सो ऽन्वियेष गजं यत्नाद् गुल्मकान्तरितं वने । पयोदपिहितं भोक्तुं राहुर् इन्दुम् इवाम्बरे
He searched diligently for the elephant, hidden among the thickets in the forest, just as Rāhu seeks to devour the moon concealed by clouds in the sky.
चिरेणालभतेभेन्द्रं कस्मिंश्चित् कानने स्थितम् । विश्राम्यन्तं तरुतले समराद् इव निर्गतम्
After a long time, he found the lord of elephants resting beneath a tree in some part of the forest, as if withdrawn from battle.
अथ यत्र स्थितो नागस् तत्र तद्बन्धनक्षमम् । परया राजसामग्र्या गजलम्पटरूपया
Then, at the place where the elephant stood, he prepared a suitable trap with supreme royal skill, taking on the form of one greedy for elephants.
स खातवलयं चक्रे हस्तिपः कानने नवम् । सर्वदिक्कं विधिर् भूमौ समुद्रवलयं यथा
In the forest, the hunter made a new pit encircled by a trench, arranging it all around on the ground like the encircling ocean.
उपर्य् अस्थगयज् जीर्णलतौघेन स तं शठः । शून्यं तन्वभ्रजालेन शरत्काल इवाम्बरम्
Above, that cunning one covered it with a mass of withered creepers, making it appear empty with a thin web, like the autumn sky.
दिनैः कतिपयैर् एव वारणो विहरन् वने । तस्मिन् निपतितः खाते शुष्काब्धाव् इव पर्वतः
Within just a few days, as the elephant wandered in the forest, he fell into that pit, like a mountain into a dried-up ocean.
व्रजन् सर्पाकृतौ कूपे पातालतलभीषणे । खाते शुष्काब्धिखाताभे गजरत्नसमुद्गके
Proceeding, the elephant fell into a well shaped like a serpent, dreadful as the netherworld, hollowed out like a pit of a dried-up ocean, a casket for elephant-jewels.
इति भूयो दृढं बद्धस् तेन हस्तिपकेन सः । तिष्ठत्य् अद्यापि दुःखेन भूसद्मनि यथा बडिः
Thus, firmly bound again by that elephant-catcher, he remains even now in misery, like a fish on dry land.
अहनिष्यत् पुरैवासौ यद्य् अग्रोपगतं रिपुम् । तन् नालप्स्यत तद् दुःखं गजः खातनिबन्धनम्
Had he destroyed the approaching enemy at the very outset, the elephant would not have suffered that misery of being bound in the pit.
मौर्ख्याद् आगामिनं कालं वर्तमानक्रियाक्रमैः । अशोधयन् नरो दुःखं याति विन्ध्यगजो यथा
Through folly, a man who does not examine the future by means of present actions goes to suffering, like the Vindhya elephant.
मुक्तो ऽस्मि शस्त्रनिगडाद् इति तुष्टो ऽपि वारणः । दूरस्थो ऽपि पुनर् बद्धो मौर्ख्यं क्वेव न बाधते
Even if the elephant, pleased, thinks 'I am freed from the fetter of the weapon,' he is bound again from afar; where does folly not cause trouble?
मौर्ख्यं निबन्धनम् अवैहि परं महात्मन् बन्धो न बन्ध इह चेतसि तद्वियुक्ते । आत्मोदये त्रिजगद् आत्ममयं समस्तम् अश्वे स्थितस्य सहया ननु सर्वभूमिः
Know that folly alone is the true bondage, O great soul; bondage is not bondage here if the mind is free from it. When the self has arisen, the entire three worlds are seen as the Self, just as for one mounted on a horse, the whole land is accessible.
मणिसाधनवन्येभबन्धनाद्य् अमरात्मज । सूचितं सत्कथाजालं पुनर् मे प्रकटीकुरु
O son of the immortal, you have indicated the tale of the jewel, the means, the wild elephant, and the bondage; now make clear to me again this network of noble stories.
वाक्यार्थदृष्टेर् निष्पत्त्या हृद्गृहे चित्तभित्तिषु । शृणुष्व सत्कथाचित्रं चित्रम् उन्मीलयामि ते
From the perspective of the meaning of the words, and their outcome, in the inner house of the heart, on the walls of the mind—listen, I shall unfold for you this wondrous noble tale.
यो ऽसौ शास्त्रार्थकुशलस् तत्त्वज्ञाने त्व् अपण्डितः । रत्नसंसाधने प्रोक्तस् स त्वम् एव महीपते
He who is skilled in the meaning of the scriptures but not learned in the knowledge of truth is said to be engaged in gathering jewels; O King, that is you.
