ऐका उपदेशाचीं लक्षणें । सायुज्यप्राप्ति होय जेणें । नाना मतांचें पेखणें । कामा नये सर्वथा ॥ १॥

Listen to the marks of that teaching which leads to union with God; merely displaying various doctrines is of no use at all.

ब्रह्मज्ञानावीण उपदेश । तो म्हणों नये विशेष । धान्येविण जैसें भूस । खातां नये ॥ २॥

A teaching without knowledge of Brahman should not be regarded as significant, just as mere husk without grain cannot be eaten.

नाना काबाड बडविलें । नातरी तक्रचि घुसळिलें । अथवा धुवणचि सेविलें । सावकाश ॥ ३॥

It is like carrying mere burden, or churning only buttermilk with no butter in it, or leisurely sipping only dishwater.

नाना साली भक्षिल्या । अथवा चोइट्या चोखिल्या । खोबरें सांडून खादल्या । नरोट्या जैशा ॥ ४॥

It is like eating only the peels of fruit, sucking only the discarded rind, or eating the coconut shell while throwing away the kernel.

तैसें ब्रह्मज्ञानाविण । नाना उपदेशांचा शीण । सार सांडून असार कोण । शहाणा सेवी ॥ ५॥

In the same way, without knowledge of Brahman, all other teachings are mere toil; what wise person discards the essence and takes up the worthless husk?

आतां ब्रह्म जें कां निर्गुण । तेंचि केलें निरूपण । सुचित करावें अंतःकरण । श्रोतेजनीं ॥ ६॥

Now the exposition of the attributeless Brahman follows; let the listeners make their minds attentive.

सकळ सृष्टीची रचना । तें हें पंचभौतिक जाणा । परंतु हें तगेना । सर्वकाळ ॥ ७॥

Know that the entire structure of creation is made of the five elements; but this does not last forever.

आदि अंतीं ब्रह्म निर्गुण । तेचि शाश्वताची खूण । येर पंचभौतिक सगुण । नाशवंत ॥ ८॥

At beginning and end, only the attributeless Brahman remains — that is the mark of the eternal; the rest, the qualified world of five elements, is perishable.

येरवीं हीं पाहतां भूतें । देव कैसें म्हणावें त्यांतें । भूत म्हणतां मनुष्यांतें । विषाद वाटे ॥ ९॥

Looking merely at these elements, how can they be called God? Indeed, if people are called mere "elements," they feel offended.

मा तो जगन्नाथ परमात्मा । त्यासि आणि भूतउतपमा । ज्याचा कळेना महिमा । ब्रह्मादिकांसी ॥ १०॥

How then can the Lord of the universe, the Supreme Self, be compared to mere elements — He whose glory even Brahma and the other gods cannot fathom?

भूतां ऐसा जगदीश । म्हणतां उत्पन्न होतो दोष । याकारणें महापुरुष । सर्व जाणती ॥ ११॥

To call the Lord of the world merely like the elements is a fault; therefore great sages understand this matter fully.

पृथ्वी आप तेज वायु आकाश । यां सबाह्य जगदीश । पंचभूतांस आहे नाश । आत्मा अविनाशरूपी ॥ १२॥

Earth, water, fire, air and ether — the Lord of the world pervades them all, within and without; the five elements perish, but the Self is imperishable.

जें जें रूप आणि नाम । तो तो अवघाच भ्रम । नामरूपातीत वर्म । अनुभवें जाणावें ॥ १३॥

Whatever has name and form is nothing but illusion; the truth beyond name and form must be known through direct experience.

पंचभूतें आणि त्रिगुण । ऐशी अष्टधा प्रकृति जाण । अष्टधा प्रकृतीस नामाभिधान । दृश्य ऐसें ॥ १४॥

The five elements together with the three qualities make up the eightfold nature (prakriti); this eightfold nature is what is called the "visible world."

तें हें दृश्य नाशिवंत । ऐसें वेद श्रुति बोलत । निर्गुण ब्रह्म शाश्वत । जाणती ज्ञानी ॥ १५॥

The Vedas and scriptures declare that this visible world is perishable; the knowers of truth understand that the attributeless Brahman alone is eternal.

