आत्मज्ञानम् अनासाद्य ज्ञानान्तरलवेन ये । सन्तुष्टाẖ कष्टचेष्टेन ते स्मृता ज्ञानबन्धवः
Those who, without attaining self-knowledge, are satisfied with fragments of other knowledge through difficult effort, are remembered as 'friends of knowledge.'
ज्ञानोदितज्ञेयविकासशान्त्या विना न सन्तुष्टधियेह भाव्यम् । त्वं ज्ञानबन्धुत्वम् उपेत्य राम रमस्व मा भोगभवामयेषु
Without the peace that arises from the expansion of what is to be known through knowledge, one should not be content in this world; having attained the state of a friend of knowledge, O Rama, delight in that, and do not indulge in pleasures born of worldly existence.
आहारार्थं कर्म कुर्याद् अनिन्द्यं कुर्याद् आहारं प्राणसन्धारणार्थम् । प्राणास् सन्धार्यास् तत्त्वजिज्ञासनार्थं तत्त्वं जिज्ञास्यं येन भूयो न दुẖखम्
One should perform actions for the sake of obtaining food, and should take food blamelessly for the maintenance of life; life should be sustained for the purpose of seeking truth, and truth should be sought so that suffering does not arise again.
ज्ञानेन ज्ञेयनिष्ठत्वाद् यो ऽचितं चितम् एव वा । न भुञ्जते कर्मफलं स ज्ञानीत्य् अभिधीयते
He who, through knowledge, is established in what is to be known, whether acquired or innate, does not experience the fruits of action; he is called a 'knower.'
ज्ञात्वा सम्यग् अनुष्ठानं दृश्यते यस्य कर्मसु । निर्वासनात्मकं ज्ञस्य स ज्ञानीत्य् अभिधीयते
He whose actions are performed with proper understanding and are seen to be free from latent tendencies is called a 'knower.'
अन्तश्शीतलतेहासु प्राज्ञैर् यस्यावलोक्यते । अकृत्रिमैव शान्तस्य स ज्ञानीत्य् अभिधीयते
He whose inner desires are cooled and whose peace is observed by the wise, and whose tranquility is natural, is called a 'knower.'
अपुनर्जन्मने यस् स्याद् बोधस् स ज्ञानशब्दभाक् । वसनाशनदा शेषा व्यवस्था शिल्पजीविका
That awareness which leads to non-rebirth is called knowledge; all else—such as the pursuit of impressions, eating, and the routines of livelihood—are mere crafts of living.
प्रवाहापतिते कार्ये कामसङ्कल्पवर्जितः । तिष्ठत्य् आकाशहृदयो यस् स पण्डित उच्यते
He whose actions have fallen into the current of inevitability, who is free from desire and conceptualization, and whose heart is as spacious as the sky—he is called wise.
अकारणं प्रवर्तन्ते इव भावा अकारणात् । अविद्यमाना अप्य् एते विद्यमाना इव स्थिताः
Phenomena seem to arise and act without cause, as if from no reason at all; though they do not truly exist, they appear as if they do.
आविर्भावतिरोभावैर् भावाभावभवाभवैः । पश्चात् कारणतां यान्ति मिथẖ कारणकर्मभिः
Through their appearance and disappearance, through being and non-being, phenomena later come to be regarded as having causes, mutually connected by causal actions.
असतश् शशशृङ्गादेर् मृगतृष्णाम्भसो ऽथ वा । आलोकनाद् अलभ्यस्य कीदृक् स्याद् अथ कारणम्
How could there be a cause for something nonexistent, like the horn of a hare or the water of a mirage? What kind of cause could there be for something that cannot be perceived?
असतश् शशशृङ्गादेẖ कारणं मार्गयन्ति ये । वन्ध्यापुत्रस्य पौत्रस्य स्कन्धम् आसादयन्ति ते
Those who seek a cause for what does not exist, like the horn of a hare, are like those who try to grasp the shoulder of the grandson of a barren woman.
असत्यप्रतिभासानाम् एतद् एवाशु कारणम् । यद् अनालोकनं नाम समालोकाक्षयक्षयम्
The immediate cause of unreal appearances is simply non-perception—that is, the absence of true seeing, which is the exhaustion of the power of perception.
परमात्मायते जीवो ऽबुध्यमानस् त्व् अचेतनम् । चेतनं बुध्यमानस् तु जीव एवावतिष्ठते
The individual soul appears as the supreme Self; when it is not aware, it is insentient, but when it is aware, it abides as the living being.
