यद् आदाव् एव नास्तीदं तद् अद्यापि न विद्यते । यद् इदं भाति तद् ब्रह्म शान्तम् एकम् अनिङ्गनम्
That which did not exist at the beginning does not exist even now; what appears as this is the one peaceful, unblemished Brahman.
मननीयमनोमानान्य् अतः कस्य कथं कुतः । निर्विकारम् अनाद्यन्तम् आस्यताम् अपयन्त्रणम्
Whose, how, and whence are these esteemed notions of the mind? Remain unperturbed, beginningless and endless, unconfined by any restraint.
परं पौरुषम् आश्रित्य यत्नाद् परमया धिया । भोगाशाभावनां चित्तात् समूलम् अलम् उद्धरेत्
Relying on supreme effort and with utmost discernment, one should completely uproot from the mind, along with its roots, the very conception of desire for enjoyment.
यद् उदेति परो मोहो जरामरणकारणम् । आशापाशशतोल्लासी वासना तद् विजृम्भते
That which arises as the supreme delusion, the cause of old age and death, is the latent tendency that flourishes with countless bonds of hope.
मम पुत्रा मम धनम् अहं सो ऽयम् इदं मम । इतीयम् इन्द्रजालेन वासनैका विवल्गति
"My sons, my wealth, I am this, this is mine"—thus, by this one latent tendency, like a magician’s illusion, the mind leaps about.
शून्य एव शरीरे ऽस्मिन् विलोलो ऽर्जुनवातवत् । अविद्यया वासनया त्व् अहम्भावाहिर् अर्पितः
In this body, which is itself empty, the notion of 'I' is cast by ignorance and latent impression, wavering like the wind in a hollow.
परमार्थेन तत्त्वज्ञ ममाहम् इदम् इत्य् अलम् । आत्मतत्त्वाद् ऋते मन्ये न कदाचन किञ्चन
In truth, O knower of reality, enough of 'mine', 'I', and 'this'; apart from the essence of the Self, I consider nothing ever to truly exist.
साद्रिद्यूर्वीगिरिश्रेण्या सृष्टिदृष्ट्या पुनः पुनः । सैवान्येव विचित्रेयम् अविद्या परिवर्तते
With the perception of creation, this same manifold ignorance revolves again and again, as mountain ranges, continents, and peaks appear and reappear.
उदेत्य् अज्ञानमात्रेण नश्यति ज्ञानमात्रतः । संविन्मात्रपरिच्छेद्या रज्ज्वाम् इव भुजङ्गमः
It arises merely from ignorance and ceases merely through knowledge; it is delimited only by consciousness, like a snake on a rope.
साद्रिद्यूर्वीनदी सेयं याविद्या ज्ञस्य राम सा । नाविद्या तस्य तद् ब्रह्म स्वे महिम्नि व्यवस्थितम्
This earth with its mountains and rivers is that knowledge, O Rama, for the knower; it is not ignorance for him, for that Brahman abides in its own greatness.
रज्जुसर्पविकल्पौ द्वाव् अज्ञानैकोपकल्पितौ । ज्ञेन त्व् एकैव निर्णीता ब्रह्मदृष्टिर् अकृत्रिमा
The two—rope and snake—are both imagined by ignorance; but through knowledge, only one is determined: the vision of Brahman, uncontrived.
मा भवाज्ञो भव ज्ञस् त्वं जहि संसारवासनाः । अनात्मन्य् आत्मभावेन किम् अन्य इव रोदिषि
Do not be ignorant; become a knower. Abandon the tendencies of worldly existence. Why do you grieve as if you were another, identifying with what is not the Self?
कस् तवायं जडो मूको देहो भवति राघव । यदर्थं सुखदुःखाभ्याम् अवशः परिहीयते
What is this inert, mute body to you, O Raghava, for whose sake you are helplessly subjected to pleasure and pain?
यथा हि काष्ठजतुनोर् यथा बदरकुण्डयोः । श्लिष्टयोर् अपि नैकत्वं देहदेहवतोस् तथा
Just as there is no unity between wood and resin, or between two berry vessels even when joined, so too between body and embodied being there is no oneness.
भस्त्रादाहे यथा दाहो न भस्त्रान्तरवर्तिनः । पवनस्य तथा देहनाशे नात्म विनश्यति
Just as the fire in a bellows does not affect the air within the bellows, so too, when the body perishes, the Self does not perish.
