Dashak 5 · Samāsa 4

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ऐका उपदेशाचीं लक्षणें । बहुविधें कोण कोणें । सांगतां तें असाधारणें । परी कांहीं येक सांगों

aikā upadeśācīm lakṣaṇem | bahuvidhem koṇa koṇem | sāmgatām tem asādhāraṇem | parī kāmhīm yeka sāmgom

Hear the signs of upadeśa (teaching): of many kinds — by whom, in how many ways. To tell them is extraordinary; yet some will be told.

Opening: upadeśa takes many forms — mantra, name, mudrā, āsana, yoga-path, vedānta. Ramdas will catalog them and then show that all without ātma-jñāna are purposeless.

Many kinds of teaching exist. Recognize the category before committing to a form.

बहुत मंत्र उपदेशिती । कोणी नाम मात्र सांगती । येक ते जप करविती । वोंकाराचा

bahuta mamtra upadeśitī | koṇī nāma mātra sāmgatī | yeka te japa karavitī | vomkārācā

Many teach mantras; some just [a divine] name; some make one recite the omkāra.

Catalog begins: mantra-japa in general, a bare divine name repeated, or the single syllable oṃkāra — three different entry points into the same kind of practice, the first wave of Rāmdās's long list of upadeśa-forms.

Notice how many different starting points exist for a repetition practice — a full mantra, a bare name, or one syllable. Pick one and go deep rather than sampling all.

शिवमंत्र भवानीमंत्र । विष्णुमंत्र माहाल्क्ष्मीमंत्र । अवधूतमंत्र गणेशमंत्र । मार्तंडमंत्र सांगती

śivamamtra bhavānīmamtra | viṣṇumamtra māhālkṣmīmamtra | avadhūtamamtra gaṇeśamamtra | mārtamḍamamtra sāmgatī

Śiva-mantra, Bhavānī-mantra; Viṣṇu-mantra, Mahā-Lakṣmī-mantra; Avadhūta-mantra, Gaṇeśa-mantra, Mārtaṇḍa-mantra.

The list runs through one mantra per major deity — Śiva, the Goddess Bhavānī, Viṣṇu, Mahālakṣmī, the wandering Avadhūta, Gaṇeśa, the sun as Mārtaṇḍa. Each tradition supplies its own formula for the same underlying aim.

When several traditions each hand you their own formula, judge by the aim it serves, not by which name sounds most authoritative.

मछकूर्मवऱ्हावमंत्र । नृसिंहमंत्र वामनमंत्र । भार्गवमंत्र रघुनाथमंत्र । कृष्णमंत्र सांगती

machakūrmavaṟhāvamamtra | nṛsimhamamtra vāmanamamtra | bhārgavamamtra raghunāthamamtra | kṛṣṇamamtra sāmgatī

Matsya, Kūrma, Varāha-mantras; Nṛsimha, Vāmana; Bhārgava, Raghunātha, Kṛṣṇa — they teach.

The catalog moves through Viṣṇu's avatāras as separate mantra-lineages — fish, tortoise, boar, man-lion, dwarf, down to Rāma and Kṛṣṇa. Even within a single deity's descents, teaching keeps multiplying (continuing 5.4.003).

Even one teacher's tradition can splinter into many competing forms. Ask what single aim they all serve before choosing among them.

भैरवमंत्र मल्लारिमंत्र । हनुमंतमंत्र येक्षिणीमंत्र । नारायेणमंत्र पांडुरंगमंत्र । अघोरमंत्र सांगती

bhairavamamtra mallārimamtra | hanumamtamamtra yekṣiṇīmamtra | nārāyeṇamamtra pāmḍuramgamamtra | aghoramamtra sāmgatī

Bhairava, Mallāri; Hanumanta, Yakṣiṇī; Nārāyaṇa, Pāṇḍuranga, Aghora — they teach.

Fierce and folk deities enter the list — Bhairava, Mallāri (a Deccan warrior-god), Hanumān, even a yakṣiṇī (nature-spirit) — beside the gentler Pāṇḍuraṅga. The catalog deliberately mixes high philosophy with folk cult under one heading, 'mantra.'

