हार्दान्धकारमार्ताण्ड संशयाब्दानिलप्रभो । जगतां भूतजातस्य जातस्याथ भविष्यतः
O lord of the wind that dispels the clouds of doubt and the darkness of the heart, this applies to the beings of the world—those already born and those yet to be.
किं कथं कारणायातं किं कथं चाप्य् अकारणम् । जातं वा जायते वापि कथं वापि जनिष्यते
How and why does something arise with a cause, and how and why does it arise without a cause? How is it born, how does it come into being, and how will it be born in the future?
दिक्कालाद्यनवच्छिन्नं व्योम्न्य् अव्योम्नि च संस्थितम् । चिद्व्योमानुभवप्राप्यम् आमोदḫ पवने यथा
Unbounded by direction, time, or other limits, established in space and beyond space, consciousness is experienced in the sky of awareness, just as fragrance is sensed in the wind.
ख इवार्को ऽम्बुदव्याप्तो वटबीज इवाङ्कुरः । वायौ स्पन्द इवालक्ष्यं व्योम्न्य् अव्योम्नि च चेतनम्
Just as the sun pervades the sky, as a sprout is contained within the banyan seed, or as an imperceptible vibration exists in the wind, so too consciousness abides in space and beyond space.
तत् क्वचिन् नित्यम् अचलं शान्तं समसमस्थिति । ब्रह्माण्डपाराम्बरवद् अनन्तम् अविकारि च
That is, at times, eternal, unmoving, peaceful, established in sameness; like the limitless expanse beyond the cosmic egg, unchanging.
क्वचित् स्वभावजात् स्पन्दात् स्फुरत्य् अग्निर् इव त्विषा । भूततन्मात्रभावेन जगत्तां समुपेयुषा
At times, arising from its own inherent vibration, it flashes forth like fire with its radiance, assuming the state of the subtle elements and becoming the world.
क्वचित् प्राक्स्पन्दसम्पन्नभूततन्मात्ररञ्जनात् । भूतत्वं समुपादत्ते हेमाङ्गददशाम् इव
At times, being colored by the subtle elements endowed with prior vibration, it takes on the condition of gross elements, like gold fashioned into an ornament.
यथा सत्त्वम् उपेक्ष्य स्वं शनैर् विप्रो दुरीहया । अङ्गीकरोति शूद्रत्वं तथा जाड्यं चिदीश्वरः
Just as a brahmin, disregarding his own nature, gradually assumes the state of a śūdra through wrong inclination, so does the Lord of consciousness take on inertness.
भूतानि द्विविधान्य् एवं प्रतिसर्गं स्फुरन्ति हि । अद्यचित्स्पन्दजातानि चिरचित्स्पन्दजानि च
Thus, the elements manifest in two ways at the time of creation: those born of recent consciousness-vibration, and those born of ancient consciousness-vibration.
तत्र ये चित्स्वभावोत्थस्पन्दजास् ते हि जीवकाः । निष्कारणं समुत्पन्ना रुचयस् सन्मणेर् इव
Among these, those arising from the vibration of the nature of consciousness are the living beings, coming into existence without cause, like the rays from a flawless gem.
सकारणत्वम् अधुना गन्तव्यं तैस् स्वकर्मभिः । दशासु बन्धमोक्षासु नाशे जन्मनि कर्मणि
Now, they must enter into causality through their own actions—in the states of bondage and liberation, in destruction, birth, and action.
ईश्वरात् समुपागत्य भुक्तजन्मान्तरास् तु ये । जाता जन्मनि तेषां हि प्राक्तनं कर्मकारणम्
But those who, having come from the Lord, have already experienced previous births— for them, in their present birth, past actions are the cause.
अधुनैव हि सम्पन्ना ये जीवा ब्रह्मणḫ पदात् । ते ह्य् अकारणजन्मानो भविष्यज्जन्मकारणम्
Those beings who have now attained the state of Brahman are born without cause; they are the cause for the birth of those who will be born.
कार्यकारणभावो ऽयम् ईदृशो जीवकर्मणोः । जीवो ऽकारणजḫ पुण्यो धन्यẖ कारणजस् स्मृतः
This is the nature of cause and effect in the actions of living beings: the one born without cause is called virtuous and blessed, while the one born with cause is remembered as such.
केचित् पुण्याḫ प्रजायन्ते केचिद् धन्याश् च जीवकाः । पुण्या धन्यत्वम् आयान्ति न धन्या यान्ति पुण्यताम्
Some virtuous beings are born, and some living beings are blessed; the virtuous attain blessedness, but the blessed do not attain virtue.
