त्वाम् अप्य् उदितनिर्वाणम् अहङ्कारपिशाचकः । बाधते किम् इति ब्रूहि मुने मन्मोहशान्तये
Tell me, sage, for the calming of my mind's delusion: why does the demon of ego still trouble you, even though you have attained the rise of nirvana?
अहम्भावं विना देहस्थितिस् तज्ज्ञाज्ञयोर् इह । आधेयस्य निराधारा न संस्थेवोपपद्यते
Without the sense of 'I', the body's existence—whether in the wise or the ignorant—cannot be sustained; the supported cannot remain without a support.
अयं त्व् अत्र विशेषस् तं शृणु विश्रान्तचेतसः । श्रुतेन येनाहम्भावपिशाचश् शान्तिम् एति ते
But here is the distinction—listen with a tranquil mind: by hearing this, the demon of ego will find peace within you.
अहम्भावपिशाचो ऽयम् अज्ञानशिशुनामुना । अविद्यमान एवान्तẖ कल्पितस् तेन सूत्थितः
This demon of ego is conjured up within by the child of ignorance; though it does not truly exist, it is imagined and thus arises.
अज्ञानम् अपि नास्त्य् एव प्रेक्षितं यन् न लभ्यते । विचारिणा दीपवता स्वरूपं तमसो यथा
Ignorance does not exist where it is observed that nothing is attained; its nature is revealed by inquiry, like darkness by a lamp.
यथा यथा विलोक्यते तथा तथा विलीयते । इहाज्ञतापिशाचिका तथाविचारिता सती
The more it is examined, the more it dissolves; so too, this demon of ignorance vanishes when properly investigated.
विलसन्त्याम् अविद्यायाम् अज्ञतोदेति शाश्वती । बुद्धिमोहात्मिका यक्षी निर्देहैव यथा निशि
When ignorance is active, perpetual confusion arises; a yaksha of bewildered intellect, bodiless, appears in the night.
सति सर्गे त्व् अविद्यायास् सम्भवो नासति क्वचित् । सति द्वितीये शशिनि द्वितीयो विद्यते शशः
Ignorance arises only when creation exists, never when it does not; just as a second hare exists only when there is a second moon.
सर्गस् त्व् अयम् अजातत्वाद् अज्ञज्ञातो न विद्यते । न जातẖ कारणाभावात् पूर्वम् एव खवृक्षवत्
This creation, being unborn, is not known by the ignorant; it was never produced, for lack of cause, like a tree in the sky.
परमाकाशकोशान्तर् आदिसर्गे निरामये । पृथ्व्यादेर् उपलम्भस्य भवेत् किम् इव कारणम्
Within the supreme space, in the pure primordial creation, what could be the cause for the perception of earth and the rest?
बीजात् कारणतẖ कार्यम् अङ्कुरẖ किल जायते । न बीजम् अपि यत्रास्ति तत्र स्याद् अङ्कुरẖ कुतः
A sprout arises from a seed as its cause; but where there is no seed, how could a sprout possibly exist?
कारणेन विना कार्यं न च नामोपपद्यते । कदा क इव खे केन दृष्टो लब्धस् स्फुटो द्रुमः
Without a cause, an effect cannot arise, nor even a name; when, where, and by whom has a clear tree been seen in the sky?
सङ्कल्पेनाम्बरे यद् वा दृश्यते विटपादिकम् । स सङ्कल्पस् तथाभूतो न त्व् अत्रास्ति पदार्थता
Whatever is seen in the sky, such as trees and the like, is by imagination; that imagination appears as such, but in reality, there is no substantiality to it.
यो ऽयम् एवं चिदाकाशे सर्गादाव् अनुभूयते । शून्ये कूप इवाकाशस् सर्गस् स्थितिनिरर्गलः
That which is thus experienced in the space of consciousness at the beginning of creation is like the sky in an empty well—creation remains unrestricted in emptiness.
सम एव चिदाकाशẖ कचत्य् आत्मनि तत्तया । स्वभाव एव सर्गाख्यश् चित्त्वाच् चैतन्यम् ईश्वरः
The space of consciousness, being uniform, shines in itself in that way; its very nature is called 'creation,' and because it is consciousness, it is the Lord.
स्वप्नसर्गो ऽत्र दृष्टान्तḫ प्रत्यहं यो ऽनुभूयते । स्वयं संवेदनं स्वप्ने स्फुरत्य् अद्रिपुराकृति
The creation in dream is the example here, which is experienced every day; self-awareness in dream flashes forth, without the form of an external object.
