Shloka
अत्रानात्मन्यहमिति मतिर्बन्ध एषोऽस्य पुंसः
प्राप्तोऽज्ञानाज्जननमरणक्लेशसम्पातहेतुः ।
येनैवायं वपुरिदमसत्सत्यमित्यात्मबुद्ध्या
पुष्यत्युक्षत्यवति विषयैस्तन्तुभिः कोशकृद्वत् ॥ १३९ ॥
atrānātmanyahamiti matirbandha eṣo’sya puṃsaḥ
prāpto’jñānājjananamaraṇakleśasampātahetuḥ ;
yenaivāyaṃ vapuridamasatsatyamityātmabuddhyā
puṣyatyukṣatyavati viṣayaistantubhiḥ kośakṛdvat . 139 .
Anvaya
- अत्र अनात्मनिatra anātmani
- In this non–self
- अहम् इति मतिःaham iti matiḥ
- identification as ‘I’
- एषः बन्धःeṣaḥ bandhaḥ
- this is bondage
- अस्य पुंसःasya puṃsaḥ
- for this person
- प्राप्तः अज्ञानात्prāptaḥ ajñānāt
- caused by ignorance
- जनन–मरण–क्लेश–संपात–हेतुःjanana–maraṇa–kleśa–saṃpāta–hetuḥ
- it is the cause for the occurrence of the afflictions of birth and death
- येन एवyena eva
- by which alone
- अयंayaṃ
- this person
- इदं वपुःidaṃ vapuḥ
- this body
- असत्asat
- which is unreal
- सत्यम् इतिsatyam iti
- considering it as real
- आत्म–बुद्ध्याātma–buddhyā
- as his own Self
- पुष्यतिpuṣyati
- nourishes
- उक्षतिukṣati
- waters it
- अवतिavati
- protects
- विषयैःviṣayaiḥ
- by sense objects
- कोश–कृद्–वत्kośa–kṛd–vat
- like the caterpillar
- तन्तुभिःtantubhiḥ
- (binds itself) with threads
Translation
In this non–self, identification as Self is the bondage for a person. It is caused by ignorance and it is the cause for the occurrence of the afflictions of birth and death. Due to this alone a person considers this body–mind–complex, which is unreal, as real and as his own self. With this sense he feeds it, waters it, protects it by providing sense objects – like a caterpillar (binds itself) with threads.
Annotation
1) ‘kleśa’ – refers to the five afflictions of mind mentioned by Patanjali (2–3). They are – ignorance, egoism, attachment, hatred and clinging to life. 2) Ignorance – as Patanjali describes (2–5), it is the knowledge that takes the unreal, unclean, miserable, non–self as the real, pure, happy self. 3) ‘kośa–kṛd’ – it is the caterpillar which binds itself through the fluid from its own body. Similarly, the ignorant person binds himself through his own creations of mind (Jagadguru).