जें शस्त्रें तोडितां तुटेना । जें पावकें जाळितां जळेना । जें कालवितां कालवेना । आपेंकरूनी ॥ १६॥

That which cannot be cut by any weapon, cannot be burned by fire, and cannot be dissolved in water —

जें वायूचेनि उडेना । जें पडेना ना झडेना । जें घडेना ना दडेना । परब्रह्म तें ॥ १७॥

which cannot be blown away by wind, does not fall or decay, is neither made nor hidden — that is the Supreme Brahman.

ज्यासि वर्णचि नसे । जें सर्वांहूनि अनारिसें । परंतु असतचि असे । सर्वकाळ ॥ १८॥

That which has no color at all, which is unlike everything else, yet which exists continuously at all times.

दिसेना तरी काय झालें । परंतु सर्वत्र संचलें । सूक्ष्मचि कोंदाटलें । जेथें तेथें ॥ १९॥

What does it matter that it is not seen? It pervades everything, densely filling every place in its subtle form.

दृष्टीस लागली सवे । जें दिसेल तेंचि पहावें । परंतु गुज तें जाणावें । गौप्य आहे ॥ २०॥

The eye is habituated to seeing only what appears before it; but one must understand that the real secret lies hidden.

प्रगट तें जाणावें असार । आणि गुप्त तें जाणावें सार । सद्गुरुमुखें हा विचार । उमजों लागे ॥ २१॥

What is manifest should be known as the non-essential, and what is hidden should be known as the essence; this understanding begins to dawn through the words of the true Guru.

उमजेना तें उमजावें । दिसेना तें पहावें । जें कळेना तें जाणावें । विवेकबळें ॥ २२॥

What does not become clear should be made clear; what is not seen should be seen; what cannot be understood should be grasped through the strength of discernment.

गुप्त तेंचि प्रगटवावें । असाध्य तेंचि साधावें । कानडेंचि अभ्यासावें । सावकाश ॥ २३॥

What is hidden should be revealed; what seems unattainable should be attained; what is most difficult should be patiently mastered.

वेद विरंचि आणि शेष । जेथें शिणले निःशेष । तेंचि साधावें विशेष । परब्रह्म तें ॥ २४॥

That before which even the Vedas, Brahma, and Shesha grew utterly exhausted (in trying to describe it) — that very Supreme Brahman must be specially attained.

तरी तें कवणें परी साधावें । तेंचि बोलिलें स्वभावें । अध्यात्मश्रवणें पावावें । परब्रह्म तें ॥ २५॥

How then is it to be attained? That is now explained plainly: through hearing spiritual teaching (adhyatma-shravana), that Supreme Brahman is reached.

पृथ्वी नव्हे आप नव्हे । तेज नव्हे वायु नव्हे । वर्णव्यक्ति ऐसें नव्हे । अव्यक्त तें ॥ २६॥

It is not earth, not water, not fire, not air; it is not any manifest thing with color and form — it is the unmanifest.

तयास म्हणावें देव । वरकड लोकांचा स्वभाव । जितुके गांव तितुके देव । जनांकारणें ॥ २७॥

That alone should be called God. The way of ordinary people, however, is such that they hold as many gods as there are villages.

ऐसा देवाचा निश्चयो झाला । देव निर्गुण प्रत्यया आला । आतां आपणचि आपला । शोध घ्यावा ॥ २८॥

Thus the nature of God has been established, and the attributeless God has been confirmed by experience; now one must seek out one's own self.

माझें शरीर ऐसें म्हणतो । तरी तो जाण देहावेगळाचि तो । मन माझें ऐसें जाणतो । तरी तो मनही नव्हे ॥ २९॥

One who says "my body" is thereby separate from the body itself; one who is aware of "my mind" is thereby not the mind either.

पाहतां देहाचा विचार । अवघा तत्त्वांचा विस्तार । तत्त्वें तत्त्व झाडितां सार । आत्माचि उरे ॥ ३०॥

On examining the body, it turns out to be nothing but an expansion of the principles (tattvas); when each principle is removed one by one, only the Self remains.

