Page:Sacred Books of the East - Volume 25.djvu/149

  6. Then the divine Self-existent (Svayambhû, himself) indiscernible, (but) making (all) this, the great elements and the rest, discernible, appeared with irresistible (creative) power, dispelling the darkness.

 

  6. The above translation follows Gov., Nâr., and Kull. The other three commentators take mahâbhûtâdivrittaugâh as a relative compound. On this supposition the translation would run as follows: 'Then the divine Self-existent, (himself) undiscernible, (but) making this (universe) discernible, appeared,—he whose (creative) power works in the great elements and the rest, and who dispels the darkness.'

'Then,' i.e. at the end of the period of destruction. Avyaktah, '(himself) undiscernible,' i.e. 'not to be known except by Yogins' (Medh.), or 'not perceptible by the external senses' (Gov., Kull., Nâr.), or 'not to be known except through the texts of the Upanishads' (Râgh.), or 'difficult to know' (Nand.). Medh. would prefer to read avyaktam, 'this indiscernible (universe).' 'The great elements and the rest,' i.e. 'the other principles, the great one and so forth' (Medh., Gov., Nâr., Kull., Nand.), or 'egoism' (Râgh.). 'Appeared,' i.e. 'assumed a body of his own free will, not in consequence of his karman, his acts in a former existence' (Medh., Gov., Kull., Nand.), or 'became discernible' (vyakta), (Nâr.), or 'became ready to create' (kâryonmukha), (Râgh.). Gov. explains vrittaugâh, 'with irresistible power,' by 'who obtained power' (prâptam balam yena). Kull. explains tamonudah, 'dispelling the darkness (i.e. of destruction),' by 'giving an impulse to the root-evolvent,' and Râgh. takes it in a similar way.

The commentators whose opinion Medh. adduces under verse 11, explained this verse also as a description of the self-evolution which the prakriti performs according to the Sâmkhyas. They took svayambhûh, 'the self-existent,' in the sense of 'which modifies itself of its own accord;' bhagavân, 'divine,' in the sense of 'which is powerful enough to perform its business' (svavyâpâra îsvarah). The other words presented, of course, no great difficulties.