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.
सूर्यकान्ते यथा वह्निर् यथा क्षीरे घृतं तथा । तत्रेदं संस्थितं सर्वं देशकालक्रमोदयम्
Just as fire is latent in the sunstone, or ghee in milk, so too is everything established here, along with the arising of space, time, and sequence.
यथा स्फुलिङ्गा अनलाद् यथा भासो दिवाकरात् । तस्मात् तथेमा निर्यान्ति स्फुरन्त्यस् संविदस् स्थिताः
As sparks emerge from fire, as rays from the sun, so from that, these vibrant consciousnesses arise and abide.
यथाम्भोधिस् तरङ्गाणां यथामलमणिस् त्विषाम् । कोशो नित्यम् अनन्तानां तथा तत् संविदां त्विषाम्
As waves from the ocean, as radiance from a flawless gem, so it is the constant source of the infinite rays of consciousness.
सबाह्याभ्यन्तरं सर्ववस्तूनां तद् अवस्थितम् । सर्वदैवाविनाशात्म कुम्भानां गगनं यथा
It abides as the inner and outer reality of all things, ever indestructible, like space within and outside of jars.
यथा मणेर् अयस्स्पन्देष्व् अयस्कान्तस्य कर्तृता । अकर्तुर् एव हि तथा कर्तृता तस्य कल्प्यते
Just as the power of attraction is ascribed to the magnet in the movement of iron, though the magnet itself does not act, so too, agency is imagined in that which is actually non-agent.
मणिसन्निधिमात्रेण यथायस् स्पन्दते जडम् । तत्सत्तया तथैवायं देहश् चोपत्य् अचिद्वपुः
As iron moves merely by the presence of the magnet, though it is inert, so too, by the existence of that, this body, though insentient, arises.
तत्र स्थितं जगद् इदं जगदेकबीजे चिन्नाम्नि संविद् इति कल्पितकल्पने च । लोलोर्मिजालम् इव वारिणि चित्स्वरूपं खाद् अप्य् अरूपवति यत्र नकिञ्चिद् अस्ति
There, in that which is called consciousness—the single seed of the world—this world abides; and in the realm of imagination, it is like a mass of waves in water, the essence of consciousness, even in space which is formless, where nothing exists.
तस्मान् नकिञ्चिद् एवेदं जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम् । न किञ्चिद् भूततां यातं यत् किञ्चिद् अपि विद्धि हे
Therefore, this world of moving and unmoving things is truly nothing; know that nothing at all has come into being, whatever it may be.
तत्र काचिन् न कलना भावाभावमयात्मिका । तद् इदं राम जीवादि सर्वं व्यर्थं किम् ईहसे
There, no notion exists at all, whose nature is the presence or absence of things; thus, O Rama, all this—soul and so on—is in vain, why do you strive?
सुबुद्धो ऽयम् असाव् अन्तर् इति यो व्यपदिश्यते । न तं लभामहे सर्पं रज्जुसर्पभ्रमाद् इव
That which is designated as 'this is the inner, awakened one,' we do not find—just as, through the illusion of the snake in the rope, the snake is not found.