स्वभाववशतो जीवो विस्मृत्याशक्तिम् ऋच्छति । वैरस्यात् कालवशतः पर्णं जर्जरताम् इव
By the force of its own nature, the jīva loses power through forgetfulness or disinterest, or by the influence of time, just as a leaf becomes withered.
जीवशक्त्यापरामृष्टे निरुद्धे पद्मयन्त्रके । प्राणे संरोधम् आयाते म्रियते मानवो मुने
When the mechanism of the lotus—unmoved by the power of the jīva—is restrained and the breath is obstructed, then, O sage, the person dies.
यथा जातानि जातानि तान्य् अथान्यानि कालतः । वृक्षात् पर्णानि शीर्यन्ते शरीराणि तथा नृणाम्
Just as, over time, leaves that have grown on a tree wither and fall, so too do the bodies of people perish.
जायन्ते च म्रियन्ते च शरीराणि शरीरिणाम् । पादपानां च पर्णानि का तत्र परिदेवना
Bodies of embodied beings are born and die, just as leaves of trees do; what cause is there for lamentation in this?
चिदम्बुधौ स्फुरन्त्य् एता देहबुद्बुदपङ्क्तयः । इतश् चान्या इतश् चान्या एतास्व् आस्था न धीमतः
In the ocean of consciousness, these rows of body-bubbles arise—some here, some elsewhere; the wise do not place reliance on them.
सर्वगापि चिद् एतस्मिंश् चेतसि प्रतिबिम्बते । पदार्थम् अन्तर् आदत्ते नान्यो हि मकुराद् ऋते
Though consciousness is all-pervading, it is reflected only in the mind; it takes hold of objects within, for nothing else can reflect it but a mirror.
चिदमलनभसि प्रसन्नरूपाः परिवितते तदतन्मये स्फुरन्ति । कलकलमुखरास् स्फुटाभिरामा विविधशरीरविमोहतापनद्यः
In the pure radiance of consciousness, which is serene in form and all-pervading, there arise, shining forth, the various streams of delusion that captivate with their clamorous, clear, and charming forms, causing bewilderment regarding different bodies.
चन्द्रार्धशेखरधर चित्तत्त्वस्य महात्मनः । अनन्तस्यैकरूपस्य द्वित्वं कथम् इवागतम्
How has duality arisen in the supreme reality of consciousness, which is adorned with the crescent moon, which is infinite, of the nature of the Self, and ever one?
कथं च तन् महादेव रूढं सत् कालपर्ययात् । भवेद् दुःखोपघाताय प्रज्ञया विनिवारितम्
And how, O great Lord, has that which is firmly established become, through the course of time, a cause of suffering, when it is dispelled by wisdom?
सर्वशक्तिर् हि चिद् ब्रह्म सद् एकं विद्यते यदा । तदा निर्मूल एवायं द्वित्वैकत्वलयोदयः
For when all-powerful consciousness, the one true Brahman, alone exists, then the arising of duality and unity, with their cycles, is indeed baseless.
सति द्वित्वे किलैकं स्यात् सत्य् एकत्वे द्विरूपता । कले द्वे एव चिद्रूपं चिद्रूपत्वात् तद् अप्य् असत्
If duality exists, then there would be oneness; if oneness is real, then there would be duality; at times, consciousness appears as two, but because it is of the nature of consciousness, even that is unreal.
एकाभावाद् अभावो ऽत्र चैकत्वद्वित्वयोर् द्वयोः । एकं विना द्वितीयं न न द्वितीयं विनैकता
Here, the absence of one is the absence of both unity and duality; without the one, the second does not exist, nor does unity exist without the second.
कार्यकारणयोर् एकसारत्वाद् एकरूपता । फलान्तस्यापि बीजादेर् विकारादि हि कल्पना
Because cause and effect share the same essence, they are of one nature; even the transformation of seed into fruit is merely a conceptual distinction.
चित्त्वं चेत्यविकल्पेन स्वयं स्फुरति तन्मयम् । विकारादि तद् एवातस् तत्सारत्वान् न भिद्यते
Consciousness, without distinction between subject and object, shines forth as itself; even transformation is that alone, and because its essence is that, it is not different.
विकारादिविकल्पो ऽयं तत उत्थाय वस्तुषु । याति सार्थकताम् नानाकार्यकारणकादिभिः
This notion of modification and distinction arises, and then, in relation to objects, attains significance through various causes and effects.
