स वासुदेवमासीनं तमीशं ददृशुः किल
They saw that Lord, Vasudeva, seated there.
निरीक्ष्य पुण्डरीकाक्षं स्वात्मयोगमनुत्तमम्
Beholding Lotus-eyed One, his supreme self-yoga,
प्रशान्तमानसाः सर्वे ज्ञानमीश्वरभाषितम्
With minds at peace, all listened to the knowledge spoken by the Lord.
यन्न देवा विजानन्ति यतन्तो ऽपि द्विजातयः
That which even the gods do not know, nor do the twice-born despite their efforts,
न संसारं प्रपद्यन्ते पूर्वे ऽपि ब्रह्मवादिनः
Nor do the earlier teachers of Brahman enter into worldly existence,
वक्ष्ये भक्तिमतामद्य युष्माकं ब्रह्मवादिनाम्
I shall declare today to you, devoted Brahman-knowers.
अस्ति सर्वान्तरः साक्षाच्चिन्मात्रस्तमसः परः
There exists the innermost, direct witness, pure consciousness, beyond darkness.
स कालो ऽग्निस्तदव्यक्तं स एवेदमिति श्रुतिः
He is time, fire, the unmanifest; he alone is this—all this, so declares the scripture.
स मायी मायया बद्धः करोति विविधास्तनूः
He, the wielder of māyā, bound by māyā, creates various bodies.
नायं पृथ्वी न सलिलं न तेजः पवनो नभः
He is not earth, nor water, nor fire, nor wind, nor space.
न रूपरसगन्धाश्च नाहं कर्ता न वागपि
He is not form, taste, or smell; I am not the doer, nor even speech.
न माया नैव च प्राश्चैतन्यं परमार्थतः
He is not māyā, nor the fruits of action; in truth, he is pure consciousness.
तद्वदैक्यं न संबन्धः प्रपञ्चपरमात्मनोः
Likewise, there is no unity or connection between the world and the Supreme Self.
तद्वत् प्रपञ्चपुरुषौ विभिन्नौ परमार्थतः
In the same way, the world and the person are truly distinct.
नहि तस्य भवेन्मुक्तिर्जन्मान्तरशतैरपि
For him, there is no liberation, even after hundreds of births.
विकारहीनं निर्दुः खमानन्दात्मानमव्ययम्
The imperishable Self is changeless, free from suffering, space-like, and of the nature of bliss.
सा चाहङ्कारकर्तृत्वादात्मन्यारोप्यते जनैः
But this is falsely attributed to the self by people, due to ego and the sense of doership.
भोक्तारमक्षरं शुद्धं सर्वत्र समवस्थितम्
The imperishable, pure enjoyer is present everywhere.
अज्ञानादन्यथा ज्ञानं तच्च प्रकृतिसंगतम्
Due to ignorance, knowledge appears otherwise, and that is joined with nature.
अहङ्काराविवेकेन कर्ताहमिति मन्यते
Because of non-discrimination with ego, one thinks, 'I am the doer.'
प्रधानं प्रकृतिं बुद्ध्वा कारणं ब्रह्मवादिनः
The knowers of Brahman declare that the primal nature is the cause.
स्वात्मानमक्षरं ब्रह्म नावबुद्ध्येत तत्त्वतः
One does not truly realize the imperishable Self, Brahman.
रगद्वेषादयो दोषाः सर्वे भ्रान्तिनिबन्धनाः
All faults such as attachment and aversion are rooted in delusion.
तद्वशादेव सर्वेषां सर्वदेहसमुद्भवः
It is only by their power that all bodies arise for all beings.
एकः स भिद्यते शक्त्या मायया न स्वभावतः
He is one, divided by power—by illusion, not by his own nature.
भेदो व्यक्तस्वभावेन सा च मायात्मसंश्रया
Difference appears due to manifest nature, and that depends on the essence of illusion.
अन्तः करणजैर्भावैरात्मा तद्वन्न लिप्यते
Just as the self is not tainted by thoughts arising in the inner faculty, so too here.
उपाधिहीनो विमलस्तथैवात्मा प्रकाशते
When free from limiting adjuncts and pure, the self shines forth in the same way.
अर्थस्वरूपमेवाज्ञाः पश्यन्त्यन्ये कुदृष्टयः
The ignorant, with distorted vision, see only the external form of the object.
दृश्यते ह्यर्थरूपेण पुरुषैर्भ्रान्तिदृष्टिभिः
Indeed, those with deluded vision perceive it in the form of the object.