भावयंस्तनुतामेव रसस्कन्ध इवाऽम्भसः । स्वदनं तस्य सङ्घस्य रसतन्मात्रमुच्यते ॥ २२ ॥
bhāvayaṁstanutāmēva rasaskandha ivā’mbhasaḥ | svadanaṁ tasya saṅghasya rasatanmātramucyatē || 22 ||
Translation
Imagining its own limitation, like a mass of the essence of water, the tasting of that mass is called the subtle element of taste.
Word by word
- bhāvayaṁs
- (bhāvayan) imagining
- tanutām
- limitation
- ēva
- its own
- rasa
- of the essence; of taste
- skandha
- a mass
- iva
- like
- ambhasaḥ
- of water
- svadanaṁ
- the tasting
- tasya
- of that
- saṅghasya
- mass
- tanmātram
- the subtle element
- ucyatē
- is called
Meaning
The commentary introduces the arising of water. Awareness that has reached the state of fire, imagining "I am the many tastes of water", that is, imagining its watery form or its limitation, reaches the state of water. When the tongue tastes the embodied substance, water, the tasting "this is sweet", being the one material of all tastes, is called the taste-element. Another commentary: the self that has reached fire, imagining a drop of the taste of water, or its own limited body, reaches that state. Each element is awareness narrowing itself a little further.