करोति जङ्गमं चित्तः स्थावरं स्थावराकृतिः । भूत्वाऽर्णवो वलयति भूस्त्रियं वलयो यथा ॥ २१ ॥
karōti jaṅgamaṁ cittaḥ sthāvaraṁ sthāvarākṛtiḥ | bhūtvā’rṇavō valayati bhūstriyaṁ valayō yathā || 21 ||
Translation
As mind he makes what moves; taking the form of what stands still, he makes the unmoving; becoming the ocean he encircles the woman Earth, as a bracelet encircles a woman.
Word by word
- karōti
- he makes
- jaṅgamaṁ
- what moves
- cittaḥ
- as mind
- sthāvaraṁ
- the unmoving
- sthāvara
- of what stands still
- ākṛtiḥ
- taking the form
- bhūtvā
- becoming
- arṇavō
- the ocean
- valayati
- he encircles
- bhū
- Earth
- striyaṁ
- the woman
- valayō
- a bracelet
- yathā
- as
Meaning
The commentary draws the line between the moving and the unmoving: through awareness clearly shown in the inner organ he becomes the moving world, and through awareness not shown, in an inert form, the unmoving. The difference between a living being and a stone is only how far the one awareness is manifest in it. Then a tender image: the ocean round the earth like a bracelet on a woman's wrist.