TRIPURA RAHASYA
OR
THE MYSTERY BEYOND THE TRINITY
Translated by
SWAMI SRI RAMANANANDA SARASWATHI
(Munagala S. Venkataramaiah)
Sri Ramanasramam
Tiruvannamalai
CHAPTER XII
The Appearance of the Reality of the
Universe Depends on the Strength of Will
of Creation
1. Even after listening to Dattatreya patiently,
Parasurama
was still perplexed and asked:
2. O Lord, what you have said so far about the universe
is the truth.
3. Even so, how is it that it appears to be real to me
and
to others who are both intelligent and shrewd?
4. Why does it continue to seem to be real to me even
though I have heard you say otherwise? Please prove to me
its unreality and remove my present illusion.
5. Thus requested, Dattatreya, the great Sage, began to
explain the cause of the illusion which makes one believe
the
world to be real:
6. Listen, Rama! This illusion is very old, being no
other
than the deep-rooted ignorance which mistakes one thing
for another.
7. See how the true Self has been ignored and the body
has become identified with the Self. Consider this foul
body
comprised of blood and bones beside that unblemished,
pure
intelligence!
8. Even the gross body becomes mistaken for crystalclear
consciousness by mere force of habit.
9. So also the universe has repeatedly been taken to
be real so that it now looks as if it were actually real.
The
remedy lies in a change of outlook.
10. The world becomes for one whatever one is accustomed
to think it. This is borne out by the realisation
of yogis and of the objects of their long contemplation.
11-12. I shall illustrate this point by an ancient and
wonderful incident. There is a very holy town, Sundara,
in
the country of Vanga. Here once lived a very wise and
famous
King, Susena by name. His younger brother, Mahasena, was
his loyal and dutiful subject.
13. The king ruled his kingdom so well that all his
subjects loved him. On one occasion he performed the
horsesacrifice.
[Note: This sacrifice can be performed only by the
most powerful kings. A horse chosen and dedicated for
sacrifice is allowed to roam wherever it pleases. The
sacrificer or his lieutenant or group of lieutenants,
follows
the horse at a distance. The horse is a challenge to the
kings in whose country it roams, so that battles are
fought
until the horse is successfully brought back and the
sacrifice
performed.]
14. All the most valiant princes followed the horse
with a great army.
15. Their course was victorious until they reached
the banks of the Irrawaddy.
16. They were so elated that they passed by the
peacefully
sitting royal Sage Gana, without saluting him.
Chapter XII
17. Gana’s son noticed the insult to his father and
was exasperated. He caught the sacrificial horse and
fought
the heroes guarding it.
18-23. They surrounded him on all sides but he
together with the horse entered the Hill Ganda, before
their eyes. Noticing his disappearance in the hill, the
invaders attacked the hill. The sage’s son reappeared
with
a huge army, fought the enemy, defeated them and
destroyed Susena’s army. He took many prisoners of war,
including all the princes and then re-entered the hill. A
few followers who escaped fled to Susena and told him
everything. Susena was surprised and said to his brother:
24-30. Brother! Go to the place of the Sage Gana.
Remember that penance-doers are wonderfully powerful
and cannot be conquered even by gods. Therefore take
care to please him, so that you may be allowed to bring
back the princes and the horse in time for the sacrifice
which is fast approaching. Pride before Sages will always
be humbled. If enraged, they can reduce the world to
ashes. Approach him with respect so that our object may
be fulfilled.
Mahasena obeyed and immediately started on his
errand. He arrived at Gana’s hermitage and found the Sage
seated peacefully like a rock, with his senses, mind and
intellect under perfect control. The Sage, who was
immersed
in the Self, looked like a calm sea whose waves of
thought
had quieted down. Mahasena spontaneously fell prostrate
before the Sage and began to sing his praises, and here
he
remained for three days in reverential attitude.
31-46. The sage’s son who had been watching the
new visitor was pleased, and coming to him said, I am
pleased with the respect you show for my father. Tell me
what I can do for you and I will do it at once. I am the
son
of this great Gana, the unique hermit. Prince, listen to
me. This is not the time for my father to speak. He is
now
in kevala
nirvikalpa samadhi and
will come out of it only
after twelve years, of which five have already passed and
seven yet remain.
Tell me now what you desire from him and I will do
it for you. Do not underestimate me and think that I am
only a headstrong youth not worthy of my father. There
is nothing impossible for yogis engaged
in penance.
After hearing him, Mahasena, being wise, saluted
him with clasped hands and said: Oh child of the Sage! If
you mean to fulfil my desire I want to make a short
request
to your wise father when he has come out of his samadhi.
Kindly help me to that end if you please. After he had
thus requested, the sage’s son replied: King, your
request
is hard to grant. Having promised fulfilment of your
desire,
I cannot now go back on my word. I must now ask you
to wait an hour and a half and watch my yogic power.
This, my father, is now in transcendental peace. Who
can wake him up by external efforts? Wait! I shall do it
forthwith by means of subtle yoga.
Saying so, he sat down, withdrew his senses, united
the in-going and outgoing breaths, exhaled air and
stopped
motionless for a short time; in this way he entered the
mind
of the Sage and after agitating it, re-entered his own
body.
Chapter XII
Immediately the Sage came to his senses and found
Mahasena in front of him, prostrating and praising him.
He thought for a moment, taking in the whole situation
by his extraordinary powers.
47-49. Perfectly peaceful and cheerful in mind, he
beckoned to his son and said to him: Boy, do not repeat
this fault. Wrath wrecks penance. Penance is only
possible
and can progress without obstruction because the king
protects yogis. To interfere with a sacrifice is always
reprehensible and never to be countenanced by the good.
Be a good boy and return the horse and the princes
immediately. Do it at once so that the sacrifice may be
performed at the appointed hour.
50. Directed thus, the sage’s son was immediately
appeased. He went into the hill, returned with the horse
and the princes and released them with pleasure.
51-53. Mahasena sent the princes with the horse to
the town. He was surprised at what he saw and saluting
the Sage asked him respectfully: Lord, please tell me how
the horse and the princes were concealed in the hill.
Then
the Sage replied:
54-66. Listen, O King, I was formerly an emperor
ruling the empire bounded by the seas. After a long while
the grace of God descended on me and I grew disgusted
with the world as being but trash in the light of
consciousness within. I abdicated the kingdom in favour
of my sons and retired into this forest. My wife, being
dutiful, accompanied me here. Several years were passed
in our penance and austerities. Once my wife embraced
me and this son was born to her when I was in samadhi.
She brought me to my senses, left the babe with me and
died. This boy was brought up by me with love and care.
