चित्तस्यादौ स्वरूपं मे यथावद् भगवन् वद । ततश् चित्तपरित्यागं यथावद् भगवन् वद
O revered one, tell me truly the nature of the mind at the outset; then, O revered one, explain to me the proper way to renounce the mind.
वासनैव महाराज स्वरूपं विद्धि चेतसः । चित्तशब्दस् तु पर्यायो वासनाया उदाहृतः
Know, O great king, that the essence of the mind is simply impression (vāsanā); the word 'mind' is merely another term used for impression.
त्यागस् त्व् अस्यातिसुकरस् सुसाधस् स्पन्दनाद् अपि । रताद् अप्य् अधिकानन्दः कुसुमाद् अपि सुन्दरः
Its renunciation is exceedingly easy, more attainable than even a heartbeat; it brings greater joy than pleasure, and is more beautiful than a flower.
मूर्खस्य तु मनस्त्यागो नूनं दुस्साधतां गतः । पुक्कसस्येव साम्राज्यं तृणस्येव सुमेरुता
But for the ignorant, the abandonment of the mind is surely most difficult—like sovereignty for an outcaste, or Mount Meru for a blade of grass.
स्वरूपं वेद्मि चित्तस्य वासनामयम् आकुलम् । त्यागो ऽस्य मन्ये दुस्साधो वज्रनिर्दलनाद् अपि
I know the true nature of the mind: it is agitated, woven from latent impressions; I believe that renouncing it is more difficult than splitting a diamond.
संसृत्यामोदपुष्पस्य दुःखतैलतिलस्य च । जगद्वालमृणालस्य मोहमारुतखस्य च
The world is like a garland of the flowers of transmigration, a sesame cake of suffering, a stalk of lotus in the fire of existence, and a sky blown by the wind of delusion.
शरीरयन्त्रवाहस्य हृत्पद्मभ्रमरस्य च । अयत्नाच् चेतसस् त्यागो यथा भवति तद् वद
The body is a machine, the heart is like a lotus with a bee inside; tell me, how does the effortless abandonment of the mind take place?
सर्वनाशो ऽस्य यस् साधो चेतसस् संसृतिक्षयः । स एव चित्तसन्त्याग इत्य् उक्तं दीर्घदर्शिभिः
O noble one, the complete destruction of the mind, which is the end of transmigration, is called the abandonment of the mind by those who see deeply.
चित्तत्यागाद् अहं मन्ये चित्तनाशस् स्वसिद्धये । अभावश् चेतसो व्याधेः कथम् अस्यानुभूयते
I believe that the destruction of the mind through its abandonment is the means to self-realization; but how can the absence of the disease of the mind be experienced?
अहम्बीजद्रुमं चित्तं सशाखाफलपल्लवम् । उन्मूलय समूलं त्वम् आकाशविशदो भवन्
Uproot the tree of mind, whose seed is the sense of 'I', along with its branches, fruits, and leaves, and become clear like the sky.
चेतसः किं मुने मूलं को ऽङ्कुरः कश् च सम्भवः । काश् शाखाः के च वा स्कन्धाः कथम् उन्मूल्यते च तत्
O sage, what is the root of the mind, what is its sprout, and what is its origin? What are its branches and what are its trunks, and how is it to be uprooted?
अहमर्थोदयो यो ऽयं चिदात्मा वेदनात्मकः । एतच् चित्तद्रुमस्यास्य विद्धि बीजं जगद्गतम्
Know that the arising of the sense of 'I', which is consciousness itself and of the nature of experience, is the seed of this tree of mind that pervades the world.
अहम्भावात्मकं वित्त्वं चित्तबीजम् उदाहृतम् । परमात्मपदक्षेत्रं नेत्रं मायामयस्य तत्
The sense of 'I'-ness is called wealth, the seed of the mind; it is the field of the supreme Self, the eye of that which is made of illusion.
एतस्मात् प्रथमोद्भिन्नाद् यो ऽङ्कुरो ऽनुभवाकृतिः । निश्चयात्मा निराकारो बुद्धिर् इत्य् एव सोच्यते
From this first sprouting, the shoot that takes the form of experience, whose essence is certainty and is formless, is called intellect.
अस्य बुद्ध्यभिधानस्य याङ्कुरस्य प्रपीनता । सङ्कल्परूपिणी तस्याश् चित्तं नाम मनो ऽभिधा
The fullness of this sprout, known as intellect, is of the nature of thought; its name is mind, and it is also called 'manas'.
