The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Aparokṣānubhūtiḥ

Verse 94

उपादानं प्रपञ्चस्य मृद्भाण्डस्येव कथ्यते ।अज्ञानं चैव वेदान्तैस्तस्मिन्नष्टे क्व विश्वता ॥ ९४ ॥

In plain words

The Vedānta texts say that ajñāna — ignorance — is what this whole spread-out world is made of, the way clay is what a pot is made of. Wipe out that ignorance, and where is the world?

Close to the Sanskrit

The material cause of the manifold world is said by the Vedānta texts to be ignorance alone, just as clay is the material cause of a clay pot; when that has been destroyed, where is world-ness?