When he grew up, he heard that I had once been a king.
He wished to be one also and besought me to grant his
prayer. I initiated him in yoga, which he practised with
such success that he was able by the force of his will to
create a world of his own in this hill which he is now
ruling. The horse and princes were kept there. I have now
told you the secret of that hill. After hearing it
Mahasena
asked again:
67. I have with great interest heard your wonderful
account of this hill. I want to see it. Can you grant my
prayer?
68. Being so requested, the Sage commanded his son
saying: Boy! Show him round the place and satisfy him.
69. Having said thus, the Sage again lapsed into samadhi;
and his son went away with the king.
70. The sage’s son entered the hill without trouble and
disappeared, but Mahasena was not able to enter. So he
called
out for the sage’s son.
71. He too called out to the king, from the interior of
the hill. Then he came out of it and said to the king:
72-74. O King, this hill cannot be penetrated with the
slender yogic powers that you possess. You will find it too
dense. Nevertheless you must be taken into it as my father
ordered. Now, leave your gross body in this hole covered
with bushes; enter the hill with your mental sheath along
with me. The king could not do it and asked:
Chapter XII
75. Tell me, saint, how I am to throw off this body.
If I do it forcibly, I shall die.
76. The saint smiled at this and said: You do not
seem to know yoga. Well, close your eyes.
77. The king closed his eyes; the saint forthwith
entered into him, took the other’s subtle body and left
the gross body in the hole.
78. Then by his yogic power the saint entered the
hill
with this subtle body snatched from the other which was
filled with the desire of seeing the empire within the
bowels
of the hill.
79. Once inside he roused up the sleeping individual
to dream. The latter now found himself held by the saint
in the wide expanse of ether.
[Note: The ativahika
sarira (astral body), is
exhaustively
treated in Yoga Vasishta.]
80-82. He was alarmed on looking in all directions
and requested the saint: Do not forsake me lest I should
perish in this illimitable space. The saint laughed at
his
terror and said: I shall never forsake you. Be assured of
it.
Now look round at everything and have no fear.
83-95. The king took courage and looked all round.
He saw the sky above, enveloped in the darkness of night
and shining with stars. He ascended there and looked
down below; he came to the region of the moon and was
benumbed with cold. Protected by the saint, he went up
to the Sun and was scorched by its rays. Again tended by
the saint, he was refreshed and saw the whole region a
counterpart of the Heaven. He went up to the summits
of the Himalayas with
the saint and was shown the whole
region and also the earth. Again endowed with powerful
eyesight, he was able to see far-off lands and discovered
other worlds besides this one. In the distant worlds
there
was darkness prevailing in some places; the earth was
gold
in some; there were oceans and island continents
traversed
by rivers and mountains; there were the heavens peopled
by Indra and the Gods, the asuras,
human beings, the
rakshasas and other races of celestials. He also found that
the saint had divided himself as Brahma in Satyaloka, as
Vishnu in Vaikunta, and as Siva in Kailasa, while all the
time he remained as his original-self, the king ruling in
the present world. The king was struck with wonder on
seeing the yogic power of the saint. The
sage’s son said to
him: This sightseeing has lasted only a single day
according
to the standards prevailing here, whereas twelve thousand
years have passed by in the world you are used to. So let
us return to my father.
96. Saying so, he helped the other to come out of the
hill to this outer world.
Thus ends the Chapter XII on “Sightseeing in the Ganda
Hill” in Tripura
Rahasya.
CHAPTER XIII
How Wakefulness and Dream are Similar
in Nature and Objects are Only
Mental Images
1-2. The sage’s son made the king sleep, united his
subtle body with the gross one left in the hole, and then
woke him up.
3. On regaining his senses, Mahasena found the whole
world changed. The people, the river courses, the trees,
the
tanks, etc., were all different.
4-30. He was bewildered and asked the saint:
O great one! How long have we spent seeing your
world? This world looks different from the one I was
accustomed
to! Thus asked, the sage’s son said to Mahasena: Listen
king, this is the world which we were in and left to see
that
within the hill. The same has undergone enormous changes
owing to the long interval of time. We spent only one day
looking round the hill region; The same interval counts
for
twelve thousand years in this land; and it has
accordingly
changed enormously. Look at the difference in the manners
of the people and their languages. Such changes are
natural.
I have often noticed similar changes before. Look here!
This
is the Lord, my father in samadhi. Here
you stood before,
praising my father and praying to him. There you see the
hill in front of you.
By this time, your brother’s progeny has increased
to thousands. What was Vanga, your country, with Sundara,
your capital, is now a jungle infested with jackals and
wild animals. There is now one Virabahu in your brother’s
line who has his capital, Visala, on the banks of the
Kshipra in the country of Malwa; in your line, there is
Susarma whose capital is Vardhana in the country of the
Dravidas, on the banks of the Tambrabharani. Such is
the course of the world which cannot remain the same
even for a short time. For in this period, the hills,
rivers,
lakes, and the contour of the earth have altered.
Mountains subside; plains heave high; deserts become
fertile; plateaux change to sandy tracts; rocks decompose
and become silt; clay hardens sometimes; cultivated farms
become barren and barren lands are brought under tillage;
precious stones become valueless and trinkets become
invaluable; salt water becomes sweet and potable waters
become brackish; some lands contain more people than
cattle, others are infested with wild beasts; and yet
others
are invaded by venomous reptiles, insects and vermin.
Such are some of the changes that happen on the earth
in course of time. But there is no doubt that this is the
same earth as we were in before.
Mahasena heard all that the sage’s son said and fainted
from the shock. Then being brought round by his
companion, he was overcome by grief and mourned the
loss of his royal brother and brother’s son and of his
own
wife and children. After a short time, the sage’s son
assuaged
his grief with wise words: Being a sensible man, why do
Chapter XIII
you mourn and at whose loss? A sensible man never does
anything without a purpose; to act without discernment
is childish. Think now, and tell me what loss grieves you
and what purpose your grief will serve.
Asked thus, Mahasena, who was still inconsolable
retorted: Great Sage that you are, can you not understand
the cause of my sorrow? How is it that you seek the
reason
of my grief when I have lost my all? A man is generally
sad
when only one in his family dies. I have lost all my
friends
and relatives and you still ask me why I am sad.
31-48. The sage’s son continued derisively. King! Tell
me now. Is this lapse into sorrow a hereditary virtue?
Will
it result in sin if you do not indulge in it on this
occasion?
Or do you hope to recover your loss by such grief? King!
Think well and tell me what you gain by your sorrow. If
you consider it irresistible, listen to what I say.
