अपारवानविस्तारसंवित्सलिलवल्गनैः । चिदेकार्णव एवायं स्वयम् आत्मा विजृम्भते
With the playful movement of the waters of consciousness, boundless and vast, the Self alone expands as the single ocean of awareness.
असत्यम् अस्थैर्यवशात् सत्यं स्वप्रतिभासतः । यथा स्वप्नस् तथा चित्ते जगत् सदसदात्मकम्
Unreality arises from instability, while reality appears from one's own perception; just as a dream, so in the mind the world is of the nature of both existence and non-existence.
न सन् नासन्न् अयं जातश् चेतसो जागतो भ्रमः । ओषधीसमवायानाम् इन्द्रजालम् इवोत्थितम्
This is neither existent nor non-existent; it is born from the waking mind's confusion, arising like an illusion from the conjunction of herbs.
दीर्घस् स्वप्नस् स्थितिं यातस् संसाराख्यो मनोवशात् । असम्यग्दर्शनात् स्थाणाव् इव पुम्प्रत्ययो मुधा
A long dream, having attained duration, is called 'worldly existence' by the power of the mind; through improper perception, belief in a fixed object is vain, like a man mistaking a stump.
अनात्मालोकनाच् चित्तं चित्तत्वेनानुशोचति । वेतालकल्पनाद् बाल इव सङ्कल्पिते भये
Because of not seeing the Self, the mind grieves as if it were itself the mind; like a child imagining fear from a phantom, it suffers from its own imagined terrors.
अनाख्यस्य स्वरूपस्य सर्वांशातिगतात्मनः । चेत्योन्मुखतया चित्त्वं चित्त्वाज् जीवत्वकल्पनम्
Because of its tendency toward objects, mind arises from the totality-transcending essence of the unnameable true nature; from mind comes the notion of living.
जीवत्वाद् अप्य् अहम्भावस् त्व् अहम्भावाच् च चित्तता । चित्तत्वाद् इन्द्रियादित्वं ततो देहादिविभ्रमः
From the notion of living arises the sense of 'I'; from the sense of 'I' comes mind; from mind arise the senses and so forth, and from that, the delusion of body and other things.
देहादिमोहतस् स्वर्गनरकौ मोक्षबन्धने । बीजाङ्कुरवद् आरम्भस् संरूढो देहकर्मणोः
From delusion about body and so forth, heaven and hell, liberation and bondage arise; like seed and sprout, the beginning and growth of actions related to the body become established.
द्वैतं यथा नास्ति चिदात्मतत्त्वयोस् तथैव भेदो ऽस्ति न जीवचित्तयोः । यथैव भेदो ऽस्ति न जीवचित्तयोस् तथैव भेदो ऽस्ति न देहकर्मणोः
Just as there is no duality between the essence of consciousness and the Self, so too there is no difference between the living being and the mind; and likewise, there is no difference between body and action.
कर्मैव देहो ननु देह एव चित्तं तद् एवाहम् इतीव जीवः । स जीव एवेश्वरचित् स आत्मा सर्वं शिवात् त्व् एकपदोत्थम् एतत्
Action itself is the body, and indeed the body is the mind; that alone is the sense of 'I', and thus the living being. This living being, shaped by the Lord, is the self; all of this arises from Shiva, from the one foundation.
एवम् एकं परं वस्तु रामानानात्वम् अप्य् अलम् । नानात्वम् इव संयातं दीपाद् दीपशतं यथा
Thus, O Rama, the supreme reality is one, though it appears as many; it seems to become manifold, just as a hundred lamps are lit from a single lamp.
यथाभूतम् असद्रूपम् आत्मानं यदि पश्यति । विचार्य चेतस् तद् अहम्भावहीनं न शोचति
If one sees the self as it truly is, devoid of reality, and examines it with the mind, then, free from the sense of 'I', one does not grieve.
चित्तमात्रं नरस् तस्मिन् शान्ते शान्तम् इदं जगत् । उपानद्रूढपादस्य ननु चर्मावृतैव भूः
For a person whose mind is tranquil, this world is tranquil as well; just as for one whose feet are wrapped, the earth itself seems covered with leather.
पत्त्रमात्राद् ऋते नान्यत् कदल्या विद्यते यथा । भ्रममात्राद् ऋते नान्यज् जगतां विद्यते तथा
Just as there is nothing in a banana plant except its leaves, so too, apart from illusion, nothing else exists in the worlds.
जायते बालताम् एति यौवनं वार्धकं तथा । मृतिं स्वर्गं च नरकं भ्रमाच् चेतो हि नृत्यति
The mind dances in delusion, giving rise to childhood, youth, old age, death, heaven, and hell.
