स कदाचित् सभासंस्थẖ कथाप्रस्तावतः क्वचित् । नरमृत्युकथामध्ये गुरुं पप्रच्छ वाक्पतिम्
Once, while seated in an assembly, during a discussion, he asked the eloquent teacher about the topic of human death.
भस्मीभूतस्य शान्तस्य पुनर् आगमनं कुतः । परलोकोपलम्भश् च शरीरेण विना कुतः
How can one who has become ashes and is at peace return again? And how is experience of the other world possible without a body?
मृगतृष्णाम्बुवद् देहो जीवस्य प्रतिभासते । असत्यात्मा स्वसंवित्तेḫ पयसीव तरङ्गकः
The body appears to the living being like a mirage; its essence is unreal in one's own awareness, like a wave in water.
न तत्त्वतो दह्यते ऽसौ जायते न च तत्त्वतः । न तत्त्वतश् च म्रियते दुẖखं चानुभवत्य् अति
It is not truly burned, nor is it truly born; nor does it truly die, yet it experiences intense suffering.
यादृग्भावो भवत्य् एष जीवस् तत् फलम् अश्नुते । नासत्यत्वं न सत्यत्वं किञ्चिद् अस्योपयुज्यते
Whatever disposition arises, the living being experiences its result; neither unreality nor reality is of any use to it.
यया कयाचिद् युक्त्यैव राजन् भावनभावने । विनिवृत्ते क्व जीवत्वं बन्धमोक्षदृशौ क्व च
By whatever reasoning or contemplation, O king, when imagination ceases, where is livingness, and where are the views of bondage and liberation?
सदेहो ऽहं हि जीवामि चिरम् अप्य् उपलभ्य ह । चेतत्य् अहं मृतो ऽस्मीति जीवस् स्वप्न इवावपुः
With a body, I live for a long time, perceiving thus; when dead, I think 'I am dead,' and the living being is like a form in a dream.
पिण्डदानादिना भूयो भावितेनाशु पश्यति । जातो ऽस्मीति ततẖ कर्मभोक्तास्मीति च चेतति
Through offerings like piṇḍa and other rites, quickly, by contemplation, one sees again; then thinks 'I am born,' and 'I am the enjoyer of actions.'
इयं मृतिर् अयं व्याधिर् इदं मरणम् आगतम् । इदं जीवितम् एता मे योनयस् सुखदुẖखदाः
This is death, this is disease, this is the arrival of mortality; this is life—these are the sources for me that bring pleasure and pain.
इत्य् अन्तश् चेतति पुमाञ् जलद्रवविवृत्तिवत् । अभावितं भावितं च स्वचमत्कारजं च तत्
Thus, a person reflects inwardly, as water flows and changes form; whether unformed or formed, it is all born from one's own sense of wonder.
जीवितप्रतिभासो ऽथ मरणप्रतिभासनम् । अन्यताप्रतिभासाश् च जीवस्यैव व्यवस्थिताः
The appearance of life, then the appearance of death, and the appearance of other states—all are established only in the living being.
न देहḫ परमार्थेन विद्यते न च भूतता । असद् एवेदम् आभाति सद् इव भ्रममात्रकम्
The body does not truly exist, nor does its elemental nature; this appears as unreal, yet seems real—merely a delusion.
वेदनं विद्धि संसारम् अवेदनम् असंसृतिम् । जीवो यादृक्संसृतिस् स्यात् तादृग् एव च चेतति
Know that sensation is samsara, and absence of sensation is liberation; as the living being's samsara is, so is its awareness.
एतावन्मात्रकैवेयं युक्तिर् उक्ता मनीषिभिः । अनुभूयत एवैतत् किम् एतावति विभ्रमः
Only this much reasoning has been spoken by the wise; this is directly experienced—why is there confusion about this?
जीवे ऽन्तर् अस्ति संसारस् तिले तैलम् इवाबिलम् । न संसारान्तरे जीवस् स्वप्नादाव् इति दृश्यते
Within the living being, samsara exists, like oil in a sesame seed; but in the state beyond samsara, the living being is not seen, as in dream.
कटकत्वं सुवर्णे ऽस्ति कटकत्वे न हेमता । अविचारणयास्त्य् एतत् प्रेक्षया नेह विद्यते
Bracelet-ness exists in gold, but gold-ness does not exist in the bracelet; this exists due to lack of inquiry, but with discernment, it is not found here.
