The Knowledge of the Shiva-Principle, Part One

Verse 1 (shiva.vayaviya.5.1)

सूत उवाच । तत्र पूर्वं महाभागा नैमिषारण्यवासिनः । प्रणिपत्य यथान्यायं पप्रच्छुः पवनं प्रभुम्

sūta uvāca | tatra pūrvaṁ mahābhāgā naimiṣāraṇyavāsinaḥ | praṇipatya yathānyāyaṁ papracchuḥ pavanaṁ prabhum

Suta said: There, the greatly fortunate dwellers of the Naimisha forest first bowed down in due form and questioned the mighty lord of the wind.

Verse 2 (shiva.vayaviya.5.2)

नैमिषीया ऊचुः । भवान् कथमनुप्राप्तो ज्ञानमीश्वरगोचरम् । कथं च शिष्यभावस्ते ब्रह्मणोऽव्यक्तजन्मनः

naimiṣīyā ūcuḥ | bhavān kathamanuprāpto jñānamīśvaragocaram | kathaṁ ca śiṣyabhāvaste brahmaṇo'vyaktajanmanaḥ

The sages of Naimisha said: How did you attain the knowledge whose object is the Lord? And how did your discipleship to Brahma, whose birth is unmanifest, come about?

Verse 3 (shiva.vayaviya.5.3)

वायुरुवाच । एकोनविंशतिः कल्पो विज्ञेयः श्वेतलोहितः । तस्मिन्कल्पे चतुर्वक्त्रः स्रष्टुकामोऽतपत्तपः

vāyuruvāca | ekonaviṁśatiḥ kalpo vijñeyaḥ śvetalohitaḥ | tasminkalpe caturvaktraḥ sraṣṭukāmo'tapattapaḥ

Vayu said: Know that the nineteenth kalpa is called Shvetalohita. In that kalpa the four-faced Brahma, desiring to create, performed austerity.

Verse 4 (shiva.vayaviya.5.4)

तपसा तेन तीव्रेण तुष्टस्तस्य पिता स्वयम् । दिव्यं कौमारमास्थाय रूपं रूपवतां वरः

tapasā tena tīvreṇa tuṣṭastasya pitā svayam | divyaṁ kaumāramāsthāya rūpaṁ rūpavatāṁ varaḥ

Pleased by that intense austerity, his father himself, the most beautiful of the beautiful, assuming a divine youthful form,

Verse 5 (shiva.vayaviya.5.5)

श्वेतो नाम मुनिर्भूत्वा दिव्यां वाचमुदीरयन् । दर्शनं प्रददौ तस्मै देवदेवो महेश्वरः

śveto nāma munirbhūtvā divyāṁ vācamudīrayan | darśanaṁ pradadau tasmai devadevo maheśvaraḥ

becoming a sage named Shveta, uttering divine words, the god of gods, Maheshvara, granted him a vision of himself.

Verse 6 (shiva.vayaviya.5.6)

तं दृष्ट्वा पितरं ब्रह्मा ब्रह्मणोऽधिपतिं पतिम् । प्रणम्य परमज्ञानं गायत्र्या सह लब्धवान्

taṁ dṛṣṭvā pitaraṁ brahmā brahmaṇo'dhipatiṁ patim | praṇamya paramajñānaṁ gāyatryā saha labdhavān

Seeing that father, the lord and master of Brahman, Brahma bowed and obtained supreme knowledge together with the Gayatri mantra.

Verse 7 (shiva.vayaviya.5.7)

ततः स लब्धविज्ञानो विश्वकर्मा चतुर्मुखः । असृजत्सर्वभूतानि स्थावराणि चराणि च

tataḥ sa labdhavijñāno viśvakarmā caturmukhaḥ | asṛjatsarvabhūtāni sthāvarāṇi carāṇi ca

Then he, having obtained that knowledge, the four-faced maker of the universe, created all beings, both moving and unmoving.

Verse 8 (shiva.vayaviya.5.8)

यतः श्रुत्वाऽमृतं लब्धं ब्रह्मणा परमेश्वरात् । ततस्तद्वदनादेव मया लब्धं तपोबलात्

yataḥ śrutvā'mṛtaṁ labdhaṁ brahmaṇā parameśvarāt | tatastadvadanādeva mayā labdhaṁ tapobalāt

Just as Brahma, having heard it from the Supreme Lord, obtained that immortal knowledge, so too, from that very mouth, I obtained it, by the strength of austerity.

