पृथ्व्यादिमानयमहमिति यस्य च निश्चयः । स पार्थिवो भवत्याशु ग्रहीतुं स च शक्यते ॥ ३२ ॥
pṛthvyādimānayamahamiti yasya ca niścayaḥ | sa pārthivō bhavatyāśu grahītuṁ sa ca śakyatē || 32 ||
Translation
and whoever has the conviction "I am this, made of earth and the rest", he quickly becomes earthy, and he can be seized.
Word by word
- pṛthvī
- earth
- ādimān
- made of and the rest
- ayam
- this
- aham
- I am
- iti
- "
- yasya
- whoever has
- ca
- and
- niścayaḥ
- the conviction
- sa
- (saḥ) he
- pārthivō
- (pārthivaḥ) earthy
- bhavati
- becomes
- āśu
- quickly
- grahītuṁ
- to be seized
- śakyatē
- he can
Meaning
This is the heart of Yama's teaching, and it is said of every creature, not only of the brahmin. Death takes what is earth. One becomes earth by the conviction that one is the body made of the elements. The commentary: the creature whose settled belief is "I am this body of earth and the rest" is deluded, and becomes an earthly body, and when Brahmā forms the conception of death, you can seize him. The reader may ask, sincerely: what do I take myself to be? On that answer depends whether there is anything in me for death to hold.