Bhagavatapurana 11.24: atha caturviṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

11.24.1

/0 śrī-bhagavān uvāca
atha te sampravakṣyāmi sāṅkhyaṃ pūrvair viniścitam /
yad vijñāya pumān sadyo jahyād vaikalpikaṃ bhramam //

1. The Lord said:— Now I shall tell thee of the Sankhya principles as conclusively stated by the ancient seers: having known them, man may at once shake off the illusion implying difference.

11.24.2

āsīj jñānam atho artha ekam evāvikalpitam /
yadā viveka-nipuṇā ādau kṛta-yuge 'yuge //

2. In the beginning, before yugas began to run, and in the Kritayuga, and when people were strong in discrimination, there was but one thing without difference, the perfect consciousness (seer) and all the objective existence being one and the same and absorbed in Brahman).

11.24.3

tan māyā-phala-rūpeṇa kevalaṃ nirvikalpitam /
vāṅ-mano-'gocaraṃ satyaṃ dvidhā samabhavad bṛhat //

3. That great thing (Brahman) beyond the range of words and mind, the true thing, individual and absolute, became two as Maya, the visible and its effect (a notion of it.)

11.24.4

tayor ekataro hy arthaḥ prakṛtiḥ sobhayātmikā /
jñānaṃ tv anyatamo bhāvaḥ puruṣaḥ so 'bhidhīyate //

4. Of the two, one is Prakriti possessed of two aspects (as cause and effect) and the other is Gnana and it is spoken of as Purusha.

11.24.5

tamo rajaḥ sattvam iti prakṛter abhavan guṇāḥ /
mayā prakṣobhyamāṇāyāḥ puruṣānumatena ca //

5. When I agitated her, under the eye of Purusha, out of Prakriti were evolved three things called gunas, viz., Satva, Rajas, and Tamas.

11.24.6

tebhyaḥ samabhavat sūtraṃ mahān sūtreṇa saṃyutaḥ /
tato vikurvato jāto yo 'haṅkāro vimohanaḥ //

6. From them Sutra was evolved, also called Mahat which is always joined to Sutra: out of the modifying Mahat was born

11.24.7

vaikārikas taijasaś ca tāmasaś cety ahaṃ tri-vṛt /
tan-mātrendriya-manasāṃ kāraṇaṃ cid-acin-mayaḥ //

7. This Ahankara is like a rope of three cords, consisting of Tanmatras: (the objects in subtle form) and the senses and the mind; and it is a mixture of the intelligent and non-intelligent principles.

11.24.8

arthas tan-mātrikāj jajñe tāmasād indriyāṇi ca /
taijasād devatā āsann ekādaśa ca vaikṛtāt //

8. From Tamasa portion of Tanmatras, the things called Bhutas were born; the senses out of Taijasa Ahankara, and the eleven deities out of Vaikarika Ahankara.

11.24.9

mayā sañcoditā bhāvāḥ sarve saṃhatya-kāriṇaḥ /
aṇḍam utpādayām āsur mamāyatanam uttamam //

9. All these things impelled by Me, worked conjointly and created the egg of the Universe, this excellent abode for Me (the Antaryamin of Vairaja).

11.24.10

tasminn ahaṃ samabhavam aṇḍe salila-saṃsthitau /
mama nābhyām abhūt padmaṃ viśvākhyaṃ tatra cātma-bhūḥ //

10. Therein I appeared on the sheet of water and from My navel arose a lotus called (the cause of) the Universe and thereon the four-faced Brahma (Vairaja was born again).

11.24.11

so 'sṛjat tapasā yukto rajasā mad-anugrahāt /
lokān sa-pālān viśvātmā bhūr bhuvaḥ svar iti tridhā //

11. Strengthened by tapas (knowledge) and with the help of Rajas and through My grace he, the master of the Universe, created the worlds with their protectors, comprised of the three regions called Bhur, Bhuvah and Swar.

11.24.12

devānām oka āsīt svar bhūtānāṃ ca bhuvaḥ padam /
martyādīnāṃ ca bhūr lokaḥ siddhānāṃ tritayāt param //

12. Swar became the abode of the gods, Bhuvah of Bhutas and Bhu or the earth became the abode of mortals and others; the abode of Siddhas or Muktas is beyond these three (known as Mahar, Janas etc.)

11.24.13

adho 'surāṇāṃ nāgānāṃ bhūmer oko 'sṛjat prabhuḥ /
tri-lokyāṃ gatayaḥ sarvāḥ karmaṇāṃ tri-guṇātmanām //

13 The lordly Brahma created lower down the earth abodes for Asuras and Nagas. In the aforesaid three regions of the world are contained all the goals of karma performed by those who are under the control of the three gunas.

11.24.14

yogasya tapasaś caiva nyāsasya gatayo 'malāḥ /
mahar janas tapaḥ satyaṃ bhakti-yogasya mad-gatiḥ //

14. The goals or destinations of those that practise Yoga, Tapas and Nyasa or asceticism, are the pure regions of Mahar, Janas, Tapas and Satya; but to men taking to the course of devotion,

My place, i. e., Vaikunta. (Myself is the goal. D.)

