I. PREMININARIES:
1. I take refuge in the Self, the Indivisible, the Existence-Consciousness-Bliss Absolute, beyond the reach of words and thought, and the substratum of all, for the attainment of my cherished desire.
2. Having worshipped the Guru who on account of his being free from the illusion of duality justifies the meaning of his name Advayananda, I undertake the task of expounding the essence of the Vedanta according to my light.
3. Vedanta is the evidence of the Upanishads, as well as the Sariraka Sutras (Brahma Sutras) and other books that help in the correct expounding of its meaning.
4. On account of its being a Prakarana treatise of Vedanta, the Anubandhas, preliminary questions of the latter, serve its purpose as well. Therefore they need not be discussed separately.
5. The preliminary questions of Vedanta are the determination of the competency of the student, the subject-matter, its connection with the book and the necessity for its study.
6. The competent student is an aspirant who, by studying in accordance with the prescribed method the Vedas and the Vedangas (the books auxiliary to the Vedas), has ordained a general comprehension of the entire Vedas; who, being absolved from all sins in this or in a previous life by the avoidance of the actions known as kamya (rites performed with a view to attaining a desired object) and Nisiddha (those forbidden in the scriptures) and by the performance of actions called Nitya (daily obligatory rites) and Naimittika (obligatory on special occasions) as well as by penance and devotion, has become entirely pure in mind, and who has adopted the four Sadhanas or means to the attainment of spiritual knowledge.
7. The sacrifices such as Jyotistoma etc., which enable their performers to get the desired fruits such as living in heaven etc., are known as Kamya Karma.
8. Actions such as the slaying of a Brahmin etc., which bring about undesired results as going to hell etc., are Nisiddha Karma or forbidden acts.
9. Daily rites, such as Sandhyavandana etc., the non-performance of which causes harm, are called Nitya Karma.
10. Jatesti sacrifices (which are performed subsequent to the birth of a son) etc., are called the Naimittika Karma or rites to be observed on special occasions.
11. Rites such as Chandrayana etc., which are instrumental in the expiation of sin, are Prayaschittas or penances.
12. Mental activities relating to the Saguna Brahman – such as are described in the Sandilya Vidya are Upasanas or devotions.
13. Of these, Nitya and other works mainly serve the purpose of purifying the mind; but the Upasanas chiefly aim at the concentration of the mind, as in such Sruti passages, “Brahmanas seek to know this Self by the study of the Vedas, by sacrifice” (Brihadaranyaka-IV-4-22); as well as in such Smriti passages, “they destroy sins by practising austerities” (Manu 12.104)
14. The secondary results of the Nitya and the Naimittika Karma and of the Upasanas are the attainment of the Pitruloka and the Satyaloka respectively; as in the Sruti passages, “By sacrifice the world of the Fathers, by knowledge (Upasana) the world of the Devas (is gained)"”(Br. Up.I.5.16)
15. The means to the attainment of Knowledge are: discrimination between things permanent and transient; renunciation of the enjoyment of the fruits of actions in this world and hereafter; six treasures, such as control of the mind etc., and the desire for spiritual freedom.
16. Discrimination between things permanent and transient; this consists of the discrimination that “Brahman alone is the permanent Substance and that all things other than It are transient.”
17. The objects of enjoyment hereafter, such as immortality etc., being as transitory as the enjoyment of such earthly objects as a garland of flowers, sandal paste and sex-pleasures, which are transitory, being results of action – an utter disregard for all of them is renunciation of the enjoyment of fruits of action in this world and hereafter.
18. Sama etc., comprise Sama or the restraining of the outgoing mental propensities, Dama or the restraining of the external sense-organs, Uparati or the withdrawing of the Self, Titiksha or forbearance, Samadhana or self-settledness, and Sraddha or faith.
19. Sama is the curbing of the mind from all objects except hearing etc.,
20. Dama is the restraining of the external organs from all objects except that.
21. Uparati is the cessation of these external organs so restrained, from the pursuit of objects other than that; or it may mean the abandonment of the prescribed works according to scriptural injunctions.
22. Titiksha is the endurance of heat and cold and other pairs of opposites.
23. Samadhana is the constant concentration of the mind, thus restrained, on hearing etc., of the scriptural passages and other objects that are conducive to these.
24. Sraddha is the faith in the truths of Vedanta as taught by the Guru.
25. Mumukshutva is the yearning for spiritual freedom.
26. Such an aspirant is a qualified student; for it is said in the sruti passages, “quiet, subdued” (Br. Up. IV-4.23). It is further said, “This is always to be taught to one who is of tranquil mind, who has subjugated his senses, who is free from faults, obedient, endowed with virtues, always submissive, and who is constantly eager for liberation” (Sankara’s Upadesha-Sahasri 324.16.72)
27. The subject is the identity of the individual self and Brahman, which is of the nature of Pure intelligence and is to be realised. For such is the purport of the Vedanta texts.
28. The connection is the relation between that identity which is to be realised and the evidence of the Upanishads that establishes it, as between a thing to be known and that which tells of it.
29. The necessity is the dispelling of ignorance relating to that identity which is to be realised, as the attainment of bliss resulting from the realisation of one’s own Self. As in such Sruti passages, “The knower of Self overcomes grief” (Ch. Up. VII-1.3), “He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman” (Mund. Up. III-2-9).
30. Such a qualified pupil scorched with the fire of an endless round of birth, death, etc., should repair – just as one with one’s head on fire rushes to a lake – with presents in hand, to a Guru, learned in the Vedas and ever living in Brahman, and serve him – as the following and other Srutis say: “Let him in order to understand this repair with fuel in his hand to a spiritual guide who is learned in the Vedas and lives entirely in Brahman” (Mund. Up. I-2-12).
II. SUPERIMPOSITION:
31. Such a Guru through his infinite grace instructs the pupil by the method of de-superimposition (Apavada) of the superimpositions (Adhyaropa) – as in such Sruti passages: “To that pupil who has approached him with due courtesy, whose mind has become perfectly calm, and who has control over his senses, the wise teacher should truly impart that Knowledge of Brahman through which he knows the Being, imperishable and real" (Mund. Up. I-2-13).
32. Adhyaropa is the superimposition of the unreal on the real, like the false perception of a snake in a rope which is not a snake.
33. Reality is Brahman which is without a second and is Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss. Unreality is Nescience and all other material objects.
34. However, ignorance is described as something positive though intangible, which cannot be described either as being or non-being, which is made of three qualities and is antagonistic to Knowledge. Its existence is established from such experiences as “I am ignorant”, and from such Sruti passages as, “The power belonging to God Himself, hidden in its own qualities” (Svet. Up.I-3).
35. This ignorance is said to be one or many according to the mode of observing it either collectively or individually.
36. As, for instance, trees considered as an aggregate are denoted as one, viz., the forest, or water is collectively named as the reservoir, so also ignorance, existing in Jivas being diversely manifested, is collectively, represented as one – as in such scriptural passages as, “There is one unborn etc.,” (Svet. Up. IV-5).
37. This aggregate (of ignorance) on account of its appearing associated with Perfection (Pure Intelligence of Brahman) has a preponderance of pure Sattva.
38. Consciousness associated with this is endowed with such qualities as omniscience, universal lordship, all-controlling power, etc., and is designated as the undifferentiated, the inner guide, the cause of the world and Isvara on account of Its being the illuminator of the aggregate of ignorance. As in the Sruti passage, “who knows all (generally), who perceives all (particularly)” (Mund. Up. I-1-9).
39. This aggregate of ignorance associated with Isvara is known as the causal body on account of its being the cause of all, and as the Anandamayakosa (the blissful sheath) on account of its being full of bliss and covering like a sheath; it is further known as the Cosmic sleep as into it everything is dissolved, and, for this reason, it is designated as the state of dissolution of the gross and subtle phenomena.
40. As a forest, from the standpoint of the units that compose it, may be designated as a number of trees, and as a reservoir from the same point of view may be spoken of as quantities of water, so also ignorance when denoting separate units is spoken of as many; as in such Sruti passages as, “Indra through Maya appears as of many forms” (Rig-Veda VI-47-18).
41. Ignorance has been designated as individual and collective on account of its pervading the units and the aggregate.
42. The individual ignorance, on account of its association with the inferior being, is characterized by impure Sattva.
43. Consciousness associated with this has limited knowledge and is devoid of the power of lordship; it is called Prajna on account of its being the illuminator of individual ignorance.
44. It is called Prajna as it is deficient in illumination on account of its association with a dull limiting adjunct.
45. The individual ignorance, associated with it is also known as the causal body on account of its being the cause of egoism etc., and as the blissful sheath because it is full of bliss and covers like a sheath; it is further known as dreamless sleep since into it everything is dissolved; and for this reason it is also designated as the state of dissolution of the gross and subtle phenomena.
46. In the state of dreamless sleep both Isvara and Prajna, through a very subtle function of ignorance illumined by Consciousness, enjoy happiness, as in the Sruti passage: "Prajna, the enjoyer of bliss, with Consciousness for its aid (is the third aspect)” (Mand. Up. 5); as also from such experience of a man awaking from dreamless sleep as, “I slept happily, I did not know anything.”
47. This aggregate and individual ignorance are identical like a forest and the trees, or a reservoir and the water.
48. As the Akasa enclosed by the forest is identical with the Akasa enclosed by the trees, or as the Akasa reflected in the water is the same as the Akasa reflected in the reservoir, similarly Isvara and Prajna associated with these (aggregate and individual ignorance) are identical. There are such Sruti passages as, He is the Lord of all, (He is omniscient, He is the inner controller, He is the source of all, He is the cause of the origin and destruction of creatures)” (Mand. Up. 6).
49. Like the unlimited Akasa which is the substratum of the Akasa enclosed by the forest and the trees, or of the Akasa which is reflected in the water and the reservoir, there is an unlimited Consciousness which is the substratum of the aggregate and the individual ignorance as well as of the Consciousness (Isvara and Prajna) associated with them. This is called the “Fourth”. As in such Sruti passages as, “That which is (tranquil), auspicious and without a second, That the wise conceive of as the Fourth aspect. (He is the Self; He is to be known)” (Mand. Up. 7).
50. This Pure Consciousness which is known as the “Fourth”, when not discriminated, like a red-hot iron-ball, from ignorance and the Consciousness with which it is associated, becomes the direct meaning of the great Vedic dictum (“Thou art That”), and when discriminated, it gives us its implied meaning.
51. This ignorance has two powers, viz., the power of concealment and the power of projection.
52. Just as a small patch of cloud, by obstructing the vision of the observer, conceals, as it were, the solar disc extending over many miles, similarly ignorance, though limited by nature, yet obstructing the intellect of the observer, conceals, as it were, the Self which is unlimited and not subject to transmigration. Such a power is this power of concealment. It is thus said: “As the sun appears covered by a cloud and bedimmed to a very ignorant person whose vision is obscured by the cloud, so also That which to the unenlightened appears to be in bondage is my real nature – the Self – Eternal Knowledge” (Hastamalaka 10).
53. The Self covered by this (concealing power of ignorance may become subject to samsara (relative existence) characterised by one’s feeling as agent, the experiencing subject, happy, miserable, etc., just as a rope may become a snake due to the concealing power of one’s own ignorance.
54. Just as ignorance regarding a rope, by its inherent power, gives rise to the illusion of a snake etc., in the rope covered by it, so also ignorance, by its own power creates in the Self covered by it, such phenomena as Akasa etc., Such a power is called the power of projection. It is thus said: “The power of projection creates all from the subtle bodies to the cosmos” (Vakyasudha 13).
55. Consciousness associated with ignorance, possessed of these two powers, when considered from its own standpoint is the efficient cause, and when considered from the standpoint of its Upadhi or limitation is the material cause (of the universe).
56. Just as the spider, when considered from the standpoint of its own self, is the efficient cause of the web, and when looked upon from the standpoint of its body, is also the material cause of the web.
57. From Consciousness associated with the projecting power of ignorance which has a preponderance of the quality of darkness, has evolved Akasa which, in its turn, has produced air, from air has come fire, from fire water, and from water earth. As in such Sruti passages, “From this Self has evolved Akasa” (Tait. Up. II-1-1).
58. On account of the preponderance of inertia observed in them, their cause also must have an excess of the quality of darkness (Tamas). At that time the qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are reproduced in ether etc., in accordance with the law that the qualities of the cause determine the qualities of the effect.
59. These are called subtle matter, rudimentary elements (Tanmatras) and uncompounded (Apanchikrita) elements.
60. From these subtle elements are produced subtle bodies and gross elements.
61. The subtle bodies are what are known as the Linga-Sariras having seventeen component parts.
62. The component parts (of the Linga-Sarira) are the five organs of perception, the intellect, the mind, the five organs of action, and the five vital forces.
63. The five organs of perception are the ears, the skin, the eyes, the tongue, and the nose.
64. These are produced separately in consecutive order from the Sattva particles of ether etc.,
65. Intellect (Buddhi) is that modification of the internal instrument (Antahkarana) which determines.
66. The mind (Manas) is that modification of the internal instrument which considers the pros and cons of a subject (Sankalpa and Vikalpa).
67. The mind-stuff (Chitta) and egoism (Ahamkara) are included in the intellect (Buddhi) and the mind (Manas) respectively.
68. Memory (Chitta) is that modification of the inner organ which remembers.
69. Egoism (Ahamkara) is that modification of the inner organ which is characterised by Self-consciousness.
70. These, be it noted, are produced from the combination of the Sattva particles of ether etc.,
71. On account of their being luminous they are said to be the products of the Sattva particles.
72. This intellect (Buddhi) together with the organs of perception constitutes the intelligent sheath (Vijnanamayakosa).
73. This Vijnanamayakosa, on account of its being conscious that it is an agent and enjoyer and that it is happy or miserable etc., is called the phenomenal Jiva (the individual self) subject to transmigration to this and the other worlds.
74. The mind with the organs of perception constitutes the mental sheath (manomayakosa).
75. The organs of action are the organs of speech, the hands, the feet, and the organs of evacuation and generation.
76. These are produced separately in consecutive order from the active (Rajas) particles of ether etc.,
77. The five vital forces are the Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana.
78. Prana is that vital force which goes upward and has its seat at the tip of the nose.
79. Apana is that vital force which goes downward and has its seat in the organs of excretion.
80. Vyana is that vital force which moves in all directions and pervades the entire body.
81. Udana is the ascending vital force which helps the passing out from the body and has its seat in the throat.
82. Samana is that vital force which assimilates food and drink and has its seat in the middle of the body.
83. Assimilation means digestion of food and its conversion into chyle, blood, and other materials of the body.
84. Others say that there are five more vital forces known as Naga, Kurma, Krikala, Devadatta and Dhananjaya.
85. Of these Naga is that which causes vomiting or erection, Kurma opens the eye-lids, Krikala creates hunger, Devadatta produces yawning and Dhananjaya nourishes the body.
86. Some say that on account of their being included in Prana etc., the vital forces are really five in number.
87. These five vital forces, viz., Prana etc., are produced from the combination of the active (Rajas) particles of ether etc.,
88. These five vital forces such as Prana etc., together with the organs of action, constitute the vital sheath (Pranamayakosa). Its active nature shows that it is the product of the particles of Rajas.
89. Among these sheaths, the intelligent sheath (Vijnanamayakosa) which is endowed with the power of knowledge is the agent; the mental sheath (Manomayakosa) which is endowed with will-power is the instrument; and the vital sheath (Pranamayakosa) which is endowed with activity is the product. This division has been made according to their respective functions. These three sheaths together constitute the subtle body.
90. Here also the sum total of all the subtle bodies, when looked upon as one, like a forest or a reservoir, is called samasti or aggregate and when viewed as many, like the trees or quantities of water, is called Vyasti or individual.
91. Consciousness associated with this totality is called Sutratma, Hiranyagarbha and Prana etc., because it is immanent everywhere and because it identifies itself with the five great uncompounded elements endowed with the powers of knowledge, will and activity.
92. This aggregate made up of three sheaths such as Vijnanamayakosa etc., (which forms the limiting adjunct) of Hiranyagarbha is called the subtle body as it is finer than the gross universe. It is also called the dream state, as it consists of the impressions of the waking state; and for that very reason it is known as the merging place for the gross universe.
93. Consciousness associated with each individual subtle body is known as Taijasa (full of light) on account of its being associated with the effulgent inner organ (Antahkarana).
94. The individual limiting adjunct of taijasa too, made up of the three sheaths, such as Vijnanamayakosa etc., is called the subtle body, as it is finer than the gross body. It is also called the dream state, as it consists of the impressions of the waking state, and for that very reason it is known as the merging place for the gross body.
95. The Sutratma and Taijasa, at that time, through (subtle) functionings of the mind, experience the subtle objects. Witness such Sruti passages as, “Taijasa is the enjoyer of subtle objects” (Mand. Up. 3).
96. Here also the aggregate and individual subtle bodies are identical, like a forest and its trees or like a lake and its waters, and the Sutratma and the Taijasa, which have those bodies as their limiting adjuncts, are also identical like the spaces enclosed by a forest and its trees or like the skies reflected in the lake and its waters.
97. Thus do the subtle bodies originate.
98. But the gross elements are all compounded.
99. The compounding takes place thus: Each of the five elements, viz., ether etc., is divided into two equal parts; of the ten parts thus produced five – being the first half of each element – are each sub-divided into four equal parts. Then leaving one half of each element, to the other half is added one of these quarters from each of the other four elements.
100. Thus it has been said: “By dividing each element into two equal parts, and sub-dividing the first half of each element into four equal parts, and then adding to the other half of each element one sub-division of each of the remaining four, each element becomes five in one.” (Panchadasi I-27)
101. The authoritativeness of this method of compounding should not be questioned for the triple combination described in the Sruti indirectly refers to this.
102. Though these five gross elements are alike in so far as each of them contains the five elements, yet they are differently named as ether etc., owing to the “preponderance of a particular element in them” (Brahma Sutras II-4-22).
103. At that time ether manifests sound; air manifests sound and touch; fire sound, touch and form; water sound, touch, form and taste; and earth manifests sound, touch, form, taste and smell.
104. From these compounded elements have evolved the seven planes, existing one above the other, viz., Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahar, Jana, tapas and Satyam; and the seven nether planes, one below the other, viz., Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Rasatala, Talatala, Mahatala and Patala; the world, the four kinds of gross bodies contained in it together with the food and drink appropriate to them.
105. The four kinds of gross bodies are those that are born of the womb, the egg, moisture and the soil.
106. Those that are born of the womb refer to men, beasts etc.,
107. Those that come out of the egg are the birds, reptiles etc.,
108. Those that are born of moisture are the lice, mosquitoes etc.,
109. Those that spring from the soil are the trees, creepers etc.,
110. Here also all the gross bodies, in their fourfold variety, may be spoken of collectively or individually according as they are thought of as one like a forest or a lake, or many like the trees and the quantities of water.
111. Consciousness associated with this aggregate of gross bodies is called Vaisvanara and Virat on account of its identification with all bodies, and from its manifestation in diverse ways respectively.
112. This aggregate gross body of his is called the alimentary sheath (Annamayakosa) on account of its being a modification of food, and is said to be in the waking state on account of its being the medium for the enjoyment of gross objects.
113. Consciousness associated with the individual gross body is designated as Visva on account of its entering the gross body etc., without giving up its identification with the subtle body.
114. This individual gross body of his (of the Jiva) is also called the alimentary sheath on account of its being a modification of food, and is said to be in the waking state.
