भ्रमाकृति यद् अस्तीह दृश्यते ऽलातचक्रवत् । मृगतृष्णाद्विचन्द्रादिबालवेतालकादिवत्
Whatever form of delusion is seen here—like the circle of fire from a whirling torch, or like mirages, double moons, or the apparitions seen by children—
तत् कथं किल नाम स्यात् सत्यं भ्रमभरात्मकम् । अज्ञानभ्रान्तिर् एवातश् चित्तम् इत्य् एव कथ्यते
How, then, could it ever be said that something composed of the weight of delusion is real? Therefore, the mind is spoken of as simply a confusion born of ignorance.
अज्ञानम् उच्यते चित्तम् असत् सद् इव संस्थितम् । मिथ्याभ्रमं निराकारं केशोण्डुकम् इवाम्बरे
The mind is called ignorance, established as if the unreal were real—a false, formless illusion, like a tuft of hair imagined in the sky.
एवम् अज्ञानम् एवैतच् चित्तशब्देन कथ्यते । तन्नाशश् चेतसो नाशश् चित्तत्यागस् स एव च
Thus, this ignorance is what is referred to by the word 'mind'; the destruction of that is the destruction of the mind, and the abandonment of the mind is just that.
अज्ञानं कीदृशं देव कथं चैतद् विनश्यति । समासेनेति भगवन् वद मे वदतां वर
O Lord, what is ignorance like, and how does it come to an end? Please tell me this concisely, O best of speakers.
यद् असंवेदनं सम्यग् वस्तुनो राजसत्तम । दृष्टादृष्टस्य कुम्भादेस् तद् अज्ञानम् इति स्मृतम्
O best of kings, that complete unawareness of a thing—whether seen or unseen, like a pot—is called ignorance.
असंवेदनम् अज्ञानं ज्ञानं संवेदनं भवेत् । अज्ञानस्य त्व् असंवित्तेर् ज्ञानात् संवेदनात् क्षयः
Unawareness is ignorance; awareness is knowledge. Ignorance, which is unawareness, is destroyed by knowledge and awareness.
जलज्ञानं मुधाभ्रान्तिस् साधो मरुमरीचिषु । नैतज् जलम् इति ज्ञानात् संवित्तिः प्रविलीयते
The notion of water in a mirage is a mistaken perception, O noble one; when the knowledge arises that 'this is not water,' that perception dissolves.
इदं चित्तम् इति प्रौढं यद् अज्ञानम् अलं हृदि । नास्ति चित्तम् इति ज्ञानात् तत् समूलं विनश्यति
The firm belief in the heart that 'this is the mind' is ignorance; when knowledge arises that 'the mind does not exist,' it is utterly destroyed.
यथा रज्ज्वां भुजङ्गत्वम् अज्ञानभ्रमसम्भवम् । न सर्पो ऽयम् इति ज्ञानाद् धृदि रूढात् प्रणश्यति
Just as the idea of a snake in a rope, born of ignorance and confusion, is destroyed by the firm knowledge that 'this is not a snake,'
चित्तं मनो ऽहम् इत्य् अन्तर् यावद् अज्ञानसम्भवः । तावच् चित्तं मनो माया भवत्य् एव न संशयः
As long as there is the inner notion 'mind,' 'intellect,' or 'I,' arising from ignorance, so long the mind, intellect, and illusion persist—of this there is no doubt.
चित्तं नास्त्य् अहम् इत्य् अन्तर् यावज् ज्ञानोदयो भवेत् । तावच् चित्तं मनो माया नास्त्य् एवात्र न संशयः
When the inner realization arises that 'the mind does not exist' or 'I do not exist,' then the mind, intellect, and illusion no longer exist—of this there is no doubt.
मिथ्यायक्षभ्रमो यावत् तावद् यक्षो हि दृश्यते । मिथ्यायक्षभ्रमे शान्ते कुतो यक्षस्य सम्भवः
As long as the false notion of a demon persists, the demon is indeed seen; when that false notion is pacified, how can the demon possibly arise?
न चित्तम् अस्ति नो चैत्तम् अहङ्कारादिसंयुतम् । किञ्चिद् एव जगत्य् अस्मिन् संविद् एकास्ति निर्मला
There is no mind, nor any mental modifications such as ego and the rest; in this world, there is only one pure consciousness.
तया सङ्कल्पचित्तादि कृतम् आसीद् विमूढया । यद् यत् सङ्कल्प्य तत् सर्वं परित्यक्तं प्रबुद्धया
By that deluded consciousness, imagination, mind, and so on were produced; whatever was imagined, all of it is abandoned by the awakened one.
