जगन्नाम्ना न चोत्पन्नं न चाऽस्ति न च दृश्यते । हेम्नीव कटकादित्वं किमेतन्मार्जने श्रमः ॥ ४० ॥
jagannāmnā na cōtpannaṁ na cā’sti na ca dṛśyatē | hēmnīva kaṭakāditvaṁ kimētanmārjanē śramaḥ || 40 ||
Translation
Under the name of the world nothing was born, nothing exists, and nothing is seen, like being a bracelet in gold: what labour is there in wiping it away?
Word by word
- jagan
- (jagat) of the world
- nāmnā
- under the name
- na
- nothing
- ca
- and
- utpannaṁ
- was born
- asti
- exists
- dṛśyatē
- is seen
- hēmni
- in gold
- iva
- like
- kaṭaka
- a bracelet
- āditvaṁ
- being (a bracelet and the like)
- kim
- what
- ētan
- (etat) it
- mārjanē
- in wiping away
- śramaḥ
- labour
Meaning
The gold image of Vedānta. The commentary: as being a bracelet, imagined in gold, is sublated by seeing the gold, so the world imagined in Brahman is sublated by seeing Brahman. The bracelet is not melted down; it is seen to be gold. So with the world.