Verse 9 (shiva.vayaviya.5.9)

मुनय ऊचुः । किं तज्ज्ञानं त्वया लब्धं तथ्यात्तथ्यतरं शुभम् । यत्र कृत्वा परां निष्ठां पुरुषः सुखमृच्छति

munaya ūcuḥ | kiṁ tajjñānaṁ tvayā labdhaṁ tathyāttathyataraṁ śubham | yatra kṛtvā parāṁ niṣṭhāṁ puruṣaḥ sukhamṛcchati

The sages said: What is that knowledge you obtained, truer than the true and auspicious — by fixing supreme steadfastness in which a person attains happiness?

Verse 10 (shiva.vayaviya.5.10)

वायुरुवाच । पशुपाशपतिज्ञानं यल्लब्धं तु मया पुरा । तत्र निष्ठा परा कार्या पुरुषेण सुखार्थिना

vāyuruvāca | paśupāśapatijñānaṁ yallabdhaṁ tu mayā purā | tatra niṣṭhā parā kāryā puruṣeṇa sukhārthinā

Vayu said: It is the knowledge of Pashu, Pasha, and Pati that I obtained long ago; in that, supreme steadfastness should be established by one who desires happiness.

Verse 11 (shiva.vayaviya.5.11)

अज्ञानप्रभवं दुःखं ज्ञानेनैव निवर्त्तते । ज्ञानं वस्तुपरिच्छेदो वस्तु च त्रिविधं स्मृतम्

ajñānaprabhavaṁ duḥkhaṁ jñānenaiva nivarttate | jñānaṁ vastuparicchedo vastu ca trividhaṁ smṛtam

Suffering born of ignorance is removed by knowledge alone; knowledge is the discernment of reality, and reality is held to be threefold.

Verse 12 (shiva.vayaviya.5.12)

अजडं च जडं चैव नियन्तृ च तयोरपि । पशुः पाशः पतिश्चेति कथ्यते तत्त्रयं क्रमात्

ajaḍaṁ ca jaḍaṁ caiva niyantṛ ca tayorapi | paśuḥ pāśaḥ patiśceti kathyate tattrayaṁ kramāt

The sentient, the insentient, and the ruler over both of these — these three are called, in order, Pashu, Pasha, and Pati.

Verse 13 (shiva.vayaviya.5.13)

अक्षरं च क्षरं चैव क्षराक्षरपरं तथा । तदेतत्त्रितयं भूम्ना कथ्यते तत्त्ववेदिभिः

akṣaraṁ ca kṣaraṁ caiva kṣarākṣaraparaṁ tathā | tadetattritayaṁ bhūmnā kathyate tattvavedibhiḥ

The imperishable, the perishable, and that which is beyond both the perishable and imperishable — this triad, for the most part, is spoken of by the knowers of truth.

Verse 14 (shiva.vayaviya.5.14)

अक्षरं पशुरित्युक्तः क्षरं पाश उदाहृतः । क्षराक्षरपरं यत्तत् पतिरित्यभिधीयते

akṣaraṁ paśurityuktaḥ kṣaraṁ pāśa udāhṛtaḥ | kṣarākṣaraparaṁ yattat patirityabhidhīyate

The imperishable is called Pashu; the perishable is declared to be Pasha; and that which is beyond both perishable and imperishable is called Pati.

Verse 15 (shiva.vayaviya.5.15)

मुनय ऊचुः । किं तच्च क्षरमित्युक्तं किं चाक्षरमुदाहृतम् । तयोश्च परमं किं वा तदेतद् ब्रूहि मारुत

munaya ūcuḥ | kiṁ tacca kṣaramityuktaṁ kiṁ cākṣaramudāhṛtam | tayośca paramaṁ kiṁ vā tadetad brūhi māruta

The sages said: What is that which is called perishable, and what is declared imperishable? And what is beyond both of these? Tell us this, O Maruta.