115. Both Visva and Vaisvanara at that time, perceive the gross objects, viz., sound, touch, colour, taste and smell respectively through the five sense-organs, such as the ears etc., controlled respectively by (the presiding deities, viz.,) the Quarters (Dik), Air (Vayu), Sun, Varuna and the two Asvins. They also perform the functions of speech, acceptance, walking, excretion and enjoyment respectively through the five organs of action, such as the tongue etc., controlled respectively by Fire, Indra, Vishnu, Yama and Prajapati. They also experience uncertainty, determination, personality and remembrance, respectively through the four inner organs, viz., mind, intellect, egoism and memory (Chitta) controlled respectively by the Moon, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Witness such Sruti passages as: “Whose place is the waking state, who is conscious of the external world” (Mand. Up. 3).
116. Here also the individual and collective gross bodies are identical as before, like the trees and the forest, or like the quantities of water and the lake; and so are Visva and Vaisvanara, which are respectively associated with those bodies, identical, like the spaces enclosed by the trees and the forest, or like the reflections of the sky in the quantities of water and the lake.
117. Thus has the gross phenomenal universe evolved from the five compounded elements.
118. The sum total of the gross, subtle and causal worlds makes a Vast Universe as the sum total of smaller forests makes a vast forest, of a collection of smaller lakes makes a vast expanse of water.
119. Consciousness associated with this, from Vaisvanara to Isvara is also one and the same, as the space enclosed by a number of smaller forests is the same as that enclosed by the big forest of which they form part, or as the sky reflected in different smaller lakes is the same as that reflected in the vast expanse of water which they form.
120. Consciousness, unassociated with any adjuncts (Upadhis) whatsoever, when not discriminated – like the red-hot iron-ball – from the Vast Universe and the Consciousness associated with it, becomes the direct import of the (great) Vedic dictum, “All this is verily Brahman” (Ch. Up. III-14-1) and when discriminated from them it becomes the implied meaning of that text.
121. Thus has been shown, in general, the process of superimposition, which is the attributing of unreality to the real.
III. THE JIVA AND SUPERIMPOSITION:
122. Now will be considered, in particular, how people variously superimpose on the innermost Self such ideas as “I am this,” “I am this,” etc.,
123. (Thus for example) an extremely deluded man speaks of his son as his own Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Verily the Self is born as the son,” owing also to the fact that one loves one’s son as one’s own Self, and further because of the experience that one feels oneself prosperous or ruined according as one’s son fares well or ill.
124. One school of Charvakas, however, holds that this physical body is the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Man is constituted of the essence of food” (Tait. Up. II-1-1), owing also to the fact that a man rushes out from a burning house even leaving behind his son, and further because of such experiences as. “I am stout,” “I am thin,” etc.,
125. Another school of Charvakas speaks of the sense-organs as the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “The sense-organs went to their father, Prajapati, and said,” (Ch. Up. V-1-7), owing also to the fact that the movement of the body ceases when the organs cease to work, and further because of such experiences as, “I am blind of one eye,” “I am deaf,” etc.,
126. Still another school of Charvakas holds that Prana or vital force is the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Different from and more internal than this (the physical body) is the Self which consists of the vital force” (Tait. Up. II-2-1), owing also to the fact that with the cessation of the working of the vital force, the sense-organs cease to function; and because of such experiences as, “I am hungry,” “I am thirsty,” etc.,
127. Yet another school of Charvakas holds that mind (Manas) is the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Different from and more internal than this (which consists of the vital force) is the Self which consists of mind” (Tait. Up. II-3-1), owing also to the fact that the vital force etc., cease to work when the mind goes into deep sleep, and further because of such experience as, “I am considering the pros and cons,” etc.,
128. As against this, the Buddhists say that the intellect is the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Different from and more internal than this is the Self which consists of Consciousness” (Tait. Up. II-4-1), owing also to the fact that the instrument becomes powerless in the absence of the agent and from such experiences as, “I am the agent,” “I am the enjoyer,” etc.,
129. The Prabhakaras and the Tarkikas on the other hand say that ignorance is the Self on account of such Sruti passages as, “Different from and more internal than this is the Self which consists of bliss” (Tait. Up. II-5-1), and owing also to the fact that during sound sleep the intellect etc., merge in ignorance, and further because of such experiences as, “I am ignorant,” “I am devoid of Knowledge,” etc.,
130. The Bhattas on the contrary say that consciousness associated with ignorance is the self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “During dreamless sleep the Atman is undifferentiated consciousness and full of bliss” (Man. Up. 5), owing also to the fact that both consciousness and unconsciousness are present in a state of dreamless sleep and from such experience as, “I do not know myself,” etc.,
131. Another school of Buddhists says that the Self is identical with the void, on account of such Sruti passages as, “In the beginning there was non-existence” (Ch. Up. VI-2-1), owing also to the fact that there is an absence of everything during dreamless sleep, and further because of the experience, regarding his non-existence, of a man who has just awakened; as when he says to himself, “During the dreamless sleep I was non-existent.”
132. Now it will be shown that all these items from the son to the void are not the Self.
133. Since in all these fallacious citations of scriptural passages, arguments and personal experiences, made by the different classes of people enumerated above beginning with the extremely deluded, in support of their respective views about the Self, the subsequent view contradicts the previous one, it becomes quite clear that all these items from the son to the void are not the Self.
134. Moreover none of the items from the son to the void is the Self, because all those fallacious citations of scriptural passages, arguments, and personal experiences in support of them are all nullified for the following reasons: first because they contradict strong scriptural passages which describe the Self as not gross, without eyes, without the vital force, without the mind, not an agent, but Consciousness, Pure Intelligence and Existence; secondly because they are material and are illumined by Pure Consciousness and as such are unreal, like a pot etc., and lastly because of the strong intuition of the man of realization that he is Brahman.
135. Therefore the innermost Consciousness which is by nature eternal, pure, intelligent, free and real, and which is the illuminer of those unreal entities (such as the son etc.,) is the Self. This is the experience of the Vedantists.
136. The above is an account of superimposition of unreality on the Real.
IV. DE-SUPERIMPOSITION:
137. As a snake falsely perceived in a rope is ultimately found out to be nothing but the rope; similarly the world of unreal things, beginning with ignorance, superimposed upon the Reality, is realized, at the end, to be nothing but Brahman. This is known as de-superimposition (Apavada).
138. Thus it has been said: Vikara is the actual modification of a thing altering into another substance; while vivarta is only an apparent modification.
139. To illustrate: The four kinds of physical bodies which are the seats of enjoyment; the different kinds of food and drink etc., which are the objects of enjoyment; the fourteen planes such as Bhur etc., which contain them and the universe (Brahmanda) which contains these planes -- all these are reduced to their cause, the five gross elements.
140. These five gross elements, together with the five objects such as sound etc., and the subtle bodies – all these are reduced to their cause – the uncompounded elements.
141. The five uncompounded elements, together with the tendencies of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, in the reverse order to that of creation, are reduced to their cause, namely Consciousness associated with ignorance.
142. This ignorance and the Consciousness associated with it, such as Isvara etc., are resolved into the transcendent Brahman unassociated with ignorance, which is the substratum of them all.
143. By this process of superimposition and de-superimposition the precise significance of “That” and “Thou” is clearly determined.
144. To explain: Collective ignorance and the rest, Consciousness associated with it and endowed with omniscience etc., as also the Pure Consciousness unassociated with any attribute – these three, when appearing as one and inseparable like a red-hot iron ball, become the primary meaning of the word “That”.
145. The unassociated Consciousness which is the substratum of the limiting adjuncts and of Isvara which they limit, is the implied meaning of “That”.
146. Individual ignorance and the rest, Consciousness associated with it and endowed with partial knowledge etc., as also the Pure Consciousness unassociated with any attribute – these three when appearing as one and inseparable like a red-hot iron ball, become the primary meaning of the word “Thou”.
147. The unassociated transcendent Consciousness – the inward Bliss - which is the substratum of the limiting adjuncts and of the Jiva which they limit, is the implied meaning of the word “Thou”.
148. Now is being described the meaning of the great Vedic dictum (Mahavakyam): This dictum is a proposition conveying identity, by virtue of the three relations of its terms, viz., “Thou art That”.
149. The three relations are: Samanadhakaranya or the relation between two words having the same substratum, Visesana-visesyabhava or the relation between the imports of two words qualifying each other (so as to signify a common object); and Laksya-laksana-bhava or the relation between two words and an identical thing implied by them, here, the Inner Self.
150. Compare – (The relations are:) The relation between two words having the same substratum; that between two words qualifying each other (so as to signify a common object), and the relation between two words and an identical thing implied by them (here the Inner self).
151. Samanadhikaranya is the relationship between two words having the same locus. For instance, in the sentence, “This is that Devadatta”, the word “That” signifying Devadatta associated with the past, and the word “This” signifying Devadatta associated with the present, both refer to one and the same person called Devadatta. Similarly in the sentence, “Thou art That”, the word “That” signifying Consciousness characterized by remoteness etc., and the word “Thou” signifying Consciousness characterized by immediacy etc., both refer to one and the same Consciousness, viz., Brahman.
152. The second relation, that of Visesana-visesya-bhava is this: In the same sentence (“This is that Devadatta”), the meaning of the word “That” is Devadatta existing in the past and the meaning of the word “This” is Devadatta existing in the present. They are contrary ideas, but still they qualify each other so as to signify a common object. Similarly in the sentence, “Thou art That”, the meaning of the word “That” is Consciousness characterized by remoteness etc., and the meaning of the word “Thou” is Consciousness characterized by immediacy etc., They are contrary ideas but still they qualify each other so as to signify a common object.
153. The third relation, that of Laksyalaksanabhava is this: In that very sentence (“This is that Devadatta”), the words “This” and “That” or their meanings, by the elimination of contrary associations of past and present time, stand in the relation of implier and implied with Devadatta who is common to both. Similarly in this sentence (“Thou art That”) also, the words “That” and “Thou”, or their meanings, by the elimination of contrary associations of remoteness and immediacy etc., stand in the relation of implier and implied with Consciousness which is common to both.
154. This is also called Bhagalaksana.
155. The literal meaning in the manner of the sentence, “The blue Lotus” does not fit in with the sentence: “Thou art That”.
156. In the phrase (“The blue lotus”), the meaning of the word “blue” is the blue colour, and the meaning of the word “lotus” is the flower called lotus. They respectively exclude other colours such as white etc., and other objects such as cloth etc., Thus these two words mutually stand in the relation of qualifier and qualified. And this relation means their mutual qualification or their unity. This interpretation of the sentence, since it does not contradict any other means of knowledge, is admissible.
157. But in this sentence (“Thou art That”), the meaning of the word “That” is Consciousness associated with remoteness etc., and the meaning of the word “Thou” is Consciousness associated with immediacy etc., If it is maintained that these two ideas, since they eliminate their mutual distinction stand to each other in the relation of qualifier and qualified, meaning their mutual qualification or their unity, it involves a contradiction with direct perception and other means of knowledge, and therefore is inconsistent.
158. Therefore it has been said: “In this sentence (“Thou art That”), the correct meaning is neither the union of the two ideas nor their mutual qualification. The real meaning of the sentence, according to scholars, is an absolute homogeneous principle.” (Panchadasi VII-75).
159. Again in the sentence (“Thou art That”), Jahallakshana is not also admissible as in the sentence, “The cowherd village is on (literally in) the Ganga.”
160. In that sentence, as it is altogether absurd to construe the words, “Ganga” and “cowherd-village”, literally, in the sense of container and contained respectively, that meaning of the sentence must be entirely abandoned, and it should refer by implication to the bank of the Ganga. Hence in this case the application of Jahallakshana is admissible.
161. But this sentence (“Thou art That”) meaning the identity of Consciousness characterized by immediacy or remoteness involves contradiction in one part only. Therefore it is not proper to abandon the other part as well and indicate something else by implication (Lakshana). Hence in this case Jahallakshana is not admissible.
162. Nor can it be urged: Just as the word “Ganga” (in the sentence in question), gives up its direct meaning and implies the “bank”, so may the words “That” and “Thou” (in the sentence, “Thou art That”) give up their direct meaning and mean by implication the contents of “Thou” and “That” respectively. So why should it not be a case of Jahallakshana ?
163. In that sentence the word “bank” is not mentioned, and therefore the meaning, which is not explicit, can only be derived through implication (Lakshana). But in the other sentence (“Thou art That”), the words “That” and “Thou” are mentioned and their meanings are explicit; therefore it is not proper to use a Lakshana here in order to indicate through either of them the sense of the other (Thou or That).
164. Nor is Ajahallakshana applicable in this sentence as in the sentence, “The red colour is running.”
165. The literal meaning of that sentence, namely, the running of red colour, is absurd. This absurdity can be removed without abandoning the meaning of the word “Red” by interpreting it to imply a horse of that colour. Therefore in this case Ajahallakshana is admissible.
166. But here (in the sentence, “Thou art That”) the literal meaning, conveying an identical Consciousness associated with remoteness, immediacy, etc., is self-contradictory. If, without abandoning this meaning, any other idea connected with it be implied, still the contradiction will not be reconciled. Therefore, in this case Ajahallakshana is inadmissible.
167. Nor can it be urged: Either of the words “That” or “Thou” may exclude that portion of its meaning which conflicts with the other word and imply a combination of the other portion with the meaning of the other word (Thou art That). Therefore no necessity arises of admitting Bhagalakshana.
168. Because it is impossible to conceive the same word as indicating a part of its own meaning as well as the meaning of another word. Moreover, when the meaning is directly expressed by the other word, it does not require the application of Lakshana to the first word to indicate it.
169. Therefore, as the sentence, “This is that Devadatta”, or its meaning, on account of the contradictions involved in one part of their import, viz., Devadatta as existing in the past and in the present, implies, by abandoning the conflicting portion which has reference to time, only the non-conflicting portion, viz., the man Devadatta – similarly, the sentence, “Thou art That”, or its meaning, on account of the contradictions involved in one part of their import, viz., Consciousness characterized by remoteness and immediacy, implies, by abandoning the conflicting portion which has relation to remoteness, immediacy etc., only Absolute Pure Consciousness which is common to both “Thou” and “That”.
170. Now is being described the meaning of the sentence, “I am Brahman” (Br. Up. I-4-10), expressive of intuitive experience.
171. When the teacher in this way clears the meaning of the words “That” and “Thou” by the removal of superimpositions, and makes the qualified student grasp the import of the sentence, “Thou art That”, which is Absolute Unity, there arises in his mind a state of Absolute Oneness in which he feels that he is Brahman, by nature eternal, pure, self-illumined, free, real, supremely blissful, infinite and one without a second.
172. That mental state, illumined by the reflection of Pure Consciousness, objectifies the Supreme Brahman, unknown but identical with the individual self and destroys the ignorance pertaining to Brahman.
Then just as a cloth is burnt when the threads composing it are burnt, so all the effects of ignorance are destroyed when their cause, viz., ignorance, is destroyed. Hence the mental state of Absolute Oneness, which forms part of those effects, is also destroyed.
173. As the light of a lamp cannot illumine the lustre of the sun but is overpowered by it, so Consciousness reflected in that state of the mind is unable to illumine the Supreme Brahman, self-effulgent and identical with the individual self, and is overpowered by it. And on the destruction of this state of Absolute Oneness with which that Consciousness is associated there remains only the Supreme Brahman, identical with the individual self, just as the image of a face in a looking-glass is resolved into the face itself when the looking-glass is removed.
174. Such being the case, there is no contradiction between the following Sruti passages: “By the mind alone It is to be perceived” (Br. Up. IV-4-19), and “That which cannot be thought of by the mind” (Kena Up. I-5). We are to suppose that the unknown Brahman is brought into contact with only the mental state, but not with the underlying Consciousness.
175. Thus it has been said: “The authors of the scriptures have refuted the idea that the individual Consciousness can manifest the Brahman. But they admit that the Brahman associated with ignorance is brought into contact with the mental states only for the purpose of dispelling ignorance regarding It” (Panchadasi VI-90).
176. And: “Brahman, being self-luminous, does not depend on the individual Consciousness for Its illumination” Panchadasi VI-92).
177. But there is a difference when the mental state assumes the form of material objects.
178. Because, in the case of the experience, “This is a jar”, the mental state assumes the form of the jar, makes the unknown jar its object and dispels the ignorance regarding it. Then the Consciousness underlying the mental state manifests the material jar.
179. Thus it has been said: “Both the intellect and the Consciousness underlying it come into contact with the jar. The intellect destroys the ignorance (regarding the jar) and the underlying Consciousness manifests the jar” (Panchadasi VII-91).
180. Just as the light of a lamp coming into contact with a jar or cloth existing in darkness, dispels the darkness which envelops them and through its own lustre manifests them as well.
V. THE STEPS TO SELF-REALIZATION:
181. Till such realization of the Consciousness which is one’s own Self,
1. I take refuge in the Self, the Indivisible, the Existence-Consciousness-Bliss Absolute, beyond the reach of words and thought, and the substratum of all, for the attainment of my cherished desire.
2. Having worshipped the Guru who on account of his being free from the illusion of duality justifies the meaning of his name Advayananda, I undertake the task of expounding the essence of the Vedanta according to my light.
3. Vedanta is the evidence of the Upanishads, as well as the Sariraka Sutras (Brahma Sutras) and other books that help in the correct expounding of its meaning.
4. On account of its being a Prakarana treatise of Vedanta, the Anubandhas, preliminary questions of the latter, serve its purpose as well. Therefore they need not be discussed separately.
5. The preliminary questions of Vedanta are the determination of the competency of the student, the subject-matter, its connection with the book and the necessity for its study.
6. The competent student is an aspirant who, by studying in accordance with the prescribed method the Vedas and the Vedangas (the books auxiliary to the Vedas), has ordained a general comprehension of the entire Vedas; who, being absolved from all sins in this or in a previous life by the avoidance of the actions known as kamya (rites performed with a view to attaining a desired object) and Nisiddha (those forbidden in the scriptures) and by the performance of actions called Nitya (daily obligatory rites) and Naimittika (obligatory on special occasions) as well as by penance and devotion, has become entirely pure in mind, and who has adopted the four Sadhanas or means to the attainment of spiritual knowledge.
7. The sacrifices such as Jyotistoma etc., which enable their performers to get the desired fruits such as living in heaven etc., are known as Kamya Karma.
8. Actions such as the slaying of a Brahmin etc., which bring about undesired results as going to hell etc., are Nisiddha Karma or forbidden acts.
9. Daily rites, such as Sandhyavandana etc., the non-performance of which causes harm, are called Nitya Karma.
10. Jatesti sacrifices (which are performed subsequent to the birth of a son) etc., are called the Naimittika Karma or rites to be observed on special occasions.
11. Rites such as Chandrayana etc., which are instrumental in the expiation of sin, are Prayaschittas or penances.
12. Mental activities relating to the Saguna Brahman – such as are described in the Sandilya Vidya are Upasanas or devotions.
13. Of these, Nitya and other works mainly serve the purpose of purifying the mind; but the Upasanas chiefly aim at the concentration of the mind, as in such Sruti passages, “Brahmanas seek to know this Self by the study of the Vedas, by sacrifice” (Brihadaranyaka-IV-4-22); as well as in such Smriti passages, “they destroy sins by practising austerities” (Manu 12.104)
14. The secondary results of the Nitya and the Naimittika Karma and of the Upasanas are the attainment of the Pitruloka and the Satyaloka respectively; as in the Sruti passages, “By sacrifice the world of the Fathers, by knowledge (Upasana) the world of the Devas (is gained)"”(Br. Up.I.5.16)
15. The means to the attainment of Knowledge are: discrimination between things permanent and transient; renunciation of the enjoyment of the fruits of actions in this world and hereafter; six treasures, such as control of the mind etc., and the desire for spiritual freedom.
16. Discrimination between things permanent and transient; this consists of the discrimination that “Brahman alone is the permanent Substance and that all things other than It are transient.”
