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ELLAM
ONDRE
The knower of Unity will act as one should. In
fact, the knowledge of Unity makes him act. He
cannot err. In the world, he is God made visible.
All is One.
All action is
God's. His power has fixed each thing into its own
individual function. By His agency the insentient
objects and the sentient beings do their work. All
actions are His.
MANU
SMRITI
One should speak what is true; one
should speak what is
pleasant; one should not speak what is true if it
is not pleasant, nor what is pleasant
if it is false. This is the ancient dharma.
SANT
SAMARTH
RAMDAS
Beware of the
false prophets who pretend to be spiritual Gurus,
but are as worthless as straw. Posing himself as an
advaitic vedantin, he dismisses all distinctions of
good and bad, right and wrong, holy and unholy and
behaves as promiscuously as he wishes. One must
take utmost care to see that the Guru he wishes to
resort to is one who has himself realised God and
who has the capacity to make others also realise
Him.
The world is as good as unreal to him who is
absorbed in the meditation on the name of Rama
[God]; and then with the vision of Rama,
the whole of the phenomenal world will appear as a
dream.
To apprehend the absolute Reality is, no doubt
impossible for the speech, the mind and the
intellect. But what this really means is that It
can be realised without their aid, and that Its
bliss can be enjoyed without there being any prior
want or desire.
If you wish to see God, you must cross the front
gate in the form of this phenomenal world.
The chief characteristic of a saint is that he is
always intent in looking at the vision of God,
whatever may be his condition or activity while he
is in society. He becomes as fearless as Reality
and devoid of blemishes like anger, jealousy,
sensuous desires and so on.
What is very essential in spiritual life is the
combination of the realisation of the ultimate
Reality and the renunciation of all other things.
Without any disgust for godless things, there will
only be a verbal knowledge about God, and the
growth of God-realisation will be much hampered.
And without God-realisation, renunciation will only
be a pretence. One must therefore make himself free
internally as well as externally.
SIDDHARAMESHWAR
MAHARAJ
Whatever ought to have been achieved is already
achieved. Praise Him who attains That, the
knowledge of Self-realisation. His parents also
deserve to be praised because the family is
saved.
There are many people who have studied millions of
sciences, B.A, M.A. They are all for filling their
stomachs. Dogs and cats also fill their stomachs.
There is no rule for them.
Only those who have achieved true knowledge deserve
praise. They lifted themselves and showed the path
to the next generations. After ten million years we
met our Self. The curtain in the form of duality
was taken away. The curtain of countless number of
births vanished at last. The sight became divine
which saw all is Reality. He alone has got all
these faces of elephants, monkeys, all beings,
countless number of hands, feet, etc.
I reside everywhere and in all. There is nothing
except that intuitive perception, "All is One and
there is no duality." The indiviual self returned
to his nature from where he had come.
One who has consciousness of the body is bound.
There is bondage in ignorance and liberation in
knowledge, but when both ignorance and knowledge
are not there, how could the idea of bondage or
liberation exist?
The inner mind or inner sense of all is the same,
while their minds are different.
When duality ends, there is no sin or merit. There
is no difficulty if our spit is kept in our own
mouth. There is no sin or virtue if we swallow it
because it is our own. No one calls it "used up".
Whatever belongs to us is all good. There is no sin
nor virtue about it. We ourselves are all this,
then why should there be any sin or virtue, heaven
or hell?
No impurity can accrue to a man who has a
understood oneness thoroughly. All differences, all
duality vanished. The master sent all the six
ghosts [five elements and ego] away. They
were ghosts. Water, earth, heat, air, sky and ego
all vanished and became gods.
As is your concept, so will you see.
Spiritual science is the science where Self is
considered first and foremost.
Mind is a collection of determinants and
doubts.
Who would give up the great benefit of realising
unity with God by not doing the simple act of
offering all actions to Him? This advice of
spiritual life was given by Krishna to Uddhava and
is the pinnacle of all devotion.
