श्वश् श्वः पापीयसीम् एव श्वश् श्वः क्रूरतराम् अपि । श्वश् श्वः खेदकरीम् एति दशाम् इह जडो जनः
Day by day, a dull person enters ever more sinful, ever more cruel, and ever more distressing states in this world.
अज्ञानोपहतो बाल्ये यौवने मदनाहतः । शेषे कलत्रचिन्तार्तः किं करोतु कदा जडः
Struck by ignorance in childhood, wounded by passion in youth, and later tormented by anxiety for his wife—what can the dull-witted person do, and when?
आगमापायविरसं दशावैषम्यदूषितम् । असारसारं संसारं किं न पश्यति मन्मतिः
Why does the mind, clouded by delusion, not see that worldly existence is tasteless due to coming and going, spoiled by the unevenness of circumstances, and lacking true essence?
राजसूयाश्वमेधाद्यैर् इष्ट्वा यज्ञशतैर् अपि । महाकल्पात् कम् अप्य् अंशं स्वर्गं आप्नोति नाधिकम्
Even by performing hundreds of sacrifices like the Rājasūya and Aśvamedha, one attains but a small portion of heaven for a great age, and nothing more.
को ऽसौ स्वर्गे ऽस्ति भूमौ वा पाताले वा प्रदेशकः । न यत्राभिद्रवन्त्य् एता दुर्भ्रमर्य इवापदः
What is that place, whether in heaven, on earth, or in the netherworld, where these calamities do not assail, like wicked women?
निजचेतोबिलव्यालाश् शरीरस्थलपल्लवाः । आधयो व्याधयश् चैते निवार्यन्ते कथं किल
How indeed can these afflictions and diseases—serpents from the cave of one's own mind, sprouting as shoots in the body—ever be prevented?
सत्ये ऽसत्ता स्थिता मूर्ध्नि मूर्ध्नि रम्येष्व् अरम्यता । सुखेषु मूर्ध्नि दुःखानि किम् एकं संश्रयाम्य् अहम्
Unreality stands atop reality, unpleasantness atop pleasant places, and sorrows atop happiness—so which one thing should I rely upon?
जायन्ते च म्रियन्ते च प्राकृताः क्षुद्रजन्तवः । धरा तैर् एव नीरन्ध्रा दुर्लभास् साधुसाधवः
Common, insignificant creatures are born and die; because of them, the earth remains without gaps—truly, noble and virtuous people are rare.
नीलोत्पलालिनयनाः परमप्रेमभूषणाः । हासायैव विलासिन्यः क्षणभङ्गितया स्थिताः
Women, with eyes like blue lotuses and adorned with supreme love, exist only for amusement, remaining for but a fleeting moment.
येषां निमेषणोन्मेषैर् जगतां प्रलयोदयौ । तादृशाः पुरुषा याता मादृशां गणनैव का
Those whose blinking and opening of eyes bring about the dissolution and creation of worlds—such people have come and gone; what significance is there in counting people like me?
सन्ति रम्यतराद् रम्यास् सुस्थिराद् अपि च स्थिराः । चिन्तापर्यवसानेयं पदार्थश्रीः किम् ईदृशी
There are pleasures more delightful than the delightful, and things more stable than the stable; but what is the value of such prosperity, which ends in anxiety?
सम्पदश् च विचित्रा यास् ताश् चेच् चित्तेन सम्मताः । तत् ता अपि महारम्भा मन्ये नूनं महापदः
If the various kinds of wealth are accepted by the mind, then even those great undertakings, I think, are truly great misfortunes.
आपदो ऽपि विचित्रा यास् ताश् चेन् मनसि सम्मताः । तत् ता अपि महारम्भा मन्ये सकलसम्पदः
If the various kinds of misfortunes are accepted in the mind, then even those great undertakings, I think, are all forms of prosperity.
मनोमात्रविवर्ते ऽस्मिञ् जगत्य् अब्बिन्दुभङ्गुरे । ममेदम् इत्य् अपूर्वैव कुतस् त्व् अक्षरमालिका
In this world, which is but a transformation of mind and as fragile as a drop of water, where is the unprecedented notion of 'this is mine,' and from where could there be a string of imperishable things?
काकतालीययोगेन सम्पन्नायां जगत्स्थितौ । धूर्तेन कल्पिता व्यर्थं हेयोपादेयभावनाः
When the existence of the world arises by mere coincidence, the clever mind has vainly imagined the notions of acceptance and rejection.
