401. In the One Entity which is changeless, formless and
Absolute, and which is perfectly all-pervading and motionless like the ocean
after the dissolution of the universe, whence can there be any diversity ?
402. Where the root of delusion is dissolved like darkness
in light – in the supreme Reality, the One without a second, the Absolute –
whence can there be any diversity ?
403. How can the talk of diversity apply to the Supreme
Reality which is one and homogeneous ? Who has ever observed diversity in the
unmixed bliss of the state of profound sleep ?
404. Even before the realisation of the highest Truth, the
universe does not exist in the Absolute Brahman, the Essence of Existence. In
none of the three states of time is the snake ever observed in the rope, nor a
drop of water in the mirage.
405. The Shrutis themselves declare that this dualistic
universe is but a delusion from the standpoint of Absolute Truth. This is also
experienced in the state of dreamless sleep.
406. That which is superimposed upon something else is
observed by the wise to be identical with the substratum, as in the case of the
rope appearing as the snake. The apparent difference depends solely on error.
407. This apparent universe has its root in the mind, and
never persists after the mind is annihilated. Therefore dissolve the mind by
concentrating it on the Supreme Self, which is thy inmost Essence.
408. The wise man realises in his heart, through Samadhi,
the Infinite Brahman, which is something of the nature of eternal Knowledge and
absolute Bliss, which has no exemplar, which transcends all limitations, is
ever free and without activity, and which is like the limitless sky,
indivisible and absolute.
409. The wise man realises in his heart, through Samadhi,
the Infinite Brahman, which is devoid of the ideas of cause and effect, which
is the Reality beyond all imaginations, homogeneous, matchless, beyond the
range of proofs, established by the pronouncements of the Vedas, and ever
familiar to us as the sense of the ego.
410. The wise man realises in his heart, through Samadhi,
the Infinite Brahman, which is undecaying and immortal, the positive Entity
which precludes all negations, which resembles the placid ocean and is without
a name, in which there are neither merits nor demerits, and which is eternal,
pacified and One.
411. With the mind restrained in Samadhi, behold in thy self
the Atman, of infinite glory, cut off thy bondage strengthened by the
impressions of previous births, and carefully attain the consummation of thy
birth as a human being.
412. Meditate on the Atman, which resides in thee, which is
devoid of all limiting adjuncts, the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute, the
One without a second, and thou shalt no more come under the round of births and
deaths.
413. After the body has once been cast off to a distance
like a corpse, the sage never more attaches himself to it, though it is visible
as an appearance, like the shadow of a man, owing to the experience of the
effects of past deeds.
414. Realising the Atman, the eternal, pure Knowledge and
Bliss, throw far away this limitation of a body, which is inert and filthy by
nature. Then remember it no more, for something that has been vomited excites
but disgust when called in memory.
415. Burning all this, with its very root, in the fire of
Brahman, the Eternal and Absolute Self, the truly wise man thereafter remains
alone, as the Atman, the eternal, pure Knowledge and Bliss.
416. The knower of Truth does no more care whether this
body, spun out by the threads of Prarabdha work, falls or remains – like the
garland on a cow – for his mind-functions are at rest in the Brahman, the
Essence of Bliss.
417. Realising the Atman, the Infinite Bliss, as his very
Self, with what object, or for whom, should the knower of Truth cherish the
body.
418. The Yogi who has attained perfection and is
liberated-in-life gets this as result – he enjoys eternal Bliss in his mind,
internally as well as externally.
419. The result of dispassion is knowledge, that of
Knowledge is withdrawal from sense-pleasures, which leads to the experience of
the Bliss of the Self, whence follows Peace.
420. If there is an absence of the succeeding stages, the
preceding ones are futile. (When the series is perfect) the cessation of the
objective world, extreme satisfaction, and matchless bliss follow as a matter
of course.
421. Being unruffled by earthly troubles is the result in
question of knowledge. How can a man who did various loathsome deeds during the
state of delusion, commit the same afterwards, possessed of discrimination ?
422. The result of knowledge should be the turning away from
unreal things, while attachment to these is the result of ignorance. This is
observed in the case of one who knows a mirage and things of that sort, and one
who does not. Otherwise, what other tangible result do the knowers of Brahman
obtain ?
423. If the heart’s knot of ignorance is totally destroyed,
what natural cause can there be for inducing such a man to selfish action, for
he is averse to sense-pleasures ?
424. When the sense-objects excite no more desire, then is
the culmination of dispassion. The extreme perfection of knowledge is the
absence of any impulsion of the egoistic idea. And the limit of self-withdrawal
is reached when the mind-functions that have been merged, appear no more.
