1. First, we bow to Lord Ganesha, who is the embodiment of auspiciousness. Because of him, the intellect is inspired and people sing the praises of the Self.
2. Next, we bow to the Goddess of Speech (Sharada) who gives explanations about the streams of knowledge and illumines the inner consciousness.
3. Among all names, the name of Rama is supreme. By repeating the name of Rama, even Lord Shiva was able to dispel his suffering and attain peace.
4. The greatness of the name of Lord Rama is immense. Through the repetition of Rama's name day after day, one comes to know the nature and form of the One who is beyond everything and who is the God that sustains the three worlds.
5. The Self that is Rama exists everywhere. It is because of Him that people move from place to place. Without the Self, the body falls down and dies.
6. This one God exists in all gods, demons, and human beings. He is called by many names such as the individual Self (Jivatma), the Self as Shiva (Shivatma), the Supreme Self (Paramatma), the Self of the World (Jagadatma), the Universal Self (Vishvatma), the Hidden Self (Guptatma), the Inner-Self (Antaratma), and the Subtle Self (Sukshatma).
7. All paths, all walking, all talking, all of those who are on the long list of incarnations of God (avatars), and even Lord Brahma and the other gods, have come into existence only because of him.
8. The Self is known as its various forms, such as the form of sound, the form of light, the form of the witness, the form of Power, the form of Life-Energy, the "True Form" (Swaroopa), and as the form of the Seer.
9. He is known as the best person, the best courage, primordial being, the best among the kings of the Raghu clan, and the best of the best in all the three worlds .
10. Without the Self, many activities, many difficult endeavors and efforts, and many hurried actions do not happen. If the Self did not exist, no activity would exist.
11. Without the Self, the body is useless and dead. Without the Self, the body is nothing but dead inert matter.
12. With Self-Knowledge the mind is understood. The Self sees its own presence in all people. On the earth and in all of the three worlds, there is nothing but the Self.
13. It is the Self that knows what is extremely beautiful and who is wise, and it is the Self that knows the Essence and the non-essential. Without the Self there is only darkness.
14. It is the Self that is accomplished and alert. All of the many differences, sorrows, and joys are because of the Self.
15. Whether one is a beggar or is a god like Brahma and others, it is the Self alone that moves everyone. Some see this by discrimination into what is Eternal and what is ephemeral.
16. If there is a beautiful woman in one's home, her beauty is maintained as long as the Self is there. Once the Self leaves the body, the light in the body departs.
17. The Self cannot be seen or felt. It cannot be imagined to have an outer form. All of the imaginings of the mind are due only to the Self.
18. The Self resides in the body and from that residence, it analyzes the entire universe. All of the desires and feelings are due to the Self. How many of these can be described?
19. There are an endless number of states of mind and an endless number of concepts that are had by an endless number of beings. How can the content of all their minds be enumerated?
20. There are endless number of political strategies, and good and bad types of intellect that are interpreted, understood, and not understood in various ways, all because of the Self.
21. Some people take care of others, some deceive others, some kill others, and some run and hide from others. Such is the state of enmity and commotion among beings.
22. In this world there are many who deceive one another, and there are also many devotees who help others.
23. It is the one Self that has become differentiated into an endless number of bodies, each enjoying life according to the capacity of the body. The Self actually is undifferentiated, but it gives support to many different forms.
24. In this world, a man wants a woman, and a woman wants a man. It is never seen that a wife wants a wife.
25. For the Self there is no masculine gender for men and feminine gender for women. This type of differentiation does not exist for the Self. Differentiation comes in relation to desire for sensual pleasures.
26. Each living being is interested in the food that is meant for it. If a human being is given food meant for an animal, he doesn't take any interest in it.
27. The differences in food and in physical bodies are many. Some are hidden and some are obvious. Similarly, there are many different types of joy and happiness.
28. There is water in the ocean, there is water underground, there is water in bodies of animals, and there is water in the atmosphere.
29. Even when we see with the subtle vision of mind, we can’t know everything that there is to know about the body. How then can the entirety of the Inner-Self be surmised?
30. By investigation, and looking into the nature of the union between the body and the Self, some conclusions have been established. Yet, still there is some confusion about the interrelationship between the gross and subtle that remains.
31. To resolve this confusion, the Inner-Self has given many explanations and has spoken benevolently through the mouths of many people.