उपलब्धं विदुर् द्रव्यं द्रष्टृतात्रोपलब्धृता । आलोकनं दर्शनता दृग् आलोकनकारणम्
They know that the perceived object is known through the perceiver; seeing is the act of perception, and the eye is the instrument for seeing.
एवम् उच्छूनता भाति मितानन्ताथ वा क्रमात् । असत्यैव नभस्य् एव नभोरूपैव निष्प्रमा
In this way, the appearance of increase or decrease seems to arise, whether limited or infinite, step by step; yet it is truly unreal, like a form in the sky, without any real substance.
चिदणोर् भासनं भातं तत्प्रदेशेन देहगम् । येन पश्यति तच् चक्षुस् तच् छ्रोत्रं येन च श्रुतिः
The shining of the atomic consciousness appears in the body through its presence; that by which one sees is the eye, and that by which one hears is the ear.
येन जिघ्रति तद् घ्राणं येन स्पृशति चर्म तत् । रस्यते येन सा जिह्वा सङ्ग्रहो ऽक्षदृशाम् इति
That by which one smells is the nose, that by which one touches is the skin, that by which one tastes is the tongue; this is the collection of the senses.
चिदणुप्रतिभासे ऽन्तḫ प्रथमं नामवर्जितम् । तन्मात्रवृन्दम् एतेषाम् एतदाकाशरूपि तत्
The first appearance of the atomic consciousness within is without any name; this is the group of subtle elements for these senses, and it has the nature of space.
चिदणुप्रतिभाकाशपिण्ड एकघनस्थितिः । अनुसन्धानविवशश् चेततीन्द्रियपञ्चकम्
The mass of atomic consciousness, appearing as a sphere of space, remains as a single undivided existence; this is the fivefold group of senses, compelled by the force of inquiry.
एवं चिदनुसन्धानं दृश्यपोषम् उपैत्य् अलम् । तद् एव ज्ञानम् इत्य् उक्तं बुद्धिर् इत्य् अभिधीयते
Thus, the inquiry into consciousness sufficiently nourishes the field of perception; this alone is called knowledge, and is also referred to as intellect.
ततो मनस्तया रूढम् अहङ्कारपदं गतम् । देशकालपरिच्छेद इत्य् अङ्गीकृत आत्मना
Then, established in this way by the intellect, it attains the state of ego, accepting limitation by space and time as its own nature.
चिदणोर् अस्य भावस्य प्रत्यग्रं यत्र वेदनम् । स तत्रोत्तरकालेन पूर्वाभिख्यां करिष्यति
Wherever there is the immediate awareness of this conscious essence, it will later assign to that awareness the previous designation.
अन्यस्मिन्न् एकदेशे ऽसाव् ऊर्ध्वाभिख्यां करिष्यति । एवं दिगभिधानादि कल्पयिष्यति स क्रमात्
In another place, it will assign a subsequent designation; thus, in sequence, it will construct names for directions and so forth.
देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यशब्दानाम् अर्थवेदनम् । भविष्यति स्वयम् असाव् आकाशविशदो ऽपि सन्
This awareness, though itself as clear as space, will naturally come to know the meaning of words such as place, time, action, substance, and sound.
इत्थं स्वानुभवेनैष व्योम्न्य् एव व्योमरूपधृत् । आतिवाहिकनामान्तर् देहस् सम्पद्यते चितः
In this way, by its own experience, this consciousness, taking on the form of space itself, attains a subtle body known as the 'mental body' within space.
एष एव चिरं कालं तत्र भावनया तया । गृह्णाति निश्चयं पूर्णम् आधिभौतिकम् आत्मनः
This very consciousness, for a long time there, through that contemplation, attains the complete conviction of its own physical embodiment.
व्योम्ना व्योम्न्य् एव रचितो निर्मलेनेति विभ्रमः । असतासत् समास्तीर्णं तापनद्या जलं यथा
The notion that it is formed in space, by space, and is pure, is a delusion—like water in a mirage, spread over what is real and unreal.
सङ्कल्पनाम् उपादत्ते स्वदेहे गगनाकृतिः । शिरश्शब्दार्थदां काञ्चित् पादशब्दार्थदां क्वचित्
It adopts, by imagination, forms in its own body—somewhere a sky-like head that gives the meaning of the word 'head,' elsewhere feet that give the meaning of the word 'foot.'
