न यदिदमग्र आस न भविष्यदतो निधना- दनुमितमन्तरा त्वयि विभाति मृषैकरसे । अत उपमीयते द्रविणजातिविकल्पपथै- र्वितथमनोविलासमृतमित्यवयन्त्यबुधा: ॥ ३७ ॥
na yad idam agra āsa na bhaviṣyad ato nidhanād anu mitam antarā tvayi vibhāti mṛṣaika-rase ata upamīyate draviṇa-jāti-vikalpa-pathair vitatha-mano-vilāsam ṛtam ity avayanty abudhāḥ
- na
- not
- yat
- because
- idam
- this (universe)
- agre
- in the beginning
- āsa
- existed
- na bhaviṣyat
- it will not exist
- ataḥ
- hence
- nidhanāt anu
- after its annihilation
- mitam
- deduced
- antarā
- in the meantime
- tvayi
- within You
- vibhāti
- it appears
- mṛṣā
- false
- ekarase
- whose experience of spiritual ecstasy is unchanging
- ataḥ
- thus
- upamīyate
- it is understood by comparison
- draviṇa
- of material substance
- jāti
- in the categories
- vikalpa
- of the transformations
- pathaiḥ
- with the varieties
- vitatha
- contrary to fact
- manaḥ
- of the mind
- vilāsam
- fantasy
- ṛtam
- real
- iti
- so
- avayanti
- think
- abudhaḥ
- the unintelligent
Since this universe did not exist prior to its creation and will no longer exist after its annihilation, we conclude that in the interim it is nothing more than a manifestation imagined to be visible within You, whose spiritual enjoyment never changes. We liken this universe to the transformation of various material substances into diverse forms. Certainly those who believe that this figment of the imagination is substantially real are less intelligent.