स चिन्मात्रस्वभावत्वाद् देहो ऽहम् इति चेतसि । काकतालीयवद् भातम् आकारं तेन पश्यति
Because its very nature is pure consciousness, when the idea 'I am the body' arises in the mind, it appears to take on a form, just as a chance conjunction seems meaningful, like a crow alighting on a palm tree.
स एष ब्राह्मणस् तस्मिन् सर्गादाव् अम्बरोदरे । स्वयं भातस् स्वयम्भूत्वं गतो भात्य् अजरामरः
This very Brahman, at the beginning of creation, within the womb of space, shines forth by itself, becoming self-existent, and appears undecaying and immortal.
नास्य देहो न कर्माणि न कर्तृत्वं न वासना । एष शुद्धचिदाकाशो विज्ञानघनम् आततम्
He has neither body nor actions, neither agency nor latent tendencies; he is pure consciousness-space, pervaded by the mass of awareness.
प्राक्तनं वासनाजालं किञ्चिद् अस्य न विद्यते । केवलं व्योमरूपस्य भारूपस्येव तेजसः
There is not even a trace of previous webs of latent impressions in him; he is simply of the nature of space, just as radiance is of the nature of weight.
केवलं वेदनामात्राद् एवम् एषो ऽवलोक्यते । वेदनामात्रसंशान्ताव् ईदृशो ऽपि न दृश्यते
He is perceived only through pure sensation; when even pure sensation subsides, such as this is not seen.
तस्माद् यथा चिदाकाशस् तथा तत्प्रतिपत्तयः । कुतः किलात्र पृथ्व्यादेः कीदृशस् सम्भवः कथम्
Therefore, just as consciousness-space is, so are its apprehensions; how, then, could earth and the rest arise here, and in what manner?
एतदाक्रमणे मृत्यो तस्मान् मा यत्नवान् भव । ग्रहीतुं युज्यते व्योम न कदाचन केनचित्
In the attempt to seize this, O Death, therefore do not strive; for space can never be grasped by anyone at any time.
ब्रह्मैव कथितो ब्रह्मंस् त्वया मे प्रपितामहः । स्वयम्भूर् अज एकात्मा विज्ञानात्मेति मे मतिः
Brahman alone has been described, O Brahman, to me by my great-grandfather; self-born, unborn, one in essence, consciousness-self—this is my conviction.
एवम् एतन् मया राम ब्रह्मैष कथितस् तव । विवादम् अकरोन् मृत्युर् यमेनैतत्कृते पुरा
Thus, O Rama, I have told you about Brahman; Death once disputed with Yama over this matter in ancient times.
मन्वन्तरे सर्वभक्षो यदा मृत्युर् हरन् प्रजाः । बलम् एत्य् अब्जजाक्रान्ताव् आरम्भम् अकरोत् स्वयम्
In a certain Manvantara, when Death, devourer of all, was seizing beings, he gained strength and began his own undertaking in the realm of the lotus-born.
तद् एवं धर्मराजेन यमेनाश्व् अनुशासितः । यद् एव क्रियते नित्यं रतिस् तत्रैव जायते
Thus, being instructed by Dharma-raja Yama, whatever is continually practiced, delight arises only in that.
ब्रह्मा किल पराकाशवपुर् आक्रम्यते कथम् । मनोमात्रम् असङ्कल्पः पृथ्व्यादिरहिताकृतिः
How indeed does Brahma, whose form is supreme space, become embodied? He is only mind, without intention, and has no form of earth or other elements.
यश् चिद्व्योमचमत्कारः किलाकाशानुभूतिमान् । स चिद्व्योमैव नो तस्य कारणत्वं न कार्यता
He who is the wonder of consciousness-space, who experiences the essence of space, is indeed consciousness-space itself; for him there is neither cause nor effect.
आकाशस्फुरदाकारस् सङ्कल्पपुरुषो यथा । पृथ्व्यादिरहितो भाति स्वयम्भूर् भासते तथा
Just as the person of imagination appears with a form shining in space, so too the self-born shines, devoid of earth and other elements.
न दृश्यम् अस्ति नो द्रष्टा परमात्मनि केवले । स्वयं चित्त्वात् तथाप्य् एष स्वयम्भूर् इति भासते
In the supreme Self, which is pure, there is neither the seen nor the seer; yet, being of the nature of consciousness itself, it appears as the self-born.