विचित्रबुद्बुदोल्लासे स्वात्मनो ऽव्यतिरेकिणि । यथा सुरायास् सामर्थ्यं तथा चित्तस्य संसृतौ
In the play of diverse bubbles within the self, which is undivided, the mind's capacity in the cycle of existence is like the potency of wine.
यथा द्वित्वं शशाङ्कादौ पश्यत्य् अक्षि मलाबिलम् । चिच् चेतनकलाक्रान्ता तथैव परमात्मनि
Just as one sees double in the moon due to a defect in the eye, so too, when consciousness is touched by the power of awareness, it appears as duality in the supreme self.
यथा मदवशाद् भ्रान्तान् क्षीवः पश्यति पादपान् । तथा चेतनविक्षुब्धा संसारांश् चित् प्रपश्यति
Just as a drunken man, under the influence of wine, sees trees spinning, so too, when consciousness is disturbed, it perceives the world as manifold.
यथा लीलाभ्रमाद् बालः कुम्भकृच्चक्रवज् जगत् । भ्रान्तं पश्यति चित्त्वात् तु चिद् वै दृश्यं तथैव हि
As a child, due to playful confusion, sees the world spinning like a potter’s wheel, so too, because of consciousness, the world appears as an object of perception.
यदा चिच् चेतति द्वित्वं तदा द्वैतैक्यविभ्रमः । यदा न चेतति द्वित्वं तदा द्वैतैक्ययोः क्षयः
When consciousness perceives duality, then there is the illusion of difference and unity; when it does not perceive duality, then both difference and unity cease.
यच् चेत्यते तद् इतरद् व्यतिरिक्तं चितो ऽस्ति नो । किञ्चिन् नास्तीति संशान्त्या चितश् शाम्यति चेतनम्
Whatever is perceived is not something other than consciousness; when nothing is perceived as separate, the activity of consciousness comes to rest.
चिद्घनेनैकताम् एत्य यदा तिष्ठसि निश्चलः । शाम्यन् व्यवहरन् वापि तदा संशान्त उच्यसे
When you abide unmoving, having attained oneness with pure consciousness, whether acting or at rest, you are then said to be at peace.
तन्वी चेतयते चेत्यं घना चिन् नाङ्ग चेतति । अल्पक्षीवः क्षोभम् एति घनक्षीवो हि शाम्यति
Subtle consciousness perceives objects; dense consciousness does not perceive at all. Like a lightly intoxicated person is agitated, but one deeply intoxicated is at rest.
चिद्घनैक्यं प्रयातस्य रूढस्य परमे पदे । नैरात्म्यशून्यवादाद्यैः पर्यायैः कथनं भवेत्
For one who has attained firm establishment in the supreme state of unity with pure consciousness, its description may be given by terms such as selflessness, emptiness, and the like.
चिच् चेतनेन चेत्यत्वम् इत्य् एवं पश्यति भ्रमम् । जाये जीवामि नश्यामि संसरामीत्य् असन्मयम्
It is the confusion of consciousness, by which it sees itself as the perceiver and the perceived, and thus arises the false notions: 'I am born, I live, I perish, I wander in the world.'
स्वभावाद् व्यतिरिक्तं तु न चितश् चास्ति चेतनम् । स्पन्दाद् ऋते यथा वायाव् अतः किं केन चेत्यते
Apart from its own nature, there is no consciousness or sentience; just as there is no movement in air without vibration, so what is perceived by what?
चेत्ये त्व् असम्भवत्य् एव किञ्चिद् यच् चेत्यते चिता । रज्जोस् सर्पभ्रमाभासं तद् अविद्याभ्रमं विदुः
If perception itself is impossible, then whatever is thought to be perceived by consciousness is like the illusion of a snake on a rope; the wise know this as the delusion of ignorance.
संविन्मात्रचिकित्स्ये ऽस्मिन् व्याधौ संसारनामनि । चित्तमात्रपरिस्पन्दे संरम्भो ऽनघ किं तव
In this disease called worldly existence, which is to be treated only by pure awareness, O sinless one, why do you exert yourself in the mere agitation of mind?
यदि सर्वं परित्यज्य तिष्ठस्य् उत्क्रान्तवासनम् । अमुनैव निमेषेण तन् मुक्तो ऽसि न संशयः
If, abandoning everything, you remain free from all tendencies, then in that very instant you are liberated—of this there is no doubt.
यथा रज्ज्वां भुजङ्गाशा विनाङ्गचलनं क्षणात् । संविन्मात्रविवर्तेन नश्यत्य् एवं हि संसृतिः
Just as the illusion of a snake in a rope vanishes instantly without any movement of the rope, so too does worldly existence disappear through the transformation of pure awareness.