What the latter half of the first verse established, the fourth verse now elucidates with clarity:
Desire and resolution-doubt, faith and faithlessness, fortitude and its opposite, Shame, discernment, fear, and such—the witness-consciousness manifests uniformly: Desire and resolution-doubt, faith and faithlessness, fortitude and its opposite, Shame, discernment, fear, and such—the witness-consciousness manifests uniformly.
Syntax: The unchanging witness-consciousness manifests desire, resolution-doubt, faith, faithlessness, fortitude, its opposite, shame, discernment, fear, and such modifications of the inner instrument uniformly or in like manner.
Translation: The unchanging witness-consciousness—the eternal principle of individual awareness—manifests desire, resolution, doubt, faith, lack of faith, fortitude (will-strength), weakness, shame, discernment, fear, and all such fluctuations of the inner faculties in a single, uniform, and identical mode of consciousness, or within the heart's undifferentiated experience.
Commentary: If one does not know what a rope is, one takes it for something—perhaps a snake—if one knows what a snake looks like. Just as the rope becomes the revealer of the snake's form to that person, so too, when one does not know the Self's true nature, all the particular mental modifications that are superimposed upon the Self, all those internal modifications (which dissolve like the snake's form on the rope once true knowledge arises) are manifested uniformly by the unchanging, all-witnessing consciousness of the eternal self—all in one, undifferentiated manner.
That unchanging witness-consciousness of the eternal self is free from differences within itself, from differences of class, and from differences of kind—it is none other than Brahman, the absolutely real, the radiant awareness of bliss itself.
A tree's inner difference lies in leaves, blossoms, and fruit and such; Its difference from another tree is one of class; from stone and such, of kind. (Panchadasi, 2/20)
Syntax: The difference within a tree itself (constituted by leaves, blossoms, fruit, and so forth) is called inner difference. The difference from another tree is class-difference; the difference from stone and such is difference of kind.
Bengali rendering: The distinction within a tree itself—marked by leaves, blossoms, fruit, and the like—is called inner difference. The distinction between one tree and another of the same species is class-difference; and the distinction between a tree and stone, earth, and similar things is difference of kind.
'Sacchidananda' is a composite Sanskrit term, formed of sat, chit, and ananda—three qualities deemed inseparable from Brahman, the ultimate reality itself. Sat: The Sanskrit 'sat' means 'being or existence,' 'what is real or actual,' 'what is true, good, correct,' or 'what truly is.' Chit: 'Chit' means 'consciousness.' Ananda: 'Ananda' means 'bliss' or 'pure bliss'—in Vedantic philosophy, one of the three intrinsic qualities of the Self or Brahman. Thus 'sacchidananda' is rendered as 'true consciousness-bliss,' 'real consciousness-bliss,' or 'existence-consciousness-supreme bliss.'
Since there is no cause of transformation within the immutable consciousness of the individual self, that immutable consciousness of the individual—just as a rope appears as a serpent through delusion—manifests diverse false transformations or impositions of objects without producing any intrinsic modification within itself, in a single form or aspect alone.
The references in the verse to desire (kāma), resolve (saṅkalpa), and the like, as functions of the inner instrument, are drawn from the Bṛhadāraṇyaka Upaniṣad (1.5.3)—
Desire, resolve, doubt, faith, disbelief, steadfastness, lack of steadfastness, shame, fear—all these are but modifications of the mind alone.
Desire (kāma: the longing for union or for woman) resolve (saṅkalpa: a particular deliberation regarding an object present before one—namely, this is white, red, blue, and so forth) doubt (vicikitsā: knowledge tinged with uncertainty) faith (śraddhā: conviction in the unseen fruit of karma or in the fruits of righteous and unrighteous action, and in deities and the like; or, trust in the truth revealed by the Vedas) disbelief (aśraddhā: the opposite of faith) steadfastness (dhṛti: the holding firm of constancy even when body and mind grow faint) lack of steadfastness (adhṛti: the opposite of steadfastness) shame (hrī) intellect (dhī: the power of understanding) fear (bhī) and so forth (iti)—all of these (sarvam eva) are but modes of the mind (manas).
By the word "and so forth" (ādi) in the verse, one should also understand the functions of the inner instrument described in the Aitareya Upaniṣad (3.1.2), namely—
This heart and mind—consciousness, authority, knowledge, wisdom, memory, sight, steadfastness, intention, reflection, purpose, desire, will—all these are but names of wisdom.
