दीर्घसङ्कल्पदेहो ऽयम् अस्मिन् क्वास्था महामते । स्वल्पसङ्कल्पजाद् देहाद् अपि तुच्छतरो ह्य् अयम्
This body, arising from prolonged thought, O wise one, where can there be any reliance on it? For it is even more insignificant than the body produced by brief thought.
स्वल्पसङ्कल्पजो दीर्घैस् सुखदुःखैर् न गृह्यते । दीर्घसङ्कल्पजश् चायं दीर्घदुःखेन दुःखितः
The body produced by brief thought is not affected by long-lasting pleasure or pain; but this body, arising from prolonged thought, is afflicted by prolonged suffering.
देहो हि सङ्कल्पमयो नायम् अस्ति न नास्ति च । किं व्यर्थम् एतदर्थं हि मूढो ऽयं क्लेशभाग् जनः
The body is made only of thought; it neither truly exists nor does not exist. Why does this deluded person suffer in vain for its sake?
यथा चित्रमये पुंसि क्षते क्षीणे न वः क्षतिः । यथा सङ्कल्पपुरुषे क्षते क्षीणे न वः क्षतिः
Just as, when a wound or injury occurs to a person made of a painting, you do not suffer harm; so too, when a wound or injury occurs to a person made of thought, you do not suffer harm.
यथा मनोराज्यमये क्षते क्षीणे न वः क्षतिः । यथा द्वितीये शशिनि क्षते क्षीणे न वः क्षतिः
Just as, when a wound or loss happens in a kingdom built in imagination, you are not harmed; and just as, when a wound or loss occurs in a second moon, you are not harmed.
यथा स्वप्नसमारम्भे क्षते क्षीणे न वः क्षतिः । यथा घनातपजले क्षते क्षीणे न वः क्षतिः
Just as, when a wound or loss happens in the beginning of a dream, you are not harmed; and just as, when a wound or loss occurs in water produced by mist and sunlight, you are not harmed.
सङ्कल्पमात्रकलिते प्रकृत्यैव विनाशिनि । तथा शरीरयन्त्रे ऽस्मिन् क्षते क्षीणे न वः क्षतिः
In the same way, when this body-machine, which is by nature perishable and formed only of thought, is wounded or destroyed, you are not truly harmed.
दीर्घस्वप्नमये ह्य् अस्मिंश् चिरसङ्कल्पकल्पिते । भूषिते दूषिते देहे न हि किञ्चिच् चितः क्षतम्
In this body, which is like a long dream and constructed by persistent imagination, whether it is adorned or defiled, the consciousness is not at all injured.
न चिद् अस्तम् उपायाति नात्मा चलति राघव । न ब्रह्म विकृतिं याति किं वो देहक्षये क्षतम्
Consciousness does not set, nor does the Self waver, O Raghava; Brahman does not undergo change—so what harm comes to you from the destruction of the body?
भ्रमच्चक्रोपरिस्थो हि त्यक्तचक्रो ऽपि चक्रवत् । यथा पश्यति दिक्चक्रं भ्रमद् अत्यन्तमोहितः
Just as one seated on a spinning wheel, even after leaving the wheel, still perceives the circle of directions spinning due to intense delusion.
अकस्माद् एव रूढेन मिथ्याज्ञानेन वल्गता । अभ्यस्तेन तथैवेदं दृश्यते देहचक्रकम्
This body-wheel appears solely because of the sudden surge of false knowledge, which has been repeatedly practiced and has taken root.
भ्रमितं च भ्रमद्रूपं पतद्रूपं च पातितम् । हतं च हन्यमानं च वपुर् दुर्वासनावशात्
Because of the force of bad habits, the body is seen as whirling, as having the nature of motion, as falling, as being struck down, and as being killed.
अज्ञानजं भ्रमं त्यक्त्वा सत्यां दृष्टिम् अवेक्ष्य च । धीरताम् अलम् आलम्ब्य घनं भ्रमम् इदं त्यजेत्
Abandoning the delusion born of ignorance and perceiving the true vision, relying firmly on courage, one should give up this dense confusion.
सङ्कल्पेन कृतो देहो मिथ्याज्ञानेन सन् न सन् । असत्येन कृतं यत् स्यान् न तत् सत्यं कदाचन
The body, created by imagination and existing through false knowledge, is neither real nor unreal; whatever is made by the unreal is never truly real.
