Next verse is going to talk about the main means for mokṣa: self-knowledge.
bodho’ nyasādhanebhyo hi sākṣānmokṣaikasādhanam |
pākasya vahnivajjñānaṁ vinā mokṣo na sidhyati || 2 ||
In comparison with other means, self-knowledge indeed is the only direct means for liberation. Just like fire is the main means for cooking, without self-knowledge, liberation can’t be attained.
There are different types of sādhana - means prescribed in this spiritual journey, but it is very clear stated here that bodho’ nyasādhanebhyaḥ - in comparison with other means hi sākṣānmokṣaikasādhanam - the only direct means for mokṣa is self-knowledge. It is direct because it leads directly to the result without any other intermediate means required.
Why is it said to be the only direct means? Even though various types of karma are the means for us to gain qualification, but jñānam vinā - without self-knowledge, mokṣo na sidhyati - mokṣa can’t be attained. pākasya vahnivad - just like fire is the means for cooking rice. Even though we need some grains, water and pot, fire is the only essential factor to have the rice cooked. We need other sādhana like karma-yoga, meditation, and cultivation of values, etc. to gain qualification, but the main factor to release me from this as though bondage is the knowledge of me not being bound.
Why karma can’t remove ignorance? Next verse is the answer.
avirodhitayā karma nāvidyāṁ vinivartayet |
vidyā’ vidyāṁ nihantyeva tejastimirasaṅghavat || 3 ||
Karma can’t destroy ignorance, since it is not opposed to it. Knowledge alone can destroy ignorance, just like light alone can remove darkness.
The setting of the world we are living in is because of our karma. Since the result of karma must be fructified in a certain condition for us to experience,
the world becomes a place for this law to happen. It can be said that because of our own karma, the world exists for the purpose of exhausting the result of karma, but the source of the experience world should be tracked back to ignorance.
Because of my ignorance regarding my true nature, it makes me identifying myself with this body-mind-senses which is limited. It causes me to identify further with the limited nature of this body-mind-senses, later on a series of karma are done to gain whatever I can experience, trying to fulfil the sense of lack in me. In this manner karma can be said as product of ignorance, therefore it can’t be opposed to ignorance.
avirodhitayā karma - since karma is not opposed to ignorance, nāvidyām vinivartayet - it can’t remove ignorance. Karma only causes the cycle of samsāra to continue, because the doer of karma should exercise the result of karma. vidyāvidyām nihantyeva - knowledge alone is able to destroy ignorance, since knowledge is of the nature of illumination whereas ignorance is of the nature of darkness. Illuminaion and darkness are opposed to each other, tejastimirasaṅghavat - just like light destroys pitch-darkness.
Any action we do such as sweeping and mopping, etc. can’t remove darkness in the room. Only by bringing the light in the room, darkness can be removed. Therefore for mokṣa pursuit, only the knowledge of my true nature being free can remove my ignorance about myself being bound.
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