सर्वस्थयात्मशक्त्यैव जीव एष स्फुरत्य् अलम् । मकुरो बिम्बम् आदत्ते द्रव्यान् नान्तस्स्थिताद् अपि
It is solely by the omnipresent power of the Self that this living being becomes active, just as a mirror receives a reflection even from objects not residing within it.
सुविस्मृतस्वभावत्वाच् जीवो ऽयं जडतां गतः । मोहाद् विस्मृतभावत्वाच् छूद्रताम् इव सद्द्विजः
Because its true nature is thoroughly forgotten, this living being has fallen into inertia; through delusion and forgetting its own nature, it is like a noble twice-born who has become degraded.
प्रविस्मृतस्वभावा हि चिच् चित्तत्वम् उपागता । मोहोपहतचित्तत्वात् सुमहान् इव दीनताम्
Those who have utterly forgotten their own nature have entered into a state of consciousness that is mere mind; due to minds afflicted by delusion, they become greatly impoverished, like the wealthy fallen into misery.
जडयावशया देहो वातशक्तिसमानया । सञ्चाल्यते कलनया पत्त्रं वा वीचिमालया
The body, under the sway of inertia and compelled by the force of wind, is set in motion by calculation, just as a leaf is moved by a stream of waves.
कर्मात्मना वराकेण जीवेन मनसामुना । चाल्यन्ते देहयन्त्राणि पाषाणा इव वायुना
By means of action, the wretched living being, through its mind, causes the mechanisms of the body to move, as stones are moved by the wind.
शरीरशकटानां हि कर्षणे परमात्मना । मनःप्राणोदयौ ब्रह्मन् कृतौ कर्मकरौ दृढौ
In the drawing of the carts of the body by the Supreme Self, O Brahman, the arising of mind and breath are the two strong agents of action.
चिज् जडं तूररीकृत्य रूपं जीवत्वम् एव च । मनोरथम् उपारुह्य वहत्प्राणतुरङ्गमम्
Having made consciousness and inertness distant, and form and life as well, riding upon the chariot of imagination, it carries the horse of vital breath.
क्वचिज् जातपदार्थत्वं क्वचिन् नष्टपदार्थताम् । क्वचिद् बहुपदार्थत्वं क्वचिन् नानापदार्थतां
At times it attains the state of having objects, at times the loss of objects; sometimes it has many objects, sometimes it has various objects.
गतेव भिन्नेवास्तेच्छम् अत्यजन्ती निजं पदम् । जलतेव तरङ्गत्वं सैवासेव सदोदिता
Seeming to depart, seeming to break, yet not abandoning its own place, just as water takes the form of a wave, so it always arises in its own being.
उपजीव्यात्मनो रूपं परं स्फुरति वृत्तिषु । आलोकम् उपजीव्येमं रूपश्रीर् द्रव्यगा यथा
The form of the self, sustained by itself, shines forth in the activities; just as the radiance of form is sustained by light and enters into substance.
परमात्मनि चित्तत्त्वे स्थिते सति निरामये । जीवो जीवति सालोकं दीपे सति गृहं यथा
When the supreme self, the essence of consciousness, abides free from affliction, the living being lives with its world, just as a house exists when there is a lamp.
आधयो व्याधयश् चैव प्रयान्त्य् अस्याः प्रपीनताम् । अपाम् इव तरङ्गत्वं वीचित्वस्येव फेनता
Afflictions and diseases bring about its fullness, just as the wave-nature of water brings about the frothiness of foam.
आधिव्याधिभिर् आकीर्णश् शरीराम्भोजषट्पदः । जीवो वैवश्यम् आयाति तरङ्गत्वं यथा पयः
The living being, the bee of the lotus of the body, surrounded by afflictions and diseases, falls into helplessness, just as water becomes a wave.
चिच्छक्तिस् सर्वशक्तित्वान् नाहं चिद् इति भावनात् । स्ववशैवैति वैवश्यं सूर्यदीप्तिर् इवाम्बुदैः
Because consciousness is all-powerful, and through the notion 'I am not consciousness,' it comes under its own sway and helplessness, just as the brilliance of the sun is obscured by clouds.
वैवश्याशावती मौढ्यान् न विन्दत्य् आत्मसंविदम् । घनजाड्यपराभूतस् स्वाङ्गावदलनं यथा
The mind, overcome by ignorance and bound to hope, does not attain self-awareness, just as a limb, subdued by dense numbness, cannot move.
