Verse 2.557-558

Sanskrit text and transliteration:

तमोह्नुत्यतिरेकेण नेह ग्रामाद्यवाप्तिवत् ।
तत्प्राप्तिसाधनं ज्ञानं ग्राममार्गप्रबोधवत् ॥ ५५७ ॥
इत्येवं चेन्न वैधर्म्यान्न हि तत्रोपदिश्यते ।
गन्तव्यविषयं ज्ञानं यथा सत्यादिलक्षणम् ॥ ५५८ ॥

tamohnutyatirekeṇa neha grāmādyavāptivat |
tatprāptisādhanaṃ jñānaṃ grāmamārgaprabodhavat || 557 ||
ityevaṃ cenna vaidharmyānna hi tatropadiśyate |
gantavyaviṣayaṃ jñānaṃ yathā satyādilakṣaṇam || 558 ||

English translation of verse 2.557-558:

Like reaching a village, etc., here (in respect of Brahman) there is no attainment apart from the destruction of ignorance. If it be said that, like the knowledge of the way to the village, the knowledge (of Brahman) is the means to its attainment, it is not so, because of the difference (between the two cases). Just as the knowledge of Brahman which is real, etc., is imparted here, the knowledge of the village to be reached is not imparted there.

Notes:

Should it not be said, it may be asked, that the attainment of Brahman is analogous to the attainment of a village? The first line of verse (557) answers this question. The attainment of Brahman is not like the attainment of a village. One literally reaches the village covering the entire distance through walking, etc., and so its attainment is real. But in the case of Brahman, the attainment is figurative. Brahmaprāpti amounts to no more than the removal of avidyā, There is no attainment of Brahman apart from the removal of avidyā.

The critic may argue in a different way with a view to show that the attainment of Brahman is in the literal sense. Instruction about Brahman, it may be argued, is like instruction about the way to a village. Just as a person by getting information about the way to a village is able to reach it, so also a person by getting the knowledge of Brahman is able to attain it through the process of repeated contemplation on that knowledge. In this argument, the knowledge of Brahman is similar to the knowledge of the way to the village; and repeated contemplation on that knowledge is similar to the act of walking on the road. It follows, according to the critic, that the attainment of Brahman is real like the attainment of the village.

This argument is untenable as it overlooks a basic difference between the two cases. Śruti texts like satyaṃ jñānaṃ anantaṃ brahma impart the knowledge of Brahman which is to be realized. But in the example cited, no information about the village to be reached is given. On the contrary, information about the way to. the village alone is given. So the analogy suggested by the critic breaks down. While a person literally reaches a village by getting information about the way to it, there is no such attainment of Brahman.