425. Freed from all sense of reality of the external
sense-objects on account of his always remaining merged in Brahman; only
seeming to enjoy such sense-objects as are offered by others, like one sleepy,
or like a child; beholding this world as one seen in dreams, and having
cognition of it at chance moments – rare indeed is such a man, the enjoyer of
the fruits of endless merit, and he alone is blessed and esteemed on earth.
426. That Sannyasin has got a steady illumination who,
having his soul wholly merged in Brahman, enjoys eternal bliss, is changeless
and free from activity.
427. That kind of mental function which cognises only the
identity of the Self and Brahman, purified of all adjuncts, which is free from
duality, and which concerns itself only with Pure Intelligence, is called
illumination. He who has this perfectly steady is called a man of steady
illumination.
428. He whose illumination is steady, who has constant
bliss, and who has almost forgotten the phenomenal universe, is accepted as a
man liberated in this very life.
429. He who, even having his mind merged in Brahman, is
nevertheless quite alert, but free at the same time from the characteristics of
the waking state, and whose realisation is free from desires, is accepted as a
man liberated-in-life.
430. He whose cares about the phenomenal state have been
appeased, who, though possessed of a body consisting of parts, is yet devoid of
parts, and whose mind is free from anxiety, is accepted as a man
liberated-in-life.
431. The absence of the ideas of "I" and
"mine" even in this existing body which follows as a shadow, is a
characteristic of one liberated-in-life.
432. Not dwelling on enjoyments of the past, taking no
thought for the future and looking with indifference upon the present, are
characteristics of one liberated-in-life.
433. Looking everywhere with an eye of equality in this
world, full of elements possessing merits and demerits, and distinct by nature
from one another, is a characteristic of one liberated-in-life.
434. When things pleasant or painful present themselves, to
remain unruffled in mind in both cases, through the sameness of attitude, is a
characteristic of one liberated-in-life.
435. The absence of all ideas of interior or exterior in the
case of a Sannyasin, owing to his mind being engrossed in tasting the bliss of
Brahman, is a characteristic of one liberated-in-life.
436. He who lives unconcerned, devoid of all ideas of
"I" and "mine" with regard to the body, organs, etc., as
well as to his duties, is known as a man liberated-in-life.
437. He who has realised his Brahmanhood aided by the
Scriptures, and is free from the bondage of transmigration, is known as a man
liberated-in-life.
438. He who never has the idea of "I" with regard
to the body, organs, etc., nor that of "it" in respect of things
other than these, is accepted as one liberated-in-life.
439. He who through his illumination never differentiates
the Jiva and Brahman, nor the universe and Brahman, is known as a man
liberated-in-life.
440. He who feels just the same when his body is either
worshipped by the good or tormented by the wicked, is known as a man
liberated-in-life.
441. The Sannyasin in whom the sense-objects directed by
others are engulfed like flowing rivers in the sea and produce no change, owing
to his identity with the Existence Absolute, is indeed liberated.
442. For one who has realised the Truth of Brahman, there is
no more attachment to the sense-objects as before: If there is, that man has
not realised his identity with Brahman, but is one whose senses are outgoing in
their tendency.
443. If it be urged that he is still attached to the
sense-objects through the momentum of his old desires, the reply is – no, for
desires get weakened through the realisation of one’s identity with Brahman.
444. The propensities of even a confirmed libertine are
checked in the presence of his mother; just so, when Brahman, the Bliss
Absolute, has been realised, the man of realisation has no longer any worldly
tendency.
445. One who is constantly practising meditation is observed
to have external perceptions. The Shrutis mention Prarabdha work in the case of
such a man, and we can infer this from results actually seen.
446. Prarabdha work is acknowledged to persist so long as
there is the perception of happiness and the like. Every result is preceded by
an action, and nowhere is it seen to accrue independently of action.
447. Through the realisation of one’s identity with Brahman,
all the accumulated actions of a hundred crore of cycles come to nought, like
the actions of dream-state on awakening.
448. Can the good actions or dreadful sins that a man
fancies himself doing in the dream-state, lead him to heaven or hell after he
has awakened from sleep ?
449. Realising the Atman, which is unattached and
indifferent like the sky, the aspirant is never touched in the least by actions
yet to be done.
450. The sky is not affected by the smell of liquor merely
through its connection with the jar; similarly, the Atman is not, through Its
connection with the limitations, affected by the properties thereof.
