अथ क्षणेन स पुमांस् तान्य् अङ्गानि च सम्भ्रमः । सर्वम् अन्तर्धिम् आयातं स्वप्नो बोधवतो यथा
Then, in a moment, that man, his limbs, and all confusion vanished completely, just as a dream disappears upon waking.
विचार्य नियतेश् शक्तिं ततो गन्तुम् उपस्थितः । दृष्टवान् अहम् एकान्ते पुनर् अन्यं तथा नरम्
Having reflected on the power of fate, I then set out to depart; in a secluded place, I saw yet another man in the same way.
सो ऽपि प्रहारान् परितः प्रयच्छन् स्वयम् आत्मनि । बाहुभिः पीवराकारैस् स्वयम् एव पलायते
He too was striking himself all around with his own strong arms, and was fleeing from himself.
कूपे पतति कूपात् तु समुत्थायाभिधावति । पुनः पतति कुञ्जे ऽन्तः पुनर् आर्तः पलायते
He falls into a well, then, rising up from the well, he runs; again he falls into a thicket, and again, in distress, he flees.
पुनः प्रविशति स्वच्छं क्षणं शिशिरकाननम् । रुष्टः पुनः पुनस् तुष्टः पुनः प्रहरति स्वयम्
Again he enters a clear, cool forest for a moment; then, angry again, then pleased again, he strikes himself once more.
एवम्प्रायनिजाचारश् चिरम् आलोक्य सस्मयम् । स मया समवष्टभ्य परिपृष्टस् तथैव हि
Observing his strange behavior for a long time, with a smile, I approached and questioned him accordingly.
तेनैवाथ क्रमेणासौ रुदित्वा सम्प्रहस्य च । अङ्गैर् विशीर्णताम् एत्य ययाव् अलम् अलक्ष्यताम्
Then, gradually, he wept and laughed, and as his limbs became shattered, he departed and was no longer seen.
विचार्य नियतेश् शक्तिं ततो गन्तुम् उपस्थितः । दृष्टवान् अहम् एकान्ते पुनर् अन्यं तथा नरम्
Having reflected on the power of fate, I then set out to depart; in a secluded place, I saw yet another man in the same way.
प्रहरंस् तद्वद् एवासौ स्वयम् एव पलायते । पलायमानः पतितो महत्य् अन्धो ऽन्धकूपके
He too, striking himself in the same way, fled from himself; while fleeing, he fell into a great, dark pit.
तत्राहं सुचिरं कालम् अवसं तत्प्रतीक्षकः । यावत् स सुचिरेणापि कूपाद् अभ्युत्थितश् शठः
There I remained for a long time, waiting for him, until that deceitful man finally emerged from the well after a great while.
अथाहम् उद्यतो गन्तुं दृष्टवान् पुरुषं पुनः । तादृशं तादृशाचारं प्रयतन्तं तथैव च
Then, as I was about to leave, I saw that man again—just the same as before, behaving in the same way, making the same efforts.
अवष्टभ्य तथैवाशु तस्य प्रोक्तं पुनर् मया । तथैवोत्पलपत्राक्ष नासौ तद् अवबुद्धवान्
Once more, I quickly approached and spoke to him in the same manner, but, O lotus-eyed one, he did not understand at all.
केवलं माम् असौ मूढो नैव जानामि किञ्चन । आः पाप दुर्द्विजेत्य् उक्त्वा स्वव्यापारपारो ययौ
That foolish man merely said to me, 'I do not know anything at all—ah, wicked, evil Brahmin!' and then went off, absorbed in his own affairs.
अथ तस्मिन् महारण्ये तथा विहरता मया । बहवस् तादृशा दृष्टाः पुरुषा दोषकारिणः
Then, as I wandered in that great forest, I saw many such men, all engaged in wrongdoing.
मत्पृष्टाः केचिद् आयान्ति स्वप्नसम्भ्रमवच् छमम् । मदुक्तं नाभिनन्दन्ति केचिच् छ्वविरुतं यथा
Some, when questioned by me, would approach as if in a dreamlike confusion and then become calm; others did not welcome my words, just as dogs ignore barking.
