चिद्व्योमैव परं शून्यं सन्निवेशेन नेतरत् । तथा संलक्ष्यते राम भैरवाकारतां गतम्
Consciousness-space alone is the supreme void, not anything else by arrangement; thus, O Rama, it is perceived as having the form of Bhairava.
वाच्यवाचकसम्बन्धं विना बोधो न जायते । यस्मात् तस्मात् त्वयि मया दृष्टम् एवं प्रवर्णितम्
Without the relationship of the signifier and the signified, knowledge does not arise; therefore, I have described to you what I have seen in this manner.
यद् एव वाच्य् उपारूढम् एतद् राम तद् एव ते । रूढाधिभौतिकदृशẖ क्षणात् सत्यात्मतां गतम्
Whatever is established as the signified, O Rama, that alone for you, from its established material perception, instantly attains the nature of reality.
न भैरवी सा नैवासौ भैरवो नैव स क्षयः । समस्तम् एव तद् भ्रान्तिमात्रं चिद्व्योम भासते
That is not Bhairavi, nor is that Rudra, nor is that destruction; all of it is merely delusion, and consciousness-space alone shines forth.
स्वप्ननिर्माणपुरवत् सङ्कल्परणवेगवत् । कथार्थसार्थरसवन् मनोराज्यविलासवत्
Like a city created in a dream, like the swift movement of a raft of thought, like the essence of a story, like the delight of a kingdom imagined in the mind.
यथा स्वप्नपुरं स्वच्छे व्योम्नि मौक्तिकधीर् यथा । यथा केशोण्डुकं व्योम्नि तथा चिद् भाति चिद्घने
Just as a dream-city appears in clear space, just as a string of pearls appears in space, just as a ball of hair appears in space, so consciousness shines in the mass of consciousness.
चिन्मात्राकाशम् एवाच्छं कचति स्वात्मनात्मनि । यथा नाम तथाभाति तदात्मैव जगत्तया
Pure consciousness-space alone, clear, shines forth as the Self within itself; as it appears, so it is—thus, the world is truly that very Self.
यथा चिद्व्योम्नि कचति स्व एवात्मा जगत्तया । तथा कचति तत् तत्र कल्पान्तशिवनर्तनम्
Just as the Self alone shines as the world in the sky of consciousness, so too, within that, occurs the dance of Shiva at the end of a cycle.
शिवयोर् एवम् आकारो निराकारो ऽङ्ग वर्णितः । अधुना शृणु वक्ष्ये ते नृत्तस्यानृत्ततास्थितिम्
Thus, O dear one, I have described the formless form of Shiva; now listen as I explain to you the unreality of the dance.
चेतनं चेतनाद् धेतोẖ किञ्चित् संस्पन्दनं विना । क्वचित् स्थातुं न शक्नोति वस्त्व् अवस्तुतया यथा
Consciousness, without any movement arising from consciousness itself, cannot remain anywhere, just as a thing cannot exist as a non-thing.
स्वभावाच् चेतनं तस्माद् रुद्रत्वेन तथा स्थितम् । हेमेव रूपकत्वेन सन्निवेशविलासिना
Therefore, by its own nature, consciousness abides as Rudra, just as gold takes on the form of ornaments, delighting in various arrangements.
यन् नाम चेतनं यत्र तद् अवश्यं स्वभावतः । स्पन्दधर्मि भवत्य् एव वस्तुता हि स्वभावजा
Wherever there is something called consciousness, by its very nature, it must possess the quality of vibration; for the reality of a thing arises from its own nature.
यस् स्पन्दश् चिद्घनस्य स्वश् शिवस्यास्य स एव नः । स्ववासनावेशवशान् नृत्तम् इत्य् एव राजते
That vibration of this compact consciousness, of Shiva, is indeed what appears to us as the dance, due to the force of its own latent tendencies.
अतस् स कल्पान्तशिवो रुद्रो रौद्राकृतिर् द्रुतम् । यन् नृत्यति हि तद् विद्धि चिद्घनस्पन्दनं निजम्
Therefore, that Shiva at the end of the cycle, Rudra of fierce form, swiftly dances—know that this is truly the vibration of pure consciousness itself.
प्रामाणिकदृशा दृश्यम् इदं नास्त्य् एव वस्तुतः । यदि वास्त्य् एव तत् सर्वं कल्पान्ते प्रविनश्यति
To the eye of true knowledge, this perceived world does not truly exist; and even if it does exist, all of it is destroyed at the end of an age.
तत् कल्पान्तमहाशून्ये एतस्मिन् परमाम्बरे । कथं किं नाम वा चेत्यं चेत्ता चेतति चिद्घनः
In that great void at the end of the age, in this supreme expanse, how or what could possibly be thought of, and by whom, when the mind is pure consciousness?
