The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Chāndogyopaniṣadbhāṣyam

Bhashya

Bhashya

अथ पुनः ये च अस्य विदुषः जन्तोर्जीवाः जीवन्तीह पुत्राः भ्रात्रादयो वा, ये च प्रेताः मृताः इष्टाः संबन्धिनः, यच्चान्यदिह लोके वस्त्रात्रपानादि रत्नानि वा वस्त्विच्छन् न लभते, तत्सर्वमत्र हृदयाकाशाख्ये ब्रह्मणि गत्वा यथोक्तेन विधिना विन्दते लभते ।अत्र अस्मिन्हार्दाकाशे हि यस्मात् अस्य ते यथोक्ताः सत्याः कामाः वर्तन्ते अनृतापिधानाः ।कथमिव तदन्याय्यमिति, उच्यते—तत् तत्र यथा हिरण्यनिधिं हिरण्यमेव पुनर्ग्रहणाय निधातृभिः निधीयत इति निधिः तं हिरण्यनिधिं निहितं भूमेरधस्तान्निक्षिप्तम् अक्षेत्रज्ञाः निधिशास्त्रैर्निधिक्षेत्रमजानन्तः ते निधेःउपर्य्युपरि संचरन्तोऽपि निधिं न विन्देयुः शक्यवेदनमपि, एवमेव इमाः अविद्यावत्यः सर्वा इमाः प्रजाः यथोक्तं हृदयाकाशारूयं ब्रह्मलोकं ब्रह्मैव लोकः ब्रह्मलोकः तम् अहरहः प्रत्यहं गच्छन्त्योऽपि सुषुप्तकाले न विन्दन्ति न लभन्ते—एषोऽहं ब्रह्मलोकभावमापन्नोऽस्म्यद्येति ।अनृतेन हि यथोक्तेन हि यस्मात् प्रत्यूढाः हृताः, स्वरूपाद्विद्यादिदोषैर्बहिरपकृष्टा इत्यर्थः ।अतः कष्टमिदं वर्तते जन्तूनां यत्स्वायत्तपि ब्रह्म न लभ्यते इत्यभिप्रायः ॥

In plain words

Furthermore, whatever living sons, brothers, or other kin this wise person has, whatever beloved relatives have passed away, and whatever objects in this world—clothes, food, drinks, gems, or other things—he desires but fails to secure, all of that he finds and attains by going right here into the supreme reality designated as the space within the heart, following the prescribed scriptural path. For within this very heart-space reside his true, infallible desires, though they are veiled by untruth. How could this seem implausible? To explain: just as those who do not know the location of a hidden treasure may walk directly over a deposit of gold buried beneath the earth again and again without ever finding it—even though the gold was placed there precisely to be retrieved and is fully capable of being discovered—so too, all these creatures shrouded in ignorance go daily into this very realm of the heart-space during deep sleep and yet fail to find it or realize, "I have attained the state of Brahman today." Being carried away and drawn outward from their own true nature by the defects of nescience, they miss it. Therefore, how tragic it is for living beings that Brahman, which is intrinsically their own, remains unattained.

Close to the Sanskrit

And again, whatever living sons, brothers and others of this knowing creature, and whatever departed, dead, beloved relatives, and whatever other object in this world—garments, food, drink, gems, or things—desiring he does not obtain, all that he finds and obtains going here into Brahman named the space of the heart, according to the rule described. Here in this heart-space surely because of him those described true desires exist, covered by untruth. How is that unreasonable? It is said: that there, just as a treasure of gold, gold itself again for taking is placed by those who hid it, that treasure of gold placed underneath the earth, those ignorant of the field, not knowing the field of the treasure, walking about directly overhead even though it is capable of being known, do not find the treasure, exactly so all these creatures possessed of ignorance, going daily every day into this world of Brahman characterized as the heart-space—Brahman indeed is the world, the world of Brahman—even while going do not find, do not obtain in the time of deep sleep: "I am this one who has attained the state of the world of Brahman today." For carried away by untruth as stated, surely because from their true nature by defects such as non-knowledge drawn outwards, this is the meaning. Hence this is painful of creatures, that even Brahman, which is dependent upon oneself, is not attained, this is the purport.