पश्य मे पुर उह्यन्ते इति वाक्यार्थम् अक्षतम् । न किञ्चिद् अवगच्छामि यथावन् मुनिनायक
I do not fully understand the true meaning of the statement, 'See, in my city, they are being moved,' O chief of sages.
प्राणस्याभ्यन्तरे चित्तं चित्तस्याभ्यन्तरे जगत् । विद्यते विविधाकारं बीजस्यान्तर् इव द्रुमः
Within the breath abides the mind, and within the mind abides the world, manifesting in various forms, just as a tree exists within the seed.
मृते पुंसि नभोवातैर् मिलन्ति प्राणवायवः । सरिज्जलैर् इवाम्भोधिजलान्य् आत्मद्रुतानि हि
When a person dies, the vital airs merge with the sky and wind, just as waters from rivers, driven by their own nature, merge into the ocean.
इतश् चेतश् च यान्त्य् एव तेषाम् अन्तर् जगन्त्य् अलम् । व्योमवातविनुन्नानां सङ्कल्पैकात्मकान्य् अपि
From here and there, the minds keep moving; within them, countless worlds exist, composed solely of thought, scattered by the winds of space.
सप्राणवातैḫ पवनैस् स्फुरत्सङ्कल्पगर्भितैः । सर्वा एव दिशḫ पूर्णाḫ पश्यामीमास् समन्ततः
I see all directions completely filled with winds that carry the vital airs, each vibrating with the seeds of intention.
अत्रैते पश्य पश्यामि सङ्कल्पजगतां गणैः । बुद्धिदृष्ट्या समुह्यन्ते पुरो मन्दरमेरवः
Here, look—before me I perceive hosts of worlds born of thought; by the vision of the intellect, even Mandara and Meru mountains appear to be gathered here.
खवाते ऽन्तर् मृतप्राणाḫ प्राणानाम् अन्तरे मनः । मनसो ऽन्तर् जगद् विद्धि तिले तैलम् इव स्थितम्
Within the movement of air are the lifeless breaths; between the breaths is the mind; within the mind, know that the world is situated, just as oil is contained within a sesame seed.
खवातैẖ खे मृतप्राणा यथोह्यन्ते मनोमयाः । उह्यन्ते वै तथैतानि तदङ्गानि जगन्त्य् अपि
By the movement of air in space, the lifeless breaths, made of mind, are carried along; in the same way, these worlds, which are its limbs, are also borne along.
सभूतान्य् अम्बरोर्व्यादिवृन्दानि त्रिजगन्त्य् अपि । उह्यन्ते वाप्य् अनूढानि पुरस् सर्वत्र गन्धवत्
All the elements—ether, earth, and the rest—as well as the three worlds, whether manifest or unmanifest, are carried forward everywhere, like fragrance.
तानि बुद्ध्यैव दृश्यन्ते न दृशा रघुनन्दन । पुरस् सङ्कल्परूपाणि स्वस्वप्नपुरपूरवत्
These are seen only by the intellect, not by the eyes, O descendant of Raghu; before you, they appear as forms of thought, like the cities seen in one's own dream.
सर्वत्र सर्वदा सन्ति सुसूक्ष्माण्य् एव खाद् अपि । कल्पनामात्रसारत्वान् न दह्यन्ते मनाग् अपि
Everywhere and always, there exist extremely subtle things, even in space; since their essence is mere imagination, they are not burned in the least.
तान्य् एव दृढभावत्वात् स्वेषु लोकेषु तेष्व् अलम् । मतान्य् एव चिदंशस्य सर्वगत्वाद् भवान् इव
Because of their firm existence in their own realms, they are considered as real; and, due to the all-pervasiveness of consciousness, they are thought to be like you.
प्रतिबिम्बपुराणीव पुरḫ प्राणसरिद्रये । अनूढान्य् अपि चोह्यन्ते सूढान्य् अपि च नैव च
Just as reflections fill a city, so in the river of vital energy, even those not united are imagined to be united, and those united are not truly so.
सौरभाणि समुह्यन्ते वाताङ्गस्थानि राघव । जगन्ति प्राणसंस्थानि व्योमात्मकतया तथा
Fragrances are perceived in the limbs affected by wind, O Rāghava; likewise, worlds established in vital energy are experienced as having the nature of space.
कुम्भे देशान्तरं नीते यथान्तर् व्योम्नि नान्यता । स्पन्दनादिमये चित्ते तथैव त्रिजगद्भ्रमे
When a pot is moved to another place, there is no change within its inner space; in the mind filled with vibrations and such, so too is the illusion of the three worlds.