Spiritual markets mix profound and superstitious practices under the same label. Learn to tell them apart before adopting any of them.

शेषमंत्र गरुडमंत्र । वायोमन्त्र वेताळमंत्र । झोटिंगमंत्र बहुधा मंत्र । किती म्हणौनि सांगावे

śeṣamamtra garuḍamamtra | vāyomantra vetāḷamamtra | jhoṭimgamamtra bahudhā mamtra | kitī mhaṇauni sāmgāve

Śeṣa, Garuḍa, Vāyu, Vetāla, Jhoṭinga — many such mantras; how many to tell.

The mantra-list trails into vehicle-deities and spirits — Śeṣa, Garuḍa, the wind, a vetāla (revenant), a jhoṭinga (goblin) — until Rāmdās breaks off: too many to keep naming. The sheer length of the list is itself the argument.

When a menu of techniques grows past counting, treat that as a warning sign — stop scanning and ask what you actually need.

बाळामंत्र बगुळामंत्र । काळिमंत्र कंकाळिमंत्र । बटुकमंत्र नाना मंत्र । नाना शक्तींचे

bāḷāmamtra baguḷāmamtra | kāḷimamtra kamkāḷimamtra | baṭukamamtra nānā mamtra | nānā śaktīmce

Bālā, Baguḷā, Kāḷī, Kankāḷī, Baṭuka — many mantras of many śaktis.

The Śakti-branch closes this sub-list: child-goddesses, fierce Kālī-forms, Baṭuka Bhairava. Every divine power has generated its own mantra-lineage, closing the sweep begun at 5.4.002.

A hundred branded techniques can promise access to the same inner power. Judge them by result, not by name.

पृथकाकारें स्वतंत्र । जितुके देव तितुके मंत्र । सोपे अवघड विचित्र । खेचर दारुण बीजाचे

pṛthakākārem svatamtra | jituke deva tituke mamtra | sope avaghaḍa vicitra | khecara dāruṇa bījāce

Each distinct and independent; as many mantras as gods. Easy, difficult, varied, aerial, fearsome — of [many] seed-syllables.

One distinct mantra per deity; as many mantras as there are gods (countless). Structural observation: mantra-systems proliferate as deities proliferate.

See decoded.

पाहों जातां पृथ्वीवरी । देवांची गणना कोण करी । तितुके मंत्र वैखरी । किती म्हणौनि वदवावी

pāhom jātām pṛthvīvarī | devāmcī gaṇanā koṇa karī | tituke mamtra vaikharī | kitī mhaṇauni vadavāvī

On earth, who can count the deities? So many mantras — how can vaikharī [articulated speech] utter them?

Rāmdās draws the conclusion from the whole mantra-catalog (5.4.002–008): deities on earth cannot even be counted, so the mantras naming them cannot be counted either — ordinary speech (vaikharī) could never voice them all.

Don't try to master every technique on offer; by this argument the list is literally endless. Choose one path and commit to it.

असंख्यात मंत्रमाळा । येकाहूनि येक आगळा । विचित्र मायेची कळा । कोण जाणे

asamkhyāta mamtramāḷā | yekāhūni yeka āgaḷā | vicitra māyecī kaḷā | koṇa jāṇe

Countless garland-of-mantras, each superior to the other — the various arts of māyā — who knows?

Continuing 5.4.009, the endless mantra-multiplicity is reframed as māyā's own handiwork — variation so intricate that 'who knows' becomes the only honest answer. Proliferation itself is treated as evidence of illusion at play.

When every option markets itself as 'better than the rest,' recognize the pattern as noise, not as a reason to keep searching.

कित्येक मंत्रीं भूतें जाती । कित्येक मंत्रीं वेथा नासती । कित्येक मंत्रीं उतरती । सितें विंचू विखार

kityeka mamtrīm bhūtem jātī | kityeka mamtrīm vethā nāsatī | kityeka mamtrīm utaratī | sitem vimcū vikhāra

By certain mantras, ghosts depart; by certain, illness is destroyed; by certain, snake-scorpion stings come down.