451. The work which has fashioned this body prior to the
dawning of knowledge, is not destroyed by that knowledge without yielding its
fruits, like the arrow shot at an object.
452. The arrow which is shot at an object with the idea that
it is a tiger, does not, when that object is perceived to be a cow, check
itself, but pierces the object with full force.
453. Prarabdha work is certainly very strong for the man of
realisation, and is spent only by the actual experience of its fruit; while the
actions previously accumulated and those yet to come are destroyed by the fire
of perfect knowledge. But none of the three at all affects those who, realising
their identity with Brahman, are always living absorbed in that idea. They are
verily the transcendent Brahman.
454. For the sage who lives in his own Self as Brahman, the
One without a second, devoid of identification with the limiting adjuncts, the
question of the existence of Prarabdha work is meaningless, like the question
of a man who has awakened from sleep having any connection with the objects
seen in the dream-state.
455. The man who has awakened from sleep never has any idea
of "I" or "mine" with regard to his dream-body and the
dream-objects that ministered to that body, but lives quite awake, as his own
Self.
456. He has no desire to substantiate the unreal objects,
nor is he seen to maintain that dream-world. If he still clings to those unreal
objects, he is emphatically declared to be not yet free from sleep.
457. Similarly, he who is absorbed in Brahman lives
identified with that eternal Reality and beholds nothing else. As one has a
memory of the objects seen in a dream, so the man of realisation has a memory
of the everyday actions such as eating.
458. The body has been fashioned by Karma, so one may
imagine Prarabdha work with reference to it. But it is not reasonable to
attribute the same to the Atman, for the Atman is never the outcome of work.
459. The Shrutis, whose words are infallible, declare the
Atman to be "birthless, eternal and undecaying". So, the man who
lives identified with That, how can Prarabdha work be attributed ?
460. Prarabdha work can be maintained only so long as one
lives identified with the body. But no one admits that the man of realisation
ever identifies himself with the body. Hence Prarabdha work should be rejected
in his case.
461. The attributing of Prarabdha work to the body even is
certainly an error. How can something that is superimposed (on another) have
any existence, and how can that which is unreal have a birth ? And how can that
which has not been born at all, die ? So how can Prarabdha work exist for
something that is unreal ?
462-463. "If the effects of ignorance are destroyed
with their root by knowledge, then how does the body live?" – it is to
convince those fools who entertain a doubt like this, that the Shrutis, from a
relative standpoint, hypothesise Prarabdha work, but not for proving the reality
of the body etc., of the man of realisation.
464. There is only Brahman, the One without a second,
infinite, without beginning or end, transcendent and changeless; there is no
duality whatsoever in It.
465. There is only Brahman, the One without a second, the
Essence of Existence, Knowledge and Eternal Bliss, and devoid of activity;
there is no duality whatsoever in It.
466. There is only Brahman, the One without a second, which
is within all, homogeneous, infinite, endless, and all-pervading; there is no
duality whatsoever in It.
467. There is only Brahman, the One without a second, which
is neither to be shunned nor taken up nor accepted, and which is without any
support, there is no duality whatsoever in It.
468. There is only Brahman, the One without a second, beyond
attributes, without parts, subtle, absolute and taintless; there is no duality
whatsoever in It.
469. There is only Brahman, the One without a second, whose
real nature is incomprehensible, and which is beyond the range of mind and
speech; there is no duality whatsoever in It.
470. There is only Brahman, the One without a second, the
Reality, the One without a second, the Reality, effulgent, self-existent, pure,
intelligent, and unlike anything finite; there is no duality whatsoever in It.
471. High-souled Sannyasins who have got rid of all
attachment and discarded all sense-enjoyments, and who are serene and perfectly
restrained, realise this Supreme Truth and at the end attain the Supreme Bliss
through their Self-realisation.
472. Thou, too, discriminate this Supreme Truth, the real
nature of the Self, which is Bliss undiluted, and shaking off thy delusion
created by thy own mind, be free and illumined, and attain the consummation of
thy life.
473. Through the Samadhi in which the mind has been
perfectly stilled, visualise the Truth of the Self with the eye of clear
realisation. If the meaning of the (Scriptural) words heard from the Guru is
perfectly and indubitably discerned, then it can lead to no more doubt.
474. In the realisation of the Atman, the
Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute, through the breaking of one’s connection
with the bondage of Avidya or ignorance, the Scriptures, reasoning and the
words of the Guru are the proofs, while one’s own experience earned by
concentrating the mind is another proof.
