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.
सत्यसंवेदनं शुद्धं बोधाकाशं निरञ्जनम् । सत्यं सर्वगतं शान्तम् अस्त्य् अनस्तमितोदयम्
Pure awareness of truth, the space of consciousness, stainless, all-pervading, peaceful, and with an undiminished rising, alone exists.
सर्वं सत् तच् च निश्शून्यं नकिञ्चिद् इव संस्थितम् । तत्र व्योम्नि विभान्तीमा निजा भासो ऽङ्ग दृष्टयः
All is that truth, and it is void of emptiness, abiding as if nothing at all; in that space, O dear one, these perceptions shine forth as one's own radiances.
यथा तैमिरिकाक्षस्य सहजा एव दृष्टयः । केशोण्डुकादिवद् भान्ति तथेमास् तत्र सृष्टयः
Just as the visions of one with diseased eyes naturally appear—like hairs or balls—so too do these creations appear there.
स आत्मानं यथा वेत्ति तथानुभवति क्षणात् । चिदाकाशस् ततो ऽसत्यम् अपि सत्यं तदीक्षणात्
As one knows oneself, so one experiences in an instant; thus, in the space of consciousness, even the unreal appears real due to that perception.
न सत्यम् अपि नासत्यम् इह तस्माज् जगत्त्रये । यद् यथा वेत्ति चिद् रूपं तत् तथोदेत्य् असंशयम्
Here, therefore, nothing is truly real nor unreal; whatever form consciousness perceives, that indeed arises, without doubt.
यथा दामादयस् तद्वद् एवेमे ऽभ्युदिता वयम् । सत्यासत्याः किम् अत्राङ्ग तान् प्रत्य् अपि विकल्पना
Just as ropes and similar things appear, so too have we arisen; whether true or false, what does it matter, dear one, since even regarding them there is only conceptualization.
अस्यानन्तस्य चिद्व्योम्नस् सर्वगस्य निराकृतेः । चिद् उदेति यथा यान्तस् तथा सा तत्र भात्य् अलम्
In this infinite sky of consciousness, all-pervading and without form, consciousness arises and moves as it will, and thus it shines there perfectly.
यत्र दामादिरूपेण संवित् प्रकचते स्वयम् । तथासौ तत्र सम्पन्ना तथाकारानुभूतितः
Where awareness itself manifests in the form of ropes and the like, there it is fully present, according to the experience of that particular form.
स्वस्वप्नप्रतिभासस्य जगद् इत्य् अभिधा कृता । चिद्व्योम्नो व्योमवपुषस् तापस्येव मृगाम्बुता
The appearance of one's own dream is called 'the world'; in the sky of consciousness, its form is like the mirage of water seen by a thirsty deer.
यत्र प्रबुद्धं चिद्व्योम तत्र दृश्याभिधा कृता । यत्र सुप्तं तु तेनैव तत्र मोक्षाभिधा कृता
Where the sky of consciousness is awakened, there the name 'visible' is given; where it is asleep, by that same principle, the name 'liberation' is given.