17. The objects of enjoyment hereafter, such as immortality etc., being as transitory as the enjoyment of such earthly objects as a garland of flowers, sandal paste and sex-pleasures, which are transitory, being results of action – an utter disregard for all of them is renunciation of the enjoyment of fruits of action in this world and hereafter.
18. Sama etc., comprise Sama or the restraining of the outgoing mental propensities, Dama or the restraining of the external sense-organs, Uparati or the withdrawing of the Self, Titiksha or forbearance, Samadhana or self-settledness, and Sraddha or faith.
19. Sama is the curbing of the mind from all objects except hearing etc.,
20. Dama is the restraining of the external organs from all objects except that.
21. Uparati is the cessation of these external organs so restrained, from the pursuit of objects other than that; or it may mean the abandonment of the prescribed works according to scriptural injunctions.
22. Titiksha is the endurance of heat and cold and other pairs of opposites.
23. Samadhana is the constant concentration of the mind, thus restrained, on hearing etc., of the scriptural passages and other objects that are conducive to these.
24. Sraddha is the faith in the truths of Vedanta as taught by the Guru.
25. Mumukshutva is the yearning for spiritual freedom.
26. Such an aspirant is a qualified student; for it is said in the sruti passages, “quiet, subdued” (Br. Up. IV-4.23). It is further said, “This is always to be taught to one who is of tranquil mind, who has subjugated his senses, who is free from faults, obedient, endowed with virtues, always submissive, and who is constantly eager for liberation” (Sankara’s Upadesha-Sahasri 324.16.72)
27. The subject is the identity of the individual self and Brahman, which is of the nature of Pure intelligence and is to be realised. For such is the purport of the Vedanta texts.
28. The connection is the relation between that identity which is to be realised and the evidence of the Upanishads that establishes it, as between a thing to be known and that which tells of it.
29. The necessity is the dispelling of ignorance relating to that identity which is to be realised, as the attainment of bliss resulting from the realisation of one’s own Self. As in such Sruti passages, “The knower of Self overcomes grief” (Ch. Up. VII-1.3), “He who knows Brahman becomes Brahman” (Mund. Up. III-2-9).
30. Such a qualified pupil scorched with the fire of an endless round of birth, death, etc., should repair – just as one with one’s head on fire rushes to a lake – with presents in hand, to a Guru, learned in the Vedas and ever living in Brahman, and serve him – as the following and other Srutis say: “Let him in order to understand this repair with fuel in his hand to a spiritual guide who is learned in the Vedas and lives entirely in Brahman” (Mund. Up. I-2-12).
II. SUPERIMPOSITION:
31. Such a Guru through his infinite grace instructs the pupil by the method of de-superimposition (Apavada) of the superimpositions (Adhyaropa) – as in such Sruti passages: “To that pupil who has approached him with due courtesy, whose mind has become perfectly calm, and who has control over his senses, the wise teacher should truly impart that Knowledge of Brahman through which he knows the Being, imperishable and real" (Mund. Up. I-2-13).
32. Adhyaropa is the superimposition of the unreal on the real, like the false perception of a snake in a rope which is not a snake.
33. Reality is Brahman which is without a second and is Existence, Consciousness, and Bliss. Unreality is Nescience and all other material objects.
34. However, ignorance is described as something positive though intangible, which cannot be described either as being or non-being, which is made of three qualities and is antagonistic to Knowledge. Its existence is established from such experiences as “I am ignorant”, and from such Sruti passages as, “The power belonging to God Himself, hidden in its own qualities” (Svet. Up.I-3).
35. This ignorance is said to be one or many according to the mode of observing it either collectively or individually.
36. As, for instance, trees considered as an aggregate are denoted as one, viz., the forest, or water is collectively named as the reservoir, so also ignorance, existing in Jivas being diversely manifested, is collectively, represented as one – as in such scriptural passages as, “There is one unborn etc.,” (Svet. Up. IV-5).
37. This aggregate (of ignorance) on account of its appearing associated with Perfection (Pure Intelligence of Brahman) has a preponderance of pure Sattva.
38. Consciousness associated with this is endowed with such qualities as omniscience, universal lordship, all-controlling power, etc., and is designated as the undifferentiated, the inner guide, the cause of the world and Isvara on account of Its being the illuminator of the aggregate of ignorance. As in the Sruti passage, “who knows all (generally), who perceives all (particularly)” (Mund. Up. I-1-9).
39. This aggregate of ignorance associated with Isvara is known as the causal body on account of its being the cause of all, and as the Anandamayakosa (the blissful sheath) on account of its being full of bliss and covering like a sheath; it is further known as the Cosmic sleep as into it everything is dissolved, and, for this reason, it is designated as the state of dissolution of the gross and subtle phenomena.
40. As a forest, from the standpoint of the units that compose it, may be designated as a number of trees, and as a reservoir from the same point of view may be spoken of as quantities of water, so also ignorance when denoting separate units is spoken of as many; as in such Sruti passages as, “Indra through Maya appears as of many forms” (Rig-Veda VI-47-18).
41. Ignorance has been designated as individual and collective on account of its pervading the units and the aggregate.
42. The individual ignorance, on account of its association with the inferior being, is characterized by impure Sattva.
43. Consciousness associated with this has limited knowledge and is devoid of the power of lordship; it is called Prajna on account of its being the illuminator of individual ignorance.
44. It is called Prajna as it is deficient in illumination on account of its association with a dull limiting adjunct.
45. The individual ignorance, associated with it is also known as the causal body on account of its being the cause of egoism etc., and as the blissful sheath because it is full of bliss and covers like a sheath; it is further known as dreamless sleep since into it everything is dissolved; and for this reason it is also designated as the state of dissolution of the gross and subtle phenomena.
46. In the state of dreamless sleep both Isvara and Prajna, through a very subtle function of ignorance illumined by Consciousness, enjoy happiness, as in the Sruti passage: "Prajna, the enjoyer of bliss, with Consciousness for its aid (is the third aspect)” (Mand. Up. 5); as also from such experience of a man awaking from dreamless sleep as, “I slept happily, I did not know anything.”
47. This aggregate and individual ignorance are identical like a forest and the trees, or a reservoir and the water.
48. As the Akasa enclosed by the forest is identical with the Akasa enclosed by the trees, or as the Akasa reflected in the water is the same as the Akasa reflected in the reservoir, similarly Isvara and Prajna associated with these (aggregate and individual ignorance) are identical. There are such Sruti passages as, He is the Lord of all, (He is omniscient, He is the inner controller, He is the source of all, He is the cause of the origin and destruction of creatures)” (Mand. Up. 6).
49. Like the unlimited Akasa which is the substratum of the Akasa enclosed by the forest and the trees, or of the Akasa which is reflected in the water and the reservoir, there is an unlimited Consciousness which is the substratum of the aggregate and the individual ignorance as well as of the Consciousness (Isvara and Prajna) associated with them. This is called the “Fourth”. As in such Sruti passages as, “That which is (tranquil), auspicious and without a second, That the wise conceive of as the Fourth aspect. (He is the Self; He is to be known)” (Mand. Up. 7).
50. This Pure Consciousness which is known as the “Fourth”, when not discriminated, like a red-hot iron-ball, from ignorance and the Consciousness with which it is associated, becomes the direct meaning of the great Vedic dictum (“Thou art That”), and when discriminated, it gives us its implied meaning.
51. This ignorance has two powers, viz., the power of concealment and the power of projection.
52. Just as a small patch of cloud, by obstructing the vision of the observer, conceals, as it were, the solar disc extending over many miles, similarly ignorance, though limited by nature, yet obstructing the intellect of the observer, conceals, as it were, the Self which is unlimited and not subject to transmigration. Such a power is this power of concealment. It is thus said: “As the sun appears covered by a cloud and bedimmed to a very ignorant person whose vision is obscured by the cloud, so also That which to the unenlightened appears to be in bondage is my real nature – the Self – Eternal Knowledge” (Hastamalaka 10).
53. The Self covered by this (concealing power of ignorance may become subject to samsara (relative existence) characterised by one’s feeling as agent, the experiencing subject, happy, miserable, etc., just as a rope may become a snake due to the concealing power of one’s own ignorance.
54. Just as ignorance regarding a rope, by its inherent power, gives rise to the illusion of a snake etc., in the rope covered by it, so also ignorance, by its own power creates in the Self covered by it, such phenomena as Akasa etc., Such a power is called the power of projection. It is thus said: “The power of projection creates all from the subtle bodies to the cosmos” (Vakyasudha 13).
55. Consciousness associated with ignorance, possessed of these two powers, when considered from its own standpoint is the efficient cause, and when considered from the standpoint of its Upadhi or limitation is the material cause (of the universe).
56. Just as the spider, when considered from the standpoint of its own self, is the efficient cause of the web, and when looked upon from the standpoint of its body, is also the material cause of the web.
57. From Consciousness associated with the projecting power of ignorance which has a preponderance of the quality of darkness, has evolved Akasa which, in its turn, has produced air, from air has come fire, from fire water, and from water earth. As in such Sruti passages, “From this Self has evolved Akasa” (Tait. Up. II-1-1).
58. On account of the preponderance of inertia observed in them, their cause also must have an excess of the quality of darkness (Tamas). At that time the qualities of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas are reproduced in ether etc., in accordance with the law that the qualities of the cause determine the qualities of the effect.
59. These are called subtle matter, rudimentary elements (Tanmatras) and uncompounded (Apanchikrita) elements.
60. From these subtle elements are produced subtle bodies and gross elements.
61. The subtle bodies are what are known as the Linga-Sariras having seventeen component parts.
62. The component parts (of the Linga-Sarira) are the five organs of perception, the intellect, the mind, the five organs of action, and the five vital forces.
63. The five organs of perception are the ears, the skin, the eyes, the tongue, and the nose.
64. These are produced separately in consecutive order from the Sattva particles of ether etc.,
65. Intellect (Buddhi) is that modification of the internal instrument (Antahkarana) which determines.
66. The mind (Manas) is that modification of the internal instrument which considers the pros and cons of a subject (Sankalpa and Vikalpa).
67. The mind-stuff (Chitta) and egoism (Ahamkara) are included in the intellect (Buddhi) and the mind (Manas) respectively.
68. Memory (Chitta) is that modification of the inner organ which remembers.
69. Egoism (Ahamkara) is that modification of the inner organ which is characterised by Self-consciousness.
70. These, be it noted, are produced from the combination of the Sattva particles of ether etc.,
71. On account of their being luminous they are said to be the products of the Sattva particles.
72. This intellect (Buddhi) together with the organs of perception constitutes the intelligent sheath (Vijnanamayakosa).
73. This Vijnanamayakosa, on account of its being conscious that it is an agent and enjoyer and that it is happy or miserable etc., is called the phenomenal Jiva (the individual self) subject to transmigration to this and the other worlds.
74. The mind with the organs of perception constitutes the mental sheath (manomayakosa).
75. The organs of action are the organs of speech, the hands, the feet, and the organs of evacuation and generation.
76. These are produced separately in consecutive order from the active (Rajas) particles of ether etc.,
77. The five vital forces are the Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana.
78. Prana is that vital force which goes upward and has its seat at the tip of the nose.
79. Apana is that vital force which goes downward and has its seat in the organs of excretion.
80. Vyana is that vital force which moves in all directions and pervades the entire body.
81. Udana is the ascending vital force which helps the passing out from the body and has its seat in the throat.
82. Samana is that vital force which assimilates food and drink and has its seat in the middle of the body.
83. Assimilation means digestion of food and its conversion into chyle, blood, and other materials of the body.
84. Others say that there are five more vital forces known as Naga, Kurma, Krikala, Devadatta and Dhananjaya.
85. Of these Naga is that which causes vomiting or erection, Kurma opens the eye-lids, Krikala creates hunger, Devadatta produces yawning and Dhananjaya nourishes the body.
86. Some say that on account of their being included in Prana etc., the vital forces are really five in number.
87. These five vital forces, viz., Prana etc., are produced from the combination of the active (Rajas) particles of ether etc.,
88. These five vital forces such as Prana etc., together with the organs of action, constitute the vital sheath (Pranamayakosa). Its active nature shows that it is the product of the particles of Rajas.
89. Among these sheaths, the intelligent sheath (Vijnanamayakosa) which is endowed with the power of knowledge is the agent; the mental sheath (Manomayakosa) which is endowed with will-power is the instrument; and the vital sheath (Pranamayakosa) which is endowed with activity is the product. This division has been made according to their respective functions. These three sheaths together constitute the subtle body.
90. Here also the sum total of all the subtle bodies, when looked upon as one, like a forest or a reservoir, is called samasti or aggregate and when viewed as many, like the trees or quantities of water, is called Vyasti or individual.
91. Consciousness associated with this totality is called Sutratma, Hiranyagarbha and Prana etc., because it is immanent everywhere and because it identifies itself with the five great uncompounded elements endowed with the powers of knowledge, will and activity.
92. This aggregate made up of three sheaths such as Vijnanamayakosa etc., (which forms the limiting adjunct) of Hiranyagarbha is called the subtle body as it is finer than the gross universe. It is also called the dream state, as it consists of the impressions of the waking state; and for that very reason it is known as the merging place for the gross universe.
93. Consciousness associated with each individual subtle body is known as Taijasa (full of light) on account of its being associated with the effulgent inner organ (Antahkarana).
94. The individual limiting adjunct of taijasa too, made up of the three sheaths, such as Vijnanamayakosa etc., is called the subtle body, as it is finer than the gross body. It is also called the dream state, as it consists of the impressions of the waking state, and for that very reason it is known as the merging place for the gross body.
95. The Sutratma and Taijasa, at that time, through (subtle) functionings of the mind, experience the subtle objects. Witness such Sruti passages as, “Taijasa is the enjoyer of subtle objects” (Mand. Up. 3).
96. Here also the aggregate and individual subtle bodies are identical, like a forest and its trees or like a lake and its waters, and the Sutratma and the Taijasa, which have those bodies as their limiting adjuncts, are also identical like the spaces enclosed by a forest and its trees or like the skies reflected in the lake and its waters.
97. Thus do the subtle bodies originate.
98. But the gross elements are all compounded.
99. The compounding takes place thus: Each of the five elements, viz., ether etc., is divided into two equal parts; of the ten parts thus produced five – being the first half of each element – are each sub-divided into four equal parts. Then leaving one half of each element, to the other half is added one of these quarters from each of the other four elements.
100. Thus it has been said: “By dividing each element into two equal parts, and sub-dividing the first half of each element into four equal parts, and then adding to the other half of each element one sub-division of each of the remaining four, each element becomes five in one.” (Panchadasi I-27)
101. The authoritativeness of this method of compounding should not be questioned for the triple combination described in the Sruti indirectly refers to this.
102. Though these five gross elements are alike in so far as each of them contains the five elements, yet they are differently named as ether etc., owing to the “preponderance of a particular element in them” (Brahma Sutras II-4-22).
103. At that time ether manifests sound; air manifests sound and touch; fire sound, touch and form; water sound, touch, form and taste; and earth manifests sound, touch, form, taste and smell.
104. From these compounded elements have evolved the seven planes, existing one above the other, viz., Bhur, Bhuvar, Svar, Mahar, Jana, tapas and Satyam; and the seven nether planes, one below the other, viz., Atala, Vitala, Sutala, Rasatala, Talatala, Mahatala and Patala; the world, the four kinds of gross bodies contained in it together with the food and drink appropriate to them.
105. The four kinds of gross bodies are those that are born of the womb, the egg, moisture and the soil.
106. Those that are born of the womb refer to men, beasts etc.,
107. Those that come out of the egg are the birds, reptiles etc.,
108. Those that are born of moisture are the lice, mosquitoes etc.,
109. Those that spring from the soil are the trees, creepers etc.,
110. Here also all the gross bodies, in their fourfold variety, may be spoken of collectively or individually according as they are thought of as one like a forest or a lake, or many like the trees and the quantities of water.
111. Consciousness associated with this aggregate of gross bodies is called Vaisvanara and Virat on account of its identification with all bodies, and from its manifestation in diverse ways respectively.
112. This aggregate gross body of his is called the alimentary sheath (Annamayakosa) on account of its being a modification of food, and is said to be in the waking state on account of its being the medium for the enjoyment of gross objects.
113. Consciousness associated with the individual gross body is designated as Visva on account of its entering the gross body etc., without giving up its identification with the subtle body.
114. This individual gross body of his (of the Jiva) is also called the alimentary sheath on account of its being a modification of food, and is said to be in the waking state.
115. Both Visva and Vaisvanara at that time, perceive the gross objects, viz., sound, touch, colour, taste and smell respectively through the five sense-organs, such as the ears etc., controlled respectively by (the presiding deities, viz.,) the Quarters (Dik), Air (Vayu), Sun, Varuna and the two Asvins. They also perform the functions of speech, acceptance, walking, excretion and enjoyment respectively through the five organs of action, such as the tongue etc., controlled respectively by Fire, Indra, Vishnu, Yama and Prajapati. They also experience uncertainty, determination, personality and remembrance, respectively through the four inner organs, viz., mind, intellect, egoism and memory (Chitta) controlled respectively by the Moon, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Witness such Sruti passages as: “Whose place is the waking state, who is conscious of the external world” (Mand. Up. 3).
116. Here also the individual and collective gross bodies are identical as before, like the trees and the forest, or like the quantities of water and the lake; and so are Visva and Vaisvanara, which are respectively associated with those bodies, identical, like the spaces enclosed by the trees and the forest, or like the reflections of the sky in the quantities of water and the lake.
117. Thus has the gross phenomenal universe evolved from the five compounded elements.
118. The sum total of the gross, subtle and causal worlds makes a Vast Universe as the sum total of smaller forests makes a vast forest, of a collection of smaller lakes makes a vast expanse of water.
119. Consciousness associated with this, from Vaisvanara to Isvara is also one and the same, as the space enclosed by a number of smaller forests is the same as that enclosed by the big forest of which they form part, or as the sky reflected in different smaller lakes is the same as that reflected in the vast expanse of water which they form.
120. Consciousness, unassociated with any adjuncts (Upadhis) whatsoever, when not discriminated – like the red-hot iron-ball – from the Vast Universe and the Consciousness associated with it, becomes the direct import of the (great) Vedic dictum, “All this is verily Brahman” (Ch. Up. III-14-1) and when discriminated from them it becomes the implied meaning of that text.
121. Thus has been shown, in general, the process of superimposition, which is the attributing of unreality to the real.
III. THE JIVA AND SUPERIMPOSITION:
122. Now will be considered, in particular, how people variously superimpose on the innermost Self such ideas as “I am this,” “I am this,” etc.,
123. (Thus for example) an extremely deluded man speaks of his son as his own Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Verily the Self is born as the son,” owing also to the fact that one loves one’s son as one’s own Self, and further because of the experience that one feels oneself prosperous or ruined according as one’s son fares well or ill.