इयत्ताच्छिन्नरूपासु सुखनाम्नीषु दृष्टिषु । कास्व् एतास्व् अनुषक्तो ऽस्मि पतङ्गो ऽग्निशिखास्व् इव
Among these limited, fragmented perceptions called pleasures, to which of them am I so attached—like a moth to the tongues of flame?
वरम् एकान्तदाहेषु लुठितं रौरवाग्निषु । न त्व् आलूनविशीर्णासु स्थितिस् संसारवृत्तिषु
It would be better to writhe in the fires of hell, consumed entirely, than to remain in the torn and battered cycles of worldly existence.
संसार एव दुःखानां सीमान्तः किल कथ्यते । तन्मध्यपतितेनेह सुखम् आसाद्यते कथम्
It is said that worldly existence is truly the boundary of all sufferings; how could one who has fallen into its midst ever find happiness here?
अकृत्रिममहादुःखे संसारे ये व्यवस्थिताः । त एते ऽन्यानि दुःखानि जानते मधुराण्य् अलम्
Those who remain in this world of uncontrived, great suffering consider all other pains to be almost sweet by comparison.
अहम् अप्य् आधिमान् कष्टं काष्ठलोष्टसमस्थितैः । अज्ञैर् एवागतस् साम्यम् अपरामृष्टवस्तुभिः
I too, afflicted by distress, have become like those ignorant ones who are unmoved, remaining as if equal to wood or clods of earth, untouched by real substance.
सहस्राङ्कुरशाखात्मफलपल्लवशालिनः । अस्य संसारवृक्षस्य मनोमूलमयो ऽङ्कुरः
The sprout of this tree of worldly existence, with its thousand shoots, branches, fruits, and leaves, is formed from the root of the mind.
सङ्कल्पम् एव तं मन्ये सङ्कल्पोपशमेन तत् । शोषयामि यथा शोषम् एति संसारपादपः
I consider that sprout to be nothing but thought-formation; by the cessation of thought, I will dry it up, so that the tree of worldly existence withers away.
आकारमात्ररम्यासु मनोमर्कटवृत्तिषु । परिज्ञातास्व् इहाद्यैव न रमे नीरसास्व् अहम्
Now, having recognized the monkey-like movements of the mind, which are charming only in appearance, I no longer delight in these tasteless things.
आशापाशशतप्रोताः पातोत्पातोपतापदाः । संसारवृत्तयो भुक्ता इदानीं विरमाम्य् अहम्
The cycles of worldly existence, woven with hundreds of cords of desire and fraught with repeated falls and misfortunes, have been experienced by me; now I shall desist.
हा हतो ऽस्मि विनष्टो ऽस्मि मृतो ऽस्मीति पुनः पुनः । शोचिते गत एवाहम् इदानीं नानुरोदिमि
Again and again I lamented, 'Alas, I am ruined, I am lost, I am dead'; but now, having grieved, I am finished with it—I do not mourn any longer.
प्रबुद्धो ऽस्मि प्रहृष्टो ऽस्मि दृष्टश् चौरो मयात्मनः । मनोनामा निहन्म्य् एनं मनसास्मि चिरं हतः
I am awakened, I am delighted, and I have seen the thief—my own self. I shall slay this one called 'mind'; for long I have been slain by the mind.
एतावन्तम् इमं कालं मनोमुक्ताफलं मम । अविद्धम् आसीद् अधुना विद्धं तु गुणम् अर्हति
For all this time, the fruit of freedom from mind remained unpierced for me; now, having pierced it, it truly deserves to be enjoyed.
मनस्तुषारकणको विवेकार्कातपेन मे । चिरनिर्वृतये नूनम् अचिराल् लयम् एष्यति
My mind, like a particle of frost, will surely soon dissolve in the sunlight of discernment, bringing lasting peace.
विबुधैस् साधुभिस् सिद्धैर् अहं साधु प्रबोधितः । आत्मानम् अनुगच्छामि परमानन्दसाधनम्
I have been well awakened by the wise, the virtuous, and the accomplished; I follow my own self, the means to supreme bliss.
आत्मानं मणिम् एकान्ते लब्ध्वैवालोकयन् सुखम् । तिष्ठाम्य् अस्तमितान्येहश् शरदीवामलो ऽम्बुदः
Having found and beheld my own self, the jewel, in solitude, I abide in happiness, like a spotless autumn cloud with all its lightning spent.