मूढे मूढो हते भग्नो हृष्टे हृष्टस् तथेश्वरः । चित्ते निर्वासनाच्छत्वान् न त्व् असाव् एति रञ्जनाम्
The Lord appears deluded among the deluded, broken among the defeated, joyful among the joyful; yet, because of the pure, impressionless nature of consciousness, he does not truly become affected.
वासनातो जगज्जन्म सा च सङ्केतमात्रकम् । इदं ममेति मिथ्यैव भावनं तत् परित्यज
The birth of the world arises from latent tendencies, which are merely conventions. The thought 'this is mine' is truly false—abandon that notion.
रजोधूमान्ध्यतेजोऽभ्रैर् यथाकाशो न लिप्यते । तथा प्रकृतिसङ्कल्पैश् चित्सारं खम् अलेपकम्
Just as space is not tainted by smoke, dust, darkness, or clouds, so too the essence of consciousness, like the sky, is untouched by the projections of nature and thought.
यथा भूमिगता भासो रविर् एवाङ्ग नेतरत् । तथा चिद् एव सङ्कल्पास् तन्मयत्वेन नेतरत्
Just as the light that appears on the earth is only the sun and nothing else, so too, only consciousness is real; the projections are not truly other than that.
परम् अव्यपदेश्यात्मा निस्स्पन्दḫ पवनो यथा । स्ववेदनात्मनस् स्पन्दाद् आत्मनैवोपलभ्यते
The supreme, indescribable Self is motionless, like the wind at rest; yet, through the vibration of self-awareness, it is perceived by itself.
असद् वेद्यं वेद्यम् इव चिद्रूपत्वाच् चिनोति यत् । चिन्नामयोग्यता सास्य सेयं संसृतिर् उत्थिता
That which is unreal appears as knowable, because of the nature of consciousness; this suitability for being known by consciousness is the arising of saṃsāra.
यथा स्फुरत् प्रसन्नाम्बु नान्यत् सलिलमात्रतः । तथा ब्रह्म चिदच्छात्म नेतरद् ब्रह्ममात्रतः
Just as clear water, when it sparkles, is nothing but water alone, so too, Brahman, whose essence is pure consciousness, is nothing but Brahman.
परम् अव्यपदेश्यात्म यास्य तु व्यपदेश्यता । सैषा चिन् नाम सैवेह द्रष्टृदृश्यपदं गता
Where the supreme, indescribable Self becomes describable, that is called 'consciousness' here, and it assumes the state of seer and seen.
नोदय्य् अप्य् उदितं स्पन्दाद् आवर्तादि यथाम्भसः । तथानुदय्य् अप्य् उदितम् इव वित्त्वात् परे जगत्
Just as a whirlpool arises in water from a certain movement, even though it was not there before, so too, the world appears to arise in the Supreme, though it was not there, due to knowing.
ब्रह्म नव्यपदेश्यात्म निस्स्पन्दḫ पवनो यथा । चिच्छब्दार्थात्मता यात्र तद् अहन्तादिमज् जगत्
Brahman, whose essence is indescribable, is motionless like the wind at rest; wherever there is the essence of the word 'consciousness,' there arises the world beginning with the sense of 'I.'
स्वच्छे ऽम्भसि द्रवस्पन्दाद् यथावर्तादिता मता । अनिर्देश्ये परे वित्त्वात् तथा चित्ता जगन्मयी
Just as a whirlpool is thought to arise in clear water from the flow and movement, so too, due to knowing in the indescribable Supreme, the mind becomes the world.
सर्गस्याद्यन्तयोर् उक्तो यẖ क्रमो वेदनात्मकः । स उन्मेषनिमेषाभ्यां निमेषं प्रति चिद्दृशः
The sequence at the beginning and end of creation, which is of the nature of awareness, is through the opening and closing (unmeṣa and nimeṣa) of consciousness, with each closing being for the seer who is consciousness.
प्रसरन्ति यथा स्पन्दात् सलिले चक्रकादयः । प्रसरन्ति परे वित्त्वात् तथाहन्तादितादयः
Just as, from a vibration, ripples and the like spread in water, so too, from the awareness of the Supreme, the notions of 'I' and so on arise.
अवेदनं परं विद्धि वेदनं सर्ग उच्यते । असत् सद्वेदनाद् दृश्यं सद् अप्य् असदवेदनात्
Know the Supreme as non-experiencing; experiencing is called creation. The seen arises from the experience of the unreal as real, and even the real appears unreal when not experienced.
चितेर् दृश इवोन्मेषाद् असत्सर्गो ऽवभासते । चितीक्षणनिमेषात् तु सन्न् अप्य् एव न भासते
Just as, when the eye opens, an unreal creation appears, so too, when consciousness glances, but when consciousness does not glance, even the real does not appear.
