ज्ञाता सुटला ज्ञानमतें । परंतु जन्म कैसा बद्धातें । बद्धाचें काये जन्मतें । अंतकाळीं ॥ १ ॥

It is understood that the wise man is freed through his knowledge; but how does birth come to the bound man? At the moment of death, what exactly is it in the bound person that goes on to be born?

बद्ध प्राणी मरोन गेले । तेथें कांहींच नाहीं उरलें । जाणिवेचे विस्मरण जालें । मरणापूर्वी ॥ २ ॥

When a bound creature dies, nothing at all remains of him; even before death, the complete forgetting of awareness has already taken place.

ऐसी घेतली आशंका । याचें उत्तर ऐका । आतां दुश्चीत होऊं नका । म्हणे वक्ता ॥ ३ ॥

Such is the doubt that has been raised; now hear its answer, and do not let your minds become distressed over it, says the speaker.

पंचप्राण स्थळें सोडिती । प्राणरूप वासनावृत्ती । वासनामिश्रीत प्राण जाती । देह सोडुनिया ॥ ४ ॥

The five vital breaths leave their respective seats in the body, and the tendency of desire, itself in the form of the vital breath, goes along with them; the breath, intermingled with desire, departs, leaving the body behind.

वायोसरिसी वासना गेली । ते वायोरूपेंचि राहिली । पुन्हां जन्म घेऊन आली । हेतुपरत्वें ॥ ५ ॥

Desire departs along with the wind (vayu) and continues to exist in the very form of wind itself; and according to its own lingering intent, it comes back again, taking on a new birth.

कित्येक प्राणी निःशेष मरती । पुन्हां मागुते जीव येती । ढकलून दिल्हें तेणें दुखवती । हस्तपादादिक ॥ ६ ॥

Some creatures appear to die completely, yet the life-force returns to them again; if the body is jostled at such a time, the hands, feet, and limbs are found to ache.

सर्पदृष्टी जालियां वरी । तीं दिवसां उठवी धन्वंतरी । तेव्हां ते माघारी । वासना येते कीं ॥ ७ ॥

When someone has been struck by a snake's poisonous gaze, a skilled physician (like Dhanvantari) may, after some days, revive him; at such a time, does not that very desire come back once again?

कित्येक सेवें होऊन पडती । कित्येक तयांस उठविती । येमलोकींहून आणिती । माघारे प्राणी ॥ ८ ॥

Some fall down as if completely lifeless, while others are able to revive them; in this way, some creatures are even said to be brought back from the realm of Yama itself.

कित्येक पुर्वीं श्रापिले । ते शापें देह पावले । उश्रापकाळीं पुन्हां आले । पूर्वदेहीं ॥ ९ ॥

Some were cursed in the past, and through that curse they took on a different body; and when the curse was lifted, they returned once more to their original form.

कित्येकीं बहु जन्म घेतले । कित्येक परकाया प्रवेशले । ऐसे आले आणी गेले । बहुत लोक ॥ १० ॥

Some have taken many births, while others have entered into another's body altogether; in this way, many people have come and gone in such varied manners.

फुंकल्यासरिसा वायो गेला । तेथें वायोसून निर्माण जाला । म्हणोन वायोरूप वासनेला । ज्नम आहे ॥ ११ ॥

The moment a breath is blown, the wind departs, and from that very wind a new being is formed once more; therefore it is this desire, itself in the form of wind, that truly undergoes birth.

मनाच्या वृत्ती नाना । त्यांत जन्म घेते वासना । वासना पाहातां दिसेना । परंतु आहे ॥ १२ ॥

Among the many tendencies of the mind, it is desire that takes birth; though this desire cannot be seen when sought, it nevertheless exists.

वासना जाणिजे जाणिवहेत । जाणीव मुळींचा मूळतंत । मूळमायेंत असे मिश्रित । कारणरूपें ॥ १३ ॥

Desire should be understood as the intent behind awareness itself; and awareness is the very root principle, present within the primal maya in its causal form, intermingled with it.

