देशाद्देशान्तरप्राप्तौ संविदो मध्यमेव यत् । निमिषेण चिदाकाशं तद्विद्धि वरवर्णिनि ॥ १२ ॥
dēśāddēśāntaraprāptau saṁvidō madhyamēva yat | nimiṣēṇa cidākāśaṁ tadviddhi varavarṇini || 12 ||
Translation
When awareness passes from one place to another in a blink, what lies in between: know that, fair one, as the space of awareness.
Word by word
- dēśād
- (deśāt) from one place
- dēśa
- place
- antara
- to another
- prāptau
- when (it) passes
- saṁvidō
- (saṃvidaḥ) of awareness
- madhyam
- what lies between
- ēva
- just
- yat
- what
- nimiṣēṇa
- in a blink
- cidākāśaṁ
- the space of awareness
- tad
- (tat) that
- viddhi
- know
- varavarṇini
- fair one
Meaning
The commentary: the goddess introduces the space of awareness. When knowing passes in a moment from one place to another, as from the earth to the sun's disk, the knowing that is in the middle of the two is the space of awareness; that is, between two appearances that come one after the other, empty of both, the space of awareness is easily known. This is the Yoga Vāsiṣṭha's characteristic pointer: the gap between two thoughts, belonging to neither, is pure awareness.