मनुरुवाच यदिन्द्रियैस्तूपहितं पुरस्तात् प्राप्तान् गुणान् सस्मरते चिराय। तेष्विन्द्रियेषूपहतेषु पश्चात् स बुद्धिरूप: परमः स्वभावः॥
Manu said The mind united with the senses, remembers after a long time the impressions of objects received in the past. When the action of the senses is suspended, the Supreme Soul in the form in the Understanding, exists in its own true nature.
नोपेक्षते कृत्स्नमतुल्यकालम्। स्तस्मात् स एकः परमः शरीरी॥
When the Soul does not in the least regard all those objects for their simultaniety or otherwise in point of time but collecting them from all directions holds them before it together, it necessarily happens that he wanders among all incongruous things. He is, therefore, the Witness. Hence the Soul put in body is something having a distinct and independent existence.
रजस्तमः सत्त्वमथो तृतीयं गच्छत्यसौ स्थानगुणान् विरूपान्। तथेन्द्रियाण्याविशते शरीरी हुताशनं वायुरिवेन्धनस्थम्॥
There is Rajas, there is Tamas, and there is Satva the third. There arc again three conditions of the understanding, viz., waking, dreaming, and sound sleep. The Soul perceives the pleasures and pains, which are all contradictory, of those states, and which partake of the nature of the three-fold qualities first mentioned. The Soul enters the senses like the wind entering the fire in piece of wood.
न चक्षुषा पश्यति रूपमात्मनो न पश्यति स्पर्शनमिन्द्रियेन्द्रियम्। न श्रोत्रलिङ्गं श्रवणेन दर्शनं तथा कृतं पश्यति तद् विनश्यति॥
One cannot see the forın of the Soul by his eye, nor can the sense of touch, amongst the senses, apprehend it. The Soul, is not, again, perceived by the ear. It may, however, be seen by the help of the Shrutis and the instructions of the wise. As for senses, that particular senses which apprehends it, loses upon such apprehension its existence as a sense.
श्रोत्रादीनि च पश्यन्ति स्वं स्वमात्मानमात्मना। सर्वज्ञः सर्वदर्शी च सर्वज्ञस्तानि पश्यति॥
The senses cannot themselves apprehend their respective forms. The Soul is omniscient. It sees all things. Being omniscient, it is the Soul that sees the senses.
यथा हिमवतः पाक् पृष्ठं चन्द्रमसो यथा। न दृष्टपूर्वं मनुजैन च तन्नास्ति तावता॥
Nobody has seen the other side of the Himavat mountains, nor the reverse of the moon's disc. Yet it cannot be said that they do not exist.
तद्वद् भूतेषु भूतात्मा सूक्ष्मो ज्ञानात्मवानसौ। अदृष्टपूर्वश्चक्षुर्त्यां न चासौ नास्ति तावता॥
Likewise though never apprehended by the senses, yet nobody can say that the Soul, which dwells in all creatures, which is subtile, and which has knowledge for its essence, does not exist.
पश्यन्नपि यथा लक्ष्म जगत् सोमे न विन्दति। एवमस्ति न चोत्पन्नं न च तन्न परायणम्॥
People see the world reflected on the inoon's disc in the shape of spots. Though seeing, they do not know that it is the world that is so reflected there. Such is the knowledge of the Soul. That knowledge must come of itself. The Soul depends upon the Soul itself.
रूपवन्तमरूपत्वादुदयास्तमने बुधाः। धिया समनुपश्यन्ति तद्गताः सवितुर्गतिम्॥
Reflecting on the formlessness of visible objects before birth and after destruction, wise men behold by the help of intelligence, the forinlessness of objects that have visible forins. Similarly although the Sun's motion cannot be seen, yet persons, by watching its rising and Setting, conclude that the sun has motion.
तथा बुद्धिप्रदीपेन दूरस्थं सुविपश्चितः। प्रत्यासन्नं निनीषन्ति ज्ञेयं ज्ञानाभिसंहितम्॥
Likewise learned and wise men see the Soul by the help of the lamp of intelligence, though it is at a great distance from them, and seek to merge the fivefold elements, which are near, into Brahma.
