पिञ्छभ्रान्तिर् यथा व्योम्नि पयस्य् आवर्तधीर् यथा । प्रतिभासकलामात्रं मनो जीवस् तथात्मनि
Just as the movement of a feather appears in the sky, or a whirlpool forms in water, so too is the mind and the individual soul merely a glimmer of appearance within the Self.
यद् एतन् मनसो रूपम् उदितं मननात्मकम् । ब्राह्मी शक्तिर् असौ तस्माद् ब्रह्मैव तद् अरिन्दम
That which is the form of the mind, arising as the faculty of thought—this is the divine power; therefore, O conqueror of foes, it is verily Brahman.
इदं तद् अहम् इत्य् एव विभागः प्रतिभासजः । मनसो ब्रह्मणो ऽन्यत्वे मोहः परमकारणम्
The notion 'this is I'—such division arises from mere appearance; the idea that mind and Brahman are different is the supreme cause of delusion.
यद् यच् चैतन्मननता किञ्चित् सदसदात्मकम् । शब्दितं सर्वशक्तेस् सा शक्तिर् ब्रह्मैव तां विदुः
Whatever is of the nature of thought, whether existent or nonexistent, and whatever is named—all powers are that power; know that power to be Brahman.
मनस्सत्तात्मकं नाम यद् एतन् मनसि स्थितम् । तज् जातं प्रतिभासेन तेनैवान्येन नश्यति
That which is called the existence of the mind, which abides in the mind, is produced by appearance, and by that very appearance it ceases, not by any other.
प्रतियोगिव्यवच्छेदसङ्ख्यारूपादयश् च ये । मनश्शब्दैः प्रकल्प्यन्ते ब्रह्मजान् ब्रह्म विद्धि तान्
Whatever distinctions such as opposition, limitation, number, and form are imagined by the word 'mind,' know them, O knower of Brahman, to be Brahman.
यथा यथास्य मनसः प्रतिभासः प्रवर्तते । तथा तथैव भवति दृष्टान्तो ऽत्र किलैन्दवाः
As the appearance of this mind unfolds, so exactly does it become; the example here is indeed that of the moon.
स्वयम् अक्षुब्धविमले यथा स्पन्दो महाम्भसि । संसारकारणं जीवस् तथायं परमात्मनि
Just as, in the vast, undisturbed, pure water, a ripple arises by itself, so is the individual soul the cause of worldly existence in the Supreme Self.
ज्ञस्य सर्वचिता राम ब्रह्मैवावर्तते सदा । कल्लोलोर्मितरङ्गोघैर् अब्धेर् जलम् इवात्मनि
O Rama, for the knower, all consciousness is always Brahman alone, just as the waves, surges, and ripples are nothing but water in the ocean itself.
द्वितीया नास्ति सत्तैव नामरूपक्रियात्मिका । परे नानातरङ्गे ऽब्धौ कल्पनेव जलेतरा
There is no second existence; only being itself, which appears as name, form, and activity, just as the diversity of waves in the ocean is imagined as different from water.
जायते नश्यति तथा यद् इदं याति तिष्ठति । तद् इदं ब्रह्मणि ब्रह्म ब्रह्मणैव विवर्तते
That which is born, perishes, moves, or remains still—this is all Brahman within Brahman, and is only a transformation of Brahman itself.
स्वात्मन्य् एवातपस् तीव्रो मृगतृष्णिकया यथा । वैचित्र्येणाविचित्रो ऽपि स्फुरत्य् आत्मात्मना तथा
Just as intense heat appears in a mirage within itself, so too, the Self, though undivided, manifests itself in various ways within itself.
कारणं कर्म कर्ता च जननं मरणं स्थितिः । सर्वं ब्रह्मैव नान्यो ऽस्ति तद् विना कलनार्थतः
Cause, action, agent, birth, death, and existence—all are only Brahman; there is nothing else apart from it, and whatever appears apart is only for the sake of conceptualization.
न लोभो ऽस्ति न मोहो ऽस्ति न तृष्णास्ति निरञ्जनाः । क आत्मन्य् आत्मनो लोभस् तृष्णा मोहो ऽथवा कुतः
There is no greed, no delusion, no craving; all are pure. How can there be greed, craving, or delusion of the Self within the Self, or from where could they arise?
आत्मैवेदं जगत् सर्वम् आत्मैव कलनाक्रमः । हेमाङ्गदतयेवायम् आत्मोदेति मनस्तया
This entire world is only the Self; the process of conceptualization is only the Self. Just as a golden bracelet is nothing but gold, so too, the Self appears as mind.
