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.
स कदाचिन् नृपस् स्वस्थस् सुष्वापास्तमितेहितः । पुरोभाविनिजाचारस् स्वं कार्यम् इव कारणे
Once, that king, being at ease, with all actions at rest in deep sleep, experienced in advance the conduct to come, as a cause contains its effect.
अपश्यद् आत्मनि स्वप्ने सुरस्त्रीत्वम् अनिन्दितम् । वृक्षः केसरसोल्लासो मञ्जरीत्वम् इवोदितम्
In a dream, he saw himself as an impeccable celestial woman, just as a tree, with its blossoming filaments, appears as a cluster of flowers.
सा रेमे सुरसेनासु देवोद्यानस्थलीषु च । क्षीराम्भोधितरङ्गेषु लोलेव हरिवल्लभा
She delighted among the celestial armies and in the gardens of the gods, on the waves of the milk ocean, like Lakshmi, beloved of Hari.
सुष्वाप सैकदा बाला मत्तोद्यानलतागृहे । संशान्तस्वमनस्स्पन्दं गन्धलेखेव पङ्कजे
Once, as a young girl, she slept in a bower of intoxicated garden creepers, her mind’s movements stilled, like a trace of fragrance in a lotus.
ददर्शात्मन्य् अथ स्वप्ने संसर्गवशतोदितम् । मृगीत्वम् आत्मनि स्वैरम् आवर्तत्वम् इवाम्बुता
Then, in a dream, as impelled by the force of association, she saw herself as a deer, freely revolving in herself, like water in the state of a whirlpool.
सा मृगी लोलनयना कदाचिन् निद्रयाहृता । स्वप्ने ददर्श वल्लीत्वं स्वाभ्यासाद् रूढम् आत्मनि
That doe, with restless eyes, once seized by sleep, saw herself in a dream as a creeper, firmly established in her own habit.
तिर्यञ्चो ऽपि प्रपश्यन्ति स्वप्नं चित्तस्वभावतः । दृष्टान्तो ऽत्र शुकाश्वेभसञ्ज्ञास्मरणम् अक्षतम्
Even animals perceive dreams, due to the very nature of the mind; the example here is the undiminished recollection of parrots, horses, and bees.
सा बभूव लता पुष्पफलपल्लवशालिनी । वनदेवीवनोद्यानलतागृहविलासिनी
She became a vine, adorned with flowers, fruits, and tender shoots, delighting in the groves and arbours of the forest goddess.
बीजान्तस्स्थाङ्कुराकाररूपयेहाधिरूढया । सापश्यद् अन्तस्संवित्त्या स्फुटं लवनम् आत्मनः
Having assumed the form of a sprout within a seed, she clearly perceived, through her inner awareness, the salty essence of her own being.
कञ्चित् कालं सुषुप्तस्थकलया जडतां घनम् । अनुभूय ददर्शाथ स्वात्मानं भ्रमरं स्थितम्
For some time, she experienced a deep stupor like dreamless sleep, and then saw herself as a bee, remaining there.