63. Chapter 63

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । यदेतद्ब्रह्मतत्त्वं सर्वथा सर्वदैव सर्वत एव सर्वशक्ति सर्वाकारं सर्वेश्वरं सर्वगं सर्वमेवेति ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | yadetadbrahmatattvaṃ sarvathā sarvadaiva sarvata eva sarvaśakti sarvākāraṃ sarveśvaraṃ sarvagaṃ sarvameveti || 1 ||

Vasishtha continued:—The essence of Brahma is all in all, and ever remains in every manner in every thing in all places. It is omnipotence, omniform and the lord God of all.

एष त्वात्मा सर्वशक्तित्वाच्च क्वचिच्चिच्छक्तिं प्रकटयति क्वचिच्छान्तिं क्वचिज्जडशक्तिं क्वचिदुल्लासं क्वचित्किंचिन्न किंचित्प्रकटयति ॥ २ ॥

eṣa tvātmā sarvaśaktitvācca kvaciccicchaktiṃ prakaṭayati kvacicchāntiṃ kvacijjaḍaśaktiṃ kvacidullāsaṃ kvacitkiṃcinna kiṃcitprakaṭayati || 2 ||

This Essence is the Spirit or Soul, whose omnipotence developes itself sometimes in the form of intellectual activity, and sometimes in the tranquillity of soul. Sometimes it shows itself in the momentum of bodies, and at others in the force of the passions and emotions of the soul. Sometimes as something in the form of creation, and at another as nothing in the annihilation of the world.

यत्र यदा यदेवासौ यथा भावयति तत्र तदा तदेवासौ प्रपश्यति ॥ ३ ॥

yatra yadā yadevāsau yathā bhāvayati tatra tadā tadevāsau prapaśyati || 3 ||

Whenever it realises itself any where in any form or state, it is then viewed in the same manner at the same place and time.

सर्वशक्तेर्हि या यैव यथोदेति तथैव सा ॥ ४ ॥

sarvaśakterhi yā yaiva yathodeti tathaiva sā || 4 ||

The absolute Omnipotence manifests itself as it likes and appears to us; and all its powers are exhibited in one form or other to our view and understandings.

तदास्ति शक्तिर्नानारूपिणी सा स्वभावत इमाः शक्तयोऽयमात्मेति ॥ ५ ॥

tadāsti śaktirnānārūpiṇī sā svabhāvata imāḥ śaktayo'yamātmeti || 5 ||

These powers are of many kinds, and are primarily concentrated in the Divine Soul or Spirit. The potentialities (or potes esse) are the Active and Passive powers, also the Rational and Irrational and all others.

एवं विकल्पजालं व्यवहारार्थं धीमद्भिः परिकल्पितं लोके नत्वात्मनि विद्यते भेदः ॥ ६ ॥

evaṃ vikalpajālaṃ vyavahārārthaṃ dhīmadbhiḥ parikalpitaṃ loke natvātmani vidyate bhedaḥ || 6 ||

These varieties of powers are the inventions of the learned for their own purpose and understanding; but there is no distinction of them in the Divine Spirit.

यथोर्मितरङ्गपयसां सागरे कटकाङ्गदकेयूरैर्वा हेम्नः । अवयवावयविनोः संवित्काल्पनिकी द्विता न वास्तवी ॥ ७ ॥

yathormitaraṅgapayasāṃ sāgare kaṭakāṅgadakeyūrairvā hemnaḥ | avayavāvayavinoḥ saṃvitkālpanikī dvitā na vāstavī || 7 ||

There is no duality in reality, the difference consists in shape and not in substantiality. Thus the waves in the waters of the sea, the bracelets and wristlets formed of gold, are no more than modifications of the same substances.

यथा यच्चेत्यते हि तथैव तन्न बाह्यतो नान्तरतश्चैतत्समुदेति हि ॥ ८ ॥

yathā yaccetyate hi tathaiva tanna bāhyato nāntarataścaitatsamudeti hi || 8 ||

The form of a thing is said to be so and so, from its appearance only and not in its reality. The snake is affirmed of a rope, but we have neither the outward perception nor inward thought of a snake in it. Hence all appearances are delusions of sense.

सर्वात्मत्वात्समाभासं क्वचित्किंचित्प्रपश्यति ॥ ९ ॥

sarvātmatvātsamābhāsaṃ kvacitkiṃcitprapaśyati || 9 ||

It is the universal soul that shows itself in some form or other, to our deluded senses and understandings, and this also according to our different apprehensions of the same thing.

सर्वाकारमयं ब्रह्मैवेदं ततं मिथ्याज्ञानवद्भिः शक्तिशक्तिमत्त्वे अवयवावयविरूपे कल्पिते न पारमार्थिके ॥ १० ॥

sarvākāramayaṃ brahmaivedaṃ tataṃ mithyājñānavadbhiḥ śaktiśaktimattve avayavāvayavirūpe kalpite na pāramārthike || 10 ||

It is the ignorant only that understand the Omniform God, to be all forms of things; while the learned know the forms to be modifications of the various powers of the Almighty, and not the figures themselves.

सद्वा भवत्वसद्वा चिद्यत्संकल्पयत्यभिनिविशति तत्तत्पश्यति सकला तत्सद्ब्रह्मैव चिद्भाति ॥ ११ ॥

sadvā bhavatvasadvā cidyatsaṃkalpayatyabhiniviśati tattatpaśyati sakalā tatsadbrahmaiva cidbhāti || 11 ||

Now whether the forms (of material things) be real or unreal, it is to be known that they appear to men according to their different apprehensions of those beings, which Brahma is pleased to exhibit in any particular form to their minds and senses.