Let
there be peace and love among all beings of the universe. OM
Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.
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HE
Avadhuta
Gita is attributed to the sage Dattatreya, who
spontaneously sang it after purifying himself in
meditation and becoming absorbed in the
uninterrupted bliss of Reality. It is regarded as
one of the greatest treatise on Advaita Vedanta and
some scholars date it as far back as 5000 B.C.
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The
word "avadhut" refers to one who has renounced all
worldly attachments and connections and lives in a
state beyond body consciousness. He has shaken off
all cares and concerns, possessions and positions,
along with all concepts and labels that interfere
with his direct perception of Reality. He holds out
no compromise with illusion, he offers no foothold
on separation, he allows no semblance of duality at
all to creep into his direct perception. He does
not identify with his mind or body or "names and
forms" and does not recognise a distinction between
himself and the world around him. According to
Dattatreya, an avadhut need not have any particular
appearance, lifestyle, religion or social role. He
may walk about naked or be dressed as a prince. He
may appear pious or blasphemous, ascetic or
hedonistic. Such a person is held to be pure
consciousness in human form. He is the ever-free
Reality [Brahman].
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1. By the
Grace of the impersonal, absolute Reality, those
seeking liberation are inspired above all men with
the disposition to non-duality, which relieves them
of the great fear.
2. How can I salute the Self [one's true
nature], which is indestructible, which is all
bliss, which in Itself and by Itself pervades
everything, and which is inseparable from
Itself?
3. I alone am, ever free from all taint. The
world exists like a mirage within me. To whom shall
I bow? Reader, do you exist?
4. Verily the one Self is all, free from
differentiation and non-differentiation. Neither
can it be said, "It is" nor "It is not." What a
great mystery.
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5. This is
the whole substance of Vedanta; this is the essence
of all knowledge, theoretical and intuitional. I am
the Self, by nature impersonal and
all-pervasive.
6. That absolute Reality who is the Self
in all, impersonal and changeless, like unto
space, by nature purity itself, verily, verily,
That I am.
7. I am pure knowledge, imperishable,
infinite. I know neither joy nor pain; whom
can they touch?
8. The actions of the mind, good and evil,
the actions of the body, good and evil, the actions
of the voice, good and evil, exist not within the
Self. I am the nectar which is knowledge absolute;
beyond the range of the senses I am.
9. The mind is as space, embracing all. I am
beyond mind. In reality, mind has no independent
existence.
10. How can it be said that the Self is
manifest? How can it be said that the Self is
limited? I alone am existence; all this objective
world am I. More subtle than space itself am I.
11. Know the Self to be infinite
consciousness, self-evident, beyond destruction,
enlightening all bodies equally, ever shining. In
It is neither day nor night.
12. Know the Self to be one, ever the same,
changeless. How can you say: "I am the meditator,
and this is the object of meditation?" How can
perfection be divided?
13. You, Self, were never born, nor did
you ever die. The body was never yours. The ancient
scriptures have repeatedly affirmed: "This is all
Brahman [Reality]."
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14. You
are all the absolute Reality, free from all change,
the same within and without, absolute bliss. Run
not to and fro like a ghost.
15. Neither unity nor separation exist in
you nor in me. All is Self alone. "I" and "you" and
the "world" have no real being.
16. The subtle faculties of touch, taste,
smell, form and sound which constitute the world
without are not yourself, nor are they within you.
You are the great all-transcending
Reality.
17. Birth and death exist not in the mind,
not in you, as do also bondage and liberation. Good
and evil are in the mind, and not in you. Beloved,
why do you cry? Name and form are neither in you
nor in me.
18. Oh my mind, why do you range in delusion
like a ghost? Know the Self to be above duality and
be happy.
19. You are the essence of knowledge,
indomitable, eternal, ever free from modifications.
Neither is there in you attachment nor
indifference. Let not yourself suffer from
desires.
20. All the scriptures describe the Self as
without attributes, ever pure, imperishable,
without a body, the eternal Truth. Know That
to be who you are.
21. Know all forms, physical and subtle, as
illusion. The Reality underlying them is eternal.
By living this Truth one passes beyond birth and
death.
22. The sages call the Self the "ever-same".
By giving up attachment the mind sees neither
duality nor unity.
23. Concentration is not possible either on
perishable objects, on account of their mutability,
nor on the Self. "Is" and "is not" do not apply to
the Self either. In the Self, freedom absolute, how
is a state of Self-absorption possible?
