वज्रसारम् अपि प्रोतम् अज्वलन्न् एव यो ऽभिनत् । अयोमणिर् अयोयन्त्रम् इव दुर्जनचेष्टितम्
He shattered even what was hard as diamond, without shining himself, like an iron magnet breaks an iron device, so did he break the actions of the wicked.
अधूमो ह्य् अदहञ् शीतो वितैक्ष्ण्यो हार्दम् अप्य् अलम् । तमो ऽहरन् नृणां नैशं यो मणिर् वेश्मनाम् इव
He was smokeless, non-burning, cool, without sharpness, yet full of warmth; he dispelled the darkness of people’s nights, like a jewel in a house.
किरन्न् अग्निकणासारम् अभितस् स्वप्रतापजम् । मध्याह्नसूर्यकान्ताग्निर् इव ज्वलति यो ऽरिषु
He who, shining with the essence of fire-sparks, born of his own radiance, blazes among enemies like the midday sun’s burning ray.
मृदुशीतसुखस्पर्शो यस् समाह्लादयन् महीम् । स्वे जने द्रवति स्निग्धस् सेन्दुर् इन्दुमणिर् यथा
He whose touch is gentle, cool, and pleasantly soothing, delighting the earth, melts with affection among his own people like a moon-gem with the moon.
जगद्यज्ञोपवीतस्य स्वर्गपातालवाहिनः । गङ्गावाहस्य येनोर्व्यां तृतीयः पूरितो गुणः
By whom the third quality of the sacred thread of the world, the stream of the Ganges flowing through heaven and the underworld, was fulfilled upon the earth.
अगस्त्यशोषितो ऽम्भोधिर् गङ्गापूरेण पूरितः । येन दुष्पूररूपो ऽपि महासार्थो ऽर्थिनाम् इव
By whom the ocean, dried up by Agastya, was filled with the flood of the Ganges, though it seemed impossible to fill, like a great caravan of petitioners.
गङ्गासोपानपद्धत्या येन पातालवासिनः । योजिता ब्रह्मणो लोके बान्धवा लोकबन्धुना
By whom, through the stairway of the Ganges, the dwellers of the netherworld were joined to the world of Brahma, as relatives are joined by a universal friend.
ब्रह्माणं शङ्करं जह्नुं तपसाराधयंश् च यः । भूयो भूयो ययौ खेदं न मूर्तव्यवसायवत्
He who, worshipping Brahma, Shiva, and Jahnu through austerity, again and again experienced weariness, not being one of firm resolve.
यौवने वर्तमानस्य तस्य भूमिपतेर् अथ । प्रविचारयतो लोकयात्रां पर्याकुलाम् इमाम्
Then, while still in his youth, that king, reflecting upon this tumultuous course of the world, became greatly disturbed.
स्वविरागचमत्कारविचारकणिकोदभूत् । चेतस्य् अपि सुतारुण्ये दैवाद् वल्ली मराव् इव
By fate, even in the freshness of his mind’s youth, a tender shoot of dispassion arose, sprung from the wonder of his own detachment, like a creeper on a tree.
एकान्ते चिन्तयाम् आस महीपतिर् असाव् अथ । जगद्यात्राम् इमां नित्यम् असमञ्जससङ्कुलाम्
In solitude, that king began to contemplate this perpetual course of the world, so full of confusion and disorder.
पुनर् दिनं पुनश् श्यामा दानादानाशनं पुनः । तद् एव शुक्तविरसं लज्ज्यते कर्म कुर्वता
Day after day, again the dark night, again giving and taking, again eating; performing the same tasteless actions, one feels ashamed.
येन प्राप्तेन लोके ऽस्मिन् नाप्राप्तम् अवशिष्यते । तत् कृतं सुकृतं मन्ये शेषं कर्मविषूचिका
That by which, upon attaining it in this world, nothing remains unattained—I consider that as true merit; all else is the fever of action.
पुनः पुनः पर्युषितं कर्म कुर्वन् न लज्जते । मूढबुद्धिर् अमूढस् तु कः कुर्यात् किल बालवत्
Again and again, performing stale actions, one does not feel ashamed; only the dull-minded act thus—who, being wise, would behave like a child?
अथैकदोद्विग्नमनाः कदाचित् त्र्युत्तुलं गुरुम् । एकान्ते संसृतेर् भीतस् समपृच्छद् भगीरथः
Then, once, with a troubled mind, Bhagiratha, fearful of the cycle of existence, privately approached his exceedingly weighty teacher and questioned him.
