recitation
Tamiḷ recitation
upadeśa sāra
Sanskrit, Transliteration & Translation
1.
कर्तुराज्ञया प्राप्यते फलम् ।
कर्म किं परं कर्म तज्जडम् ॥ १॥
kartur ājñyayā prāpyate phalaṃ
karma kiṃ paraṃ karma tajjaḍam
Action yields fruit,
For so the Lord ordains it.
How can action be the Lord?
It is insentient.
2.
कृतिमहोदधौ पतनकारणम् ।
फलमशाश्वतं गतिनिरोधकम् ॥ २॥
kṛti-maho-dadhau patana-kāraṇam
phalama-śaśvataṃ gati-nirodhakam
The fruit of action passes.
But action leaves behind
Seed of further action
Leading to an endless ocean of action;
Not at all to moksha.
3.
ईश्वरार्पितं नेच्छया कृतम् ।
चित्तशोधकं मुक्तिसाधकम् ॥ ३॥
īśvarārpitaṃ necchayā kṛtam
citta-śodhakaṃ mukti-sādhakam
Disinterested action
Surrendered to the Lord
Purifies the mind and points
The way to moksha.
4.
कायवाङ्मनः कार्यमुत्तमम् ।
पूजनं जपश्चिन्तनं क्रमात् ॥ ४॥
kāyavāṅ-manaḥ kārya-muttamam
pūjanaṁ japa-ścintanaṁ kramāt
This is certain:
Worship, praise and meditation,
Being work of body, speech and mind,
Are steps for orderly ascent.
5.
जगत ईशधी युक्तसेवनम् ।
अष्टमूर्तिभृद्देवपूजनम् ॥ ५॥
jagata īśadhī yukta sevanaṃ
aśṭa-mūrti bhṛd deva-pūjanam
Ether, fire, air, water, earth,
Sun, moon and living beings
Worship of these,
Regarded all as forms of His,
Is perfect worship of the Lord.
6.
उत्तमस्तवादुच्चमन्दतः ।
चित्तजं जपध्यानमुत्तमम् ॥ ६॥
uttama-stavād-ucca-mandataḥ
cittajaṃ japa dhyānam uttamam
Better than hymns of praise
Is repetition of the Name;
Better low-voiced than loud,
But best of all
Is meditation in the mind.
7.
आज्यधारया स्रोतसा समम् ।
सरलचिन्तनं विरलतः परम् ॥ ७॥
ajya-dhāraya srotasā samam
sarala cintanaṃ viralataḥ param
Better than spells of meditation
Is one continuous current,
Steady as a stream,
Or downward flow of oil.
8.
भेदभावनात् सोऽहमित्यसौ ।
भावनाऽभिदा पावनी मता ॥ ८॥
bheda-bhāvanāt sō’hamityasau
bhāvanā’bhidā pāvanī matā
Better than viewing Him as Other,
Indeed the noblest attitude of all,
Is to hold Him as the 'I' within,
The very 'I'.
9.
भावशून्यसद्भावसुस्थितिः ।
भावनाबलाद्भक्तिरुत्तमा ॥ ९॥
bhāva śūnyasad bhāva susthitiḥ
bhāvanā-balād bhaktir-uttamā
Abidance in pure being
Transcending thought through love intense
Is the very essence
Of supreme devotion.
10.
हृत्स्थले मनः स्वस्थता क्रिया ।
भक्तियोगबोधाश्च निश्चितम् ॥ १०॥
hṛtsthale manaḥ svasthatā kriyā
bhakti yoga bodhaśca niścitam
Absorption in the heart of being,
Whence we sprang,
Is the path of action, of devotion,
Of union and of knowledge.
जालपक्षिवद्रोधसाधनम् ॥ ११॥
vāyurō-dhanāl līyate manaḥ
jālapakṣiva drōdhasādhanam
Holding the breath controls the mind,
A bird caught in a net.
Breath-regulation helps
Absorption in the heart.
12.
चित्तवायवश्चित्क्रियायुताः ।
शाखयोर्द्वयी शक्तिमूलका ॥ १२॥
citta-vāyavaś cit-kriyāyutāḥ
śā khayor-dvayi śakti-mūlakā
Mind and breath (as thought and action)
Fork out like two branches.
But both spring
From a single root.
13.
लयविनाशने उभयरोधने ।
लयगतं पुनर्भवति नो मृतम् ॥ १३॥
laya vinaśane ubhaya-rodhane
laya-gataṃ punar bhavati no mṛtam
Absorption is of two sorts;
Submergence and destruction.
Mind submerged rises again;
Dead, it revives no more.
14.
प्राणबन्धनाल्लीनमानसम् ।
एकचिन्तनान्नाशमेत्यदः ॥ १४॥
prāṇa-bandhanāt līna-mānasam
eka-cintanāt nāśametyadaḥ
Breath controlled and thought restrained,
The mind turned one-way inward
Fades and dies.
15.
नष्टमानसोत्कृष्टयोगिनः ।
कृत्यमस्ति किं स्वस्थितिं यतः ॥ १५॥
naṣta-manasot-kṛṣṭa yoginaḥ
kṛtyam asti kiṃ svasthitiṃ yataḥ
Mind extinct, the mighty seer
Returns to his own natural being
And has no action to perform.
16.