124. One school of Charvakas, however, holds that this physical body is the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Man is constituted of the essence of food” (Tait. Up. II-1-1), owing also to the fact that a man rushes out from a burning house even leaving behind his son, and further because of such experiences as. “I am stout,” “I am thin,” etc.,
125. Another school of Charvakas speaks of the sense-organs as the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “The sense-organs went to their father, Prajapati, and said,” (Ch. Up. V-1-7), owing also to the fact that the movement of the body ceases when the organs cease to work, and further because of such experiences as, “I am blind of one eye,” “I am deaf,” etc.,
126. Still another school of Charvakas holds that Prana or vital force is the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Different from and more internal than this (the physical body) is the Self which consists of the vital force” (Tait. Up. II-2-1), owing also to the fact that with the cessation of the working of the vital force, the sense-organs cease to function; and because of such experiences as, “I am hungry,” “I am thirsty,” etc.,
127. Yet another school of Charvakas holds that mind (Manas) is the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Different from and more internal than this (which consists of the vital force) is the Self which consists of mind” (Tait. Up. II-3-1), owing also to the fact that the vital force etc., cease to work when the mind goes into deep sleep, and further because of such experience as, “I am considering the pros and cons,” etc.,
128. As against this, the Buddhists say that the intellect is the Self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “Different from and more internal than this is the Self which consists of Consciousness” (Tait. Up. II-4-1), owing also to the fact that the instrument becomes powerless in the absence of the agent and from such experiences as, “I am the agent,” “I am the enjoyer,” etc.,
129. The Prabhakaras and the Tarkikas on the other hand say that ignorance is the Self on account of such Sruti passages as, “Different from and more internal than this is the Self which consists of bliss” (Tait. Up. II-5-1), and owing also to the fact that during sound sleep the intellect etc., merge in ignorance, and further because of such experiences as, “I am ignorant,” “I am devoid of Knowledge,” etc.,
130. The Bhattas on the contrary say that consciousness associated with ignorance is the self, on account of such Sruti passages as, “During dreamless sleep the Atman is undifferentiated consciousness and full of bliss” (Man. Up. 5), owing also to the fact that both consciousness and unconsciousness are present in a state of dreamless sleep and from such experience as, “I do not know myself,” etc.,
131. Another school of Buddhists says that the Self is identical with the void, on account of such Sruti passages as, “In the beginning there was non-existence” (Ch. Up. VI-2-1), owing also to the fact that there is an absence of everything during dreamless sleep, and further because of the experience, regarding his non-existence, of a man who has just awakened; as when he says to himself, “During the dreamless sleep I was non-existent.”
132. Now it will be shown that all these items from the son to the void are not the Self.
133. Since in all these fallacious citations of scriptural passages, arguments and personal experiences, made by the different classes of people enumerated above beginning with the extremely deluded, in support of their respective views about the Self, the subsequent view contradicts the previous one, it becomes quite clear that all these items from the son to the void are not the Self.
134. Moreover none of the items from the son to the void is the Self, because all those fallacious citations of scriptural passages, arguments, and personal experiences in support of them are all nullified for the following reasons: first because they contradict strong scriptural passages which describe the Self as not gross, without eyes, without the vital force, without the mind, not an agent, but Consciousness, Pure Intelligence and Existence; secondly because they are material and are illumined by Pure Consciousness and as such are unreal, like a pot etc., and lastly because of the strong intuition of the man of realization that he is Brahman.
135. Therefore the innermost Consciousness which is by nature eternal, pure, intelligent, free and real, and which is the illuminer of those unreal entities (such as the son etc.,) is the Self. This is the experience of the Vedantists.
136. The above is an account of superimposition of unreality on the Real.
IV. DE-SUPERIMPOSITION:
137. As a snake falsely perceived in a rope is ultimately found out to be nothing but the rope; similarly the world of unreal things, beginning with ignorance, superimposed upon the Reality, is realized, at the end, to be nothing but Brahman. This is known as de-superimposition (Apavada).
138. Thus it has been said: Vikara is the actual modification of a thing altering into another substance; while vivarta is only an apparent modification.
139. To illustrate: The four kinds of physical bodies which are the seats of enjoyment; the different kinds of food and drink etc., which are the objects of enjoyment; the fourteen planes such as Bhur etc., which contain them and the universe (Brahmanda) which contains these planes -- all these are reduced to their cause, the five gross elements.
140. These five gross elements, together with the five objects such as sound etc., and the subtle bodies – all these are reduced to their cause – the uncompounded elements.
141. The five uncompounded elements, together with the tendencies of Sattva, Rajas and Tamas, in the reverse order to that of creation, are reduced to their cause, namely Consciousness associated with ignorance.
142. This ignorance and the Consciousness associated with it, such as Isvara etc., are resolved into the transcendent Brahman unassociated with ignorance, which is the substratum of them all.
143. By this process of superimposition and de-superimposition the precise significance of “That” and “Thou” is clearly determined.
144. To explain: Collective ignorance and the rest, Consciousness associated with it and endowed with omniscience etc., as also the Pure Consciousness unassociated with any attribute – these three, when appearing as one and inseparable like a red-hot iron ball, become the primary meaning of the word “That”.
145. The unassociated Consciousness which is the substratum of the limiting adjuncts and of Isvara which they limit, is the implied meaning of “That”.
146. Individual ignorance and the rest, Consciousness associated with it and endowed with partial knowledge etc., as also the Pure Consciousness unassociated with any attribute – these three when appearing as one and inseparable like a red-hot iron ball, become the primary meaning of the word “Thou”.
147. The unassociated transcendent Consciousness – the inward Bliss - which is the substratum of the limiting adjuncts and of the Jiva which they limit, is the implied meaning of the word “Thou”.
148. Now is being described the meaning of the great Vedic dictum (Mahavakyam): This dictum is a proposition conveying identity, by virtue of the three relations of its terms, viz., “Thou art That”.
149. The three relations are: Samanadhakaranya or the relation between two words having the same substratum, Visesana-visesyabhava or the relation between the imports of two words qualifying each other (so as to signify a common object); and Laksya-laksana-bhava or the relation between two words and an identical thing implied by them, here, the Inner Self.
150. Compare – (The relations are:) The relation between two words having the same substratum; that between two words qualifying each other (so as to signify a common object), and the relation between two words and an identical thing implied by them (here the Inner self).
151. Samanadhikaranya is the relationship between two words having the same locus. For instance, in the sentence, “This is that Devadatta”, the word “That” signifying Devadatta associated with the past, and the word “This” signifying Devadatta associated with the present, both refer to one and the same person called Devadatta. Similarly in the sentence, “Thou art That”, the word “That” signifying Consciousness characterized by remoteness etc., and the word “Thou” signifying Consciousness characterized by immediacy etc., both refer to one and the same Consciousness, viz., Brahman.
152. The second relation, that of Visesana-visesya-bhava is this: In the same sentence (“This is that Devadatta”), the meaning of the word “That” is Devadatta existing in the past and the meaning of the word “This” is Devadatta existing in the present. They are contrary ideas, but still they qualify each other so as to signify a common object. Similarly in the sentence, “Thou art That”, the meaning of the word “That” is Consciousness characterized by remoteness etc., and the meaning of the word “Thou” is Consciousness characterized by immediacy etc., They are contrary ideas but still they qualify each other so as to signify a common object.
153. The third relation, that of Laksyalaksanabhava is this: In that very sentence (“This is that Devadatta”), the words “This” and “That” or their meanings, by the elimination of contrary associations of past and present time, stand in the relation of implier and implied with Devadatta who is common to both. Similarly in this sentence (“Thou art That”) also, the words “That” and “Thou”, or their meanings, by the elimination of contrary associations of remoteness and immediacy etc., stand in the relation of implier and implied with Consciousness which is common to both.
154. This is also called Bhagalaksana.
155. The literal meaning in the manner of the sentence, “The blue Lotus” does not fit in with the sentence: “Thou art That”.
156. In the phrase (“The blue lotus”), the meaning of the word “blue” is the blue colour, and the meaning of the word “lotus” is the flower called lotus. They respectively exclude other colours such as white etc., and other objects such as cloth etc., Thus these two words mutually stand in the relation of qualifier and qualified. And this relation means their mutual qualification or their unity. This interpretation of the sentence, since it does not contradict any other means of knowledge, is admissible.
157. But in this sentence (“Thou art That”), the meaning of the word “That” is Consciousness associated with remoteness etc., and the meaning of the word “Thou” is Consciousness associated with immediacy etc., If it is maintained that these two ideas, since they eliminate their mutual distinction stand to each other in the relation of qualifier and qualified, meaning their mutual qualification or their unity, it involves a contradiction with direct perception and other means of knowledge, and therefore is inconsistent.
158. Therefore it has been said: “In this sentence (“Thou art That”), the correct meaning is neither the union of the two ideas nor their mutual qualification. The real meaning of the sentence, according to scholars, is an absolute homogeneous principle.” (Panchadasi VII-75).
159. Again in the sentence (“Thou art That”), Jahallakshana is not also admissible as in the sentence, “The cowherd village is on (literally in) the Ganga.”
160. In that sentence, as it is altogether absurd to construe the words, “Ganga” and “cowherd-village”, literally, in the sense of container and contained respectively, that meaning of the sentence must be entirely abandoned, and it should refer by implication to the bank of the Ganga. Hence in this case the application of Jahallakshana is admissible.
161. But this sentence (“Thou art That”) meaning the identity of Consciousness characterized by immediacy or remoteness involves contradiction in one part only. Therefore it is not proper to abandon the other part as well and indicate something else by implication (Lakshana). Hence in this case Jahallakshana is not admissible.
162. Nor can it be urged: Just as the word “Ganga” (in the sentence in question), gives up its direct meaning and implies the “bank”, so may the words “That” and “Thou” (in the sentence, “Thou art That”) give up their direct meaning and mean by implication the contents of “Thou” and “That” respectively. So why should it not be a case of Jahallakshana ?
163. In that sentence the word “bank” is not mentioned, and therefore the meaning, which is not explicit, can only be derived through implication (Lakshana). But in the other sentence (“Thou art That”), the words “That” and “Thou” are mentioned and their meanings are explicit; therefore it is not proper to use a Lakshana here in order to indicate through either of them the sense of the other (Thou or That).
164. Nor is Ajahallakshana applicable in this sentence as in the sentence, “The red colour is running.”
165. The literal meaning of that sentence, namely, the running of red colour, is absurd. This absurdity can be removed without abandoning the meaning of the word “Red” by interpreting it to imply a horse of that colour. Therefore in this case Ajahallakshana is admissible.
166. But here (in the sentence, “Thou art That”) the literal meaning, conveying an identical Consciousness associated with remoteness, immediacy, etc., is self-contradictory. If, without abandoning this meaning, any other idea connected with it be implied, still the contradiction will not be reconciled. Therefore, in this case Ajahallakshana is inadmissible.
167. Nor can it be urged: Either of the words “That” or “Thou” may exclude that portion of its meaning which conflicts with the other word and imply a combination of the other portion with the meaning of the other word (Thou art That). Therefore no necessity arises of admitting Bhagalakshana.
168. Because it is impossible to conceive the same word as indicating a part of its own meaning as well as the meaning of another word. Moreover, when the meaning is directly expressed by the other word, it does not require the application of Lakshana to the first word to indicate it.
169. Therefore, as the sentence, “This is that Devadatta”, or its meaning, on account of the contradictions involved in one part of their import, viz., Devadatta as existing in the past and in the present, implies, by abandoning the conflicting portion which has reference to time, only the non-conflicting portion, viz., the man Devadatta – similarly, the sentence, “Thou art That”, or its meaning, on account of the contradictions involved in one part of their import, viz., Consciousness characterized by remoteness and immediacy, implies, by abandoning the conflicting portion which has relation to remoteness, immediacy etc., only Absolute Pure Consciousness which is common to both “Thou” and “That”.
170. Now is being described the meaning of the sentence, “I am Brahman” (Br. Up. I-4-10), expressive of intuitive experience.
171. When the teacher in this way clears the meaning of the words “That” and “Thou” by the removal of superimpositions, and makes the qualified student grasp the import of the sentence, “Thou art That”, which is Absolute Unity, there arises in his mind a state of Absolute Oneness in which he feels that he is Brahman, by nature eternal, pure, self-illumined, free, real, supremely blissful, infinite and one without a second.
172. That mental state, illumined by the reflection of Pure Consciousness, objectifies the Supreme Brahman, unknown but identical with the individual self and destroys the ignorance pertaining to Brahman.
Then just as a cloth is burnt when the threads composing it are burnt, so all the effects of ignorance are destroyed when their cause, viz., ignorance, is destroyed. Hence the mental state of Absolute Oneness, which forms part of those effects, is also destroyed.
173. As the light of a lamp cannot illumine the lustre of the sun but is overpowered by it, so Consciousness reflected in that state of the mind is unable to illumine the Supreme Brahman, self-effulgent and identical with the individual self, and is overpowered by it. And on the destruction of this state of Absolute Oneness with which that Consciousness is associated there remains only the Supreme Brahman, identical with the individual self, just as the image of a face in a looking-glass is resolved into the face itself when the looking-glass is removed.
174. Such being the case, there is no contradiction between the following Sruti passages: “By the mind alone It is to be perceived” (Br. Up. IV-4-19), and “That which cannot be thought of by the mind” (Kena Up. I-5). We are to suppose that the unknown Brahman is brought into contact with only the mental state, but not with the underlying Consciousness.
175. Thus it has been said: “The authors of the scriptures have refuted the idea that the individual Consciousness can manifest the Brahman. But they admit that the Brahman associated with ignorance is brought into contact with the mental states only for the purpose of dispelling ignorance regarding It” (Panchadasi VI-90).
176. And: “Brahman, being self-luminous, does not depend on the individual Consciousness for Its illumination” Panchadasi VI-92).
177. But there is a difference when the mental state assumes the form of material objects.
178. Because, in the case of the experience, “This is a jar”, the mental state assumes the form of the jar, makes the unknown jar its object and dispels the ignorance regarding it. Then the Consciousness underlying the mental state manifests the material jar.
179. Thus it has been said: “Both the intellect and the Consciousness underlying it come into contact with the jar. The intellect destroys the ignorance (regarding the jar) and the underlying Consciousness manifests the jar” (Panchadasi VII-91).
180. Just as the light of a lamp coming into contact with a jar or cloth existing in darkness, dispels the darkness which envelops them and through its own lustre manifests them as well.
V. THE STEPS TO SELF-REALIZATION:
181. Till such realization of the Consciousness which is one’s own Self,
it is necessary to practise hearing, reflection, meditation and absorption (Samadhi).
Therefore these are also being explained.
182. Hearing is the ascertainment through the six characteristic signs that the entire Vedanta philosophy establishes the one Brahman without a second.
183. the characteristic signs are: the beginning and the conclusion, repetition, originality, result, eulogy and demonstration.
184. Thus it has been said: “In ascertaining the meaning, the characteristic signs are – the beginning and the conclusion, repetition, originality, result, eulogy and demonstration.”
185. The beginning and the conclusion mean the presentation of the subject-matter of a section at its beginning and end. As, for instance, in the sixth chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, Brahman, the One without a second, which is the subject-matter of the chapter, is introduced at the beginning in the words,
182. Hearing is the ascertainment through the six characteristic signs that the entire Vedanta philosophy establishes the one Brahman without a second.
183. the characteristic signs are: the beginning and the conclusion, repetition, originality, result, eulogy and demonstration.
184. Thus it has been said: “In ascertaining the meaning, the characteristic signs are – the beginning and the conclusion, repetition, originality, result, eulogy and demonstration.”
185. The beginning and the conclusion mean the presentation of the subject-matter of a section at its beginning and end. As, for instance, in the sixth chapter of the Chandogya Upanishad, Brahman, the One without a second, which is the subject-matter of the chapter, is introduced at the beginning in the words,
“One only without a second” etc., (VI-2-1),
and again at the end in the words, “In It, all that exists has its Self etc., (Vi-8-7).
186. Repetition is the frequent presentation of the subject-matter in the section. As, for instance, in the same section, Brahman, the One without a second, is repeated nine times in the sentence, “Thou art That”.
187. Originality means that the subject-matter of a section is not available through any other source of knowledge. As, for instance, in that very section, Brahman, the One without a second, is not knowable through any other means except the Srutis.
188. The result is the utility of the subject-matter of a section – e.g., Self-knowledge – or its practice as mentioned at different places. As, for instance, in the same section, the words, “The man who has got a teacher knows the Brahman. He has to wait only till he is delivered from the body; then he becomes united with Brahman” (VI-14-2). Here the utility of the knowledge of Brahman, the One without a second, is Its attainment.
189. Eulogy is the praising of the subject-matter of the section at different places. As, for instance, in the same section the words, "Have you ever asked for that instruction by which one hears what has not been heard, one thinks what has not been thought, one knows what has not been known” (Vi-1-3), have been spoken in praise of Brahman, the One without a second.
190. Demonstration is the reasoning in support of the subject-matter of a section adduced at different places. As, for instance, in the section in question, the words, “My dear, as by one lump of clay all that is made of clay is known – every modification being but an effort of speech, a name and the clay, the only reality about it” (VI-1-4), furnish the argument that modifications are merely an effort of speech, to establish Brahman, the One without a second.
191. Reflection is the constant thinking of Brahman, the One without a second, already heard about from the teacher, by arguments agreeable to the purport of the Vedanta.
192. Meditation is a stream of ideas of the same kind as those of Brahman, the One without a second, to the exclusion of such foreign ideas as those of the body etc.,
193. Absorption (Samadhi) is of two kinds, viz., that attended with self-consciousness and that without it.
194. Absorption attended with self-consciousness (Savikalpa Samadhi) is that in which the mental state taking the form of Brahman, the One without a second, rests on It, but without the merging of the distinction of knower, knowledge and the object of knowledge.
195. In that state the knowledge of the Absolute manifests itself in spite of the consciousness of the relative, as when we know a clay elephant etc., the knowledge of the clay is also present.
186. Repetition is the frequent presentation of the subject-matter in the section. As, for instance, in the same section, Brahman, the One without a second, is repeated nine times in the sentence, “Thou art That”.
187. Originality means that the subject-matter of a section is not available through any other source of knowledge. As, for instance, in that very section, Brahman, the One without a second, is not knowable through any other means except the Srutis.
188. The result is the utility of the subject-matter of a section – e.g., Self-knowledge – or its practice as mentioned at different places. As, for instance, in the same section, the words, “The man who has got a teacher knows the Brahman. He has to wait only till he is delivered from the body; then he becomes united with Brahman” (VI-14-2). Here the utility of the knowledge of Brahman, the One without a second, is Its attainment.
189. Eulogy is the praising of the subject-matter of the section at different places. As, for instance, in the same section the words, "Have you ever asked for that instruction by which one hears what has not been heard, one thinks what has not been thought, one knows what has not been known” (Vi-1-3), have been spoken in praise of Brahman, the One without a second.
190. Demonstration is the reasoning in support of the subject-matter of a section adduced at different places. As, for instance, in the section in question, the words, “My dear, as by one lump of clay all that is made of clay is known – every modification being but an effort of speech, a name and the clay, the only reality about it” (VI-1-4), furnish the argument that modifications are merely an effort of speech, to establish Brahman, the One without a second.
191. Reflection is the constant thinking of Brahman, the One without a second, already heard about from the teacher, by arguments agreeable to the purport of the Vedanta.
192. Meditation is a stream of ideas of the same kind as those of Brahman, the One without a second, to the exclusion of such foreign ideas as those of the body etc.,
193. Absorption (Samadhi) is of two kinds, viz., that attended with self-consciousness and that without it.
194. Absorption attended with self-consciousness (Savikalpa Samadhi) is that in which the mental state taking the form of Brahman, the One without a second, rests on It, but without the merging of the distinction of knower, knowledge and the object of knowledge.
195. In that state the knowledge of the Absolute manifests itself in spite of the consciousness of the relative, as when we know a clay elephant etc., the knowledge of the clay is also present.
196. Thus it has been said: “I am that Brahman, the Intelligence absolute, formless like ether, Supreme, eternally luminous, birthless, the One without a second, immutable, unattached, all-pervading, ever-free” (Upadesha-sahasri 73-10-1).
197. Absorption without self-consciousness (Nirvikalpa Samadhi) is the total mergence in Brahman, the One without a second, of the mental state which has assumed Its form, the distinction of knower, knowledge and the object of knowledge being in this case obliterated.
198. Then just as when salt has been dissolved in water it is no longer perceived separately, and the water alone remains, similarly the mental state that has assumed the form of Brahman, the One without a second, is no longer perceived and only the Self remains.
