पृथ्वीमधें लोक सकळ । येक संपन्न येक दुर्बळ । येक निर्मळ येक वोंगळ । काय निमित्य ॥ १ ॥

Among all the people on this earth, some are wealthy and some are poor, some are pure and some are impure — what could be the reason for this?

कित्येक राजे नांदती । कित्येक दरिद्र भोगिती । कितीयेकांची उत्तम स्थिती । कित्येक अधमोद्धम ॥ २ ॥

Some live like kings in prosperity, while others suffer in poverty; some enjoy an excellent condition in life, while others sink to the very lowest, most degraded state.

ऐसें काय निमित्य जालें । हें मज पाहिजे निरोपिलें । याचे उत्तर ऐकिलें । पाहिजे श्रोतीं ॥ ३ ॥

Please explain to me the reason why this is so — thus asks the listener. Now let the listeners hear the answer to this.

हे सकळ गुणापासीं गती । सगुण भाग्यश्री भोगिती । अवगुणास दरिद्रप्राप्ती । येदर्थीं संदेह नाहीं ॥ ४ ॥

The course of all these lives depends entirely on one's qualities; the virtuous enjoy the fortune of prosperity, while the ill-qualified receive only poverty — of this there is no doubt at all.

जो जो जेथें उपजला । तो ते वेवसाईं उमजला । तयास लोक म्हणती भला । कार्यकर्ता ॥ ५ ॥

Whoever is born into a particular trade or profession becomes skilled in it; such a person is praised by others as a capable, admirable worker.

जाणता तो कार्य करी । नेणतां कांहींच न करी । जाणता तो पोट भरी । नेणता भीक मागे ॥ ६ ॥

One who knows can accomplish work, while one who does not know can accomplish nothing at all; the knowing man earns his living, while the ignorant one must beg.

हें तों प्रकटचि असे । जनीं पाहातां प्रत्यक्ष दिसे । विद्येवीण करंटा वसे । विद्या तो भाग्यवंत ॥ ७ ॥

This is quite plain, and can be seen directly among people: without learning a man remains unfortunate, while one who has learning is truly fortunate.

आपुली विद्या न सिकसी । तरी काये भीक मागसी । जेथें तेथें बुद्धी ऐसी । वडिलें सांगती ॥ ८ ॥

'If you do not learn your own trade well, will you not end up begging?' — such counsel elders give everywhere, urging this understanding upon the young.

वडिल आहे करंटा । आणी समर्थ होये धाकुटा । कां जे विद्येनें मोटा । म्हणोनिया ॥ ९ ॥

Sometimes the elder son remains unfortunate while the younger becomes prosperous, simply because it is learning, not age, that makes one great.

विद्या नाही बुद्धी नाही । विवेक नाहीं साक्षेप नाहीं । कुशळता नाहीं व्याप नाहीं । म्हणौन प्राणी करंटा ॥ १० ॥

No learning, no intelligence, no discernment, no diligence, no skill, and no enterprise — this is precisely why such a person remains unfortunate.

इतुकें हि जेथें वसे । तेथें वैभवास उणें नसे । वैभव सांडितां अपैसें । पाठीं लागे ॥ ११ ॥

But where all these qualities are present, prosperity is never lacking; indeed, even if a man tries to renounce it, prosperity will follow him on its own accord.

वडिल समर्थ धाकुटा भिकारी । ऐका याची कैसी परी । वडिला ऐसा व्याप न करी । म्हणोनियां ॥ १२ ॥

Listen to why the elder brother may prosper while the younger becomes a beggar: it is simply because the younger does not undertake the same effort and enterprise as the elder did.

जैसी विद्या तैसी हांव । जैसा व्याप तैसें वैभव । तोलासारिखा हावभाव । लोक करिती ॥ १३ ॥

As one's learning is, so is one's ambition; as one's enterprise is, so is one's prosperity. People conduct themselves and display their manner exactly according to their own true measure.

विद्या नसे वैभव नसे । तेथें निर्मळ कैंचा असे । करंटेपणें वोखटा दिसे । वोंगळ आणी विकारी ॥ १४ ॥

Where there is no learning and no prosperity, how can there be purity either? Such an unfortunate person appears repulsive, unclean, and full of base impulses.

पशु पक्षी गुणवंत । त्यास कृपा करी समर्थ । गुण नस्तां जिणें वेर्थ । प्राणीमात्राचें ॥ १५ ॥

Even an animal or bird, if it has good qualities, receives the favor of a capable person; but without good qualities, the life of any creature is simply in vain.

