3. Chapter 3

श्रीराम उवाच । महाकल्पान्तसर्गादौ प्रथमोऽसौ प्रजापतिः । स्मृत्यात्मा जायते मन्ये स्मृत्यात्मैव ततो जगत् ॥ १ ॥

śrīrāma uvāca | mahākalpāntasargādau prathamo'sau prajāpatiḥ | smṛtyātmā jāyate manye smṛtyātmaiva tato jagat || 1 ||

Rama said:—But it is related, that Brahma—the lord of creatures, springs up by his reminiscence at the end of a kalpa, and stretches out the world from his remembrance of it, in the beginning of creation.

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । महाप्रलयसर्गादावेवमेतद्रघूद्वह । स्मृत्यात्मैव भवत्यादौ प्रथमोऽसौ प्रजापतिः ॥ २ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | mahāpralayasargādāvevametadraghūdvaha | smṛtyātmaiva bhavatyādau prathamo'sau prajāpatiḥ || 2 ||

Vasishtha answered said:—So it is said, O support of Raghu's race! that the lord of creatures rises at first by his predestination, after the universal dissolution, and at the commencement of a new creation.

तत्संकल्पात्मकजगत्स्मृत्यात्मैवमिदं ततः । भाति संकल्पनगरं स्थितं पूर्वं प्रजापतेः ॥ ३ ॥

tatsaṃkalpātmakajagatsmṛtyātmaivamidaṃ tataḥ | bhāti saṃkalpanagaraṃ sthitaṃ pūrvaṃ prajāpateḥ || 3 ||

It is by his will, that the world is stretched out from his recollection, and is manifested like an ideal city, in the presence of Brahma—the creative power.

स्मृतिर्न संभवत्येव सर्गादौ परमात्मनः । जन्माभावात्कथं कुत्र नभसीव महाद्रुमः ॥ ४ ॥

smṛtirna saṃbhavatyeva sargādau paramātmanaḥ | janmābhāvātkathaṃ kutra nabhasīva mahādrumaḥ || 4 ||

The supreme being can have no remembrance of the past at the beginning of a new creation, owing to his want of a prior birth or death. Therefore this aerial arbour of reminiscence has no relation to Brahma.

श्रीराम उवाच । न संभवति किं ब्रह्मन्सर्गादौ प्राक्तनी स्मृतिः । महाप्रलयसंमोहैर्नश्यति प्राक्स्मृतिः कथम् ॥ ५ ॥

śrīrāma uvāca | na saṃbhavati kiṃ brahmansargādau prāktanī smṛtiḥ | mahāpralayasaṃmohairnaśyati prāksmṛtiḥ katham || 5 ||

Rama asked said:—Does not the reminiscence of the past, continue in Brahma at his recreation of the world; and so the former remembrance of men upon their being reborn on earth? Or are all past remembrances effaced from the minds of men by the delirium of death in their past life?

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । ये महाप्रलये प्राज्ञाः सर्वे ब्रह्मादयः पुरा । किल निर्वाणमायातास्तेऽवश्यं ब्रह्मतां गताः ॥ ६ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | ye mahāpralaye prājñāḥ sarve brahmādayaḥ purā | kila nirvāṇamāyātāste'vaśyaṃ brahmatāṃ gatāḥ || 6 ||

Vasishtha replied:—All intelligent beings, including Brahma and all others of the past age, that obtain their nirvana or extinction, are of course absorbed in One Brahma.

प्राक्तनः कः स्मृतेः कर्ता तस्मात्कथय सुव्रत । स्मृतिर्निर्मूलतां याता स्मर्तुर्मुक्ततया यतः ॥ ७ ॥

prāktanaḥ kaḥ smṛteḥ kartā tasmātkathaya suvrata | smṛtirnirmūlatāṃ yātā smarturmuktatayā yataḥ || 7 ||

Now tell me, my good Rama, where do these past remembrances and remembrancers abide any more, when they are wholly lost, at the final liberation (or extinction) of the rememberers?

अतः स्मर्तुरभावेन स्मृतिर्वोदेति किं कथम् । अवश्यं हि महाकल्पे सर्वे मोक्षैकभागिनः ॥ ८ ॥

ataḥ smarturabhāvena smṛtirvodeti kiṃ katham | avaśyaṃ hi mahākalpe sarve mokṣaikabhāginaḥ || 8 ||

It is certain that all beings are liberated, and become extinct in Brahma at the great dissolution; hence there cannot be remembrance of anything in the absence of the persons that remember the same.

