1. मङ्गलाचरणम् (The Invocation)
Verse 1 (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
प्रणम्य हरिपिङ्गलम् वक्ष्ये स्वाराज्यसाधनम् ॥ १ ॥
Meaning: All human endeavor is inherently driven by self-interest, and value is entirely dependent upon the individual. Paying respects to the Sage Hari Piṅgala, I shall now declare the instrument to absolute personal sovereignty.</div>
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2. पाशप्रकरणम् (The Chapter on Snares)
Trap 1: अस्मितापाशः (The Identity Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
स एवास्मितापाशोऽयं स्वाराज्यपरिपन्थकः ॥ २ ॥
Meaning: The delusion ‘I should be someone else’ or ‘others should be exactly like me’—that alone is the Snare of Identity, the highwayman on the road to absolute self-rule.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
न चान्यचित्तं परिवर्तयेत ।
त्यक्त्वा तु पाशं परकल्पितं वै
स्वाराज्यमेति प्रतिपन्नबुद्धिः ॥ ३ ॥
Meaning: Pursuing one’s own inherent nature alone, a man should not attempt to alter the mind of another. Having abandoned the snare fashioned by others, he of resolute intellect attains self-rule.</div>
Trap 2: बुद्धिपाशः (The Intellectual Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
तर्केणैवाखिलं पश्यन् बुद्धिपाशे स बध्यते ॥ ४ ॥
Meaning: Relying solely on the intellect, he who suppresses emotional impulses and views the entire world through logic alone becomes trapped in the snare of the intellect.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
बुद्धिं तु कार्येषु नियोजयेत् सः ।
तर्केण लोकं न हि बोधयेत् यः
यथार्थबोधाद् लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ ५ ॥
Meaning: Recognizing emotions as innately natural, he employs the intellect purely for execution. He who does not attempt to convince the world through logic attains self-rule through an exact understanding of reality.</div>
Trap 3: वेगपाशः (The Emotional Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
शाश्वतोऽयमिति भ्रान्त्या वेगपाशे निमज्जति ॥ ६ ॥
Meaning: The deluded man makes binding decisions during an intense emotional surge. Thinking ‘this feeling is permanent,’ he drowns in the snare of momentum.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
शान्ते च चित्ते कुरुते विचारम् ।
न वेगकाले नियमं करोति
स्वाराज्यमाप्नोति विमुक्तपाशः ॥ ७ ॥
Meaning: Knowing that emotion rises and falls, he deliberates only when the mind is still. He makes no binding rule during the surge, thereby attaining absolute self-rule, entirely freed from the snare.</div>
Trap 4: आत्मत्यागपाशः (The Altruism (Unselfishness) Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
गुप्तवाञ्छां हृदि स्थाप्य बध्यते त्यागपाशतः ॥ ८ ॥
Meaning: The deluded man constantly abandons his own happiness for the sake of others. Holding a covert expectation in his heart, he is bound by the snare of sacrifice.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
न गुप्तमूल्यं हृदये दधाति ।
स्वानन्दतुष्टः स तु लोकमध्ये
त्यक्त्वा हि पाशं लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ ९ ॥
Meaning: Recognizing that all action strictly conforms to self-interest, he holds no hidden price in his heart. Satisfied by his own joy while amidst the world, he abandons the snare and attains self-rule.</div>
Trap 5: राज्यभ्रमः (The Government Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
इति मूढो हि विश्वस्य राज्यभ्रमे स बध्यते ॥ १० ॥
Meaning: ‘The state alone can do everything; it will provide my welfare’—thus the deluded man, placing absolute trust, is bound by the illusion of the state.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
न चापि तस्मिन् कुरुतेऽवलम्बम् ।
निजं प्रपञ्चं विरचय्य वीरः
विमुक्तभ्रमो लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ ११ ॥
Meaning: The wise man neither strikes against the state’s power, nor places his dependence upon it. Constructing his own private domain, the hero is freed from the illusion and attains self-rule.</div>
