असत्य् एव खरूपे ऽस्मिञ् जगदाख्ये विदो भ्रमे । लोकान्तराद्र्योघमयी सुदृढाज्ञस्य भावना
In this world, which is unreal and like empty space, the deluded imagination of the ignorant—firm and massive as a mountain—creates the notion of the universe.
इदं हेयम् उपादेयम् इदम् इत्य् अन्तर् अज्ञता । यस्य तस्य भवायास्ति सर्वज्ञस्यापि मूढता
The inner ignorance that thinks, 'This should be rejected, this should be accepted,' is the cause of becoming; even in the all-knowing, this is delusion.
सचेतनो ह्य् अवयवी चेतत्य् अवयवान् यथा । स्वान्तर् एव ततं जीवस् त्रिजगद् बुध्यते तथा
Just as a living body is aware of its limbs, so too, within itself, the individual soul perceives the three worlds.
संविदात्म पराकाशम् अनन्तम् अहम् अव्ययः । व्योम्नो ऽवयवरूपाणि तस्येमानि जगन्ति मे
I am the infinite, indestructible Self, the essence of consciousness, the supreme sky; these worlds are like limbs of space, belonging to me.
सचेतनो ऽयḫपिण्डो ऽन्तẖ क्षुरसूच्यादिकं यथा । बुध्यते बुध्यते तद्वज् जीवो ऽन्तस् त्रिजगद्भ्रमम्
Just as a living lump of flesh is aware of a hair, a needle, or other things within it, so too, the soul perceives the illusion of the three worlds within itself.
अचित् सचिद् वा मृत्पिण्डश् शरावोदञ्चनादिकम् । यथाङ्गं मनुते जीवस् तथाङ्गं मनुते जगत्
Whether conscious or unconscious, a lump of clay imagines itself as a pot or a cup according to its form; in the same way, the soul imagines the world according to its own form.
चिद् अचिद् वाङ्कुरो देहे वृक्षत्वं मन्यते यथा । वृक्षशब्दार्थरहितं ब्रह्मेदं त्रिजगत् तथा
Whether conscious or unconscious, a sprout in the body imagines itself to be a tree; in the same way, this threefold world, devoid of the true meaning of 'tree,' is imagined as Brahman.
चिद् वाचिद् वा यथादर्शो बिम्बितं वाप्य् अबिम्बितम् । नगरं वेत्ति नो वापि तथा ब्रह्म जगत्त्रयम्
Whether conscious or unconscious, a mirror may reflect an image or not; it may know a city or not—so too, Brahman is the threefold world.
देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यमात्रम् एव जगत्त्रयम् । अहन्त्वजगतोस् तेन भेदो नास्ति तदात्मनोः
The three worlds are nothing but space, time, action, and substance; therefore, there is no difference between the sense of 'I' and the universe, as both are of the same essence.
कल्पितेनोपमानेन यद् एतद् उपदिश्यते । अत्रोपमैकदेशेन उपमेयसधर्मता
Whatever is taught here by means of an imagined analogy, in that, only a partial similarity is intended between the example and what is to be explained.
यद् इदं दृश्यते किञ्चिज् जगत् स्थावरजङ्गमम् । अमुञ्चतḫ पराणुत्वं जीवस्यैतत् स्मृतं वपुः
Whatever is seen here, whether moving or unmoving in the world, do not abandon its atomic subtlety; this is said to be the form of the individual soul.
सर्वसंवेदनत्यागे शुद्धसत्तास्पदे पदे । न मनाग् अपि भेदो ऽस्ति निस्सङ्गोपलकोशयोः
When all perception is relinquished and one abides in the pure state of being, there is not the slightest distinction between the detached soul and the Supreme Self.
यो यो नाम समुल्लेखो यत्र यत्र यथा यथा । यदा यदा येन येन पयसस् स यथा द्रवः
Whatever thought arises, wherever, however, whenever, by whatever means—just as the liquidity of water appears in various ways—
यो यो नाम विकल्पांशो यत्र यत्र यथा यथा । यदा यदा येन येन चीयते स तथेह चित्
Whatever aspect of imagination arises, wherever, however, whenever, by whatever means—it is consciousness alone that thus expands here.
अचित्त्वान् नास्ति मनसि सङ्कल्पẖ ख इवाङ्कुरः । चित्त्वात् तु चेतसो विद्धि चितेर् एवेह कल्पनम्
Because there is no mind without consciousness, intention does not exist there, just as a sprout cannot arise in the sky; but due to consciousness, know that all mental constructions here are only of consciousness.
या योदेति विकल्पश्रीर् अप्रबुद्धाशयं प्रति । सर्वगत्वाद् अनन्तत्वाच् चिद्व्योम्नस् सा न सन्मयी
Whatever splendor of imagination arises for one whose mind is not awakened, because consciousness is all-pervading and infinite, that is not truly of the nature of being.