24. Birthless, pure, bodiless, equable,
imperishable Self you know yourself to be. How then
can you say, "I know my Self" or "I know not my
Self"?
25. Thus have the sacred scriptures spoken
of the Self; "That You Are!" Of the illusory world,
born of the five physical elements, the scriptures
declare: "Neti, neti" ["neither this, nor that"
or literally, "not this, not this"].
26. All this is ever pervaded by you as the
Self. In you is neither the meditator nor the
object of meditation. Why, mind, do you shamelessly
meditate?
27. I know not Reality. How can I speak of
Him? Who Reality is I do not know. How can I
worship Him?
28. I am the only Reality, like absolute
space is my nature. In me is neither unity nor
variety. The cause of imagination too is absent in
me.
29. Free from subject and object am I. How
can I be Self-realisable? Endless is my nature,
nothing else exists. Absolute Truth is my nature,
nothing else exists.
30. Self by nature, the supreme Reality am
I, neither am I slayer nor the slain.
31. On the destruction of a jar, the space
in it unites with all space. In my Self and Reality
I see no difference when the mind is purified.
32. Absolute Reality alone is, as pure
consciousness. In truth there is no jar, and no
jar-space, no embodied Soul [Self], nor its
nature.
33. There are no worlds, no
scriptures, no deities, no sacrifices, no
castes, no family tribes, no nationalities, no
smoke-path, no shining-path.
34. Some there are that prize non-dualism,
others hold to dualism. They know not the Truth,
which is above both.
35. How can the ultimate Reality be
described, since It is neither white nor any other
colour, has no qualities such as sound, and is
beyond voice and mind?
36. "I eat," "I give," "I act"; such
statements do not apply to the Self, which is
purity, birthless and imperishable.
37. Where the one Reality alone is, how can
it be said that "this world is illusory" or "this
world is not illusory", "this is a shadow" or "this
is not a shadow"?
38. I am without beginning and without end.
Never was I bound. By nature pure, taintless is my
Self. This I know for sure.
39. From subtle substance down to formed
creation, there is nothing but the one Reality;
most clearly do I see this. Where then is the
division of caste?
40. The absolute Void and its opposite, all
am I everlastingly.
41. Self is not male or female, nor is It
neuter; neither is It happiness nor suffering. How
dare you pervert It?
42. Self is not purified by the six methods
of Yoga. Absence of the mind makes It no
clearer. The teachings of a Guru reveal It not. It
is all purity, in Itself, by Itself.
43. I am neither bound nor free. I am not
separate from Reality.
44. Neither the doer nor the enjoyer of the
fruits of action am I. The pervader or the pervaded
I am not.
45. As a volume of water poured into water
is inseparably united with water, so, I perceive,
matter and spirit are one.
46. Why do you call the Self personal and
impersonal. Since you are neither bound nor
free?
47. Pure, pure you are, without a body,
unrelated to the mind, beyond the illusory world;
why are you ashamed to acknowledge: "I am Self, the
supreme Reality!"?
48. My beloved mind, why do you cry? Realise
your Self, drink the timeless great nectar of
non-duality.
49. Knowledge born of the intellect am I
not. By nature Truth Eternal am I. I am perpetual
immutability.
50. Neither formless nor with form,
described in the scriptures as "neither this, nor
that", free from separation and unity, the true
Self reigns supreme.
51. There is no father, no mother, no
kinsman, no son, no wife, no friend, no prejudice,
no doctrine. Why are you disquiet, my mind?
52. Why do the wise imagine the bodiless
Reality to be a body? In It there is neither day
nor night, neither rising nor setting.
53. Since the imperfections of attachment
and the like are not in me, I am above the
suffering of the body. Know me to be infinite, like
unto space, one Self.
54. My mind, my friend, many words are
not needed, and the world hardly comprehends
reason. In a word, I have told you the essence
of truth: "You are Truth, you are as space."
55. In whatever place and in whatever state
the yogi dies, his spirit is absorbed into That,
as, on the destruction of the jar, the space in the
jar is united with absolute space.
56. Whether he dies conscious or in coma, in
a holy temple or in the house of an untouchable, he
obtains liberation, becoming the all-pervading
Reality.
57. The yogis regard righteousness,
prosperity, desire for paradise and liberation, and
also the moving and fixed objects, as mere
will-o'-the-wisps.
