परीक्ष्य लोकान्कर्मचितान्ब्राह्मणो
निर्वेदमायान्नास्त्यकृतः कृतेन ।
तद्विज्ञानार्थं स गुरुमेवाभिगच्छेत्
समित्पाणिः श्रोत्रियं ब्रह्मनिष्ठम् ॥
parīkṣya lokān karma-citān brāhmaṇo
nirvedam āyān nāsty akṛtaḥ kṛtena |
tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet
samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham ||
(Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad: 1.2.12)
“Having examined the planes attained by karma, a brāhmaṇa reaches disinterest [based on the conclusion], ‘That which is unmade [Brahman] is not attained by that which is made [karma].’ To know in depth that [which is unmade, Brahman], he, with firewood in hand, should only [rather than seeking knowledge of it independently] approach a guru who is learned [in the śāstra] and fixed [exclusively] in Brahman.”
Commentary
The following are excerpts from the commentary of Śrīpād Śaṅkarācārya:
athedānīm asmāt sādhya-sādhana-rūpāt sarvasmāt saṁsārād viraktasya parasyāṁ vidyāyām adhikāra-pradarśanārtham idam ucyate …
This [verse] is stated for the purpose of showing that [only] one who is indifferent towards the totality of saṁsāra in the form of all these ends and means [i.e., to the impermanent attainments described throughout the Vedas] has eligibility for [i.e., inquiry into] para-vidyā [i.e., knowledge of Brahman].
parīkṣya yad etad ṛg-vedādy-apara-vidyā-viṣayaṁ svābhāvikāvidyā-kāma-karma-doṣavat puruṣānuṣṭheyam avidyādi-doṣavantam eva puruṣaṁ prati vihitatvāt …
The subject of the apara-vidyā [i.e., the knowledge of realm of saṁsāra, taught] in the Ṛg and other Vedas is [meant] to be followed by a person who possess the faults of natural avidyā, kāma, and karma and is thus prescribed only for a person who has these faults of avidyā and so forth.
tad-anuṣṭhāna-kārya-bhūtāś ca lokā ye dakṣiṇottara-mārga-lakṣaṇāḥ phala-bhūtāḥ, ye ca vihitākaraṇa-pratiṣedhātikrama-doṣa-sādhyā naraka-tiryak-preta-lakṣaṇāḥ …
The planes that are the effects of practice of this [i.e., apara-vidyā] are the [pleasurable] planes related to the southern and northern paths and to the [miserable] planes related to Naraka, the animals, and the deceased (pretas) which are attained as a consequence of the faults of not following injunctions and transgressing prohibitions [given within the apara-vidyā in the Vedas].
tān etān parīkṣya pratyakṣānumānopamān āgamaiḥ sarvato yāthātmyenāvadhārya lokān saṁsāra-gati-bhūtān avyaktādi-sthāvarān tān vyākṛtāvyākṛta-lakṣaṇān bījāṅkuravad itaretarotpatti-nimittān anekānartha-śata-sahasra-saṅkulān kadalī-garbhavad-asārān māyā-marīcy-udaka-gandharva-nagarākāra-svapna-jala-budbuda-phena-samān prati-kṣaṇa-pradhvaṁsān pṛṣṭhataḥ kṛtvāvidyā-kāma-doṣa-pravartita-karma-citān dharmādharma-nirvartitān ity etat |
“Examining” (parīkṣya) means examining these [i.e., these planes], that is, completely ascertaining by means of perception (pratyakṣa), inference (anumāna), analogy (upamā), and śāstra (Āgamas) the real nature of these planes, that is, the states circumscribed within saṁsāra beginning from the unmanifest down to that of the [entities situated in] immobile [bodies] which are known to be manifest or [in turn] unmanifest; which are the cause of the manifestation of one another like seeds and sprouts; which are overrun by hundreds and thousands of various anarthas; which are insubstantial like the pith of the plantain tree; which are comparable to the illusions of water in a mirage, the forms of Gandarva cities [i.e., cities made of clouds in the sky], dreams, and the bubbles and foam atop water; and which are perishing at every moment; [having examined the nature of all these states within saṁsāra] one turns one’s back towards them considering them attained by karma, which is instigated by the faults of avidyā and kāma, that is, considering them produced by dharma and adharma [and thus impermanent and ultimately dissatisfying].