एतद् एव तदाप्य् अङ्ग द्वैतैक्याम्भोदशान्तये । यदि चिन्मात्रनभसश् चेत्यम् अस्ति न किञ्चन
Indeed, O dear one, even then, for the cessation of the cloud of duality and unity, if there is any object in the sky of pure consciousness, it is nothing at all.
न किञ्चिच् चेतति ततẖ क्वचित् कश्चित् कदाचन । सर्वं शान्तं दृषन्मौनं विज्ञानघनम् अम्बरम्
If there is nothing perceived, then nowhere, by anyone, at any time, is anything thought; all is peaceful, the vision is silent, the expanse is dense with pure knowledge.
यच् चेदं चेत्यते नाम तत् स्वभावो ऽस्य वल्गति । चित्स्वभावस्य शान्तस्य स्वसत्तायाम् अवस्थितेः
And whatever is said to be perceived, that is merely the play of its own nature; for the nature of consciousness, being peaceful, abides in its own existence.
यथा स्वप्ने चिद् एवान्तḫ पुरपत्तनवद् भवेत् । पुरादि न तु तत् किञ्चिद् विज्ञानाकाशम् एव तत्
Just as in a dream, consciousness alone appears within as a city or town, yet the city and such are nothing at all—there is only the space of knowledge.
आत्मनात्मनि चिच् छून्यं ज्ञातारं ज्ञेयम् अप्य् अलम् । तथादिसर्गाद् आरभ्य वेत्ति स्वं कचनं च तत्
Within the Self, in the Self, there is only the void of consciousness—knower and known are entirely absent; yet from the very beginning of creation, it knows itself as something.
स्वयम् अन्तẖ कचत्कान्तिश् चिदाकाशस् स्वभावखे । अयं सो ऽहम् अयं च त्वं करोतीत्य् आदिकल्पनम्
By its own inner shining, the sky of consciousness, by its very nature, imagines: 'I am this, you are that,' and so on, creating such notions.
तस्मान् न द्वैतम् अस्तीह न चैक्यं न च शून्यता । न चेत्ता चेतनं चैव मौनम् एव न तच् च वा
Therefore, here there is no duality, nor unity, nor emptiness; neither the knower nor consciousness itself, nor even silence, nor its absence.
न चेतति क्वचित् किञ्चित् कश्चिच् चेत्याद्यभावतः । तेन चेत्तापि नास्त्य् एव मौनम् एवेति शिष्यते
Nothing is ever cognized anywhere by anyone, because of the absence of objects and cognition; thus, even the knower does not truly exist—only silence remains.
निर्विकल्पसमाधिर् हि सिद्धान्तस् सर्ववाङ्मये । तच् च जीवद्दृषन्मौनं तूष्णीम् एवात आस्यताम्
Indeed, the settled conclusion of all the scriptures is the absorption without conceptualization; and that is the living silence—so remain simply quiet.
कुर्वन् निजं प्रकृतम् एव यथाप्रवाहम् आचारजालम् अचलḫ परमार्थमौनात् । निर्मानमोहमदभेदम् अनङ्गजीवम् आकाशकोशविशदाशय शान्तम् आस्स्व
Engage in your natural conduct as it flows, unmoving from the supreme silence of reality; free from pride, delusion, intoxication, and division, living without desire, with a mind clear as the sky—abide in peace.
अनन्तरं मुने ब्रूहि काली किम् इव नृत्यति । किं शूर्पहलकुद्दालमुसुलादिस्रजां धृतिः
Now, O sage, tell me: how does Kālī dance? What is the meaning of her garlands of winnowing baskets, shields, spades, pestles, and the like?
स भैरवश् चिदाकाशश् शिव इत्य् अभिधीयते । अनन्यां तस्य तां विद्धि स्पन्दशक्तिम् अनामयाम्
That Bhairava is the space of consciousness, called Śiva; know that his unique, flawless power of vibration is Kālī.
यथैकं पवनस्पन्दाव् एकम् औष्ण्यानलौ यथा । चिन्मात्रं स्पन्दशक्तिश् च तथैवैकात्म सर्वदा
Just as wind is known by its movement, and fire by its heat, so too, consciousness and the power of vibration are always of one essence.
स्पन्देन लक्ष्यते वायुर् वह्निर् औष्ण्येन लक्ष्यते । तत् स्पन्दमय्या शक्त्यैवं लक्ष्यते नान्यथा किल
Wind is recognized by its movement, fire by its heat; in the same way, this power made of vibration is recognized—never otherwise.