एवमाकाशकोशात्मा विशदाकाशरूपिणि । स्वकारणे स्थितो नित्यः कारणानि न कानिचित् ॥ २३ ॥
ēvamākāśakōśātmā viśadākāśarūpiṇi | svakāraṇē sthitō nityaḥ kāraṇāni na kānicit || 23 ||
- Another reading: नित्यं कर्माण्यस्य (nityaṁ karmāṇyasya) for नित्यः कारणानि
Translation
So he, whose self is a sheath of space, abides, eternal, in his own cause, which has the form of clear space; he has no causes at all.
Word by word
- ēvam
- so
- ākāśa
- of space; space
- kōśa
- a sheath
- ātmā
- whose self is
- viśada
- clear
- rūpiṇi
- which has the form of
- sva
- his own
- kāraṇē
- in cause
- sthitō
- (sthitaḥ) abides
- nityaḥ
- eternal
- kāraṇāni
- causes
- na
- no
- kānicit
- at all
Meaning
The commentary: the brahmin, whose nature is space, stands ever in his own cause, the clear space that is his source; he is of the nature of the supreme Brahman and not of the nature of the seen. Another commentary: he stands in his cause as Brahman, and has no other cause. To abide in one's own cause is to be what one is made of. A pot that knew itself as clay would fear no breaking.