त्यागो हि कर्मणां तस्माद् आदेहं नोपपद्यते । यैस् तु सन्त्यज्यते कर्म तन्मूलं तैर् न मुच्यते
Renunciation of actions alone does not bring about the cessation of embodiment; for those who abandon actions, the root cause is not thereby removed.
मूलं स्वकर्मणस् संविन् मनसो वासनात्मनः । सा चादेहं समुच्छेत्तुम् ऋते बोधान् न शक्यते
The root of one's actions is consciousness, which is the essence of the mind's tendencies; and this cannot be completely severed except through awakening.
राम केवलम् एषान्तẖ कर्ममूलकला परा । सूक्ष्मा संविद् असंवित्त्या स्वयत्नेन निकृन्त्यते
Rama, this supreme subtle power within is rooted in action; subtle consciousness is cut off from ignorance only by one's own effort.
येन संविद् असंवित्त्या स्वयत्नेन निवार्यते । तेन संसृतिवृक्षस्य मूलकाषो वितन्यते
By the effort through which consciousness is restrained from ignorance, the root of the tree of transmigration is destroyed.
अचेतनाकाशम् अजं यद् एकं तत्रैवम् अस्ति त्व् इदम् अर्थहीनम् । तद् व्योमरूपं यत एतद् एवं निरामयं चेतनसारम् आहुः
That which is unborn, unmanifest, and singular like inert space, is thus; this is devoid of meaning, yet they call it the essence of consciousness, pure and of the nature of space.
अवेदनं वेदनस्य मुनीन्द्र क्रियते कथम् । नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः
How can the absence of sensation be produced from sensation, O chief of sages? Non-being does not have existence, nor does non-existence arise from being.
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः । यदा तदैव सुकरं वेदनावेदनं स्वयम्
Non-being does not have existence, nor does non-existence arise from being; only when this is realized does sensation and its absence become easy to understand.
एतौ वेदनशब्दार्थौ रज्जुसर्पभ्रमोपमौ । असत्याव् उदितौ विद्धि मृगतृष्णाम्भसस् समौ
These two terms, sensation and its absence, are like the illusion of a snake in a rope; know that both are unreal, like the mirage of water.
अबोधस् त्व् अनयोश् श्रेयान् बोधो दुẖखाय चैतयोः । तस्मात् सद् एव बुध्यस्व मासद् बुध्यस्व राघव
Of these two, non-cognition is preferable; cognition brings suffering to both. Therefore, know only the real, Rāghava, and do not know what is unreal.
जन्तोर् वेदनशब्दार्थबोधो दुẖखकरḫ परः । न्यक्कृत्य ज्ञप्तिशब्दार्थबोधं तिष्ठ यथास्थितम्
For a living being, knowledge of the meaning of words like 'sensation' leads to great suffering; so, disregarding knowledge of the meaning of words like 'awareness,' remain as you are.
सर्वावबोधावसरे ज्ञप्तिशब्दार्थयोर् इह । निर्वाणोदय इत्य् एव परम् ॐ इति शाम्यताम्
At the moment of complete understanding, here, of the meanings of words like 'awareness,' the arising of nirvāṇa alone is called the highest—let it be resolved as 'Om.'
शुभाशुभात्म कर्म स्वं नाशनीयं विवेकिना । तन् नास्तीत्य् अवबोधेन तत्त्वज्ञानेन सिध्यति
For the discerning, their own actions, whether good or bad, must be destroyed; this is accomplished by the realization that 'they do not exist,' through true knowledge.
कर्ममूलनिकाषेण संसारḫ परिशाम्यति । सुविचारितम् अन्विष्टं यावत् कर्म न विद्यते
With the destruction of the root of karma, saṃsāra comes to an end; as long as karma is thoroughly examined and sought out, it does not remain.
चिद्रूपो बिल्वमज्जो ऽन्तश् चित्रास् सञ्ज्ञा यद् आत्मनि । करोति तद् यथा बिल्वान् न स्वल्पम् अपि भिद्यते
Just as the pulp inside a bael fruit, though of the nature of consciousness, creates various distinctions within itself, yet the bael is not split even a little by these.
तथा ब्रह्मघनस्यान्तर् अनानैवावभासते । नानेव ननु तस्मात् तन् न मनाग् अपि भिद्यते
In the same way, within the mass of Brahman, diversity only appears as if it were there; truly, therefore, it is not divided in the least.
