Chapter 6: The one Deva hidden in all beings

स्वभावमेके कवयो वदन्ति कालं तथान्ये परिमुह्यमानाः ।
देवस्यैष महिमा तु लोके येनेदं भ्राम्यते ब्रह्मचक्रम्

svabhāvameke kavayo vadanti kālaṃ tathānye parimuhyamānāḥ |
devasyaiṣa mahimā tu loke yenedaṃ bhrāmyate brahmacakram

Some wise men say inborn nature is the cause; others, deluded, say time. But it is the glory of God in the world by which this wheel of Brahman is turned.

येनावृतं नित्यमिदं हि सर्वं ज्ञः कालकारो गुणी सर्वविद्यः ।
तेनेशितं कर्म विवर्तते ह पृथिव्यप्तेजोनिलखानि चिन्त्यम्

yenāvṛtaṃ nityamidaṃ hi sarvaṃ jñaḥ kālakāro guṇī sarvavidyaḥ |
teneśitaṃ karma vivartate ha pṛthivyaptejonilakhāni cintyam

By Him this whole world is ever enveloped: the knower, the maker of time, possessor of all virtues, the all-knowing. Ruled by Him, the work of creation unfolds, which is to be thought of as earth, water, fire, air and space.

तत्कर्म कृत्वा विनिवर्त्य भूयस्तत्त्वस्य तत्त्वेन समेत्य योगम् ।
एकेन द्वाभ्यां त्रिभिरष्टभिर्वा कालेन चैवात्मगुणैश्च सूक्ष्मैः

tatkarma kṛtvā vinivartya bhūyastattvasya tattvena sametya yogam |
ekena dvābhyāṃ tribhiraṣṭabhirvā kālena caivātmaguṇaiśca sūkṣmaiḥ

Having done that work and withdrawn again, He joins principle with principle, with one, two, three or eight, with time and with the subtle qualities of the self.

आरभ्य कर्माणि गुणान्वितानि भावांश्च सर्वान् विनियोजयेद्यः ।
तेषामभावे कृतकर्मनाशः कर्मक्षये याति स तत्त्वतोऽन्यः

ārabhya karmāṇi guṇānvitāni bhāvāṃśca sarvān viniyojayedyaḥ |
teṣāmabhāve kṛtakarmanāśaḥ karmakṣaye yāti sa tattvato'nyaḥ

He who begins works bound to the gunas and offers up all states of being to the Lord: when these are gone, the work he has done is destroyed. With his karma spent, he goes on, other in truth than all that.

आदिः स संयोगनिमित्तहेतुः परस्त्रिकालादकलोऽपि दृष्टः ।
तं विश्वरूपं भवभूतमीड्यं देवं स्वचित्तस्थमुपास्य पूर्वम्

ādiḥ sa saṃyoganimittahetuḥ parastrikālādakalo'pi dṛṣṭaḥ |
taṃ viśvarūpaṃ bhavabhūtamīḍyaṃ devaṃ svacittasthamupāsya pūrvam

He is the beginning, the cause of the causes that unite; beyond the three times, He is seen to be without parts. Worship first that God who abides in your own heart, of every form, the source of all becoming, the adorable.

स वृक्षकालाकृतिभिः परोऽन्यो यस्मात्प्रपञ्चः परिवर्ततेऽयम् ।
धर्मावहं पापनुदं भगेशं ज्ञात्वात्मस्थममृतं विश्वधाम

sa vṛkṣakālākṛtibhiḥ paro'nyo yasmātprapañcaḥ parivartate'yam |
dharmāvahaṃ pāpanudaṃ bhageśaṃ jñātvātmasthamamṛtaṃ viśvadhāma

He is higher than and other than the tree of the world, time and forms; from Him this whole expanse unfolds. Know Him dwelling in your own self, the bringer of dharma, remover of sin, lord of all good, the immortal home of all.

तमीश्वराणां परमं महेश्वरं तं देवतानां परमं च दैवतम् ।
पतिं पतीनां परमं परस्ताद्विदाम देवं भुवनेशमीड्यम्

tamīśvarāṇāṃ paramaṃ maheśvaraṃ taṃ devatānāṃ paramaṃ ca daivatam |
patiṃ patīnāṃ paramaṃ parastādvidāma devaṃ bhuvaneśamīḍyam

We know Him, the supreme Maheshvara of all lords, the highest deity of all deities, the supreme master of all masters, beyond the highest, God, Lord of the world, the adorable.

