Upadesaa Saram - The Essence of Instruction

Audio by Br. Pavitra & Text in Sanskrit & Roman

ktu›ra}ya àaPyte )lm! ,
km› ik< pr< km› tJjfm! . 1 .

kartur ajïaya prapyate phalam
karma kià paraà karma tajjaòam 1.

Action yields fruit,
For so the Lord ordains it.
How can action be the Lord?
It is insentient.

k&itmhaedxaE ptnkar[m! ,
)lmzañt< gitinraexkm! . 2 .

krti-maho-dadhau patana-käraëam
phalam-açäçvataà gati-nirodhakam 2.

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.

$ñraip›t< neCDya k&tm! ,
icÄzaexk< mui´saxkm! . 3 .

éçvar-ärpitaà necchaya kåtam
citta-çodhakaà mukti-sädhakam 3.

Disinterested action
Surrendered to the Lord
Purifies the mind and points
The way to moksha.

kayva'!mn>kay›muÄmm! ,
pUjn< jpiíNtn< ³mat! . 4 .

kaya-väìg-manaù käryam-uttamam
püjanaà japaç-cintanaà kramat 4.

This is certain:
Worship, praise and meditation,
Being work of body, speech and mind,
Are steps for orderly ascent.

jgt $zxIyu´sevnm!,
AòmUit›É&ÎevpUjnm! . 5 .

jagata éçadhé yukta sevanaà
añöa-mürti bhåd deva-püjanam 5.

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.

%ÄmStvaʽmNdt> ,
icÄj< jpXyanmuÄmm! . 6 .

uttama-staväd-ucca-mandataù
cittajaà japa dhyänam uttamam 6.

Better than hymns of praise
Is repetition of the Name;
Better low-voiced than loud,
But best of all is meditation in the mind.

AaJyxarya öaetsa smm! ,
srlicNtn< ivrlt> prm! . 7 .

ajya-dhäraya srotasa samam
sarala cintanaà viralataù param 7.

Better than spells of meditation
Is one continuous current,
Steady as a stream,
Or downward flow of oil.

ÉedÉavnaTsae=himTysaE ,
Éavna=iÉda pavnI mta . 8 .

bheda-bhävanät so’hamityasau
bhavana’bhidä pävané matä 8.

Better than viewing Him as Other,
Indeed the noblest attitude of all,
Is to hold Him as the 'I' within,
The very 'I'.

ÉavzUNysÑavsuiSwit> ,
ÉavnablaÑi´éÄma . 9 .

bhäva çünyasad bhäva susthitiù
bhävanä-baläd bhaktir-uttamä 9.

Abidance in pure being
Transcending thought through love intense
Is the very essence
Of supreme devotion.

ùTSwle mn> SvSwta i³ya ,
É i´yaegbaexaí iniítm! . 10 .

håtsthale manaù svasthatä kriyä
bhakti yoga bodhaçca niçcitam 10.

Absorption in the heart of being,
Whence we sprang,
Is the path of action, of devotion,
Of union and of knowledge.

vayuraexna‘Iyte mn> ,
jalpi]vÔaexsaxnm! . 11 .

vayu-rodhanäl léyate manaù
jäla-pakñivat rodha-sädhanam 11

Holding the breath controls the mind,
A bird caught in a net.
Breath-regulation helps
Absorption in the heart.

icÄvayviíiT³yayuta> ,
zaoyaeÖ›yI zi´mUlka . 12 .

citta-väyavaç cit-kriyäyutäù
çä khayor-dvayi çakti-mülakä 12

Mind and breath (as thought and action)
Fork out like two branches.
But both spring
From a single root.

lyivnazne %Éyraexne ,
lygt< punɛvit nae m&tm! . 13 .

laya vinaçane ubhaya-rodhane
laya-gataà punar bhavati no måtam 13

Absorption is of two sorts;
Submergence and destruction.
Mind submerged rises again;
Dead, it revives no more.

àa[bNxna‘Inmansm! ,
@kicNtnaÚazmeTyd> . 14 .

präëa-bandhanät léna-mänasam
eka-cintanät näçametyadaù 14

Breath controlled and thought restrained,
The mind turned one-way inward
Fades and dies.

nòmansaeTk&òyaeign> ,
k&TymiSt ik< SviSwit< yt> . 15 .

nañta-manasot-kåñöa yoginaù
kåtyam asti kià svasthitià yataù 15

Mind extinct, the mighty seer
Returns to his own natural being
And has no action to perform.

