एवमादिमयी मिथ्यासङ्कल्पकलनोम्भिता । अज्ञानाम् अवबोधार्थं न तु भेदो ऽस्ति वस्तुनि
Thus, beginning with these, false imagination arises, produced by the activity of fanciful thought; for the sake of understanding by the ignorant, but in reality, there is no division in the substance.
असम्बोधाद् अयं भेदो ज्ञाते द्वैतं न विद्यते । ज्ञाते संशान्तकलनं मौनम् एवावशिष्यते
This division exists due to lack of understanding; when knowledge arises, duality does not exist. When knowledge dawns, all mental constructions subside and only silence remains.
परम् एकम् अनाद्यन्तम् अविभागम् अखण्डितम् । इति ज्ञास्यसि सिद्धान्तकाले बोधम् उपागतः
At the culmination of inquiry, when you have attained understanding, you will know the supreme, one, without beginning or end, indivisible and unbroken.
विकल्पन्ते ह्य् असम्बुद्धास् स्वविकल्पविजृम्भितैः । उपदेशाद् अयं वादो ज्ञाते द्वैतं न विद्यते
Those who are unawakened engage in mental distinctions, expanding their own imaginations; but this teaching is given for instruction—when knowledge arises, duality does not exist.
वाच्यवाचकसम्बन्धो विना द्वैतं न सिध्यति । न च द्वैतं सम्भवति मौनं वा वाच इत्य् अलम्
Without the relationship of word and meaning, duality cannot be established; and duality itself is not possible—whether in silence or in speech, that is sufficient.
महावाक्यार्थनिष्ठां त्वं बुद्धिं कृत्वा रघूद्वह । वचोभेदम् अनादृत्य यद् इदं वच्मि तच् छृणु
O descendent of Raghu, establish your intellect in the meaning of the great sayings, disregarding differences in words; listen now to what I say.
जातं कुतश्चिद् उत्थाय गन्धर्वपुरवन् मनः । भ्रान्तिमात्रं तनोतीदं जगदाख्यं स्वजृम्भणम्
The mind, arising from somewhere, like a city of the Gandharvas, produces only delusion; this manifestation called the world is merely its own projection.
यथा चेतस् तनोतीमां जगन्मायां तथानघ । शृणु त्वं कथयामीदं दृष्टान्तं सृष्टिवेदने
Just as the mind projects this illusion of the world, O sinless one, listen as I now explain this with an example regarding the perception of creation.
यं श्रुत्वा सर्वम् एवेदं भ्रान्तिमात्रम् इति स्वयम् । राम निश्चयवान् भूत्वा दूरे त्यक्ष्यसि वासनाम्
Hearing this, you yourself, O Rama, will become convinced that all this is merely delusion, and you will cast away attachment from afar.
मनोमनननिर्माणमात्रम् एव जगत्त्रयम् । सर्वम् उत्सृज्य शान्तात्मा स्वात्मन्य् एव निवत्स्यसि
The three worlds are nothing but a creation of thought and imagination; abandoning everything, with a peaceful mind, you will abide in your own Self alone.
मद्वाक्यार्थावधानस्थो मनोव्याधिचिकित्सने । विवेकौषधिलेपेन प्रयत्नं च करिष्यसि
Attentive to the meaning of my words, you will strive in the treatment of the disease of the mind, applying the ointment of discernment with effort.
एवं स्थिते जगद्रूपं चित्तम् एवेह जृम्भते । न विद्यते शरीरादि सिकतान्तरतैलवत्
Thus, when it is so, it is only the mind that appears as the form of the world here; the body and such do not exist, just as there is no oil within sand.
चित्तम् एव हि संसारो रागादिक्लेशदूषितम् । तद् एव तैर् विनिर्मुक्तं भवान्त इति कथ्यते
Indeed, it is only the mind that is called saṃsāra, tainted by the afflictions of passion and suffering; when freed from these, that itself is said to be liberation.
चित्तं साध्यं पालनीयं विचार्यं कार्यम् आर्यवत् । आहार्यं व्यवहार्यं च सञ्चार्यं धार्यम् आदरात्
The mind is to be mastered, protected, examined, and treated nobly; it is to be nourished, engaged in activity, guided, and upheld with care.
एवम् अभ्यन्तरे चित्रं बिभर्ति त्रिजगन् मनः । अण्डं मायूरम् इव तद् यथाकालं विजृम्भते
Thus, the mind holds within itself the varied forms of the three worlds; like a peacock’s egg, it unfolds in due time.
यो ऽयं चित्तस्य चिद्भागस् सैषा सर्वार्थबीजता । यश् चास्य जडभागस् स्वस् तज् जगत् सो ऽङ्ग विभ्रमः
That portion of the mind which is consciousness is the seed of all things; and its inert portion is itself the world, a limb of illusion.