दुःखितो ऽहं सुखाढ्यो ऽहम् इति भ्रान्ती रघूद्वह । अनयोपहते चित्ते दुष्पारेह कदर्थना
‘I am unhappy, I am full of happiness’—such delusion, O descendant of Raghu, afflicts the mind, and this torment is hard to overcome.
मिथ्यैवानर्थकारिण्या मनोमननपीनया । अनया दुःखदायिन्या महामोहमलान्धया
By this false, harmful, and mind-inflating notion—by this giver of sorrow, blinded by the great impurity of delusion—
चन्द्रबिम्बे सुधार्द्रे ऽपि कृत्वा रौरवकल्पनाम् । नारकं दाहसंशोषदुःखं समनुभूयते
Even when the moon's disk is moist with nectar, if one imagines it as a Raurava hell, one experiences the suffering of burning and desiccation as in a hellish realm.
जललोलोच्चकल्हारपुष्पशीतलवीचिषु । सरस्सु मृगतृष्णाढ्यं महत्त्वं परिदृश्यते
In lakes with cool waves adorned by garlands of water-moving lotuses, the greatness of a mirage is perceived.
नभोनगरनिर्माणपातोत्पतनसम्भ्रमाः । स्वप्नादिष्व् अनुभूयन्ते विचित्रसुखदुःखदाः
In dreams and similar states, the excitement of building cities in the sky, falling, and flying is experienced, giving rise to various pleasures and pains.
संसारवासना चेतो यदि नाम न पूरयेत् । तज् जाग्रत्स्वप्नसंरम्भाः कं नयेयुर् इहापदम्
If the mind's inclination toward worldly existence is not fulfilled, then what harm can the agitations of waking and dreaming bring here?
दृश्यन्ते रौरवावीचिनरकानर्थशासनाः । मिथ्याज्ञाने गते वृद्धिं स्वर्गोपवनभूमिषु
Raurava, Avīci, and other hells, with their domains of suffering, are seen to increase in the celestial groves and regions when false knowledge prevails.
अनया वेधितं चेतो बिसतन्ताव् अपि क्षणात् । पश्यत्य् अखिलसंसारसागरावर्तविभ्रमम्
When the mind is pierced by this (ignorance), even a fiber of a lotus thread instantly perceives the bewildering whirlpool of the entire ocean of worldly existence.
अनयोपहते चित्ते राज्य एव हि संस्थितः । तास् ता दशा जनो याति या न योग्याश् श्वपाकिनः
When the mind is afflicted by this (ignorance), even while established in sovereignty, a person attains those very states that are not suitable even for outcastes.
तस्माद् राम परित्यज्य वासनां भवबन्धनीम् । सर्वभावमयीं तिष्ठ नीरागस् स्फटिको यथा
Therefore, O Rāma, abandoning the tendency that binds to worldly existence, remain composed of all states, unattached, like a crystal.
तिष्ठतस् तव कार्येषु मास्तु रागानुरञ्जना । स्फटिकस्येव चित्राणि प्रतिबिम्बानि गृह्णतः
While you remain engaged in your duties, let there be no coloring of attachment—just as a crystal, though reflecting various images, remains itself unchanged.
विगतकौतुकसङ्गसमिद्धया यदि करोषि सदैव हि लीलया । वरधिया जगति प्रकृतिक्रियास् तद् असि केन महान् उपमीयसे
If, with a mind free from curiosity and attachment, you always act in the world playfully, with noble understanding, performing natural actions—then, to what can your greatness be compared?
एवम् उक्तो भगवता वसिष्ठेन महात्मना । रामः कमलपत्त्राक्ष उन्मीलित इवाबभौ
Thus addressed by the venerable and great-souled Vasistha, Rama, whose eyes were like lotus petals, appeared as if awakened.
विकासितान्तःकरणश् शोभाम् अलम् उपाययौ । आश्वस्तस् तमसि क्षीणे पद्मो ऽर्कालोकवान् इव
His inner being blossomed, attaining great radiance; reassured, as darkness faded, like a lotus filled with sunlight.
बोधविस्मयसञ्जातसौम्यस्मितसिताननः । दन्तरश्मिसुधाधौताम् इमां वाचम् उवाच च
With a gentle smile born of wonder and awakening, his face shone bright, as if washed by the moon’s nectar-beams, and he spoke these words: