एतस्मात् परमाच् छान्तात् पदात् परमपावनात् । यथेदम् उत्थितं विश्वं तच् छृणूत्तमया धिया
From that supreme, tranquil, and most pure state, listen with your highest understanding to how this universe has arisen.
सुषुप्तं स्वप्नवद् भाति भाति ब्रह्मैव सर्गवत् । सर्वम् एकं च तच् छान्तं तत्र तावत् क्रमं शृणु
Just as deep sleep appears like a dream, so too does only Brahman shine forth as creation; all is one and peaceful—now hear the sequence therein.
तस्यानन्तप्रकाशात्मरूपस्याततचिन्मणेः । सत्तामात्रात्म कचनं यद् अजस्रं स्वभावतः
Of that infinite, self-luminous essence, that jewel of pure consciousness, there is, by its very nature, a mere existence that is continuous.
तद् आत्मनि स्वयं किञ्चिच् चेत्यताम् इव गच्छति । अगृहीतार्थकं संविदीहामर्शनसूचकम्
In that Self, something seems to become an object of awareness, though no object is grasped; it is a sign of the stir of consciousness, an indication of subtle cognition.
भाविनामार्थकलनैः किञ्चिदूहितरूपकम् । आकाशाद् अणु शुद्धं च सर्वस्मिन् भाविबोधनम्
Through the imagined formations of future objects, it takes on a slight conceptual form; subtler than space, pure, and the revealer of all that will be.
ततस् सा परमा सत्ता सतीतश् चेतनोन्मुखी । चिन्नामयोग्या भवति किञ्चिल्लभ्यतया तया
From that, the supreme existence, transcending being, turns toward consciousness; by that, it becomes fit for awareness, as it becomes slightly accessible.
घनसंवेदनात् पश्चाद् भाविजीवादिनामिका । सा भवत्य् आत्मकलना यदा यान्ती परात् पदात्
Then, through dense awareness, it receives the name of the future individual soul and others; this is the Self’s own conception, as it descends from the supreme state.
स्वतैकभावनामात्रसारा संसरणोन्मुखी । तदा वस्तुस्वभावेन तन्वस् तिष्ठन्ति ताम् इमाः
When it is poised only in the notion of its own singular being, ready for manifestation, then, by the very nature of reality, these subtle bodies abide in it.
समनन्तरम् एतस्याः खसत्तोदेति शून्यता । शब्दादिगुणबीजं सा भविष्यदभिधार्थदा
Immediately after this, the emptiness of space arises; it is the seed of qualities such as sound, and will give rise to future objects of expression.
अहन्तोदेति तदनु सह वै कालसत्तया । भविष्यदभिधार्थे ते बीजं मुख्यं जगत्स्थितेः
Then, the sense of 'I' emerges, together with the existence of time; these are the primary seeds for the sustenance of the world and its future objects of expression.
तस्याश् शक्तेः परायास् तु स्वसंवेदनमात्रकम् । एतज् जालम् असद्रूपं सद् इवोदेति विस्फुरत्
The supreme power of that, consisting only of self-awareness, manifests as this network, which is unreal in nature but appears as if real, shining forth.
एवम्प्रायात्मिका सा चिद् बीजं सङ्कल्पशाखिनः । तत्राप्य् अहङ्कारकरस् स तत्स्पन्दतया मरुत्
Thus, that consciousness, which is of this kind, is the seed of the tree of intention; and there, the essence of ego acts as the wind by its vibration.
चिद् अहन्तावती व्योमशब्दतन्मात्रभावनात् । स्वतो घनीभूय शनैः खतन्मात्रं भवत्य् अलम्
Consciousness, endowed with ego, through the contemplation of the subtle element of sound in space, gradually becomes dense by itself and sufficiently forms the subtle element of space.
भाविनामार्थरूपं तद् बीजं शब्दौघशाखिनः । पदवाक्यप्रमाणाढ्यवेदवृन्दविकारि तत्
That which is destined to become objects is the seed of the tree of the multitude of sounds; it transforms through the abundance of words, sentences, measures, and groups of Vedas.
तस्माद् उदेष्यत्य् अखिला जगच्छ्रीश् शब्दरूपिणः । शब्दौघनिर्मितार्थौघपरिणामविसारिणी
From that, the entire glory of the world, in the form of sound, will arise; it spreads through the transformation of the multitude of objects created by the multitude of sounds.