58. The Avadhut [liberated one or
jnani] in unshakable equanimity, living in the
holy temple of nothingness, walks naked,
knowing all to be Reality.
59. Where there is no third [deep
sleep] nor Fourth state [Turiya], where
all is known as the Self, where there is neither
righteousness nor unrighteousness, how can there be
either bondage or liberation?
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The Avadhut
said:
1. Do not hold the immature, the credulous,
the foolish, the slow, the layman and the fallen to
have nothing good in them. They all teach
something. Learn from them. Surely we do not
give up a game although we have mastered it?
2. Think not lightly of your Guru should he
lack letters and learning. Take the Truth he
teaches and ignore the rest. Know well that a
boat, painted and adorned, will carry you across
the river; so also will one that is plain and
simple.
3. The higher intelligence which without
effort pervades the movable and the immovable, and
which by nature is all peace and consciousness,
That I am.
4. How can the one supreme consciousness
which without effort rules the living and the inert
and is all-pervasive, be other than I?
5. I am subtler than primordial substance,
beyond elements and compounds, free from birth and
death, above duality and unity.
6. The modifications of the inner conscience
[intellect, mind, instinct and ego] have no
part in me. Like bubbles rising and falling in a
river, thoughts and volitions rise and disappear in
the inner conscience.
7. As softness is not perceived apart from
soft objects, as sweetness is not known apart from
honey, as bitterness is not known apart from the
very bitter-tasting Neem tree leaves, as fluidity
and coolness are the nature of water, so the
primordial form of matter is no other than the
Self. As the rays of the sun differ not from the
sun, so matter does not differ from Reality.
8. How can "I" or "you" be said of Reality
which is more subtle than the primordial form of
matter, free from all attributes, greater than all,
above the range of mind and emotion, without medium
or limitation, lord of the universe? It can neither
be called static or dynamic.
9. As space cannot be compared with another
space, so Reality being above duality, cannot be
compared with any object. Reality alone is
perfection, taintless, all knowledge.
10. It walks not on the earth, the wind
cannot move It, the water cannot cover It, It
stands in the middle of inner, subtle light.
11. It pervades space-time. Nothing pervades
It. From limitations ever free, eternally the
same, with nothing outside It and nothing within,
It abides.
12. Self, of which the high yogis speak,
most subtle, beyond perception, without attributes,
must be realised step by step, and not by sudden
violence.
13. Ever practicing Yoga, not depending on
any object, the yogi merges his consciousness in
Reality, and becomes Reality.
14. There is but one antidote to the
poison of highly dangerous passions, which
beget infatuation, and that is to return to
the Self. Self is unapproachable by the emotions,
is ever formless and independent.
15. Hidden in the realm of eternal
consciousness lies the world's cause. Within this
cause is Reality. The husk of a coconut is the
world, the pulp is the cause, and the sweet cool
water encased in the pulp is Reality.
16. Like the full moon is the Self. See It
in all. Duality is the product of defective vision.
As there is only one moon so there is only one Self
in all.
17. No duality can touch the conception of
Reality, because It is all-pervasive. The wise who
teach this acquire boundless patience, and
their disciples can never be too thankful to
them.
18. The talented as well as the witless
attain the state of desirelessness by knowing the
mystery of the Self, through the Grace of their
spiritual teacher.
19. This Transcendent state of Reality is
reached by those who are free from attachment and
aversion, ever engaged in doing good to all living
beings, whose knowledge is firmly rooted, and who
are patient.
20. The yogi is merged in Reality after
leaving the body, as the jar-space is merged in
cosmic space on the destruction of the jar.
21. The statement that the future condition
is determined by the state of the thoughts at death
is made of the uninitiated, not the initiated.
22. The knower of Reality may leave his body
in a holy place, or in the house of an untouchable,
he is absorbed into Reality.
23. When a yogi has realised his true Self,
birthless and beyond the range of the mind and
emotions, then the actions and their retributions
no longer touch him. He may perform the rituals or
leave them. To him it is all One.
24. Self realised is the master of creation,
Eternal, indestructible, formless, without
dimensions, absolutely independent, without
pleasure or pain, full of all powers.
25. The wise discover that Self is not seen
either by the study of the ancient scriptures, by
initiations, by shaving the head, or by being a
Guru or an intimate follower or disciple. Nor is it
seen through postures.