कारणरूप आहे ब्रह्मांडीं । कार्यरूपें वर्ते पिंडीं । अनुमानितां तांतडीं । अनुमानेना ॥ १४ ॥

In its causal form it exists within the cosmos, and in its effected form it operates within the individual body; when sought hastily through mere inference, it cannot actually be grasped by inference at all.

परंतु आहे सूक्ष्मरूप । जैसें वायोचे स्वरूप । सकळ देव वायोरूप । आणी भूतसृष्टि ॥ १५ ॥

Yet it exists in a subtle form, just as wind itself is subtle; all the gods, and indeed the entire creation of elements, are themselves of the very nature of wind.

वायोमधें विकार नाना । वायो पाहातां तरी दिसेना । तैसी जाणीववासना । अति सूक्ष्म ॥ १६ ॥

Wind contains within it many kinds of modifications, yet wind itself cannot actually be seen when looked for; in the same way, the awareness that carries desire is extremely subtle.

त्रिगुण आणी पंचभूतें । हे वायोमध्यें मिश्रिते । अनुमानेना म्हणोन त्यातें । मिथ्या म्हणों नये ॥ १७ ॥

The three gunas and the five elements are all intermingled within wind itself; just because they cannot be proven by mere inference, one should not therefore call them false.

सहज वायो चाले । तरी सुगंध दुर्गंध कळों आले । उष्ण सीतळ तप्त निवाले । प्रत्यक्ष प्राणी ॥ १८ ॥

Wind naturally moves, and through it fragrance and foul smell come to be known; heat and cold, warmth and coolness — all of these are directly experienced by creatures through it.

वायोचेनि मेघ वोळती । वायोचेनि नक्षत्रें चालती । सकळ सृष्टीची वर्तती गती । सकळ तो वायो ॥ १९ ॥

Because of wind, clouds gather; because of wind, the stars move through their courses; the entire motion of all creation is carried by wind alone — wind is, in a sense, everything.

वायोरूपें देवतें भूतें । आंगीं भरती अकस्मातें । वीध केलियां प्रेतें । सावध होतीं ॥ २० ॥

In the very form of wind, deities and spirits suddenly enter and possess a person's body; and through the proper ritual procedure, even the seemingly lifeless are said to be revived and made conscious again.

वारें निराळें न बोले । देहामधें भरोन डोले । आळी घेऊन जन्मा आले । कित्येक प्राणी ॥ २१ ॥

The wind does not speak on its own, but entering a body it makes it sway and stir; some creatures are said to have taken birth again clinging to some fixed obstinate wish.

राहाणें ब्रह्मणसमंध जाती । राहाणें ठेवणीं सांपडती । नाना गुंतले उगवती । प्रत्यक्ष राहाणें ॥ २२ ॥

It is said that spirits called 'rahane' (lingering presences) exist, that such presences are found guarding buried treasure, and that they become entangled and manifest themselves in various such ways.

ऐसा वायोचा विकार । येवंचे कळेना विस्तार । सकळ कांहीं चराचर । वायोमुळें ॥ २३ ॥

Such are the many transformations of wind, whose full extent can never be entirely understood; this whole moving and unmoving creation exists only because of wind.

वायो स्तब्धरूपें सृष्टीधर्ता । वायो चंचळरूपें सृष्टीकर्ता । न कळे तरी विचारीं प्रवर्ता । म्हणिजे कळे ॥ २४ ॥

Wind, in its still form, sustains creation, and in its restless form, it creates creation; if this is not understood, one should continue to reflect upon it, and then it will indeed become clear.

मुळापासून सेवटवरी । वायोचि सकळ कांहीं करी । वायोवेगळें कर्तुत्व चतुरीं मज निरोपावें ॥ २५ ॥

From beginning to end, it is wind alone that does everything; let some clever person show me, if they can, any doing at all apart from wind.

