1. Now, make your thoughts still, sit quietly for a moment, and become alert so that you may retain what is said.
2. If one wants to stay in some village or country, one has to go and meet the ruler of that area. Otherwise, how can there be satisfaction in that place?
3. Therefore, wherever one wants to stay, one must get to meet the head person there so that everything will be smooth and acceptable.
4. Without meeting with the head person, how can there be any recognition? One's importance will be lost in no time.
5. He may be anyone from a beggar to a king, but someone is the head person there. The wise understand that the proper action is to meet him.
6. If you stay in a city without meeting the ruler, you might be taken away and put into some servitude, or even blamed for some theft one has not committed.
7. So, one who is wise should understand that he must go to meet the ruler, otherwise, to not do so may result in making life miserable.
8. In the city the head of the city is the greatest of the people. Above him, the ruler of the region is greater, and even greater than the ruler of the region is the king of the country. This should be understood.
9. The ruler of the country is the king. Above him, the ruler of many countries is a greater king, and above the greater king is an emperor.
10. There may be one man who is the lord of men, and one man who is a lord of the elephants, and one man who is the lord of horses, and one man who is a lord of land. Above all of these is the emperor who is the greatest king.
11. Okay, so let all of this be as it is. For all of these rulers there is one who has created everything who is called Brahma. But above this, who is the creator of that creator?
12. The one who has created the entirety of creation in the form of Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, is the greatest. One should recognize that Supreme God (Parameshwara), by putting in whatever effort is necessary.
13. If one does not come to know that one God, the sufferings of death cannot be avoided. If one does not recognize the "Lord of the Universe," it is not proper.
14. If one does not recognize the God who has put us into this world, and who has created the entire universe, that one is considered to be downfallen.
15. Therefore, recognize God and fulfill your life. If you do not understand this, hold on to the company of saints, and then you will understand.
16. One who knows God is called a saint. He understands what is permanent and what is ephemeral.
17. God is changeless and never has any modification. One whose inner experience is like this, is the one with "Great Experience" (MahaAnubhava) who is called a saint or sage.
18. One who moves around among the people yet speaks differently from the ordinary person, and who is awake in Self-Knowledge, is a sage.
19. Understand that the Supreme Self (Paramatman) that is without attributes is alone what should be called Knowledge. Aside from that, all other knowledge is ignorance.
20. For filling the belly (to make one’s living) it is necessary to study various streams of knowledge. This is called knowledge, but with these types of knowledge there is no real fulfillment.
21. One should recognize God. That alone is the only knowledge that is worthwhile. Everything else is totally meaningless "belly knowledge," which is only useful for making a living.
22. The whole life is spent working to fill the stomach and protect the body. Eventually, all of that effort is gone to waste at the time of death.
23. Therefore, the knowledge that is useful only for the purpose of filling the stomach should not be called true knowledge. Only that knowledge with which the omnipresent Reality is immediately realized is "True Knowledge."
24. Understand that only the one who has this Self-Knowledge is considered to be a virtuous gentleman (sajjana). One should ask him how to obtain contentment.
25. When an ignorant person meets with another ignorant person, how can knowledge be found there? When an unfortunate person meets with another unfortunate person, how can any good fortune be found there?
26. When a diseased person goes to another diseased person, how can good health come to him? How can one who is without strength give support to another who is weak?
27. If a ghost meets with another ghost, what worthwhile thing can come out of that meeting? If one arrogant person meets with another who is arrogant, who can make them be able to understand each other?
28. Of what good is going to beg for alms from a beggar, or going for initiation from one who is uninitiated, and how can one observe moonlight during the time of the new moon phase?
29. If an ill-behaved person goes to another ill-behaved person, how will that person ever become well-behaved? If a bound person meets with another bound person, he cannot become an accomplished one.
30. When one who is identified with the body goes to another who is identified with the body, how can he realize bodiless Consciousness? The path of Knowledge cannot be followed without the aid of one who has Self-Knowledge.
31. For this reason, look for one with Self-Knowledge and gain the blessing of his teaching. By investigation into the changeless and the ephemeral, living beings can attain liberation.