श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । अस्त्यनन्तविलासात्मा सर्वगः सर्वसंश्रयः । चिदाकाशोऽविनाशात्मा प्रदीपः सर्वजन्तुषु ॥ ११ ॥
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | astyanantavilāsātmā sarvagaḥ sarvasaṁśrayaḥ | cidākāśō’vināśātmā pradīpaḥ sarvajantuṣu || 11 ||
Translation
Śrī Vasiṣṭha said: There is the sky of consciousness, whose nature is endless play, all-pervading, the refuge of all, imperishable, the lamp within every creature.
Word by word
- śrīvasiṣṭha
- Śrī Vasiṣṭha
- uvāca
- said
- asti
- there is
- ananta
- endless
- vilāsa
- play
- ātmā
- whose nature is
- sarvagaḥ
- all-pervading
- sarva
- of all
- saṁśrayaḥ
- the refuge
- cidākāśō
- (cidākāśaḥ) the sky of consciousness
- avināśa
- imperishable
- pradīpaḥ
- the lamp
- jantuṣu
- in creatures
Meaning
The story of the teaching begins before the world. Asti, there is: the only thing said of it without qualification. Cid-ākāśa, the sky of consciousness, is this work's favourite name for the final reality: like space it is everywhere, holds everything and is touched by nothing. Ananta-vilāsātmā: the commentary explains that it is the one ground of the boundless displays of māyā. Then comes the most intimate word, pradīpaḥ sarva-jantuṣu, the lamp in all creatures. The reality behind the cosmos is also what is lit in you at this moment, by which these words are seen. Vasiṣṭha starts the genealogy of knowledge from the very thing the knowledge will finally point to.