स्थिताḫ पवनभूकम्पमेघतापसहिष्णवः । स्वं प्रदेशम् अनुज्झन्त्यẖ ककुभस् स्तम्भिता इव
The quarters stand firm, enduring wind, earthquakes, clouds, and heat, never abandoning their own place, as if fixed in place.
उत्पातमेघनिर्ह्रादभूमिकम्पग्रहग्रहैः । अज्ञातैर् अपि विज्ञातैर् भूतानां ज्ञायते गतिः
The movement of beings is known through portents—thunder of ominous clouds, earthquakes, eclipses—whether these signs are recognized or not.
सप्तानां जलम् अब्धीनाम् और्वाग्निḫ पिबति ज्वलन् । लोकान्तराणाम् आकल्पं कालो भूतगणं यथा
The blazing submarine fire drinks the waters of the seven oceans; in the same way, time consumes the hosts of beings until the end of the world.
पातालम् आविशति याति नभो विलङ्घ्य दिङ्मण्डलं भ्रमति भूतगणस् समन्तात् । पर्येति पर्वतमहार्णवमण्डलानि द्वीपान्तराणि च मरुत्सरणक्रमेण
The host of beings enters the netherworld, ascends the sky, circles the quarters, and wanders everywhere—across mountains, great oceans, and between islands—driven by the course of the wind.
यावस् तं सर्गम् आगच्छ प्रसादẖ क्रियतां मुने । आश्चर्येषूपपन्नेषु महान्तो ह्य् अतिकौतुकाः
As long as you reach that creation, O sage, be gracious; for the great are indeed most curious about wondrous things that arise.
तयेत्य् उक्ते मया सार्धं गन्तुम् आरब्धम् अम्बरे । वात्यया सौरभेणेव शून्ये शून्येन शून्यया
When she said this, I began to go with her through the sky, as if by a fragrant wind, through emptiness, with emptiness, by means of emptiness.
अथाहं दूरम् अध्वानं शून्यम् उल्लङ्घ्य नाभसम् । नाभसं भूतसञ्चारं तया सार्धम् अवाप्तवान्
Then, traversing a long, empty path through the sky, I, together with her, attained the movement among beings in the firmament.
तम् उल्लङ्घ्य चिरेणात्र भूतसञ्चारम् आम्बरम् । लोकालोकशिरोव्योम प्राप्तो ऽस्मि धवलाम्बुदम्
Having crossed that for a long time, I reached here, to the movement among beings in the sky, to the summit of Lokāloka, to the white cloud in the heavens.
उत्तराशेन्दुशुभ्राभ्रपीठान् निर्गत्य तां शिलाम् । आनीतो ऽस्मि तयोत्तुङ्गां तप्तकाञ्चनकल्पिताम्
Departing from the seat of northern, moon-bright clouds, she brought me to that lofty rock, fashioned of molten gold.
यावत् पश्याम्य् अहं शुभ्रां शिलाम् एव न तज्जगत् । कलधौतमयीम् उच्चैर् अग्निलोकतटीम् इव
As long as I looked, I saw only the shining rock, not that world—lofty, as if washed with moonlight, like the bank of the world of fire.
तदा मयोक्ता सा कान्ता क्व भवत्सर्गभूर् इति । क्व चन्द्रार्काग्नितारादि क्व लोकान्तरसप्तकम्
Then I asked that beloved: 'Where is your world of creation? Where are the moon, sun, fire, stars, and the seven other worlds?'
क्वार्णवाकाशककुभẖ क्वोन्मज्जननिमज्जने । क्व महाम्भोदसम्भारẖ क्व ताराम्बरडम्बरम्
Where are the oceans, the sky, the quarters? Where is rising and sinking? Where is the vast mass of the great ocean? Where is the starry expanse of the heavens?
क्व शैलशिखरश्रेण्यः क्व महार्णवभूमिकाः । क्व द्वीपावलयस् सप्त क्व तप्तकनकावनिः
Where are the chains of mountain peaks, where the vast beds of the great oceans? Where are the seven rings of islands, where the lands of molten gold?
क्व कार्यकालकलनाẖ क्व भूतभुवनभ्रमः । क्व विद्याधरगन्धर्वाẖ क्व नरामरदानवाः
Where are the calculations of cause and time, where the illusion of worlds and beings? Where are the Vidyādharas and Gandharvas, where the humans, gods, and demons?
क्वर्षिभूपालमुनयẖ क्व नयापनयक्रमः । क्व यामायामयामिन्यẖ क्व स्वर्गनरकभ्रमः
Where are the sages, kings, and ascetics, where the methods of justice and injustice? Where are the nights woven of illusion, where the delusion of heaven and hell?
