नैतन्मनो विशति वागुत चक्षुरात्मा प्राणेन्द्रियाणि च यथानलमर्चिष: स्वा: । शब्दोऽपि बोधकनिषेधतयात्ममूल- मर्थोक्तमाह यदृते न निषेधसिद्धि: ॥ ३६ ॥
naitan mano viśati vāg uta cakṣur ātmā prāṇendriyāṇi ca yathānalam arciṣaḥ svāḥ śabdo ’pi bodhaka-niṣedhatayātma-mūlam arthoktam āha yad-ṛte na niṣedha-siddhiḥ
- na
- cannot
- etat
- this (Supreme Truth)
- manaḥ
- the mind
- viśati
- enter
- vāk
- the function of speech
- uta
- nor
- cakṣuḥ
- sight
- ātmā
- intelligence
- prāṇa
- the subtle airs supporting life
- indriyāṇi
- the senses
- ca
- or
- yathā
- just as
- analam
- a fire
- arciṣaḥ
- its sparks
- svāḥ
- own
- śabdaḥ
- the authoritative sound of the Vedas
- api
- even
- bodhaka
- being able to indicate by verbal reference
- niṣedhatayā
- because of denying such
- ātma
- of the Supreme Soul
- mūlam
- basic evidence
- artha-uktam
- expressed indirectly
- āha
- does express
- yat-ṛte
- without which (Supreme)
- na
- there is not
- niṣedha
- of the negative statements of scripture
- siddhiḥ
- ultimate purpose
Neither the mind nor the faculties of speech, sight, intelligence, the life air or any of the senses are capable of penetrating that Supreme Truth, any more than small sparks can affect the original fire from which they are generated. Not even the authoritative language of the Vedas can perfectly describe the Supreme Truth, since the Vedas themselves disclaim the possibility that the Truth can be expressed by words. But through indirect reference the Vedic sound does serve as evidence of the Supreme Truth, since without the existence of that Supreme Truth the various restrictions found in the Vedas would have no ultimate purpose.