चौंखाणीचे प्राणी असती । अवघे उदकेंचि वाढती । ऐसे होतीआणी जाती । असंख्यात ॥ १ ॥

Creatures born of all four wombs exist, and every one of them grows through water alone. Countless such beings come into existence and pass away, again and again.

तत्वांचें शरीर जालें । अंतरात्म्यासगट वळलें । त्यांचें मूळ जों शोधिलें । तों उदकरूप ॥ २ ॥

The body is formed from the five elements, with the indwelling Self bound up together within it. When one searches into the root of this body, that root turns out to be of the nature of water.

शरत्काळींचीं शरीरें । पीळपीळों झिरपती नीरें । उभये रेतें येकत्रें । मिसळती रक्तीं ॥ ३ ॥

Just as water seeps out when wrung from something in the autumn season, so does the reproductive fluid seep forth from mature bodies. The fluids of both, man and woman, come together and mingle in the blood.

अन्नरस देहरस । रक्तरेतें बांधे मूस । रसद्वयें सावकास । वाढों लागे ॥ ४ ॥

From the essence of food and the essence of the body, blood and reproductive fluid together form a mold, the embryo. Nourished by these two essences, it gradually begins to grow.

वाढतां वाढतां वाढलें । कोमळाचें कठीण जालें। पुढें उदक पैसावलें । नाना अवेवीं ॥ ५॥

Growing steadily, it developed further, and what was once soft became firm and solid. In time, that watery essence spread out into the body's various limbs and organs.

संपूर्ण होतां बाहेरी पडे । भूमीस पडतां मग तें रडे । अवघ्याचें अवघेंच घडे । ऐसें आहे ॥ ६ ॥

When it becomes fully formed, it emerges from the womb, and the moment it touches the ground, it begins to cry. This is exactly how it happens for every single being.

कुडी वाढे कुबुद्धि वाढे । मूळापासून अवघें घडे । अवघेंचि मोडे आणि वाढे । देखतदेखतां ॥ ७ ॥

As the body grows, ignorant, foolish tendencies grow along with it, and all of this unfolds right from the very root. Right before one's eyes, everything keeps breaking down and building up again.

पुढें अवघियांचें शरीर । दिवसेंदिवस जालें थोर । सुचों लागला विचार । कांहीं कांहीं ॥ ८ ॥

In time, everyone's body grows larger and larger, day by day. Along with this, a measure of understanding, too, gradually begins to dawn.

फळामधें बीज आलें । तेणें न्यायें तेथें जालें । ऐकतां देखतां उमजलें । सकळ कांहीं ॥ ९ ॥

Just as a seed forms within a fruit, by this same principle this development takes place in a person too. Through hearing and seeing, everything gradually comes to be understood.

बीजें उदकें अंकुरती । उदक नस्तां उडोन जाती । येके ठाईं उदक माती । होतां बरें ॥ १० ॥

Seeds sprout only with water; without water they simply wither and blow away. When water and soil come together in one place, things turn out well.

दोहिंमधें असतां बीज । भिजोन अंकुर सहज । वाढतां वाढतां पुढें रीझ । उदंड आहे ॥ ११ ॥

When a seed lies between these two, water and soil, it naturally moistens and sprouts. As it grows and grows further, it brings forth abundant delight.

इकडे मुळ्या धावा घेती । तिकडे अग्रें हेलावती । मुळें अग्र द्विधा होती । बीजापासून ॥ १२ ॥

On one side, the roots push downward; on the other, the shoots sway upward. In this way, from a single seed, root and shoot both come into being.

मुळ्या चालिल्या पाताळीं । अग्रें धावतीं अंतराळीं । नाना पत्रीं पुष्पीं फळीं । लगडलीं झाडें ॥ १३ ॥

The roots journey deep into the ground, while the shoots race upward into the open sky. In time, the trees become laden with countless leaves, flowers, and fruits.

फळावडिल सुमनें । सुमनांवडिल पानें । पानांवडिल अनुसंधानें । काष्ठें आघवीं ॥ १४ ॥

Senior to the fruit is the flower; senior to the flower are the leaves. And senior to the leaves, in this same chain, is the wood itself, from which all of it grows.

काष्ठांवडिल मुळ्या बारिक। मुळ्यां वडिल तें उदक । उदक आळोन कौतुक । भूमंडळाचें ॥ १५ ॥

Senior to the wood are the fine, delicate roots, and senior to the roots is water itself. It is from water, condensed and solidified, that this whole wondrous play of the earth has arisen.

याची ऐसी आहे प्रचिती । तेव्हां सकळां वडिल जगती । जगतीवडिल मूर्ती। आपोनारायायेणाची ॥१६ ॥

This much is confirmed by direct experience: senior to all things, then, is the earth itself. And senior even to the earth is the very form of Aapo-Narayana, the Lord present within water.

तयावडिल अग्निदेव । अग्निवडिल वायेदेव । वायेदेवावडिल स्वभाव । अंतरात्म्यांचा ॥ १७ ॥

Senior to that is the god of fire, and senior to fire is the god of wind. And senior even to the god of wind is the very nature of the indwelling Self itself.

