भानोर् भासा भूषितैर् मेघलेशैः किञ्चित् किञ्चित् कुङ्कुमच्छाययेव । पाश्चात्यो ऽद्रिः पीतवासास् तमोऽब्धेस् ताराहारश्रीयुतः खं समेतः
The western mountain, adorned by the sun’s radiance and tinged here and there with clouds, appeared as if draped in yellow robes, joined with the sky, splendid with a necklace of stars, like the sea of darkness.
पूजाम् आदाय सन्ध्यायां प्रयातायां यथागतम् । अन्धकारास् समुत्तस्थुर् वेतालवलया इव
When the twilight worship was completed and it departed as it had come, darkness rose up everywhere, like circles of ghosts.
अवश्यायकणस्यन्दी हेलाविधुतपल्लवः । कोमलः कुमुदाशंसी ववाव् आशीतलो ऽनिलः
A gentle, cool breeze, carrying the scent of necessity, playfully stirred the tender leaves and seemed to promise the coming of the water-lily.
परमान्ध्यम् उपाजग्मुर् दिशो ऽपि स्फुटतारकाः । लम्बदीर्घतमःकेश्यो विधवा इव योषितः
The directions, bright with shining stars, fell into deep darkness, like widowed women with their long, hanging tresses.
आययौ भुवनं तेजःक्षीरपूरेण पूरयन् । रसायनमयाकारश् शशिक्षीरार्णवो नभः
A radiance, filling the world with a flood of milky light, arose; the sky became like an ocean of moon’s nectar, appearing as the very form of ambrosia.
जग्मुस् तिमिरसङ्घाताः पलाय्य क्वाप्य् अदृश्यताम् । श्रुतज्ञानगिरश् चित्तान् महीपानाम् इवाज्ञताः
Masses of darkness fled and vanished somewhere, just as the ignorance of kings disappears upon hearing the words of knowledge.
ऋषयो भूमिपालाश् च मुनयो ब्राह्मणास् तथा । चेतसीव विचित्रार्थास् स्वास्पदेषु विशश्रमुः
Sages, kings, ascetics, and brahmins, each rested in their own abodes, like diverse thoughts settling in the mind.
यमकायोपमा श्यामा ययौ तिमिरमांसला । आययौ मिहिकाकारा तत्र तेषाम् उषा शनैः
Night, dark and thick as the body of Yama, advanced, heavy with darkness; and there, slowly, dawn appeared in the form of mist.
अलक्ष्यताम् उपाजग्मुस् तारा नभसि भासुराः । प्रभातपवनेनेव हृताः कुङ्कुमवृष्टयः
Brilliant stars became invisible in the sky, as if swept away by the morning breeze, like showers of saffron dust.
दृश्यताम् आजगामार्कप्रभोन्मीलितलोचना । विवेकवृत्तिर् महतां मनसीव नवोद्गता
The dawn, with eyes opened by the sun’s light, became visible, like the newly arisen discernment in the minds of the great.
सभां पुनर् उपाजग्मुर् नभश्चरमहीचराः । ह्यस्तनेन क्रमेणैव कृतप्रातस्तनक्रमाः
Once again, those who move through the sky and those who walk upon the earth entered the assembly, following the same order as the previous morning, having completed their morning routines.
सा पूर्वसन्निवेशेन विवेश विपुला सभा । बभूवास्पन्दिताकारा वातमुक्तेव पद्मिनी
That vast assembly, arranged as before, was entered; it appeared motionless, like a lotus at the mouth of the wind.
अथ प्रसङ्गम् आसाद्य रामो मधुरया गिरा । उवाच मुनिशार्दूलं वसिष्ठं वदतां वरम्
Then, approaching the topic, Rama spoke with sweet words to Vasistha, the foremost among sages and the best of speakers.
भगवन् मनसो रूपं कीदृशं वद मे स्फुटम् । यस्मात् तेनेयम् अखिला तन्यते दोषमञ्जरी
Revered one, tell me clearly what is the nature of the mind, from which this entire cluster of faults arises.
रामास्य मनसो रूपं न किञ्चिद् अपि दृश्यते । नाममात्राद् ऋते व्योम्नो यथा शून्यजडाकृतेः
Rama, the form of the mind is not seen at all; apart from its name, it is like the empty, inert shape of the sky.
