Sattva and the Person: Brahma Answers the Sages

Verse 1 (14.48.1)

केचिद्ब्रह्ममयं वृक्षं केचिद्ब्रह्ममयं वनम् । केचित्परममव्यक्तं केचित्परमनामयम् । मन्यन्ते सर्वमप्येतदव्यक्तप्रभवाव्ययम् ॥

kecidbrahmamayaṃ vṛkṣaṃ kecidbrahmamayaṃ vanam | kecitparamamavyaktaṃ kecitparamanāmayam | manyante sarvamapyetadavyaktaprabhavāvyayam

Some call it the tree made of Brahman, some the forest made of Brahman, some the supreme unmanifest, some the supreme free of all ills; all this they hold to arise from the unmanifest and to be imperishable.

Verse 2 (14.48.2)

उच्छ्वासमात्रमपि चेद्योऽन्तकाले समो भवेत् । आत्मानमुपसङ्गम्य सोऽमृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥

ucchvāsamātramapi cedyo'ntakāle samo bhavet | ātmānamupasaṅgamya so'mṛtatvāya kalpate

If, at the time of death, a man keeps equanimity even for the length of a single breath, having come to the Self he becomes fit for immortality.

Note on the text: Corrected उपसङ्म्य → उपसङ्गम्य (misprint in Wikisource; the ग of the root is dropped; CE 14.48.2c upasaṃgamya) and सोमृतत्वाय → सोऽमृतत्वाय (misprint; missing avagraha; CE so 'mṛtatvāya). The page's footnote cites a variant reading of one line (भोक्तुः कालेन वै भवेत्), not adopted.

Verse 3 (14.48.3)

निमेषमात्रमपि चेत्संयम्यात्मानमात्मनि । गच्छत्यात्मप्रसादेन विदुषां प्राप्तिमव्ययाम् ॥

nimeṣamātramapi cetsaṃyamyātmānamātmani | gacchatyātmaprasādena viduṣāṃ prāptimavyayām

If he restrains himself within the Self even for the length of a wink, then by the clarity of the Self he reaches the imperishable attainment of the knowers.

Verse 4 (14.48.4)

प्राणायामैरथ प्राणान्संयम्य स पुनःपुनः । दशद्वादशभिर्वापि चतुर्विंशात्समन्ततः ॥

prāṇāyāmairatha prāṇānsaṃyamya sa punaḥpunaḥ | daśadvādaśabhirvāpi caturviṃśātsamantataḥ

Restraining his breaths again and again by breath-control, by tens and twelves, or even by twenty-four,

Verse 5 (14.48.5)

एवं पूर्वं प्रसन्नात्मा लभते यद्यदिच्छति । अव्यक्तात्सत्वमुद्रिक्तममृतत्वाय कल्पते ॥

evaṃ pūrvaṃ prasannātmā labhate yadyadicchati | avyaktātsatvamudriktamamṛtatvāya kalpate

thus, with a serene mind, he first obtains whatever he desires; and sattva, risen up out of the unmanifest, leads to immortality.

Verse 6 (14.48.6)

सत्वात्परतरं नान्यत्प्रशंसन्तीह तद्विदः । अनुमानाद्विजानीमः पुरुषं सत्वसंश्रयम् । न शक्यमन्यथा गन्तुं पुरुषं द्विजसत्तमाः ॥

satvātparataraṃ nānyatpraśaṃsantīha tadvidaḥ | anumānādvijānīmaḥ puruṣaṃ satvasaṃśrayam | na śakyamanyathā gantuṃ puruṣaṃ dvijasattamāḥ

Those who know it praise nothing higher than sattva here. By inference we know the Person to rest on sattva; there is no other way, O best of the twice-born, to reach that Person.

Verse 7 (14.48.7)

क्षमा धृतिरहिंसा च समता सत्यमार्जवम् । ज्ञानं त्यागोऽथ संन्यासः सात्विकं वृत्तमिष्यते ॥

kṣamā dhṛtirahiṃsā ca samatā satyamārjavam | jñānaṃ tyāgo'tha saṃnyāsaḥ sātvikaṃ vṛttamiṣyate

Forbearance, steadiness, non-violence, equanimity, truth, uprightness, knowledge, renunciation and withdrawal — these are held to be the conduct of sattva.

Note on the text: Corrected त्यागोथ → त्यागोऽथ (misprint in Wikisource; missing avagraha; CE jñānaṃ tyāgo 'tha).

Verse 8 (14.48.8)

एतेनैवानुमानेन मन्यन्ते वै मनीषिणः । सत्वं च पुरुषश्चैव तत्र नास्ति विचारणा ॥

etenaivānumānena manyante vai manīṣiṇaḥ | satvaṃ ca puruṣaścaiva tatra nāsti vicāraṇā

By this same inference the thoughtful hold that, as to sattva and the Person, there is nothing left to deliberate.

Verse 9 (14.48.9)

आहुरेके च विद्वांसो ये ज्ञाने सुप्रतिष्ठिताः । क्षेत्रज्ञसत्वयोरैक्यमित्येतन्नोपपद्यते ॥

āhureke ca vidvāṃso ye jñāne supratiṣṭhitāḥ | kṣetrajñasatvayoraikyamityetannopapadyate

Some learned men firmly grounded in knowledge say that the identity of the Knower of the Field and sattva does not hold.

Verse 10 (14.48.10)

पृथग्भूतस्तथा नित्यमित्येतदविचारितम् । पृथग्भावश्च विज्ञेयः सहजश्चापि तत्त्वतः ॥

pṛthagbhūtastathā nityamityetadavicāritam | pṛthagbhāvaśca vijñeyaḥ sahajaścāpi tattvataḥ

"Thus they are for ever entirely separate" — this has not been thought through. Their separateness is to be understood, and also that it is innate, in truth.

Verse 11 (14.48.11)

तथैवैकत्वनानात्वमिष्यते विदुषां नयः । मशकोदुम्बरे चैक्यं पृथक्त्वमपि दृश्यते ॥

tathaivaikatvanānātvamiṣyate viduṣāṃ nayaḥ | maśakodumbare caikyaṃ pṛthaktvamapi dṛśyate

In the same way both oneness and manyness are accepted; this is the method of the learned. In the gnat and the fig, unity is seen, and separateness too.

Verse 12 (14.48.12)

मत्स्यो यथाऽन्यः स्यादप्सु सम्प्रयोगस्तथा तयोः । सम्बन्धस्तोयबिन्दूनां पर्णैः कोकनदस्य च ॥

matsyo yathā'nyaḥ syādapsu samprayogastathā tayoḥ | sambandhastoyabindūnāṃ parṇaiḥ kokanadasya ca

As a fish is other than the water and yet joined to it, so is the joining of the two; and so too is the connection of water-drops with the leaves of the red lotus.

Verse 13 (14.48.13)

इत्युक्तवन्तस्ते विप्रास्तदा लोकपितामहम् । पुनः संशयमापन्नाः पप्रच्छुर्मुनिसत्तमाः ॥

ityuktavantaste viprāstadā lokapitāmaham | punaḥ saṃśayamāpannāḥ papracchurmunisattamāḥ

Having thus taken in what was said, those Brahmins, best of sages, fell into doubt again and questioned the Grandfather of the worlds.

Note on the text: The page prints the heading गुरुरुवाच ('The Teacher said') before this verse; speaker settled as गुरु with speaker_line गुरुरुवाच. The verse is the Teacher's narration of what followed Brahma's words (CE 14.48.13, gurur uvāca). The page's footnote glossing उक्तवन्तः, printed after the colophon, is not added.