SrI: SrImathE SatakOpAya nama: SrImathE rAmAnujAya nama: SrImath varavaramunayE nama:
nādatte kasyacit pāpaṁ
na caiva sukṛtaṁ vibhuḥ
ajñānenāvṛtaṁ jñānaṁ
tena muhyanti jantavaḥ
‘The vibhu[1. So called, by the all-pervasive, or all-diffusive nature of consciousness.] (ātma) taketh not away one’s sin or merit. It is by ignorance that wisdom is wrapped, creatures being thereby deluded.’
Ātma cannot snatch away the sin, -i.e., misery or suffering,— though it may attach to a beloved son etc., nor can it steal away the merit —i.e., happiness— which may belong to one who is hated. Because ātma is not insignificant (kvāchitkaḥ), constrained to keep to a certain limited sphere as when confined in the body of a deva and so on; and, inasmuch as ātma is of a nature that can have neither the relationship called amity, nor antagonism called enmity, all such notions (friends, foes etc.) are caused by vāsanā (material instinct). How then does such instinct come to ātma of the above-described nature? The reason is ignorance. Ignorance covers (or veils) wisdom. Ignorance (or nescience) is that which is opposed to wisdom (or knowledge). By this wisdom-hostile ignorance -due to the retrospective karma (deeds),— the intelligence (or consciousness) of this ātma becomes contracted, so as to subject it (ātma) to the predicament of becoming an enjoyer of the fruits thereof (of karma). By karma then, which confines (or obscures) intelligence, the linking with such bodies as deva &c., is forged. From love for the bodies, arises infatuation. This infatuation persisting, becomes the instinct (vāsanā), (which constitutes the germ for further material existence). Thence spring forth the further body-loving instincts, and karma-instincts (i.e, pruriency or impulse to act)[1. So, instinct is of two kinds, the instinct to love (abhimāna) and the instinct to act (karma). Vāsana is lit: scent, (it means habit, tendency, nascent inclination etc.)]. From these instincts, further perverted[2. Love for matter etc.] loves issue, and further impulses to action are engendered[3. Here ends the manner in which one is to fancy disavowal of all authorship of acts to ātma. Next, the subject matter of Lec: IV is renewed.].
Now the topic of wisdom, —as alluded to in:
(Sarvam jñāna): ‘Thou shouldst yet with this wisdom-bark swim across all evil’ (IV-36);
(Jñān-āgniḥ): ‘The fire of wisdom reduces all action to ashes’ (IV-37).;
(Nahi jñānena) ‘No purifier like wisdom’; (IV-38)— is opportunely brought in here:—
archived in http://githa.koyil.org
pramEyam (goal) – http://koyil.org
pramANam (scriptures) – http://granthams.koyil.org
pramAthA (preceptors) – http://acharyas.koyil.org
SrIvaishNava education/kids portal – http://pillai.koyil.org