12. Chapter 12

काल उवाच । सुरासुरनराकारा इमा याः संविदो मुने । ब्रह्मार्णवादभिन्नास्ताः सत्यमेतन्मृषेतरत् ॥ १ ॥

kāla uvāca | surāsuranarākārā imā yāḥ saṃvido mune | brahmārṇavādabhinnāstāḥ satyametanmṛṣetarat || 1 ||

Yama said:—The consciousness of gods, demigods and men as distinct beings, is quite wrong, since they are no way distinct from the infinite ocean of Divine Spirit, of which they are all as undulations.

मिथ्याभावनया ब्रह्मन्स्वविकल्पकलङ्किताः । न ब्रह्म वयमित्यन्तर्निंश्चयेन ह्यधोगताः ॥ २ ॥

mithyābhāvanayā brahmansvavikalpakalaṅkitāḥ | na brahma vayamityantarniṃścayena hyadhogatāḥ || 2 ||

It is owing to our erroneous conceptions that we make these distinctions in ourselves and the Supreme Soul. The thought of our being separate and apart from the Supreme spirit, is the cause of our degradation from our pristine holiness and the image of God, in which man was made at first and was infused with his holy spirit.

ब्रह्मणो व्यतिरिक्तत्वं ब्रह्मार्णवगता अपि । भावयन्त्यो विमुह्यन्ति भीमासु भवभूमिषु ॥ ३ ॥

brahmaṇo vyatiriktatvaṃ brahmārṇavagatā api | bhāvayantyo vimuhyanti bhīmāsu bhavabhūmiṣu || 3 ||

Remaining within the depth of the Divine Spirit, and yet thinking ourselves to live without it, is the cause of keeping us in darkness on the surface of the earth.

या एताः संविदो ब्राह्म्यो मननैककलङ्किताः । एतत्तत्कर्मणां बीजमप्यकर्मैव विद्धि ताः ॥ ४ ॥

yā etāḥ saṃvido brāhmyo mananaikakalaṅkitāḥ | etattatkarmaṇāṃ bījamapyakarmaiva viddhi tāḥ || 4 ||

Our consciousness of ourselves as Brahma, being vitiated by the various thoughts in our minds, becomes the root of our activities; while the pure consciousness of ego sum—I am, is free from all actions and energies.

संकल्परूपयैवान्तर्मुने कलनयैतया । कर्मजालकरञ्जानां बीजमुष्ट्या करालया ॥ ५ ॥

saṃkalparūpayaivāntarmune kalanayaitayā | karmajālakarañjānāṃ bījamuṣṭyā karālayā || 5 ||

It is the inward desire of the heart and mind, that becomes the seed of earthly actions; which sprouts forth in thorny plants like the karanja, a handful of which fills the ground with rankest weeds.

इमा जगति विस्तीर्णाः शरीरोपलपङ्क्तयः । तिष्ठन्ति परिवल्गन्ति रुदन्ति च हसन्ति च ॥ ६ ॥

imā jagati vistīrṇāḥ śarīropalapaṅktayaḥ | tiṣṭhanti parivalganti rudanti ca hasanti ca || 6 ||

Those living bodies, that lie scattered as pebbles on earth; are seen to roll about or lie down with their temporary joy and grief in continued succession, owing to their ignorance of themselves.

आब्रह्मस्तम्बपर्यन्तं स्पन्दनैः पवनो यथा । उल्लसन्ति निलीयन्ते म्लायन्ति विहसन्ति च ॥ ७ ॥

ābrahmastambaparyantaṃ spandanaiḥ pavano yathā | ullasanti nilīyante mlāyanti vihasanti ca || 7 ||

From the highest empyrean of Brahma, down to the lowest deep, there is an incessant undulation of the Divine spirit, like the oscillation of the wind; which keeps all beings in their successive wailing and rejoicing, and in their incessant births and deaths.

ता एताः काश्चिदत्यच्छा यथा हरिहरादयः । काश्चिदल्पविमोहस्था यथोरगनरामराः ॥ ८ ॥

tā etāḥ kāścidatyacchā yathā hariharādayaḥ | kāścidalpavimohasthā yathoraganarāmarāḥ || 8 ||

There are some of pure and enlightened souls, as the gods Hari, Hara and others; and some of somewhat darkened understandings, as men and the inferior demigods.

