शब्दोऽहमिति दोषाय आत्मन्येष तथैव तत् । अनात्मन्यात्मविज्ञानं शब्दो वा भ्रान्तिलक्षणाः
To say 'I am the word' is faulty with respect to the self, and likewise so; knowledge of the self in the non-self, or the word itself, is a mark of delusion.
जिह्वा ब्रवीत्यहमिति दन्तोष्ठौ तालुक नृप! एते नाहं यतः सर्वे वाङूनिष्पादनहेतवः
The tongue says 'I am,' O King, as do the teeth, lips, and palate; but none of these are truly 'I,' for all are merely causes for the production of speech.
किंहेतुभिर्वदत्येषा वागेवाहमिति स्वयम् । तथापि वाग् नाहमेतद् वक्तु मित्थं न युज्यते
By what cause does speech itself say 'I am'? Even so, speech is not the self; thus, it is not proper to say so.
पिण्डः पृथग् यतः पुसः शिरः पाण्यादिलक्षणाः । ततोऽहमिति कुत्रैतां संज्ञां राजन्! करोम्यहम्
Since the body is a collection of distinct parts—head, hands, and so on—O King, how can I apply the designation 'I' to any of these?
यद्यन्योऽस्ति परः कोऽपि मत्तः पार्थिवसत्तम ! तदैषोऽहमयञ्चान्यो वक्तुमेवमपीष्यते
If there is some other being apart from me, O best of kings, then it is proper to say 'I am this one, and that is another.'
यदा समस्तदेहेषु पुमानेको व्यवस्थितः । तदा हि को भवान् कोऽहमित्येतद् विफलं वचः
When the one person is established in all bodies, then the statements 'Who are you?' and 'Who am I?' are meaningless.
त्वं राजा शिबिका चेयमिमे वाहाः पुरः सराः । अयञ्च भवतो लोको न सदेतन्नृपोच्यते
You are the king, this is the palanquin, these are the bearers, and this is the road ahead; this world is yours, O King, but none of this is truly real.
वृक्षदू दारु ततश्चैयं शिबिका त्वदधिष्ठिता । किं वृक्षसंज्ञा वास्याः स्याद्दारुसंज्ञाथवा नृप
The palanquin is made from wood that comes from a tree, O King; should it then be called a tree or wood?
वृक्षारूढो महाराजो नायं वदति ते जनः । न च दारुणि सर्वस्त्वां ब्रवीति शिबिकागतम्
No one says, 'The great king is riding a tree,' nor do they say, 'You are in the wood,' when you are seated in the palanquin.
शिबिका दारुसङ्गातो रचनास्थितिसंस्थितः । आन्वष्यतां नृपश्वेष्ठ! तद्भदे शिबिका त्वया
The palanquin is a combination of wood, constructed and assembled; O best of kings, examine this—then, O blessed one, the palanquin is with you.
एवं छत्रशलाकानां पृथगूभागो विमृश्यताम् । क्व यातं छत्रमित्येष न्यायस्त्वयि तथा मयि
In the same way, consider separately the parts of the umbrella and its spokes; where has the umbrella gone? This reasoning applies to you and to me as well.
पुमान् स्त्री गौरजो वाजी कुञ्जरो विहगस्तरुः । देहेषु लोकसंज्ञयं विज्ञया कर्म्महेतुषु
Man, woman, cow-born, horse, elephant, bird, tree—these are names given to bodies in the world, based on knowledge and the causes of action.
पुमान्न देवो न नरो न पशुर्न च पादपः । शरीराकृतिबेदास्तु भूपैते कर्म्मयोनयः
A person is not a god, nor a man, nor an animal, nor a plant; these distinctions of bodily form, O King, are merely the results of actions.
वस्तु राजेति यल्लोके यच्च राजभटात्मकम् । तथान्यज्व नृपेत्थं तन्न सत्सङ्कल्पनामयम्
That which is called 'king' in the world, or that which is of the nature of king and his retinue, or anything else, O King, is not real—it is a product of thought.
यत्तु कालान्तरेणापि नान्यां संज्ञामुपैति वै । परिणामादिसम्भूतां तदूस्तु नृप! तज्व किम्
But that which, even after a long time, does not acquire another name, and is not produced by transformation and the like—let that be, O King; what is that to you?
