अज्ञानां मन एवेदम् इत्थं सम्प्रविजृम्भते । प्रत्युल्लासविलासात्म जलम् अम्बुनिधाव् इव
It is only the mind of the ignorant that expands in this way, displaying its play of rising and falling, like water in the ocean.
यथास्थितेनैव चिदम्बरेण स्वचित्त्वम् एवेति मनोऽभिधानम् । स्फारीकृतं तेन जगच् च दृश्यम् एवं ततं नैव ततं च किञ्चित्
By the very space of consciousness as it is, the mind is nothing but one's own awareness; through that, the world appears expanded and visible—thus, it is pervaded by that, and yet, in truth, nothing is pervaded at all.
अथ किं वीतहव्यस्य स्थितं तस्मिन् वनोदरे । कथम् उद्धृतवान् देहं स सम्पन्नश् च किं कथम्
Now, what happened to Vītahavya as he remained in that forest hollow? How did he leave his body, and what was his attainment, and how?
अनन्तरम् अनन्तात्म वीतहव्याभिधं मनः । स्वम् एवात्मचमत्कारम् इत्थं तम् अवबुद्धवान्
Immediately thereafter, O infinite Self, the mind called Vītahavya realized its own wondrous nature in this way.
सर्वस्यास्य गणस्याभूत् प्राग्जातिस्मरणे स्वयम् । इच्छा कदाचित् सकलप्राग्जन्मालोकनं प्रति
A desire arose at some point in all that group for the direct remembrance of previous births, to see all their former lives.
अशेषान् स ददर्शाथ नष्टान् नष्टान् स्वदेहकान् । अनष्टानां ततो मध्यात् तं धराकोटरस्थितम्
Then he saw all his lost and vanished bodies; and from among those not lost, he saw the one situated in the hollow of the earth.
यदृच्छयैव प्रोद्धर्तुं देहं तस्याभवन् मतिः । शरीरं वीतहव्याख्यं धराकोटरपीडितम्
By mere chance, he had the thought to lift up his body, which was called Vītahavya, pressed within the hollow of the earth.
प्रावृडोघोपनीतं स्वपृष्ठस्थं पङ्कमण्डलम् । तृणजालावकीर्णत्वं देहपृष्ठमृदस् तथा
The back of the body was covered with a layer of mud brought by the monsoon flood, and was scattered with a mesh of grass, just as the earth behind him was.
एतद् दृष्ट्वा महातेजा धराविवरयन्त्रितः । भूयो ऽपि चिन्तयाम् आस धिया परमबोधया
Seeing this, the great and radiant one, restrained by the cavity of the earth, again reflected with the highest discernment.
सर्वसम्पिण्डिताङ्गत्वात् कायो मे प्राणवायुभिः । मूकश् चलितुम् आक्रान्तश् शक्नोति न मनाग् अपि
Because all my limbs are bound together by the life-breaths, the body, though seized by the vital airs, is utterly unable to move, not even a little.
तद् गत्वा प्रविशाम्य् आशु देहम् एतं विवस्वतः । तदीयः पिङ्गलो देहम् उद्धरिष्यति मे ततः
Let me quickly go and enter the body of Vivasvat; then his tawny body will lift me up from there.
अथ वा किं ममैतेन शाम्याम्य् अहम् अविघ्नतः । निर्वामि स्वं पदं यामि को ऽर्थो मे देहलीलया
Or else, what is this to me? I shall peacefully cease, without obstruction; I shall dissolve and attain my own state—what purpose is served by the play of bodies?
इति सञ्चिन्त्य मनसा वीतहव्यो महामते । तूष्णीं स्थित्वा क्षणं भूयश् चिन्तयाम् आस भूतले
Thus contemplating in his mind, Vītahavya, the wise one, remained silent for a moment, and again reflected upon the earth.
उपादेयो हि देहस्य न मे त्यागो न संश्रयः । यादृशो देहसन्त्यागस् तादृशो देहसंश्रयः
Truly, the body is neither to be taken up nor abandoned by me; as is the abandonment of the body, so is its acceptance.
तद् यावद् अस्ति देहो ऽयं न यावद् अणुतां गतः । तावद् एनम् उपारुह्य किञ्चित् प्रविचराम्य् अहम्
So long as this body exists and has not yet become subtle, I shall mount it and wander about for a while.
पिङ्गलेन शरीरं स्वम् उद्धर्तुं तापनं वपुः । प्रविशामि नभस्संस्थं मकुरं प्रतिबिम्बवत्
To lift up my own body with the force of piṅgalā, I enter the mirror-like sky, just as a reflection does.
