यं विनाऽर्कादयोऽप्येते प्रकाशास्तिमिरोपमाः । सति यस्मिन् प्रवर्तन्ते त्रिजगन्मृगतृष्णिकाः ॥ ५७ ॥
yaṁ vinā’rkādayō’pyētē prakāśāstimirōpamāḥ | sati yasmin pravartantē trijaganmṛgatṛṣṇikāḥ || 57 ||
Translation
Without whom even these lights, the sun and the rest, are like darkness; and only while he is, the mirages of the three worlds go on.
Word by word
- yaṁ
- whom
- vinā
- without
- arka
- the sun
- ādayō
- and the rest
- api
- even
- ētē
- these
- prakāśās
- (prakāśāḥ) lights
- timira
- darkness
- upamāḥ
- are like
- sati
- while is
- yasmin
- he
- pravartantē
- go on
- trijagan
- (trijagat) of the three worlds
- mṛgatṛṣṇikāḥ
- the mirages
Meaning
The Kaṭha Upaniṣad (2.2.15) says: there the sun does not shine, nor moon nor stars; by his shining all this shines. Here: without awareness, the sun is as dark as night, because no light is light unless it is known. The three worlds are mirages, and a mirage needs the sun; the world needs awareness to appear at all.