नानुभूतेऽनुभूते च स्वतश्चिद्व्योम्नि या स्मृतिः । सा जगद्भूरिति प्रौढा दृश्या सास्त्येव चित्प्रभा ॥ ९ ॥

nānubhūte'nubhūte ca svataścidvyomni yā smṛtiḥ | sā jagadbhūriti prauḍhā dṛśyā sāstyeva citprabhā || 9 ||

The remembrance that lives impressed of itself in the empty space of individual Intellects, is verily the reservoir of the perceptible and imperceptible worlds. This reminiscence is eternally present before the sight of God, as a reflection of his own Intellect.

भाति संवित्प्रभैवेयमनाद्यन्तावभासिनी । यत्तदेतज्जगदिति स्वयंभूरिति च स्थितम् ॥ १० ॥

bhāti saṃvitprabhaiveyamanādyantāvabhāsinī | yattadetajjagaditi svayaṃbhūriti ca sthitam || 10 ||

It shines with the lustre of his self-consciousness, from time without beginning and end, and is identic with this world, which is therefore called to be self-born.

अनादिकालसंसिद्धं यद्भानं ब्रह्मणो निजम् । स आतिवाहिको देहो विराजो जगदाकृतिः ॥ ११ ॥

anādikālasaṃsiddhaṃ yadbhānaṃ brahmaṇo nijam | sa ātivāhiko deho virājo jagadākṛtiḥ || 11 ||

The spiritual body which is the attribute of God from time without beginning (that God is a spirit); is the same with Viraja or manifestation of himself, and exhibits the form of the world or the microcosm.

परमाणाविदं भाति त्रिजगत्सवनाभ्रखम् । देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यदिनरात्रिक्रमान्वितम् ॥ १२ ॥

paramāṇāvidaṃ bhāti trijagatsavanābhrakham | deśakālakriyādravyadinarātrikramānvitam || 12 ||

But the world is said to be composed of atoms, which compose the land and woods, the clouds and the firmament. But there are no atoms to form time and space, actions and motions and revolutions of days and nights.

परमाणुः प्रविततस्तस्यास्ते तादृगेव च । भाति भासुरताकारि तादृग्गिरिकुलं पुनः ॥ १३ ॥

paramāṇuḥ pravitatastasyāste tādṛgeva ca | bhāti bhāsuratākāri tādṛggirikulaṃ punaḥ || 13 ||

Again the atoms (of matter) which fill the world, have other incipient atoms (of spirit), which are inherent in them, and cause them to take and appear in the forms of mountains and the like.

तत्रापि तादृगाकारमेव प्रत्यनुसंततम् । दृश्यमाभाति भारूपमेतदङ्ग न वास्तवम् ॥ १४ ॥

tatrāpi tādṛgākārameva pratyanusaṃtatam | dṛśyamābhāti bhārūpametadaṅga na vāstavam || 14 ||

But these forms seeming to be conglomerations of atomic particles, and showing themselves to our vision as lightsome objects, are in reality no substantial things.

इत्यस्त्यन्तो नं सद्दृष्टेरसद्दृष्टेश्च वा क्वचित् । अस्यास्त्वभ्युदितं बुद्धं नाबुद्धं प्रति वानघ ॥ १५ ॥

ityastyanto naṃ saddṛṣṭerasaddṛṣṭeśca vā kvacit | asyāstvabhyuditaṃ buddhaṃ nābuddhaṃ prati vānagha || 15 ||

Thus there is no end of the real and unreal sights of things; the one presenting itself to the view of the learned, and the other to that of the unlearned.

बुद्धं प्रतीदं ब्रह्मैव केवलं शान्तमव्ययम् । अबुद्धं प्रति बुद्ध्यैतद्भासुरं भुवनान्वितम् ॥ १६ ॥

buddhaṃ pratīdaṃ brahmaiva kevalaṃ śāntamavyayam | abuddhaṃ prati buddhyaitadbhāsuraṃ bhuvanānvitam || 16 ||

The cosmos appears as the immutable Brahma only to the intelligent, and as the mutable visible world to the unintelligent.