न हि खल्वनुपायेन कश्चिदर्थोऽभिसिद्ध्यति। सूत्रजालैर्यथा मत्स्यान् बनन्ति जलजीविनः॥
Verily, an object cannot be performed without the application of means. Fishermen catch fish by means of nets made of strings.
मृगैर्मुगाणां ग्रहणं पक्षिणां पक्षिभिर्यथा। गजानां च गजैरेव ज्ञेयं ज्ञानेन गृह्यते॥
Animals are caught by employing animals as the agents. Birds are caught by employing birds as the agents. Elephants are taken by employing elephants. In this way the Soul may be apprehended by the principle of Knowledge.
अहिरेव ाहेः पादान् पश्यतीति हि नः श्रुतम्। तद्वन्मूर्तिषु मूर्तिस्थं ज्ञेयं ज्ञानेन पश्यति॥
It is heard that only a snake can see a snake's legs. Likewise one sees, through Knowledge, the Soul encased in subtle form and living within the gross body.
नोत्सहन्ते यथा वेत्तुमिन्द्रियैरिन्द्रियाण्यपि। तथैवेह परा बुद्धिः परं बोध्यं न पश्यति।१४॥
People cannot, through their senses, know : the senses. Likewisc mere Intelligence at its highest cannot see the Soul which is supreme.
यथा चन्द्रो ह्यमावास्यामलिङ्गत्वान्न दृश्यते। न च नाशोऽस्य भवति तथा विद्धि शरीरिणम्॥
The moon, on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, cannot be seen on account of its form being hidden. It cannot be said, however, that destruction overtakes it. Such is the case with the Soul living in the body.
क्षीणकोशो ह्यमावास्यां चन्द्रमा न प्रकाशते। तद्वन्मूर्तिविमुक्तोऽसौ शरीरी नोपलभ्यते॥
On the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, the gross body of the moon is seen. Similarly the Soul, when freed from the body, cannot be apprehended.
यथाऽऽकाशान्तरं प्राप्य चन्द्रमा भ्राजते पुनः। तद्वल्लिङ्गान्तरं प्राप्य शरीरी भ्राजते पुनः॥
As gaining another point in the sky, the moon begins to shine once more, similarly the soul, acquiring a new body, begins to manifest itself once more.
जन्म वृद्धिः क्षयश्चास्य प्रत्यक्षेणोपलभ्यते। सा तु चान्द्रमसी वृत्तिर्न तु तस्य शरीरिणः॥
The birth, growth, and disappearance of the moon can all be directly perceived by the eye. These phenomena, however, belong to the gross form of that luminary. The like are not the attributes of the Soul,
उत्पत्तिवृद्धिवयसा यथा स इति गृह्यते। चन्द्र एव त्वमावास्यां तथा भवति मूर्तिमान्॥
The moon, when it appears after its disappearance on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, is considered as the same luminary that had become invisible. Similarly despite the changes represented by birth, growth, and age, a person is considered as the same individual without any doubt of his identity.
नोपसर्पद् विमुञ्चद् वा शशिनं दृश्यते तमः। विसृजंश्योपसर्पश्च तद्वत् पश्य शरीरिणम्॥
It is not distinctly seen how Rabu approaches and leaves the moon. Likewise the Soul cannot be seen how it leaves one body and enters another.
यथा चन्द्रार्कसंयुक्तं तमस्तदुपलभ्यते। तद्वच्छरीरसंयुक्तः शरीरीत्युपलभ्यते॥
Rahu becomes visible only when it exists with the sun or the moon. Likewise the Soul is apprehended only when it exists with the body.
यथा चन्द्रार्कनिर्मुक्तः स राहु!पलभ्यते। तद्वच्छरीरनिर्मुक्तः शरीरी नोपलभ्यते॥
When freed from the sun or the moon, Rahu is no longer seen. Likewise the Soul, freed from the body, can no longer be seen.
यथा चन्द्रो ह्यमावास्यां नक्षत्रैर्युज्यते गतः। तद्वच्छरीरनिर्मुक्तः फलैर्युज्यति कर्मणः॥
Then again, as the moon, even when it disappears on the fifteenth day of the dark fortnight, is not left by the constellations and the stars, the Soul also, even though separated from the body, is not deserted by the fruits of the acts it has won in that body.