अस्ति चेद् इन्द्रियाक्रान्तिः किं पूजापूज्यपूजनैः । नास्ति चेद् इन्द्रियाक्रान्तिः किं पूजापूज्यपूजनैः
If the senses are restrained, what use is there in acts of worship, worshipped, and worshipper? If the senses are not restrained, what use is there in acts of worship, worshipped, and worshipper?
विचारोपशमाभ्यां हि विना नासाद्यते हरिः । विचारोपशमाभ्यां च युक्तस्याब्जकरेण किम्
For without inquiry and tranquility, the Lord is not attained; and for one established in inquiry and tranquility, what is the use of the lotus-handed one?
विचारोपशमोपेतं चित्तम् आराधयात्मनः । तस्मिन् सिद्धे भवान् सिद्धो नो चेत् त्वं वनगर्दभः
A mind endowed with inquiry and tranquility should be devoted to the Self; if you succeed in this, you are accomplished—otherwise, you are like a forest donkey.
क्रियते माधवादीनां प्रणयः प्रार्थनाय यत् । स चैव कस्मात् क्रियते न स्वकस्यैव चेतसः
The devotion shown to Mādhava and others is for the sake of supplication; but why is this done, and not directed to one's own mind?
सर्वस्यैव जनस्यास्य विष्णुर् अभ्यन्तरे स्थितः । तं परित्यज्य ये यान्ति बहिर् विष्णुं न ते बुधाः
Viṣṇu abides within all people; those who abandon him and seek Viṣṇu outside are not wise.
हृद्गुहावासि चित्तत्त्वं मुख्यं सानातनं वपुः । शङ्खचक्रगदाहस्तो गौण आकार आत्मनः
The true essence of mind, dwelling in the cave of the heart, is the primary, eternal form; the form with conch, discus, and mace in hand is a secondary aspect of the Self.
यो हि मुख्यं परित्यज्य गौणं समनुधावति । त्यक्त्वा रसायनं सिद्धं साध्यं संसाधयत्य् असौ
Whoever abandons the primary and pursues the secondary, forsaking the perfected elixir, seeks what is yet to be perfected.
यस् तु वा स्थितिम् एवास्याम् आत्मज्ञानचमत्कृतौ । नासादयति सम्मत्तमनास् स रघुनन्दन
But, O descendant of Raghu, one who does not attain stability in the wonder of self-knowledge, whose mind is not truly absorbed, does not reach it.
अप्राप्तात्मविवेको ऽन्तर् अज्ञश् चित्तवशीकृतः । शङ्खचक्रगदापाणिम् अर्चयत्य् अमरेश्वरम्
Without discernment of the self, inwardly ignorant and controlled by the mind, he worships the Lord of immortals, holding conch, discus, and mace.
तत्पूजनेन कष्टेन तपसा तस्य राघव । काले निर्मलताम् एति चित्तं वैराग्यवारिणा
Through arduous worship and austerity, O Raghava, in time the mind becomes purified by the waters of detachment.
नित्याभ्यासविवेकाभ्यां चित्तम् आशु प्रसीदति । आम्रम् एव दशाम् एति साहकारीं शनैश् शनैः
Through constant practice and discernment, the mind quickly becomes calm, gradually attaining the state of the mango with the help of the citron.
एतद् अप्य् आत्मनैवात्मा फलम् आप्नोति भावितम् । हरिपूजाक्रमाख्येन निमित्तेनारिसूदन
Even this, O destroyer of foes, is attained by the self alone for itself, as a result of the process called worship of Hari.
वरम् आप्नोति यो वापि विष्णोर् अमिततेजसः । तेन स्वस्यैव तत् प्राप्तं फलम् अभ्यासशाखिनः
Whoever attains a boon from Vishnu of boundless brilliance, thereby receives the fruit of his own practice, as the branch receives its own reward.
सर्वेषाम् उत्तमार्थानां सर्वासां चिरसम्पदाम् । स्वमनोनिग्रहो भूमिर् भूमिस् सस्यश्रियाम् इव
For all highest aims and all lasting treasures, self-control of the mind is the ground, just as the earth is the foundation for the wealth of crops.
अप्य् उर्वीखननोत्कस्य कषतो ऽपि शिलोच्चयम् । स्वमनोनिग्रहाद् अन्यो नोपायो ऽस्तीह दुःखहा
Even for one eager to dig the earth, enduring the hardship of rocky mounds, there is no other means here to remove suffering than self-control of the mind.
