मुक्ताभिमानी मुक्तो हि बद्धो बद्धाभिमान्यपि। किंवदन्तीह सत्येयं या मतिः सा गतिर्भवेत्
He who thinks himself liberated is indeed liberated; he who thinks himself bound is bound. This saying is true: as is one's thought, so is one's outcome.
आत्मा साक्षी विभुः पूर्ण एको मुक्तश्चिदक्रियः। असंगो निःस्पृहः शान्तो भ्रमात्संसारवानिव
The Self is the witness, all-pervading, complete, one, free, consciousness, inactive, unattached, desireless, and peaceful—only seeming to be in worldly existence due to delusion.
कूटस्थं बोधमद्वैतमात्मानं परिभावय। आभासोऽहं भ्रमं मुक्त्वा भावं बाह्यमथान्तरम्
Contemplate yourself as the changeless, nondual awareness; having abandoned the illusion 'I am the appearance,' let go of both external and internal identifications.
देहाभिमानपाशेन चिरं बद्धोऽसि पुत्रक। बोधोऽहं ज्ञानखड्गेन तःनिकृत्य सुखी भव
Long have you been bound, my child, by the snare of body-identification; 'I am awareness'—cut that with the sword of knowledge and be happy.
निःसंगो निष्क्रियोऽसि त्वं स्वप्रकाशो निरंजनः। अयमेव हि ते बन्धः समाधिमनुतिष्ठति
You are unattached, inactive, self-luminous, and pure; this alone is your bondage, that you practice concentration.
त्वया व्याप्तमिदं विश्वं त्वयि प्रोतं यथार्थतः। शुद्धबुद्धस्वरूपस्त्वं मा गमः क्षुद्रचित्तताम्
This universe is pervaded by you; it is strung upon you as it truly is. Your nature is pure, awakened consciousness—do not fall into petty-mindedness.
निरपेक्षो निर्विकारो निर्भरः शीतलाशयः। अगाधबुद्धिरक्षुब्धो भव चिन्मात्रवासनः
Be indifferent, unchanging, full, with a cool mind, of unfathomable understanding, undisturbed, intent only on consciousness.
साकारमनृतं विद्धि निराकारं तु निश्चलं। एतत्तत्त्वोपदेशेन न पुनर्भवसंभवः
Know that which has form to be unreal, and the formless to be unchanging; by this teaching of truth, there is no return to rebirth.
यथैवादर्शमध्यस्थे रूपेऽन्तः परितस्तु सः। तथैवाऽस्मिन् शरीरेऽन्तः परितः परमेश्वरः
Just as the image within a mirror is present inside and all around, so too, within and throughout this body, the Supreme Lord abides.
एकं सर्वगतं व्योम बहिरन्तर्यथा घटे। नित्यं निरन्तरं ब्रह्म सर्वभूतगणे तथा
As the one all-pervading space exists inside and outside a pot, so too, the eternal, uninterrupted Brahman pervades all living beings.
जनक उवाच॥ अहो निरंजनः शान्तो बोधोऽहं प्रकृतेः परः। एतावन्तमहं कालं मोहेनैव विडंबितः
Janaka said: Ah! I am stainless, peaceful, awareness itself, beyond nature; for so long I have been deluded by ignorance.
यथा प्रकाशयाम्येको देहमेनं तथा जगत्। अतो मम जगत्सर्वमथवा न च किंचन
Just as I alone illuminate this body, so too do I illuminate the world; therefore, all this world is mine, or else, nothing at all is mine.
स शरीरमहो विश्वं परित्यज्य मयाधुना। कुतश्चित् कौशलाद् एव परमात्मा विलोक्यते
Having now abandoned the body and the universe, by some skill alone, I perceive the Supreme Self.
यथा न तोयतो भिन्नास्तरंगाः फेनबुद्बुदाः। आत्मनो न तथा भिन्नं विश्वमात्मविनिर्गतम्
Just as waves, foam, and bubbles are not separate from water, so too, the universe arising from the Self is not distinct from the Self.
तन्तुमात्रो भवेद् एव पटो यद्वद् विचारितः। आत्मतन्मात्रमेवेदं तद्वद् विश्वं विचारितम्
Just as, upon examination, a cloth is found to be nothing but threads, so too, upon inquiry, this universe is found to be nothing but the essence of the Self.
