जें बोलिजेती पंचतत्वें । त्यांची अभ्यासाया नावें । तदुपरी स्वानुभवें । रूपीं जाणावीं ॥ १ ॥

The five elements spoken of should first be learned by name; thereafter, through one's own direct experience, their true form should be recognized.

यामधें शाश्वत कोण । आणी अशाश्वत कोण । ऐसें करावें विवरण । प्रत्ययाचें ॥ २ ॥

Among these, what is eternal and what is not — this must be worked out through direct experience.

पंचभूतांचा विचार । नांवरूप सारासार । तोचि बोलिला निर्धार । सावध अईका ॥ ३ ॥

The discernment of the five elements — their names, forms, and the essential and non-essential within them — is now told with certainty; listen attentively.

पृथ्वी आप तेज वायो आकाश । नावें बोलिलीं सावकास । आतां रूपाचा विश्वास । श्रवणें धरावा ॥ ४ ॥

Earth, water, fire, air, space — these names have been given at leisure; now let the ear grasp confidence regarding their true forms.

पृथ्वी म्हणिजे ते धरणी । आप म्हणिजे तें पाणी । तेज म्हणिजे अग्नि तरणी । सतेजादिक ॥ ५ ॥

Earth means the solid ground, water means the liquid itself, fire means flame and the radiant sun and the like.

वायो म्हणिजे तो वारा । आकाश म्हणिजे पैस सारा । आतां शाश्वत तें विचारा । आपले मनीं॥ ६ ॥

Air means the wind, space means the entire vast expanse; now consider within your own mind which among these is truly eternal.

येक शीत चांचपावें। म्हणिजे वर्म पडे ठावें । तैसें थोड्या अनुभवें । बहुत जाणावे ॥ ७ ॥

A small test reveals the whole secret; likewise, from a little experience much can be understood.

पृथ्वी रचतें आणि खचतें । हें तों प्रत्ययास येतें । नाना रचना होत जाते । सृष्टिमधें ॥ ८ ॥

Earth both forms and crumbles — this comes to direct experience; various formations keep happening continually within creation.

म्हणौन रचतें तें खचतें । आप तें हि आटोन जाते । तेज हि प्रगटोन विझतें । वारें हि राहे ॥९ ॥

Whatever is formed also crumbles; water too dries up, fire too flares and is extinguished, and wind too eventually subsides.

अवकाश नाममात्र आहे । तें हि विचारिता न राहे । एवं पंचभूतिक राहे । हें तों घडेना ॥ १० ॥

Space exists in name only; even that, on examination, does not remain; thus none of the five elements can be said to endure.

ऐसा पांचा भूतांचा हा विस्तार । नासिवंत हा निर्धार । शाश्वत आत्मा निराकार । सत्य जाणावा ॥ ११ ॥

Thus this whole expanse of the five elements is certainly perishable; know that the formless, eternal Atman alone is the truth.

तो आत्मा कोणास कळेना । ज्ञानेंविण आकळेना । म्हणोनियां संतजना । विचारावें ॥ १२ ॥

That Atman cannot be easily grasped by anyone; without true knowledge it cannot be comprehended, so one should inquire of the saints about it.

विचारितां सज्जनांसी । ते म्हणती कीं अविनासी । जन्म मृत्यु आत्मयासी । बोलोंच नये ॥ १३ ॥

When asked, the saints say that the Atman is imperishable; one should never even speak of birth and death in relation to it.

निराकारीं भासे आकर । आणी आकारीं भासे निराकार । निराकार आणी आकार । विवेकें वोळखावा ॥ १४ ॥

In the formless, form appears to arise, and in form the formless appears; one must discern the formless from the form through careful reasoning.

निराकार जाणावा नित्य । आकार जाणावा अनित्य । यास बोलिजे नित्यानित्य । विचारणा ॥ १५ ॥

The formless should be understood as eternal, and form as non-eternal; this very inquiry is called the discernment of the permanent and the impermanent.

सारीं भासे असार । आणि असारीं भासे सार । सारासार विचार । शोधून पाहावा ॥ १६ ॥

In the essential the non-essential appears, and in the non-essential the essential appears; this discernment of essence and non-essence must be sought out and examined closely.

