किञ्चिन्नोपकरोत्यत्र तपोदानव्रतादिकम् । स्वभावमात्रे विश्रान्तिमृते नाऽत्राऽस्ति साधनम् ॥ ४ ॥
kiñcinnōpakarōtyatra tapōdānavratādikam | svabhāvamātrē viśrāntimṛtē nā’trā’sti sādhanam || 4 ||
Translation
Austerity, gifts, vows and the like help here not at all. Apart from resting in one's own nature alone, there is no means here.
Word by word
- kiñcin
- (kiñcit) at all
- na
- not
- upakarōti
- help
- atra
- here
- tapō
- (tapaḥ) austerity
- dāna
- gifts
- vrata
- vows
- ādikam
- and the like
- svabhāva
- in one's own nature
- mātrē
- alone
- viśrāntim
- resting
- ṛtē
- apart from
- nātra
- (na atra) not here
- asti
- there is
- sādhanam
- means
Meaning
The commentary: austerity, giving, vows and the rest give not the least help in reaching the supreme Self; except rest in one's own nature, there is no means at all. Rest (viśrānti) is the word to hold: not a deed, but the stopping of the effort to become something else. At verse 7 the commentary qualifies this: the Veda does speak of sacrifice and giving as ways to the wish to know.