Verse 16 (shiva.vayaviya.5.16)

वायुरुवाच । प्रकृतिः क्षरमित्युक्तं पुरुषोऽक्षर उच्यते । ताविमौ प्रेरयत्यन्यः स परः परमेश्वरः

vāyuruvāca | prakṛtiḥ kṣaramityuktaṁ puruṣo'kṣara ucyate | tāvimau prerayatyanyaḥ sa paraḥ parameśvaraḥ

Vayu said: Prakriti is called the perishable; Purusha is called the imperishable. Another impels both of these — he is the Supreme, the Supreme Lord.

Verse 17 (shiva.vayaviya.5.17)

मुनय ऊचुः । कैषा प्रकृतिरित्युक्ता क एष पुरुषो मतः । अनयोः केन सम्बन्धः कोऽयं प्रेरक ईश्वरः

munaya ūcuḥ | kaiṣā prakṛtirityuktā ka eṣa puruṣo mataḥ | anayoḥ kena sambandhaḥ ko'yaṁ preraka īśvaraḥ

The sages said: What is this Prakriti that is spoken of? Who is this Purusha held to be? What is the connection between the two? And who is this impelling Lord?

Verse 18 (shiva.vayaviya.5.18)

वायुरुवाच । मायाप्रकृतिरुद्दिष्टा पुरुषो माययाऽऽवृतः । सम्बन्धो मलकर्मभ्यां शिवः प्रेरक ईश्वरः

vāyuruvāca | māyāprakṛtiruddiṣṭā puruṣo māyayā''vṛtaḥ | sambandho malakarmabhyāṁ śivaḥ preraka īśvaraḥ

Vayu said: Maya is declared to be Prakriti; Purusha is enveloped by Maya. Their connection is through impurity and action; Shiva is the impelling Lord.

Verse 19 (shiva.vayaviya.5.19)

मुनय ऊचुः । केयं माया समाख्याता किंरूपो मायया वृतः । मलं कीदृक् कुतो वास्य किं शिवत्वं कुतश्शिवः

munaya ūcuḥ | keyaṁ māyā samākhyātā kiṁrūpo māyayā vṛtaḥ | malaṁ kīdṛk kuto vāsya kiṁ śivatvaṁ kutaśśivaḥ

The sages said: What is this Maya that is spoken of? Of what form is the one enveloped by Maya? What is impurity, and whence does it come? What is Shiva-hood, and whence is Shiva?

Verse 20 (shiva.vayaviya.5.20)

वायुरुवाच । माया माहेश्वरी शक्तिश्चिद्रूपो मायया वृतः । मलश्चिच्छादको नैजो विशुद्धिः शिवता स्वतः

vāyuruvāca | māyā māheśvarī śaktiścidrūpo māyayā vṛtaḥ | malaścicchādako naijo viśuddhiḥ śivatā svataḥ

Vayu said: Maya is the power of Maheshvara. The one enveloped by Maya is of the nature of consciousness. Impurity is that which innately conceals consciousness. Shiva-hood is purity that is one's own true nature.

Verse 21 (shiva.vayaviya.5.21)

मुनय ऊचुः । आवृणोति कथं माया व्यापिनं केन हेतुना । किमर्थं चावृतिः पुंसः केन वा विनिवर्तते

munaya ūcuḥ | āvṛṇoti kathaṁ māyā vyāpinaṁ kena hetunā | kimarthaṁ cāvṛtiḥ puṁsaḥ kena vā vinivartate

The sages said: How and for what reason does Maya envelop the all-pervading soul? For what purpose does this covering of the person occur, and by what is it removed?

Verse 22 (shiva.vayaviya.5.22)

वायुरुवाच । आवृतिर्व्यापिनोऽपि स्याद्व्यापि यस्मात्कलाद्यपि । हेतुः कर्मैव भोगार्थं निवर्तेत मलक्षयात्

vāyuruvāca | āvṛtirvyāpino'pi syādvyāpi yasmātkalādyapi | hetuḥ karmaiva bhogārthaṁ nivarteta malakṣayāt

Vayu said: The covering can occur even for the all-pervading soul, since kala and the like are themselves pervasive; the cause is action itself, for the sake of experience, and it is removed through the destruction of impurity.

Verse 23 (shiva.vayaviya.5.23)

मुनय ऊचुः । कलादि कथ्यते किं तत्कर्म वा किमुदाहृतम् । तत्किमादि किमन्तं वा किम्फलं वा किमाश्रयम्

munaya ūcuḥ | kalādi kathyate kiṁ tatkarma vā kimudāhṛtam | tatkimādi kimantaṁ vā kimphalaṁ vā kimāśrayam

The sages said: What is this kala and the rest that is spoken of? What is that action declared to be? What is its beginning, its end, its fruit, and its basis?

