श्रीराम उवाच । यस्मिन् जीवे हि विज्ञाते न विनश्यति संसृतिः । व्योमरूपी पशुस्त्वज्ञः स ब्रह्मन् कुत्र कीदृशः ॥ १३ ॥
śrīrāma uvāca | yasmin jīvē hi vijñātē na vinaśyati saṁsṛtiḥ | vyōmarūpī paśustvajñaḥ sa brahman kutra kīdṛśaḥ || 13 ||
Translation
Rāma said: That jīva, by knowing which saṁsāra does not perish, the ignorant beast whose form is like space: where is it, brahman, and what is it like?
Word by word
- yasmin
- which
- jīvē
- jīva
- hi
- indeed
- vijñātē
- by knowing
- na
- not
- vinaśyati
- does perish
- saṁsṛtiḥ
- saṁsāra
- vyōma
- like space
- rūpī
- whose form is
- paśus
- (paśuḥ) the beast
- tu
- that
- ajñaḥ
- ignorant
- sa
- it
- brahman
- brahman
- kutra
- where
- kīdṛśaḥ
- what is it like
Meaning
Rāma's two questions (13 and 14) look out of place, the commentary admits: the nature of the jīva was already given in v. 7, and the nature of Brahman was asked at the start. But they are not plain questions; they are an objection. To say "the jīva is saṁsāra" seems self-defeating: if the jīva reaches Brahman, Brahman becomes worldly; if it does not, knowledge and scripture are in vain. And where does the jīva rest, in Brahman or in something else? Either answer seems to break non-duality.