What (yad) is denoted by the terms heart and mind (hṛdaya and manas)—[that inner instrument itself is known] as this (etad) [and manifests in the following diverse ways]: consciousness (saṃjñānam: awareness, sentience) authority (ājñānam: sovereignty, command) knowledge (vijñānam: the sixty-four arts such as dance and song) wisdom (prajñānam: the flowering of intellect in the grasping of meaning, intuitive discernment) memory-capacity (medhā: the ability to retain the meaning of texts) perception (dṛṣṭi: the apprehension of objects through the senses) steadfastness (dhṛti: forbearance, the function that dispels exhaustion of body and mind) intention (mati: reflection, the contemplation of duty) reflection (manīṣā: distinctiveness in the matter of contemplation) mental anguish (jūti: the mental suffering caused by disease and the like) memory (smṛti: recollection) resolve (saṅkalpa: determination; the imaginative formation of particular qualities like whiteness and yellowness from what presents itself in general form) perseverance (kratu: sustained effort) vital functions (asu: the work of prāṇa and other vital energies) desire (kāma: thirst for objects) and preference (vaśa: the longing for the touch and company of pleasing things)—all of these (etāni sarvāṇi eva) are but names (nāmadheyāni) of wisdom, of the Self made manifest as wisdom (prajñānasya).
This inner instrument, denoted by the terms heart and mind, is divided into different facets, appearing as the five external senses such as the eye. Consciousness, the nature of authority, knowledge of the arts, intuitive discernment, the capacity to hold and retain, perception through the senses, forbearance, contemplation, distinctiveness in the mode of thinking, mental suffering born of illness and the like, remembrance, determination, sustained effort, the vital functions (prāṇa: the inward-moving force; apāna: the outward-moving force; vyāna: the force of circulation; udāna: the force governing the head and throat; samāna: the force of digestion and assimilation), thirst for objects of sense, the longing for contact with things that delight the mind—all these are but conventional designations or mere names for the Self whose nature is wisdom (the witness or seer of the diverse functions of the inner instrument; the Self is their witness and transcends their objects—these are the means by which it is apprehended).
The "Sixty-Four Arts." Musicianship: singing. Instrumental mastery: playing musical instruments. Choreography: the art of dance. Dramaturgy: the composition and performance of drama. Pictorial art: a form of painting. The art of ornamentation: drawing colored marks upon the forehead and body. Rice-flour designs: creating patterns with ground rice. Floral arrangements: fashioning beds of flowers. Personal grooming: the art of adorning teeth, garments, and limbs through cleansing and decoration. Gem-work: embellishing floors with precious stones. Bed-making: the craft of arranging sleeping quarters. Water instruments: playing the water-harp. Water sports: aquatic recreation. Pigment-craft: the blending of various colors. Garland-weaving and ornamentation: plaiting flowers into wreaths and fashioning adornments. Head-dress arrangement: creating crowns and headdresses. Costume and styling: adopting varied dress and embellishment. Ear-ornament design: crafting ear-rings. Fragrance-work: the preparation of perfumes and scents. Jewelry-adorning: wearing ornaments. Sorcery: the art of illusion and magic. Cosmetic artistry: the cultivation of beauty. Manual dexterity: developing skill in handiwork. Culinary preparation: the creation of savory and delectable foods from diverse vegetables and spices. Beverage-crafting: the making of pleasing drinks. Needle-work: the art of needle and thread. Thread-games: passing thread through narrow passages. Lute and drum-playing: performing upon the vina and damaru. Riddle-craft: composing poetry of obscured meaning. Obscure speech: employing difficult language so that others may not easily comprehend. Melodious recitation: reading texts with musical intonation. Dramatic and narrative knowledge: understanding the principles of drama and tale-telling. Poetic completion: composing remaining verses from a given opening passage. Wickerwork and weaving: the art of plaiting reeds and cane. Thread-making: the craft of producing thread. Carpentry: the art of working in wood. Architecture: the science of house-building. Metal and gem-testing: knowledge of assaying and employing silver and other metals. Metal-work: the distillation, refinement, and application of metals. Gem-craft: knowledge of using crystals and precious stones. Mining: knowledge concerning excavation and mineral deposits. Arboriculture and plant medicine: the tending and cultivation of trees. Animal combat training: teaching rams, roosters, and the like to fight, and organizing such spectacles for entertainment. Bird-training: teaching parrots, mynas, and other birds to speak. Beautification: the practices of cosmetic enhancement. Hair-combing: the technique of arranging the hair. Sign-writing: a coded method of writing through hand-gestures. Memory-craft: the art of developing perfect recall. Regional linguistics: knowledge of the languages of various lands. Omen-reading: the ability to speak by interpreting signs and portents. Mechanical knowledge: practical understanding of mechanical devices. Obscure utterance: expressing meaning through complex and cryptic words. Conversation: the art of discourse and dialogue. Mental poetry: composing verses in the mind alone. Therapeutic knowledge: the treatment and remedying of ailments. Disguise: the art of assuming false guise and appearance. Lexical and metrical knowledge: understanding the precise meanings of words and the principles of prosody. Garment-wearing: the technique of draping and wearing cloth. Card-games: the playing of games with cards. Dice-games: gambling with casting stones. Toy-making: the crafting of playthings for children. Beast-taming: the training and management of wild creatures. Victory-craft: the art of achieving triumph. Exercise: physical training and bodily cultivation.
