दीपहस्तो यदाभ्येति तमोरूपदिदृक्षया । तदा गलति तत् सर्वं तमस् तापे घृतं यथा
When a person holding a lamp approaches with the intention of seeing darkness, then all that darkness vanishes, just as ghee melts in heat.
न तु संलक्ष्यते दीपैस् तमसो रूपनिश्चयः । उदेति केवलं ध्वान्तध्वंसो विमलमूर्तिमान्
But the form of darkness is not discerned by lamps; only the destruction of darkness appears, possessing a pure form.
एवम् आलोक्यमानैषा क्वापि याति पलायते । असद्रूपा ह्य् अवस्तुत्वं दृश्यते ऽस्या विचारणात्
In this way, when this is examined, it flees somewhere; for its unreality and lack of substance are seen through investigation.
आलोक आगते यादृग् यद् यत् तद् दृश्यते तथा । अवस्तुत्वे त्व् अविद्यायास् त्व् अवस्तुत्वं प्रतीयते
When light arrives, whatever is seen is seen as it is; but regarding ignorance, its lack of substance is understood in its unreality.
यावन् नालोक्यते तावन् न किञ्चिद् अपि दृश्यते । आलोक्यते यथा यद् यत् तत् तथा प्रतिपद्यते
As long as something is not perceived, nothing at all is seen; whatever is perceived, is apprehended just as it appears.
रक्तमांसास्थियन्त्रे ऽस्मिन् कस् स्याम् अहम् इति स्वयम् । यावद् विचार्यते तावत् सर्वम् आशु प्रलीयते
In this machine of flesh, blood, and bone, when one inquires, 'Who am I?', as long as the inquiry continues, all dissolves swiftly.
आद्यन्तयोर् असद्रूपे नूनं परिहृते हृदः । सर्वस्मिन्न् एव यश् शेषस् तम् अविद्याक्षयं विदुः
When the heart has surely abandoned the unreal nature of both beginning and end, whatever alone remains in all, that is known as the destruction of ignorance.
तन् नकिञ्चिच् च किञ्चिच् च यत् सत् तद् ब्रह्म शाश्वतम् । तद् वस्तु तद् उपादेयं तद् अविद्यानिवर्तनम्
That which is nothing and something, whatever truly exists, that is the eternal Brahman; that is the reality, that is to be accepted, that is the remover of ignorance.
स्वरूपं नाम्न एवास्या ज्ञायते निस्स्वभावकम् । न हि जिह्वागतस्येक्षोस् स्वादो ऽन्यस्मात् प्रतीयते
Its true nature is known only by name, being without inherent essence; for the taste of what is on the tongue is not perceived from anything else.
नाविद्या क्वचिद् अप्य् अस्ति ब्रह्मैवेदम् अखण्डितम् । सदसत्कलनास्फारम् अशेषं येन मण्डितम्
Ignorance does not exist anywhere; this undivided Brahman alone is all, adorned entirely by the play of the concepts of existence and non-existence.
एतावद् एवाविद्या यन् नेदं ब्रह्मेति निश्चयः । एतद् एव क्षयो यस् स्याद् इदं ब्रह्मेति निश्चयः
Ignorance is only this much: the conviction that 'this is not Brahman'; its cessation is precisely the conviction that 'this is Brahman.'
घटपटशकटावभासजालं न विभुर् इतीत्य् उदितेह सा त्व् अविद्या । घटपटशकटावभासजालं विभुर् इति चेद् गलितैव सा त्व् अविद्या
When it is said that the array of appearances such as pot, cloth, and cart is not the all-pervading, that is ignorance; but if it is understood that the array of appearances such as pot, cloth, and cart is the all-pervading, then indeed that ignorance has vanished.
पुनः पुनर् इदं राम प्रबोधार्थं मयोच्यते । अभ्यासेन विना साधो नाभ्युदेत्य् आत्मभावनम्
Again and again, O Rama, I say this for the sake of awakening: without practice, O noble one, the realization of the Self does not arise.
अज्ञानम् एतद् बलवद् अविद्येतरनामकम् । जन्मान्तरशतप्रौढं नूनं स्थितिम् उपागतम्
This ignorance, powerful and known by the name 'non-knowledge,' has surely become firmly established through hundreds of previous births.
सबाह्याभ्यन्तरं सर्वैर् इन्द्रियैर् अनुभूयते । भावाभावेषु देहस्य तेनातिघनतां गतम्
It is experienced by all the senses, both externally and internally, in the presence or absence of the body, and thus it has become exceedingly dense.