असदभ्युत्थितो देहो रज्ज्वाम् इव भुजङ्गमः । असत्याम् एव चेमां च करोति च जगत्क्रियाम्
The body, arising from the unreal, is like a snake seen in a rope; in unreality alone, it performs all the activities of the world.
जडेन राम क्रियते यत् तन् न कृतम् उच्यते । कुर्वन्न् अपि ततो देहो न कर्ता क्वचिद् एव हि
O Rama, what is done by the inert is not truly done; even while acting, the body is never really the agent.
निरीहो हि जडो देहो नात्मनो ऽस्त्य् अभिवाञ्छितम् । कर्ता न कश्चिद् एवातो द्रष्टा केवलम् अस्य् अजः
The inert body is without initiative and has no desire of its own; therefore, no one is truly the doer—there is only the unborn witness.
यथा दीपो निवातस्थस् स्वात्मन्य् एव हि तिष्ठति । साक्षिवत् सर्वभावेषु तथा तिष्ठ जगत्स्थितौ
Just as a lamp placed in a windless place remains in its own nature, so you, like a witness, should remain steady in the existence of the world.
यथा दिवसकार्याणि भास्करस् स्वस्थ एव सन् । करोत्य् एवम् इमां राम कुरु पार्थिवसंस्थितिम्
Just as the sun, remaining in its own state, performs the tasks of the day, so too, O Rama, maintain your kingly duties in this world.
अस्मिन् ह्य् असन्मये देहगेहे शून्ये समुत्थिते । सत्ताम् उपगते मिथ्या बालकल्पितयक्षवत्
For in this body, which is truly insubstantial and empty, when apparent existence arises, it is like a false spirit imagined by a child.
कुतो ऽप्य् आगत्य निस्सारस् सर्वसज्जनवर्जितः । अहङ्कारकुवेतालः प्रविष्टश् चित्तनामभृत्
From somewhere, the worthless goblin of ego, abandoned by all good people, enters and takes up residence under the name of mind.
भृत्यतां मास्य गच्छ त्वम् अहङ्कारस्य दुर्मतेः । अस्य भृत्यतया राम निरयः प्राप्यते फलम्
Do not become a servant of this wicked ego, O misguided one; for by serving it, O Rama, the result is suffering, like falling into hell.
स्वसङ्कल्पविलासेन देहगेहे निराकृतिः । उन्मत्तचित्तवेतालः परिवल्गति लीलया
Through the play of its own imagination, the formless mad goblin of mind roams freely in the house of the body, as if in sport.
शून्यदेहगृहं प्राप्य चित्तयक्षेण तत् कृतम् । भीता येन महान्तो ऽपि समाधिनिरतास् स्थिताः
Having entered the empty house of the body, this goblin of mind causes even the great ones, absorbed in meditation, to remain fearful.
चित्तवेतालम् उद्वास्य स्वशरीरैकमन्दिरात् । संसारशून्यनगरे न बिभेषि कदाचन
When you expel the goblin of mind from the single temple of your own body, you will never fear in the city of worldly emptiness.
चित्तभूताभिभूते ऽस्मिन् ये शरीरगृहे रताः । चित्रम् अद्यापि ते कस्माद् घट्टिता नाश्मवत् स्थिताः
Those who delight in the house of the body, overpowered by the goblin of mind, are indeed strange—why are they still struck and unmoving, like stones?
ग्रस्ते चित्तपिशाचेन देहवेश्मनि या धृतिः । पिशाचस्यैव सा बुद्धिर् नापिशाचस्य राघव
When the demon of the mind has seized the house of the body, the resolve that remains is that of the demon alone, not truly yours, O Raghava.
अहङ्कारबृहद्यक्षे गृहे दग्धशरीरके । विहरानास्थया साधो न तवैतत् किल स्थिरम्
O noble one, in the house where the great spirit of ego has burned the body to ashes, any pleasure that arises there does not truly endure for you.
अहङ्कारानुचरतां त्यक्त्वा विततया धिया । अहङ्कारमृतिं प्राप्य स्वात्मैवाश्व् अवलम्ब्यताम्
Abandoning the company of ego with an expanded understanding, and having attained the death of ego, let one rely solely on one’s own true Self.
अहङ्कारपिशाचेन ग्रस्ता ये निरयैषिणः । तेषां मोहामयान्धानां न मित्राणि न बन्धवः
Those who are seized by the demon of ego and seek hell, being blinded by delusion, have neither friends nor relatives.