199. Therefore there is no apprehension of its being identical with the state of deep sleep. For, though the mental state appears in neither, yet the difference between them lies in this that it exists in the Nirvikalpa Samadhi, but in deep sleep it does not.
200. The steps to the attainment of this are general discipline, particular discipline, posture, control of the vital force, self-withdrawal, concentration, meditation and absorption (with self-consciousness).
201. General discipline (Yama) consists of non-injury, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence and non-acceptance of gifts.
202. Particular discipline (Niyama) consists of cleanliness, contentment, austerity, study of the scriptures and meditation on God.
203. Posture (Asana) means the placing of the hands, feet, etc., in particular positions, such as Padmasana, Svastikasana etc.,
204. Control of the vital force (Pranayama) refers to exhalation, inhalation and retention of breath, which are means to the control of the vital force.
205. Self-withdrawal (Pratyahara) is the withdrawing of the sense-organs from their respective objects.
206. Concentration (Dharana) means the fixing of the mind on Brahman, the One without a second.
207. Meditation (Dhyana) is the intermittent resting of the mental state on Brahman, the One without a second.
208. Absorption (Samadhi) is what has already been described as attended with self-consciousness (Savikalpa).
209. The Nirvikalpa Samadhi, of which these are the steps, has four obstacles, viz., torpidity, distraction, attachment and enjoyment.
210. Torpidity (Laya) is the lapse of the mental state into sleep because of the failure to rest on the Absolute.
211. Distraction (Vikshepa) is the resting of the mental state on things other than the Absolute, because of the failure to rest on It.
212. Attachment (Kasaya) is the failure of the mental state to rest on the Absolute, owing to the numbness brought on by impressions due to attachment even when there is no torpidity or distraction.
213. Enjoyment (Rasasvada) is the tasting by the mental state of the bliss of Savikalpa Samadhi owing to the failure to rest on the Absolute. Or it may mean continuing to taste the bliss of Savikalpa Samadhi while taking up the Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
214. When the mind, free from these four obstacles, rests unmoved, like the flame of a lamp sheltered from the wind, as one with Absolute Consciousness, it is called the Nirvikalpa Samadhi.
215. Thus it has been said: “When the mind is torpid, rouse it; when it is distracted, bring it back to calmness; when it becomes attached, be aware of it; when it is established in equipoise, do not distract it any more.
Do not linger on the bliss that comes from the Savikalpa Samadhi, but be unattached through discrimination” (Gaudapada-karika III, 44-45).
“As a lamp sheltered from the wind does not flicker, so is a Yogi’s controlled mind (Gita VI-19).
VI. THE JIVANMUKTA:
216. Now are being described the characteristics of a man who is liberated in this very life.
217. A man liberated-in-life (Jivanmukta) is one who by the knowledge of the Absolute Brahman, his own Self, has dispelled the ignorance regarding It and has realized It and who owing to the destruction of ignorance and its effects such as accumulated past actions, doubts, errors, etc., is free from all bondage and is established in Brahman.
218. Witness such Sruti passages as: “The knot of his heart is broken asunder, all his doubts are solved and his past actions are neutralized when He who is high and low (cause and effect) has been realized” (Mund. Up. II-2-8).
219. Such a liberated man, while he is not in Samadhi, sees actions not opposed to knowledge taking place under the momentum of past impressions – actions that have already begun to bear fruit, which he experiences through the physical body composed of flesh, blood and other things; through the sense-organs affected by blindness, weakness, incapacity etc., and through his mind subject to hunger, thirst, grief, delusion, etc., -- yet he does not consider them as real, for he has already known their nothingness. As a man who is conscious that a magical performance is being given, even though he sees it, does not consider it as real.
220. Witness such Sruti passages as: “Though he has eyes he is as one without eyes; though possessed of ears, he is as one without ears”, etc.,
221. It has further been said: “He who does not see anything in the waking state as in sound sleep; who though seeing duality does not really see it as he sees only the Absolute; who though engaged in work is really inactive; he, and none other is the knower of the Self. This is the Truth.” (Upadesha-sahasri 5).
222. In the case of such a liberated soul, only good desires persist, as do his habits of eating, moving, etc., which existed before the dawn of knowledge. Or he may become indifferent to all good or evil.
223. Thus it has been said: “If a man who has known the truth of Oneness acts according to his whims, then where is the difference between a knower of Truth and a dog as regards eating impure stuff?” (Naiskarmyasiddhi IV-62).
Further, “One who has given up the conceit that he has realized Brahman, is alone the knower of the Self and none else” (Upadesha-sahasri 115).
224. After realization, humility and other attributes which are steps to the attainment of knowledge, as also such virtues as non-injury etc., persist like so many ornaments.
225. Thus it has been said: “Such qualities as non-violence etc., come spontaneously to a man who has got Self-knowledge. They have not to be sought after” (Naiskarmya-siddhi IV-69).
226. In short, such a man’s soul remains as the illuminer of the mental states and the Consciousness reflected in them, experiencing, solely for the maintenance of his body, happiness and misery, the results of past actions that have already begun to bear fruit (Prarabdha) and have been either brought on by his own will or by that of another or against his will. After the exhaustion of the Prarabdha work, his vital force is absorbed in the Supreme Brahman, the Inward Bliss; and ignorance with its effects and their impressions is also destroyed. Then he is identified with the Absolute Brahman, the Supreme Isolation, the embodiment of Bliss, in which there is not even the appearance of duality.
227. Compare such Sruti passage as: “His sense-organs do not depart elsewhere (for transmigration)” (Br. Up. IV-4-6); “They are absorbed in him” (Br. Up. III-2-11); “Already a liberated soul he is freed (from further rebirths)” (Katha Up. V-1), etc.,
Translator’s Note:
The essence of Vedanta is this: The Jiva or embodied soul is none other than Brahman and as such is always free, eternal, immutable, the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. Because the Jiva does not know his own nature, he thinks himself bound. This ignorance vanishes with the dawn of Knowledge. When this happens he re-discovers his own Self. As a matter of fact, such terms as bondage and liberation cannot be used regarding one who is always free. The scripture use the term “liberation” in relation to bondage which exists only in imagination.
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http://www.swamij.com/shankara-vakya-sudha.htm
Vakya Sudha[a.k.a Bala Bodhani], The Essence of the Teaching By Adi Sankaracharya, 788-820 CE, Translated by Charles Johnston (more by Shankara; scroll down) SEER AND SEEN
1. The form is seen, the eye is seer; the mind is both seen and seer. The changing moods of mind are seen, but the witnessing Self, the seer, is never seen.
2. The eye, remaining one, beholds varying forms; as, blue and yellow, coarse and fine, short and long; and differences such as these.
3. The mind, remaining one, forms definite intentions, even while the character of the eye varies, as in blindness, dullness, or keen-sightedness; and this holds also of hearing and touch.
4. The conscious Self, remaining one, shines on all the moods of mind: on desire, determination, doubt, faith, unfaith, firmness and the lack of it, shame, insight, fear, and such as these.
5. This conscious Self rises not, nor has its setting, nor does it come to wax or wane; unhelped, it shines itself, and illumines others also.
THE PERSONAL IDEA
6. This illumining comes when the ray of consciousness enters the thinking mind; and the thinking mind itself is of twofold nature. The one part of it is the personal idea; the other part is mental action.
7. The ray of consciousness and the personal idea are blended together, like the heat and the hot iron ball. As the personal idea identifies itself with the body, it brings that also a sense of consciousness.
8. The personal idea is blended with the ray of consciousness, the body, and the witnessing Self, respectively -- through the action of innate necessity, of works, and of delusion.
9. Since the two are bound up together, the innate blending of the personal idea with the ray of consciousness never ceases; but its blending with the body ceases, when the works wear out; and with the witnessing Self, through illumination.
10. When the personal idea melts away in deep sleep, the body also loses its sense of consciousness. The personal idea is only half expanded in dream, while in waking it is complete.
11. The power of mental action, when the ray of consciousness has entered into union with it, builds up mind-images in the dream-state; and external objects, in the waking state.
12. The personal form, thus brought into being by the pe
rsonal idea and mental action, is of itself quite lifeless. It appears in the three modes of consciousness; it is born, and so also dies.
THE POWER OF MAYA
13. For the Maya has two powers -- extension and limitation, or enveloping. The power of extension brings into manifestation the whole world, from the personal form to the universal cosmos.
14. This manifesting is an attributing of name and form to the Reality -- which is Being, Consciousness, Bliss, the Eternal; it is like foam on the water.
15. The inner division between the seer and the seen, and the outer division between the Eternal and the world, are concealed by the other power, limitation; and this also is the cause of the cycle of birth and death.
16. The light of the witnessing Self is united with the personal form; from this entering in of the ray of consciousness arises the habitual life -- the ordinary self.
17. The isolated existence of the ordinary self is attributed to the witnessing Self, and appears to belong to it; but when the power of limitation is destroyed, and the difference appears, the sense of isolation in the Self vanishes away.
18. It is the same power which conceals the difference between the Eternal and the visible world; and, by its power, the Eternal appears subject to change.
19. But when this power of limitation is destroyed, the difference between the Eternal and the visible world becomes clear; change belongs to the visible world, and by no means to the Eternal.
20. The five elements of existence are these: being, shining, enjoying, form and name; the three first belong to the nature of the Eternal; the last two, to the nature of the visible world.
21. In the elements -- ether, air, fire, water, earth; in creatures -- gods, animals, and men, Being, Consciousness, Bliss are undivided; the division is only of name and form.
SIX STEPS OF SOUL VISION
22. Therefore setting aside this division through name and form, and concentrating himself on Being, Consciousness, Bliss, which are undivided, let him follow after soul-vision perpetually, first inwardly in the heart, and then in outward things also.
23. Soul-vision is either fluctuating or unwavering; this is its two-fold division in the heart. Fluctuating soul-vision is again two-fold; it may consist either in things seen or heard.
24. This is the fluctuating soul-vision which consists in things seen: a meditating on consciousness as being merely the witness of the desires and passions that fill the mind.
25. This is the fluctuating soul-vision which consists in things heard: the constant thought that "I am the self, which is unattached, Being, Consciousness, Bliss, self-shining, secondless."
26. The forgetting of all images and words, through entering into the bliss of direct experience -- this is unwavering soul-vision, like a lamp set in a windless place.
27. Then, corresponding to the first, there is the soul-vision which strips off name and form from the element of pure Being, in everything whatever; now accomplished outwardly, as it was before, in the heart.
28. And, corresponding to the second is the soul-vision which consists in the unbroken thought, that the Real is a single undivided Essence, whose character is Being, Consciousness, Bliss.
29. Corresponding to the former third, is that steady being, is the tasting of this Essence for oneself. Let him fill the time by following out these, the six stages of soul-vision.
30. When the false conceit, that the body is the Self, falls away; when the Self supreme is known; then, wherever the mind is directed, there will be the vision of the Self.
31. The knot of the heart is loosened; all doubts are cut; all bondage to works wither away -- when That is known, which is the first and the last.
THE THREE SELVES
32. The individual self appears in three degrees: as a limitation of the Self; as a ray of the conscious Self; and, thirdly, as the self imagined in dreams. The first alone is real.
33. For the limitation in the individual self is a mere imagination; and that which is supposed to be limited is the Reality. The idea of isolation in the individual self is only an error; but its identity with the Eternal is its real nature.
34. And that song they sang of "That thou art" is for the first of these three selves alone; it only is one with the perfect Eternal, not the other selves.
35. The power of Maya existing in the Eternal, has two potencies: extension and limitation. Through the power of limitation, Maya hides the undivided nature of the Eternal, and so builds up the images of the individual self and the world.
36. The individual self which comes into being when the ray of consciousness enters the thinking mind, is the self that gains experience and performs works. The whole world, with all its elements and beings, is the object of its experience.
37. These two, the individual self and its world, were before time began; they last till Freedom comes, making up our habitual life. Hence they are called the habitual self and world.
38. In this ray of consciousness, the dream-power exists, with its two potencies of extension and limitation. Through the power of limitation, it hides the former self and world, and so builds up a new self and a new world.
39. As this new self and world are real only so long as their appearance lasts, they are called the imaginary self and the imaginary world. For, when one has awakened from the dream, the dream existence never comes back again.
40. The imaginary self believes its imaginary world to be real; but the habitual self knows that world to be only mythical, as also is the imaginary self.
41. The habitual self looks on its habitual world as real; but the real Self knows that the habitual world is only mythical, as also is the habitual self.
42. The real Self knows its real oneness with the Eternal; it sees nothing but the Eternal, yet sees that what seemed the unreal is also the Self.
FREEDOM AND FINAL PEACE
43. As the sweetness, the flowing, and the coldness, that are the characteristics of the water, reappear in the wave, and so in the foam that crests the wave;
44. So, verily, the Being, Consciousness, and Bliss of the witnessing Self enter into the habitual self that is bound up with it; and, by the door of the habitual self, enter into the imaginary self also.
45. But when the foam melts away, its flowing, sweetness, coldness, all sink back into the wave; and when the wave itself comes to rest, they sink back to the sea.
46. When the imaginary self melts away, its Being, Consciousness, Bliss sink back into the habitual self; and, when the habitual self comes to rest, they return to the Self supreme, the witness of all.
Vakya Vritti By Adi Sankaracharya, 788-820 CE,
Translated by Swami Chinmayananda Published by Chinmaya Mission, Mumbai (more by Shankara; scroll down) An Exhaustive Explanation of the Upanishadic Mahaavaakya “That Thou Art” [Tat Twam Asi] (more on the Mahavakyas)
1. I bow down to that Pure Consciousness Divine – a shoreless ocean of happiness, which is All-pervading (Vishnu), the Beloved of Shri, the all-knowing Lord of the Universe, assuming endless forms and yet ever-free, having an inscrutable power to become (apparently) the Cause of creation, maintenance, and dissolution of the universe.
2. Again and again I Prostrate at the feet of my Guru, by whose grace I have come to realise, “I alone am the All-pervading Essence (Vishnu)”, and that “the world of multiplicity is all a super-imposition upon myself.”
3. Scorched by the blazing sun of the three miseries, a student – dejected with the world and restless for release, having cultivated all the means of liberation especially such virtues as self-control etc. – enquires of a noble teacher:
4. “Merely out of your grace and mercy, holy Teacher, please explain to me briefly the means by which I may easily get liberated from the sorrows of this bondage-to-change”.
5. The teacher said: “Your question is valid, and so very clearly expressed, I shall answer it exhaustively to make it as vivid to you as though you are seeing it near”.
6. Direct knowledge of that total identity between the individual-Self and the Universal-Self, stemming forth from the Vedic statements such as “Thou art that”, etc., is the immediate means to liberation.
7. The disciple said: “What is the individualised Self ? What, then, is the Universal Self ? How can they both be identical ? And, how can statements like “That thou art” discuss and prove this identity ?”
8. The teacher said: “I shall answer your question. Who else can be the individual Self (Jiva) other than yourself, that asks me this question, “Who am I ?”. There is no doubt about it. You alone are the Brahman.
9. The disciple said: Not even the word meaning do I fully grasp clearly; how can I then comprehend the significance of the sentence, “I am Brahman” ?
10. The teacher said: “You have said the truth when you complained that the knowledge and understanding of the meaning of the words employed in a sentence are indeed the cause of the understanding of the full significance of the sentence. And there are no two opinions about it.”
11. “Why do you not recognise your own Self, which is an embodiment of Eternal Bliss-Essence, the Witnessing Light that illumines the inner equipments and their functions ?”
12. “Give up the intellectual misconception that the Self is the body, etc., and always meditate upon and think yourself to be the eternal Knowledge-Bliss – the Witness of the intellect – a sheer mass of Pure Knowledge”.
13. “The body is not the Self, as like the pot, etc., the body also has form, etc., and again, the body is a modification of the great elements such as Akash, just like the pot”.
14. The disciple said: “If, by the strength of these arguments, the gross-body is considered as “not-Self”, then please exhaustively explain and directly indicate the Self – as clearly as a fruit in hand”.
15. The teacher said: “Just as the perceiver of a pot is ever distinctly different from the pot and can never be the pot – so too, you, the perceiver of your body, are distinct from your body and can never be the body – this you firmly ascertain in yourself.”
16. “Similarly be sure in yourself that you, the seer of the senses, are not the senses themselves, and ascertain that you are neither the mind, not the intellect, not the vital air (Prana).”
17. “Similarly be sure that you are not the complex of the gross and the subtle-bodies, and intelligently determine, by inference, that you, the ‘seer’, are entirely distinct from the ‘seen’.”
18. “’I am He’, the One because of whose presence alone the inert entities like the body and the senses, are able to function through acceptance and rejection”.
19. “’I am He’, the One changeless, Innermost Self that moves the intellect, etc., as a magnet does the iron filings.”
20. “’I am He’, the One Entity in whose vital presence the body, senses, mind, and Pranas, though inert in themselves, appear to be conscious and dynamic, as though they are the Self.”
21. “‘He am I’, the One Consciousness, which is the Self that illumines the modifications in my mind such as ‘my mind went elsewhere, however, it has been brought to rest now’, – ‘He am I’ (So’ham).”
22. “’He am I’, the One Consciousness which is the Changeless Self that is directly cognised, that illumines the three states of waking, dream, and deep-sleep, and that which illumines appearance and disappearance of the intellect and its functions – ‘He am I’ (So’ham).”
23. “Know yourself to be the One Self, a homogenous mass of Consciousness, which is the illuminator of the body and therefore quite distinct from it – just as a lamp that illumines a pot is always different from the pot illumined. ‘I am a mass of Consciousness’ (Aham bodhavigraha).”
24. “Know yourself to be the One for whose sake beings and things such as children and wealth – are dear, who is the sole seer and dearest of all. ‘He am I’ – ascertain thus and realise, So’ham.”
25. “Know yourself to be the One regarding whom there is always the anxiety, ‘May I ever be; never cease to be’, as this Seer is the dearest of all. ‘He am I’ – thus assert and realise.”
26. “The Consciousness, the Self, which appears as the Witness, is that which is meant by the word ‘thou’. Being free from all changes even the witnessing is nothing but the illumining-power of the Self.”
27. “Totally distinct from body, senses, mind, Prana and Ego is that which is the Self; therefore, It is absolutely free from the six-modifications, which all material things must necessarily undergo. This Self is the indicative meaning of the term “thou”.
28. “Having thus ascertained the meaning of the term “thou” one should reflect upon what is meant by the word “that” – employing both the method of negation and also the direct method of scriptural assertion.”
29. “’That’, which is free from all the impurities of the Samsara, ‘that’ which is defined by the Upanishads as: ‘Not large etc., having the qualities of imperceptible etc., that is beyond all darkness created by ignorance”.
30. “Having no greater Bliss than Itself, a pure embodiment of External Consciousness, and having ‘existence’ for its specific definition, is the All-Pervading Being – is the meaning indicated by the term ‘that’; so, the scriptures declare in their songs.”
31. “That which is proved in the Vedas as All-knowing, All-powerful and Supreme Lord, is Itself the Infinite Brahman… make sure of that Brahman in your own understanding.”
32. “That which the scriptures have discussed through examples of mud etc., as that by knowing which all else will become known … make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
33. “That which the scriptures propose to prove as a limitless, and in order to support that proposition, called the World of Plurality as Its effects .. make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
34. “That which the Upanishads clearly establish as the sole object of deep contemplation for those who are sincere seekers of liberation – make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
35. “That which is heard of in the Vedas ‘as having entered each creature as its individualised self’, and which is known, from the same sources, to be their controller – make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
36. “That which the Upanishads declare as the sole paymaster for all action, and as the very agent (prompter) in all actions, performed by each individualised ego – make sure of that Brahman in your understanding.”