A different register: certain mantras do produce visible effects — expelling apparitions, curing illness, drawing venom out of a snake- or scorpion-bite. Rāmdās grants their real-world efficacy before turning, from 5.4.012 on, to how such teachings are actually transmitted.

Grant that a technique can work for its narrow, stated purpose; that alone does not make it a path to Self-knowledge.

ऐसे नाना परीचे मंत्री । उपदेशिती कर्णपात्रीं । जप ध्यान पूजा यंत्री । विधानयुक्त सांगती

aise nānā parīce mamtrī | upadeśitī karṇapātrīm | japa dhyāna pūjā yamtrī | vidhānayukta sāmgatī

Thus of many kinds — they teach into the ear-vessel; japa, dhyāna, pūjā, yantra, ritual-method — they explain.

Having listed the mantras themselves, Rāmdās now names the method of transmission: spoken 'into the ear' (oral, guru-to-disciple), paired with practices like japa (repetition), dhyāna (meditation), pūjā (worship), yantra (diagram), and prescribed ritual procedure.

Notice how much of what passes for teaching is method and ritual, not insight. Ask what understanding the method is actually meant to produce.

येक शिव शिव सांगती । । येक हरि हरि म्हणविती । येक उपदेशिती । विठल विठल म्हणोनी

yeka śiva śiva sāmgatī | | yeka hari hari mhaṇavitī | yeka upadeśitī | viṭhala viṭhala mhaṇonī

Some teach Śiva-Śiva; some make one say Hari-Hari; some teach to say Viṭhala-Viṭhala.

The catalog shifts from formal mantras to simple Name-repetition (nāma-smaraṇa): saying a deity's name twice, as with Śiva or Hari, or — closest to home for Rāmdās's audience — Viṭhala. Simpler than formal initiation, but still just one form among the many being surveyed.

If your practice is repeating a sacred name, remember the name is a doorway, not the destination itself.

येक सांगती कृष्ण कृष्ण । येक सांगती विष्ण विष्ण । येक नारायण नारायण । म्हणौन उपदेशिती

yeka sāmgatī kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa | yeka sāmgatī viṣṇa viṣṇa | yeka nārāyaṇa nārāyaṇa | mhaṇauna upadeśitī

Some say Kṛṣṇa-Kṛṣṇa; some say Viṣṇu-Viṣṇu; some teach Nārāyaṇa-Nārāyaṇa.

More names in the same doubled-repetition format, continuing 5.4.013 — Kṛṣṇa, Viṣṇu, Nārāyaṇa function as interchangeable entry points into the same practice of remembrance.

When choosing which name to repeat, let devotion decide, not a sense that one name outranks another.

येक म्हणती अच्युत अच्युत । येक म्हणती अनंत अनंत । येक सांगती दत्त दत्त । म्हणत जावें

yeka mhaṇatī acyuta acyuta | yeka mhaṇatī anamta anamta | yeka sāmgatī datta datta | mhaṇata jāvem

Some say Acyuta-Acyuta; some say Ananta-Ananta; some teach Datta-Datta.

The list continues with Acyuta ('the unfallen'), Ananta ('the infinite'), and Datta (Dattātreya) — three more epithets for what 5.4.013–014 have already shown is one underlying practice wearing different names.

A change of name for your practice does not require a change of aim; stay with whatever actually steadies your mind.

येक सांगती राम राम । येक सांगती ऒं ऒं म । येक म्हणती मेघशाम । बहुतां नामीं स्मरावा

yeka sāmgatī rāma rāma | yeka sāmgatī om om ma | yeka mhaṇatī meghaśāma | bahutām nāmīm smarāvā

Some teach Rāma-Rāma; some Om-Om; some Meghaśyāma — remember with many names.

The naming-list reaches Rāma, the bare syllable Om, and Meghaśyāma ('cloud-dark one,' Kṛṣṇa); Rāmdās's own summary line makes explicit what 5.4.013–016 have been demonstrating — the same remembrance simply wears many names.