तज्ज्ञो भवसि शास्त्रेषु रविर् मेरुतटेष्व् इव । तत्त्वज्ञाने तु विश्रान्तो न त्वं दृषद् इवाम्बरे
You are an expert in the scriptures, like the sun on the peaks of Meru; but in the knowledge of truth, you do not abide, like a stone in the sky.
विद्धि चिन्तामणिं साधो सर्वत्यागम् अकृत्रिमम् । तम् अन्तं सर्वदुःखानां संसाधयसि शुद्धधीः
Know, O noble one, that the philosopher's stone is the complete and unfeigned renunciation of all; with a pure mind, you attain the end of all suffering.
सर्वत्यागेन शुद्धेन सर्वम् आसाद्यते ऽनघ । सर्वत्यागो हि साम्राज्यं किं चिन्तामणिना भवेत्
By pure renunciation of all, everything is attained, O sinless one; for the sovereignty of complete renunciation—what could the philosopher's stone accomplish?
सिद्धस् स सर्वसन्त्यागस् साधो संसाधितस् तव । खर्वीकुर्वञ् जगद्भूतिं विन्ध्यस्यात्मोदयो यथा
You have accomplished complete renunciation, O noble one, and are perfected; diminishing the grandeur of the world, as the rising of the Vindhya subdues its own height.
सन्त्यक्तं भवता राज्यं सदारधनबान्धवम् । ब्रह्मणेव जगत्सर्गव्यापारस् स्वनिशागमे
You have renounced kingdom, wife, wealth, and kin; just as Brahman, at the end of night, ceases the activity of creating the world.
स्वदेशस्यातिदूरस्थम् आगतो ऽसीमम् आश्रमम् । भुवो ऽन्तम् इव विश्रान्त्यै वैनतेयस् सकच्छपः
You have come to this hermitage, far from your own land, as Garuda comes to the world's end for rest, along with the tortoise.
केवलं सर्वसन्त्यागे शेषिताहम्मतिस् त्वया । मृष्टाखिलकलङ्केन स्वसत्तेवानिलेन खे
Only the notion of 'I' remains in your complete renunciation; cleansed of all stain, your own being, like the wind in the sky.
मनोमात्रे हृदस् त्यक्ते यावत् ते याति पूर्णताम् । त्यागस् तावद् विकल्पस् त्वां खम् अम्बुद इवावृणोत्
As long as the heart, which exists only as mind, has not attained fullness by abandonment, so long does the notion of abandonment, like a cloud, cover you as the sky.
नायं स परमानन्दस् सर्वत्यागो महोदयः । को ऽप्य् उच्चैर् अन्य एवासौ चिरसाध्यो महान् इति
This is not that supreme bliss, the great arising of total renunciation; that is something else, exceedingly lofty, difficult to attain even after a long time, and truly great.
चिन्तयेति गते वृद्धिं सङ्कल्पग्रहणे शनैः । वात्ययेव वनस्पन्दे त्यागः प्रोड्डीय ते गतः
When thought gradually increases in the grasping of concepts, then, like a wind blowing through a forest, your abandonment is swept away and gone.
त्यागिता स्यात् कुतस् तस्य चिन्ताम् अप्य् आवृणोति यः । पवनस्पन्दयुक्तस्य निस्स्पन्दत्वं कुतस् तरोः
How can there be renunciation for one whose mind is still covered by thought? How can a tree moved by the wind ever be motionless?
चिन्तैव चित्तम् इत्य् आहुस् सङ्कल्पेतरनामकम् । तस्याम् एव स्फुरन्त्यां तु चित्तं त्यक्तं कथं भवेत्
They say that thought itself is mind, also called intention and the like; as long as it is active, how can the mind be considered abandoned?
चित्ते गृहीते त्रिजगज्जालबीजकणे क्षणात् । कथं सम्पद्यते साधो सर्वत्यागो निरञ्जनः
O noble one, when the mind, which contains the seed-particle of the net of the three worlds, is grasped even for a moment, how can stainless, total renunciation arise?
सङ्कल्पग्रहणेनान्तस् त्यागः प्रोड्डीय ते गतः । शब्दसंश्रवणेनाङ्ग यथा ग्रामविहङ्गमः
With the grasping of concepts, your inner renunciation is swept away and gone, just as, O dear one, a village bird is drawn away by the sound of its flock.
निश्चिन्तत्वधनं सर्वं त्याग आदाय ते गतः । आमन्त्र्यापूजितो याति यस् स दुःखं करोति हि
All that you have gained by renunciation departs, taking with it the wealth of freedom from thought; that which leaves when called or honored, indeed brings sorrow.