Verse 24 (shiva.vayaviya.5.24)

कस्मै भोगेश्च किं भोग्यं किं वा तद्भोगसाधनम् । मलक्षयस्य को हेतुः कीदृक् क्षीणमलः पुमान्

kasmai bhogeśca kiṁ bhogyaṁ kiṁ vā tadbhogasādhanam | malakṣayasya ko hetuḥ kīdṛk kṣīṇamalaḥ pumān

For whom is the experience, and what is to be experienced, and what is the instrument of that experience? What is the cause of the destruction of impurity, and of what nature is the person whose impurity has been destroyed?

Verse 25 (shiva.vayaviya.5.25)

वायुरुवाच । कला विद्या च रागश्च कालो नियतिरेव च । कलादयः समाख्याता यो भोक्ता पुरुषो भवेत्

vāyuruvāca | kalā vidyā ca rāgaśca kālo niyatireva ca | kalādayaḥ samākhyātā yo bhoktā puruṣo bhavet

Vayu said: Kala, Vidya, Raga, Kala the time-principle, and Niyati — these are called kala and the rest; the one who experiences through them is called Purusha.

Verse 26 (shiva.vayaviya.5.26)

पुण्यपापात्मकं कर्म सुखदुःखफलं तु यत् । अनादिमलभोगान्तमज्ञानात्मसमाश्रयम्

puṇyapāpātmakaṁ karma sukhaduḥkhaphalaṁ tu yat | anādimalabhogāntamajñānātmasamāśrayam

Action, consisting of merit and demerit, whose fruit is pleasure and pain, is without beginning, ends only through the exhaustion of impurity by experience, and rests upon a self bound by ignorance.

Verse 27 (shiva.vayaviya.5.27)

भोगः कर्मविनाशाय भोग्यमव्यक्तमुच्यते । बाह्यान्तःकरणद्वारं शरीरं भोगसाधनम्

bhogaḥ karmavināśāya bhogyamavyaktamucyate | bāhyāntaḥkaraṇadvāraṁ śarīraṁ bhogasādhanam

Experience serves the destruction of action; the unmanifest Prakriti is said to be that which is experienced; the body, the gateway of the outer and inner faculties, is the instrument of experience.

Verse 28 (shiva.vayaviya.5.28)

भावातिशयलब्धेन प्रसादेन मलक्षयः । क्षीणे चात्ममले तस्मिन् शिवसमो भवेत्

bhāvātiśayalabdhena prasādena malakṣayaḥ | kṣīṇe cātmamale tasmin śivasamo bhavet

By the grace obtained through an excess of devotion, impurity is destroyed; and when that impurity of the self is destroyed, one becomes equal to Shiva.

Verse 29 (shiva.vayaviya.5.29)

मुनय ऊचुः । कलादिपञ्चतत्त्वानां किं कर्म पृथगुच्यते । भोक्तेति पुरुषश्चेति येनात्मा व्यपदिश्यते

munaya ūcuḥ | kalādipañcatattvānāṁ kiṁ karma pṛthagucyate | bhokteti puruṣaśceti yenātmā vyapadiśyate

The sages said: What separate function is ascribed to each of the five principles beginning with kala, by which the self comes to be called 'the experiencer' and 'Purusha'?

Verse 30 (shiva.vayaviya.5.30)

किमात्मकं तदव्यक्तं केनाकारेण भुज्यते । किं तस्य शरणं भुक्तौ शरीरं च किमुच्यते

kimātmakaṁ tadavyaktaṁ kenākāreṇa bhujyate | kiṁ tasya śaraṇaṁ bhuktau śarīraṁ ca kimucyate

Of what nature is that unmanifest, and in what form is it experienced? What is its vehicle in that experience, and what is called the body?

