Sloka 37 and 38

SLOKA 37

tattvaMpadaarthau nirNiitau vaakyaarthashchintate.adhunaa .
taadaatmyamatra vaakyaarthastayoreva padaarthayoH .. 37..

Pada artha:

Tat –Tvam-pada-arthau: what is meant by the word ‘Thou’ and also by the word ‘That’
Nirnitav: have been ascertained
Adhuna: Now
Vakya arthaha: the meaning of the sentence ‘Thou art That’
Chintyate: is going to be discussed
Atra: in this case
Vakya arthaha: the meaning of the sentence
Taddatmyaam: is the identity
Tayoho eva pada arthayoho: of what are meant by those two words.

What is meant by the word ‘thou’ and also by the word ‘that’ have been ascertained. The meaning of the sentence ‘Thou art that’ which is the identity of what are meant by those two words is now going to be discussed.

We can recall that in the 6th sloka, the student had asked the Guru as to who the Atman is and who the Brahman is and how their identity can be established by the Mahavakyas. To this the Guru has explained the real meaning of ‘Tat’ and ‘Tvam’ in the previous slokas, Next the teacher is explaining here, that now that the Atman and Brahman are known, their identity will be discussed next.

SLOKA 38

saMsargo vaa vishiShTo vaa vaakyaartho naatra sammataH .
akhaNDaikarasatvena vaakyaartho viduShaaM mataH .. 38..

Pada artha:

Atra; in this case
vakya arthaha: what is meant by the sentence
Na: is not
Sammataha: accepted
Samsarga vaa: either to be connected with
Vishistaha vaa: or to be qualified by any thing else
Vidushaam mataha: according to the wise
Vaakya arthaha: the entity meant by the sentence
Akhanda eka rasatvena: is a being, indivisible and the nature of Bliss only

What is meant by the sentence is not accepted either to be connected with or qualified by anything else. The meaning of sentence according to wise is an indivisible Brahman consisting of Bliss only.

After explaining the meanings of the Atman and Brahman, the Guru is here explaining that the meanings indirectly expressed by the words tat and Tavm are identical only.

Though by the sentence, both are to be meant as the same, we can never say that Brahman is qualified by Atman or vice versa and that these two cannot be connected in any ways. The Guru here is instructing the student not to interpret the Mahavakya as indicating any connection or relation between Atman and Brahman, and to ascertain that it is the identity alone that is indicated here. Any qualification would only lead again to duality which would go against the shruti which declare Brahman as one and only and devoid of any qualities. Hence the wise who know this eternal truth declare the meaning of the Mahavakyas as the indivisible Brahman who is the existence-consciousness-bliss only.

Thus the Guru instructs that their identity so clearly revealed by this Mahavakya is not be misunderstood as any association or an attribute of the Brahman or Atman.

Hari OM.

With regards,
Mallika R
What you have is God's gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift to God