सकळांवडिल अंतरात्मा। त्यासि नेणे तो दुरात्मा । दुरात्मा म्हणिजे दुरी आत्मा । अंतरला तया ॥ १८ ॥

Senior to all, then, is the indwelling Self itself; whoever fails to recognize it is a "duratma," a base soul. "Duratma" means one whose very self has become distant, estranged from its own true nature.

जवळी असोन चुकलें। प्रत्ययास नाहीं सोकलें । उगेंचि आलें आणी गेलें । देवाचकरितां ॥ १९ ॥

Though that Self is right at hand, such a person misses it, for he has never trained himself to seek direct experience. Living only because of God, he yet comes and goes pointlessly, in the endless round of birth and death.

म्हणौन सकळांवडिल देव । त्यासी होतां अनन्यभाव । मग हे प्रकृतीचा स्वभाव । पालटों लागे ॥ २० ॥

Therefore, God alone is senior to all; once one develops single-minded devotion to him, then the very nature of one's own being begins to transform.

करी आपुला व्यासंग। कदापि नव्हे ध्यानभंग । बोलणें चालणें वेंग । पडोंच नेदी ॥ २१ ॥

Such a person remains constantly absorbed in his own spiritual practice, and his meditation is never broken. He never lets even his speech or conduct falter or trip up.

जें वडिलीं निर्माण केलें । तें पाहिजे पाहिलें । काये काये वडिलीं केलें । कीती पाहावें ॥ २२ ॥

Whatever the "elder" — God himself — has created should be seen and understood. How much, indeed, can one fully explore of all that this elder has brought into being?

तो वडिल जेथें चेतला । तोचि भाग्यपुरुष जाल । अल्प चेतनें तयाला । अल्पभाग्य ॥ २३ ॥

In whomever that "elder," the Supreme Self, awakens fully, that person becomes truly fortunate. Where that awakening is only slight, fortune too remains correspondingly small.

तया नारायेणाला मनीं । अखंड आठवावें ध्यानीं । मग ते लक्ष्मी तयापासूनी । जाईल कोठें ॥ २४ ॥

One should hold that Narayana constantly in mind, in unbroken meditation. Then how could Lakshmi, prosperity itself, ever depart from such a person?

नारायेण असे विश्वीं । त्याची पूजा करीत जावी । याकारणें तोषवावी । कोणीतरी काया ॥ २५ ॥

Narayana pervades this entire universe, and he should be worshipped continually. For this reason, one should content his form in whatever way one can.

उपासना शोधून पाहिली । तों ते विश्वपाळिती जाली । न कळे लीळा परीक्षिली । न वचे कोणा ॥ २६ ॥

When one investigates the true nature of devotional worship, it turns out to be that which sustains and nurtures the whole universe. God's divine play cannot be fully understood, nor can anyone ever fully examine it.

देवाची लीळा देवेंविण । आणीक दुसरा पाहे कोण । पाहणें तितुकें आपण । देवचि असे ॥ २७ ॥

Who else, apart from God himself, could ever truly behold God's own divine play? Whatever seeing takes place is, in fact, none other than God himself.

उपासना सकळां ठाईं । आत्माराम कोठें नाहीं । याकारणें ठाइं ठाइं । रामे आटोपिलें॥ २८ ॥

Devotional worship exists everywhere, for there is nowhere that the indwelling Self, Atmaram, is absent. For this very reason, Rama has pervaded and encompassed every single place.

ऐसी माझी उपासना । आणितां नये अनुमाना । नेऊन घाली निरंजना । पैलिकडे ॥ २९ ॥

Such is my form of devotional worship — it cannot be grasped by mere guesswork. It carries a person across to the farther shore, into the pure, stainless Absolute.

देवाकरितां कर्में चालती । देवाकरितां उपासक होती । देवाकरितां ज्ञानी असती । कितियेक ॥ ३० ॥

It is because of God that all actions proceed; it is because of God that people become devoted worshippers. It is because of God, too, that so many attain true knowledge.

नाना शास्त्रें नाना मतें । देवचि बोलिला समस्तें । नेमकांनेमक वेस्तावेस्तें । कर्मानुसार ॥ ३१ ॥

All the various scriptures and various doctrines have, in truth, all been spoken by God himself. According to each person's actions, they are expressed sometimes in disciplined form and sometimes outside strict order.

देवास अवघें लागे करावें । त्यांत घेऊं ये तितुकें घ्यावें । अधिकारासारिखें चालावें । म्हणिजे बरें ॥ ३२ ॥

It is God alone who must accomplish everything; from that, one should take whatever one is able to take. It is best to act according to one's own capacity and station.

आवाहन विसर्जन । ऐसेंचि बोलिलें विधान । पूर्वपक्ष जाला येथून । सिद्धांत पुढें ॥ ३३ ॥

The rites of invocation and dismissal, too, have been prescribed in this same manner. From here, the preliminary position has been laid out, and the final conclusion will follow ahead.

वेदांत सिद्धांत धादांत । प्रचित प्रमाण नेमस्त । पंचिकर्ण सांडून हित । वाक्यार्थ पाहावा ॥ ३४ ॥

The true conclusion of Vedanta is the final, certain authority, confirmed only through direct experience. Setting aside mere discussion of the five-element compounding, one should look instead to the true meaning of the great sayings as what truly benefits one.