तरन्ति सरितं स्फारां संसारीं सारसेविनः । त एवात्मविचाराख्यम् अभ्यासं न त्यजन्ति ये
Those who serve the essence cross the vast river of worldly existence; only those who do not abandon the practice called self-inquiry.
अभ्यासभासो ऽभिमतं वस्तु प्रकटयन्त्य् अलम् । प्रापयन्ति च निर्विघ्नं घटं दीपप्रभा यथा
The semblance of practice clearly reveals the desired object and brings it without obstacle, just as the light of a lamp illuminates a pot.
यथा कल्पद्रुमलतास् सुचिन्तामणयो यथा । फलन्ति शरदश् चैतास् तथैवाभ्यासभूमयः
Just as wish-fulfilling trees and precious gems yield fruit, and as autumn brings forth lotuses, so too do the grounds of practice.
इष्टवस्तु चिराभ्यासभास्वान् भासयति प्रजाः । तथेन्द्रियाख्यां देहोर्व्यां रात्रिं पश्यन्ति नो यथा
Long-practiced brilliance regarding the desired object illuminates people, just as they do not see night in the realm called the body of the senses.
सर्वस्य जन्तुजातस्य सर्ववस्त्ववभासने । सर्वदैवैक एवोच्चैर् जयत्य् अभ्यासभास्करः
For all living beings, in the illumination of all things, it is always the one sun of practice that shines supreme.
चतुर्दशविधायास् तु भूतजातेर् न कस्यचित् । सिध्यत्य् अभिमतं वस्तु विनाभ्यासम् अकृत्रिमम्
Among the fourteenfold classes of beings, no one attains the desired object without natural, unforced practice.
पौनḫपुण्येन करणम् अभ्यास इति कथ्यते । पुरुषार्थस् स एवेह तेनास्ति न विना गतिः
Repeated action is called practice; in this world, it alone is human effort—without it, there is no way forward.
दृढाभ्यासविधानेन यत्ननाम्ना स्वकर्मणा । निजवेदनजेनैव सिद्धिर् भवति नान्यथा
By the method of firm practice, called effort, through one's own actions and direct experience, accomplishment arises—never otherwise.
अभ्यासभास्वति तपत्य् अवनौ वने च वीरस्य सिध्यति न यन् न तद् अस्ति किञ्चित् । अभ्यासतो भुवि भयान्य् अभयीभवन्ति सर्वासु पर्वतगुहास्व् अपि निर्जनासु
In the radiance of practice, whatever does not succeed for the brave on earth or in the forest does not exist at all; through practice, even fears on earth become fearless, even in all the lonely mountain caves.
ततḫ प्रतीपम् अभ्यासं बोधे धारणयामले । कुर्वḫ प्रकटतां तेन जगद् एष्यति शैलगम्
Then, by applying contrary practice to the twin powers of knowledge and concentration, the world will become as clear as a mountain.
युक्तियुक्ते तयेत्य् उक्ते विद्याधर्या धरोपरि । बद्धपद्मासनो ऽथाहं समाधाव् उदितो ऽभवम्
Thus instructed by the Vidyādhari, seated in lotus posture upon the earth, I then arose into samādhi.
सर्वार्थभावनात्यागे चिन्मात्रैकान्तभावितः । अत्यजं तम् अहं पूर्वं कथार्थकलनामलम्
Having abandoned all notions of objects and established solely in pure consciousness, I previously let go of the web of conceptualizations about the subject of the story.
अथ चिद्व्योमतां प्राप्तḫ परां दृष्टिम् अहं गतः । शरत्समयसम्प्राप्तौ व्योम निर्मलताम् इव
Then, having attained the state of pure consciousness-space, I reached the highest vision, just as the sky becomes clear when autumn arrives.
ततस् सत्यावधानैकघनाभ्यासेन देहके । ममाधिभौतिकभ्रान्तिर् नूनम् अस्तम् उपागता
Thereafter, through the constant and undivided practice of true attentiveness, my delusion regarding the physical body has surely come to an end.
उदयास्तमयोन्मुक्ता सततोदयमय्य् अपि । महाचिद्व्योमता स्वच्छा प्रोदितेव तदाभवत्
Freed from rising and setting, and ever fresh in its arising, the vast and clear expanse of supreme consciousness appeared, as if newly manifest.
अथ पश्याम्य् अहं यावत् खस्यैवोपलतेव सा । वस्तुतश् च न चाकाशं नोपलḫ परम् एव तत्
Then, as I beheld it, it seemed like a stone in the sky, yet in reality it was neither sky nor stone, but something beyond both.