The Self is full of knowledge. Wherever
consciousness exists, the Self exists. It is the
speaker, as well as the listener, and it is also
the one who understands the meaning. The Self is
the doer of everything. The sun owes its status and
light to the Self. If not for the Self, the sun
would never even be called the sun.
The Self is the creator of the universe, as well as
the one who labels everything as untrue. The one
who realises this can reach the state of one's true
nature. The transient world, which is based on good
and bad concepts, continues to pass away. The
knowledgeable know that it is the Self, Lord
Vishnu, who is the sustainer and doer of
everything, and that it is only He who gets
everything done.
The one who experiences everything is only He, the
Self, the only true experiencer.
TUKARAM
Of what
material is the "I" made; how difficult it is to
look into its nature. We cannot forget the idea,
though it is nothing but ourself. When darkness
overpowers light, the ground under our feet is
changed. Tuka says, "If you take God with you, he
will show you where you are."
The mind serves as a crucible wherein all pleasures
are thrown together. One serves to make another
deeper, but each returns at last to its native
form. When a drop of rain falls into the sea, how
can it be distinguished? Tuka says, "The new drops
cannot be recognised even by God."
I have renounced all vehicles of sense; I shall not
allow any trouble to come near me hereafter. Why
should we have to clean our hands? Why should we
put obstacles in a practised path? What has God not
created for you? Everything is in its proper place.
Tuka says, "When our pride disappears, with it goes
the relation of I and you."
He knows not what is right; he is dragged along by
the organs of sense; he continues prating in the
words which he has learned. Such a one goes to hell
himself and would take forty-two families and the
world besides with him. He shuts his eyes and
utters things unfit for speech; he talks idle
nonsense to gratify his pride. Tuka says, "I have
scrutinised him; I know him for one who dances in
imitation of others."
If a man talks of divine knowledge, while his heart
is full of pride in wealth, what pleasure does it
yield the soul to serve Him? Many in this Kali age
have turned saints to full their bellies. "Rare
indeed", says Tuka, "is the man whom I fall
down."
RAMAKRISHNA
The mind steeped in affection for woman and wealth
is like the green betel-nut. So long as the nut is
green, it remains adherent to its shell, but when
it dries, shell and nut become separated; and on
being shaken, the kernel moves within. So when
affection for women and wealth dries up from
within, the soul is perceived as quite different
from the body.
The knowledge of oneness makes me see that
everything is but a manifestation of God, the
Absolute, on the plane of sense. Thus do I realise
that all women are so many forms in which the
divine Mother appears. Hence I revere all women
alike – be it an unchaste woman, or an ideal
wife who is an example to others of conjugal love
and devotion.
Unless one becomes as simple as a child, one cannot
reach divine illumination. Give up your vanity
about the worldly knowledge you have acquired, and
know it to be futile in the realm of higher Truth.
Be as simple as a child, and then only you will
reach the knowledge of the true.
Only two kinds of people can attain to
Self-knowledge: those whose minds are not
encumbered at all with learning, that is to say,
not overcrowded with thoughts borrowed from others;
and those who after studying all the scriptures and
sciences, have come to realise that they know
nothing.
Jnana never comes without the renunciation of lust
and possession. With renunciation is destroyed all
ignorance. Many things can be burnt by means of a
lens held directly in the rays of the sun. But you
cannot use it in the shadow of a room. Even so with
the mind. You must take it out of the dark cell of
this world and expose it to the full blaze of
self-effulgent Divinity. Then alone will come true
renunciation, and all ignorance will be
destroyed.
KABIR
The mind is a nervous thief,
the mind is a pure cheat.
The ruin of sages, men and gods,
the mind has a hundred thousand gates.
Try your best with jewels,
decorate the clay.
Kabir came and went again,
Existence is a lie.
What's the world like?
A flock of sheep.
One falls in the ditch,
the rest jump in.
YOGASWAMI
Bear in mind
the words that I shall tell you,
That the whole world may rejoice and your heart may
be gladdened
One God, one world!
Always seek after what is good and put it into
practise.
You are not gross matter; you are perfect
consciousness.
'Tis difficult your greatness to describe!