Whichever name you use for the divine, treat it as one gate among many leading to the same remembrance, not a rival brand.

येक सांगती गुरु गुरु । येक म्हणती परमेश्वरु । येक म्हणती विघ्नहरु । चिंतीत जावा

yeka sāmgatī guru guru | yeka mhaṇatī parameśvaru | yeka mhaṇatī vighnaharu | cimtīta jāvā

Some teach Guru-Guru; some Parameśvara; some Vighna-hara — remember.

The list turns from divine epithets to relational ones — 'Guru,' 'Parameśvara' (Supreme Lord), 'Vighna-hara' (remover of obstacles, i.e. Gaṇeśa). Even a teacher's own title becomes an object of repeated remembrance.

Revering a teacher's name can itself become a practice; keep it pointed toward what the teacher points to, not the person.

येक सांगती शामराज । येक सांगती गरुडध्वज । येक सांगती अधोक्षज । म्हणत जावें

yeka sāmgatī śāmarāja | yeka sāmgatī garuḍadhvaja | yeka sāmgatī adhokṣaja | mhaṇata jāvem

Some teach Śyāma-rāja; some Garuḍa-dhvaja; some Adhokṣaja.

Further epithets continue the pattern — 'dark-hued king,' 'Garuḍa-bannered one' (Viṣṇu), 'Adhokṣaja' (beyond the senses). The vocabulary shifts; the underlying practice from 5.4.013 onward does not.

Don't be swayed by unfamiliar or elaborate titles for the divine; the practice underneath is the same simple remembrance.

येक सांगती देव देव । येक म्हणती केशव केशव । येक म्हणती भार्गव भार्गव । म्हणत जावें

yeka sāmgatī deva deva | yeka mhaṇatī keśava keśava | yeka mhaṇatī bhārgava bhārgava | mhaṇata jāvem

Some say Deva-Deva; some Keśava-Keśava; some Bhārgava-Bhārgava.

The naming-catalog nears its close with three more common epithets, reinforcing the point built since 5.4.013: an almost limitless vocabulary services one underlying act of remembrance.

Resist the urge to keep collecting new divine names, as if quantity itself were progress in practice.

येक विश्वनाथ म्हणविती । येक मल्लारि सांगती । येक ते जप करविती । तुकाई तुकाई म्हणौनी

yeka viśvanātha mhaṇavitī | yeka mallāri sāmgatī | yeka te japa karavitī | tukāī tukāī mhaṇaunī

Some make one say Viśvanātha; some say Mallāri; some make japa of Tukāī-Tukāī.

The final entries pair a folk-goddess, Tukāī, with Śiva as 'lord of the universe' (Viśvanātha) — Rāmdās closes the naming-list by showing it spans everything from high philosophy to regional cult worship, all still called upadeśa.

Recognize when a practice is regional custom rather than a path toward liberation, and weigh it accordingly against your actual goal.

हें म्हणौनी सांगावें । शिवशक्तीचीं अनंत नांवें । इछेसारिखीं स्वभावें । उपदेशिती

hem mhaṇaunī sāmgāvem | śivaśaktīcīm anamta nāmvem | ichesārikhīm svabhāvem | upadeśitī

All such names of Śivaśakti — many — according to desire, they teach by their nature.

Summary of 5.4.013–020: all these are 'names of Śiva-Śakti' (the divine as consciousness and as active power), offered according to each teacher's and student's individual temperament and desire (icchā). The variety tracks personality, not differences in truth.

When picking a name or practice for yourself, be honest that the preference is temperament — not proof that it's uniquely 'correct.'

येक सांगती मुद्रा च्यारी । खेचरी भूचरी चाचरी अगोचरी । येक आसनें परोपरी । उपदेशिती

yeka sāmgatī mudrā cyārī | khecarī bhūcarī cācarī agocarī | yeka āsanem paroparī | upadeśitī

Some teach the four mudrās: khecarī, bhūcarī, cācarī, agocarī; some teach various āsanas.

