Kaṭha Upaniṣad 154

154

tatpratipattyupāyam āha yacchen niyacched upasaṃharet prājño vivekī / kim? vāgvācam / vāgatropalakṣaṇārthā sarveṣām indriyāṇām / kva? manasī / manasi chāndasaṃ dairghyam / tac ca mano yacchej jñāne prakāśasvarūpe buddhāv ātmani / buddhir hi mana ādikaraṇānyāpnotīty ātmā pratyak ca teṣām / jñānaṃ buddhim ātmani mahati prathamaje niyacchet / prathamajavat svacchasvabhāvakam ātmano vijñānam āpādayed ity arthaḥ / tañ ca mahāntam ātmānaṃ yacchec chānte sarvaviśeṣapratyastamitarūpe 'vikriye sarvāntare sarvabuddhipratyayasākṣiṇi mukhya ātmani ///1,3.13 //

Shankara’s Commentary:
Com.—The text states the means of attaining that Yatchet, draw into. Prajnah, one having discernment. What? Vaky, i.e., speech. The word ‘vak,’ i.e, speech, is illustratively used to denote all the senses. Where? In the mind. The lengthening of the vowel in manasi is a Vedic license; and that mind, let him sink into gnana, i.e., intellect bright by nature; ‘intellect’ is called atman here; for, it pervades the mind and the other senses; therefore, it is their ‘Pratyagatman,’ i.e., internal principle; let him sink the intellect into the atman; ‘great,’ i.e., first born Hiranyagarbha. The meaning is, let him make his intelligence as clear in its nature as the first born; let him sink that great atman also into the peaceful atman, i.e., into the primary atman whose nature does not admit of any conditions, which is unmodified, which is within all and which is the witness of all the modifications of the intellect.