Devanagari
अज्ञानसंज्ञौ भवबन्धमोक्षौ
द्वौ नाम नान्यौ स्त ऋतज्ञभावात् ।
अजस्रचित्यात्मनि केवले परे
विचार्यमाणे तरणाविवाहनी ॥ २६ ॥
Verse text
ajṣāna-saṁjṣau bhava-bandha-mokṣau
dvau nāma nānyau sta ṛta-jṣa-bhāvāt
ajasra-city ātmani kevale pare
vicāryamāṇe taraṇāv ivāhanī
Synonyms
ajṣāna
—
manifesting from ignorance
;
saṁjṣau
—
which designations
;
bhava
—
bandha — bondage to material existence
;
mokṣau
—
and liberation
;
dvau
—
the two
;
nāma
—
indeed
;
na
—
not
;
anyau
—
separate
;
staḥ
—
are
;
ṛta
—
true
;
jṣa
—
bhāvāt — from knowledge
;
ajasra
—
citi — whose awareness is unimpeded
;
ātmani
—
the spirit soul
;
kevale
—
who is separate from matter
;
pare
—
who is pure
;
vicāryamāṇe
—
when he is properly distinguished
;
taraṇau
—
within the sun
;
iva
—
just as
;
ahanī
—
day and night .
Translation
The conception of material bondage and the conception of liberation are both manifestations of ignorance. Being outside the scope of true knowledge, they cease to exist when one correctly understands that the pure spirit soul is distinct from matter and always fully conscious. At that time bondage and liberation no longer have any significance, just as day and night have no significance from the perspective of the sun.
Translation (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
The conception of material bondage and the conception of liberation are both manifestations of ignorance. Being outside the scope of true knowledge, they cease to exist when one correctly understands that the pure spirit soul is distinct from matter and always fully conscious. At that time bondage and liberation no longer have any significance, just as day and night have no significance from the perspective of the sun.
KB 10.14.26
“So-called liberation and bondage have no meaning for a person who is already engaged in Your devotional service, just as a rope is not fearful to a person who knows that it is not a snake. A devotee knows that this material world belongs to You, and he therefore engages everything in Your transcendental loving service. Thus there is no bondage for him. For a person who is already situated in the sun planet, there is no question of the appearance or disappearance of the sun in the name of day or night. It is also said that You, Kṛṣṇa, are just like the sun, and that māyā is like darkness. When the sun is present, there is no question of darkness; so, for those who always remain in Your presence by engaging in Your service, there is no question of bondage or liberation. They are already liberated. On the other hand, persons who falsely think themselves to be liberated without taking shelter of Your lotus feet fall down because their intelligence is not pure.
Purport
Material bondage is illusion because the living entity actually has no real relationship with the material world. Because of false ego, the conditioned soul identifies himself with matter. Therefore so-called liberation is simply the giving up of an illusion rather than release from actual bondage. Yet even if we think that the suffering of material illusion is real and that liberation is thus a meaningful release from suffering, the mere absence of material existence is still insignificant compared to the achievement of factual spiritual life, which is the positive eternal reality opposed to the negative illusion of material life. Ultimately, Kṛṣṇa consciousness, or pure love of Godhead, is the only significant, meaningful and permanent status for every living entity.
Since the darkness of night is caused by the absence of the sun, one would not experience night within the sun itself, nor would one experience individual days separated by nights. Similarly, within the pure living entity there is no material darkness and thus no experience of liberation from such darkness. When the conditioned soul comes to this platform of pure consciousness, he becomes fit to associate with the supreme pure, the Personality of Godhead Himself, in the Lord’s own abode.
Purport (Visvanatha Cakravarti Thakura)
In this verse the fact that acceptance of a false world also makes liberation false is made clear. The words bondage in the world and liberation from the world which both arise from ignorance cease when a person has true knowledge of the jiva, just as the day and night taken separately from the sun have meaning, but when from the point of view of the sun, they have no meaning.
Purport (Jiva Goswami)
Ṛta-jña-bhāvāt means “from a particular object (ātmā) which is the knower of the permanent.” Ajasra-cityātmani has the same meaning, since citi means knowledge. It means consciousness which is revealing like the sun. Bhāva and ātmā also have a similar meaning since bhāva means that which reveals or brings into existence or brings to life. Ātmani in the present verse like ātmānam in the previous verse refers to the jīva. Knowledge of jīva leads to liberation and ignorance of jīva leads to bondage. The words yuṣmad and bhavat (you) are used in reference to the Lord in this section to make distinction from the jīva.
Bondage and liberation are different from knowledge of ātmā since they are functions of māyā. They do not exist if one reflects on the conscious ātmā. Reflecting on the relationship of the ātmā having bondage and liberation, one concludes that there is no relationship. Then how can bondage and liberation manifest? Just by ignorance there is a perception of them. An example is given to illustrate. Just as day and night on consideration are different from the sun because of the functions of time (arising from characteristics related to it), so bondage and liberation are different from ātmā. Ahanī stands for day and night.
Purport (Sanatana Goswami)
Realease from saṁsāra has been stated to be insignificant. This verse explains that liberation is not the goal of life. From true knowledge (ṛta-jñ-bhāvāt), bondage and liberation do not exist. Actually the two are based on falsity. When one reflects on ātmā (ātmani), the eternal form of knowledge (ajasra-citi), which is pure (kevale) and beyond matter (pare), liberation becomes false like bondage. For the sun there is no night, and by thinking that there is no night, there is no day. With no saṁsāra, liberaetion becomes insignificant. Thus it is not the goal of life.
Or when one thinks only (kevale) of the supreme Lord (pare) in the mind (ātmani) there is no bondage or liberation.
“How can both become false just by deliberation?” The Lord is condensed eternal knowledge (ajastra-citi). By thinking of the Lord, knowledge about the truth of both arises. It is like the sun in the day and night. By having no night, the division that creates day disappears.