सर्वम् आत्मैव सर्वत्र सर्वदा भाविताकृतिः । इदम् अन्यद् इदं चान्यद् इत्य् असत्कलनाः कुतः
The Self alone is everything, everywhere, always, manifest in all forms; how can there be false notions of 'this is different, that is other'?
को ऽभूवं प्राग् अहं तादृक् तृष्णानिगडयन्त्रितः । अन्तरात्मानम् एवेति विहसामि विकासवान्
Who was I before—so bound by the chains of craving? Now, recognizing only the inner Self, I smile, blossoming within.
आम् इदानीं स्मृतं सम्यङ् मयैष स किलास्म्य् अजः । यस् त्वद्वागमृतापूरस्नानेनायम् अहं स्थितः
Yes, now I have truly remembered: I am that unborn one; by bathing in the flood of your nectar-like words, I am established in this state.
अहो नु विततां भूमिम् अधिरूढो ऽस्मि पावनीम् । इहस्थ एव यत्रार्को नः पातालम् इवास्थितः
Ah, I have ascended to the vast, pure ground—right here, where the sun stands for us as if in the netherworld.
मह्यं सत्ताम् उपेताय व्यपेताय भवार्णवात् । नमो नित्यनमस्याय जयाम्य् आत्मात्मनात्मनि
I bow to the eternal, ever-worthy of reverence, who has attained existence and is freed from the ocean of becoming; I triumph in the Self, by the Self, within the Self.
अनुभववशतो हृदब्जकोशे स्फुटम् अलितां समुपागतेन नाथ । तव वरवचसेह वीतशोकां चिरम् उदितां स्वदशाम् उपागतो ऽस्मि
By the power of experience, O Lord, having entered clearly into the lotus-heart, through your excellent words, I have reached a state free from sorrow and have long attained my own true condition.
भूय एव महाबाहो शृणु मे परमं वचः । यत् ते ऽहं प्रीयमाणाय वक्ष्यामि हितकाम्यया
Once again, O mighty-armed one, listen to my supreme words, which I shall speak to you, desiring your welfare and with affection.
बोधम् अभ्युपगम्यापि शृणु बोधविवृद्धये । भवेद् अल्पप्रबुद्धानाम् अपि निर्दुःखता यथा
Even after attaining understanding, listen for the growth of wisdom; so that even those who are only slightly awakened may become free from suffering.
यस्याज्ञातात्मनो ऽज्ञस्य देह एवात्मभावना । उदितार्तिं रुषेवाक्षरिपवो ऽभिभवन्ति तम्
For one who is ignorant of the Self and identifies the body as the Self, afflictions arise and hostile passions overpower him, as enemies do.
यस्य ज्ञातात्मनो ज्ञस्य सत्ये स्वात्मनि संस्थितिः । तुष्ट्येव चाक्षसुहृदो न घ्नन्ति तम् अनिन्दितम्
But for one who knows the Self and abides in truth within himself, pleasures, like friendly senses, do not harm him, who is blameless.
परार्थं स्फुरतो यस्य न स्तुतिर् निन्दनाद् ऋते । स देही देहदुःखौघम् आदत्ते केन हेतुना
For one whose awareness shines for the sake of others, except for praise or blame, what cause is there for him, the embodied one, to take up the mass of bodily suffering?
नात्मा शरीरसम्बद्धश् शरीरम् अपि नात्मनि । मिथो विलक्षणे एते प्रकाशतमसी यथा
The Self is not bound to the body, nor is the body in the Self; these two are mutually distinct, like light and darkness.
सर्वैर् भावविकारैस् तु नित्यमुक्तो ऽस्त्य् अलेपकः । नात्मास्तम् एति भगवान् न चोदेति सदोदितः
The Self is ever free from all modifications of phenomena, untouched; the blessed one neither sets nor rises, for he is ever manifest.
जडस्याज्ञस्य तुच्छस्य कृतघ्नस्य विनाशिनः । शरीरकोपलस्यास्य यद् भवत्य् अस्तु तत् तथा
Whatever happens to this body—insentient, ignorant, insignificant, ungrateful, and perishable—let it be so.
न चास्य किञ्चिद् भवति पृथग् आत्मन्य् अवेक्षिते । जडस्यासत्स्वरूपस्य किम् इवाङ्गोपपद्यते
And when the body, whose nature is insentient and unreal, is considered apart from the Self, nothing at all pertains to it; what indeed can arise for such a nonentity?