जाणीवरूप मूळमाया । जाणीव जाते आपल्या ठाया । गुप्त प्रगट होऊनियां । विश्वीं वर्ते ॥ २६ ॥

The primal maya is itself of the nature of awareness; this awareness moves to its own respective places, and functions throughout the universe, now hidden, now manifest.

कोठें गुप्त कोठें प्रगटे । जैसें जीवन उफाळे आटे । पुढें मागुता वोघ लोटे । भूमंडळीं ॥ २७ ॥

It becomes hidden in one place and manifest in another, just as water sometimes surges up and sometimes recedes; and then, once again, its flow moves onward across the earth.

तैसाच वायोमधें जाणीवप्रकार । उमटे आटे निरंतर । कोठें विकारें कोठें समीर । उगाच वाजे ॥ २८ ॥

In just the same way, the mode of awareness within wind continually rises and subsides; in one place it manifests as some transformation, while elsewhere it merely blows as plain wind.

वारीं आंगावरून जाती । तेणें हातपाये वाळती । वारां वाजतां करपती । आलीं पिकें ॥ २९ ॥

Certain winds, blowing over the body, cause the hands and feet to wither; and when such winds blow, the standing crops too get scorched and ruined.

नाना रोगांचीं नाना वारीं । पीडा करिती पृथ्वीवरी । वीज कडाडी अंबरीं । वायोमुळें ॥ ३० ॥

The many different winds associated with various diseases bring affliction upon the earth; and even lightning that crashes across the sky does so because of wind.

वायोकरितां रागोद्धार । कळे वोळखीचा निर्धार । दीप लागे मेघ पडे हा चमत्कार । रागोद्धारीं ॥ ३१ ॥

It is through wind that the true recognition and essence of musical ragas becomes known; wonders such as a lamp igniting or clouds bursting into rain through the power of a raga are said to occur in just this way.

वायो फुंकितां भुली पडती । वायो फुंकितां खांडकें करपती । वायोकरितां चालती । नाना मंत्र ॥ ३२ ॥

By blowing this wind, people fall into a trance; by blowing this wind, fields are scorched away; and it is through wind alone that various mantras are made to work.

मंत्रें देव प्रगटती । मंत्रें भूतें अखरकिती । बाजीगरी वोडंबरी करिती । मंत्रसामर्थ्यें ॥ ३३ ॥

Through mantras, deities are made to appear; through mantras, spirits are brought under control; and it is by the power of mantras that conjurers and magicians perform their tricks and illusions.

राक्षसांची मावरचना । ते हे देवांदिकां कळेना । विचित्र सामर्थ्यें नाना । स्तंबनमोहनादिकें ॥ ३४ ॥

The illusory workings devised by demons are not even fully understood by the gods themselves; they possess many strange powers, such as paralyzing and enchanting others.

धडचि पिसें करावें । पिसेंच उमजवावें । नाना विकार सांगावे । किती म्हणोनी ॥ ३५ ॥

A perfectly sane person can be made to go mad, and a mad person can again be restored to sanity; how many such varied effects can one even list?

मंत्रीं संग्राम देवाचा । मंत्रीं साभिमान ऋषीचा । महिमा मंत्रसामर्थ्याचा । कोण जाणे ॥ ३६ ॥

Through mantras even battles among the gods have been waged; through mantras a sage's own pride can be roused; who indeed can fully fathom the greatness of the power of mantras?

मंत्रीं पक्षी आटोपिती । मूशकें स्वापदें बांधती । मंत्रीं माहसर्प खिळिती । आणी धनलाभ ॥ ३७ ॥

Through mantras, birds are brought under control, mice and wild animals are bound, great serpents are held motionless, and even wealth is gained.

आतां असो हा प्रश्न जाला । बद्धाचा जन्म प्रत्यया आला । मागील प्रश्न फिटला । श्रोतयाचा ॥ ३८ ॥

Now this question comes to its end; the true understanding of how the bound person takes birth has now become clear, and thereby the listener's earlier question, too, has been fully resolved.