न दृश्यमस्ति न द्रष्टा परमात्मनि केवले । स्वयं चित्ता तथाऽप्येष स्वयंभूरिति भासते ॥ ५३ ॥
na dṛśyamasti na draṣṭā paramātmani kēvalē | svayaṁ cittā tathā’pyēṣa svayaṁbhūriti bhāsatē || 53 ||
Translation
In the Self alone, supreme, there is no seen and no seer; yet, being awareness itself, it shines as the self-born.
Word by word
- na
- no
- dṛśyam
- seen
- asti
- there is
- draṣṭā
- seer
- parama
- supreme
- ātmani
- in the Self
- kēvalē
- alone
- svayaṁ
- itself
- cittā
- being awareness
- tathā
- yet
- api
- and
- ēṣa
- it
- svayaṁbhūr
- (svayambhūḥ) the self-born
- iti
- as
- bhāsatē
- shines
Meaning
The deepest verse of the sarga. In the Self there is neither the world as object nor Brahmā as the one who sees it; the division into seer and seen has not happened. Yet the same awareness appears as Brahmā. The commentary: in the Self alone there is no seen and no seer, only the nature of awareness; still it shines under the name Self-born. Another commentary: though it is awareness alone, the Self appears so. The creator is not a second being beside the Self; he is the Self's appearing.