Prose-section 28
In plain words
This Brahman is the supreme non-duality, because there is nothing other than it. A pot, being a thing made of clay, has no form other than the form of clay, and no one can show you the pot apart from the clay. So the pot, imagined through delusion and existing only as a name, is unreal; it is the real clay alone, not the least bit different from it. In the same way, whatever is imagined on a substratum and appears as something else is only the substratum appearing, through error, as that superimposed thing. Like the snake in the rope, it is not there in truth; it merely appears, as pure falsehood. The silver seen in mother-of-pearl is nothing but the mother-of-pearl; in the same way such things are nothing apart from their substratum; they are the substratum itself. Good seeker, to the deluded fool, through the error of ignorance, all this appears as a world of many forms, as seen objects that look real. In the state of true knowledge, all of it, which appeared as the effect of Brahman, imagined on Brahman as its ground, as something other and real, is Brahman, the ground itself, appearing through error as the superimposed world. It is a mere name, with not the smallest substance of its own, pure falsehood; it is not other than that ground, Brahman; it is only that Brahman, being-consciousness-bliss, which neither rises nor sets. And again: if the world were real as something other than Brahman, three faults would follow. Brahman would not be complete. The Veda, which firmly declares in the Atharva scripture, “All this universe is Brahman,” would be proved false. And the all-knowing Lord, who said, “All beings are not in me; nor am I, the One, in them,” would be speaking untruth. The great and good cannot accept these three faults. Besides, in deep sleep the world does not appear at all, and when you enquire as described above it turns out to be sheer falsehood, like a dream world. So what those fools say, whose delusion has not left them, is as untrue as a sleeper’s mumbling. Brahman alone, then, shines everywhere as one. The wise know this supreme Brahman: second to none; without form, action, manifestation, decay or measure; without beginning or end; reality, peace, purity, the very essence of bliss; free of every distinction that maya makes; eternal, unbroken, without parts, stainless, nameless, without division, shining by its own light; empty of the three, knower, knowing and known; pure undivided consciousness alone, always shining.
Word for word
This Brahman is supremely non-dual, since no other substance exists apart from it. A pot, produced from clay, has no form apart from clay; no one can show a pot other than clay. The unreal pot, imagined through delusion and existing merely as a name, is therefore only the real clay, not even slightly different from it. Similarly, whatever is imagined upon a substratum and appears other than it is the substratum itself appearing through error as a superimposition. Such appearances have no actual existence, like a snake in a rope. As superimposed silver is not other than its substratum, mother-of-pearl, but is that mother-of-pearl alone, these appearances are not other than their substratum but are that alone. Good seeker, whatever the deluded, ignorant person sees through ignorance as this whole world of diverse forms, as though it were real, is understood in true knowledge as follows. Everything appearing as an effect of Brahman, imagined on Brahman as its substratum and seemingly distinct and real, is that underlying Brahman itself appearing through error as the superimposed world. Merely a name, without the least independent substance, it is wholly mithyā. It is not other than Brahman, but solely that Brahman of existence-consciousness-bliss, without rising or setting. Moreover, if the world were real apart from Brahman, Brahman’s completeness would be impaired; the Veda, which firmly declares in the Atharvan revelation that this entire universe is Brahman, would be invalid; and the omniscient Lord, who said, ‘All beings are not in me; I, the one, am not in them,’ would be speaking untruth. These three faults are unacceptable to the great and good. Furthermore, the world does not appear at all in deep sleep; enquiry as described above reveals it to be unreal, like a dream world. The assertion of those fools who say otherwise, whose delusion has not ceased, is therefore untrue, like the muttering of a sleeper. Thus Brahman alone shines everywhere as one. The wise know this supreme Brahman: without a second, formless, actionless, unmanifest, undecaying, immeasurable, without beginning or end; reality, peace, purity and the essence of bliss; without all distinctions fabricated by māyā; eternal, uninterrupted, partless, stainless, nameless, undifferentiated and self-luminous; free of the triad of knower, knowing and known; ever shining as pure, indivisible consciousness alone.