Amritbindu

Verse 1

मनो हि द्विविधं प्रोक्तं शुद्धं चाशुद्धमेव च । अशुद्धं कामसंकल्पं शुद्धं कामविवर्जितम् ॥१॥

Mind is indeed said to be of two kinds: the pure and the impure. The impure is volition formed of desire; the pure is free from desire.

Verse 2

मन एव मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः । बन्धाय विषयासक्तं मुक्त्यै निर्विषयं स्मृतम् ॥२॥

Mind alone is the cause, for humans, of bondage and liberation. Attached to objects it is for bondage; free of objects it is remembered to be for liberation.

Verse 3

यतो निर्विषयस्यास्य मनसो मुक्तिरिष्यते । अतो निर्विषयं नित्यं मनः कार्यं मुमुक्षुणा ॥ निरस्तविषयासङ्गं संनिरुद्धं मनो हृदि । यदाऽऽयात्यात्मनो भावं तदा तत्परमं पदम् ॥३-४॥

Because the liberation of this mind is held to be through objectlessness, the seeker of liberation should always make the mind without objects. Casting off attachment to objects and restraining the mind well within the heart—when it attains the state of the Self (Ātman), that is the supreme abode.

Verse 4

यतो निर्विषयस्यास्य मनसो मुक्तिरिष्यते । अतो निर्विषयं नित्यं मनः कार्यं मुमुक्षुणा ॥ निरस्तविषयासङ्गं संनिरुद्धं मनो हृदि । यदाऽऽयात्यात्मनो भावं तदा तत्परमं पदम् ॥३-४॥

Because the liberation of this mind is held to be through objectlessness, the seeker of liberation should always make the mind without objects. Casting off attachment to objects and restraining the mind well within the heart—when it attains the state of the Self (Ātman), that is the supreme abode.

Verse 5

तावदेव निरोद्धव्यं यावद्धृदि गतं क्षयम् । एतज्ज्ञानं च ध्यानं च शेषो न्यायश्च विस्तरः ॥५॥

It should be restrained only until it reaches dissolution in the heart. This is knowledge and this is meditation; all else is mere logic and elaboration.

Verse 6

नैव चिन्त्यं न चाचिन्त्यं न चिन्त्यं चिन्त्यमेव च । पक्षपातविनिर्मुक्तं ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते तदा ॥६॥

It is neither to be thought of, nor not to be thought of; it is neither thinkable, nor indeed merely thinkable. Then Brahman—free from all partiality and bias—is attained.

Verse 7

स्वरेण संधयेद्योगमस्वरं भावयेत्परम् । अस्वरेणानुभावेन नाभावो भाव इष्यते ॥७॥

With ‘sound’ one should join and establish yoga; one should contemplate the Supreme as ‘soundless’. By experiential realization of the soundless, non-being is not accepted as being.

Verse 8

तदेव निष्कलं ब्रह्म निर्विकल्पं निरञ्जनम् । तद्ब्रह्माहमिति ज्ञात्वा ब्रह्म सम्पद्यते ध्रुवम् ॥८॥

That alone is Brahman—partless, free of conceptual construction, stainless. Having known ‘That Brahman am I’, one certainly attains Brahman.

Verse 9

निर्विकल्पमनन्तं च हेतुदृष्टान्तवर्जितम् । अप्रमेयमनादिं च यज्ज्ञात्वा मुच्यते बुधः ॥९॥

That which is free of conceptual construction and infinite, devoid of reason and example, immeasurable and beginningless—having known that, the wise person is liberated.

Verse 10

न निरोधो न चोत्पत्तिर्न बद्धो न च साधकः । न मुमुक्षुर्न वै मुक्त इत्येषा परमार्थता ॥१०॥

There is no cessation, nor origination; none bound, nor any practitioner; no seeker of liberation, nor indeed any liberated—this is the highest truth.

