Dashak 8 · Samāsa 1

Listeners, be attentive; pure jñāna, child-instruction (bālabodha); the dialogue of guru and disciple — listen as it is very easy.

Searching many śāstras, life does not suffice at all; the suffering of doubt within — only grows.

Many tīrthas, great-great ones, limitless in the sṛṣṭi; easy, difficult, hard-to-reach — merit-giving.

To visit all such tīrthas — who in samsāra [can]? Wandering, life-span is insufficient.

Many austerities, many charities; many yogas, many sādhanas; all this is done — for the sake of God.

To attain Devādhideva, many kinds of effort should be made; by that God should be established [in one's heart] — this is the universal opinion.

To attain Bhagavān, many paths, many doctrines; what is the svarūpa of that God?

Many devas on the sṛṣṭi — who can count them? Which one God — is not established.

Many kinds of upāsanā; where one's desire is fulfilled, there the mind remains — firmly held.

Many devas, many devotees; have become attached by desire; many ṛṣis, many opinions — all separate.

Examining many, [they] cannot be resolved; one resolve does not happen; śāstras contend, [resolve] does not fall — in place.

In many śāstras, many differences; opposition among doctrines; doing such debate, many have gone.

Among thousands, some one — examines God's discernment; but the wonder of that God — does not fall in place.

Why does it not fall in place? Because pride (ahamtā) has attached; God has remained apart — by the quality of pride.

Enough — many yogas for that purpose — by what quality does that God fall in place?

Whom to call God? How to know Him? That very speech naturally — will be spoken.

He who made the moving-and-unmoving, performed the business of creation and such; the all-doer, continuously — whose name [is God].

He made the cloud-rows, the amṛta-kalā in the moon's disc; gave light to the sun's orb — which Deva [did].

Whose limit is upon the ocean, who established the cosmic serpent; by whose virtue the stars [are set] — in the interspace.

Four species, four speeches, eighty-four lakh life-wombs; who made the three worlds — that is called God.

Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Hara — these are His avatāras; He alone is the God — with certainty.

A deva arising from the shrine cannot make all the jīvas; by him the *brahma-kaṭāva* — cannot be created.

In various places, devas exist; they did not make the earth; moon, sun, stars, clouds — are not by them.

The all-doer — He alone is God; on looking, He is formless; whose art, sport, grace — even Brahmā and others do not know.

Here a doubt arose; it was cleared in the next samāsa; now the listeners should make the disposition attentive.

Space, interspace, sky — void-like with nothing in it; in that pure [sky] — air was born.

From air, fire was born; from fire, water was produced; such is His doing — an unattainable [sequence] has occurred.

From water, the sṛṣṭi came; set up without pillars; such wonderful art was done — His name is God.

God created this earth; in its belly are stones; those very are called 'god' — by those without discernment.

The creator of the sṛṣṭi was before this sṛṣṭi; then His authority — was created [afterward].

The potter exists before the vessel; the vessel is not itself the potter; so God is already there — not stone, not at all.

The army of clay — the doer stands separate; the effect and cause made one — cannot occur.

Nevertheless it can be five-elemental; but not nirguṇa at all; the discernment of effect-cause — is not separate from the elements.

The doer of the whole sṛṣṭi is apart from the sṛṣṭi; there the matter of doubt — should not be brought up.

A stick-string puppet — which person has danced [it]; that person is the puppet — such speech — how can it fit?

The army of a shadow-pavilion — composed like the sṛṣṭi; the threads are worked but [the worker] is not the various figures.

So the sṛṣṭi-doer is God; but He is not the sṛṣṭi-being; He who made many jīvas — how can He be a jīva?

Whatever one must do — how can that one be it? Therefore in vain, the poor fall into doubt.

As in the sṛṣṭi, a beautiful gopura is made by nature; but the gopura is not the doer — with certainty.

Similarly the one who made the world is fully separate; some say foolishly — the world is itself Jagadīśa.

Thus Jagadīśa is separate; the world-creation is His art; He is in all, yet separate — while being in all.

Therefore to the mud of beings, *Ātmārāma* is un-touched; by avidyā's quality, māyā-delusion — feels true.

Māyā-conditioned world-show is all true, as it stands; such a contrary reasoning is not anywhere.

Therefore the world is false, ātman is true; the Paramātmā who is beyond all; as *antarātmā* inside-outside — pervading.

He should be called Deva; all the rest is vain; such is the inner-feeling of Vedānta.

Object-substance is perishable — this comes to experience; therefore Bhagavān is separate from objects.

God is pure and unmoving — all śāstras speak; to that unmoving one, 'fickle' should not be said at all.

'God came, God went; God was born, God died' — speaking so, there is no lack of sin.

The talk of birth-death does not apply to God at all; God is immortal, whose authority [is all] — to him how could death be?

Being born and dying; coming, going, suffering — this is that God's doing; He, the cause, is separate.

Antaḥkaraṇa, five prāṇas; in many tattvas, piṇḍa-knowledge; all these have motion — therefore they are not God.

Thus, devoid of imagination — His name is Bhagavān; the matter of deva-ness is not there.

Then the disciple objected: 'Then how was the brahmāṇḍa made? Doer-ness is cause — falls into the effect.'

As the seer in the visible falls into seer-ness effortlessly, so doer-ness in the nirguṇa — qualities similar.

Who is the brahmāṇḍa-doer? What is his recognition? Is God saguṇa or nirguṇa? — expound to me.

Some say Brahmā is the sṛṣṭi-doer by the mere wish; who is there beyond Him — the sṛṣṭi-doer?

Enough this talk; where has the whole māyā arisen from? This should now be expounded, Master.

Hearing such speech, the speaker says 'attentively'; in the next samāsa, exposition — will be given.

How māyā arose in Brahman — is expounded next; listeners should make disposition attentive now.

Next this very exposition — is clarified by hearing; by which composure happens — for seekers.