रूपानुभवम् आदत्ते चक्षुḫ प्रसरणाद् यथा । चितिḫ प्रसरणात् तद्वज् जाग्रद्विभ्रमम् आस्थिता
Just as the eye perceives forms when it is active, so too, when consciousness is active, it assumes the waking illusion.
मासौ प्रसरतु व्यर्थं चेत्याभावान् न सा सती । असत् कथं प्रसरति वन्ध्यापुत्रẖ क्व नृत्यति
Let it expand in vain for months—since there are no objects of cognition, it does not truly exist; how can the unreal expand, or where can the son of a barren woman dance?
अयं त्व् अनुभवाद् एव मुधैवानुभवस् स्थितः । असद् एवाननुभवात् स्वयम् अर्भकयक्षवत्
This experience persists only through perception, but in reality it is baseless; what is unreal is not experienced, just as a child sees a yaksha only in imagination.
अयं भवामि दुẖखार्थम् अहम् इत्य् एव वेदनात् । अवेदनान् नाहम् अतस् स्वायत्ते बन्धमुक्तते
This sense of 'I am' exists only for the sake of suffering, because of the feeling 'I am'; without that feeling, there is no 'I', and thus bondage and liberation are in your own hands.
तद् ध्यानं स समाधिर् वो यद् अवेदनम् आसितम् । अजडाणां जडम् इव समं शान्तम् अनामयम्
That meditation, that samadhi for you, is to abide in non-perception—like the stillness of the inert in the wise, equal, peaceful, and free from affliction.
द्वैताद्वैतसमुद्भेदैर् वाक्यसन्दर्भविभ्रमैः । मा विषीदत दुẖखाय विबुधा अबुधा इव
Do not grieve over the confusions of duality and nonduality, or the perplexities of words and contexts; the wise should not suffer like the ignorant.
असद् आश्रयते दुẖखं स्वप्नवद् घनवासनः । रूपालोकमनस्कारान् सङ्कल्परचितान् इव
Dense impressions give rise to suffering, resting upon what is unreal, like a dream; through the perception of forms and mental attention, as if constructed by imagination.
दुẖखं सद् एव नाश्नाति सुप्तवत् तनुवासनः । रूपालोकमनस्कारान् सङ्कल्परहितान् इव
Only what is real does not experience suffering, like one asleep with subtle impressions; through the perception of forms and mental attention, as if devoid of imagination.
अत्यन्ततनुतां याता वासनैवैति मुक्तताम् । देशकालक्रियायोगात् पदार्थो ऽभावताम् इव
When impressions become extremely subtle, they alone attain liberation; just as, through the conjunction of place, time, and action, an object comes to nonexistence.
अत्यन्ततनुतां याता वासनैवैति मुक्तताम् । पराणुपरिमाणेन खतां खे ऽभ्रादिता यथा
When impressions become extremely subtle, they alone attain liberation; as, by the measure of the finest atom, space becomes sky, free from clouds.
अभावं भावना याति बोधेन घनतानवा । विपश्चित्सङ्गमाभ्यासात् पाण्डित्यम् इव मूढता
Imagination reaches nonexistence through knowledge, when density is thinned; by repeated association with the wise, ignorance becomes erudition.
नाहम् अस्मीति सद्युक्त्या निश्चयो ऽन्तश् शमात्मकः । जीवतो ऽजीवतश् चातिरूढो बोध इति स्मृतः
The conviction, 'I am not this,' established by true reasoning, is inwardly composed of tranquility; this is called 'awakening,' firmly established in both the living and the non-living.
वायौ स्पन्द इवात्रेदं जगदाद्य् अवभासते । को ऽहं कथम् इदं चेति विचारेणैव शाम्यति
Just as vibration appears in the wind, so this world first manifests here; by inquiry into 'Who am I? How is this?' it comes to rest.
नाहम् इत्य् एव निर्वाणं किम् एतावति मूढता । सत्सङ्गमविचाराभ्याम् एतद् आश्व् अवगम्यते
The realization 'I am not this' is nirvana; what ignorance remains in that? Through association with the wise and inquiry, this is quickly understood.
क्षीयते तत्त्ववित्सङ्गाद् अहम् इत्य् एव बन्धनम् । आलोकेनेव तिमिरं दिवसेनेव यामिनी
The bondage of 'I am' is dissolved by the company of one who knows the truth, just as darkness is dispelled by light, or night by the day.
को ऽहं कथम् इदं दृश्यं को जीवः किं च जीवनम् । इति तत्त्वज्ञसंयोगाद् यावज्जीवं विचारयेत्
By association with a knower of reality, one should continually inquire throughout life: 'Who am I? What is this world I perceive? Who is the individual soul? What is living?'