Verse 31 (shiva.vayaviya.5.31)

वायुरुवाच । दिक्क्रियाव्यञ्जिका विद्याकलो रागः प्रवर्तकः । कालोऽवच्छेदकस्तत्र नियतिस्तु नियामिका

vāyuruvāca | dikkriyāvyañjikā vidyākalo rāgaḥ pravartakaḥ | kālo'vacchedakastatra niyatistu niyāmikā

Vayu said: Vidya reveals direction and activity; Kala and Raga are the impellers; Time there is the delimiter, and Niyati is the regulator.

Verse 32 (shiva.vayaviya.5.32)

अव्यक्तं कारणं यत्तत्त्रिगुणप्रभवाप्ययम् । प्रधानं प्रकृतिश्चेति यदाहुस्तत्त्वचिन्तकाः

avyaktaṁ kāraṇaṁ yattattriguṇaprabhavāpyayam | pradhānaṁ prakṛtiśceti yadāhustattvacintakāḥ

The unmanifest cause, in which the three gunas arise and dissolve, is called Pradhana or Prakriti by the knowers of truth.

Verse 33 (shiva.vayaviya.5.33)

कलातस्तदभिव्यक्तमनभिव्यक्तलक्षणम् । सुखदुःखविमोहात्मा भुज्यते गुणवांस्त्रिधा

kalātastadabhivyaktamanabhivyaktalakṣaṇam | sukhaduḥkhavimohātmā bhujyate guṇavāṁstridhā

Through kala, that Prakriti, whose character is otherwise unmanifest, becomes manifest; possessing the gunas, it is experienced in three ways, as pleasure, pain, and delusion.

Verse 34 (shiva.vayaviya.5.34)

सत्त्वं रजस्तम इति गुणाः प्रकृतिसम्भवाः । प्रकृतौ सूक्ष्मरूपेण तिले तैलमिव स्थिताः

sattvaṁ rajastama iti guṇāḥ prakṛtisambhavāḥ | prakṛtau sūkṣmarūpeṇa tile tailamiva sthitāḥ

Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas are the gunas, arisen from Prakriti; they abide within Prakriti in subtle form, like oil within a sesame seed.

Verse 35 (shiva.vayaviya.5.35)

सुखं च सुखहेतुश्च समासात्सात्त्विकं स्मृतम् । राजसं तद्विपर्यासात् स्तम्भमोहौ तु तामसौ

sukhaṁ ca sukhahetuśca samāsātsāttvikaṁ smṛtam | rājasaṁ tadviparyāsāt stambhamohau tu tāmasau

Pleasure, and that which causes pleasure, in brief, is called sattvic; the opposite of that is rajasic; stupor and delusion are tamasic.

Verse 36 (shiva.vayaviya.5.36)

सात्त्विक्यूर्ध्वगतिः प्रोक्ता तामसी स्यादधोगतिः । मध्यमा तु गतिर्या सा राजसी परिपठ्यते

sāttvikyūrdhvagatiḥ proktā tāmasī syādadhogatiḥ | madhyamā tu gatiryā sā rājasī paripaṭhyate

The sattvic course is said to lead upward; the tamasic leads downward; and the middle course is called rajasic.

Verse 37 (shiva.vayaviya.5.37)

तन्मात्रापञ्चकं चैव भूतपञ्चकमेव च । ज्ञानेन्द्रियाणि पञ्चैव पञ्चकर्मेन्द्रियाणि च

tanmātrāpañcakaṁ caiva bhūtapañcakameva ca | jñānendriyāṇi pañcaiva pañcakarmendriyāṇi ca

The five subtle elements, and the five gross elements, the five organs of knowledge, and the five organs of action,

Verse 38 (shiva.vayaviya.5.38)

प्रधानबुद्ध्यहङ्कारमनांसि च चतुष्टयम् । समासादेवमव्यक्तं सविकारमुदाहृतम्

pradhānabuddhyahaṁkāramanāṁsi ca catuṣṭayam | samāsādevamavyaktaṁ savikāramudāhṛtam

and the group of four — Pradhana, intellect, ego, and mind — thus, in brief, the unmanifest is declared together with its evolutes.

Verse 39 (shiva.vayaviya.5.39)

तत्कारणदशापन्नमव्यक्तमिति कथ्यते । व्यक्तं कार्यदशापन्नं शरीरादिघटादिवत्

tatkāraṇadaśāpannamavyaktamiti kathyate | vyaktaṁ kāryadaśāpannaṁ śarīrādighaṭādivat

That which has attained the state of a cause is called the unmanifest; that which has attained the state of an effect is called the manifest, like the body and the rest, or like a pot.

