क्रियमाणा कृता कर्मतूलश्रीर् देहशल्मलेः । ज्ञानानिलसमुद्धूता विलयं क्वापि गच्छति
Actions performed, whether done or completed, are like the cotton of the silk-cotton tree; stirred up by the wind of knowledge, they are scattered and vanish somewhere.
आत्मज्ञतां प्रयातस्य तीर्णस्य भवसागरात् । इच्छतो ऽपि समायाति पुनर् नाज्ञत्वम् आत्मनः
For one who has attained self-knowledge and crossed the ocean of worldly existence, ignorance of the self does not return, even if desired.
यथा दूरगतोत्पत्तिस्थानं रयवती सरित् । न यात्य् एवं मतिर् बुद्धा पुनर् मोहं न गच्छति
Just as a river, having left its distant source, does not return there, so too, the mind that has awakened does not return to delusion.
सर्वैव हि कला जन्तोर् अनभ्यासेन नश्यति । फलदापि मनोज्ञापि लतेवासेकवर्जिता
Indeed, every skill in a being perishes through lack of practice, even if it is fruitful and delightful, like a vine deprived of support.
एषा ज्ञानकला त्व् अन्तस् सकृज्जाता दिने दिने । वृद्धिम् एति बलाद् एव सताम् अप्य् उप्तशालिवत्
But this skill of knowledge, once born within, increases day by day of its own accord, even among the virtuous, like a sown grain of rice.
यथा दध्युद्धृतं नैति पुनर् दध्नैकतां घृतम् । तथा ज्ञानोद्धृता ज्ञप्तिर् नायात्य् अज्ञानतां पुनः
Just as clarified butter, once separated from curds, does not become curds again, so too, knowledge once extracted does not return to ignorance.
यथा परभटव्यूहं विभिद्योदेति सद्भटः । तथाज्ञानं विदार्यान्ध्यम् उदेति ज्ञानभास्करः
Just as a valiant warrior emerges after breaking through the enemy ranks, so too does the sun of knowledge arise, piercing the darkness of ignorance.
चिद्घनं निर्मलं ब्रह्म शान्तं सर्वम् इदं ततम् । अद्वैतं द्वैतवद् भाति नित्यम् एकम् अनामयम्
Consciousness, pure and undisturbed, is Brahman—peaceful, pervading all this; nondual, yet appearing as dual, ever one, free from affliction.
एकस् स्फुरत्य् अखिलवस्तुषु चित्स्वरूप आत्मा परस् स्वजलधिष्व् इव तोयम् अच्छम् । संशान्तसङ्कलनभूरिकलापम् एकं सत्तांशमात्रम् अखिलं जगद् अङ्ग विद्धि
The supreme Self, whose nature is consciousness, shines alone in all things, like clear water in its own ocean; know this entire world, O friend, as a single mass of existence, with all its manifold aggregates stilled.
परस्मात् कारणाद् एको जीवḫ प्रथमम् उत्थितः । तस्माज् जीवकणा जाताẖ कणास् तप्तायसो यथा
From the supreme cause, a single living being first arose; from that, countless living beings emerged, like sparks from heated iron.
ते देवनागगन्धर्वविद्याधरशताभिधाः । स्फुरन्त्य् आत्मामृताम्भोदनिर्मलामृतबिन्दवः
These, known as gods, serpents, gandharvas, and vidyadharas by the hundreds, shine forth as pure drops of nectar from the ocean of immortal Self.
स्वैरसङ्कल्पजालेन वलिता बन्धम् आगताः । स्वलालयेव तन्तुत्वं गतया कोशकारकाः
Entangled by the net of their own thoughts, they come into bondage, just as silkworms, by their own threads, become cocooned.
स्वसङ्कल्पेन भूतानि बद्धानीति परस्परम् । स्वतुषेणेव धान्यानि दुẖखान्य् अनुभवन्त्य् अतः
By their own imagination, beings are mutually bound—thus, like grains by their own husk, they experience suffering.
स स्वसङ्कल्पनतुषो दह्यते ज्ञानवह्निना । यदा तदा भवन्त्य् अच्छा नवा मुक्ताकणा इव
When the husk of their own imagination is burned away by the fire of knowledge, then they become pure, like new pearls.
भूयो जगति जायन्ते न कदाचन केचन । ते ततात्मपदारूढा मूढत्वाद् उद्धृताशयाः
No beings are ever born again in the world; those who have ascended to the state of the Self are freed from delusion and from desires.