Like the five senses, the mind too is an object of perception—such is the meaning conveyed here. Through the movements of pleasure, pain, envy, fear, compassion, mercy, and aversion, the mind takes on varied states. Again, through different categories of knowledge—ignorance, understanding, doubt, the capacity for comprehension—the mind becomes volatile and inconstant. In all these cases, the mind remains the observed, never the observer.
Because the verse contains the phrase "and thus forth," we must also take into account anger, greed, delusion, and their kin. The inner faculty, manifesting in many states and therefore appearing in many forms—this vagrant, ever-changing consciousness—awareness itself regards it all as of one single nature: consciousness. That consciousness, however, is "ekadha," uniform and unchanging in character. There exists no possibility whatsoever of its undergoing transformation, no alteration of its essential nature, no acquisition of different qualities.
By the same process through which the visibility of the senses and mind is established, one might fear that the visibility of living consciousness too could be demonstrated—to dispel this fear, it is said: there can be no visible object without a seer. Then if consciousness has a seer, one must necessarily admit another consciousness as that seer. But then the defect of infinite regress occurs—that is, that consciousness too would require yet another consciousness as its seer, and so on, making it inevitable to posit an infinite number of conscious seers.
Again, if it is said that consciousness itself is the seer of consciousness, then the defect of agent-object contradiction, or self-dependence, arises—that is, where an entity or person is both the agent of an action and its object, both the doer and the done-to, in such a case self-dependence occurs as a logical flaw. As with the potter: the potter is the agent of the action, while the pot or clay vessel is the object of that action. Here the action and object are distinct from each other; they cannot be identical or become one. If they were to become one, the defect of self-dependence would arise. Whatever is opposed to actual work is called a defect. Since self-dependence contradicts real work, self-dependence is indeed a defect.
Regarding consciousness or supreme nature, Lord Sri Krishna speaks in the fifth verse of the seventh chapter of the Bhagavad Gita:
Apareyamitastvanyan prakritim viddhi me param. Jivabhutam mahabaho yayedam dharyate jagat.
Meaning: This eight-fold nature spoken of before—earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, ego—is my lower nature, the visible realm. Beyond this, know that there exists my higher nature, the conscious principle that animates life; O mighty-armed one, by this higher nature the world is sustained and upheld.
'Higher nature—the person.' The lower nature is inert matter; the higher nature is consciousness, life-force; this is the Samkhya philosophy's purusha (the world is constituted by two realities: purusha, the witnessing consciousness, and prakriti, the primordial substance), this is the kshetrajna (the knower of the field of body, soul, and material reality), or the living consciousness. This consciousness, mixed with matter and appearing as individual awareness—this is the higher nature. As a substratum holds what rests upon it, so too does this sustaining consciousness hold the visible world and maya. Just as in a living body, so long as the vital breath remains, the body persists; otherwise it decays and perishes. The reason the body is held together is the living consciousness; similarly, because a conscious soul or higher nature pervades all of inert nature, it has existence; otherwise it would have no being at all. This consciousness is sometimes manifest, sometimes bound in its own veil, tightly constricted in particular forms. This veiled state is precisely what we call inertness. For this reason it has been said: this moving and unmoving world—all that is visible—is upheld by my higher nature, by consciousness, by the supreme seer.