The works of Ādi Śaṅkarācārya

Chāndogyopaniṣadbhāṣyam

Verse 333

तानि ह वा एतानि संकल्पैकायनानि संकल्पात्मकानि संकल्पे प्रतिष्ठितानि समक्लृपतां द्यावापृथिवी समकल्पेतां वायुश्चाकाशं च समकल्पन्तापश्च तेजश्च तेषां संकल्प्यै वर्षं संकल्पते वर्षस्य संकल्प्या अन्नं संकल्पतेऽन्नस्य संकल्प्यै प्राणाः संकल्पन्ते प्राणानां संकल्प्यै मन्त्राः संकल्पन्ते मन्त्राणां संकल्प्यै कर्माणि संकल्पन्ते कर्मणां संकल्प्यै लोकः संकल्पते लोकस्य संकल्पृत्यै सर्वं संकल्पते स एष संकल्पः संकल्पमुपास्स्वेति ॥ २ ॥

In plain words

All these converge upon resolve, take resolve as their inner core, and rest securely within resolve. Heaven and earth fell into place through resolve, as did wind and space, water and fire. Driven by resolve, rain forms; from rain comes food, from food come life breaths, from life breaths come sacred mantras, from mantras arise ritual actions, from actions comes the world, and through the world all things take shape. Resolve is this very power. Meditate upon resolve.

Close to the Sanskrit

These indeed have resolve as their sole destination, have resolve as their essence, are established in resolve. Heaven and earth shaped themselves, wind and space shaped themselves, water and fire shaped themselves. For the sake of their resolve, rain shapes itself; for the sake of rain's resolve, food shapes itself; for the sake of food's resolve, breaths shape themselves; for the sake of breaths' resolve, mantras shape themselves; for the sake of mantras' resolve, actions shape themselves; for the sake of actions' resolve, the world shapes itself; for the sake of the world's resolve, everything shapes itself. This is resolve. Meditate upon resolve.