अविद्यमानयैवेदं पेलवाङ्ग्या सुतुच्छया । मिथ्याभावनया नाम चित्रम् अन्धीकृतं जगत्
By what does not exist, by what is frail and utterly empty, by what is called false imagination, this world is wondrously cast into darkness.
अरूपया निराकृत्या चारुचेतनहीनया । असत्येवाशु नश्यन्त्या चित्रम् अन्धीकृतं जगत्
By what is formless, without shape, lacking in pure awareness, and perishing swiftly like the unreal, this world is wondrously cast into darkness.
आलोकेन विनश्यन्त्या स्फुरन्त्या तमसो ऽन्तरे । कौशिकेक्षणधर्मिण्या चित्रम् अन्धीकृतं जगत्
By what perishes without light, flickers within darkness, and has the nature of an owl’s vision, this world is wondrously cast into darkness.
कुकर्मैकान्तकारिण्या न सहन्त्यावलोकनम् । देहम् अप्य् अविजानन्त्या चित्रम् अन्धीकृतं जगत्
By what acts only in evil ways, cannot bear to be seen, and does not even recognize the body, this world is wondrously cast into darkness.
सुधीराचारधर्मिण्या नित्यं प्राकृतकान्तया । अनारतास्तङ्गतया चित्रम् अन्धीकृतं जगत्
By what follows the conduct of the wise, is always naturally beautiful, and is continually setting, this world is wondrously cast into darkness.
अनन्तदुःखाकुलया सदैव धृतयानया । सम्बोधहीनया नाम चित्रम् अन्धीकृतं जगत्
The world is strangely blinded by one who is always afflicted with endless suffering, led by misguided resolve, and lacking in true understanding.
कामक्रोधघनस्तन्या तमःप्रसरवक्त्रया । अचेतनशरीरिण्या चित्रम् अन्धीकृतं जगत्
The world is strangely blinded by one whose body is insentient, whose mouth spreads darkness, and whose breast is dense with desire and anger.
आत्मान्धकूपास्पदया जडया जाड्यजीर्णया । दुःखदीर्घप्रलापिन्या चित्रम् अन्धीकृतं जगत्
The world is strangely blinded by one who dwells at the threshold of the dark well of the self, dulled by inertia and aged by dullness, and who endlessly laments in sorrow.
पुरुषासङ्गभङ्गिन्या रोगिण्याक्षतमायया । विवर्तिन्या विवक्षासु चित्रम् अन्धीकृतं जगत्
The world is strangely blinded by one who shatters relationships, is afflicted by disease and unbroken illusion, and who is ever-changing in intentions.
पुरुषस्य न या शक्ता सोढुम् ईक्षितम् अप्य् अलम् । तया स्त्रियाशरणया चित्रम् अन्धीकृतः पुमान्
The man who cannot endure even the sight of her, who is unprotected by such a woman, is strangely blinded.
न यस्याश् चेतनैवास्ति याप्य् अनष्टैव नश्यति । तया स्त्रियापुरुषया चित्रम् अन्धीकृतः पुमान्
The man is strangely blinded by such a woman, who has no awareness, and who perishes even though she is not destroyed.
अनन्तदुष्प्रसरविलासकारिणी क्षयोदयोन्मुखसुखदुःखकारिणी । इयं प्रभो विगलति केन वासना मनोगुहानिलयनिबद्धभावना
O Lord, this one, who endlessly indulges in difficult passions, who brings about both pleasure and pain through rise and decline, dissolves by which tendency, bound by the impressions dwelling in the cave of the mind?
अविद्याविभवप्रोत्थं जगतः पुरुषस्य वा । महद् आन्ध्यम् इदं ब्रह्मन् कथं नाम विनश्यति
O Brahman, how does this great blindness, arising from the power of ignorance in the world or in man, come to an end?
यथा तुषारनलिनी भास्करालोकनात् क्षणात् । नश्यत्य् एवम् अविद्येयं नश्यत्य् आत्मावलोकनात्
Just as a lotus covered with frost perishes instantly when sunlight appears, so too does this ignorance vanish upon the vision of the Self.
तावत् संसारभृगुषु स्वात्मना सह देहिनम् । आन्दोलयति सा यैषा दुःखकण्टकजालिषु
So long as it endures, this ignorance agitates the embodied being along with his own self among the waves of worldly existence, in the thickets of suffering and pain.