brāhmaṇaḥ, brāhmaṇasyaiva viśeṣato’dhikāraḥ sarva-tyāgena brahma-vidyāyām iti brāhmaṇa-grahaṇam |
The term ‘brāhmaṇa’ is used here because a brāhmaṇa in particular has special eligibility for Brahma-vidyā on account of [his] renunciation of everything.
parīkṣya lokān kiṁ kuryād ity ucyate — nirvedam, niṣpūrvo vidir atra vairāgyārthe, vairāgyam āyāt kuryād ity etat |
After examining these planes, what should he do? To this it is said, “disinterest” (nivedam). He should cultivate non-attachment because here the root √vid preceded by [the prefix] niḥ is in the sense of non-attachment.
sa vairāgya-prakāraḥ pradarśyate — iha saṁsāre nāsti kaścid api akṛtaḥ padārthaḥ | sarva eva hi lokāḥ karmacitāḥ karma-kṛtatvāc cānityāḥ |
The form of this non-attachment is shown: here, in saṁsāra, there is no object of any kind that is not made. Indeed every plane is attained by karma, and because they are [all] made by karma, they are impermanent.
na nityaṁ kiñcid astīty abhiprāyaḥ |
The implied meaning is that nothing is eternal.
sarvaṁ tu karmānityasyaiva sādhanam | yasmāc catur-vidham eva hi sarvaṁ karma-kāryam — utpādyam āpyaṁ vikāryaṁ saṁskāryaṁ vā |
Everything is rather a means only to the impermanent products of karma, as all effects of karma are only of four types: that which is produced, that which is attained, that which is transformed, and that which is refined.
nātaḥ paraṁ karmaṇo viṣayo’sti |
There is no object of karma beyond these [i.e., there is no object of karma which is eternal].
ahaṁ ca nityenāmṛtenābhayena kūṭasthenācalena dhruveṇārthenārthī, na tad-viparītena |
I am a seeker of that object which is eternal, immortal, fearless, unchanging, immovable, and stable, and not of that which is the opposite of this.
ataḥ kiṁ kṛtena karmaṇā āyāsa-bahulenānartha-sādhanena ity evaṁ nirviṇṇo’bhayaṁ śivam akṛtaṁ nityaṁ padaṁ yat, tad-vijñānārthaṁ viśeṣeṇādhigamārthaṁ sa nirviṇṇo brāhmaṇaḥ gurum eva ācāryaṁ śama-damādi-sampannam abhigacchet |
Therefore, of what good is karma, which is full of toil and a means only to anartha [i.e, “that which is not the goal,” “misfortune,” and ultimately “calamity”]? Thus disinterested, to know in depth, that is, to understand in particular, that domain which is free from [any occurrence of] fear, auspicious, unmade, and eternal, the disinterested brāhmaṇa should only approach a guru, that is, an ācārya endowed with repose, restraint and so forth.
śāstrajño’pi svātantryeṇa brahma-jñānānveṣaṇaṁ na kuryād ity etad gurum evety avadhāraṇa-phalam |
The effect of the restrictive “only” (eva) related to guru is that even if one is learned in śāstra, one should not seek Brahma-jñāna independently.
samit-pāṇiḥ samid-bhāra-gṛhīta-hastaḥ |
“Firewood in hand” (samit-pāṇiḥ) means holding a load of firewood in hand.
… sa taṁ guruṁ vidhivad upasannaḥ prasādya pṛcched akṣaraṁ puruṣaṁ satyam |
Having duly approached the guru, he [i.e., the brāhmaṇa] should propitiate him and question him about the true, imperishable Puruṣa.