Therefore – fire will not burn you;
The friendly breezes will not parch you;
Even the earth itself cannot harm you;
And much praised water will not chill you.
You are that which has no end.
Keep in your heart the happiness that never suffers
change.
For you there is no caste and no religion.
Plant naught but justice in your mind,
And follow not the senses' path that will only
bring you sorrow.
Never will danger come your way.
Let everything you have to do be well and truly
done.
Long, long ago were you redeemed!
Now all the world lies in your grasp!
Of this there is no doubt. Thus I have said. Now
hearken!
The Satguru is there to help you. You be but a
Witness!
All hail to the feet of the wonder-working
Lord!
SAGE
YAJNAVALKYA
Where the duality is present, there one can smell
the fragrance, one can speak to others, one can
listen to others, one will pay respect to others,
and one can think and understand. But, where there
is only Atman everywhere, what will he smell? Whom
will he ask? What will he listen to? Whom will he
pay respect to? What will he think about and
understand?
YOGA
VASISTHA
Mind constantly swings like a pendulum between
the Reality and the appearance, between
consciousness and inertness. When the mind
contemplates the inert objects for a considerable
time, it assumes the characteristic of such
inertness. When the same mind is devoted to
enquiry and wisdom, it shakes off all conditioning
and returns to its original nature as pure
consciousness. Mind takes the very form of
that which one contemplates, whether it is natural
or cultivated. Therefore, resolutely but
intelligently contemplate the state beyond sorrow,
free from all doubts. The mind is capable of
restraining itself; there is indeed no other
way.
It is childish and ignorant to talk of duality
and non-duality; the enlightened ones laugh at all
this. However, without such a discussion based on
duality and non-duality it is not possible to clean
one's consciousness of ignorance. It is only in
that spirit that I have dealt with all this, dear
friend.
The mind abandons everything when the vision of the
Supreme is gained. Hence, one should resolutely
renounce everything till the supreme vision is
gained. Not till one renounces everything is
Self-knowledge gained: when all points of view are
abandoned, what remains is the Self.
That which has no seed [cause] and which is
indescribable is therefore not the cause of another
– naught is born of that. Hence the Self is
neither the doer nor the action nor the instrument.
It is the Truth. It is the eternal absolute
consciousness. It is Self-knowledge. There is no
creation in the supreme Reality. One may
theoretically establish the arising and the
existence of a wave in the ocean on the basis of
time of its arising and space in which it seems to
exist as a wave; but who has tried to establish
such a relationship between Reality and the
creation? For in reality, time and space do not
exist. Thus, the world has no basis at all.
It is the cessation of the awareness of action and
of experience, the giving up of conditioning and
thus the attainment of peace and the state of
equilibrium that is known by the expression
"abandonment of action".
The infinite consciousness which alone appears as
all this is undying, unchanging and eternal. The
unmoving consciousness remains, appearing to be
whatever notion arises in it here and there. What
is true and what is false? So let one experience
bodies, actions, sorrow or pleasure as and when
they arise – or let them all go. There is no
meaning in all this. Let it be "this" way or "that"
way, let it be or not – give up this delusion
and remain enlightened.
What is enquiry? To enquire thus: "Who am I? How
has this evil of repetitive history
[samsara] come into being?" is true
enquiry. Knowledge of Truth arises in oneself; and
from such knowledge there follows tranquility in
oneself; and then there arises the supreme peace
that passeth understanding and the ending of all
sorrow. Enquiry is not reasoning or analysis; it is
directly looking into oneself.
Diversity has no real existence except in one's own
imagination. "All this is indeed the absolute
Reality" – remain established in this Truth.
Give up all other notions. Even as the waves are
non-different from the ocean, all these things are
non-different from Reality. Even as in the seed is
hidden the entire tree in potential, in reality
there exists the entire universe for ever. Even as
the multicoloured rainbow is produced by sunlight,
all this diversity is seen in the One.
The universe is but a long dream. The ego-sense and
also the fancy that there are others, are as real
as dream-objects.
When the "I" concept perishes, the body-sense will
necessarily perish like a great tree whose roots
are sawn off.
