को ऽणुः प्रकाशतमसोर् दीपः प्रकटनप्रदः । कस्याणोर् अन्तरे सन्ति समग्रानुभवाणवः
What is the atom that is the light revealing both brightness and darkness? Within which atom do all experiences, minute as they are, reside?
को ऽणुर् अत्यन्तनिस्स्वादुर् अपि संस्वदते भृशम् । केन सन्त्यजता सर्वम् अणुना सर्वम् आश्रितम्
What is the atom that, though utterly tasteless, is intensely savored? By which atom, having renounced all, is everything nevertheless supported?
केनात्माच्छादनाशक्तेर् अणुनाच्छादितं जगत् । जगन् नयेन कस्याणोस् सद्भूतम् अभिजीवति
By which atom, lacking the power to conceal itself, is the world concealed? By the method of which atom does the world subsist as real?
अजातावयवः को ऽणुस् सहस्रकरलोचनः । को निमेषो महाकल्पो महाकल्पशतानि वा
What is the atom that is without parts, yet has a thousand hands and eyes? What is an instant, or a great age, or even hundreds of great ages?
अणौ जगन्ति तिष्ठन्ति कस्मिन् बीज इव द्रुमाः । बीजाद्यानि फलान्तानि स्फुटान्य् अनुदितान्य् अपि
In which atom do worlds abide, as trees in a seed? From seed to fruit, all things, whether manifest or unmanifest, are contained therein.
कल्पः कस्य निमेषस्य जीवस्येवान्तरे स्थितः । कः प्रयोजककर्तृत्वम् अप्य् अनाश्रित्य कारकः
Of which instant is an age contained within, as life is within a living being? What acts as the agent of action, even without relying on any doer?
दृश्यसम्पत्तये द्रष्टाप्य् आत्मानं दृश्यतां नयेत् । दृश्यं पश्यन् स्वम् आत्मानं को न पश्यति नेत्रवत्
For the sake of perceivable wealth, the seer may make himself the seen; yet, seeing the seen, who does not see his own self, as the eye does not see itself?
अन्तर्गलितदृश्यं च क आत्मानम् अखण्डितम् । दृश्यासम्पत्तये पश्यन् पुरो दृश्यं न पश्यति
Who, seeing the undivided Self into which all objects have merged, does not see the external objects, even when they appear before him?
आत्मानं दर्शनं दृश्यं को भासयति दृश्यवत् । कटकादीनि हेम्नेव निगीर्णं केन च त्रयम्
Who illumines the Self, the act of seeing, and the seen, just as gold pervades ornaments like a bangle, and by whom are these three absorbed?
कस्मान् न किञ्चिच् च पृथग् ऊर्म्यादीव महाम्भसः । कस्येच्छया पृथक् चास्ति वीचितेव महाम्भसः
Why does nothing remain separate, like waves in the great ocean, and by whose will does anything appear distinct, like foam upon the vast sea?
दिक्कालाद्यनवच्छिन्नाद् एकस्माद् असतस् सतः । द्वैतम् अप्य् अपृथक् कस्माद् द्रवतेव महाम्भसः
From that one, unlimited by space, time, and other conditions, which is both unreal and real, why does even duality not remain separate, but seems to dissolve like water in the great ocean?
आत्मानं दर्शनं दृश्यं सद् असच् च गतक्रमम् । को ऽन्तर्बीजम् इवाङ्गस्थं स्थितः कृत्वा त्रिकालगम्
Who, having established within himself the Self, the act of seeing, and the seen—both real and unreal, and all that moves through the three times—remains as the inner seed, like a seed within a limb?
भूतभव्यभविष्यस्थं जगद्वृन्दं बृहद्भ्रमम् । नित्यं समस्य कस्यान्तर् बीजस्यान्तर् इव द्रुमः
Within whom does the vast, whirling multitude of worlds—existing in past, present, and future—always abide equally, as a tree abides within the seed?
बीजं द्रुमतयैवाशु द्रुमो बीजतयैव च । स्वयम् एकम् असद्रूपम् उदेत्य् अनुदितो ऽपि कः
Who, though not arisen, arises by himself as the one, formless essence—just as the seed quickly becomes the tree, and the tree in turn becomes the seed?
बिसतन्तुर् महामेरुर् भो राजन् यदपेक्षया । तस्य कस्योदरे सन्ति मेरुमन्दरकोटयः
O King, in relation to whom do the peaks of Meru and Mandara exist within the belly of a lotus fiber or the great Meru itself?
केनेदम् आततम् अनेकचिद् एव विश्वं किंसार एवम् अभिवल्गसि हंसि पासि । किंदर्शनेन न भवस्य् अथ वा सद् एव नूनं भवस्य् असमदृग् वद तत्प्रशान्त्यै
By whom is this universe, with its countless forms, spread out? Why do you so fiercely boast, destroy, and protect? With what vision do you not become, or do you indeed become, existence itself? Surely you are not of equal sight—tell me, so that this may be calmed.