जगद्वृत्ताव् अवयवैर् मिथẖ कारणतां गतम् । अकारणं जगद् विद्धि नाशोत्पत्त्योस् स्वभावतः
In the activity of the world, its parts mutually become causes; but know that the world itself is causeless, for its arising and dissolution are inherent to its nature.
यथाम्बुकुम्भेषु नभो नार्पितं नाप्य् अनर्पितम् । तथात्मा सर्वदेहेषु न स्थितो नापि चास्थितः
Just as space is neither placed nor unplaced within water jars, so the Self is neither situated nor unsituated in all bodies.
सति कुम्भे सति च खे कुम्भाकाशाभिधा यथा । सत्य् आत्मनि च देहे च देहसंवेदनं तथा
When both the jar and the space exist, the term 'jar-space' is used; likewise, when both the Self and the body exist, the awareness of the body arises.
चेतनाचेतनकला नृप सन्ति न काश्चन । काचिद् आत्माभिधा सत्ता देहे स्फुरति केवलम्
O king, there are no conscious or unconscious aspects; only the existence called 'Self' alone shines forth in the body.
यथा दृङ् निर्मले व्योम्नि चिरन्यस्तोल्लसत्य् अलम् । तथा स्फुरति देहाभा सत्तात्मन्य् आत्मनामिका
Just as vision shines perfectly in clear space, so the existence named 'Self' shines forth in the absence of the body, within the Self.
पूर्वं जीवास् स्वसङ्कल्पैर् ये जगत्सुस्थितिं गताः । तत्सङ्गाद् अद्य जीवत्वं यान्त्य् अन्या ब्रह्मशक्तयः
Previously, those living beings who, by their own intentions, attained the existence of the world—now, by association with that, other powers of Brahman acquire the state of living.
यथा तस्करसंसर्गाद् बध्यते ऽतस्करो ऽपि हि । तथा प्राग्जीवसंसर्गात् प्रयात्य् आत्मकला मितिम्
Just as a thief is bound by association with other thieves, so, by association with former living beings, the aspect of the Self attains limitation.
यावत् स्वता स्वदेहादौ तावत् संसृतिबीजता । यावद् विषयभोगाशा जीवाख्या तावद् आत्मनः
As long as there is the sense of ownership regarding one's body and such, so long does the seed of transmigration remain; as long as there is desire for enjoyment of objects, the self is called the 'individual soul.'
विवेकवशतो ज्ञत्वाज् जाते द्वैतैक्ययोẖ क्षये । आत्मा जीवत्वम् उत्सृज्य ब्रह्मताम् एत्य् अनामयः
When, through discernment, the destruction of duality and unity is realized, the self, abandoning individuality, attains the state of Brahman, free from affliction.
जराजन्ममृतिभ्रान्तिचक्रे भ्रमति मोहिता । वासनातन्तुबद्धेयं जनतातापभागिनी
Deluded, it wanders in the cycle of old age, birth, and death, bound by the threads of latent tendencies, sharing in the suffering of the multitude.
न कस्यचिद् अहं नैव कश्चिद् एवाहम् ईदृशः । नैव कश्चिन् ममेत्य् अन्तर्निश्चयात् त्यज संसृतिम्
With inner certainty, abandon worldly existence, knowing: 'I am not anyone's, nor is anyone truly mine; I am not this kind of person, nor is anyone mine.'
सर्वं ममाहं सर्वस्य चैवेति दृढनिश्चयात् । त्यज संसृतिसंरम्भं स्वस्थो भव भवातिगः
With firm conviction that 'All is mine and I am of all,' abandon the agitation of worldly existence and, established in yourself, become one who has gone beyond becoming.
ऊर्ध्वाद् अधस् त्व् अधस्ताच् च पुनर् ऊर्ध्वं व्रजंश् चिरम् । मा संसारारघट्टस्य चिन्तारज्ज्वां घटो भव
Going upward from below and downward from above for a long time, do not become a pot bound by the rope of worry about the churning of worldly existence.
इदं ममाहम् अस्येति व्यवहारघनभ्रमम् । ये मोहात् सन्निषेवन्ते ते ऽधस्ताद् यान्त्य् अधश् शठाः
Those who, out of delusion, persistently engage in the dense confusion of 'This is mine, I am this, this belongs to me,' they, being deceitful, go ever downward.
अस्याहम् एष मे सो ऽयम् अहम् एवम्मयात्मनि । मोहे बुद्ध्या परित्यक्ते ऊर्ध्वाद् ऊर्ध्वं प्रयास्य् अजः
When the delusion of 'I am his, this is mine, he is me, I am this way' is abandoned by the intellect, O unborn one, you will ascend ever higher.