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.
पयस्तरङ्गयोर् ऐक्यं यथैव परमार्थतः । विद्याविद्यादृशोर् ऐक्यं तथैव परमार्थतः
Just as water and its wave are truly one in essence, so too, knowledge and ignorance are ultimately one in reality.
नाविद्यात्वं न विद्यात्वम् इह किञ्चन विद्यते । विद्याविद्यादृशौ त्यक्त्वा यद् अस्तीह तद् अस्ति हि
Here, there is truly neither ignorance nor knowledge; setting aside the notions of knowledge and ignorance, whatever remains here, that alone truly exists.
प्रतियोगिव्यवच्छेदवशाद् एते रघूद्वह । विद्याविद्यादृशौ न स्तश् शेषे बद्धपदो भव
O descendant of Raghu, knowledge and ignorance exist only by mutual exclusion; when the rest is left behind, be established in that which remains.
नाविद्यास्ति न विद्यास्ति कृतं कल्पनयानया । किञ्चिद् अस्ति नकिञ्चिद् यच् चित्संविद् इति तत् स्थितम्
There is no ignorance, nor is there knowledge; let this imagination come to an end. What remains is either something or nothing—pure consciousness alone stands as that.
तद् एवाविदिताभासं सद् अविद्येत्य् उदाहृतं । विदितं सत् तद् एवेदम् अविद्याक्षयसञ्ज्ञितम्
That alone which appears as the absence of knowing is called ignorance; that which is known, that very thing here, is designated as the destruction of ignorance.
विद्याभावाद् अविद्याख्या मिथ्यैवोदेति कल्पना । मिथस् सत्तैतयोर् अन्ते छायातापदृशोर् इव
The notion called ignorance arises falsely from the absence of knowledge; at the end, the existence of both is like the relation between shadow and sunlight.
अविद्यायां तु लीनायां क्षणाद् द्वे एव कल्पने । एते राघव लीयेते अवाच्यं परिशिष्यते
But when ignorance is dissolved, these two concepts vanish instantly, O Raghava, and only the inexpressible remains.
अविद्यासङ्क्षयात् क्षीणे विद्यापक्षे ऽपि राघव । यच् छिष्टं तन् नकिञ्चिद् वा किञ्चिद् वापीदम् आततम्
When ignorance is completely destroyed and even the aspect of knowledge is diminished, O Raghava, what remains is either nothing at all or this expanse itself.
तत्रेदं दृश्यते सर्वं न च किञ्चन दृश्यते । वटस् स्ववटधानायाम् इव पुष्पफलादिमान्
Here, everything appears to be seen, yet nothing is truly seen—just as a banyan tree, with its flowers and fruits, exists within its own seed.
तत् सर्वशक्ति कचितं सर्वशक्तिसमुद्गकम् । नभसो ऽप्य् अधिकं शून्यम् अवेद्यं च चिदात्मकम्
That is pervaded by all powers, the source of all powers, more subtle than space, void, unknowable, and of the nature of consciousness.