एषो ऽसौ प्रगलतु संशयो ममोच्चैश् चित्तश्रीमुखमिहिकामलानुलेपः । यस्याग्रे न गलति संशयस् समूलो नैवासौ क्वचिद् अपि पण्डितोक्तिम् एति
Let this doubt of mine dissolve completely, like the fading of dew on the lotus face of the mind. If doubt does not vanish at its root, then even the words of the wise never truly reach anywhere.
एनं मे यदि न नयिष्यथः क्रमोक्त्या संशान्तिं लघुतरसंशयं सुबुद्धी । तद् रक्षोजठरहुताशनेन्धनत्वं निर्विघ्नं झगिति गमिष्यथः क्षणेन
If you do not lead me, step by step, to the cessation of this doubt, making it lighter with sound understanding, then you will swiftly become fuel for the fire in the belly of the demon, and will be consumed without hindrance in a moment.
पश्चात् तां जनपदमण्डलीं समन्ताद् भावत्कीम् उरुजठरा क्षणाद् ग्रसे ऽहम् । एवं ते भवति सुराजतेव मन्ये मूर्खानाम् अतिरस एव सङ्क्षयाय
Afterwards, I will devour that entire region and its people, all around, with the hunger of my belly in an instant. Thus, for you, it will be as if a good king rules; but I think that excessive delight is always ruinous for fools.
इत्य् उक्त्वा विपुलगभीरमेघनाद प्रोल्लासप्रकटगिरा निशाचरी सा । तूष्णीम् अप्य् अतिविकटाकृतिस् तदासीच् छुद्धान्तश्शरदमलाभ्रमण्डलीव
Having spoken thus, with a voice deep and vast as thunderclouds, the night-dweller, with her fierce and terrifying form, became silent, pure within, like a spotless autumn cloud.
महानिशि महारण्ये महाराक्षसकन्यया । इति प्रोक्ते महाप्रश्ने महामन्त्री गिरं ददौ
In the great night, in the great forest, after the great demon maiden had spoken, the chief minister gave his reply to the great question.
शृणु तोयदसङ्काशे प्रश्नम् एनं भिनद्मि ते । अनुक्रमात्मकं मत्तं गजेन्द्रम् इव केसरी
Listen, O you who resemble a rain cloud! I will break apart your question, as a lion does to a maddened elephant, in a systematic manner.
भवत्या परमात्मैष कथितः कमलेक्षणे । अनयैव वचोभङ्ग्या ब्रह्मविद्बोधयोग्यया
O lotus-eyed one, this supreme Self has been described by you; and in this very manner of speech, suitable for awakening knowledge of Brahman.
अनाख्यत्वाद् अगम्यत्वान् मनसाम् अप्य् अगोचरः । चिन्मात्रम् एवम् आत्माणुर् आकाशाद् अपि सूक्ष्मकः
Because it cannot be described and cannot be reached, it is beyond even the mind's grasp; thus, the Self is pure consciousness, subtler even than space.
चिदणोः परमस्यान्तस् सद् एवासद् इव स्थितम् । सत्ताप्य् एवम् असत्तेव स्फुरतीदं जगत् स्थितम्
Within the supreme atom of consciousness, existence abides as if it were non-existence; in this way, this world appears to shine forth as if it exists, though it is as if it does not.
स किञ्चिदनुभूतित्वात् सर्गात्मकतया स्थितः। तदात्मकतया पूर्वं भावसत्तां किलागतः
Because it is experienced in some way and stands as the essence of creation, it previously assumed the state of being as its own nature.
अतीन्द्रियत्वान् नो किञ्चित् स एवाणुर् अनन्तकः । सर्वात्मकत्वाद् भुङ्क्ते च तेन किञ्चिन् न किञ्चन
Because it is beyond the senses, that subtle atom is nothing at all and yet infinite; because it is all-pervading, it enjoys everything, yet nothing at all.
चिदणोः प्रतिभासात् स्वाद् एकस्यानेकतोदिता । असत्यैवापि सत्येव हेम्नः कटकता यथा
From the reflection of the atom of consciousness, the one appears as many; though unreal, it seems real, like a bracelet appears from gold.
एषो ऽणुः परमाकाशस् सूक्ष्मः खाद् अप्य् अलक्षितः । मनष्षष्ठेन्द्रियातीतस् स्थितस् सर्वात्मको ऽपि सन्
This atom is the supreme space, subtler even than ether, invisible, beyond mind and the six senses, yet abiding as the Self of all.
सर्वात्मकस् स्यान् नैवासौ शून्यो भवति कर्हिचित् । यद् अस्ति न तद् अस्तीति वक्तोन्मत्त इति स्मृतः
Though it is the Self of all, it is never void; one who says that what exists does not exist is considered mad.