Shloka
विमानमालम्ब्य शरीरमेतत्
भुनक्त्यशेषान्विषयानुपस्थितान् ।
परेच्छया बालवदात्मवेत्ता
योऽव्यक्तलिङ्गोऽननुषक्तबाह्यः ॥ ५४० ॥
vimānamālambya śarīrametat
bhunaktyaśeṣānviṣayānupasthitān ;
parecchayā bālavadātmavettā
yo’vyaktaliṅgo’nanuṣaktabāhyaḥ . 540 .
Anvaya
- चिन्ता–शून्यम्cintā–śūnyam
- Worry–less
- अदैन्य–भैक्षम्adainya–bhaikṣam
- mendicancy with dignity
- अशनंaśanaṃ
- food
- पानंpānaṃ
- drink
- सरिद्–वारिषुsarid–vāriṣu
- in the waters of brooks
- स्वातन्त्र्येणsvātantryeṇa
- with freedom
- निर्–अंकुशा स्थितिःnir–aṃkuśā sthitiḥ
- state of unrestraint
- अभीःabhīḥ
- fearlessness
- निद्राnidrā
- sleep
- श्मशानेśmaśāne
- in the grave yard
- वनेvane
- in the forest
- वस्त्रंvastraṃ
- clothes
- क्षालन–शोषण–आदि–रहितंkṣālana–śoṣaṇa–ādi–rahitaṃ
- devoid of washing and drying
- दिक् वा अस्तुdik vā astu
- or merely the directions (digambara, one who has directions such as east, west etc., as clothes, which means ‘naked’)
- शय्याśayyā
- bed
- महीmahī
- the ground
- संचारःsaṃcāraḥ
- stroll
- निगम–अन्त–वीथिषुnigama–anta–vīthiṣu
- in the sublime paths of Vedanta
- विदांvidāṃ
- for the realised people
- क्रीडाkrīḍā
- sport
- परे ब्रह्मणिpare brahmaṇi
- in the Supreme Brahman
Translation
Holding on to this body as a mere medium, the knower of Atman, like a child, enjoys the host of sense objects as desired by others. He is beyond all identities of varṇa and āśrama and is devoid of attachment to external objects.
Annotation
Sri Shankara uses the metaphor of a vehicle in this verse. 1) The word ‘vimānam’ is explained in the dictionary as – ‘vigataṃ mānam upamā yasya’, which means that it is an unparalleled vehicle. It is also explained as ‘vigato māno yasya’, which means that the person has transcended ego and that he has no identification with the body. It also means a vehicle which has no contact or attachment with any worldly things and that it is happily floating in the cidākāśa, the space–like consciousness. 2) The knower of Atman has no personal program of action but he is driven into actions such as teaching etc., by others – which is called parecchā prārabdham.