The Tree of Brahman and the Two Birds

Verse 1 (14.47.1)

संन्यासं तप इत्याहुर्वृद्धा निश्चितवादिनः । ब्राह्मणा ब्रह्मयोनिस्था ज्ञानं ब्रह्म परं विदुः ॥

saṃnyāsaṃ tapa ityāhurvṛddhā niścitavādinaḥ | brāhmaṇā brahmayonisthā jñānaṃ brahma paraṃ viduḥ

Elders who have reached firm conclusions call renunciation itself austerity. Brahmins established in the Vedic source of Brahman know that knowledge is the supreme Brahman.

Verse 2 (14.47.2)

अतिदूरात्मकं ब्रह्म वेदविद्याव्यपाश्रयम् । निर्द्वन्द्वं निर्गुणं नित्यमचिन्त्यगुणमुत्तमम् ॥

atidūrātmakaṃ brahma vedavidyāvyapāśrayam | nirdvandvaṃ nirguṇaṃ nityamacintyaguṇamuttamam

Brahman is utterly remote in its nature, to be reached by relying on the knowledge of the Vedas; it is free of the pairs of opposites, without qualities, eternal, supreme, its attributes beyond thought.

Verse 3 (14.47.3)

ज्ञानेन तपसा चैव धीराः पश्यन्ति तत्परम् । निर्णिक्तमनसः पूता व्युत्क्रान्तरजसोऽमलाः ॥

jñānena tapasā caiva dhīrāḥ paśyanti tatparam | nirṇiktamanasaḥ pūtā vyutkrāntarajaso'malāḥ

By knowledge and by austerity the steadfast see that supreme state, their minds cleansed, pure, passed beyond passion's dust, and stainless.

Verse 4 (14.47.4)

तपसा क्षेममध्वानं गच्छन्ति परमेश्वरम् । संन्यासनिरता नित्यं ये च ब्रह्मविदो जनाः ॥

tapasā kṣemamadhvānaṃ gacchanti parameśvaram | saṃnyāsaniratā nityaṃ ye ca brahmavido janāḥ

Through austerity those who seek the highest go by the road of safety to the Supreme Lord — those people who are always devoted to renunciation and who know Brahman.

Verse 5 (14.47.5)

तपः प्रदीप इत्याहुराचारो धर्मसाधकः । ज्ञानं वै परमं विद्यात्संन्यासं तप उत्तमम् ॥

tapaḥ pradīpa ityāhurācāro dharmasādhakaḥ | jñānaṃ vai paramaṃ vidyātsaṃnyāsaṃ tapa uttamam

They call austerity a lamp, and right conduct what accomplishes dharma. Know knowledge to be the supreme; renunciation is the highest austerity.

Verse 6 (14.47.6)

यस्तु वेद निराबाधं ज्ञानं तत्त्वविनिश्चयात् । सर्वभूतस्थमात्मानं स सर्वविदिहोच्यते ॥

yastu veda nirābādhaṃ jñānaṃ tattvaviniścayāt | sarvabhūtasthamātmānaṃ sa sarvavidihocyate

One who, by ascertaining the truth, knows without obstruction the knowledge of the Self abiding in all beings, is called here the all-knowing.

Verse 7 (14.47.7)

यो विद्वान्सहवासं च विवासं चैव पश्यति । तथैवेकत्वनानात्वे स दुःखात्प्रतिमुच्यते ॥

yo vidvānsahavāsaṃ ca vivāsaṃ caiva paśyati | tathaivekatvanānātve sa duḥkhātpratimucyate

The wise man who sees togetherness and apartness, and likewise oneness and manyness, is freed from sorrow.

Verse 8 (14.47.8)

यो न कामयते किञ्चिन्न किञ्चिदवमन्यते । इह लोकस्थ एवैष ब्रह्मभूयाय कल्पते ॥

yo na kāmayate kiñcinna kiñcidavamanyate | iha lokastha evaiṣa brahmabhūyāya kalpate

One who desires nothing and despises nothing, standing even in this world, becomes fit for becoming Brahman.

Verse 9 (14.47.9)

प्रधानगुणतत्त्वज्ञः सर्वभूतविधानवित् । निर्ममो निरहङ्कारो मुच्यते नात्र संशयः ॥

pradhānaguṇatattvajñaḥ sarvabhūtavidhānavit | nirmamo nirahaṅkāro mucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ

Knowing the principles of the Pradhana and the qualities, and knowing the ordering of all beings, free of possessiveness and egoism, he is freed; of this there is no doubt.

Note on the text: Corrected सर्व भूतविधानवित् → सर्वभूतविधानवित् (stray space inside the compound in Wikisource; CE 14.47.9a sarvabhūtavidhānavit).

Verse 10 (14.47.10)

निर्द्वन्द्वो निर्नमस्कारो निःस्वधाकार एव च । निर्गुणं नित्यमद्वन्द्वं प्रशमेनैव गच्छति ॥

nirdvandvo nirnamaskāro niḥsvadhākāra eva ca | nirguṇaṃ nityamadvandvaṃ praśamenaiva gacchati

Free from the pairs of opposites, giving no salutation, making no offering to the departed, he reaches by tranquillity alone the qualityless, eternal, non-dual.

