Kaṭha Upaniṣad 97

97

yaṃ tvaṃ jñātum icchasy ātmānaṃ taṃ durdarśaṃ duḥkhena darśanam asyeti durdarśo 'tisūkṣmatvāt taṃ gūḍhaṃ gahanam, anupraviṣṭaṃ prākṛtaviṣayavikāravijñānaiḥ pracchannam ity etat / guhāhitaṃ guhāyāṃ buddhau sthitaṃ tatropalabhyamānatvāt / gahvareṣṭhaṃ gahvare viṣame 'nekānarthasaṅkaṭe tiṣṭhatīti gahvareṣṭham / yata evaṃ gūḍham anupraviṣṭo guhāhitaś cāto gahvareṣṭho 'to durdarśaḥ / taṃ purāṇaṃ purātanam adhyātmayogādhigamena viṣayebhyaḥ pratisaṃhṛtya cetasa ātmani samādhānam adhyātmayogas tasyādhigamas tena matvā devam ātmānaṃ dhīro harṣaśokāv ātmana utkarṣāpakarṣayor abhāvaj jahāti ///1,2.12 //

Shankara’s Commentary:
Com.—The atman which you wish to know is hard to see, being extremely subtle, lodged in the inmost recess, being concealed by the modifications of consciousness, caused by worldly objects. Located in intelligence (being realised, as if there lodged) and seated amidst manifold miseries. Being lodged in the inmost recess and located in intelligence, he is seated amidst miseries; (being thus seated he is hard to see) dwelling on that ancient atman, with a mind weaned from all external objects and concentrated on the atman, the intelligent man renounces joy and grief, as there is neither superiority nor inferiority for the atman.