निपुणायावबोधाय यत् प्रोक्तं तत् पुनः पुनः । भङ्गिभिः प्रविचित्राभी राघवेदं प्रबोध्यते
For the sake of subtle understanding, what has been said is again and again explained to you, Raghava, in various ways and with diverse illustrations.
यदि देहगुणान् आत्मा गृह्णाति परमार्थतः । नादत्ते तत् कथं तस्माज् जडतां शवरूपिणः
If the Self truly takes on the qualities of the body, then why does it not acquire the inertness of the lifeless form?
यदि वात्मगुणान् देहो गृह्णाति परमार्थतः । नादत्ते तत् कथं चैत्तं चिन्मयत्वं सदोदितम्
Or if the body truly takes on the qualities of the Self, then why does it not attain the ever-manifest consciousness of the mind?
ययोर् एकपरिज्ञाने जडतैवापरे स्थिता । तयोः कीदृग्विधा ब्रूत समानसुखदुःखता
When, in the knowledge of one, the inertness of the other remains, how can you say that both experience the same pleasure and pain?
यौ समौ समकर्माणौ न कदाचन तौ कथम् । द्वाव् अप्य् असन्ताव् अन्योऽन्यं कथं सम्बन्धम् एष्यतः
If both are equally inactive and perform the same actions, how can two nonentities ever relate to each other in any way?
कथं स्थूलो ऽणुरूपस् स्याद् अणुस् स्थूलः कथं भवेत् । एकोदये द्वितीयस्य न सत्ता दिनरात्रिवत्
How could the gross become subtle, or the subtle become gross? When one arises, the other does not exist, just as day and night do not coexist.
ज्ञानं नाज्ञानताम् एति च्छाया नायाति तापताम् । सद् ब्रह्म नासद् भवति विचित्रास्व् अपि दृष्टिषु
Knowledge does not become ignorance, nor does a shadow become heat; the real Brahman does not become unreal, even amidst various perceptions.
मनाग् अपि न संश्लेषस् सर्वगस्यापि देहिनः । देहेन देहगस्यापि कमलस्येव वारिणा
There is not even the slightest union between the embodied self and the body, just as there is none between a lotus and the water.
मनाग् अपि न संश्लेषो ब्रह्मणो देहसत्तया । तद्गतस्याप्य् अतद्वृत्तेर् अम्बरस्येव वायुना
There is not even the slightest union of Brahman with the existence of the body, even for one whose mind is absorbed in it, just as there is none between space and wind.
भवत्य् आत्मनि नो किञ्चिन् नासतो देहकस्य च । तद् राघव मुधैवैष सुखदुःखभ्रमः कुतः
Nothing truly happens to the Self, nor to the unreal body; therefore, O Raghava, this delusion of pleasure and pain is entirely baseless.
जरामरणम् आपच् च सुखदुःखे भवाभवौ । मनाग् अपि न सन्तीह निर्वाणो निर्वृतो भव
Old age, death, pleasure and pain, existence and nonexistence—none of these exist here, even in the slightest; be liberated, be at peace.
स्थितो देहतयात्युच्चैः पातोत्पातमयो भ्रमः । दृश्यते केवलं ब्रह्मण्य् अप्सु वीचितया यथा
The delusion of rise and fall, existing in the form of the body, is seen only in Brahman, just as waves appear only in water.
आत्मसत्तोपजीवित्वाद् आत्मा सम्भवतीह हि । देहयन्त्रं पयस्सत्तामात्राद् ऊर्मिर् इवोत्थितम्
Because the Self is the basis of existence, the Self alone appears here; the body-machine, like a wave, arises merely from the presence of water.
आधारस्पन्दनेनाङ्ग यथा क्षोभभवाभवाः । सूर्यादेः प्रतिबिम्बस्य तथा देहेन देहिनः
Just as, O dear one, the agitation, arising and ceasing of a reflection of the sun and so on, occur due to the vibration of the supporting medium, so too do the experiences of the embodied being arise through the body.
सम्यग्दृष्टे यथाभूते वस्तुन्य् आत्मनि जायते । स्थितिर् देहमयो ऽज्ञानविभ्रमो लयम् एति च
When the true nature of the self is rightly perceived as it is, then the state of identification with the body, which is a confusion born of ignorance, comes to an end.