न तद् अस्ति जगत्य् अस्मिन् यन् न सम्भवति भ्रमे । विचित्रास् त्रिषु लोकेषु दृश्यन्ते वस्तुदृष्टयः
There is nothing in this world that does not occur in delusion; wondrous perceptions of objects are seen in the three worlds.
जलमध्ये ज्वलत्य् अग्निर् यथाब्धौ वडवानलः । नगराण्य् अम्बरे सन्ति यथा वैमानिकाश्रयाः
As fire blazes in the midst of water, like the submarine fire in the ocean, and as cities exist in the sky, supported by aerial means,
शिलास्व् अब्जानि जायन्ते हेमाद्राव् इव पादपाः । एकागे सर्वपुष्पाणि सन्ति कल्पतरौ यथा
Lotuses are born in rocks, as trees on the golden mountain, and all flowers exist together on the wish-fulfilling tree.
शिलाः फलन्ति फलवद् यथा रत्नगुलुच्छकाः । शिलान्तः प्राणिनस् सन्ति भेका इव शिलान्तरे
Stones bear fruit like fruit-bearing trees, gems grow on rocky clusters, and living beings dwell inside stones, like frogs within rocks.
दृषदो वारि निर्याति चन्द्रकान्तोपलाद् इव । निमेषेण घटो याति पटतां शापवान् इव
Just as water flows from the moonstone, so too does it emerge from stone; in an instant, a pot is destroyed, like one cursed among the weavers.
स्वासत्ताम् अपि बुध्यन्ते स्वप्ने स्वमरणं यथा । अधोगामि जलं व्योम्नि डीयते ऽभ्रगतं यथा
They become aware even of their own death in a dream, just as water going downward appears to fly in the sky like a cloud.
वितानम् इव खे वारि तिष्ठति स्वर्नदी यथा । उड्डीयन्ते शिलास् स्थूलाः पक्षवन्तो ऽद्रयो यथा
Water remains spread out in the sky like a canopy, just as the golden river does; massive stones fly up, as if mountains had wings.
शिलातः प्राप्यते सर्वं ननु चिन्तामणेर् इव । चिन्तितानि फलन्त्य् आशु देवोद्यानान्तरेष्व् इव
Everything is obtained from stone, just as from the wish-fulfilling gem; whatever is thought of quickly bears fruit, as in the gardens of the gods.
तान्य् एव न फलन्त्य् आशु मोक्षादीनीव राघव । अचेतनो ऽपि कुरुते कर्म यन्त्रपुमान् इव
Yet those very things do not quickly bear fruit, just as liberation and the like, O Raghava; even the insentient performs action, like a mechanical man.
एवमादिस् तथान्यश् च विचित्रारम्भविभ्रमः । दृष्टश् शम्बरगन्धर्वविलासैर् अप्य् असम्भवः
In this way, and in other ways as well, there are bewildering and marvelous beginnings; even the playful wonders of Shambara and the Gandharvas are not possible.
देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यरत्नशम्बरशापजाः । मयगन्धर्वजनिता अनन्तास् सत्यसम्भवाः
Born of place, time, action, substance, jewels, heaps, and curses; produced by Maya and Gandharvas, they are endless and truly come to be.
असम्भवस् सम्भवानाम् अपीहाभ्युपपद्यते । सम्भवासम्भवांशस्य सिद्धयस् स्वप्नविभ्रमाः
Even the impossible is accepted as possible here; the accomplishments of what is possible and impossible are like the illusions of a dream.
न तद् अस्ति न यत् सत्यं न तद् अस्ति न यन् मृषा । सर्वं सर्वेण सर्वत्र स्वप्ने सर्गाभिधानके
There is nothing that is not true, and there is nothing that is not false; all exists everywhere, in every way, within the dream called creation.
स्वप्ने निमग्नधीर् जन्तुः पश्यति स्थिरतां यथा । सर्गस्वप्ने मग्नबुद्धिः पश्यति स्थिरतां तथा
Just as a being whose mind is immersed in a dream perceives stability there, so too, one whose mind is absorbed in the dream of creation perceives stability in it.
भ्रमाद् भ्रमान्तरं गच्छन् स्वप्नात् स्वप्नान्तरं व्रजन् । अतिस्थिरप्रत्ययभाग् इह जीवो विमुह्यति
Moving from one delusion to another, from one dream to the next, the living being, whose convictions are exceedingly unstable, becomes bewildered here.
