गुणैः समावृतं चेतः कथं जानाति निर्गुणम् । अहङ्कारोद्भवं तच्च तद्विहीनं कथं भवेत्
How can a mind enveloped by qualities know the qualityless? That arises from ego; how can it be without that?
यावन्न गुणविच्छेदस्तावत्तद्दर्शनं कुतः । तं पश्यति तदा चित्ते यदाऽहङ्कारवर्जितः
As long as the separation from qualities does not occur, how can that vision arise? One sees it in the mind only when ego is absent.
नारद उवाच स्वरूपं देवदेवेश त्रयाणामेव विस्तरात् । गुणानां यत्स्वरूपोऽस्ति ह्यहङ्कारस्त्रिरूपकः
Nārada said: O Lord of gods, describe in detail the nature of the three qualities, and the nature of ego, which has three forms.
सात्त्विको राजसश्चैव तामसश्च तथापरः । विभेदेन स्वरूपाणि वदस्व पुरुषोत्तम
Sattvic, rajasic, and tamasic—these are the three, O Supreme Person; explain their distinct natures.
यज्ज्ञात्वा विप्रमुच्येऽहं ज्ञानं तद्वद मे प्रभो । गुणानां लक्षणान्येव विततानि विभागशः
By knowing which I may be freed, tell me that knowledge, O Lord. Explain to me the characteristics of the qualities, set forth distinctly.
ब्रह्मोवाच त्रयाणां शक्तयस्तिस्त्रस्तद्ब्रवीमि तवानघ । ज्ञानशक्तिः क्रियाशक्तिरर्थशक्तिस्तथापरा
Brahmā said: The powers of the three are also three; I will tell you, O sinless one: the power of knowledge, the power of action, and the power of substance.
सात्त्विकस्य ज्ञानशक्ती राजसस्य क्रियात्मिका । द्रव्यशक्तिस्तामसस्य तिस्रश्च कथितास्तव
The sattvic is associated with the power of knowledge; the rajasic with the power of action; the tamasic with the power of substance—these three are explained to you.
तेषां कार्याणि वक्ष्यामि शृणु नारद तत्त्वतः । तामस्या द्रव्यशक्तेश्च शब्दस्पर्शसमुद्भवः
I will tell you their functions, listen, Nārada, in truth: From the power of substance belonging to tamas arise sound and touch.
रूपं रसश्च गन्धश्च तन्मात्राणि प्रचक्षते । शब्दैकगुणमाकाशं वायुः स्पर्शगुणस्तथा
Form, taste, and smell are called subtle elements; ether has sound as its single quality, and air has touch as its quality.
सुरूपैकगुणोऽग्निश्च जलं रसगुणात्मकम् । पृथ्वी गन्धगुणा ज्ञेया सूक्ष्माण्येतानि नारद
Fire has form as its single quality; water is characterized by taste; earth is known by the quality of smell. These are subtle, Nārada.
दशैतानि मिलित्वा तु द्रव्यशक्तियुतानि वै । तामसाहङ्कारजः स्यात्सर्गस्तदनुवृत्तिकः
These ten, when combined and endowed with the power of substance, constitute the tamasic ego's creation, which is its continuation.
राजस्याश्च क्रियाशक्तेरुत्पन्नानि शृणुष्व मे । श्रोत्रं त्वग्रसना चक्षुर्घ्राणं चैव च पञ्चमम्
Now hear from me the products of the rajasic power of action: the ear, skin, tongue, eye, and nose as the fifth.
ज्ञानेन्द्रियाणि चैतानि तथा कर्मेन्द्रियाणि च । वाक्पाणिपादपायुश्च गुह्यान्तानि च पञ्च वै
These are the five sense organs, and likewise the five organs of action: speech, hands, feet, anus, and genitals.
प्राणोऽपानश्च व्यानश्च समानोदानवायवः । पञ्चदश मिलित्वैव राजसः सर्ग उच्यते
Prāṇa, apāna, vyāna, samāna, and udāna—the five vital airs; these fifteen, when united, are called the rajasic creation.
साधनानि किलैतानि क्रियाशक्तिमयानि च । उपादानं किलैतेषां चिदनुवृत्तिरुच्यते
These are indeed the instruments, composed of the power of action; their material basis is said to be the continuation of consciousness.
