Chapter Two (द्वितीयोऽध्यायः॥)

श्रौतस्मृतिविरुद्धत्वात्‌ स्मृतयो न गुणान् हरेः। निषेद्धुं शक्नुयुर्वेदा नित्यत्वान्मानमुत्तमम्‌ ॥१॥

śrautasmr̥tiviruddhatvāt‌ smr̥tayō na guṇān harēḥ। niṣēddhuṁ śaknuyurvēdā nityatvānmānamuttamam‌ ॥1॥

[श्रौत + स्मृति + विरुद्धत्वात् (śrauta + smr̥ti + viruddhatvāt) - because of contradiction with Śruti and Smṛti; स्मृतयः (smr̥tayaḥ) - the Smṛti texts; न (na) - not; गुणान् (guṇān) - qualities; हरेः (harēḥ) - of Hari; निषेद्धुम् (niṣēddhum) - to deny; शक्नुयुः (śaknuyuḥ) - can/could possibly; वेदाः (vēdāḥ) - the Vedas; नित्यत्वात् (nityatvāt) - because of their eternality; मानम् (mānam) - authority; उत्तमम् (uttamam) - highest;]

The Smṛti texts cannot deny Hari’s qualities, because such denial would contradict Śruti and Smṛti. Because of their eternality, the Vedas are the highest authority. (1)

देवतावचनादापो वदन्तीत्यादिकं वचः । नायुक्तवाद्यसन्नैव कारणं दृश्यते क्वचित् ॥२॥

dēvatāvacanādāpō vadantītyādikaṁ vacaḥ । nāyuktavādyasannaiva kāraṇaṁ dr̥śyatē kvacit ॥2॥

[देवता-वचनात् (dēvatā-vacanāt) - because it is an utterance by a presiding deity; आपः (āpaḥ) - the waters; वदन्ति (vadanti) - speak; इति (iti) - thus; आदिकम् (ādikam) - and the like; वचः (vacaḥ) - statement; न + अयुक्त-वादि (na + ayukta-vādi) - does not state anything unreasonable; असत् (asat) - non-being; न + एव (na + ēva) - not at all; कारणम् (kāraṇam) - a cause; दृश्यते (dr̥śyatē) - is observed; क्वचित् (kvacit) - anywhere;]

Statements such as “the waters speak” are not unreasonable, since the speech is that of the presiding deity. Non-being is never observed anywhere as a cause. (2)

असज्जीवप्रधानादिशब्दा ब्रह्मैव नापरम्‌। वदन्ति कारणत्वेन क्वापि पूर्णगुणो हरिः ॥३॥

asajjīvapradhānādiśabdā brahmaiva nāparam‌। vadanti kāraṇatvēna kvāpi pūrṇaguṇō hariḥ ॥3॥

[असत् (asat) - non-being; जीव (jīva) - the individual self; प्रधान (pradhāna) - primordial matter; आदि (ādi) - and the like; शब्दाः (śabdāḥ) - words; ब्रह्म + एव (brahma + ēva) - Brahman alone; न (na) - not; अपरम् (aparam) - anything else; वदन्ति (vadanti) - designate; कारणत्वेन (kāraṇatvēna) - when used to denote the cause; क्व + अपि (kva + api) - wherever; पूर्ण + गुणः (pūrṇa + guṇaḥ) - possessed of attributes in their fullness; हरिः (hariḥ) - Hari;]

Wherever words such as “non-being,” “the individual self,” and “primordial matter” are used to denote the cause, they designate Brahman alone and nothing else. Hari possesses all attributes in their fullness. (3)

स्वातन्त्र्यात् सर्वकर्तृत्वान्नायुक्तं तद्वदेच्छ्रुतिः। भ्रान्तिमूलतया सर्वसमयानामयुक्तितः॥४॥

svātantryāt sarvakartr̥tvānnāyuktaṁ tadvadēcchrutiḥ। bhrāntimūlatayā sarvasamayānāmayuktitaḥ॥4॥

[स्वातन्त्र्यात् (svātantryāt) - because of his independence; सर्वकर्तृत्वात् (sarvakartr̥tvāt) - because of his being the maker of all; न + अयुक्तम् (na + ayuktam) - is not unreasonable; तद् (tad) - thus; वदेत् (vadēt) - may speak; श्रुतिः (śrutiḥ) - scripture; भ्रान्ति + मूलतया (bhrānti + mūlatayā) - because of being rooted in error; सर्वसमयानाम् (sarvasamayānām) - all other systems/doctrines; अयुक्तितः (ayuktitaḥ) - because of the untenability;]

न तद्विरोधाद्वचनं वैदिकं शङ्क्यतां व्रजेत्‌। आकाशादिसमस्तं च तज्जं तेनैव लीयते ॥५॥

na tadvirōdhādvacanaṁ vaidikaṁ śaṅkyatāṁ vrajēt‌। ākāśādisamastaṁ ca tajjaṁ tēnaiva līyatē ॥5॥

