1anyac chreyo 'nyad utaiva preyas te ubhe nānārthe puruṣaṃ sinītaḥ | tayoḥ śreya ādadānasya sādhu bhavati hīyate 'rthād ya u preyo vṛṇīte ||
2śreyaś ca preyaś ca manuṣyam etas tau samparītya vivinakti dhīraḥ | śreyo hi dhīro 'bhi preyaso vṛṇīte preyo mando yogakṣemād vṛṇīte ||
3sa tvaṃ priyān priyarūpāṃś ca kāmān abhidhyāyan naciketo 'tyasrākṣīḥ | naitāṃ sṛṅkāṃ vittamayīm avāpto yasyāṃ majjanti bahavo manuṣyāḥ ||
4dūram ete viparīte viṣūcī avidyā yā ca vidyeti jñātā | vidyābhīpsinaṃ naciketasaṃ manye na tvā kāmā bahavo lolupantaḥ ||
5avidyāyām antare vartamānāḥ svayaṃ dhīrāḥ paṇḍitammanyamānāḥ | dandramyamāṇāḥ pariyanti mūḍhā andhenaiva nīyamānā yathāndhāḥ ||
6na sāmparāyaḥ pratibhāti bālaṃ pramādyantaṃ vittamohena mūḍham | ayaṃ loko nāsti para iti mānī punaḥ punar vaśam āpadyate me ||
7śravaṇāyāpi bahubhir yo na labhyaḥ śṛṇvanto 'pi bahavo yaṃ na vidyuḥ | āścaryo vaktā kuśalo 'sya labdhāścaryo jñātā kuśalānuśiṣṭaḥ ||
8na nareṇāvareṇa prokta eṣa suvijñeyo bahudhā cintyamānaḥ | ananyaprokte gatir atra nāsty aṇīyān hy atarkyam aṇupramāṇāt ||
9naiṣā tarkeṇa matir āpaneyā proktānyenaiva sujñānāya preṣṭha | yāṃ tvam āpaḥ satyadhṛtir vatāsi tvādṛṅ no bhūyān naciketaḥ praṣṭā ||
10jānāmy ahaṃ śevadhir ity anityaṃ na hy adhruvaiḥ prāpyate hi dhruvan tat | tato mayā nāciketaś cito 'gnir anityair dravyaiḥ prāptavān asmi nityam ||
11kāmasyāptiṃ jagataḥ pratiṣṭhāṃ krator ānantyam abhayasya pāram | stomamahad urugāyaṃ pratiṣṭhāṃ dṛṣṭvā dhṛtyā dhīro naciketo 'tyasrākṣīḥ ||
12taṃ durdarśaṃ gūḍham anupraviṣṭaṃ guhāhitaṃ gahvareṣṭhaṃ purāṇam | adhyātmayogādhigamena devaṃ matvā dhīro harṣaśokau jahāti ||
13etac chrutvā samparigṛhya martyaḥ pravṛhya dharmyam aṇum etam āpya | sa modate modanīyaṃ hi labdhvā vivṛtaṃ sadma naciketasaṃ manye ||
14anyatra dharmād anyatrādharmād anyatrāsmāt kṛtākṛtāt | anyatra bhūtāc ca bhavyāc ca yat tat paśyasi tad vada ||
15sarve vedā yat padam āmananti tapāṃsi sarvāṇi ca yad vadanti | yad icchanto brahmacaryaṃ caranti tat te padaṃ saṅgraheṇa bravīmy om ity etat ||
16etad dhy evākṣaraṃ brahma etad dhy evākṣaraṃ param | etad dhy evākṣaraṃ jñātvā yo yad icchati tasya tat ||
17etad ālambanaṃ śreṣṭham etad ālambanaṃ param | etad ālambanaṃ jñātvā brahmaloke mahīyate ||
18na jāyate mriyate vā vipaścin nāyaṃ kutaś cin na babhūva kaś cit | ajo nityaḥ śāśvato 'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre ||
19hantā cen manyate hantuṃ hataś cen manyate hatam | ubhau tau na vijānīto nāyaṃ hanti na hanyate ||
20aṇor aṇīyān mahato mahīyān ātmāsya jantor nihito guhāyām | tam akratuḥ paśyati vītaśoko dhātuḥ prasādān mahimānam ātmanaḥ ||
21āsīno dūraṃ vrajati śayāno yāti sarvataḥ | kas taṃ madāmadaṃ devaṃ madanyo jñātum arhati ||
22aśarīraṃ śarīreṣv anavastheṣv avasthitam | mahāntaṃ vibhum ātmānaṃ matvā dhīro na śocati ||
23nāyam ātmā pravacanena labhyo na medhayā na bahunā śrutena | yam evaiṣa vṛṇute tena labhyas tasyaiṣa ātmā vṛṇute tanūṃ svām ||
24nāvirato duścaritān nāśānto nāsamāhitaḥ | nāśāntamānaso vāpi prajñānenainam āpnuyāt ||
25yasya brahma ca kṣatraṃ ca ubhe bhavata odanam | mṛtyur yasyopasecanaṃ ka itthā veda yatra saḥ ||
Chapter source notes
Independent normalized IAST transcription from Röer 1850, printed pp. 92–109. See Edition source for the Devanagari print and commentary.
II.4: Print reads lolupantaḥ, including final visarga, without an avagraha before l. The initial draft's 'lolupanta was corrected from the scan.
II.9: Print reads naiṣā and vatāsi. The initial new draft's neṣā and batāsi were corrected against the rerendered scan; praṣṭā retained.
II.23: The main text reads ātmā vṛṇute; the commentary below reads vivṛṇute. Main-text vṛṇute is retained without borrowing the commentary reading.