सद्रूपम् अपि निश्शून्यं तेजस् सौरम् इवाम्बरे । रत्नाभाजालम् इव खे दृश्यमानम् अभित्तिमत्
Though possessing form, it is devoid of emptiness, like the sun’s brilliance in the sky; visible in space like a cluster of gems, yet without any support.
सङ्कल्पपुरवत् प्रौढम् अनुभूतम् असन्मयम् । कथार्थप्रतिभानात्म न क्वचित् स्थितम् अस्ति च
Like a city conjured by thought, it appears firmly experienced yet is made of nothing; its essence is the mere semblance of a story’s meaning, existing nowhere, and yet seeming to exist.
निस्सारम् अप्य् अतीवान्तस्सारं स्वप्नाचलोपमम् । भूताकाशम् इवाकारभासुरं शून्यमात्रकम्
Though utterly devoid of substance, it seems to have an inner core; like a mountain in a dream, it shines with forms like the sky, yet is nothing but emptiness.
शरदभ्रम् इवाग्रस्थम् अलक्ष्यक्षयम् आक्षयि । वर्णो व्योमतलस्येव दृश्यमानम् अवस्तुकम्
Like an autumn cloud seen at a distance, its dissolution is imperceptible; like a color in the sky, it appears visible but has no real substance.
स्वप्नाङ्गनारताकारम् अर्थनिष्ठम् अनर्थकम् । चित्रोद्यानम् इवोत्फुल्लम् अरसं सरसाकृति
It takes the form of a dream-woman’s embrace—seeming meaningful, yet truly meaningless; like a garden of the mind in full bloom, it has the appearance of delight but lacks any true essence.
प्रकाशम् इव निस्तेजश् चित्रार्कानलवत् स्थितम् । अनुभूतं मनोराज्यम् इवासत्यम् अवास्तवम्
It stands like light without brilliance, like a painted sun or fire; it is experienced like a kingdom of fancy—unreal and without true existence.
चित्रपद्माकर इव सारसौगन्ध्यवर्जितम् । शून्ये प्रकचितं नानावर्णम् आकारितात्मकम्
Like a painted lotus pond lacking the fragrance of lotuses, it is displayed in emptiness, adorned with many colors, its nature only a form.
परमार्थेन शुष्यद्भिर् भूतपेलवपल्लवैः । ततं जडम् असारात्म कदलीस्तम्भभासुरम्
In reality, it is spread out with withered, feeble shoots of elements; inert and without essence, it shines like the trunk of a plantain tree.
स्फारितेक्षणदृश्यान्धकारचक्रकवत् ततम् । अत्यन्तम् अभवद्रूपम् अपि प्रत्यक्षवत् स्थितम्
Spread out like a circle of darkness visible to an opened eye, it is utterly unreal in form, yet appears as if directly perceived.
वार् बुद्बुद इवाभोगि शून्यम् अन्तस् स्फुरद्वपुः । रसात्मकं सत्यरसम् अविच्छिन्नक्षयोदयम्
Like a bubble on water, without enjoyment, hollow within, yet with a vibrant form; its essence is taste, the taste of reality, uninterrupted in its arising and passing.
नीहार इव विस्तारि गृहीतं सन् न किञ्चन । जडं शून्यास्पदं शून्यं केषाञ्चित् परमाणुवत्
Like mist spreading out, though grasped, it is nothing at all; inert, the abode of emptiness, void for some, as minute as an atom.
किञ्चिद् भूतमयो ऽस्तीति स्थितं शून्यम् अभूतकम् । गृह्यमाणम् असद्रूपं निशातम इवोत्थितम्
Something composed of elements is said to exist, yet the void is not made of elements; when apprehended, it is of unreal nature, like a sharp blade suddenly appearing.
महाकल्पक्षये दृश्यम् आस्ते बीज इवाङ्कुरम् । परे भूय उदेत्य् एतत् तत एवेति किं वद
At the end of a great age, what is seen remains like a sprout in a seed; later, it arises again from that very same source—tell me, what is this?
एवम्बोधाः किम् अज्ञास् स्युर् उत तज्ज्ञा इति स्फुटम् । यथावद् भगवन् ब्रूहि सर्वसंशयशान्तये
Are those with such understanding ignorant, or do they possess true knowledge? O revered one, speak clearly and properly, to dispel all doubts.
इदं बीजे ऽङ्कुर इव दृश्यम् आस्ते महाक्षये । ब्रूते यः परम् अज्ञत्वम् एतत् तस्यातिशैशवात्
This appears at the end of a great cycle, like a sprout in a seed; whoever asserts that supreme ignorance is here, does so from extreme childishness.