Verse 11

एक एवात्मा मन्तव्यो जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तिषु । स्थानत्रयव्यतीतस्य पुनर्जन्म न विद्यते ॥११॥

The Self alone is to be contemplated in the waking, dream, and deep-sleep states. For one who has gone beyond the three states, there is no rebirth.

Verse 12

एक एव हि भूतात्मा भूते भूते व्यवस्थितः । एकधा बहुधा चैव दृश्यते जलचन्द्रवत् ॥१२॥

The one Self indeed, as the inner Self of beings, is established in each and every being. It is seen as one and also as many, like the moon reflected in water.

Verse 13

घटसंवृतमाकाशं नीयमानो घटे यथा । घटो नीयेत नाकाशः तद्वज्जीवो नभोपमः ॥१३॥

As space enclosed by a pot is seemingly carried along when the pot is carried, so it is the pot that is carried, not space. Likewise the jīva is like space.

Verse 14

घटवद्विविधाकारं भिद्यमानं पुनः पुनः । तद्भेदे न च जानाति स जानाति च नित्यशः ॥१४॥

Like a pot, having a twofold form, being broken again and again—(space) does not know its breaking; yet it is ever the knower.

Verse 15

शब्दमायावृतो नैव तमसा याति पुष्करे । भिन्ने तमसि चैकत्वमेक एवानुपश्यति ॥१५॥

Covered by the māyā of sound, one does not pass through the darkness in the lotus-like place. When the darkness is split, the One alone beholds unity.

Verse 16

शब्दाक्षरं परं ब्रह्म तस्मिन्क्षीणे यदक्षरम् । तद्विद्वानक्षरं ध्यायेद्यदीच्छेच्छान्तिमात्मनः ॥१६॥

The supreme Brahman is the sound-syllable (akṣara); when that sound-syllable is exhausted, what remains is the imperishable Akṣara. Knowing this, the wise should meditate on the imperishable, if they seek peace within.

Verse 17

द्वे विद्ये वेदितव्ये तु शब्दब्रह्म परं च यत् । शब्दब्रह्मणि निष्णातः परं ब्रह्माधिगच्छति ॥१७॥

Two knowledges are to be known: Brahman as sound (śabda-brahman) and Brahman as the Supreme (para). One who is thoroughly grounded in śabda-brahman attains the supreme Brahman.

Verse 18

ग्रन्थमभ्यस्य मेधावी ज्ञानविज्ञानतत्परः । पलालमिव धान्यार्थी त्यजेद्ग्रन्थमशेषतः ॥१८॥

Having studied the scripture, the discerning one—intent on knowledge and direct realization—should set the text aside entirely, as one seeking grain discards the chaff.

Verse 19

गवामनेकवर्णानां क्षीरस्याप्येकवर्णता । क्षीरवत्पश्यते ज्ञानं लिङ्गिनस्तु गवां यथा ॥१९॥

Though cows are of many colors, milk is indeed of one color. So knowledge is seen as one, like milk; embodied beings are like the cows.

Verse 20

घृतमिव पयसि निगूढं भूते भूते च वसति विज्ञानम् । सततं मनसि मन्थयितव्यं मनो मन्थानभूतेन ॥२०॥

As ghee is hidden in milk, so realization (vijñāna) dwells in every being. It should be continually churned forth in the mind, with the mind itself as the churning-stick.

Verse 21

ज्ञाननेत्रं समाधाय चोद्धरेद्वह्निवत्परम् । निष्कलं निश्चलं शान्तं तद्ब्रह्माहमिति स्मृतम् ॥२१॥

Having fixed the eye of knowledge in samādhi, one should lift up and realize the Supreme, as one kindles fire. That is partless, unmoving, and peaceful—remembered as: “That Brahman am I.”

Verse 22

सर्वभूताधिवासं यद्भूतेषु च वसत्यपि । सर्वानुग्राहकत्वेन तदस्म्यहं वासुदेवः ॥२२॥

That which is the abode of all beings, and which indeed dwells within beings—by being the gracious supporter of all—that am I: Vāsudeva.