Such loss is not fresh. Your forefathers have died
before. Have you ever mourned their loss? If you say that
it is because of the blood relationship that now causes
your grief, were there not worms in the bodies of your
parents, living on their nourishment? Why are they not
your relatives and why does not their loss cause you
sorrow?
King, think! Who are you? Whose deaths are the cause of
your present grief?
Are you the body, or other than that? The body is
simply a conglomerate of different substances. Harm to
any one of the constituents is harm to the whole. There
is
no moment in which each of the components is not
changing. But the excretions do not constitute a loss to
the body.
Those whom you called your brother and so on are
mere bodies; the bodies are composed of earth; when lost,
they return to earth; and earth resolves ultimately into
energy. Where then is the loss?
In fact you are not the body. You own the body and
call it your own, just as you do to a garment you happen
to possess. Where lies the difference between your body
and your garment? Have you any doubts regarding this
conclusion? Being other than your own body, what
relation is there between you and another body? Did you
ever claim similar relationship, say with your brother’s
clothes? Why then mourn over the loss of bodies, which
are in no way different from garments?
You speak of ‘my’ body, ‘my’ eyes, ‘my’ life, ‘my’ mind
and so on, I ask you now to tell me what precisely you
are.
Being confronted thus, Mahasena began to think
over the matter, and unable to solve the problem he asked
leave to consider it carefully. Then he returned and said
with all humility: Lord, I do not see who I am. I have
considered the matter, and still I do not understand. My
grief is only natural; I cannot account for it.
Master, I seek your protection. Kindly tell me what
it is. Everyone is overpowered by grief when his relative
dies. No one seems to know his own self; nor does one
mourn all losses.
I submit to you as your disciple. Please elucidate this
matter to me.
Chapter XIII
Being thus requested, the sage’s son spoke to Mahasena:
49. King, listen! People are deluded by the illusion cast
by Her Divine Majesty. They partake of misery that is due
to
the ignorance of their selves. Their misery is
meaningless.
50. As long as the ignorance of the self lasts, so long
will there be misery.
51-52. Just as a dreamer is foolishly alarmed at his
own dreams or as a fool is deluded by the serpents
created
in a magic performance, so also the man ignorant of the
Self is terrified.
53-55. Just as the dreamer awakened from his fearful
dream or the man attending the magic performance
informed of the unreal nature of the magic creations, no
longer fears them but ridicules another who does, so also
one aware of the Self not only does not grieve but also
laughs
at another’s grief. Therefore, O valiant hero, batter
down
this impregnable fortress of illusion and conquer your
misery
by realisation of the Self. In the meantime be
discriminating and not so foolish.
56-58. After hearing the sage’s son, Mahasena said:
Master, your illustration is not to the point. Dream or
magic is later realised to be illusory, whereas this hard
concrete universe is always real and purposeful. This is
unassailed and persistent. How can it be compared to the
evanescent dream? Then the sage’s son answered:
59. Listen to what I say. Your opinion that the
illustration
is not to the point is a double delusion, like a dream
in a dream.
[Note: The Commentary
says that the first delusion is
the idea of separateness of the universe from oneself and
that the second is the idea that dream objects are an
illusion
in contradistinction to those seen while awake. This is
compared to the illusion that a dreamer mistakes the
dream-rope for a dream-serpent. (The dream is itself an
illusion and the mistake is an illusion in the
illusion.)]
60-70. Consider the dream as a dreamer would and
tell me whether the trees do not afford shade to the
pedestrians
and bear fruits for the use of others. Is the dream
realised to be untrue and evanescent in the dream itself?
Do you mean to say that the dream is rendered false
after waking from it? Is not the waking world similarly
rendered false in your dream or deep sleep?
Do you contend that the waking state is not so because
there is continuity in it after you wake up? Is there no
continuity
in your dreams from day to day?
If you say that it is not evident, tell me whether the
continuity in the wakeful world is not broken up every
moment
of your life.
Do you suggest that the hills, the seas and the earth
itself are really permanent phenomena, in spite of the
fact
that their appearance is constantly changing? Is not the
dream-world also similarly continuous with its earth, mountains,
rivers, friends and relatives?
Do you still doubt its abiding nature? Then extend the
same reasoning to the nature of the wakeful world and
know it to be equally evanescent.
Chapter XIII
The ever-changing objects like the body, trees, rivers
and islands are easily found to be transitory. Even
mountains are not immutable, for their contours change
owing to the erosion of waterfalls and mountain torrents,
ravages by men, boars and wild animals, insects, thunder,
lightning, storms and so on. You will observe similar
change in the seas and on earth.
Therefore I tell you that you should investigate the
matter closely. (You will probably argue as follows:)
71-76. Dream and wakefulness resemble each other in
their discontinuous harmony (like a chain made up of
links).
There is no unbroken continuity in any object because
every
new appearance implies a later disappearance. But
continuity
cannot be denied in the fundamentals underlying the
objects!
Because a dream creation is obliterated and rendered
false by present experience — what distinction will you
draw
between the fundamentals underlying the dream objects and
the present objects?
If you say that the dream is an illusion and its
fundamentals
are equally so, whereas the present creation is not so
obliterated and its fundamentals must therefore be true,
I
ask you what illusion is? It is determined by the
transitory
nature, which is nothing but appearance to, and
disappearance
from, our senses.
Is not everything obliterated in deep sleep? If you
maintain however, that mutual contradiction is unreliable
as
evidence and so proves nothing, it amounts to saying
that self-evident sight alone furnishes the best proof.
Quite
so, people like you do not have a true insight into the
nature of things.
77-79. Therefore take my word for it, the present
world is only similar to the dream world. Long periods
pass in dreams also. Therefore, purposefulness and
enduring nature are in every way similar to both states.
Just as you are obviously aware in your waking state, so
also you are in your dream state.
80. These two states being so similar, why do you
not mourn the loss of your dream relations?
81. The wakeful universe appears so real to all only
by force of habit. If the same be imagined vacuous it
will
melt away into the void.
82-83. One starts imagining something; then contemplates
it; and by continuous or repeated association
resolves that it is true, unless contradicted. In that
way, the
world appears real in the manner one is used to it. My
world
that you visited furnishes the proof thereof; come now,
let us
go round the hill and see.
85. Saying so, the sage’s son took the king, went round
the hill and returned to the former spot.
86-87. Then he continued: Look, O King! The circuit
of the hill is hardly two miles and a half and yet you
have
seen a universe within it. Is it real or false? Is it a
dream or
otherwise? What has passed as a day in that land, has
counted for twelve thousand years here. Which is correct?
