वन्ध्यापुत्रनभोवृक्षकल्पना तावद् अस्ति हि । सा यथा नाशजन्माद्या तथैवेदं न किं भवेत्
The imagined tree in the sky of a barren woman's son exists only as a notion; just as it has no birth or destruction, so too is this world.
फुल्लस्यातुलभुस् सम्यग् आलकैः कुरु कोलनम् । निरन्वया यथैवोक्तिर् जगत्सत्ता तथैव हि
Try to braid the wind with the hair of a blossoming flower—just as such speech is without substance, so too is the existence of the world.
यथा सौवर्णकटके दृश्यमानम् अपि स्फुटम् । कटकत्वं तु नास्त्य् एव जगत्त्वं तु तथा परे
Just as, though a golden bracelet is clearly seen, there is truly no 'bracelet-ness' apart from the gold, so too is 'world-ness' in the Supreme.
आकाशे च यथा नास्ति शून्यत्वं व्यतिरेकवत् । जगत्त्वं ब्रह्मणि तथा नास्त्य् एवाप्य् उपलब्धिमत्
Just as there is no distinct emptiness in space, so too, in Brahman, there is no real 'world-ness,' even for one who perceives it.
कज्जलान् न यथा कार्ष्ण्यं शैत्यं च न यथा हिमात् । पृथग् एव भवेद् बुद्धं जगन् नास्ति परे पदे
Just as blackness does not come from lampblack, nor coldness from snow—so too, when rightly understood, the world does not exist in the Supreme State.
यथा च शैत्यं शशिनो न हिमाद् व्यतिरिच्यते । ब्रह्मणो न तथा सर्गो विद्यते व्यतिरेकवान्
Just as the coolness of the moon is not separate from the moon itself, so too, creation does not exist as something distinct from Brahman.
मरुनद्यां यथा तोयं द्वितीयेन्दौ यथेन्दुता । नास्त्य् एवैवं जगन् नास्ति दृष्टम् अप्य् अमलात्मनि
Just as there is no water in a mirage, or moonlight in a second moon, so too, this world does not truly exist, even when it appears, in the pure Self.
संविद्विलोचनालोको भात्य् अयं संविदम्बरे । जगदाख्ये ऽमले व्योम्नि दृष्टिमुक्तावली यथा
The light of awareness, as the eye of consciousness, shines in the sky of awareness; in the pure space called 'the world,' it appears like a string of pearls released to sight.
चिदाकाशे चिदाकाशश् चित्त्वाद् यः कचति स्वयम् । तद् एव तेन रूपं स्वं जगद् इत्य् अवबुध्यते
In the space of consciousness, that which shines as consciousness itself, by its own nature, is perceived by itself as its own form, and is understood as 'the world.'
आदाव् एव हि यन् नास्ति कारणासम्भवात् स्वयम् । वर्तमाने ऽपि तन् नास्ति नाशस् स्यात् तत्र कीदृशः
That which does not exist at the beginning, due to the absence of a cause, does not exist even in the present; how could destruction occur for something like that?
क्वासम्भवद्भूतजाड्यं पृठ्व्यादेर् जडवस्तुनः । कारणं भवितुं शक्तं छायाया आतपो यथा
How could inertness, arising from non-origination, become the cause of inert objects like earth and so on? It is like sunlight being the cause of a shadow.
कारणाभावतः कार्यं नेदं तत् किञ्चनोदितम् । यत् तत्कारणम् एवास्ति तद् एवेत्थम् अवस्थितम्
Because of the absence of a cause, no effect has ever been declared here; whatever is the cause alone exists, and remains established in that way.
अजातम् एव यद् भाति संविदो भानम् एव तत् । यज् जगद् दृश्यते स्वप्ने संवित्कचनम् एव तत्
Whatever appears as unborn is only the radiance of consciousness; whatever world is seen in a dream is nothing but the shining of consciousness.
संवित्कचनम् एवान्तर् यथा स्वप्नजगद्भ्रमः । सर्गादौ ब्रह्मणि तथा जगत्कचनम् आततम्
The shining of consciousness within is just like the illusion of a dream-world; in the beginning of creation, in Brahman, the shining of the world is spread out in the same way.
यद् इदं दृश्यते किञ्चित् तत् सद् एवात्मनि स्थितम् । नास्तम् एति न चोदेति जगत् किञ्चित् कदाचन
Whatever is seen here is truly established in the Self; the world never sets nor rises at any time.
