लब्ध्वा कथञ्चिन्नरजन्म दुर्लभं तत्रापि पुंस्त्वं श्रुतिपारदर्शनम् । यः स्वात्ममुक्त्यै न यतेत मूढधीः स आत्महा स्वं विनिहन्त्यसद्ग्रहात् ॥ ४ ॥
labdhvā kathañcinnarajanma durlabhaṃ tatrāpi puṃstvaṃ śrutipāradarśanam ; yaḥ svātmamuktyai na yateta mūḍhadhīḥ sa ātmahā svaṃ vinihantyasadgrahāt . 4 .
Anvaya
कथंचित्kathaṃcit
Somehow
लब्ध्वाlabdhvā
having attained
नर–जन्म दुर्लभम्nara–janma durlabham
the human birth which is hard to get
तत्र अपिtatra api
there too
पुंस्त्वंpuṃstvaṃ
male birth
श्रुति–पार–दर्शनम्śruti–pāra–darśanam
perfect knowledge of scriptures
यः तुyaḥ tu
the person who
आत्म–मुक्त्यैātma–muktyai
for liberation of oneself
न यतेतna yateta
does not try
मूढधीःmūḍhadhīḥ
person of foolish mind
सsa
he
आत्महाātmahā
kills himself
स्वं विनिहन्तिsvaṃ vinihanti
ruins one’s self
असद्–ग्रहात्asad–grahāt
by clinging on to unreal things
Translation
Having somehow attained the human life, which is hard to get, and there too being a male and having the vision of the other shore of the (ocean of) scriptures (having a thorough knowledge of scriptures), if a person does not yet try for liberation, he is a fool and a killer of his own self, by clutching on to the unreal things.
Annotation
The word ātmahā means one who kills himself. It is used in a figurative sense in the Isavasya Upanishad to refer to a person who does not pursue Self–knowledge but who is content with sense gratification. A human being has the potential to realise his Self not doing so is to commit suicide in a figurative sense.