अविद्यमानम् एवेदम् आदिसर्गे धरादिकम् । निराकृतिर् अजस् स्वप्नं पश्यतीव न पश्यति
In the primal creation, this earth and so forth are truly nonexistent; formless and unborn, it seems as if seeing a dream, yet does not see.
सर्गादि दीर्घसंवित्त्या शैलादि जडसंविदा । सूक्ष्मं सूक्ष्मविदा वेत्ति देहं शून्यं न वास्तवम्
By extended awareness, creation and the like are known; by inert awareness, mountains and such are perceived; the subtle is known by subtle awareness; the body is void, not real.
सर्वगेनात्मना व्याप्तं स्वचेत्यात्मवपुर् मनः । आतलं सोम्यविमलं वारीव रवितेजसा
The mind, as the self pervading all, is filled with its own cognitions; serene, pure, and gentle, like water illuminated by sunlight.
चित्तबालो जगद्यक्षं मिथ्या पश्यत्य् अबोधतः । बोधतो ऽसौ परं रूपं स्वं पश्यति निरामयम्
The immature mind, ignorant, sees the lord of the world as false; but with understanding, it perceives its own true, flawless form.
यथात्मा दृश्यताम् एति द्वैतैक्यभ्रमदायिनीम् । शृणु तत् ते प्रवक्ष्यामि वक्ष्यमाणकथाक्रमैः
How the self comes to be seen as the source of duality and unity's confusion—listen, I will explain this to you in the sequence of the stories to be told.
यत् कथ्यते हि हृदयङ्गमयोपमानयुक्त्या गिरा मधुरमुग्धपदार्थया च । श्रोतुस् तद् अङ्ग हृदयं परितो विसारि व्याप्नोति तैलम् इव वारिणि वार्य् अशङ्कम्
Whatever is spoken with apt similes that touch the heart, and with sweet, charming words—O listener, that spreads throughout the heart, pervading it like oil in water, without doubt.
त्यक्तोपमानम् अमनोज्ञपदं दुरर्थं क्षुब्धं त्वराविधुरितं विनिगीर्णवर्णम् । श्रोतुर् न याति हृदयं प्रविनाशम् एव संयाति चाज्यम् इव भस्मनि हूयमानम्
But what is spoken without simile, with unpleasant words, obscure, agitated, hurried, and poorly expressed—does not enter the listener's heart, but perishes, like clarified butter poured into ashes.
आख्यानकानि भुवि यानि कथाश् च या या यद् यत् प्रमेयम् उदितं परिपेशलं वा । दृष्टान्तदृष्टिकथनेन तद् एति साधो प्राकाश्यम् आशु भुवनं सितरश्मिनेव
Whatever stories and tales exist in the world, whatever knowledge is declared or explained, O noble one, through the telling of examples and analogies, all this quickly illuminates the world, just as the moon's white rays do.
पुरा मे ब्रह्मणा प्रोक्तं सर्गसङ्कथयानघ । यद् इदं तत् प्रवक्ष्यामि त्वयि पृच्छति राघव
Long ago, Brahma spoke to me about the creation, O sinless one; I will now tell you that, as you ask, O Raghava.
पुरा मया हि भगवान् पृष्टः कमलसम्भवः । इमे कथम् उपायान्ति ब्रह्मन् सर्गगणा इति
Indeed, I once questioned the blessed lotus-born Brahma: 'O Brahman, how do these groups of creations arise?'
एवं हि मन एवेदम् इत्थं स्फुरति भूतवत् । चलैर् जलाशयस् स्फारैर् विचित्रैश् चक्रकैर् इव
Thus, the mind alone manifests in this way, appearing as if it were real, like the restless and expansive patterns of water in a lake, with its varied whirling forms.
दिनादौ सम्प्रबुद्धस्य संसारं स्रष्टुम् इच्छतः । पुराकल्पे हि कस्मिंश्चिच् छृणु किं वृत्तम् अङ्ग मे
At the dawn of day, when one awakens and desires to create the world, listen, my dear, to what once happened in a previous cycle.
कदाचिद् अखिलं सर्गं संहृत्य दिवसक्षये । एक एवाहम् एकाग्रस् स्वस्थस् स्वाम् अनयं निशाम्
Once, at the end of the day, having withdrawn all creation, I remained alone, focused and tranquil, and led the night by myself.
निशान्ते सम्प्रबुद्धस् सन् सान्ध्यां कृत्वा तथा विधिम् । प्रजा द्रष्टुं दृशस् स्फारे व्योम्नि योजितवान् अहम्
At the end of the night, awakening and performing the prescribed twilight rites, I directed my vision toward the vast sky to observe the beings.