Think, and tell me. Obviously you cannot distinguish
this from a dream and cannot help concluding that the
Chapter XIII
world is nothing but imagination. My world will disappear
instantly if I cease contemplating it.
Therefore convince yourself of the dreamlike nature
of the world and do not indulge in grief at your
brother’s
death.
90. Just as the dream creations are pictures moving
on the mind screens, so also this world, including
yourself,
is the obverse of the picture depicted by pure
intelligence
and it is nothing more than an image in a mirror. See
how you will feel after this conviction. Will you be
elated
by the accession of a dominion or depressed by the death
of a relative in your dream?
91. Realise that the Self is the self-contained mirror
projecting and manifesting this world. The Self is pure
unblemished consciousness. Be quick! Realise it quickly
and
gain transcendental happiness!
Thus ends the Chapter on “The Vision of the Hill City”
in Tripura
Rahasya.
CHAPTER XIV
How the Universe is Mere Imagination;
How to Gain that Strong Will which Can
Create It; and the Highest Truth
1-6. Having heard the sage’s son, Mahasena began to
think clearly and seriously; he concluded the world to be
dreamlike and overcame his grief. Growing strong in mind,
he was not perturbed. Then he asked his companion: Great
and wise saint! You know this world and beyond. I do not
believe that there is anything that you do not know.
Please
answer me now: How can you say that the whole is pure
imagination? However much I may imagine, my imagination
does not materialise. But you have created a universe by
the
force of your will. And yet, how do time and space differ
in
these creations? Please tell me. On being thus asked, the
sage’s
son replied:
7. The will conceives either effectively or
ineffectively,
according to whether it is uniform or broken up by
indecision.
8. Do you not know this world to be the result of
Brahma’s
desire? This looks real and permanent because the
original
desire is so powerful.
9. Whereas the world of your creation no one takes
seriously, and your own mistrust makes it useless.
10-15. Conceptions materialise for various reasons as
follows: by virtue of the natural function, as with
Brahma
Chapter XIV
the Creator; by the possession of live-gems, as with yakshas
and rakshasas
(classes of celestial beings); by the use of
herbs, as with Gods (nectar is reputed to contain the
extracts of superb herbs); by the practice of yoga, as
with
yogis; by
the miraculous power of incantations, as with a
few siddhas; by the force of penance, as with some Sages;
and by virtue of boons, as with the Architect of the
universe
(Viswakarma).
One should forget the old associations in order to make
one’s new conception effective, and this endures only so
long
as it is not obstructed by the old one. A conception is
forceful
unless obstructed by an antecedent one, and thus
destroyed.
It is effective only when forceful; in that way even
great things
may be achieved.
16. Your conceptions do not materialise for the aforesaid
reason. Therefore you must practise the focusing of thought
if you desire your own creations to endure.
17-23. I shall tell you now about the difference in time
and space. You are not proficient in the affairs of the
world,
and therefore you are mystified. I shall now make it
clear
how these differences appear. The Sun helps all to see,
but
blinds the owls; water is the abode of fishes, but drowns
man; fire burns a man, but is food to tittiri (a
species of
bird); fire is ordinarily put out by water, but it
flourishes in
the middle of the ocean at the time of dissolution.
Similar
discrepancies are evident elsewhere. Men and animals
engage in activities with their limbs and senses, whereas
spirits do so with the bodies of others. Instances like
these
are innumerable. Their explanation is as follows:
24-25. Sight is of the eye and cannot be without it.
A jaundiced eye sees everything yellow and diplopia
produces
a double image of a single object.
26-32. Abnormal visions are thus the direct result of
abnormal eyes. The Karandakas, in an Eastern island, are
said to see everything red; so also the inhabitants of
Ramanaka Isle see everything upside down. One hears
many more strange stories of the kind, all of which are
based on abnormalities of vision. They can all be
remedied
by proper treatment. The same applies to other senses,
including the mind. The relation between space and
objects and between time and events is according to your
estimate of them; there is no intrinsic relationship
between
them.
33. (Having so far proved the objects and events to
be only within, he proceeds to establish that there is no
‘exterior’ to the self ). What is designated as exterior
by
people, is simply the origin and prop of the universe,
like
the screen and its relation to the picture on it.
34-40. There could be nothing external to that
‘exterior’ except it be one’s own body. How can that be
externalised from the ‘exterior’? For example, when you
say
‘outside the hill’ the hill is withdrawn from the space
beyond; it is not included in it. But the body is seen in
space just as a pot is seen.
The body must therefore be external to the seer. What
is visible lies within the range of illumination: if
without, it
cannot be seen. Therefore the illumined objects must be
within the vision of the illuminant. The body, etc., are
the
Chapter XIV
illumined, because they are themselves objectified. The
illumined and the illuminant cannot be identical.
Again the illuminant cannot be objectified; for who
is the seer apart from it? And how can the illumination
by
which he sees be apart from him? That the illuminant
affords the light and serves as an object standing apart
from the seer, is impossible to maintain. Therefore the
illuminant cannot admit of any foreign admixture in it,
and he is the illumination in perfection — only one, and
the being of all.
41. He extends as time and space; they are infinite
and perfect, being involved as the illuminant,
illumination
and the illumined.
42. As regards within or without,
everything is included
in illumination. How then can anything be ‘outer’, unless
it
is like a peak on a mountain?
43. The whole universe is thus in the illumination which
shines self-sufficient, by itself, everywhere, and at all
times.
44-45. Such illumination is Her Transcendental Majesty
Tripura, the Supreme. She is called Brahma in the Vedas,
Vishnu by the Vaisnavites, Siva by the Saivites, and
Sakti by
the Saktas. There is indeed nothing but She.
46. She holds everything by Her prowess as a mirror
does its images. She is the illuminant in relation to the
illumined.
47-49. The object is sunk in illumination like the image
of a city in a mirror. Just as the city is not apart from
the
mirror, so also the universe is not apart from
consciousness.
Just as the image is part and parcel of the clear,
smooth, compact
and one mirror, so also the universe is part and parcel
of the
perfect, solid and unitary consciousness, namely the
Self.
50. The world cannot be demonstrably ascertained.
Space is simply void, serving for the location of
materials.
51. The universe is, always and all-through, a phenomenon
in the Self. The question then arises how consciousness,
being void, is dense at the same time.
52. Just as a mirror, though, dense and impenetrable,
contains the image, so also pure consciousness is dense
and
impenetrable and yet displays the universe by virtue of
its
self-sufficiency.
53. Though consciousness is all-pervading, dense and
single, it still holds the mobile and immobile creation
within
it, wonderful in its variety, with no immediate or
ultimate
cause for it.
