एवम् एषा प्रयाता तु भर्ता पश्य ममाम्बिके । प्रवृत्तः प्राणसन्त्यागे कर्तव्यम् किम् इहाधुना
Thus she has departed, O Ambika, see—her husband has begun to abandon his life-force; what is to be done here now?
भावाभावेषु भावानां कथं नियतिर् आगता । कथं भूयो ऽप्य् अनियतिर् मृतिजन्मादिषूचिता
How has destiny come among the existences and non-existences of beings? How is it that again, non-destiny is spoken of in matters like death and birth?
कथं स्वभावसंसिद्धिः कथं सत्ता पदार्थगा । कथम् अग्न्यादिषूष्णत्वं पृथ्व्यादौ स्थिरता कथम्
How does natural disposition arise? How does existence enter into objects? How does heat reside in fire and the like, and how does stability abide in earth and such?
हिमादिषु कथं शैत्यं का सत्ता कालखादिषु । भावाभावग्रहोत्सर्गस् स्थूलसूक्ष्मदृशः कथम्
How does coldness exist in things like snow? What is the existence in time, space, and so on? How do the arising and ceasing of being and non-being, and the perception of gross and subtle, occur?
कथम् अत्यन्तम् उच्छ्रायं तृणगुल्माङ्कुरादिकम् । वस्तुनायात्य् अनष्टे ऽपि स्थिते स्वोच्छ्रायकारणे
How does great height, as seen in grass, bushes, sprouts, and the like, not come to a thing even when the cause for its height remains and the object itself is not destroyed?
महाप्रलयसंपत्तौ सर्गास्थास्तमये सति । अनन्ताकाशम् आशान्तं सद् ब्रह्मैवावतिष्ठते
At the time of the great dissolution, when creation and its foundation have set, only the infinite, peaceful space-like existence, the true Brahman, remains.
तच्चिद्रूपतया तेजःकणो ऽहम् इति चेतति । स्वप्ने संविद् यथा हि त्वम् आकाशगमनादि वा
That, in the form of consciousness, imagines itself as a particle of light, thinking, 'I am this.' Just as in a dream you experience awareness or flying in the sky.
तेजःकणो सौस्थूलत्वम् आत्मनात्मनि विन्दति । असत्यम् एव सत्याभं ब्रह्माण्डं तद् इदं स्मृतम्
The particle of light perceives grossness within itself, in itself. This universe, though unreal, is regarded as real in appearance.
तत्रान्तर् ब्रह्म तद् वेत्ति ब्रह्माहम् अयम् इत्य् अथ । मनोराज्यं स कुरुते खात्मैव तद् इदं जगत्
Within that, Brahman knows itself as Brahman, saying, 'I am this.' Then it creates a kingdom of thought; this world is truly only its own sky-like self.
तस्मिन् प्रथमतस् सर्गे या यथा यत्र संविदः । कथितास् तास् तथा तत्र स्थिता अद्यापि निश्चलाः
In that first creation, whatever forms of awareness were described as existing in whatever way and wherever, those remain there even now, unmoving.
यद् यथा स्फुरितं चित्त्वं तत् तथान्यत्म चिद् भवेत् । स्वयम् एवानियमितस् ततस् स्यान् नेह किञ्चन
Whatever form consciousness takes, in that very way it appears as another self; being itself unrestrained, from that, nothing here is fixed.
न च नाम नकिञ्चित्त्वं युज्यते चित्स्वरूपिणः । त्यक्त्वा समस्तसंस्थानं हि संतिष्ठतु वै कथम्
And the notion of 'nothing at all' does not apply to the very nature of consciousness; for, having abandoned all forms, how could it possibly remain?
सर्गादौ स्वयम् एवान्तश् चिद् यथा कचितात्मनि । हिमाग्न्यादितयाद्यापि सा तथास्ते स्वसत्तया
At the beginning of creation, consciousness itself, within, takes on various forms in itself; even now, by its own being, it remains as cold, fire, and so on.
तस्मात् स्वसत्तासन्त्यागस् सतः कर्तुं न युज्यते । यदा चिदादेस् तेनेयं नियतिर् न विनश्यति
Therefore, for one who exists, it is not possible to abandon one's own being; as long as there is consciousness and so forth, this order does not perish.
यद् यथा कचितं यत्र व्योमरूप्य् अपि पार्थिवम् । सर्गादौ तस्य चलितुम् अद्य यावन् न युज्यते
Whatever is formed, wherever, whether space-like or earth-like, from the beginning of creation until now, it is not possible for it to move away from that.
