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8.
Like bubbles in the water, the worlds rise, exist
and dissolve in the Supreme Self, which is the
material cause and the prop of everything.
9. All the manifested world of things and
beings are projected by imagination upon the
substratum which is the Eternal all-pervading
Reality, whose nature is existence-intelligence;
just as the different ornaments are all made out of
the same gold.
10. The all-pervading Void or Emptiness
appears to be diverse on account of its association
with various conditionings [upadhis] which
are different from each other. Space becomes one on
the destruction of these limiting adjuncts. So too,
the omnipresent Truth appears to be diverse on
account of Its association with the various upadhis
and becomes one on the destruction of these
upadhis.
11. Because of Its association with
different conditionings such ideas as caste, colour
and position are super-imposed upon the Self, as
flavour, colour, etc., are super-imposed on
water.
12. Determined for each individual by his
own past actions and made up of the five elements
– that have gone through the process of
"five-fold self-division and mutual combination"
[pancheekarana] – are born the
gross-body, the medium through which pleasure and
pain are experienced, the tent-of-experiences.
13. The five vital energies
[pranas], the ten organs and the mind and
intellect, formed from the rudimentary pure
elements before their "five-fold division and
mutual combination with one another" and this is
the subtle body, the instruments-of-experience of
the individual.
14. Ignorance [avidya] which is
indescribable and beginningless is the causal body.
Know for certain that the Self is other than these
three conditioning bodies.
15. In its identification with the
five-sheaths the immaculate Self appears to have
borrowed their qualities upon Itself; as in the
case of a crystal which appears to gather unto
itself colour of its vicinity [blue cloth,
etc.].
16. Through discriminative self-analysis and
logical thinking one should separate the pure Self
within from the sheaths as one separates the rice
from the husk, bran, etc., that are covering
it.
17. The Self does not shine in everything
although It is all-pervading. It is manifest only
in the internal organ, the intellect: just as the
reflection in a clean mirror.
18. One should understand that the Self is
always like the king, distinct from the body,
senses, mind and intellect, all of which constitute
the causal matter; and is the witness of their
functions.
19. The moon appears to be running when the
clouds move in the sky. Likewise to the
non-discriminating person the Self appears to be
active when It is observed through the functions of
the sense organs.
20. Depending upon the energy of vitality of
consciousness the body, senses, mind and intellect
engage themselves in their respective activities,
just as men work depending upon the light of the
sun.
21. Fools, because they lack in their powers
of discrimination superimpose on the Self, the
absolute-existence-knowledge, all the varied
functions of the body and the senses, just as they
attribute blue colour and the like to the sky.
22. The tremblings that belong to the waters
are attributed through ignorance to the reflected
moon dancing on it: likewise agency of action, of
enjoyment and of other limitations [which
really belong to the mind] are delusively
understood as the nature of the Self.
23. Attachment, desire, pleasure, pain,
etc., are perceived to exist so long as buddhi or
mind functions. They are not perceived in deep
sleep when the mind ceases to exist. Therefore they
belong to the mind alone and not to the Self.
24. Just as luminosity is the nature of the
sun, coolness of water and heat of fire, so too the
nature of the Self is Eternity, purity, Reality,
consciousness and bliss.
25. By the indiscriminate blending of the
two – the existence-knowledge-aspect of the
Self and the thought-wave of the intellect –
there arises the notion of "I know".
26. Self never does anything and the
intellect of its own accord has no capacity to
experience "I know". But the individuality in us
delusorily thinks he is himself the seer and the
knower.
27. Just as the person who regards a rope as
a snake is overcome by fear, so also one
considering oneself as the ego is overcome by fear.
The ego-centric individuality in us regains
fearlessness by realising that It is not an ego but
is Itself the Supreme Self.
28. Just as a lamp illumines a jar or a pot,
so also the Self illumines the mind and the sense
organs, etc. These material-objects by themselves
cannot illumine themselves because they are
inert.
29. A lighted-lamp does not need another
lamp to illumine its light. So too, Self which is
knowledge itself needs no other knowledge to know
it.
30. By a process of negation of the
conditionings through the help of the scriptural
statement "It is not this, It is not this", the
oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme
Self, as indicated by the great Mahavakyas, has to
be realised.
31. The body, etc., up to the causal body
– ignorance – which are objects
perceived, are as perishable as bubbles. Realise
through discrimination that I am the pure Reality
ever completely separate from all these.
32. I am other than the body and so I am
free from changes such as birth, wrinkling,
senility, death, etc. I have nothing to do with the
sense objects such as sound and taste, for I am
without the sense-organs.
33. I am other than the mind and hence, I am
free from sorrow, attachment, malice and fear, for
"He is without breath and without mind, pure,
etc.", is the commandment of the great scripture,
the Upanishads.
34. I am without attributes and actions;
Eternal without any desire and thought, without any
dirt, without any change, without form,
ever-liberated, ever-pure.
35. Like the space I fill all things within
and without. Changeless and the same in all, at all
times I am pure, unattached, stainless and
motionless.
36.
I am verily that Supreme Reality alone which is
Eternal, pure and free, One, indivisible and
non-dual and of the nature of
changeless-knowledge-Infinite.
37. The impression "I am Reality" thus
created by constant practice destroys ignorance and
the agitation caused by it, just as medicine
destroys disease.
