svabhāvatvāt
- since it is the nature
- tat
- then
- saṁbhavati
- becomes possible
- muktatā
- release
Meaning
Rāma states the only condition on which release could be possible. The commentary: if the seen had no being of its own, never having arisen at all, release could happen from the nature of the seen; but that the world has not arisen is not something we experience, so the seer cannot be freed from the nature of the seen: that is the sense. Another commentary: if the seen did not arise in the beginning, and so is not there by its own nature, then, since the seer is awareness, the seer's nature would be the seen's, and release would be possible; but what has not arisen is not experienced, so the seer cannot be freed. The two commentaries read the compound differently, but agree on Rāma's point: release depends on the seen never having been, and that he cannot yet see.