किं स्यात् परिमितो जीवराशिर् आहो अनन्तकः । आहोस्विद् अस्त्य् अनन्तात्मा जीवपिण्डो ऽचलोपमः
Is the multitude of living beings limited, or is it infinite? Or is there an infinite self, the aggregate of living beings, unmoving like a mountain?
धाराः पयोमुच इव शीकरा इव वारिधेः । कणास् तप्तायस इव कस्मान् निर्यान्ति जीवकाः
Like streams from a raincloud, like droplets from the ocean, or like sparks from heated iron, why do living beings emerge?
इति मे भगवन् ब्रूहि जीवजालविनिर्णयम् । ज्ञातम् एतन् मया प्रायस् तद् एव प्रकटीकुरु
Therefore, O venerable one, tell me the true nature of the web of living beings; I have mostly understood this, but make it clear.
एक एव न जीवो ऽस्ति राशीनां सम्भवः कुतः । शशशृङ्गं समुड्डीय प्रयातीतीव ते वचः
There is indeed only one living being; how could there be a multitude? Your statement is like saying the horn of a rabbit has arisen and departed.
न जीवो ऽस्ति न जीवानां राशयस् सन्ति राघव । न चैकः पर्वतप्रख्यो जीवपिण्डो ऽस्ति कश्चन
There is no individual soul, nor are there multitudes of souls, O Raghava; nor is there any single entity, like a mountain, that is a mass of souls.
जीवशब्दार्थकलनास् समस्तकलनान्विताः । न च काश्चन सन्तीति निश्चयो ऽस्तु तवाचलः
All notions associated with the term 'jīva' are merely constructions; let your conviction be unwavering that none of these truly exist.
शुद्धं चिन्मात्रम् अमलं ब्रह्मास्तीह हि सर्वतः । तद् यथा सर्वशक्तित्वाद् विन्दते यां स्वयं कलाम्
Pure consciousness alone, immaculate Brahman, exists everywhere here; and by virtue of its all-powerfulness, it manifests whatever aspect it chooses.
चिन्मात्रानुक्रमेणैव सम्प्रफुल्तां लताम् इव । ननु मूर्ताम् अमूर्तां वा ताम् एवाशु प्रपश्यति
Just as a vine unfolds in sequence, so too consciousness, whether manifest or unmanifest, swiftly perceives itself in that form.
जीवो बुद्धिः क्रियास्पन्दो मनो द्वित्वैक्यम् इत्य् अपि । स्वसत्तां प्रकचन्तीं तां नियोजयति वेदने
The terms 'jīva', 'intellect', 'activity', 'movement', 'mind', 'duality', and 'unity'—all these direct their own existence toward experience.
साबुद्धैवं भवत्य् एव भवेद् ब्रह्मैव बोधतः । अबोधः प्रेक्षया याति नाशं न तु स बुध्यते
Thus, with awareness, it becomes Brahman itself; with ignorance, it passes into destruction by observation, but it does not become aware.
यथान्धकारो दीपेन प्रेक्ष्यमाणः प्रणश्यति । न चास्य ज्ञायते तत्त्वम् अबोधस्यैवम् एव हि
Just as darkness vanishes when seen by a lamp, yet its essence is not known, so too is the nature of ignorance.
एवं ब्रह्मैव जीवात्मा निर्विभागो निरन्तरः । सर्वशक्तिर् अनाद्यन्तं महाचित्साररूपधृत्
Thus, the individual soul is Brahman alone, undivided and uninterrupted, all-powerful, without beginning or end, bearing the form of the essence of supreme consciousness.
सर्वानन्ततया त्व् अस्य न काचिद् भेदकल्पना । विद्यते या हि कलना सा तद् एवानुभूतितः
Because of its all-pervasiveness, no notion of division exists in it; whatever conception does arise is only that, experienced as such.
एवम् एतत् कथं ब्रह्मन्न् एकजीवेच्छयाखिलाः । जगज्जीवा न युज्यन्ते महाजीवैकतावशात्
Thus it is, O Brahman, that by the wish of the one living being, all the beings of the world do not truly exist separately, due to the unity of the great Self.
महाजीवात्म तद् ब्रह्म सर्वशक्तिमयात्मकम् । स्थितं यथेच्छम् एवेह निर्विभागं निरन्तरम्
That great Self, which is Brahman, is of the nature of all powers; it abides here as it wills, undivided and uninterrupted.
