खाद् अप्य् अतितराम् अच्छम् आत्माकाशं चिदात्मकम् । तत्र प्राप्तिः परं श्रेयस् सा कथं प्राप्यते शृणु
The inner sky, supremely clear, consisting of consciousness itself—attaining that is the highest good. Listen to how that is attained.
सम्यग्ज्ञानावबोधेन नित्यम् एकसमाधिना । सङ्ख्ययैवावबुद्धा ये ते साङ्ख्या योगिनस् स्मृताः
Those who, through right knowledge and constant absorption in oneness, have realized it by discernment—these are known as the Sankhya yogis.
प्राणाद्यनिलसंशान्तौ युक्ता ये पदम् आगताः । अनामयम् अनाद्यन्तं ते स्मृता योगयोगिनः
Those who, by calming the winds of breath and mind, have attained the state that is free from disease, without beginning or end—these are known as the yoga yogis.
उपादेयं तु सर्वेषां शान्तं पदम् अकृत्रिमम् । तत् कैश्चित् सङ्ख्यया प्राप्तं कैश्चिद् योगेन देहतः
The peaceful, uncontrived state is to be accepted by all; some attain it through discernment, others through yoga by way of the body.
एकं साङ्ख्यं च योगं च यः पश्यति स पश्यति । यत् साङ्ख्यैः प्राप्यते स्थानं परं योगैस् तद् एव हि
He who sees Sankhya and Yoga as one truly sees; for the supreme state attained by Sankhyas is indeed that attained by Yogis.
यत्र प्राप्ता मनोवृत्तिर् अत्यन्तं नोपलभ्यते । वासनावागुराक्रान्ता तद् विद्धि परमं पदम्
Where the movement of mind, once attained, is utterly unperceived, being seized by the snare of latent impressions—know that as the supreme state.
वासनां चित्तम् एवाहुः कारणं तद् धि संसृतेः । तद् अकारणताम् एति विलीय भवकर्मसु
They say the mind itself is latent impression, and that is the cause of transmigration; when it dissolves in worldly actions, it becomes causeless.
मनः पश्यति वै देहं बालो वेतालकं यथा । आत्मानं विलयं नीत्वा न भूयस् तं प्रपश्यति
The mind perceives the body as a child sees a goblin; but having led itself to dissolution, it no longer perceives it again.
मनो मुधैवाभ्युदितम् असद् एवानवेक्षणात् । स्वप्ने स्वमरणाकारं प्रेक्ष्यमाणं न विद्यते
The mind, arising in delusion, is truly unreal due to lack of discernment; just as in a dream, one sees one's own deathly form, yet it does not exist.
मनोऽभावान् न संसारः क्वामोदः कुसुमं विना । उपदेश्योपदेशादि बन्धमोक्षौ च तत् कुतः
When the mind is absent, there is no worldly existence; where is pleasure without a flower? Therefore, how can there be instruction, teaching, bondage, or liberation?
एकतत्त्वघनाभ्यासः प्राणानां विलयस् ततः । मनोविनिग्रहश् चेति मोक्षशब्दार्थकारणम्
The practice of absorption in the one essence, the dissolution of the life-forces, and the restraint of the mind—these are the causes signified by the word 'liberation.'
यदि हि प्राणविलयो मुने मोक्षस्य कारणम् । मृता एव हि मुच्यन्ते तन् मन्ये सर्वजन्तवः
If, O sage, the dissolution of the life-forces is the cause of liberation, then all beings who die would indeed be liberated, I think.
त्रिष्व् एतेषु प्रयोगेषु मनःप्रशमनं वरम् । साध्यं विद्धि तद् एवाशु यथा भवति तच् छिवम्
Of these three practices, the calming of the mind is best; know that to be the goal, for whatever arises from it is auspicious.
यदा निर्वासनं प्राणास् त्यजन्तीदं शरीरकम् । तदा न भूयस् तन्मात्रैर् यान्ति व्योमनि सङ्गमम्
When the life-forces, devoid of impressions, depart from this body, then they no longer merge with the subtle elements in space.
वासनांशात्मकान्य् एव विद्धि तन्मात्रकाणि वै । तदात्मकैर् मनोवद्भिः प्राणाश् श्लिष्यन्ति नेतरैः
Know that the subtle elements are indeed composed of impressions; the life-forces, possessing the nature of mind, unite with those of similar nature, not with others.
