तृष्णापिशाच्या निलयं जीवकेसरिकन्दरम् । अभिमानगजालानम् आननाम्भोजशोभितम्
It is the dwelling of the demoness of thirst, the cave of the lion called the soul, the stable of the elephant of pride, and adorned by the lotus-face.
अवलोक्य वपुर् ब्रह्मा कान्तम् आत्मीयम् उत्तमम् । चिन्तयाम् आस भगवांस् त्रिकालामलदर्शनः
Beholding his own radiant and supreme form, Brahma, the blessed one whose vision is pure across the three times, began to reflect.
अस्मिन्न् आकाशकुहरे तते मदुपलाञ्छिते । अदृष्टापारपर्यन्ते प्रथमं किम् अभूद् इति
In this cave of space, on this shore adorned with honey, endless and without visible boundary, what was there first—he wondered.
इति चिन्तितवान् ब्रह्मा सद्योजातो ऽमलात्मदृक् । अपश्यत् सर्गवृन्दानि समतीतान्य् अनेकशः
Thus pondering, Brahma, newly arisen and with a stainless vision of the Self, saw countless past creations that had already passed away.
अथ सस्मार सकलान् स सधर्मगुणक्रमान् । वसन्तः कुसुमानीव वेदान् वाङ्मयसंयुतान्
Then he recalled all the Vedas, complete with their sequences of duties and qualities, as one remembers blossoms in spring—joined with speech and meaning.
लीलया कल्पयाम् आस चित्रास् सङ्कल्पजाः प्रजाः । नानाचारसमारम्भा गन्धर्वो नगरं यथा
Effortlessly, he created various beings born of thought, with diverse customs and undertakings, as a Gandharva might fashion a city.
तासां स्वर्गापवर्गार्थं धर्मकामार्थसिद्धये । अनन्तानि विचित्राणि शास्त्राणि समकल्पयत्
For their sake—so they might attain heaven, liberation, and the fulfillment of duty, desire, and wealth—he composed countless and wondrous scriptures.
सृष्टिर् एवम् इयं राम सर्गे ऽस्मिन् स्थितिम् आगता । विरिञ्चरूपान् मनसः पुष्पलक्ष्मीर् मधोर् इव
Thus, O Rama, this creation came to abide in this cycle, as the splendor of flowers rests on spring, taking form through the mind of Brahma.
विविधविरचनैः क्रियाविलासैः कमलजरूपधरेण चेतसैव । रघुसुत परिकल्पनेन नीता स्थितिम् अतुलां जगतीह सर्गलक्ष्मीः
By manifold arrangements and playful acts, by the mind taking the form of the lotus-born, O son of Raghu, the glory of creation here has been established in this world in an incomparable way.
एवंसम्पन्नम् एवैतन् नकिञ्चिद् अपि संस्थितम् । शून्यम् एव नभोमात्रं मनोविलसितं परम्
Thus, when all this is accomplished, nothing remains established; only the vast emptiness of space, the supreme play of the mind.
न देशकालाव् एतेन ब्रह्माण्डेनावृतौ क्वचित् । मनाग् अपि महारूपवताप्य् आकाशरूपिणा
In this, neither place nor time exists anywhere within the cosmic egg, even in the slightest, though it appears grand and sky-like.
एतत् सङ्कल्पमात्रात्म स्वप्नदृष्टपुरोपमम् । यत्रैतत् तत्र निश्शून्यं केवलं व्योम संस्थितम्
This is merely the essence of thought, like a city seen in a dream; wherever it appears, there is nothing but pure space.
अभित्तिरागरचनम् अपि दृष्टम् असन्मयम् । अकृतं कृतम् एवैतद् व्योम्नि चित्रं विचित्रकम्
Even the construction of walls and coloring, though seen, is not real; what is unmade seems made, a marvelous painting in the sky.
मनसा कल्पितं सर्वं देहादिभुवनत्रयम् । संसृतौ कारणं चैतच् चक्षुर् आलोकने यथा
Everything—the body and the three worlds—are imagined by the mind; this is the cause of transmigration, just as vision is caused by the eye.
आभासमात्रं हि जगद् घटावटपटक्रमैः । आवर्तते न सद्रूपाः पृथक् कुड्यादयस् स्थिताः
The world is only an appearance, unfolding through pots, huts, and cloths; they do not exist as real things, nor are walls and such separately established.