37. “The meaning of the terms ‘that’ and ‘thou’ have been discussed and finally determined. Now we shall discuss the meaning of the commandment (Mahavakya) ‘That thou art’. In this, the total identity of the meanings of ‘that’ and ‘thou’ alone is shown.”
38. “What is meant by the sentence (commandment ‘That thou art’) is not arrived at, either through its ‘sequence-of meaning’ or as ‘qualified-by-something’. An indivisible Being, consisting of Bliss only – this alone is the meaning of the sentence, according to the wise.”
39. “What appears (anjati) as the Witnessing-Consciousness within, (the individual-Self), is of the nature of Bliss, One-without-a-second; and the one that is the Bliss within is none other than the individualised-Self the Witnessing Consciousness within.”
40. “When, as explained above, the mutual identity between the two words ‘thou’ and ‘that’ is comprehended, then the idea ‘I am not Brahman’, entertained by ‘thou’, shall immediately end.”
41. “If as said, the depth-meaning of the term ‘that’ is ‘Mass-of Bliss, without-second’, and ‘thou’ is the ‘Witnessing-Consciousness’, then what ? Listen: the Inner-self, the Consciousness, that illumines all thoughts, remains as the All-full, One-Mass-of Bliss, without-a-second.”
42. “The great statements, like ‘That thou art’, established the identity of what is meant by the two terms ‘thou’ and ‘That’ in their deeper indicative-meaning.”
43. “How great statement discards the two qualified-meanings, and reveals what it really means – this we have carefully commented upon already.”
44. ‘That which shines, as the object of the idea and the word ‘I’, is Consciousness expressing in the inner equipments. This is the direct word-meaning of ‘thou’ (twam).”
45. “The Consciousness that is expressed through Maya, which then becomes the ‘cause of the Universe’, which is described as omnipresent, etc.; that which is known only indirectly (meditate); and which is having the nature of existence, etc., -- that Eswara is the word-meaning of the term ‘That’.”
46. “In case we insist upon the identity of ‘that’ and ‘thou’ based upon the word-meaning of these terms, then for one and the same factor we will have to attribute contrary nature; the quality of being mediately and immediately known – and also insist qualities of ‘existence of duality’ and also of ‘absolute oneness’, for one and the same factor. Identity between such contrariness is impossible hence suggestive-meaning, ‘explanation by implication’ has to be accepted.”
47. “If the direct word-meaning throws up an inconsistency with what is pointed out by other proofs and evidences, the sense consistent with its word-meaning that is intelligently suggested by the term, is to be accepted – and this is its suggestive-meaning (lakshana).”
48. “In the statements like ‘that thou art’ etc., the reject-accept method is to be employed as in the sentence ‘He is this man’. No other method can be applied.”
49. “Until the direct personal experience of ‘I am Brahman’ is gained, we must live values of self-control, etc., and practice listening to teachers, or reading scriptures, and doing daily reflection and meditation upon those ideas.”
50. “Through the grace of a spiritual teacher when a seeker gains a clear and direct experience of the Supreme Self as expounded in the scriptures, he, the realised, becomes free from all ‘ignorance’, which is the foundation for the entire experience of this world of plurality.”
51. “No more conditioned by his gross and subtle bodies, free from the embrace of the gross and subtle elements, released from the charm of actions, such a man gets immediately liberated.”
52. “The liberated-in-life, due to the compelling force of those actions that have begun to produce their results (Prarabdha), remains for some time to exhaust them”.
53. “The liberated-in-life comes to gain the State of Absolute Oneness, the never-ending immeasurable Bliss, called the Supreme Abode-of-Vishnu, from wherein there is no return.”
Amrita Gita
AMRITA GITA
By Sri Swami Sivananda A Divine Life Society Publication (This WWW reprint is for free distribution) From: http://www.dlshq.org/download/amrita.htm ------- PUBLISHERS’ PREFACE AMRITA GITA or the Song of Immortality is a boon to seekers after Truth. It fulfils the long-felt need of aspirants who were eager to have in a nutshell the essentials of Yoga Sadhana, the fundamentals of spiritual life, the very cream of the scriptures, which they could read or recite daily. AMRITA GITA is a Scripture for the Sadhaka’s Svadhyaya. Sri Swami Sivanandaji Maharaj has, in his inimitable characteristic style, summarised in this small book the very essence of all religious teaching, and he has strung together a garland of very powerful Yoga-assertions that will at once elevate and inspire the reader. AMRITA GITA tells you what you ought to know and what you ought to practise. Amrita Gita points to you the Path to Immortality. Daily study of this precious scripture, especially in Brahmamuhurta before the morning meditation, is bound to awaken the spiritual forces lying dormant in the reader, to goad him to more and more intense spiritual Sadhana, and ultimately to take him to the realms of Immortality. —The Divine Life Society ------- Adhyaya I HATHA YOGA 1. Hatha means any tenacious practice till the object or end is achieved. “Ha” and “tha” mean the union of the Sun and the Moon, union of Prana and Apana Vayus. 2. Hatha Yoga concerns with the body and the Prana. It helps to control the body and the Prana, through Asanas and Pranayama. 3. Hatha Yoga itself is not the goal. Meditation helps you to attain Samadhi or Superconscious State. 4. The practice of Hatha Yoga awakens the Kundalini Sakti that lies dormant in the Muladhara Chakra. 5. There are Six Chakras or lotuses in the body. They are Muladhara (near the anus), Svadhisthana (midway between Muladhara and Manipura which is in the navel). Anahata Chakra in the heart, Vishuddha in the neck and Ajna in the space between the two eyebrows and Sahasrara or the thousand-petalled lotus (Chakra) in the crown of the head. 6. Sushumna rises through all the Chakras. Kundalini passes through the Chakras and joins with Lord Siva in the Sahasrara. 7. Learn the Asanas, Pranayama, Bandhas, Mudras and the Shad Kriyas under an expert Hatha Yogi. 8. Ida, Pingala and Sushumna are the three important Nadis in the body. 9. Ida is the Chandra-Nadi. It cools the body. It flows through the left nostril. 10. Pingala is the Surya-Nadi. It heats the body. It flows through the right nostril. 11. Sushumna Nadi flows through both nostrils. It helps meditation. It is Agni-Nadi. 12. Attain good health through the practice of Yoga Asanas and Pranayama. Without good health, how can you earn, how can you succeed in any undertaking, how can you sit for meditation? 13. Practise Yoga Asanas and Pranayama on an empty stomach in the early morning. 14. Be moderate in eating and sleeping. Then alone can you have success in Hatha Yoga. 15. Be regular in your practice. Regularity is of paramount importance. 16. Drink a tumbler of milk after finishing the Asanas. 17. Wait for half an hour after finishing Asanas for taking a bath. 18. Do Asanas first and then practise Pranayama. 19. Spend half an hour daily in the practice of Asanas and Pranayama. This will give you health, vim, vigour and vitality. This will remove all diseases. 20. Dhauti (cleansing of stomach with a piece of cloth), Basti (drawing up of water through anus), Neti (cleansing of nostrils with the help of a thread), Nauli (manipulation of the abdominal muscles), Trataka (gazing on an object), Kapalabhati (a kind of Pranayama)—are the Shad Kriyas of Hatha Yoga. 21. Sirshasana is the king of all Asanas. It strengthens the brain and the brain-centres and improves memory, and helps Brahmacharya. 22. Sarvanga, Hala and Ardhamatsyendra Asanas make the spine elastic. Sarvanga develops thyroid gland and bestows good health. It helps Brahmacharya and gives longevity. 23. Paschimottanasana reduces fat and helps digestion. So does Mayurasana. 24. Bhujanga, Salabha and Dhanur Asanas remove constipation and muscular rheumatism of the back. 25. Relax all the muscles through Savasana. Do this Asana in the end. 26. Ujjayi, Sitkari, Sukha-Purvaka, Suryabheda are other kinds of Pranayama. Through the practice of these Pranayamas Kevala-Kumbhaka results. 27. Puraka is inhalation of breath; Rechaka is exhalation; Kumbhaka is retention. Kumbhaka gives you longevity and energy. 28. Sitali Pranayama cools your body and purifies the blood. Bhastrika warms your body and removes asthma and consumption. 29. Practise Bhandatraya Pranayama. It includes Mula-Bandha or contraction of anus, Jalandara-Bandha or chin-lock and Uddiyana-Bandha, drawing the belly backwards at the end of exhalation. 30. Maha Mudra is an important Mudra. This removes piles, enlargement of spleen, indigestion, constipation. 31. Practise Yoga-Mudra daily. This is a good exercise for the abdominal organs. ------- Adhyaya II KARMA YOGA 1. Work is worship of the Lord. 2. Karma Yoga is the Yoga of selfless action, without agency and expectation of fruits. 3. Karma Yoga removes the impurities of the mind. It is a potent purifier of the heart. 4. Karma Yoga prepares the mind for the reception of Divine Light, Divine Grace, and Divine Knowledge. 5. See God in every face. Behold the Lord in all creatures. 6. Share what you have with others. Serve the saints and sages. 7. Serve the sick. Serve the poor. Serve your parents. Serve your motherland. Serve humanity in general. 8. Scrutinise always your inner motives. Destroy selfish motives. 9. Work without egoism. Cultivate the Nimitta-Bhava. Feel you are an instrument in the hands of the Lord. 10. Surrender always your actions and their fruits to the Lord. 11. Have equal vision and balanced mind in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, success and failure. 12. Develop nicely adaptability. Serve always with Atma-Bhava and Narayana-Bhava. 13. Sing Sitaram, Radheshyam or Hare Rama while you work. Remember the Lord always. 14. Give up Abhimana of all sorts. Kill the Vairagya-abhimana, Seva-abhimana, Tyagi-abhimana, Kartritva-abhimana, male-female-abhimana, and doctor-judge-abhimana. 15. Do not expect even thanks or appreciation for your work. 16. Do actions as your duty, duty for duty’s sake. 17. Never say: “I have helped that man.” Feel and think: “That man gave me an opportunity to serve.” 18. Watch for opportunities for service. Never miss even a single opportunity. 19. Cultivate amiable, loving, social nature, generosity, catholic nature. Kill selfishness. Control the senses, practise self-restraint, tolerance, sympathy and mercy. These are the qualifications of a Karma Yogi. 20. Bear insult, injury, harsh words, criticism, heat and cold. 21. If you are a doctor, treat the poor free of charge. If you are an advocate, plead for the poor. If you are a teacher or a professor, give free tuition to poor boys. Give them books free. 22. Keep Twelve Tissue Remedies or some household remedies and treat the poor. 23. If anyone is suffering from acute pain, shampoo the painful part. Feel you are shampooing the body of the Lord. 24. Do not make any difference between menial and respectable work. 25. Keep always some small coins in your pocket and distribute them to the poor and the decrepit. 26. Feed the poor. Clothe the naked. Comfort the distressed. Remove glass pieces from the road. 27. There are three kinds of Karma, viz., Sanchita, Prarabdha and Agami or Kriyamana. 28. Sanchita is the accumulated storehouse of actions of previous births. Prarabdha is that part of Karma which has given rise to your present birth. Agami is current action. 29. Sanchita is destroyed by Brahma-Jnana. You will have to enjoy the Prarabdha. Agami has no binding force as there is no agency or egoism in the sage. 30. Do not be attached to the work itself. You must be able to give it up at any moment. 31. As you sow, so you reap. Virtue gives you happiness. Vice gives you pain. 32. You are the master of your destiny. You sow an action, reap a habit. You sow a habit, reap a character; you sow your character and reap a destiny. Destiny is your own making. Abandon desires and change your mode of thinking. You can conquer destiny. 33. Think you are man; man will you become. Think you are Brahman; Brahman will you become. This is the immutable divine law. 34. If there is no agency, if there is no selfish motive, action becomes an inaction. You are not bound by an action. 35. Sastras and saints and your own pure, clean conscience will point out to you what is right, what is wrong. Follow them and do the right. 36. An egoistic man alone thinks: “I am the doer.” Really it is the Guna or Prakriti or the sense that does the action. Atman is actionless, Akarta, Nishkriya. 37. Practise your Svadhanna, your Varnashrama Dharma unselfishly, without egoism. You will attain purification of heart. Knowledge of Brahman will dawn in your heart. ------- Adhyaya III JAPA YOGA 1. In this Iron Age, Japa Yoga is an easy way for attaining God-realisation. 2. Japa is the repetition of any Mantra or Name of the Lord with Bhava and feeling. 3. Japa removes the impurities of the mind, destroys sins and brings the devotee face to face with the Lord. 4. Every Name is filled with countless powers; just as fire has the natural property of burning things, so also the Name of God has the power of burning the sins and desires. 5. Sweeter than all sweet things, more auspicious than all good things, purer than all pure things, is the Name of the Lord. 6. Name of the Lord is a boat to cross this Samsara. It is a weapon to destroy the mind. 7. The repetition of the Mantra again and again generates great spiritual force and momentum and intensifies the spiritual Samskaras or impressions. 8. Mananaat Trayate iti Mantrah: By the Manana, constant thinking or recollection, one is released from the round of birth and death; so it is called Mantra. 9. Repetition of Mantra raises vibrations. Vibrations give rise to definite forms. Repetition of Om Namah Sivaya gives rise to the form of Lord Siva in the mind; repetition of Om Namo Narayanaya gives rise to the form of Lord Hari. 10. The glory of the Name of God cannot be established through reasoning and intellect. It can certainly be experienced or realised, only through devotion, faith and constant repetition. 11. Japa is of three kinds, viz., Manasic Japa, Upamsu Japa or humming, and Vaikhari Japa, loud and audible Japa. 12. Mental repetition of Japa, Manasic Japa, is more powerful than loud Japa. 13. Get up at 4 a.m. and do the Japa for two hours. Brahmamuhurtha is most favourable for Japa and meditation. 14. If you cannot take a bath, wash your hands, feet, face and body, and sit for Japa. 15. Face north or east when sitting. This enhances the efficacy of the Japa. 16. Sit on a Kusha-grass seat or deer-skin or rug. Spread a white cloth over it. This conserves body-electricity. 17. Do some prayer before starting the Japa. 18. Have a steady pose. Have Asana-Jaya or conquest over Asana. You must be able to sit in Padma, Siddha or Sukha Asana for three hours at a stretch. 19. When you repeat the Mantra, have the feeling or mental attitude that the Lord is seated in your heart, that Sattva or purity is flowing from the Lord to your mind, that the Mantra purifies your heart, destroys desires and cravings and evil thoughts. 20. Do not do the Japa in a hurried manner, just as a contractor tries to finish his work in a hurried way. Do it slowly with Bhava, one-pointedness of mind and single-minded devotion. 21. Pronounce the Mantra distinctly and without mistakes. Do not repeat it too fast or too slow. 22. Use not the index finger while rolling the beads. Use the thumb, the middle and the ring fingers. When counting of one Mala is over, revert it and come back again. Cross not the Meru. Cover your hand with a towel. 23. Be vigilant. Keep an alert attention during Japa. Stand up and do the Japa when sleep tries to overpower you. 24. Resolve to finish a certain minimum number of Malas before leaving the seat. 25. Mala or rosary is a whip to goad the mind towards God. 26. Sometimes do the Japa without a Mala. Go by the watch. 27. Practise meditation also along with Japa. This is Japa-Sahita-Dhyana. Gradually Japa will drop and meditation alone will continue. This is Japa-Rahita-Dhyana. 28. Have four sittings for Japa daily—early morning, noon, evening and night. 29. A devotee of Lord Vishnu should repeat “Om Namo Narayanaya”; a devotee of Lord Siva, “Om Namah Sivaya”; a devotee of Lord Krishna, “Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya”; a devotee of Lord Rama, “Om Sri Ramaya Namah” or “Om Sri Ram Jaya Ram Jaya Jaya Ram”; a devotee of Devi, Gayatri Mantra or Durga Mantra. 30. It is better to stick to one Mantra alone. See Lord Krishna in Rama, Siva, Durga, Gayatri. 31. Regularity in Japa Sadhana is most essential. Sit in the same place and at the same time. 32. Purascharana is repetition of the Mantra Akshara-Laksha, one lakh of times for each letter. 33. Japa must become habitual. Even in dream you must be doing Japa. 34. Japa Yoga is the easiest, quickest, safest, surest, and cheapest, way for attaining God-realisation. Glory to the Lord! Glory, glory to His Name! 35. O man! Take refuge in the Name. Nama (Name) and Nami (Lord) are inseparable. ------- Adhyaya IV NADA YOGA 1. Sound helps to control the mind easily. When the mind is absorbed in melodious sound, it does not run after sensual objects. 2. Do Japa or Soham with breath (Ajapa Japa). Practise Pranayama for one or two months. You will hear the ten sounds (Anahata sounds) clearly and enjoy the music of the soul. 3. The sound that you hear will make you deaf to all external sounds. 4. Sit on Padmasana or Siddhasana or Sukhasana. Close the ears with the thumb. This is Shanmukhi Mudra or Vaishnavi Mudra. 5. Now hear the music of Anahata sounds. You will have wonderful concentration. 6. Abandon all worldly thoughts. Subdue your passion. Become indifferent to all sensual objects. 7. Practise Yama (self-restraint), or Sadachara (right conduct); concentrate on the sound which annihilates the mind. 8. The first sound is chini, the second is chin-chini, the third is the sound of a bell, the fourth is like that of a conch. 9. The fifth is like that of a lute. The sixth is like that of a cymbal. The seventh is like that of a flute. 10. The eighth is like that of a drum. The ninth is like that of a Mridanga. The tenth is like that of thunder. 11. Hear the sounds through the right ear. Change your concentration from the gross sound to the subtle. The mind will soon be absorbed in the sound. 12. You will get knowledge of hidden things when you hear the seventh. 13. You will hear Para-Vak when you hear the eighth sound. 14. You will develop the divine eye when you hear the ninth. 15. You will attain Para Brahman when you hear the tenth. 16. The sound entraps the mind. The mind becomes one with the sound as milk with water. 17. It becomes absorbed in Brahman or the Absolute. You will then attain the Seat of Eternal Bliss. ------- Adhyaya V BHAKTI YOGA 1. God is love. Love is God. God is nectar. God is Prema. 2. Bhakti is supreme love towards God. It is love for love’s sake. The devotee wants God and God alone. There is no selfish expectation here. 3. Bhakti is the greatest power on this earth. It gushes from one’s pure heart. It redeems and saves. It purifies the heart. 4. Devotion is the seed. Faith is the root. Service of saints is the shower. Communion with the Lord is the fruit. 5. Bhakti is of two kinds, viz., Apara Bhakti (lower type of devotion) and Para Bhakti (highest Bhakti or Supreme Love). Ringing bells and waving lights is Apara Bhakti. In Para Bhakti, there is no ritualistic worship. The devotee is absorbed in God. 6. In Supreme Love, the devotee forgets his self entirely. He has only thoughts of God. 7. Para Bhakti and Jnana are one. Bhakti melts into wisdom in the end. Two have become one now. 8. Bhakti grows gradually just as you grow a flower or a tree in a garden. Cultivate Bhakti in the garden of your heart gradually. 9. Faith is necessary for attaining God-realisation. Faith can work wonders. Faith can move mountains. Faith can take you to the inner chambers of the Lord, where reason dares not enter. 10. Japa, Kirtan, prayer, service of saints, study of books on Bhakti are all aids to devotion. 11. Sattvic food is a help to devotion. Take milk, fruits, etc. 12. Evil company is an enemy of devotion. Give up evil company. Take recourse to Satsanga or company of the saints. 13. Pray to the Lord thus; “O Adorable Lord of Compassion and Love! Give me faith and devotion. Let my mind be ever fixed On Thy Lotus Feet. Let me have constant remembrance of Thee. Let me sing Thy glory always.” 14. The Name of the Lord is your sole refuge. It is your prop, shelter and abode. Name is divine nectar. Nama and Nami are inseparable. 