Through Divine Grace, one can go beyond the
influences of past actions.
Desires arising from latent tendencies connected
with external objects constitute bondage. One who
has got rid of his latent tendencies along with
their root cause and attained equanimity, O
Raghava, know him to be a person liberated from the
objects of perception.
Reality, or the supreme Self, is one without a
second, without a cause and without an effect, for
it has no reason [motivation or need] to do
anything. It is therefore not the doer, neither is
there any action, instrument nor seed for such
activity. Hence it is not the cause for this
creation or the creator.
He who has no likes or dislikes towards pleasant
and unpleasant objects, but goes about like one
asleep, is said to be a liberated person.
Everything is consciousness. Nothing exists that is
separate from consciousness.
TRIPURA
RAHASYA
The current notion that one cannot escape one's
destiny is applicable to weak-minded and senseless
wastrels.
Destiny seizes and holds only senseless people.
Conforming to and following nature, destiny forms
part of nature. Nature again is only the
contrivance for enforcing God's will. His purpose
is always sure and cannot be prevented. Its edge
can, however, be blunted by devotion to Him and if
it is not so blunted, the predisposing cause must
therefore be considered a most powerful factor in a
man's life. Therefore, eschew high vanity and take
refuge in Him. He will spontaneously take you to
the highest state.
True experience of the Self is the unawareness of
even "I am". Can the world persist after such
unawareness?
I will tell you the secret. The cycle of births and
deaths is from time immemorial caused by ignorance
which displays itself as pleasure and pain and yet
is only a dream and unreal. Being so, the wise say
that it can be ended by knowledge. By what kind of
knowledge? Wisdom born of realisation : viz., "I am
That".
BRIHADARANYAKA
UPANISHAD
When one has directly realised the Self
[Atman] that "I am It", where is the need
for one to follow the instincts and temptations of
the body and mind and suffer with them? He, the
knower of the supreme Self [Brahman] is
enlightened by the realisation that "I am It", even
while living in the body, which is heir to
innumerable trials and tribulations. He is the
support [creator] of the universe. He is
the inspirer of all. He owns the universe, nay he
himself is the universe, being one with Reality
[Brahman], which is the very essence of it.
Even while living in this body, we have realised
That [Reality]. And we say from experience:
Listen, those who fail to realise It now while
living have great loss and destruction in store for
them. He who realises It becomes immortal, while
the others get only misery and sorrow. When Reality
is realised as the essence of all, one instantly
becomes aware of it's all-ness and spontaneously
free forever from hatred and differention. As the
all-consuming "time" is everyday moving towards
one, one should worship Him, the Light of all
lights, to ward off death and attain
immortality.
That on which the five pranas and the five species
of beings are established, including the universe
which is their abode, is the supreme Self to be
sure. The wise one who knows It reaches
immortality. It is the Life of life, The Eye of the
eye, the Ear of the ear, the Mind of the mind.
Those who realise It as such verily reach the
ancient One [Reality] in Its essence. By
the purified mind alone the Self is to be realised.
There is no duality in It as It is one without a
second. The mind that is wedded to duality and is
impure can never realise It. He who sees duality
here goes from birth to death only to be born again
repeatedly – they fail to achieve the goal of
human life; That is to be realised as the unified
consciousness of all – the unchanging Truth of
undiminishing splendour, bereft of all impurities,
beyond the five elements beginning from the void
[akasa] and ending with the earth –
unborn, the Self [of the universe], the
great and eternal. The wise one – the brahmana
– shall know That alone and compose himself
[observe silence], and be established in
Reality; he shall shun the futile study of books on
the "many" which only exhaust the speech and mind
of the spiritual aspirant.
SRIMAD
BHAGAVATAM
Whether
the impermanent body is at rest or moves about, or
whether by reason of prarabdha it clings to him or
falls away from him, the Self-realised siddha is
not aware of it, even as the drunken man blinded by
intoxication is unaware whether his clothes are on
his body or not.
RAMA
GITA
The
conjuror deludes the world, while remaining
undeluded himself. But the siddha deludes himself
first, and then deludes others. How wonderful this
is!
