देहस् त्व् अयं न म्रियते न च जीवति किञ्चन । के किल स्वप्नसङ्कल्पभ्रान्तेर् मरणजीविते
But this body neither dies nor truly lives; who indeed experiences death or life, which are but illusions of dream and imagination?
जीवितं मरणं चैतत् सङ्कल्पपुरुषे यथा । असत्यम् एव भात्य् एतद् अस्मिन् पुत्रि शरीरके
Life and death, in this person of imagination, are just as unreal; they only appear so, my child, in this body.
तद् एतद् उपदिष्टं मे ज्ञानं देवि त्वयामलम् । यस्मिञ् श्रुतिं गते शान्तिम् एति विश्वविषूचिका
This pure knowledge has been imparted to me by you, O goddess; when it is heard, the fever of the world comes to rest.
अत्रोपकुरुते को हि को ऽभ्यासः कीदृशो ऽथवा । स कथं पोषम् आयाति पुष्टे तस्मिंश् च किं भवेत्
Here, who indeed assists, what kind of practice is there, or how does it occur? How does it gain strength, and what happens when it is perfected?
यद् एव क्रियते किञ्चिद् येन येन यदा यदा । विनाभ्यासेन तन् नेह सिद्धिम् एति कदाचन
Whatever is done, by whomever, whenever and however—without practice, it never attains success here.
तच्चिन्तनं तत्कथनम् अन्योऽन्यं तत्प्रबोधनम् । तद्गतप्राणमननं ब्रह्माभ्यासं विदुर् बुधाः
Contemplating that, speaking of that, awakening each other to that, and meditating with one's breath absorbed in that—this, the wise know as the practice of Brahman.
येषां त्व् अन्तं गतं पापं जनानां पुण्यकर्मणाम् । ते द्वन्द्वमोहनिर्मुक्ता विज्ञेया ब्रह्मसेवकाः
Those people whose sins have come to an end, who perform virtuous deeds, and who are free from the delusion of duality, are to be known as servants of Brahman.
अध्यात्मशास्त्रचिन्ताभिर् येषां गच्छन्ति रात्रयः । वासनातानवोत्काभिस् ते ब्रह्माभ्यासिनस् स्थिताः
Those whose nights pass in contemplation of spiritual scriptures, whose latent tendencies have become thin, are established in the practice of Brahman.
ये विरक्ता महात्मानो भोगभावनतानवम् । भावयन्त्य् अभवायान्तर् भव्या भुवि जयन्ति ते
Those great souls who are dispassionate, whose inclination toward enjoyment has diminished, and who contemplate the state beyond becoming, are the blessed ones who triumph on earth.
उदितौदार्यसौन्दर्या वैराग्यरसरञ्जिता । आनन्दस्यन्दिनी येषां मतिस् ते ऽभ्यासिनः परे
Those whose minds are adorned with the rising qualities of generosity and beauty, colored by the flavor of detachment, and overflowing with bliss—these are the supreme practitioners.
अत्यन्ताभावसम्पत्तिं ज्ञातुं ज्ञेयस्य वस्तुनः । युक्त्या शास्त्रे यतन्ते ये ते ब्रह्माभ्यासिनस् स्थिताः
Those who strive, through reasoning and scripture, to know the complete absence of the knowable object, are established in the practice of Brahman.
सर्गादाव् एव नोत्पन्नं दृश्यं नास्त्य् एव तत् सदा । इदं जगद् अहं चेति बोधाभ्यासं विदुः परे
The wise know the practice of awareness as: 'The visible world was not produced at the beginning of creation, nor does it ever exist; this world and 'I' are only notions.'
दृश्यासम्भवबोधेन रागद्वेषादितानवे । रतिर् बलोदिता यासौ ब्रह्माभ्यास उदाहृतः
That delight which arises from the knowledge of the non-existence of the visible, and from the thinning of attachment, aversion, and the like, is called the practice of Brahman.
दृश्यासम्भवबोधेन रागद्वेषादितानवम् । तप इत्य् उच्यते लोके दृश्यदोषस् तु दुःखकृत्
The thinning of attachment, aversion, and the like, through the knowledge of the non-existence of the visible, is called austerity in the world; but the fault of seeing reality in the visible is the cause of suffering.
दृश्यासम्भवबोधे हि ज्ञानं ज्ञेयस्य कथ्यते । तदभ्यासेन निर्वाणम् इत्य् अभ्यासो महोदयः
When the impossibility of the perceived is realized, knowledge of the knowable is said to arise; through practice of that, liberation is attained—such practice is of great consequence.
