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.
द्वौ न जातौ तथैकश् च गर्भ एव हि न स्थितः । शुभाचाराश् शुभाकारा इति भान्तीन्दवो यथा
Of these, two were never born, and the third did not even remain in the womb; yet they appeared pure in conduct and form, shining like moons.
अथात्युत्तमलाभार्थम् एकदा समवायतः । निर्बन्धवः खिन्नमुखाश् शोकोपहतचेतसः
Then, once, seeking the highest attainment, they gathered together—friendless, with downcast faces, their minds afflicted by sorrow.
ते तस्माच् छून्यनगरान् निर्गता विकृताननाः । गगनाद् इव संश्लिष्टा बुधशुक्रशनैश्चराः
Leaving that empty city, their faces distorted, they departed—like Mercury, Venus, and Saturn conjoined in the sky.
शिरीषसुकुमाराङ्गाः पृष्ठतो ऽर्केण तापिताः । मार्गे ग्लानिं गता ग्रीष्मतापार्त्या पल्लवा इव
With limbs as delicate as the silk tree, scorched from behind by the sun, they became weary on the road, like tender leaves afflicted by the heat of summer.
सन्तप्तमार्गसिकतादग्धपादसरोरुहाः । हा ताताम्बेति शोचन्तो मृगा यूथच्युता इव
Their lotus-like feet burned by the heated sand of the path, they lamented, 'Alas, father! Alas, mother!' like deer separated from their herd.
दर्भाग्रभिन्नचरणास् तापस्विन्नाङ्गसन्धयः । उल्लङ्घ्य दूरम् अध्वानं धूलिधूसरमूर्तयः
With feet wounded by blades of grass and joints slick with sweat, their bodies covered in dust after traversing a long distance, they pressed on.
मञ्जरीजालजटिलं फलपल्लविताम्बरम् । मृगपक्षिगणाधारं प्रापुर् मार्गे तरुत्रयम्
On the way, they reached a cluster of three trees, thick with sprays of blossoms, adorned with fruit and new leaves, sheltering flocks of deer and birds.
तस्मिन् वृक्षत्रये वृक्षौ द्वौ न जातौ मनाग् अपि । बीजम् एव तृतीयस्य स्वारोहस्य न विद्यते
Of those three trees, two had not grown at all, and the third, though climbed, had no seed.
विश्रान्तास् ते परिश्रान्तास् तत्रैकस्य तरोर् अधः । पारिजाततले स्वर्गे शक्रानिलयमा इव
Exhausted, they rested beneath one of the trees, as if in Indra’s own abode in heaven, under the shade of a celestial tree.
फलान्य् अमृतसृष्टानि भुक्त्वा पीत्वा च तद्रसम् । कृत्वा गुलुच्छकैर् मालाश् चिरं विश्रम्य ते ययुः
They ate fruits created like nectar, drank their juice, made garlands from the clusters, and after resting for a long time, they set out again.