तद् आकर्ण्याशु तत्रेदम् अहं चिन्तितवान् अथ । शब्दकर्त्रीक्षणात् पश्यन् दिशो दश सविस्मयः
Hearing that, I immediately thought to myself there, gazing in all ten directions with wonder at the moment the sound was made.
व्योम्नो ऽयं सिद्धसञ्चारमार्गशून्यम् अनन्तरम् । भागो योजनलक्षाणि समतिक्रम्य संस्थितः
This portion of the sky, empty and endless, is the unobstructed path of the siddhas’ movement, extending beyond hundreds of thousands of yojanas.
तद् इहेदृग्विधस्यास्य कुतश् शब्दस्य सम्भवः । शाब्दिकं न च पश्यामि यत्नेनापि विलोकयन्
How could such a sound arise here? Even searching carefully, I do not see any source of the sound.
अनन्तम् इदम् आशून्यं पुरो मे निर्मलं नभः । इह भूतं प्रयत्नेन प्रेक्ष्यमाणं न दृश्यते
This infinite, spotless sky before me is utterly empty; though I look intently, nothing living is seen here.
यदेति चिन्तयित्वाहं भूयो भूयो विलोकयन् । शब्देश्वरं न पश्यामि तदा चिन्तितवान् इदम्
Thinking thus, I kept looking again and again, but did not see the lord of the sound; then I considered this:
आकाश एव भूत्वाहम् आकाशेनैकतां गतः । आकाशगुणशब्दार्थान् करोम्य् आकाशकोशके
Becoming space itself, I merged with the sky, and within the sheath of space I create the qualities, sounds, and meanings of space.
देहाकाशम् इदं स्थाप्य ध्यानेनेह यथास्थितम् । चिदाकाशवपुर् व्योम्ना याम्य् ऐक्यं वार् इवाम्बुना
Establishing this body-space here as it is through meditation, I, whose form is consciousness-space, unite with the sky as water with water.
चिन्तयित्वेत्य् अहं त्यक्तुं देहं पद्मासने स्थितः । आसं समाधिम् आधातुं पुनर् आमीलितेक्षणः
Thinking thus, seated in the lotus posture, I prepared to abandon the body and enter samadhi, closing my eyes once more.
त्यक्त्वा बाह्यान् अपि स्पर्शान् ऐन्द्रियान् आन्तरान् अपि । चित्ताकाशे ऽहम् अभवं संवित्स्पन्दमयात्मकः
Having abandoned even external sensory contacts, and also the internal ones, I became 'I am' in the space of consciousness, my nature consisting of the vibration of awareness.
क्रमात् तद् अपि सन्त्यज्य बुद्धितत्त्वपदं गतः । सम्पन्नो ऽहं चिदाकाशो जगज्जालैकदर्पणः
Gradually letting go even of that, I attained the state of the principle of intellect; I became the space of consciousness, the single mirror of the web of worlds.
ततस् तेन स्वभावेन भूतव्योमैकताम् अहम् । सम्प्रयातो ऽम्बुनेवाम्बु सौरभं सौरभेण वा
Then, by that very nature, I entered into oneness with the elemental space, just as water merges with water, or fragrance with fragrance.
सम्पन्नो ऽथ महाकाशो व्याप्य् अनन्तो ऽथ सर्वगः । अनाकारो ऽप्य् अनाधारस् सर्वार्थाधारतां गतः
Then I became the great space, pervading, infinite, all-pervading; though formless and without support, I became the support of all things.
यावत् त्रैलोक्यवृन्दानि संसाराणां शतानि च । तत्र ब्रह्माण्डलक्षाणि पश्याम्य् अगणितान्य् अपि
As many as there are groups of the three worlds and hundreds of cycles of existence, there I see countless cosmic eggs, even innumerable ones.
परस्परम् अदृष्टानि मिथẖ खान्य् अमलानि च । नानाचारविचाराणि शून्यान्य् एव परस्परम्
They are mutually unseen, mutually distinct, pure, and empty of each other's ways and thoughts, each void to the other.
