विचारशमसत्सङ्गबलिपुष्पैकपूजितः । सद्यो मोक्षकरस् साधोस् स्वात्मैव परमेश्वरः
The self, worshipped only with the flowers of inquiry, tranquility, and noble association, instantly grants liberation to the virtuous; it alone is the supreme Lord.
सत्यालोकनमात्रैकपूजितो ऽनुत्तमार्थदः । यत्रास्त्य् आत्मेश्वरस् तत्र मूढẖ को ऽन्यं समाश्रयेत्
When the self-Lord is worshipped solely by the act of perceiving truth, it bestows unsurpassed meaning; where the self-Lord exists, what fool would seek refuge elsewhere?
सत्सङ्गशमसन्तोषविवेकैḫ पूजितात्मनः । शिरीषकुसुमायन्ते शस्त्राहिविषवह्नयः
For one who worships the self with noble association, tranquility, contentment, and discernment, weapons, snake venom, and fire become as harmless as silk tree flowers.
देवार्चनतपस्तीर्थदानान्य् अतिकृतान्य् अपि । भस्मायन्ते निरर्थत्वाद् अविवेकहतात्मनाम्
Even excessive acts of deity worship, austerity, pilgrimage, and charity turn to ashes, lacking purpose, for those whose selves are harmed by lack of discernment.
एतान्य् अपि विवेकेन क्रियन्ते सफलानि चेत् । विवेक एव तत् कस्मात् स्फुटम् अन्तर् न साध्यते
If these acts are performed with discernment, they indeed bear fruit; so why is discernment itself not clearly cultivated within?
यथाभूतार्थविज्ञानाद् वासनोपरमे पदे । यत्नो विवेकशब्दाख्यो भवत्य् आत्मप्रसादतः
Through knowledge of things as they truly are and cessation of mental impressions, effort known as discernment arises from the clarity of the self.
तथा तथा विवेको ऽन्तर् वृद्धिं नेयश् शमामृतैः । यथा यथा पुनश् शोषम् उपयाति न विभ्रमैः
Thus, discernment within should be nourished by the nectar of tranquility, so that, as it grows, it dries up error and does not increase confusion.
देहसत्ताम् अनादृत्य यथाभूतार्थदर्शनात् । लज्जां भयं विषादेर्ष्ये सुखं दुẖखं त्यजेत् समम्
Disregarding the existence of the body and seeing things as they truly are, one abandons shame, fear, poison, envy, pleasure, and pain equally.
जगदादि शरीरादि नास्त्य् एवादौ कुतो ऽद्य तत् । कार्यं चेत् कारणस्यैतत् तथापि ब्रह्ममात्रकम्
In the beginning, neither the world nor the body existed, so how could they exist now? Even if they are considered effects, their cause is only Brahman.
प्रतिभामात्रम् एवाच्छं न तु ज्ञप्तिर् घटादिवत् । ज्ञानात्मिकैव प्रतिभा ज्ञप्तिर् एवाखिलं ततः
It is only pure appearance, not cognition like a pot and such; appearance is itself of the nature of knowledge, and thus all is only cognition.
ज्ञप्तिर् अप्य् आत्मतत्त्वश्रीḫ परिज्ञातापि शाम्यति । ज्ञेयाभावे त्व् अनिर्वाच्या शिष्यते शाश्वतं शिवम्
Even the illustrious essence of self, when fully known as cognition, subsides; but when the knowable is absent, the ineffable, eternal, auspicious remains.
अशरीराद्य् अविश्वात्म सर्वं शान्तम् इदं ततम् । ज्ञानज्ञेयज्ञप्तिमात्रं दृषन्मौनम् अवस्थितम्
This all-pervading reality is without body or world, utterly peaceful; it abides as the silent witness, consisting only of knowledge, the known, and cognition.
शान्तान्तẖकरणास् स्वच्छाश् शिलापुत्रककोशवत् । चलन्तश् चाचलन्तश् च ज्ञरूपा एव तिष्ठत
Those whose inner faculties are peaceful and clear, like the sheath of a crystal, whether moving or unmoving, remain only as the form of knowledge.
अज्ञेयज्ञत्वसद्रूपास् सदसत्साररूपिणः । आकाशकोशविशदा भवताभवभूमयः
Of the nature of the non-knowable, the knowable, and the unreal, possessing the essence of both existence and non-existence, pure as the sky, are the realms of becoming and non-becoming.
यथास्थितं च तिष्ठन्तो गच्छन्तश् च यथागतम् । यथाप्राप्तैककर्माणस् सम्पद्यन्ते बुधाḫ परम्
Remaining as they are, departing as they came, and performing actions as they are attained, the wise attain the highest.
