20. Chapter 20

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । संकल्पपुरुषस्त्वेष यद्यत्कल्पयति स्वयम् । तत्तथा तादृशं पञ्चभूतात्मा भवतीव खम् ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | saṃkalpapuruṣastveṣa yadyatkalpayati svayam | tattathā tādṛśaṃ pañcabhūtātmā bhavatīva kham || 1 ||

Vasishtha continued:—This primary purusha or the male agent—Virat, is a volitive principle; and whatever he wills to do at anytime, the same appears instantly before him in its material form of the five elements.

सर्वं राम जगज्जातं तत्संकल्पं विदुर्बुधाः । तादृग्रूपं पञ्चकात्मविषयोन्मुखमाततम् ॥ २ ॥

sarvaṃ rāma jagajjātaṃ tatsaṃkalpaṃ vidurbudhāḥ | tādṛgrūpaṃ pañcakātmaviṣayonmukhamātatam || 2 ||

It is this will, O Rama! that the sages say to have become the world;because by its being intent upon producing the same, it became expanded in the same form.

जगत्पदार्थसार्थस्य विराट् सर्वस्य कारणम् । कारणेन समान्येव कार्याणि च भवन्त्यतः ॥ ३ ॥

jagatpadārthasārthasya virāṭ sarvasya kāraṇam | kāraṇena samānyeva kāryāṇi ca bhavantyataḥ || 3 ||

Virat is the cause of all things in the world, which came to be produced in the same form as their material cause.

यथैष स विराडेव विराट् प्रत्येकमात्मनि । स्वसंविदि प्रसरति बोधवान्न त्वबोधवान् ॥ ४ ॥

yathaiṣa sa virāḍeva virāṭ pratyekamātmani | svasaṃvidi prasarati bodhavānna tvabodhavān || 4 ||

As the great Virat is collectively the aggregate of all souls, so is he distributed likewise into the individual soul of every body.

आसरीसृपमारुद्रमेवमभ्युदितो भ्रमः । अणावप्यद्रिविस्तारो बीजकोश इव द्रुमः ॥ ५ ॥

āsarīsṛpamārudramevamabhyudito bhramaḥ | aṇāvapyadrivistāro bījakośa iva drumaḥ || 5 ||

The same Virat is manifest in the meanest insect as also in the highest Rudra, in a small atom as in the huge hill, and expands itself as the seed vessel to a very large tree.

आसरीसृपमारुद्रं विराट् प्रत्येकमात्मनि । पराणावप्यनन्तात्मबोधतो न त्वबोधतः ॥ ६ ॥

āsarīsṛpamārudraṃ virāṭ pratyekamātmani | parāṇāvapyanantātmabodhato na tvabodhataḥ || 6 ||

The great Virat is himself the soul of every individual, from the creeping insect to the mighty Rudra of air; and his infinite soul extends even to atoms, that are sensible and not insensible of themselves.

यादृगेव विराडात्मन्येष विस्तार आगतः । तादृगेवेह सर्वस्मिन्नणुमात्रेऽपि भूतके ॥ ७ ॥

yādṛgeva virāḍātmanyeṣa vistāra āgataḥ | tādṛgeveha sarvasminnaṇumātre'pi bhūtake || 7 ||

In proportion as Virat expands and extends his soul to infinity, so he fills the bodies of even the atomic animalcules with particles of his own essence.

परमार्थेन न स्थूलं न सूक्ष्मं किंचन क्वचित् । यद्यथा विततं यत्र तत्तथाश्वनुभूयते ॥ ८ ॥

paramārthena na sthūlaṃ na sūkṣmaṃ kiṃcana kvacit | yadyathā vitataṃ yatra tattathāśvanubhūyate || 8 ||

There is nothing as great or small in reality in the world, but everything appears to be in proportion as it is filled and expanded by the Divine spirit.

मनश्चन्द्रमसो जातं मनसश्चन्द्र उत्थितः । जीवाज्जीवोऽथवैकैषा सत्ता द्रवजलाङ्गवत् ॥ ९ ॥

manaścandramaso jātaṃ manasaścandra utthitaḥ | jīvājjīvo'thavaikaiṣā sattā dravajalāṅgavat || 9 ||

The mind is derived from the moon, again the moon has sprung from the mind; so doth life spring from life and the fluid water flows from the congealed snow and ice and vice versa.