38. Sitting in a solitary place, freeing the
mind from desires and controlling the senses,
meditate with unswerving attention on the Self
which is One without-a-second.
39. The wise one should intelligently merge
the entire world-of-objects in the Self alone and
constantly think of the Self ever as contaminated
by anything as the sky.
40. He who has realised the Supreme,
discards all his identification with the objects of
names and forms. [Thereafter] he dwells as
an embodiment of the Infinite Consciousness and
Bliss. He becomes the Self.
41. There are no distinctions such as
Knower, the Knowledge and the Object of Knowledge
in the Supreme Self. On account of Its being of the
nature of endless Bliss, It does not admit of such
distinctions within Itself. It alone shines by
Itself.
42. When this the lower and the higher
aspects of the Self are well churned together, the
fire of knowledge is born from it, which in its
mighty conflagration shall burn down all the fuel
of ignorance in us.
43. The Lord of the early dawn
[Aruna] himself has already looted away the
thick darkness, when soon the sun rises. The divine
consciousness of the Self rises when the right
knowledge has already killed the darkness in the
bosom.
44. Self is an ever-present Reality. Yet,
because of ignorance it is not realised. On the
destruction of ignorance Self is realised. It is
like the missing ornament of one's neck.
45. Reality appears to be an individual ego
because of ignorance, just as a post appears to be
a ghost. The ego-centric-individuality is destroyed
when the real nature of the ego is realised as the
Self.
46. The ignorance characterised by the
notions "I" and "mine" is destroyed by the
knowledge produced by the realisation of the true
nature of the Self, just as right information
removes the wrong notion about the directions.
47. The Yogi of perfect realisation and
enlightenment sees through his eye-of-wisdom the
entire universe in his own Self and regards
everything else as his own Self and nothing
else.
48. Nothing whatever exists other than the
Self: the tangible universe is verily Self. As pots
and jars are verily made of clay and cannot be said
to be anything but clay, so too, to the enlightened
soul and that is perceived is the Self.
49. A liberated one, endowed with
Self-knowledge, gives up the traits of his
previously explained equipments [upadhis]
and because of his nature of Sat-chit-ananda, he
verily becomes Brahman like [the worm that
grows to be] a wasp.
50. After crossing the ocean of delusion and
killing the monsters of likes and dislikes, the
Yogi who is united with peace dwells in the glory
of his own realised Self – as an Atmaram.
51. The Self-abiding realised being,
relinquishing all his attachments to the illusory
external happiness and satisfied with the bliss
derived from the Self, shines inwardly like a lamp
placed inside a jar.
52. Though he lives in the conditionings,
he, the contemplative one, remains ever unconcerned
with anything or he may move about like the wind,
perfectly unattached.
53. On the destruction of the upadhis, the
contemplative one is totally absorbed in Reality,
the all-pervading Spirit, like water into water,
space into space and light into light.
54. Realise That to be Reality, the
attainment of which leaves nothing more to be
attained, the blessedness of which leaves no other
blessing to be desired and the knowledge of which
leaves nothing more to be known.
55. Realise that to be Reality which, when
seen, leaves nothing more to be seen, which having
become one is not born again in this world and
which, when knowing leaves nothing else to be
known.
56. Realise that to be Reality which is
Existence-knowledge-bliss Absolute, which is
non-dual, Infinite, Eternal and One and which fills
all the quarters – above and below and all
that exists between.
57. Realise that to be Reality which is
non-dual, indivisible, One and blissful and which
is indicated in Vedanta as the immutable
substratum, realised after the negation of all
tangible objects.
58. Deities like Brahma and others taste
only a particle, of the unlimited bliss of Reality
and enjoy in proportion their share of that
particle.
59. All objects are pervaded by Reality. All
actions are possible because of Reality: therefore
Reality permeates everything as butter permeates
milk.
60. Realise that to be Reality which is
neither subtle nor gross: neither short nor long:
without birth or change: without form, qualities,
colour and name.
61. That by the light of which the luminous,
orbs like the sun and the moon are illuminated, but
which is not illumined by their light, realise that
to be Reality.
62. Pervading the entire universe outwardly
and inwardly the Supreme Reality shines of Itself
like the fire that permeates a red hot iron ball
and glows by itself.
63. Reality is other than this, the
universe. There exists nothing that is not Reality.
If any object other than Reality appears to exist,
it is unreal like the mirage.
64. All that is perceived, or heard, is
Reality and nothing else. Attaining the knowledge
of the Reality, one sees the universe as the
non-dual Reality, Existence-knowledge-bliss
Absolute.
65. Though Self is pure consciousness and
ever present everywhere, yet It is perceived by the
eye-of-wisdom alone: but one whose vision is
obscured by ignorance he does not see It; as the
blind do not see the resplendent sun.
66. The jiva free from impurities, being
heated in the fire of knowledge kindled by hearing
and so on, shines of itself like gold.
67. The Self, the sun of knowledge that
rises in the sky of the heart, destroys the
darkness of the ignorance, pervades and sustains
all and shines and makes everything to shine.
68. He who renouncing all activities, who is
free of all the limitations of time, space and
direction, worships his own Self which is present
everywhere, which is the destroyer of heat and
cold, which is bliss-Eternal and stainless, becomes
all-knowing and all-pervading and attains
thereafter Immortality.
Thus concludes Atma Bodha.
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