Dashak 10 · Samāsa 1

Is the antaḥkaraṇa of all one, or not one — many? / Such a determination — explain to me.

Thus the listener asked: 'Is antaḥkaraṇa one or separate?' / The answer — listeners should hear.

The antaḥkaraṇa of all is one — know as final determination. / This vivek of direct-experience — I have explained.

The listener says to the vaktā: 'If antaḥkaraṇa is one for all, / why do they not unite one-to-one — for what reason?'

'If one eats, all should be sated; if one cools, all should cool; / if one dies, all should die — [should not that follow]?'

'One happy, one sad — such is the world-course. / The recognition of one antaḥkaraṇa — how is it to be known?'

'In people, various feelings; no one matches another. / Therefore this does not come to inference.'

'If antaḥkaraṇa were one, then one's thing would be known to another. / Nothing could be stolen; no secret.'

'Therefore this is not inferred: antaḥkaraṇa being one does not happen. / Enmity has arisen among people — for what reason?'

'A serpent comes to bite; the creature, afraid, flees. / If one antaḥkaraṇa, such enmity should not be.'

Such is the listeners' doubt. The vaktā says: 'Do not shake. / Alert, listen — the nirūpaṇa.'

Antaḥkaraṇa means knowing; knowing-ness is knower-svabhāva. / The means of body-preservation — is the knowing-faculty.

The serpent knowing came to bite; the creature knowing fled. / On both sides, knowing-ness — see well.

On both sides, knowing-ness — seen; hence the antaḥkaraṇa is one. / On investigation, it comes to pratyaya — in knowing-form.

In knowing-form, antaḥkaraṇa is one for all — this is the measure. / For every jīva, knowing — is one-and-the-same.

The seeing by one eye; the tasting by one tongue; / hearing, touching, smelling — for all, one.

Beasts, birds, insects, ants — every jīva created in the world — / the knowing-faculty for all — is one alone.

For all, water is cool; for all, fire is blazing; / for all, antaḥkaraṇa is merely — the knowing-faculty.

'Likes-and-dislikes arise' — that is due to body-svabhāva. / Yet this is known — by antaḥkaraṇa-function.

The antaḥkaraṇa of all is one — such a determination, definitive. / They know the delight of it — on every side.

By this much the doubt is cleared; now do not infer. / Knowing — all that is of one — antaḥkaraṇa.

Knowing, jīvas take fodder; knowing, fearful, they hide; / knowing, they flee — every creature.

From insect-ant to Brahma-etc., all — antaḥkaraṇa is one. / The delight of this matter — experience it.

Big or small — still fire; little or much — still water; / deficient or complete — still creatures — know by antaḥkaraṇa.

Somewhere less, somewhere more; but the species is one. / A moving creature anywhere — cannot be without [this knowing-faculty].

Knowing means antaḥkaraṇa; know antaḥkaraṇa as a portion of Viṣṇu. / Viṣṇu does the nourishing — in this manner.

Not-knowing destroys the creature; not-knowing is called tamo-guṇa. / By tamo-guṇa, Rudra destroys — in this manner.

Some knowing, some not-knowing — this is the svabhāva of rajo-guṇa. / Knowing and not-knowing, jīvas — come to birth.

By knowing, happiness arises; by not-knowing, suffering. / Happiness-and-suffering are necessary — due to utpatti-guṇa.

The buddhi of knowing-and-not-knowing — know that as Brahmā in the body. / In the sthūla-body, Brahmā is threefold-pure — the utpatti-creator.

Such utpatti, sthiti, samhāra — the consideration occasioned. / But the determination of this — see it directly.