सर्वसङ्कल्पकलना सत्येत्य् आबालम् अक्षतम् । स्वप्नादाव् अनुभूतो ऽन्तर् अर्थẖ केनापलप्स्यते
All conceptual constructions, from the very beginning and without break, are regarded as real; what is experienced inwardly in dream and the like—by whom could its meaning be denied?
सङ्कल्पो वास्त्व् असङ्कल्पो यो य आलिखितश् चिता । सो ऽनुभूतो ऽप्य् असत्यस् स्याद् असत्यस्यैव नो सतः
Whether it is a thought or the absence of thought, whatever is pictured in consciousness—even if experienced—would be unreal if it is not real, for the unreal never becomes real.
असत्यताभिधं सत्यं मुक्त एव भवेच् छिवः । सो ऽतिवाहिकदेहैकपरिक्षयविकासवान्
That which is called real, but is truly unreal, is liberated indeed and becomes pure; it is marked by the dissolution and expansion of the body assumed for the journey.
जगन्ति वातैर् उह्यन्ते व्योम्नि शल्मलितूलवत् । नोह्यन्ते चोपलानीव न च सन्त्य् एव कल्पनात्
Worlds are tossed about by winds in space like silk-cotton tufts; they are also not tossed, like stones, and in truth, they do not exist at all except by imagination.
इत्य् अस्मिन्न् अखिलपदार्थसार्थकोशे व्योमन्य् अप्य् अतिवितते जगन्ति सन्ति । क्षुब्धाम्बुप्रसृततरङ्गभङ्गभङ्ग्या सर्वत्राविरलतरं मिथो मिलन्ति
Thus, even in this all-pervading expanse of space, which is the treasury of the essence of all objects, worlds exist; everywhere, in the ever-restless play of waves arising from agitated waters, they ceaselessly meet one another.
अन्योऽन्यं नियतम् अरोधकानि नित्यं प्रोत्कम्पान्य् अमलनभांसि वारिणीव । चित्रज्ञप्रविसृतचित्तचित्रजालानीवान्तर् बहिर् इव वृन्दजृम्भितानि
They constantly obstruct each other, ever in motion, like pure skies filled with water; like networks of various thoughts spread by the knower of consciousness, they appear within and without, manifesting in clusters.
अन्योऽन्यं परिमिलितानि कानिचित् खे नान्योऽन्यं परिमिलितानि कानिचिच् च । सर्वत्वात् परमचितेर् अनन्तरूपाण्य् आरम्भप्रचुरदिगन्तसम्भृतानि
Some come together with each other in space, some do not; because of the all-pervasiveness of supreme consciousness, they take on endless forms, arising in abundance and filling all directions.
लोलाम्बूदरपुरबिम्बभङ्गुराणि स्वान्तस्थाविरलमहापुरोपमानि । सुस्थैर्याण्य् अपि सततं क्षणक्षयाणि चिद्रूपार्णवलहरीविवर्तनानि
Some are unstable, like the fragile images of cities in clouds, some are like rare great cities within the heart; even those that are steady are always perishing moment by moment, like the ever-turning waves of the ocean of consciousness.
पृथक्स्थितानि व्यतिमिश्रितानि जलानि वेवाम्बुनिधौ नदीनाम् । तारार्कचन्द्रग्रहमण्डलानां समोदितानां नभसीव भासः
Just as the waters of rivers remain distinct yet intermixed in the ocean, so too the radiances of stars, sun, moon, and planets appear together in the sky.
मुने जीवस्य यद् रूपम् आकृतिग्रहणं तथा । यथा च परमार्थत्वं स्थानं यच् चास्य तद् वद
O sage, tell me: what is the form of the jīva, how does it assume a shape, what is its ultimate reality, and what is its place?
स्वसङ्कल्पाङ्कचेत्याङ्कं चिद् इत्य् अपरनामकम् । अनन्तं चेतनाकाशं जीवशब्देन कथ्यते
Marked by its own volition and by objects, also known as consciousness, the infinite expanse of awareness is referred to by the word 'jīva'.
न पराणु न च स्थूलं न शून्यं न च किञ्चन । चिन्मात्रं स्वानुभूत्यात्म सर्वगं जीव उच्यते
It is neither the smallest nor the grossest, neither void nor anything at all; the jīva is pure consciousness, self-experienced, and all-pervading.
अणीयसाम् अणीयांसं स्थविष्ठं च स्थवीयसाम् । नकिञ्चिन्मात्रकं चैव सर्वं जीवं विदुर् बुधाः
The wise know the jīva to be subtler than the subtlest, greater than the greatest, and also nothing at all—indeed, it is everything.
यस्य यस्य पदार्थस्य यो भावस् तेन तत्र तम् । स्थितं विद्धि तदाभासं तदात्मैकान्तवेदनात्
For each entity, whatever its nature, know that the jīva abides there as its reflection, due to exclusive identification with that form.