विनिपत्यान्धकूपेभ्यः केचिन् न प्रोत्थिताः पुनः । कदलीषण्डकात् केचिच् चिरेणापि न निर्गताः
Some, having fallen into dark pits, never rose again; others, caught in thickets of plantain trees, did not emerge even after a long time.
केचिद् अन्तर्हितास् स्फारे करञ्जवनकुञ्जके । न क्वचित् स्थितिम् आयान्ति केचिद् भ्रमपरायणाः
Some disappeared within the dense groves of karanja trees and never settled anywhere; others wandered about, devoted only to aimless roaming.
एवंविधा सा वितता रघूद्वह महाटवी । अद्यापि विद्यते यस्याम् इत्थं ते पुरुषास् स्थिताः
O best of the Raghu lineage, such is the vast forest, which even today exists, wherein people remain in this manner.
सा च दृष्टाटवी राम त्वयेह व्यवहारिणा । बाल्यात् तु बुद्धितत्त्वस्य न त्वं स्मरसि राघव
O Rama, as one engaged in worldly life, you have seen that forest here; but due to the immaturity of understanding in childhood, you do not remember it, O descendant of Raghu.
सा भीषणा विविधसङ्कटसङ्कटाङ्गी घोराटवी घनतमोगहना च लोकैः । आगत्य निर्वृतिम् अबुद्धिहतैर् न तज्ज्ञैर् आसेव्यते कुसुमगुल्मकवाटिकेव
That dreadful forest, filled with various dangers and perils, dense with thickest darkness, is not frequented by the wise, but only by those whose minds are clouded, just as a garden of flowering shrubs is not visited by them.
कासौ महाटवी ब्रह्मन् कदा दृष्टा कथं मया । के च ते पुरुषास् तत्र किं तत् कर्तुं कृतोद्यमाः
O Brahman, what is that great forest? When did I see it, and how? Who are those people there, and what are they striving to do?
रघुनाथ महाबाहो शृणु वक्ष्यामि ते ऽखिलम् । न सा महाटवी नाम दूरे नैव च ते नराः
O mighty-armed Raghunatha, listen, I will tell you everything: that great forest is not far away, nor are those people distant from you.
येयं संसारपदवी गम्भीरासारकोटरा । तां त्वं शून्यां विकाराढ्यां विद्धि राम महाटवीम्
This very path of worldly existence, deep and hollow, know, O Rama, that empty and ever-changing one as the great forest.
विचारालोकलभ्येन यदैकेनैव वस्तुना । पूर्णा नान्येन संयुक्ता केवलैव तदैव सा
That forest is filled by the one thing attainable through the light of inquiry; it is not joined by anything else, it exists solely as that alone.
तत्र ये ते महाकाराः पुरुषाः प्रसरन्ति हि । मनांसि तानि विद्धि त्वं दुःखे निपतितान्य् अलम्
Those mighty beings who move about there—know them to be the minds, fallen into suffering.
द्रष्टा यो ऽयम् अहं तेषां सविवेको महामते । विवेकेन मया तानि दृष्टान्य् अन्यानि राघव
O wise one, I am the witness who perceives them all with discernment; by means of discrimination, O Raghava, I have seen those and other things.
मया तान्य् एव बुध्यन्ते विवेकेन मनांसि हि । सततं स्वप्रकाशेन कमलानीव भानुना
It is by my discernment alone that these minds are understood by me, just as lotuses are ever revealed by the sun’s own light.
मत्प्रबोधं समासाद्य मत्प्रसादान् महामते । मनांसि कानिचित् तानि गतान्य् उपशमात् परम्
Having attained my awakening and through my grace, O wise one, some of those minds have reached supreme tranquility and have ceased.
कानिचिन् नाभिनन्दन्ति मां विवेकं विमोहतः । मत्तिरस्कारवशतः कूपेष्व् एव पतन्त्य् उत
Some do not welcome me, discernment, due to delusion; under the sway of rejection by me, they fall into pits indeed.
ये ते ऽन्धकूपा गहना नरकास् ते रघूद्वह । मनांसि तानि तेष्व् अन्तर् निपतन्त्य् उत्पतन्ति च
Those deep, blind pits, O descendant of Raghu, are known as hells; into them those minds fall and rise again within.