4. Chapter 4

श्रीवसिष्ठ उवाच । इन्द्रियग्रामसंग्रामसेतुना भवसागरः । तीर्यते नेतरेणेह केनचिन्नाम कर्मणा ॥ १ ॥

śrīvasiṣṭha uvāca | indriyagrāmasaṃgrāmasetunā bhavasāgaraḥ | tīryate netareṇeha kenacinnāma karmaṇā || 1 ||

Vasishtha said:—It is the overthrow of the battery of the senses, that supplies us with a bridge over the ocean of the world; there is no other act, whereby we may cross over it.

शास्त्रसत्संगमाभ्यासात्सविवेको जितेन्द्रियः । अत्यन्ताभावमेतस्य दृश्यस्याप्यवगच्छति ॥ २ ॥

śāstrasatsaṃgamābhyāsātsaviveko jitendriyaḥ | atyantābhāvametasya dṛśyasyāpyavagacchati || 2 ||

Acquaintance with the sastras, association with the good and wise, and practice of the virtues, are the means whereby the rational and self-controlled man, may come to know the absolute negation of the visibles.

एतत्ते कथितं सर्वं स्वरूपं रूपिणां वर । संसारसागरश्रेण्यो यथा यान्ति प्रयान्ति च ॥ ३ ॥

etatte kathitaṃ sarvaṃ svarūpaṃ rūpiṇāṃ vara | saṃsārasāgaraśreṇyo yathā yānti prayānti ca || 3 ||

I have thus told you, O handsome Rama! of the causes of the appearance and disappearance of the creation, resembling the heaving and resting of the waves of the sea of the world.

बहुनात्र किमुक्तेन मनःकर्मद्रुमाङ्कुरः । तस्मिंश्छिन्ने जगच्छाखी छिन्नः कर्मतनुर्भवेत् ॥ ४ ॥

bahunātra kimuktena manaḥkarmadrumāṅkuraḥ | tasmiṃśchinne jagacchākhī chinnaḥ karmatanurbhavet || 4 ||

There is no need of a long discourse to tell you that, the mind is the germ of the arbour of acts, and this germ being nipped in the beginning, prevents the growth of the tree, and frustrates the doing of acts, which are the fruits thereof.

मनः सर्वमिदं राम तस्मिन्नन्तश्चिकित्सिते । चिकित्सितो वै सकलो जगज्जालामयो भवेत् ॥ ५ ॥

manaḥ sarvamidaṃ rāma tasminnantaścikitsite | cikitsito vai sakalo jagajjālāmayo bhavet || 5 ||

The mind is all (i.e. the agent of all actions); therefore it is, that by the healing of your heart and mind, you can cure all the troubles and diseases, you may incur in the world.

तदेतज्जायते लोके मनोमननमाकुलम् । मनसो व्यतिरेकेण देहः क्व किल दृश्यते ॥ ६ ॥

tadetajjāyate loke manomananamākulam | manaso vyatirekeṇa dehaḥ kva kila dṛśyate || 6 ||

The minds of men are ever troubled, with their thoughts of the world and bodily actions; but these being deadened and defunct, we see neither the body nor the outer world.

दृश्यात्यन्तासंभवेन ऋते नान्येन हेतुना । मनःपिशाचः प्रशमं याति कल्पशतैरपि ॥ ७ ॥

dṛśyātyantāsaṃbhavena ṛte nānyena hetunā | manaḥpiśācaḥ praśamaṃ yāti kalpaśatairapi || 7 ||

The negation of the outer world, and the suppression of the inner thoughts, serve to curb the demon of the mind, by practice of self-abnegation for a long period of time.

एतच्च संभवत्येव मनोव्याधिचिकित्सिते । दृश्यात्यन्तासंभवात्म परमौषधमुत्तमम् ॥ ८ ॥

etacca saṃbhavatyeva manovyādhicikitsite | dṛśyātyantāsaṃbhavātma paramauṣadhamuttamam || 8 ||

It is possible to heal the inward disease of the internal mind, by administration of this best and only medicine of negation of the external world.

मनो मोहमुपादत्ते म्रियते जायते मनः । तत्स्वचिन्ताप्रसादेन बध्यते मुच्यते पुनः ॥ ९ ॥

mano mohamupādatte mriyate jāyate manaḥ | tatsvacintāprasādena badhyate mucyate punaḥ || 9 ||

It is because of its thoughts, that the mind is subjected to the errors of its birth and death; and to those of its being bound to or liberated from, the bonds of the body and this world.

स्फुरतीदं जगत्सर्वं चित्ते मननमूर्च्छिते । शून्यमेवाम्बरे स्फारे गन्धर्वाणां पुरं यथा ॥ १० ॥

sphuratīdaṃ jagatsarvaṃ citte mananamūrcchite | śūnyamevāmbare sphāre gandharvāṇāṃ puraṃ yathā || 10 ||

The mind being deluded by its thoughts, sees the worlds shining before it; as a man sees in his delusion, the imaginary city of the Gandharvas, drawn before him in empty air.

मनसीदं जगत्कृत्स्नं स्फारं स्फुरति चास्ति च । पुष्पगुच्छ इवामोदस्तत्स्थं तस्मादिवेतरत् ॥ ११ ॥

manasīdaṃ jagatkṛtsnaṃ sphāraṃ sphurati cāsti ca | puṣpaguccha ivāmodastatsthaṃ tasmādivetarat || 11 ||

All these visible worlds consist in the mind, wherein they seem to exist as the fragrance of the air, consists in the cluster of flowers containing the essence.

यथा तिलकणे तैलं गुणो गुणिनि वा यथा । यथा धर्मिणि वा धर्मस्तथेदं चित्तके जगत् ॥ १२ ॥

yathā tilakaṇe tailaṃ guṇo guṇini vā yathā | yathā dharmiṇi vā dharmastathedaṃ cittake jagat || 12 ||

The little particle of the mind contains the world, as a small grain of sesamum contains the oil, and as an attribute is contained in its subject, and a property abiding in the substance.

रश्मिजालं यथा सूर्ये यथालोकस्तु तेजसि । यथौष्ण्यं चित्रभानौ च मनसीदं तथा जगत् ॥ १३ ॥

raśmijālaṃ yathā sūrye yathālokastu tejasi | yathauṣṇyaṃ citrabhānau ca manasīdaṃ tathā jagat || 13 ||

The world abides in the mind in the same manner, as the sun-beams abide in the sun, and as brightness consists in the light, and as the heat is contained in fire.

शैत्यं यथैव तुहिने यथा नभसि शून्यता । यथा चञ्चलता वायौ मनसीदं तथा जगत् ॥ १४ ॥

śaityaṃ yathaiva tuhine yathā nabhasi śūnyatā | yathā cañcalatā vāyau manasīdaṃ tathā jagat || 14 ||

The mind is the reservoir of the worlds, as the snow is the receptacle of coldness. It is the substratum of all existence, as the sky is that of emptiness, and as velocity is inherent in the wind.

मनो जगज्जगदखिलं तथा मनः परस्परं त्वविरहिते सदैव हि । तयोर्द्वयोर्मनसि निरन्तरं क्षिते क्षितं जगन्नतु जगति क्षिते मनः ॥ १५ ॥

mano jagajjagadakhilaṃ tathā manaḥ parasparaṃ tvavirahite sadaiva hi | tayordvayormanasi nirantaraṃ kṣite kṣitaṃ jagannatu jagati kṣite manaḥ || 15 ||

Therefore the mind is the same with the world, and the world is identic with the mind; owing to their intimate and inseparable connection with one another. The world however is lost by the loss of the mind; but the mind is not lost by destruction of the world.