चिद् एवम्परिवारा सा जीवशब्देन कथ्यते । भाविशब्दार्थजालेन बीजं भूतौघशाखिनः
That consciousness, together with its retinue, is referred to by the term 'jīva'; through the network of future objects of sound, it is the seed of the tree of the multitude of elements.
चतुर्दशविधं भूतजातम् आवलिताम्बरम् । जगज्जठरयन्त्रौघं प्रसरिष्यति वै ततः
The fourteenfold class of beings, enveloped in space, will then spread forth as the multitude of mechanisms within the womb of the world.
असम्प्राप्ताभिधासारा चिज् जीवत्वात् स्फुरद्वपुः । या सैव स्पर्शतन्मात्रं भावनाद् भवति क्षणात्
Consciousness, which has not yet attained the essence of name and form, shines forth as living existence; that very consciousness, through the notion of touch, becomes the subtle element of touch in an instant.
पवनस्कन्धविस्तारं बीजं स्पर्शैकशाखिनः । सर्वभूतक्रियास्पन्दस् तस्मात् सम्प्रसरिष्यति
The expansion of the wind principle is the seed of the tree whose sole branch is touch; from this, the pulse of all beings' activities will spread forth.
तत्र यश् चिद्विलासेन प्रकाशो ऽनुभवाद् भवेत् । तेजस्तन्मात्रकं तत्तद्भविष्यदभिधार्थदम्
Wherever consciousness, by its play, manifests as illumination through experience, that becomes the subtle element of fire, which gives rise to the meaning of names yet to be.
तत् सूर्यादिविजृम्भाभिर् बीजम् आलोकशाखिनः । तस्माद् रूपविभेदेन संसारः प्रसरिष्यति
Through the expansions of the sun and other luminous bodies, that is the seed of the tree whose branches are light; from this, the world will spread forth in various forms.
भवच् चतुर्णाम् अवतस् ततस् सत इवासतः । स्वदनं तस्य सङ्घस्य रसतन्मात्रम् उच्यते
From the existence of the fourfold group, as if from the real and unreal, the taste of that assembly is called the subtle element of flavor.
भाविवारिविलासात्म तद् बीजं रसशाखिनः । अन्योऽन्यास्वदनेनास्मात् संसारः प्रसरिष्यति
That which is the seed of the tree of flavor is the essence of future water's play; from mutual tasting, the world will spread forth from this.
भविष्यद्गन्धसङ्कल्पनामासौ कलनात्मका । सङ्कल्पात्मा ससौगन्धतन्मात्रत्वं प्रयच्छति
That which is to be the conception of fragrance, is of the nature of imagination; imagination itself bestows the subtle element of fragrance along with its qualities.
भाविभूगोलकत्वेन बीजम् आकृतिशाखिनः । सर्वाधारात्मनस् तस्मात् संसारः प्रसरिष्यति
From the seed, as the potential of the future world-sphere, the tree of forms arises; thus, from the universal substratum, the cycle of worldly existence will spread forth.
चिता विभाव्यमानानि तन्मात्राणि परस्परम् । स्वयं परिणतान्य् अन्तर् अम्बुनीव निरन्तरम्
The subtle elements, when conceived by consciousness, are transformed among themselves continuously, just as water changes within itself.
तथैतानि विमिश्राणि विविक्तानि पुनर् यथा । न शुद्धान्य् उपलभ्यन्ते सर्वनाशान्तम् एव हि
In this way, these mixed and distinct elements are not found to be pure again, except when all has come to complete dissolution.
संवित्तिमात्ररूपाणि स्थितानि गगनोदरे । भवन्ति वटजालानि यथा बीजकणान्तरे
Existing as nothing but pure consciousness within the expanse of the sky, they become like clusters of banyan trees within the tiny space of a seed.
प्रसवं परिपश्यन्ति शतशाखं स्फुरन्ति च । परमाण्वन्तरे मान्ति क्षणात् कल्पीभवन्ति च
They witness the process of manifestation, they branch out in hundreds, they remain as atoms within, and in an instant, they become vast as an aeon.
विवर्तम् एव धावन्ति निर्विवर्तानि सन्ति च । चिद्वेदितानि सर्वाणि क्षणात् पिण्डीभवन्ति हि
They move about as transformations, yet some remain untransformed; all, known by consciousness, become compacted in a moment.