†Zyvairt< icÄmaTmn> ,
icÅvdz›n< tTvdz›nm! . 16 .

dåçya-väritaà citta-mätmanaù
citva-darçanaà tattva darçanam 16

It is true wisdom
For the mind to turn away
From outer objects and behold
Its own effulgent form.

mans< tu ik< mag›[e k&te ,
nEv mans< mag› Aaj›vat! . 17.

mänasaà tu kià märgaëe kåte
naiva mänasaà märge ärjavät 17

When unceasingly the mind
Scans its own form
There is nothing of the kind.
For every one
This path direct is open.

v&ÄySTvh< v&iÄmaiïta> ,
v&Äyae mnae ivÏ(h< mn> . 18 .

våttayastvahaà våtti-maçritaù
våttayo mano viddhayahaà manaù 18

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'.

Ahmy< kutae Évit icNvt> ,
Aiy ptTyh< injivcar[m! . 19 .

ahamayaà kuto bhavati cinvataù
ayi patatyahaà nijavicäraëam 19

When one turns within and searches
Whence this 'I' thought arises,
The shamed 'I' vanishes ---
And wisdom's quest begins.

Ahim nazÉaJyhmh<tya ,
S)urit ùTSvy< prmpU[›st! . 20 .

ahami näça-bhajy ahama-hantaya
sphurati håt-svayaà parama-pürëa-sat 20

Where this 'I' notion faded
Now there as I, as I, arises
The One, the very Self,
The Infinite.

#dmh<pdaiÉOymNvhm! ,
Ahim lInke=PylysÄya . 21 .

idamaham padä’bhikhya-manvaham
aham-ilénake’pyalaya sattyä 21

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.

iv¢heiNÔyàa[xItm> ,
nahmeksľf< ýst! . 22 .

vigrah-endriya präëa-dhétamaù
nähameka-sat tajjaòam hyasat 22

Body, senses, mind, breath, sleep ---
All insentient and unreal ---
Cannot be 'I',
'I' who am the Real.

sÅvÉaiska icTKvvetra ,
sÄya ih ici½Äyaýhm! . 23 .

sattva-bhäsika citkva vetarä
sattyä hi cit cittayä hyaham 23

For knowing That which is
There is no other knower.
Hence Being is Awareness;
And we all are Awareness.

$zjIvyaeveR;xIiÉda ,
sTSvÉavtae vStu kevlm!. 24 .

éç a-jévayor veña-dhi-bhida
sat-svabhävato vastu kevalam 24

In the nature of their being
Creature and creator are in substance one.
They differ only
In adjuncts and awareness.

ve;hant> SvaTmdz›nm! ,
$zdz›n< Sva Tmêpt> . 25 .

veña-hänataù svätma-darçanam
éç a-darçanaà svätma-rüpataù 25

Seeing oneself free of all attributes
Is to see the Lord,
For He shines ever as the pure Self.

AaTms<iSwit> SvaTmdz›nm! ,
AaTminÖ›yadaTminóta . 26 .

ätma-saàsthitiù svätma-darçanam
ätma-nirdvayäd ätma-niñöhatä 26

To know the Self is but to be the Self,
For it is non-dual.
In such knowledge
One abides as that.

}anvij›ta=}anhInict! ,
}anmiSt ik< }atumNtrm! . 27 .

jïana-varjit-ajïanhina cit
jïänam-asti kià jïätum-antaram 27

That is true knowledge which transcends
Both knowledge and ignorance,
For in pure knowledge
Is no object to be known.

ik<SvêpimTyaTmdz›ne ,
AVyyaÉvapU[›icTsuom! . 28 .

kià svarüpam-ityätma darçane
avyayäbhavä” pürëa-cit sukham 28

Having known one's nature one abides
As being with no beginning and no end
In unbroken consciousness and bliss.

bNxmuKTytIt< pr< suom! ,
ivNdtIh jIvStu dEivk> . 29 .

bandha muktyatétaà paraà sukham
vindatéha jévastu daivikaù 29

Abiding in this state of bliss
Beyond bondage and release,
Is steadfastness
In service of the Lord.

Ahmpetk< injivÉankm! ,
mhidd< tpae rm[vaigym! . 30 .

aham-apetakaà nija-vibhänakam
mahadidaà tapo ramaëa vägiyam 30

All ego gone,
Living as that alone
Is penance good for growth,
Sings Ramana, the Self.

Recited by Y. N. Sharma and H. A. Sastry
Back to music link page