सङ्कल्पेन यद् आयाति तत् सङ्कल्पेन गच्छति । पवनेन महाबाहो ज्वालाजालम् इवानले
Whatever arises through imagination departs through imagination, just as, O mighty-armed one, a mass of flames is dispersed by the wind in a fire.
आत्मतत्त्वैकघनया तत् तया ब्रह्मसत्तया । जगत् सर्वम् अभिव्याप्तं समुद्र इव वारिणा
By that reality of Brahman, which is the one, dense essence of the Self, the entire world is pervaded, like the ocean by water.
नाहम् अस्मि न चान्यो ऽस्ति न त्वं नैते न चित्तकम् । नेन्द्रियाणि न चाकाशम् आत्मैवैको ऽस्ति निर्मलः
I do not exist, nor does another, nor you, nor these, nor the mind; neither the senses nor space—only the pure Self exists.
घटाद्याकाररूपेण स एवायं विलोक्यते । इदं चित्तम् अयं चाहम् इति केव कुकल्पना
It is that very Self which is perceived in the forms of pot and so on; the notions 'this is the mind' and 'this is I' are mere vain imaginations.
न जायते न म्रियते किञ्चिद् अस्मिञ् जगत्त्रये । केवलं विलसत्य् आत्मा सदसद्भावनात्मना
Nothing is born nor does anything die in these three worlds; only the Self shines forth, as the essence of existence and non-existence.
सर्वम् आत्मा परं ब्रह्म सकृत् प्रकटम् आततम् । द्वित्वैकत्वे न विद्येते निर्भ्रान्तिर् भव सत्यतः
All is the Self, the supreme Brahman, ever manifest and all-pervading; there is neither duality nor unity—be free from confusion, for this is the truth of existence.
सर्वेन्द्रियगुणाकारस् सन्न् एवासि सखे नभः । न दह्यसे महाबुद्धे न च क्वचन लिप्यसे
O friend, you are indeed like the sky, appearing as all the qualities and forms of the senses; O great-minded one, you are not burned, nor are you ever tainted.
न ते विनश्यति सखे न च किञ्चिद् विवर्धते । निर्मलाकाशरूपस्य चैकस्यानन्तरूपिणः
O friend, nothing of yours perishes, nor does anything increase; for you are pure, like the form of space, one, and assuming countless forms.
इच्छानिच्छात्मिके शक्ती ये तवापि त्वम् एव ते । न ह्य् अंशुव्यतिरेकेण शशाङ्क उपलभ्यते
The powers of will and non-will are yours, and yet you are those very powers; for the moon is not perceived apart from its rays.
त्वम् अजरम् अपरं परस्वभावं सकृद् अमलं सततं सद् एकरूपम् । विगलितकलनं कलाख्यलीलं समुदितम् आद्यम् अजं तद् आत्मतत्त्वम्
You are ageless, boundless, of the nature of the supreme, ever pure, always the one form; transcending calculation, the play of time and art, fully manifest, original, unborn—that is the essence of the Self.
इति कुम्भवचो राजा भावयंस् तद् अकृत्रिमम् । स्व एवात्मपदे तस्मिन् क्षणं परिणतो ऽभवत्
Thus, as the king reflected on Kumbha's words, contemplating that uncontrived reality, he was, for a moment, absorbed in his own true Self.
बभूवामीलितमनोलोचनश् शान्तवाग् अभीः । शिलातलाद् इवोत्कीर्णो निस्स्पन्दावयवाकृतिः
He became as one with closed mind and eyes, silent in speech, fearless—like a figure carved from stone, motionless in form.
ततो मुहूर्तमात्रेण प्रबुद्धं स्फारितेक्षणम् । तम् उवाच महाबाहो चूडाला कुम्भरूपिणी
Then, after a brief moment, he awakened and opened his eyes wide; and the mighty-armed Cūḍālā, in the form of Kumbha, spoke to him.
कच्चिद् अस्मिन् पदे स्फारे शुद्धे मृदुनि निर्मले । सुतल्पे निर्विकल्पानां सुखं विश्रान्तवान् असि
Have you, on this vast, pure, gentle, and spotless ground—this excellent bed of thought-free ones—found restful happiness?
कच्चिद् अन्तः प्रबुद्धो ऽसि कच्चिद् भ्रान्तिस् त्वयोज्झिता । कच्चिज् ज्ञेयं परिज्ञातं दृष्टं द्रष्टव्यम् एव वा
Have you awakened within? Have you abandoned delusion? Have you realized what is to be known, or at least seen what is to be seen?