श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । इदमाकाशजाख्यानं शृणु श्रवणभूषणम् । उत्पत्त्याख्यं प्रकरणं येन राघव बुध्यते ॥ १ ॥
śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | idamākāśajākhyānaṁ śṛṇu śravaṇabhūṣaṇam | utpattyākhyaṁ prakaraṇaṁ yēna rāghava budhyatē || 1 ||
Translation
Hear this story of the one born of space, an ornament for the ears, by which, Rāghava, the part called the Utpatti, on creation, is understood.
Word by word
- idam
- this
- ākāśaja
- of the one born of space
- ākhyānaṁ
- story
- śṛṇu
- hear
- śravaṇa
- for the ears
- bhūṣaṇam
- an ornament
- utpatti
- Utpatti, on creation
- ākhyaṁ
- called
- prakaraṇaṁ
- the part (prakaraṇa)
- yēna
- by which
- rāghava
- Rāghava
- budhyatē
- is understood
Meaning
Vasiṣṭha does not begin the teaching on creation with doctrine but with a story. The commentary calls it an introduction to the instruction that follows, which works by clearing away what is mistaken: once the story is heard, the part on creation is understood with ease. The story is called an ornament for the ears because it pleases while it teaches; but what it carries is the whole of this part in small: the creator of the world, taken to be a body among bodies, is shown to be awareness alone, and the world he seems to make is shown to be of the same stuff as he.