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.
जीवन्मुक्तत्वम् अस्मिंस् तु श्रुते समनुभूयते । स्वयम् एव यथा पीते नीरोगत्वं वरौषधे
In this scripture, the state of liberation while living is directly experienced, just as health is experienced upon drinking a supreme medicine.
श्रूयमाणे हि शास्त्रे ऽस्मिञ् श्रोता वेत्त्य् एतद् आत्मना । यथावद् इदम् अस्माभिर् न तूक्तं वरशापवत्
For, when this scripture is heard, the listener knows this by himself; we have not spoken this arbitrarily, like a curse or a boon.
शाम्यति संसृतिदुःखम् इदं ते स्वात्मविचारमहाकथयैव । नो धनदानतपश्श्रुतवेदैस् तत्कथनोज्झितयत्नशतेन
This suffering of worldly existence is pacified only by the great discourse of self-inquiry; not by wealth, charity, austerity, study of the Vedas, nor by hundreds of other efforts devoid of such inquiry.
तच्चित्तास् तद्गतप्राणा बोधयन्तः परस्परम् । कथयन्तश् च तन् नित्यं तुष्यन्ति रमयन्ति ये
Those whose minds are thus absorbed, whose life-breath is fixed therein, who awaken one another and speak of that always—such people rejoice and delight.
तेषां ज्ञानैकनिष्ठानाम् आत्मज्ञानविचारणात् । सा जीवन्मुक्ततोदेति विदेहोन्मुक्ततैव या
For those established solely in knowledge, through investigation into self-knowledge, arises that very state of liberation while living, which is also called disembodied liberation.
ब्रह्मन् विदेहमुक्तस्य जीवन्मुक्तस्य लक्षणम् । ब्रूहि येन तथैवाहं यते शास्त्रदृशा धिया
O Brahman, describe the characteristics of one liberated while living and one liberated after death, so that I may likewise strive, guided by the vision of scripture and reason.
यथास्थितम् इदं यस्य व्यवहारवतो ऽपि च । अस्तङ्गतं स्थितं व्योम स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He for whom this world, though engaged in activity, remains as vanished and abiding as space—he is called liberated while living.
बोधैकनिष्ठतां यातो जागर्त्य् एव सुषुप्तवत् । य आस्ते व्यवहर्तैव स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He who has attained steadfastness in knowledge, who remains awake even as in deep sleep, who simply abides and acts—he is called liberated while living.
नोदेति नास्तम् आयाति सुखे दुःखे मुखप्रभा । यथाप्राप्तस्थितेर् यस्य स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He whose radiance of face does not rise or set in happiness or sorrow, who remains as he is, whatever comes—he is called liberated while living.
यो जागर्ति सुषुप्तस्थो यस्य जाग्रन् न विद्यते । यस्य निर्वासनो बोधस् स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He who is awake while abiding in deep sleep, for whom waking does not exist, whose awareness is without impressions—he is called liberated while living.
रागद्वेषभयादीनाम् अनुरूपं चरन्न् अपि । यो ऽन्तर् व्योमवद् अत्यच्छस् स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He who, though acting in accordance with attraction, aversion, and fear, remains inwardly utterly clear like space—he is called a jīvanmukta, one liberated while living.
यस्य नाहङ्कृतो भावो बुद्धिर् यस्य न लिप्यते । कुर्वतो ऽकुर्वतो वापि स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He whose sense of 'I' is absent, whose intellect is not tainted, whether acting or not acting—he is called a jīvanmukta.
यश् चोन्मेषनिमेषाभ्यां विधेः प्रलयसम्भवौ । पश्येत् त्रिलोक्याः खसमस् स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He who sees, in the opening and closing of the eyes, the creation and dissolution of the universe, as if it were space—he is called a jīvanmukta.
भोक्तैव यो न भोक्तैव शुद्धबोधैकतां गतः । बुद्धस् सुप्त इवास्ते ऽन्तस् स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He who is as if an enjoyer and yet not an enjoyer, who has attained pure awareness alone, who abides inwardly like one awakened yet asleep—he is called a jīvanmukta.
नित्यं द्रष्टैव चाद्रष्टा जीवन्न् एव मृतोपमः । व्यवहर्तैव शैलाभस् स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He who is always a seer and yet not a seer, living yet like one dead, who acts in the world yet is unmoving like a mountain—he is called a jīvanmukta.
यस्मान् नोद्विजते लोको लोकान् नोद्विजते च यः । हर्षामर्षभयोन्मुक्तस् स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He from whom the world does not recoil, and who does not recoil from the world, who is free from delight and resentment—he is called a jīvanmukta.
शान्तसंसारकलनः कलावान् अपि निष्कलः । यस् सचित्तो ऽपि निश्चित्तस् स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He whose calculation of worldly affairs is pacified, who, though possessing parts, is partless, who, though having a mind, is as if mindless—he is called a jīvanmukta.
यस् समस्तार्थजातेषु व्यवहार्य् अपि शीतलः । परार्थेष्व् इव पूर्णात्मा स जीवन्मुक्त उच्यते
He who, though engaged in all kinds of activities, remains cool, whose self is full as if for the sake of others—he is called a jīvanmukta.
जीवन्मुक्तपदं त्यक्त्वा देहे कालवशात् क्षते । चिद् यात्य् अदेहमुक्तत्वं पवनो ऽस्पन्दताम् इव
Having relinquished the state of liberation while living, when the body is destroyed by the force of time, consciousness attains bodiless liberation, just as the wind becomes still.
विदेहमुक्तो नोदेति नास्तम् एति न शाम्यति । न सन् नासन् न दूरस्थं न चाहं न च वेतरत्
The one liberated without a body neither arises nor sets nor ceases; neither existent nor nonexistent, neither distant nor near, neither 'I' nor other than 'I'.