श्रुतमात्रे न चेत्तत्स्यात्कार्यं तत्र भवेद्ध्रुवम् । व्यवहारात्पुरापीष्टः सद्भावः स्वयमात्मनः ॥
śrutamātre na cettatsyātkāryaṃ tatra bhaveddhruvam | vyavahārātpurāpīṣṭaḥ sadbhāvaḥ svayamātmanaḥ ||
If [liberation] did not come about from mere hearing, then surely something [more] would have to be done there. [But] even before all empirical activity, the Self's existence is accepted as established by itself.
यदि केवल सुनने से [मुक्ति] न होती, तो वहाँ अवश्य कुछ [और] करना पड़ता। [परन्तु] समस्त व्यवहार से पहले भी आत्मा का अस्तित्व स्वयंसिद्ध माना गया है।
Meaning today and contextआज के लिए अर्थ और संदर्भ
You do not have to manufacture your own existence or earn your worth; it is there before anything you do. Practice clears confusion, it does not create the Self.
आपको अपना अस्तित्व बनाना या अपना मूल्य कमाना नहीं पड़ता; वह आपके हर कर्म से पहले मौजूद है। साधना भ्रम हटाती है, आत्मा को रचती नहीं।
Shankaracharya argues that liberation comes from merely hearing the saying with understanding; otherwise some further action would be required, but the Self's existence is already established before all activity.