यथा द्रवत्वं सलिलं स्पन्दत्वं पवनो यथा । यथा प्रकाश आभासो ब्रह्मैव त्रिजगत् तथा
Just as liquidity belongs to water, motion to wind, and radiance to light, so Brahman alone is the essence of the three worlds.
यथा पुरम् इवास्ते ऽन्तर् विद् एव स्वप्नसंविदि । तथा जगद् इवाभाति स्वात्मैव परमात्मनि
As a city appears within, like a deity in the awareness of a dream, so the world seems to shine forth, but it is one's own Self in the Supreme Self.
एवं चेत् तत् कथं ब्रह्मन् सुघनप्रत्ययं वद । इदं दृश्यविषं जातम् असत्स्वप्नानुभूतिवत्
If it is so, then how, O Brahman, can you explain the firm conviction of reality? This visible world has arisen like an unreal experience in a dream.
सति दृश्ये किल द्रष्टा सति द्रष्टरि दृश्यता । एकसत्त्वे द्वयोर् बन्धो मुक्तिर् एकक्षये द्वयोः
When the seen exists, there is a seer; when the seer exists, there is something seen. Bondage arises from the existence of both; liberation comes when either one ceases.
अत्यन्तासम्भवो यावद् बुद्धो दृश्यस्य नाक्षयः । तावद् द्रष्टुर् अद्रष्टृत्वं न सम्भवति मोक्षदम्
As long as the object is not utterly impossible and the mind does not abandon it, the state of non-seership in the seer cannot arise, nor can it grant liberation.
दृश्यं चेत् सम्भवत्य् आदौ पश्चात् क्षयम् उपागतम् । तद् दृश्यस्मरणानर्थरूपो बन्धो न शाम्यति
If the object first arises and later perishes, then due to the memory of the object, the bondage, which is of the nature of useless recollection, does not cease.
यत्र क्वचन संस्थस्य स्वादर्शस्येव चिद्गतेः । प्रतिबिम्बो लगत्य् एव सर्गस्मृतिमयो ह्य् अयम्
Wherever the mind is established, like its own reflection in a mirror, a reflection arises; this is indeed the memory of creation.
आदाव् एव हि नोत्पन्नं दृश्यं नास्त्य् एव चेत् स्वयम् । द्रष्टृदृश्यभ्रमाभावात् तत् सम्भवति मुक्तता
In the beginning, indeed, the perceived world does not arise; if it does not exist by itself, then, due to the absence of the illusion of seer and seen, liberation is attained.
तस्माद् असम्भवन्मुक्तेर् मम प्रोत्सार्य युक्तितः । अत्यन्तासम्भवं दृश्ये कथयात्मविदां वर
Therefore, O best among knowers of the Self, dispel for me, through reasoning, the notion of impossible liberation, and speak of the utter impossibility of the perceived world.
असद् एव यथा भाति जगत्सर्गात्मकं तथा । शृण्व् अहं कथया राम दीर्घया कथयामि ते
Just as the world, consisting of creation, appears though it is unreal, so too, O Rama, listen as I explain this to you at length.
व्यवसायकथावाक्यैर् यावत् तन् नानुवर्णितम् । न विश्राम्यति ते तावद् धृदि पांसुर् यथा ह्रदे
Until this is fully described by words of decisive teaching, the dust in your heart will not settle, just as silt does not settle in a lake.
अत्यन्ताभावम् अस्यास् त्वं जगत्सर्गभ्रमस्थितेः । बुद्ध्वैकध्याननिष्ठात्मा व्यवहारं करिष्यसि
When you realize the absolute nonexistence of this illusion of world-creation, you will act in the world established in the one-pointedness of meditation.
भावाभावग्रहोत्सर्गस्थूलसूक्ष्मचलाचलाः । दृशस् त्वा वेधयिष्यन्ति न महाद्रिम् इवेषवः
The appearances of existence and nonexistence, grasping and letting go, gross and subtle, moving and unmoving, will strike at you, but will not pierce you, like arrows cannot pierce a great mountain.
स एषो ऽस्त्य् एक एवात्मा न द्वितीयास्ति कल्पना । जगद् अत्र यथोत्पन्नं तत् ते वक्ष्यामि राघव
There is indeed only this one Self; there is no second, even as a notion. I will explain to you, O Raghava, how this world appears here.
तस्माद् इमानि सकलानि विजृम्भितानि यो हीदम् अङ्ग सकले सकलं महात्मा । रूपावलोकनमनोमननप्रकाशकोशास्पदं स्वयम् उदेति च लीयते च
Therefore, O dear one, that great Self alone manifests all these things; being the abode of the light of perception, thought, and mind, it itself arises and subsides in all forms.