तदीयां दृष्टिम् उत्सृज्य तथेमाम् अवलम्ब्य च । समस् स्वस्थमनाश् शान्तो वीतरागो निरामयः
Abandoning their viewpoint and adopting this one, remain equal-minded, self-possessed, peaceful, free from passion, and untouched by affliction.
कार्योपहारैर् अभितो यथाप्राप्तैर् अखिन्नधीः । आत्मानम् अर्चयंस् तिष्ठ सुखदुःखशुभाशुभैः
With an unwearied mind, worship your own Self with whatever means are at hand, remaining amidst pleasure and pain, good and evil.
अधिगतवति साधाव् एवम् एवाशु नूनं त्वयि तरलितजीवं जन्मदुःखादि किञ्चित् । न लगति परिशुद्धे सर्वतस् स्फाटिकाङ्गे नवसदन इवान्तर् निष्कलङ्के कलङ्कः
Indeed, when this purity is attained in the good, then for you, whose soul has become tranquil, birth, suffering, and the like no longer adhere—just as a stain does not cling inside a flawless, crystal-clear new house.
शिवः किम् उच्यते देव परं ब्रह्म किम् उच्यते । आत्मा किम् उच्यते वापि परमात्मा किम् उच्यते
What is called Shiva, what is called the Supreme Brahman, what is called the Self, or what is called the Supreme Self?
तत् सत् किञ्चिन् नकिञ्चिच् च शून्यं विज्ञानम् एव च । इत्यादिभेदो भगवंस् त्रिलोकेश किम् उच्यते
What is called 'that', 'existence', 'something', 'nothing', 'void', or 'consciousness'—O Lord of the three worlds, what is meant by these various terms?
अनाद्यन्तम् अनाभासं सत् किञ्चिद् इह विद्यते । इन्द्रियाणाम् अनाभासाद् यन् नकिञ्चिद् इव स्थितम्
Here, there exists something that is without beginning or end, without appearance; because it does not appear to the senses, it seems as if it were nothing.
यद् इन्द्रियाणां बुद्ध्यादियुक्तानाम् अप्य् अदृश्यताम् । गतं तत् कथम् ईशान वद केनावगम्यते
O Lord, when even the senses and the mind, along with intellect and the rest, have become unperceivable, how then can that be known? Tell me by what means it is apprehended.
यो मुमुक्षुर् अविद्यांशः केवलं नाम सात्त्विकः । सात्त्विकैर् एव सो ऽविद्याभागैश् शास्त्रादिनामभिः
The seeker of liberation, who is touched only by a trace of ignorance and is predominantly pure, removes that portion of ignorance by means of pure means such as scripture and the like, which are themselves free from ignorance.
अविद्यां श्रेष्ठयाश्रेष्ठां क्षालयन्न् इह तिष्ठति । मलं मलेनापहरन् युक्तिज्ञो रजको यथा
He remains here, cleansing the superior and inferior forms of ignorance, just as a skilled washerman removes dirt with dirt.
काकतालीयवत् पश्चाद् अविद्याक्षय आगते । प्रपश्यत्य् आत्मनैवात्मा स्वभावस्यैष निश्चयः
When, like the chance meeting of a crow and a palm fruit, the destruction of ignorance occurs, then one perceives the Self by the Self; this is the certainty of its nature.
यथा कथञ्चिद् अङ्गारं निघृष्य क्षालयञ् शिशुः । करनैर्मल्यम् आप्नोति कार्ष्ण्याङ्गारक्षये यथा
Just as a child, by rubbing and cleaning a piece of charcoal in any manner, attains clean hands when the blackness of the charcoal is gone,
यथा कथञ्चिच् छास्त्राढ्यैर् भागैर् भागं विचारयन् । सात्त्विकैस् तामसं नाशाद् द्वयोर् आत्मोदयस् तथा
So too, by reflecting in any way with portions of scriptural knowledge, which are pure, upon portions that are impure, the destruction of both purity and impurity leads to the arising of the Self.
पश्यत्य् आत्मानम् आत्मैव विचारयति चात्मना । आत्मैवास्तीह नाविद्याविद्याविद्याक्षयं विदुः
The Self perceives itself and inquires into itself by itself; here, only the Self exists—there is no ignorance. The wise know the destruction of ignorance as ignorance itself.
यावत् किञ्चिद् इदं वस्तु नानेवात्मावगम्यते । क्रमा गुरूपदेशाद्या नात्मज्ञानस्य कारणम्
As long as there is any object here, the Self is not realized as non-dual. Sequential means such as the teacher’s instruction are not the cause of Self-knowledge.
गुरुर् हीन्द्रियवृन्दात्मा ब्रह्म सर्वेन्द्रियक्षयात् । यद् वस्तु यत्क्षयप्राप्यं तत् तस्मिन् सति नाप्यते
The guru is truly the essence of the senses, Brahman; when all the senses are dissolved, whatever is attained by their dissolution does not remain when that is present.