[न (na) - not; तद् + विरोधात् (tad + virōdhāt) - because of conflict with them; वचनं (vacanaṁ) - statement; वैदिकं (vaidikaṁ) - Vedic; शङ्क्यतां (śaṅkyatāṁ) - susceptibility to doubt; व्रजेत् (vrajēt) - should come to; आकाश + आदि + समस्तम् (ākāśa + ādi + samastam) - everything beginning with space; च (ca) - and; तद् + जम् (tad + jam) - born from Him; तेन + एव (tēna + ēva) - by Him alone; लीयते (līyatē) - is dissolved;]

Because of His independence and His being the maker of all, it is not unreasonable for scripture to speak thus. Since all other systems are rooted in error and are therefore untenable, a Vedic statement should not be considered doubtful merely because it conflicts with them. Everything beginning with space is born from Him and is dissolved by Him alone. (4–5)

सोऽनुत्पत्तिलयः कर्ता जीवः तद्वशगः सदा। तदाभासो हरिः सर्वरूपेष्वपि समः सदा ॥६॥

sō’nutpattilayaḥ kartā jīvaḥ tadvaśagaḥ sadā। tadābhāsō hariḥ sarvarūpēṣvapi samaḥ sadā ॥6॥

[सः (saḥ) - he; अनुत्पत्ति-लयः (anutpatti-layaḥ) - without origination or dissolution; कर्ता (kartā) - the creator; जीवः (jīvaḥ) - the jīva; तद् + वशगः (tad + vaśagaḥ) - subject to him; सदा (sadā) - always; तद् + आभासः (tad + ābhāsaḥ) - a likeness of him, i.e. “reflection,” “semblance,” or “image”—while remaining eternally dependent upon Him; हरिः (hariḥ) - Hari; सर्वरूपेषु + अपि (sarvarūpēṣu + api) - even in all forms; समः (samaḥ) - the same; सदा (sadā) - always;]

He is the creator, without origination or dissolution. The jīva, His reflection, the semblance, is always subject to Him. Hari is eternally the same in all His forms. (6)

मुख्यप्राणश्चेन्द्रियाणि देहश्चैव तदुद्भवाः। मुख्यप्राणवशे सर्वं स विष्णोर्वशगः सदा ॥७॥

mukhyaprāṇaścēndriyāṇi dēhaścaiva tadudbhavāḥ। mukhyaprāṇavaśē sarvaṁ sa viṣṇōrvaśagaḥ sadā ॥7॥

[मुख्यप्राणः + च (mukhyaprāṇaḥ + ca) - the chief vital breath also; इन्द्रियाणि (indriyāṇi) - the senses; देहः + च + एव (dēhaḥ + ca + ēva) - and indeed the body; तद्-उद्भवाः (tad-udbhavāḥ) - arisen from him; मुख्यप्राण-वशे (mukhyaprāṇa-vaśē) - under the control of the chief vital breath; सर्वम् (sarvam) - everything; सः (saḥ) - he; विष्णोः (viṣṇōḥ) - of Viṣṇu; वश-गः (vaśa-gaḥ) - subject to the control; सदा (sadā) - always;]

The chief vital breath, the senses, and indeed the body arise from Him. Everything is under the control of the chief vital breath, while he is always subject to the control of Viṣṇu. (7)

सर्वदोषोज्झितः तस्माद्‌ भगवान्‌ पुरुषोत्तमः। उक्ता गुणाश्चाविरुद्धास्तस्य वेदेन सर्वशः ॥८॥

sarvadōṣōjjhitaḥ tasmād‌ bhagavān‌ puruṣōttamaḥ। uktā guṇāścāviruddhāstasya vēdēna sarvaśaḥ ॥8॥

[सर्व-दोष-उज्झितः (sarva-dōṣa-ujjhitaḥ) - devoid of all defects; तस्मात् (tasmāt) - therefore; भगवान् (bhagavān) - Bhagavān; पुरुषोत्तमः (puruṣōttamaḥ) - the Supreme Person; उक्ताः (uktāḥ) - stated; गुणाः (guṇāḥ) - qualities; च (ca) - and; अविरुद्धाः (aviruddhāḥ) - free from contradiction; तस्य (tasya) - his; वेदेन (vēdēna) - by the Veda; सर्वशः (sarvaśaḥ) - in every respect;]

Therefore, Bhagavān, the Supreme Person, is free from all defects; and the qualities stated of Him in the Veda are free from contradiction in every respect. (8)

॥इति द्वितीयोऽध्यायः॥

॥iti dvitīyō’dhyāyaḥ॥

[इति (iti) - thus ends; द्वितीयः अध्यायः (dvitīyaḥ adhyāyaḥ) - the second chapter;]

Thus ends the second chapter.