सदाचारक्रमः प्रोक्तो मयैष रघुनन्दन । तथोपवेश्यते सम्यग् अयं ज्ञानक्रमो ऽधुना
O delight of the Raghu lineage, I have thus explained the sequence of right conduct; now, I shall properly expound the sequence of knowledge.
इदं यशस्यम् आयुष्यं पुरुषार्थफलप्रदम् । तज्ज्ञाद् आप्तात्मशास्त्रार्थाच् छ्रोतव्यं किल धीमता
This is renowned, life-giving, and bestows the fruits of human purpose; therefore, one who is wise should indeed listen to it from one who knows, who has attained the meaning of the scriptures, and who is trustworthy.
श्रुत्वा तु बुद्धिनैर्मल्याद् बलाद् यास्यसि सत्पदम् । यथा कतकसंश्लेषात् प्रसादम् अवशं पयः
Having listened, through the purity of your intellect, you will certainly attain the true state, just as water is inevitably clarified by the contact of kataka nuts.
विदितवेद्यम् इदं हि मनो मुने विवशम् एव हि याति परं पदम् । यद् अवबुद्धम् अखण्डितम् उत्तमं तदवबोधदशां न जहाति हि
O sage, when the mind has known what is to be known, it helplessly attains the supreme state; and having realized the highest, undivided awareness, it does not abandon that state of understanding.
वाग्भाभिर् ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्म भाति स्वप्न इवात्मनि । यद् इदं तत् स्वशब्दार्थैर् यो यद् वेत्ति स वेत्तु तत्
The knower of Brahman appears as Brahman through words, just as in a dream one appears within oneself; whatever this is, it is known by the meaning of its own word—whoever knows what, let him know that.
न्यायेनानेन सर्वस्मिन् सर्गे ब्रह्माम्बरे सति । किम् इदं कस्य वक्षीति चोद्यचञ्चुर् निराकृतः
By this reasoning, in all creation, while Brahman-space exists, the question 'What is this, and whose is it?'—such inquiry is rendered void.
अहं तावद् यथाज्ञानं यथावस्तु यथाक्रमम् । यथास्वभावं वच्मीदं तत् सर्वं श्रूयतां बुधाः
Therefore, as I understand, according to reality, in due order, and in its own nature, I will speak all this; let the wise listen.
स्वप्नवत् पश्यति जगच् चिन्नभो देहविन्मयम् । स्वप्नसंसारदृष्टान्ता इहैवान्तस् समन्विताः
Just as in a dream, one perceives the world—so does consciousness see the body-made world; here itself, the analogies of dream and worldly existence are found together.
मुमुक्षुव्यवहारोक्तिमयात् प्रकरणाद् अनु । अथोत्पत्तिप्रकरणं मयेदं परिकथ्यते
Following the section composed of statements about the conduct of the seeker of liberation, I will now thoroughly explain the section on origination.
बन्धो ऽयं दृश्यसद्भावो दृश्याभावे न बन्धनम् । न सम्भवति दृश्यं तु यथेदं तच् छृणु क्रमात्
Bondage is the existence of the seen; when the seen is absent, there is no bondage. How the seen comes to be—listen to this in order.
उत्पद्यते यो जगति स एव किल वर्धते । स एव मोक्षम् आप्नोति स्वर्गं वा नरकं च वा
Whatever arises in the world, that alone indeed grows; that alone attains liberation, or heaven, or even hell.
अतस् ते स्ववबोधार्थं तत् तावत् कथयाम्य् अहम् । उत्पत्तिं संसृताव् एति पूर्वम् एव हि यो यथा
Therefore, for your own understanding, I will now tell you: in the cycle of existence, origination comes first, just as it always has.
इदं प्रकरणार्थं त्वं सङ्क्षेपाच् छृणु राघव । ततः प्रकथयिष्यामि विस्तरं ते यथेप्सितम्
Now, for the purpose of this topic, listen briefly, O Raghava; afterwards, I will explain to you in detail as you desire.
यद् इदं दृश्यते सर्वं जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम् । तत् सुषुप्त इव स्वप्नः कल्पान्ते प्रविनश्यति
All this world that is seen, both moving and unmoving, perishes at the end of the cosmic cycle, like a dream dissolves in deep sleep.
ततस् स्तिमितगम्भीरं न तेजो न तमस् ततम् । अनाख्यम् अनभिव्यक्तं यत् किञ्चिद् अवशिष्यते
Then, what remains is tranquil and profound, pervaded by neither light nor darkness—something unnameable, unmanifest, whatever it may be.