भवबहुलनिशानितान्तनिद्रा सततविवेकविबोधवारिसेकैः । प्रगलति हिमशीतलैर् इवोच्चैः शरदि महामिहिकेव चेतसीति
The long night of worldly existence, thick with the sleep of delusion, is gradually dissolved by the constant showers of discerning awareness, just as a great autumnal frost melts away under cool, gentle rains.
इत्य् उक्तवत्य् अथ मुनौ दिवसो जगाम सायन्तनाय विधये ऽस्तम् इनो जगाम । स्नातुं सभा कृतनमस्करणा जगाम श्यामाक्षये रविकरैश् च सहाजगाम
Thus, when the sage had spoken, the day came to its evening close and the sun set; the assembly, having offered their salutations, departed to bathe, and the rays of the sun faded away into the darkening sky.
इति सङ्कथनं कृत्वा तस्यां निशि वराङ्गने । सुप्ते परिजने नूनम् अथान्तःपुरमण्डपे
After this discourse, during that night, in the inner chambers where the noble lady lay, while all attendants slept, surely within the palace hall—
दृढाखिलार्गलद्वारगवाक्षे दक्षचेतसी । पुष्पपूरणसुस्फीतमांसलामोदमन्थरे
With all doors, bolts, and windows firmly secured, in a mind alert and steady, filled with the rich fragrance of abundant flowers—
अम्लानमालावसनशवपार्श्वासनस्थिते । सकलामलपूर्णेन्दुवदनोद्द्योतितास्पदे
Seated beside a couch adorned with unfading garlands, in a place illuminated by the radiant faces of women as flawless as the full moon—
समाधिस्थानकं गत्वा तस्थतुर् निश्चलाङ्गके । रत्नस्तम्भाद् इवोत्कीर्णे चित्रभित्ताव् इवार्पिते
They went to the place of meditation and stood motionless, like figures carved from a jewel-encrusted pillar, or as if painted upon a decorated wall.
सर्वास् तत्यजतुश् चिन्तास् सङ्कोचं समुपागते । दिवसान्त इवाब्जिन्यौ प्रसृतामोदलेखिके
All of them abandoned their worries and restraint as tranquility arose, like lotus buds at the end of the day, opening and releasing their fragrance.
बभूवतुर् भृशं शान्ते शुद्धे स्पन्दविवर्जिते । गिरौ शरदि निर्वात इव वृष्ट्याभ्रमालिके
They became utterly tranquil and pure, free from all movement, like a mountain in autumn, untouched by wind and adorned only by clouds after rain.
निर्विकल्पसमाधानाज् जहतुर् व्योम्नि संविदम् । यथा कल्पलते कान्ते पूर्णम् ऋत्वन्तरे रसम्
Through absorption in the non-dual samadhi, they relinquished awareness in the sky, just as the wish-fulfilling vine in spring gives up its full sap.
अहं जगद् इति भ्रान्तेर् दृश्यस्यादाव् अनुद्भवः । यदा ताभ्याम् अवगतस् स्वात्यन्ताभावनात्मकः
When the mistaken notion of 'I am the world' does not arise at the outset of perception, and both have realized their own nature as absolute non-being,
तदा दृश्यपिशाचो ऽयम् अलम् अस्तङ्गतस् तयोः । असत्त्वाद् एव चास्माकं शशशृङ्गम् इवानघ
Then this phantom of perception is completely gone for them; for us, it is as unreal as the horn of a hare, O faultless one.
आदाव् एव हि यन् नास्ति वर्तमाने ऽपि तत् तथा । भातं चाभातम् एवातो मृगतृष्णाम्बुवज् जगत्
That which does not exist at the beginning is likewise absent in the present; what appears is truly unmanifest, thus the world is like water in a mirage.
स्वभावः केवलश् शान्तस् स्त्रीद्वयं तद् बभूव ह । चन्द्रार्कादिपदार्थौघदूरमुक्तम् इवाम्बरम्
Their nature became solely peaceful; the two women were as if released far beyond the multitude of objects like moon, sun, and planets—like the sky.
तेनैव ज्ञानदेहेन ततार ज्ञप्तिदेवता । मानुषी त्व् इतरेणाशु ज्ञानाज्ञानानुरूपिणा
With the body of knowledge itself, the goddess of understanding crossed over; the human one, by her own body, swiftly according to knowledge and ignorance.
गेहान्तर् एव प्रादेशमात्रम् आरुह्य वै दिवः । बभूवतुश् चिदाकाशरूपिण्यौ व्योमगाकृती
Within the house, ascending a space the size of a hand, they became forms of consciousness-space, shaped as those who move in the sky.