ज्ञानशक्तिसमायुक्ताः सात्त्विकाच्च समुद्भवाः । दिशो वायुश्च सूर्यश्च वरुणश्चाश्विनावपि
Those endowed with the power of knowledge, arising from sattva, are: the directions, air, the sun, Varuṇa, and the Ashvins.
ज्ञानेन्द्रियाणां पञ्चानां पञ्चाधिष्ठातृदेवताः । चन्द्रो ब्रह्मा तथा रुद्रः क्षेत्रज्ञश्च चतुर्थकः
The five sense organs have five presiding deities: the moon, Brahmā, Rudra, and the knower of the field as the fourth.
इत्यन्तःकरणाख्यस्य बुद्ध्यादेश्चाधिदैवतम् । चत्वार्येव तथा प्रोक्ताः किलाधिष्ठातृदेवताः
Thus, for the internal organ called intellect and so forth, four presiding deities are also mentioned.
मनसा सह चैतानि नूनं पञ्चदशैव तु । सात्त्विकस्य तु सर्गोऽयं सात्त्विकाख्यः प्रकीर्तितः
Together with the mind, these are certainly fifteen in number; this creation of sattva is called the sattvic creation.
स्थूलसूक्ष्मादिभेदेन द्वे रूपे परमात्मनः । ज्ञानरूपं निराकारं निदानं तत्प्रचक्षते
Due to the distinction between gross and subtle, there are two forms of the Supreme Self: the form of knowledge, formless, is said to be the cause.
साधकस्य तु ध्यानादौ स्थूलरूपं प्रचक्षते । शरीरं सूक्ष्ममेवेदं पुरुषस्य प्रकीर्तितम्
For the practitioner, especially in meditation, the gross form is described; this subtle body is said to be that of the person.
मम चैव शरीरं वै सूत्रमित्यभिधीयते । स्थूलं शरीरं वक्ष्यामि ब्रह्मणः परमात्मनः
And my own body is called the 'thread' (sūtra); now I will explain the gross body of Brahman, the Supreme Self.
शृणु नारद यत्नेन यच्छ्रुत्वा विप्रमुच्यते । तन्मात्राणि पुरोक्तानि भूतसूक्ष्माणि यानि वै
Listen attentively, Nārada, to that which, when heard, frees the wise; the subtle elements previously mentioned are indeed the tanmātras.
पञ्चीकृत्य तु तान्येव पञ्चभूतसमुद्भवः । पञ्चीकरणभेदोऽयं शृणु संवदतः किल
By combining those very elements, the emergence of the five gross elements occurs; now hear the process of this combination as I explain it.
प्रथमं रसतन्मात्रामुपादाय मनस्यपि । कल्पयेच्च तथा तद्वै यथा भवति चोदकम्
First, taking the essence of taste and also in the mind, one should imagine it just as water comes to be.
शिष्टानां चैव भूतानामंशान्कृत्वा पृथक्पृथक् । उदके मिश्रयेच्चांशान्कृते रसमये ततः
And then, taking separate portions from the remaining elements, one should mix those portions into the water, thus forming the essence of taste.
तदा भूतविभागे च चैतन्ये च प्रकाशिते । चैतन्यस्य प्रवेशात्तु तदाऽहमिति संशयः
Then, when the division of the elements and consciousness is manifest, by the entry of consciousness, the notion of 'I am' arises.
प्रतीयमाने तेनैव विशेषेणाभिमानतः । आदिनारायणो देवो भगवानिति चोच्यते
When that is perceived, especially through identification, the primordial Nārāyaṇa is then called the Blessed Lord.
घनीभूतेऽथ भूतानां विभागे स्पष्टतां गते । वृद्धिं प्राप्य गुणैश्चेत्थमेकैकगुणवृद्धितः
Then, when the elements have become condensed and their divisions are clear, having increased by their qualities, each one grows according to the increase of its own quality.
आकाशस्य गुणश्चैकः शब्द एव न चापरः । शब्दस्पर्शौ च वायोश्च द्वौ गुणौ परिकीर्तितौ
The quality of space is only one, namely sound, and no other; for air, two qualities are mentioned: sound and touch.