Upasesha Saram

http://www.arunachala.org/elibrary/docs/upadesa-saram/

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

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

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

īśvarārpitaṃ necchayā kṛtam
citta-śodhakaṃ mukti-sādhakam

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

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

kāya-vāṅ-manaḥ kāryam-uttamam
pūjanaṃ japa-ścintanaṃ kramāt

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

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

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. %ÄmStvaʽmNdt> ,
  icÄj< jpXyanmuÄmm! . 6 .

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

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

bheda-bhāvanāt so’hamityasau
bhavana’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. É avzUNysÑavsuiSwit> ,
  ÉavnablaÑi´éÄma . 9 .

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

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.

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

vayu-rodhanāl līyate manaḥ
jāla-pakṣivat rodha-sādhanam

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

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

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. lyivnazne %Éyraexne ,
  lygt< punÉ›vit nae m&tm! . 13 .

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

prāṇa-bandhanāt līna-mānasam
eka-cintanāt nāśametyadaḥ

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

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

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

dṛśya-vāritaṃ citta-mātmanaḥ
citva-darśanaṃ tattva darśanam

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

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

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

vṛttayastvahaṃ vṛtti-maśritaḥ
vṛttayo mano viddhayahaṃ 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. Ahmy< kutae Évit icNvt> ,
  Aiy ptTyh< injivcar[m! . 19 .

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

ahami nāśa-bhā-jyahama-hantaya
sphurati hṛt-svayaṃ parama-pūrṇa-sat

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

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

idamaham padā’bhikhya-manvaham
aham-ilīnake’pyalaya sattyā

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

vigrah-endriya prāṇa-dhītamaḥ
nāhameka-sat tajjaḍam hyasat

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

23. sÅvÉaiska icTKvvetra ,
  sÄya ih ici½Äyaýhm! . 23 .

sattva-bhāsika citkva vetarā
sattyā hi cit cittayā hyaham

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 consciousness and bliss.

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

bandha muktyatītaṃ paraṃ sukham
vindatīhajī vastu daivikaḥ

Beyond bondage and release,
Is steadfastness
In service of the Lord.

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

aham-apetakaṃ nija-vibhānakam
mahadidaṃ tapo ramaṇa vāgiyam

All ego gone,
Living as that alone

Is penance good for growth,
Sings Ramana, the Self.

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