रज्ज्वां सर्पभ्रमः सर्पशब्दार्थासम्भवं स्थितम् । अनुत्पादमयं त्यक्त्वा शान्तोऽपि हि न शाम्यति ॥ १३ ॥
rajjvāṁ sarpabhramaḥ sarpaśabdārthāsambhavaṁ sthitam | anutpādamayaṁ tyaktvā śāntō’pi hi na śāmyati || 13 ||
Translation
The error of a snake in a rope: unless one grasps the unarisen truth that stands there, that neither the word "snake" nor its object was ever possible, it does not end even when it has quieted.
Word by word
- rajjvāṁ
- in a rope
- sarpa
- of a snake
- bhramaḥ
- the error
- śabda
- the word
- artha
- its object
- asambhavaṁ
- the impossibility
- sthitam
- that stands
- anutpāda
- unarisen
- mayaṁ
- truth
- tyaktvā
- leaving aside
- śāntō
- (śāntaḥ) quieted
- api
- even
- hi
- indeed
- na
- not
- śāmyati
- does end
Meaning
The commentary: the snake-error in the rope ends for good only when both the word "snake" and the thing it names are wholly sublated; short of that, even if it quiets for a while, it rises again. The full cure is final removal, and nothing less. The fear of a snake may fade in the dark without the rope being seen; it has not really gone.