ब्रह्म सृजत्यादिकाले मरीचिप्रमुखास्ततः । उत्पादयन्त्यपत्यानि जन्तवश्च प्रतिक्षणम् ॥ १,२२.
At the beginning, Brahma creates; then Marici and the others produce offspring, and beings are born at every moment.
कालेन न विना ब्रह्म सृष्टिनिष्पादको द्विज । न प्रजापतयः सर्वे न चैवाखिलजन्तवः ॥ १,२२.
Without time, O twice-born, Brahma cannot accomplish creation, nor can all the lords of beings, nor indeed all living creatures.
एवमेव विभागोयं स्तितावप्युपदिश्यति । चतुर्दा तस्य देवस्य मैत्रेय प्रलये तथा ॥ १,२२.
In the same way, this division is taught in preservation and, O Maitreya, likewise fourfold for that god in dissolution.
यत्किञ्चित्सृज्यते येन सत्त्वजातेन वै द्विज । तस्य सृज्यस्य सम्भूतो तत्सर्वं वै हरेस्तनुः ॥ १,२२.
Whatever is created by any being born of the quality of goodness, O twice-born, all that which is produced is truly the body of Hari.
हन्ति यावच्च यत्किञ्चित्सत्त्वं स्थावरजङ्गमम् । जनार्दनस्य तद्रौद्रं मैत्रेयान्तकरं वपुः ॥ १,२२.
Whatever living thing, whether stationary or moving, is destroyed, O Maitreya, that destructive form is the fierce aspect of Janardana.
एवमेष जगत्स्त्रष्टा जगत्पाता तथा जगत् । जगद्भक्षयिता देवः समस्तस्य जनार्दनः ॥ १,२२.
Thus, this god, Janardana, is the creator, the sustainer, and the devourer of the world—all of it.
सृष्टिस्थित्यन्तकालेषु त्रिधैवं संप्रवर्तते । गुणप्रवृत्या परमं पदं तस्यागुणं महत् ॥ १,२२.
At the times of creation, preservation, and dissolution, it unfolds in three ways, according to the activity of the qualities; but its supreme state is beyond qualities, the great.
तच्च ज्ञानमयं व्यापि स्वसंवेद्यमनौपमम् । चतुष्प्रकारं तदपि स्वरूपं परमात्मनः ॥ १,२२.
And that is composed of knowledge, all-pervading, self-aware, incomparable; even that has four forms, which are the true nature of the Supreme Self.
श्रीमैत्रेय उवाच चतुःप्रकारतां तस्य ब्रह्मभूतस्य हे मुने । ममाचक्ष्व यथान्यायं यदुक्तं परमं पदम् ॥ १,२२.
Śrī Maitreya said: O sage, explain to me properly the fourfold nature of that which has become Brahman, and what is called the supreme state.
श्रीपराशर उवाच मैत्रेय कारणं प्रोक्तं साधनं सर्ववस्तुषु । साध्यं च वस्त्वभिमतं यत्साधयितुमात्मनः ॥ १,२२.
Śrī Parāśara said: Maitreya, the cause has been described, as well as the means among all things, and the object to be attained, which one seeks to accomplish for oneself.
योगिनो मुक्तिकामस्य प्राणायामादिसाधनम् । साध्यं च परमं ब्रह्म पुनर्नावर्तते यतः ॥ १,२२.
For the yogin desiring liberation, the means are breath-control and the like; and the object to be attained is the supreme Brahman, from which there is no return.
साधनालम्बनं ज्ञानं मुक्तये योगिनां हि यत् । स भेदः प्रथमस्तस्य ब्रह्मभूतस्य वै मुने ॥ १,२२.
The knowledge that is the support for the means to liberation for yogins—this is the first distinction of that which has become Brahman, O sage.
युञ्जतः क्लेशमुक्त्यर्थं साध्यं यद्ब्रह्म योगिनः । तदालम्बनविज्ञानं द्वितीयोऽंशो महामुने ॥ १,२२.
The knowledge that is the support for the object—the Brahman which the yogin aims at for release from suffering—this is the second aspect, O great sage.
उभयोस्त्वविभागेन साध्यसाधनयोर्हि यत् । विज्ञानमद्वैतमयं तद्भागोन्यो मयोदितः ॥ १,२२.
But the non-dual knowledge, in which there is no distinction between the means and the object, that is the third part which I have described.
ज्ञानत्रयस्य वै तस्य विशेषो यो महामुने । तन्निराकरणद्वारा दर्शितात्मस्वरूपवत् ॥ १,२२.
The special feature of these three kinds of knowledge, O great sage, is shown by the negation of them, just as the true nature of the self is revealed.
निर्व्यापारमनाख्येयं व्याप्तिमात्रमनूपमम् । आत्मसम्बोधविषयं सत्तामात्रमलक्षणम् ॥ १,२२.