सङ्कल्पमात्रम् एवैतन् मनो ब्रह्मेति कथ्यते । सङ्कल्पाकाशपुरुषो नास्य पृथ्व्यादि विद्यते
This mind is indeed only imagination; it is called Brahman. The person of imagination-space has no earth or other elements.
यथा चित्रकृदन्तस्स्था निर्देहा भाति पुत्रिका । तथैव भासते ब्रह्मा चिदाकाशाच्छरञ्जनम्
Just as a doll, placed at the tip of a painter’s brush, appears bodiless, so too does Brahma shine, a coloring upon the space of consciousness.
चिद्व्योम केवलम् अनन्तम् अनादिमध्यं ब्रह्मेति भाति निजचित्तवशात् स्वयम्भूः । आकारवान् इव रसाद् इह वस्तुतस् तु वन्ध्यातनूज इव नास्ति तु तस्य देहः
Consciousness-space alone, infinite, without beginning or middle, shines as Brahman by the power of its own mind, as the self-born; though it appears to have form here, in reality it has no body, like the son of a barren woman.
एवम् एतन् मनश् शुद्धं पृथ्व्यादिरहितं नभः । मुने ब्रह्मेति कथितं सत्यं पृथ्व्यादिवर्जितम्
In this way, O sage, the mind is pure, without earth and the other elements, like space; this is truly called Brahman, free from earth and the other elements.
तद् अत्र प्राक्तनी नाम स्मृतिः कस्मान् न कारणम् । यथा मम तथान्यस्य भूतानां चेति मे वद
Then why is the so-called memory of previous existence not the cause here? Tell me: as it is for me, is it the same for others and for all beings?
पूर्वदेहो ऽस्ति यस्याद्यः पूर्वकर्मसमन्वितः । तस्य स्मृतिस् सम्भवति कारणं संसृतिस्थितेः
One who has a previous body, and whose present body is accompanied by past actions, for him memory arises; this is the cause for the continuation of transmigration.
ब्रह्मणः प्राक्तनं कर्म यदा किञ्चिन् न विद्यते । प्राक्तनी संस्मृतिस् तस्य तदोदेति कुतः कथम्
When there is no prior action at all for Brahman, how can the memory of a previous existence arise for it, and from where and in what manner?
तस्माद् अकारणं भाति वा स्वचित्त्वैककारणम् । स्वकारणाद् अनन्यात्मा स्वयम्भूस् स्वयमात्मवान्
Therefore, it appears to be without cause, or its only cause is its own mind; being self-caused, with no other essence, the self-born is established in itself.
आतिवाहिक एवासौ देहो ऽस्त्य् अस्य स्वयम्भुवः । न त्व् आधिभौतिको राम देहो ऽजस्योपपद्यते
The body of the self-born is only subtle (mental); but, O Rāma, the physical body does not pertain to the unborn.
आतिवाहिक एको ऽस्ति देहो ऽन्यस् त्व् आधिभौतिकः । सर्वासां भूतजातीनां ब्रह्मणो ऽस्त्य् एक एव किम्
There is only one subtle (mental) body; the other is physical. Of all classes of beings, Brahman has only one—what else?
सर्वेषाम् एव देहौ द्वौ भूतानां कारणात्मनाम् । अजस्य कारणासत्त्वाद् एक एवातिवाहिकः
All beings who are causes have two bodies; but for the unborn, since there is no cause, there is only the subtle (mental) body.
सर्वासां भूतजातीनाम् एको ऽजः कारणं परम् । अजस्य कारणं नास्ति तेनासाव् एकदेहवान्
Among all classes of beings, there is one unborn supreme cause; the unborn has no cause, therefore it alone possesses a single body.
नास्त्य् एव भौतिको देहः प्रथमस्य प्रजापतेः । आकाशात्मावभात्य् एष आतिवाहिकदेहवान्
There is truly no physical body for the first progenitor; he appears as having a subtle body, whose essence is space.
चित्तमात्रशरीरो ऽसौ न पृथ्व्यादिमयात्मकः । आद्यः प्रजापतिर् व्योमतनुः प्रतनुते प्रजाः
His body is made only of mind, not composed of earth and the other elements; the first progenitor, with a form of space, extends forth the creatures.
ताश् च निर्वाणरूपिण्यो विनान्यैः कारणान्तरैः । यद् यतस् तत् तद् एवेति सर्वैर् एवानुभूयते
And these beings are of the nature of liberation, without any other causes; whatever arises from whatever, that alone is experienced by all.