1. Lord Ganesha is the most ancient ancestor of the learned. With the head of an elephant, he is single tusked, has three eyes and four arms, and wields an axe in one hand.
2. From the "Lord of Wealth" comes wealth, from the Vedas comes the knowledge of Reality, and from the "Goddess of Fortune" comes good fortune.
3. Similarly, all streams of knowledge come from the origin, Lord Ganesha, who came first. It is due to him that many poets and writers become skillful and write with authority.
4. Just as the children of the rich and powerful look beautiful with many beautiful adornments, the poets write beautifully due to his power. He is the primordial ancestor.
5. Let us bow respectfully to Lord Ganesha, who is like a full moon shining with the light of Knowledge. Because of him, the sea of spiritual Knowledge is full like at high tide.
6. He is the beginning of the power and capability of doing. He is the Original Being, the Primordial Beginning. He is Brahman, which is beyond the visible, and is self-existent, in the beginning and at the end.
7. From his wish is born the young woman who is the "Goddess of Knowledge" (Sharada) who is like a stream in a mirage that flows due to the presence of the sun.
8. She entangles one even though she is false. She is very attractive in her illusory activity, and surrounds even the speaker with her sense of illusory separateness.
9. She is the mother of duality, yet she is also the mine of non-duality. She is the Original Illusion (Moolamaya) that is the covering of an endless number of universes.
10. She is like a very huge vine which grows without any effort and on which a limitless number of universes reside. She is the mother of Primordial Being (Purusha) in the form of a daughter.
11. I bow to this Sharada, who is the mother of the Vedas, and who is the power of Original Primordial Being. Now I shall remember the powerful Sadguru.
12. It is the Sadguru who offers his blessings and showers the disciple with bliss. It is because of him that the entire creation becomes filled with happiness and bliss.
13. He is the creator of bliss. He is the authority of "Liberation through Identification with the Self" (Sayujya Mukti), and the one who bestows oneness with Brahman. He is the brother of those who are friendless.
14. The seeker of liberation is like the chataka41 bird who sings softly to the sky for rain, and the Guru is like the sky which showers the waters of his blessings on the aspirant.
15. The Guru is the ship of correct understanding that carries one to the other shore of worldly life. He is the great support for devotees in the whirlpool of worldly existence.
16. He is the ruler of time who provides relief from life's calamities. He is the mother of the devotees who is exceedingly affectionate.
17. He is the support of spiritual seekers that is the Life which is not of this world. He is the place of rest, and the comfort of one's residence that is of the nature of happiness itself.
18. Like this is the Sadguru who is whole and complete. He breaks the delusion of duality and body-consciousness completely. I lay in prostration to him.
19. Finally, I pay respect to the saints, sages and virtuous people. Now, the listeners should remain alert and attentive while listening to the continuation of the narration.
20. As was being explained previously, the world appearance is a long dream. However, people babble on out of greed, how "this is my wife," or "my wealth," or "my daughters and sons," and they become entangled in this dream
21. Like this, when the "Sun of Knowledge" sets, the light fades, and the entire universe is filled with the darkness of ignorance.
22. When there is no light of Truth by which a correct path can be shown, the effect is that nothing but delusion can be seen.
23. Due to the identification with the body and intellect, such people are sleeping (in ignorance) and snoring aloud, crying with grief because of the sorrows associated with their attachment to sensual pleasures.
24. People such as this die asleep in ignorance, and as soon as they are born they are asleep again. Many people have come and gone in this way.
25. In the sleep of ignorance, many have continued along in the cycle of births and deaths, and because they did not know the Supreme God, they suffered many hardships.
26. To do away with the varieties of hardships one must have Self-Knowledge. Therefore, the explanation of Self-Knowledge is given in this text.
27. Among all the streams of knowledge, the essential knowledge is that which contains the thoughts about Self-Knowledge. This has been stated by Lord Krishna in the tenth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita.
28. It is for this reason that this text on non-duality, which is a discourse on Self-Knowledge and Supreme Truth, has been written. The one who listens to what is said here with the totality of his being is the one who is capable of realization.
29. However, the one whose mind is restless should not give up this text. Leaving this text aside will make the real meaning contained here unattainable.
30. One who is engaged in spiritual life should become familiar with this text. If one searches here for Supreme Truth, conviction about the Self will be gained.
31. One who is not on the spiritual path will not understand the deeper meaning found here, like one who is blind and without sight cannot comprehend a place of wealth.
