महान् असि विरक्तो ऽसि तज्ज्ञो ऽसि जनतास्थितौ । त्वयि वस्तु लगत्य् अन्तः कुङ्कुमाम्बु यथांशुके
You are great, you are dispassionate, you are knowledgeable, and you are established among people; in you, the truth settles within, just as saffron water is absorbed by a cloth.
उक्तावधानपरमा परमार्थविवेचनी । विशत्य् अर्थं तव प्रज्ञा जलमध्यम् इवार्कभा
Your intellect, intent on attentive listening and discerning the highest truth, penetrates the meaning just as sunlight enters water.
यद् यद् वच्मि तवादेयं हृदि कार्यं प्रयत्नतः । न चेत् प्रष्टव्य एवाहं न त्वयेह निरर्थकम्
Whatever I say to you should be carefully kept in your heart; otherwise, I should not be questioned by you, for I do not speak here in vain.
मनो हि चपलं राम संसारवनमर्कटम् । संरोध्य हृदि यत्नेन श्रोतव्या परमार्थधीः
For the mind is fickle, O Rama, like a monkey in the forest of worldly existence; restrain it in the heart with effort and listen to the supreme truth.
अविवेकिनम् अज्ञानम् असज्जनरतिं जनम् । चिरं दूरतरं कृत्वा पूजनीया हि साधवः
One should keep far away for a long time from those who lack discernment, are ignorant, and delight in the company of the unvirtuous; for the virtuous alone are worthy of honor.
नित्यं सज्जनसम्पर्काद् विवेक उपजायते । विवेकपादपस्यैते भोगमोक्षौ फले स्मृते
Constant association with the virtuous gives rise to discernment; and the two fruits of the tree of discernment are said to be enjoyment and liberation.
मोक्षद्वारे द्वारपालाश् चत्वारः परिकीर्तिताः । शमो विचारस् सन्तोषश् चतुर्थस् साधुसङ्गमः
At the gateway to liberation, four gatekeepers are spoken of: tranquility, inquiry, contentment, and the company of the virtuous as the fourth.
एते सेव्याः प्रयत्नेन चत्वारो द्वौ त्रयो ऽथ वा । द्वारम् उद्घाटयन्त्य् एते मोक्षराजगृहे बलात्
These four—whether two, three, or all—should be diligently cultivated; they forcibly open the gate to the palace of the king called liberation.
एकं वा सर्वयत्नेन प्राणांस् त्यक्त्वा समाश्रयेत् । एतस्मिन् वशगे यान्ति चत्वारो ऽपि वशं यतः
One should, even at the cost of one's life, wholeheartedly take refuge in at least one of them; for when one is mastered, all four come under control.
सविवेको हि शास्त्रस्य ज्ञानस्य तपसो द्युतेः । भाजनं भूषणाकारो भास्करस् तेजसाम् इव
Discernment is indeed the vessel, the adornment, and the very form of the scriptures, knowledge, austerity, and brilliance—just as the sun is the form of all lights.
घनताम् उपयातं हि प्रज्ञामान्द्यम् अचेतसाम् । याति स्थावरताम् अम्बु जाड्यात् पाषाणताम् इव
Indeed, when the dullness of mind becomes dense in the unreflective, their awareness becomes immobile, like water turning solid from cold, or like a stone.
त्वं तु राघव सौजन्यगुणशास्त्रार्थदृष्टिभिः । विकासितान्तःकरणस् स्थितः पद्म इवोदये
But you, Raghava, endowed with noble qualities and insight into the meaning of scriptures, stand with an awakened inner being, like a lotus at sunrise.
इमां ज्ञानदृशं श्रोतुम् अवबोद्धुं च सन्मते । अर्हस्य् उद्धृतकर्णस् तु जन्तुर् वीणाध्वनिं यथा
You are worthy, O wise one, to listen to and comprehend this vision of knowledge, with attentive ears—like a creature intent on the sound of a lute.
वैराग्याभ्यासयोगेन समसौजन्यसम्पदा । तत् पदं प्राप्यते राम यत्र नाशो न विद्यते
Through the practice of dispassion, discipline, and the wealth of even-minded nobility, that state is attained, O Rama, where there is no destruction.
शास्त्रैस् सुजनसम्पर्कपूर्वकैस् सुतपोदमैः । आदौ संसारमुक्त्यर्थं प्रज्ञाम् एवाभिवर्धयेत्
At first, for the sake of liberation from worldly existence, one should cultivate discernment by means of scriptures, association with the virtuous, and excellent austerity and self-restraint.