क्व पुण्यपापकलनाẖ क्व कलाकालकेलयः । क्वासुरामरवैराणि क्व द्वेषस्नेहरीतयः
Where are the reckonings of merit and sin, where the playful turns of time and art? Where are the hostilities of gods and demons, where the flows of hatred and affection?
वदत्य् एवं मयि वचस् सोवाच वरवर्णिनी । विस्मयाकुलम् आलोक्य शिलाम् अलिविलोचना
Thus, as she spoke to me, the woman of radiant beauty, her bee-like eyes gazed in wonder at the stone.
पश्याम्य् अखिलम् आत्मीयम् अहं सर्गम् इहोपले । मकुरप्रतिबिम्बस्थपुरान्यपुरवत् पुरः
I see all creation as my own, here upon this stone, just as one sees old and new cities reflected in a mirror.
नित्यानुभव एवात्र दर्शने कारणं मम । तदभावो मुने मन्ये ते कारणम् अदर्शने
For me, it is only constant experience that is the cause of vision here; O sage, I think its absence is the cause of non-vision for you.
अन्योऽन्यचिरकालैकद्वैतसङ्कथयानया । शुद्धातिवाहिकैकात्म्यदेहता विस्मृतावयोः
Because of our long and mutual discourse on the oneness of non-duality, we both have forgotten the pure, transcendent unity of the Self.
ममातिसुचिराभ्यस्तम् अपि श्यामलताम् इव । गतं निजं जगद् इदं यतḫ पश्यामि न स्फुटम्
This world of mine, though practiced for a very long time, has become indistinct to me, like a darkness that has set in, for I do not perceive it clearly.
अभूद् यत् स्वजगत् पूर्वम् अतिप्रकटम् एव मे । तत् पश्यामीदम् आदर्श इव बिम्बितम् अस्फुटम्
What was once my own world, exceedingly clear before, now I see as faintly reflected in a mirror, indistinct.
चिरव्यर्थोत्थया नाथसङ्कथाव्यथया मिथः । स्वास्थ्यं विस्मृतम् आत्मीयम् अवदाततमं ततम्
Through the long and fruitless agitation of discussions and debates, my own natural composure has been forgotten, and a deep obscurity has spread.
यो ऽभ्यासḫ प्रकचत्य् अन्तश् शुद्धचिन्नभसो रसात् । भवेत् तन्मयम् एवान्तर् आबालम् इति लक्ष्यते
That practice which shines forth within, from the essence of pure consciousness, is said to be truly established when it pervades entirely, even from childhood.
न तच् छास्त्रं न सा सिद्धिर् न स न्यायो न सा कला । अस्त्य् अनस्तमितोद्योगाद् यद् अभ्यासान् न सिध्यति
There is no scripture, no attainment, no reasoning, nor any art that cannot be accomplished by persistent, unwavering effort and practice.
स्वजगत्सन्तताभ्यासवशतो मां कथाभ्रमः । नूनम् आक्रान्तवान् एष द्वयोर् हि बलवाञ् जयी
Because of the force of constant attention to my own world, this confusion of stories has surely overtaken me; for between the two, the stronger is victorious.
इष्टवस्त्वर्थिनां तज्ज्ञसूपदिष्टेन कर्मणा । पौनḫपुण्येन करणान् नेतरच् छरणं मुने
For those who desire what is dear, only repeated action, as instructed by those who know, is the means; there is no other refuge, O sage.
अयम् इत्थम् इहाज्ञानभ्रमḫ प्रौढो ऽहमात्मकः । शाम्यति ज्ञानचर्चाभिḫ पश्याभ्यासविजृम्भितम्
This delusion, strong and self-based, arising here from ignorance, subsides through repeated contemplation of knowledge—see how it unfolds through practice.
अज्ञो ऽपि तज्ज्ञताम् एति शनैश् शैलो ऽपि चूर्ण्यते । घुणो ऽप्य् अत्ति महावृक्षं पश्याभ्यासविजृम्भितम्
Even an ignorant person gradually attains knowledge; even a mountain is ground down; even a worm eats a great tree—see how practice unfolds its power.
अहं शिष्याबला बाला पश्यामि त्वं न पश्यसि । सर्वज्ञो ऽपि शिलासर्गं पश्याभ्यासविजृम्भितम्
Though I am a young and inexperienced disciple, I see what you do not; even one who knows everything can see only what practice reveals—see how practice unfolds its power.