AMRITBINDU
UPANISHAD
That in whom reside all beings and who resides in
all beings, who is the giver of Grace to all, the
supreme soul of the universe, the limitless being
– I am That.
CHANDOGYA
UPANISHAD
As the
rivers flowing east and west
Merge in the sea and become one with it,
Forgetting they were ever separate rivers,
So do all creatures lose their separateness
When they merge at last into pure being.
The Self
which is free from sin, free from old age, from
death and from grief, from hunger and thirst, which
desires nothing but what it ought to desire, and
imagines nothing but what it ought to imagine, that
it is which we must search out, that it is which we
must try to understand. He who has searched out
that Self and understands it, obtains all worlds
and all desires.
This is the Self. And That thou art.
All this is Reality. Let a man meditate on that
visible world as beginning, ending, and breathing
in It [Reality].
He who knows both the transcendent and the
immanent, with the immanent overcomes death, and
with the transcendent reaches immortality.
There is a light that shines beyond all things on
earth, beyond the highest, the very highest
heavens. This is the Light that shines in your
Heart.
The Self is hidden in the lotus of the Heart. Those
who see themselves in all the creatures go day by
day into the world of Reality hidden in the Heart.
Established in peace, they rise above body
consciousness to the supreme light of the Self.
Immortal, free from fear, this Self is Reality,
called the True. Beyond the mortal and the
immortal, he binds both worlds together. Those who
know this live day after day in heaven in this very
life.
SVETASVATARA
UPANISHAD
They are
two birds, close companions, clasping the same
tree. Of the two, one eats sweet fruit; the other
looks on without eating. On this same tree a
person, sunk and grieving in slavery, is deluded,
but upon observing the Lord happy and great,
becomes free of sorrow.
He who is beginningless and endless, who created
all things in the midst of chaos, who pervades the
universe – knowing Him one is freed from all
fetters.
It is neither female nor male, nor is it neuter.
Whatever body it takes with that it is
identified.
That person, who is of the measure of a thumb, is
the inner Self dwelling in the hearts of men,
limited by the heart, the understanding and the
mind. Those who know this become immortal.
Its hands and feet are everywhere, its eyes and
heads are everywhere, its ears are everywhere. It
[Reality] stands encompassing all in the
world.
When identified with the ego, the Self appears
other than what it is. It may appear smaller than a
hair's breadth. But know the Self to be
infinite.
The Self which pervades all things, as butter
pervades the milk, that which has its roots in
Self-knowledge – that is Reality.
Meditate and realise this world is filled with the
presence of God.
You are the supreme Reality, infinite, yet hidden
in the hearts of all creatures. You pervade
everything.
Subtler than the subtlest, greatest than the
greatest, the Self is hidden in the Heart of the
creature. By the Grace of the Lord the one who is
freed from sorrow sees him who is actionless and
majestic.
The Eternal which dwells in the soul has to be
known. Beyond that there is nothing else to be
known. By knowing the enjoyer, the object of
enjoyment and the ruler, everything has been said.
This is the threefold Reality.
He who is subtler than the subtle, who in the midst
of chaos has created all things of manifold forms,
who alone envelops everything – by knowing Him
as the auspicious Lord one attains peace
forever.
He is indeed the guardian of this world in time,
the Lord of all, hidden in all things. In Him are
united the seers of Reality as well as the gods. By
knowing Him one cuts the cords of death.
Perishable is matter, imperishable and immortal is
the Lord. He, the only God, rules over both matter
and the soul. By meditating on Him, by uniting with
Him and becoming one with Him there is in the end
complete cessation of the illusion of the
world.
The one who rules over every single cause, in whom
all this comes together and goes asunder again, who
is the Lord, the Bestower of blessings, the
adorable God – by discerning Him one attains
the eternal peace.
He is the eternal Reality, sing the scriptures, and
the ground of existence. Those who perceive Him in
every creature merge in Him and are released from
the wheel of birth and
death.
