Bhashya
एवमन्तेवासिभिश्चोदितः स आचार्यो ब्रूयात् तन्मतिमपनयन् ।कथम् ? अस्य देहस्य जरया एतत् यथोक्तमन्तराकाशारख्यं ब्रह्म यस्मिन्सर्वं समाहितं न जीर्यति देहवन्न विक्रियत इत्यर्थः ।न च अस्य वधेन शस्त्रादिघातेन एतद्धन्यते, यथा आकाशम् ; किमु ततोऽपि सूक्ष्मतममशब्दमस्पर्शं ब्रह्म देहेन्द्रियादिदोषैर्न स्पृश्यत इत्यर्थः ।कथं देहेन्द्रियादिदोषैर्न स्पृश्यत इति एतस्मिन्नवसरे वक्तव्यं प्राप्तम् , तत्प्रकृतव्यासङ्गो मा भूदिति नोच्यते ।इन्द्रविरोचनाख्यायिकायामुपरिष्टाद्वक्ष्यामो युक्तितः ।एतत्सत्यमवितथं ब्रह्मपुरं ब्रह्मैव पुरं ब्रह्मपुरम् ; शरीराख्यं तु ब्रह्मपुरं ब्रह्मोपलक्षणार्थत्वात् ।तत्तु अनृतमेव, ‘वाचारम्भणं विकारो नामधेयम्’ इति श्रुतेः ।तद्विकारे अनृतेऽपि देहशृङ्गे ब्रह्मोपलभ्यत इति ब्रह्मपुरमित्युक्तं व्यावहारिकम् ।सत्यं तु ब्रह्मपुरमेतदेव ब्रह्म, सर्वव्यवहारास्पदत्वात् ।अतः अस्मिन्पुण्डरीकोपलाक्षिते ब्रह्मपुरे सर्वे कामाः, ये बहिर्भवद्भिः प्रार्थ्यन्ते, ते अस्मिन्नेव स्वात्मनि समाहिताः ।अतः तत्प्राप्युपायमेवानुतिष्ठत, बाह्यविषयतृष्णां त्यजत इत्यभिप्रायः ।एष आत्मा भवतां स्वरूपम् ।शृणुत तस्य लक्षणम्— अपहतपाप्मा,रिणां कामाः; ईश्वरस्य तद्विपरीताः ।तथा कामहेतवःसंकल्पा अपि सत्याः यस्य स सत्यसंकल्पः ।संकल्पाःकामाश्च शुद्धसत्त्वोपाधिनिमित्ताः ईश्वरस्य, चित्रगुवत्; नस्वतः 'नेति नेति' इत्युक्तत्वात् ।यथोक्तलक्षण एष आत्माविज्ञेयो गुरुभ्यः शास्त्रतश्च आत्मसंवेद्यतया च स्वाराज्यका-मैः ।न चेद्विज्ञायते को दोषः स्यादिति, शृणुत अत्र दोषंदृष्टान्तेन- यथा ह्येव इह लोके प्रजाः अन्वाविशन्ति अनु-वर्तन्ते यथानुशासनम् ; यथेह प्रजाः अन्यं स्वामिनं मन्य-मानाः तस्य स्वामिनो यथा यथानुशासनं तथा तथान्वा-विशन्ति ।किम् ? यं यमन्तं प्रत्यन्तं जनपदं क्षेत्रभागंच अभिकामाः अर्थिन्यः भवन्ति आत्मबुद्ध्यनुरूपम्, तंतमेव च प्रत्यन्तादिम् उपजीवन्तीति ।एष दृष्टान्तःअस्वातन्त्र्यदोषं प्रति पुण्यफलोपभोगे ॥
In plain words
Urged thus by his students, the teacher speaks to clear away their misconception. How is it? Just as this physical body decays with age, the inner space known as Brahman—wherein everything rests—never decays or undergoes modification as the body does. Nor is it destroyed when the body is struck down by weapons, for it is like the ether. Being even more subtle than ether, soundless and intangible, Brahman is untouched by the flaws of the body and senses. How it remains untouched is a topic that naturally arises here, but to avoid digressing from our main subject, we omit it now. We shall explain it later with proper reasoning in the story of Indra and Virocana. This true and unfailing city of Brahman is indeed Brahman itself; the body is called the city of Brahman only because it serves as an indicator pointing toward Brahman. The body is merely an illusion, as the scripture declares: 'Modification is a mere name born of speech.' Yet because Brahman can be glimpsed even within this transient physical frame, the body is provisionally spoken of as the city of Brahman in worldly parlance. But the true city of Brahman is Brahman alone, since it is the ground of all our transactions. Therefore, within this heart-city of Brahman marked by the lotus, all those desires that people outwardly yearn for are already established right here in your own Self. Abandon your thirst for external objects and practice only the means to realize this Self, for this Self is your true nature. Listen now to its defining marks...
Close to the Sanskrit
Thus urged by the pupils, let that teacher speak, removing that misconception. How? Of this body by old age, this space within called Brahman, in which all is established, does not decay like the body nor is it modified, this is the meaning. Nor is this destroyed by the slaying of weapons, like the ether; much more subtle than that, soundless and intangible Brahman is not touched by the faults of the body and senses, this is the meaning. How it is not touched by the faults of the body and senses ought to be spoken at this juncture, but it is not spoken lest there be a digression from the topic in hand. We shall explain it later with reasoning in the story of Indra and Virocana. This true, unfailing city of Brahman is Brahman itself as the city, the city of Brahman; but the body-named city is Brahman because it is an indicator of Brahman. That indeed is unreal, as the Sruti says, 'Speech-initiated modification is a name only.' In that unreal modification, even on the bodily crest, Brahman is apprehended, hence it is called the city of Brahman empirically. But true city of Brahman is this very Brahman, being the basis of all transactions. Therefore in this city of Brahman marked by the lotus, all desires which are prayed for by those staying outside, all those are established right here in one's own Self. Therefore practice only the means of attaining that, abandon thirst for external objects, this is the intention. This Self is your own nature. Listen to its characteristics - free from sin...