भृशं यं सुजनप्रायं लोकास् साधुं प्रचक्षते । स विशिष्टस् स साधुस् स्यात् तं प्रयत्नेन संश्रयेत्
He whom people, who are themselves mostly good, call a virtuous person—he is truly distinguished and virtuous; one should diligently seek his association.
अध्यात्मविद्या विद्यानां प्रधानं तत्कथाश्रयम् । शास्त्रं सच्छास्त्रम् इत्य् आहुर् मुच्यते तद्विचारवान्
Among all branches of knowledge, spiritual wisdom is foremost, and the scripture that is based on its teaching is called the true scripture; one who reflects upon it is liberated.
सच्छास्त्रसत्सङ्गमजैर् विवेकैस् तथा विनश्यन्ति बलान् मलानि । यथा जलानां कतकानुषङ्गाद् यथा जडानाम् अभयोपयोगात्
Just as the scum of water is removed by the use of clearing nuts, and as the dull are freed by the use of remedies, so too impurities are destroyed by discernment born of true scriptures and association with the good.
य एष देवः कथितो यस्मिञ् ज्ञाते विमुच्यते । वद क्वासौ स्थितो देवः कथम् एनम् अहं लभे
This deity who has been described, by knowing whom one is liberated—tell me, where does this deity abide, and how may I attain him?
य एष देवः कथितो नैष दूरे ऽवतिष्ठते । शरीरे संस्थितो नित्यं चिन्मात्रम् इति विश्रुतः
This deity who has been described does not dwell far away; he is always present in the body, known as pure consciousness.
एष सर्वम् इदं विश्वं न विश्वं त्व् एष सर्वगः । विद्यते ह्य् एष एवैको न तु विश्वाभिधास्ति दृक्
This alone is all this universe; yet, this all-pervading one is not the universe. Truly, only this one exists; there is no seer called 'the universe' apart from him.
चिन्मात्रम् एष शशिभृच् चिन्मात्रं गरुडध्वजः । चिन्मात्रम् एव तपनश् चिन्मात्रं कमलोद्भवः
This is pure consciousness: the moon-bearer, the eagle-bannered one, the sun, and the lotus-born—all are nothing but pure consciousness.
बाला अपि वदन्त्य् एतद् यदि चेतनमात्रकम् । जगद् इत्य् एव कैवात्र नाम स्याद् उपदेशता
Even children say this world is nothing but consciousness; if so, what need is there for instruction, and what name could be given to it?
चिन्मात्रं चेतनं विश्वम् इति यज् ज्ञातवान् असि । न किञ्चिद् एतद् विज्ञातं भवता भवतारणम्
You have understood that the universe is pure consciousness, awareness alone; yet nothing has truly been known by you that could lead to liberation from becoming.
चेतनं नाम संसारो जीव एष पशुस् स्मृतः । एतस्माद् एव निर्यान्ति जरामरणवीचयः
What is called 'awareness' is samsara; this living being is regarded as a creature, and from this arise the waves of old age and death.
पशुर् अज्ञो ह्य् अमूर्तो ऽपि दुःखस्यैवैष भाजनम् । चेतनत्वाच् चेततीदम् अत्यनर्थस् स्वयं स्थितः
A creature, though ignorant and formless, is indeed the vessel of suffering; because it is conscious, it experiences this, and thus abides in great misfortune.
चेत्यनिर्मुक्तता या स्याद् अचेत्योन्मुखताथवा । अस्य सा भरितावस्था तां ज्ञात्वा नानुशोचति
When one is free from objects of consciousness, or inclined toward the absence of objects, that is the state of fullness; knowing this, one does not grieve.
भिद्यते हृदयग्रन्थिश् छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशयाः । क्सीयन्ते चास्य कर्माणि तस्मिन् दृष्टे परापरे
The knot of the heart is broken, all doubts are cut, and his actions are exhausted, when the supreme and the non-supreme are seen.
तस्य चेत्योन्मुखत्वं तु चेत्यासम्भवनं विना । रोद्धुं न शक्यं दृश्यं तु चेत्यं शाम्यतु वै कथम्
His inclination toward objects cannot be restrained without the impossibility of objects; as long as the visible remains an object, how can it ever cease?
साधुसङ्गमसच्छास्त्रैस् संसारार्णवतारकः । दृश्यते परमात्मा यस् स ब्रह्मन् वद कीदृशः
He who is revealed as the Supreme Self through the company of the virtuous and the study of true scriptures, who leads across the ocean of worldly existence—O Brahman, tell me, what is He like?
