Dashak 8 · Samāsa 5

A fool does not know it; therefore the telling has happened; the signs of the five elements — clearly explained.

The mud of the five elements has occurred; now it cannot be separated; but some of it separately — will be shown.

Mountains, rocks, slabs, peaks; of many colors, small and great; pebbles, small stones, many kinds — know as earth.

Clays of many colors; at various places; sand of many kinds combined — earth.

Charming towns, cities; many houses, dāmodara-temples; many temple-spires combined — earth.

The seven-continent earth — how to describe it? Nine regions combined — know as Vasundharā.

Many devas, kings; many languages, many customs; eighty-four lakh origins combined — earth.

Many desolate forests; many groves of trees; mountain-caves, many places combined — earth.

Many constructions by devas; and whatever was created by humans; all combined — listeners know — is earth.

Many metals, gold and others; many jewels of various kinds; many woods, trees combined — earth.

Enough at length; the heavy part and hard part; all this should be believed — as earth.

The form of earth has been spoken; now water will be told; listeners — recognize its form attentively.

Step-wells, wells, ponds; the waters of many rivers; clouds and the seven oceans combined — water.

[Śloka] 'kṣāra-kṣīra-surā-sarpiḥ dadhi ikṣuḥ jalam tathā' — the salt-ocean is visible; all people see it with their eyes; where salt is formed — that is the salt-sea.

One sea of milk — its name is *kṣīra-sāgara*; continuously given by God — to Upamanyu.

One sea of wine; one to be known as of ghee; one purely of curd — is an ocean.

One of sugarcane juice; one of pure water; thus seven seas — surround the earth.

Thus water on the earth — of many places — all combined — know purely as water.

How many within the earth's belly? Beneath the earth is the covering-water; water of the three worlds combined — water.

Many creepers, many; juices of many trees; honey, mercury, nectar, poison — combined — water.

Many juices, oils and such; and many others; apart from the world's [waters], necessarily — these are called water.

Moist and cool, fluid like water; semen, blood, urine, saliva — are called water.

Water should be known by convention; by 'fluid' word recognized; soft and cool by nature — is called water.

The convention of water is made: fluid, soft, slippery; sweat, phlegm, tears — all — know as water.

Hear of fire attentively: moon, sun, constellations; divine bodies by radiance — are called fire.

Fire in clouds as lightning; fire as sṛṣṭi-destroyer; fire burning the ocean — *vaḍavānala* (undersea-fire).

Fire in Śankara's eye; fire in the hunger of Time; fire around the earth-sphere — is called fire.

Whatever is light-form — is the svarūpa of fire; drying, heating, etc. — know as fire.

Wind should be known as fickle; animates consciousness purely; all speaking and walking — is due to wind.

Whatever moves and sways is wind; nothing moves without wind; the cause of the sṛṣṭi's motion — is the root wind.

Motion, turning, expansion; restraint and contraction — all know as wind — of fickle-form.

Prāṇa, apāna, vyāna; fourth udāna, and samāna; nāga, kūrma, harsh-kṛkala — know; deva-datta, dhanañjaya.

Whatever motion there is — that is the sign of wind; moon, sun, constellations — wind itself holds.

Sky, know as hollow; pure and unmoving; all of space-form — know as sky.

Sky pervades all; sky is one in many; in sky is the wonder — of four elements.

Nothing is as essential as sky; sky is greater than all; examining sky's reasoning — similar to svarūpa.

Then the disciple objects: both have similar form; then why not call sky itself — svarūpa?

What difference between sky and svarūpa? On examination they appear non-different; the sky is self-evident substance — why not call [it that]?

The substance is unmoving, un-swaying; pure, still; similarly the sky purely — [resembles] the substance.

Hearing this, the speaker utters: the substance is nirguṇa, ancient; in the sky are seven qualities — expounded in the śāstras.

Kāma, krodha, śoka, moha; bhaya, ajñāna, śūnyatā, see — such seven-fold nature is — of the sky.

This is spoken by the śāstra-writers; therefore sky is an element; svarūpa is unchanging, packed — without simile.

Glass-jar and water — all seem similar; but one is glass, one is water — the wise know.

In cotton a crystal fell; people saw it as same-form; by that, head-breakage happened — cotton does not.

In rice, white pebbles — resemble rice; on chewing, teeth fall; then it is known.

Within a three-portion, there is a pebble; appears like the three-portion; on examining, it appears separate — by its hardness.

A jaggery-rock like jaggery, but it is hard, rough; *nāga-kāṇḍī* and *vekhaṇḍa* — should not be called one.

Gold and gilt-brass — feel purely one; but when brass meets fire — blackness climbs.

Enough — these are low examples; sky means purely element; that element and Ananta — how are they one?

The substance has no color; sky is dark-colored; how can the discerning make sameness of the two?

Listeners say: what form [does sky have]? The sky is formless at root; sky is the substance itself *tad-rūpa* — no difference.

The four elements have destruction; how does sky perish? Sky does not accept color-manifestation-distortion.

Sky appears unmoving; what of it can perish? In our opinion, looking — sky is eternal.

Hearing such speech, the speaker gives a reply; now listen — the sign of the sky.

Sky arose from tamas; therefore wrapped by lust-anger; ajñāna-void-ness is its name.

By ajñāna, lust-anger and so on; delusion, fear, grief — this is the discernment of ajñāna — by sky-quality.

*Nāstika* is the nay-saying utterance; that is the sign of void; him they call heart-empty (hṛdaya-śūnya) — the ignorant creature.

Sky in stillness is void; void means ajñāna; ajñāna means hard — is its form.

Hard-void is full of distortion; how can it be called a saint? The mind feels [them] so similar — in casual view.

Ajñāna is mixed in the sky; jñāna destroys that mud; therefore sky has — destruction.

So sky and svarūpa — on looking feel one-form; but between the two there is a gap (vikṣepa) — of void-ness.

Looking casually with imagination, [they] feel the same with certainty; but between sky and svarūpa — no difference [exists].

*Unmanī* and *suṣupti* states feel similar in truth; but examining — there is difference.

The false is imagined like the true; but the examiner separates; like a deer confused by seeing — the mirage.

Enough this example; it was spoken to make the convention understood; therefore element and Ananta — are not one.

Sky should be seen separately; in svarūpa, svarūpa itself — one must become; examining the substance [is done] naturally — thus.

Here the objection cleared; doubt-disposition set; through non-difference [was] experienced — svarūpa-sthiti.

Sky comes to anubhava; svarūpa is beyond anubhava; therefore with sky — sameness does not happen.

The water-part in milk — is known to separate by the royal swan; so svarūpa and sky — the saints know.

The whole māyā's net — should be untangled by sat-sanga; the rank of mokṣa is attained — by sat-samāgama.