Prose-section 20
In plain words
The Self, covered by the five sheaths beginning with the food sheath, which are the work of its own power of ignorance, does not show clear, like the water of a tank under a layer of moss. Push the moss aside and that same water is pure; it takes away thirst and heat and gives a person great ease. In the same way, with a subtle understanding, separate the five seen sheaths from the Self, saying of each “not this, not this,” and push them aside. Then you know the Self as the stalk is drawn out of the munja grass: other than the whole seen range of body and the rest, inward, pure, of one taste, unattached, actionless, ever blissful, shining by itself. Then, as the snake imagined in a rope turns out to be only the rope, dissolve all that seen range, imagined in the Self, as being the Self. Whoever remains as the Self alone is liberated. So the discerning one must discriminate Self from non-Self for release from bondage; by it he knows himself as being-awareness-bliss and comes to bliss. Of the five sheaths, food, vital breath, mind, intellect and bliss:
Word for word
The Self, covered by the five sheaths beginning with the food sheath, effects of its power of ignorance, does not appear clearly, like tank water covered by moss. When the moss is removed, the pure water removes thirst and heat and gives great ease. Similarly, by subtle understanding and the negation that separates the five seen sheaths from the Self as “not this, not this,” one knows the self-luminous Self. Like the stalk within munja grass, it is distinct from the seen categories beginning with the body: inward, pure, of one undivided nature, unattached, actionless and ever-blissful. Then, as the snake imagined in a rope is only the rope, one dissolves the seen categories imagined in the Self into the understanding that they too are the Self. Whoever remains as the Self alone is liberated. Therefore the discerning must discriminate Self from non-Self to be released from bondage. Through this, knowing oneself as being-awareness-bliss, one attains bliss. Among the five sheaths—food, vital force, mind, intellect and bliss—