इत्थं जगद्भ्रान्तिर् इयम् असत्यैवोदितैव ते । न विनश्यति नोदेति केवलं ब्रह्मरूपिणी
Thus, this illusion of the world, which is spoken of as unreal, neither perishes nor arises; it is merely of the nature of Brahman.
यदि वाप्य् ऊह्यते वातैस् तत् तद् अस्या न लक्ष्यते । तदन्तस्संस्थितैस् स्पन्दो नावि कोशगतैर् इव
Even if it is imagined to be moved by winds, its nature is not perceived; the vibration within it remains inside, like those within the hull of a ship.
यथा स्पन्दो ऽङ्ग लग्नो ऽपि नाव्य् अन्तस् संस्थितैर् अपि । न लक्ष्यते तथा ब्रह्म तत्संस्थैस् तन्मयैर् अपि
Just as a vibration attached to a limb is not perceived by those inside the ship, so too Brahman is not perceived even by those established in it or identified with it.
यथा योजनविस्तीर्णं लघौ सद्मानुभूयते । यक्षस्य पादपस्तम्भे परमाणौ तथा जगत्
Just as something extending a yojana is experienced as small within a house, so too the world exists within the foot-stump of a yakṣa or within an atom.
वस्त्व् अल्पम् अप्य् अतिबृहल् लघुसत्त्वो ऽभिमन्यते । मूषिका स्वाञ्जलिद्रव्यम् इव पङ्कम् इवार्भकः
Even a small thing is considered very large by one of slight understanding, like a mouse its handful of food, or a child a patch of mud.
असत्य् एव खरूपे ऽस्मिञ् जगदाख्ये विदो भ्रमे । लोकान्तराद्र्योघमयी सुदृढाज्ञस्य भावना
In this world, which is unreal and like empty space, the deluded imagination of the ignorant—firm and massive as a mountain—creates the notion of the universe.
इदं हेयम् उपादेयम् इदम् इत्य् अन्तर् अज्ञता । यस्य तस्य भवायास्ति सर्वज्ञस्यापि मूढता
The inner ignorance that thinks, 'This should be rejected, this should be accepted,' is the cause of becoming; even in the all-knowing, this is delusion.
सचेतनो ह्य् अवयवी चेतत्य् अवयवान् यथा । स्वान्तर् एव ततं जीवस् त्रिजगद् बुध्यते तथा
Just as a living body is aware of its limbs, so too, within itself, the individual soul perceives the three worlds.
संविदात्म पराकाशम् अनन्तम् अहम् अव्ययः । व्योम्नो ऽवयवरूपाणि तस्येमानि जगन्ति मे
I am the infinite, indestructible Self, the essence of consciousness, the supreme sky; these worlds are like limbs of space, belonging to me.
सचेतनो ऽयḫपिण्डो ऽन्तẖ क्षुरसूच्यादिकं यथा । बुध्यते बुध्यते तद्वज् जीवो ऽन्तस् त्रिजगद्भ्रमम्
Just as a living lump of flesh is aware of a hair, a needle, or other things within it, so too, the soul perceives the illusion of the three worlds within itself.
अचित् सचिद् वा मृत्पिण्डश् शरावोदञ्चनादिकम् । यथाङ्गं मनुते जीवस् तथाङ्गं मनुते जगत्
Whether conscious or unconscious, a lump of clay imagines itself as a pot or a cup according to its form; in the same way, the soul imagines the world according to its own form.
चिद् अचिद् वाङ्कुरो देहे वृक्षत्वं मन्यते यथा । वृक्षशब्दार्थरहितं ब्रह्मेदं त्रिजगत् तथा
Whether conscious or unconscious, a sprout in the body imagines itself to be a tree; in the same way, this threefold world, devoid of the true meaning of 'tree,' is imagined as Brahman.
चिद् वाचिद् वा यथादर्शो बिम्बितं वाप्य् अबिम्बितम् । नगरं वेत्ति नो वापि तथा ब्रह्म जगत्त्रयम्
Whether conscious or unconscious, a mirror may reflect an image or not; it may know a city or not—so too, Brahman is the threefold world.
देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यमात्रम् एव जगत्त्रयम् । अहन्त्वजगतोस् तेन भेदो नास्ति तदात्मनोः
The three worlds are nothing but space, time, action, and substance; therefore, there is no difference between the sense of 'I' and the universe, as both are of the same essence.
कल्पितेनोपमानेन यद् एतद् उपदिश्यते । अत्रोपमैकदेशेन उपमेयसधर्मता
Whatever is taught here by means of an imagined analogy, in that, only a partial similarity is intended between the example and what is to be explained.