54-55. Just as the mirror remains unaffected by the
passage of different images and yet continues to reflect
as
clearly as before, so also the one consciousness
illumines the
waking and dream states which can be verified by proper
meditation.
56. O King! Examine again your daydreams and mental
imagery. Though they are perfect in detail, yet they are
no
less mental.
57. Consciousness permeating them obviously remains
unblemished before creation or after dissolution of the
world;
even during the existence of the world, it remains
unaffected
as the mirror by the images.
Chapter XIV
58. Though unperturbed, unblemished, thick, dense
and single, the absolute consciousness being
self-sufficient
manifests within itself what looks ‘exterior’, just like
a
mirror reflecting space as external to itself.
59-60. This is the first step in creation; it is called
ignorance or darkness. Starting as an infinitesimal
fraction
of the whole, it manifests as though external to its
origin,
and is a property of the ego-sense. The alienation is on
account of the latent tendencies to be manifested later.
Because of its non-identity with the original
consciousness,
it is now simple, insentient energy.
[Note: The commentary
has it: What is absolute consciousness
goes under the name of Maya just
before creation,
and is later called Avidya (or
ignorance) with the manifestation
of the ego. The agitation in the quietness is due to
subtle
time fructifying the latent tendencies of the ego, which
had
not merged in the primordial state at the time of the
dissolution of the universe.]
61. That consciousness which illumines the ‘exterior’ is
called Sivatattva, whereas the individual feeling as ‘I’ is Saktitattva.
[Note:
Siva is awareness of the
‘exterior’; Sakti is the dynamic
force operating the potential tendencies in the individual
self.]
62. When the awareness of the ‘exterior’, combined
with the ‘I’, encompasses the entire imagined space as
‘I’,
it is called Sada-Siva-tattva.
63. When, later, discarding the abstraction of the Self
and the exterior, clear identification with the
insentient
space takes place, it is called Ishwara-tattva. The investigation
of the last two steps is pure vidya (knowledge).
64. All these five tattvas are
pure because they relate
to an as-yet-undifferentiated condition, like
potentialities
in a seed.
65. After the differentiation is made manifest by
willforce
the insentient part predominates over the other, as
opposed to the contrary condition before.
66. That insentient predominance is called Maya Sakti,
after differentiation is clearly established, like the
sprout from
a seed.
67-69. The sentient phase now contracts, being
relegated to a minor position and takes on the name of
Purusha,
being covered by five sheaths, namely kala (something
of doership), vidya (some knowledge), raga (desire),
kala (time
— allotted life) and niyati (fixed order of things).
70. Anamnesis of individuals made up of the proclivities
acquired as a result of engaging in diverse actions in
previous
births, is now supported by intelligence and remains as
prakriti (nature).
71. This prakriti
is tripartite because the fruits of actions
are of three kinds: She manifests as the three states of
life,
wakefulness, dream and deep sleep. She then assumes the
name, chitta (mind).
72. The anamnesis goes by the name of Prakriti in
dreamless slumber, and Chitta in the
other states. It is always
comprised of the insentient phase of the proclivities of
the mind and the sentient phase of intelligence.
Chapter XIV
73. When the proclivities still remain in abeyance
without being used up, its totality is called avyakta
(unmanifested); differences arise only in chitta.
There is
no difference among individuals in sleep and so it is
prakriti, the
same assuming the name of chitta when
differences manifest.
[Note: Sleep is characterised by undifferentiation and
so it is the same for all, irrespective of propensities
of the
mind. Simultaneous with the awareness of the body the
other
states manifest. Individual enjoyments — pleasure and
pain
— lie only in the wakeful and dream states, according as
the
innate tendencies of the mind mature and yield fruits.
When
one crop is over, sleep supervenes, and then there is no
enjoyment and no distinction according to crops. As the
anamnesis is ready with the next crop, sleep is shaken
off and
differences arise. So it is clear how the one
undifferentiated
condition manifests as the universe in all its diversity
and
resolves into itself periodically.]
75. Therefore the mind (chitta) is purusha (the
individual)
when the sentient phase is assertive, and the same is
avyakta (unmanifest)
when prakriti (nature), the insentient
phase, is assertive.
76. That chitta is tripartite according to its functions,
namely, ego, intellect and mind.
77. When influenced by the three qualities, it manifests
in greater details as follows: by sattva (brightness),
it becomes
the five senses, hearing, sight, touch, taste and smell;
by
rajas (activity)
speech, hands, feet, organs of excretion
and of procreation; by tamas (darkness)
earth, air, fire,
water and ether.
78. The supreme intelligence coquettes with the
universe in this manner, remaining all the time
unaffected,
a witness of its own creation.
79. The present creation is the mental product of
Brahma or Hiranyagarbha, appointed creator by the
willforce
of the Primal Being, Sri Tripura.
80. The cognition ‘you’ and ‘I’ is the essence of any
kind of creation; such cognition is the manifestation of
transcendental consciousness; there cannot be any
difference (just as there is no difference in space,
bounded
by a pot or not bounded by it).
81. The diversities in creation are solely due to
qualifications
limiting the consciousness; these qualifications (e.g.,
body, limiting of age) are the mental imagery of the
creator
(consistent with the individual’s past merits). When the
creative will-force wears away there is dissolution and
complete
undifferentiation results.
82. As for your willpower, it is overpowered by the
Creator’s; when that impediment (Maya’s veiling)
is
surmounted by the methods already mentioned, your
willpower
will also become effective.
83. Time, space, gross creations, etc., appear in it
according to the imagery of the agent.
84-86. A certain period is only one day according to
my calculation, whereas it is twelve thousand years
according
to Brahma: The space covered by about two miles and a
Chapter XIV
half of Brahma is infinite according to me and covers a
whole universe. In this way, both are true and untrue at
the
same time.
87-88. Similarly also, imagine a hill within you, and
also time in a subtle sense. Then contemplate a whole
creation
in them; they will endure as long as your concentration
endures — even to eternity for all practical purposes, if
your
willpower be strong enough.
Therefore I say that this world is a mere figment of
imagination.
89. O King! It shines in the manifest conscious Self
within. Therefore what looks like the external world is
really an image on the screen of the mind.
90. Consciousness is thus the screen and the image,
and so yogis are enabled to see long distances of space and
realise long intervals of time.
91. They can traverse all distance in a moment and
can perceive everything as readily as a gooseberry in the
hollow of one’s palm.
92. Therefore recognise the fact that the world is
simply an image on the mirror of consciousness and
cultivate the contemplation of ‘I am’, abide as pure
being
and thus give up this delusion of the reality of the
world.
93-97. Then you will become like myself, one in
being, self-sufficient.
