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योऽन्यथा सन्तमात्मानं ज्ञानात्मना निर्लिङ्गमचलं शुद्धं सर्वद्वन्द्वविवर्जितं चित्सदानन्दाद्वितीयब्रह्मात्मना सन्तं स्वमात्मानम्, अन्यथा देहद्वयतद्धर्मात्मतया ‘कर्ता भोक्ता सुखी दुःखी स्थूलोऽहं कृशोऽहं अमुष्य पुत्रोऽस्य नप्ता ब्राह्मणोऽहं क्षत्रियोऽहम्’ इत्येवमात्मना प्रतिपद्यते, किं तेन मूर्खेणानात्मविदा आत्मचोरेणात्मापहारिणा न कृतं पापम् ।महापातकादि सर्वं तेनैव कृतमित्यर्थः ।तथा च श्रुतिः—‘असुर्या नाम ते लोका अन्धेन तमसा वृताः ।तांस्ते प्रेत्याभिगच्छन्ति ये के चात्महनो जनाः’ इति ।तथा चोक्तम्—‘ब्राह्मण्यं प्राप्य लोकेऽस्मिन्न मूको बधिरो भवेत् ।नापक्रामति संसारात्स खलु ब्रह्मघातकः’ इति ।तस्माद्विषयभूतदेहेन्द्रियादिषु आत्मभावं परित्यज्य अज्ञात एव वागाद्यगोचरे परमात्मनि निष्ठा कर्तव्येत्यर्थः ॥
In plain words
If a person misapprehends his own true Self—which is pure, motionless consciousness, the non-dual Brahman of existence, knowledge, and bliss—and instead identifies with the body and its attributes, thinking 'I am an agent, an enjoyer, happy, miserable, stout, lean, a brāhmaṇa, a kṣatriya,' what terrible sin has that foolish soul left undone? He is a thief of his own Self, guilty of the ultimate spiritual suicide. As the scripture declares: 'Those worlds are shrouded in blinding darkness; whoever slays the Self goes to them after death.' And traditional wisdom adds: 'Having won the rare gift of human birth, if one remains blind and deaf to the truth and fails to escape samsara, he is truly a slayer of Brahman.' Therefore, dropping all false identification with the body and senses, one must rest steadfastly in that Supreme Self which lies utterly beyond speech and mind.
Close to the Sanskrit
If anyone otherwise conceives his own Self—which is truly existing as knowledge, attributeless, motionless, pure, devoid of all dualities, existing as the non-dual Brahman whose nature is consciousness, existence, and bliss—otherwise, in the form of the two bodies and their attributes, as 'agent, enjoyer, happy, miserable, I am stout, I am lean, whose son I am, whose grandson, I am a brāhmaṇa, I am a kṣatriya', what sin has not been committed by that foolish person, who does not know the Self, a thief of the Self, a robber of the Atman? All major sins and the like have been committed by him alone, that is the meaning. And thus the sruti: 'Sunless are those worlds, covered by blinding darkness; to them go after death those people who are slayers of the Self.' And it is also said: 'Having attained brāhmaṇahood in this world, if one does not become mute or deaf and does not depart from samsara, he is indeed a slayer of Brahman.' Therefore, having abandoned the notion of the Self in the body, senses, and other objects which are mere objects, steadfast abidance should be practiced precisely in the Supreme Self, which is unknown to speech and the senses—such is the meaning.