The catalog pivots from name-repetition to haṭha-yoga technique: the four mudrās (bodily/subtle 'seals' — khecarī, bhūcarī, cācarī, agocarī) and the various āsanas (postures). A new category of upadeśa enters: physical-yogic rather than devotional.

If your practice is postural or breath-based, treat it as a tool for steadying the body — not as knowledge in itself.

येक दाखविती देखणी । येक अनुहातध्वनी । येक गुरु पिंडज्ञानी । पिंडज्ञान सांगती

yeka dākhavitī dekhaṇī | yeka anuhātadhvanī | yeka guru pimḍajñānī | pimḍajñāna sāmgatī

Some show dekhaṇī (inner visions); some anāhata-dhvani (inner sound); some body-knowers teach body-knowledge.

Continuing the yogic catalog from 5.4.022: some teachers show inner visions (dekhaṇī), some the unstruck inner sound (anāhata-dhvani), some 'body-knowledge' (piṇḍa-jñāna, mapping the subtle body). These are yogic experiences that get mistaken for the goal itself — a confusion Rāmdās will name directly in the next samāsa.

Treat any inner vision, sound, or sensation that arises in practice as a signpost, not as the destination itself.

येक संगती कर्ममार्ग । येक उपासनामार्ग । येक सांगती अष्टांग योग । नाना चक्रें

yeka samgatī karmamārga | yeka upāsanāmārga | yeka sāmgatī aṣṭāmga yoga | nānā cakrem

Some teach karma-mārga; some upāsanā-mārga; some aṣṭānga-yoga, various cakras.

The catalog broadens from techniques to entire paths (mārgas): ritual action (karma-mārga), devotional worship (upāsanā-mārga), and Patañjali's eight-limbed yoga with its cakra-system. Whole systems, not just individual practices, are being listed as forms of upadeśa.

When comparing spiritual paths, ask what each is meant to produce in you, not which has the most elaborate structure.

येक तपें सांगती । येक अजपाअ निरोपिती । येक तत्वें विस्तारिती , तत्वज्ञानी

yeka tapem sāmgatī | yeka ajapāa niropitī | yeka tatvem vistāritī , tatvajñānī

Some teach austerities; some ajapā (spontaneous japa); some expand tattvas — the tattva-knowers.

More paths join the list: austerity (tapas), effortless repetition said to arise with the breath itself (ajapā), and philosophical elaboration of the tattvas (metaphysical categories) by scholars trained in that system.

Austerity and philosophical study are legitimate tools — but neither substitutes for direct inquiry into the Self.

येक सांगती सगुण । येक निरोपिती निर्गुण । येक उपदेशिती तीर्थाटण । फिरावें म्हणूनी

yeka sāmgatī saguṇa | yeka niropitī nirguṇa | yeka upadeśitī tīrthāṭaṇa | phirāvem mhaṇūnī

Some teach saguṇa; some preach nirguṇa; some teach tīrthāṭana (pilgrimage) — 'go wandering.'

The list reaches theological orientation itself: worship of God-with-form (saguṇa) versus the formless (nirguṇa), plus pilgrimage-wandering (tīrthāṭana) prescribed as a discipline in its own right.

Don't mistake a shift in theological position — form versus formless — for spiritual progress; both remain upadeśa, not yet realized knowledge.

येक माहावाक्यें सांगती । त्यांचा जप करावा म्हणती । येक उपदेश करिती । सर्व ब्रह्म म्हणोनी

yeka māhāvākyem sāmgatī | tyāmcā japa karāvā mhaṇatī | yeka upadeśa karitī | sarva brahma mhaṇonī

Some teach the mahāvākyas; say 'make japa of these'; some teach 'all is Brahman.'

The catalog turns Vedāntic: some teach recitation of the mahāvākyas (great Upaniṣadic sentences, e.g. 'that thou art'), some simply the doctrine 'all is Brahman.' Even the highest philosophical formulas are listed here as one upadeśa among many — repeatable words, not yet realized knowledge.