यद् एवेच्छति तत् तस्य भवत्य् आशु महात्मनः । पूर्वं तु नश्यतीच्छा चेद् अतो द्वित्वम् उदेति तत्
Whatever this great Self desires comes to be for it swiftly; but if the desire ceases beforehand, then duality arises from that.
पश्चाद् द्वित्वविभक्तानां स्वशक्तीनां प्रकल्पितः । अनेनेत्थं हि भवतीत्य् एवं तेन क्रियाक्रमः
Thereafter, among the powers divided into duality, their own activities are projected; thus, by this process, action takes place.
शक्त्याद्यया तया ब्राह्म्या नियमो यः प्रकल्पितः । तं विना नोदयो ऽन्यासां प्रधानेच्छैव रोहति
By that primordial divine power, the regulation that is established—without that, no other arises; only the primary will prevails.
यस्या जीवाभिधानायाश् शक्त्या येच्छा फलत्य् असौ । प्रधानशक्तिनियमानुष्ठानेन विना तु न
Of that power called the individual soul, whatever desire bears fruit, it is only by the observance of the regulation of the primary power, and not otherwise.
प्रधानशक्तिनियमस् सुप्रतिष्ठो भवेन् न चेत् । तत् फलं शक्त्यशक्तित्वान् नेहितानां क्वचिद् भवेत्
If the regulation of the primary power is not firmly established, then, due to the presence or absence of power, the intended result does not occur anywhere.
एवं ब्रह्म महाजीवो विद्यते ऽन्तादिवर्जितः । जीवत् कोटिमहाकोटीभवत्य् अथ न किञ्चन
Thus, Brahman, the great living essence, exists without beginning or end; when it becomes the multitude of living beings, it appears as countless hosts, yet in truth, it remains nothing else.
चेत्यसंवेदनाज् जीवो भवत्य् आयाति संसृतिम् । तदसंवेदनाद् रूपं शमम् आयाति संसृतेः
Through awareness of objects, the individual soul arises and enters the cycle of worldly existence; when that awareness ceases, its form attains peace and departs from worldly existence.
एवं कनिष्ठजीवानां ज्येष्ठजीवक्रियाक्रमैः । समुदेत्य् आद्यजीवत्वं ताम्राणाम् इव हेमता
In this way, the lesser souls, through the sequence of actions of the greater souls, rise up to the state of the original soul, just as copper attains the state of gold.
अत्रानन्ते पराकाशे इत्थम् एष गणो ऽप्य् असन् । खात्मैव सन्न् इवोदेति चिच्चमत्करणात्मकः
Here, in this infinite supreme space, even this group, though non-existent, appears as if it exists, being of the nature of the wonder of consciousness, like the very essence of space.
स्वयम् एव चमत्कारो यस् समागम्यते चिता । भविष्यन्नामदेहादि तद् अहम्भावनं विदुः
That very wonder which arises in consciousness by itself is known as the sense of 'I', which later becomes the notion of name, body, and so on.
चितो यस् स्याच् चिदालोकस् तन्मयत्वाद् अनन्तकः । स एष भुवनाभोग इति तस्याः प्रबिम्बति
That which is the light of consciousness, being of the same nature as consciousness and endless, is this enjoyment of worlds—thus it is reflected from that.
परिणामविकारादिशब्दैस् सैव चिद् अव्यया । तादृग्रूप्याद् अभेद्यापि स्वशक्त्यैव विबुध्यते
That very imperishable consciousness, though indivisible in its true form, is described by words such as transformation and modification, and is known by its own power.
अविच्छिन्नविलासात्म स्वतो यत् स्वदनं चितः । अचेत्यस्य प्रकाशस्य जगद् इत्य् एव तत् स्थितम्
Whatever taste consciousness experiences in itself, being of the nature of uninterrupted play, that alone is established as the world of the unmanifest light.
आकाशाद् अपि सूक्ष्मैषा या शक्तिर् वितता चितः । सा स्वभावत एवैनाम् अहन्तां परिपश्यति
This power of consciousness, subtler even than space and pervading all, naturally perceives itself as the sense of 'I'.
आत्मन्य् आत्मात्मनैवास्या यत् प्रस्फुरति वारिवत् । जगदन्तम् अहन्ताणुं तद् एवासौ प्रपश्यति
Whatever shines forth in the self, by the self and for the self, like water, from the smallest sense of 'I' to the end of the world, that alone does it perceive.