जीवितं भुवनं भाति तमो ऽहम् इति नश्यति । तत्त्वालोकेन तज्ज्ञार्कसेवनात् स निषेव्यताम्
Life and the world appear, but the darkness of 'I am' is destroyed by the light of truth, through the service of those who know that truth; therefore, serve them.
यो यो बोधातिशयवांस् तं तं पृथग् उपास्स्व भोः । सङ्गसङ्कथयोदेति तेषां वादपिशाचिका
Approach each person who possesses exceptional understanding individually, for in their company, the ghost of argument arises through discussions about association.
विवादयक्षे ऽभ्युदिते बालस्येव विपश्चितः । मुक्तिम् उक्ताम् अलं मुख्यम् उदेत्य् अहम् इति भ्रमः
When the dice of debate are cast, even the wise become like children; the delusion of 'I am' arises, and the liberation that was spoken of is lost.
अतḫ प्रत्येकम् एकान्ते प्राज्ञस् सेवेत पण्डितम् । एकीकृत्य तदुक्तांस् तान् अर्थान् बुद्ध्या विचारयेत्
Therefore, the wise should privately serve a learned person, and, having gathered the meanings of their words, reflect upon them with understanding.
विचारयेत् तदुक्त्यर्थं बुद्ध्या बुद्धिविवृद्धये । सर्वसङ्कल्पमुक्तं यत् तत् सत् तन्मयतां व्रजेत्
One should reflect with intelligence on the meaning of what has been said, for the growth of discernment; that which is free from all mental constructions is the real, and one should become absorbed in that.
विपश्चित्सङ्गमे बुद्धिं नीत्वा परमतीक्ष्णताम् । अज्ञानलतिका सैका कणशẖ क्रियताम् अलम्
Having brought the intellect to its utmost sharpness through association with the wise, let the single creeper of ignorance be completely destroyed, bit by bit.
एषो ऽर्थस् सम्भवत्य् एव तेनेदं कथयाम्य् अहम् । अनुभूतं वयं बाला नासमञ्जसवेदिनः
This meaning truly arises, and thus I speak of it; we have experienced it as children, not as those lacking proper understanding.
व्योम्नो ऽम्बुवाहादिविजृम्भयेव तरङ्गभङ्ग्येव महार्णवस्य । न युज्यते नापि च नश्यतीह नाशोदये निर्मननस्य किञ्चित्
Just as clouds expand in the sky, or waves break upon the vast ocean, nothing here is fitting, nor does anything perish or arise in the dissolution or emergence of the mindless.
इदं हि सर्वं मृगतृष्णिकाम्बुवन् निरामये ब्रह्मणि शान्त आतते । विचारिते नाहम् इतीव विद्यते कुतẖ क्व कस्मान् मननादिविभ्रमः
All this is like water in a mirage; in the pure, peaceful expanse of Brahman, upon inquiry, there is no 'I am'—from where, to whom, and why would there be confusion such as thought and the like?
स्वपौरुषेण स्वधिया सत्सङ्गमविकासया । यदि नानीयते ज्ञत्वं तद् उपायो ऽस्ति नेतरः
If, by one's own effort, by one's own intellect, and by the expansion that comes from association with the wise, knowledge is not attained, then there is no other means.
अकल्पितं कल्पितं च प्रतिकल्पनया स्वया । तद् एवान्यत्वम् आदत्ते विषत्वम् अमृतं यथा
The imagined and the unimagined, through one's own counter-imagination, take on otherness, just as poison becomes nectar.
कल्पना चाकल्पनान्ता मुक्तता त्यक्तकल्पनम् । एतच् च भोगसन्त्यागपूर्वं सिध्यति नान्यथा
Imagination ends in non-imagination; liberation is the abandonment of imagination, and this is accomplished only after renouncing enjoyment, not otherwise.
वचसा मनसा चान्तश् शब्दार्थाव् अविभावयन् । य आस्ते वर्धते तस्य कल्पनोपशमश् शनैः
He who, by speech and mind, inwardly does not distinguish between word and meaning, who abides thus, for him the cessation of imagination gradually increases.
वर्जयित्वाहम् इत्य् एव नाविद्यास्तीतरात्मिका । शान्ते त्व् अभावनाद् अस्मिन् नान्यो मोक्षो ऽस्ति कश्चन
Except for the notion 'I am,' there is no ignorance of any other kind; in this peace, through absence of conceptualization, there is no other liberation at all.