निर्गुण आत्मा तो निश्चळ । जैसें आकाश अंतराळ । घन दाट निर्मळ निश्चळ । सदोदित ॥ १॥

The attributeless Self is unmoving, like the vast space of the sky — dense, pure, and unchanging, always.

जें खंडलेंचि नाहीं अखंड । जें उदंडाहूनि उदंड । जें गगनाहूनि वाड । अति सूक्ष्म ॥ २॥

That which is unbroken and never fragmented, vaster than the vastest, wider than the sky itself, yet exceedingly subtle.

जें दिसेना ना भासेना । जें उपजेना ना नासेना । जें येईना ना जाईना । परब्रह्म तें ॥ ३॥

That which is not seen nor sensed, is neither born nor destroyed, neither comes nor goes — that is the Supreme Brahman.

जें चळेना ना ढळेना । जें तुटेना ना फुटेना । जें रचेना ना खचेना । परब्रह्म तें ॥ ४॥

That which never shakes or shifts, never breaks or shatters, is neither built up nor torn down — that is the Supreme Brahman.

जें सन्मुखचि सर्वकाळ । जें निष्कलंक आणि निखळ । सर्वांतर आकाश पाताळ । व्यापूनि असे ॥ ५॥

That which is ever present before us, spotless and pure, pervading everything within — sky, earth and the netherworld alike.

अविनाश तें ब्रह्म निर्गुण । नासे तें माया सगुण । सगुण आणि निर्गुण । कालवलें ॥ ६॥

What is imperishable is the attributeless Brahman, and what perishes is the qualified maya; the qualified and the unqualified appear mingled together.

या कर्दमाचा विचार । करूं जाणती योगीश्वर । जैसें क्षीर आणि नीर । राजहंस निवडिती ॥ ७॥

Only great yogis know how to discern this mixture, just as the royal swan separates milk from water.

जड सकळ पंचभौतिक । त्यामध्यें आत्मा व्यापक । तो नित्यानित्यविवेक । पाहतां कळे ॥ ८॥

The Self pervades all this inert, five-element creation; this becomes clear when one discerns between the eternal and the transient.

उंसामधील घेईजे रस । येर तें सांडिजे बाकस । तैसा जगामध्यें जगदीश । विवेकें ओळखावा ॥ ९॥

Just as one takes the juice from sugarcane and discards the pulp, so should one discern and recognize the Lord within the world.

रस नाशवंत पातळ । आत्मा शाश्वत निश्चळ । रस अपूर्ण आत्मा केवळ । परिपूर्ण जाणावा ॥ १०॥

In this analogy the juice is perishable and thin, while the Self is eternal and unmoving; the juice is incomplete, but the Self should be known as wholly perfect.

आत्म्यासारिखें एक असावें । मग तें दृष्टांतासि द्यावें । दृष्टांतमिसे समजावें । कैसें तरी ॥ ११॥

If something existed exactly like the Self, only then could a true analogy be given; as it is, one must somehow explain it through imperfect comparisons.

ऐशी आत्मस्थिति संचली । तेथें माया कैशी झाली । जैशी आकाशीं वाहिली । झुळूक वायूची ॥ १२॥

While the state of the Self pervades everything thus, how did maya then arise in it — like a breeze of wind stirring through the sky.

वायूपासून तेज झालें । तेजापासून आप निपजलें । आपापासून आकारलें । भूमंडळ ॥ १३॥

From air came fire; from fire came water; and from water the earth took shape.

भूमंडळापासून उत्पत्ती । जीव नेणों झाले किती । परंतु ब्रह्म आदि अंतीं । व्यापून आहे ॥ १४॥

From the earth countless living beings arose, beyond count; but Brahman pervades all, from beginning to end.

जें जें कांहीं निर्माण झालें । तें तें अवघेंचि नासलें । परी मुळीं ब्रह्म तें संचलें । जैसें तैसें ॥ १५॥

Whatever came into being has all perished; but Brahman at its root remains just as it always was.

घटापूर्वीं आकाश असे । घटामध्येंही आकाश भासे । घट फुटतां न नासे । आकाश जैसें ॥ १६॥

Space exists before a pot is made, space appears within the pot, and when the pot breaks, the space is not destroyed.

तैसें परब्रह्म केवळ । अचळ आणि अढळ । मध्यें होत जात सकळ । सचराचर ॥ १७॥

In the same way the Supreme Brahman alone is immovable and unshakable; within it, this whole moving and unmoving world arises and passes away.

जें जें कांहीं निर्माण झालें । तें तें आधीं ब्रह्में व्यापिलें । सर्व नासतां उरलें । अविनाश ब्रह्म ॥ १८॥

Whatever came into existence was already pervaded by Brahman beforehand; when everything else perishes, the imperishable Brahman alone remains.

ऐसें ब्रह्म अविनाश । तें सेविती ज्ञाते पुरुष । तत्त्वनिरसनें आपणास । आपण लाभे ॥ १९॥

The wise revere this imperishable Brahman; by dissolving away the principles one by one, one attains one's own true self.

तत्त्वें तत्त्व मेळविलें । त्यासि देह ऐसें नाम ठेविलें । तें जाणते पुरुषीं शोधिलें । तत्त्वें तत्त्व ॥ २०॥

What is formed by the combination of principles is given the name "body"; the wise have examined it principle by principle.