अधिकप्रेक्षया कैश्चिन् न हेमाप्य् अनुभूयते । अतो न हेम नो जीवẖ कटकत्वं च नाङ्ग सत्
Due to excessive scrutiny by some, even gold is not experienced; therefore, neither gold nor the living being truly exists, nor is there any essence in the form of a bracelet.
यद् अन्तर् अस्ति तद् राजन्न् अन्तर् एवानुभूयते । मनाग् अप्य् अत्र नो बाह्यसाधनाद्य् उपयुज्यते
Whatever is within, O King, is experienced only inwardly; not even the slightest external means is employed here.
मृगतृष्णाम्बु जीवादि तत्समाश् चानुभूतयः । वेदनावेदनाद्यास् तद् यच् छिष्टं तद् अवाग्गति
The experiences of mirage-water, the living being, and similar things are alike; sensations and non-sensations, and whatever else remains, are all beyond speech.
भ्रम एवोदितो मिथ्या भ्रमो मिथ्या विलीयते । शेषं शान्तम् अवाग्योग्यं यत् तद् अस्ति न चास्ति वा
Delusion alone arises falsely, and false delusion dissolves; what remains is peaceful and beyond words, whether it exists or does not exist.
अयं मृतो ऽहम् अस्मीति जीवो भावितभावनः । अजातो म्रियते ऽन्यत्र जातो ऽस्मीत्य् अवगच्छति
This living being, shaped by its own thoughts, believes 'I am dead' or 'I am this'; elsewhere, it perceives itself as unborn dying, or as born.
देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यराशीन् स्वमननात्मकान् । जीवको ऽनुभवत्य् अन्तर् जलं द्रवरयान् इव
The living being inwardly experiences collections of space, time, actions, and substances, which are of its own mind's nature, just as water flows within fluidity.
प्रमाणातीतचिद्रूपरूपत्वाज् जीवको ऽप्य् असन् । तेनानुभाव्यानुभवौ न सन्तौ नानुभावकः
Because the living being is of a nature beyond measure and consciousness, it is not truly existent; thus, experience and the experiencer are not real, nor is there an experiencer.
असत्यम् एव सत्याभं जीवस् स्वप्रतिभात्मकम् । सभूम्यम्बरशैलार्कं वपुḫ पश्यति वा न वा
The living being, which is only its own perception, appears unreal yet seems real; it may see its form as earth, sky, mountain, or sun—or may not see it at all.
जीवḫ पश्यति चेद् एतत् तद् अनर्थविजृम्भणा । न चेत् पश्यति चात्मैव तत् परोपशमश् शिवः
If the individual perceives this, it is merely the unfolding of misfortune; but if he does not perceive it, then he is the Self alone, and that supreme peace is auspicious.
निरस्तशास्त्रार्थविचारचापलं विलीननानाकुलकार्यगौरवम् । असम्भवत्सानुभवोद्भवभ्रमं प्रशान्तनिर्वाणम् अशेषम् ईश्वरः
He is the Lord who is utterly tranquil and liberated, free from the restlessness of scriptural speculation, dissolved from the weight of manifold worldly duties, and devoid of the delusion arising from impossible or imagined experiences.
सतासता वा जीवेन केनाप्य् अन्येन वा गुरो । तथा न केनचिद् वापि देहेनैवाथ वापि च
Whether by the living being, by someone else, by the teacher, or by no one at all, or even by the body itself—whether real or unreal—
भावितं पिण्डदानादेḫ फलं यद्य् अनुभूयते । तदाकर्तुर् न दोषेण सम्बन्ध इति मे मतिः
If the result of an act such as offering the funeral cake is experienced, my view is that the one who did not perform it bears no fault or connection.
अकर्तुḫ पिण्डदानादेẖ क्रियापीठस्य सन्मते । विरोधभावनं चित्तात् क्व गच्छति वदाशु मे
If, according to accepted opinion, the act of offering the funeral cake is done by a non-agent, then tell me quickly: where does the contradiction conceived in the mind go?
परस्परानपेक्षित्वात् क्रियात्यागात् प्रजाहितम् । भवेत् तेनेह संयोगो जायते महतैनसा
Because actions are abandoned, and there is no mutual dependence, if one acts for the benefit of others here, such association results in great sin.