ऋतम् आत्मा परं ब्रह्म सत्यम् इत्यादिका बुधैः । कल्पिता व्यवहारार्थं यस्य सञ्ज्ञा महात्मनः
Truth, Self, Supreme Brahman, Reality—such terms have been conceived by the wise for practical purposes, as names for That Great One.
स तथाभूत एवात्मा स्वयम् अन्य इवोल्लसन् । जीवताम् उपयातीव भाविनामकदर्थनाम्
That very Self, existing thus, appears as if it were another, shining forth, and seems to enter into the living beings subject to future experiences.
ततस् स जीवशब्दार्थकलनाकुलतां गतः । मनो भवति मौनात्मा मननान् मन्थरीभवत्
Then, coming into the confusion of being called 'jiva,' it becomes mind; the silent Self, through thought, becomes sluggish.
मनस् सम्पद्यते तेन महतः परमात्मनः । सुस्थिराद् अस्थिराकारस् तरङ्ग इव वारिधेः
Thus, from the Supreme Self, the mind arises; from the stable comes the unstable, like a wave from the ocean.
तत् स्वयं स्वैरम् एवाशु सङ्कल्पयति नित्यशः । तेनेयम् इन्द्रजालश्रीर् विततेव वितन्यते
That mind, by its own freedom, quickly imagines endlessly; by it, this splendid illusion, like a magician’s display, is spread out.
यथा कटकशब्दार्थः पृथक्त्वार्हो ऽस्ति कानके । न नाम कटके तद्वज् जगच्छब्दार्थता परे
Just as the meaning of the word 'bracelet' is distinct within gold, yet there is no such thing as 'bracelet' in gold itself, so too, the meaning of the word 'world' does not exist in the Supreme.
ब्रह्मण्य् एवास्त्य् अनन्यात्म यथास्थितम् इदं जगत् । न जगच्छब्दकार्थो ऽस्ति हेम्नीव कटकादिता
This world exists only in Brahman, as it is, with no other essence; there is no reality to the world, just as 'braceletness' does not exist in gold.
असतैवासती तापनद्येव लहरी चला । मनसैवेन्द्रजालश्रीर् जागती प्रवितन्यते
The world, which appears as a moving wave in the river of suffering, is truly unreal; like the splendor of a magician's illusion, it is projected only by the mind.
अविद्या संसृतिर् बन्धो माया मोहो महत् तमः । कल्पितानीति नामानि यस्यास् सकलवेदिभिः
Ignorance, transmigration, bondage, illusion, delusion, and great darkness—these are the names given by the wise to what is merely imagined.
बन्धस्य तावद् रूपं त्वं कथ्यमानम् इदं शृणु । ततस् स्वरूपं मोक्षस्य ज्ञास्यसीन्दुसमानन
Now listen as I describe the nature of bondage; afterward, you will know the true nature of liberation, O one whose face is like the moon.
द्रष्टुर् दृश्यत्वसत्ताङ्ग बन्ध इत्य् अभिधीयते । द्रष्टा दृश्यवशाद् बद्धो दृश्याभावाद् विमुच्यते
Bondage is said to be the presence of the seer, the seen, and their existence; the seer is bound by dependence on the seen, and is freed when the seen is absent.
जगत् त्वम् अहम् इत्यादिसर्गात्मा दृश्यम् उच्यते । यावद् एतत् सम्भवति तावन् मोक्षो न विद्यते
The seen is called the world, the sense of 'I', 'you', and so on, which arises from creation; as long as this persists, liberation does not exist.
नेदं नेदम् इति व्यर्थैः प्रलापैर् नोपशाम्यति । सङ्कल्पजनकैर् दृश्यव्याधिः प्रत्युत वर्धते
This disease of the seen does not subside through futile talk like 'not this, not this'; rather, it increases through thoughts that give rise to it.
न च तर्कभरक्षोदैर् न तीर्थनियमादिभिः । सतो दृश्यस्य जगतो यस्माद् एते विचारकाः
Nor by the weight of reasoning, nor by observances such as pilgrimage, can the reality of the visible world be discerned, for these are only means of inquiry.
जगद् दृश्यं तु यद्य् अस्ति न शाम्यत्य् एव तत् क्वचित् । नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः
If the world is indeed visible, it never ceases anywhere; for what is unreal has no existence, and what is real never ceases to be.