Trap 6: समूहपाशः (The Group Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
मन्दैः सह चरन् मूढः समूहपाशे बध्यते ॥ १२ ॥
Meaning: ‘Work can only be accomplished by the group; consensus is the only way.’ Walking alongside the slow, the deluded man is bound by the snare of the collective.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
जानाति नित्यं न च सङ्घमेति ।
स्वकीयमार्गेण चरन् स्वतन्त्रः
छित्त्वा हि पाशं लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ १३ ॥
Meaning: He who knows the unbroken momentum of the solitary actor does not surrender to the committee. Moving freely on his own distinct path, he cuts the snare and attains self-rule.</div>
Trap 7: परधर्मपाशः (The Morality Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
स्वविवेकं परित्यज्य परधर्मे स बध्यते ॥ १४ ॥
Meaning: Assuming ‘this is my duty’ regarding a code constructed by others, he abandons his own discernment and is bound by the snare of an external code.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
परोपदेशान् न च मानयेत् यः ।
स्वधर्ममार्गेण चरन् प्रकामं
छित्त्वा हि पाशं लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ १५ ॥
Meaning: Establishing his own values, he refuses to blindly honor external dictates. Walking resolutely on his own path of duty, he cuts the snare and attains self-rule.</div>
Trap 8: विषादपाशः (The Despair Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
इति शोकेन सन्तप्तो विषादपाशबन्धनः ॥ १६ ॥
Meaning: ‘Others are constantly blocking me; I have no freedom.’ Tormented by this grief, he is bound by the snare of despondency.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
विकल्पमार्गान् विनिरीक्ष्य धीरः ।
त्यक्त्वा विषादं स्वबलं प्रयुञ्जन्
छित्त्वा हि पाशं लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ १७ ॥
Meaning: Realizing no one can truly block his sovereign domain, the wise man continuously observes alternative paths. Abandoning despair and wielding his own strength, he attains self-rule.</div>
Trap 9: अधिकारभ्रमः (The Rights Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
शक्तिहीनं हि विश्वासं कुर्वन् भ्रमे स बध्यते ॥ १८ ॥
Meaning: ‘Abstract rights and rules will protect me.’ Placing powerless faith in this, he is trapped by the illusion of entitlement.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
विना स्वशक्तिं खलु रक्षते त्वाम् ।
बलप्रयोगात् निजमार्गरक्षी
विमुक्तभ्रमो लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ १९ ॥
Meaning: Neither written documents nor moral proclamations protect you without your own strength. Guarding his path through the application of his own leverage, he is freed from the illusion.</div>
Trap 10: आदर्शलोकभ्रमः (The Utopia Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
असम्भवं प्रतीक्षन् सः आदर्शभ्रमे बध्यते ॥ २० ॥
Meaning: ‘The entire world must be uplifted before I can have my happiness.’ Waiting for the impossible, he is trapped in the illusion of an ideal world.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
न तस्य शुद्धौ समयं क्षिपेत् सः ।
अत्रैव काले निजसौख्यभोक्ता
विमुक्तभ्रमो लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ २१ ॥
Meaning: Knowing the world is inherently flawed by nature, he wastes no time trying to purify it. Consuming his own joy in the present moment, he is freed from the illusion.</div>
Trap 11: कोलाहलपाशः (The Burning-Issue Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
इति व्यर्थश्रमं कुर्वन् कोलाहले स बध्यते ॥ २२ ॥
Meaning: ‘I must participate in every public debate and outrage.’ Executing this futile labor, he is bound by the snare of public clamor.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
वृथा विवादान् परिवर्जयेत् यः ।
स्वकर्ममग्नो ह्यचलो विरक्तः
छित्त्वा हि पाशं लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ २३ ॥
Meaning: ‘The anxieties of others fall outside my jurisdiction.’ He who completely avoids useless debates, immersed solely in his own work—unmoved and detached—attains self-rule.</div>