MUNDAKA
UPANISHAD
Like two
birds of golden plumage, inseparable companions,
the individual self and the immortal Self are
perched on the branches of the same tree. The
former tastes of the sweet and bitter fruits of the
tree; the latter, tasting of neither, calmly
observes.
He is the
unseen Seer, the unheard Hearer, the unthought
Thinker, the unknown Knower. There is no other
seer, hearer, thinker or knower, but He. He is your
Self, the immortal.
When you have reached Him, the sages become
satisfied through their jnana [direct knowledge
of the Reality that is the Self]. They become
perfectly tranquil and free from passion.
Indeed, one who knows the supreme Reality, becomes
Reality Himself. He overcomes grief. He overcomes
sin. Free from fetters of the heart, he becomes
immortal.
Grand, divine, inconceivable – in form smaller
than the smallest, It shines forth. It is farther
than the far, and yet It is here at hand, hidden in
the Heart.
The immortal Reality is before and behind, to the
right and to the left; below and above –
Reality indeed is everywhere.
Fetters of the heart are broken, all doubts are
dispelled, all karmas are melted away, when He is
seen, who is both high and low.
The sacred word OM is called the bow, the arrow is
the soul and Reality [Brahman] is its
target; He shall be pierced by him whose attention
does not swerve. Then he will become one with Him
as the arrow becomes one with the target whence it
has pierced it.
That alone is the Self, on which are woven the
earth, intermediate region and sky, the mind,
together with all its breaths. Put away all other
words, for OM is the channel to the immortal
Reality.
That supreme Reality [Brahman] is infinite,
and this conditioned Reality is infinite. The
infinite proceeds from infinite. If you subtract
the infinite from the infinite, the infinite
remains alone.
KENOPANISHAD
Reality
is known to one who thinks it is unknowable and not
known to one who thinks he
knows.
Only the
knowledge derived from the above hint is the real
knowledge; as with this immortality is gained; from
the indwelling Lord is obtained the power to know
Him; and through knowledge the supreme Lord is
obtained.
If in this life the Lord is known, it is well and
good; if not, it is a great loss. So wise men
taking the supreme Lord in every being, depart from
this world and become immortal.
Verily, O friend, he who recognises the shadowless,
bodiless, colourless, pure imperishable Self
attains that supreme Self Itself. He, knowing all,
becomes the all.
There
neither the eye goes nor the speech about the
result of concentration [the organs of action
and perception as well are negated]; nor does
the mind; how to teach what Reality is – we do
not know from our own knowledge nor do we know
through hearing from others because that is
different from what is known and also from that
which is not known from mind, etc., and which is
above and apart from them.
KATHA
UPANISHAD
The Self
is never born, nor does It die. It was born from
nothing and nothing was born from It. It is unborn,
eternal and primordial. It is not slain when the
body is slain.
The one ruler, the Self with all beings, who
manifests Himself in many forms – the wise
perceive Him within themselves.
The Self is not certainly adequately known when
spoken of by an inferior person; for It is thought
of variously. When taught by one who has become
identified with It, there is no further cogitation
with regards to It. For It is beyond argumentation,
being subtler even than the atomic quantity.
The intelligent Self is neither born nor does It
die. It did not originate from anything, nor did
anything originate from It. It is birthless,
eternal, undecaying, and Ancient. It is not injured
even when the body is killed.
One who has not desisted from bad conduct, whose
senses are not under control, whose mind is not
concentrated, whose mind is not free from anxiety,
cannot attain this Self through knowledge.
MANDUKYA
UPANISHAD
Self-knowledge together with renunciation is the
means to immortality.
The knower can not become an object to be
known.
Realisation of Reality is brought about by the mere
cessation of ignorance.
The immortal
Reality is before and behind, to the right and to
the left; below and above – Reality indeed is
everywhere.
Fetters of the heart are broken, all doubts are
dispelled, all karmas are melted away, when He is
seen, who is both high and low.
As long as there is mental preoccupation with
causality, so long does the worldly state continue.
When engrossment with causality is exhausted, one
does not attain the worldly state.