परमात्मैव जीवो ऽयं बुध्यमानस् त्व् अचेतनम् । आम्र एव रसापत्तेḫ प्रयाति सहकारताम्
The individual self is truly the supreme Self, while the intellect is insentient; just as a mango, when its juice is extracted, becomes like a citron.
चेतनं बुध्यमानस् तु जीव एवावतिष्ठते । जीवो जीवति जीर्णेषु जातिजन्मसु जर्जरः
When the intellect is conscious, it is only the individual self that abides; the individual self lives on, even as bodies decay and are born again, worn out by repeated births.
ये परां दृष्टिम् आयाता दृश्यश्रीपारदर्शिनः । न विद्यमानम् अप्य् अस्ति तेषां वेदनम् आततम्
Those who have attained the highest vision, who see through the splendor of appearances, for them, even what does not exist is not perceived at all.
ये परां दृष्टिम् आयाता विद्धि तेषाम् अपाम् इव । अरूपालोकमननं स्पन्दम् अस्पन्दनं सदा
Know that for those who have attained the highest vision, their contemplation is like water—formless, always perceiving movement and stillness as one.
ये परां दृष्टिम् आयाता विद्धि तेषाम् अपाम् इव । स्पन्दम् अस्पन्दनं सर्वम् अवेदनवशाद् इह
Know that for those who have attained the highest vision, their experience is like water—movement and stillness are all, here, due to the absence of sensation.
अरूपालोकमननं वेष्टितोन्मुक्तदामवत् । बुद्धाẖ कर्मसु चेष्टन्ते वृक्षपत्त्रेष्व् इवानिलाः
Their contemplation is formless, like a loosened string from a coil; the awakened act in the world as the wind moves among the leaves of trees.
ये परां दृष्टिम् आयातास् संसृतेḫ पारदर्शिनः । न ते कर्म प्रशंसन्ति कूपं नद्यां पिबन्न् इव
Those who have attained the highest vision, who see through the course of worldly existence, do not praise action, just as one drinking from a river does not praise a well.
ये बद्धवासना मूढाẖ कर्म शंसन्ति ते ऽनघ । श्रुतिस्मृत्युदितं तेन विनाधोऽधḫ पतन्ति ते
Those who are bound by desires and deluded praise action, O sinless one; without what is taught in the scriptures, they fall lower and lower.
इन्द्रियाणि पतन्त्य् अर्थं धृष्टगृध्रा इवामिषम् । तानि संयम्य मनसा युक्त आसीत तत्परः
The senses rush toward their objects, bold and greedy like vultures toward flesh; restraining them with the mind, one should remain steadfast, intent upon that goal.
नासन्निवेशं हेमास्ति नासर्गं ब्रह्म विद्यते । किं तु सर्गादिशब्दार्थमुक्तं युक्तम् अतश् शिवम्
There is no golden place called 'non-existence,' nor is there a 'Brahman' apart from nature; rather, the terms like creation and so forth are used appropriately—thus is the auspicious truth.
एकान्धकारे सम्पन्ने व्यवहारो युगक्षये । निर्विभागो निराभासो यथा ब्रह्मघने तथा
When utter darkness prevails at the end of an age, all activity ceases, undivided and without appearance—just as in the mass of Brahman.
अभ्रोदरे ऽभ्रभागानां स्पन्दास्पन्दमयी यथा । स्वसंविदात्मिका सत्ता भूतानाम् ईश्वरे तथा
As, within a cloud, the parts of cloud exist as movement and stillness, so too, in the Lord, the existence of beings is of the nature of self-awareness.
जलस्यान्तर् जलांशानां द्वैताद्वैतमयो यथा । स्वसंविदात्मा स्वस्पन्दस् तथा ब्रह्मणि भूतदृक्
Just as, within water, the portions of water are both dual and nondual, so too, in Brahman, the perception of beings is self-awareness and its own vibration.
यथाम्बरे ऽम्बरांशानां द्वैताद्वैतैकतात्मनि । स्वसंविदात्मिका सत्ता भूतानाम् ईश्वरे तथा
As, in space, the portions of space are united in the one essence of duality and nonduality, so too, in the Lord, the existence of beings is of the nature of self-awareness.
अनन्यावयवव्याप्तिर् यथावयविनि स्थिता । अनन्या सृष्टिर् आभाति तथानवयवे शिवे
Just as the parts pervade the whole without being separate, so too, creation appears as non-other in the partless Shiva.
जगतो ऽन्तर् अहंरूपम् अहंरूपान्तरे जगत् । स्थितम् अन्योऽन्यवलितं कदलीदलपीठवत्
Within the world is the form of 'I,' and within the form of 'I' is the world; both are established, mutually reflected, like the layers of a plantain stem.