58. Chapter 58

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । अत्रैव वस्तुन्युदिता श्रृणु राघव पूर्वजाः । कचेन गाथा या गीता बार्हस्पत्येन पावनाः ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | atraiva vastunyuditā śrṛṇu rāghava pūrvajāḥ | kacena gāthā yā gītā bārhaspatyena pāvanāḥ || 1 ||

Vasishtha said:—On this subject I will tell you, Rama! the holy song which was sung of old by Kacha, the son of Vrihaspati—the preceptor of the gods.

कस्मिंश्चिन्मेरुगहनेऽतिष्ठन्सुरगुरोः सुतः । कदाचिदभ्यासवशाद्विश्रान्तिं प्राप चात्मनि ॥ २ ॥

kasmiṃścinmerugahane'tiṣṭhansuraguroḥ sutaḥ | kadācidabhyāsavaśādviśrāntiṃ prāpa cātmani || 2 ||

As this son of the divine tutor, resided in a grove in some part of the mount Meru (the Altain chain—the homestead of the gods); he found the tranquillity of his spirit in the Supreme soul; by means of his holy devotion.

सम्यग्ज्ञानामृतापूर्णा मतिर्नारमतास्य सा । पञ्चभूतमयेऽमान्ये दृश्येऽस्मिन्पेलवात्मनि ॥ ३ ॥

samyagjñānāmṛtāpūrṇā matirnāramatāsya sā | pañcabhūtamaye'mānye dṛśye'sminpelavātmani || 3 ||

His mind being filled with the ambrosial draughts of divine knowledge, he derived no satisfaction at the sight of the visible world, composed of the five elemental bodies.

स तेन निर्विण्ण इव सदात्मत्वादृते पदम् । अपश्यन्समुवाचेदमेको गद्गदया गिरा ॥ ४ ॥

sa tena nirviṇṇa iva sadātmatvādṛte padam | apaśyansamuvācedameko gadgadayā girā || 4 ||

Being rapt in his mind with the vision of the Holy Spirit, he saw nothing else beside him, and then fervently uttered to himself in the following strain.

किं करोमि क्व गच्छामि किं गृह्णामि त्यजामि किम् । आत्मना पूरितं विश्वं महाकल्पाम्बुना यथा ॥ ५ ॥

kiṃ karomi kva gacchāmi kiṃ gṛhṇāmi tyajāmi kim | ātmanā pūritaṃ viśvaṃ mahākalpāmbunā yathā || 5 ||

What is there for me to do or refuse or to receive or reject, and what place is there for me to resort or refrain from going to, when this whole is filled by the Divine Spirit (to pan), as by the water of the great deluge.

दुःखमात्मा सुखं चैव खमाशासुमहत्तया । सर्वमात्ममयं ज्ञातं नष्टकष्टोऽहमात्मना ॥ ६ ॥

duḥkhamātmā sukhaṃ caiva khamāśāsumahattayā | sarvamātmamayaṃ jñātaṃ naṣṭakaṣṭo'hamātmanā || 6 ||

I find pleasure and pain inherent in the soul, and the sky and all its sides contained in the magnitude of the soul. Thus knowing all things to be full of the holy spirit, I forget and sink all my pains in my spirit.

सबाह्याभ्यन्तरे देहे अधश्चोर्ध्वं च दिक्षु च । इत आत्मा ततश्चात्मा नास्त्यनात्ममयं क्वचित् ॥ ७ ॥

sabāhyābhyantare dehe adhaścordhvaṃ ca dikṣu ca | ita ātmā tataścātmā nāstyanātmamayaṃ kvacit || 7 ||

The spirit is inside and outside of all bodies, it is above and below and on all sides of all. Here, there and every where is the same spirit, and there is no place where it is not.

सर्वत्रैव स्थितो ह्यात्मा सर्वमात्ममयं स्थितम् । सर्वमेवेदमात्मैवमात्मन्येव भवाम्यहम् ॥ ८ ॥

sarvatraiva sthito hyātmā sarvamātmamayaṃ sthitam | sarvamevedamātmaivamātmanyeva bhavāmyaham || 8 ||

The spirit abides every where and all things abide in the spirit; all things are self-same with the spirit, and I am situated in the same spirit.

यन्नाम नाम तत्किंचित्सर्वमेवाहमान्तरः । आपूरितापारनभाः सर्वत्र सन्मयः स्थितः ॥ ९ ॥

yannāma nāma tatkiṃcitsarvamevāhamāntaraḥ | āpūritāpāranabhāḥ sarvatra sanmayaḥ sthitaḥ || 9 ||

There is nothing intelligent or insensible which is not the spirit, all is spirit and so am I also. The spirit fills the whole space and is situated in every place.

पूर्णस्तिष्ठामि मोदात्मा सुखमेकार्णवोपमः । इत्येवं भावयंस्तत्र कनकाचलकुञ्जके ॥ १० ॥

pūrṇastiṣṭhāmi modātmā sukhamekārṇavopamaḥ | ityevaṃ bhāvayaṃstatra kanakācalakuñjake || 10 ||

I am as full of that spirit and its ineffable bliss, as the all encompassing water of the great deluge. In this manner was Kacha musing in himself in the bower of the golden mountain.

उच्चारयन्नोङ्कारं च घण्टास्वनमिव क्रमात् । ओंकारस्य कलामात्रं पाश्चात्यं वालकोमलम् । नान्तरस्थो न बाह्यस्थो भावयन्परमे हृदि ॥ ११ ॥

uccārayannoṅkāraṃ ca ghaṇṭāsvanamiva kramāt | oṃkārasya kalāmātraṃ pāścātyaṃ vālakomalam | nāntarastho na bāhyastho bhāvayanparame hṛdi || 11 ||

He uttered the sound Om (on or amen), and it rang on all sides as the ringing of a bell; he first uttered a part of it the vocal part—o, and then the nasal—n, which tops it as a tuft of hair. He remained meditating on the spirit in his mind, not as situated in or without it.

व्यपगतकलनाकलङ्कशुद्धो हृदयनिरन्तरलीनवातवृत्तिः । गतघनशरदाशयोपमानः स्थित इति राम कचः स गायमानः ॥ १२ ॥

vyapagatakalanākalaṅkaśuddho hṛdayanirantaralīnavātavṛttiḥ | gataghanaśaradāśayopamānaḥ sthita iti rāma kacaḥ sa gāyamānaḥ || 12 ||

Thus Rama! did Kacha continue to muse in himself and chant his holy hymn, being freed from the foulness of flesh, and rarefied in his spirit like the breath of the wind. His soul was as clear as the atmosphere in autumn, after dispersion of the dark clouds of the rainy season.