मनसेदं शरीरं हि निवासार्थं प्रकल्पितम् । क्रिमिणा कोशकारेण स्वात्मकोश इव स्वयम्
This body is fashioned by the mind for the sake of dwelling, just as a worm makes its own cocoon for itself.
न तद् अस्ति न यन् नाम चेतस् सङ्कल्पमन्थरम् । न करोति न चाप्नोति दुर्गम् अप्य् अतिदुष्करम्
There is nothing that does not exist, nor any name, which the mind, slow in resolve, does not create or attain—even what is difficult or inaccessible.
सर्वशक्तौ परे देवे का नाम ननु शक्तयः । न सम्भवन्त्य् आव्रियते याभिर् अन्तर् मनोगुहा
In the Supreme, who possesses all powers, what can truly be called separate powers? There are none; it is only by these that the inner cave of the mind appears to be veiled.
सत्तासत्ते पदार्थानां सर्वेषां सर्वदैव हि । महाबाहो सम्भवतस् सर्वशक्तौ विभौ सति
O mighty-armed one, the existence or non-existence of all things always arises only because the all-powerful, all-pervading One is present.
पश्य भावनया प्राप्तं मनसा पाद्मजं वपुः । तस्मात् तत्कलनं राम सर्वशक्तियुतं विदुः
See how the lotus-born body is attained through imagination by the mind; therefore, O Rama, know that all manifestation arises endowed with all power.
स्वसङ्कल्पैः कृतास् सर्गे देवासुरनराचराः । स्वसङ्कल्पोपशमने शाम्यन्त्य् अस्नेहदीपवत्
Gods, demons, humans, and animals are created by their own thoughts at the beginning of creation; when those thoughts subside, they are extinguished, like lamps without oil.
आकाशसदृशं सर्वं कल्पनामात्रजृम्भितम् । जगत् पश्य महाबुद्धे सुदीर्घं स्वप्नम् उत्थितम्
See, O great intellect, this world, which is like space, is merely an expansion of imagination—a long dream that has arisen.
न जायते न म्रियते इह कश्चित् कदाचन । पारमार्थ्येन सुमते मिथ्या सर्वं प्रवर्तते
No one here is ever truly born or dies; in reality, O wise one, all activity is illusory.
न वृद्धिम् एति नो नाशं यत्र किञ्चित् कदाचन । रेखातरुवने तत्र कस्य नाम च खण्डना
Where nothing ever increases or perishes, what could possibly be destroyed there, as in a forest of lines drawn in the air?
भ्रमभूतं स्वकायं त्वम् अपश्यन् निपुणं दृशा । राघवाघहतस्वान्तः किम् अज्ञ इव भाषसे
You do not see your own body, which is a product of delusion, with keen insight; O Raghava, your heart afflicted by sorrow, why do you speak like one who is ignorant?
मृगतृष्णा यथा तापान् मनसो ऽतिशयात् तथा । असन्त एव दृश्यन्ते सर्वे ब्रह्मादयो ऽप्य् अमी
Just as the mirage appears due to intense heat, so too, through the force of the mind, all these beings, even Brahma and the rest, are seen though they are not real.
द्विचन्द्रविभ्रमप्रख्या मनोरथवद् उत्थिताः । मिथ्याज्ञानमयास् सर्वे जगत्य् आकारराशयः
All the forms in the world arise like the illusion of two moons or as fanciful daydreams, being entirely composed of false knowledge.
यथा नौयायिनो मिथ्या स्थाणुस्पन्दमतिस् तथा । असत्यैवोत्थिता नित्यम् आकाराणां परम्परा
Just as those riding a boat mistakenly perceive stationary objects as moving, so too, the succession of forms always arises falsely, without reality.
इन्द्रजालम् इदं विद्धि मायारचितपञ्जरम् । मनोमनननिर्माणं न सन् नासद् इव स्थितम्
Know this to be a magical illusion, a cage woven by maya; it is a creation of the mind's imagination, neither truly existent nor non-existent.
ब्रह्मैवेदं जगत् सर्वम् अन्यतायास् त्व् अतः कुतः । प्रसङ्गः कीदृशः को ऽसौ क्व चासौ परितिष्ठति
This entire world is Brahman alone; where then is the possibility of otherness? What sort of connection could there be, who is that, and where does it abide?