प्रसन्नस् सन् महादेवस् स्वयम् आत्मा महेश्वरः । बोधाय प्रेरयत्य् आशु दूतं पूतं शुभेहितैः
When pleased, the great Lord, Maheshvara, Himself, swiftly sends a pure messenger for awakening, with auspicious intentions.
आत्मना परमेशेन को दूतḫ प्रेर्यते मुने । स दूतो बोधनं चापि करोति वद मे कथम्
By the supreme Self, who is the messenger sent, O sage? Tell me, how does that messenger bring awakening?
आत्मसम्प्रेरितो दूतो विवेको नाम नामतः । हृद्गुहायां स वरदस् तिष्ठतीन्दुर् इवाम्बरे
The messenger named Discrimination, sent forth by the Self, dwells in the cave of the heart, bestowing blessings, like the moon in the sky.
स एष वासनात्मानं जन्तुं बोधयति क्रमात् । संसारसागरात् तस्मात् तारयत्य् अविवेकिनम्
This Discrimination gradually awakens the creature whose nature is shaped by tendencies, and rescues the undiscriminating one from the ocean of worldly existence.
बोधात्मैषो ऽन्तरात्मैव परमḫ परमेश्वरः । अस्यैव वाचको राम प्रणवो वेदसम्मतः
This very inner Self, whose essence is knowledge, is the supreme Lord; O Rama, its verbal expression is the syllable Om, esteemed in the Vedas.
जपहोमतपोदानपाठयज्ञक्रियाक्रमैः । एष प्रसाद्यते नित्यं नरनागसुरासुरैः
Through the practices of recitation, ritual, austerity, charity, study, and sacrificial acts, this Self is continually propitiated by humans, serpents, gods, and demons.
द्यौर् मूर्धा पृथिवी पादौ तारका रोमराजयः । भूतान्य् अस्थीनि हृदयं व्योमास्य परमेष्ठिनः
The sky is its head, the earth its feet, the stars its hairs; the elements are its bones, the heart is its space, and the mouth belongs to the Supreme Lord.
सर्वत्रैष चिदात्मत्वाद् वाति जिघ्रति पश्यति । तेनैष सर्वतोलक्ष्यकरकर्णाक्षिपादभृत्
Because it is the essence of consciousness everywhere, it breathes, smells, and sees; thus, it is the bearer of all hands, feet, eyes, ears, and forms.
विवेकदूतम् उद्बोध्य हत्वा चित्तपिशाचकम् । आत्मना पदवीं स्फारां जीवẖ काम् अपि नीयते
By awakening the messenger of Discrimination and destroying the goblin of the mind, the living being is led by the Self to the vast path, wherever it desires.
त्यक्त्वा सर्वविकल्पौघान् विधूयानर्थसङ्कटम् । पौरुषेणात्मनैवात्मा स्वयम् एव प्रसाद्यताम्
Abandoning all waves of doubt and shaking off the distress of misfortune, let the Self be propitiated by itself alone, through one's own effort.
भ्रमन्मनḫपिशाचे ऽस्मिन् कल्लोलजलदाकुले । संसाररात्रितिमिरे स्वात्मैवापूर्णचन्द्रमाः
Even as the mind, like a demon, whirls in this tumultuous ocean of waves and clouds, in the darkness of the night of worldly existence, the Self alone is the full moon.
अबोधमरणावर्ते कल्लोलाकुलकोटरे । तृष्णाकल्लोलतरले स्वमनश्चण्डमारुते
In the vortex of ignorance and death, within the hollow agitated by waves, with the mind tossed by the fierce wind of craving’s waves—
महाजडजवाधारे संसारविषमार्णवे । इन्द्रियग्राहगहने विवेकḫ पोतको महान्
In the great current of dullness, in the poisonous ocean of worldly existence, amidst the thicket of sense-organ crocodiles, discernment is the great little boat.
पूर्वं यथाभिमतपूजनसुप्रसन्नो दत्त्वा विवेकम् इह पावनदूतम् आत्मा । जीवं पदं नयति निर्मलम् एकम् आद्यं सत्सङ्गशास्त्रपरमार्थपरावबोधैः
Just as, being well-pleased by worship as desired, the Self here bestows discernment as a pure messenger, so too, by the true understanding born of holy company and the essence of scripture, it leads the individual soul to the one, original, stainless state.
परिपुष्टविवेकानां वासनामलम् उज्झताम् । महत्ता महताम् अन्तẖ काप्य् अपूर्वैव जायते
For those whose discernment is fully matured and who have cast off the stain of latent impressions, a certain unprecedented greatness arises within the hearts of the great.