त्वं राजा सर्व्वलोकस्य पितुः पुत्रो रिपो रिपुः । पत्न्याः पतिः पिता सूनोः किं त्वा भूप ! वदाम्यहम्
You are the king of all people, the son of your father, the enemy of your foe, the husband of your wife, the father of your son—what, O King, should I call you?
त्वं किमेतच्छिरः किं नु ग्रीवा तव तथोदरम् । किमु पादादिकं त्वं वा तवैतत् किं महीपते
Are you this head? Or is your neck yours, as well as your abdomen? Are you your feet and the rest, or is this all yours, O king?
समस्तावयवेभ्यस्त्वं पृथग् भूप ! व्यवस्थितः । कोऽहमित्यत्र निपुणो भूत्वा चिन्तय पार्थिव
You are established separately from all these limbs, O king! Become skilled in this inquiry: Who am I?
एवं व्यवस्थिते तत्त्वे मयाहमिति भाषितुम् । पथक् करणनिष्पाद्य शक्यते नपते! कथम्
When the truth is thus determined, how can I say 'I am this,' O king, without first producing the means of expression?
श्रीपराशर उवाच निशम्य तस्येति वचः परमार्थसमन्वितम् । प्रश्रयावनतो भूत्वा तमाह नृपतिर्द्विजम् ॥ २,१४.
Śrī Parāśara said: Hearing these words, imbued with ultimate truth, the king, bowing respectfully, spoke to the sage.
राजोवाच भगवन्यत्त्वया प्रोक्तं परमार्थमयं वचः । श्रुते तस्मिन्भ्रमन्तीव मनसो मम वृत्तयः ॥ २,१४.
The king said: Revered one, the words you have spoken, filled with the highest truth—upon hearing them, my mind's tendencies seem to wander.
एतद्विवेकविज्ञानं यदशेषेषु जन्तुषु । भवता दर्शितं विप्र तत्परं प्रकृतेर्महत् ॥ २,१४.
This discernment and knowledge, which you have revealed concerning all beings, O sage, is the supreme principle of nature.
नाहं वहामि शिबिकां शिबिका न मयि स्थिता । शरीरमन्यदस्मत्तो येनेयं शिबिका धृता ॥ २,१४.
I do not carry the palanquin; the palanquin does not rest upon me. The body is distinct from me, by which this palanquin is borne.
गुणप्रवृत्त्या भूतानां प्रवृत्तिः कर्मचोदिता । प्रवर्तन्ते गुणा ह्येते किं ममेति त्वयोदितम् ॥ २,१४.
The activity of beings arises from the impulse of action through the operation of qualities. These qualities indeed act—what have they to do with me, as you have said?
एतस्मिन्परमार्थज्ञ मम श्रोत्रपथं गते । मनो विह्वलतामेति परमार्थार्थितां गतम् ॥ २,१४.
When this knowledge of ultimate truth entered my hearing, my mind became unsettled, seeking the highest reality.
पूर्वमेव महाभागं कपिलर्षिमहं द्विज । प्रष्टुमभ्युद्यतो गत्वा श्रेयः किं त्वत्र शंस मे ॥ २,१४.
Earlier, O fortunate one, I had set out to question the great sage Kapila. Tell me, O sage, what is the highest good here?
तदन्तरे च भवता यदेतद्वाक्यमीरितम् । तेनैव परमार्थार्थं त्वयि चेतः प्रधावति ॥ २,१४.
Meanwhile, the words you have spoken have caused my mind to run toward the ultimate truth, just as before.
कपिलर्षिर्भगवतः सर्वभूतस्य वै द्विज । विष्णोरंशो जगन्मोहनाशायोर्वीमुपागतः ॥ २,१४.
The sage Kapila, O twice-born, is a portion of Lord Viṣṇu, the cause of the world's delusion, who has descended to earth.
स एव भगवान्नूनमस्माकं हितकाम्यया । प्रत्यक्षतामत्र गतो यथैतद्भावतोच्यते ॥ २,१४.
That very Lord, surely, has appeared here for our welfare, as is spoken of in this manner.
तन्मह्यं प्रणताय त्वं यच्छ्रेयः परमं द्विजः । तद्वदाखिल विज्ञानजलवीच्युदधिर्भवान् ॥ २,१४.
Therefore, to me who am bowed before you, grant the highest good, O sage. You are an ocean whose waves are all knowledge.