तत्त्वझाडा निःशेष होतां । तेथें निमाली देहाहंता । निर्गुण ब्रह्मीं ऐक्यता । विवेकें जाहली ॥ २१॥

When the principles are completely dissolved away, the ego of body-identity disappears, and through discernment one attains oneness with the attributeless Brahman.

विवेकें देहाकडे पाहिलें । तों तत्त्वें तत्त्व ओसरलें । आपण कांहीं नाहीं आलें । प्रत्ययासी ॥ २२॥

When the body is examined through discernment, the principles fall away one by one, and one finds through direct experience that no separate "self" remains at all.

आपला आपण शोध घेतां । आपुली तों मायिक वार्ता । तत्त्वांतीं उरलें तत्त्वता । निर्गुण ब्रह्म ॥ २३॥

When one inquires into oneself, one's own separate existence turns out to be a mere illusory notion; at the end of the principles, what truly remains is the attributeless Brahman.

आपणाविण निर्गुण ब्रह्म । हेंचि निवेदनाचें वर्म । तत्त्वासरिसा गेला भ्रम । मीतूंपणाचा ॥ २४॥

That nothing separate remains except the attributeless Brahman itself — this is the very essence of self-surrender; along with the principles, the illusion of "I" and "you" also vanishes.

मीपण पाहतां आढळेना । निर्गुण ब्रह्म तें चळेना । आपण तेंचि परी कळेना । सद्गुरूविण ॥ २५॥

When one searches for the sense of "I," it cannot be found at all, while the attributeless Brahman remains unmoved; we ourselves are that very Brahman, yet this cannot be understood without a true Guru.

सारासार अवघें शोधिलें । तों असार तें निघून गेलें । पुढें सार तें उरलें । निर्गुण ब्रह्म ॥ २६॥

When one thoroughly examines the essential and the non-essential, the non-essential falls away, and what remains as the essence is the attributeless Brahman alone.

आधीं ब्रह्म निरूपिलें । तेंचि सकळामध्यें व्यापिलें । सकळ अवघेंचि नासलें । उरलें तें केवळ ब्रह्म ॥ २७॥

Brahman, as expounded earlier, pervades everything; when everything else has perished, only Brahman alone remains.

होतां विवेकें संहार । तेथें निवडे सारासार । आपला आपणासि विचार । ठायीं पडे ॥ २८॥

When dissolution is brought about through discernment, the essential and non-essential become distinguished, and one comes to understand one's own true self.

आपण कल्पिलें मीपण । मीपण शोधितां नुरे जाण । मीपण गेलिया निर्गुण । आत्माचि स्वयें ॥ २९॥

The sense of "I" is merely one's own imagination; when sought out, it does not remain at all; once "I" is gone, only the attributeless Self remains as oneself.

झालिया तत्त्वांचें निरसन । निर्गुण आत्माचि आपण । कां दाखवावें मीपण । तत्त्वनिरसनाउपरी ॥ ३०॥

Once the principles are dissolved, one is oneself the attributeless Self; why then display any sense of "I" after such dissolution?

तत्त्वांमध्यें मीपण गेलें । तरी निर्गुण सहजचि उरलें । सोहंभावें प्रत्यया आलें । आत्मनिवेदन ॥ ३१॥

When the sense of "I" dissolves within the principles, the attributeless naturally remains; self-surrender is realized through the awareness "I am That" (soham).

आत्मनिवेदन होतां । देवभक्तांस ऐक्यता । साचार भक्त विभक्तता । सांडूनि जाहला ॥ ३२॥

When self-surrender occurs, God and devotee become one; the true devotee abandons separateness and becomes united.

निर्गुणासि नाहीं जन्ममरण । निर्गुणासि नाहीं पाप पुण्य । निर्गुणीं अनन्य होतां आपण । मुक्त जाहला ॥ ३३॥

The attributeless has neither birth nor death, neither sin nor merit; becoming one, without difference, with the attributeless, one becomes liberated.

तत्त्वीं वेंटाळूनि घेतला । प्राणी संशयें गुंडाळला । आपणास आपण भुलला । कोहं म्हणे ॥ ३४॥

Enveloped by the principles, the creature becomes wrapped in doubt, forgets his own true self, and keeps asking "Who am I?" (koham).

तत्त्वीं गुंतला म्हणे कोहं । विवेकें पाहतां म्हणे सोहं । अनन्य होतां अहं सोहं । मावळलीं ॥ ३५॥

Entangled in the principles, one asks "Who am I?"; but on looking with discernment, one says "I am That" (soham); and when true oneness dawns, even "I" and "That" both fade away.

याउपरि उर्वरित । तेंचि स्वरूप संत । देहीं असोनि देहातीत । जाणिजे ऐसा ॥ ३६॥

What remains after this is the true nature of a saint — one who, though dwelling in the body, is known to be beyond the body.

संदेहवृत्ति ते न भंगे । म्हणोनि बोलिलेंच बोलावें लागे ॥ आम्हांसि हें घडलें प्रसंगें । श्रोतीं क्षमा केली पाहिजे ॥ ३७॥

Since the listeners' habit of doubt does not break easily, the same points must be said again and again; this repetition has become necessary, and for it the listeners are asked to forgive.