यथा पुरमिवाऽऽस्तेऽन्तर्विदेव स्वप्नसंविदः । तथा जगदिवाऽऽभाति स्वात्मैव परमात्मनि ॥ २० ॥
yathā puramivā’’stē’ntarvidēva svapnasaṁvidaḥ | tathā jagadivā’’bhāti svātmaiva paramātmani || 20 ||
Translation
As in one dreaming a city is, as it were, within, while it is only awareness, so in the Supreme Self its own Self shines, as it were, as the world.
Word by word
- yathā
- as
- puram
- a city
- iva
- as it were
- āstē
- is
- antar
- (antaḥ) within
- vid
- (vit) awareness
- ēva
- only
- svapna
- dreaming
- saṁvidaḥ
- of one aware
- tathā
- so
- jagad
- (jagat) as the world
- ābhāti
- shines
- sva
- its own
- ātmā
- Self
- paramātmani
- in the Supreme Self
Meaning
The commentary: as the awareness within the person who dreams appears as a city, so in its own highest nature the Supreme Self alone appears as the world. Another commentary: as the conscious one in the dreamer's inner faculty takes the shape of a city and shines, so in the Supreme Self one's own Self takes the shape of the world and shines. The word "as it were", iva, is placed twice, with the city and with the world: neither is a real second thing. Here the comparison of verses 16 and 17 is given its full form: the dreamer's knowing is the dream-city, and the Supreme's own Self is the world.