संसारविषवृक्षोग्रसेकम् आस्पदम् आपदाम् । अञ्जनं मोहयामिन्या मौर्ख्यं यत्नेन नाशयेत्
With effort, one should eradicate folly, which is the root of the poisonous tree of worldly existence, the source of calamities, and the collyrium of the night of delusion.
एतद् एव च मौर्ख्यस्य परमं विद्धि नाशनम् । यद् इदं प्रेक्ष्यते शास्त्रं किञ्चित्संस्कृतया धिया
Know this alone to be the supreme destruction of folly: when scripture is regarded, even with a mind that is but slightly refined.
दुराशासर्पगर्तेन मौर्ख्येण हृदि वल्गता । चेतस् सञ्कोचम् आयाति चर्माग्नाव् इव योजितम्
When the serpent-pit of vain hopes and folly writhes in the heart, the mind contracts, like leather placed in fire.
प्राज्ञे यथार्थभूतेयं वस्तुदृष्टिः प्रसीदति । दृग् इवेन्दौ निरम्भोदसकलामलमण्डले
For the wise, this perception of reality becomes clear, like vision beholding the flawless, full moon in a cloudless sky.
पूर्वापरविचारार्थचारुचातुर्यशालिनी । सविकासा मतिर् यस्य स पुमान् इति कथ्यते
He whose mind, endowed with delightful discernment, skillfully considers both the past and the future, is called a true person.
विकसितेन सितेन मनोमुषा वरविचारणशीतलरोचिषा । गुणवता हृदयेन विराजसे त्वम् अमलेन नभश् शशिना यथा
With a mind pure and expanded, cool with the radiance of noble reflection, you shine with virtuous and spotless heart, like the sky illumined by the moon.
परिपूर्णमना मान्यः प्रष्टुं जानासि राघव । वेत्सि चोक्तं च तेनाहं प्रवृत्तो वक्तुम् आदरात्
O Raghava, you are worthy of respect, your mind is fulfilled, and you know how to ask; you also understand what is spoken, so I am eager to speak further.
रजस्तमोभ्यां रहितां शुद्धसत्त्वानुपातिनीम् । मतिम् आत्मनि संस्थाप्य ज्ञानं श्रोतुं स्थिरो भव
Establish in yourself a mind free from rajas and tamas, inclined toward pure sattva, and remain steady to listen to this knowledge.
विद्यते त्वयि सर्वैव पृच्छकस्य गुणावली । वक्तुर् गुणाली च मयि रत्नश्रीर् जलधौ यथा
All the virtues of a questioner are present in you, and the virtues of a speaker are in me, just as the splendor of gems is found in the ocean.
आत्तवान् असि वैराग्यं विवेकासङ्गजं मुने । चन्द्रकान्त इवार्द्रत्वं लग्नचन्द्रकरोत्करः
You have attained dispassion, born of discernment and detachment, O sage, just as the moonstone attains coolness from the rays of the moon.
चिरम् आ शैशवाद् एव तवाभ्यासो ऽस्ति सद्गुणैः । शुद्धैश् शुद्धस्य दीर्घैश् च पद्मस्येवातिसन्ततैः
From childhood, you have long practiced noble qualities, pure and enduring, like the continuous, pure stalks of a lotus.
अतश् शृणु कथां वक्ष्ये त्वम् एवास्या हि भाजनम् । न हि चन्द्रं विना शुद्धा सविकासा कुमुद्वती
Therefore, listen as I narrate this story; you alone are truly fit to receive it. For just as the water-lily does not fully blossom in purity without the moon, so too is this tale incomplete without you.
ये केचन समारम्भा याश् च काश्चन दृष्टयः । ते च ताश् च पदे दृष्टे निश्शेषं यान्ति वै शमम्
Whatever undertakings there are, and whatever perceptions may arise, all of these, upon realization of the supreme state, come entirely to rest.
यदि विज्ञानविश्रान्तिर् न भवेद् भव्यचेतसः । तद् अस्यां संसृतौ साधुश् चिन्तां सोढुं सहेत कः
If the mind of the seeker does not find repose in true knowledge, then who in this world could possibly endure the burden of endless anxieties?
परप्राप्त्या विलीयन्ते सर्वा मननवृत्तयः । कल्पान्तार्कगणासङ्गात् कुलशैलशिला इव
When the supreme is attained, all movements of thought dissolve, just as boulders on a mountain are swept away by the flood of the sun at the end of an age.