26. That Reality, Self, by whose power the
whole universe is born, in which it abides and to
which it finally returns like bubbles and waves in
the sea, is realised by the wise.
27. Self, which the wise realise, is not the
aim of control of breath or of physical postures
and the like. In It there is neither knowledge nor
ignorance.
28. There is neither unity nor duality in
the Self, nor unity-duality, neither smallness nor
greatness, neither emptiness nor fullness. All
these exist in the mind, and the mind is not the
Self.
29. The teacher cannot teach the
Self; the disciple cannot learn It.
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1. How
shall I worship that great Self which is
neither personal nor impersonal. Taintless, above
love and aversion, uncreated, all-pervasive, of the
form of the universe, having no attributes, yet not
attribute less, That all-bliss Reality, my
Self.
2. How shall I bow down to my own Self in my
own Self and by my Self? I have no colours, white
or yellow; eternal Reality am I.
3. I am rootless, and without root, free
from smoke, and smokeless am I, without a lamp, and
lightless am I, equanimity am I, like a sun ever
risen.
4. How can I name the passionless,
desireless One as having desires? The Absolute
cannot be described in terms of conditions; how can
I speak of my Self? I am neither with an essence,
nor am I without an essence. Space-like all
equanimity am I.
5. How shall I say that non-duality is all
this creation, or that, or that? Even if it be
duality, then too I cannot attribute creation or
dissolution to It. How can the Eternal, the All be
expressed in any way? Space-like, all-bliss am
I.
6. Neither gross nor subtle is my Self; It
comes not, and It goes not; without a beginning and
without an end; neither higher nor lower is It;
that Truth Absolute, space-like, Immortality-giving
knowledge am I.
7. Know well that all the senses are as
space, and so also their objects. Know that the One
is taintless, the One is neither bound nor free.
That all-pervasive ever blissful Reality,
Immortality-giving knowledge am I.
8. The knowledge of the Self, hard to
obtain, which is experienced, is not Self; the
object of meditation, hard to concentrate upon, is
not Self; that which is near, and that which is
far, far away, is not Self. Space-like,
all-bliss Reality am I, Reality am I.
9. Without action am I, I burn up karmas;
without pain am I, I burn up sufferings; bodiless,
homeless am I, and yet I burn up these: all
equanimity, space-like am I.
10. The seed of the plant of the world
exists not in me, contentment and pleasures exist
not in me; bondage and ignorance are not in me;
space-like, Absolute Reality am I.
11. Self is not the knower nor the known. It
is not accessible to inference. Words cannot
describe this consciousness Absolute. The mind is
lost in Its majesty. How can It be explained to
you? As space-like I AM-realisation giving
Immortality.
12. There is no separation and no unity in
It. Neither is It inner nor outer. It is Truth
Transcendental. It cannot be said "It was all
before." Verily nothing exists except the Self. And
that space-like Immortality-giving knowledge am
I.
13. I am the eternal principle. Free from
attachment and aversion, free from imperfections am
I, fate and providence exist not in me. Eternally
free from the sufferings of the world, verily,
space-like Immortality-giving knowledge am I.
14. As the three states of consciousness
exist not in the Self, how can It be the Fourth
[Turiya]? Free from past, present and
future how can the cardinal points exist in It?
Eternal peace, space-like Transcendental Truth am
I.
15. Neither father nor mother have I,
neither wife nor child. Birth and death I do not
know. The mind is not my own. Eternal peace,
space-like Transcendental peace am I.
16. Deities and Gods, like Indra and Brahma,
have no place in Self. Neither paradise nor heaven
exist in the Self. The one taintless Transcendental
Truth am I.
17. The saying from the scriptures "neither
this, nor that" does not apply to the Self. How can
it be said "When all is subtracted Self alone
remains"? It is symbolical but not a symbol; yet
even this cannot be said of the Self. Space-like,
the water of Immortality am I.
18. The illusory world is not my
modification. Nor is its glamour mine. Deceit and
hypocrisy, truth and untruth have no place in me.
Space-like, Immortality-giving knowledge am
I.
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1. Nothing
can be added or taken away from the Universal
Reality. It cannot be invoked or worshipped with
flowers and leaves. Meditations and mantras cannot
reach It. How could It be worshipped as Shiva?
– for in It there are neither distinctions nor
unity.
