व्यास उवाच मनो विसृजते भावं बुद्धिरध्यवसायिनी। हृदयं प्रियाप्रिये वेद त्रिविधा कर्मचोदना॥
Vyasa said The mind creates innumerable ideas. The Understanding, differentiates things and ascertains their true nature. The heart discriminates which is pleasant and which unpleasant. There are the three forces which produce acts.
इन्द्रियेभ्यः परा ह्यर्था अर्थेभ्यः परमं मनः। मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्बुद्धेरात्मा परो मतः॥
The objects of the senses are superior to the senses. The mind is superior to those objects. The Understanding is superior to mind. The Soul is considered superior to Understanding.
बुद्धिरात्मा मनुष्यस्य बुद्धिरेवात्मनाऽऽत्मनि। यदा विकुरुते भावं तदा भवति सा मनः॥
as on Ordinarily the Understanding is a man's Soul. When the Understanding, by itself, forms ideas (of objects) within itself, it is then called Mind.
इन्द्रियाणां पृथग्भावाद् बुद्धिविक्रियते ह्यतः। शृण्वती भवति श्रोत्रं स्पृशती स्पर्श उच्यते॥
The senses being different from one another, the Understanding presents different aspects account of its different modifications. When it hears, it becomes the organ of hearing, and when it touches, it becomes the organ of touch.
पश्यती भवते दृष्टी रसती रसनं भवेत्। जिघ्रती भवति घ्राणं बुद्धिर्विक्रियते पृथक्॥
Likewise, when it sees, it becomes the organ of vision, and when it tastes, it becomes the organ of taste and when it smells, it becomes the organs of scent. It is the Understanding which appears under different guises by modification.
इन्द्रियाणि तु तान्याहुस्तेष्वदृश्योऽधितिष्ठति। तिष्ठती पुरुषे बुद्धिस्त्रिषु भावेषु वर्तते॥
These modifications of the Understanding are called the senses. The invisible Soul is placed over them as their presiding chief. Living in the body, the Understanding exists in the three states (of qualities).
कदाचिल्लभते प्रीतिं कदाचिदपि शोचति। न सुखेन न दुःखेन कदाचिदिह युज्यते॥
Sometimes it acquires cheerfulness, sometimes it yields to grief and sometimes its condition becomes such that it is united with neither joy nor sorrow.
सेयं भावात्मिका भावांस्त्रीनेतानतिवर्तते। सरितां सागरो भर्ता महावेलामिवोर्मिमान्॥
The Understanding, however, whose chief function is to create elements, transcends those three states as the ocean, the king of rivers, stands against the powerful currents of the rivers that fall into it.
यदा प्रार्थयते किंचित् तदा भवति सा मनः। अधिष्ठानानि वै बुद्ध्यां पृथगेतानि संस्मरेत्। इन्द्रियाण्येव मेध्यानि विजेतव्यानि कृत्स्नशः॥
When the Understanding desires anything, it is called by the name of Mind. The senses, again, should all be considered as contained within the Understanding. The senses, which are engaged in bearing impressions of form, scent, etc., should all be controlled.
सर्वाण्येवानुपूर्वेण यद् यदानुविधीयते। अविभागगता बुद्धिर्भावे मनसि वर्तते॥
When one sense becomes subordinate to the Understanding, the latter, though really not different, enters the Mind in the form of existent things. Such is the case with the senses one after another with reference to the ideas that are said to be apprehended by them.
ये चैव भावा वर्तन्ते सर्व एष्वेव ते त्रिषु। अन्वर्थाः सम्प्रवर्तन्ते रथनेमिमरा इव॥
All the three states which exist, viz., Sativa, Rajas, and Tamas, attach to those three (viz., Mind, Understanding, and Consciousness), and like the spokes of a car-wheel acting for their attachment, to the circumference of the wheel, they follow the various objects.
