अध्यक्षस्य समीपे बुद्धेरेवेति चेन्मतम् । न तत्कृतोपकारोऽस्ति काष्ठाद्यद्वन्न कल्प्यते ॥
adhyakṣasya samīpe buddhereveti cenmatam | na tatkṛtopakāro'sti kāṣṭhādyadvanna kalpyate ||
If it is held that [hearing belongs] to the intellect alone, in the presence of the overseer, [we say] no: no benefit is done by it, just as none is imagined from a [piece of] wood.
यदि माना जाए कि [श्रवण] केवल बुद्धि का है, अध्यक्ष के समीप रहते हुए, तो नहीं: उससे [बुद्धि का] कोई उपकार नहीं होता, जैसे किसी लकड़ी [की निकटता] से कोई उपकार नहीं माना जाता।
Meaning today and contextआज के लिए अर्थ और संदर्भ
Being near the truth is not enough; it has to be reflected in your understanding. Mere proximity to a teacher or a text changes nothing until it is taken in.
सत्य के पास होना काफ़ी नहीं; उसे अपनी समझ में प्रतिबिम्बित होना चाहिए। गुरु या ग्रन्थ के केवल पास रहने से कुछ नहीं बदलता, जब तक उसे भीतर न उतारा जाए।
An opponent proposes that the hearer is the intellect alone, standing near the Self. Shankaracharya replies that the Self's mere nearness, without a reflection, would do the intellect no more good than the nearness of a piece of wood.