The Supreme Lord said: By the action of destiny, a living being obtains a body. The semen of a man enters the womb of a woman.

With one night of union, it becomes a bubble; with five nights, it becomes a foetus. After ten days, it becomes a form to be born.

By the end of a month, the head is formed; the limbs and other parts follow. Nails, hair, bones, and skin are produced from three sources.

With four elements, it is formed; with seven, it is nourished; with five, it is sustained. It wanders in the womb, turning to the right.

From the food and drink consumed by the mother, the essence is formed. The living being lies in the womb, awaiting birth.

With all limbs afflicted by worms, he becomes faint every moment due to extreme suffering, repeatedly tormented by hunger.

Afflicted by bitter, sharp, hot, salty, dry, and sour substances, he experiences pain throughout his body, touched by maternal food.

Covered by a worm and surrounded by external forces, he lies down with his head and belly crushed, his back bent.

Like a bird in a cage, he is unable to move, and there arises a memory due to fate, born from countless actions. Remembering the long exhalation, what comfort does he find?

Starting from the seventh month, even after gaining knowledge, he trembles. He is not at ease anywhere, overwhelmed by the wind of suffering.

The sage Nathamaana, frightened, with folded hands, praises Him with a trembling voice, who is offered in the heart.

The creature spoke: 'I approach Him, who is present, with the desire of the world, and whose lotus feet move on the various worlds. I go to Him for refuge, for I have no fear, as my path is in accordance with the unseen truth.'

He, who is bound here by actions, covered by the qualities of the senses, relying on illusion, remains pure, unchanging, and undivided in the heart. I bow to Him.

He, who is devoid of the five elements in the body, is hidden, just as I am the essence of the qualities of the senses. I bow to Him, the supreme person, who is the glory of the unmanifested.

In this worldly path, bound by the actions of illusion, when the memory is lost, this one again engages the world, by what means, O great grace, is it possible?

The knowledge that is established by the supreme deity, who is the essence of all beings and is present in the three times, may we worship Him, who leads us on the path of life and alleviates our threefold suffering.

The body, which is afflicted by the fire of digestion and is fallen into the pit of excretion, desires to escape this suffering. When will the miserly intellect be free from this bondage?

By whom this path is attained, O Lord, who is gathered by the ten months, may He be satisfied with His own actions. Who would offer obeisance to Him without reverence?

This one sees with the eye of wisdom, indeed, the sevenfold body, the one who is beyond the physical body. I see that ancient person, who is the source of creation, manifesting in the heart as consciousness.

Though I reside here, O Lord, in the midst of great suffering, I do not wish to leave this dark pit. Here, the divine illusion approaches, and the deluded mind wanders in the cycle of existence.

Therefore, I, free from agitation, will quickly uplift my self from the darkness, being a friend to my own self. May I not be afflicted by the feet of Vishnu, as this calamity arises again.

Kapila said: Thus, with a focused mind, the sage, after ten months, praises. Immediately, the wind god brings forth the voice for delivery.

Suddenly, being born, the distressed one, with difficulty, emerges, breathless and with a lost memory.

Fallen on the ground, like a heap of excrement, he struggles. He cries out, having lost knowledge, and goes in the opposite direction.

The one who is not known by the wise, being praised by the people, is unintentional and is unable to reject.

The creature, lying on an unclean bed, is afflicted by sweat. It suffers from the itching of its limbs due to the movements of rising and sitting.

The mosquitoes, biting the one who is suffering from the pain, cause him to cry out, just like worms do to one who is devoid of knowledge.

Thus, having experienced the pains of infancy and childhood, the unfulfilled desires of ignorance lead to anger and resentment.

With the body and its pride increasing, the passionate person engages in conflict, driven by desires for sense objects.

The ignorant person, having begun with the five elements in the body, mistakenly identifies with 'I' and 'mine', leading to misguided thoughts.

For that purpose, one performs actions that bind one to worldly existence. The one who follows such actions suffers from the bondage of ignorance and karma.

If one is again obstructed by the efforts of unworthy beings, the creature, being situated in such a state, falls back into darkness as before.

Truth, purity, compassion, silence, intelligence, prosperity, modesty, fame, and patience—these qualities lead to the cessation of suffering when one associates with them.

Among those who are restless and foolish, and who are attached to the unworthy, one should not associate with them, nor with women or animals engaged in play.

One should not be deluded by such associations, nor bound by any other connection. Just as the association with women leads to entanglement, so does the association with such beings.

Seeing his own daughter, the Prajapati, disturbed by her beauty, ran after her in the form of a tree.

Among the created beings, who is not a man of undivided intellect? Without the sage Narayana, women are ensnared by illusion.

Behold my strength, which is feminine and victorious over directions, that which causes those who are trampled underfoot by the mere raising of eyebrows.

One should never associate with the frivolous, who seek the ultimate goal of yoga. Those who attain the self through service to me say that this is the gateway to hell.

He who approaches slowly, the woman created by the gods, should see death as grass, covered by a well.

Whom one considers as a husband, due to delusion, is indeed the embodiment of the mind, and having attained the state of womanhood, she is the giver of wealth and home.

One should know her as the essence of oneself, the embodiment of the husband and home, just as the death of a deer is worshipped by the divine.

The embodied soul, by the living being, engages in actions in the world, while enjoying the fruits of those actions without interruption.

The soul is indeed associated with this body, which is made of elements, senses, and mind. Its cessation is not death; rather, manifestation is possible.

When the potentiality of the substance is realized in the place of substance, then the emergence of the great ego leads to the perception of the substance.

When the capability of the eye to perceive objects arises, then only does the capability of the seer to see come into being.

Therefore, there should be no fear, no stinginess, and no confusion. Understanding the nature of life, the wise person should live here, free from attachment.

With right perception and wisdom, endowed with yoga and renunciation, one should wander in this world created by illusion, having abandoned the body.