इत्य् असौ मुनिर् आदित्यं विवेशानिलरूपधृत् । पुर्यष्टकवपुर् भूत्वा शस्त्रपिण्डम् इवानलः
Thus, that sage entered the sun, taking on the form of wind, becoming a subtle body, like fire entering a lump of iron.
भगवान् रविर् अप्य् एनं हृद्गतं मुनिनायकम् । दृष्ट्वा सो ऽचिन्तयत् कार्यपौर्वापर्यम् उदारधीः
The blessed Sun, seeing the sage-leader dwelling in his heart, reflected with noble mind on the proper sequence of actions.
विन्ध्यकन्दरभूदेशम् अग्रं मुनिकलेवरम् । तृणोपलपरिच्छन्नं ददर्श गतसंविदम्
He saw the sage’s body, covered with grass and leaves, lying unconscious at the entrance of a cave in the Vindhya mountains.
ऋषेश् चिकीर्षितं ज्ञात्वा भानुर् गगनमध्यगः । धरातो मुनिम् उद्धर्तुम् आदिदेशाग्रगं गणम्
Knowing the sage’s intention, the Sun, stationed in the middle of the sky, ordered his foremost attendants to lift the sage from the earth.
वीतहव्यमुनेस् संवित् सा पुर्यष्टकरूपिणी । रविं वातमयी पूज्यं प्रणनामाशु चेतसा
The consciousness of sage Vītahavya, in the form of the subtle body, quickly bowed with devotion to the venerable Sun, who is composed of wind.
भानुनाथाभ्यनुज्ञातो मानपूर्वकम् अग्रगम् । विवेश पिङ्गलाकारं विन्ध्यकन्दरगामिनम्
Having been respectfully permitted by the lord Sun, the foremost attendant entered the piṅgalā channel, which leads into the Vindhya cave.
पिङ्गलो ऽसौ नभस् त्यक्त्वा कुञ्जकुञ्जरसुन्दरम् । प्राप विन्ध्यवनं प्रावृण्मत्ताभ्राम्बरभासुरम्
That tawny one, leaving the sky, beautiful as a young elephant, reached the Vindhya forest, resplendent with clouds intoxicated by the rains.
उद्दधार धराकोशान् नखनिष्कृष्टभूधरः । कलेवरं मुनेः पङ्कान् मृणालम् इव सारसः
He lifted up the masses of earth, drawing out the mountain with his nails, just as a swan extracts a lotus stalk from the mud.
मौनं पुर्यष्टकम् अथ स्वं विवेश कलेवरम् । नभस्तलपरिश्रान्तो विहङ्गम इवालयम्
Then the subtle body entered its own physical form, weary from wandering the sky, like a bird returning to its nest.
प्रणम्याशु मिथो मूर्ती वीतहव्यनभश्चरौ । बभूवतुस् स्वकार्यैकतत्परौ तेजसां निधी
Having quickly bowed to each other, the two forms—moving through the sky like Vītahavya—became wholly intent on their own tasks, repositories of brilliance.
जगाम पिङ्गलो व्योम मुनिश् च विमलं सरः । तारकाकारकुमुदं सूर्यांशुकचदाकृति
Piṅgala went to the sky, and the sage to the pure lake, which resembled a sky full of stars, with lotuses like stars and rays like the sun's.
वीतहव्यो ममज्जाशु सरस्य् उत्फुल्लपङ्कजे । पङ्कपल्वललीलान्ते वने कलभको यथा
Vītahavya quickly plunged into the lake with blooming lotuses, like a young elephant at play at the edge of a muddy pond in the forest.
तत्र स्नात्वा जपं कृत्वा पूजयित्वा दिवाकरम् । तपोभूषितया तन्वा पूर्ववत् पुनर् आबभौ
There, after bathing, reciting mantras, and worshipping the sun, he appeared again as before, his body adorned with the splendor of austerity.
मैत्र्या तया समतया परया च शान्त्या सत्प्रज्ञया मुदितया कृपया श्रिया च । युक्तो मुनिस् सकलसङ्गविमुक्तचेता विन्ध्ये सरित्तटगतो दिनम् एव रेमे
Endowed with friendship, equanimity, supreme peace, true wisdom, joy, compassion, and prosperity, the sage—his mind free from all attachments—delighted on the riverbank in the Vindhya, just for that day.