सर्वेषाम् एव जीवानां सर्वासाम् अभितो दृशाम् । समग्राणां पदार्थानाम् उत्पत्तिर् ब्रह्मणो ऽनिशम्
For all living beings, for all perceptions everywhere, and for all objects in their entirety, their origin is perpetually from Brahman.
लोकाः पराद् उपायान्ति तस्मिन् स्थित्वा विशन्त्य् अलम् । तन्मया एव सततं तरङ्गा इव सागरे
Worlds come forth from that, and having abided, they merge completely; always absorbed in it, just as waves in the ocean.
ब्रह्मैवेदं स्थितं नाना मलम् अस्तीह नानघ । तरङ्गोर्मिगणैर् अम्भस् सिन्धौ स्फुरति नो रजः
This is Brahman alone, established; there is no impurity nor purity here. Just as dust does not arise from the groups of waves in water, so too.
द्वितीया कल्पनैवेह न रघूद्वह विद्यते । ब्रह्ममात्राद् ऋते वह्नाव् औष्ण्यमात्राद् ऋते यथा
There is no second imagination here, O descendant of Raghu; apart from Brahman alone, just as apart from fire there is only heat.
निर्दुःखं ब्रह्म निर्धर्म तज्जं दुःखम् इदं जगत् । अस्पष्टार्थम् इदं ब्रह्मन् न वेद्मि वचनं तव
Brahman is free from suffering and free from attributes; this world, born from that, is suffering. O Brahman, I do not understand the meaning of your words, which are unclear.
इत्य् उक्ते तत्र रामेण चिन्तयाम् आस चेतसा । वसिष्ठो मुनिशार्दूलो राघवस्योपदेशने
When this was spoken by Rama, the sage Vasistha, lion among sages, began to reflect in his mind regarding the instruction to the descendant of Raghu.
परं विकासम् आयाता नास्य तावद् इयं मतिः । किञ्चिन् निर्मलतां प्राप्ता प्रोह्यते वेह वस्तुनि
His mind has reached a great expansion, but it has not yet attained complete purity; it has gained some clarity, but is still repelled by the reality here.
व्युत्पन्नमनसस् त्व् अस्य ज्ञातज्ञेयस्य धीमतः । मोक्षोपायगिरां पारं प्रयातस्य विवेकतः
His mind is well-developed, he knows what is to be known, and is wise; having reached the far shore of the teachings on liberation, through discrimination.
न कश्चित् कस्यचिद् दोषो नास्त्य् अविद्यात्मनीत्य् अलम् । यावन् नोक्तं न विश्रान्तिं तावद् यात्य् एव राघवः
No one has any fault, nor is there ignorance in the Self, O Raghava; until it is spoken, he does not attain rest.
अर्धव्युत्पन्नबुद्धेस् तु नैतत् वक्तुं हि शोभनम् । दृष्ट्यानया भोगदशां भावयन्न् एष नश्यति
For one whose understanding is only half-developed, it is not proper to speak thus; by contemplating enjoyment with this view, he perishes.
परां दृष्टिं प्रयातस्य भोगेच्छा नाभिजायते । सर्वं ब्रह्मेति सिद्धान्तकाले रामस्य युज्यते
For one who has attained the supreme vision, the desire for enjoyment does not arise; at the time of final conclusion, it is fitting for Rama to hold that all is Brahman.
आदौ शमदमप्रायैर् गुणैश् शिष्यं विशोधयेत् । पश्चात् सर्वम् इदं ब्रह्म शुद्धस् त्वम् इति बोधयेत्
At first, the disciple should be purified by qualities such as tranquility and self-control; afterwards, he should be instructed that all this is Brahman and that he himself is pure.
अज्ञस्यार्धप्रबुद्धस्य सर्वं ब्रह्मेति यो वदेत् । महानरकजालेषु स तेन विनियोजितः
If someone, ignorant and only half-awakened, declares that all is Brahman, he is thereby consigned to the net of great hells.
प्रबुद्धबुद्धेः प्रक्षीणभोगेच्छस्य निराशिषः । नास्त्य् अविद्यामलम् इति युक्तं वक्तुं महात्मनः
For one whose intellect is awakened, whose desire for enjoyment is exhausted, and who is free from expectations, it is appropriate for the great soul to say: 'There is no impurity of ignorance.'
इति सञ्चिन्त्य भगवान् अज्ञानतिमिरापहः । समुवाच मुनिश्रेष्ठो वसिष्ठो भूमिभास्करः
Having considered thus, the blessed one, remover of the darkness of ignorance, the foremost sage, Vasistha, the illuminator of the earth, spoke.
