श्रोतुः स्यादुपदेशश्चेदर्थवत्त्वं तथा भवेत् । अध्यक्षस्य न चेदिष्टं श्रोतृत्वं कस्य तद्भवेत् ॥
śrotuḥ syādupadeśaścedarthavattvaṃ tathā bhavet | adhyakṣasya na cediṣṭaṃ śrotṛtvaṃ kasya tadbhavet ||
If the teaching is for the hearer, it would have meaning in that way. If being the hearer is not accepted for the overseer, whose then would that hearing be?
यदि उपदेश श्रोता के लिए है तो इस तरह वह सार्थक होगा। यदि अध्यक्ष [आत्मा] को श्रोता नहीं माना जाता, तो वह श्रवण किसका होगा?
Meaning today and contextआज के लिए अर्थ और संदर्भ
A teaching about who you are is addressed to you, the one aware; it is not only words passing through a brain.
आप कौन हैं, यह उपदेश आपसे, जागरूक व्यक्ति से, कहा गया है; यह केवल मस्तिष्क से गुज़रते शब्द नहीं हैं।
Shankaracharya raises the question of who hears the teaching: a teaching has meaning only for a hearer, and if the overseer (the Self) is not accepted as hearer, whose hearing would it be?