भावाद् अहङ्कृतिं त्यक्त्वा स्थूलाम् एतां हि लौकिकीम् । तिष्ठन् व्यवहरन् वापि न नरः प्रपतत्य् अधः
Having abandoned this gross, worldly egoity in thought, whether remaining still or engaging in action, a person does not fall downward.
संशान्ताहङ्कृतेर् जन्तोर् भोगरोगा महामतेः । न स्वदन्ते सुतृप्तस्य यथा प्रतिविषारसाः
O wise one, for a being whose sense of ego has become completely pacified, the diseases of enjoyment no longer taste sweet, just as flavors laced with poison do not appeal to one who is fully satisfied.
भोगेष्व् अस्वदमानेषु पुंसश् श्रेयः पुरोगतम् । क्षीणे ऽन्धकारे किं नाम मनसो ऽन्यत् प्रवर्तते
When a person no longer finds pleasure in enjoyments, true welfare lies ahead; when darkness is dispelled, what else could the mind pursue?
अहङ्कारानुसन्धानवर्जनाद् एव राघव । पौरुषैकप्रयत्नोत्थात् तीर्यते भवसागरः
O Raghava, by simply abandoning the pursuit of ego and through the singular effort of one's own resolve, one crosses the ocean of worldly existence.
नाहं न नाम मम किञ्चिद् अपीति मत्वा सर्वं च मे सकलम् अप्य् अहम् एव वेति । लब्धास्पदां मनसि संविदम् एवम् ईड्यां नीत्वा स्थितिं परम् उपैति पदं महात्मा
Thinking, 'I am not; nothing is mine; nothing at all exists apart from me; all is truly myself,' and establishing this awareness firmly in the mind, the great soul attains the supreme state.
अत्र ते शृणु वक्ष्यामि दामादिषु गतेष्व् अथ । यद् वृत्तं शम्बरस्यैव नगरे नगसन्निभे
Now listen, I will tell you what happened in the city of Shambara, which was like a mountain, after Dama and the others had departed.
तथा गगनविभ्रष्टे समस्ते ध्वस्तसंस्थितौ । विनष्टे शम्बरानीके शरदीवाभ्रमण्डले
Just as the sky is emptied when all clouds are scattered in autumn, so too, when Shambara's forces were destroyed and all order was lost, devastation prevailed.
देवनिर्जितसैन्यो ऽसौ नीत्वा कतिपयास् समाः । पुनर् देववधोद्युक्तश् चिन्तयाम् आस दानवः
Having had his army defeated by the gods, that demon spent a few years, and then, intent again on slaying the gods, he began to reflect.
दामादयस् ते रचिता ये मया माययासुराः । मौर्ख्यात् तैर् भाविता युद्धे मिथ्यैवान्तर् अहङ्कृतिः
Those demons like Dama and the rest, whom I created by my own illusion, were foolishly considered real by me; in battle, this inner sense of ego was falsely imagined.
इदानीं संसृजाम्य् अन्यान् दानवान् माययोदितान् । तान् अथाप्य् आत्मशास्त्रज्ञान् सविवेकान् करोम्य् अहम्
Now I create other demons, brought forth by illusion; then I make them knowledgeable in the science of the Self, endowed with discernment.
ततस् तत्त्वपरिज्ञानान् मिथ्या भावनयोत्थितम् । नाहङ्कारं प्रयास्यन्ति विजेष्यन्ति च तान् सुरान्
Then, having realized the truth, and arisen from false imagination, they will not embrace egoism, and will overcome those gods.
इति सञ्चिन्त्य दैत्येन्द्रस् तादृशान् दानवाधिपान् । माययोत्पादयाम् आस बुद्बुदान् इव वारिधिः
Thinking thus, the lord of the demons produced such chiefs of demons by illusion, as the ocean brings forth bubbles.
सर्वज्ञा वेद्यवेत्तारो वीतरागा गतैनसः । यथाप्राप्तैककर्तारो भावितात्मान उत्तमाः
They were omniscient, knowers of what is to be known, free from passion and sin, acting as single agents according to their attainment, noble in mind.
भीमो भासो द्रुट इति नामभिः परिलाञ्छिताः । जगत् तृणम् इवाशेषं पश्यन्तः पावनाशयाः
Named Bhīma, Bhāsa, and Druṭa, they were marked by these names; seeing the entire world as mere grass, intent on purification.
