इदमुक्तं पुरा कल्पे ब्रह्मणा परमेष्ठिना । सर्वदुःखक्षयकरं परमाश्वासनं धियः ॥ ९ ॥
idamuktaṁ purā kalpē brahmaṇā paramēṣṭhinā | sarvaduḥkhakṣayakaraṁ paramāśvāsanaṁ dhiyaḥ || 9 ||
Translation
Long ago, in an earlier age, this was spoken by Brahmā, the highest of beings. It ends all sorrow and is the great comfort of the mind.
Word by word
- idam
- this
- uktaṁ
- was spoken
- purā
- long ago
- kalpē
- in an age
- brahmaṇā
- by Brahmā
- paramēṣṭhinā
- the highest of beings
- sarva
- all
- duḥkha
- sorrow
- kṣaya
- the ending of
- karaṁ
- which brings about
- parama
- the great
- āśvāsanaṁ
- comfort
- dhiyaḥ
- of the mind
Meaning
Vasiṣṭha claims no authorship. He received this, and in that he stands where any teacher in the tradition stands. Paramāśvāsana, the great comfort, is a warm word to find in a text so severe. Āśvāsa is the breath one draws again after a fright, or the reassurance given to someone in distress. The same word could describe what one says at a sickbed. This is worth keeping in mind through the long, hard analyses to come. Beneath all the argument, what is being offered is relief to a frightened mind.