Dattatreya continued:
On hearing this discourse of the sage’s son, the king
overcame his delusion; his intellect became purified and
he understood the ultimate goal. Then he practised
samadhi, and
became self-contained, without depending
on any external agency, and led a long and happy life. He
ceased to identify himself with the body, and became
absolute as transcendental space until he was finally
liberated. So you see, Bhargava, that the universe is
only
a mental image, just as firm as one’s willpower, and no
more. It is not independent of the Self. Investigate the
matter yourself, and your delusion will gradually lose
hold
of you and pass off.
Thus ends the Chapter XIV on “The Story of the
Hill City” in Tripura
Rahasya.
CHAPTER XV
On What Need Be Known and Need Not
Be Known and on the Nature of the Self
1. On hearing Dattatreya relate the wonderful story
of the Hill
City, Parasurama
marvelled more and more.
2. He, with a clear mind, pondered over the teachings
of his Master, and then returned to him and asked him
again:
3. Lord, I have considered the purport of your teachings
in the shape of the magnificent stories you told me.
4. I understand that intelligence alone is real and
single,
and that objects are only unreal images like a city
reflected
in a mirror.
5. Her Transcendental Majesty, the Mahesvari, is that
Consciousness manifesting as Intelligence cognisant of
the
whole range of phenomena, beginning from the unmanifest
state of sleep and ending with this world, passing in
quick
succession within itself.
6. All these are apparently due to the self-sufficiency
of
that consciousness and they come into being without any
immediate cause. This much I have understood after deep
consideration.
7. But this intelligence is said to be beyond cognition
because it always remains as pure knowledge itself.
8. I do not see how it can be realised if it surpasses
knowledge. The goal is not achieved without realising it.
9. The goal is liberation. What is its nature? If one
can be liberated while alive, how is the course of his
emancipated life regulated, if that is at all possible?
10. There are Sages who are active. What is the relation
between the world of action and their pure conscious
being?
11. How can they engage in action while all the time
they inhere in absolute consciousness? Such consciousness
can be of only one kind, and liberation also can be only
one
in order to be effective.
12-17. How then are these differences noticed in the
lives of the Jnanis? Some of them are active;
some teach
scriptures; some worship deities; some abstract
themselves
into samadhi; some lead an austere life and emaciate themselves;
some give clear instructions to their disciples; some
rule kingdoms quite justly; some openly hold disputations
with other schools of thought; some write down their
teachings and experiences; others simulate ignorance; a
few
even do reprehensible and loathsome actions; but all of
them are famous as wise men in the world.
18. How can there be such differences in their
lives when there can be no difference in the state of
liberation common to all? Or are there grades in
knowledge and liberation?
19. Kindly enlighten me on these points, because I
am eager to learn the truth and submit to you as my sole
Teacher.
20. Thus requested, Dattatreya appeared pleased with
the questions and answered the worthy disciple as
follows:
Chapter XV
21. Worthy Rama! You are indeed fit to reach that goal
because you have now turned towards the right way of
investigation.
22. This is due to the grace of God which puts you in
the right way of investigation. Who can attain anything
worthy, without divine grace?
23. The beneficent work of the self-inhering divine grace
is finished when the inward turning of one’s mind
increases
in strength day by day.
24-25. What you have said so far is quite true; you have
rightly understood the nature of consciousness but have
not
realised it. A knowledge of the property of a thing
without
actual experience of the thing itself is as useless as no
knowledge.
26. True experience of the Self is the unawareness of
even ‘I am’. Can the world persist after such unawareness?
Second-hand knowledge is no better than the recollection
of a dream.
27. Just as the accession of treasure in a dream is
useless,
so also is second-hand knowledge.
28. I shall illustrate it with a very ancient story.
There
was formerly an extremely virtuous king ruling over
Videha.
29. He was Janaka by name, very wise and conversant
with both this world and beyond. At one time he
worshipped
with sacrificial rites the Goddess, inhering as the Self.
30. There came for the occasion all the Brahmins,
pandits, hermits, critics, those versed in the Vedas,
those
accustomed to share in sacrificial rites and sacrifices,
etc.
31. At the same time, Varuna, the God of waters,
wanted to perform a similar sacrifice, but worthy men did
not accept the invitation.
32-37. For they were pleased with Janaka who
respected them duly.
Then Varuna’s son, who was a great dialectician, came
to them. He disguised himself as a Brahmin, in order to
decoy the Brahmin guests. On entering the royal chamber
he duly blessed the king and addressed him thus before
all
the assembly: O King, your assembly is not as good as it
should be. It looks like a lovely lake of lotuses ravaged
by
crows, jackdaws and herons; it would be better without
this medley of incompetents. I do not find a single
individual here who will be an ornament to a great
assembly
like a swan to a lovely lake of lotuses. May God bless
you!
I shall have nothing to do with this multitude of fools.
38-41. Being thus insulted by Varuna’s son, the whole
assembly stood up to the man and said in anger: You
charlatan of a Brahmin! How dare you insult everybody
here? What learning have you which is wanting in us?
Wicked man that you are, you are only a bluffer! You
shall
not leave this place until you have proved your
superiority
over us. There are great pandits assembled here from all
over the world. Do you hope to subdue all of them by
your learning? Tell us your special subject in which you
imagine yourself more proficient than us!
Thus challenged, Varuni replied:
42-43. I will in a minute outdo you all in debate; but
that shall be only on the condition that if I am
defeated,
Chapter XV
you will throw me into the sea; and if you are defeated,
I
will consign you to the sea, one after another. If you
agree
to this condition, let us have a debate.
44-45. They consented and the debate began in right
earnest. The pandits were shortly defeated by the
fallacious
logic of the opponent and they were sunk in the sea by
hundreds.
46. Varuna’s followers then took away the sunken
pandits to his sacrifice where they were received with
respect, which much pleased them.
47. There was one by name Kahoela, among those
who were thus sunk. His son Ashtavakra, having heard of
his father’s fate, hastened to Janaka’s court and
challenged
the debater skilled in fallacy. The masquerader was now
defeated and straightaway condemned to the sea by the
young avenger. Then Varuni threw off his mask in the
court and restored back all the men formerly drowned in
the sea. Kahoela’s son was now puffed with pride and
behaved offensively before the assembled court. The
pandits were made to feel mortified before the youth.
51-52. Just then, a female ascetic appeared in their
midst, to whom the offended assembly looked for help.
Encouraging them in their hopes, the charming maiden
with matted locks and hermit’s clothes was highly
honoured
by the king and she spoke in sweet and yet firm tones:
53. Oh child! Son of Kahoela! You are indeed very
accomplished, for these Brahmins have been rescued by
you after you defeated Varuni in debate.