2. In the One there is neither bondage nor
salvation, neither purity nor impurity. From union
and separation the One is free. That space-like
Truth am I.
3. As in truth I am Nirvana, thoughts as to
the reality and unreality of the world trouble me
not at all.
4. Eternally free from the taint of
ignorance as I am, knowledge or illusion never had
birth in me. How can I say whether I am bound or
free?
5. Neither sin nor virtue ever existed in
me; by nature I am Nirvana. Neither the worshiper
nor the worshipped am I. No instructions and no
rituals are there for me. Knowledge also am I
not. By nature I am Nirvanic.
6. Taintless Nirvana am I; I am neither the
comprehender nor the comprehended. Neither the
cause nor the effect exists in me.
7. Neither am I a body, nor am I bodiless.
The intellect, the mind and the senses are not
mine. How can I talk of attachment and detachment,
since I am taintless Nirvana?
8. In me exist not birth, death, purity,
impurity, poison or the water of Immortality.
Verily I am free even from the taint of Nirvana. I
cannot speak of the third or Fourth states.
9. Neither a fool nor an expert am I,
neither silent nor of many words; how can I speak
of reasoning or argument since I am free even from
the taint of Nirvana?
10. Giving up all meditations, all good and
evil actions, drinking the water of Immortality,
the heroes know that I from the taint of Nirvana am
free.
11. No ritualist injunction is binding on
me; mind, the seat of anxieties does not exist
in me. Far, far from me also is egotism.
Space-like, Immortality-giving knowledge Absolute
am I.
12. I cannot say whether the world is
nothingness or if it is partly real and partly
unreal, or, if like a flowing river though
ever-changing, it is in fact real as a whole.
Space-like Immortality-giving knowledge Absolute am
I.
13. There is not the least shadow of name or
form in the Infinite, nor is there unity or
diversity in me. My shameless mind, why do you
create a confusion? Space-like Immortality-giving
knowledge Absolute am I.
14. My friend, there is no cause for
disquietude since you are not the body. You are
imperishable and eternal, then why do you cry? Rest
in peace. Space-like, Immortality-giving knowledge
Absolute am I.
15. Why are you troubled, friend, since
avarice, lust, attachment, are not you? A
realisation of space-like, Immortality-giving
Absolute knowledge I am.
16. Why this craving for power, companion,
when in truth wealth is not yours. "Mine" and
"yours" are not in you.
17. In your Heart there is no meditator,
there is no state of Self-absorption, nor is there
any possibility of meditation on the Self. Time and
causation never existed in you.
18. I have told the disciple the essence of
Truth. There is no "you" nor "I", no world, no Guru
nor disciple. Know that by nature I am freedom
Absolute. I am Transcendental Truth.
19. When Self, the Absolute existence, alone
is, and It is I, then where is Transcendental
Truth, where is bliss, where is knowledge, secular
or spiritual?
20. Unknown to fire, water and earth,
motionless, all-pervasive as space, knowledge
Absolute know your Self to be.
21. Renounce, renounce the world, and
also renounce renunciation, and even give up the
absence of renunciation. By nature all-pervasive as
space, knowledge Absolute are you.
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1. The
syllable OM 
spoken is the essence of the lower and the
higher knowledge. It is Reality, space-like. There
is neither existence nor non-existence in this
world. Reality is ever free from duality.
2. You are that Self of which the scriptures
say, "You Are That!" [Tat Tvam Asi]. Know
that you are free from the illusory world. Do not
cry, mind, verily you are All.
3. There is neither higher nor lower in you.
You pervade all equally, and there is neither inner
nor outer. Then why do you mourn, mind? All is
Reality.
4. Neither that which is imagined, nor the
imagination exist in you; know that cause and
effect touch you not. Free from words and all
expressions are you, eternally the same. Mind, do
not cry.
5. To know that there is neither higher nor
lower in Self is Self-absorption, to know that Self
is ever free from time and space is
Self-absorption. Do not cry, mind, all is
Reality.
6. As there is no jar, there is no jar
space. As there is no ego body, no conditioning
medium, there is no individual ego. The cause and
effect that produce conditions do not exist in
Self. Why then do you cry, my mind?
7. It is all One, whether we live in a hut
in retirement, or in a house with many kinfolk, for
Self is free from the multitude as from solitude.
Free also is It from knowledge, theoretical and
practical, Self being all, my mind, do not
cry.