न तस्य कार्यं करणं च विद्यते न तत्समश्चाभ्यधिकश्च दृश्यते ।
परास्य शक्तिर्विविधैव श्रूयते स्वाभाविकी ज्ञानबलक्रिया च

na tasya kāryaṃ karaṇaṃ ca vidyate na tatsamaścābhyadhikaśca dṛśyate |
parāsya śaktirvividhaiva śrūyate svābhāvikī jñānabalakriyā ca

He has no body and no organs; none is seen equal to Him, let alone greater. His supreme power is declared to be manifold, and His knowledge, strength and action are His very nature.

न तस्य कश्चित्पतिरस्ति लोके न चेशिता नैव च तस्य लिङ्गम् ।
स कारणं करणाधिपाधिपो न चास्य कश्चिज्जनिता न चाधिपः

na tasya kaścitpatirasti loke na ceśitā naiva ca tasya liṅgam |
sa kāraṇaṃ karaṇādhipādhipo na cāsya kaścijjanitā na cādhipaḥ

He has no master in the world, no ruler, no mark by which He may be inferred. He is the cause, the lord of the lords of the senses. He has no begetter and no lord.

यस्तन्तुनाभ इव तन्तुभिः प्रधानजैः स्वभावतः ।
देव एकः स्वमावृणोति स नो दधातु ब्रह्माप्ययम्

yastantunābha iva tantubhiḥ pradhānajaiḥ svabhāvataḥ |
deva ekaḥ svamāvṛṇoti sa no dadhātu brahmāpyayam

As the spider covers itself with threads drawn from itself, the one God by His own nature covers Himself with threads born of Prakriti. May He grant us entry into Brahman.

एको देवः सर्वभूतेषु गूढः सर्वव्यापी सर्वभूतान्तरात्मा ।
कर्माध्यक्षः सर्वभूताधिवासः साक्षी चेता केवलो निर्गुणश्च

eko devaḥ sarvabhūteṣu gūḍhaḥ sarvavyāpī sarvabhūtāntarātmā |
karmādhyakṣaḥ sarvabhūtādhivāsaḥ sākṣī cetā kevalo nirguṇaśca

The one God, hidden in all beings, all-pervading, the inner Self of all, overseer of all deeds, dwelling in all beings, the witness, pure consciousness, alone and beyond the gunas.

एको वशी निष्क्रियाणां बहूनामेकं बीजं बहुधा यः करोति ।
तमात्मस्थं येऽनुपश्यन्ति धीरास्तेषां सुखं शाश्वतं नेतरेषाम्

eko vaśī niṣkriyāṇāṃ bahūnāmekaṃ bījaṃ bahudhā yaḥ karoti |
tamātmasthaṃ ye'nupaśyanti dhīrāsteṣāṃ sukhaṃ śāśvataṃ netareṣām

The one ruler of the many who are inactive, who makes the one seed manifold: the wise who see Him abiding in their own self, theirs is eternal joy, not others'.

नित्यो नित्यानां चेतनश्चेतनानामेको बहूनां यो विदधाति कामान् ।
तत्कारणं सांख्ययोगाधिगम्यं ज्ञात्वा देवं मुच्यते सर्वपाशैः

nityo nityānāṃ cetanaścetanānāmeko bahūnāṃ yo vidadhāti kāmān |
tatkāraṇaṃ sāṃkhyayogādhigamyaṃ jñātvā devaṃ mucyate sarvapāśaiḥ

The eternal among the eternal, the conscious among the conscious, the One who fulfils the desires of many: knowing that cause, reached through Sankhya and Yoga, knowing that God, one is freed from every bond.

न तत्र सूर्यो भाति न चन्द्रतारकं नेमा विद्युतो भान्ति कुतोऽयमग्निः ।
तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर्वं तस्य भासा सर्वमिदं विभाति

na tatra sūryo bhāti na candratārakaṃ nemā vidyuto bhānti kuto'yamagniḥ |
tameva bhāntamanubhāti sarvaṃ tasya bhāsā sarvamidaṃ vibhāti

There the sun does not shine, nor the moon and stars; these lightnings do not shine, much less this fire. When He shines, everything shines after Him; by His light all this is lit.

एको हंसः भुवनस्यास्य मध्ये स एवाग्निः सलिले संनिविष्टः ।
तमेव विदित्वातिमृत्युमेति नान्यः पन्था विद्यतेऽयनाय

eko haṃsaḥ bhuvanasyāsya madhye sa evāgniḥ salile saṃniviṣṭaḥ |
tameva viditvātimṛtyumeti nānyaḥ panthā vidyate'yanāya

He is the one swan in the midst of this world; He is the fire that has entered the waters. Only by knowing Him does one pass beyond death; there is no other path to go.