ते स्म दैत्या भुवं प्राप्य च्छादयाम् आसुर् अम्बरम् । गर्जन्तो हेतितडितः प्रावृषीव पयोधराः
Those demons, having reached the earth, covered the sky; roaring and thundering like rain clouds in the monsoon.
अयुध्यन्त समं देवैर् अपि वर्षगणान् बहून् । विवेकवशतो जग्मुर् नाहङ्कारं कदाचन
They fought equally with the gods for many years; due to discernment, they never fell into egoism.
तेषां यावद् उदेत्य् अन्तर् ममेदम् इति वासना । तावत् को ऽयम् अहं चेति विचाराद् यात्य् असत्यताम्
As long as the inner tendency 'this is mine' arises among them, so long, through inquiry, 'who am I?' it is dispelled as false.
असच् छरीरं चिच् छुद्धा को ऽसाव् अहम् इति स्थितः । विचाराद् इत्थम् एतेषां प्रोदगुर् न भयादयः
When the unreal body and pure consciousness remain established as 'Who is this I?', then through inquiry, fear and the like do not arise in them.
असच् छरीरं नास्तीदं चिच् छुद्धैवात्मनि स्थिता । अहं नाम न चान्यो ऽस्ति निश्चित्येत्य् असुरा बभुः
This unreal body does not exist; only pure consciousness abides in the self. There is no such thing as 'I', nor is there any other—having ascertained this, they became asuras.
ततस् तैर् निरहङ्कारैर् जरामरणनिर्भयैः । प्राप्तानुकारिभिर् वीरैर् वर्तमानानुवर्तिभिः
Then, those who were without ego, fearless of old age and death, imitating the realized, and following those established in the present—
असक्तबुद्धिभिर् नित्यं हतान्यैर् अप्य् अहन्तृभिः । वासनाजालनिर्मुक्तैः कृतकार्यैर् अकर्तृभिः
With minds unattached, even when slain by others who had no sense of doership, freed from the net of tendencies, their tasks accomplished, and without the sense of agency—
प्रभोः कार्यम् इदं कार्यम् इति सङ्गरतत्परैः । वीतरागैर् गतद्वेषैस् सततं समदृष्टिभिः
Engaged in action as the work of the Lord, intent on battle, free from passion and devoid of hatred, always possessing equal vision—
सा दैवी दानवैस् सेना भीमभासद्रुटादिभिः । हता भुक्ता क्षता प्लुष्टा स्वान्त्रश्रीर् इव भोक्तृभिः
That divine army of the gods was destroyed, consumed, wounded, and burned by the fierce, blazing asuras, just as one's own inner wealth is consumed by enjoyers.
भीमभासद्रुटक्षुण्णा ततो गीर्वाणवाहिनी । परिदुद्राव वेगेन गङ्गेव हिमवच्च्युता
Crushed by the fierce, blazing asuras, the army of the gods then fled swiftly, like the Ganges rushing down from the Himalayas.
सा सुरानीकिनी देवं क्षीरोदार्णवशायिनम् । जगाम शरणं शैलं वातान्तेवाब्दमालिका
That celestial host sought refuge in the god who lies upon the milk ocean, just as a garland of clouds seeks the mountain at the end of the wind.
विष्णुर् आश्वासयाम् आस तां भीतां देववाहिनीम् । भुजगाभिद्रुताम् एकां रमणीम् इव नायकः
Viṣṇu comforted her, the frightened river of the gods, who was pursued by serpents, as a hero consoles his beloved.
अथ क्षीरोदकुहरे तावत् सा सुरवाहिनी । उवास यावद् भगवान् अरिनाशार्थम् उद्ययौ
Then, in the cavern of the Milky Ocean, that river of the gods remained until the Blessed One rose up to destroy the enemy.
बभूव दारुणं युद्धं शौरिशम्बरयोस् ततः । अकाल इव कल्पान्तस् समुड्डीनकुलाचलः
Then there was a fierce battle between Śauri and Śambara, like an untimely end of the world, with mountains and families upheaved.
शशाम समरे तस्मिन् दैत्यस् सबलवाहनः । नारायणहतो यातश् शम्बरो वैष्णवीं पुरीम्
In that battle, the demon with his army and vehicles was subdued; struck down by Nārāyaṇa, Śambara went to the city of Viṣṇu.
भीमभासद्रुटास् ते तु तस्मिन् विषमसङ्गरे । विष्णुनैव शमं नीताः पवनेनेव दीपकाः
Those who had fled in terror from that perilous conflict were pacified by Viṣṇu himself, like lamps extinguished by the wind.