ऐका सारासार विचार । उभारलें जगडंबर । त्यांत कोण सार कोण असार । विवेकें वोळखावा ॥ १ ॥

Listen to the discernment of essence and non-essence: within this vast world that has arisen, one must discern by reason what is essential and what is not.

दिसेल तें नासेल । आणि येईल तें जाईल । जें असतचि असेल । तेंचि सार ॥ २ ॥

Whatever is visible will perish, and whatever arrives will depart; only that which always simply is — that alone is the essence.

मागां आत्मानात्माविवेक बोलिला । अनात्मा वोळखोन सांडिला । आत्मा जाणतां लागला । मुळींचा मूळतंतु ॥ ३ ॥

Earlier the discernment of Self and not-Self was told, and the not-Self, once recognized, was set aside; in knowing the Self, the original thread at the root was grasped.

मुळीं जे राहिली वृत्ति । जाली पाहिले निवृत्ति । सारासार विचार श्रोतीं । बरा पाहावा ॥ ४॥

The mental tendency that originally remained is now seen to have ceased; let listeners examine this discernment of essence and non-essence carefully.

नित्यानित्य विवेक केला । आत्मा नित्यसा निवडिला । निवृतीरूपें हेत उरला । निराकारीं ॥५ ॥

Weighing the permanent against the impermanent, the Atman was singled out as the eternal one; in the form of cessation, only awareness remained, resting in the formless.

हेत म्हणिजे तो चंचळ । निर्गुण म्हणिजे निश्चळ । सारासारविचारें चंचळ । होऊन जातें ॥ ६॥

Awareness itself is restless, while the attributeless is utterly still; carried through the discernment of essence and non-essence, even that restlessness eventually dissolves.

चळे म्हणोनि तें चंचळ । न चळे म्हणोनि निश्चळ । निश्चळीं उडे चंचळ । निश्चयेसीं ॥ ७ ॥

What moves is called restless, what does not move is called still; examined with certainty, the restless is seen to merge back into the still.

ज्ञान आणि उपासना । दोनी येकचि पाहाना । उपासनेकरितां जना । जगोद्धार ॥ ८ ॥

Knowledge and devotion (upasana) should be understood as one and the same; it is through devotion that people find their deliverance.

द्रष्टा साक्षी जाणता । ज्ञानधन चैतन्यसत्ता । ज्ञान देवचि तत्वता । बरें पाहा ॥ ९ ॥

The witness, the seer, the knower, the wealth of knowledge, and the power of consciousness — examined closely, knowledge itself is truly God.

त्या ज्ञानाचें विज्ञान होतें । शोधून पाहा बहुत मतें । चंचळ अवघें नासतें । येणें प्रकारें ॥ १० ॥

One must search out, through many viewpoints, what that special realization (vijnana) of knowledge actually is; in this way everything restless is found to perish.

नासिवंत नासेल किं नासेना । ऐसा अनुमानचि आहे मना । तरी तो पुरुष सहसा ज्ञाना । अधिकार नव्हे ॥ ११ ॥

If a person still doubts whether the perishable will perish or not, then that person is not truly fit for real knowledge.

नित्य निश्चये केला । संदेह उरतचि गेला । तरी तो जाणावा वाहावला । माहा मृगजळीं ॥ १२ ॥

If, despite settling the truth of the eternal, doubt still lingers in the mind, know that such a person has drifted away in a great mirage.

क्षयेचि नाहीं जो अक्षई । व्यापकपणें सर्वां ठाईं । तेथे हेत संदेह नाहीं । निर्विकारीं ॥ १३ ॥

That which never decays, which pervades everything equally — regarding that changeless reality, no intent or doubt remains.

जें उदंड घनदाट । आद्य मध्य सेवट । अचळ अढळ अतुट । जैसें तैसें ॥ १४ ॥

That which is vast and dense, the same at its beginning, middle, and end, unmoving, unshakable and unbreakable — it simply remains as it is.

पाहातां जैसें गगन । गगनाहून तें सघन । जनचि नाहीं निरंजन । सदोदित ॥ १५ ॥

Looked at, it resembles the sky, yet it is denser than the sky itself; there is no separate person there at all — it remains forever pure and untainted.

