निरिन्द्रियबलस्यापि यस्याशेषेन्द्रियक्रियाः । यस्य निर्मनसो ऽप्य् एता मनोनिर्माणरीतयः
Though lacking the power of the senses, all actions of the senses belong to him; though without mind, these ways of mental creation are his.
यदनालोचनाद् भान्ति संसारोरगभीतयः । यस्मिन् दृष्टे पलायन्ते सर्वथा सर्वदेतयः
From not perceiving him arise the fears of the serpent of worldly existence; upon seeing him, all such fears flee completely in every way.
साक्षिणि स्फार आभासे ध्रुवे दीप इव क्रियाः । सति यस्मिन् प्रवर्तन्ते चित्रेहास् स्पन्दपूर्विकाः
In the witness, vast and radiant, fixed like a lamp, actions occur; when he is present, diverse activities arise, preceded by movement.
यस्माद् घटपटाकारपदार्थशतपङ्क्तयः । तरङ्गकणकल्लोलवीचयो वारिधेर् इव
From him arise rows of objects like pots and cloths, hundreds of things; like waves, droplets, surges, and ripples from the ocean.
स एवान्यतयोदेति यः पदार्थशतभ्रमैः । कटकाङ्गदकेयूरनूपुरैर् इव काञ्चनम्
That very one appears as another, through the confusion of hundreds of objects—just as gold seems different when fashioned into bracelets, armlets, or anklets.
यस् त्वम् एकावभासात्मा यो ऽहम् एते जनाश् च ये । यश् च न त्वम् अबुद्धात्मन् नाहं नैते जनाश् च ये
You, who are the essence of a single radiance; I, these people, and all others—whoever is not you, not I, nor these people, due to ignorance of the Self—are all the same.
अन्येवाव्यतिरिक्तैव सैवासेव च भङ्गुरा । पयसीव तरङ्गाली यस्मिन् स्फुरति दृश्यभूः
That same one is both distinct and not distinct, existing and not existing, and perishable—like a multitude of waves arising in water, where the visible world appears.
यतः कालस्य कलना यतो दृश्यस्य दृश्यता । मानसी कलना येन येन भासां विभासनम्
From whom arises the measurement of time, from whom the visibility of the visible, by whom mental calculation occurs, and by whose light all lights shine forth—
क्रियां रूपं रसं गन्धं स्पर्शं शब्दं च चेतनम् । यद् वेत्सि तद् असौ देवो येन वेत्सि तद् अप्य् असौ
Whatever you know as action, form, taste, smell, touch, sound, or consciousness—that is that very Deva; and by whom you know, that too is that very one.
द्रष्टृदर्शनदृश्यानां मध्ये यद् दर्शनं स्थितम् । साधो तदवधानेन स्वात्मानम् अवबुध्यसे
That awareness which stands in the midst of the seer, seeing, and the seen—O noble one, by attending to that, you will realize your own Self.
अजम् अजरम् अजाड्यं शाश्वतं ब्रह्म नित्यं शिवम् अमलम् अनाद्यं वन्ध्यवेद्यैर् अनिन्द्यम् । सकलकलनशून्यं कारणं कारणानाम् अनुभवनम् अवेद्यं वेदनं वित्त्वम् अन्तः
Unborn, undecaying, unclouded, eternal, Brahman, everlasting, auspicious, stainless, without beginning, ungraspable by barren knowledge, blameless, devoid of all constructions, the cause of causes, the experience that is unknowable, the knowing, the inner knower.
महाप्रलयसम्पत्तौ यद् एतद् अवशिष्यते । भवत्व् एतद् अनाकारं नाम नास्त्य् अत्र संशयः
At the time of the great dissolution, that which remains—let it be formless; there is no doubt about this.
न शून्यं कथम् एतत् स्यान् न प्रकाशः कथं भवेत् । कथं वा न तमोरूपं कथं वा नैव खात्मकम्
How could this be void? How could it not be luminous? How could it not be of the nature of darkness? How could it not be of the nature of space?
कथं वा नैव चिद्रूपं जीवो वा न कथं भवेत् । कथं न बुद्धितत्त्वं स्यात् कथं वा न मनो भवेत्
How could it not be of the nature of consciousness? How could there not be a living being? How could there not be the principle of intellect? How could there not be mind?
कथं वा न नकिञ्चित् स्यात् कथं वा सर्वम् इत्य् अपि । अनया च वचोभङ्ग्या मम मोह इवोदितः
How could there be nothing at all? How could there be everything? By such a manner of questioning, my own delusion seems to be expressed.