15. Keep a picture of the Lord and concentrate on it—the face or feet or the whole picture. Then visualise the picture in your heart or the space between the two eyebrows. 16. Repeat your Ishta Mantra—Om Namah Sivaya, Om Namo Narayanaya, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya—mentally, sometimes verbally when the mind wanders. 17. The five kinds of Bhavas are: Santa Bhava, Dasya Bhava (master-servant relation), Vatsalya Bhava (father-son relation), Sakhya Bhava (friendship), Madhurya Bhava (the relationship of lover and beloved). 18. Bhishma had Santa Bhava; Hanuman had Dasya Bhava; Jayadeva and Gauranga had Madhurya Bhava; the Gopis had Sakhya-Bhava; Arjuna and Guha had Sakhya Bhava; Yasoda and Vishnuchitta had Vatsalya Bhava. 19. Have any kind of Bhava that suits your temperament. Develop it again and again. 20. Practise the nine modes of devotion or Nava-vidha Bhakti, viz., Sravana (hearing the Lilas of the Lord), Kirtan (singing His Name), Smarana (His remembrance), Padasevana (service of His Feet), Archana (offering flowers), Vandana (prostrations), Dasyam (servant-Bhava), Sakhya (His friendship), and Atmanivedana (self-surrender). 21. Say unto the Lord: ‘I am Thine, all is Thine, Thy Will be done’. Feel you are an instrument in the hands of the Lord, that the Lord works through your mind, body and senses. Offer all your actions and the fruits of the actions unto the Lord. This is the way to do self-surrender. 22. Do Anushtan frequently. Live on milk and fruits for a week. Observe Mouna or silence and do Japa and meditate in an intense manner. 23. Manasic Puja or mental worship is a great help for increasing devotion and attaining concentration. Offer flowers, incense, etc., mentally to the Lord. 24. Consider your house as a temple of the Lord, every action as service of Lord, the light that you burn as waving lights to the Lord, every word you speak as the Japa of the Lord’s Name, your daily walk as perambulation to the Lord. This is an easy way of worship of the Lord. 25. Shall I wash Thy Feet with holy water, O Lord? The very Ganga flows from Thy Feet. Shall I give You seat? Thou art all-pervading. Shall I wave lights for Thee? Sun and Moon are Thy Eyes! Shall I offer flowers to Thee? Thou art the essence of flowers—this is Para Puja. 26. Feel the presence of the Lord everywhere. He dwells in the chambers of your heart, too. He is in the breath in the nostrils; He glitters in your eyes. He is nearer to you than your jugular vein. Behold Him in every face. 27. Horripilation (Romanchana), tears from the eyes (Asrupat), Kampan or twitching of muscles, Svarabhanga (choking of the voice) are marks or Lingas of devotion. 28. A realised Bhakta is free from lust, egoism, mine-ness, hatred, jealousy, greed. He is full of humility, compassion and kindness. He sees God in all beings, in all objects. He has equal vision and a balanced mind. 29. Draupadi was an Arta-Bhaktini; Nachiketas was Jijnasu-Bhakta; Dhruva was an Artharthee-Bhakta; Suka Deva was a Jnani-Bhakta; Prahlada was an absolutely Nishkama Bhakta. 30. Bhakti is immortalising nectar. It transmutes a man into divinity. It makes him perfect. It bestows on him everlasting peace and bliss. ------- Adhyaya VI RAJA YOGA 1. Raja Yoga is an exact science. It aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications. 2. Where Hatha Yoga ends, there Raja Yoga begins. 3. Hatha Yogi starts his Sadhana with his body and Prana. He practises Asanas and Pranayama and through control of Prana, tries to control the mind. 4. A Raja Yogi starts his Sadhana with the mind. He starts meditation and tries to control the mind. 5. The eight limbs of Raja Yoga are: Yama (self-restraint), Niyama (religious observances), Asana (posture), Pranayama (regulation of breath), Pratyahara (abstraction of the senses), Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (superconscious state). 6. Yama consists of five parts, viz., Ahimsa (non-injury), Satyam (truthfulness), Asteya (non-stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-covetousness). 7. Niyama is observance of five canons, viz., Saucha (internal and external purity), Santosha (contentment), Tapas (austerity), Svadhyaya (study of religious books and repetitions of Mantras), and Ishvarapranidhana (self-surrender to God, and His worship). 8. Ahimsa is perfect harmlessness and positive love also. This removes the brutal nature in man and strengthens the will. 9. He who practises meditation without ethical perfection, without the practice of Yama-Niyama cannot obtain the fruits of meditation. 10. Purify your mind first through the practice of Yama-Niyama. Then practise regular meditation. Then you will attain illumination. 11. The practice of Yama is a Mahavrata, universal vow. It must be observed by all. 12. Any easy, steady, comfortable pose is Asana. 13. Asanas steady the body. Pranayama checks the outgoing tendencies of the mind. Pratyahara gives inner spiritual strength. It removes all sorts of distractions. It develops will-power. 14. Real Raja Yoga starts from concentration. Concentration merges in meditation. Meditation ends in Samadhi. 15. Retention of breath, Brahmacharya, Sattvic food, seclusion, silence, Satsanga, not mixing much with people are all aids to concentration. 16. Sleep, tossing of mind, attachment to objects, subtle desires and cravings, laziness, lack of Brahmacharya, gluttony are all obstacles in meditation. 17. Reduce your wants. Cultivate dispassion. You will have progress in Yoga. Vairagya thins out the mind. 18. Do not mix much. Do not talk much. Do not walk much. Do not eat much. Do not sleep much. Do not exert much. 19. Never wrestle with the mind during meditation. Do not use any violent efforts at concentration. 20. If evil thoughts enter your mind, do not use your will force in driving them. You will tax your will. You will lose your energy. You will fatigue yourself. The greater the efforts you make, the more the evil thoughts will return with redoubled force. Be indifferent. Become a witness of those thoughts. Substitute divine thoughts. They will pass away. 21. Never miss a day in meditation. Regularity is of paramount importance. When the mind is tired, do not concentrate. Do not take heavy food at night. 22. The mind passes into many conditions or states as it is made up of three qualities—Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. 23. Kshipta (wandering), Vikshipta (gathering), Mudha (ignorant), Ekagra (one-pointed), and Nirodha (contrary) are the five states of the mind. 24. By controlling the thoughts the Sadhaka attains great Siddhis. He becomes an adept. He attains Asamprajnata Samadhi or Kaivalya. 25. Do not run after Siddhis. Siddhis are great temptations. They will bring about your downfall. 26. A Raja Yogi practises Samyama or the combined practice of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi at one and the same time and gets detailed knowledge of an object. 27. Control the mind by Abhyasa (practice) and Vairagya (dispassion). 28. Any practice which steadies the mind and makes it one-pointed is Abhyasa. 29. You must practise Yoga steadily with great patience and zeal. Then alone will you attain perfection. 30. Concentrate on Trikuti (the space between the two eyebrows) with closed eyes. This is the best spot for concentration. The mind can be easily controlled, as this is the seat for the mind. 31. Dull Vairagya will not help you in attaining perfection in Yoga. You must have Para Vairagya or Theevra Vairagya, intense dispassion. 32. Tapas, Svadhyaya, Ishvarapranidhana constitute Kriya Yoga. Kriya Yoga purifies the heart quickly. 33. Meditation on OM with Bhava and its meaning removes obstacles in Sadhana and helps to attain Samadhi. 34. Avidya (ignorance), Asmita (egoism), Raga-Dvesha (likes and dislikes), Abhinivesha (clinging to mundane life) are the five Kleshas or afflictions. Destroy these afflictions. You will attain Samadhi. 35. Samadhi is of two kinds—Savikalpa, Samprajnata or Sabija, and Nirvikalpa or Asamprajnata or Nirbija. 36. In Savikalpa or Sabija, there is Triputi or the triad (knower, known and knowledge). The Samskaras are not burnt or fried. 37. Savitarka, Nirvitarka, Savichara, Nirvichara, Sasmita and Saananda are the different forms of Savikalpa Samadhi. 38. In Nirbija Samadhi or Asamprajnata Samadhi there is no triad. The impressions are fried in toto. 39. A Bhakta gets Bhava-Samadhi, a Jnani gets Badha-Samadhi, a Raja Yogi gets Nirodha Samadhi. ------- Adhyaya VII JNANA YOGA 1. There is an Atman or soul independent of body and mind. This soul is immortal, unchanging and infinite. Realise this Atman and be free. 2. This Atman is Satchidananda (Existence-Absolute, Consciousness-Absolute, Bliss-Absolute). It exists in the past, present and future. So it is Sat. It is pure or Absolute Consciousness without any thought. So it is Chit. It is absolute Bliss. So it is Ananda. 3. The unreal body perishes, but the Atman or the indweller is Immortal. So, you should not grieve when anyone dies. In essence everyone is Immortal Atman. 4. This Atman cannot be hurt by anyone. It is subtle, all-pervading. It is the Innermost Self of all. 5. This Atman is birthless, deathless, changeless. When the body is killed, He is not killed. Therefore grieve not, lament not, regret not. Be always cheerful. 6. Fire cannot burn this Atman, sword cannot pierce this Atman, bomb cannot destroy this Atman, machine-guns cannot kill this Atman. 7. This Atman is eternal, immovable, secondless, self-existent, self-centred. Therefore, knowing this to be such, thou shouldst not grieve, when your father, mother, son, wife or relative dies. 8. This perishable body will certainly pass away. Indweller can never perish. Thou art the immortal soul. Therefore, over the inevitable thou shalt not grieve. 9. Brahman or Atman is beyond the reach of the mind and speech. He is beyond logic, reason, mental process, science. He must be realised through meditation. 10. You cannot deny or doubt your existence. You always feel that you exist. This existence is Atman or your own Self. The knower of the doubt or denier always exists. That knower is your own Atman. 11. In dream you are distinct from the physical body. In deep sleep, you are distinct from the body and the mind. You enjoy peace and bliss in deep sleep. This proves that you are neither body nor mind, but you are All-Blissful Soul. 12. There is only one Reality or Truth. That is Brahman or Atman. All appearances are unreal. They are the effects of Maya, the illusory power of Brahman. 13. Behold the one Immortal Atman in all names and forms. This alone is correct perception. 14. Ignorance is the cause for pain and sorrow. Annihilate this ignorance through Brahma Jnana. All miseries will come to an end. 15. This Atman is beyond time, space, causation. Time, space, causation are mental creation. 16. Just as snake is superimposed on the rope, this world, and the body are superimposed on Brahman. 17. Bring a light, the snake vanishes; rope alone remains. Attain Illumination, this world and this body vanish. Atman alone remains. That Atman thou art. Tat Tvam Asi. 18. I-ness and mine-ness, agency and enjoyership bind you to the Samsara. Destroy these notions. Identify yourself with the Atman which is non-doer, non-enjoyer. You will attain Immortality and eternal Bliss. 19. Sensual pleasure is only pain. It is momentary mental excitement, momentary sensation of flesh, momentary itching and scratching of the senses. You can have eternal bliss in your own Inner Atman alone. 20. Enquire ‘Who am I?’ Deny or sublate the limiting adjuncts (body, mind, etc.); know the Self and be free. 21. Constantly think of the Immortal, all-pervading Atman. Give up thinking of body. You will attain Self-realisation. 22. You are ever free. You are already free. Moksha is not a thing to be attained. You will have to know that you are Atman, that you are free. 23. Destroy the Vasanas, subtle desires, and Trishnas, cravings. This will lead to the annihilation of the mind. Destruction of the mind will lead to the attainment of Brahma Jnana or wisdom of the Self. 24. This world is illusory. Brahman alone is real. You are identical with Brahman. Realise this and be free. 25. The liberated sage is ever blissful. He rests in his own Satchidananda Svaroopa. He is free from egoism, lust, hatred, greed, anger and the pairs of opposites. He has equal vision and balanced mind. He is Brahman Himself. 26. OM is the symbol of Brahman. OM is your real name. Meditate on Om with Bhava and its meaning. You will attain Self-realisation. 27. “I am the All-pervading, Immortal Soul. I am Pure Consciousness. I am Satchidananda Svaroopa. I am witness or Sakshi.”—These are the formulas for constant meditation and assertion. 28. Equip yourself with the Four Means. Hear the Srutis, reflect and meditate. You will attain Self-realisation. 29. Thou art not this perishable body. Thou art not this changing mind. Thou art all-pervading, immortal, infinite, changeless Soul or Atman. Realise this and roam about happily. 30. Watch the breath. It sings Soham, ‘So’ during inhalation and ‘Ham’, during exhalation. It reminds you ‘I am He’. Meditate on ‘Soham’ and attain Self-realisation. 31. ‘I am body. I act. I enjoy. She is my wife. He is my son. This is mine.’—This is bondage. ‘I am Immortal Soul. I am non-actor, non-enjoyer. She is my soul. Nothing is mine.’—This is freedom. ------- Adhyaya VIII ADHYATMA YOGA 1. This world has no real, independent existence. It appears to exist, because Brahman or the Absolute exists for ever. 2. There is no body before its birth; there is no body after its death. Think and feel that which you see now does not really exist. That which does not exist in the beginning and end does not really exist in the middle also. 3. Sensual pleasure is the womb of pain. The cause for pain is absence of pleasure. Sensual pleasure is imaginary, illusory, fleeting and tantalising. Abandon sensual pleasure and rejoice in the Eternal Bliss of Atman. 4. He who has destroyed desire is really a harmonised, peaceful and happy man. 5. Slay anger and desire. Control the thoughts. Know thyself. You will enjoy Supreme, Everlasting Peace. 6. Desire is insatiable. It is born of Rajas or passion. It is born of ignorance. It is an enemy of peace, wisdom and devotion. Master first the senses and then slay this desire which abides in the senses, the mind and intellect, ruthlessly through enquiry, discrimination, dispassion, devotion and meditation. 7. Anger also is born of Rajas. When a desire is not gratified, anger manifests itself. Anger is a form of desire only. Slay this anger through Vichara, discrimination, patience, love, meditation, identification with the ever-serene Atman. 8. Subdue the lower self by the Higher Self. Annihilate all desires. Slay egoism. Destroy all attachments. Meditate and rest peacefully in your own Innermost Atman, which is Existence, Consciousness and Bliss Absolute. 9. If you want to attain immortality, go beyond the pairs of opposites. 10. Endure bravely heat and cold, pain and sorrow, loss and failure, censure and dishonour. You will attain equanimity of mind, peace and poise. 11. If you are balanced in pleasure and pain, gain and loss, victory and defeat, sin will not touch thee; you will not be affected by the fruits of your actions. 12. Keep the senses from attraction and repulsion. Attain mastery over the senses. Discipline the senses and the mind. You will not be affected now even if you move among sense-objects. 13. He who is free from desires, cravings, attachment, egoism, and mine-ness, attains the Peace of the Eternal. 14. Stand up. Have mastery over the senses. Be devoted to Atman. Destroy all doubts through Satsanga, study, enquiry, meditation and wisdom. 15. Do actions without the idea of agency, without expectation of fruits, without attachment to the actions themselves, balanced in success and failure. You will not be bound by actions. 16. Selfless actions will purify your heart and lead to the attainment of wisdom of the Self. 17. Constantly do your duty without attachment. Your heart will be purified. You will attain immortal bliss. 18. Think and feel that Prakriti or Svabhava or Guna does everything. Identify yourself with the Actionless Atman, the Silent Witness and thus free yourself from the bondage of action. 19. Surrender all actions unto the Lord. Fix your mind on Him. Free yourself from egoism, attachment, desire. No action will bind you. Actions are burnt by the fire of Wisdom. Such actions are no longer actions at all. You will attain the Supreme Abode of everlasting bliss and peace. 20. Conquer likes and dislikes which abide in the senses. You can conquer mind and attain the Peace of the Eternal. 21. Serve your Guru. Be devoted to your Guru. Obey him. Have implicit faith in his teachings. You will grow in spirituality. The veil will be torn down. You will attain Self-realisation. 22. All actions culminate in Jnana or wisdom. Bhakti also terminates in wisdom. Without Bhakti, Jnana is impossible. 23. Knowledge of Atman burns all actions. There is no purifier in this world like Brahma-Jnana. 24. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, moving, speaking, grasping, etc., are actions of the senses. Atman is the silent witness. Thou art really the Atman or the Witness, Sakshi. Never forget this. 25. Behold only the One Atman or the Self in all beings—in the ants, dogs, cows, horses, elephants and outcastes. This is equal vision or Sama Drishti. 26. Give the mind to the Lord and the hands for the service of humanity. Always think of Lord only. You will soon attain God-realisation easily. 27. Whatever you do, whatever you eat, whatever you offer, whatever you give, whatever austerity you do, do it as an offering unto the Lord. Your heart will be purified. You will not be bound by actions. You will soon attain the Lord. 28. Cultivate the divine qualities: humility, harmlessness, purity, steadfastness, self-control, dispassion, unostentatiousness, non-attachment, balance of mind, fearlessness, angerlessness, self-restraint, renunciation,straightforwardness,truthfulness, compassion, non-covetousness, steadiness. You will attain Wisdom of the Self or Brahma-Jnana. 29. Be cautious. Be vigilant. Be diligent. Be alert. The senses are very turbulent. They will hurl you down into the abyss of ignorance at any moment. Always do Japa, do Kirtan. Meditate ceaselessly. 30. Sin is only a mistake. Knowledge of Self will burn all sins. The Name of the Lord will destroy all sins. Therefore, repeat His Name and attain Wisdom of Atman. 31. Have faith in your own Self, in the existence of Brahman, in the teachings of your Preceptor, in the sacred Scriptures. Then alone can you attain Self-realisation. 32. Behold the Lord in the effulgence of the sun, in the fragrance of flowers, in the brilliance of fire, in the sapidity of water, in the birds, beasts, in the air, ether, in the mind, intellect, in the heart, in the sound, in music. 33. The Lord is seated equally in all beings. He is imperishable. He is the Supervisor, Supporter, Enjoyer. He who thus seeth, he really seeth. 34. Be firm in the vow of Brahmacharya. Control the senses and the mind. Abandon greed. Cultivate dispassion. Make the mind one-pointed. Sit steadily on Padma, Siddha or Sukha or Svastika Asanas. Now meditate and practise Yoga. You will attain Samadhi or the superconscious state. 35. Now you will behold the One Atman in all beings and all beings in the Atman. 36. Withdraw yourself. Annihilate all attachments and external sense-contacts. Be in tune with the Infinite. Find joy in your own Atman. You will realise Immortal, Undecaying Bliss. 37. Control the senses and mind, and sit for meditation. Do not allow the mind to think of sensual objects. Again and again withdraw the mind and fix it on the Lord. 38. Get established in the Eternal. Be balanced. Pain and sorrow will not touch thee. 39. Rejoice in the Atman. Be satisfied in the Atman. Be contented in the Atman. Rest in Atman. Root yourself in Atman. All your desires will be gratified. Your heart will be filled with the Self. 40. Rajas is passion, motion. It causes attachment and thirst for mundane life. Inertia is darkness. It causes heedlessness, laziness, indolence, and sloth. Sattva is purity, harmony. It produces peace and bliss. 41. When Rajas predominates, Sattva and Tamas are subordinated; when Sattva preponderates, Rajas and Tamas are subordinated. When Tamas predominates, Sattva and Rajas are subordinated. 42. Hypocrisy, arrogance, conceit, anger, harshness, are demoniacal qualities. They are enemies of wisdom and devotion. They are obstacles in the path of Yoga. Slay them ruthlessly. 43. Sattvic food helps Yoga Sadhana. Take green gram, spinach, milk, fruits, barley, bread, Lauki, bitter-gourd, plantain stem and flower, and cow’s ghee. These augment vitality, energy, vigour, health, joy and cheerfulness. They are delicious, bland, substantial and agreeable. 