श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । स्वपौरुषप्रयत्नेन विवेकेन विकासिना । स देवो ज्ञायते राम न तपःस्नानकर्मभिः ॥ ९ ॥
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | svapauruṣaprayatnēna vivēkēna vikāsinā | sa dēvō jñāyatē rāma na tapaḥsnānakarmabhiḥ || 9 ||
Translation
Vasiṣṭha said: By the effort of one's own endeavour, by discrimination as it unfolds, that God is known, Rāma; not by austerities, bathing and rites.
Word by word
- sva
- one's own
- pauruṣa
- endeavour
- prayatnēna
- by the effort
- vivēkēna
- by discrimination
- vikāsinā
- as it unfolds
- sa
- that
- dēvō
- (devaḥ) God
- jñāyatē
- is known
- rāma
- Rāma
- na
- not
- tapaḥ
- austerities
- snāna
- bathing
- karmabhiḥ
- by rites
Meaning
The commentary opens the answer carefully. Works done without desire for the sake of the wish to know, and the ordinary works of other lives, are spent in producing that wish. Once the wish to know is strong, only effort such as hearing the Vedānta (śravaṇa) is of use for knowing Brahman, not austerity. So works have their place, but it is behind: they bring one to the wish, and the wish to inquiry. Then the effort is one's own (svapauruṣa), and the light is discrimination (viveka), which grows as one uses it.