यथैवेक्षुरसे क्लृप्ता तेन व्याप्तैव शर्करा। तथा विश्वं मयि क्लृप्तं मया व्याप्तं निरन्तरम्
Just as sugar is made from cane juice and is pervaded by it, so too, the universe is made from me and is pervaded by me without interruption.
आत्मज्ञानाज्जगद् भाति आत्मज्ञानान्न भासते। रज्ज्वज्ञानादहिर्भाति तज्ज्ञानाद् भासते न हि
The world shines forth through self-knowledge; without self-knowledge, it does not shine. A rope appears as a snake through ignorance; with knowledge, it appears as itself.
प्रकाशो मे निजं रूपं नातिरिक्तोऽस्म्यहं ततः। यदा प्रकाशते विश्वं तदाहं भास एव हि
My own nature is illumination; I am not different from that. Whenever the universe shines, it is I alone who shine.
अहो विकल्पितं विश्वमज्ञानान्मयि भासते। रूप्यं शुक्तौ फणी रज्जौ वारि सूर्यकरे यथा
Ah! The imagined universe appears in me due to ignorance, just as silver appears in a shell, a snake in a rope, or water in a sunbeam.
मत्तो विनिर्गतं विश्वं मय्येव लयमेष्यति। मृदि कुंभो जले वीचिः कनके कटकं यथा
The universe, having arisen from me, will dissolve back into me, just as a pot returns to clay, a wave to water, or a bracelet to gold.
अहो अहं नमो मह्यं विनाशो यस्य नास्ति मे। ब्रह्मादिस्तंबपर्यन्तं जगन्नाशोऽपि तिष्ठतः
Ah! I salute myself, for I am without destruction; even as the universe, from Brahma down to a blade of grass, perishes, I remain.
अहो अहं नमो मह्यं एकोऽहं देहवानपि। क्वचिन्न गन्ता नागन्ता व्याप्य विश्वमवस्थितः
Ah! I salute myself, for though I possess a body, I am one alone, never coming or going, pervading the universe and abiding everywhere.
अहो अहं नमो मह्यं दक्षो नास्तीह मत्समः। असंस्पृश्य शरीरेण येन विश्वं चिरं धृतम्
Ah! I salute myself, for there is no one as skillful as I; without touching the body, I have sustained the universe for so long.
अहो अहं नमो मह्यं यस्य मे नास्ति किंचन। अथवा यस्य मे सर्वं यद् वाङ्मनसगोचरम्
Ah! I salute myself, for nothing belongs to me; or else, everything that is within the range of speech and mind belongs to me.
ज्ञानं ज्ञेयं तथा ज्ञाता त्रितयं नास्ति वास्तवं। अज्ञानाद् भाति यत्रेदं सोऽहमस्मि निरंजनः
Knowledge, the object of knowledge, and the knower—this triad does not truly exist; whatever appears here due to ignorance, I am that, stainless.
द्वैतमूलमहो दुःखं नान्यत्तस्याऽस्ति भेषजं। दृश्यमेतन् मृषा सर्वं एकोऽहं चिद्रसोमलः
Ah! Duality is the root of suffering; there is no other remedy for it. All that is seen is false; I alone am the pure essence of consciousness.
बोधमात्रोऽहमज्ञानाद् उपाधिः कल्पितो मया। एवं विमृशतो नित्यं निर्विकल्पे स्थितिर्मम
I am pure awareness; out of ignorance, I have imagined a limitation. Reflecting thus constantly, my state is ever free from distinctions.
न मे बन्धोऽस्ति मोक्षो वा भ्रान्तिः शान्तो निराश्रया। अहो मयि स्थितं विश्वं वस्तुतो न मयि स्थितम्
There is neither bondage nor liberation for me, nor confusion; peace is without support. Ah, the universe appears to abide in me, yet in truth, it does not abide in me.
सशरीरमिदं विश्वं न किंचिदिति निश्चितं। शुद्धचिन्मात्र आत्मा च तत्कस्मिन् कल्पनाधुना
It is certain that this universe, along with the body, is nothing. The Self is pure consciousness alone; so upon what can imagination now arise?
शरीरं स्वर्गनरकौ बन्धमोक्षौ भयं तथा। कल्पनामात्रमेवैतत् किं मे कार्यं चिदात्मनः
Body, heaven and hell, bondage and liberation, and fear—these are all mere imagination. What concern have I, who am consciousness itself?