Adhyaya 5

1 In the imperishable, infinite, supreme Brahman, two lie hidden: knowledge and ignorance.Ignorance is perishable; knowledge is immortal. The one who rules knowledge and ignorance is other than both.

2 The one who presides over every womb, all forms and all sources of birth,who at the beginning sustains with knowledge the sage Kapila brought forth—he sees him being born.

3 Transforming each net in many ways, this god gathers it back into this field.Having again created the lords, the great Self, the Lord, exercises sovereignty over all.

4 As the ox shines, lighting every direction, above, below and across,so that blessed god, worthy of choice, alone presides over the natures arising from each womb.

5 The womb of all ripens each inherent nature and brings everything that can ripen to maturity;he alone presides over this whole universe and assigns all its qualities.

6 That lies hidden in the Upanishads, the secret of the Veda; Brahma knows it as the womb of Brahman.The gods and seers who knew it of old became that, and truly became immortal.

7 Bound to the qualities, the doer of deeds that bear fruit is himself the enjoyer of what he has done.Taking every form, bearing three qualities, traveling three paths, lord of the breaths, he wanders through his own deeds.

8 A thumb's breadth in measure, radiant as the sun, joined to intention and the sense of "I,"through the quality of understanding and the quality of the self, he is also seen as another, no larger than a goad's tip.

9 A hundredth part of a hair's tip, divided again a hundredfold—such a portion is the living self, know this; yet it is capable of infinity.

10 It is neither woman nor man, nor is it neuter.Whatever body it takes up, with that it becomes joined.

11 Through intention, touch, sight and delusion, through food and drink and the rain, the self grows and is born;following its deeds in due succession, the embodied one assumes forms in their several places.

12 The embodied one chooses many forms, gross and subtle, through its own qualities.Through their qualities of action and qualities of self, another too is seen as the cause of their union.

13 Beginningless and endless, amid the tangle, creator of the world, taking many forms,the one who encompasses the universe—knowing that god, one is freed from every bond.

14 Those who know the god, grasped by inward disposition, called nestless, Shiva, maker of being and nonbeing,creator of the parts of existence, have left the body behind.

1 Two things, knowledge and ignorance, are hidden in the highest Brahman, which is limitless and cannot perish.Ignorance is something that passes away; knowledge does not die. The ruler of knowledge and ignorance is different from either.

2 One being governs every womb, every form and every source of birth.At the beginning he supports the sage Kapila with knowledge as Kapila is born, and sees him coming into being.

3 This god changes each net into many different forms, then draws it back into this field.After creating the lords again, the Lord, the great Self, takes charge of everything.

4 The ox shines and gives light in all directions, above, below and to either side.In the same way the blessed god, worthy of being chosen, is the single ruler of the natures that come from the different sources of birth.

5 As the source of the universe, he brings each thing's own nature to maturity and develops everything that can mature.He alone directs this whole world and puts all its qualities in their places.

6 This is hidden in the Upanishads, which contain the Veda's secret. Brahma knows it as the source of Brahman.The gods and seers who knew it long ago became one with it and became immortal.

7 The one who acts is connected with the qualities and performs actions that have results. He himself experiences the results of what he has done.He takes all kinds of forms, has three qualities and follows three paths. He governs the life-breaths and moves on according to his own actions.

8 He is as big as a thumb and looks like the sun. He is accompanied by intentions and the sense of being "I."Through the qualities of understanding and of the self, he is also seen differently, as only the size of the point of a goad.

9 Divide the tip of a hair into a hundred parts, then divide one of those parts into a hundred again.That is how small the living self should be understood to be, but it can become infinite.

10 It is not female, not male, and not neuter.Whichever body it takes on is the body it is joined to.

11 Intention, touch, sight and confusion, food, water and rain bring growth and birth to the self.In one place after another, someone living in a body takes on forms in the order set by their actions.

12 Through its own qualities the embodied self chooses many bodies, some coarse and some fine.Through the qualities of their activities and of their selves, another being is also seen as the reason for their connection.

13 He has neither a beginning nor an end. He is within the tangle, makes the world and has many forms.Knowing this god, the one who surrounds the whole universe, frees a person from every tie.

14 Those who know the god through inner feeling, the one called nestless, Shiva, who produces both existence and nonexistence,who creates the parts of things, have given up the body.