आपणासि ठावचि नाहीं । तेथें पाहणें नलगे कांहीं । तत्त्वें ठायींच्या ठायीं । विभागूनि गेलीं ॥ ३१॥

In those principles the self has no place at all — there is nothing further to look for; each principle has resolved back into its own source.

बांधली आहे तों गांठोडी । जो कोणी विचारें सोडी । विचार पाहतां गांठोडी । आढळेना ॥ ३२॥

This body is like a tied bundle; whoever unties it through inquiry finds, upon examination, that the bundle itself cannot be found at all.

तत्त्वांचें गांठोडें शरीर । याचा पाहतां विचार । एक आत्मा निरंतर । आपण नाहीं ॥ ३३॥

The body is a bundle of principles; on examining it, only the one eternal Self remains — there is no separate "I" at all.

आपणासि ठावचि नाहीं । जन्म मृत्यु कैंचे काई । पाहतां वस्तूच्या ठायीं । पाप पुण्य नसे ॥ ३४॥

When the self itself has no separate place, how can there be birth or death? Looking into that Reality, there is no sin or merit at all.

पाप पुण्य यमयातना । हें निर्गुणीं तों असेना । आपण तोचि तरी जन्ममरणा । ठावो कैंचा ॥ ३५॥

Sin, merit, the torments of death — none of these exist in the attributeless; and if we ourselves are that very attributeless reality, then where is there any room for birth and death?

देहबुद्धीनें बांधला । तो विवेकें मोकळा केला । देहातीत होतां पावला । मोक्षपद ॥ ३६॥

The one bound by body-consciousness is freed through discernment; on transcending identification with the body, he attains the state of liberation.

झालें जन्माचें सार्थक । निर्गुण आत्मा आपण एक । परंतु हा विवेक । पाहिलाचि पहावा ॥ ३७॥

Thus the purpose of birth is fulfilled — one realizes oneself to be the one attributeless Self; but this discernment must be practiced again and again.

जागें होतां स्वप्न सरे । विवेक पाहतां दृश्य ओसरे । स्वरूपानुसंधानें तरे । प्राणिमात्र ॥ ३८॥

Just as a dream ends on waking, the visible world recedes when discernment is applied; through constant remembrance of one's true nature, every living being crosses over this worldly ocean.

आपणास निवेदावें । आपण विवेकें नुरावें । आत्मनिवेदन जाणावें । याचें नांव ॥ ३९॥

One should surrender oneself completely, so that through discernment no separate "I" remains — this is what is called self-surrender (atma-nivedana).

आधीं अध्यात्मश्रवण । मग सद्गुरुपादसेवन । पुढें आत्मनिवेदन । सद्गुरुप्रसादें ॥ ४०॥

First comes hearing spiritual teaching, then service at the feet of the true Guru, and finally, by the Guru's grace, self-surrender.

आत्मनिवेदनाउपरी । निखळ वस्तु निरंतरी । आपण आत्मा हा अंतरीं । बोध जाहला ॥ ४१॥

After self-surrender, only the pure Reality remains, unceasing; the realization dawns within that "I myself am the Self."

त्या ब्रह्मबोधें ब्रह्मचि झाला । संसारखेद तो उडाला । देह प्रारब्धीं टाकिला । सावकाश ॥ ४२॥

Through that realization of Brahman, he himself becomes Brahman; the sorrow of worldly life vanishes, and the body is left to run its course by prarabdha, calmly.

यासि म्हणिजे आत्मज्ञान । येणें पाविजे समाधान । परब्रह्मीं अभिन्न । भक्तचि जाहला ॥ ४३॥

This is called Self-knowledge; through it one attains true contentment; such a devotee becomes one, undivided, with the Supreme Brahman.

आतां होणार तें होईना कां । आणि जाणार तें जाईना कां । तुटली मनांतील आशंका । जन्ममृत्यूची ॥ ४४॥

Now, let what is to happen happen or not, let what is to pass pass or not — the inner doubt about birth and death has simply been dissolved.

संसारीं पुंडावें चुकलें । देवां भक्तां ऐक्य झालें । मुख्य देवासि ओळखिलें । सत्संगेंकरूनी ॥ ४५॥

The tangle of worldly existence is resolved; devotee and God become one; through the company of the good, the true God is recognized.