सवासनास् तु यद्य् एते प्राणा मुञ्चन्ति देहकम् । तद् व्योमवायुसंश्लेषं यान्ति दुःखाय गन्धवत्
But if these life-forces, still bearing impressions, leave the body, then, like fragrance, they join with air and space, leading to suffering.
मनस् साम्बुर् इवाम्भोदो न शाम्यति सवासनम् । नामनस्कास् सम्भवन्ति प्राणास् सूर्या इवात्विषः
The mind, with its latent impressions, does not become calm, like water in a cloud; those without mind arise, like rays from the sun without heat.
न जहाति मनः प्राणान् विना ज्ञानेन कर्हिचित् । तृणान्तरेणैव विना तृणाग्रम् इव तित्तिरिः
The mind never abandons the vital breaths except through knowledge, just as a partridge cannot reach the tip of a blade of grass without the blade itself.
ज्ञानाद् अवासनीभावं स्वनाशं प्राप्य वै मनः । प्राणस्पन्दं च नादत्ते ततश् शान्तिर् हि शिष्यते
Through knowledge, the mind attains the state devoid of latent impressions and its own dissolution; it no longer grasps the movement of the vital breaths, and thus true peace remains.
ज्ञानात् सर्वपदार्थानाम् असत्त्वं समुदेत्य् अलम् । ततो ऽङ्ग वासनानाशाद् वियोगः प्राणचेतसोः
From knowledge, the non-existence of all objects arises completely; then, O dear one, with the destruction of latent impressions, the separation of the vital breaths and mind occurs.
ततो न पश्यति मनः प्रशान्तं देहतां पुनः । स्वनाशेन पदं प्राप्तं वासनैव मनो विदुः
Then the mind, having attained tranquility and its own dissolution, does not perceive the bodily state again; latent impressions alone are known as the mind.
चेतो हि वासनामात्रं तदभावः परं पदम् । तच् च सम्पद्यते ज्ञानाज् ज्ञानम् आहुर् विचारणम्
Consciousness is merely latent impression; its absence is the supreme state. That is accomplished through knowledge, and knowledge is called discernment.
इत्य् अस्यास् संसृते राम पर्यन्तस् सम्प्रवर्तते । स्वयं विवेकमात्रेण रज्जुसर्पभ्रमाकृतेः
Thus, O Rama, this cycle continues until its end, by discernment alone, as in the illusion of a snake in a rope.
एकार्थाभ्यसनप्राणरोधचेतःपरिक्षयाः । एकस्मिन्न् एव संसिद्धे संसिध्यन्ति परस्परम्
The exhaustion of the mind through repeated contemplation of one object, restraint of the vital breaths, and depletion of consciousness—all are perfected together when one is perfected.
तालवृन्तपरिस्पन्दे शान्ते शान्तो यथानिलः । प्राणानिलपरिस्पन्दे शान्ते शान्तं तथा मनः
Just as, when the movement of a palm leaf is stilled, the wind is also still, so when the movement of the life-breath is stilled, the mind too becomes still.
प्राणाश् शरीरविलये प्रयान्ति व्योमवायुताम् । यथावासितम् एवेदं मनः पश्यन्ति तत्र च
When the body dissolves, the life-breaths merge into the space-like air; and there, the mind perceives only what has been impressed upon it.
यथा विदेहाः पश्यन्ति प्राणा व्योमनि देहकम् । समनस्कास् तथाचारं सर्वं चानुभवन्ति ते
Just as the disembodied see the subtle body in space, so too those with mind experience all actions and everything else.
शान्ते वातपरिस्पन्दे यथा गन्धः प्रशाम्यति । तथा शान्ते मनस्स्पन्दे शाम्यन्ति प्राणवायवः
Just as, when the movement of air ceases, fragrance fades away, so too, when the movement of the mind is stilled, the life-breaths come to rest.
अविनाभाविनी नित्यं जन्तूनां प्राणचेतसी । कुसुमामोदवन् मिश्रे तिलतैले इव स्थिते
The life-breath and mind of living beings are always inseparable, abiding together like fragrance in a flower or oil in sesame seeds.
मनसस् स्पन्दनं प्राणः प्राणस्य स्पन्दनं मनः । एते विहरतो नित्यम् अन्योऽन्यं रथसारथी
The movement of the mind is the life-breath, and the movement of the life-breath is the mind; these two always dwell together, each the charioteer of the other.