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bhṛguruvāca॥
Bhṛgu said.
na praṇāśo'sti jīvānāṃ dattasyaca kṛtasyaca। yāti dehāntaraṃ prāṇī śarīraṃ tu viśīryate॥12-180-1॥
There is no destruction for living beings, nor for what is given or done. The living being moves to another body, but the body itself perishes.
na śarīrāśrito jīvastasminnaṣṭe praṇaśyati। yathā samitsu dagdhāsu na praṇaśyati pāvakaḥ ॥12-180-2॥
The soul is not dependent on the body; when the body is destroyed, the soul does not perish, just as fire is not destroyed when the sticks are burnt.
bharadvāja uvāca॥
Bharadvāja said.
agner yathā tathā tasya yadi nāśo na vidyate। indhanasyopayogānte sa cāgnir nopalabhyate ॥12-180-3॥
Just as fire is not destroyed, but at the end of the fuel's use, that fire is not found, so too is it with this.
naśyatītyeva jānāmi śāntamagnimanindhanam। gatiryasya pramāṇaṃ vā saṃsthānaṃ vā na dṛśyate ॥12-180-4॥
I know for certain that a fire without fuel is extinguished; its movement, measure, or form is not seen.
bhṛguruvāca॥
Bhṛgu said.
samidhām-upayogānte sanneva agnir na dṛśyate। ākāśānugatattvād dhi durgrahaḥ sa nirāśrayaḥ ॥12-180-5॥
When the fuel-sticks are consumed, the fire, though present, is not seen. Indeed, because it follows the nature of space, it is difficult to grasp and without support.
tathā śarīrasantyāge jīvo hy ākāśavat sthitaḥ। na gṛhyate susūkṣmatvād yathā jyotir na saṃśayaḥ॥12-180-6॥
Similarly, when the body is abandoned, the soul remains like space; it cannot be grasped because of its extreme subtlety, just as light cannot be grasped—there is no doubt about this.
prāṇāndhārayate hyagniḥ sa jīva upadhāryatām। vāyusandhāraṇo hyagnirnaśyatyucchvāsanigrahāt ॥12-180-7॥
Fire indeed supports the life-breaths; he should be understood as the living being. Fire, which is sustained by air, perishes when exhalation is restrained.
tasminnaṣṭe śarīrāgnau śarīraṃ tadacetanam। patitaṃ yāti bhūmitvamayanaṃ tasya hi kṣitiḥ ॥12-180-8॥
When the bodily fire is extinguished, the unconscious body falls and returns to the earth, for the earth is truly its final resting place.
jaṅgamānāṃ hi sarveṣāṃ sthāvarāṇāṃ tathaiva ca। ākāśaṃ pavano'bhyeti jyotistamanugacchati ॥ tatra trayāṇāmekatvaṃ dvayaṃ bhūmau pratiṣṭhitam ॥12-180-9॥
Indeed, among all moving and immovable beings, the wind approaches the ether, and light follows it. There, among the three, there is oneness; the other two are established on the earth.
yatra khaṃ tatra pavanas tatrāgnir yatra mārutaḥ। amūrtayas te vijñeyā āpo mūrtās tathā kṣitiḥ॥12-180-10॥
Where there is space, there is wind; where there is wind, there is fire. Those are to be understood as formless; waters are with form, as is earth.
bharadvāja uvāca॥
Bharadvāja said.
yadyagnimārutau bhūmiḥ khamāpaś ca śarīriṣu। jīvaḥ kiṃlakṣaṇas tatra ity etad ācakṣva me'nagha॥12-180-11॥
If fire, wind, earth, space, and water are present in bodies, what is the characteristic of the living being there? Please tell me this, O sinless one.
pañcātmake pañcaratau pañcavijñānasaṃyute। śarīre prāṇināṃ jīvaṃ jñātumicchāmi yādṛśam ॥12-180-12॥
I wish to know what kind of living being (jīva) exists in the body, which is composed of five selves, endowed with five jewels, and five kinds of knowledge.
māṃsaśoṇitasaṅghāte medaḥsnāyvasthisañcaye। bhidyamāne śarīre tu jīvo naivopalabhyate ॥12-180-13॥
When the body, composed of flesh, blood, fat, sinews, and bones, is broken apart, the living being is not found therein.
yadyajīvaṃ śarīraṃ tu pañcabhūtasamanvitam। śārīre mānase duḥkhe kastāṃ vedayate rujam ॥12-180-14॥
If the body is lifeless and composed only of the five elements, then who experiences pain in bodily or mental suffering?