प्रदीपार्थं मनः कुर्यादिन्द्रियैर्बुद्धिसत्तमैः। निश्चरद्भिर्यथायोगमुदासीनैर्यदृच्छया॥
The mind must covert the senses into a lamp for removing the darkness which obstructs the knowledge of the Supreme Self. This knowledge which is gained by Yogins with the help of the especial instruments of Yoga, is acquired without any particular exertion by men who abstain from worldly objects.
एवं स्वभावमेवेदमिति विद्वान् न मुह्यति। अशोचन्नप्रहृष्यन् हि नित्यं विगतमत्सरः॥
The universe is of the nature. The man of knowledge, therefore, become never stupefied. Such a man never grieves, never rejoices, and is shorn of envy.
न चात्मा शक्यते द्रष्टुमिन्द्रियैः कामगोचरैः। प्रवर्तमानैरनये दुष्करैरकृतात्मभिः॥
The soul cannot be seen with the help of the senses whose nature is to roam about among all objects of desire. Even pious men, whose senses are pure, cannot see the soul with their help what then should be said of the vicious whose senses are impure.
तेषां तु मनसा रश्मीन् यदा सम्यनियच्छति। तदा प्रकाशतेऽस्यात्मा दीपदीप्ता यथाऽऽकृतिः॥
When, however, a person, with the help of his mind, firmly holds their reins, it is then that his Soul sees itself like an object coming in view on account of the light of a lamp.
सर्वेषामेव भूतानां तमस्यपगते यथा। प्रकाशं भवते सर्वं तथेदमुपधार्यताम्॥
As all things are seen when the darkness that covers them is removed, so the soul becomes manifest when the darkness that covers it is dispelled.
यथा वारिचर: पक्षी न लिप्यति जले चरन्। विमुक्तात्मा तथा योगी गुणदोषैर्न लिप्यते॥
As a water fowl, though floating on the water, is never drenched by it, similarly the Yogin of freed soul is never sullied by the imperfections of the three qualities,
एवमेव कृतप्रज्ञो न दोषैविषयांश्चरन्। असज्जमान: सर्वेषु कथंचन न लिप्यते॥
Likewise, a wise man by even enjoying all earthly objects without being attached to any of them, is never affected by shortcomings of any kind.
त्यक्त्वा पूर्वकृतं कर्म रतिर्यस्य सदाऽऽत्मनि। सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्य गुणवर्गेष्वसज्जतः॥ सत्त्वमात्मा प्रसरति गुणान् वापि कदाचन। न गुणा विदुरात्मानं गुणान् वेद स सर्वदा॥
He who avoids acts after having performed them properly, and takes delight in the one really existent, viz., the Soul who has formed hinself the soul of all created beings, and who keeps himself understanding and senses which are created by the soul. The qualities can not apprehend the Soul. The Soul, however, apprehends them always.
परिद्रष्टा गुणानां च परिस्रष्टा यथातथम्। सत्त्वक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेतदन्तरं विद्धि सूक्ष्मयोः॥
The Soul is the witness which sees the qualities and duly works them up. Mark this difference between the Understanding and the Soul both which are highly subtile.
सृजतेऽत्र गुणानेक एको न सृजते गुणान्। पृथग्भूतौ प्रकृत्या तौ सम्प्रयुक्तौ च सर्वदा॥
One of them creates the qualities. The other does not create them. Though they are different from each other by nature, they are, however, always united.
यथा मत्स्योऽद्भिरन्यः स्यात् सम्प्रयुक्तोतथैव तौ। मशकोदुम्बरौ वापि सम्प्रयुक्तौ यथा सह॥
The fish residing in the water is different from the element in which it resides. But as the fish and the water forming its residence are always united, likewise the quality of goodness and the individual soul exist in a state of union. The gnat begotten of a rotten fig is really not the fig but different from it. As the gnat and the fig are seen to be united with each other, so are the qualities of goodness and the individual Soul.
इषीका वा यथा मुजे पृथक् च सह चैव च। तथैव सहितोवेतावन्योन्यस्मिन् प्रतिष्ठितौ॥
As the blade in a clump of grass though distinct from the clump, exists in a state of union with it, so these two, though different from each other and each exists in its own self, are to be seen in a state of perpetual union.