कलङ्ककलना ब्रह्मण्य् अस्ति नास्तीति राघव । सिद्धान्तकाले वक्तव्यं स्वयं ज्ञास्यसि वानघ
Raghava, the notion of stain in Brahman—whether it exists or not—should be spoken of at the time of final conclusion; you will know it yourself, O sinless one.
स्मयविस्मयसम्मोहहर्षामर्षविकारिताम् । समताचलितस् तज्ज्ञो न कदाचन गच्छति
The one who knows this never deviates from equanimity, even when affected by smiling, wonder, delusion, joy, or anger.
सति दीप इवालोकस् सत्य् अर्क इव वासरः । सति पुष्प इवामोदस् स्वतस् सम्पद्यते जगत्
When it exists, illumination is like a lamp; when it exists, day is like the sun; when it exists, fragrance is like a flower; in the same way, the world arises spontaneously.
आभासमात्रम् एवेदं परिदृश्यत एव वा । स्पन्दस् समीरणस्येव न सन् नासद् इव स्थितम्
This is merely an appearance, or perhaps only seems to be seen; like the movement of the wind, it is neither existent nor non-existent, but remains as if in between.
नश्यतीह हि तद् वस्तु नात्मभूतं यद् आत्मनः । कथं नश्यति तद् वस्तु स्वात्मभूतं यद् आत्मनः
Here, that object which is not of the nature of the self perishes; how can that object which is of the nature of the self ever perish?
आशामञ्जरिताकृतिं विवलितं दुःखाहिभिर् दारुणैर् भोगैः पल्लवितं जराकुसुमितं तृष्णालताभासुरम् । संसारं विषवृक्षम् आत्मनिगडं छित्त्वा विवेकासिना मुक्तस् त्वं विहरेह वारणपतिस् स्तम्भाद् इवोन्मोचितः
Having cut through the poisonous tree of worldly existence—whose form is adorned with buds of hope, shaken by the fierce serpents of suffering, blossoming with pleasures, and flowered with the blossoms of old age, shining with the creeper of craving—having broken the chains of the self with the sword of discernment, you are liberated and may roam freely, like an elephant released from its post.
उत्पत्तिः कथम् एतेषां जीवानां ब्रह्मणः पदात् । कियती कीदृशी वेति विस्तरेण वद प्रभो
How do these living beings arise from the state of Brahman? What is their extent and nature? Please explain this in detail, O Lord.
उत्पद्यन्ते यथा चित्रा ब्रह्मणो भूतजातयः । यथा नाशं प्रयान्त्य् एता यथा मुक्ता भवन्ति च
How do the various kinds of beings arise from Brahman? How do they come to destruction, and how do they attain liberation?
यथा च परिवर्धन्ते तिष्ठन्त्य् अन्तर्हिता यथा । तत् क्रमेण महाबाहो शृणु वक्ष्यामि ते ऽनघ
How do they grow, how do they remain, and how do they become hidden? Listen, O mighty-armed one, I will explain this to you step by step, O sinless one.
ब्राह्मी चिच्छक्तिर् अमला कलयन्ती यदृच्छया । सर्वशक्तिस् स्वयं चेत्यं भवत्य् आकलनात्मकम्
The pure Brahmanic power of consciousness, by its own will, creates; being the source of all powers, it is itself knowable and becomes the nature of creation.
कलना घनताम् एत्य यत् किञ्चिद् अपि सा स्वयम् । सङ्कल्पयति पश्चात् तत् तत्ताम् एति मनःपदम्
When imagination becomes dense, whatever it conceives by itself, that afterwards attains the status of reality in the realm of the mind.
मनस् सङ्कल्पमात्रेण गन्धर्वपुरवत् क्षणात् । तनोतीदम् असद् दृश्यं ब्राह्मीं दृष्टिम् इव त्यजत्
By mere intention of the mind, in an instant, like a city of the Gandharvas, this unreal appearance is produced, abandoning the divine vision.
चित्स्वरूपं परिकचच् छून्यम् एवावतिष्ठते । यत् तद् दृश्यं स्थितं तस्माद् दृश्यम् आकाशम् एव नः
What remains is the essential nature of consciousness, perfectly empty; whatever is seen as existing is, for us, only like space.
कृत्वा पद्मजसङ्कल्पं रूपं पश्यति पाद्मजम् । ततो जगत् कल्पयति स्वप्रजापतिपूर्वकम्
Having formed the intention of the lotus-born, one sees the form of the lotus-born; then, one imagines the world, beginning with one's own progenitor.
चतुर्दशविधानन्तभूतजातसघुङ्घुमम् । ज्ञप्तिर् एवम् इयं राम चित्तान् निर्मितिम् आगता
In this way, O Rama, this knowledge, accompanied by the humming of the countless fourteenfold classes of beings, has arisen as a creation of the mind.