śṛṇoti kathitaṃ jīvaḥ karṇābhyāṃ na śṛṇoti tat। maharṣe manasi vyagre tasmājjīvo nirarthakaḥ ॥12-180-15॥
A person may hear what is spoken with his ears, but if his mind is distracted, O great sage, he does not truly hear it; thus, such a person is rendered useless.
sarvaṃ paśyati yaddṛśyaṃ manoyuktena cakṣuṣā। manasi vyākule taddhi paśyannapi na paśyati ॥12-180-16॥
He perceives everything that is visible with eyes joined to the mind; but when the mind is disturbed, even though he looks, he does not truly see.
na paśyati na ca brūte na śṛṇoti na jighrati। na ca sparśarasau vetti nidrāvaśagataḥ punaḥ ॥12-180-17॥
Again, overpowered by sleep, he neither sees, nor speaks, nor hears, nor smells, nor knows touch and taste.
hṛṣyati krudhyati ca kaḥ śocatyudvijate ca kaḥ| icchati dhyāyati dveṣṭi vācamīrayate ca kaḥ ॥12-180-18॥
Who is it that rejoices, becomes angry, grieves, is agitated, desires, meditates, hates, and utters speech?
bhṛguruvāca॥
Bhṛgu said.
na pañcasādhāraṇamatra kiṃ ci; ccharīrameko vahate'ntarātmā. sa vetti gandhāṃśca rasāñśrutiṃ ca; sparśaṃ ca rūpaṃ ca guṇāśca ye'nye ॥12-180-19॥
There is nothing here that is common to all five senses; the inner self alone bears the body. He perceives scents, tastes, sounds, touch, forms, and other qualities.
pañcātmake pañcaguṇapradarśī; sa sarvagātrānugato'ntarātmā. sa vetti duḥkhāni sukhāni cātra; tadviprayogāttu na vetti dehaḥ ॥12-180-20॥
The inner self, which pervades all parts of the body and reveals the five qualities in the being of five selves, is the one who experiences pleasure and pain here; when separated from it, the body itself does not experience them.
yadā na rūpaṃ na sparśo noṣmabhāvaś ca pāvake। tadā śānte śarīrāgnau dehaṃ tyaktvā sa naśyati॥12-180-21॥
When there is neither form, nor touch, nor heat in the fire, then, in the tranquil fire of the body, having abandoned the body, he perishes.
ammayaṃ sarvamevedamāpo mūrtiḥ śarīriṇām। tatrātmā mānaso brahmā sarvabhūteṣu lokakṛt ॥12-180-22॥
All this nourishment is truly water, which is the form of all embodied beings. There, the self, the mind-born Brahmā, is present as the creator of the worlds in all beings.
ātmānaṃ taṃ vijānīhi sarvalokahitātmakam। tasminyaḥ saṃśrito dehe hyabbinduriva puṣkare ॥12-180-23॥
Recognize that self, whose essence is the welfare of all beings. He who dwells in the body is like a drop of water in a lotus.
kṣetrajñaṃ taṃ vijānīhi nityaṃ lokahitātmakam। tamo rajaśca sattvaṃ ca viddhi jīvaguṇānimān ॥12-180-24॥
Know that the knower of the field is eternal and is of the nature of the welfare of the world. Understand that darkness, passion, and goodness are the qualities inherent in living beings.
sacetanaṃ jīvaguṇaṃ vadanti; sa ceṣṭate ceṣṭayate ca sarvam। tataḥ paraṃ kṣetravidaṃ vadanti; prāvartayadyo bhuvanāni sapta ॥12-180-25॥
They say that the quality of the living being is consciousness; he acts and causes everything to act. Beyond that, they say, is the knower of the field, who set the seven worlds in motion.
na jīvanāśo'sti hi dehabhede; mithyaitadāhurmṛta ityabuddhāḥ. jīvastu dehāntaritaḥ prayāti; daśārdhataivāsya śarīrabhedaḥ ॥12-180-26॥
There is truly no destruction of life at the separation of the body; the unwise falsely say 'dead'. The soul, however, departs having entered another body; the separation from the body is just like a tenth part for him.
evaṃ sarveṣu bhūteṣu gūḍhaś carati saṃvṛtaḥ। dṛśyate tv agryayā buddhyā sūkṣmayā tattvadarśibhiḥ ॥12-180-27॥
Thus, in all beings, it moves hidden and enveloped. But it is seen only by those who possess the highest and most subtle intellect, by the seers of truth.
taṃ pūrvāpararātreṣu yuñjānaḥ satataṃ budhaḥ। laghvāhāro viśuddhātmā paśyatyātmānamātmani ॥12-180-28॥
The wise one, who always meditates in the early and late parts of the night, who eats lightly and has a pure mind, sees the self within the self.
cittasya hi prasādena hitvā karma śubhāśubham। prasannātmātmāni sthitvā sukham akṣayam aśnute ॥12-180-29॥
When the mind is clear, abandoning both good and bad actions, and with a serene self established in the Self, one attains imperishable happiness.
mānaso'gniḥ śarīreṣu jīva ityabhidhīyate। sṛṣṭiḥ prajāpater eṣā bhūtādhyātmaviniścaye ॥12-180-30॥
The fire of the mind present in bodies is known as the living being. This is the creation of Prajāpati, determined in the context of beings and the self.
