वसिष्ठ उवाच एवमप्रतिबुद्धत्वादबुद्धजनसेवनात्। सर्गकोटिसहस्राणि पतनान्तानि गच्छति॥
Yudhishthira said It is thus, on account of his Ignorance and his association with others who are invested with Ignorance, that Individual Soul passes through millions and millions of births every one of which has dissolution in the end.
धाम्ना धामसहस्राणि मरणान्तानि गच्छति। तिर्यग्योनिमनुष्यत्वे देवलोके तथैव च।॥
On account of his transformation into Intelligence invested with Ignorance, Individual Soul goes to millions of abodes, every one of which is liable to end in Jostruction, among intermediate beings and men and the gods.
चन्द्रमा इव भूतानां पुनस्तत्र सहस्रशः। लीयतेऽप्रतिबुद्धत्वादेवमेष ह्यबुद्धिमान्॥ कला पञ्चदशी योनिस्तद्धाम प्रतिबुध्यते। नित्यमेतद् विजानीहि सोमं वै षोडशी कलाम्॥
On account of Ignorance, Individual Soul like the Moon, has to wax and wane thousands and thousands of times. This is truly the nature of Individual Soul when invested with Ignorance. Know that the Moon has in reality full sixteen portions. Only fifteen of these are subject to increase and decrease. The sixteenth remains constant. after the manner of the Moon, Individual Soul too has full appear and disappear. The sixteenth is subject to no change.
कलायां जायतेऽजस्रं पुनः पुनरबुद्धिमान्। धाम तस्योपयुञ्जन्ति भूय एवोपजायते॥
Invested with Ignorance, Individual Soul repeatedly and continually takes birth in the fifteen portions, named above. With the etemai and immutable portion of Individual Soul the principal elements become united and this union takes place repeatedly.
षोडशी तु कला सूक्ष्मा स सोम उपधार्यताम्। न तूपयुज्यते देवैर्देवानुपयुनक्ति सा॥
That sixteenth portion is subtile. It should be known as Soma. It is never upheld by the senses. On the other hand, the senses are upheld by it.
एतामक्षपयित्वा हि जायते नृपसत्तम। सा ह्यस्य प्रकृतिर्दृष्टा तत्क्षयान्मोक्ष उच्यते॥
Since those sixteen portions are the cause of the birth of creatures, creatures can never, O king, take birth without their help. They are called Nature. The destruction of Jiva's liability to be united with nature is called Liberation.
तदेव षोडशकलं देहमव्यक्तसंज्ञकम्। ममायमिति मन्वानस्तत्रैव परिवर्तते॥ पञ्चविंशो महानात्मा तस्यैवाप्रतिबोधनात्। विमलस्य विशुद्धस्य शुद्धाशुद्धनिषेवणात्॥ अशुद्ध एव शुद्धात्मा तादृग् भवति पार्थिव। अबुद्धसेवनाच्चापि बुद्धोऽऽप्यबुद्धतां व्रजेत्॥
The Principle of Greatness, which is the twenty-fifth, if it regards that body of sixteen portions called the Unmanifest, has to assume it repeatedly. On account of not knowing. That which is stainless and pure, and for its devotion to what is the outcome of a combination of both Pure and Impure, the Soul, which is, in reality, pure, becomes, O king, Impure. Indeed, on account of its devotion to ignorance, Individual soul though characterised by Knowledge, becomes repeatedly associated with Ignorance.
तथैवाप्रतिबुद्धोऽपि विज्ञेयो नृपसत्तम। प्रकृतेस्त्रिगुणायास्तु सेवनात् त्रिगुणो भवेत्॥
Though, O king, free from error of every sort, yet on account of its devotion to the three qualities of Nature, it becomes endued with those attributes.