या यथा चित् प्रकचिता प्रतिपक्षविदं विना । न सा ततः प्रचलति वेदनाभ्यासतस् स्वयम्
Whatever consciousness is manifested in whatever way, unless there is an opposing force, it does not depart from that; by the habit of experience, it remains as it is.
जगदादाव् अनुत्पन्नं यच् चेदम् अनुभूयते । तत् संविद्व्योमकचनं स्वप्नस्त्रीसुरतं यथा
At the beginning of the world, what is not produced, yet is experienced as this— that is the formation of consciousness-space, like the pleasure of a woman in a dream.
असत्यम् एव सत्याभं प्रतिभानम् इति स्थितम् । इति स्वभावसंवित्तिर् इत्थं भूतानुभूतयः
It is established that the appearance is unreal, though it seems real; thus, the awareness of its own nature is such, and so are the experiences of beings.
सर्गादौ या यथा रूढा संवित्कचनसन्ततिः । साद्यापि चालितान्येन स्थिता नियतिर् दृश्यते
The stream of consciousness that was established at the beginning of creation is still observed to remain, even when stirred by another influence.
गृहीतव्योमतासंविच् चिद्व्योम व्योमतां गतम् । गृहीतकालतासंविच् चिन्नभः कालतां गतम्
The awareness that has taken on the nature of space becomes the consciousness of the sky; the awareness that has assumed the form of time becomes the consciousness of the ether as time.
गृहीतजलसंविद् चिद्व्योम वारि व्यवस्थितम् । स्वप्ने तथा हि पुरुषः पश्यत्य् आत्मनि वारिताम्
The awareness that has taken on the nature of water becomes the consciousness of water established in the ether; in dreams, a person likewise perceives water within himself.
स्वमरुत्संविदा भाति भवत्य् एषा यथास्थिता । चिच्चमत्कारचातुर्यम् असद् एतत् समूहते
It shines forth with its own awareness of wind, remaining as it is; this cleverness of consciousness imagines what is unreal.
खत्वं मरुत्त्वम् उर्वीत्वम् अप्त्वम् अग्नित्वम् अप्य् असत् । वेत्त्य् अन्तस् स्वप्नसङ्कल्पध्यानेष्व् इव चितिस् स्वयम्
The states of being space, wind, earth, water, and fire are all unreal; consciousness itself knows this inwardly, as in dreams, imaginations, and meditations.
मरणानन्तरं कर्मफलानुभवनक्रमम् । सर्वकर्मेहशान्त्यर्थं श्रुतं श्रेयस्करं शृणु
Listen to what is taught for the cessation of all actions here, concerning the sequence of experiencing the results of karma after death, which is beneficial.
रूढादिसर्गे नियतिर् यैकद्वित्रिचतुर्मिता । पुष्ट्यादिष्व् आयुषः पुंसां तस्याथ नियतिं शृणु
The fixed order at the beginning of creation is onefold, twofold, threefold, or fourfold; now hear about the order regarding the vitality of beings in nourishment and so forth.
देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यशुद्ध्यशुद्धी स्वकर्मणाम् । ऊनत्वे चाधिकत्वे च नृणां कारणम् आयुषः
The cause of the increase or decrease of human lifespan is the purity or impurity of place, time, action, substance, and their own deeds.
स्वकर्मधर्मे ह्रसति ह्रसत्य् आयुर् नृणाम् इह । वृद्धे वृद्धिम् उपायाति समम् एव भवेत् समे
When one’s own prescribed duty declines, the lifespan of people here also diminishes; when it increases, it grows; and when it is steady, it remains steady.
बालमृत्युप्रदैर् बालो युवा यौवनमृत्युदैः । वृद्धमृत्युप्रदैर् वृद्धः कर्मभिर् मृतिम् ऋच्छति
A child meets death through actions that cause childhood death; a youth through actions that bring youthful death; an elder through actions that bring death in old age.
यो यथा शास्त्रम् आरब्धं स्वधर्मम् अनुतिष्ठति । भाजनं भवति श्रीमान् स यथाशास्त्रम् आयुषः
Whoever performs their own duty as prescribed by scripture becomes a recipient of prosperity and lifespan according to the scripture.
एवं कर्मानुसारेण जन्तुर् अन्त्यां दशाम् इतः । भवत्य् अस्तङ्गतवचो दृङ्मर्मच्छेदिवेदनः
Thus, according to one’s actions, a living being reaches the final state from here—becoming speechless, with vision fading, and experiencing pain at the vital points.