नानालताकुट्मलिता नानावनगणोत्थिता । नानागिरितटारूढा नानाचलनिरन्तरा
Bud-laden with many vines, arising from groups of various forests, ascending the slopes of many mountains, and continuous with countless peaks.
जाता च जायमाना च म्रियमाणा तथा मृता । अनुच्छिन्ना तथा च्छिन्ना नित्यम् अच्छेदिनी तथा
Born and being born, dying and dead, unbroken and yet broken, and ever indestructible as well.
अतीता वर्तमाना च सत्येवासत्पदास्पदा । नित्यम् अत्यन्ततरुणा नित्यं शमम् उपेयुषी
Past and present, truly both real and unreal, ever supremely youthful, and always attaining peace.
महाविषलतैषा हि संसारविषमूर्छनाम् । ददाति रभसा श्लिष्टा परामृष्टा विनश्यति
Indeed, this is the great poisonous creeper that brings the intoxication of worldly existence; when eagerly embraced it gives delight, but when grasped firmly it perishes.
स्फीतेतो गलितेतश् च रूढेतस् संस्थितान्व् इतः । इतो जलम् इतश् शैला इतो नागास् सुरा इतः
Here, it has expanded; there, it has dissolved; elsewhere, it has become established and remains. In one place, there is water; in another, mountains; here, serpents; there, gods.
इतः पृथ्वीत्वम् आयाता तथेतो द्युतया स्थिता । इतश् चन्द्रार्कतां प्राप्ता तथेतस् तारकाकृतिम्
From here, it has taken the form of earth; from there, it stands as radiance. In one place, it has become the moon and sun; elsewhere, it has assumed the form of stars.
इतस् तम इतस् तेज इतः खम् इत उर्वरा । इतश् शास्त्रम् इतो वेदा इतो द्वयविवर्जिता
Here is darkness, there is light; here is space, there is fertile land. In one place, there is scripture; in another, the Vedas; elsewhere, that which is free from both.
इतः पुण्यम् इतः पापम् इतस् स्थावरमूढता । इतो ज्ञानात् परिक्षीणा पीनेतो ऽज्ञानभावनात्
Here is virtue, there is sin; here is the dullness of immovable things. In one place, it is diminished by knowledge; in another, it is fattened by the cultivation of ignorance.
इतः पुण्यतपोदानैः क्षीयमाणतया स्थिता । इतो योगविलासेन नूनं क्षयम् उपागता
Here, it is reduced by acts of virtue, austerity, and giving; there, it is surely brought to an end by the play of yoga.
क्वचित् खगतयोड्डीना क्वचिद् देवतया स्थिता । क्वचित् स्थाणुतया रूढा क्वचित् पवनतां गता
In some places, it soars with the movement of birds; in others, it remains as a deity. Sometimes, it is fixed like a pillar; sometimes, it has taken the form of wind.
क्वचिन् नरकसंलीना क्वचित् स्वर्गनिवासिनी । क्वचित् सुरपदं प्राप्ता क्वचित् क्रिमितया स्थिता
Sometimes, it is immersed in hell; sometimes, dwelling in heaven. In some places, it has attained the status of a god; elsewhere, it remains as a worm.
क्वचिद् विष्णुः क्वचिद् ब्रह्मा क्वचिद् रुद्रः क्वचिद् रविः । क्वचिद् अग्निः क्वचिद् वायुः क्वचिच् चन्द्रः क्वचिद् यमः
Sometimes, it is Viṣṇu; sometimes, Brahmā; sometimes, Rudra; sometimes, the sun; sometimes, fire; sometimes, wind; sometimes, the moon; sometimes, Yama.
यत् किञ्चनाङ्ग भुवनेषु महामहिम्ना व्याप्तं जरत्तृणलवत्वम् उपागतं वा । दृश्यं स्फुरत्तनु हराद्य् अपि ताम् अविद्यां विद्धि क्षयाय तदतीततयात्मलाभः
Whatever, O friend, is pervaded by great majesty in the worlds, or has come to the state of old age or withering like dry grass, or is visible, or has a shining form—even the forms of Hara and others—know all that to be ignorance. The attainment of the Self is the transcendence of that, leading to its cessation.
आकारजातम् उदितं शुद्धं हरिहराद्य् अपि । अविद्यैवेत्य् अहं श्रुत्वा ब्रह्मन् भ्रमम् इवागतः
O Brahman, having heard that all forms arising, even those of Hari and Hara, are pure but are indeed ignorance, I have come into a state of confusion.
