स्पन्दास्पन्दस्वभावं हि चिन्मात्रम् इह विद्यते । खे वात इव तत्स्पन्दात् सोल्लासं शान्तम् अन्यथा
Here, only pure consciousness exists, having the nature of vibration and non-vibration; like wind in the sky, from its vibration comes delight, otherwise it is peaceful.
चितश् चित्त्वं भावितं सत् स्पन्द इत्य् उच्यते बुधैः । दृश्यत्वाभावितं चैतद् अस्पन्दनम् इति स्मृतम्
Consciousness, when it assumes the form of mind, is called vibration by the wise; when it is not so formed as an object, this is known as non-vibration.
स्पन्दात् स्फुरन्ती चित् सर्गो निस्स्पन्दा ब्रह्म शाश्वतम् । जीवकारणकर्माद्याश् चित्स्पन्दस्याभिधास् स्मृताः
From vibration, consciousness appears as creation; without vibration, it is the eternal Brahman. Causes, actions, and other factors of the individual are said to be names for the vibration of consciousness.
य एवानुभवात्मायं चित्स्पन्दो ऽस्ति स एव हि । जीवकारणकर्माख्यो बीजम् एतद् धि संसृतेः
This very vibration of consciousness, which is of the nature of experience, is indeed called the seed of transmigration, known as the cause, action, and individuality of the living being.
कृतद्वित्वचिदाभासवशाद् देह उपस्थिते । सङ्कल्पविविधार्थत्वं चित्स्पन्दो ऽनुभवंश् चिरात्
When the body arises due to the influence of the appearance of duality in consciousness, the vibration of consciousness, through various intentions, gradually experiences manifold objects.
नानाकारणतां यातश् चित्स्पन्दो मुच्यते चिरात् । कश्चिज् जन्मसहस्रेण कश्चिद् एकेन जन्मना
Having attained various causes, the vibration of consciousness is eventually liberated; some after a thousand births, some after a single birth.
स्वभावकारणाद् द्वित्वं चित् समेत्याथ गच्छति । स्वर्गापवर्गनरकबन्धकारणतां शनैः
Due to its own nature, consciousness, having come into duality, then gradually assumes the causes of bondage to heaven, liberation, or hell.
हेम्नीव कटकादित्वं काष्ठलोष्टसमस्थितौ । देहे तिष्ठति नानात्वं जडे भावविकारजम्
Just as gold may become an ornament, yet remains the same as wood or clay in its essence, so in the body, diversity does not abide; in inert matter, it is merely a modification of state.
अजातम् अप्य् असद्रूपं पश्यतीमं भ्रमं मनः । जातस् स्थितो मृतो ऽस्मीति भ्रमान्तःपतनं यथा
The mind perceives this delusion as if it were real, though it is unborn and unreal; just as, after birth, one thinks 'I exist,' and after death, 'I am gone,' so is the fall into the end of delusion.
अहं ममेत्य् असद्रूपम् एव चेतः प्रपश्यति । अदृष्टपरमार्थत्वाद् आशाविवशसंस्थिति
The mind perceives the unreal form of 'I' and 'mine', due to its lack of true vision, and remains bound by hope.
मथुराधिपते राज्ञो यथा श्वपचसम्भ्रमः । आसीद् एवं हि चित्तस्य स्फुरतीयं जगत्स्थितिः
Just as the king of Mathura was disturbed by the presence of a dog-eater, so too does the mind become agitated, and thus this world appears to manifest.
सर्वम् एव मनोमात्रभ्रान्त्युल्लासविजृम्भणम् । इदं जीवतया नाम प्रस्फुरत्य् अम्बुभङ्गवत्
All of this is merely the exuberant expansion of mental delusion; what is called 'living' flashes forth like the movement of water.
शिवात् प्राक् कारणात् पूर्वं चिच् चेत्यकलनोन्मुखी । उदेति सौम्याज् जलधेः पयस्स्पन्दो मनाग् इव
Before Shiva, from the primordial cause, consciousness inclined toward cognition arises, gently like the ripple of water from the ocean.
स्फुरणाज् जीवचक्रत्वम् एत्य चित्तोर्मितां गतम् । चिद्वारि ब्रह्मजलधौ कुरुते सर्गबुद्बुदम्
From this pulsation, the cycle of living beings emerges, reaching the wave of mind; in the ocean of Brahman, the water of consciousness produces the bubble of creation.
स्वच्छसौम्यसमस्येषद् यत् सिंहस्येव जृम्भणम् । ब्रह्मणस् स चिदाभासस् तत् सचेत्यम् इव स्वयम्
Just as the gentle yawn of a lion in a clear, calm, and balanced state, so is the reflection of consciousness in Brahman, appearing as cognition itself.