Verse 40 (shiva.vayaviya.5.40)

यथा घटादिकं कार्यं मृदादेर्नातिभिद्यते । शरीरादि तथा व्यक्तमव्यक्तान्नातिभिद्यते

yathā ghaṭādikaṁ kāryaṁ mṛdādernātibhidyate | śarīrādi tathā vyaktamavyaktānnātibhidyate

Just as an effect such as a pot is not essentially different from its cause, clay, so too the manifest, such as the body, is not essentially different from the unmanifest.

Verse 41 (shiva.vayaviya.5.41)

तस्मादव्यक्तमेवैकं कारणं करणानि च । शरीरं च तदाधारं तद्भोग्यं चापि नेतरत्

tasmādavyaktamevaikaṁ kāraṇaṁ karaṇāni ca | śarīraṁ ca tadādhāraṁ tadbhogyaṁ cāpi netarat

Therefore the unmanifest alone is the single cause, and the instrumental organs as well; the body too rests upon it, and it alone, nothing else, is that which is experienced.

Verse 42 (shiva.vayaviya.5.42)

मुनय ऊचुः । बुद्धीन्द्रियशरीरेभ्यो व्यतिरेकस्य कस्यचित् । आत्मशब्दाभिधेयस्य वस्तुतोऽपि कुतः स्थितिः

munaya ūcuḥ | buddhīndriyaśarīrebhyo vyatirekasya kasyacit | ātmaśabdābhidheyasya vastuto'pi kutaḥ sthitiḥ

The sages said: On what basis, in reality, is there established the existence of some entity distinct from the intellect, the senses, and the body, that is denoted by the word 'self'?

Verse 43 (shiva.vayaviya.5.43)

वायुरुवाच । बुद्धीन्द्रियशरीरेभ्यो व्यतिरेको विभोर्ध्रुवम् । अस्त्येव कश्चिदात्मेति हेतुस्तत्र सुदुर्गमः

vāyuruvāca | buddhīndriyaśarīrebhyo vyatireko vibhordhruvam | astyeva kaścidātmeti hetustatra sudurgamaḥ

Vayu said: That there certainly exists some all-pervading self, distinct from the intellect, the senses, and the body — the reasoning for this is indeed very difficult to grasp.

Verse 44 (shiva.vayaviya.5.44)

बुद्धीन्द्रियशरीराणां नात्मता सद्भिरिष्यते । स्मृतेरनियतज्ञानादयावद्देहवेदनात्

buddhīndriyaśarīrāṇāṁ nātmatā sadbhiriṣyate | smṛteraniyatajñānādayāvaddehavedanāt

The wise do not hold that the intellect, the senses, and the body are themselves the self — because of memory, because knowledge through them is inconstant, and because experience of them lasts only as long as the body.

Verse 45 (shiva.vayaviya.5.45)

अतः स्मर्तानुभूतानामशेषज्ञेयगोचरः । अन्तर्यामीति वेदेषु वेदान्तेषु च गीयते

ataḥ smartānubhūtānāmaśeṣajñeyagocaraḥ | antaryāmīti vedeṣu vedānteṣu ca gīyate

Therefore that self, whose scope embraces all objects of knowledge — those remembered and those experienced — is spoken of in the Vedas and the Vedanta as the 'Inner Controller.'

Verse 46 (shiva.vayaviya.5.46)

सर्वं तत्र स सर्वत्र व्याप्य तिष्ठति शाश्वतः । तथापि क्वापि केनापि व्यक्तमेष न दृश्यते

sarvaṁ tatra sa sarvatra vyāpya tiṣṭhati śāśvataḥ | tathāpi kvāpi kenāpi vyaktameṣa na dṛśyate

That eternal self, pervading everything everywhere, abides in all things; yet nowhere, by anyone, is it seen manifestly.

Verse 47 (shiva.vayaviya.5.47)

नैवायं चक्षुषा ग्राह्यो नापरैरिन्द्रियैरपि । मनसैव प्रदीप्तेन महानात्मावसीयते

naivāyaṁ cakṣuṣā grāhyo nāparairindriyairapi | manasaiva pradīptena mahānātmāvasīyate

It cannot be grasped by the eye, nor by any other sense; only by an illumined mind is this great Self ascertained.