न यथा सन्निवेशो ऽन्तस् सन्निवेशवतḫ पृथक् । तथा नञर्थादि पृथङ् न परस्मान् मनाग् अपि
Just as the arrangement inside is not separate from the thing arranged, so, too, negation and other concepts are not at all separate from the Supreme.
यद् एवान्तस् तद् एवान्तर् द्रवत्वम् अपृथग् यथा । वित्त्वम् एव तथावित्त्वं तद्रूपत्वान् नञर्थयोः
Just as fluidity is not separate within water, so too is wealth and non-wealth identical in their essence, being of the same nature as negation and affirmation.
यथा द्रवत्वं पयसि यथालोकश् च तेजसि । तथा ब्रह्मण्य् अतद्भावश् चित्य् अचित्त्वं न विद्यते
As fluidity is in water and light is in fire, so in Brahman there is no absence of consciousness; there is no non-consciousness in consciousness.
चेतनं कर्म तच् चान्तर् निर्मूलं भ्रमयक्षवत् । उदेत्य् अहेतुकं तच् चेन् नोदितं तन् न विद्यते
Consciousness and action are within, rootless, like the rotation of a wheel; if they arise without cause, and if not arisen, they do not exist.
चेतनं कर्म तच् चैतद् भाति स्पन्द इवानिले । अहेतुकं यदात्मैतद् बहिर् अन्तश् च सार्थधीः
Consciousness and action appear just as vibration appears in the wind; this self, being causeless, is perceived both outwardly and inwardly by the mind accompanied by thoughts.
विस्तारẖ कर्मणां देहस् सो ऽहन्तात्मा स संसृतिः । अचेतनानहन्त्वेन शाम्यत्य् अस्पन्दवातवत्
The expansion of actions is the body, the sense of 'I' is the self, and that is transmigration; when there is absence of consciousness and egoity, it subsides like wind without movement.
अवेदनाद् अनन्तात्मा भूत्वा ज्ञो ऽप्य् उपलोपमः । संसारे मूलकषणं कुरु क्रोडमुखाग्रवत्
By the absence of perception, one becomes of infinite nature; even the knower appears as if lost. In the world, cut the root like the tip of a crocodile's mouth.
कर्मबीजकलाकोशत्याग एवं कृतो भवेत् । नान्यथा राघवातस् ते शान्तम् अस्तु सदा स्थितम्
Only by the abandonment of the seed, sprout, and sheath of action is this accomplished; not otherwise, O Raghava. May your peace always remain established.
कर्मबीजकलात्यागे त्व् एतस्माद् इतरात्मनि । अविद्यमाने जीवस्य तज्ज्ञैर् विदितवस्तुभिः
When the seed and sprout of action are abandoned, and in the absence of the other self, for the living being, this is known by those who know reality.
शान्तैर् न गृह्यते किञ्चिन् न च सन्त्यज्यते ऽपि च । त्यागादाने न जानन्ति ते ऽतस् तैश् शान्तम् आस्यते
The peaceful neither grasp anything nor abandon anything; they do not know acceptance or rejection, and thus they abide in peace.
आकाशशून्यहृदयैर् ज्ञैर् यथास्थितम् आस्यते । क्रियते च यथाप्राप्तं नास्यते क्रियते न च
Those wise ones whose hearts are as empty as space remain as they are; they act as circumstances arise, yet neither abide in action nor in inaction.
प्रवाहापतितस्पन्दं स्पन्दन्ते शान्तचेतसाम् । तेषां कर्मेन्द्रियाण्य् एवम् अर्धसंसुप्तबालवत्
For those whose minds are tranquil, the organs of action move only with the current, like the limbs of a half-asleep child.
रसे निर्वासने लब्धरसा अप्य् अतिनीरसाः । नान्तस् तिष्ठन्ति न बहिर् ज्ञा अज्ञा निपुणा इव
Though they may experience pleasure, being free of desire, they are utterly indifferent; the wise dwell neither within nor without, appearing as if skillfully ignorant.
कर्मणो ऽवेदनं त्यागस् स च सिद्धḫ प्रबोधतः । अवस्तुनेतरेणाथ किं कृतेनाकृतेन वा
The non-experience of action is renunciation, and this is attained by the awakened; for what is gained by doing or not doing, when the other is unreal?
अवेदनम् असंवेद्यं यद् अवासनम् आसितम् । शान्तं समम् अनुल्लेखं स कर्मत्याग उच्यते
That state where action is unexperienced, unperceived, and free from intention, where one sits in peace, equality, and without thought—this is called the abandonment of action.