धन्याḫ पुण्यत्वम् अगता एव केचिद् विमोक्षणाः । धन्यत्वान् मोक्षिणẖ केचिद् धन्यत्वाद् अपि नेतरे
Some blessed ones have not attained virtue and are liberated; some are liberated due to blessedness, while others are not liberated even from blessedness.
वीरुत्तृणलतागुल्मयौककीटखगादयः । सुरासुरनराहीन्द्रपिशाचाशीविषादयः
Grasses, herbs, creepers, shrubs, worms, insects, birds, gods, demons, humans, serpents, spirits, and poisonous creatures—
केचिद् धन्याẖ केचित् पुण्याẖ केचिद् धास्यन्ति पुण्यताम् । पुण्यत्वान् मोक्षिणẖ केचिद् धन्यत्वाद् वा ततो ऽपि नो
Some are blessed, some are virtuous, some will attain virtue; some are liberated through virtue, some through blessedness, and some not even through these.
यथा रत्नस्य कचनं स्पन्दनं पवनस्य च । यथौष्ण्यम् अनलादेश् च चिन्मात्रस्य तथा जगत्
Just as the shine belongs to a gem, movement to the wind, and heat to fire, so too does the world belong to pure consciousness.
असम्यग्दर्शनोत्पन्नं पुंस्त्वं स्थाणौ यथोदितम् । क्षीयते सम्यगालोकाद् द्वित्वम् एव तथात्मनि
Manhood arises in a pillar from improper perception, as has been said; it is destroyed by proper vision, and so too is duality in the self.
चिन्मात्रस्यातिशुद्धस्य निस्सङ्कल्पोदितात्मनः । अनन्तस्य प्रकाशस्य सर्वगत्वाद् रघूद्वह
O best of the Raghu lineage, because pure consciousness is utterly pure, arises without any thought-construct, is boundless and luminous, it pervades all.
खाद् एव जायते कश्चित् कश्चिद् व्योम्न्य् एव लीयते । जीवस् सङ्कल्पमात्रात्मा मधाव् इव जरद्घनः
Just as something appears in space and something else dissolves into space, so too the individual soul, whose nature is merely a projection of thought, arises and subsides like mist in spring.
आत्मानं सम्यग् आलोक्य यẖ ख एव विलीयते । न स सन्दृश्यते भूयो हिमं तापद्रुतं यथा
One who, having truly seen the Self, merges into space itself, is not seen again—just as ice melted by heat disappears.
यस् त्व् अपश्यन् स्वम् आत्मानं सस्पन्दẖ कलनात्मभिः । कर्मभिस् स स्फुरत्य् उच्चैर् विलीनो जायते पुनः
But he who does not perceive his own Self, remaining identified with vibrating thoughts, becomes manifest again through actions, even after merging, just as before.
यस् सङ्कल्पपरिस्पन्दैस् स्थौल्यम् एति जडात्मकः । प्रावृषीव पयोवाहẖ क्षीणक्षीणो ऽप्य् उदेत्य् असौ
He who, through the agitation of thoughts, becomes gross and inert, rises again and again, like a rain cloud in the monsoon, even after being diminished.
आत्मत्वांशान्वितम् अपि चित्सङ्कल्पं रघूद्वह । दूरीकुरु महासिद्ध्यै विषसिक्तम् इवाशनम्
O best of the Raghu lineage, even the thought-construct endowed with a sense of self—set it far aside for supreme attainment, as one would set aside food mixed with poison.
निर्विकल्पम् अनाद्यन्तम् उदासीनम् अवस्थितम् । सर्वात्मैकं समुदितं चिद्व्योम भव भूतये
Become the sky of consciousness—without thought, without beginning or end, indifferent, established, one with all, arisen as the single Self of all—for the sake of true being.
अकारणम् उपायान्ति सर्वे जीवाḫ परात् पदात् । पश्चात् कारणतां यान्ति बन्धमोक्षदशास्व् इह
All living beings reach the Supreme State without any cause; afterwards, in the states of bondage and liberation here, they come to possess causality.
सङ्कल्पित्वं हि बन्धस्य कारनं तत् परित्यज । मोक्षस् तु निस्सङ्कल्पत्वं तदभ्यासं धिया कुरु
Imagination is indeed the cause of bondage; abandon it. Liberation is freedom from imagination—practice this with your mind.
अकारणं त्व् अकरणात् सर्वकारणकारणात् । यावन् निमेषम् अव्यक्ताज् जीवस् सम्पद्यते शिवात्
From the unmanifest, which is without cause and not an agent, and is the cause of all causes, the individual soul arises from Śiva for just an instant.