मायाचूर्णपरिक्षेपाद् इन्द्रजालजगद् यथा । ख एवोदेति चिच्चूर्णचमत्काराद् इदं तथा
Just as, by scattering magical powder, an illusory world appears, so too, from the marvel of the powder of consciousness, this (world) arises in space.
यथा स्पन्दान् निमेषे ऽपि जलम् आवर्तलक्षवत् । तथा वित्त्वात् क्षणाद् ईशे सर्गप्रलयविभ्रमाः
Just as, from a vibration or even a blink, water takes on the appearance of a whirlpool, so too, from a moment's awareness, the illusions of creation and dissolution arise.
चिद्रूपस्य चिरक्षीणवासनस्यापि जीवतः । अवेदनमयी सत्ता यस्यासौ मुक्त उच्यते
One whose nature is consciousness, whose latent impressions have long been exhausted, and who lives in a state made of non-experiencing—he is called liberated.
अवासनम् असङ्कल्पं प्रवाहापतितक्रियाः । तिष्ठन्ति सम्प्रबुद्धा ये ते ह्य् अवेदनसन्मयाः
Those who are awakened, whose latent impressions and intentions are absent, whose actions have fallen into the flow (of life), they indeed are made of the state of non-experiencing.
क्रियावन्तो ऽप्य् असङ्कल्पवासनास् स्तिमिताशयाः । नित्यं काष्ठसमाधानास् ते शिलोदरसन्निभाः
Though engaged in action, those whose latent impressions and intentions are stilled, whose minds are always absorbed like wood, they are like the interior of a stone.
न स्वप्नस्वप्नपुरयोर् इव भेदो मनाग् अपि । सर्गवेदनयोस् तस्माद् ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मवेदनम्
Just as there is not the slightest difference between a dream and the dreamer, so too, for the knower of Brahman, there is no distinction between creation and the knowledge of Brahman.
शब्दार्थभावनेहानां वित्त्वात् सत्यावबोधतः । यद् असत्तावबोधो ऽन्तस् तद् अवेदनम् उच्यते
Because of the certainty arising from the knowledge of the meaning of words, what is recognized as unreal within is called non-cognition.
अदृषद् दृषदाभासं ज्ञम् अप्य् अज्ञम् इव स्थितम् । अशून्यं शून्यसङ्काशं हृदयं वेदनं सतः
The heart, which is awareness in the existent, appears as the unmanifest, as if it were ignorance, and though not empty, seems like emptiness, resembling a stone that is not a stone.
शास्त्रसज्जनसम्पर्कैḫ प्रज्ञाम् आदौ विवर्धयेत् । प्रथमा भूमिकैषोक्ता योगस्य नवयोगिनः
In the beginning, one should increase discernment through contact with scriptures and noble people; this is said to be the first stage of yoga for the new practitioner.
विचारणा द्वितीया स्यात् तृतीयासङ्गभावना । चतुर्थी सत्त्वतापत्तौ वासनाविलयात्मिका
Inquiry is the second stage; the third is the cultivation of detachment; the fourth, upon the rise of purity, is characterized by the dissolution of latent impressions.
शुद्धसंविन्मयानन्दरूपा भवति पञ्चमी । अर्धसुप्तप्रबुद्धाभो जीवन्मुक्तो ऽत्र तिष्ठति
The fifth stage becomes of the nature of pure consciousness and bliss; here, the liberated while living abides, resembling one half-awake from sleep.
असंवेदनरूपा च षष्ठी भवति भूमिका । आनन्दैकघनाकारा सुषुप्तसदृशस्थितिः
The sixth stage is of the form of non-cognition, a state of solidified bliss alone, resembling deep sleep.
तुर्यावस्थोपशान्ताथ मुक्तिर् एव हि केवलम् । समता स्वच्छता सोम्या सप्तमी भूमिका भवेत्
Then, the seventh stage is the tranquil state of the fourth, which is verily liberation itself; it is equality, clarity, and serenity.
तुर्यातीताथ यावस्था परिनिर्वाणरूपिणी । सप्तमी सा परिप्रौढा विषयस् सा न जीवताम्
Then, the state beyond the fourth, which is of the nature of supreme nirvana, is the seventh and fully matured stage; it is not experienced by the living.
पूर्वावस्थात्रयं तत्र जाग्रद् इत्य् एव संस्थितम् । चतुर्थी स्वप्न इत्य् उक्ता स्वप्नाभं यत्र वै जगत्
The first three states there are established as waking; the fourth is called dream, where the world appears as if in a dream.