उरḫपार्श्वादिशब्दार्थमयीं क्वचिद् अनाबिलाम् । भावाभावग्रहोत्सर्गशब्दाद्यर्थमयीम् अपि
Elsewhere, it takes on a chest or sides composed of the meaning of those words, or even a body made up of the meanings of words like grasping, releasing, existence, and non-existence.
नियताकारकलनां देशकालादियन्त्रिताम् । विषयोन्मुखतां याताम् इन्द्रियव्रातवेधिताम्
The fixed conception of form, constrained by space, time, and other factors, turned toward objects, is struck by the group of senses.
सो ऽणुḫ पश्यत्य् अथाकारम् आत्मनस् स्वात्मकल्पितम् । हस्तपादादिकलितं चित्तादिकलनान्वितम्
Then that subtle one perceives a form of itself, imagined by itself, endowed with hands, feet, and so on, accompanied by the constructions of mind and the like.
एवं सम्पद्यते ब्रह्मा तथा सम्पद्यते हरिः । एवं सम्पद्यते रुद्र एवं सम्पद्यते क्रिमिः
Thus does Brahma come to be, thus does Hari come to be, thus does Rudra come to be, and thus does even a worm come to be.
न च किञ्चन सम्पन्नं यथास्थितम् अवस्थितम् । शून्यं शून्ये विलसितं ज्ञप्तौ ज्ञप्तिर् विजृम्भिता
And yet, nothing is actually accomplished; all remains as it is—emptiness shining in emptiness, cognition manifesting within cognition.
प्रतिच्छन्दश् शरीराणां बीजं त्रैलोक्यवीरुधाम् । सर्गार्गडप्रदो मुक्तेस् संसारासारवारिदः
The reflection is the body of beings, the seed of the plants of the three worlds, the giver of the poison of creation, the cloud of the essence-less ocean of worldly existence, and the cause of bondage.
कारणं सर्वकार्याणां नेता कालक्रियादिषु । स चाद्यḫ पुरुषस् स्वैरम् इत्य् अनुत्थित उत्थितः
It is the cause of all effects, the leader in actions such as time and activity; and this primal person, at will, is both unarisen and arisen.
नास्य भूतमयो देहो नास्यास्थीनि शरीरके । अवष्टब्धुम् असौ मुष्ट्या शक्यते न च केनचित्
He does not have a body made of elements, nor bones in his frame; he cannot be grasped by anyone, even with a fist.
तेनाब्धिमेघसङ्ग्रामसिंहगर्जोर्जितात्मना । अपि सुप्तनरेणेव नूनं मौनवता स्थितम्
Therefore, though his nature is like the roar of a lion in the battle of ocean and cloud, he surely remains, like a sleeping man, in the stillness of silence.
जाग्रतस् स्वप्नसन्दृष्टयोधारभटवेदनम् । यथा स्मृतिगतं नासन् न सत् तद्वद् असौ स्थितः
Just as the pain from a blow seen in a dream during waking is not remembered as real, so too is that state—neither existent nor nonexistent.
बहुयोजनलक्षौघप्रमाणो ऽपि बृहद्वपुः । परमाण्वन्तरे माति लोमान्तस्स्थजगत्त्रयः
Even if the vast body measures many leagues and hundreds of thousands of yojanas, within an atom it perceives the three worlds existing inside a single hair's tip.
कुलशैलगुणौघात्मा बृहद्वृन्दात्मको ऽपि सन् । तुलायां धानकामात्रम् अपि नापूरयत्य् अजः
Though he is the essence of mountains, clans, and multitudes of qualities, and though he is the soul of great hosts, the unborn one does not fill even the weight of a seed in a balance.
जगत्कोटिशताभोगविस्तीर्णो ऽप्य् अणुमात्रकम् । वस्तुतो व्याप्तवान् एष न देशं स्वप्नशैलवत्
Though he extends across the enjoyment of hundreds of millions of world-systems, in reality he occupies only the space of an atom, not a region, like a mountain in a dream.
स्वयम्भूर् एष कथितो विराड् एष स उच्यते । ब्रह्माण्डात्मा जगद्देहो वस्तुतस् तु नभोमयः
He is called the self-born, he is named the cosmic person; he is the soul of the cosmic egg, the body of the world, but in truth, he is of the nature of space.
सनातन इति प्रोक्तो रुद्र इत्य् अपि सञ्ज्ञितः । इन्द्रोपेन्द्रमरुन्मेघशैलजालादिदेहकः
He is called eternal, and also designated Rudra; he assumes the bodies of Indra, Upendra, the wind, clouds, mountain ranges, and so on.