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.
राजपुत्र महाबाहो विदिताखिलवेद्य हे । स्फुटं शृणु यथापृष्टम् अयम् एतेषु निश्चयः
O prince, mighty-armed one, knower of all that is to be known, listen clearly as you have asked: this is the certainty among them.
यद् इदं किञ्चिद् आभोगि जगज्जालं प्रदृश्यते । तत् सर्वम् अमलं ब्रह्म बृंहयेत्थं व्यवस्थितम्
Whatever appears as this world, a net of enjoyments, all of it is the pure Brahman, established in this way as expansion.
ब्रह्म दिग् ब्रह्म भुवनं ब्रह्म भूतपरम्परा । ब्रह्माहं ब्रह्म मच्छत्रुर् ब्रह्म मन्मित्रबान्धवाः
Brahman is the directions, Brahman is the world, Brahman is the succession of beings; I am Brahman, my enemy is Brahman, and so too are my friends and relatives.
ब्रह्म खानिलतेजांसि ब्रह्म भूमिर् जलादि वा । ब्रह्म कालत्रयं तच् च ब्रह्मण्य् एव व्यवस्थितम्
Brahman is space, air, fire, Brahman is earth and water and the rest; Brahman is the threefold time, and all this abides only in Brahman.
तरङ्गमालयाम्भोधिर् यथात्मनि विवर्धते । तथा पदार्थलक्ष्म्येत्थम् इदं ब्रह्म विवर्धते
Just as the ocean swells with a mass of waves within itself, so too does this Brahman expand with the wealth of all objects.
गृह्यते ब्रह्मणा ब्रह्म भुज्यते ब्रह्म ब्रह्मणा । ब्रह्म ब्रह्मणि बृंहाभिर् ब्रह्मशक्त्यैव बृंहति
Brahman is grasped by Brahman, Brahman is enjoyed by Brahman; Brahman expands within Brahman, solely by the power of Brahman.
ब्रह्म मच्छत्रुरूपं चेद् ब्रह्म मे प्रियकृद् यदि । तद् ब्रह्म ब्रह्मणि श्लिष्टं किम् अन्यत् कस्य किं कृतं
If Brahman appears as my enemy, or if Brahman acts as my benefactor, then Brahman is united with Brahman—what else is there, and who has done what to whom?
रागादीनाम् अवस्तूनां कल्पितानां खवृक्षवत् । असङ्कल्पननष्टानां कः प्रसङ्गो ऽत्र वर्धने
Attachment and the like are unreal, imagined like trees in the sky; when these imagined notions are destroyed, how can there be any involvement in their increase here?
ब्रह्मण्य् एव हि सर्वस्मिंश् चलनस्पन्दनादिकम् । स्फुरति ब्रह्म सकलं सुखितादुःखिते कुतः
Indeed, in Brahman alone, all movement and vibration arise; all is Brahman manifest—so where is happiness or sorrow for whom?
ब्रह्म ब्रह्मणि संवेत्तृ ब्रह्म ब्रह्मणि संस्थितम् । स्फुरति ब्रह्मणि ब्रह्म नायम् अस्तीतरात्मकः
Brahman is the knower in Brahman, Brahman is established in Brahman; Brahman shines forth in Brahman—there is no other essence here.
घटो ब्रह्म पटो ब्रह्म ब्रह्माहम् इदम् आततम् । अतो रागविरागाणां मुधैव कलनैव का
The pot is Brahman, the cloth is Brahman, I am Brahman—this all is pervaded by Brahman; therefore, what sense is there in conceiving attachment or detachment?
मरणब्रह्मणि स्वैरं देहब्रह्मणि सङ्गते । दुःखिता नाम केव स्याद् रज्जुसर्पभ्रमोपमा
In the death of Brahman, or in the union of Brahman as the body, who could be called 'unhappy'? It is like the illusion of a snake in a rope.
सम्भोगादौ सुखे ब्रह्मण्य् आस्थिते देहब्रह्मणि । सम्पन्नम् एतन् म इति मुधा स्यात् कलना कुतः
When Brahman abides in pleasure at the beginning of enjoyment, and Brahman is united as the body, the notion 'this happiness is mine' is vain—how can there be any such conception?
वीच्यम्भसोस् स्पन्दवतोर् न स्तस् त्वन्मन्मती यथा । त्वत्तामत्ते तथा न स्तो ब्रह्मणि स्पन्दरूपिणि
Just as there are not two separate vibrations in a wave and water, so too, in you, O mind, there are not two in Brahman, which is of the nature of vibration.
यथावर्ते मृते तोये न किञ्चिन् म्रियते क्वचित् । मृते ब्रह्मत्वम् आयाते देहब्रह्मणि वै तथा
Just as nothing perishes anywhere when water in a whirlpool dries up, so too, when the body attains Brahmanhood, nothing is lost.
यथा चलाचले तोये त्वत्तामत्ते न तिष्ठतः । तथा जडाजडे रूपे न स्थिते परमात्मनि
Just as movement and stillness do not remain in water when its essence is gone, so too, inertness and consciousness do not persist in the Supreme Self.
कटकत्वं यथा हेम्नो यथावर्तो जलस्य च । तदतद्भावरूपेयं तथा प्रकृतिर् आत्मनः
Just as the property of being a bangle belongs to gold, and a whirlpool to water, so too, the nature of the Self is shaped by both its own and not its own forms.
इदं हि भूतं जीवात्म जडरूपम् इदं भवेत् । इत्य् अज्ञातात्मनो मोहो न तु ज्ञातात्मनः क्वचित्
This is indeed the element, the individual self; this is its inert form. Such delusion arises from ignorance of the Self, never from knowledge of the Self.
अज्ञस्य दुःखौघमयं ज्ञस्यानन्दमयं जगत् । अन्धं भुवनम् अन्धस्य प्रकाशं तु सचक्षुषः
For the ignorant, the world is full of suffering; for the wise, it is full of bliss. The world is darkness for the blind, but light for those with sight.
जगद् एकात्मकं ज्ञस्य जडस्य द्वैतदुःखदम् । शिशोर् एव स्फुरद्यक्षा निशा पुंसस् तु केवला
For the wise, the world is of one essence; for the inert, it brings the pain of duality. Night is lively for a child whose senses are awake, but for a man, it is simply night.