न बाह्ये नापि हृदये सद्रूपं विद्यते मनः । सर्वत्रैव स्थितं चैतद् विद्धि राम यथा नभः
The mind does not have a real form either outside or in the heart; know, Rama, that it is present everywhere, like the sky.
इदम् अस्यासद् उत्पन्नं मृगतृष्णाम्बुसन्निभम् । रूपं तु शृणु सङ्क्षेपाद् द्वितीयेन्दुभ्रमोपमम्
This form of the mind, which has arisen from unreality, is like the water of a mirage; listen briefly to its nature, which resembles the illusion of a second moon.
साधो यद् एतद् अर्थस्य प्रतिभानं प्रथां गतम् । सतो वाप्य् असतो वापि तन् मनो विद्धि नेतरत्
O noble one, whatever is the manifestation or appearance of meaning, whether real or unreal, know that as the mind and nothing else.
यद् अर्थप्रतिभानं तन् मन इत्य् अभिधीयते । अन्यन् न किञ्चिद् अप्य् अस्ति मनो नाम कदाचन
That which is the appearance of an object—that is what is called mind; there is nothing else at any time that is called mind.
सङ्कल्पनं मनो विद्धि सङ्कल्पात् तन् न भिद्यते । यथा द्रवत्वात् सलिलं तथा स्पन्दो यथानिलात्
Know that imagination is the mind; it is not different from imagination, just as liquidity is not different from water, and motion is not different from wind.
यत्र सङ्कल्पनं तत्र तन् मनो ऽङ्ग तथा स्थितम् । सङ्कल्पमनसी भिन्ने न कदाचन केचन
Wherever there is imagination, there the mind exists, O dear one; imagination and mind are never separate from each other.
सत्यम् अस्त्व् अथ वासत्यं यद् अर्थप्रतिभासनम् । तावन्मात्रं मनो विद्धि तद् ब्रह्मैष पितामहः
Whether it is real or unreal, whatever appears as an object—know that alone as mind; this, O Brahma, is the truth.
आतिवाहिकदेहात्मा मन इत्य् अभिधीयते । आधिभौतिकबुद्धिस् तु सदाधीस् तु चिरस्थितिः
The subtle body is called mind; but the intellect connected with the physical body is enduring and stable.
अविद्या संसृतिश् चित्तं मनो बन्धो मलं तमः । इति पर्यायनामानि दृश्यस्य विदुर् उत्तमाः
Ignorance, transmigration, mind, bondage, impurity, darkness—these are synonyms, say the wise, for what is perceived.
न हि दृश्याद् ऋते किञ्चिन् मनसो रूपम् अस्ति हि । दृश्यं चोत्पन्नम् एवैतन् नेति वक्ष्याम्य् अहं पुनः
Indeed, apart from the perceived, there is no form of the mind; and this perceived is itself produced—this I will explain again.
यथा कमलबीजे ऽन्तस् स्थिता कमलमञ्जरी । महाचित्परमाण्वन्तस् तथा दृश्यं जगत् स्थितम्
Just as within a lotus seed the lotus blossom is contained, so within the great atom of consciousness this perceived world is contained.
प्रकाशस्य यथालोको यथा वातस्य चोपनम् । यथा द्रवत्वं पयसो दृश्यत्वं द्रष्टुर् ईदृशम्
Just as light is the radiance of illumination, as movement is to wind, as liquidity is to water, and visibility is to the seer—so is this (quality) in the seer.
अङ्गदत्वं यथा हेम्नि मृगनद्यां यथा जलम् । भित्तिर् यथा स्वप्नपुरे तथा द्रष्टरि दृश्यधीः
Just as the form of a bracelet is in gold, as water is in a mirage river, as a wall is in a dream city—so is the perception of the seen in the seer.
एवं द्रष्टरि दृश्यत्वम् अनन्यद् इव यत् स्थितम् । तद् अप्य् उन्मार्जयाम्य् आशु त्वच्चित्तादर्शतो मलम्
Thus, the appearance of the seen in the seer, as if it were something different, I quickly wipe away—like a stain—by showing you the mirror of your own mind.
यद् द्रष्टुर् अस्याद्रष्टृत्वं दृश्याभावे भवेद् बलात् । तद् विद्धि केवलीभावम् अत एवासतस् सतः
When, due to the absence of the seen, the seer forcibly ceases to be a seer, know that as the state of pure being—of the existent and the non-existent alike.