śreyaś ca preyaś ca manuṣyam etas
tau samparītya vivinakti dhīraḥ |
śreyo hi dhīro’bhipreyaso vṛṇīte
preyo mando yoga-kṣemān vṛṇīte ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.2)
“Śreyas and preyas present themselves to human beings, and the wise fully assess and discriminate between them. The wise choose śreyas exclusively over preyas, but the foolish choose preyas to gain [what they lack] and preserve [what they have, in the worldly sense].”
anyac chreyo’nyad utaiva preyas
te ubhe nānārthe puruṣaṁ sinītaḥ |
tayoḥ śreya ādadānasya sādhu
bhavati hīyate’rthād ya u preyo vṛṇīte ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.1)
“Śreyas and preyas are distinct from one another, though with various goals, they both bind the living being. One who between them chooses śreyas reaches the true goal, and one who chooses preyas falls from it.”
etad dhy evākṣaraṁ brahma etad dhy evākṣaraṁ param |
etad dhy evākṣaraṁ jñātvā yo yad icchati tasya tat ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.16)
“This one syllable [i.e., Om] is indeed Brahman. This one syllable is indeed supreme. One who knows this one syllable attains that which he desires.”
tad evaṁ tasya raśmi-paramāṇu-sthānīyāṁśatve siddhe tadvat sarvasyām api daśāyāṁ kartṛtva-bhoktṛtvādi-svarūpa-dharmā api sidhyanti | tadvad eva ca parameśvara-śakty-anugraheṇaiva te kārya-kṣamā bhavanti | tatra teṣāṁ prakṛti-vikāra-maya-kartṛtvādikaṁ tadīya-māyā-śakti-mayānugraheṇa | ata eva tat-sambandhāt teṣāṁ saṁsāraḥ | svānubhava-brahmānubhava-bhagavad-anubhava-kartṛtvādikaṁ tu tadīya-svarūpa-śakty-anugraheṇa | ‘yatra tv asya sarvam ātmaivābhūt tat kena kaṁ paśyet’ iti śrutiś ca tat-svarūpa-śaktiṁ vinā tad-darśanāsāmārthyaṁ dyotayati ‘yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ’ ity ādi śruteḥ | ata eva svarūpa-śakti-sambandhān māyāntardhāne teṣāṁ saṁsāra-nāśaḥ |
(Prīti Sandarbha: 5)
“Thus, in this way, with the establishment of [the jīva’s] being a part (aṁśa) of it [i.e., of the Supreme Entity] comparable to a particle in a ray [of the sun], the inherent characteristics (svarūpa-dharmas) of doership (kartṛtva), perceivership (bhokṛtva), and so forth [i.e., and knowership (jñātṛtva)] too are similarly established [to exist in the jīva] even in all states [i.e., even in the states of being conditioned (baddha), being liberated while living (jīvan-mukta), and liberated completely (mukta)]. Similarly also, these are capable of functioning [to the very limited extent that the jīva’s minute nature allows] only by the favor of Parameśvara’s śakti. In that regard, their [i.e., jīvas’] doership (kartṛtva) and so forth [i.e., perceivership (bhoktṛtva), and knowership (jñātṛtva)] based on transformations prakṛti exist by the favor of his [i.e., Parameśvara’s] māyā potency. Thus, their saṁsāra [i.e., condition of transmigrating throughout material existence] occurs because of [their] relation with that [i.e., māyā], whereas [their] doership (kartṛtva) and so forth in the form of experience of self (svānubhava), experience of Brahman (Brahmānubhava), and experience of Bhagavān (Bhagavad-anubhava) exist by the favor of his [i.e., Parameśvara’s] inherent potency (svarūpa-śakti). Also, the Śruti [i.e., the statement in BAU 2.4.14], ‘When everything has become [i.e., is perceived to be] only the Self (Ātmā) for him [i.e., for a realized person], then who shall see what by what means?’ illuminates the inability of seeing him [i.e., Parameśvara] without [the favor of] his inherent potency (svarūpa-śakti) because of the Śruti [i.e., the statement in Kaṭha Upaniṣad 1.2.23], ‘He is attainable only by one whom he chooses.‘ Therefore, the termination of their [i.e., jīvas’] saṁsāra occurs upon the withdrawal of māyā because of a relation with the inherent potency (svarūpa-śakti) [of Parameśvara].”
uttiṣṭha jāgrata prāpya varān nibodhata |
kṣurasya dhārā niśitā duratyayā
durgaṁ pathas tat kavayo vadanti ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.3.14)
“Arise! Awake! Find the exalted ones and learn. The wise say the path is sharp as a razor’s edge, difficult to traverse, and arduous.”
yadā sarve pramucyante kāmā ye’sya hrdi sthitāḥ |
atha martyo’mṛto bhavaty atra brahma samaśnute ||
(Bṛhad-ārayaṇka Upaniṣad: 4.4.7; Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 2.3.14; cited in Bhāvārtha-dīpikā and Sārātha-darśinī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 2.2.32, Bhāvārtha-dīpikā on Śrīmad Bhāgavatam: 7.10.9, the Sārārtha-varṣiṇī-ṭīkā on Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā: 2.55; Govinda-bhāṣya on Vedānta-sūtra: 4.2.7)
“When all the desires present in one’s heart are dispelled, then a mortal becomes immortal and here experiences Brahman.”
nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo
na medhayā na bahunā śrutena |
yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyaḥ
tasyaiṣa ātmā vivṛṇute tanūṁ svām ||
(Kaṭha Upaniṣad: 1.2.23; cited in Bhagavat Sandarbha: 121)
“The Ātmā is attainable neither by exposition, nor by intellect, nor by extensive hearing [of śāstra]. The Ātmā is attainable by one whom he chooses. To him [who is so chosen] the Ātmā reveals his own form.”
