इहैव सन्तोऽथ विद्मस्तद्वयम्, न चेदवेदिर्महती विनष्टिः ।
ये तद्विदुरमृतास्ते भवन्ति, अथेतरे दुःखमेवापियन्ति ॥ १४ ॥ihaiva santo’tha vidmastadvayam, na cedavedirmahatī vinaṣṭiḥ |
ye tadviduramṛtāste bhavanti, athetare duḥkhamevāpiyanti || 14 ||14. Being in this very body we have somehow known that (Brahman). If not, (I should have been) ignorant, (and) great destruction (would have taken place). Those who know It become immortal, while others attain misery alone.
Further, being in this very body, so full of dangers, i.e. being under the spell of the long sleep of ignorance, we have somehow known that Brahman which is under consideration as our own self; oh, blessed are we—this is the idea. If we had not known that Brahman which we have known, I should have been ignorant (Avedi). ‘Vedi’ is one who has knowledge; hence ‘Avedi’ means ignorant. The shortening of the last vowel does not affect the meaning. What harm would there have been had I been ignorant? Great, of infinite magnitude; destruction, consisting in births, deaths, etc., would have taken place. Oh, blessed are we that we have been saved from this great destruction by knowing Brahman, the one without a second; this is the idea. As we have escaped this great destruction by knowing Brahman, so those who know It become immortal, while those others, people other than the knowers of Brahman, who do not thus know Brahman, attain misery alone, consisting in births, deaths, etc. That is to say, the ignorant never escape from them, for they regard misery itself (the body) as the Self.