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1. The
whole universe is a projection of the mind;
therefore it is a mode of the mind. The true nature
of the mind is bliss, and when the mind is stilled,
bliss Absolute is revealed.
2. Reality Absolute, being unknowable to the
mind, how can speech explain It?
3. The Self is free from day and night, and
therefore the conception of Its pilgrimage in time
and space is no true one.
4. No sun illumines the Self; the fire and
the moon cannot shine therein. It is not equanimity
or even desirelessness; how then can action exist
in It?
5. Neither can it be said that It is to be
known by the absence of action. It is neither
within nor without. It is nothing but bliss
Absolute.
6. How can it be said that It is the first
or that It is the last, since It is neither element
or compound, nor emptiness nor fullness? Eternal,
ever the same, the essence of All is Reality.
7. The statement that the Self is
describable or indescribable cannot stand. Neither
is It the knower nor the known. It cannot be
imagined or defined. How can we say that It has a
mind or any of the senses?
8. Space, time, water, fire, earth,
constituting the world, are a mere mirage. In truth
the One, Imperishable, Ever-blissful, alone exists.
There is neither cloud nor water in It.
9. As there is no possibility of birth and
death in It, so no conception of duty nor
dereliction of duty can be applied to It. That
undifferentiated, eternal, all-pervasive Self alone
is.
10. The modifications of primordial matter
and of individualised consciousness are in the
realm of cause and effect. When there is eternal
all-pervasive Self alone, how can there be matter
or spirit therein?
11. There is in It no suffering, and no
possibility of suffering, because It is free from
all attributes.
12. There is no duality in It. How can there
be age, or youth, or childhood in that one eternal
principle?
13. Self is dependent on nothing and is
unlimited. The law of cause and effect touches It
not. How can the intellect, which operates only in
duality, and which is perishable, discern It?
14. It grasps not, nor is It grasped. It is
not born nor does It bring forth. We can only say
that in It there is no destruction.
15. In the Self there is neither manhood nor
womanhood, because such conceptions cannot exist in
Eternity.
16. There is no pleasure in It, and no
faculty of enjoying pleasure, since It is free from
such defects as attachment. Equally free from
doubts and suffering, one and eternal is the Self;
thus the conception of "I" and "mine" do not apply
to It.
17. Neither is there Reality in It, nor the
absence of Reality. Since It alone exists
and is Eternity, it must follow that It is free
from pain, and also from freedom from pain.
18. There is no gain and there is no loss.
Infatuation and worldly wisdom have no place
therein. When the eternal consciousness alone
exists, how can discrimination or wisdom, or any
such thing be contained in It?
19. In It there is no "you" and no "I",
therefore family and caste exist not therein. It is
neither true nor untrue. Neither is It of this
world nor of the next. How then can one pray to
It?
20. Illusory is the connection of the
learner and the teacher. Teaching and
contemplation, when thus beheld, are not
admissible. "Verily, I am Shiva." This alone is the
whole Truth. How then can I pray to It, or worship
It?
21. The body itself is imagined in the Self,
as is the whole universe. Self is free from all
differentiations. Then since I am Reality, there
can be no idea of prayer or worship.
22. Consciousness absolute has no body. It
cannot be said that It is without a body or
attributes. All that can be said is that It is
bliss absolute, and that bliss am I. This is the
height of worship, and this is the culmination of
all prayer.
23. The Avadhut who has realised this
mystery of all mysteries, and has risen to the
state of unceasing and perfect bliss, moves about
in the crowds unconcerned, radiating bliss and
higher knowledge.
24. He is clothed in a habit of old and
worn. He walks in a path that is free from
religious merit or sin. He lives in the temple of
absolute Emptiness. His Soul is naked and free from
all taints and modifications of the illusory
world.
25. The Avadhut has no ideal, neither
strives after the attainment of an ideal. Having
lost his identity in the Self, free from the
limitations of the illusory world, free also from
the perfections of Yoga, thus walks the Avadhut. He
argues with no one, he is not concerned with
any object or person.
26. Free from the snares of expectations and
hopes, he has cast off the worn-out garments of
purity, righteousness, and all ideals. His path is
free from any such consideration. It can only be
said about him that he is purity absolute, and
is far, far above the clouds of maya and
ignorance.
27. He has no such thoughts as "I am not in
the body," or "I am not the body." He has no
aversion, attachment or infatuation towards any
object or person. Pure as space he walks, immersed
in the immaculate bliss of his natural state.