Verse 48 (shiva.vayaviya.5.48)

न च स्त्री न पुमानेष नैव चापि नपुंसकः । नैवोर्ध्वं नापि तिर्यक् च नाधस्तान्न कुतश्चन

na ca strī na pumāneṣa naiva cāpi napuṁsakaḥ | naivordhvaṁ nāpi tiryak ca nādhastānna kutaścana

It is neither female nor male, nor is it neuter; it is not above, nor across, nor below, nor anywhere else.

Verse 49 (shiva.vayaviya.5.49)

अशरीरं शरीरेषु चलेषु स्थाणुमव्ययम् । सदा पश्यति तं धीरो नरः प्रत्यवमर्शनात्

aśarīraṁ śarīreṣu caleṣu sthāṇumavyayam | sadā paśyati taṁ dhīro naraḥ pratyavamarśanāt

The wise man, through right reflection, always beholds that self — bodiless though dwelling within moving bodies, unmoving, imperishable.

Verse 50 (shiva.vayaviya.5.50)

किमत्र बहुनोक्तेन पुरुषो देहतः पृथक् । अपृथग्ये तु पश्यन्ति ह्यसम्यक् तेषु दर्शनम्

kimatra bahunoktena puruṣo dehataḥ pṛthak | apṛthagye tu paśyanti hyasamyak teṣu darśanam

What need to say more here? The Purusha is distinct from the body; those who see it as not distinct — their vision is incorrect.

Verse 51 (shiva.vayaviya.5.51)

यच्छरीरमिदं प्रोक्तं पुरुषस्य ततः परम् । अशुद्धमवशं दुःखमध्रुवं न च विद्यते

yaccharīramidaṁ proktaṁ puruṣasya tataḥ param | aśuddhamavaśaṁ duḥkhamadhruvaṁ na ca vidyate

This body that is spoken of is one thing, and beyond it is the Purusha; the body is impure, not self-governed, a seat of suffering, and impermanent — true freedom is not found in it.

Verse 52 (shiva.vayaviya.5.52)

विपदां बीजभूतेन पुरुषस्तेन संयुतः । सुखी दुःखी च मूढश्च भवति स्वेन कर्मणा

vipadāṁ bījabhūtena puruṣastena saṁyutaḥ | sukhī duḥkhī ca mūḍhaśca bhavati svena karmaṇā

United with that body, the very seed of misfortunes, the Purusha becomes happy, sorrowful, or deluded, through his own actions.

Verse 53 (shiva.vayaviya.5.53)

अद्भिराप्लावितं क्षेत्रं जनयत्यङ्कुरं यथा । अज्ञानात्प्लावितं कर्म देहं जनयते तथा

adbhirāplāvitaṁ kṣetraṁ janayatyaṁkuraṁ yathā | ajñānātplāvitaṁ karma dehaṁ janayate tathā

Just as a field flooded with water produces a sprout, so too action, saturated by ignorance, produces a body.

Verse 54 (shiva.vayaviya.5.54)

अत्यन्तमसुखावासाः स्मृताश्चैकान्तमृत्यवः । अनागता अतीताश्च तनवोऽस्य सहस्रशः

atyantamasukhāvāsāḥ smṛtāścaikāntamṛtyavaḥ | anāgatā atītāśca tanavo'sya sahasraśaḥ

This soul's bodies, future and past, by the thousands, are remembered as utterly joyless dwellings, destined without exception for death.

Verse 55 (shiva.vayaviya.5.55)

आगत्यागत्य शीर्णेषु शरीरेषु शरीरिणः । अत्यन्तवसतिः क्वापि न केनापि च लभ्यते

āgatyāgatya śīrṇeṣu śarīreṣu śarīriṇaḥ | atyantavasatiḥ kvāpi na kenāpi ca labhyate

Coming again and again into bodies that inevitably decay, the embodied soul finds, by no means and nowhere, a permanent dwelling.

Verse 56 (shiva.vayaviya.5.56)

छादितश्च वियुक्तश्च शरीरैरेषु लक्ष्यते । चन्द्रबिम्बवदाकाशे तरलैरभ्रसञ्चयैः

chāditaśca viyuktaśca śarīraireṣu lakṣyate | candrabimbavadākāśe taralairabhrasañcayaiḥ

This self appears both concealed by and separate from these bodies, like the orb of the moon in the sky, veiled by drifting masses of cloud.