गुण नाहीं गौरव नाहीं । सामर्थ्य नाहीं महत्व नाहीं । कुशळता नाहीं तर्क नाहीं । प्राणीमात्रासी ॥ १६ ॥

No good qualities, no honor, no capability, no greatness, no skill, and no power of reasoning — such a creature amounts to nothing at all.

याकारणें उत्तम गुण । तेंचि भाग्याचें लक्षण । लक्षणेवीण अवलक्षण । सहजचि जालें ॥ १७ ॥

For this reason, excellent qualities are themselves the true mark of good fortune; lacking such marks, one naturally becomes marked by misfortune instead.

जनामधें तो जाणता । त्यास आहे मान्यता । कोणी येक विद्या असतां । महत्व पावे ॥ १८ ॥

Among people, it is the knowledgeable one who receives respect and recognition; even possessing just one skill can bring a person real esteem.

प्रपंच अथवा परमार्थ । जाणता तोचि समर्थ । नेणता जाणिजे वेर्थ । निःकारण ॥ १९ ॥

Whether in worldly life or in the spiritual path, only the knowing person is truly capable; the ignorant one remains useless, without any real purpose at all.

नेणतां विंचु सर्प डसे । नेणतां जीवघात असे । नेणतां कार्य नासे । कोणी येक ॥ २० ॥

Through ignorance one gets bitten by a scorpion or snake; through ignorance one's very life is endangered; and through ignorance some important task is spoiled.

नेणतां प्राणी सिंतरे । नेणपणें तर्ह्हे भरे । नेणपणे ठके विसरे । पदार्थ कांहीं ॥ २१ ॥

Through ignorance a person gets cheated; through ignorance he stumbles into confusion; and through ignorance he gets deceived or forgets some possession.

नेणतां वैरी जिंकिती । नेणतां अपाईं पडती । नेण्तां संव्हारती घडती । जीवनास ॥ २२ ॥

Through ignorance one's enemies triumph; through ignorance one falls into calamity; and through ignorance even one's own life may be destroyed.

आपुले स्वहित न कळे जना । तेणें भोगिती यातना । ज्ञान नेणतां अज्ञाना । अधोगती ॥ २३ ॥

People do not understand their own true good, and so they suffer torment; without knowledge, the ignorant man's fate is only downward decline.

मायाब्रह्म जीवशिव । सारासार भावाभाव । जाटिल्यासाठीं होतें वाव । ज्न्ममरण ॥ २४ ॥

Maya and Brahman, the individual soul and the Supreme, the essential and the inessential, existence and non-existence — not knowing these is precisely what keeps the futile cycle of birth and death turning.

कोण कर्ता निश्चयेंसीं । बद्ध मोक्ष तो कोणासी । ऐसें जाणतां प्राणीयासी । सुटिकां घडे ॥ २५ ॥

Who is truly the doer, with certainty, and to whom exactly do bondage and liberation apply — only by knowing this does a person attain true release.

जाणिजे देव निर्गुण । जाणिजे मी तो कोण । जाणिजे अनन्यलक्षण । म्हणिजे मुक्त ॥ २६ ॥

One should know the attributeless God, know who this 'I' truly is, and know the mark of non-duality — doing so, one becomes liberated.

जितुकें जाणोन सांडिलें । तितुकें दृश्य वोलांडिलें । जाणत्यास जाणतां तुटलें । मूळ मीपणाचें ॥ २७ ॥

Whatever is known and thereby let go of, that much of the visible world is transcended; when the knower truly knows, the very root of egoity is severed.

न जाणतां कोटीवरी । साधनें केलीं परोपरीं । तरी मोक्षास अधिकारी । होणार नाहीं ॥ २८ ॥

Even if one performs countless spiritual practices of every kind without true knowing, one still cannot become worthy of liberation.

मायाब्रह्म वोळखावें । आपणास आपण जाणावें इतुक्यासाठीं स्वभावें । चुके जन्म ॥ २९ ॥

One should recognize maya and Brahman, and know oneself by oneself — by doing just this, birth and death are naturally escaped.

जाणतां समर्थाचें अंतर । प्रसंगें वर्ते तदनंतर । भाग्य वैभव अपार । तेणेचि पावे ॥ ३० ॥

By understanding the inner mind of a capable person and conducting oneself accordingly as occasions arise, one thereby attains boundless fortune and prosperity.

