भावाभावदशाकोशं दुःखरत्नसमुद्गकम् । बीजम् अस्य शरीरस्य चित्तम् आशावशानुगम्
The mind, subject to the sway of desire, is the seed of this body—a casket of the states of being and non-being, filled with the gems of suffering.
चित्ताद् इदम् उदेत्य् उच्चैस् सच् चासच् चाङ्गजालकम् । तथा चैतत् स्वयं स्वप्नसम्भ्रमेष्व् अनुभूयते
From the mind, this network of limbs, both real and unreal, arises prominently; and thus, in the confusion of dreams, this is experienced by itself.
यथा गन्धर्वसङ्कल्पात् पुरम् एवं हि चेतसः । सवातायनम् आकारभासुरं जायते वपुः
Just as a city arises from the imagination of a celestial musician, so too does the body, with windows and radiant form, arise from the mind.
यद् इदं किञ्चिद् आभोगि जागतं दृश्यतां गतम् । रूपं तच् चेतसस् स्फारं घटादित्वं मृदो यथा
Whatever is experienced here as enjoyable, as manifest in the world, that form is an expansion of the mind, just as a pot is of clay.
द्वे बीजे चित्तवृक्षस्य वृत्तिव्रततिधारिणः । एकं प्राणपरिस्पन्दो द्वितीयं दृढभावना
There are two seeds of the tree of mind, which sustains the course of its functions: one is the movement of vital breath, the other is firm imagination.
यदा प्रस्पन्दते प्राणो नाडीसंस्पर्शनोद्यतः । तदा संवेदनमयं चित्तम् आशु प्रजायते
When the vital breath stirs, ready to touch the channels, then the mind, composed of awareness, quickly arises.
यदा न स्पन्दते प्राणस् सिरासरणिकोटरे । असंवित्तिवशात् तेन चित्तम् अन्तर् न जायते
When the life-force does not move in the channels and hollows of the veins, then, due to the absence of awareness, the mind does not arise within.
प्राणस्पन्दनम् एवेदं चित्तद्वारेण दृश्यते । जगत्ताम् आगतं व्योम्नि नीलत्वादीव दृग्दृशा
This very movement of the life-force is seen through the gateway of the mind; the world appears in space just as blue and other colors are perceived by the eye.
प्राणप्रस्पन्दनं पुंस्ता तच्छान्तिश् शान्तिर् उच्यते । प्राणप्रस्पन्दनात् संविद् वाति वीटेव चोदिता
The movement of the life-force is called activity; its cessation is called peace. From the movement of the life-force, awareness stirs, like wind set in motion.
संवित् स्फुरति देहेषु प्राणस्पन्दप्रबोधिता । चक्रावर्तैर् अङ्गनेषु वीटेव करताडिता
Awareness flashes forth in the body, awakened by the movement of the life-force, just as wind, struck by the hand, whirls in circles within a house.
सती सर्वगता संवित् प्राणस्पन्देन बोध्यते । सूक्ष्मात् सूक्ष्मतराकारा गन्धलेखेव वायुना
Though awareness is ever-present everywhere, it is awakened by the movement of the life-force, taking on a form subtler than the subtlest, like a trace of fragrance carried by the wind.
संवित्संरोधनं श्रेयः परमं विद्धि राघव । कारणं समतायास् तत् क्षोभस् तत्र न विद्यते
Know, O Raghava, that the supreme good is the restraint of awareness; its cause is evenness, and in that state, disturbance does not exist.
संवित् समुदितैवाशु याति संवेद्यम् आदरात् । संवेदनाद् अनन्तानि ततो दुःखानि चेतसः
As soon as awareness arises, it eagerly moves toward the object of experience; from that experiencing, countless sorrows of the mind follow.
सुप्ता पुनर् अबोधाय संवित् सन्तिष्ठते यदा । लब्धं भवति लब्धव्यं तदा तद् अमलं पदम्
But when awareness, like one asleep, remains unmanifest, then what is to be attained is attained—then that stainless state is reached.
तस्मात् प्राणपरिस्पन्दैर् वासनाचोदनैस् तथा । नो चेत् संविदम् उच्छूनां करोषि तद् अजो भवान्
Therefore, by the movements of the life-force and the impulses of latent tendencies, unless you bring the awareness to emptiness, you remain unliberated.