श्वभ्रान्तरं श्वभ्रनिपातदोषात् सम्प्राप्नुवन् मुग्धमृगः प्रयाति । मोहं यथा पातमयैकरूपं जीवस् तथा संसृतिपातमूढः
Just as a bewildered deer, falling from one pit to another due to the fault of a collapse, comes to ruin, so too does the living being, deluded by the fall of transmigration, meet with ruin.
अत्र राघव वक्ष्ये ऽहम् इतिहासम् इमं शृणु । यद् वृत्तं कस्यचिद् भिक्षोः क्वचिन् मननशालिनः
Here, O Raghava, I will tell you this story; listen to what happened to a certain mendicant, devoted to contemplation, somewhere.
आसीत् कश्चिन् महाभिक्षुस् समाध्यभ्यासतत्परः । नित्यं स्वव्यवहारेण क्षपयन्न् अखिलं दिनम्
There was a certain great mendicant, wholly devoted to the practice of samadhi, who spent every day entirely in his own activities.
समाध्यभ्यासशुद्धं तत् तस्य चित्तं क्षणेन यत् । चिन्तयत्य् आशु तद्भावं गच्छत्य् अम्ब्व् इव वीचिताम्
His mind, purified by the practice of samadhi, would in a moment contemplate whatever he wished, and swiftly attain that state, like water reaching a wave.
कदाचित् स समाधानविरतो ऽतिष्ठद् एकधीः । कञ्चित् सञ्चिन्तयाम् आस स्वासनस्थः क्रियाक्रमम्
Once, ceasing from samadhi, he remained with one-pointed mind, and, seated in his own posture, began to reflect upon a certain course of action.
तस्य चिन्तयतो जाता प्रतिभेयम् अथ स्वतः । भावयाम्य् आशु लीलार्थं सामान्यजनवृत्तिताम्
As he contemplated, there arose within him, of itself, a reflection: 'I shall quickly imagine, for sport, the ordinary course of human life.'
इति सञ्चिन्त्य चेतो ऽस्य स्थितं किञ्चिन् नरान्तरम् । स्पन्दसंस्थानसन्त्यागमात्रेणावर्तके ऽम्ब्व् इव
Thinking thus, his mind assumed the state of another man, just as water in a whirlpool changes form merely by the cessation of its motion.
तेन चित्तनरेणाथ कृतं नामात्मनीच्छया । जीवटो ऽस्मीति सहसा काकतालीयवत् स्थितम्
By that mind-man, then, through his own will, the notion 'I am a living being' suddenly arose, as if by a chance conjunction.
जीवटो विजहाराथ स स्वप्नपुरुषश् चिरम् । स्वप्ननिर्माणनगरे कस्मिंश्चित् पुरवीथिषु
Then that living being wandered for a long time, like a dream-person, in the city created by dream, along certain city streets.
तत्र पानं पपौ मत्तो भृङ्गः पद्मरसं यथा । शिलयेव दृढं पिष्टस् सुष्वाप घननिद्रया
There, intoxicated, he drank, like a bee the essence of a lotus; and, as if firmly ground on a stone, he slept in deep slumber.
स्वप्ने ददर्श विप्रत्वं पाठानुष्ठानतुष्टिमत् । प्रतिभामात्रसम्पन्नं चित्तदेशान्तराप्तिवत्
In that dream he saw himself as a Brahmin, content in the practice of recitation and ritual, possessed only of a reflection, as if he had reached another region of the mind.
कदाचित् स द्विजश्रेष्ठस् स्वाहर्व्यापारनिष्ठया । आजगाम घनां निद्रां बीजताम् इव पादपः
Once, that best of Brahmins, intent on his daily duties, entered a deep sleep, like a tree returning to its seed-state.
सो ऽप्य् अपश्यत् स्वयं स्वप्ने सामन्तत्वम् अथात्मनि । पताकारथहस्त्यश्वसेनाजलदमालितम्
He too saw himself in a dream as a feudal lord, surrounded by banners, chariots, elephants, horses, and a cloud-like army.
स सामन्तः कृताहारः कदाचिद् घननिद्रया । सुष्वापान्तर्व्यवहृतिर् बीजतायाम् इव द्रुमः
That vassal, having taken his meal, once, overcome by deep sleep, slept; his inner activity subsided, like a tree in its seed-state.
अपश्यद् राजतां स्वप्ने ककुब्वलयमालिनीम् । लालितां भोगपूगेन पुष्पौघेनर्तुताम् इव
In a dream, he saw himself as a king, encircled by a realm adorned, cherished by an abundance of enjoyments, flourishing with flowers as if in spring.