78 Notes on Gandapada-Karika (17) सर्पधारादिभिः- The rope in darkness is mistaken for a stream of water ( उदकधारा ), serpent ( सर्प ), stick etc. Similarly Atman is mistaken for all sorts of things by different people accord ing to their powers of imagination. (18) When the रज्जु is realised in its true nature, the विकल्पs vanish away; similarly when आत्मन् is realised as अद्वत, the different विकल्पs about आत्मन् disappear. (19) It is due to the Māya of Atman that so many विकल्पs, प्राण etc. are superimposed on him. It is strange, but true that Atman himself stands deluded by this Māyă of his and gives rise to such विकल्पs ! Sankara hastens to explain, स्वयमपि मोहित इव मोहितो भवति । ( 20 ) Verses 20-28 describe the various विकल्पs ( 35 of them) fathered upon Atman They represent the ideas about the Highest or the goal to be achieved, entertained by philosophers and laymen. It is possible to point out some prima facie bases for these विकल्पs in the Upanişads and older works. Atman is imagined to be [ 1 ] प्राण by some प्राणवादिन्s, Vedantins who take their stand upon passages like प्राणे सर्वं प्रतिष्ठितम् ( Chandogya 1.11.4-5 ) and others quoted in potes on 1.6 above. Anandagiri says that Vaišeşikas and worshippers of Hiranyagarbha are meant ( प्राणो हिरण्यगर्भस्तटस्थेश्वरो वा स जगतो हेतुरिति प्राणविदो हिरण्यगर्भाधा वैशेषिकादयश्च कल्पयन्ति ). [ 2 ] भूतानि by भूतविदs who take their stand upon passages that support the त्रिवृत्करण ( Chāndogya VI.2.3-4 ) or the पञ्चीकरण process for the creation of the world. पृथ्वी, आप, तेजस् are the three भूतs, or five, with वायु and आकाश added to the list. The popular or the Carvāka view that the body is पाञ्चभौतिक is also well-known. The Gita also refers to these philosophers in भूतानि यान्ति भूतेज्याः ( IX. 25), पृथिव्यप्तेजोवायवस्तत्त्वानि तानि च चत्वारि भूतानि जगत्कारणानीति लोकायतिका: ( Anandagiri, according to whom only four elements are meant here ). ment. 13] गुणs by some of the Sankhyas who postulate सत्व, रजस् and तमस् as the three constituents out of which every thing is constituted. The Gitā ( XVI and XVII Adhyayas ) elaborates this aspect in various detail), सत्वरजस्तमांसि यो गुणाः साम्येभावस्थिता जगतो महदादिलक्षणस्य कारणमिति सांख्याः ( Anandagiri).
