ब्रह्मलोकजनं सर्वम् अहं ताम् अपि वासनाम् । नापश्यं स्वप्ननगरं बुध्यमान इवाग्रगम्
All the inhabitants of Brahma’s world, along with that very impression, I did not see; it was like awakening from a dream city.
अरण्यं शून्यम् एवासीत् तद् ब्रह्मनगरं तदा । कठिनाकाण्डविध्वस्तं पृथिव्याम् इव पत्तनम्
That city of Brahma became deserted, like a wilderness, destroyed and desolate, as a ruined city on earth.
सर्व एव गताẖ क्वापि ते तथा तादृशास् तदा । ऋषयो मुनयो वेदा देवा विद्याधरादयः
All those sages, ascetics, Vedas, gods, vidyadharas, and others had departed somewhere, just like that, at that time.
ज्ञातं ततो ऽवधानेन मया नभसि तिष्ठता । यावन् निर्वाणम् आपन्ना ब्रह्मवत् सर्व एव ते
Then, with careful attention, as I stood in the sky, I understood that all of them had attained nirvana, like Brahma.
वासनायां विलीनायाम् अदर्शनम् उपागताः । स्वप्नलोकाः प्रबुद्धानाम् इव स्वं रूपम् आगताः
When the latent impressions have dissolved, the worlds of dream become invisible, just as they return to their own nature for those who have awakened.
आकाशात्मैव देहो ऽयं भाति वासनया स्फुटः । तदभावात् तु नाभाति स्वप्नो बोधवतो यथा
This body, whose essence is space, appears clearly due to latent impressions; in their absence, it does not appear—just as a dream does not appear to one who is awake.
अन्तरिक्षगतो देहो यथा स्वप्ने ऽवलोक्यते । बोधे तद्वासनाशान्तौ न किञ्चिद् अपि लक्ष्यते
Just as, in a dream, one sees a body moving through the sky, so too, when those latent impressions are pacified in waking, nothing at all is perceived.
जाग्रत्य् अपि तथैवायं वासनायाḫ परिक्षये । नैवातिवाहिको नैव लक्ष्यते ऽत्राधिभौतिकः
In the waking state as well, when these latent impressions are exhausted, neither the subtle nor the gross physical body is perceived here.
स्वप्नानुभव एषो ऽत्र दृष्टान्तẖ केन खण्ड्यते । आबालम् एतत् संसिद्धम् अनुभूतं श्रुतं स्मृतम्
Who can refute this analogy of dream experience? From childhood onward, it is well established, directly experienced, heard, and remembered.
अपह्नवेच् च वा यो ऽपि स्वम् एवानुभवं शठः । स त्याज्यẖ को ह्य् अलीकेन सुप्तम् उद्बोधयेत् किल
Even if someone deceitfully denies his own experience, he should be disregarded—for who indeed can awaken one who is asleep with falsehood?
देहकारणकस् स्वप्नो देहाभावे न दृश्यते । इति चेत् तद् अदेहानां परलोको ऽपि नास्ति वः
If you say that dream is caused by the body and is not seen in the absence of the body, then for those without a body, there would be no afterlife for you either.
इत्य् एतद् अभविष्यच् चेत् तच् छरीरकसङ्क्षये । नाभविष्यद् अयं सर्गस् स चास्त्य् एव हि सर्वदा
If this were so, then at the destruction of the body, this creation would not exist; but in fact, it always exists.
अवयवविभागात्मन्य् अवश्यंभाविनि क्षये । न कदाचिद् अनित्थं तज् जगद् इत्य् अप्य् असंस्थितम्
When the dissolution of the body, which is composed of parts, is inevitable, this world too is never truly established, nor is it ever otherwise.
न कदाचिज् जगन्नाशे देहाद् भूतगणाद् इयम् । मदशक्तिर् इव ज्ञप्तिर् उदेतीत्य् असि वक्षि चेत्
If you say that, even when the world is destroyed, this awareness arises from the body and the group of elements, like the power of intoxication, then—
तत् पुराणेतिहासानां सर्वसङ्क्षयवादिनाम् । स्मृत्यादीनां च वेदानां वैयर्थ्यम् उपजायते
Then, the ancient legends and all the scriptures that speak of universal dissolution, as well as the Vedas and other texts based on memory, become meaningless.