परमार्थघनं स्वच्छं तत् तथाभावि तादृशम् । तथाभावनया स्वात्मा मदीयो दृष्टवांस् तथा
That was truly dense with ultimate reality, clear and of such a nature; by contemplating thus, I saw my own self in the same way.
यथा स्वप्ने सुमहती दृष्टा गेहगता शिला । व्योमैव केवलं तद्वत् सा शुद्धं चिन्नभश् शिला
Just as in a dream one sees a great stone inside a house, but in truth it is only sky, so too was that pure stone the sky of consciousness.
स्वयं स्वप्नान्वितो ऽन्यस्य स्वप्नपुंस्त्वं गतो नरः । स्वप्ने ऽज्ञानप्रबुद्धस्य यादृक् तादृक् स सूपलः
A man, himself dreaming, assumes the dream-manhood of another; in the dream of one who is not awakened to knowledge, such is his stone in the dream.
स्वप्नस्थानां शिरश् छिन्नं येषां ते संसृतौ स्थिताः । कालेन ज्ञानलाभेन विना कुर्वन्ति किं किल
Those whose heads are cut off in the dream-state remain in the cycle of birth and death; without the attainment of knowledge in time, what indeed can they do?
बोधẖ कालेन भवति महामोहवताम् अपि । तस्मान् न किञ्चिद् अप्य् अस्ति ब्रह्मतत्त्वाद् ऋते ऽक्षयम्
Awakening arises in time even for those deeply deluded; therefore, apart from the essence of Brahman, nothing else is truly enduring.
अतस् तच् चिद्घनं स्वच्छं ब्रह्माकाशं शिलाकृति । दृष्टं मया तथा तत्र न तु पृथ्व्यादि सत् क्वचित्
Thus, I perceived there that pure, transparent mass of consciousness, the space of Brahman, shaped like a rock; and nowhere was there any real existence of earth or the other elements.
भूतानाम् आदिसर्गे यच् छुद्धं यत् पारमार्थिकम् । वपुस् तद् एवाद्य तेषां ध्यानलभ्यम् अवस्थितम्
At the initial creation of beings, that which is pure and ultimate reality—only that form abides as their original body, attainable through meditation.
ब्राह्मं वपुर् हि भूतानाम् आत्मीयं यत् पुरातनम् । तद् एवाद्य मनोराज्यं सङ्कल्प इति कथ्यते
For the beings, their own ancient, divine body is called the kingdom of mind today, and is referred to as imagination.
स आतिवाहिको देहस् तत् परं परमार्थतः । प्रत्यक्षं प्रथमं तत् तत् तद् आद्यं कचनं चितः
That subtle, superphysical body is, in truth, the supreme reality; it is the first direct manifestation, the original form of consciousness.
तद् यत् प्रथमम् अध्यक्षं जीवस्य प्रथमं वपुः । मनḫप्रत्यक्षम् इत्य् उक्तं तत् तेनैवाद्य दुर्धिया
That which is first perceived, the soul’s original body, is called the mind’s direct perception; even now, for those of confused intellect, it is so.
योगिप्रत्यक्षम् इत्य् उक्तं मनḫप्रत्यक्षम् इत्य् अपि । तत् स्वम् एव चिता रूपं गतयेवान्यतां मुधा
It is called the yogi’s direct perception, and also the mind’s direct perception; that very form of consciousness appears, through delusion, to have become something else.
इदम् अद्यतनं नाम प्रत्यक्षम् असदुत्थितम् । असत्प्रत्यक्षम् एवेति विद्धि प्रत्यक्षम् अङ्ग तत्
This so-called present direct perception arises from unreality; know, O dear one, that what is taken as direct perception is in fact perception of the unreal.
अहो नु चित्रा माया यत् प्राक्प्रत्यक्षे परोक्षता । निर्णीतास्मिंस् त्व् अनध्यक्षे प्रत्यक्षकलनादृता
Ah, how wondrous is this illusion, where what was once directly perceived becomes remote; and in this unperceived, the directly perceived is taken as real.
आतिवाहिकदेहित्वं प्रत्यक्षं प्रथमोदितम् । सत्यं सर्वगतं विद्धि मायैव त्व् आधिभौतिकम्
The embodiment through subtle means is first experienced as direct perception; know that this, though appearing universally true, is in fact only a worldly illusion.