नष्टाहङ्कारवेतालो देहवानकलेवरः । कस्मिंश्चिद्रोमकोट्यग्रे तस्येयमवतिष्ठते । जगल्लक्ष्मीर्महामेरोः पुष्पे क्वचिदिवाऽलिनी ॥ ४८ ॥
naṣṭāhaṅkāravētālō dēhavānakalēvaraḥ | kasmiṁścidrōmakōṭyagrē tasyēyamavatiṣṭhatē | jagallakṣmīrmahāmērōḥ puṣpē kvacidivā’linī || 48 ||
Translation
the goblin of the ego destroyed, with a body yet without a body. On the tip of some hair of his rests this whole splendour of the world, like a bee somewhere on a flower of great Meru.
Word by word
- naṣṭa
- destroyed
- ahaṅkāra
- of the ego
- vētālō
- (vetālaḥ) the goblin
- dēhavān
- with a body
- akalēvaraḥ
- without a body
- kasmiṁścid
- some
- rōma
- of hair
- kōṭi
- the point
- agrē
- on the tip
- tasya
- of his
- iyam
- this
- avatiṣṭhatē
- rests
- jagal
- (jagat) of the world
- lakṣmīr
- (lakṣmīḥ) the splendour
- mahā
- great
- mērōḥ
- of Meru
- puṣpē
- on a flower
- kvacid
- somewhere
- iva
- like
- alinī
- a bee
Meaning
The commentary quotes the Kaṭha Upaniṣad on the bodiless among bodies. Then the scale is reversed. The world, so vast to the one inside it, sits on the tip of one of his hairs, like a bee resting on one flower of the world-mountain Meru. He has not grown; the world has been seen for what it is, a small appearance in what he is.