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న గచ్ఛతి వినా పానం వ్యాధిరౌషధశబ్దతః । వినాఽపరోక్షానుభవం బ్రహ్మశబ్దైర్న ముచ్యతే ॥ 64 ॥
వ్యాధి = రోగము, పానం వినా - ఔషధపానము చేయకుండగా, ఔషధశబ్ద - ఈ ' ఔషధము' అనుశబ్దము నుచ్చరించినంత మాత్రమున, న గచ్చతి = తొలగదు, అపరోక్షానుభవం వినా = ప్రత్యక్షానుభవము లేకుండగా, బ్రహ్మశబ్దైః = "బ్రహ్మ" అనుశబ్దము నుచ్చరించుటచే, న ముచ్యతే - మోక్షమును పొందజాలడు.
ఔషధసేవనము చేయకుండగా "ఔషధము", "ఔషధము" అని శబ్దమును ఉచ్చరించినంత మాత్రమున రోగము కుదురదు. అపరోక్షానుభవం వినా= ఆత్మసాక్షాత్కారము లేకుండగా, కేవలము ఉపనిషత్తులలోనున్న "బ్రహ్మ" శబ్దములచే, న ముచ్యతే = బంధ ముక్తుడు కాజాలడు.
అవ. తత్త్వజ్ఞానమునకు ప్రధాన కారణ మేదియో చెప్పుచు ఈ విషయమునే మరియొక విధముగ చెప్పుచున్నాడు.
na gachChati vinā pānaṃ vyādhirauṣadhaśabdataḥ । vinā'parōkṣānubhavaṃ brahmaśabdairna muchyatē ॥ 64॥
Doctors frequently change the criteria for a diagnosis. Once a 170/100 blood pressure was considered normal. Then it was changed to 120/80. Now it is 130/80. The medical guidelines say blood pressure in adults varies by age and so on. Similarly the thresholds for LDL cholesterol are being changed from time to time and the prescription of statins became common. Taking 'baby aspirin' and statins is the new norm as preventive care. The same can be said about diabetes and so-called 'diseases'.
In the "moving goal posts" of medical 'advances', what should a common man do? Merely pooh-poohing the doctor's prescription won't alleviate his symptoms nor does it prevent the onset of symptoms. So not taking medicine, and merely thinking about it won't help. He has to take the medicine prescribed and leave the rest to the divine.
Sankara is reminding us that merely chanting "Om" or "Brahman" won't give self-realization. Similarly reading the prasthana trayam (vedas, itihasas, puranas, etc.) won't help as far as brahma gnana is concerned. So what gives?
Sankara says such experiences are aparoksha. One has to strive to realize Self as pratyaksha here and now. This requires sadhana or meditation beyond repetition of mantras. Some gurus suggest ashtanga yoga as a means to attain Self. While this may be undisputed, there is no guarantee that the yogi will reach samadhi and beyond without divine assistance.
In this context, it is to be noted that atma is propounded first by the ancient texts such as upanishads. The sadhana is all about realizing the truth of atma. This is like mathematical axioms where we accept some initial truths as valid. All mathematicians must agree on the number system, zero, the value of pi, etc. Without axioms, the facade of mathematical theorems and proofs will collapse.
One may ask if Newton didn't question why an apple from tree falls toward earth or if Einstein didn't question Newton's theories, then how could the truth about the phenomenal world be known? The answer lies, as the non-classical scientists say, in positing "consciousness" as a fundamental truth. The famous double-slit experiment, where an electron passes through both slits as a wave when there is no observer and chooses one of the two slits to pass through as a particle when an observer is present, shows that "consciousness" affects scientific observations. Indeed this is the basis of quantum physics. Incidentally, Einstein had Newton's equations to start from, but what about Newton? It seems he produced them from vacuum. Needless to say the intuition of those versed with vedas had a role to play. So what is "consciousness"?
Only a vedanti like Sankara can clarify once and for all. In his slokas he is proclaiming, many a time, atma as the ultimate doer and enjoyer. Everything else, including the antahkarana, is phenomenal and subordinate to it.
