तैक्ष्ण्यं यथा मरिचबीजकणे स्थितं स्वं स्तम्भेषु चाऽरचितपुत्रकजालमन्तः । दृश्यं त्वनन्यदिदमेवमजेऽस्ति शान्तं तस्याऽस्ति बन्धनविमोक्षदृशः कुतः काः ॥ ५४ ॥
taikṣṇyaṁ yathā maricabījakaṇē sthitaṁ svaṁ stambhēṣu cā’racitaputrakajālamantaḥ | dṛśyaṁ tvananyadidamēvamajē’sti śāntaṁ tasyā’sti bandhanavimōkṣadṛśaḥ kutaḥ kāḥ || 54 ||
Translation
As sharpness lies in a grain of pepper-seed as its own, and a host of figures lies uncarved within pillars, so this seen, not other, lies at peace in the unborn: where are bondage and release for it, and from where?
Word by word
- taikṣṇyaṁ
- sharpness
- yathā
- as
- marica
- of pepper
- bīja
- seed
- kaṇē
- in a grain
- sthitaṁ
- lies
- svaṁ
- as its own
- stambhēṣu
- in pillars
- ca
- and
- aracita
- uncarved
- putraka
- of figures
- jālam
- a host
- antaḥ
- within
- dṛśyaṁ
- seen
- tu
- so
- ananyad
- (ananyat) not other
- idam
- this
- ēvam
- so
- ajē
- in the unborn
- asti
- lies
- śāntaṁ
- at peace
- tasya
- for it
- bandhana
- bondage
- vimōkṣa
- and release
- dṛśaḥ
- the views
- kutaḥ
- from where
- kāḥ
- what
Meaning
The sarga ends in a vasantatilakā verse. The commentary: as sharpness is in the pepper and figures in the pillar, not apart from them, so this whole world is in the unborn Self of awareness, at peace; how and whence can there be bondage and release for it? There is no cause of bondage, so neither is real. The pepper and the pillar recall 3.10.23 and 3.10.7: the tale has come back to the teaching it was told to illustrate.