Verse 57 (shiva.vayaviya.5.57)

अनेकदेहभेदेन भिन्ना वृत्तिरिहात्मनः । अष्टापदपरिक्षेपे ह्यक्षमुद्रेव लक्ष्यते

anekadehabhedena bhinnā vṛttirihātmanaḥ | aṣṭāpadaparikṣepe hyakṣamudreva lakṣyate

Because of the multiplicity of bodies, the activity of the self here appears divided — as the one piece on an eight-by-eight game board appears different in each of its many squares.

Verse 58 (shiva.vayaviya.5.58)

नैवास्य भविता कश्चिन्नासौ भवति कस्यचित् । पथि सङ्गम एवायं दारैः पुत्रैश्च बन्धुभिः

naivāsya bhavitā kaścinnāsau bhavati kasyacit | pathi saṁgama evāyaṁ dāraiḥ putraiśca bandhubhiḥ

No one truly belongs to it, nor does it truly belong to anyone; this union with wife, children, and kinsmen is merely a chance meeting along the road.

Verse 59 (shiva.vayaviya.5.59)

यथा काष्ठं च काष्ठं च समेयातां महोदधौ । समेत्य च व्यपेयातां तद्वद् भूतसमागमः

yathā kāṣṭhaṁ ca kāṣṭhaṁ ca sameyātāṁ mahodadhau | sametya ca vyapeyātāṁ tadvad bhūtasamāgamaḥ

Just as one log and another might come together in the great ocean, and having come together, drift apart again — so is the meeting of embodied beings.

Verse 60 (shiva.vayaviya.5.60)

स पश्यति शरीरं तच्छरीरं तन्न पश्यति । तौ पश्यति परः कश्चित्तावुभौ तं न पश्यतः

sa paśyati śarīraṁ taccharīraṁ tanna paśyati | tau paśyati paraḥ kaścittāvubhau taṁ na paśyataḥ

That self sees the body, but the body does not see it; some other, higher witness sees both of these, but the two of them do not see that higher witness.

Verse 61 (shiva.vayaviya.5.61)

ब्रह्माद्याः स्थावरान्ताश्च पशवः परिकीर्तिताः । पशूनामेव सर्वेषां प्रोक्तमेतन्निदर्शनम्

brahmādyāḥ sthāvarāntāśca paśavaḥ parikīrtitāḥ | paśūnāmeva sarveṣāṁ proktametannidarśanam

All beings from Brahma down to the immobile creatures are declared to be Pashus; this teaching just given applies to all these Pashus alike.

Verse 62 (shiva.vayaviya.5.62)

स एष बध्यते पाशैः सुखदुःखाशनः पशुः । लीलासाधनभूतो य ईश्वरस्येति सूरयः

sa eṣa badhyate pāśaiḥ sukhaduḥkhāśanaḥ paśuḥ | līlāsādhanabhūto ya īśvarasyeti sūrayaḥ

This same Pashu, the experiencer of pleasure and pain, is bound by fetters; the wise say he serves as an instrument of the Lord's play.

Verse 63 (shiva.vayaviya.5.63)

अज्ञो जन्तुरनीशोऽयमात्मनः सुखदुःखयोः । ईश्वरप्रेरितो गच्छेत्स्वर्गं वा श्वभ्रमेव वा

ajño janturanīśo'yamātmanaḥ sukhaduḥkhayoḥ | īśvaraprerito gacchetsvargaṁ vā śvabhrameva vā

This creature, ignorant and without mastery even over his own pleasure and pain, goes, impelled by the Lord, either to heaven or to hell.

Verse 64 (shiva.vayaviya.5.64)

सूत उवाच । इत्याकर्ण्यानिलवचो मुनयः प्रीतमानसाः । प्रोचुः प्रणम्य तं वायुं शैवागमविचक्षणम्

sūta uvāca | ityākarṇyānilavaco munayaḥ prītamānasāḥ | procuḥ praṇamya taṁ vāyuṁ śaivāgamavicakṣaṇam

Suta said: Having heard these words of Vayu, the sages, glad at heart, bowed to Vayu, well-versed in the Shaiva scriptures, and spoke.