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.
दिनान्ते स समाधातुं पुनर् एव मनो मुनिः । विवेश काञ्चिद् विततां विजनां विन्ध्यकन्दराम्
At the end of the day, that sage again entered into deep meditation, withdrawing his mind into a remote and spacious cave in the Vindhya mountains.
तद् एवाथानुसन्धानम् अत्यजत् समम् इन्द्रियैः । चेतसा कथयाम् आस दृष्टलोकपरावरः
Then, having withdrawn his inquiry along with his senses, he began to reflect with a mind that had seen the true nature of the world, both its surface and its depths.
पूर्वम् एवेन्द्रियगणो मया परिहृतस् स्फुटम् । इदानीं चिन्तया नार्थः पुनर् विततया मम
Previously, I had clearly restrained the group of senses; now, there is no purpose for further extended thought.
अस्ति नास्तीति कलनां भङ्क्त्वा मृद्वीं लताम् इव । शेषे तु बद्धसंस्थानं तिष्ठाम्य् अचलशृङ्गवत्
Having broken the gentle vine of speculation—'is' and 'is not'—I remain firmly established, like the peak of a mountain.
उदितो ऽस्तङ्गत इव स्वस्तङ्गत इवोदितः । समस् समरसाभासस् तिष्ठामि स्वस्थतां गतः
I stand as one who has arisen yet set, as one who has set yet arisen; I remain in equanimity, appearing the same in all states, having attained inner peace.
प्रबुद्धो ऽपि सुषुप्तस्थस् सुषुप्तस्थः प्रबुद्धवान् । तुर्यम् आलम्ब्य कार्यान्तं तिष्ठामि स्तम्भितस्थितिः
Awake, yet abiding in deep sleep; in deep sleep, yet awake—resting in the fourth state, beyond, I remain unmoving until all activity ceases.
स्थिरस् स्थाणुर् इवैकान्ते स्वान्तान्ते सर्वतस् स्थिते । सत्त्वसामान्यसाम्ये हि तिष्ठाम्य् अपगतामयः
Steady, like a motionless pillar in solitude, with my inner self established everywhere, I remain in the equality of pure being, free from all affliction.
इति सञ्चिन्त्य स ध्याने पुनस् तस्थौ दिनानि षट् । ततः प्रबोधम् आपन्नः क्षणसुप्त इवाध्वगः
Thus reflecting, he remained absorbed in meditation for six days; then, like a traveler waking from a brief sleep, he came to full awareness.
एवंसिद्धस् स भगवान् वीतहव्यो महातपाः । विजहार चिरं कालं जीवन्मुक्ततया तया
Thus accomplished, the venerable Vītahavya, great in austerity, lived for a long time in the state of liberation while still alive.
वस्तु नाभिननन्दासौ न निनिन्द कदाचन । न जगाम तथोद्वेगं न च हर्षम् अवाप ह
He neither rejoiced in nor condemned any object at any time; he did not experience agitation, nor did he attain delight.