Upadesha Sara - Verse 21

Sanskrit

इदमहं पदाऽभिख्यमन्वहम् ।
अहमिलीनकेऽप्यलयसत्तया ॥ २१॥

Transliteration

idamahaṁ padā’bhikhya-manvaham
aham-ilīnake’pyalaya-sattayā

Translation

Of the term, ‘I’, the permanent import
Is That. For even in deep sleep
Where we have no sense of ‘I’
We do not cease to be.

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Index: Upadesha Sara

इदं हृत् अहंपदाभिख्यं अहंपदमभिख्या यस्येति । अहमिमिति पदं मनसि गौणमात्मनि मुख्यमिति भावः । हेतुमाह । अन्वहं अहमि लीनवेऽपि मनोमयाहङ्कारे नष्टेऽपि अलयसत्तया अनष्टसद्भावेन । अयं भावः । योऽहंपदार्थः स आत्मेति पामरोऽप्युररीकुर्यात् । अहङ्कारे शान्ते नात्मा शान्तो दृश्यते । स्फुरत्येवाहमिमिति । मनस्तु शान्तं भवति । एवमन्वयव्यतिरेकाभ्यामहंपदं मनसि गौणमात्मनि मुख्यमिति सिद्धम् । कथं गौणं कथं मुख्यम्? मनसोऽहङ्कारसम्बन्धात्तत्र गौणम् । आत्मन्यहन्तायाः सत्तारूपेण नित्यं भानात्तत्र मुख्यम् ॥

Translation: “This Heart is the true meaning of the word ‘I’. The term ‘I’ is used figuratively (gauna) for the mind, but primarily (mukhya) for the Self. The reason is given: daily, even when the ‘I’ is absorbed—even when the mental ego is lost (as in deep sleep)—the Self persists as non-decaying Being. The essence is: even a common man accepts that ‘I’ refers to the Self. When the ego is silenced, the Self is not silenced; it continues to pulse as ‘I-I’. The mind, however, is silenced. Thus, by logic, it is proved that ‘I’ is secondary in the mind and primary in the Self. Why? In the mind, it is secondary because it is linked to the fleeting ego; in the Self, it is primary because it shines eternally as the very nature of Being.”