महाचिद्रूपमेव त्वं स्मरणं विद्धि वेदनम् । कार्यकारणता तेन स शब्दो न च वास्तवः ॥ २३ ॥
mahācidrūpamēva tvaṁ smaraṇaṁ viddhi vēdanam | kāryakāraṇatā tēna sa śabdō na ca vāstavaḥ || 23 ||
Translation
Know memory, knowing, to be only the great form of awareness; so causality is a word, and not real.
Word by word
- mahā
- great
- cid
- awareness
- rūpam
- form
- ēva
- only
- tvaṁ
- you
- smaraṇaṁ
- memory
- viddhi
- know
- vēdanam
- knowing
- kārya
- effect
- kāraṇatā
- causality
- tēna
- so
- sa
- it
- śabdō
- (śabdaḥ) a word
- na
- not
- ca
- and
- vāstavaḥ
- real
Meaning
The commentary: memory, the inner instrument, individual and cosmic, by which one remembers, is what is meant by knowing; take it as the great form of awareness itself. A Vārttika is cited: "So the round of becoming is only a supposition in the inward Self; if doubt remains on this point, look with the inward eye." Another commentary: with this knowledge, causality is left a mere word, and even that is not real when enquired into.