विषमो ऽयम् अति प्रश्नो भवता समुदाहृतः । भिनद्म्य् एनं त्व् अयत्नेन नैशं तम इवांशुमान्
You have raised a most difficult question; yet I will break through it effortlessly, like the sun dispelling the darkness of night.
महाकल्पान्तसम्पत्तौ यत् तत् सद् अवशिष्यते । तन् नाम न यथा शून्यं तद् इदं कथ्यते शृणु
At the end of a great aeon, that which remains as existence is not truly void; listen as I explain what that is called.
अनुत्कीर्णा यथा स्तम्भे संस्थिता सालभञ्जिका । तथा विश्वं स्थितं तत्र तेन शून्यं न तत् पदम्
Just as a carved figure remains in a pillar, so too the universe abides there; therefore, that state is not void.
अयम् इत्थं महाभोगो जगदाख्यो ऽवभासते । सत्यो भवत्व् असत्यो वा यत्र तत्र क्व शून्यता
In this way, this vast experience, called the world, appears; whether it is real or unreal, where then is emptiness?
यथा न पुत्रिकाशून्यस् स्तम्भो ऽनुत्कीर्णसालिकः । तथा तात जगद् ब्रह्म तेन शून्यं न तत् पदम्
Just as a pillar with an uncarved figure is not devoid of the figure, so too, dear one, the world is Brahman; therefore, that state is not void.
सौम्याम्भसि यथा वीचिर् न चास्ति न च नास्ति च । तथा जगद् ब्रह्मणीदं शून्याशून्यपदं गतम्
Just as a ripple on gentle water neither truly exists nor does not exist, so too this world has entered the state of both emptiness and non-emptiness within Brahman.
देशकालादिशान्तत्वात् पुत्रिकारचनं द्रुमे । सम्भवत्य् अजधातौ तु केन नान्तर् विमुह्यते
Because of the limits of place, time, and direction, the making of a doll from a tree is possible; but in the inert substratum, by whom and how could any inner confusion arise?
तत् स्तम्भपुत्रिकाद्य् एतत् परमार्थजगत्स्थितेः । एकदेशेन सदृशम् उपमानं न सर्वतः
Therefore, such examples as the doll or the tree only partially resemble the true state of the world; no comparison is entirely adequate.
न कदाचिद् उदेतीदं परस्मान् न च शाम्यति । इत्थंरूपं केवलं सद् ब्रह्म स्वात्मनि संस्थितम्
This world never arises from anything else, nor does it ever cease; in this way, only pure Brahman, of such a nature, abides in its own Self.
अशून्यापेक्षया शून्यशब्दार्थपरिकल्पना । अशून्यत्वासम्भवतश् शून्यताशून्यते कुतः
The concept of 'emptiness' is imagined only in relation to 'non-emptiness'; since true non-emptiness is impossible, how can there be either emptiness or non-emptiness?
ब्रह्मण्य् अयं प्रकाशो हि न सम्भवति भूतजः । सूर्यानलेन्दुतारादि कुतस् तत्र किलाव्यये
This radiance in Brahman does not arise from any material element; so how could sun, fire, moon, stars, or the like exist in that which is imperishable?
महाभूतप्रकाशानाम् अभावस् तम उच्यते । महाभूताभावजं तु तेनात्र न तमः क्वचित्
The absence of the light of the great elements is called darkness; but since there is no absence of the great elements here, therefore, there is never any darkness.
स्वानुभूतिप्रकाशो ऽस्य केवलं व्योमरूपिणः । यो ऽन्तर् अस्ति स तेनैव न त्व् अन्येनानुभूयते
Its illumination is only the direct experience of one whose nature is like space; whatever is within is known by that alone, not by anything else.
मुक्तं तमःप्रकाशाभ्याम् इत्य् एतद् अजरं पदम् । आकाशकोशम् एवैनं विद्धि कोशं जगत्स्थितेः
That state, free from both darkness and light, is the ageless abode; know it to be like the space within a vessel, the container of the world's existence.
बिल्वस्य बिल्वसञ्ज्ञस्य यथा भेदो न कश्चन । तथेह ब्रह्मजगतोर् न मनाग् अपि भिन्नता
Just as there is no real distinction in the fruit called bilva, so too, here, there is not the slightest separation between Brahman and the world.