अहं हि हेमकटके विचार्याऽपि न दृष्टवान् । कटकत्वं क्वचिन्नाम ऋते निर्मलहाटकात् ॥ ३१ ॥
ahaṁ hi hēmakaṭakē vicāryā’pi na dṛṣṭavān | kaṭakatvaṁ kvacinnāma ṛtē nirmalahāṭakāt || 31 ||
Translation
For I, though I have examined a golden bracelet, have never seen any "bracelet-ness" anywhere apart from the pure gold.
Word by word
- ahaṁ
- I
- hi
- for
- hēma
- golden
- kaṭakē
- a bracelet
- vicārya
- examined
- api
- though
- na
- never
- dṛṣṭavān
- have seen
- kaṭakatvaṁ
- bracelet-ness
- kvacit
- anywhere
- nāma
- any
- ṛtē
- apart from
- nirmala
- pure
- hāṭakāt
- gold
Meaning
Three illustrations follow (vv. 31-34), each with the same shape. Look closely at a gold bracelet: where is the bracelet, apart from the gold? The shape is real only as a way the gold is; take away the gold and no bracelet is left. So with the world and Brahman. The commentary: when looked at with knowledge, the unreality of the world laid on Brahman becomes plain; these examples let one experience it.