In a Zoom meeting with Ramana Kendra, Delhi, on 14th August 2022 Michael James the meaning and implications of verses 21 and 22 of Upadēśa Sāraḥ:
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Upadēśa Sāraḥ verse 21:
इदम हंपदाऽ भिख्य मन्वहम् ।
अहमि लीनकेऽ प्यलय सत्तया ॥ २१ ॥
idama haṁpadā’ bhikhya manvaham
ahami līnakē’ pyalaya sattayā
पदच्छेद: इदम् अहम् पद अभिख्यम् अन्वहम् अहमि लीनके अपि अलय सत्तया.
Padacchēda (word-separation): idam aham pada abhikhyam anvaham ahami līnakē api alaya sattayā.
English translation: This is what the word ‘I’ always refers to, being undissolvable existence even when ‘I’ is dissolved.
Explanatory paraphrase: This [the heart, our real nature, which shines forth spontaneously as ‘I am I’ when ego is annihilated] is what the word ‘I’ always refers to, [because we remain] as undissolvable existence even [in sleep] when ‘I’ [ego] is dissolved.
Upadēśa Sāraḥ verse 22:
विग्र हेन्द्रिय प्राण धीतमः ।
नाह मेकस त्तज्ज डंह्यसत् ॥ २२ ॥
vigra hēndriya prāṇa dhītamaḥ
nāha mēkasa ttajja ḍaṁhyasat
पदच्छेद: विग्रह इन्द्रिय प्राण धी तमः न अहम् एक सत् तत् जडम् हि असत्.
Padacchēda (word-separation): vigraha indriya prāṇa dhī tamaḥ na aham ēka sat tat jaḍam hi asat.
English translation: Body, mind, life, intellect and darkness are not I, the one existence, because that is non-aware and non-existent.
Explanatory paraphrase: [The five sheaths, namely] the physical body, life, mind, intellect and darkness [the ānandamaya kōśa, the cittam or will, which is internal darkness in the form of the dense fog of viṣaya-vāsanās, inclinations or desires to seek happiness in things other than oneself] are not I, the one sat [what actually exists] [and cit, what is actually aware], because that [the body consisting of these five sheaths] is jaḍa [non-aware or insentient] and asat [non-existent or unreal].
This episode can also be watched as a video, 2022-08-14 Ramana Kendra, Delhi: Michael James discusses Upadēśa Sāraḥ verses 21 and 22, and a more compressed audio copy in Opus format (which can be listened to in the VLC media player and some other apps) can be downloaded from here.