स्वप्नरूपाणि सुप्तानां तुल्यकालं नृणाम् इव । महारम्भाण्य् अदृष्टानि शून्यानि च परस्परम्
Like dream-forms for those who are asleep, at the same time for different people, so are these great undertakings—unseen and empty to each other.
जायमानानि नश्यन्ति वर्धमानानि भूरिशः । वर्तमानान्य् अतीतानि भविष्यन्ति च सर्वशः
They are constantly being born and destroyed, many are increasing; all that exists, has passed, or will be, in every way.
अनेकचित्तजातानि महाभित्तीनि खानि च । मनस्य् एवोग्रराज्यानि कृतानि विविधैर् जनैः
Many kinds of mental worlds, great walls, and pits have been constructed in the mind itself by various people with intense dominion.
निरावरणरूपाणि तथैकावरणानि च । पञ्चावरणरूपाणि षडेकावरणानि च
Some are without any coverings, some have a single covering, some have five coverings, and some have six coverings.
दशावरणचित्राणि षोडशावरणानि च । चतुर्विंशत्यावृतीनि षट्त्रिंशत्यावृतीनि च
Some are marked by ten coverings, some by sixteen coverings, some have twenty-four enclosures, and some have thirty-six enclosures.
शून्यानि भूतपूर्णानि पञ्चभूतमयानि च । एकपृथ्व्यादिभूतानि चतुष्पृथ्व्यादिकानि च
Some are empty, some are filled with elements, some are composed of the five elements, some consist of only one earth-element, and some of four earth-elements and so on.
त्रिपृथ्व्यादीनि चान्यानि द्विपृथ्व्यादीन्य् अथापि च । तथा सप्तमहाभूतान्य् एकजातिमयानि च
Others are made of three earth-elements, or two earth-elements, and likewise there are seven great elements, each consisting of a single kind.
त्वादृशानुभवाभोगविरुद्धानीदृशानि तु । तथा नित्यान्धकाराणि सूर्यादिरहितानि च
There are also worlds contrary to your experience and enjoyment, as well as those in perpetual darkness, devoid of sun and the like.
तथा मीलितसर्गाणि एकनाथावृतानि च । विलक्षणप्रजेशानि विचित्राचारवन्ति च
There are worlds with creation withdrawn, those enveloped by a single lord, those with distinct rulers of beings, and those with diverse customs.
जात्यन्धपारम्पर्येण सङ्केताचारवन्ति च । तथा नित्यप्रकाशानि ज्वलिताग्निमयानि च
Some have hereditary blindness, some are governed by conventional behavior, and likewise there are worlds of constant light, composed of blazing fire.
तथा जलैकपूर्णानि पवनैकात्मकानि च । स्तब्धानि परमाकाशे वहन्ति च तथानिशम्
Just as vessels filled only with water, and those composed solely of air, remain motionless in the supreme space, so too do these worlds persist night and day.
जायमानानि पुष्यन्ति परिपुष्टानि चाभितः । तिर्यग् गच्छन्ति चान्यानि मूकसर्गमयान्य् अपि
Some are being born and flourish, others are fully developed all around; some move sideways, and others are composed of mute creations.
देवमात्रैकसर्गाणि नरमात्रमयानि च । दैत्यवृन्दमयान्य् एव क्रिमिनिर्विवराणि च
Some are made solely of gods, some entirely of humans, some consist of hosts of demons, and others are like nests of insects.
अन्तर् अन्तस् तदन्तश् च स्वकोशेष्व् अणुकं प्रति । जातानि जायमानानि कदलीदलपीठवत्
Within, inside, and at the core of each minute cell in their own sheaths, worlds are born and coming into being, like the layers within a plantain stem.
परस्परम् अदृष्टानि नानुभूतानि वै मिथः । सैनिकस्वप्नजालानि जातानीव महान्त्य् अपि
They are mutually unseen, never experienced by one another, like vast armies in dreams that arise yet do not perceive each other.
विविधान्य् अप्य् अनन्तानि स्वच्छाकाशात्मकान्य् अलम् । अन्योऽन्यम् अन्यवृत्तीनि न मिथो ऽन्यस्थितीनि च
There are also countless diverse worlds, all of the nature of pure space, each with its own course, not sharing the existence or state of the others.