Critical Edition
व्यास उवाच मनः प्रसृजते भावं बुद्धिरध्यवसायिनी हृदयं प्रियाप्रिये वेद त्रिविधा कर्मचोदना
M. N. Dutt: Vyasa said The mind creates innumerable ideas. The Understanding, differentiates things and ascertains their true nature. The heart discriminates which is pleasant and which unpleasant. There are the three forces which produce acts.
इन्द्रियेभ्यः परा ह्यर्था अर्थेभ्यः परमं मनः मनसस्तु परा बुद्धिर्बुद्धेरात्मा परो मतः
M. N. Dutt: The objects of the senses are superior to the senses. The mind is superior to those objects. The Understanding is superior to mind. The Soul is considered superior to Understanding.
बुद्धिरात्मा मनुष्यस्य बुद्धिरेवात्मनोऽऽत्मिका यदा विकुरुते भावं तदा भवति सा मनः
M. N. Dutt: as on Ordinarily the Understanding is a man's Soul. When the Understanding, by itself, forms ideas (of objects) within itself, it is then called Mind.
इन्द्रियाणां पृथग्भावाद्बुद्धिर्विक्रियते ह्यणु शृण्वती भवति श्रोत्रं स्पृशती स्पर्श उच्यते
M. N. Dutt: The senses being different from one another, the Understanding presents different aspects account of its different modifications. When it hears, it becomes the organ of hearing, and when it touches, it becomes the organ of touch.
पश्यन्ती भवते दृष्टी रसती रसनं भवेत् जिघ्रती भवति घ्राणं बुद्धिर्विक्रियते पृथक्
M. N. Dutt: Likewise, when it sees, it becomes the organ of vision, and when it tastes, it becomes the organ of taste and when it smells, it becomes the organs of scent. It is the Understanding which appears under different guises by modification.
इन्द्रियाणीति तान्याहुस्तेष्वदृश्याधितिष्ठति तिष्ठती पुरुषे बुद्धिस्त्रिषु भावेषु वर्तते
M. N. Dutt: These modifications of the Understanding are called the senses. The invisible Soul is placed over them as their presiding chief. Living in the body, the Understanding exists in the three states (of qualities).
कदाचिल्लभते प्रीतिं कदाचिदपि शोचते न सुखेन न दुःखेन कदाचिदिह युज्यते
M. N. Dutt: Sometimes it acquires cheerfulness, sometimes it yields to grief and sometimes its condition becomes such that it is united with neither joy nor sorrow.
सेयं भावात्मिका भावांस्त्रीनेतानतिवर्तते सरितां सागरो भर्ता महावेलामिवोर्मिमान्
M. N. Dutt: The Understanding, however, whose chief function is to create elements, transcends those three states as the ocean, the king of rivers, stands against the powerful currents of the rivers that fall into it.
यदा प्रार्थयते किंचित्तदा भवति सा मनः अधिष्ठानानि वै बुद्ध्या पृथगेतानि संस्मरेत् इन्द्रियाण्येव मेध्यानि विजेतव्यानि कृत्स्नशः
M. N. Dutt: When the Understanding desires anything, it is called by the name of Mind. The senses, again, should all be considered as contained within the Understanding. The senses, which are engaged in bearing impressions of form, scent, etc., should all be controlled.
सर्वाण्येवानुपूर्व्येण यद्यन्नानुविधीयते अविभागगता बुद्धिर्भावे मनसि वर्तते प्रवर्तमानं तु रजः सत्त्वमप्यनुवर्तते
M. N. Dutt: When one sense becomes subordinate to the Understanding, the latter, though really not different, enters the Mind in the form of existent things. Such is the case with the senses one after another with reference to the ideas that are said to be apprehended by them.
ये चैव भावा वर्तन्ते सर्व एष्वेव ते त्रिषु अन्वर्थाः संप्रवर्तन्ते रथनेमिमरा इव
M. N. Dutt: All the three states which exist, viz., Sativa, Rajas, and Tamas, attach to those three (viz., Mind, Understanding, and Consciousness), and like the spokes of a car-wheel acting for their attachment, to the circumference of the wheel, they follow the various objects.