चित् सचेत्योच्यते जीवस् स सङ्कल्पान् मनो भवेत् । बुद्धिश् चेत्यम् अहङ्कारो मायेत्याद्यभिधं ततः
Consciousness is called 'cit', cognition is called 'cetyam', the living being is the mind formed by volitions, intellect is cognition, ego is 'ahaṅkāra', and illusion is named 'māyā' and so on.
तन्मात्रकल्पना पूर्वं तनोतीदं जगन् मनः । असत्यं सत्यसङ्काशं गन्धर्वनगरं यथा
First, the mind creates the subtle elements, and thus produces this world, which is unreal yet appears real, like a city of the Gandharvas.
यथा शून्यदृशस् तारामुक्तावल्यादिदर्शनम् । यथा स्वप्ने भ्रमश् चैव तथा चित्तस्य संसृतिः
Just as a person with impaired vision sees pearls or stars in empty space, and just as there is confusion in a dream, so too is the cycle of the mind's wandering.
शुद्ध आत्मा नित्यतृप्त इव शान्तस् समस्थितिः । अपश्यन् पश्यतीवेमं चित्ताख्यं स्वप्नविभ्रमम्
The pure Self, ever content and tranquil, abides in equanimity; not perceiving, yet seeming to perceive this illusion of mind, like the confusion of a dream.
संसृतिर् जाग्रद् इत्य् उक्तं स्वप्नं विदुर् अहङ्कृतिम् । चित्तं सुषुप्तभावस् स्याच् चिन्मात्रं तुर्यम् उच्यते
The waking state is called worldly existence; the sense of 'I' is known as dream; the mind is like deep sleep; pure consciousness alone is said to be the fourth state.
अत्यन्तशुद्धचिन्मात्रे परिणामश् चिराय यः । तुर्यातीतं पदं यत् स्यात् तत्स्थो भूयो न शोचति
When one abides for a long time in the state of utterly pure consciousness, which is beyond the fourth, that person, established there, grieves no more.
तस्मिन् सर्वम् उदेतीदं तस्मिन्न् एव प्रलीयते । तत्रैव तनुते चेदं दृष्टौ मुक्तावली यथा
In that (pure consciousness), all this arises and into that alone it dissolves; it is there that this world unfolds, just as a string of pearls appears in a vision.
अरोधकत्वात् खं हेतुर् यथा वृक्षसमुन्नतेः । अकर्त्र्य् अपि तथा कर्त्री चेतनाच् चिज् जगत्स्थितेः
Just as space, by not obstructing, is the cause for a tree's growth, so too, though not acting, consciousness is the doer and the cause for the world's existence.
सन्निधानाद् यथा लोहः प्रतिबिम्बस्य हेतुताम् । यात्य् आदर्शस् तथैवायं चिन्मयो ऽप्य् अर्थवेदने
Just as iron, by its proximity, becomes the cause for a reflection in a mirror, so too, this consciousness becomes the means for perceiving objects.
बीजम् अङ्कुरपत्त्रादियुक्त्या यद्वत् फलं भवेत् । चिन्मात्रं चेत्यजीवादियुक्त्या तद्वन् मनो भवेत्
Just as a seed, through the process of sprout and leaves, yields fruit, so too, pure consciousness, through the process of objects, mind, and living beings, gives rise to the mind.
स्वतो बीजं फलाद्य् उज्झद् यथा बीजं पुनर् भवेत् । तथा चिच् चेत्यचित्तादि त्यक्त्वा स्वास्थ्येन तिष्ठति
Just as from itself a seed, after giving rise to fruit and so on, becomes a seed again, in the same way, when consciousness, objects of consciousness, and mind are abandoned, one abides in one's own natural state.
यद्य् अप्य् अबोधे बोधे च बीजान्तस् तरुबीजयोः । इव भेदो ऽस्ति न जगद्ब्रह्मणोर् अपि चित्तयोः
Although in ignorance and in knowledge there is a difference, like that between the seed within a tree and the seed itself, yet between the mind of the world and the mind of Brahman, there is no such distinction.
तथापि व्यज्यते बोधे सत्य् आत्मत्वम् अखण्डितम् । रूपश्रीर् इव दीपेन चिन्मात्रालोकम् एति यत्
Still, when knowledge arises, the undivided nature of the Self is revealed, just as the beauty of a form is manifest by a lamp, so does the light of pure consciousness appear.
यद् यन् निखन्यते भूमेर् यथा तत् तन् नभो भवेत् । या या विचार्यते ऽविद्या तथा सा सा परं भवेत्
Whatever is buried in the earth, that becomes space; in the same way, whichever ignorance is examined, that itself becomes the supreme.
स्फटिकान्तस् सन्निवेशस् स्वाणूनां वेदनाद् यथा । शुद्धो ऽपि भाति नानेव तथा ब्रह्मोदरं जगत्
Just as the arrangement of crystals appears as many due to the perception of their own particles, though pure, so too does the world appear manifold within the expanse of Brahman.