याज्ञवल्क्य उवाच न शक्यो निर्गुणस्तात गुणीकर्तुं विशाम्पते। गुणवांश्चाप्यगुणवान् यथातत्त्वं निबोध मे॥
That which is without qualities, O son, can never be explained by assigning qualities to it. Listen, however, to me as I explain to you what is endued with qualities and what is devoid of them.
गुणैर्हि गुणवानेन निर्गुणश्चागुणस्तथा। प्राहुरेवं महात्मानो मुनयस्तत्त्वदर्शिनः॥
Great Munis conversant with the truth about principles say that when Soul seizes qualities like a crystal catching the reflection of a red flower, he is said to be possessed of qualities; but when freed from qualities like the crystal freed from reflection, he is seen in his real nature, which is as above all qualities.
गुणस्वभावस्त्वव्यक्तो गुणान् नैवातिवर्तते। उपयुङ्क्ते च तानेव स चैवाज्ञः स्वभावतः॥
Unmanifest Nature is by her nature endued with qualities. She cannot transcends them. Shorn of intelligence by nature she becomes attached to qualities.
अव्यक्तस्तु न जानीते पुरुषो ज्ञः स्वभावतः। न मत्तः परमोऽस्तीति नित्यमेवाभिमन्यते॥
Unmanifest Nature cannot know anything, while Purusha, by his nature, is endued with knowledge.—There is nothing higher than myself, the Soul is always conscious of it.
अनेन कारणेनैतदव्यक्तं स्यादचेतनम्। नित्यत्वाच्चाक्षरत्वाच्च क्षरत्वान्न तदन्यथा।॥
Therefore the unmanifest Nature, although by nature inanimate and unintelligent, still becomes animate and intelligent on account of her union with the Soul who is Eternal and Indestructible instead of remaining in her own nature owing to her destructibility.
यदाज्ञानेन कुर्वीत गुणसर्ग पुनः पुनः। यदाऽऽत्मानं न जानीते तदाऽऽत्मापि न मुच्यते॥
When Soul, through ignorance, repeatedly becomes associated with qualities, he fails to understand his own real nature and therefore he fails to acquire Liberation.
कर्तृत्वाच्चापि सर्गाणां सर्गधर्मा तथोच्यते। कर्तृत्वाच्चापि योगानां योगधर्मा तथोच्यते॥ कर्तृत्वात् प्रकृतीनां च तथा प्रकृतिधर्मिता॥
On account of the Soul's Supremacy over the principles that originate from Nature he is said to partake of the nature of those principles. On account also of his agency in the matter of creation, he is said to possess the quality of creation. On account of his agency in the matter of Yoga, he is said to possess the quality of Yoga. For his Supremacy over those particular principles know by the name of Nature, he is said to possess the character of Nature.
कर्तृत्वाच्चापि बीजानां बीजधर्मा तथोच्यते। गुणानां प्रसवत्वाच्च प्रलयत्वात् तथैव च।॥
For his agency in the matter of creating the seeds, he is said to partake of the nature of those seeds. And because he causes the several principles or qualities to come into being, he is, therefore, said to be subject to decay and destruction.
उपेक्षत्वादनन्यत्वादभिमानाच्च केवलम्। मन्यन्ते यतयः सिद्धा अध्यात्मज्ञा गतज्वराः। अनित्यं नित्यमव्यक्तं व्यक्तमेतद्धि शुश्रुम॥
On account, again, of his being the witness of everything, and on account, also of there being nothing else than he, as also for his consciousness of oneness with Nature, Yatis endued with ascetic success, conversant with the spiritual science, and freed from fever of every sort, consider him as existing by himself without a second, immutable, unmanifest, unstable, and manifest.
अव्यक्तैकत्वमित्याहुर्नानात्वं पुरुषे तथा। सर्वभूतदयावन्तः केवलं ज्ञानमास्थिताः॥
This is what we have heard. Those Sankhyas, however, that depend upon Knowledge only and the practice of mercy for all creatures, say that it is Nature which is Ore but souls are many.
अन्यः स पुरुषोऽव्यक्तस्त्वध्रुवो ध्रुवसंज्ञकः। यथा मुञ्ज इषीकाणां तथैवैतद्धि जायते॥
As a matter of fact, Soul is different from Nature which though unstable, still appears as stable. As a blade of reed is different from its outer cover, so is Soul different from Nature.
अन्यच्च मशकं विद्यादन्यच्चोदुम्बरं तथा। न चोदुम्बरसंयोगैर्मशकस्तत्र लिप्यते॥
Indeed, the worm that lies within the Udumvara should be known as different from the Udumvara, Though existing with the Udumvara, the worm is not to be considered as forming a part of the Udumvara.
अन्य एव तथा मत्स्यस्तदन्यदुदकं स्मृतम्। न चोदकस्य स्पर्शेन मत्स्यो लिप्यति सर्वशः॥
The fish is separate from the water in which it lives, and the water is separate from the fish that lives in it. Though the fish and water exist together, yet it is never drenched by water.
अन्यो ह्यग्निरुखाप्यन्या नित्यमेवमवेहि भोः। न चोपलिप्यते सोऽग्निरुखासंस्पर्शनेन वै॥
The fire that lies in an earthen saucepan is separate from the earthen saucepan, and the saucepan is separate from the fire it contains. although the fire exists in and with the saucepan, yet it is not to be considered as constituting any part of it.
पुष्करं त्वन्यदेवात्र तथान्यदुदकं स्मृतम्। न चोदकस्य स्पर्शेन लिप्यते तत्र पुष्करम्॥
The lotus-leaf that lies afloat on a piece of water is separate from the piece of water on which it floats. Because it exists with water it does not form a portion of the water.
एतेषां सहवासं च निवासं चैव नित्यशः। याथातथ्येन पश्यन्ति न नित्यं प्राकृता जनाः॥
The eternal existence of those objects in and with those mentioned, is never correctly understood by ordinary mortals.
ये त्वन्यथैव पश्यन्ति न सम्यक् तेषु दर्शनम्। ते व्यक्तं निरयं घोरं प्रविशन्ति पुनः पुनः॥
They who see Nature and Soul in any other light are said to possess an incorrect vision. It is certain that they have repeatedly to sink into dreadful hell.
सांख्यदर्शनमेतत् ते परिसंख्यानमुत्तमम्। एवं हि परिसंख्याय सांख्याः केवलतां गताः॥
I have thus told you the philosophy of the Sankhyas, that excellent science by which all things have been correctly determined. Ascertaining the nature of Soul and Nature in this way, the Sankhyas acquire Liberation.
ये त्वन्ये तत्त्वकुशलास्तेषामेतन्निदर्शनम्। अतः परं प्रवक्ष्यामि योगानामनुदर्शनम्॥
I have also told of the systems of those others who are conversant with the great principles of the universe. I shall now describe to you the science of the Yogins,