प्राणवाय्वनुसन्धानम् अस्या मोहाद् विनश्यति । घनमोहवतो जन्तोस् स्वकार्यस्मरणं यथा
Her practice of breath-awareness is lost due to delusion, just as one overwhelmed by deep confusion forgets his own tasks.
अथाङ्गसंविदो वातस् स्पन्दशक्तेश् च मोहतः । न करोत्य् अनुसन्धानं कुष्ठी स्पन्दैषणं यथा
Thus, because of delusion, she does not attend to the awareness of her limbs or the power of movement, just as a leper does not seek the sensation of movement.
असंवित्स्पन्दने देहे पद्मपत्त्रं हृदि स्थितम् । न स्फुरत्य् अपरामृष्टं दारुपत्त्रं यथा बहिः
When there is no awareness or movement in the body, the heart remains unmoved like a lotus leaf inside, untouched, just as a wooden leaf outside does not quiver.
निस्स्पन्दे पद्मपत्त्रे ऽन्तः प्राणाश् शान्तिं प्रयान्त्य् अमी । तालवृन्ते यथास्पन्दे बहिः पवनशक्तयः
When there is no movement in the lotus leaf, the life-forces within come to rest, just as, when there is no wind, the energies outside a palm leaf are still.
प्राणे शान्ते ऽन्तर् अस्पर्शाज् जीवो निपुणमूकताम् । याति शान्ते नभोवायाव् अदृश्यत्वं यथा रजः
When the breath is still and there is no inner contact, the living being attains profound silence, just as dust becomes invisible when the wind and sky are calm.
विरथं विगताधारं मनोमात्रं हि दृश्यते । तिष्ठत्य् आत्मन्य् अलब्धोर्वीजलादितरुबीजवत्
Deprived of support and vehicle, only the mind remains, existing in the self like a seed of a tree that has not obtained earth or water.
इति वैकल्यम् आयाते करणौघे समन्ततः । नाशं पुर्यष्टके याते देहः पतति निश्चलः
Thus, when impairment arises in all the senses and the subtle body is destroyed, the physical body falls, motionless.
चिच्चेत्यचेतनान् मोहात् स्पन्दम् आयाति वासना । उदीरिता स्मरत्य् अन्यद् अन्यद् विस्मरति स्वयम्
Through delusion, the latent impression stirs consciousness, the conscious, and the unconscious; once aroused, it recalls one thing and forgets another by itself.
हृत्पद्मयन्त्रस्फुरणात् स्फुटं पुर्यष्टकं भवेत् । हृत्पद्मयन्त्रे वहनाद् रुद्धे पुर्यष्टकं क्षयि
From the vibration of the heart-lotus mechanism, the subtle body clearly arises; when the heart-lotus mechanism ceases to function, the subtle body is restrained and perishes.
देहे पुर्यष्टकं यावद् अस्ति तावत् स जीवति । शान्ते पुर्यष्टके देहो मृत इत्य् उच्यते द्विज
As long as the subtle body remains in the physical body, so long does one live; when the subtle body is at rest, the body is said to be dead, O twice-born one.
विरुद्धमलसंरोधाच् छेदभेददशावशात् । न प्रस्फुरति हृत्पद्मयन्त्रम् अभ्यन्तरे यदा
When, due to the obstruction of opposing impurities or because of severance and disruption, the heart-lotus mechanism does not function within,
तदा पुर्यष्टकं शान्तिम् उपैति गगने शनैः । संरोधिते वातयन्त्रे यथा पवनसन्ततिः
Then the subtle body gradually attains peace in the ether, just as, when the wind mechanism is blocked, the flow of air comes to a halt.
स्वासंवित्तिवशाज् जीवो वैवश्यम् उपगच्छति । पद्मयन्त्रं शरीरस्थं न वाहयति निस्सहः
Because of the loss of awareness of breath, the living being falls into helplessness; unable, he does not move the lotus mechanism within the body.
वासना विमला येषां हृदयान् नापसर्पति । स्थिरैकरूपजीवास् ते जीवन्मुक्ताश् चिरायुषः
Those whose latent impressions do not depart from a pure heart, whose life-force is steady and of one form—they are the liberated while living, long-lived.
संरुद्धे पद्मयन्त्रे हि प्राणे शान्तिम् उपागते । देहः पतत्य् अधैर्यो ऽयं काष्ठलोष्टसमः क्षितौ
Indeed, when the lotus mechanism is restrained and the life-force has come to rest, this body, lacking support, falls to the ground like a log or a clod of earth.