तरङ्गस् सलिले ऽतोयम् अतो ऽयं यस्य ते स नः । शशशृङ्गसमस् सो ऽपि यस्य सत्यं स खाङ्कुरः
A wave is in water, so this (world) is in That; but whose is this? It is like the horn of a hare—whoever claims it is real, let him show us its sprout in the sky.
वस्तुबोधे ऽत्र सम्पन्ने तवालं वाग्विकल्पितैः । व्यवच्छेदादि दुश्छेदं वचो वाक्त्वात् किल द्विज
When true understanding of reality is attained here, your words and imagined distinctions are of no use; division and separation by speech are indeed futile, O twice-born.
ब्रह्मणस् सर्वशक्तित्वं तत्त्वतो न विभिद्यते । स्वम् अङ्ग कणकल्लोलजालाद्य् अम्बुधिवारिणः
The all-powerfulness of Brahman is not truly divided; just as the foam, droplets, and waves are not separate from the water of the ocean.
पुष्पपल्लवपत्त्रादि लताया नेतरद् यथा । द्वित्वैकत्वे जगत्त्वादि त्वत्ताहन्त्वं तथा चितेः
Just as flowers, buds, and leaves are not different from the creeper, so too, duality and unity, the world, selfhood, and egoity are not different from consciousness.
देशकालविकारादिभेदश् चिद्रचितस् तु यत् । तच् चिद् एवेति ते प्रोक्तं न प्रश्नो ऽत्र तवोचितः
Whatever distinctions such as space, time, and modification are constructed by consciousness, that is indeed consciousness; thus it is said to you—your question here is not appropriate.
देशकालक्रियासत्तानियत्याद्याश् च शक्तयः । चिदात्मिका एव चितेस् सत्त्वात् सम्पतितास् स्वतः
Powers such as existence, order, space, time, and action are of the nature of consciousness alone; since they arise from consciousness, they are inherently established.
चिच् च चर्चितचेत्येह चिद् ब्रह्माद्यभिधा स्मृता । यथा वीच्यभिधार्हत्वे स्थितम् अम्बु तरङ्गितम्
Here, consciousness, the cognizer, and the cognized are all remembered as Brahman and so forth; just as water, when manifest as a wave, is still called by the name of the wave.
अहम्भावतरङ्गस्य चिद्विलासमहाम्बुधेः । तरङ्गितत्वम् इव यन् न तावच् चेत्यतां गतम्
Just as the wave-form of 'I'-ness has not yet become an object of perception, being merely a ripple in the great ocean of the play of consciousness,
तद् एतत् परमं ब्रह्म सत्येश्वरशिवादिभिः । शून्यैकपरमात्मादिनामभिः परिगीयते
That Supreme Brahman is thus sung by the wise as the one Reality, the Lord, Shiva, the Void, the One Self, and by other such names.
एवंरूपपदातीतं यद् रूपं परमात्मनः । तन् न नामार्हम् अमलं विषयो न गिरां च तत्
The true form of the Supreme Self, which is beyond all such forms, is not fit to be named; it is spotless, and not a subject for speech.
यद् इदं दृश्यते तस्यास् तल् लताया महाचितेः । फलपल्लवपुष्पादि न भिन्नं तन्मयं यतः
Whatever is seen here is not different from that great Consciousness; like fruits, shoots, and flowers of a creeper, all is of its own nature.
महाचिच्चेत्यचयनाच् चिद् भवत्य् अभिधावती । सा जीवत्वं स बाह्यत्वं तद् अद्वि द्वीव पश्यति
From the accumulation of objects in the great Consciousness, consciousness itself appears to rush forth; that becomes individuality, that becomes externality, and thus it seems as if there is duality.
स्वयम् अन्येयम् अस्मीति भावयित्वा स्वभावतः । अन्यताम् इव संयाति स्वसङ्कल्पात्मिकां स्वताम्
By its own nature, it imagines itself as 'I am this, the other,' and thus, through its own resolve, it appears to become other than itself.
अकलङ्केन रूपेण रूपं यत् स्वकलङ्कवत् । संसारपतितं प्राप्य चेतनेनैव चेतितम्
That which is of pure form, appearing as if tainted by its own limitation, falls into samsara and is perceived only by consciousness.
चिद्वपुस् स्वयम् एवैतद् एकतो याति जीवताम् । चित्तत्त्वस्यावभासेन जीवो जीवति तन्मयः
This very form of consciousness itself, on one side, becomes the individual soul; by the reflection of the principle of mind, the jiva lives, being of its very essence.