आत्मज्ञानं तु सर्वेषाम् इन्द्रियाणाम् अगोचरम् । सत्तां केवलम् आयाति मनष्षष्ठेन्द्रियक्षये
But Self-knowledge is beyond the reach of all the senses; it comes into being alone when the mind and the six senses are dissolved.
प्रोल्लङ्घ्येन्द्रियजाश् शक्तीर् यत् स्थितं तत् कथं किल । याति प्रत्यक्षतां जन्तोः प्रत्यक्षातीतवृत्तिमत्
How indeed can that which exists beyond the powers born of the senses ever become apparent to a being whose activities are beyond perception?
नित्यम् अज्ञानम् एवातस् स्वभ्यस्तं सर्वदेहिनाम् । न कदाचन विज्ञानम् इह वामुत्र वानघ
Therefore, ignorance alone, constantly practiced, prevails in all embodied beings; never, O sinless one, does knowledge arise here or elsewhere.
तस्माद् अविद्याभागेन प्रधानेनेतरं दहेत् । तावद् यावन् मिथोघर्षात् स्वयं शाम्येच् छिवं भवेत्
Therefore, by the predominance of knowledge, one should burn away the other part, ignorance, until, through mutual friction, it is extinguished and becomes peace itself.
न ह्य् अभ्यासं विना किञ्चित् फलदं भवति क्वचित् । यद् यद् आसाद्यते यत्र तद् अभ्यासतरोः फलम्
For without practice, nothing anywhere bears fruit; whatever is attained, in any place, is the fruit of the tree of practice.
अविद्यां सुचिराभ्यस्तां प्ररूढाम् अपि यत्नतः । आत्मज्ञानदृढाभ्यासाद् अनुद्वेगाच् छमं नयेत्
Even ignorance, long practiced and deeply rooted, should be brought to tranquility through steady practice of self-knowledge and by remaining undisturbed.
त्वम् अविद्यालताम् एतां प्ररूढां हृदयद्रुमे । ज्ञानाभ्यासविलासासिपातेन च्छिन्द्धि सिद्धये
You must cut down this deeply rooted creeper of ignorance in the heart with the sword of the play of repeated practice of knowledge, in order to attain perfection.
यथा विहरति ज्ञातज्ञेयो जनकभूपतिः । आत्मज्ञानघनाभ्यासस् तथा विहर राघव
Just as King Janaka, who has realized what is to be known, lives freely, so too, O Raghava, live by the constant practice of self-knowledge.
निश्चयो यो मरुत्तस्य कार्याकार्यविचारणे । जाग्रतस् तिष्ठतो वापि तज् ज्ञानं तेन सत्यता
The certainty that Marutta has in discerning what should and should not be done—whether awake or standing firm—that knowledge is truth for him.
निश्चयेन हरिर् येन विविधाचारकारणात् । योनिष्व् अवतरत्य् उर्व्यां तत् तज्ज्ञत्वम् उदाहृतम्
The resolve by which Hari, for various reasons, descends into different wombs on earth—that is called his knowledge.
निश्चयो यस् त्रिनेत्रस्य कान्तया सह तिष्ठतः । ब्रह्मणो वाप्य् अरागस्य स ते भवतु राघव
The certainty with which the three-eyed one abides with his beloved, or Brahma, who is free from passion—may that certainty be yours, O Raghava.
यो निश्चयस् सुरगुरोर् वाक्पतेर् भार्गवस्य च । दिवाकरस्य शशिनः पवनस्यानलस्य च
The resolve of the teacher of the gods, of the lord of speech, of Bhrigu’s descendant, of the sun, the moon, the wind, and the fire—
नारदस्य पुलस्त्यस्य मम वाङ्गिरसस् तथा । प्रचेतसो भृगोश् चैव क्रतोर् अत्रेश् शुकस्य च
Of Narada, Pulastya, myself, Angiras, Prachetas, Bhrigu, Kratu, Atri, and Shuka—
अन्येषां देवविप्रेन्द्रराजर्षीणां च राघव । यो निश्चयो ऽन्तर्मुक्तानां जीवतां ते भवत्व् असौ
O Raghava, let the certainty attained by those who are inwardly liberated, even while living—whether gods, brahmins, lords of sages, or royal seers—be yours as well.
येनैते भगवन् वीरा निश्चयेन महाधियः । विशोकास् संस्थितास् तं मे ब्रह्मन् प्रब्रूहि तत्त्वतः
O venerable one, by what certainty have these heroic and greatly wise ones become established in a state free from sorrow? Tell me that truly, O Brahman.