मुळींहून सेवटवरी । विस्तार बोलिला नानापरी । पुन्हा विवरत विरत माघारी । वृत्ति न्यावी ॥ १ ॥

From the very root to the very end, this expanse has been described in many ways. Now, unfolding it once more, one should turn the mind back and lead it toward its source.

च्यारी खाणी च्यारी वाणी । चौर्‍यासी लक्ष जीवयोनी । नाना प्रकारीचे प्राणी । जन्मास येती ॥ २ ॥

Four wombs, four kinds of speech, and eighty-four lakh species of living beings — beings of every sort come to be born through these.

अवघे होती पृथ्वीपासूनी । पृथ्वीमधें जाती नासोनी । अनेक येती जाती परी अवनी । तैसीच आहे ॥ ३ ॥

All of them arise from the earth, and in the earth they perish again. Many come and many go, yet the earth itself remains just as it was.

ऐसें हें सेंड्याकडिल खांड । दुसरें भूतांचें बंड । तिसरें नामाभिधानें उदंड । सूक्ष्मरूपें ॥ ४ ॥

This, then, is one gross portion of creation; the mass of the five elements is the second; and the countless names and forms in their subtle state form the third.

स्थूळ अवघें सांडून द्यावें । सूक्ष्मरूपें वोळखावें । गुणापासून पाहिलेच पाहावें । सूक्ष्मदृष्टीं ॥ ५ ॥

One should set aside everything gross and come to recognize the subtle form instead. Starting from the gunas, one must keep examining everything again with a subtle eye.

गुणाचीं रूपें जाणिव नेणीव । पाहिलाच पाहावा अभिप्राव । सूक्ष्मदृष्टीचें लाघव । येथून पुढें ॥ ६ ॥

The forms of the gunas are, essentially, awareness and non-awareness; their true import must be examined again and again. The skill of the subtle eye will now be explained from here on.

शुद्ध नेणीव तमोगुण । शुद्ध जाणीव सत्वगुण । जाणीवनेणीव रजोगुण । मिश्रित चालिला ॥ ७ ॥

Pure non-awareness is tamoguna, pure awareness is sattvaguna, and rajoguna is the mixture of the two, made up of both awareness and non-awareness together.

त्रिगुणाचीं रूपें ऐसीं । कळों लागलीं अपैसीं । गुणापुढील कर्दमासी । गुणक्षोभिणी बोलिजे ॥ ८ ॥

In this way the forms of the three gunas come to be understood on their own. The still more subtle, blended state that precedes even the gunas is called Gunakshobhini.

रज तम आणि सत्व । तिहींचें जेथें गूढत्व । तें जाणिजे महत्तत्त्व । कर्दमरूप ॥ ९ ॥

The state in which rajas, tamas, and sattva lie hidden together, still unmanifest, is what should be recognized as Mahattattva — a blended, undifferentiated condition.

प्रकृती पुरुष शिवशक्ति । अर्धनारीनटेश्वर म्हणती । परी याची स्वरूपस्थिती । कर्दमरूप ॥ १० ॥

Prakriti-Purusha, Shiva-Shakti, Ardhanarinateshwar — it is called by many such names. But its actual condition is, in truth, that blended, undifferentiated state.

सूक्ष्मरूपें गुणसौम्य । त्यास बोलिजे गुणसाम्य । तैसेंचि चैतन्य अगम्य । सूक्ष्मरूपी ॥ ११ ॥

In its subtle form the gunas are mild and balanced; this state is called Gunasamya. Likewise, consciousness itself, in this subtle form, remains elusive and hard to grasp.

बहुजिनसी मूळमाया । माहांकारण ब्रह्मांडीची काया । ऐसिया सूक्ष्म अन्वया । पाहिलेंचि पाहावें ॥ १२ ॥

The root-maya, of many varied forms, is itself the causal body, as it were, of the whole universe. This subtle connection must be examined again and again.

च्यारी खाणी पांच भूतें । चौदा सूक्ष्म संकेतें । काये पाहणें तें येथें । शोधून पाहावें ॥ १३ ॥

Four wombs, five elements, and fourteen subtle principles indicated by names — exactly what must be looked into here should be searched out and examined.

आहाच पाहातां कळेना । गरज केल्यां समजेना । नाना प्रकारीं जनाच्या मना । संदेह पडती ॥ १४ ॥

Looked at casually, this cannot be understood; even rushing at it does not bring understanding. That is why doubts of every kind arise in people's minds.

चौदा पांच येकोणीस । येकोणीस च्यारी तेविस । यांमधें मूळ चतुर्दश । पाहिलेंचि पाहावें ॥ १५ ॥

Fourteen and five make nineteen, and nineteen plus four make twenty-three; but among these, the original fourteen subtle principles must be examined again and again.