अविद्या यावद् अस्यास् तु नोत्पन्ना क्षयकारिणी । स्वयम् आत्मावलोकेच्छा मोहसङ्क्षयदायिनी
Until the desire for Self-realization, which brings about the destruction of delusion, arises within him, this ignorance does not begin to be destroyed.
अस्याः परं प्रपश्यन्त्यास् स्वात्मनाशः प्रवर्तते । आतपानुभवार्थिन्याश् छायाया इव राघव
When one begins to see beyond this ignorance, the dissolution of self-ignorance commences, just as the shadow starts to disappear when exposed to sunlight, O Raghava.
दृष्टे सर्वगते देवे स्वयम् एव विलीयते । सर्वाशाभ्युदिते छाया द्वादशार्कगणे यथा
When the all-pervading divine is seen, the shadow itself dissolves, just as all shadows vanish when the twelve-rayed sun rises in the sky.
इच्छामात्रम् अविद्येह तन्नाशो मोक्ष उच्यते । स चासङ्कल्पमात्रेण सिद्धो भवति राघव
Here, ignorance is nothing but mere imagination; its destruction is called liberation, and this is accomplished, O Raghava, by the mere cessation of thought-construction.
मनाग् अपि मनोव्योम्नि वासनातमसि क्षते । कालिमा तनुताम् एति चिदादित्यमहोदयात्
Even the slightest wound in the darkness of latent tendencies within the sky of the mind causes its blackness to become thin, due to the rising of the sun of consciousness.
यथोदिते दिनकरे क्वापि याति तमस्वती । तथा विवेके ऽभ्युदिते क्वाप्य् अविद्या प्रलीयते
Just as darkness disappears somewhere when the sun rises, so too does ignorance dissolve somewhere when discernment arises.
दृढवासनया बन्धो घनताम् एति चेतसः । चलवेतालसङ्कल्पस् सन्ध्याकाले यथा शिशोः
Bondage arises in the mind through strong latent tendencies; fickle thoughts subside, as a child's playfulness fades at dusk.
यावत् किञ्चिद् इदं दृश्यं साविद्या क्षीयते च सा । आत्मभावनया ब्रह्मन्न् आत्मासौ कीदृशस् स्मृतः
As long as this visible world appears, that is ignorance, which diminishes; by contemplating the Self, O Brahman, what is that Self considered to be?
चेत्यानुपातरहितं सामान्येन च सर्वगम् । यच् चित्तत्त्वम् अनाख्येयं स आत्मा परमेश्वरः
That which is the essence of consciousness, untouched by objects, universally present, and indescribable—that is the Self, the Supreme Lord.
आब्रह्मस्तम्बपर्यन्तं तृणादि यद् इदं जगत् । तत् सर्वं सर्वदात्मैव नाविद्या विद्यते ऽनघ
From Brahma down to a blade of grass, whatever this world is, all of it is always the Self alone; O sinless one, ignorance does not exist.
सर्वं च खल्व् इदं ब्रह्म नित्यं चिद्घनम् अक्षयम् । कल्पनान्या मनोनाम्नी विद्यते न हि काचन
Indeed, all this is Brahman—eternal, solid consciousness, imperishable; there is no other imagination called 'mind' at all.
न जायते न म्रियते किञ्चिद् अस्मिञ् जगत्त्रये । न च भावविकाराणां सत्ता क्वचन विद्यते
Nothing is born or dies in these three worlds; nor does the existence of modifications ever occur anywhere.
केवलं केवलाभासं सर्वसामान्यम् अक्षतम् । चेत्यानुपातरहितं चिन्मात्रम् इह विद्यते
Here, there exists only pure consciousness—unmixed, unbroken, universal, untouched by objects, and undisturbed.
अस्मिन् नित्ये तते शुद्धे चिन्मात्रे निरुपद्रवे । शान्ते समसमाभोगे निर्विकारोदितात्मनि
In this eternal, pure, undisturbed, peaceful, and equally pervasive pure consciousness, the Self arises without change.
यैषा स्वभावाभिगतं स्वयं सङ्कल्प्य धावति । चिच् चेत्यं स्वयम् अम्लाना सा म्लाना तन् मनस् स्मृतम्
This, having arisen by its own nature, rushes forth by its own imagining; consciousness, as the object of consciousness, withers on its own, and when it is withered, that is remembered as the mind.