Reciting or intellectually affirming 'all is Brahman' is not the same as knowing it. Notice that gap and keep practicing to close it.

येक शाक्तमार्ग सांगती । येक मुक्तमार्ग प्रतिष्ठिती । येक इंद्रियें पूजन करविती । येका भावें

yeka śāktamārga sāmgatī | yeka muktamārga pratiṣṭhitī | yeka imdriyem pūjana karavitī | yekā bhāvem

Some teach śākta-mārga; some establish the mukta-mārga; some worship the senses with single-feeling.

The main catalog closes with the Śākta path (Goddess-worship), a path actually named 'liberation-path' (mukta-mārga), and even worship directed at the senses themselves. Having now covered mantra, name, yoga, and philosophy, Rāmdās is set up for 5.4.029's sharper claim — that this same category even includes sorcery.

Before adopting a path because of its flattering name — such as 'path of liberation' — test whether its actual practice leads there.

येक सांगती वशीकर्ण । स्तंबन मोहन उच्चाटण । नाना चेटकें आपण । स्वयें निरोपिती

yeka sāmgatī vaśīkarṇa | stambana mohana uccāṭaṇa | nānā ceṭakem āpaṇa | svayem niropitī

Some teach vaśīkaraṇa (hypnotism), stambhana, mohana, uccāṭana — various sorceries they explain.

Even sorcery-teachings (vaśīkaraṇa, stambhana, mohana, uccāṭana) are called upadeśa. Critical point: the category 'teaching' is porous — goes all the way from mantras to sorcery. The Sadguru must distinguish within this wide category.

Even sorcery is classed as 'upadeśa.' Teacher-claimants span a wide spectrum. Discriminate.

ऐसी उपदेशांची स्थिती । पुरे आतां सांगों किती । ऐसे हे उपदेश असती । असंख्यात । ३०॥ ऐसे उपदेश अनेक । परी ज्ञानेविण निरार्थक । येविषईं असे येक । भगवद्वचन

aisī upadeśāmcī sthitī | pure ātām sāmgom kitī | aise he upadeśa asatī | asamkhyāta | 30 || aise upadeśa aneka | parī jñāneviṇa nirārthaka | yeviṣaīm ase yeka | bhagavadvacana

Such is the state of upadeśas; enough of telling — such upadeśas are countless; yet without knowledge they are purposeless; on this matter, there is the Lord's word:

All these upadeśas are niraurthaka (purposeless) without Self-knowledge. BG-style verse invoked. The move: 'many teachings exist, but without ātma-jñāna they do not reach their purpose.'

All upadeśas without ātma-jñāna are purposeless. The test: does it lead toward Self-knowledge, or away from it?

श्लोक ॥ नानाशास्त्रं पठेल्लोको नाना दैवतपूजनम् । आत्मज्ञानं विना पार्थ सर्वकर्म निरर्थकम् ॥ शैवशाक्तागमाद्या ये अन्ये च बहवो मताः । अपभ्रंशसमास्ते । अपि जीवानां भ्रांतचेतसाम् ॥ न हि ज्ञानेन सदृशं पवित्रमिदमुत्तमम् ॥ याकारणें ज्ञानासमान । पवित्र उत्तम न दिसे अन्न । म्हणौन आधीं आत्मज्ञान । साधिलें पाहिजे

śloka || nānāśāstram paṭhelloko nānā daivatapūjanam | ātmajñānam vinā pārtha sarvakarma nirarthakam || śaivaśāktāgamādyā ye anye ca bahavo matāḥ | apabhramśasamāste | api jīvānām bhrāmtacetasām || na hi jñānena sadṛśam pavitramidamuttamam || yākāraṇem jñānāsamāna | pavitra uttama na dise anna | mhaṇauna ādhīm ātmajñāna | sādhilem pāhije

[Sanskrit śloka:] 'A person may read many scriptures, worship many deities; but without Self-knowledge, O Pārtha, all action is purposeless. [The various doctrines] are corruptions for the deluded minds of living beings. Nothing equals knowledge — this is the supreme purifier.' [Marathi:] Therefore nothing is seen more excellent or pure than knowledge; therefore Self-knowledge should first be accomplished.

