यो गृध्रो दशवर्षाणि यो मृगो मासपञ्चकम् । यस् समानां शतं सिंहस् स एवेह तवाग्रजः
The one who was a vulture for ten years, who was a deer for five months, and who was a lion for a hundred years—he is now your elder brother here.
अन्ध्रग्रामचकोरेण तुखारनृपवाजिना । श्रीशैलाचार्यपुत्रेण मयेदं तव कथ्यते
With the body of a chakora in the Andhra village, as a horse of the Tukhara king, and as the son of a teacher on Mount Shri Shaila, I am telling you this.
सर्वे विविधसंरम्भा विविधाचारचेष्टिताः । विलासा जन्मनां भ्रातस् स्मर्यन्ते प्राक्तना मया
All the various efforts and diverse behaviors, the pleasures of many births, brother, are remembered by me as things of the past.
एवं स्थिते जगज्जाताव् आवयोश् शतशो गताः । पितरो मातरश् चैव भ्रातरस् सुहृदस् तथा
In this world as it stands, hundreds of fathers, mothers, brothers, and friends have passed for both of us.
कांस् तान् समनुशोचावो न शोचावश् च कान् अपि । बन्धून् किं वापि शोचाव ईदृश्य् एव जगत्स्थितिः
Which of them should we grieve for, and which should we not? Or why should we grieve for any relatives at all, since such is the nature of the world?
अनन्ताः पितरो यान्ति यान्त्य् अनन्ताश् च मातरः । इह संसारिणां पुंसां वनपादपपर्णवत्
Endless fathers come and go, endless mothers as well, for those who wander in this world, like leaves of trees in a forest.
किं प्रमाणम् अतः पुत्र दुःखस्यात्र सुखस्य वा । तस्मात् सर्वं परित्यज्य तिष्ठावस् स्वस्थतां गतौ
What certainty is there, my son, of sorrow or happiness here? Therefore, abandoning everything, let us remain established in equanimity.
प्रपञ्चभावनां त्यक्त्वा मनस्य् अहम् इति स्थिताम् । तां गतिं गच्छ भद्रं ते यां यान्ति गतिकोविदाः
Abandon the conception of the world and remain established in the mind as 'I am'; proceed toward that state, blessed one, which is attained by those skilled in the path.
इहाजवञ्जवीभावं पतनोत्पतनात्मकम् । नानुशोचन्ति सुधियश् चिकित्सन्ते च केवलम्
Wise people do not grieve over the fleeting and unstable nature of existence here, which is characterized by rising and falling; they simply treat it as it is.
भावाभावविनिर्मुक्तं जरामरणवर्जितम् । संस्मरात्मानम् अव्यग्रो मा विमूढमना भव
Recall your own self, free from both existence and non-existence, untouched by old age and death; remain unperturbed and do not let your mind be confused.
न ते दुःखं न ते जन्म न ते माता न ते पिता । आत्मैवासि न सद्बुद्धे त्वम् अन्यः कश्चिद् एव हि
There is no suffering for you, no birth, no mother, no father; you are only the Self, O wise one, and truly, there is no other.
अस्यां संसारयात्रायां नानाभिनयदायिनः । अज्ञा एव नटास् साधो रसभावसमन्विताः
In this journey of worldly existence, those who enact various roles are merely ignorant actors, O noble one, endowed with the moods of different sentiments.
मध्यस्थदृष्टयस् स्वस्था यथाप्राप्तार्थदर्शिनः । तज्ज्ञास् तु प्रेक्षका एव साक्षिधर्मे व्यवस्थिताः
Those who are impartial, established in themselves, and see things as they come, are the observers; while those who know the truth are witnesses, abiding in the witness principle.
कर्तारो ऽपि न कर्तारो यथा दीपा निशागमे । आलोककर्मणाम् एवं तज्ज्ञा लोकस्थिताव् इह
Even those who act are not truly actors, just as lamps at night are only the agents of illumination; likewise, those who know the truth are only agents of worldly existence here.
प्रतिबिम्बैर् न दूष्यन्ते स्वात्मबिम्बगतैर् अपि । यथा दर्पणरत्नाद्यास् तथा कार्यैर् महाधियः
Great minds are not tainted by reflections, even those arising from their own self-image, just as mirrors and jewels are not affected by the images within them, nor by their functions.
