तुच्छत्वान्नासदासीद्गगनकुसुमवद्भेदकं नो सदासी -त्किं त्वाभ्यामन्यदासीद्व्यवहृतिगतिसन्नास लोकस्तदानीम् ।किं त्वर्वागेव शुक्तौ रजतवदपरो नो विराड् व्योमपूर्वःशर्मण्यात्मन्यथैतत्कुहकसलिलवत्किं भवेदावरीवः ॥ २३ ॥
In plain words
Before the world appeared there was neither blank non-being, like a flower in the sky, nor differentiated existence. What existed lay beyond both, and no world of dealings had yet arisen. Later Virāṭ appeared, with space before it, like silver seeming to gleam in a shell and never becoming a second reality. How could such mirage-water ever cover Ātma, the Self whose nature is bliss?
Close to the Sanskrit
Because sheer non-being is empty, it did not exist like a sky-flower; nor did differentiated being exist. Something other than these two was; the world fit for empirical transaction did not then exist. Only later did Virāṭ, preceded by space, appear like silver in a shell, without being another reality. How could this mirage-water veil the blissful Ātma—the Self?