Shloka
अतस्मिंस्तद्बुद्धिः प्रभवति विमूढस्य तमसा
विवेकाभावाद्वै स्फुरति भुजगे रज्जुधिषणा ।
ततोऽनर्थव्रातो निपतति समादातुरधिक -
स्ततो योऽसद्ग्राहः स हि भवति बन्धः शृणु सखे ॥ १४० ॥
atasmiṃstadbuddhiḥ prabhavati vimūḍhasya tamasā
vivekābhāvādvai sphurati bhujage rajjudhiṣaṇā ;
tato’narthavrāto nipatati samādāturadhika -
stato yo’sadgrāhaḥ sa hi bhavati bandhaḥ śṛṇu sakhe . 140 .
Anvaya
- विमूढस्य तमसाvimūḍhasya tamasā
- For a person deluded by ignorance
- अतस्मिन् तद्–बुद्धिःatasmin tad–buddhiḥ
- identification of a false thing as the real thing
- प्रभवतिprabhavati
- arises
- विवेक–अभावाद् वैviveka–abhāvād vai
- indeed, due to absence of discrimination
- स्फुरतिsphurati
- thought arises
- भुजगेbhujage
- in the serpant
- रज्जु–धिषणाrajju–dhiṣaṇā
- the idea of rope
- ततःtataḥ
- hence
- अधिकः अनर्थ–व्रातःadhikaḥ anartha–vrātaḥ
- a great host of miseries
- निपततिnipatati
- falls
- समादातुःsamādātuḥ
- for the one who knows it
- यः असद्–ग्राहःyaḥ asad–grāhaḥ
- the false identification
- सः हिsaḥ hi
- that itself
- भवति बन्धःbhavati bandhaḥ
- becomes bondage
- शृणु सखेśṛṇu sakhe
- listen, oh friend!
Translation
Identification of a false thing as the real thing arises due to absence of discrimination in a person deluded by ignorance. It is like the thought of a rope in a serpent. A great host of miseries visit a person who cognises thus. Hence, oh friend, know that such false identification is itself the bondage.
Annotation
1) ‘atasmin tad–buddhiḥ’– considering the body–mind–complex, which is non–self, as the Self. It is like treating the serpent as the rope. By such false knowledge a host of miseries befall a person. The example of rope and snake is conversely mentioned here. Normally we say that the serpent is seen as a rope but here the example is that the rope is seen as a serpent (Jagadguru).