अकारणा अपि प्राप्ता भृशं कारणतां द्विज । क्रमा गुरूपदेशाद्या आत्मज्ञानस्य सिद्धये
Even without a cause, the attainment of knowledge becomes a cause, O twice-born; gradually, through the teachings of the guru and other means, the accomplishment of self-knowledge occurs.
क्रमे गुरूपदेशानां प्रवृत्ते शिष्यबोधतः । अनिर्देश्यो ऽप्य् अदृश्यो ऽपि स्वयम् आत्मा प्रसीदति
When the teachings of the guru proceed in sequence and the disciple understands, even that which cannot be indicated or seen, the Self, reveals itself.
शास्त्रार्थैर् बुध्यते नात्मा गुरोर् वाचा न चानघ । बुध्यते स्वयम् एवैष स्वबोधवशतस् स्वतः
The Self is not understood through the meanings of scripture or the words of the guru, O sinless one; it is understood by itself alone, through its own power of awareness.
गुरूपदेशशास्त्रार्थैर् विना चात्मा न बुध्यते । एतत्संयोगसत्तैव स्वात्मज्ञानप्रकाशिनी
Without the teachings of the guru and the meanings of scripture, the Self is not understood; only the presence of their union illuminates the knowledge of one's own Self.
गुरुशास्त्रार्थशिष्याणां चिरसंयोगसत्तया । अहनीव जनाचार आत्मज्ञानं प्रवर्तते
Through the long-standing union of guru, scripture, and disciple, self-knowledge arises in daily life, just as the day dawns.
कर्मबुद्धीन्द्रियाद्यन्तसुखदुःखादिसङ्क्षयः । शिव आत्मेति कथितस् तत् सद् इत्यादिनामभिः
The cessation of actions, senses, intellect, and all experiences of pleasure and pain is called Shiva, the Self; it is also named 'sat' and other such terms.
यत्रेदम् अखिलं नास्ति तद्रूपेणैव चास्ति वा । तद् आकाशाद् अच्छतरम् अनन्तं सद् इहास्ति हि
Where all this does not exist, or exists only in its own form, that which is purer than space, infinite, and real, is truly present here.
अविश्रान्ततया तत्र तन्वविद्यैर् मुमुक्षुभिः । विचित्रशुद्धमननकलङ्ककलितात्मभिः
There, with tireless effort, seekers of liberation possessing subtle wisdom, with minds pure and free from blemish, strive diligently.
अदूर एव तिष्ठद्भिर् जीवन्मुक्तपदस्य तैः । मोक्षोपायकबोधाय शास्त्रार्थरचनाय च
Remaining very near to the state of the liberated while living, they compose treatises on the meaning of the scriptures and reveal the means to liberation.
ब्रह्मेन्द्ररुद्रप्रमुखैर् लोकपालैस् सपण्डितैः । पुराणवेदसिद्धान्तसिद्धये भावितात्मभिः
The protectors of the worlds, headed by Brahma, Indra, and Rudra, together with the learned, whose minds are absorbed in truth, establish the conclusions of the Vedas and Puranas.
चिद् ब्रह्म शिव आत्मेशपरमात्मेश्वरादिकाः । एकस्मिन् कल्पितास् सञ्ज्ञा निस्सञ्ज्ञे पृथग् ईश्वरे
Consciousness, Brahman, Shiva, Self, Lord, Supreme Self, and other such names are imagined as referring to one thing, though in reality the Lord is beyond all names and distinctions.
एवम् एतज् जगत्तत्त्वं स्वं तत्त्वं शिवनामकम् । सर्वथा सर्वदा सर्वेणार्चयन् सुखम् आस्स्व भोः
Thus, this is the true nature of the world—your own essence, called Shiva; always and in every way, worship it with your whole being and abide in happiness, O friend.
शिव आत्मा परं ब्रह्मेत्यादिशब्दे ऽस्ति भिन्नता । सवासनैर् विरचिता ज्ञस्य भेदो न वस्तुनि
The terms 'Shiva,' 'Self,' 'Supreme Brahman,' and others appear distinct only due to latent tendencies; for the knower, there is no real difference in the essence.
एवं देवार्चनं कुर्वञ् ज्ञो नित्यं मुनिनायक । यत्रास्मदादयो भृत्यास् तत् प्रयाति परं पदम्
Thus, by continually performing this worship of the divine, O chief of sages, the knower attains the supreme state, where even those like us are servants.
अविद्यमानम् एवेदं विद्यमानम् इव स्थितम् । यथा तन् मे समासेन भगवन् वक्तुम् अर्हसि
This indeed does not exist, yet appears as if it exists; please, O Lord, briefly explain to me how this is so.