Trap 12: पूर्वनिवेशपाशः (The Previous-Investment Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
अतो दुःखेऽपि तिष्ठामि निवेशपाशबन्धनः ॥ २४ ॥
Meaning: ‘My previously spent time and wealth will be destroyed.’ Due to this, he remains in misery, bound by the snare of prior investment.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
भविष्यसौख्यं खलु चिन्तयेत् सः ।
त्यक्त्वा हि नष्टं नवमार्गगामी
छित्त्वा हि पाशं लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ २५ ॥
Meaning: What is gone is gone and does not return; he considers only his future utility. Abandoning sunk costs and walking a new path, he attains self-rule.</div>
Trap 13: परिधिपाशः (The Box Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
भीत्या क्लेशं सहन् नित्यं परिधिपाशे स बध्यते ॥ २६ ॥
Meaning: ‘Escaping is too painful; enduring it right here is better.’ Through fear, continuously suffering distress, he is bound in the snare of the boundary.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
भयं परित्यज्य बहिः प्रयाति ।
सोढ्वा हि खेदं चिरसौख्यहेतोः
छित्त्वा हि पाशं लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ २७ ॥
Meaning: Knowing the pain of escape is momentary compared to eternal bondage, he casts off fear and leaves. Enduring the temporary friction for the sake of permanent autonomy, he attains self-rule.</div>
Trap 14: निश्चयभ्रमः (The Certainty Trap)
The Diagnosis (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
साहसं यो न गृह्णाति निश्चये स हि बध्यते ॥ २८ ॥
Meaning: ‘Everything must be perfectly certain; I can have no risk.’ He who refuses to take a leap is bound by the illusion of absolute certainty.</div>
The Escape (Meter: उपजाति)
सम्भाव्यमूल्यानि विमृश्य कार्ये ।
कृत्वा तु धीरः सततं प्रयत्नं
विमुक्तभ्रमो लभते स्वाराज्यम् ॥ २९ ॥
Meaning: Recognizing that this entire universe is uncertain, he acts by analyzing probable values. Making continuous effort with courage, he is freed from the illusion.</div>
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3. स्वाराज्यप्रकरणम् (The Chapter on Sovereignty)
Verse 30 (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
मूल्यवर्धनम् - The Cultivation of Value
स्वनिर्भरतयैवैकः स्वाराज्यं विन्दते नरः ॥ ३० ॥
Meaning: A man must constantly increase his own market value and entirely abandon dependence on others. It is solely through absolute self-reliance that a man discovers true sovereignty.</div>
Verse 31 (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
प्रतापः तथा प्राचुर्यम् - Frame and Abundance
न स्त्रीहेतोः स्वकं मार्गं त्यजेत् प्राज्ञः कथञ्चन ॥ ३१ ॥
Meaning: Maintaining an unbroken presence (Frame) and taking refuge in an mindset of abundance, the wise man never, under any circumstance, abandons his life’s path for the sake of a woman.</div>
Verse 32 (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
विनिमयः - Voluntary Exchange
यथार्थं जगदालोक्य निरातङ्कः स जीवति ॥ ३२ ॥
Meaning: All interactions and trades should be voluntary; no one should be bound by force. Seeing the world exactly as it is, he lives entirely free from anxiety.</div>
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4. फलश्रुतिः (The Fruits of Knowledge)
Verse 33 (Meter: उपजाति)
पाशमुक्तिः - Liberation from the Snares
स्वयंप्रकाशो विचरत्यसङ्गः ।
न राजतन्त्रं न च लोकवादः
कदापि तस्यापहिनोति शान्तिम् ॥ ३३ ॥
Meaning: Having completely severed the fourteen snares, the wise man moves through the world self-illuminated and unattached. Neither the machinery of the state nor the clamor of public opinion can ever destroy his profound peace.</div>
Verse 34 (Meter: अनुष्टुभ्)
उपसंहारः - The Conclusion
यः शृणोति कृती नित्यं स स्वाराज्ये महीयते ॥ ३४ ॥
Meaning: This supreme teaching, proclaimed by the Sage Hari Piṅgala—the capable man who listens to it and integrates it daily is forever glorified in absolute self-rule.</div>
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