जीवन्मुक्तपदं त्यक्त्वा देहे कालवशीकृते । विशत्यदेहमुक्तत्वं पवनोऽस्पन्दतामिव ॥ १४ ॥
jīvanmuktapadaṁ tyaktvā dēhē kālavaśīkṛtē | viśatyadēhamuktatvaṁ pavanō’spandatāmiva || 14 ||
Translation
Leaving the state of freedom while living, when the body has been taken by time, he enters bodiless freedom, as the wind enters stillness.
Word by word
- jīvan
- while living
- mukta
- of freedom
- padaṁ
- the state
- tyaktvā
- leaving
- dēhē
- when the body
- kāla
- by time
- vaśīkṛtē
- has been taken
- viśati
- he enters
- adēha
- bodiless
- muktatvaṁ
- freedom
- pavanō
- the wind
- aspandatām
- stillness
- iva
- as
Meaning
Vasiṣṭha now turns to the bodiless freedom (videha-mukti) Rāma asked about. The commentary: as the wind, giving up its natural restlessness, comes to rest, so the one freed while living, when the body falls, that is, when the karma that began this body (prārabdha) is spent, leaves the state of freedom while living and enters bodiless freedom. The image is exact: wind and still air are the same air. Nothing new is gained at death; only the movement that looked like a separate life subsides.