यद् एतच् चेतनं जीवो विशीर्णो जन्मजङ्गले । एतम् आत्मानम् इच्छन्ति ये ते ऽज्ञाः पण्डिता अपि
That which is this consciousness, the individual soul, scattered amid the jungle of birth—those who desire this as the Self, even if learned, are ignorant.
जीव एवेह संसारश् चेतनाद् दुःखसन्ततेः । अस्मिञ् ज्ञाते नाविज्ञातं किञ्चिद् भवति कुत्रचित्
Here, the individual soul alone is worldly existence, arising from consciousness and the succession of suffering; when this is known, nothing remains unknown anywhere.
ज्ञायते परमात्मा चेद् राम तद् दुःखसन्ततिः । क्षयम् एति विषावेशशान्ताव् इव विषूचिका
If the Supreme Self is known, O Rama, then the succession of suffering comes to an end, just as cholera ceases when poison is neutralized.
रूपं कथय मे ब्रह्मन् यथावत् परमात्मनः । यस्मिन् दृष्टे नरो मोहात् समग्रात् सन्तरिष्यति
Tell me, O Brahman, the true form of the Supreme Self, upon seeing which a person will cross over the entirety of delusion.
देशाद् देशान्तरं दूरं प्राप्तायास् संविदो वपुः । निमेषेणैव यन् मध्ये तद् रूपं परमात्मनः
The form of the Supreme Self is that which, in the midst of consciousness traveling from place to distant place, is attained in a single moment.
अत्यन्ताभाव एवास्ति संसारस्य जगत्स्थितेः । यस्मिन् बोधमहाम्भोधौ तद् रूपं परमात्मनः
Absolute non-existence alone is the state of worldly existence and the world’s persistence; that which is in the great ocean of awakening, that is the form of the Supreme Self.
द्रष्टृदृश्यक्रमो यत्र स्थितो ऽप्य् अस्तम् अलं गतः । यद् अनाकाशम् आकाशस् तद् रूपं परमात्मनः
Where the sequence of seer and seen, though present, has completely vanished; that which is space-less yet is space—that is the form of the Supreme Self.
अशून्यम् इव यच् छून्यं यस्मिञ् शून्यं जगत् स्थितम् । सर्गौघे सति यच् छून्यं तद् रूपं परमात्मनः
That which is not empty, yet appears as emptiness, in which this universe, itself empty, abides; that which remains empty even amidst the multitude of creations—such is the nature of the Supreme Self.
यन् महाचिन्मयम् अपि बृहत्पाषाणवत् स्थितम् । जडं त्व् अजडम् एवान्तस् तद् रूपं परमात्मनः
That which, though composed of pure consciousness, stands firm like a great rock; which, though inert outwardly, is inwardly ever aware—such is the nature of the Supreme Self.
सबाह्याभ्यन्तरं सर्वं येन सम्प्राप्य सङ्गमम् । स्वरूपसत्ताम् आप्नोति तद् रूपं परमात्मनः
That by which all, both within and without, is thoroughly pervaded and united, and which attains its own essential being—such is the nature of the Supreme Self.
प्रकाशस्य यथालोको यथा शून्यत्वम् अम्बरे । तथेदं संस्थितं यत्र तद् रूपं परमात्मनः
As light is to illumination, as emptiness is to space, so is that in which all this abides—such is the nature of the Supreme Self.
सर्वतः परमात्मैष कथं नामावबुध्यते । इयतो ऽस्य जगन्नाम्नो दृश्यस्यासम्भवः कुतः
How can this Supreme Self, which is everywhere, not be recognized? For, from this alone, the very existence of the world and all that is seen arises.
भ्रमस्य जागतस्यास्य जातस्याकाशवर्णवत् । अत्यन्ताभावसम्बोधे यदि रूढिर् अलं भवेत्
If, in the clear realization of absolute non-existence, there could be any firm establishment of this world-appearance, which is like a mirage or the color of space, then let it be so.
तज् ज्ञातं ब्रह्मणो रूपं भवेन् नान्येन कर्मणा । दृश्यात्यन्ताभावतस् तु ऋते नान्या शुभा गतिः
That form of Brahman is known only by knowledge, not by any other action; apart from the complete absence of the seen, there is no other auspicious path.
अत्यन्ताभावसम्पत्तौ दृश्यस्यास्य यथास्थितेः । शिष्यते परमार्थो ऽसौ बुध्यते ज्ञायते ततः
When there is attainment of absolute non-existence regarding the seen, as it truly is, then the ultimate reality remains; it is then understood and realized.