The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Lalitātriśatībhāṣyam

p. 283

p. 283

ह्रींकारबोधिता ।सिद्धे पदार्थे इन्द्रियादिसबन्धे सति स्वत एव ज्ञानोत्पत्तिदर्शनान्न ज्ञाने विधिरपेक्षित , क्रियाफलत्वाभावात् ।तर्हि नित्यापरोक्षधर्मादिज्ञानवत् शुद्धब्रह्माभेदवेदैकदेशह्रींकारेणैव बोध्यते, अज्ञातज्ञापकत्वेन वेदस्य स्वत प्रामाण्याभ्युपगमात् , परचैतन्यस्य च ज्ञायमानस्य परमानन्दरूपतया पुरुषार्थरूपत्वात् ।अत ह्रींकारेणैवमूलमन्त्रात्मना बोधिता ज्ञापिता ।हकाररेफेकाराणां व्यस्तत्वदशायां भिन्नभिन्नार्थकानां मेलने ह्रींकारात्मना परिणामेसच्चिदानन्दस्वरूपश्रीत्रिपुरसुन्दर्या तदर्थत्वेन अद्वैतस्वरूपतया प्रतिभानात् ।'नान्योऽतोऽस्ति द्रष्टा, इदं सर्वं यदयमात्मा' 'एक एव तु भूतात्मा भूते भूते व्यवस्थित ।एकधा बहुधा चैव दृश्यते जलचन्द्रवत्' इत्यादिश्रुतेः ।आत्मा वा अरे दृष्टव्य तद्विजिज्ञासस्व' 'आत्मानं पश्येत्' इत्यादिलिङ्लोट्तव्यप्रत्ययानामर्हतार्थकतया न विधित्वमिति सिद्धान्त ॥ॐ हींकारबोधितायै नमः । ।ह्रींकारमयसौवर्णस्तम्भविद्रुमपुत्रिका ।पिङ्गलपृथ्वीरेणु सुवर्णमित्युच्यते ।अनुन्छिद्यमानद्रवत्वस्य नैमित्तिकत्वेऽपितैजसान्तर प्रदीपप्रभादाववर्शनात् ।पदार्थान्तरसंयोगे रजतादिवदतितेज संयोगात् भस्मभावापत्तेश्च हीरमणौ लोहले

In plain words

Illumined by the sacred syllable hrīṃ. Once the object of truth is established and meets the senses, awareness arises quite naturally by itself; no scriptural command is needed to force knowledge into being, for liberation is never the mere product of ritual action. Rather, just as eternal truths are grasped directly, this supreme reality is revealed solely through the mantra hrīṃ, which forms the heart of the Veda. Because the Veda inherently illuminates the unknown, and because supreme consciousness is nothing less than absolute bliss—the ultimate goal of every human heart—it is truly brought to light through this root mantra. When the separate letters ha, ra, and ī unite to become the single syllable hrīṃ, they transform into the very essence of Śrī Tripurasundarī, shining forth as the undivided non-dual reality. As the sacred texts declare: 'There is no other seer than this; all this is truly the Self,' and 'The one indwelling Self resides in every creature, appearing both as one and as many, like the reflection of the moon in water.' And passages like 'The Self, dear one, is to be realized and inquired into' use grammatical forms that express fitness rather than a strict command. Thus is the final truth established.

Close to the Sanskrit

Illumined by the syllable hrīṃ. When an object is established and connection with the senses and so on takes place, since the arising of knowledge is seen to occur spontaneously, no injunction regarding knowledge is required, because it is not the fruit of an action. Then, like the knowledge of eternal direct dharma, it is made known solely through hrīṃ which is a part of the Veda, because the Veda is accepted as having intrinsic validity as a revealer of the unknown, and because supreme consciousness, when known, is in the nature of supreme bliss and thus constitutes human fulfillment. Therefore it is illumined and made known by hrīṃ as the root mantra. When the letters ha, ra, and ī are in their separate state and possess different meanings, upon their combination and transformation into the form of hrīṃ, they shine forth as the non-dual reality of Śrī Tripurasundarī whose nature is existence-consciousness-bliss, by being her very meaning. According to such śruti texts as: 'There is no other seer than this; this entire universe is what this self is', and 'The one elemental self is situated within every single being; it is seen both as one and as many, like the moon in water', and 'The Self, my dear, is to be seen and to be inquired into', and 'One should behold the Self'. Since suffixes like liṅ, loṭ, and tavya have the meaning of fitness, the conclusion is that there is no injunction here.