निर्भावो निरहङ्कारश् छिन्नग्रन्थिः प्रशान्तधीः । कचो यथा स्थितो राम तथा तिष्ठाविकारवान्
Devoid of self-identity, free from ego, with all knots cut and mind at peace, he remained unmoved, O Rama, like water at rest.
अहङ्कारम् असद् विद्धि मैनम् आश्रय मा त्यज । असतश् शशशृङ्गस्य किल त्यागग्रहौ कुतः
Know ego to be unreal; do not rely on it, but abandon it. For how can there be grasping or renunciation of what is unreal, like the horns of a hare?
असम्भवत्य् अहङ्कारे क्व ते मरणजन्मनी । नभःक्षेत्रतया व्युप्तं केन सङ्गृह्यते फलम्
When the sense of 'I' does not arise, where can birth and death occur for you? Like space pervading the sky, what agent can grasp its fruit?
निरंशं शान्तसङ्कल्पं सर्वभावात्मकं ततम् । परमाद् अप्य् अणोस् सूक्ष्मं चिन्मात्रं त्वं निरामयम्
You are indivisible, with peaceful resolve, pervading all beings; subtler than even the supreme atom, pure consciousness alone, free from affliction.
यथाम्भसस् तरङ्गादि यथा हेम्नो ऽङ्गदादि वा । तद् एवातद् इवाभासं तथाहम्भावनं चितः
Just as waves arise from water, or ornaments from gold, so too the sense of 'I' appears in consciousness as itself and yet as if other.
अबोधेन जगत् सर्वं मायामयम् इव स्थितम् । बोधेन सकलं ब्रह्मरूपं सम्पद्यते ऽनघ
Through ignorance, the entire world appears as if made of illusion; through knowledge, O sinless one, all becomes of the nature of Brahman.
द्वित्वैकत्वमती त्यक्त्वा शेषस्थस् सुखितो भव । मा दुःखितो भव व्यर्थं त्वं मिथ्यापुरुषो यथा
Abandoning notions of duality and unity, remain established in what remains and be happy; do not be sorrowful in vain, like a false person.
मायेयम् अतिदुष्पारा सांसारी सारतां गता । शरदा मिहिकेवाशु बोधेनायाति तानवम्
This world, made of illusion and extremely difficult to cross, has attained the appearance of reality; yet, like autumn mist, it quickly thins away through knowledge.
परमाम् आगतो ऽस्म्य् अन्तस् तृप्तिं ज्ञानामृतेन ते । अवग्रहभयाक्रान्तस् स्वासारेणेव चातकः
I have attained supreme inner contentment through the nectar of your wisdom, as a chataka bird, seized by the fear of drought, is satisfied by a drop of rain.
अमृतेनेव सिक्तो ऽहम् अन्तर् गच्छामि शीतताम् । उपरीव समस्तानां तिष्ठाम्य् अतुलसम्पदाम्
As if anointed with nectar, I enter into coolness within; above all, I stand amidst incomparable riches.
न तृप्तिम् अधिगच्छामि वचसां वदतस् तव । ऐन्दवीनां मरीचीनां चकोरस् तृषितो यथा
I do not attain satisfaction from your words, as a thirsty chakora bird does not from the moonbeams.
तृप्तो ऽपि भूयः पृच्छामि त्वां प्रश्नम् इमम् ईश्वर । को नाम तृप्तो ऽप्य् अग्रस्थं न पिबत्य् अमृतासवम्
Though satisfied, I again ask you this question, O Lord: who, even when satisfied, does not drink the nectar placed before him?
किम् उच्यते मुनिश्रेष्ठ मिथ्यापुरुषनामकम् । वस्त्व् अवस्तूकृतजगद्वस्तुजातं वदाशु मे
What is said, O foremost sage, about the so-called false person? Quickly tell me about the world made of real and unreal things.
मिथ्यापुरुषबोधाय शृणु राघव शोभनाम् । इमाम् आख्यायिकां हासजननीं मदुदीरिताम्
Listen, Raghava, to this delightful story I narrate for the understanding of the false person, a tale that brings laughter.
अस्ति कश्चिन् महाबाहो मायायन्त्रमयः पुमान् । बालपेलवधीर् मूढो गूढो मौर्ख्येण केवलम्
There is someone, O mighty-armed one, a man made of the machinery of illusion, childish, weak, foolish, hidden solely by ignorance.
