The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Bṛhadāraṇyakopaniṣadbhāṣyam

Bhashya

Bhashya

भावे सर्वात्मना निवर्तते, रज्ज्वामिव सर्पज्ञानं रज्जुनिश्चये ; तच्चोक्तम्- 'यत्र त्वस्य सर्वमात्मैवाभूत्तत्केन कं पश्येत्' इत्यादि ; तस्मात् न आत्मधर्मः अविद्या ; न हि स्वाभाविकस्योच्छित्तिः कदाचिदप्युपपद्यते, सवितुरिव औष्ण्यप्रकाशयोः ।तस्मात् तस्या मोक्ष उपपद्यते ॥

In plain words

Once that experience of being everything dawns, nescience departs completely — the way the very notion of a snake disappears the instant you become certain it was only ever a rope. And this is exactly what has been said elsewhere: 'But when for him everything has become nothing but the Self, then what could he see, and by what, and whom?' and so on. So nescience is not a property of the Self at all. Because whatever truly belongs to a thing by its own nature can never be destroyed, not at any time — no more than heat and light can ever be taken from the sun. And that is exactly why freedom from it is possible.

Close to the Sanskrit

When that state occurs, it departs altogether, just as the notion of a snake departs with respect to a rope, when certainty about the rope arises. And this has been said: 'But when for him everything has become the very Self, then by what, and whom, would he see?' and so on. Therefore nescience is not a property of the Self. For the destruction of what is natural is never possible at any time whatsoever — as with heat and light in the case of the sun. Therefore its liberation follows.