जीवो मिथ्योपलम्भात्मा शून्यात्माप्य् उपलोपमः । स्तम्भः कायो ऽयम् एतस्य स्नाय्वस्थिरसरञ्जितः
The individual soul, whose nature is false perception and emptiness, is like a shadow; this body is its pillar, adorned with nerves, bones, and fluids.
देशाद् देशान्तरे दूरे देशकालविदो ऽस्य याः । शाखास् ताश् चित्तवृक्षस्य दीर्घा दूरतरास् तताः
The branches of this tree of mind, which extend from place to place, far and wide, are its knowledge of space and time, and they stretch out even farther.
इन्द्रियाण्य् अथ भोगाश् च भावाभावमयोर्मयः । विटपौघा महान्तो ऽस्य शुभाशुभफलाकुलाः
The senses, pleasures, and the mixtures of existence and non-existence are its great clusters of foliage, filled with fruits both auspicious and inauspicious.
ईदृशस्यास्य चित्तस्य दुर्वृक्षस्य प्रतिक्षणम् । शाखाविलवनं कुर्वन् मूलकाषे भरं कुरु
For this mind, which is like a harmful tree, constantly prune its branches; focus your effort on cutting its root.
चित्तद्रुमस्य शाखादेः कुर्वाणो ऽहं विकर्तनम् । कथं करोमि मूलस्य निश्शेषं कषणं मुने
Though I am cutting the branches of the tree of mind, how can I, O sage, completely sever its root?
वासना विविधाश् शाखाः फलस्कन्धादिनान्विताः । अभाविता भवन्त्य् अन्तर् लूनास् संविद्बलेन ते
Tendencies are like many branches, bearing clusters of fruits and the like; when not cultivated, they are cut off within by the power of awareness.
असंसक्तमना मौनी शान्तवादविचारणः । सम्प्राप्तकारी यस् सो ऽन्तर् लूनचित्तलतो भवेत्
One whose mind is unattached, who is silent, who has ceased to debate, and who acts as required—such a person is inwardly freed from the root of mental agitation.
चित्तद्रुमलताजालं पौरुषेण विकर्तयन् । यस् तिष्ठति स मूलस्य योग्यो निकषणे भवेत्
Whoever, through effort, cuts away the network of creepers on the tree of the mind, is fit to uproot its very root.
गौणं शाखाविलवनं मुख्यं मूलविकर्तनम् । चित्तवृक्षस्य तेन त्वं मूलकाषपरो भव
Cutting off the branches is secondary; the main thing is to sever the root. Therefore, you should focus on uprooting the root of the tree of the mind.
मुख्यत्वेन महाबुद्धे मूलदाहम् अलं कुरु । चित्तकण्टकषण्डस्य भवत्य् एवम् अचित्तता
O great intellect, burn the root above all else; in this way, the thorny thicket of the mind is truly rendered mindless.
अहम्भावात्मनश् चित्तद्रुमबीजस्य हे मुने । को ऽनलो दाह्यदहनसमर्थो ऽर्थकरो भवेत्
O sage, what fire is capable and effective for burning the seed of the mind-tree, whose essence is the sense of 'I'?
राजन् स्वात्मविचारो ऽयं को ऽहं स्याम् इति रूपधृत् । चित्तदुर्द्रुमबीजस्य दहने दहनस् स्मृतः
O king, self-inquiry in the form 'Who am I?' is said to be the fire that burns the seed of the difficult tree of the mind.
मुने मया महाबुद्ध्या बहुशः प्रविचारितम् । यावन् नाहं जगन् नोर्वी न च मण्डलमण्डलम्
O sage, with great intelligence I have reflected many times: I am not the world, nor the earth, nor any sphere upon sphere.
नाद्रेस् तटं न विपिनं न पर्णसदनादि वा । जडत्वान् न च देहादि न मांसास्थ्यसृगादि च
There is neither a riverbank, nor a forest, nor a leaf-hut or anything similar; due to inertness, there is not even a body or flesh, bone, blood, or anything of the sort.
कर्मेन्द्रियाण्य् अपि न च न च बुद्धीन्द्रियाणि च । न मनो नापि च मतिर् नाहम्भावश् च जाड्यतः
There are not even the organs of action, nor the organs of perception; neither mind nor intellect, nor the sense of 'I', because of inertness.