शुक्रसारं विदुर्जीवं प्रालेयकणसंनिभम् । आनन्दोऽचलसंदोहस्तत एव प्रवर्तते ॥ १० ॥

śukrasāraṃ vidurjīvaṃ prāleyakaṇasaṃnibham | ānando'calasaṃdohastata eva pravartate || 10 ||

Life is but a drop of the seminal fluid, distilled as a particle by the amorous union of parents.

तं चेतति तदाभासं पूर्णमात्मस्थमात्मना । तत्र तन्मयतां धत्ते तेन तन्मयरूपिणी ॥ ११ ॥

taṃ cetati tadābhāsaṃ pūrṇamātmasthamātmanā | tatra tanmayatāṃ dhatte tena tanmayarūpiṇī || 11 ||

This life then reflects in itself, and derives the properties of the soul, and likens it in the fulness of its perfections.

जीवसंविदथैषान्तर्यदुपायाति पञ्चताम् । न तत्र कारणं किंचिद्विद्यते न च कार्यता ॥ १२ ॥

jīvasaṃvidathaiṣāntaryadupāyāti pañcatām | na tatra kāraṇaṃ kiṃcidvidyate na ca kāryatā || 12 ||

The living soul has then the consciousness of itself, and of its existence as one pure and independent soul; but there is no cause whatever, as to how it comes to think itself a material being composed of the five elements.

प्रतियोगिव्यवच्छित्तेरभावात्स्वस्वभावयोः । स्वभावोक्तिर्न चैवात्र भवत्यर्थानुसारिणी ॥ १३ ॥

pratiyogivyavacchitterabhāvātsvasvabhāvayoḥ | svabhāvoktirna caivātra bhavatyarthānusāriṇī || 13 ||

It is through opposition of nature that leads one into error, but in fact nature ever remains the same; as wrong interpretation of language imbues bad ideas whereas character remains the same.

जीवो जीवत्वमेव स्वजीवत्वादेव च स्वतः । अन्तस्त्वेन वहिष्ट्वेन दृश्यते न च वायुवत् ॥ १४ ॥

jīvo jīvatvameva svajīvatvādeva ca svataḥ | antastvena vahiṣṭvena dṛśyate na ca vāyuvat || 14 ||

The living soul is conscious of its self-existence, by its knowledge of living by itself;it is the instinct of the perception of things by the mind, and not merely as the breath of life or external air, which is devoid of consciousness.

नीहारेणेव संवीतश्चेत्यवस्तुपरायणः । जात्यन्ध इव पन्थानं मारुतात्मा न पश्यति ॥ १५ ॥

nīhāreṇeva saṃvītaścetyavastuparāyaṇaḥ | jātyandha iva panthānaṃ mārutātmā na paśyati || 15 ||

But being beset by the frost of ignorance, and confined to the objects of sense, the living soul is blinded of its consciousness and is converted to the breathing soul or vital life, and so loses the sight of its proper course.

जगज्जृम्भिकया जीवः स्वमैक्यं द्वित्वमास्थितः । स्पन्दशक्त्येव पवन आवृतात्मा न पश्यति ॥ १६ ॥

jagajjṛmbhikayā jīvaḥ svamaikyaṃ dvitvamāsthitaḥ | spandaśaktyeva pavana āvṛtātmā na paśyati || 16 ||

Being thus deluded by the illusion of the world, the soul sees the duality instead of its unity, and being converted to the breathing of vital life, it is lost to the sight of the soul which is hidden under it.

अज्ञानस्य महाग्रन्थेर्मिथ्यावेद्यात्मनोऽसतः । अहमित्यर्थरूपस्य भेदो मोक्ष इति स्मृतः ॥ १७ ॥

ajñānasya mahāgranthermithyāvedyātmano'sataḥ | ahamityartharūpasya bhedo mokṣa iti smṛtaḥ || 17 ||

We remain confined to this world of ignorance, as long as we enjoy the idea of ego; but as soon as we give up the idea of ego, we become a free man.

व्यपगतघनचेतनः समन्तादहमिति नूनमबुध्यमान आस्व । अनभिधघनचेतनैकरूपः क्षितसदसत्सदसत्सदोदितश्च ॥ १८ ॥

vyapagataghanacetanaḥ samantādahamiti nūnamabudhyamāna āsva | anabhidhaghanacetanaikarūpaḥ kṣitasadasatsadasatsadoditaśca || 18 ||

Therefore O Rama! When you will be able to know that there is no salvation and confinement in this world, as well as no sat and asat, then and there you will be a true free man.