औदार्योदारमर्यादां मतिं गाम्भीर्यसुन्दरीम् । महतां नावगाहन्ते भुवनानि चतुर्दश
The worlds, all fourteen, cannot fathom the noble boundaries of generosity, the beautiful depth of mind, and the magnanimity of the great.
चित्तभ्रान्तिर् जगद् इति प्ररूढे प्रत्यये सताम् । बाह्यञ् चान्तश् चरन्न् अर्थग्रहो मोहश् च शाम्यति
When the conviction is firmly established in the wise that the world is but a projection of mental delusion, then, whether moving outwardly or inwardly, the grasping of objects and delusion both come to rest.
द्वीन्दुवत् तापजलवत् केशोण्डुकवद् अम्बरे । विस्फुरन्त्यां जगद्भ्रान्तौ वासनाप्रत्ययẖ कुतः
When the illusion of the world flashes forth like two moons, a mirage, or a ball in the sky, how can there be any conviction in latent impressions?
वासनाप्रत्ययशमे शून्यं व्योमैव शिष्यते । साप्य् अवस्था मनो ऽसच् चेत् ततस् त्याज्या विवेकिना
When the tendencies and their impressions are stilled, only emptiness, like the sky, remains; but if even that state is a construct of the mind, then the discerning one should abandon it.
त्रयम् एतत् तु यावस्था त्रयेणानेन वर्जिता । पश्यन्तीवाप्य् अपश्यन्ती सावस्था परमोदिता
That state, which is free from these three—tendencies, impressions, and mental constructs—appears as if perceiving, yet not perceiving; it is the supreme state.
विचित्ररत्नरश्म्योघ इव नानात्मकं जगत् । आभासमात्रं नाम्ब्वात्म न घनं न च पार्थिवम्
Just as a multitude of rays from various precious gems appears diverse, so too does the world, which is only an appearance—not of water, not solid, nor of earth.
रूपालोकमनोमात्रं शून्यम् एव जगत् स्थितम् । खे विचित्रमणिव्यूहकरजालम् इवोत्थितम्
The world exists as mere form, light, and mind—only emptiness—arising like a network of dust motes in the sky, formed by an array of wondrous jewels.
नेह सत्यानि भूतानि न जगत्ता न शून्यता । इदं ब्रह्माख्यरत्नेशप्रभाजालविजृम्भितम्
Here, there are no real entities, no world, nor emptiness; this is the radiance of the jewel-like Lord called Brahman, spreading forth.
सृष्टयो दृष्टयो ब्राह्म्यो नानातामननात्मकाः । अमूर्ता एव भासन्ते कल्पान्तार्कगणाघनाः
The creations and visions of Brahman, though appearing manifold and diverse, are formless, shining forth like masses of suns at the end of an age.
एवं तावद् घनीभूतḫ पिण्डग्राहो न विद्यते । सङ्कल्पिते ऽर्थे व्योम्नीव शून्यतैवावगम्यते
Thus, there is truly no grasping of solid forms; in what is imagined, as in space, only emptiness is apprehended.
अस्याम् अवस्तुभूतायां कथं भावनिबन्धनम् । भविष्यदाकाशतरौ विश्रान्तẖ को विहङ्गमः
In this which is of the nature of nonexistence, how can there be any basis for thought? Who is the bird that could rest on the future tree of the sky?
पिण्डत्वं नास्ति भूतानां शून्यता न च विद्यते । चित्तम् अप्य् अत एवास्तं शेषं सत् तत्र वस् स्थितिः
There is no substantiality to beings, nor does emptiness exist; likewise, the mind ceases here—what remains is the real, in which you abide.
अनाना समम् एवास्ते नानारूपो विबोधवान् । अन्तरालीननानार्थो यथा कनकपिण्डकः
It exists equally, without diversity, though appearing as manifold awareness; the various forms are merged within, like the different shapes within a lump of gold.
यथास्थितस्य साहन्त्वं विश्वं चित्रं विलीयते । ज्ञस्यावाच्यम् अचित्तं सत्स्वरूपम् अवशिष्यते
As it abides, the entire variegated world dissolves into that oneness; what remains is inexpressible, mindless, the true essence of being.
क्लिष्यते केवलं बुद्धिर् उत्तराधरदर्शनैः । स्तोकयाभ्यस्तया बुद्ध्या सत्यो ऽर्थो ह्य् अवगम्यते
Only the intellect is troubled by notions of higher and lower; yet, with even a little practiced discernment, the true meaning is understood.