Since it is stated in the Vedas, "There is
no diversity here", "The Lord on account of maya
[illusion] is perceived as manifold", and
"The Self, without being born, appears to be born
in various ways", it follows that He is born on
account of maya alone.
ADI
SHANKARACHARYA
I always bow down to those masters who are
conversant with words, sentences and sources of
knowledge and who, like lamps, have shown clearly
to us Reality, the secret of the Vedas.
The conception of the existence of the non-Self is
what is called ignorance, the destruction of which
is known to be liberation. This destruction is
possible by means of knowledge only, which is
incompatible with ignorance. Actions compatible
with ignorance cannot destroy it.
The learned know the Vedas to be one
continuous whole the only purpose of which is to
demonstrate one thing viz., Knowledge inasmuch as
the oneness of the Self is to be known by the
understanding of the vedic sentences.
It is, therefore, reasonable that this universe is
unreal. Existence-knowledge only is Real. Existing
prior to everything, It is both the knower and the
known. It is the forms that are unreal.
Unperceived in deep sleep but perceived in waking
and dreams by those who are ignorant, the whole of
this universe is an outcome of ignorance and
therefore unreal.
It is said in the scriptures that the consciousness
of the oneness of the individual self and Reality
is knowledge, and that of a difference between them
is ignorance. Knowledge is, therefore, demonstrated
in the scriptures with great care.
What is called deep sleep, darkness or ignorance is
the seed of the waking and dream states. It gets
perfectly burnt by the fire of Self-knowledge, and
it no more produces effects, like a burnt seed that
does not germinate.
That one seed, called maya, is evolved into the
three states which come one after another again and
again. The Self, the substratum of maya, though
only one and immutable, appears to be many, like
reflections of the sun in water.
O deluded one, give up the thirst for accumulation
of wealth. Create in your mind the thought of
Reality, without any thirst. What you get, the
wealth acquired through your past deeds, with that,
satisfy your mind.
The water on the lotus leaf is very unsteady,
likewise life is extremely fickle. Know that the
whole world is devoured by disease and infatuation,
and assailed by sorrow.
As long as one is fond of acquiring wealth, so long
one's circle is devoted. Later, one lives in a
decrepit body, and none in the house enquires about
one's well-being.
As long as breath abides in one's body, so long she
enquires about one's health in the house. When the
breath has departed on the loss of one's body, the
wife is afraid of that body.
As a child, one keeps on being attached to playing.
As a youth, one keeps on being attached to maidens.
Growing old, one keeps on being attached to
anxiety. To the supreme Reality, none is
attached!
Who is your wife? Who is your son? This
transmigratory world is very strange! To whom do
you belong? Who are you? Whence have you come?
Think of what is the Truth, bewildered as you
are.
When there is attachment to saints, there comes
non-attachment. When there is non-attachment, there
comes absence of delusion. When there is absence of
delusion, there comes steadiness. When there is
steadiness, there comes liberation in life.
When youth has gone, what play of desire is there?
When water has evaporated, what pond is there? When
wealth has decreased, what circle is there? When
the Truth is known, what transmigration is
there?
Do not take pride in wealth, people and youth. Time
takes away everything in the twinkling of an eye!
After leaving all this which is illusory, having
realised the state of Reality, enter into That.
Who are you? Who am I? Wherefrom have I come? Who
is my mother? Who is my father? Reflect over this,
having left aside all the universe which is an
essenceless dream perception.
Having given up desire, anger, greed and delusion,
enquire into the Self – "Who am I?" Being
without Self-knowledge and the prisoners of hell,
the deluded are tormented.
Being devoted completely to the lotus-feet of the
Guru, be liberated from transmigration without
delay! Thus, by controlling the mind and the
senses, you will see the Divine who is dwelling in
your Heart.
All that is heard is non-existent. Understand that
there is nothing upon which to reflect. The
knowledge of the non-existence of anything upon
which to meditate is the profound meditation on the
Self. Abidance in the Self, is to be free of all
errors and all misconceptions.
That which permeates all, which nothing transcends
and which, like the universal space around us,
fills everything completely from within and
without, that non-dual supreme Reality – That
thou are.