अन्तश्शून्यासु सुचिरं भ्रमन् संसारवृत्तिषु । अरण्यानीष्व् इवैतासु भृशं खिन्ना वयं विभो
Wandering for a long time in the empty routines of worldly life, we are greatly wearied, O Lord, as if in barren wildernesses.
जरामरणमोहादिरूपाणां भवकारिणाम् । भगवन् सर्वदुःखानां कथम् अन्तः प्रजायते
O Blessed One, how does the end arise for all sufferings—such as old age, death, and delusion—which are the forms of worldly existence?
चिरसाम्यात्मनाच्छेन निर्विभागविलासिना । राजञ् ज्ञेयावबोधेन पूर्णेन भरितात्मना
O King, through the fullness of knowledge and awareness, by the pure, undivided, and harmonious Self, the end is attained.
क्षीयन्ते सर्वदुःखानि त्रुट्यन्ति ग्रन्थयो ऽभितः । संशयाश् शमम् आयान्ति सर्वकर्माणि चानघ
All sorrows are dissolved, all knots are thoroughly broken, doubts come to rest, and all actions are pacified, O sinless one.
ज्ञेयं तु विदुर् आत्मानं संशुद्धज्ञप्तिरूपिणम् । स च सर्वगतो नित्यं नास्तम् एति न चोदयम्
The wise know the self as that which is of the nature of pure, clarified awareness; it is all-pervading and eternal, neither setting nor rising.
चिन्मात्रं सर्वगं शान्तम् अस्ति निर्मलम् अच्युतम् । देहादि नेतरत् किञ्चिद् इति वेद्मि मुनीश्वर
There exists only pure consciousness, all-pervading, peaceful, stainless, and unchanging; apart from this, O great sage, I know nothing else—not even the body or anything similar.
किं त्व् अत्र प्रतिपत्तिर् मे स्फुटताम् एति नोतराम् । एतावन्मात्रसंवित्तिस् स्याम् अहं भगवन् कथम्
But how can this realization become even clearer to me? How can I, O venerable one, abide solely in this awareness?
ज्ञानेन ज्ञेयनिष्ठत्वम् एति चेतो हृदन्तरे । ततस् सर्ववपुर् भूत्वा भूयो जीवो न जायते
Through knowledge, the mind attains steadfastness in what is to be known, deep within the heart; then, having become all-formed, the individual soul is not born again.
असक्तिर् अनभिष्वङ्गः पुत्रदारगृहादिषु । नित्यं च समचित्तत्वम् इष्टानिष्टोपपत्तिषु
Non-attachment and freedom from clinging to children, spouse, home, and so forth, and constant equanimity in the face of what is pleasant or unpleasant—
आत्मनो ऽनन्ययोगेन सद्भावनम् अनारतम् । विविक्तदेशसेवित्वम् अरतिर् जनसंसदि
Unbroken abidance in the true nature of the self, solitude, and disinterest in the company of crowds—
अध्यात्मज्ञाननिष्ठत्वं तत्त्वज्ञानार्थदर्शनम् । एतज् ज्ञानम् इति प्रोक्तम् अज्ञानं यद् अतो ऽन्यथा
Steadfastness in self-knowledge and the vision that seeks the understanding of reality—this is called knowledge; whatever is otherwise is ignorance.
रागद्वेषक्षयाकारात् संसारव्याधिभेषजात् । अहम्भावोपशान्तौ तु राजञ् ज्ञानम् अवाप्यते
When attachment and aversion are destroyed, which is the remedy for the disease of worldly existence, O King, knowledge is attained when the sense of 'I' is calmed.
शरीरे ऽस्मिंश् चिरं रूढो गिरौ तरुर् इवोच्चकैः । अहम्भावो महाभोगो वद मे त्यज्यते कथम्
Just as a tree stands firmly rooted on a mountain for a long time, so too the sense of 'I' is deeply established in the body and is a great enjoyment—tell me, how can it be abandoned?
पौरुषेण प्रयत्नेन त्यक्त्वा भोगौघभावनम् । गत्वान्विष्य चिता तत्त्वम् अहङ्कारो विलीयते
By human effort and diligence, abandoning the notion of enjoyment in its multitude, and having investigated and realized the truth, the ego dissolves.
यन्त्राणां पञ्जरं यावद् भग्नं लज्जादि नाखिलम् । अकिञ्चनत्वशेषेण स्फुटा तावद् अहङ्कृतिः
As long as the cage of the mechanisms is not completely broken, and only a remnant of destitution remains, the sense of ego clearly persists.