Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragment of a song attributed to Saraha addresses the tension between intellectual discourse on the profound and the direct realization of the unborn. The text argues that while the world engages in conceptualizations of depth, the actual nature of the mind remains elusive to analytical effort. Specifically, the author asserts that the coemergent quality of reality vanishes when subjected to analysis, suggesting that conceptual proliferation is an obstacle to insight. The text commits the reader to a practice of non-apprehension and a non-abiding state of mind, positioning the yogi's experiential 'fire' as the mechanism for eradicating dualistic misconceptions. By contrasting the 'speaking' of the world with the 'delight' of the practitioner, the work advocates for a shift from theoretical study to a direct, non-conceptual engagement with the nature of consciousness.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise focusing on the nature of the unborn and the profundity of the mind, the sa ra ha pa'i glu belongs to the classical Tibetan period. The work is attributed to Saraha. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཟི, where it occupies two pages as part of the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. The text addresses the tension between intellectual discourse on the profound and the direct realization of the unborn, arguing that the coemergent quality of reality vanishes when subjected to analysis. By positioning the yogi's experiential fire as the mechanism for eradicating dualistic misconceptions, the work advocates for a shift from theoretical study to a non-conceptual engagement with consciousness, committing the practitioner to a state of non-apprehension and a non-abiding mind. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine how the text contrasts the conceptualizations of the world with the direct delight of the practitioner, illustrating the perceived obstacles that analytical effort poses to the realization of the mind's true nature.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Song of Saraha” (Toh 2354), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2354
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as an example of the Mahasiddha tradition's critique of scholasticism in favor of direct realization. It highlights the transition toward the non-dual perspectives that would later inform the development of the Mahamudra and Dzogchen systems.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction and Instruction
A brief invocation followed by a critique of analytical approaches to the mind and an instruction on non-apprehension.
Themes
Non-conceptualization (1)
The Unborn (1)
Critique of Analysis (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
Homage to the Buddha!
Though the world speaks of the profound, profound,
There are some who delight in the unborn.
O, because the profundity of the mind is difficult to know,
If the coemergent is analyzed, it is non-existent.
Set the non-abiding mind in non-apprehension.
The yogi’s fire burns away all entities.
O, because the profundity of the mind is difficult to know,
If the coemergent is analyzed, it is non-existent.
The yogi’s desire cannot be shown by a guru;
One receives the unsurpassed blessing of the guru.
O, because the profundity of the mind is difficult to know,
If the coemergent is analyzed, it is non-existent.
If you wish to seek the glorious great bliss,
Seeking the center is like a blind man falling into a well.
O, because the profundity of the mind is difficult to realize,
If the coemergent is analyzed, it is non-existent.
The song of Saraha is complete.
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.