चर्मचक्षु ज्ञानचक्षु । हा तों अवघाच पूर्वपक्षु । निर्गुण ठाईंचा अलक्षु । लक्षवेना ॥ १६ ॥

Whether one uses the eye of flesh or the eye of knowledge, both remain only preliminary arguments; that attributeless, invisible reality cannot be grasped by any kind of seeing.

संगत्यागेंविण कांहीं । परब्रह्म होणार नाहीं । संगत्याग करून पाहीं । मौन्यगर्भा ॥ १७ ॥

Without giving up attachment, one cannot attain the supreme Brahman; so renounce all attachment and look into the very depth of silence.

निर्शतां अवघेंचि निर्शलें । चंचळ तितुकें निघोन गेलें। निश्चळ परब्रह्म उरलें । तेंचि सार ॥ १८ ॥

Everything that was perishable has vanished, all that was restless has departed; what remains — the still, supreme Brahman — is the true essence.

आठवा देह मूळ माया । निर्शोन गेल्या अष्टकाया । साधु सांगती उपाया । कृपाळुपणें ॥ १९॥

The eighth body is the root Maya itself; once all eight bodies have dissolved, the saints, out of compassion, point to this very remedy.

सोहं हंसा तत्वमसी । तें ब्रह्म तूं आहेसी । विचार पाहातां स्थिति ऐसी । सहजचि होते ॥ २० ॥

'Soham,' 'Hamsa,' 'Tat tvam asi' — meaning 'You are that Brahman' — reflecting on this, such a state is reached quite naturally.

साधक असोन ब्रह्म उरलें। तेथें वृत्तिसुन्य जालें। सारासार विचारिलें । येणें प्रकारें ॥ २१ ॥

The seeker's separate identity ends and only Brahman remains, where even the mind's tendency becomes void; in this way the discernment of essence and non-essence is completed.

तें तापेना ना निवेना । उजळेना ना काळवंडेना । डहुळेना ना निवळेना । परब्रह्म तें ॥२२ ॥

That supreme Brahman neither heats nor cools, neither brightens nor darkens, neither gets disturbed nor settles — it simply is.

दिसेना ना भासेना । उपजेना ना नासेना । तें येना ना जाईना । परब्रह्म तें ॥ २३ ॥

That Brahman is neither seen nor appears, neither is born nor perishes, neither comes nor goes.

तें भिजेना ना वाळेना । तें विझेना ना जळेना। जयास कोणीच नेईना । परब्रह्म तें ॥२४ ॥

It neither gets wet nor dries, neither is extinguished nor burns; no one can carry it away — such is that supreme Brahman.

जें सन्मुखचि चहुंकडे । जेथें दृश्य भास उडे । धन्य साधु तो पवाडे । निर्विकारीं ॥ २५ ॥

That which faces every direction at once, where the very appearance of the visible world dissolves — the saint who moves in that changeless state is truly blessed.

निर्विकल्पीं कल्पनातीत । तोचि वोळखावा संत । येर अवघेचि असंत । भ्रमरूप ॥ २६ ॥

One who is beyond all thought and imagination alone should be called a true saint; all the rest, caught in illusion, are not saints at all.

खोटें सांडून खरें घ्यावें । तरीच परीक्षवंत म्हणावें असार सांडून सार घ्यावें । परब्रह्म तें ॥ २७ ॥

Only one who discards the false and accepts the true deserves to be called discerning; what remains when the non-essential is dropped and the essence is kept — that alone is the supreme Brahman.

जाणतां जाणतां जाणीव जाते । आपली वृत्ति तद्‌रूप होते । आत्मनिवेदन भक्ति ते । ऐसी आहे॥ २८ ॥

As one keeps knowing, the very act of knowing dissolves, and one's own mind-tendency becomes one with that reality; this itself is the true devotion of total self-surrender.

वाच्यांशें भक्ति मुक्ति बोलावी । लक्ष्यांशें तद्‌रूपता विवरावी । विवरतां हेतु नुरावी । ते तद्रूपता ॥ २९॥

In its literal sense one may speak of devotion and liberation, but in its deeper sense one must unfold that state of oneness; as it unfolds, even the sense of a separate intention disappears — that itself is true oneness.

सद्रूप चिद्रूप आणि तद्रूप । सस्वरूप म्हणिजे आपलें रूप । आपलें रूप म्हणिजे अरूप । तत्वनिर्शनाउपरी ॥ ३० ॥

Being, consciousness, and that very oneness together are one's own true nature; and one's true nature is formless, what remains once every category has been fully dissolved.