Kaṭha Upaniṣad 171

171

yat tāvat svābhāvikaṃ parāg evānātmadarśanaṃ tad ātmadarśanasya pratibandhakāraṇam avidyā tatpratikūlatvād yā ca parāg evāvidyopapradarśiteṣu dṛṣṭādṛṣṭeṣu bhogeṣu tṛṣṇā tābhyām avidyātṛṣṇābhyāṃ pratibaddhātmadarśanaḥ parāco bahirgatān eva kāmān kāmyān viṣayān anuyanty anugacchanti bālā alpaprajñāḥ, te tena kāraṇena mṛtyor avidyākāmakarmasamudāyasya yanti gacchanti vitatasya vistīrṇasya sarvato vyāptasya pāśaṃ pāśyate badhyate yena taṃ pāśaṃ dehendriyādisaṃyogalakṣaṇam / anavarataṃ janmamaraṇajarārogādyanekānarthavrātaṃ pratipadyanta ity arthaḥ / yata evam atha tasmād dhīrā vivekinaḥ pratyagātmasvarūpāvasthān alakṣaṇam amṛtatvaṃ dhruvaṃ viditvā / dehādyamṛtatvaṃ hy abruvam idaṃ tu pratyagātmasvarūpāvasthān alakṣaṇaṃ dhruvaṃ "na karmaṇā vardhate no kanīyān" (BĀU 4,4.23) iti śruteḥ / tad evambhūtaṃ kūṭastham avicālyam amṛtatvaṃ viditvādhruveṣu sarvapadārtheṣv anityeṣu nirdhāryaṃ brāhmaṇā iha saṃsāre 'narthaprāye na prārthayante kiñcid api pratyagātmadarśanapratikūlatvāt / putravittalokaiṣaṇābhyo vyuttiṣṭhanty evety arthaḥ ///2,1.2 //

Shankara’s Commentary:
Com.—The natural tendency to see external objects which are not atman is the cause of the obstacle, i.e., ignorance, to the realisation of the atman. Being, opposed to it, the desire of enjoyments pertaining to this world and to the next, external to self and held up by ignorance, is another obstacle. The realisation of the atman being impeded by ignorance and desire, men with little intelligence pursue only external objects of desire. By that cause, they get into the meshes of widespread, i.e., omnipresent death, i.e., the combination of ignorance, desire and karma. Meshes] that which binds, consisting in the possession and deprivation of the body, the senses, etc. The meaning is that they fall into a continuous stream of manifold misery, such as birth, death, old age, sickness, etc., This being so, the intelligent, knowing the certain immortality of concentration in the pratyagatman (the immortality of the Devas and the rest is uncertain; but this consisting in concentration in the pratyagatman is certain, because it does not increase or suffer diminution by karma); i.e., knowing this constant and unshakable immortality, the knowers of Brahman do not covet any, among the ephemeral objects here, i.e., in samsara full of misery, because these objects are opposed to the realisation of the pratyagatman. The drift is that they rise above the desires of sons, wealth and worlds.