It is actionless, indescribable, consisting only of pervasiveness, incomparable, the object of self-realization, characterized solely by existence.
प्रशान्तमभयं शुद्धं दुर्विभाव्यमसंश्रयम् । विष्णोर्ज्ञानमयस्योक्तं तज्ज्ञानं ब्रह्मसंज्ञितम् ॥ १,२२.
It is tranquil, fearless, pure, difficult to comprehend, without dependence; this knowledge of Viṣṇu, composed of knowledge, is called Brahman.
तत्र ज्ञाननिरोधेन योगिनो यान्ति ये लयम् । संसारकर्षणोप्तौ ते यान्ति निर्बीजतां द्विजा ॥ १,२२.
There, by the cessation of knowledge, yogins enter dissolution; having abandoned the pull of worldly existence, they attain seedless absorption, O twice-born.
एवंप्रकारममलं नित्यं व्यापकमक्षयम् । समस्तहेयरहितं विष्ण्वाख्यं परमं पदम् ॥ १,२२.
In this way, the supreme state called Viṣṇu is pure, eternal, all-pervading, imperishable, and free from all that is to be rejected.
तद्ब्रह्म परमं योगी यतो नावर्तते पुनः । श्रयत्यपुण्योपरमे क्षीणक्लेशेऽतिनिर्मले ॥ १,२२.
That supreme Brahman, which the yogin attains and from which he does not return, is reached when all demerit has ceased, when afflictions are exhausted, and purity is complete.
द्वे रूपे ब्रह्मणस्तस्य मूर्तं चामूर्तमेव च । क्षराक्षरास्वरूपे ते सर्वभूतेष्ववस्थिते ॥ १,२२.
That Brahman has two forms: with form and formless; these are the perishable and the imperishable, abiding in all beings.
अक्षरं तत्परं ब्रह्म क्षरं सर्वमिदं जगत् । एकदेशस्थितस्याग्नेर्ज्योत्स्त्रा विस्तारिणि यथा । परस्य ब्रह्मणः शक्तिस्तथोदमखिलं जगत् ॥ १,२२.
The imperishable is that supreme Brahman; the perishable is this entire world. Just as the rays of a fire, though the fire is in one place, spread out, so too is this whole world the power of the Supreme Brahman.
तत्राप्यासन्नदूरत्वाद्बहुत्वस्वल्पतामयः । ज्योत्स्नाभेदोस्ति तच्छक्तेस्तद्वन्मैत्रेय विद्यते ॥ १,२२.
And in that too, because of nearness and distance, there is difference of much and little; such is the distinction in that power, O Maitreya, as in the rays.
ब्रह्मविष्णुशिवा ब्रह्मन्प्रधाना ब्रह्मशक्तयः । ततश्च देवा मैत्रेय न्यूना दक्षादयस्ततः ॥ १,२२.
Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, O Brahman, are the chief powers of Brahman; from them, the gods arise, and from them, the lesser ones like Dakṣa, O Maitreya.
ततो मनुष्याः पशवौ मृगपक्षिसरीसृपाः । न्यूनान्यूनतराश्चैव वृक्षगुल्मादयस्तथा ॥ १,२२.
Then humans, cattle, wild animals, birds, reptiles, and also plants, shrubs, and the like, all of lesser and still lesser kinds, came into being.
तदेतदक्षरं नित्यं जगन्मुनिवराखितम् । आविर्भावतिरोभावजन्मनाशविकल्पवत् ॥ १,२२.
This imperishable, eternal reality, protected by the great sages, appears and disappears, undergoes birth and destruction, in various ways.
सर्वशक्ति मयो विष्णुः स्वरूपं ब्रह्मणः परम् । मूर्तं यद्योगिभिः पूर्वं योगारम्भेषु चिन्त्यते ॥ १,२२.
Vishnu, full of all powers, is the supreme form of Brahman; his embodied form is contemplated by yogis at the beginning of their practice.
सालम्बनो महायोगः सबीजो यत्रसंस्थितः । मनस्यव्याहते सम्यग्युञ्जतां जायते मुने ॥ १,२२.
That is the great yoga with support, established with seed, in which, O sage, when the mind is undisturbed and properly concentrated, realization arises.
स परः परशक्तीनां ब्रह्मणः समनन्तरम् । मूर्तं ब्रह्म महाभाग सर्वब्रह्ममयो हरिः ॥ १,२२.
He is the supreme, immediately following the supreme powers of Brahman; the embodied Brahman, O highly fortunate one, Hari who is the essence of all Brahman.
यत्र सर्वमिदं प्रोतमोतं चैवाखितं जगत् । ततो जगज्जगत्यस्मिन्स जगच्चखिलं मुने ॥ १,२२.
In him, this entire universe is woven and interwoven, O sage; therefore, he is the world within this world, and he is the entire universe.