मनुरुवाच अक्षरात् खं ततो वायुस्ततो ज्योतिस्ततो जलम्। जलात् प्रसूता जगती जगत्यां जायते जगत्॥
From that eternal and undecaying. One first originated Space; from space came Wind; from wind came Light; from light came Water. From water originated the Universe; and from the universe, all things that exist in it.
एतैः शरीरैर्जलमेव गत्वा जलाच्च तेजः पवनोऽन्तरिक्षम् खाद् वै निवर्तन्ति न भाविनस्ते मोक्षं च ते वै परमाप्नुवन्ति॥
The bodies of all (earthly) objects, thence to light or heat, thence to the wind, and thence to space. The who seek liberation have not to return from space. On the other hand, they attain to Brahma.
नोष्णं न शीतं मृदु नापि तीक्ष्णं नाम्लं कषायं मधुरं न तिक्तम्। न्न रूपवत्तत् परमस्वभावम्॥
The refuge of liberation, viz., Brahma, is neither hot, nor cold, neither mild nor fierce, neither sour nor astringent, neither sweet nor bitter. He is not endued with sound, or scent, or form. He transcends all these and everything, and is without size.
स्पर्श तनुर्वेद रसं च जिह्वा घ्राणं च गन्धान् श्रवणौ च शब्दान्। रूपाणि चक्षुर्न च तत्परं यद् गृह्णन्त्यनध्यात्मविदो मनुष्याः॥
The skin perceives touch; the tongue, taste; the nose, scent; the ears, sounds; and the eye, forms. Men not conversant with Adhyatma succeed not in seeing what is above these.
निवर्तयित्वा रसनां रसेभ्योः घ्राणं च गन्धाच्छ्रवणौ च शब्दात्। स्ततः परं पश्यति स्वं स्वभावम्॥
Having withdrawn the tongue from tastes, the nose from scents, the ears from sounds, and the eye from forms, one sees his ownself.
यतो गृहीत्वा हि करोति यच्च यस्मिश्च तामारभते प्रवृत्तिम्। यस्मिश्च यद् केन च यश्च कर्ता यत् कारणं ते समुदायमाहुः॥
It has been said that which is the Cause of the actor, the act, the material with which the act is done, the place and the time of the act, and the inclinations and propensities about happiness and misery, is called the Self (or Soul).
यद् व्याप्यभूद् व्यापकं साधकं च यन्मन्त्रवत् स्थास्यति चापि लोके। यः सर्वहेतुः परमात्मकारी तत् कारणं कार्यमतो यदन्यत्॥
That which permeates everything which does everything, that which exists in the universe even as the Mantras say, that which is the cause of all, that which is the highest of the high, and that which is One without a second and does all things, is the Cause. Every thing clse is effect.
यथा हि कश्चित् सुकृतैर्मनुष्यः शुभाशुभं प्राप्नुतेऽथाविरोधात्। एवं शरीरेषु शुभाशुभेषु स्वकर्मजैनिमिदं निबद्धम्॥
It is seen that person, on account of the acts performed by him, reaps fruits both good and evil, which exist harmoniously. Indeed, as the good and evil fruits begotten by their own acts live together in the bodies of creatures which are their refuge, so Knowledge lives in the .body.
यथा प्रदीप्तः पुरतः प्रदीपः प्रकाशमन्यस्य करोति दीप्यन्। तथेह पञ्चेन्द्रियदीपवृक्षा ज्ञानप्रदीप्ताः परवन्त एव॥
As a lighted lamp, while burning, sees other objects before it, so the five senses which are like lamps fixed on high trees, find out their respective objects when lighted by Knowledge.
यथा च राज्ञा बहवो ह्यमात्याः पृथक् प्रमाणं प्रवदन्ति युक्ताः। तद्वच्छरीरेषु भवन्ति पञ्च ज्ञानैकदेशः परमः स तेभ्यः॥
As the various ministers of a king, in a body, give him advice so the five senses which exist in the body all obey Knowledge. The latter is superior to all of them.
यथार्चिषोऽग्नेः पवनस्य वेगो मरीचयोऽर्कस्य नदीषु चापः। स्तद्वच्छरीराणि शरीरिणां तु॥
As the flames of fire, the current of the wind, the rays of the sun, and the waters of rivers, go and come, again and again, so the bodies of embodied creatures are going and coming repeatedly.
यथा च कश्चित् परशुं गृहीत्वा धूमं च पश्येज्ज्वलनं च काष्ठे। तद्वच्छरीरोदरपाणिपादं छित्त्वा न पश्यन्ति ततो यदन्यत्॥
As a person by taking up an axe cannot, by cutting open a piece of wood, see either smoke or fire in it, so one cannot, by cutting open the arms, feet and stomach of a person, cannot see the principle of knowledge, which, does not partake of the nature of stomach, the arms, and feet.
