शब्दरूपरसस्पर्शगन्धबन्धुश्रियो यतः । अनयैव हि लभ्यन्ते तेनेयं ज्ञस्य लाभदा
Because sound, form, taste, touch, fragrance, kin, and wealth are all obtained through this alone, therefore, this is the giver of gain to the wise.
सुखदुःखक्रियाजालं यदैषोद्वहति स्वयम् । तदैषा राम सर्वत्र सर्ववस्तुभरक्षमा
O Rama, when this itself bears the web of actions of pleasure and pain, then it is everywhere capable of bearing all things.
तस्यां शरीरपुर्यां हि राज्यं कुर्वन् गतभ्रमः । ज्ञस् तिष्ठति गतव्यग्रं स्वपुर्याम् इव वासवः
In that city of the body, the wise one, free from delusion, rules his kingdom without agitation, like Indra in his own city.
न क्षिपत्य् अवटाटोपे मनोमत्ततुरङ्गमम् । न लोभद्वन्द्वरूपाय प्रज्ञापुत्रीं प्रयच्छति
He does not cast the intoxicated horse of the mind into the pit of darkness, nor does he give his daughter, discernment, to the form of greed and duality.
अज्ञानपरराष्ट्रं च न रन्ध्रं त्व् अस्य पश्यति । संसारारिभयस्यान्तर् मूलान्य् एष निकृन्तति
He does not see any weakness in the territory of ignorance; within, he cuts off the very roots of the fearsome enemy of worldly existence.
तृष्णासारपरावर्ते कामसङ्क्षोभदुर्ग्रहे । न निमज्जति पर्यस्तसुखदुःखाक्षदेवने
He does not sink into the whirlpool of craving, the fortress of agitation by desire, or the forest of alternating pleasure and pain.
करोत्य् अविरतं स्नानं बहिर् अन्तर् अपि क्षणात् । सरित्सङ्गमतीर्थेषु मनोरथगतिः क्रमात्
He bathes constantly, both outwardly and inwardly, in an instant, at the sacred confluences of rivers, following the course of his mind’s intentions step by step.
सकलाक्षिजनादृश्यः पुरप्रेक्षापराङ्मुखः । ध्याननाम्नि सुखं नित्यं तिष्ठत्य् अन्तःपुरान्तरे
Unseen by all the senses, turning away from the spectacle of the city, he always dwells happily within the inner chamber named meditation.
सुखावहैषा नगरी नित्यं प्रमुदितात्मनः । भोगमोक्षप्रदा दिव्या शक्रस्येवामरावती
This city brings happiness to one whose heart is ever joyful; it is divine, bestowing both enjoyment and liberation, like Indra’s Amaravati.
स्थितया संस्थितं सर्वं किञ्चिन् नष्टं न नष्टया । यया पुर्या महीपस्य सा कथं न सुखावहा
By that city in which everything established remains established, and nothing perishes unless it is unsteady—how could that not bring happiness to the king?
विनष्टे देहनगरे ज्ञस्य नष्टं न किञ्चन । आक्रान्तकुम्भकोशस्य खस्य कुम्भक्षये यथा
When the city of the body is destroyed for the wise, nothing at all is lost, just as, when the pot-space is broken, the sky is not diminished.
विद्यमानं घटं वायुः किल स्पृशति नास्थितम् । यथा तथैव देही स्वां शरीरनगरीम् इमाम्
Just as the wind touches an existing pot but not one that does not exist, so too does the embodied self relate to this city of the body.
अत्रस्थ एष भगवान् आत्मा सर्वगतो ऽपि सन् । स्वविकल्पकृतां भुक्त्वा पुंस्ताम् अधिगतात्मदृक्
Here, this blessed Self, though all-pervading, remains unattached; having experienced individuality created by its own imagination, it attains the vision of its own nature.
कुर्वन्न् अपि न कुर्वाणस् सम्यक्सर्वक्रियोन्मुखः । कदाचित् प्रकृतान् सर्वान् कार्यार्थान् अधितिष्ठति
Though acting, yet not acting, ever inclined toward all actions, at times it upholds all natural activities for the sake of their results.
कदाचिल् लीलया लोलं विमानम् अधिरोहति । अनाहतगतिं कान्तं विहर्तुम् अमलं मनः
Sometimes, playfully, it ascends the restless aerial chariot—its pure mind—whose movement is unstruck, delightful, to roam about.