संवेद्येनापरामृष्टं शान्तं सर्वात्मकं च यत् । तत् सच् चिद् अपि चाभासम् अस्तीह कलनोज्झितम्
That which is untouched by the knowable, peaceful, and of the nature of all—though it is existence, consciousness, and even appears as an image—here exists, free from all conceptualization.
समुदेति ततस् तस्मात् कला कलनरूपिणी । जलाद् आवर्तरूपेव स्फुरद्रूपतयोदिता
From that, a power arises, taking the form of manifestation; it emerges with a shining form, like a whirlpool arising from water.
सूक्ष्मा मध्या तथा स्थूला चेति सा कल्प्यते त्रिधा । पश्चान् मनस्त्वं यातेन स्वेनैव वपुषा पुनः
This is conceived in three ways: subtle, intermediate, and gross. Afterwards, by its own nature, it again assumes the state of mind.
तिसृष्व् अवस्थास्व् एतासु भेदतः कल्पिताभिधा । सत्त्वं रजस् तम इति सैषैव प्रकृतिस् स्फुटा
In these three states, different names are imagined: sattva, rajas, and tamas. This indeed is the manifest nature (prakriti).
अविद्यां प्रकृतिं विद्धि गुणत्रितयधर्मिणीम् । एषैव संसृतिर् जन्तोर् अस्याः पारं परं पदम्
Know ignorance to be nature (prakriti), characterized by the three qualities. This alone is the cycle of birth and death for beings; its far shore is the supreme state.
अत्रैते ये त्रयः प्रोक्ता गुणास् ते ऽपि त्रिधा स्मृताः । सत्त्वं रजस् तम इति प्रत्येकं भिद्यते गुणः
Here, these three qualities that have been mentioned are also regarded as threefold; each quality—sattva, rajas, and tamas—is further divided.
नवधैव विभक्तेयम् अविद्या गुणभेदतः । यावत् किञ्चिद् इदं दृश्यम् अनयैव तद् आश्रितम्
Ignorance is indeed divided into nine forms according to the distinctions of qualities; whatever is seen here is supported by it alone.
ऋषयो मुनयस् सिद्धा नागा विद्याधरास् सुराः । इति भागम् अविद्यायास् सात्त्विकं विद्धि राघव
Rishis, sages, perfected beings, serpents, vidyādharas, and gods—know, O Rāghava, that these are the sattvic portion of ignorance.
सात्त्विकस्यास्य भागस्य नागा विद्याधरास् तमः । रजस् तु मुनयस् साध्यास् सत्त्वं देवा हरादयः
Among the sattvic portion, serpents and vidyādharas belong to tamas; munis and sādhyas to rajas; and gods like Hari and Hara to sattva.
सत्त्वजाते देवयोनाव् अविद्याप्रकृतेर् गुणे । निर्मलं पदम् आयातं सत्त्वं हरिहरादयः
When the sattva-born beings arise in the divine realm from the qualities of the nature of ignorance, they attain a pure state—these are Hari, Hara, and others.
सात्त्विकः प्रकृतेर् भागो राम तज्ज्ञो हि यो भवेत् । न प्रमुह्यत्य् असौ भूयस् तेनासौ मुक्त उच्यते
O Rāma, the sattvic portion of nature is known by one who is wise; such a person does not become deluded and is therefore called liberated.
तेन रुद्रादयो ह्य् एते सत्त्वभागा महामते । तिष्ठन्ति मुक्तपुरुषा यावद्देहं जगत्स्थितौ
Thus, O wise one, Rudra and others, who are of the sattvic portion, remain as liberated beings as long as their bodies exist in the world.
यावद्देहं महात्मानो जीवन्मुक्ता व्यवस्थिताः । विदेहमुक्ता देहान्ते स्थास्यन्ति परमेश्वराः
Great souls, liberated while living, remain so as long as their bodies endure; when the body ends, they become liberated without a body and abide as supreme lords.
भाग एष त्व् अविद्याया एव विद्यात्वम् आगतः । बीजं फलत्वम् आयाति फलम् आयाति बीजताम्
This portion of ignorance itself attains the state of knowledge; the seed becomes fruit, and the fruit returns to the state of seed.
उदेत्य् अविद्या विद्यायास् सलिलाद् इव बुद्बुदः । विद्यायां लीयते ऽविद्या पयसीव हि बुद्बुदः
Ignorance arises from knowledge like a bubble from water; ignorance dissolves into knowledge just as a bubble merges into water.
पयस्तरङ्गयोर् द्वित्वभावनाद् एव भिन्नता । विद्याविद्यादृशोर् भेदभावनाद् एव भिन्नता
The distinction between water and its wave exists only because of the notion of duality; likewise, the difference between knowledge and ignorance exists only because of the idea of separation.