म्हणौन जाणणें नव्हे सामान्य । जाणतां होईजे सर्वमान्य । कांहींच नेणतां अमान्य । सर्वत्र करिती ॥ ३१ ॥

Therefore knowing is no ordinary matter; through knowing, one gains acceptance everywhere, while knowing nothing at all, one is rejected everywhere.

पदार्थ देखोन भूत भावी । नेणतें झडपोन प्राण ठेवी । मिथ्या आहे उठाठेवी । जाणते जाणती ॥ ३२ ॥

Seeing some ordinary object, the ignorant man imagines it to be a ghost, and clutches his life in terror as though possessed; but the knowing recognize that this whole commotion is utterly false.

जाणत्यास कळे वर्म । नेण्त्याचें खोटें कर्म । सकळ कांहीं धर्माधर्म । जाणतां कळे ॥ ३३ ॥

The knowing person understands the true essence of things, while the actions of the ignorant remain misguided; what is right and what is wrong is understood only through true knowing.

नेणत्यास येमयातना । जाणत्यास कांहींच लागेना । सकळ जाणोन विवंचना । करी तो मुक्त ॥ ३४ ॥

The ignorant must suffer the torments of Yama, while none of it touches the one who knows; whoever knows everything and reflects upon it with discernment attains liberation.

नेणतां कांहीं राजकारण । अपमान करून घेती प्राण । नेणतां कठीण वर्तमान । समस्तांस होये ॥ ३५ ॥

Not understanding the ways of statecraft and worldly dealing, many suffer disgrace and even lose their lives; through such ignorance, difficult circumstances befall everyone alike.

म्हणोनियां नेणणें खोटें । नेणते प्राणी करंटे । जाणतां विवरतां तुटे । जन्ममरण ॥ ३६ ॥

Therefore ignorance is itself a fault; ignorant creatures remain unfortunate. Through knowing and careful reflection, the cycle of birth and death is finally broken.

म्हणोन अलक्ष करूं नये । जाणणें हाचि उपाये । जाणतां सापडें सोये । परलोकाची ॥ ३७ ॥

Therefore one must never neglect this; knowing is itself the true remedy. Only through knowing does one find the right way to the world beyond.

जाणणें सकळांस प्रमाण । मूर्खास वाटे अप्रमाण । परंतु अलिप्तपणाची खूण । जाणतां कळे ॥ ३८ ॥

Knowledge is the true standard for everyone, though the fool considers it worthless. Yet the very mark of true detachment is understood only by knowing.

येक जाणणें करून परतें । कोण सोडी प्राणीयातें । कोणी येक कार्य जें तें । जाटिल्याविण न कळे ॥ ३९ ॥

Once one gains this one knowing, who can ever separate a person from it? Whatever task there may be, it can never be understood without truly knowing it.

जाणणें म्हणिजे स्मरण । नेणणें म्हणिजे विस्मरण । दोहींमधें कोण प्रमाण । शाहाणे जाणती ॥ ४० ॥

Knowing means remembering, and not-knowing means forgetting; which of the two is truly reliable, only the wise can discern.

जाणते लोक ते शाहाणे । नेणते वेडे दैन्यवाणे । विज्ञान तेहि जाणपणें । कळो आलें ॥ ४१ ॥

Those who know are truly wise, while those who do not remain foolish and pitiable. Even the highest realization of the Self becomes known only through this very knowing.

जेथें जाणपण खुंटलें । तेथें बोलणें हि तुटलें । हेतुरहित जालें । समाधान ॥ ४२ ॥

Where knowing itself comes to an end, there speech too ceases; and then contentment arises, free of every remaining intent or purpose.

श्रोतें म्हणती हें प्रमाण । जालें परम समाधान । परी पिंडब्रह्मांड ऐक्यलक्षण । मज निरोपावें ॥ ४३ ॥

The listeners say, this we accept, and it has brought us the greatest contentment; but now please explain to us the mark of the oneness between the individual body (pind) and the cosmos (brahmand).

ब्रह्मांडीं तेंचि पिंडीं असे । बहुत बोलती ऐसें । परंतु याचा प्रत्यय विलसे । ऐसें केलें पाहिजे ॥ ४४ ॥

'Whatever is in the cosmos is also in the individual body' — so many people say. But this must be explained in such a way that its truth actually shines forth through direct realization.