अथ वा सर्वसन्त्यागशान्तान्तẖकरणोज्ज्वलाः । एकान्तेष्व् एव तिष्ठन्ति चित्रकर्मार्पिता इव
Or, those with peaceful inner faculties, shining through the abandonment of all, remain alone, as if assigned to their own unique actions.
सङ्कल्पशान्तौ सङ्कल्पपुरवत् सर्वदाखिलम् । स्वप्नवच् च प्रबुद्धस्य सद् एवास्तङ्गतं जगत्
When imagination ceases, all appears as before, but for the awakened one, the world has truly vanished, like a dream upon waking.
सनेत्ररूपानुभवं जातितो ऽन्ध इवागमैः । निर्वाणं वर्णयन्न् अज्ञस् ताम्यत्य् अन्तर् न शाम्यति
One who describes liberation based only on scriptural reports, like a person blind from birth speaking of colors, suffers inwardly and does not find peace.
कल्पनांशोपदेशेन लोको ऽविद्यामयात्मना । येन केनचिद् अज्ञत्वात् कृतार्थो ऽस्मीति मन्यते
Through teachings that are mere constructs, a person whose nature is shaped by ignorance, out of unawareness, believes himself fulfilled by any means whatsoever.
अकृतार्थẖ कृतार्थत्वं जानन् मौर्ख्यविमोहितः । विज्ञास्यत्य् अकृतार्थत्वं क्षणान्तरकदर्थनैः
Deluded by foolishness, he thinks himself fulfilled while actually unfulfilled; but soon, through the torments of fleeting experiences, he will realize his lack of fulfillment.
उपायं कल्पनात्मानम् अनुपायं विदुर् बुधाः । दुẖखदत्वान् निमेषेण भावाभावैषणभ्रमैः
The wise know that methods based on imagination are ineffective, for they bring suffering in an instant, through the confusion of seeking existence and nonexistence.
जगद्भ्रमं परिज्ञाय यद् अवासनम् आसितम् । विरसाशेषविषयं तद् धि निर्वाणम् उच्यते
Recognizing the illusion of the world and abiding without attachment, with all objects tasteless, that indeed is called liberation.
आख्यायिकार्थप्रतिभानरूपम् अचेत्यचिद्वारिभरद्रवात्मा । अवेद्यविद्रूपम् अशेषम् अच्छं पश्यन् विनिर्वामि जगत्स्वरूपम्
Seeing the true nature of the world as pure, transparent, and undivided—like the essence of water, beyond the known and unknown, appearing as the meaning behind stories—I rest in liberation.
जात्यन्धरूपानुभवानुरूपं यद् आगमैर् बुद्धम् अबोधरूपम् । अधस्पदीकृत्य तद् अन्तर् अस्मिन् बोधे निपत्यानुभवे भवाभूः
When, setting aside what is understood only through scriptures and is like the experience of one blind from birth, one falls inward into direct knowledge, then the cycle of becoming and non-becoming ceases.
अहन्तादि जगच् चेदं परिज्ञानाद् असत्यताम् । याति सानुभवे मोहात् सत्यम् एवान्यथाधियाम्
This world, beginning with the sense of 'I', becomes unreal through right understanding; but for those whose minds are deluded, it appears real.
अज्ञानज्वरमुक्तस्य बोधशीतलितात्मनः । एतद् एव भवेच् चिह्नं यद् भोगाम्बु न रोचते
For one freed from the fever of ignorance, whose mind is cooled by knowledge, the sign is this: the waters of sense enjoyment no longer appeal.
अलम् अन्यैḫ परिज्ञानैर् वाच्यवाचकविभ्रमैः । अनहंवेदनामात्रं निर्वाणं तद् विभाव्यताम्
Enough of other kinds of knowledge and the confusion of words and meanings; let the state of pure non-ego awareness, called liberation, be realized.
अभिज्ञाता यथा स्वप्ने पदार्था रमयन्ति नो । न च सन्ति तथैवास्मिन् नाहं जगद् इति भ्रमे
Just as objects recognized in a dream do not delight, nor do they truly exist, so too, in this illusion, the notions 'I am' and 'the world' are not real.
यथा स्वभावनाद् यक्षस् तरौ सस्वजनं पुरम् । पश्यत्य् असत्यम् एवैवं जीवḫ पश्यति संसृतिम्
As a yaksha, by its own nature, sees a city with its people in a tree—though it is unreal—so does the individual see the cycle of existence.
विभ्रमात्मा यथा यक्षो यक्षालोकश् च तौ मिथः । सद्रूपौ संस्थितौ मिथ्या तथाहन्त्वजगद्भ्रमौ
Just as the yaksha and the world of yakshas, both being forms of illusion, appear mutually real but are false, so too are the illusions of 'I' and 'world'.