यथेदं भासुरं भाति जगदण्डकजृम्भितम् । यथा कोटिसहस्राणि भान्त्यन्यान्यप्यणावणौ ॥ १७ ॥

yathedaṃ bhāsuraṃ bhāti jagadaṇḍakajṛmbhitam | yathā koṭisahasrāṇi bhāntyanyānyapyaṇāvaṇau || 17 ||

As these bright worlds appear to roll about as eggs in their spheres, so there are multitudes of other orbs, shining in every atom in the universe.

यथा स्तम्भे पुत्रिकान्तस्तस्याः स्वाङ्गेषु पुत्रिका । तस्याश्च पुत्रिकास्त्यङ्गे तथा त्रैलोक्यपुत्रिका ॥ १८ ॥

yathā stambhe putrikāntastasyāḥ svāṅgeṣu putrikā | tasyāśca putrikāstyaṅge tathā trailokyaputrikā || 18 ||

As we see curved pillars, consisting of figures under figures, and those again under others; so is the grand pillar of the universe, composed of systems under systems to no end.

नाभिन्ना नापि संख्येया यथाद्रौ परमाणुकाः । तथा ब्रह्म बृहन्मेरौ त्रैलोक्यपरमाणवः ॥ १९ ॥

nābhinnā nāpi saṃkhyeyā yathādrau paramāṇukāḥ | tathā brahma bṛhanmerau trailokyaparamāṇavaḥ || 19 ||

As the sands on a rock, are separably attached to it, and are countless in their number; so the orbs in the three worlds, are as particles of dust in the mountainous body of Brahma.

सूर्याद्यंशुषु संख्यातुं शक्यन्ते लघवोऽणवः । उत्पद्यन्ते चिदादित्ये त्रैलोक्यपरमाणवः ॥ २० ॥

sūryādyaṃśuṣu saṃkhyātuṃ śakyante laghavo'ṇavaḥ | utpadyante cidāditye trailokyaparamāṇavaḥ || 20 ||

It may be possible to count the particles of a ray scattered in the sun-beams; but it is impossible to number the atoms of light, which are emanating from the great sun of Brahma.

यथाणवो वहन्त्यर्कदीप्तिष्वप्सु रजःसु च । तथा वहन्ति चिद्व्योम्नि त्रैलोक्यपरमाणवः ॥ २१ ॥

yathāṇavo vahantyarkadīptiṣvapsu rajaḥsu ca | tathā vahanti cidvyomni trailokyaparamāṇavaḥ || 21 ||

As the sun scatters the particles of his light, on the sparkling waters and sands of the sea; so does the Intellect of God, disperse the atoms of its light all over the vacuity of the universe.

शून्यानुभवमात्रात्म भूताकाशमिदं यथा । सर्गानुभवमात्रात्म चिदाकाशमिदं तथा ॥ २२ ॥

śūnyānubhavamātrātma bhūtākāśamidaṃ yathā | sargānubhavamātrātma cidākāśamidaṃ tathā || 22 ||

As the notion of vacuity fills the mind, with the idea of the visible firmament; so the thought of creation, as self-same with Brahma, gives us the notion of his intellectual sphere.

सर्गस्तु सर्गशब्दार्थतया बुद्धो नयत्यधः । स ब्रह्मशब्दार्थतया बुद्धः श्रेयो भवत्यलम् ॥ २३ ॥

sargastu sargaśabdārthatayā buddho nayatyadhaḥ | sa brahmaśabdārthatayā buddhaḥ śreyo bhavatyalam || 23 ||

To understand the creation as something different from Brahma, leads man apart from Him; but to take it as synonymous with Brahma, leads him to his felicity.

विज्ञानात्मा शासिता विश्वबीजं ब्रह्मैवालं स्वं चिदाकाशमात्रम् । यस्माज्जातं यत्तदेवेति विद्याद्वेद्यं स्वान्तर्बोधसंबोधमात्रम् ॥ २४ ॥

vijñānātmā śāsitā viśvabījaṃ brahmaivālaṃ svaṃ cidākāśamātram | yasmājjātaṃ yattadeveti vidyādvedyaṃ svāntarbodhasaṃbodhamātram || 24 ||

The enlightened soul, freed from its knowledge of the mundane seed, and knowing Brahma alone as the plenum filling the vacuum of intellect;knows the knowable (God) in his inward understanding, as the same with what has proceeded from him.