अप्रमाणतयैतस्मिन्न् अर्थे तेषां महामते । अन्यत्रापि प्रमाणत्वं विद्यादाव् अपि किं भवेत्
If, in this matter, those authorities are not valid, O wise one, then how can their authority be accepted elsewhere, even in matters of knowledge?
न चैतद् विद्यते लोके जगदुच्छेदकारणात् । अन्यच् चास्ताम् एतद् अङ्ग ममेदम् अपरं शृणु
And this is not found in the world, that the world is destroyed for such a reason; but let that be, my friend—now hear this other point of mine.
मदशक्त्यात्मनि ज्ञाने दृष्टा देशान्तरेषु या । प्रमृतानां पिशाचादिदेहता सा न सिध्यति
The knowledge that appears in the self, as the power of intoxication is seen in distant lands, does not truly become the embodiment of ghosts and the like after death.
अथ सापि मुधाभ्रान्तिर् यावद्देहं प्रदृश्यते । इति चेत् तन् मुधानाम सत्यम् इत्य् एव वो भवेत्
If you say that even this is a false delusion as long as the body is perceived, then let it be so—such is truly the view of the deluded.
एवं चेत् तत् परे लोके सत् स्वर्गनरकादिकम् । इत्य् एषापि न संवित् किं सत्यताम् उपगच्छति
If it is so, then in the other world, with heaven, hell, and so on, even that is not consciousness—how, then, can it be considered real?
पिशाचप्रतिभा सत्या मदज्ञप्तिमतो यदि । प्रतिभास्य न सत्या स्यात् परलोकात्मिका कथम्
If the vision of a ghost is true for one whose mind is intoxicated, why should not the perception of the afterlife, which appears similarly, also be true?
पिशाचो ऽस्तीति चेत् संवित् सत्यार्था तेन संविदः । मृतस्यास्ति परो लोक इत्य् अस्याẖ किं न सत्यता
If you say, 'A ghost exists,' then that awareness is real for consciousness; so why should the belief that there is an afterlife for the dead not also be real?
काकतालीयवद् देहात् पैशाची ज्ञप्तिर् अस्ति चेत् । परलोकार्थसंवित्तिẖ कथं नास्ति सकारणा
If, by chance, a ghostly perception arises from the body, then why should the awareness of the afterlife, which has its own cause, not also exist?
यान्तर् वेत्ति यथा संवित् सा तथानुभवत्य् अलम् । अस्तु सत्यम् असत्यं वा सिद्धम् इत्य् अनुभूतितः
Just as inner consciousness knows, so it fully experiences; whether it is true or untrue is established by experience.
मृतस्यास्ति परो लोको विद् इत्य् एवम्मयी भवेत् । सति चासति देहे ऽस्मिंस् तेन किं सद् असच् च किम्
Let there be the idea, 'There is an afterlife for the dead'—such is the nature of thought; when the body exists or does not exist, what then is real or unreal?
तस्मात् स्वभावḫ प्रथमं प्रस्फुरन् वेत्ति संविदम् । वासनाकारणं पश्चाद् बुद्ध्वा सम्पश्यति भ्रमम्
Therefore, first, inherent nature flashes forth and knows consciousness; then, recognizing the cause as latent impression, it perceives delusion.
तत्क्षयाच् छमम् आयाति द्रष्टृदृश्यदृगामयः । तत्सत्तायाम् उदेतीयं संसृत्याख्या पिशाचिका
When that ceases, tranquility arises, composed of seer, seen, and seeing; when that persists, this so-called ghostly cycle of transmigration arises.
उपलम्भ उदेत्य् आदौ ब्रह्मणो वासना ततः । तच्छान्तिं विद्धि निर्वाणं तत्सत्तां संसृतिभ्रमम्
First, perception arises, then the latent impression of Brahman; know that the cessation of that is liberation, and its persistence is the delusion of transmigration.
उत्पन्नैव न सानादौ परे ब्रह्मण्य् असम्भवात् । उत्पन्नापि च वा यासौ ब्रह्मैव परम् एव सत्
That which arises does not truly arise in the beginningless Supreme Brahman, for there is no origination there; and even if it appears to arise, it is only the Supreme Brahman itself, the one true reality.
एतावद् यत् परिज्ञानं तन् निर्वाणं विदुर् बुधाः । यद् अत्रैवापरिज्ञानं तं बन्धं विद्धि राघव
So much as there is clear understanding, that is known by the wise as liberation; whatever lack of understanding remains here, know that, O Raghava, to be bondage.