यद् यथा स्फुरितं चित्त्वं तत् तथान्यत्म चिद् भवेत् । स्वयम् एवानियमितस् ततस् स्यान् नेह किञ्चन
Whatever form consciousness takes, in that very way it appears as another self; being itself unrestrained, from that, nothing here is fixed.
न च नाम नकिञ्चित्त्वं युज्यते चित्स्वरूपिणः । त्यक्त्वा समस्तसंस्थानं हि संतिष्ठतु वै कथम्
And the notion of 'nothing at all' does not apply to the very nature of consciousness; for, having abandoned all forms, how could it possibly remain?
सर्गादौ स्वयम् एवान्तश् चिद् यथा कचितात्मनि । हिमाग्न्यादितयाद्यापि सा तथास्ते स्वसत्तया
At the beginning of creation, consciousness itself, within, takes on various forms in itself; even now, by its own being, it remains as cold, fire, and so on.
तस्मात् स्वसत्तासन्त्यागस् सतः कर्तुं न युज्यते । यदा चिदादेस् तेनेयं नियतिर् न विनश्यति
Therefore, for one who exists, it is not possible to abandon one's own being; as long as there is consciousness and so forth, this order does not perish.
यद् यथा कचितं यत्र व्योमरूप्य् अपि पार्थिवम् । सर्गादौ तस्य चलितुम् अद्य यावन् न युज्यते
Whatever is formed, wherever, whether space-like or earth-like, from the beginning of creation until now, it is not possible for it to move away from that.
या यथा चित् प्रकचिता प्रतिपक्षविदं विना । न सा ततः प्रचलति वेदनाभ्यासतस् स्वयम्
Whatever consciousness is manifested in whatever way, unless there is an opposing force, it does not depart from that; by the habit of experience, it remains as it is.
जगदादाव् अनुत्पन्नं यच् चेदम् अनुभूयते । तत् संविद्व्योमकचनं स्वप्नस्त्रीसुरतं यथा
At the beginning of the world, what is not produced, yet is experienced as this— that is the formation of consciousness-space, like the pleasure of a woman in a dream.
असत्यम् एव सत्याभं प्रतिभानम् इति स्थितम् । इति स्वभावसंवित्तिर् इत्थं भूतानुभूतयः
It is established that the appearance is unreal, though it seems real; thus, the awareness of its own nature is such, and so are the experiences of beings.
सर्गादौ या यथा रूढा संवित्कचनसन्ततिः । साद्यापि चालितान्येन स्थिता नियतिर् दृश्यते
The stream of consciousness that was established at the beginning of creation is still observed to remain, even when stirred by another influence.
गृहीतव्योमतासंविच् चिद्व्योम व्योमतां गतम् । गृहीतकालतासंविच् चिन्नभः कालतां गतम्
The awareness that has taken on the nature of space becomes the consciousness of the sky; the awareness that has assumed the form of time becomes the consciousness of the ether as time.
गृहीतजलसंविद् चिद्व्योम वारि व्यवस्थितम् । स्वप्ने तथा हि पुरुषः पश्यत्य् आत्मनि वारिताम्
The awareness that has taken on the nature of water becomes the consciousness of water established in the ether; in dreams, a person likewise perceives water within himself.
स्वमरुत्संविदा भाति भवत्य् एषा यथास्थिता । चिच्चमत्कारचातुर्यम् असद् एतत् समूहते
It shines forth with its own awareness of wind, remaining as it is; this cleverness of consciousness imagines what is unreal.
खत्वं मरुत्त्वम् उर्वीत्वम् अप्त्वम् अग्नित्वम् अप्य् असत् । वेत्त्य् अन्तस् स्वप्नसङ्कल्पध्यानेष्व् इव चितिस् स्वयम्
The states of being space, wind, earth, water, and fire are all unreal; consciousness itself knows this inwardly, as in dreams, imaginations, and meditations.
मरणानन्तरं कर्मफलानुभवनक्रमम् । सर्वकर्मेहशान्त्यर्थं श्रुतं श्रेयस्करं शृणु
Listen to what is taught for the cessation of all actions here, concerning the sequence of experiencing the results of karma after death, which is beneficial.
रूढादिसर्गे नियतिर् यैकद्वित्रिचतुर्मिता । पुष्ट्यादिष्व् आयुषः पुंसां तस्याथ नियतिं शृणु
The fixed order at the beginning of creation is onefold, twofold, threefold, or fourfold; now hear about the order regarding the vitality of beings in nourishment and so forth.
