I am the all-pervading reality which is devoid of objectivity and therefore percepts and concepts. I am pure consciousness. It is by this consciousness that all things, from a little pot to the mighty sun, are perceived. Ah, I now recollect the truth that I am the self which is omnipresent, in which there is no conceptualisation. It is by that self that all the senses and their experiences are made possible; for it is the inner light. It is because of that inner light that these objects acquire their apparent substantiality.
It is thanks to that inner light of consciousness, which is utterly free from all modifications, that the sun is hot, the moon is cool, the mountain is heavy and water is liquid. It is the cause of all the effects that manifest as this creation, but it is itself uncaused. It is on account of that inner light of consciousness that the characteristic nature of the diverse objects arises. Because it is formless and because it is the cause of all effects, this universe has arisen in it, with all its diversity. It alone is the cause of the manifestation of the trinity (Brahmā the creator, Viṣṇu the preserver and Śiva the redeemer); but it is not itself caused.
I salute this self which is its own light, free from the duality of knower and known, subject and object. In it exist all things of this universe; and into it they enter. Whatever this inner self thinks of, that happens everywhere, apparently as an external reality. When thought of by this consciousness, these things seem to come into being; when thought of as non-existent, they reach their end. Thus, all these infinite objects appear in the limitless space of consciousness. They appear to grow and they appear to diminish, even as a shadow seems to grow and to diminish in the light of the sun.
This self or inner light of consciousness is unknown and unseen: it is attained by those who have purified their heart. But by the holy ones it is seen in the supremely pure cosmic space (dimension) of consciousness.
This self exists in an undivided state in the three worlds — from Brahmā the creator to the blade of grass, as the infinite and self-luminous consciousness. It is one, without beginning and end; it exists as the all, as the inner experiencing of all mobile and immobile beings.
Swamiji's Commentary
ā idānīṁ smṛtaṁ satyam etattad akhilaṁ mayā
nirvikalpacidābhāsa eṣa ātmā ‘smi sarvagaḥ (19)
PRAHLĀDA continued to contemplate:
I am the all-pervading reality which is devoid of objectivity and therefore percepts and concepts. I am pure consciousness. It is by this consciousness that all things, from a little pot to the mighty sun, are perceived. Ah, I now recollect the truth that I am the self which is omnipresent, in which there is no conceptualisation. It is by that self that all the senses and their experiences are made possible; for it is the inner light. It is because of that inner light that these objects acquire their apparent substantiality.
It is thanks to that inner light of consciousness, which is utterly free from all modifications, that the sun is hot, the moon is cool, the mountain is heavy and water is liquid. It is the cause of all the effects that manifest as this creation, but it is itself uncaused. It is on account of that inner light of consciousness that the characteristic nature of the diverse objects arises. Because it is formless and because it is the cause of all effects, this universe has arisen in it, with all its diversity. It alone is the cause of the manifestation of the trinity (Brahmā the creator, Viṣṇu the preserver and Śiva the redeemer); but it is not itself caused.
I salute this self which is its own light, free from the duality of knower and known, subject and object. In it exist all things of this universe; and into it they enter. Whatever this inner self thinks of, that happens everywhere, apparently as an external reality. When thought of by this consciousness, these things seem to come into being; when thought of as non-existent, they reach their end. Thus, all these infinite objects appear in the limitless space of consciousness. They appear to grow and they appear to diminish, even as a shadow seems to grow and to diminish in the light of the sun.
This self or inner light of consciousness is unknown and unseen: it is attained by those who have purified their heart. But by the holy ones it is seen in the supremely pure cosmic space (dimension) of consciousness.
This self exists in an undivided state in the three worlds — from Brahmā the creator to the blade of grass, as the infinite and self-luminous consciousness. It is one, without beginning and end; it exists as the all, as the inner experiencing of all mobile and immobile beings.