32. Some say that because this book was written in the Marathi language virtuous people should not listen to its contents. Such statements are made by the foolish who do not understand the sequence of what is said and the meaning of the words.
33. A box made of iron has many valuable jewels contained inside, but the unfortunate one throws it away saying that it is only an iron box.
34. Similarly, the language of this text is Marathi, but the meaning is that of Vedanta and of "Final Understanding" (Siddhanta). Not knowing this, one who is of dull intelligence is deluded and abandons this text.
35. If wealth is found suddenly and without any effort, it is foolishness to give it up. Take the wealth and don’t bother about what the container looks like.
36. It should be considered good fortune if a magic stone is found in the courtyard, or a rare vine with medicinal qualities is seen in a well.
37. Similarly, the knowledge and experience of non-duality comes easily when explained in Marathi. Spiritual knowledge is being made easily available and can be verified immediately, so one should definitely take it without hesitation.
38. The secret of keeping the companionship of saints is that the real meaning of scriptures becomes easy without making strenuous efforts of scholastic learning.
39. That which is not understood through scholastic education can be realized in the company of saints and virtuous people where the meaning of all the scriptures is grasped in one’s own experience.
40. The companionship of saints and virtuous people is very beneficial. The real secret to the fulfillment of life cannot be acquired though scholastic endeavors.
41. Even if the explanation is translated in a different language (Sanskrit to Marathi, or Marathi to English), the meaning is not lost. What is being accomplished in this text has to do with the preservation of the meaning.
42. It is because of the commonly spoken Marathi language that the meaning of the Sanskrit words is revealed. Otherwise, who would understand the secret meaning of a language which is not one's own?
43. Now, let this be enough of this talk. Abandoning the language, understand, and keep the meaning, just as one would take the best of the fruit and give up the skin and the shells.
44. The meaning is what is essential, the language is unimportant. Because of pride in the knowledge of Sanskrit, one will only labor unnecessarily to arrive at the meaning by searching through scriptures. Different types of pride such as this are only obstructions on the path of liberation.
45. While on the search for the meaning, how can one place importance on the word over the meaning? One's emphasis should be on the realization of the unimaginable greatness of God.
46. The speech of a mute person is only known to himself. Similarly, to know the signs of "Self-experience," one must be Self-experience.
47. Where can a listener who knows the real meaning of spiritual life be found, so that the explanations about it are satisfying?
48. When a gem is placed in front of one who knows the value of gems, one derives satisfaction from that gem, similarly one feels like speaking about Self-Knowledge to the knowledgeable.
49. The restless mind is entangled in the net of Illusion. Explanations are of no use for those who are engrossed in worldly life. They cannot understand the meaning of what is being said.
50. One who is totally engrossed in worldly affairs cannot understand the explanations given here. Alertness and attentiveness are what is required for understanding.
51. One accepts many types of gems and many coins. However, if one is not attentive he will be fooled, and will take a loss if what is accepted is not examined properly.
52. Similarly, one will not understand the meaning of the explanations if only looking superficially, even if the explanation is being given in simple Marathi language.
53. Where the words of the explanation are spoken from Self-experience, such a spiritual discourse is even deeper than something said with Sanskrit words.
54. One should recognize what Illusion is and what Brahman is. That is what called is spiritual science. First one should understand one's "True Form" (Swaroopa) and with that understanding, one should know the nature of Illusion.
55. Illusion is with attributes and form, and is constantly changing. Understand that Illusion is the expanse of the five elements.
56. Illusion is visible and apparent to the eyes. It is but a false perception that appears to the mind. Illusion is momentary and is destroyed when viewed with proper discrimination.
57. Illusion is the many forms that appear in the world. Illusion is the "Self-Form" of Lord Vishnu. The extent of Illusion is so vast that it is more than what can be said about it.
58. Illusion takes on many forms and colors. Illusion is the companion of God as well. If one goes looking for Illusion, it appears to be uninterrupted, continuous, and pervading everywhere.
59. The composition of the entire creation is illusory. Illusion is one's own imagination. It cannot be broken without Self-Knowledge.
60. Like this, I have given a short explanation about Illusion by way of some small indications. Now, the attitude of the listener must remain alert and attentive.
61. What is to come next is an explanation of Brahman. With the explanation of the "Knowledge of Brahman" the perception of Illusion is dispelled with one stroke.