54-56. I want to ask of you a short question, to which
please give a straight answer, explicit and unreserved.
What
is that condition reaching which there will be all-round
immortality; knowing which all doubts and uncertainties
will disappear; and established in which all desires will
vanish? If you have realised that unbounded state, please
tell me directly.
Being approached by the ascetic, the son of Kaheola
replied with confidence:
57-58. I know it. Listen to what I say. There is nothing
in the world not known to me. I have studied all the
sacred
literature with great care. Therefore hear my answer.
59-63 What you ask is the primal and efficient cause
of the universe, being itself without beginning, middle
or
end, and unaffected by time and space. It is pure,
unbroken,
single Consciousness. The whole world is manifested in it
like a city in a mirror. Such is that transcendental
state. On
realising it, one becomes immortal; there is no place for
doubts and uncertainties, as there is none at the sight
of a
reflection in a mirror; there is no more reason for
ignorance
as at the sight of innumerable reflected images; and
there
will be no more room for desire, because transcendence is
then experienced.
It is also unknowable because there is no one to know
it, besides itself.
Ascetic! I have now told you the truth as contained
in the scriptures.
64-71. After Ashtavakra had finished, the hermit
spoke again: Young Sage! What you say, is rightly said
Chapter XV
and accepted by all. But I draw your attention to that
part
of your answer where you admitted its unknowability for
want of a knower outside of consciousness; and also that
its knowledge confers immortality and perfection. How
are these two statements to be reconciled? Either admit
that consciousness is unknowable, is not known to you,
and thus conclude its nonexistence; or say that it is,
and
that you know it — and therefore it is not unknowable.
You evidently speak from second-hand knowledge,
gathered from the scriptures. Clearly, you have not
realised
it and so your knowledge is not personal.
Think now — your words amount to this: You have
a personal knowledge of the images but not of the mirror.
How can that be?
Tell me now if you are not ashamed of this
prevarication before King Janaka and his assembly.
Being thus reprimanded by the ascetic, he could not
speak for some time because he felt mortified and
ashamed;
so he remained with bent head thinking it over.
72-73. However, the Brahmin youth could not find
any satisfactory answer to her question, so he submitted
to her in great humility: O Ascetic! Truly I cannot find
the answer to your question. I submit to you as your
disciple. Pray tell me how the two scriptural statements
are to be reconciled. But I assure you that I have not
told
a deliberate lie, for I know that any merits a liar may
have
are counteracted by his lies so that he is condemned as
unworthy.
74. Thus requested, the ascetic was pleased with
Ashtavakra’s sincerity and said to him, in the hearing of
the assembly:
75-84. Child, there are many who being ignorant of
this sublime truth, live in a state of delusion. Dry
polemics
will not help one to Reality, for it is well guarded on
all
sides. Of all the people now assembled here, no one has
experienced Reality, except the king and myself. It is
not
a subject for discussion. The most brilliant logic can
only
approach it but never attain it. Although unaffected by
logic coupled with a keen intellect, it can however be
realised by service to one’s Guru and the grace of God.
O thou who art thyself the son of a Sage, listen to me
carefully, for this is hard to understand even when
hearing
it explained. Hearing it a thousand times over will be
useless unless one verifies the teachings by means of
investigation into the Self with a concentrated mind.
Just
as a prince labours under a misapprehension that the
string
of pearls still clinging to his neck has been stolen away
by
another and is not persuaded to the contrary by mere
words but only believes when he finds it around his neck
by his own effort, so also, O youth, however clever a man
may be, he will never know his own self by the mere
teaching
of others unless he realises it for himself. Otherwise he
can
never realise the Self if his mind is turned outward.
85. A lamp illumines all around but does not illumine
itself or another light. It shines of itself without
other
sources of light. Things shine in sunlight without the
necessity for any other kind of illumination. Because
lights
Chapter XV
do not require to be illumined, do we say that they are
not known or that they do not exist?
Therefore, as it is with lights, thus are things made
aware by the conscious self. What doubt can you have
regarding abstract consciousness, namely the Self?
Lights and things being insentient, cannot be selfaware.
Still, their existence or manifestation is under no
doubt. That means they are self-luminous. Can you not
similarly investigate with an inward mind in order to
find out if the all-comprehending Self is conscious or
not
conscious?
That Consciousness is absolute and transcends the
three states (wakefulness, dream and deep sleep) and
comprises all the universe making it manifest. Nothing
can be apprehended without its light.
Will anything be apparent to you, if there be no
consciousness? Even to say that nothing is apparent to
you (as in sleep) requires the light of consciousness. Is
not
your awareness of your unawareness (in sleep) due to
consciousness?
If you infer its eternal light, then closely investigate
whether the light is of itself or not. Everybody fails in
this investigation however learned and proficient he may
be, because his mind is not bent inward but restlessly
moves outward. As long as thoughts crop up, so long
has the turning inward of the mind not been
accomplished. As long as the mind is not inward, so
long the Self cannot be realised. Turning inward means
absence of desire. How can the mind be fixed within if
desires are not given up?
Therefore become dispassionate and inhere as the
Self. Such inherence is spontaneous (no effort is needed
to inhere as the Self ). It is realised after thoughts
are
eliminated and investigation ceases. Recapitulate your
state after you break off from it, and then you will know
all and the significance of its being knowable and
unknowable at the same time. Thus realising the
unknowable,
one abides in immortality for ever and ever.
I have now finished. Salutations to you! Farewell!
But you have not yet understood my words because
this is the first time you have heard the truth. This
king,
the wisest among men, can make you understand. So ask
him again and he will clear your doubts.
When she had finished, she was honoured by the
king and the whole assembly, and then she instantly
dissolved in air and disappeared from human sight.
I have now related to you, O Rama, the method of
Self-realisation.
Thus ends the Chapter XV on “Ashtavakra Section”
in Tripura
Rahasya.
CHAPTER XVI
On Consciousness, Control of Mind,
and Sleep
1. When Parasurama had heard the story, he marvelled
greatly and requested his Master to continue:
2-5. Lord, this ancient legend is marvellous. Please tell
me what Ashtavakra asked the king next, and the
instructions
he received. I had not hitherto heard this story, full of
sublime
truths. Please continue the story. Master, I am anxious
to hear it in full.
Being so requested, Dattatreya, the great Sage and
Master, continued the holy narrative: Listen, O Bhargava,
to the discourse with Janaka.