जो विवरोन समजला । तेथें संदेह नाहीं उरला । समजल्याविण जो गल्बला । तो निरर्थक ॥ १६ ॥

One who comes to understand this through careful reflection has no doubt left. But one who merely makes a fuss without understanding is wasting his effort.

सकळ सृष्टीचें बीज । मूळमायेंत असे सहज । अवघें समजतां सज्ज । परमार्थ होतो ॥ १७ ॥

The seed of the entire creation lies naturally contained within the root-maya itself. Once all of this is understood, one becomes truly ready for the spiritual path.

समजलें माणूस चावळेना । निश्चै अनुमान धरीना । सावळगोंदा करीना । परमार्थ कदा ॥ १८ ॥

A person who has truly understood this does not chatter needlessly, does not rely on mere conjecture, and never makes a confused muddle of the spiritual path.

शब्दातीत बोलतां आलें । त्यास वाच्यांश बोलिलें । शुद्ध लक्ष्यांश लक्षिलें । पाहिजे विवेकें ॥ १९ ॥

That which is beyond words, when spoken of, is expressed only through its literal, word-bound aspect. Its true, indicated meaning must be grasped only through discernment.

पूर्वपक्ष म्हणिजे माया । सिद्धांतें जाये विलया । माया नस्तां मग तया । काये म्हणावें ॥ २० ॥

The 'prior position' in debate stands for maya, which dissolves once the final conclusion (Brahman) is established. And once maya is gone, what indeed should one call what remains?

अन्वये आणी वीतरेक । हा पूर्वपक्षाचा विवेक । सिद्धांत म्हणिजे शुद्ध येक । दुसरें नाहीं ॥ २१ ॥

Positive and negative concomitance (anvaya-vyatireka) belong to the reasoning of the prior position. The final conclusion, however, is one alone, pure and without a second.

अधोमुखें भेद वाढतो । ऊर्धमुखें भेद तुटतो । निःसंगपणें निर्गुणी तो । माहांयोगी ॥ २२ ॥

Turning the mind downward toward the world increases duality; turning it upward toward Brahman dissolves duality. He who, remaining unattached, becomes one with the attributeless is the true great yogi.

माया मिथ्या ऐसी कळली । तरी मग भीड कां लागली । मायेचें भिडेनें घसरली । स्वरूपस्थिती ॥ २३ ॥

If maya is known to be unreal, then why still feel bound by regard for it? It is this very deference to maya that makes one slip away from the true state of one's own real nature.

लटके मायेनें दपटावें । सत्य परब्रह्म सांडावें । मुख्य निश्चयें हिंडावें । कासयासी ॥ २४ ॥

Why should one be overawed by illusory maya, abandon the real, supreme Brahman, and wander about aimlessly, forsaking the one essential certainty?

पृथ्वीमधें बहुत जन । त्यामधें असती सज्जन । परी साधूस वोळखतो कोण । साधुवेगळा ॥ २५ ॥

There are countless people on this earth, and among them are the virtuous; but who, other than a saint himself, can truly recognize a saint?

म्हणौन संसार सांडावा । मग साधूचा शोध घ्यावा । फिरफिरों ठाइं पाडावा । साधुजन ॥ २६ ॥

Therefore one should give up attachment to worldly life and then seek out a true saint. One must wander about again and again until such a true saint is truly found.

उदंड हुडकावे संत । सांपडे प्रचितीचा महंत । प्रचितीविण स्वहित । होणार नाहीं ॥ २७ ॥

Only after extensive searching does one find a saint established in direct realization. Without such direct realization, one's own true good can never be achieved.

प्रपंच अथवा परमार्थ । प्रचितीविण अवघें वेर्थ । प्रत्ययेज्ञानी तो समर्थ । सकळांमध्यें ॥ २८ ॥

Whether in worldly life or in the spiritual path, without direct realization everything is futile. One who possesses knowledge born of direct experience is truly the most capable of all.

रात्रंदिवस पाहावा अर्थ । अर्थ पाहेल तो समर्थ । परलोकींच निजस्वार्थ । तेथेंचि घडे ॥ २९ ॥

Day and night one should keep seeking this true meaning; whoever seeks it out becomes truly capable. And it is there, in that very seeking, that one's real good in the world beyond is accomplished.

म्हणौन पाहिलेंचि पाहावें । आणि शोधिलेंचि शोधावें । अवघें कळतां स्वभावें । संदेह तुटती ॥ ३० ॥

Therefore one should look again and again at what has already been seen, and search again and again into what has already been searched. Doing so, everything comes to be understood naturally, and all doubts are dispelled.