देशकालक्रियाद्रव्यशुद्ध्यशुद्धी स्वकर्मणाम् । ऊनत्वे चाधिकत्वे च नृणां कारणम् आयुषः
The cause of the increase or decrease of human lifespan is the purity or impurity of place, time, action, substance, and their own deeds.
स्वकर्मधर्मे ह्रसति ह्रसत्य् आयुर् नृणाम् इह । वृद्धे वृद्धिम् उपायाति समम् एव भवेत् समे
When one’s own prescribed duty declines, the lifespan of people here also diminishes; when it increases, it grows; and when it is steady, it remains steady.
बालमृत्युप्रदैर् बालो युवा यौवनमृत्युदैः । वृद्धमृत्युप्रदैर् वृद्धः कर्मभिर् मृतिम् ऋच्छति
A child meets death through actions that cause childhood death; a youth through actions that bring youthful death; an elder through actions that bring death in old age.
यो यथा शास्त्रम् आरब्धं स्वधर्मम् अनुतिष्ठति । भाजनं भवति श्रीमान् स यथाशास्त्रम् आयुषः
Whoever performs their own duty as prescribed by scripture becomes a recipient of prosperity and lifespan according to the scripture.
एवं कर्मानुसारेण जन्तुर् अन्त्यां दशाम् इतः । भवत्य् अस्तङ्गतवचो दृङ्मर्मच्छेदिवेदनः
Thus, according to one’s actions, a living being reaches the final state from here—becoming speechless, with vision fading, and experiencing pain at the vital points.
मरणं मे समासेन कथयेन्दुसमानने । किं सुखं मरणं किं वा दुःखं मृत्वा च किं भवेत्
O moon-faced one, briefly tell me about death: what makes death pleasant, what makes it painful, and what happens after dying?
त्रिविधाः पुरुषास् सन्ति देहस्यान्ते मुमूर्षवः । मूर्खो ऽथ धारणाभ्यासी युक्तिमान् पुरुषस् तथा
There are three types of people at the end of the body who wish to die: the ignorant, the practitioner of concentration, and the person endowed with discernment.
अभ्यस्य धारणाश् चेष्टा देहं त्यक्त्वा यथासुखम् । प्रयाति धारणाभ्यासी युक्तियुक्तस् तथैव च
Having practiced concentration, the practitioner and the one possessing discernment depart happily, leaving the body behind.
धारणा यस्य नाभ्यासं प्राप्ता नैव स मुक्तिभाक् । मूर्खस् स्वमृतिकाले ऽसौ दुःखम् एत्य् अवशाशयः
One who has not attained the practice of concentration does not gain liberation; the ignorant, at the time of their own death, experiences suffering, helpless and without hope.
वासनावेशवैवश्यं भावयन् विषयाशयः । दीनतां परमाम् एति परिलूनम् इवाम्बुजम्
When one cultivates attachment to sense objects, overwhelmed by the force of latent impressions, he falls into deep dejection, like a lotus withered away.
अशास्त्रसंस्कृतमतिर् असज्जनपरायणः । मृताव् अनुभवत्य् अन्तर् दाहम् अग्नाव् इव च्युतः
A mind unrefined by scripture, devoted to the company of the wicked, experiences inner burning at death, as if cast into fire.
यदा घर्घरकण्ठत्वं वैरूप्यं दृष्टिवर्णजम् । गच्छत्य् एष विनाशात्मा तदा भवति दीनधीः
When hoarseness of voice and distortion caused by impaired vision arise, this destructive condition brings about a depressed mind.
परमश्यामलालोको दिवाभ्युदितरात्रिकः । भ्रमद्दिङ्मण्डलाभोगो घनमेचकिताम्बरः
His appearance becomes utterly dark, as if day has turned into night; his form wanders aimlessly, surrounded by dense, cloud-like gloom.
मर्मव्यथाविधुरितः प्रभ्रमद्वृक्षमण्डलः । आकाशीभूतवसुधो वसुधीभूतखान्तरः
Afflicted by pain at his vital points, his vision reels among trees; earth seems to become sky, and sky appears as earth.
परिवृत्तककुप्चक्र उह्यमान इवार्णवे । नीयमान इवाकाशे घननिद्रोन्मुखाशयः
He spins like the turning wheel of a well, tossed as if in the ocean, drawn as if into the sky, his mind inclined toward the sleep of dense clouds.