अविवेकानुसन्धानाच् चित्तम् आपदम् ईदृशीम् । अनन्ततरदुःखाय परिगृह्णाति लीलया
Due to the pursuit of non-discrimination, the mind, by its own play, embraces such calamity, leading to endless suffering.
क्व किलामरविध्वंसिशम्बरानीकनाथता । क्व तापतप्तजम्बालजलजर्जरमीनता
Where is that lordship which destroyed the hosts of gods and demons, and where is this state of being a fish, battered and decayed by burning heat and filth?
क्व धैर्यम् अमरानीकविद्रावणकरं महत् । क्व किरातमहीपालक्षुद्रकिङ्कररूपता
Where is that courage which drove away the armies of the gods, and where is this condition of being a petty servant, a tribal chief or minor king?
क्व नाम निरहङ्कारचित्सत्त्वोदारधीरता । क्व मिथ्यावासनावेशाद् अहङ्कारकुकल्पना
Where indeed is the noble steadfastness of consciousness free from ego, and where is the false imagination of ego arising from the influence of delusive tendencies?
शाखाप्रतानगहना संसारविषमञ्जरी । अहङ्काराङ्कुराद् एव समुदेतीयम् आतता
The dense creeper of worldly existence, with its spreading branches, arises solely from the sprout of ego and extends everywhere.
अहङ्कारम् अतो राम मार्जयान्तः प्रयत्नतः । अहं न कश्चिद् एवेति मार्जयित्वा सुखी भव
Therefore, O Rama, diligently remove the ego within; having erased the notion 'I am someone,' become happy.
अहङ्काराम्बुदच्छन्नं परमार्थेन्दुमण्डलम् । रसायनमयं शीतम् अदृश्यत्वम् उपागतम्
The orb of the moon of ultimate reality, cool and full of nectar, is concealed by the cloud of ego and has become invisible.
अहङ्कारपिशाचात्ता दामव्यालकटास् त्रयः । गतास् सत्ताम् असन्तो ऽपि मायामाहात्म्यदानवाः
The three demons—greed, anger, and delusion—devoured by the goblin of ego, though not real, appear to exist due to the power of illusion.
कश्मीरेषु महापद्मसरसीतीरपल्वले । अद्य मत्स्यास् स्थिता राम शेवाललवलालसाः
On the marshy banks of the great lotus lake in Kashmir, O Rama, today fish remain, delighting in the tender shoots of water plants.
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः । ते ह्य् असन्तः कथं सन्तस् सम्पन्ना इति मे वद
There is no existence for the unreal, nor is there non-existence for the real; tell me, how can those who are unreal become real and established?
एवम् एतन् महाबाहो नासद् भवति हि क्वचित् । कदाचित् किञ्चिद् अप्य् एतद् बृहद् भवति वा तनु
It is indeed so, mighty-armed one; the unreal never comes into being anywhere. Sometimes it appears as something large or subtle, but never truly exists.
किम् असत् सत् स्थितं ब्रूहि किं तत् सद् वाप्य् असत् स्थितम् । निदर्शनेनानेनैव करिष्ये त्वद्विबोधनम्
Tell me, what is unreal that appears as real, and what is real that appears as unreal? With this very example, I will bring you to understanding.
सन्त एव स्थितास् सन्तो ब्रह्मन् वयम् इमे किल । दामादयस् त्व् असन्तो ऽपि वक्षि सन्तस् स्थिता इति
Only the truly existent remain as existent, O Brahman; we are indeed such. But things like ropes and the rest, though nonexistent, you say they remain as existent.
यथा दामादयो राम स्थिता मायामया इह । असत्या एव सत्याभा मृगतृष्णाम्बुपूरवत्
Just as ropes and the like, O Rama, appear established here as creations of illusion—unreal yet seeming real, like water in a mirage—
तथैवेमे वयम् अपि ससुरासुरदानवाः । असत्या एव वल्गामो याम आयाम एव च
So too, we, along with gods, demons, and others, are only apparently existent; we move and act, but it is all mere appearance.
अलीकम् एव त्वद्भावो मद्भावो ऽलीक एव च । अनुभूतो ऽप्य् असद्रूपस् स्वप्ने स्वमरणं यथा
Your sense of self is only imagined, and my sense of self is also imagined; though experienced, it is unreal in nature, like dying in a dream.