Verse 11 (14.47.11)

हित्वा गुणमयं सर्वं कर्म जन्तुः शुभाशुभम् । उभे सत्यानृते हित्वा मुच्यते नात्र संशयः ॥

hitvā guṇamayaṃ sarvaṃ karma jantuḥ śubhāśubham | ubhe satyānṛte hitvā mucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ

Giving up all action made of the qualities, good and bad, and giving up both truth and untruth, a creature is freed; there is no doubt of it.

Verse 12 (14.47.12)

अव्यक्तबीजप्रभवो बुद्धिस्कन्धमयो महान् । महाहङ्कारविटप इन्द्रियान्तरकोटरः ॥

avyaktabījaprabhavo buddhiskandhamayo mahān | mahāhaṅkāraviṭapa indriyāntarakoṭaraḥ

It is a great tree whose seed and source is the unmanifest, whose trunk is made of the intellect, whose boughs are great egoism, and whose hollows are the inner recesses of the senses;

Verse 13 (14.47.13)

महाभूतविशाखश्च विशेषप्रतिशाखवान् । सदापत्रः सदापुष्पः शुभाशुभफलोदयः ॥

mahābhūtaviśākhaśca viśeṣapratiśākhavān | sadāpatraḥ sadāpuṣpaḥ śubhāśubhaphalodayaḥ

the great elements are its main branches and the particulars its lesser branches; it always has leaves, always has flowers, and bears the fruit of good and bad;

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment. Lines 1–2 = CE 14.47.13ab and 13cd.

Verse 14 (14.47.14)

आजीव्यः सर्वभूतानां ब्रह्मवृक्षः सनातनः । एनं छित्त्वा च भित्त्वा च तत्त्वज्ञानासिना बुधः ॥

ājīvyaḥ sarvabhūtānāṃ brahmavṛkṣaḥ sanātanaḥ | enaṃ chittvā ca bhittvā ca tattvajñānāsinā budhaḥ

it is the livelihood of all beings, the eternal tree of Brahman. Having cut and split this with the sword of true knowledge, the wise man,

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment. Line 1 = CE 14.47.13e (Wikisource आजीव्यः for ājīvaḥ); line 2 is a variant of CE 14.47.14ab (Wikisource एनं for etat; तत्त्वज्ञानासिना बुधः is the CE star line 14.47.14d*0086_01, tattvajñānāsinā budhaḥ).

Verse 15 (14.47.15)

हित्वा सङ्गमयान्पाशान्मृत्युजन्मजरोदयान् । निर्ममो निरहङ्कारो मुच्यते नात्र संशयः ॥

hitvā saṅgamayānpāśānmṛtyujanmajarodayān | nirmamo nirahaṅkāro mucyate nātra saṃśayaḥ

casting off the bonds made of attachment, which bring death, birth and old age, and free of possessiveness and egoism, is freed; there is no doubt of it.

Note on the text: Not matched by the alignment. Line 1 is the CE star line 14.47.14d*0086_02 (hitvā saṅgamayān pāśān mṛtyujanmajarodayān); line 2 = CE 14.47.14e.

Verse 16 (14.47.16)

द्वाविमौ पक्षिणौ नित्यौ संक्षेपौ चाप्यचेतनौ । एताभ्यां तु परो योऽन्यश्चेतनावान्स उच्यते ॥

dvāvimau pakṣiṇau nityau saṃkṣepau cāpyacetanau | etābhyāṃ tu paro yo'nyaścetanāvānsa ucyate

These two birds are eternal and, in brief, non-conscious; but the one who stands beyond both of them is called the possessor of consciousness.

Note on the text: Corrected योन्यश्चेतनावान् → योऽन्यश्चेतनावान् (misprint in Wikisource; the avagraha of योऽन्यः is dropped; CE 14.47.15c cetanāvān). Recension variant, kept: संक्षेपौ for the CE's sakhāyau (the page's footnote glosses the two birds as the individual self and the Lord).

Verse 17 (14.47.17)

अचेतनः सत्वसङ्ख्याविमुक्तः सत्त्वात्परं चेतयतेऽन्तरात्मा । स क्षेत्रवित्सर्वसङ्ख्यातबुद्धिर्गुणातिगो मुच्यते सर्वपापैः ॥

acetanaḥ satvasaṅkhyāvimuktaḥ sattvātparaṃ cetayate'ntarātmā | sa kṣetravitsarvasaṅkhyātabuddhirguṇātigo mucyate sarvapāpaiḥ

What is insentient is released from the count of sattva; the inner Self is conscious of what lies beyond sattva. That Knower of the Field, whose understanding has reckoned up the whole, passes beyond the qualities and is freed from all sins.

Note on the text: Wikisource prints this verse in four lines (one per pāda, labelled 14-47-17a–d), with the compound बुद्धि-र्गुणातिगो broken across two lines; joined here into the two-line form the CE has (14.47.16ab, 16cd) and the compound restored. The wording is a recension variant, kept (सत्वसङ्ख्याविमुक्तः for sattvasaṃghātayuktaḥ; मुच्यते सर्वपापैः for mucyate mṛtyupāśāt). The page's commentary glosses printed after the colophon are not added.