संविदुच्छूनता चित्तं विद्धि तेनेदम् आततम् । अनर्थजालम् आलूनविशीर्णजनजीवकम्
Know that the mind is the emptiness of awareness; by this, this web of misfortune, which has uprooted and shattered the lives of people, is spread out.
योगिनश् चित्तशान्त्यर्थं कुर्वन्ति प्राणरोधनम् । प्राणायामैस् तथा ध्यानैः प्रयोगैर् युक्तिकल्पितैः
Yogis, for the sake of calming the mind, practice restraint of the life-force, as well as breath control, meditation, and other methods devised with discernment.
चित्तोपशान्तिफलदं परमं साम्यकारणम् । सुभगं संविदस् स्वास्थ्यं प्राणसंरोधनं विदुः
They know the restraint of the life-force to be the supreme cause of equanimity, which bestows the fruit of mental tranquility and is the blessed health of awareness.
ज्ञानवद्भिः प्रकटिताम् अनुभूतां च राघव । चित्तस्योत्पत्तिम् अपरां वासनात इमां शृणु
O Raghava, listen to this other origin of the mind from latent tendencies, which has been declared and experienced by the wise.
दृढभावनया त्यक्तपूर्वापरविचारणम् । यद् आदानं पदार्थस्य वासना सा प्रकीर्तिता
That grasping of an object, with firm imagination and without consideration of before or after, is called a latent tendency.
भावितं तीव्रसंवेगाद् आत्मना यत् तद् एव सः । भवत्य् आशु महाबाहो विगतेतरसंस्मृतिः
Whatever is intensely contemplated with strong zeal by oneself, O mighty-armed one, that very thing quickly becomes, with the memory of other things gone.
तादृग्रूपो हि पुरुषो वासनाविवशीकृतः । यत् पश्यति तद् एतत् तत् सद्वस्त्व् इति विमुह्यति
Indeed, a person, overpowered by latent tendencies, becomes of such a nature that whatever he perceives, he is deluded into thinking, 'This is the real thing.'
वासनावेशवैवश्यात् स्वरूपं प्रजहाति तम् । भ्रमं पश्यति दुर्दृष्टिस् सर्वं मदवशाद् इव
Due to the compulsion of ingrained tendencies, one abandons their true nature and, with distorted vision, perceives delusion—just as one under the sway of intoxication sees everything wrongly.
असम्यग्ज्ञानवान् एव भवत्य् आधिपरिप्लुतः । अन्तस्स्थया वासनया विषूच्येव वशीकृतः
A person lacking true knowledge becomes overwhelmed by external influences, and is controlled by the inner tendency, like one afflicted by vertigo.
असम्यग्दर्शनं यत् स्याद् यद् अनात्मात्मभावनम् । यद् अवस्तुनि वस्तुत्वं तच् चित्तं विद्धि राघव
Whatever is mistaken perception, whatever is the notion of self in the non-self, whatever is the belief in reality in what is unreal—know, O Raghava, that this is the mind.
दृढाभ्यासपदार्थैकभावनाद् अतिचञ्चलम् । चित्तं सञ्जायते जन्मजरामरणकारणम्
The mind, through persistent contemplation of a single object, becomes extremely restless and is the cause of birth, old age, and death.
यदा न वास्यते किञ्चिद् धेयोपादेयरूपि यत् । स्थीयते सकलं त्यक्त्वा तदा चित्तं न जायते
When nothing is grasped as something to be attained or possessed, and everything is abandoned, then the mind does not arise.
अवासनत्वात् सततं यदा न मनुते मनः । अमनस्ता तदोदेति परमोपशमप्रदा
When, due to the absence of latent tendencies, the mind does not think at all, then the state of 'no-mind' arises, which bestows supreme tranquility.
यदा किञ्चिन् न संवित्तौ स्फुरत्य् अभ्रम् इवाम्बरे । तदा पद्म इवाकाशे चित्तम् अन्तर् न जायते
When nothing stirs in awareness, like a cloudless sky, then, like a lotus in the sky, the mind does not arise within.
यदा न भाव्यते भावः क्वचिज् जगति वस्तुनि । तदा हृदम्बरे शून्ये चित्तरक्षो न जायते
When no object is conceived of anywhere in the world, then, in the empty sky of the heart, the demon of the mind does not arise.