स विश्वकृद् विश्वविदात्मयोनिर्ज्ञः कालकालो गुणी सर्वविद्यः ।
प्रधानक्षेत्रज्ञपतिर्गुणेशः संसारमोक्षस्थितिबन्धहेतुः

sa viśvakṛd viśvavidātmayonirjñaḥ kālakālo guṇī sarvavidyaḥ |
pradhānakṣetrajñapatirguṇeśaḥ saṃsāramokṣasthitibandhahetuḥ

He is the maker of all, the knower of all, self-born, the knower, the destroyer even of time, possessor of all virtues, all-knowing; lord of Prakriti and of the soul, master of the gunas, the cause of bondage in samsara, of staying in it and of release.

स तन्मयो ह्यमृत ईशसंस्थो ज्ञः सर्वगो भुवनस्यास्य गोप्ता ।
य ईशेऽस्य जगतो नित्यमेव नान्यो हेतुर्विद्यत ईशनाय

sa tanmayo hyamṛta īśasaṃstho jñaḥ sarvago bhuvanasyāsya goptā |
ya īśe'sya jagato nityameva nānyo heturvidyata īśanāya

He is one with that, immortal, established as Lord, the knower, present everywhere, the guardian of this world. He rules this world for ever; there is no other cause of its ruling.

यो ब्रह्माणं विदधाति पूर्वं यो वै वेदांश्च प्रहिणोति तस्मै ।
तं ह देवमात्मबुद्धिप्रकाशं मुमुक्षुर्वै शरणमहं प्रपद्ये

yo brahmāṇaṃ vidadhāti pūrvaṃ yo vai vedāṃśca prahiṇoti tasmai |
taṃ ha devamātmabuddhiprakāśaṃ mumukṣurvai śaraṇamahaṃ prapadye

He who first created Brahma and gave him the Vedas, that God who shines in the intellect as the Self: seeking liberation, I take refuge in Him.

निष्कलं निष्क्रियंशान्तं निरवद्यं निरञ्जनम् ।
अमृतस्य परंसेतुं दग्धेन्दनमिवानलम्

niṣkalaṃ niṣkriyaṃśāntaṃ niravadyaṃ nirañjanam |
amṛtasya paraṃsetuṃ dagdhendanamivānalam

He is without parts, without action, at peace, faultless, stainless, the highest bridge to immortality, like a fire whose fuel has burnt away.

यदा चर्मवदाकाशं वेष्टयिष्यन्ति मानवाः ।
तदा देवमविज्ञाय दुःखस्यान्तो भविष्यति

yadā carmavadākāśaṃ veṣṭayiṣyanti mānavāḥ |
tadā devamavijñāya duḥkhasyānto bhaviṣyati

Only when men can roll up the sky like a piece of leather will there be an end of sorrow without knowing God.

तपःप्रभावाद् देवप्रसादाच्च ब्रह्म ह श्वेताश्वतरोऽथ विद्वान् ।
अत्याश्रमिभ्यः परमं पवित्रं प्रोवाच सम्यगृषिसङ्घजुष्टम्

tapaḥprabhāvād devaprasādācca brahma ha śvetāśvataro'tha vidvān |
atyāśramibhyaḥ paramaṃ pavitraṃ provāca samyagṛṣisaṅghajuṣṭam

By the power of his tapas and by the grace of God, the wise Shvetashvatara knew Brahman and rightly declared it, the supreme purifier cherished by the company of seers, to those in the highest stage of renunciation.

वेदान्ते परमं गुह्यं पुराकल्पे प्रचोदितम् ।
नाप्रशान्ताय दातव्यं नापुत्रायाशिष्याय वा पुनः

vedānte paramaṃ guhyaṃ purākalpe pracoditam |
nāpraśāntāya dātavyaṃ nāputrāyāśiṣyāya vā punaḥ

This highest secret of the Vedanta was taught in an earlier age. It should not be given to one whose mind is not at peace, nor to one who is not a son or a disciple.

यस्य देवे परा भक्तिः यथा देवे तथा गुरौ ।
तस्यैते कथिता ह्यर्थाः प्रकाशन्ते महात्मनः

yasya deve parā bhaktiḥ yathā deve tathā gurau |
tasyaite kathitā hyarthāḥ prakāśante mahātmanaḥ

To the great soul who has supreme devotion to God, and to his Guru as to God, these truths, when taught, shine forth.