04 prajnaavaan-api pandito'pi

प्रज्ञावानपि पण्डितोऽपि चतुरोऽप्यत्यन्तसूक्ष्मात्मदृग्
व्यालीढस्तमसा न वेत्ति बहुधा संबोधितोऽपि स्फुटम्
भ्रान्त्यारोपितमेव साधु कलयत्यालम्बते तद्गुणान्
हन्तासौ प्रबला दुरन्ततमसः शक्तिर्महत्यावृतिः
विवेकचूडामणि: ११४

prajñāvānapi paṇḍito’pi caturo’pyatyantasūkṣmātmadṛg
vyālīḍhastamasā na vetti bahudhā saṃbodhito’pi sphuṭam |
bhrāntyāropitameva sādhu kalayatyālambate tadguṇān
hantāsau prabalā durantatamasaḥ śaktirmahatyāvṛtiḥ
Vivekacūḍāmaṇi: 114

A wise and learned man, even if he is clever, and has gained awareness about the exceedingly subtle Atman through the sastras, gets overpowered by tamas and does not get the doubtless Knowledge of the Atman. Gripped by delusion he considers as real and pleasurable that which is not. How powerful is the great Avrtih-sakti (the power of veiling the Truth) of the dreadful tamas!