स एकान्ते क्वचिज् जातश् शून्ये तत्रैव तिष्ठति । केशोण्डुकम् इव व्योम्नि मृगतृष्णेव वा मरौ
He was born somewhere in solitude, in emptiness, and remains there, like a ball of hair in the sky or a mirage in the desert.
तस्माद् अन्यन् न तत्रास्ति यद् अस्ति च स एव तत् । यच् चान्यत् तत् सदाभासं न स पश्यति दुर्मतिः
There is nothing else there; whatever exists is only him. Whatever else appears is always a semblance, which the dull-minded one does not perceive.
सङ्कल्पस् तस्य सञ्जातस् तत्र वृद्धिम् उपेयुषः । खस्याहं खम् अहं खं मे खं रक्षामीति निश्चलः
A thought arose in him, growing there: 'I am the sky, the sky is me, the sky is mine, I must protect the sky,' unwaveringly.
खं स्थापयित्वा रक्षामि वस्त्व् इष्टं रक्ष्यम् आदरात् । इति सञ्चिन्तयन् व्योमरक्षार्थम् सो ऽकरोद् गृहम्
Thinking, 'I will keep space safe and carefully protect the desired thing,' he built a house for the protection of space.
तस्य कोशे बबन्धास्थां रक्षितं खं मयेत्य् असौ । गृहाकाशेन सन्तुष्टस् स्थितस् स रघुनन्दन
He placed the protected space inside a box, saying, 'I have guarded the space,' and, satisfied with the house-space, he remained there, O Rama.
अथ कालेन तत् तस्य गृहं नाशम् उपाययौ । ऋत्वन्तरेणर्तुर् इव वातेनेव तरङ्गकः
Then, in time, that house of his came to destruction, just as a season ends with the change of time, or as a wave is scattered by the wind.
हा गृहाकाश नष्टं त्वं हा क्व यातम् असि क्षणात् । हा हा भग्नम् असि स्वच्छम् इत्य् अथैतच् छुशोच सः
'Alas, house-space, you are lost! Alas, where have you gone in a moment? Alas, you, clear one, are broken!' Thus he lamented.
इति शोकं चिरं कृत्वा पुनस् तत्रैव दुर्मतिः । कूपं चक्रे खरक्षार्थं कूपाकाशपरो ऽभवत्
After grieving for a long time in this way, that foolish man again made a well there for the protection of space, and became absorbed in the well-space.
ततो नाशं स कालेन नीतः कूपो ऽपि तस्य वै । कूपाकाशमहाशोकविधुरो ऽसौ ततो ऽभवत्
Then, in time, that well too was destroyed; and he became overwhelmed with great sorrow for the well-space.
कूपाकाशप्रलापान्ते कुम्भं तत्रैव सो ऽकरोत् । कुम्भाकाशपरो भूत्वा स्वयं निर्वृतिम् आययौ
At the end of his lamentation for the well-space, he made a pot there; becoming absorbed in the pot-space, he himself attained satisfaction.
कुम्भो ऽपि तस्य कालेन नाशं नीतो रघूद्वह । याम् एव दिशम् आदत्ते दुर्भगस् सापि नश्यति
O descendent of Raghu, that pot too, in time, was destroyed; whatever direction the unfortunate man takes, that too perishes.
कुम्भाकाशप्रलापान्ते खरक्षार्थं चकार सः । कुण्डं तत्रैव तेनासौ कुण्डाकाशपरो ऽभवत्
At the end of his talk about the space within the pot, he made a trough for the purpose of storing salt; and there, he became absorbed in the space within the trough.
कुण्डम् अप्य् अस्य कालेन कानने नाशम् आययौ । तेजसेव तमस् तेन कुण्डाकशां शुशोच सः
In time, even that trough perished in the forest; just as light is overcome by darkness, he grieved for the space within the trough.
कुण्डकाकाशशोकान्ते खरक्षार्थं चकार सः । चतुश्शालं महाशालं तदाकाशपरो ऽभवत्
After his sorrow for the space in the trough, he made a four-pillared hall for storing salt; and then, he became absorbed in the space of the hall.
तद् अप्य् अस्य जहाराशु कालः कवलितप्रजः । जीर्णं पर्णं यथा वातस् स तच्छोकपरो ऽभवत्
Even that was swiftly taken away from him by time, which devours all beings; like a leaf withered by the wind, he became absorbed in grief for it.