तावज् जन्मसहस्राणि भ्रमन्ति भुवि मानवाः । यावन् नोपशमं याति मनोमत्तमहार्णवः
People wander on this earth for thousands of births, until the great ocean of the mind’s madness finds peace.
ब्रह्मविष्ण्विन्द्ररुद्राद्याश् चिरं सम्पूजिता अपि । उपप्लुतमनोव्याधिं न त्रायन्ते ऽपि वत्सलाः
Even Brahma, Vishnu, Indra, Rudra, and others—though long worshipped and full of compassion—do not save one whose mind is afflicted and overwhelmed.
आकारभासुरं त्यक्त्वा बाह्यम् आन्तरम् अप्य् अजम् । कुरु जन्मक्षयायाशु संविन्मात्रैकचिन्तनम्
Abandoning both the outer and the inner forms, which are merely appearances, swiftly direct your contemplation to pure consciousness alone, unborn, for the destruction of rebirth.
संवेद्यनिर्मुक्तनिरामयैकसंविन्मयास्वादम् अनन्तरूपम् । सन्मात्रम् आस्वादय सर्वसारं पारं परं प्राप्स्यसि जन्मनद्याः
Savor the essence that is pure being—free from all that can be experienced, free from affliction, the taste of undivided consciousness, formless and infinite; you will reach the supreme, the ultimate shore of the river of birth.
रामापर्यवसानेयं माया संसृतिनामिका । आत्मचित्तजयेनैव क्षयम् आयाति नान्यथा
O Rama, this illusion called worldly existence comes to an end only through mastery of one’s own mind and heart, and not otherwise.
जगन्मायाप्रपञ्चस्य वैचित्र्यप्रतिपत्तये । इतिहासम् इमं वक्ष्ये शृणुष्वावहितो ऽनघ
To reveal the variety of this world’s illusory display, I will tell you this story—listen attentively, O sinless one.
अस्त्य् अस्मिन् वसुधापीठे कोसला नाम मण्डलम् । कल्पवृक्षवनं मेरोर् इव रत्नगणाकरम्
On this earth there is a region called Kosala, a land like a grove of wish-fulfilling trees, a treasury of jewels like Mount Meru.
तत्रासीद् ब्राह्मणः कश्चिद् गुणी गाधिर् इति श्रुतः । परमश्रोत्रियो धीमान् वेदो मूर्तिम् इवाश्रितः
There lived a certain brahmin, renowned as Gadhi, a man of virtue, supremely learned, wise, as if the Veda itself had taken human form.
आ बाल्यात् प्रविरक्तेन चेतसा स व्यराजत । निष्कलङ्कावदातेन भुवनं नभसा यथा
From childhood, with a mind withdrawn, he shone forth, pure and spotless, like the sky illumining the world.
किम् अप्य् अभिमतं कार्यं विनिधाय स चेतसि । बन्धुवर्गाद् विनिष्क्रम्य तपस् तप्तुं वनं ययौ
Having fixed some cherished purpose in his mind, he left his circle of relatives and went to the forest to practice austerity.
उत्फुल्लकमलं तत्र सरः प्राप स विप्रराट् । चन्द्रः प्रसन्नविमलं ताराशारम् इवाम्बरम्
There, the kingly sage reached a lake blooming with lotuses, serene and clear like the moon in a sky adorned with stars.
आशौरिदर्शनं तस्मिंस् तपोऽर्थं सरसि द्विजः । आकण्ठम् अम्बुनिर्मग्नः प्रावृट्पद्म इवावसत्
In that lake, for the sake of austerity, the twice-born immersed himself up to the neck in water, dwelling like a lotus in the rainy season.
ययौ मासाष्टकं तस्य मग्नस्य सरसो ऽम्भसि । मांसपङ्कजशङ्कोत्कभृङ्गभग्नमुखच्छवेः
He spent eight months submerged in the lake's water, his face broken and colored like a bee-damaged lotus, muddy and flesh-hued.
अथैनं तपसा तप्तम् अजगमैकदा हरिः । निदाघार्तं घनश् श्यामः प्रावृषीव धरातलम्
Then, once, Hari approached him, heated by austerity, like a dark cloud coming to earth in the rainy season to relieve the scorched.
विप्रोत्तिष्ठ पयोमध्याद् गृहाणाभिमतम् वरम् । अभीप्सितफलोपेतो जातस् ते नियमद्रुमः
O Brahmin, rise from the midst of the water and accept your desired boon; your tree of discipline now bears the fruit you wished for.