11.24.15

mayā kālātmanā dhātrā karma-yuktam idaṃ jagat /
guṇa-pravāha etasminn unmajjati nimajjati //

15. By Me, the supreme Maker in the form of Time, this world, yoked to karma, is made to plunge into, and plunge out of, this stream of gunas. (i. e., is led to higher life in regions upto Satya or to lower life down to a clot of earth).

11.24.16

aṇur bṛhat kṛśaḥ sthūlo yo yo bhāvaḥ prasidhyati /
sarvo 'py ubhaya-saṃyuktaḥ prakṛtyā puruṣeṇa ca //

16. The smallest, the highest, the thinnest or the stoutest thing that is seen to exist is all made up of the two, Prakriti and Purusha.

11.24.17

yas tu yasyādir antaś ca sa vai madhyaṃ ca tasya san /
vikāro vyavahārārtho yathā taijasa-pārthivāḥ //

17. Whatever is the beginning of anything or its end, is also its middle and thus it is the real existence, but the modification is the object of perception and practical use, like Taijasa and Parthiva things, i. e., the ornaments of gold and earthenware.

11.24.18

yad upādāya pūrvas tu bhāvo vikurute 'param /
ādir anto yadā yasya tat satyam abhidhīyate //

18 That which the earlier existence adopts as material to produce the later existence, or, that which is in a given instance regarded the beginning and the end of a certain effect, is spoken of as the Real Entity at the bottom of the product.

11.24.19

prakṛtir yasyopādānam ādhāraḥ puruṣaḥ paraḥ /
sato 'bhivyañjakaḥ kālo brahma tat tritayaṃ tv aham //

19. Prakriti indeed is the material cause of this effect and that which presides over it is the Supreme Person: that which brings the subtle reality into manifest state is called Kala and

these three I am Myself.

11.24.20

sargaḥ pravartate tāvat paurvāparyeṇa nityaśaḥ /
mahān guṇa-visargārthaḥ sthity-anto yāvad īkṣaṇam //

20. From day to day the extensive creation proceeds in due order of father and son, for the sake of the Jiva invested with gunas, and it lasts to the end of this life of Jiva and this life lasts till the realisation of the Lord.

11.24.21

virāṇ mayāsādyamāno loka-kalpa-vikalpakaḥ /
pañcatvāya viśeṣāya kalpate bhuvanaiḥ saha //

21. The Brahmanda (virat) pervaded by Me. giving rise to the various states of the worlds (viz., creation, dissolution, etc.,) becomes fit for dissolution into five (Bhutas which combine into one form) i. e., for destruction;

11.24.22

anne pralīyate martyam annaṃ dhānāsu līyate /
dhānā bhūmau pralīyante bhūmir gandhe pralīyate //

22. The mortal body is withdrawn into the food and the food into the seeds of grain, the seeds into the earth, the earth into smell;

11.24.23

apsu pralīyate gandha āpaś ca sva-guṇe rase /
līyate jyotiṣi raso jyotī rūpe pralīyate //

23. Smell into water, water into its essential property Rasa, and Rasa into the principle of fire or light and fire into colour;

11.24.24

rūpaṃ vāyau sa ca sparśe līyate so 'pi cāmbare /
ambaraṃ śabda-tan-mātra indriyāṇi sva-yoniṣu //

24. Colour into Vayu, Vayu into its essential property Touch and Touch into Akasa, Akasa into its essential property sound and the senses are withdrawn into their causes;

11.24.25

yonir vaikārike saumya līyate manasīśvare /
śabdo bhūtādim apyeti bhūtādir mahati prabhuḥ //

25. The causes or the deities merge into the mind, (which along with them into Vaikarika), which is the ruling power; sound is withdrawn into (Tamasa) Ahankara and that powerful Ahankara into Mahattatva (into the four-faced-D—full of ruling power);

11.24.26

sa līyate mahān sveṣu guṇesu guṇa-vattamaḥ /
te 'vyakte sampralīyante tat kāle līyate 'vyaye //

26. The great and powerful Mahat is withdrawn into the gunas, its causes, for the gunas are withdrwan into the unmanifest Prakriti and that Prakriti is withdrawn into Time that has ceased to operate;

11.24.27

kālo māyā-maye jīve jīva ātmani mayy aje /
ātmā kevala ātma-stho vikalpāpāya-lakṣaṇaḥ //

27. And that Kala or Time into Jiva that directs Maya or embodiment of consciousness (the Maker or the Universe) and that Jiva into Me, Atman, the Unborn: Atman is absolute and remains by Himself who is indicated by the creation and destruction of the Universe.

11.24.28

evam anvīkṣamāṇasya kathaṃ vaikalpiko bhramaḥ /
manaso hṛdi tiṣṭheta vyomnīvārkodaye tamaḥ //

28. Whence could there be illusion implying difference in the mind of one who in this light realises the truth or if it arises, how could it continue to be in that mind, even as darkness cannot on the rise of the sun in the sky?

11.24.29

eṣa sāṅkhya-vidhiḥ proktaḥ saṃśaya-granthi-bhedanaḥ /
pratilomānulomābhyāṃ parāvara-dṛśa mayā //

29. This whole course of Sankhya knowledge has now been explained, (as it cuts off the knot of doubt,) by Me directly realising all the things, great and small, in both ways, from the beginning to the end and from the end to the beginning.