यथा सौवर्णकटके दृश्यमानमिदं स्फुटम् । कटकत्वं तु नैवाऽस्ति जगत्त्वं न तथा परे ॥ ८ ॥
yathā sauvarṇakaṭakē dṛśyamānamidaṁ sphuṭam | kaṭakatvaṁ tu naivā’sti jagattvaṁ na tathā parē || 8 ||
Translation
As in a golden bracelet, though this is plainly seen, there is no bracelethood at all, so in the Supreme there is no worldhood.
Word by word
- yathā
- as
- sauvarṇa
- golden
- kaṭakē
- in a bracelet
- dṛśyamānam
- being seen
- idaṁ
- this
- sphuṭam
- plainly
- kaṭakatvaṁ
- bracelethood
- tu
- but
- na
- not
- ēva
- at all
- asti
- there is
- jagattvaṁ
- worldhood
- tathā
- so
- parē
- in the Supreme
Meaning
The commentary introduces the next five verses: how can what is perceived be unreal? Because what appears in perception is, on reflection, found to be contradicted, and its unreality is shown in many examples. As in a gold bracelet, which is clearly seen, there is no thing called bracelethood apart from the gold, so in the Supreme, in Brahman, there is no worldhood, though the world is perceived. Another commentary: as there is nothing bracelet-like in a bracelet apart from gold, so the being of the world is in the Supreme, that is, it is not separate from Brahman. The bracelet is not denied as a shape that one sees; what is denied is a second substance, "bracelet", standing beside the gold.