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.
कटकत्वं यथा हेम्नि तथाहन्त्वं चिदात्मनि । जडं त्व् असद्रूपतया तेन तन् नास्मि हे मुने
Just as the quality of hardness belongs to gold, so the sense of 'I' belongs to the consciousness-self; but inertness is of the nature of non-existence, therefore, O sage, I am not that.
सन्निवेशविशेषात्मशब्दार्थादि परे पदे । विद्यते नात्यनन्तत्वान् नभसीव महाद्रुमः
In the supreme state, due to the absence of specific arrangement, there is neither the word 'self' nor its meaning; because of its infinite nature, like a great tree in the sky, it does not exist.
जानन्न् अपीति भगवन्न् अहन्त्वमलमार्जनम् । अन्तर् यदा न जानामि तेन तप्ये महामुने
O Lord, even knowing this, the cleansing of the impurity of 'I'-ness—when I do not know it within, I am afflicted by it, O great sage.
एतावन्मात्रकं वृन्दं यदि न त्वं महीपते । जडत्वात् तन् महाबुद्धे यो ऽसि तं वद मे नवम्
If you are not merely this small group, O king, then due to inertness, O great intellect, tell me anew what you truly are.
चिन्मात्रम् अहम् अच्छात्मवेदनं विदुषां वर । यत्र भावास् स्वदन्त्य् एते निर्मीयन्ते च येन वा
I am pure consciousness, the clear experience of the self, O best of the wise; where these states delight themselves and by which they are created.
एवंरूपस्य मे लग्नं नूनं मलम् अकारणम् । सकारणं चाहम् इति यत् तत् त्यक्तुं न वेद्म्य् अहम्
The impurity attached to me of this kind is certainly without cause; but the sense of 'I' with cause—I do not know how to abandon that.
असद् एतद् अनात्मीयं प्रमार्ष्टुं मलम् आत्मनः । मुने यदा न शक्तो ऽस्मि तेन तप्ये सुदारुणम्
This impurity, which is unreal and not my true self, I am unable to wipe away from myself, O sage; because of this, I suffer greatly.
ब्रूहि किं तन् महाबाहो लग्नं तव मलं महत् । स्थितो ऽसि येन संसारी सता वाप्य् असताथ वा
Tell me, O mighty-armed one, what is that great impurity clinging to you, by which you remain in the cycle of existence, whether real or unreal.
चित्तद्रुमस्य यद् बीजम् अहम्भावस् स मे मलम् । तच् च त्यक्तुं न जानामि त्यक्तं त्यक्तम् उपैति माम्
The sense of 'I' is the seed of the tree of mind—this is my impurity; and I do not know how to abandon it, for even when abandoned, it returns to me.
कारणाज् जायते कार्यं यत् तत् सर्वत्र सद् भवेत् । अन्यत् त्व् असद् द्विचन्द्राभं दृष्टम् एव न विद्यते
An effect arises from a cause, and whatever arises thus is always real; but anything else, like the illusion of two moons, is only seen and does not truly exist.