475. Bondage, liberation, satisfaction, anxiety, recovery
from illness, hunger and other such things are known only to the man concerned,
and knowledge of these to others is a mere inference.
476. The Gurus as well as the Shrutis instruct the disciple,
standing aloof; while the man of realisation crosses (Avidya) through
Illumination alone, backed by the grace of God.
477. Himself knowing his indivisible Self through his own
realisation and thus becoming perfect, a man should stand face to face with the
Atman, with his mind free from dualistic ideas.
478. The verdict of all discussions on the Vedanta is that
the Jiva and the whole universe are nothing but Brahman, and that liberation
means abiding in Brahman, the indivisible Entity. While the Shrutis themselves
are authority (for the statement) that Brahman is One without a second.
479. Realising, at a blessed moment, the Supreme Truth
through the above instructions of the Guru, the authority of the Scriptures and
his own reasoning, with his senses quieted and the mind concentrated, (the
disciple) became immovable in form and perfectly established in the Atman.
480. Concentrating the mind for some time on the Supreme
Brahman, he rose, and out of supreme bliss spoke as follows.
481. My mind has vanished, and all its activities have
melted, by realising the identity of the Self and Brahman; I do not know either
this or not-this; nor what or how much the boundless Bliss (of Samadhi) is !
482. The majesty of the ocean of Supreme Brahman, replete
with the swell of the nectar-like Bliss of the Self, is verily impossible to
express in speech, nor can it be conceived by the mind – in an infinitesimal
fraction of which my mind melted like a hailstone getting merged in the ocean,
and is now satisfied with that Essence of Bliss.
483. Where is the universe gone, by whom is it removed, and
where is it merged ? It was just now seen by me, and has it ceased to exist ?
It is passing strange !
484. In the ocean of Brahman filled with the nectar of
Absolute Bliss, what is to be shunned and what accepted, what is other (than
oneself) and what different ?
485. I neither see nor hear nor know anything in this. I
simply exist as the Self, the eternal Bliss, distinct from everything else.
486. Repeated salutations to thee, O noble Teacher, who art
devoid of attachment, the best among the good souls and the embodiment of the
essence of Eternal Bliss, the One without a second – who art infinite and ever
the boundless ocean of mercy:
487. Whose glance, like the shower of concentrated
moonbeams, has removed my exhaustion brought on by the afflictions of the
world, and in a moment admitted me to the undecaying status of the Atman, the
Bliss of infinite majesty !
488. Blessed am I; I have attained the consummation of my
life, and am free from the clutches of transmigration; I am the Essence of
Eternal Bliss, I am infinite – all through thy mercy !
489. I am unattached, I am disembodied, I am free from the
subtle body, and undecaying, I am serene, I am infinite, I am taintless and
eternal.
490. I am not the doer, I am not the experiencer, I am
changeless and beyond activity; I am the essence of Pure Knowledge; I am
Absolute and identified with Eternal Good.
491. I am indeed different from the seer, listener, speaker,
doer and experiencer; I am the essence of Knowledge, eternal, without any
break, beyond activity, limitless, unattached and infinite.
492. I am neither, this nor that, but the Supreme, the
illuminer of both; I am indeed Brahman, the One without a second, pure, devoid
of interior or exterior and infinite.
493. I am indeed Brahman, the One without a second,
matchless, the Reality that has no beginning, beyond such imagination as thou
or I, or this or that, the Essence of Eternal Bliss, the Truth.
494. I am Narayana, the slayer of Naraka; I am the destroyer
of Tripura, the Supreme Being, the Ruler; I am knowledge Absolute, the Witness
of everything; I have no other Ruler but myself, I am devoid of the ideas of
"I’ and "mine".
495. I alone reside as knowledge in all beings, being their
internal and external support. I myself am the experiencer and all that is
experienced – whatever I looked upon as "this" or the not-Self
previously.
496. In me, the ocean of Infinite Bliss, the waves of the
universe are created and destroyed by the playing of the wind of Maya.
497. Such ideas as gross (or subtle) are erroneously
imagined in me by people through the manifestation of things superimposed –
just as in the indivisible and absolute time, cycles, years, half-years,
seasons, etc., are imagined.
498. That which is superimposed by the grossly ignorant
fools can never taint the substratum: The great rush of waters observed in a
mirage never wets the desert tracts.
499. I am beyond contamination like the sky; I am distinct
from things illumined, like the sun; I am always motionless like the mountain;
I am limitless like the ocean.
500. I have no connection with the body, as the sky with
clouds; so how can the states of wakefulness, dream and profound sleep, which
are attributes of the body, affect me ?