Chapter 1: Om and the four states of the Self

ओमित्येतदक्षरमिदँसर्वं तस्योपव्याख्यानभूतं भवद् भविष्यदिति सर्वमोङ्कार एव ।
यच्चान्यत् त्रिकालातीतं तदप्योङ्कार एव

omityetadakṣaramidam̐sarvaṃ tasyopavyākhyānabhūtaṃ bhavad bhaviṣyaditi sarvamoṅkāra eva |
yaccānyat trikālātītaṃ tadapyoṅkāra eva

Om: this syllable is all this. Here is its explanation. What was, what is and what will be, all is Om alone. And whatever else lies beyond the three times, that too is Om.

सर्वं ह्येतद् ब्रह्मायमात्मा ब्रह्म सोऽयमात्मा चतुष्पात्

sarvaṃ hyetad brahmāyamātmā brahma so'yamātmā catuṣpāt

All this is Brahman. This Self is Brahman. This Self has four quarters.

जागरितस्थानो बहिःप्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः स्थूलभुग्वैश्वानरः प्रथमः पादः

jāgaritasthāno bahiḥprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥ sthūlabhugvaiśvānaraḥ prathamaḥ pādaḥ

The first quarter is Vaishvanara, whose field is waking. Knowing outward, with seven limbs and nineteen mouths, he enjoys gross objects.

स्वप्नस्थानोऽन्तःप्रज्ञः सप्ताङ्ग एकोनविंशतिमुखः प्रविविक्तभुक्तैजसो द्वितीयः पादः

svapnasthāno'ntaḥprajñaḥ saptāṅga ekonaviṃśatimukhaḥ praviviktabhuktaijaso dvitīyaḥ pādaḥ

The second quarter is Taijasa, the shining one, whose field is dream. Knowing inward, with seven limbs and nineteen mouths, he enjoys subtle objects.

यत्र सुप्तो न कञ्चन कामं कामयते न कञ्चन स्वप्नं पश्यति तत् सुषुप्तम् ।
सुषुप्तस्थान एकीभूतः प्रज्ञानघन एवानन्दमयो ह्यानन्दभुक् चेतोमुखः प्राज्ञस्तृतीयः पादः

yatra supto na kañcana kāmaṃ kāmayate na kañcana svapnaṃ paśyati tat suṣuptam |
suṣuptasthāna ekībhūtaḥ prajñānaghana evānandamayo hyānandabhuk cetomukhaḥ prājñastṛtīyaḥ pādaḥ

Where the sleeper desires nothing and sees no dream, that is deep sleep. The third quarter is Prajna, whose field is deep sleep: become one, a mass of knowing, made of bliss, enjoying bliss, with consciousness as his door.

एष सर्वेश्वर एष सर्वज्ञ एषोऽन्तर्याम्येष योनिः सर्वस्य प्रभवाप्ययौ हि भूतानाम्

eṣa sarveśvara eṣa sarvajña eṣo'ntaryāmyeṣa yoniḥ sarvasya prabhavāpyayau hi bhūtānām

He is the lord of all, the knower of all, the inner controller, the source of all. He is the origin and the dissolution of beings.

नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिष्प्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् ।
अदृष्टमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणं अचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययासारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः

nāntaḥprajñaṃ na bahiṣprajñaṃ nobhayataḥprajñaṃ na prajñānaghanaṃ na prajñaṃ nāprajñam |
adṛṣṭamavyavahāryamagrāhyamalakṣaṇaṃ acintyamavyapadeśyamekātmapratyayāsāraṃ prapañcopaśamaṃ śāntaṃ śivamadvaitaṃ caturthaṃ manyante sa ātmā sa vijñeyaḥ

Not knowing inward, not knowing outward, not knowing both ways, not a mass of knowing, neither knowing nor unknowing; unseen, beyond dealings, ungraspable, without marks, unthinkable, indescribable, its essence the one Self, where the world ceases, peaceful, auspicious, non-dual: this they hold to be the fourth. That is the Self; that is to be known.

सोऽयमात्माध्यक्षरमोङ्करोऽधिमात्रं पादा मात्रा मात्राश्च पादा अकार उकारो मकार इति

so'yamātmādhyakṣaramoṅkaro'dhimātraṃ pādā mātrā mātrāśca pādā akāra ukāro makāra iti

This Self, taken as a syllable, is Om; taken by its measures, the quarters are the measures and the measures the quarters: A, U and M.

जागरितस्थानो वैश्वानरोऽकारः प्रथमा मात्राऽऽप्तेरादिमत्त्वाद्वाऽऽप्नोति ह वै सर्वान् कामानादिश्च भवति य एवं वेद

jāgaritasthāno vaiśvānaro'kāraḥ prathamā mātrā''pterādimattvādvā''pnoti ha vai sarvān kāmānādiśca bhavati ya evaṃ veda

Vaishvanara, whose field is waking, is A, the first measure, because A pervades all sounds and comes first. He who knows this attains all desires and becomes first.

स्वप्नस्थानस्तैजस उकारो द्वितीया मात्रोत्कर्षात् उभयत्वाद्वोत्कर्षति ह वै ज्ञानसन्ततिं समानश्च भवति नास्याऽब्रह्मवित्कुले भवति य एवं वेद

svapnasthānastaijasa ukāro dvitīyā mātrotkarṣāt ubhayatvādvotkarṣati ha vai jñānasantatiṃ samānaśca bhavati nāsyā'brahmavitkule bhavati ya evaṃ veda

Taijasa, whose field is dream, is U, the second measure, because it is higher and stands between the two. He who knows this raises the line of knowledge and is held equal by all; in his family none is born who does not know Brahman.

सुषुप्तस्थानः प्राज्ञो मकारस्तृतीया मात्रा मितेरपीतेर्वा मिनोति ह वा इदं सर्वमपीतिश्च भवति य एवं वेद

suṣuptasthānaḥ prājño makārastṛtīyā mātrā miterapītervā minoti ha vā idaṃ sarvamapītiśca bhavati ya evaṃ veda

Prajna, whose field is deep sleep, is M, the third measure, because it measures all and all merges in it. He who knows this measures all this and becomes the place where all merges.

अमात्रश्चतुर्थोऽव्यवहार्यः प्रपञ्चोपशमः शिवोऽद्वैत एवमोङ्कार आत्मैव संविशत्यात्मनाऽऽत्मानं य एवं वेद

amātraścaturtho'vyavahāryaḥ prapañcopaśamaḥ śivo'dvaita evamoṅkāra ātmaiva saṃviśatyātmanā''tmānaṃ ya evaṃ veda

The fourth is without measure, beyond all dealings, where the world ceases, auspicious and non-dual. So Om is the Self itself. He who knows this enters the Self by the Self.