अबुद्धं ब्रह्म यद् राम तच् चित्तं जीव उच्यते । अपरिज्ञात एवाशु बन्धुर् आयात्य् अबन्धुताम्
O Rama, that which is Brahman, when unaware, is called mind or individual soul; when not recognized as such, it quickly assumes bondage, and when recognized, it is freed from bondage.
चिन्मयेनात्मनाज्ञेन स्वसङ्कल्पनया स्वयम् । शून्यता गगनेनेव जीवता प्रकटीकृता
By the Self, which is pure consciousness but ignorant of itself, through its own imagination, individuality is manifested, just as emptiness is revealed by space.
आत्मैवानात्मवद् इह जीवो जगति राजते । द्वीन्दुत्वम् इव दुर्दृष्टेस् सच् चासच् च समुत्थितम्
Here, the Self shines forth in the world as the individual, appearing as if it were not the Self—just as, to one with impaired vision, two moons seem to arise, both real and unreal.
मोहादिशब्दार्थदृशोर् एतयोर् अत्यसम्भवात् । सर्वत्वाद् आत्मनश् चैव क्वात्मा बद्धः क्व मुच्यते
Because, due to delusion, the perception of word and meaning in these two is utterly impossible, and since the Self is all-pervading, where could the Self be bound, and where could it be liberated?
नित्यासम्भवबन्धस्य बन्धो ऽस्तीति कुकल्पना । यस्य काल्पनिकस् तस्य मोक्षो मिथ्या न सत्यतः
The notion that there is bondage, when bondage is eternally impossible, is a false imagination; for one whose bondage is imagined, liberation too is illusory, not real.
मनो यन्निश्चयं याति तत् तद् भवति नान्यथा । तेन काल्पनिको नास्ति बन्धः कथम् इव प्रभो
Whatever determination the mind arrives at, that alone comes to be, and not otherwise; therefore, O Lord, since bondage is only imagined, how could it truly exist?
मिथ्याकाल्पनिकैवेयं मूर्खाणां बन्धकल्पना । मिथ्यैवाभ्युदिता तेषाम् इतरा मोक्षकल्पना
This conception of bondage is a false imagination of the ignorant; and for them, the notion of liberation that arises is equally false.
एवम् अज्ञानकलने बन्धमोक्षदृशौ स्मृते । वस्तुतस् तु न बन्धो ऽस्ति न मोक्षो ऽस्ति महामते
Thus, in the reckoning of ignorance, the views of bondage and liberation are remembered; but in reality, O wise one, there is neither bondage nor liberation.
कल्पनाया अवस्तुत्वं सम्प्रबुद्धमतिं प्रति । रज्ज्वहेर् इव हे प्राज्ञ न त्व् अबुद्धमतिं प्रति
The unreality of imagination is evident to one whose mind is awakened—just as with a rope and a snake, O wise one—but not to one whose mind is unawakened.
बन्धमोक्षादिसम्मोहो न प्राज्ञस्यास्ति कश्चन । सम्मोहो बन्धमोक्षादिर् अज्ञस्यैवास्ति राघव
For the wise, there is no confusion regarding bondage, liberation, and the like; such confusion about bondage and liberation exists only for the ignorant, O Raghava.
आदौ मनस् तदनु बन्धविमोक्षदृष्टी पश्चात् प्रपञ्चरचना भुवनाभिधाना । इत्यादिका स्थितिर् इयं हि गता प्रतिष्ठाम् आख्यायिका भवति बालजनोचितेव
First comes the mind, then the vision of release from attachment, and afterwards the creation of the world and the naming of realms; such is the initial sequence, which, having reached its foundation, becomes a tale suited for children.
किम् उच्यते मुनिश्रेष्ठ बालकाख्यायिकाक्रमः । क्रमेण कथयैतन् मे मनोवर्णनकारणम्
O best of sages, why is the sequence of the children's tale being told? Please narrate it to me in order, along with the reason for describing the mind.
मुग्धमुग्धमतिर् बालो धात्रीं पृच्छति राघव । काञ्चित् कर्णपथायातां वर्णयाख्यायिकाम् इति
A child, with a mind both simple and naive, asks his nurse, 'Tell me a story you have heard somewhere.'
सा बालस्य विनोदाय धात्री तस्य महामते । आख्यायिकां कथयति प्रसन्नमधुराक्षराम्
For the child's amusement, the nurse—who is wise—tells him a story, using words that are clear and sweet.
क्वचित् सन्ति महात्मानो राजपुत्रास् त्रयश् शुभाः । विस्तीर्णे शून्यनगरे व्योम्नीवोज्ज्वलतारकाः
Once, there were three noble princes, great-souled and virtuous, in a vast and empty city, shining like stars in the sky.