तं चेद्ब्रूयुर्यदिदमस्मिन्ब्रह्मपुरे दहरं पुण्डरीकं वेश्म दहरोऽस्मिन्नन्तराकाशः किं तदत्र विद्यते यदन्वेष्टव्यं यद्वाव विजिज्ञासितव्यमिति स ब्रूयात् ॥ ८.१.२ ॥
taṃ cedbrūyuryadidamasminbrahmapure daharaṃ puṇḍarīkaṃ veśma daharo’sminnantarākāśaḥ kiṃ tadatra vidyate yadanveṣṭavyaṃ yadvāva vijijñāsitavyamiti sa brūyāt || 8.1.2 ||
2. If the disciples ask, ‘This body is the city of Brahman; within it is an abode in the shape of a lotus [i.e., the heart], and within that there is a small space; what is it that one must search for within this space, and what should one earnestly desire to know?’—the teacher should reply:
Word-for-word explanation:
Cet, if; tam, to him [the teacher]; brūyuḥ, [the disciples] ask; asmin brahmapure, in this city of Brahman [i.e., the body]; yat idam daharam, this small; puṇḍarīkam, lotus; veśma, an abode [i.e., the heart]; asmin, in this; daharaḥ antarākāśaḥ, is a small space; kim tat atra, what is it that is there; yat anveṣṭavyam, which one must seek; yat vāva vijijñāsitavyam iti, which one must earnestly desire to know; saḥ brūyāt, he [the teacher] should reply.
Commentary:
The disciples wanted to know what was within the heart. The teacher had said there is a space there. But is there anything within this space? If so, is it something very special? Why is it necessary that they should know about it? They asked, ‘Should we investigate it?’ The scriptures say, ‘Yes, investigate it.’