चित्स्वभावो यथा स्वप्न आस्ते सर्ग इवेह वः । असर्गे सर्गवद् भातस् तथा पूर्वं महाम्बरे
Just as in dream the nature of consciousness abides, so too does creation exist here for you; even in the absence of creation, it appears as if there is creation, just as before in the great expanse.
अवेद्यं वेदनं शुद्धम् एव भात्य् अजम् अव्ययम् । सर्गादौ यद् अनाद्यन्तं स्थितस् सर्गस् स एव वः
That which is pure, unborn, and imperishable, appearing as unperceived awareness at the beginning of creation, that which is without beginning or end, is itself the creation abiding for you.
नेह सर्गो ऽस्ति नैवायं पृथ्व्यादिगणगोलकः । सर्वं शान्तम् अनालम्बं ब्रह्मैव ब्रह्मणि स्थितम्
Here, there is no creation, nor is there this sphere of earth and the rest; all is peaceful, unsupported, Brahman alone, established in Brahman.
सर्वशक्त्यात्म तद् ब्रह्म यथा कचति यादृशम् । रूपम् अत्यजद् एवाच्छं तथा भवति तादृशम्
That Brahman, whose essence is all powers, shines forth as it does; without ever abandoning its own pure form, it becomes just as it appears.
यथा स्वप्नपुरं जन्तोश् चिन्मात्रप्रविजृम्भितम् । तथैव सर्गस् सर्गादौ शुद्धचिन्मात्रजृम्भितः
Just as a city seen in a dream by a person is manifested solely by consciousness, so too, at the beginning of creation, the universe arises solely from pure consciousness.
स्वच्छे चित्परमाकाशे चिदाकाशो य आस्थितः । स्वभाव एव सर्गो ऽसाव् इति तेनैव भावितः
In the clear supreme space of consciousness, that which abides as the space of awareness—this creation is its very nature, and thus it is conceived as such.
भाव्यभावकभावादिभूमीनां भवनं भृशम् । सर्वं चिन्नभ एवाच्छम् आत्मनात्मनि संस्थितम्
The existence of all the states—such as the imagined, the imagining, and the process of imagination—remains entirely pure, established in the sky of consciousness, the Self within the Self.
एवं स्थिते कुतस् सर्गẖ कुतो ऽविद्या क्व चाज्ञता । ब्रह्म शान्तं घनं सर्वं क्वाहङ्कारादयस् स्थिताः
When it is thus, whence is creation, whence ignorance, where is nescience? All is the tranquil, solid Brahman—where then can ego and the rest abide?
अहम्भावस्य संशान्तिर् एषासौ कथिता तव । अहम्भावḫ परिज्ञातḫ पिशाच इव शाम्यति
This, then, is the cessation of the sense of 'I' that has been described to you; when the sense of 'I' is fully known, it subsides like a ghost.
मया त्व् एवम् अहम्भावḫ परिज्ञातो यदाखिलः । तदा मे विद्यमानो ऽपि निष्फलश् शरदभ्रवत्
Indeed, when I have thus fully understood the sense of 'I', then, even if it appears, it is fruitless, like an autumn cloud.
चित्राग्निदाहो विज्ञातो यथा दाह्येषु निष्फलः । तथाहम्भावसर्गादि ज्ञातं विफलताम् इयात्
Just as the imagined burning of fire is ineffectual upon objects to be burned, so too, when the sense of 'I' and creation are known, they become fruitless.
इति मे ऽहङ्कृतेस् त्यागे रागे च समता यदि । तदा व्योम्न इव व्योम्नि सर्गे ऽसर्गे च मे स्थितिः
Thus, if there is equanimity in me upon the abandonment of ego and desire, then my state is like space within space, whether in creation or non-creation.
अहम्भावस्य नैवाहं नाहम्भावो ममेति च । तेन विद्धि चिदाकाशम् एवेदम् इति निर्घनम्
I am not the sense of 'I', nor is there a sense of 'not-I' as mine; thus, know this as pure consciousness-space alone, free from all distinctions.
यथा मम तथान्येषाम् इति बोधवताम् इह । अग्नित्वम् इव चित्राग्नेर् नास्त्य् अहम्बोधविभ्रमः
For those who are awakened, it is understood here: just as it is for me, so it is for others; there is no confusion of self-awareness, just as there is no confusion about the fiery nature of a painted fire.