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.
षट्पदो विजहाराथ वने वनलतास्व् असौ । पद्मिनीषु च फुल्लासु तरुणीष्व् इव वल्लभः
That bee then wandered in the forest among the forest vines, just as a lover among blooming lotuses and youthful maidens.
बिम्बाधरं विदलयन् स्वादयन् कौसुमं मधु । स्वपन् कुसुमशय्यासु भुक्त्वा वल्लीविलासिनीः
Tasting the honey of flowers, delighting in the lips of blossoms, he slept on beds of petals, having enjoyed the pleasures of the vine-maidens.
स बभूव सरोजिन्यां व्यसनी बिसनालवत् । क्वचिद् एव रतिं याति चेतो जडमतेर् अपि
He became infatuated with a lotus, like a fiber within its stalk; even the mind of the dull-witted sometimes finds delight somewhere.
ताम् आजगाम नलिनीं परिलोडयितुं गजः । रम्यवस्तुक्षयायैव मूढानां जृम्भते मनः
Then an elephant came to trample that lotus; for the destruction of delightful things, the mind of the deluded always stirs.
नलिनीमथनेनैव समं तेन स षट्पदः । गुणवत्तान्तरे रूढिर् इव चूर्णत्वम् आययौ
Just as the bee is crushed along with the lotus by the churning, so too, when qualities change, the body is reduced to powder like blood dries into dust.
भ्रमरो वारणालोकाद् वारणालोकभावनात् । ददर्शात्मानम् आलोलमत्तहस्तितयोदितम्
The bee, from seeing the elephant or from imagining the sight of the elephant, perceived itself as agitated, as if it had become a drunken elephant.
शुष्कसागरगम्भीरे गजः खाते पपात ह । तमोघनघने शून्ये संसार इव जीवकः
The elephant fell into a deep, dry pit—like a living being falls into the void of dense darkness, which is the emptiness of worldly existence.
बभूव वल्लभो राज्ञो महान् परबलान्तकः । सदा मदबलक्षीवो घूर्णन्न् इव निशाचरः
He became the beloved of the king, a great destroyer of enemies, always intoxicated by strength, reeling like a demon.
कदाचिद् अरिनिस्त्रिंशच्छिन्नस् सो ऽस्तम् उपाययौ । विवेकासिलतालूनरूपो जीव इवात्मनि
Once, struck down by the enemy’s sword, he met his end—just as the soul, when deprived of the rock of discernment, loses its form in the Self.
पश्यन् गजघटाकुम्भमणीन् प्रोच्छलितान् अलीन् । उत्क्रामन् स गजाज् जीवो भूयो द्रागित्य् अभूद् अलिः
Seeing the pearls scattered from the elephant’s headgear and jars, the soul departed from the elephant and quickly became a bee again.
सेवमानो वनलताः पुनर् आयात् स पद्मिनीम् । दुस्तरो हि चिराभ्यासो वासनानाम् अबोधतः
Wandering among the forest creepers, he returned again to the lotus pond—for the long-standing habit of impressions is hard to overcome in ignorance.
तत्र हस्तिखुराक्रान्त्या पुनर् आचूर्णतां ययौ । पार्श्वस्थहंससंवित्त्या बभूव कलहंसकः
There, being trampled again by the elephant’s hoof, he was once more reduced to powder; by the awareness of the swan nearby, he became a young swan.
स हंसः फुल्लपद्मासु सरसीषु चिरं चरन् । कदाचिद् बहुभिर् हंसैस् सङ्गतो विरराज ह
That swan, wandering for a long time among blooming lotuses in the lakes, at times shone forth in the company of many other swans.
ब्रह्महंसात्मिका संविद् अशब्दार्थवती मनाक् । तत्र पुस्फोर तस्यान्तः प्राग्जाण्डरसबर्हिवत्
There, the consciousness whose nature is the Supreme Swan, bearing the meaning beyond words, suddenly blossomed within, like the down in the egg of a swan.
स तां विभावयन् दूराद् दृढं दाशेषुणा हतः । तत्संवित्त्यनुसन्धानाज् जातः पद्मजसारसः
Perceiving that from afar, he was struck down by a strong hunter’s arrow; through the recollection of that consciousness, he was born as a lotus-dwelling swan.
तत्रातिसन्ततविवेकवचोविलासैर् आबोधितो ऽधिगतपावनवस्तुदृष्टिः । मुक्तस् स्थितो ननु युगान्तविधौ विदेहमुक्तेन तेन किल भाव्यम् अवश्यम् एव
There, awakened by the ever-present play of discrimination and non-discrimination, he attained the vision of the pure Reality; liberated, he remained, and at the end of the age, he must certainly become one who is liberated without a body.
स कदाचिद् ददर्शाथ रुद्रं रुद्रपुरे खगः । वैरिञ्चनलिनीनाललीलालानेभलीलया
Once, that bird saw Rudra in Rudra’s city, engaged in the sport of delighting in the lotus-lake of Brahma.
तत्र बुद्धिर् अभूत् तस्य रुद्रो ऽहम् इति निश्चिता । प्रतिबिम्बं वरादर्शे झगित्य् एव हि बिम्बति
There, a definite thought arose in him: 'I am Rudra,' just as an image instantly appears in a flawless mirror.
रुद्रीभूतवपुस् तत्र तनुं तत्याज ताम् असौ । गन्धः पवनतां गच्छन् कुसुमस्तबकं यथा
Assuming the form of Rudra there, he abandoned that body, just as fragrance becomes air, or a cluster of flowers disperses.
रुद्रो ऽथ रुद्रभवने विजहार यदृच्छया । तैस् तैश् शिवपुराचारैर् गणगोष्ठीगरिष्ठया
Then Rudra, in the abode of Rudra, wandered freely, following the various customs of Shiva’s city, in the distinguished company of the hosts of Shiva’s attendants.