न चिद् अप्रतिबिम्बास्ति दृश्याभावाद् ऋते क्वचित् । क्व विना प्रतिबिम्बेन किलादर्शो ऽवतिष्ठते
There is no reflection of consciousness anywhere without an object to reflect; for, without a reflection, how indeed does a mirror exist?
जगन्नाम्नो ऽस्य दृश्यस्य सत्तासम्भवनं विना । बुध्यते परमं तत्त्वं न कदाचन केनचित्
Without the possibility of the existence of this visible world called 'universe,' no one ever realizes the supreme truth.
इयतो दृश्यजालस्य ब्रह्माण्डस्य जगत्स्थितेः । मुने कथम् असत्तास्ति क्व मेरुस् सर्षपोदरे
Given the presence of this network of appearances, the existence of the universe, O sage, how can non-existence be? Where is Mount Meru inside a mustard seed?
दिनानि कतिचिद् राम यदि तिष्ठस्य् अखिन्नधीः । साधुसङ्गमसच्छास्त्रपरमस् तद् अहं क्षणात्
If, for a few days, O Rāma, you remain with an unwearied mind, devoted to the company of the good and to true scriptures, then in a moment I will—
प्रमार्जयामि ते दृश्यं बोधे मृगजलं यथा । दृश्याभावे द्रष्टृता च शाम्येद् बोधो ऽवशिष्यते
—completely remove for you the visible world, as water in a mirage is dispelled by knowledge; when the seen is absent, the seerhood also ceases, and pure awareness remains.
द्रष्टृत्वं सति दृश्ये ऽस्मिन् दृश्यत्वं सत्य् अवेक्षके । एकत्वं सति हि द्वित्वे द्वित्वं चैकत्ववेदने
Seerhood exists only when there is something seen; being seen exists only when there is an observer. Duality exists only with unity, and unity is known only with duality.
एकाभावे द्वयोर् एव सिद्धिर् भवति नात्र हि । द्वित्वैक्यद्रष्टृदृश्यत्वक्षये सद् अवशिष्यते
When one is absent, the existence of the two cannot be; when the perception of duality and unity, of seer and seen, ceases, pure being remains.
अहन्तादि जगद्दृश्यं सर्वं ते मार्जयाम्य् अहम् । अत्यन्तासत्त्वसंवित्त्या मनोमकुरतो मलम्
I will wipe away for you all the visible world, from the sense of 'I' and so on, by the knowledge of their utter non-existence, as one cleans the impurity from a mirror.
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः । यत् तु नास्ति स्वभावेन कः क्लेशस् तत्प्रमार्जने
There is no existence for the unreal, nor is there non-existence for the real; when something does not exist by its own nature, what effort is needed to remove it?
जगद् आदाव् अनुत्पन्नं यच् चेदं दृश्यते ततम् । तत् स्वात्मन्य् एव विमले ब्रह्म चित्त्वात् स्वबृंहितम्
In the beginning, the world was not produced; and what is now seen as spread out is only the pure Self, Brahman, expanded by its own consciousness.
जगन् नाम न चोत्पन्नं न चास्ति न च दृश्यते । हेम्नीव कटकादित्वं किम् एतन्मार्जने श्रमः
What is called the world has not arisen, does not exist, and is not seen; just as there is no bracelet-nature in gold itself, why exert oneself to remove it?
तथैतद् विस्तरेणेह वक्ष्यामो बहुयुक्तिभिः । अबाधितं यथा नूनं स्वयम् एवानुभूयते
This will be explained here in detail with many reasons, so that it is certainly realized directly and without doubt.
आदाव् एव हि नोत्पन्नं यत् तस्येहास्तिता कुतः । कुतो मरौ जलसरिद् द्वितीयेन्दौ कुतो ग्रहः
That which was not produced in the beginning—how can it exist here now? How can there be a river in a mirage, or a second moon, or a planet there?
यथा वन्ध्यासुतो नास्ति यथा नास्ति मरौ जलम् । यथा नास्ति नभोवृक्षस् तथा नास्ति जगद्भ्रमः
Just as there is no son of a barren woman, no water in a mirage, and no tree in the sky, so too there is no delusion of the world.
यद् इदं दृश्यते राम तद् ब्रह्मैव निरामयम् । एतत् पुरस्ताद् वक्ष्यामो युक्तितो न गिरैव वः
What is seen here, O Rama, is only the pure Brahman; this will be explained to you ahead by reasoning, not merely by words.