स्पर्शे किं तद् असम्बद्धं कथम् एतद् अवास्तवम् । विपरीतो बोध एष वक्तुश् श्रोतुश् च मौर्ख्यकृत्
What is that which is untouched in contact, and how can this be unreal? Such contrary understanding is the cause of folly for both speaker and listener.
बीजकाले ऽङ्कुर इव जगद् आस्त इतीह या । बुद्धिस् सासत्प्रलापार्था मूढा शृणु कथं किल
The notion that the world exists like a sprout in a seed at the time of the seed—such an idea is the talk of delusion; listen, how this is so.
बीजं भवेत् स्वयं दृश्यं चित्तादीन्द्रियगोचरः । वटधानादि धान्यादि युक्तम् अत्राङ्कुरोद्भवः
A seed is itself something visible, accessible to mind and senses; when it is joined with things like earth and grain, then indeed a sprout arises.
मनष्षष्ठेन्द्रियातीतं यः खाद् अतितराम् अपि । बीजं तद् भवितुं शक्तं स्वयम्भूर् जगतः कथम्
But that which is beyond mind and the six senses, and even beyond that—how could such a seed, self-existent, become the origin of the world?
आकाशाद् अपि सूक्ष्मस्य परस्य परमात्मनः । सर्वाक्षानुपलभ्यस्य कीदृशी बीजता कथम्
How could there be seed-nature in the Supreme Self, which is subtler than space, beyond all, and not perceived by any sense?
सत् सूक्ष्मम् असदाभासम् असद् एव ह्य् अतद्दृशाम् । कीदृशी बीजता तत्र बीजाभावे कुतो ऽङ्कुरः
That which is subtle existence, appearing as nonexistence, is truly nonexistence for those who do not see it; how can there be seed-nature there, and without a seed, how could a sprout arise?
गगनाङ्गाद् अपि स्वच्छे शून्ये तत्र परे पदे । कथं सन्ति जगन्मेरुसमुद्रगगनादयः
In that supreme state, pure and empty even beyond the elements of space, how could things like the world, Mount Meru, oceans, and sky exist?
नकिञ्चिद् यत् कथं किञ्चित् तत्रास्ते वस्त्व् अवस्तुनि । अस्ति चेत् तत् कथं तत्र विद्यमानं न दृश्यते
How could anything at all exist in that which is nothing? If something does exist there, why is it not seen as present?
नकिञ्चिदात्मनः किञ्चित् कथम् एति कुतो ऽथ वा । शून्यरूपाद् घटाकाशाज् जातो ऽद्रिः क्व कुतः कदा
How could anything arise from that which is nothing, or from where, or how? How could a mountain be born from the empty space within a pot—where, from what, and when?
प्रतिपक्षे कथं किञ्चिद् आस्ते छायातपे यथा । कथम् आस्ते तमो भानौ कथम् आस्ते हिमे ऽनलः
On the contrary, how could anything exist, as light and shadow do not coexist? How could darkness exist in the sun, or fire in ice?
मेरुर् आस्ते कथम् अणौ कुतः किञ्चिद् अनाकृतौ । तदतद्रूपयोर् ऐक्यं क्व च्छायातपयोर् इव
How can Mount Meru exist within an atom, or anything exist in the unformed? The union of what is and what is not is as impossible as the union of shadow and sunlight.
साकारे वटधानादाव् अङ्कुरो ऽस्तीति युक्तिमत् । अनाकारे महाकारं जगद् अस्तीत्य् अयुक्तिमत्
It is reasonable to say that a sprout exists in a seed with form, like that of a banyan tree; but it is not reasonable to say that this vast world exists in something formless.
देशान्तरे यच् च नरान्तरे च बुद्ध्यादिसर्वेन्द्रियशक्त्यदृश्यम् । नास्त्य् एव तत्तद्विधबुद्धिबोधे नकिञ्चिद् इत्य् एव तद् उच्यते च
Whatever, in another place or in another person, is not perceived by the mind or any sense power—such things do not exist at all for the awareness of that particular mind; this is what is said.
कार्यस्य तत् कारणतां प्रयातं वक्तीति यस् तस्य विमूढबोधः । कैर् नाम तत्कार्यम् उदेति तस्मात् स्वैः कारणौघैस् सहकारिरूपैः
Whoever says that an effect goes back to become its cause has a confused understanding; by what means does that effect arise, along with its own multitude of cooperating causes?
दुर्बुद्धिभिः कारणकार्यभावं सङ्कल्पितं दूरतरे व्युदस्य । यद् एव तत् सत्यम् अनादिमध्यं जगत् तद् एव स्थितम् इत्य् अवेहि
Set far aside the imagined distinction of cause and effect, conceived by those of dull intellect; know that whatever truly exists, this beginningless and endless world, alone stands as reality.