Dashak 7 · Samāsa 4

Śrīrāma. Brahman is purer than the sky; when looked at, equally hollow; formless and vast, beyond limit.

Twenty-one heavens, seven patālas — joined make one brahma-sphere; such endless [spheres] that pure [Brahman] — pervading.

Below endless universes, above endless universes; without it no place is empty — not even an atom's worth.

In water, on land, in wood, in stone — so says the popular voice; no creature is without it — not one.

As water to water-creatures — outside, within, pure; so this Brahman itself is [pure] — to every living being.

There is a place outside water [for fish]; but outside Brahman one cannot go; therefore the water-simile does not fit that.

Going out of the sky [to flee], ahead is sky in truth; so for that Ananta there is no end.

But it is unbrokenly met; clings to every limb; extremely near yet stolen — from all.

One is within it, yet does not know it; appearances arise, do not arise — Parabrahman is that.

In the sky there are clouds; by them the sky seems troubled; but that is false; clear — the sky itself is.

Gazing up into the sky, circles appear to the eyes; so the visible to the jñānis — is of false-form.

False, yet appears — as a dream to the sleeper; on waking, it naturally becomes known.

So by one's own anubhava — by jñāna one must come to waking; then the illusion-nature naturally becomes known.

Enough this reasoning; what is beyond the universe — that very one we will now clearly show.

Brahman is mingled in the universe; pervades every object; extends in all — in part (amśa-mātra).

In Brahman, sṛṣṭi appears; within sṛṣṭi, Brahman is; on taking anubhava, it appears — in part.

In part, within the sṛṣṭi; outside, who makes the limit? How would the whole Brahman — fit within the universe-belly?

Storing the whole sky in amṛtī is effortful; therefore its part is spoken of.

Brahman is thus mingled; yet has not moved; in all, yet has remained — as saturated-ness.

Mixed with the five elements, yet beyond the five elements; like the sky in mud — un-touched.

No example fits Brahman; yet to convey, one must give; in examples, the sky — when considered — has [most] affinity.

'Kha-brahma' — such is the śruti; 'gagana-sadṛśam' — is the smṛti; therefore to Brahman in example, the sky is fit.

When blackness is absent, brass is purely gold; when voidness is absent, pure sky [becomes] Brahman.

Therefore Brahman is like the sky, and māyā is like the wind; encountered, but its darśana is not [visible].

The construction of the sṛṣṭi happens and goes moment by moment; but it does not stabilize — like the wind.

Enough — such is māyā illusory; the eternal is one Brahman; when looked at, pervades many.

It pierces the earth, but that Brahman is not hard; no other simile fits its softness.

Softer than earth is water; softer than water is fire; softer than fire, know wind.

Softer than wind is the sky; know extremely soft; softer than the sky, fully, know Brahman.

It has pierced the adamantine, yet its softness has not gone; un-example-able saturation — neither hard nor soft.

Pervading within the earth, when the earth perishes it does not perish; when water evaporates, it does not; being in water.

Is in fire yet does not burn; is in wind yet does not move; is in sky yet is not known — Parabrahman is that.

Pervades the whole body, yet is not encountered; near, yet distant — what a marvel.

Present-facing in all four directions; one must see it within; inside-outside directly — it is accomplished.

Oneself is within it; it is within-and-outside oneself; know the sign — separate from the visible — like the sky.

Where nothing seemed to be — there it was packed; like not seeing one's own wealth — to oneself.

Whatever object falls to sight — beyond that object — one should unpack this bundle by anubhava.

Before and after, the sky; the expanse without objects; the vast-space without earth — is of one form.

Whatever has form and name — that is mere baseless delusion; the secret beyond name-and-form — only experiencers know.

In the sky, great mountains of smoke rise up; thus the māyā-goddess displays spectacles.

Thus māyā is non-eternal; know Brahman as eternal; in all places, ever-rising — filled.

When reading a book, [one] looks; [Brahman] is within the alphabet; entering the eyes it remains — by softness.

By the ear hearing sound, by the mind examining — within-and-outside the mind, in truth — is that Parabrahman.

On walking the path, it is encountered in every limb; when taking an object with the hand — Brahman is across.

Enough — in the senses' assembly, it moves in all; on trying to know, the desire of the senses breaks.

That which is close by, on looking for it is not seen; not being seen, it dwells — as some-thing.

That which should be known only by anubhava, by the absence of sṛṣṭi; by one's own sva-anubhava — Brahman is attained.

The seeing of the jñāna-eye — the flesh-eye cannot see; the sign of the inner-disposition — only the inner-disposition witnesses.

Knows Brahman, knows māyā; knows the place of anubhava; that one should be known as *turīyā* — the all-witness.

The cause of witnessing is disposition; know *unmanī* as *nivṛtti*; where 'knowing' dissolves — that is *vijñāna*.

Where ajñāna ceases, jñāna too does not remain; the vijñāna-disposition merges — in Parabrahman.

Such is eternal Brahman, where imagination ends; for yogi-folk, *ekānta* should be known by anubhava.