दृश्यवारितं चित्तमात्मनः ।
चित्त्वदर्शनं तत्त्वदर्शनम् ॥ १६॥
dr̥śyavāritaṁ cittamātmanaḥ
cittvadarśanaṁ tattvadarśanam
It is true wisdom
For the mind to turn away
From outer objects and behold
Its own effulgent form.
17.
मानसं तु किं मार्गणे कृते ।
नैव मानसं मार्ग आर्जवात् ॥ १७॥
mānasaṃ tu kiṃ mārgaṇe kṛte
naiva mānasaṃ mārge ārjavāt
When unceasingly the mind
Scans its own form
There is nothing of the kind.
For every one
This path direct is open.
18.
वृत्तयस्त्वहं वृत्तिमाश्रिताः ।
वृत्तयो मनो विद्ध्यहं मनः ॥ १८॥
vr̥ttayastvahaṁ vr̥ttimāśritāḥ
vr̥ttayō manō viddhyahaṁ manaḥ
Thoughts alone make up the mind;
And of all thoughts the 'I' thought is the root.
What is called mind is but the notion 'I'.
19.
अहमयं कुतो भवति चिन्वतः ।
अयि पतत्यहं निजविचारणम् ॥ १९॥
ahamayaṃ kuto bhavati cinvataḥ
ayi patatyahaṃ nijavicāraṇam
When one turns within and searches
Whence this 'I' thought arises,
The shamed 'I' vanishes –
And wisdom's quest begins.
20.
अहमि नाशभाज्यहमहंतया ।
स्फुरति हृत्स्वयं परमपूर्णसत् ॥ २०॥
ahami nāśabhā-jyaham-ahaṁtayā
sphurati hr̥tsvayaṁ parama-pūrṇasat
Where this 'I' notion faded
Now there as I–I, arises
The One, the very Self,
The Infinite.
21.
इदमहं पदाऽभिख्यमन्वहम् ।
अहमिलीनकेऽप्यलयसत्तया ॥ २१॥
idamahaṁ padā’bhikhya-manvaham
aham-ilīnake’pyalaya-sattayā
Of the term, 'I', the permanent import
Is That. For even in deep sleep
Where we have no sense of 'I'
We do not cease to be.
22.
विग्रहेन्द्रियप्राणधीतमः ।
नाहमेकसत्तज्जडं ह्यसत् ॥ २२॥
vigrah-endriya prāṇa-dhītamaḥ
nāhameka-sat tajjaḍaṁ hyasat
Body, senses, mind, breath, sleep –
All insentient and unreal –
Cannot be 'I',
'I' who am the Real.
23.
सत्त्वभासिका चित्क्ववेतरा ।
सत्तया हि चिच्चित्तया ह्यहम् ॥ २३॥
sattva-bhāsikā citkva vetarā
sattayā hi cit ccittayā-hyaham
For knowing That which is
There is no other knower.
Hence Being is Awareness;
And we all are Awareness.
24.
ईशजीवयोर्वेषधीभिदा ।
सत्स्वभावतो वस्तु केवलम् ॥ २४॥
īśa-jīvayor veṣa-dhī-bhidā
sat-svabhāvato vastu kevalam
In the nature of their being
Creature and creator are in substance one.
They differ only
In adjuncts and awareness.
25.
वेषहानतः स्वात्मदर्शनम् ।
ईशदर्शनं स्वात्मरूपतः ॥ २५॥
veṣa-hānataḥ svātma-darśanam
īśa-darśanaṃ svātma-rūpataḥ
Seeing oneself free of all attributes
Is to see the Lord,
For He shines ever as the pure Self.
26.
आत्मसंस्थितिः स्वात्मदर्शनम् ।
आत्मनिर्द्वयादात्मनिष्ठता ॥ २६॥
ātma-saṃsthitiḥ svātma-darśanam
ātma-nirdvayād ātma-niṣṭhatā
To know the Self is but to be the Self,
For it is non-dual.
In such knowledge
One abides as that.
27.
ज्ञानवर्जिताऽज्ञानहीनचित् ।
ज्ञानमस्ति किं ज्ञातुमन्तरम् ॥ २७॥
jñāna-varjitā-jñana-hina cit
jñānam-asti kiṃ jñātum-antaram
That is true knowledge which transcends
Both knowledge and ignorance,
For in pure knowledge
Is no object to be known.
28.
किं स्वरूपमित्यात्मदर्शने ।
अव्ययाऽभवाऽऽपूर्णचित्सुखम् ॥ २८॥
kiṃ svarūpamit-yātma darśane
avyayābhavā” pūrṇa-cit sukham
Having known one's nature one abides
As being with no beginning and no end
In unbroken conciousness and bliss.
29.
बन्धमुक्त्यतीतं परं सुखम् ।
विन्दतीह जीवस्तु दैविकः ॥ २९॥
bandha muktyatītaṃ paraṃ sukham
vindatīhajī vastu daivikaḥ
Is steadfastness
In service of the Lord.
30.
अहमपेतकं निजविभानकम् ।
महदिदंतपो रमनवागियम् ॥ ३०॥
aham-apetakaṃ nija-vibhānakam
mahadidaṃ tapo ramaṇa vāgiyam
All ego gone,
Living as that alone
Is penance good for growth,
Sings Ramana, the Self.