28. The Avadhut may be compared to
immeasurable space. He is Eternity. In him is
neither purity nor impurity. There is no variety
nor unity in him; no bondage nor absence of
bondage.
29. Free from separation and union, free
from enjoyment or absence of enjoyment, he moves
calm and unhurried through the world. Having given
up all activity of the mind, he is in his normal
state of indescribable bliss.
30. Self, with which the Avadhut has found
natural unity, is limitless and inconceivable. It
is unknowable by the mind. It is neither a part nor
is It divided. It cannot be said, "So far is its
province and no farther." Verily, it is hard to
describe and hard to obtain.
31. The Avadhut is not concerned with the
things of the world, because the natural state
of Self-realisation renders all else insignificant.
Death and birth have no meaning; he meditates
not, neither does he worship.
32. All this world is a magic show, like a
mirage in the desert. Concentrated bliss, alone and
secondless, is Reality and that is the Avadhut.
33. The wise man does not strive for
anything, not even for good conduct, righteousness
or liberation. He is free from all actions and
movements, and also from desire and
renunciation.
34. What do they, the experts, know of Him?
Even the ancient scriptures cannot speak of Him
perfectly. That bliss absolute,
ever-indestructible, but a Source of bliss to all,
is the Avadhut.
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1. When as
a pilgrim, I began to journey towards You, then my
little notions of all-pervasiveness of the Self
died.
2. When my mind began to meditate on You, it
lost all interest in objects. When my tongue began
to praise You it lost the power of praising others.
I forgot my three great sins.
3. He whose intellect is no longer attracted
towards desires and pleasures, whose nature has
become joyful and compassionate, he who, even in
his heart, has no idea of possessions, who is ever
peaceful and most temperate in all things and is
not moved by any happenings and events – that
great sage takes refuge in the Self. Ever watchful,
solemn as the ocean and full of patience.
4. He who has conquered the feelings of
pleasure, wrath, avarice, attachment, vanity and
aversion, this one is peace itself, and free from
all pride.
5. Efficient in his undertakings, full of
compassion is the sage who gives pity to many,
not all, has enmity towards no one.
6. He bears patiently heat and cold, seeing
the one Self enlightening all bodies. He walks
solitary as a rhinoceros; detached, solemn and
peaceful. He has become an ocean of Truth and is
ever engaged in the work of mercy. Such is the
Avadhut, free from birth and death.
7. The knowers of Reality will know the
meaning of the word AVADHUT by the four letters
which form it, A, V, Dh, T.
8. "A" stands for freedom from the snares of
hopes and expectations, pure in the beginning, in
the middle and the end, merged in Self-bliss.
9. "V" stands for the rooting out of all
desires after pleasure, subtle or material, and for
life in the present as all-sufficient, the present
being Eternity.
10. "Dh" is the physical body, covered
with dirt and dust, but with the mind ever
pure, and the heart ever still, above contemplation
and meditation.
11. "T" is the unceasing contemplation of
the eternal Truth, and indifference to the
activities of the mind and senses. It also bespeaks
freedom from egoism and pride.
12. Woe to them that give up this knowledge
of the wisdom of the Self, which in itself
constitutes eternal freedom and joy throughout all
worlds, and turn to the realms of limited pleasure
and of ignorance.
13. Those who desire to acquire this eternal
bliss and of communicating it to others through
their teaching, must give up all sensuous
pleasures, more especially those which arise from
sex union.
14. The body is made up of impure elements,
of blood, flesh, bones and the like. Woe to those
who are attached to it, and indifferent to the ever
blissful Self.
15. There are three kinds of wine, produced
from syrup, grain and honey. But there is a fourth,
the darkest of all, the wine of sex, which has
intoxicated the whole world.
16. When the mind is uncontrolled, then the
body, which is the object of affection to the
ignorant, also suffers, and when the mind is
controlled, then the body also remains in good
estate.
17. So, all you lovers of wisdom, protect
your minds from feelings of pleasure, and engage
them in spiritual wisdom.
18. This is the Song [Gita] of the
great Dattatreya Avadhut. Those who read it and
hear it with respectful attention, they are not
reborn here on earth.
Blessed am I; in freedom am I.
I am the Infinite in my Soul;
I can find no beginning, no end.
All is my Self.
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