स्मृतिर्न प्राक्तनी काचित्कारणं वा स्वयम्भुवः । तेन यादृक् स्वयम्भूः स्यात्तादृक्तज्जमिदं स्मृतम् ॥ ४३ ॥
smṛtirna prāktanī kācitkāraṇaṁ vā svayambhuvaḥ | tēna yādṛk svayambhūḥ syāttādṛktajjamidaṁ smṛtam || 43 ||
Translation
There is no former memory, nor any cause, for the Self-born; therefore, as the Self-born is, so is this, born of him, held to be.
Word by word
- smṛtir
- (smṛtiḥ) memory
- na
- not
- prāktanī
- former
- kācit
- any
- kāraṇaṁ
- cause
- vā
- nor
- svayambhuvaḥ
- for the Self-born
- tēna
- therefore
- yādṛk
- as
- svayambhūḥ
- the Self-born
- syāt
- is
- tādṛk
- so
- taj
- (tat) of him
- jam
- born
- idaṁ
- this
- smṛtam
- held to be
Meaning
The commentary: the Brahmā of the former kalpa is released, so the world cannot be made from his unseen impressions. The worshipper who reaches the post of Hiraṇyagarbha at the start of a kalpa never made this wondrous world before, so he has no experience of making it, and no impressions from which the world could come. It arose suddenly, like a dream or a conjuror's show, and so is false. As Brahmā is a thing of resolve, so the world born of him is a thing of resolve. Another commentary agrees. A cause with no past cannot pass on a past.