मृतो बन्धुर् यथा स्वप्ने ऽप्य् अनुभूतो ऽप्य् असन्मयः । मृतो ऽयम् इति च ज्ञप्तिर् भवेद् एवम् इदं जगत्
Just as a friend who dies in a dream, though experienced, is made of unreality, and the notion 'he is dead' arises—so too is this world.
एषा हि मूढविषया उक्तिर् एव न राजते । अभ्यासेन विनोदेति नानुभूतेर् अपह्नवः
Such talk belongs only to the deluded; it does not shine forth. Through practice, it is dispelled—direct experience cannot be denied.
निश्चयो ऽन्तः प्ररूढो यस् स यत्नाभ्यसनं विना । नाशम् आयाति लोके ऽस्मिन् न कदाचन कस्यचित्
A conviction that has taken root within, without effort or repeated practice, never perishes in this world for anyone, at any time.
इदं जगद् असद् ब्रह्म सत्यम् इत्य् एव वक्ति यः । तम् उन्मत्तम् इवोन्मत्ता विमूढा विहसन्त्य् अलम्
Whoever says, 'This world is unreal; Brahman alone is real,' is mocked by the deluded, just as madmen laugh at another madman.
अक्षीवक्षीवयोर् ऐक्यं क्व किलेहाज्ञतज्ज्ञयोः । अन्धप्रकाशयोर् बोधे स्याच् छायातपयोर् इव
Where could there possibly be unity between the knower and the ignorant, just as there can be none between the blind and the seeing, or between shadow and sunlight?
यत्नेनाप्य् अनुभूते ऽर्थे सत्ये कर्तुम् अपह्नवम् । तज्ज्ञो ऽज्ञश् च न शक्नोति शव आक्रमणं यथा
Even with effort, neither the knower nor the ignorant can deny what has been directly experienced, just as a corpse cannot be made to walk.
ब्रह्म सर्वं जगद् इति वक्तुं तज्ज्ञस्य युज्यते । यतो ऽविद्याननुभवे स तद् एवानुभूतवान्
It is fitting for the knower to declare, 'All this world is Brahman,' for having transcended ignorance, he has directly experienced that truth.
प्रबुद्धविषये ह्य् एषा राम वाक् प्रविराजते । बुद्धस्यास्मीति रूपेण किल नास्त्य् एव किञ्चन
O Rama, this statement shines forth only in the realm of the awakened; for one who is awakened, there is truly nothing that can be called 'I am this.'
ब्रह्मैवेदं परं शान्तम् इत्य् एवानुभवन् सुधीः । अपह्नवस् स्वानुभूतेः कर्तुं तस्य क्व युज्यते
The wise one, having directly experienced that 'This is indeed the supreme, peaceful Brahman,'—how could he possibly deny his own experience?
परस्माद् व्यतिरेकेण नाहम् आत्मनि किञ्चन । हेमनीवोर्मिकादित्वं न मय्य् अस्ति वसिष्ठता
Apart from the Supreme, there is nothing in myself; just as there is no quality of goldsmith or ornament in gold itself, so there is no 'Vasishtha-ness' in me.
भूतत्वव्यतिरेकेण मूढो नात्मनि किञ्चन । ऊर्म्यादिबुद्धौ हेमेव नाज्ञे ऽस्ति परमार्थता
Apart from the elements, the deluded has nothing in himself; just as in gold, the ideas of wave and the like are not ultimately real, so for the ignorant, there is no true reality.
मिथ्याहन्तामयो मूढस् सत्यैकात्ममयस् सुधीः । युज्यते न क्वचिन् नाम स्वभावापह्नवो ऽनयोः
The deluded one is formed of false egoity, while the wise is composed of the one true Self; in neither is there ever any denial of their own nature.
यो यन्मयस् तस्य तस्मिन् युज्यते ऽपह्नवः कथम् । पुरुषस्य घटो ऽस्मीति वाक्यम् उन्मत्ततैव हि
How could denial arise in someone whose being is of a particular nature? For a person to say, 'I am a pot,' is nothing but madness.
तस्मान् नेमे वयं सत्या न च दामादयः क्वचित् । असत्यास् ते वयं चेमे नास्ति नः खलु सम्भवः
Therefore, neither are we real, nor are these ropes and the like anywhere; these and we are unreal—there is truly no origin for us.