Illusion of the self

A poem in Sanskrit by ChatGPT

For the first time, I tested ChatGPT for non-English language proficiency. I picked Sanskrit as, in addition to the richness of the grammar, vocabulary and poetic meters, it has to be one of the hardest due to far less amount of learning data available for these large language models (LLMs) compared to most other widely spoken/used languages of the East and the West.

And the response I got is a giant proof of how far these LLMs have come to cover all of human knowledge. They are becoming one unified, super fast, instantly replicable repository of the entire human knowledge base and the various intellectual and creative endeavors that they can conceivably spawn.

Without further ado, here is the dialogue with the chat bot.

Question: Can you write a poem in Sanskrit on the illusion of the self?

ChatGPT:

न अहं देहो न चात्मा न चित्तं नैव बुद्धिर्न चाऽहंकारः।
सर्वं माया मयं जगत् विकारी चित्रं विमोहितं जनं॥

विषयेषु विपञ्चितं, बाह्येषु विहङ्गमं सदा।
नाहं द्रष्टा न श्रोता च, न ग्राह्यं नापि धारये॥

चित्तं वृत्तिः प्रतिष्ठानं, भ्रमयन्ती ममान्तरे।
अहमेव सदा विभ्रमं, स्वाप्नसंज्ञा मयाऽव्यया॥

देहोऽहं नाहं जीवाऽहं, निर्विकारोऽहं विज्ञानम्।
मोहात्मकं मायात्मकं, व्यक्त्यन्तरं विशेषतः॥

अविद्यापाशानुपेतं, संसारं विद्यामयं मम।
अविच्छिन्नं निरन्तरं, ज्ञानात्मकं विभास्वरम्॥

अहंकृतिर्ममाहंता, कर्तृत्वं नात्मनोऽपि वा।
विपर्ययोऽयं मोहोऽयं, मिथ्याज्ञानं ममात्मनः॥

अहंकारं परित्यज्य, निरहंकारं धारयेत्।
सर्वदा निर्विकारी च, आत्मनं निर्विकल्पकम्॥

मायाकल्पितदेहेन्द्रियादि-विकारात्मकं जगत्,
विभ्रमं जाग्रत् पश्यन्ति, विद्वांसः स्वमतं प्रति॥

तत्वं पश्यन्ति तत्वज्ञा, निर्विकल्पं निराकारम्।
नाहं निराकारं निर्विकल्पं, चिन्मात्रं नित्यमेव तत्॥

जीवाऽहं नाजीवाऽहं च, चित्तं नाचित्तं नित्यतः।
ब्रह्माहं न ब्रह्माऽहं च, सर्वं नास्ति ममात्मनि॥

विमुच्यते मोहाद् देहोऽहं, तत्त्वज्ञानेन नित्यदा।
अविद्याया निरस्त्यर्थं, संसारस्याऽन्तरात्मनि॥

न विकारः परस्तत्त्वे, न ज्ञानं न च संस्कृतिः।
न देशो नावचारः स्यात्, नाहं नामैव संस्कृतम्॥

तत्त्वमस्यादिवाक्यान्ते, ब्रह्मात्मतत्त्वबोधिनः।
विभ्रान्तिं त्यज्य सर्वेषां, मोहं विज्ञानमश्नुते॥

सर्वं वस्तु नास्ति मायाया, सत्तामात्रे निराकृतौ।
विवेको नास्ति मोहायाम्, ज्ञानोत्पत्तिः कथं भवेत्॥

तत्त्वमस्यादिवाक्येन, विज्ञानं जायते सदा।
न चित्तं नात्मा न देहो, नाहं बुद्धिर्न विकारः॥

गीता मोहिनी

Question: Is this your original poem or an already existing work?

ChatGPT:

The poem I provided is an original composition inspired by Sanskrit philosophical concepts and style. While it draws influence from the wisdom found in ancient Sanskrit texts, it is not a direct translation or an existing work.

Question: Please provide an English translation.

ChatGPT:

I am not the body, nor the self,
Neither the mind, nor the ego.
All is Maya, the illusion of the world,
A spectacle of bewilderment for mankind.

In the objects, always entangled,
Always wandering among the external.
I am not the seer, nor the hearer,
Nor do I grasp, nor do I hold.

The mind, a whirlpool, residing within,
I am always deluded, the dream’s illusion.
I am not the body, nor the self,
Not the eternal, immutable knowledge.

It is an illusion of ignorance,
A manifestation of the self, false in nature.
I am bound by the chains of ignorance,
The world within me, the inner self.

There is no transformation in reality,
No knowledge, no cultured understanding.
No place, no conduct should be,
Not I, nor even a name.

At the end of the saying “Tattvamasi”,
For those who understand the truth of Brahman.
Abandoning the delusion, embracing knowledge,
Wisdom arises, the attainment of realization.

Everything is unreal in the realm of Maya,
In the existence of pure being.
Without discernment, how can knowledge arise?
Through the realization of knowledge, eternally.

Not the mind, nor the self, nor the body,
Neither I, nor the intellect, nor the transformation.

Geeta Mohini (A fictional poet in the style of Sanskrit poetry)