इदमिति ह प्रतिजज्ञे लोकान्वाव किल सोम्य तेऽवोचन्नहं तु ते तद्वक्ष्यामि यथा पुष्करपलाश आपो न श्लिष्यन्त एवमेवंविदि पापं कर्म न श्लिष्यत इति ब्रवीतु मे भगवानिति तस्मै होवाच ॥ ४.१४.३ ॥
॥ इति चतुर्दशः खण्डः ॥idamiti ha pratijajñe lokānvāva kila somya te’vocannahaṃ tu te tadvakṣyāmi yathā puṣkarapalāśa āpo na śliṣyanta evamevaṃvidi pāpaṃ karma na śliṣyata iti bravītu me bhagavāniti tasmai hovāca || 4.14.3 ||
|| iti caturdaśaḥ khaṇḍaḥ ||3. Upakosala replied, ‘This is what they said.’ [And he told his teacher all that the fires had taught him.] The teacher said: ‘O Somya, they taught you only about the worlds, but I will teach you about Brahman.
Word-for-word explanation:
Idam iti ha pratijajñe, ‘This [is what they taught,]’ he [Upakosala] replied; lokān vāva kila somya te avocan, they have only told you about the worlds, O Somya; aham tu te tat vakṣyāmi, but I will tell you about that [Brahman]; yathā puṣkara-palāśe āpaḥ na śliṣyante, as water does not stick to the lotus leaf; evam, in the same way; vidi, one who knows [Brahman]; evam, thus; pāpam karma na śliṣyate iti, is not tainted by sinful work; bravītu me bhagavān iti, sir, please teach me; tasmai ha uvāca, he said to him. Iti caturdaśaḥ khaṇḍaḥ, here ends the fourteenth section.
Commentary:
Just as water never sticks to a lotus leaf, similarly, sin never sticks to one who knows Brahman thus.’ Upakosala replied, ‘Sir, please teach me about Brahman.’ The teacher said—
A person who has known Brahman is always pure. Nothing can taint him. He is incapable of doing anything wrong.