Direct Gītā-citation (BG 18.66 context + general śruti): 'without ātma-jñāna, all action is purposeless; nothing is equal to knowledge — it is supreme purification.' Ramdas's ranking: ātma-jñāna > mantra > bhakti > karma-kāṇḍa.

Knowledge (ātma-jñāna) is the supreme purifier. No other karma equals it.

सकळ उपदेशीं विशेष । आत्मज्ञानाचा उपदेश । येविषईं जगदीश । बहुतां ठाईं बोलिला

sakaḷa upadeśīm viśeṣa | ātmajñānācā upadeśa | yeviṣaīm jagadīśa | bahutām ṭhāīm bolilā

Among all teachings, the special one is the teaching of Self-knowledge; on this the Lord has spoken in many places.

Among all upadeśas, the one teaching ātma-jñāna is the special one.

Among all teachings, ātma-jñāna-upadeśa is the special one.

श्लोक ॥ यस्य कस्य च वर्णस्य ज्ञानं देहे प्रतिष्ठितम् । तस्य दासस्य दासोहं भवे जन्मनि जन्मनि ॥ आत्मज्ञानाचा महिमा । नेणे चतुर्मुख ब्रह्मा । प्राणी बापुडा जीवात्मा । काये जाणे

śloka || yasya kasya ca varṇasya jñānam dehe pratiṣṭhitam | tasya dāsasya dāsoham bhave janmani janmani || ātmajñānācā mahimā | neṇe caturmukha brahmā | prāṇī bāpuḍā jīvātmā | kāye jāṇe

[Śloka:] 'Of whatever varṇa, in whose body knowledge is established — of that servant I am the servant, birth after birth.' [Marathi:] The greatness of Self-knowledge — Brahmā of four faces does not know it; what then the poor mortal jīvātman?

Sanskrit śloka: 'whoever has knowledge established in the body — of that servant, I am the servant, birth after birth' (Bhagavān's own word). The divine preference hierarchy: knowledge > varṇa-birth.

The Bhagavān values the knower over varṇa-birth. He says: 'I am the servant of His servant.' Hierarchy established.

सकळ तीर्थांची संगती । स्नानदानाची फळश्रुती । त्याहूनि ज्ञानाची स्थिती । विशेष कोटिगुणें

sakaḷa tīrthāmcī samgatī | snānadānācī phaḷaśrutī | tyāhūni jñānācī sthitī | viśeṣa koṭiguṇem

The company of all pilgrimages, the phala-śruti of bath and dāna — the state of knowledge is koṭi-guṇa greater.

All pilgrimages' company, all bath-dāna fruit — the state of knowledge is koṭi-guṇa greater. Ranking made quantitative.

Knowledge-state = koṭi-guṇa times all pilgrimages + bath-dāna combined.

श्लोक: ॥ पृथिव्यां यानि तीर्थानि स्नानदानेषु यत्फलम् । तत्फलं कोटिगुणितं ब्रह्मज्ञानसमोपमम् ॥ म्हणौनि जें आत्मज्ञान । तें गहनाहूनि गहन । ऐक तयाचें लक्षण । सांगिजेल

śloka: || pṛthivyām yāni tīrthāni snānadāneṣu yatphalam | tatphalam koṭiguṇitam brahmajñānasamopamam || mhaṇauni jem ātmajñāna | tem gahanāhūni gahana | aika tayācem lakṣaṇa | sāmgijela

[Śloka:] 'The fruit of all pilgrimages on earth — of bath and dāna — that fruit is koṭi-guṇa equal to Brahman-knowledge.' [Marathi:] Therefore Self-knowledge is deeper than the deep; hear its signs — they will be told.

Closing: Self-knowledge is deeper than deep; its signs will be described next. Transition to the ātma-jñāna samāsa.

Self-knowledge is the deepest; its signs are next.