The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Chāndogyopaniṣadbhāṣyam

Bhashya

Bhashya

स ह एवं श्रुत्वा मनसः अन्नमयत्वं प्रत्यक्षीकर्तुमिच्छन्पञ्चदशाहानि न आश अशनं न कृतवान् ।अथ षोडशे-ऽहनि ह एनं पितरमुपससाद उपगतवान् ।उपगम्य चउवाच—किं ब्रवीमि भो इति ।इतर आह—ऋचः सोम्ययजूंषि सामान्यधीष्वेति ।एवमुक्तः पित्रा आह—न वैमा माम् ऋगादीनि प्रतिभान्ति मम मनसि न दृश्यन्तइत्यर्थः हे भो भगवन्निति ॥

In plain words

Hearing this and wishing to experience directly how the mind is made of food, he abstained from food for fifteen days. On the sixteenth day he approached his father and asked, 'What shall I recite, sir?' His father told him to study the Ṛg, Yajur, and Sāma Vedas. When thus addressed by his father, he replied, 'Sir, nothing of the Vedas comes to my mind at all.'

Close to the Sanskrit

He having heard thus, desiring to see the food-consisting nature of the mind, for fifteen days did not eat food. Then on the sixteenth day indeed approached his father, having approached and said, 'What shall I speak, O sir?' The other spoke: 'The Ṛk verses, O gentle one, the Yajus formulas, Sāman chants, study them.' Thus addressed by the father, he said, 'Not truly me, me, the Ṛg and others shine forth, in my mind they are not seen, this is the meaning, O sir, O venerable one.'