44. Give up chillies, sour, overhot, pungent, dry, burning, too much salted things. These are Rajasic substances, which produce pain and sickness. Abandon them. 45. That which is stale, putrid, corrupt, useless leavings of a meal, eggs, fish, etc., are Tamasic foodstuff. Give up these things also. 46. Worship the Gods, the preceptor, the wise, sages, Yogis, Munis, saints and Sannyasins, learned Brahmins. Be straightforward. Be pure. Observe Brahmacharya. Practise Ahimsa. This is austerity of body. 47. Speak the truth. Speak that which generates love. Speak that which is beneficent. This is austerity of speech. 48. Be equanimous. Be cheerful. Be self-controlled. Be pure in nature. Control the thoughts. This is austerity of mind. 49. A glutton is unfit for Yoga. One who starves cannot practise Yoga. Similarly, one who is filled with inertia and so sleeps much, or one who sleeps very little and is ever engaged in Rajasic activity is also unfit for Yoga. Adopt the golden mean. This is the Path of the Wise. 50. He who is alike to foe and friend, who is balanced in pleasure and pain, heat and cold, honour and dishonour, censure and praise, who is without attachment and egoism, who is ever content and harmonious, who is compassionate, who does not hate any creature, is a devotee of God-realisation. He has crossed the three qualities. 51. A liberated Sage is free from passion, attachment, fear, anger, egoism. He has a balanced mind and equal vision. 52. No one can slay or destroy this Atman or soul because It is extremely subtle, formless. It is Spirit, not matter. 53. Mind is greater than the senses. Pure Intellect is greater than the mind. Atman is greater than the intellect. There is nothing greater than the Atman. 54. Brahman is without senses, mind, Prana, quality. He is within and without all beings. He is Immovable. He is extremely subtle. 55. He is the Light of lights. He is beyond the three qualities. He is a mass of wisdom. He is attainable through wisdom. 56. Just as one sun illumines the whole world, the one Brahman illumines all intellects. 57. Control the senses and the mind. Burn all desires. Aspire fervently and intensely. Kill fear and anger. You will attain Liberation or the Final Beatitude. 58. Think of Brahman. Meditate on Brahman. Be devoted to Brahman. Get merged in Brahman. Get established in Brahman, This is Brahma-Abhyasa or Jnana-Abhyasa, or Vedantic Nididhyasana or Ahamgraha Upasana. ------- Adhyaya IX KUNDALINI YOGA 1. Kundalini is the coiled up, dormant, cosmic power that underlies all organic and inorganic matter within us. 2. ‘Kundala’ means coiled. Her form is like a coiled serpent. 3. Kundalini Yoga deals with the practical methods which will awaken this great pristine force in individuals. 4. Kundalini Yoga is an exact science. It treats of Kundalini Sakti, the six centres of spiritual energy, Shat-Chakras, the arousing of the sleeping Kundalini Sakti and its union with Lord Siva in Sahasrara Chakra, at the crown of the head. 5. Kundalini Yoga is also known as Laya Yoga. 6. The six centres are pierced (Chakra-Bheda) by the passing of Kundalini Sakti to the top of the head. 7. Asanas, Bandhas, Mudras, Pranayama help in awakening Kundalini. 8. Neti, Dhauti, Nauli, Bhasti, Kapalabhati and Trataka are the Shat-Kriyas or six Yoga Kriyas. 9. Mula-Bandha, Jalandhara-Bandha, Uddiyana-Bandha, Maha-Bandha—are the important Bandhas. 10. Maha-Mudra, Yoni-Mudra, Sambhavi-Mudra, Khechari Mudra, Sakti-Chalani Mudra and Vipareeta-Karani Mudra are the important Mudras. 11. Sarvangasana, Sirshasana, Paschimottanasana are the important Asanas. 12. Learn the Asanas, Pranayama, Bandhas and Mudras under an expert, Siddha Yogi Guru. 13. A Guru is one who has full illumination, who is endowed with all divine virtues, who is able to remove the doubts of his disciples and guide them in the path of Yoga. 14. The Guru transmits his powers to the disciple through Sankalpa (willing), Drishti (sight), Sakti-Sanchar (touch). 15. A Sadhaka should observe perfect discipline in diet. He should take Sattvic food in moderation. A glutton cannot dream of success in Yoga. 16. Do not fast much. It will produce weakness. 17. He who has firm faith in the scriptures, who has Sadachara (right conduct), who constantly engages himself in the service of his Guru, who is free from lust, anger, delusion, greed, vanity, hatred and egoism can awaken Kundalini, attain perfection and enter into Samadhi quickly. 18. The first step in Kundalini Yoga is the purification of Nadis. 19. Kanda is situated between the anus and the root of the reproductive organ. It is like the shape of an egg. It is the centre of the astral body. The Yoga-Nadis spring from Kanda. 20. Nadis are the astral tubes made up of astral matter. They carry Pranic currents. 21. There are 72,000 Nadis. Of these, three are most important. They are Ida, Pingala and Sushumna. 22. Kundalini, when awakened will pass through Sushumna Nadi which passes through the spinal column. 23. Sushumna Nadi extends from Muladhara Chakra to Brahmarandra or crown of the head. 24. When Sushumna-Nadi flows through both nostrils, you will have wonderful concentration and meditation. 25. You can change the flow of breath in Ida and Pingala Nadis through concentration on the left and right nostril, through Khechari Mudra, etc. 26. When you practise Pranayama vigorously, take butter and sugarcandy. Live on a small quantity of milk. 27. He who has Chitta-suddhi or purity of heart will be benefited by the awakening of Kundalini Sakti. 28. He who is addicted to sensual pleasures, who is arrogant, proud, dishonest, untruthful, who disrespects the Guru, Sadhus and Saints can never attain success in Kundalini Yoga. 29. Kundalini Sakti passes through the Muladhara, Svadhishthana, Manipura, Anahata, Vishuddha, Ajna Chakras and finally enters the Sahasrara at the crown of the head. 30. The Yogi attains different Siddhis at each Chakra and experiences Ananda or bliss in various degrees. 31. Anima, Mahima, Laghima, Garima, Prapti, Prakamya, Vasitvam, Ishatvam are the major eight Siddhis. 32. Doora-Darshana (clairvoyance), Doora-Sravana (clairaudience), Manojaya (control of the mind), Kamarupa, Parakaya Pravesha, Iccha-Mrityu are the minor Siddhis. 33. During the ascent of Kundalini layer after layer of the mind becomes fully opened. The Yogi experiences various visions, knowledge and bliss. 34. When it reaches the Sahasrara, he gets the highest knowledge and bliss. He reaches the highest rung in the ladder of Yoga. He becomes free in all respects. He is a full-blown Yogi. 35. Eventually the Yogi attains Nirvikalpa Samadhi, the state of superconsciousness. He gets intuition. Real knowledge flashes in him. 36. These are the signs that indicate that Kundalini has been awakened—viz., dispassion, fearlessness, joy, ecstasy, peace, unruffled state of mind, Siddhis or powers, contentment. 37. Kundalini can also be awakened by devotion, strong, pure, irresistible, dynamic will, the grace of the Guru and recitation of Mantra. 38. A Kundalini Yogi attains Bhukti (enjoyment) and Mukti (liberation). ------- Adhyaya X MANTRA YOGA 1. Mantra Yoga is an exact science. ‘Mananat trayate iti mantrah’—by the Manana (constant thinking or recollection) of which one is released from the round of births and deaths, is Mantra. 2. Every Mantra has a Rishi who gave it to the world; a Matra or metre which governs the inflection of the voice; a Devata or a supernatural being; the Bija or seed which gives it a special power; the Sakti or the energy of the form of the Mantra; and the Kilakam or the pillar which supports and makes the Mantra strong. 3. A Mantra is Divinity, Mantra and its presiding Devata are one. The Mantra itself is Devata. Mantra is divine power, Daivi Sakti, manifesting in a sound-body. Constant repetition of the Mantra with faith, devotion and purity augments the Sakti or power of the aspirant, purifies and awakens the Mantra Chaitanya latent in the Mantra and bestows on the Sadhaka Mantra Siddhi, illumination, freedom, peace, eternal bliss, immortality. 4. By constant repetition of the Mantra the Sadhaka imbibes the virtues and powers of the Deity that presides over the Mantra. Repetition of Surya Mantra bestows health, long life, vigour, vitality, Tejas or brilliance. It removes all diseases of the body and the diseases of the eye. No enemy can do any harm. Repetition of Aditya-hridayam in the early morning is highly beneficial. Lord Rama conquered Ravana through the repetition of Aditya-hridayam imparted by Agastya Rishi. 5. Mantras are in the form of praise and appeal to the deities, craving for help and mercy. Some Mantras control and command the evil spirits. Rhythmical vibrations of sound give rise to forms. Recitation of the Mantras gives rise to the formation of the particular figure of the deity. 6. Repetition of Sarasvati Mantra ‘OM Sarasvatyai Namah’ will bestow on you wisdom and good intelligence. You will get inspiration and compose poems. Repetition of ‘Om Sri Mahalakshmyai Namah’ will confer on you wealth and remove poverty. Ganesha Mantra will remove any obstacle in any undertaking. Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra will remove accidents, incurable diseases and bestow long life and immortality. It is a Moksha Mantra too. 7. Repetition of Subrahmanya Mantra ‘Om Saravanabhavaya Namah’ will give success in any undertaking and make you glorious. It will drive off the evil influences and evil spirits. Repetition of Sri Hanuman Mantra, ‘Om Hanumanthaya Namah’ will bestow victory and strength. Repetition of Panchadasakshara and Sodasakshara (Sri Vidya) will give you wealth, power, freedom, etc. It will give you whatever you want. You must learn this Vidya from a Guru alone. 8. Repetition of Gayatri or Pranava or Om Namah Sivaya, Om Namo Narayanaya, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya, one and a quarter lakh of times with Bhava, faith and devotion will confer on you Mantra Siddhi. 9. OM, Soham, Sivoham, Aham Brahmasmi are Moksha Mantras. They will help you to attain Self-realisation. Om Sri Ramaya Namah, Om Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya are Saguna Mantras which will enable you to attain Saguna realisation first and then Nirguna realisation in the end. 10. Mantra for curing scorpion stings and cobra bites should be repeated on eclipse days for getting Mantra Siddhi quickly. You should stand in the water and repeat the Mantra. This is more powerful and effective. They can be recited on ordinary days also for attaining Mantra-Siddhi. 11. Mantra Siddhi for curing scorpion sting, cobra bites, etc., can be attained within 40 days. Repeat the Mantra with faith and devotion regularly. Have sitting in the early morning after taking bath. Observe Brahmacharya and live on milk and fruits for 40 days or take restricted diet. 12. Chronic diseases can be cured by Mantras. Chanting of Mantras generate potent spiritual waves or divine vibrations. They penetrate the physical and astral bodies of the patients and remove the root causes of sufferings. They fill the cells with pure Sattva or divine energy. They destroy the microbes and vivify the cells and tissues. They are best, most potent antiseptics and germicides. They are more potent than ultra-violet rays or Roentgen rays. 13. Mantra Siddhi should not be misused for the destruction of others. Those who misuse the Mantra power for destroying others are themselves destroyed in the end. 14. Those who utilise the Mantra power in curing snake bites, scorpion stings and chronic diseases should not accept any kind of presents or money. They must be absolutely unselfish. They should not accept even fruits or clothes. They will lose the power if they utilise the power for selfish purposes. If they are absolutely unselfish, if they serve the humanity with Sarvatma Bhava, their power will increase through the grace of the Lord. 15. He who attained Mantra Siddhi can cure cobra bite or scorpion sting or any chronic disease by mere touch on the affected part. When a man is bitten by a cobra a telegram is sent to the Mantra Siddha. The Mantra Siddha recites the Mantra and the man who is bitten by a cobra is cured. What a grand marvel! Does this not prove the tremendous power of Mantra? 16. Get the Mantra initiation from your Guru. Or pray to your Ishta Devata and start doing Japa of the particular Mantra, if you find it difficult to get a Guru. 17. May you all become Mantra Yogis with Mantra Siddhi! May you all become real benefactors of the world by becoming divine healers through Mantra cure! May Mantra cure, divine healing centres be started all over the world! https://www.justsomelyrics.com/1216704/totakashtakam-lyrics.html Totakashtakam Lyricsviditakila sastra sudha jalatheâmahitopa nisatkathi tarthanidhe hrdayekalaye vimalam saranam bhava sankara desika me saranam ||1|| o thou, the knower of all the milk-ocean of scriptures! the expounder of the topics of great upanisadic treasure-trove! on thy faultless feet i meditate in my heart. be thou my refuge o master, sankara karuna varunalaya palaya mam bhvasagara dukha vidunahrdam racayakhila darshana thatvanidam bhava sankara desika me saranam ||2|| o the ocean of campassion! save me whose heart is tormented by the misery of the sea of birth! make me understand the truths of all the schools of philosophy! be thou my refuge o master, sankara bhavata janata suhita bhavita nijabodha vicarana charumate kalayeshvara jiva vivekavidam bhava sankara desika me saranam ||3|| by thee, the masses have been made happy. o thou who hast a noble intellect skilled in the inquiry into self-knowledge! enable me to understand the wisdom relating to god and the soul. be thou my refuge o master, sankara bhava eva bhavaniti me nitaram samajayata chetasi kautukita mamavaraya moha mahajaladhim bhava sankara desika me saranam ||4|| knowing that thou art verily the supreme lord, there arises overwhelming bliss in my heart. protect me from the vast ocean of delusion. be thou my refuge o master, sankara sukrte dhikrete bahidha bhavato bhavita sama darshana lalasata atihinamimam paripalaya mam bhava sankara desika me saranam ||5|| desire for the insight into unity through thee will spring only when virtuous deeds are performed in abundance and in various directions. protect this extremely helpless person. be thou my refuge o master, sankara jagatimavitum kalitakritayo vicharanti mahamana saschalatah ahimam sturivatra vibhasi guro bhava sankara desika me saranam ||6|| oh teacher! for saving the world, the great a__ume various forms and wander in disguise. of them, thou shinest like the sun. be thou my refuge o master, sankara gurupungava pungava ketana te samatam ayatam nahi koâpi sudhih saranagatavatsala tattvinidhe bhava sankara desika me saranam ||7|| o the best of the teachers! the supreme lord having the bull as banner! none of the wise is equal to thee! thou who art compassionate to those who have taken refuge! the treasure trove of truth! be thou my refuge o master, sankara
vidita na maya vishataikakala nacha kincana kancanamasti guro drutameva videhi krupam sahajam bhava sankara desika me saranam ||8|| not even a single branch of knowledge has been understood by me correctly. not even the least wealth do i possess, o teacher. bestow on me quickly thy natural grace. be thou my refuge o master, sankara http://stotraratna.sathyasaibababrotherhood.org/m8.htm
That pretty Lord who has a Veil,
Lived deep within my mind and
Made me understand that method to meditate,
Which lies in thinking of “that” and nothing else,
And that made me cut off, my attachment with the world,
And Speech and mind ceased , along with ignorance and knowledge. 42
Oh, Son of the river who gets pleasure from true knowledge,
And who destroyed the sons of Thithi with his valour,
“Should I move away from the fate of the good ,
Due to my loss of the intellect and consequent,
Trance of Ignorance brought about by illusion?” 50
Oh Lord who is capable removing the great illusion,
Though I shouted several times,” Oh Lord with six faces”,
I am not able to get rid of the illusion of my house,
My wealth, my wife and only think about them. 5
Oh mind which is getting spoiled,
I would tell you a solution to improve,
“Give all that you have and meditate on the feet,
Of Him who holds the Veil,
And get all your long time problems burnt,
And stop, and stop worrying about your fate.” 7
http://www.celextel.org/articles/summaryofjivanmuktiviveka.html When attachment and aversion are reduced to the minimum as a result of the realization of the unreality of the objective world there arises a new sense of happiness. This is called 'Brahma-abhyaasa' or the practice of Brahman. This is the means of effacing the latent impressions. It should not be thought that, since the moderate kind of bondage (which is the mere perception of duality) is inevitable, and the strong kind can be removed by the obliteration of latent impressions, the dissolution of the mind serves no purpose. The inevitable experience of happiness and misery, caused by a weak praarabdha, can be counteracted only by the dissolution of the mind and so this is also necessary. It has been said (Panchadasi,7.156), " If it were at all possible to prevent the experience of happiness and misery, then, Nala, Rama and Yudhishthira would never have been stricken with misery". Thus the obliteration of latent impressions and the dissolution of the mind are the direct means to Jivanmukti, and knowledge of the Reality is subordinate, being only a mediate cause, as producing the other two. A person who, without making efforts to attain knowledge of Nirguna Brahman (by sravana, etc), practices, to the extent possible, the effacement of latent impressions and dissolution of the mind and devotes himself only to Brahman with attributes (saguna), cannot attain Kaivalya, because his subtle body is not destroyed. By Kaivalya, brought about by knowledge (of Nirguna Brahman), the person is freed from bondage. Bondage is of various kinds, signified by the expressions-- knot of ignorance, the conviction of being not Brahman, the knot of the heart, doubt, karma, hankering after objects of sense, death, rebirth and the like. All these are removed by knowledge. See Mundaka up. 2.1.10, 3.2.9, 2.2.8, Taitt.up.2.1, Sveta.up. 3.8, Katha up. 1.3.8, Br.up. 1.4.10, Br. Su.1.1.4 &4.1.13. With regard to the second kind, it has been said: "One should never give room for the thought, 'I have offended none. So anger towards me is not justified'. On the other hand every one should consider as his gravest offence the inability to free himself from bondage. He should bow to the god of anger who burns away his own seat and bestows detachment by imparting the knowledge of his faults". https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/meister_eckhart.html A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don't know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox's or bear's, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there. Meister Eckhart Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/meister_eckhart.html The outward man is the swinging door; the inner man is the still hinge. Meister Eckhart Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/meister_eckhart.html One person who has mastered life is better than a thousand persons who have mastered only the contents of books, but no one can get anything out of life without God. Meister Eckhart Read more at: https://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/meister_eckhart.html "The Eye with which I see God is the same Eye with which God sees me", is commonly cited by thinkers within neopaganism and ultimatist Buddhism as a point of contact between these traditions and Christian mysticism. http://www.eckhartsociety.org/eckhart/his-teachings Giving up all Externals Near the end of sermon 1, Eckhart quotes Christ’s teaching in Matthew 10:37 about abandoning all things: ‘Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.’ Clearly he sees this teaching as telling us to give up all externals, so as to retreat into the inner ground where God enters without image in absolute stillness. And in another sermon (McGinn, 2001, p. 134, quoting Walshe, 2008, sermon 22) we find him saying: ‘You have to start first with yourself and leave yourself.’ Letting Ourselves Go If we can learn to let ourselves go, we are in effect letting everything go. Total letting go is the way to gain all things in the God who is the real being of all (Walshe, 2008, sermon 6). ‘He who would save his soul must lose it’ (Mt 16:25) is one of Eckhart’s favourite sayings of the Lord. He tells us: ‘Now God wants no more from you than that you should in creaturely fashion go out of yourself, and let God be God in you… Go completely out of yourself for God’s love, and God comes completely out of himself for love of you’ (Walshe, 2008, sermon 13b), For, as he says in Sermon 4: ‘God must act and pour himself into us when we are ready, in other words when we are totally empty of self and creatures. So stand still and do not waver from your emptiness.’ |
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