प्रदीपार्थं नरः कुर्यादिन्द्रियैर्बुद्धिसत्तमैः निश्चरद्भिर्यथायोगमुदासीनैर्यदृच्छया
M. N. Dutt: The mind must covert the senses into a lamp for removing the darkness which obstructs the knowledge of the Supreme Self. This knowledge which is gained by Yogins with the help of the especial instruments of Yoga, is acquired without any particular exertion by men who abstain from worldly objects.
एवंस्वभावमेवेदमिति विद्वान्न मुह्यति अशोचन्नप्रहृष्यंश्च नित्यं विगतमत्सरः
M. N. Dutt: The universe is of the nature. The man of knowledge, therefore, become never stupefied. Such a man never grieves, never rejoices, and is shorn of envy.
न ह्यात्मा शक्यते द्रष्टुमिन्द्रियैः कामगोचरैः प्रवर्तमानैरनये दुर्धरैरकृतात्मभिः
M. N. Dutt: The soul cannot be seen with the help of the senses whose nature is to roam about among all objects of desire. Even pious men, whose senses are pure, cannot see the soul with their help what then should be said of the vicious whose senses are impure.
तेषां तु मनसा रश्मीन्यदा सम्यङ्नियच्छति तदा प्रकाशते ह्यात्मा घटे दीप इव ज्वलन् सर्वेषामेव भूतानां तमस्यपगते यथा
AI Translation: When he completely restrains the rays of the mind, then the Self shines forth, like a lamp burning inside a pot, as soon as the darkness is removed from all beings.
Supplementary Passages:
12.240.15 After 15, K6 V1 B0.6-9 Da3.a4 Dn1.n4 Ds D2.3.5-8 Cn Kumbh. ed. ins.: *690 प्रकाशं भवते सर्वं तथेदमुपधार्यताम्
यथा वारिचरः पक्षी न लिप्यति जले चरन् एवमेव कृतप्रज्ञो न दोषैर्विषयांश्चरन् असज्जमानः सर्वेषु न कथंचन लिप्यते
AI Translation: Just as a bird that lives in water is not soiled while moving in water, so too a person who has attained wisdom is not soiled by objects while moving in the world. He is not
Supplementary Passages:
12.240.16 After 16ab, K6 B0.6-9 Da3.a4 Dn1.n4 Ds D2.3.5.7.8 Kumbh. ed. ins.: *691 विमुक्तात्मा तथा योगी गुणदोषैर्न लिप्यते
त्यक्त्वा पूर्वकृतं कर्म रतिर्यस्य सदात्मनि सर्वभूतात्मभूतस्य गुणमार्गेष्वसज्जतः
AI Translation: One who has abandoned the actions done previously, who is always delighted in the Self, Who has become the Self of all beings, who is not attached to the paths of the qualities,
सत्त्वमात्मा प्रसवति गुणान्वापि कदा च न न गुणा विदुरात्मानं गुणान्वेद स सर्वदा
AI Translation: The Self, the sattva, produces the qualities, and sometimes it does not. The qualities do not know the Self, but it always knows the qualities.
परिद्रष्टा गुणानां स स्रष्टा चैव यथातथम् सत्त्वक्षेत्रज्ञयोरेतदन्तरं विद्धि सूक्ष्मयोः
M. N. Dutt: The Soul is the witness which sees the qualities and duly works them up. Mark this difference between the Understanding and the Soul both which are highly subtile.
सृजते तु गुणानेक एको न सृजते गुणान् पृथग्भूतौ प्रकृत्या तौ संप्रयुक्तौ च सर्वदा
M. N. Dutt: One of them creates the qualities. The other does not create them. Though they are different from each other by nature, they are, however, always united.
यथा मत्स्योऽद्भिरन्यः सन्संप्रयुक्तौ तथैव तौ मशकोदुम्बरौ चापि संप्रयुक्तौ यथा सह
M. N. Dutt: The fish residing in the water is different from the element in which it resides. But as the fish and the water forming its residence are always united, likewise the quality of goodness and the individual soul exist in a state of union. The gnat begotten of a rotten fig is really not the fig but different from it. As the gnat and the fig are seen to be united with each other, so are the qualities of goodness and the individual Soul.
इषीका वा यथा मुञ्जे पृथक्च सह चैव च तथैव सहितावेतावन्योन्यस्मिन्प्रतिष्ठितौ
M. N. Dutt: As the blade in a clump of grass though distinct from the clump, exists in a state of union with it, so these two, though different from each other and each exists in its own self, are to be seen in a state of perpetual union.