That is the Truth which the wise realise as the
Self, the residuum left over on withdrawing from
external objects, with or without form [ether,
air, fire, water and earth], by a careful
application of the scriptural text "Not this, not
this". That thou art!
That is the Truth which, after generating the
fundamentals [ether, air, fire, water and
earth], and entering the world, lies hidden
beneath the five sheaths, and which has been
threshed out by the wise with the pestle of
discernment, just as the grain is recovered by
threshing and winnowing the chaff. That thou
art!
Just as wild horses are broken-in by whipping and
stabling them, so also the unruly senses, straying
among objects, are lashed by the whip of
discrimination, showing that objects are unreal,
and are tethered by the rope of pure intellect to
the Self by the wise. Such is the Truth. That thou
art!
The Truth has been ascertained by the wise to be
the substratum which is different from the waking,
dream, and deep sleep states, its own expanded
modes, which indeed are held together by it like
the flowers strung together on a garland. That thou
art!
That is the Truth which the scriptures show to be
the primal cause of all, elucidating the point
clearly by such texts as "Purusha is all this",
"like gold in ornaments of gold", etc. That thou
art!
The Truth has been forcefully proclaimed by the
scriptures in such texts as "He who is in the sun,
is in man." "He who shines in the sun, shines in
the right eye," etc., That thou art!
What pure brahmins seek so eagerly by repetition of
the Vedas, by religious gifts, by earnest
application of their hard-earned knowledge and by
renunciation, is the Truth. That thou art!
That is the Truth which the valiant have got by
seeking, with controlled mind, with abstinence,
penance, etc., and by diving into the Self by the
self. Realising it, they are considered to be
heroes with their highest purpose accomplished.
That is the transcendental sat-chit-ananda
[being-consciousness-bliss] after gaining
which there is nothing more to worry about since
perfect peace reigns. That thou art!
Who are you? Whose child are you? Whither are you
bound? What is your name? Whence have you come? Oh
child! I should like to hear your reply to these
questions.
I am neither man, God, yaksha, brahmin, kshatriya,
vaisya, sudra, brahmachari, householder,
forest-dweller, nor sannyasi; but I am pure
awareness alone.
Just as the sun causes all worldly movements, so do
I – the ever-present, conscious Self –
cause the mind to be active and the senses to
function. Again, just as the ether is
all-pervading, yet devoid of any specific
qualities, so am I free from all qualities.
I am the conscious Self, ever-present and
associated with everything in the same manner as
heat is always associated with fire. I am that
eternal, undifferentiated, unshaken consciousness,
on account of which the insentient mind and senses
function, each in its own manner.
I am that conscious Self of whom the ego is not
independent as the image in a mirror is not
independent of the object reflected.
I am the unqualified, conscious Self, existing even
after the extinction of buddhi, just as the object
remains ever the same even after the removal of the
reflecting mirror.
I am eternal consciousness, dissociated from the
mind and senses. I am the mind of the mind, the eye
of the eye, ear of the ear and so on. I am not
cognizable by the mind and senses.
I am the eternal, single, conscious Self, reflected
in various intellects, just as the sun is reflected
on the surface of various sheets of water.
I am the single, conscious Self, illumining all
intellects, just as the sun simultaneously
illumines all eyes so that they perceive
objects.
Only those eyes that are helped by the sun are
capable of seeing objects, not others. The Source
from which the sun derives its power is Myself.
Just as the reflection of the sun on agitated
waters seems to break up, but remains perfect on a
calm surface, so also am I, the conscious Self,
unrecognisable in agitated intellects though I
clearly shine in those which are calm.
Just as a fool thinks that the sun is entirely lost
when it is hidden by dense clouds, so do people
think that the ever-free Self is bound.
Just as the ether is all-pervading and unaffected
by contact, so also does the ever-conscious Self
pervade everything without being affected in
anyway. I am that Self.
Just as a transparent crystal takes on the lines of
its background, but is in no way changed thereby,
and just as the unchanging moon on being reflected
on undulating surfaces appears agitated, so is it
with You, the all-pervading God.
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