यन् नाम युक्तिभिर् इह प्रवदन्ति तज्ज्ञास् तत्रावहेलनम् अयुक्तम् उदारबुद्धेः । यो युक्तियुक्तम् अवमत्य विमूढबुद्ध्या कष्टावहो भवति तं विदुर् अज्ञम् एव
What the wise declare here with reasoning should not be disregarded by one of noble intellect; but he who, with deluded understanding, disregards what is reasonable, is known to be ignorant and brings himself suffering.
कयैतज् ज्ञायते युक्त्या कथम् एतत् प्रसिध्यति । न्याये ऽनुभूत एतस्मिन् न ज्ञेयम् अवशिष्यते
By what means is this known, and how does it become established? When this is experienced through reasoning, nothing remains to be known.
बहुकालम् इयं रूढा मिथ्याज्ञानविषूचिका । जगन्नाम्नी विचाराख्याद् ऋते मन्त्रान् न शाम्यति
This fever of false knowledge, long entrenched and called the world, does not subside except through inquiry, not by recitation of mantras.
वदाम्य् आख्यायिका राम या इमा बोधसिद्धये । ताश् चेच् छृणोषि तत् साधो मुक्त एवासि बुद्धिमान्
I shall tell you stories, Rama, which are meant for the attainment of understanding; if you listen to them, O noble one, you will indeed be liberated and wise.
नो चेद् उद्वेगशीलत्वाद् अर्धाद् उत्थाय गच्छसि । तत् तिर्यग्धर्मिणस् ते ऽद्य किञ्चिन् नापि तु सेत्स्यति
If not, due to your restless nature, you will rise and depart halfway; then today, nothing at all will come to you of the path of higher beings.
यो ऽयम् अर्थं प्रार्थयते तदर्थं यतते तथा । सो ऽवश्यं तद् अवाप्नोति न चेच् छ्रान्तो निवर्तते
Whoever desires a certain goal and strives for it accordingly, surely attains it, unless he becomes weary and turns back.
साधुसङ्गमसच्छास्त्रपरो भवसि राम चेत् । तद् दिनैर् एव नो मासैः प्राप्नोषि परमं पदम्
If you devote yourself, Rama, to the company of the virtuous and to true scriptures, then you will reach the supreme state in days, not months.
आत्मज्ञानप्रबोधाय शास्त्रं शास्त्रविदां वर । किंनाम तत् प्रधानं स्याद् यस्मिञ् ज्ञाते न शोच्यते
For awakening to self-knowledge, O best among those versed in scripture, what is that principal scripture, knowing which there is no sorrow?
आत्मज्ञानप्रधानानाम् इदम् एव महामते । शास्त्राणां परमं शास्त्रं महारामायणाभिधम्
For those whose focus is self-knowledge, O wise one, this alone is the supreme scripture among scriptures, known as the great Ramayana.
इतिहासोत्तमाद् अस्मात् परो बोधः प्रवर्तते । सर्वेषाम् इतिहासानाम् अयं सार उदाहृतः
From this supreme narrative arises a higher understanding; this is declared to be the essence of all histories.
श्रुते ऽस्मिन् वाङ्मये यस्माज् जीवन्मुक्तत्वम् अक्षतम् । उदेति स्वयम् एवात इदम् एवातिपावनम्
Because in this scripture, the state of liberation while living is described intact, it is supremely pure, arising naturally from itself.
स्थितम् एवास्तम् आयाति जगद् दृश्यं विचारणात् । यथा स्वप्ने परिज्ञाते स्वप्नार्थाद् एव भावना
Through inquiry, the visible world, though appearing to persist, comes to an end—just as, upon recognizing a dream, the imagined objects of the dream vanish.
यद् इहास्ति तद् अन्यत्र यन् नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित् । इमं समस्तविज्ञानशास्त्रकोशं विदुर् बुधाः
Whatever exists here exists elsewhere; what does not exist here exists nowhere. The wise know this as the treasury of all the sciences of knowledge.
य इदं शृणुयान् नित्यं तस्योदारचमत्कृतेः । बालस्यापि परं बोधं बुद्धिर् एति न संशयः
Whoever listens to this daily, even a child, attains the highest understanding and a mind of noble wonder—of this there is no doubt.
यस्मै नेदं त्व् अभव्याय रोचते दुष्कृतोदयात् । विचारयतु यत् किञ्चित् स शास्त्रं ज्ञानवाङ्मयम्
If this does not appeal to someone whose mind is unprepared due to past misdeeds, let him study whatever scripture of knowledge he wishes.