सर्वैषणामयकलङ्कविवर्जितेन स्वच्छात्मभावकलितेन हृदब्जमध्ये । पुत्रात्मनात्मनि महामणिनामुनैव सन्त्यज्य सम्भ्रमम् अलं परितोषम् एहि
With a mind free from all taints of desire, pure and established in the essence of the Self within the lotus of the heart, O child, abandon agitation and attain complete contentment here and now.
एवं प्रबोधितस् तेन तदा पुण्येन पावनः । प्रबोधम् आप प्राकाश्यं प्रभात इव भूतलम्
Thus, awakened by that virtuous one, he became pure and radiant, like the earth illuminated at dawn.
उभाव् अपि ततस् सिद्धौ ज्ञानविज्ञानपारगौ । विचेरतुर् वने तस्मिन् यावदिच्छम् अनिन्दितौ
Both, accomplished in knowledge and realization, wandered blamelessly in that forest as they wished.
ततः कदाचित् कालेन निर्वाणपदम् आगतौ । तौ विदेहौ गतस्नेहौ दीपाव् इव शमं गतौ
Then, after some time, they attained the state of liberation; freed from attachment to the body, they entered peace like lamps extinguished.
एवं प्राग्भुक्तदेहानाम् अनन्ता धनबन्धुजाः । आशाः किं गृह्यते ताभ्यः किं वा सन्त्यज्यते ऽनघ
Thus, for those whose bodies have been enjoyed before, endless hopes arise from wealth and kin; what is there to gain or renounce from them, O sinless one?
तस्माद् आसाम् अनन्तानां तृष्णानां रघुनन्दन । उपायस् त्याग एवैको न नाम परिपालनम्
Therefore, O descendant of Raghu, among these endless cravings, the only means is renunciation, not preservation.
चिन्तनेनैधते चिन्ता स्विन्धनेनेव पावकः । नश्यत्य् अचिन्तनेनैव विनेन्धनम् इवानलः
Thought grows by thinking, just as fire grows by fuel; it perishes by not thinking, like fire without fuel.
ध्येयत्यागरथारूढः करुणोदारया दृशा । लोकम् आलोकयन् दीनं मा तिष्ठोत्तिष्ठ राघव
Mounted on the chariot of meditation and renunciation, with a gaze full of compassion, seeing the world as afflicted, do not remain—rise, O Raghava.
एषा ब्राह्मी स्थितिस् स्वच्छा निष्कामा विगतामया । एनां प्राप्य महाबाहो विमूढो ऽपि न मुह्यति
This is the pure, desireless, and disease-free state of Brahman; upon attaining it, O mighty-armed one, even the deluded are not confused.
एकं विवेकं सुहृदम् एकां प्रौढसखीं धियम् । आदाय विहरन्न् एवं सङ्कटे ऽपि न मुह्यसि
By taking discernment as your friend and mature intelligence as your steadfast companion, you will not be bewildered even in adversity.
विनिवारितसर्वार्थाद् अपहस्तितबान्धवात् । न स्वधैर्याद् ऋते कश्चिद् अभ्युद्धरति सङ्कटात्
One who has renounced all objects and set aside all relations—no one but himself, relying on his own courage, rescues him from difficulty.
वैराग्येणाथ शास्त्रेण महत्त्वादिगुणैर् अपि । यत्नेनापद्विघातार्थं स्वम् एवोन्नमयेन् मनः
Therefore, by dispassion, by scripture, by the virtues of greatness and the like, and by effort, one should uplift one's own mind for the removal of adversity.
न तत् त्रिभुवनैश्वर्यान् न कोशाद् रत्नधारिणः । फलम् आसाद्यते चित्ताद् यन् महत्त्वोपबृंहितात्
The result attained by a mind endowed with greatness is not gained by the lordship of the three worlds, nor by treasures filled with jewels.
तावद् अस्मिञ् जगत्कुक्षौ पातोत्पातावदोलनैः । पतन्ति पुरुषा यावन् मनस् तेषां न विज्वरम्
So long as their minds are not free from affliction, people fall in this womb of the world, tossed about by calamities and disasters.
पूर्णे मनसि सम्पूर्णं जगत् सर्वं सुधाद्रवैः । उपानद्गूढपादस्य किल चर्मावृतैव भूः
When the mind is full, the whole world is filled with nectar; just as for one whose feet are shod, the earth is as if covered with leather.