तान्येव काष्ठानि यथा विमथ्य धूमं च पश्येज्ज्वलनं च योगात्। तद्वत् सबुद्धिः सममिन्द्रियात्मा बुधः परं पश्यति तं स्वभावम्॥
As again one sees both smoke and fire in wood by rubbing it against another piece, só a person endued with true intelligence and wisdom, by uniting the senses and the soul, may see the Supreme Soul which, of course, exists in its own nature.
यथात्मनोऽङ्गं पतितं पृथिव्यां स्वप्नान्तरे पश्यति चात्मनोऽन्यत्। र्लिङ्गात्तथा गच्छति लिङ्गमन्यत्॥
As in the midst of a dream one sees his own body lying on the ground s something distinct from one's own self, so a person, having the five senses, the mind, and the understanding, sees (after death) his own body and then goes from one into another form.
न युज्यतेऽसौ परमः शरीरी। अनेन लिङ्गेन तु लिङ्गमन्यद् गच्छत्यदृष्टः फलसंनियोगात्॥
The Soul does not undergo birth, growth, decay, and destruction. Acts of life being followed by effects, the Soul, clothed in body into another, unseen by others.
न चक्षुषा पश्यति रूपमात्मनो न चापि संस्पर्शमुपैति किंचित्। न चापि तैः साधयते तु कार्य ते तं न पश्यन्ति स पश्यते तान्॥
No one can see with the eye the form of the Soul. The Soul again, is not touched by another. With the senses, the Soul performs no act. The senses do not approach the Soul. The Soul, however, apprehends them all.
यथा समीपे ज्वलतोऽनलस्य संतापजं रूपमुपैति कश्चित्। न चान्तरं रूपगुणं बिभर्ति तथैव तद् दृश्यति रूपमस्य॥
As anything, placed in a burning fire before a spectator, assumes a certain colour on account of the light and heat that acts upon it, without taking any other colour or attribute, even so the Soul's form is seen to take its colour from the body.
मदृश्यमन्यद् विशते शरीरम्। विसृज्य भूतेषु महत्सु देहं तदाश्रयं चैव बिभर्ति रूपम्॥
Likewise, men, renouncing one body, enters another, unseen by all. Indeed, casting off his body to the five great principal elements, he assumes a form that is likewise made of the same elements.
खं वायुमग्नि सलिलं तथोर्वी समन्ततोऽभ्याविशते शरीरी। नानाश्रयाः कर्मसु वर्तमानाः श्रोत्रादयः पञ्च गुणान् श्रयन्ते।॥
Upon the destruction of his body the embodied creature enters space, wind, fire, water, and earth in such a way that each particular element in his body mingles with the particular element (out of his body) partaking of its nature. The senses also, which are engaged in various occupations and depend on the five elements enter their five elements what call forth their functions.
स्तेजोमयं रूपमथो विपाकः। जलाश्रयं स्वेदमुक्तं रसं च वाय्वात्मकः स्पर्शकृतो गुणश्च॥
The ear derives its power from space; and the smell from the earth. From, which is the property of the eye, is the outcome of light or fire. Fire or heat depends on water. The tongue which has for its property taste, is merged in water. The skin which has touch for its property, is lost in the wind whose nature it partakes.
महत्सु भूतेषु वसन्ति पञ्च पञ्चेन्द्रियार्थाश्च तथेन्द्रियाणि। सर्वाणि चैतानि मनोऽनुगानि बुद्धिं मनोऽन्वेति मतिः स्वभावम्॥
The fivefold attributes, (viz., sound, etc.) dwell in the five principal elements. Those fivefold objects of the senses (viz., space, etc.,) live in the (five) senses, All these again follow the mind. The mind follows the Understanding, and the Understanding follows That which exists in its true and pure nature, viz., the Supreme Self.
शुभाशुभं कर्म कृतं यदन्यत् तदेव प्रत्याददते स्वदेहे। मनोऽनुवर्तन्ति परावराणि जलौकसः स्रोत इवानुकूलम्॥
The actor in his new body receives all the good and bad acts done by him here, as also all acts done by him in his pristine existence. All these acts done in this life and the next ones follow the mind even as aquatic animals pass along a current.
चलं यथा दृष्टिपथं परति सूक्ष्मं महद रूपमिवाभिभाति। स्वरूपमालोचयते च रूपं परं तथा बुद्धिपथं परैति॥
As a quickly-moving restless object comes in view, as a minute object appears huge (when seen through spectacles), as a mirror shows a person his own face, so the soul becomes an object of the Understanding's apprehension. (when seen through spectacles), as a mirror shows a person his own face, so the soul becomes an object of the Understanding's apprehension.