तत्रस्थो लोकसुन्दर्या सततं शीतलाङ्गया । रमते रामया मैत्र्या नित्यं हृदयसंस्थया
There, established, he delights constantly with the beautiful Lady of the World, whose limbs are ever cool, with Rama, with friendship ever abiding in the heart.
द्वे कान्ते तिष्ठतस् तस्य पार्श्वयोस् सत्यतैकते । इन्दोर् इव विशाखे द्वे समाह्लादितचेतसे
For him, two beloveds stand at his sides in unity of truth, like the two Viśākhā stars beside the moon, both gladdening his mind.
ज्ञ इमान् अखिलांल् लोकान् दुःखक्रकचदारितान् । वाल्मीकान् इव पीठस्थः पृष्ठाद् अर्क इवेक्षते
The knower, seated, beholds all these worlds—torn by the saw of suffering—like one on a seat observing anthills, or like the sun looking from above.
चिरं पूरितसर्वाशस् सर्वसम्पत्तिसुन्दरः । अपुनःखण्डनायेन्दुः पूर्णाङ्ग इव राजते
Long fulfilled in every desire, adorned with all prosperity, he shines like the full moon, whose orb is never again diminished.
सेव्यमानो ऽपि भोगौघो न खेदायास्य जायते । कालकूटः किलेशस्य कण्ठे प्रत्युत राजते
Even when indulged in, the multitude of pleasures does not cause him fatigue; rather, like the deadly poison Kālakūṭa worn on the neck, it shines forth.
परिज्ञायोपभुक्तो हि भोगो भवति तुष्टये । विज्ञायाश्वासितो मैत्रीम् एति चौरो न शत्रुताम्
Pleasure, when experienced with understanding, brings satisfaction; just as a thief, when recognized and reassured, becomes friendly and not an enemy.
नरनारीनटौघानां कलहे दूरगामिना । ज्ञेन यात्रेव सुभगा भोगश्रीर् अवलोक्यते
Amid the quarrels of crowds of men and women, the wise one, traveling far from conflict, beholds the prosperity of enjoyment as if on a fortunate journey.
अशङ्कितोपसम्प्राप्ता ग्रामयात्रा यथाध्वगैः । प्रेक्ष्यते तद्वद् एव ज्ञैर् व्यवहारमयी क्रिया
Just as travelers view a village procession that arrives without suspicion, so too do the wise observe actions filled with worldly dealings.
अयत्नोपनतेष्व् अक्षि दिग्द्रव्येषु यथा पुरः । नीरागम् एव पतति तद्वत् कार्येषु धीरधीः
Just as the eye naturally falls upon objects in all directions without effort, so does the mind of the wise descend upon tasks without attachment.
इन्द्रियाणां न हरति प्राप्तम् अर्थं कदाचन । न ददाति तथा प्राप्तं सम्पूर्णो ज्ञो ऽवतिष्ठते
The senses never seize the object attained, nor does he give it away; the wise, being complete, remains steadfast.
अप्राप्तचिन्तास् सम्प्राप्तसमुपेक्षाश् च सन्मतिम् । नाकम्पयन्ति तरलाः पिञ्छघाता इवाचलम्
Restless thoughts about what is not attained and indifference to what is attained do not disturb the wise mind, just as fluttering feathers do not shake a mountain.
संशान्तसर्वसन्देहो गलिताखिलकौतुकः । सङ्क्षीणवासनाजालो ज्ञस् सम्राड् इव शोभते
With all doubts calmed, all curiosity vanished, and the web of desires diminished, the wise one shines like a sovereign.
आत्मन्य् एव न मात्य् अन्तस् स्वात्मनात्मनि जृम्भते । सम्पूर्णापारपर्यन्तः क्षीरार्णव इवात्मवान्
The self does not die within itself; it expands from its own essence within itself, complete and boundless on every side, like the ocean of milk, is the one established in the Self.
भोगेच्छाकृपणाञ् जन्तून् दीनान् दीनेन्द्रियाणि च । अनुन्मत्तमनाश् शान्तो हसत्य् उन्मत्तकान् इव
The peaceful one laughs at creatures who are pitiable in their craving for enjoyment, whose senses are weak and dejected, just as a sane man laughs at those who are mad.
इच्छतो ऽन्यनिजां जायां यथैवान्येन हस्यते । इन्द्रियस्येच्छतो भोगं तथैव ज्ञेन हस्यते
Just as one laughs when another desires his own wife, so too does the wise one laugh when the senses desire enjoyment.