काश्चिदत्यन्तमोहस्था यथा तरुतृणादयः । काश्चिदज्ञानसंमूढाः कृमिकीटत्वमागताः ॥ ९ ॥

kāścidatyantamohasthā yathā tarutṛṇādayaḥ | kāścidajñānasaṃmūḍhāḥ kṛmikīṭatvamāgatāḥ || 9 ||

Some are placed in greater darkness, as the worms and insects; and others are situated in utter darkness, as the trees and vegetables.

काश्चिचत्तृणवदुह्यन्ते दूरे ब्रह्ममहोदधेः । अप्राप्तभूमिका एता यथोरगनगादयः ॥ १० ॥

kāścicattṛṇavaduhyante dūre brahmamahodadheḥ | aprāptabhūmikā etā yathoraganagādayaḥ || 10 ||

Some grow afar from the great ocean of the Divine Spirit; as the grass and weeds of the earth, which are ever degraded, owing to their being the emblems of sin; and others are barred from elevation as dull stones and heinous snakes.

सत्त्वमात्रं समालोक्य काश्चिदेवमुपागताः । जाताजाता निखन्यन्ते कृतान्तजरठाखुना ॥ ११ ॥

sattvamātraṃ samālokya kāścidevamupāgatāḥ | jātājātā nikhanyante kṛtāntajaraṭhākhunā || 11 ||

Some have come to being only with their bodies (without any share of understanding); and they know not that death has been undermining the fabric of their bodies, as a mouse burrows a house.

काश्चिदन्तरमासाद्य ब्रह्मतत्त्वमहाम्बुधेः । गतास्तत्तां समं कार्यैर्हरिब्रह्महरादिकाः ॥ १२ ॥

kāścidantaramāsādya brahmatattvamahāmbudheḥ | gatāstattāṃ samaṃ kāryairharibrahmaharādikāḥ || 12 ||

Some have gone through the ocean of Divine knowledge, and have become as divinities, in their living bodies as Brahma, Hari, and Hara.

अल्पमोहात्मिकाः काश्चित्तमेव ब्रह्मवारिधिम् । अदृष्टपारभूम्यौघमवलम्ब्य व्यवस्थिताः ॥ १३ ॥

alpamohātmikāḥ kāścittameva brahmavāridhim | adṛṣṭapārabhūmyaughamavalambya vyavasthitāḥ || 13 ||

Some having a little understanding, have gone down the depth of holy knowledge, without ever reaching the bottom, or finding its either shore.

काश्चिद्भोक्तव्यजन्मौघभुक्तजन्मौघकोटयः । वन्ध्याः प्रकाशतामस्यः संस्थिता भूतजातयः ॥ १४ ॥

kāścidbhoktavyajanmaughabhuktajanmaughakoṭayaḥ | vandhyāḥ prakāśatāmasyaḥ saṃsthitā bhūtajātayaḥ || 14 ||

Some beings that have undergone many births, and have yet to pass through many more, have ever remained abortive and benighted without the light of truth.

काश्चिदूर्ध्वादधो यान्ति यथा हस्तान्महत्फलम् । ऊध्वादूर्ध्वतरं काश्चिदधस्तात्काश्चिदप्यधः ॥ १५ ॥

kāścidūrdhvādadho yānti yathā hastānmahatphalam | ūdhvādūrdhvataraṃ kāścidadhastātkāścidapyadhaḥ || 15 ||

Some are tossed up and down, like fruits flung from the hand: those flying upward have gone higher still; and those going down have fallen still lower and lower.

बहुसुखदुःखकराकराक्षयेयं परमपदास्मरणात्समागतेह । परमपदावगमात्प्रयाति नाशं विहगपतिस्मरणाद्विषव्यथेव ॥ १६ ॥

bahusukhaduḥkhakarākarākṣayeyaṃ paramapadāsmaraṇātsamāgateha | paramapadāvagamātprayāti nāśaṃ vihagapatismaraṇādviṣavyatheva || 16 ||

It is forgetfulness of Supreme felicity, that causes one to rove in various births of weal or woe; but the knowledge of the Supreme, causes the cessation of transmigration;as the remembrance of Garuda, destroys the power of the most destructive poison.