पंचभूतिक तें माइक । परंतु भासे अनेक । आणि आत्मा येक । व्यापून असे ॥ १७ ॥

All that is made of the five elements is illusory, yet it appears in countless forms; whereas the Atman, being one, pervades it all.

चहुं भूतांमधें गगन । तैसें गगनीं असे सघन । नेहटून पाहतां अभिन्न । गगन आणि वस्तु ॥ १८ ॥

As space pervades the four elements, so too the dense object exists within space; examined closely, space and substance are not truly different.

उपाधीयोगेंचि आकाश । उपाधी नस्तां निराभास । निराभास तें अविनाश । तैसें गगन ॥ १९ ॥

Space appears to take form only through its association with a limiting adjunct; without that adjunct it remains without appearance, and being without appearance, it is imperishable — such is space as an example.

आतां असो हे विवंचना । परंतु जें पाहातां नासेना । तें गे तेंचि अनुमाना । विवेकें आणावें ॥ २० ॥

Let this deliberation rest here for now; but that which, however closely examined, never perishes — that alone should be brought to mind through careful reasoning.

परमात्मा तो निराकार । जाणिजे हा विचार सार । आणी आपण कोण हा विचार । पाहिला पाहिजे ॥ २१ ॥

Know that the Supreme Self is formless — this is the essential truth to grasp; and one must also examine the question of who oneself truly is.

देहास अंत येतां । वायो जातो तत्वता । हें लटिकें म्हणाल तरी आतां । स्वासोस्वास धारावा ॥ २२ ॥

When the body meets its end, the vital air truly departs; if this seems untrue, one should observe one's own breathing right now.

स्वास कोंडतां देह पडे । देह पडतां म्हणती मडें । मड्यास कर्तुत्व न घडे । कदाकाळीं ॥ २३ ॥

When the breath is obstructed the body falls; once fallen, it is called a corpse; a corpse can never, under any circumstance, perform any action.

देहावेगळा वायो न करी । वायोवेगळा देह न करी । विचार पाहातां कांहींच न करी । येकावेगळें येक ॥ २४ ॥

Air cannot exist apart from the body, nor can the body exist apart from air; examined closely, neither can do anything at all without the other.

उगेंच पाहातं मनुष्य दिसे । विचार घेतां कांहीं नसे । अभेदभक्तीचें लक्षण ऐसें । वोळखावें ॥ २५ ॥

Looked at superficially, a person appears to be there, but on examination nothing independent remains; this is the very mark of non-dual devotion — one should recognize it.

कर्ता आपण ऐसे म्हणावें । तरी आपलें इछेसारिखें व्हावें । इछेसारिखें न होतां मानावें । अवघेंच वाव ॥ २६ ॥

If one says 'I am the doer,' then things should happen exactly as one wishes; but since they do not, one must accept that all such doership is in vain.

म्हणोन कर्ता नव्हे किं आपण । तेथें भोक्ता कैंचा कोण । हें विचाराचें लक्षण । अविचारें न घडे ॥ २७ ॥

Therefore one is in truth not the doer at all — then who, indeed, is the enjoyer? This mark of true discernment can never be reached without careful reasoning.

अविचार आणि विचार । जैसा प्रकाश अंधकार । विकार आणि निर्विकार । येक नव्हे कीं ॥ २८ ॥

Non-discernment and discernment are as different as darkness and light; change and changelessness are certainly not the same.

जेथें नाहीं विवंचना । तेथें कांहींच चालेना । खरें तेंचि अनुमाना । कदा न ये ॥ २९ ॥

Where there is no careful reasoning, nothing at all can proceed; what is truly real can never be grasped merely by inference.

प्रत्ययास बोलिजे न्याये । अप्रत्यये तो अन्याये । जात्यांधास परीक्षा काये । नाना रत्नाची ॥ ३० ॥

What is confirmed by direct experience alone should be called valid; what lacks that experience is invalid — what use is judging fine gems to a man born blind?

म्हणोन ज्ञाता धन्य धन्य । जो निर्गुणेंसी अनन्य । आत्मनिवेदनें मान्य । परम पुरुष ॥ ३१ ॥

Therefore that knower alone is truly blessed, who has become wholly one with the attributeless; through total self-surrender, such a supreme person attains true recognition.