6-7. On the departure of the holy ascetic from their
vision, Ashtavakra, the son of a Sage, asked Janaka who
was
surrounded by a whole group of pandits, the full
explanation
of the ascetic’s brief but recondite speech. I shall now
tell
you Janaka’s reply, to which you must listen attentively.
8-9. Ashtavakra asked: O King of Videha, I have not
clearly understood the teaching of the ascetic because of
its
brevity. Please explain to me then, Lord of mercy, how I
shall
know the unknowable.
Being thus asked, Janaka, as if surprised, replied:
10-13. O thou son of a Sage, listen to me! It is neither
unknowable nor remains unknown at any moment. Tell me
how even the ablest of Masters can guide one to something
which always remains unknown. If a Guru can teach, it
means that he knows what he says. This transcendental
state is quite easy or may be well-nigh impossible
according
as one’s mind is inward bent in peace or out moving in
restlessness. It cannot be taught if it always remains
unknown.
14. The fact that the Vedas point to it only indirectly
as ‘not this — not this’ shows that the knowledge can be
imparted to others.
Whatever you see becomes known by the very
Abstract Intelligence.
15-19. Now carefully analyse the underlying consciousness
which, though abstract and apart from material
objects, yet illumines them all the same. Know it to be
the truth. O Sage! What is not self-luminous can only
fall
within the orbit of intelligence and cannot be
Intelligence
itself. Intelligence is that by which objects are known;
it
cannot be what it is if it becomes the object of
knowledge.
What is intelligible must always be different from
Intelligence
itself, or else it could not be made known by it.
Intelligence in the abstract cannot admit of parts, which
is the characteristic of objects. Therefore objects take
on
shapes. Carefully watch absolute intelligence after eliminating
all else from it.
20. Just as a mirror takes on the hues of images, so
also the abstract Intelligence assumes the different
shapes
of objects, by virtue of its holding them within itself.
Chapter XVI
21. Abstract Intelligence can thus be made manifest by
eliminating from it all that can be known. It cannot be
known as such and such, for it is the supporter of one
and all.
22. This, being the Self of the seeker, is not
cognisable.
Investigate your true Self in the aforesaid manner.
[Note: There is no other agent to know the Self nor
light by which to know it.]
23. You are not the body, nor the senses, nor the
mind, because they are all transient. The body is
composed
of food, so how can you be the body?
24. For the sense of ‘I’ (ego) surpasses the body, the
senses and the mind, at the time of the cognition of
objects.
[Commentary:
The Self always flashes as ‘I’ due to its
self-luminosity. The body and such things do not. The ‘I’
surpasses the body, etc., simultaneously with the
perception
of objects, for the bodily conception does not exist with
the perception of objects. Otherwise the two perceptions
must be coeval.]
The contention may be made that the eternal flash of
the Self as ‘I’ is not apparent at the time of the
perception
of objects. If ‘I’ did not shine forth at the time, the
objects
would not be perceived, just as they are invisible in the
absence of light. Why is not the flash apparent?
Perceptibility
is always associated with insentient matter. Who else
could
see the self-luminosity of the Self? It cannot shine in
absolute
singleness and purity. However it is there as ‘I’.
Moreover everyone feels ‘I see the objects’. If it were
not for the eternal being of ‘I’, there would always
arise
the doubt if I am
or if I am not, which is absurd.
Nor should it be supposed that ‘I’ is of the body, at
the time of perception of objects. For, perception
implies
the assumption of that shape by the intellect, as is
evident
when identifying the body with the Self.
Nor again should it be said that at the time of
perception
‘I am so and so, Chaitra’ — the Chaitra sense overreaches
the
‘I’ sense, but the ‘I’ sense is never lost by the Chaitra
sense.
There is the continuity of ‘I’ in deep slumber and in
samadhi.
Otherwise after sleep a man would get up as
somebody else.
The contention is possible that in deep sleep and
samadhi, the
Self remains unqualified and therefore is not
identical with the limited consciousness of the ego ‘I’
in
the wakeful state. The answer is as follows: ‘I’, is of
two
kinds — qualified and unqualified. Qualification implies
limitations whereas its absence implies its unlimited
nature.
‘I’ is associated with limitations in dream and wakeful
states, and it is free from them in deep slumber and samadhi
states.
In that case is the ‘I’ in samadhi or
sleep associated
with threefold division of subject, object and their
relation?
No! Being pure and single, it is unblemished and persists
as ‘I-I’, and nothing else. The same is Perfection.
25. Whereas Her Majesty the Absolute Intelligence
is ever resplendent as ‘I’, therefore She is all and
everknowing.
You are She, in the abstract.
26. Realise it yourself by turning your sight inward.
You are only pure abstract Consciousness. Realise it this
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instant, for procrastination is not worthy of a good
disciple.
He should realise the Self at the moment of instruction.
27. Your eyes are not meant by the aforesaid word
sight. The
mental eye is meant, for it is the eye of the eye,
as is clear in dreams.
28. To say that the sight is turned inward is appropriate
because perception is possible only when the sight is
turned
towards the object.
29-31. The sight must be turned away from other
objects and fixed on a particular object in order to see
it.
Otherwise that object will not be perceived in entirety.
The fact that the sight is not fixed on it is the same as
not
seeing it. Similarly is it with hearing, touch, etc.
32. The same applies to the mind in its sensations of
pain and pleasure, which are not felt if the mind is
otherwise engaged.
33. The other perceptions require the two conditions,
namely, elimination of other objects and concentration
on the one. But Self-realisation differs from them in
that
it requires only one condition: elimination of all
perceptions.
34. I shall tell you the reason for this. Although
consciousness
is unknowable, it is still realisable by pure mind.
35-45. Even the learned are perplexed on this point.
External perceptions of the mind are dependent on two
conditions.
The first is elimination of other perceptions and the
second is fixation on the particular item of perception.
If
the mind is simply turned away from other perceptions,
the mind is in an indifferent state, where there is
absence
of any kind of perception. Therefore concentration on a
particular item is necessary for the perception of
external
things. But since consciousness is the Self and not apart
from the mind, concentration on it is not necessary for
its realisation. It is enough that other perceptions
(namely,
thoughts) should be eliminated from the mind and then
the Self will be realised.
If a man wants to pick out one particular image among
a series of images passing in front of him, as
reflections on
a mirror, he must turn his attention away from the rest
of
the pictures and fix it on that particular one.
If on the other hand, he wants to see the space
reflected,
it is enough that he turns away his attention from the
pictures
and the space manifests without any attention on his
part, for, space is immanent everywhere and is already
reflected
there. However it has remained unnoticed because the
interspatial images dominated the scene.
Space being the supporter of all and immanent in all,
becomes manifest if only the attention is diverted from
the panorama. In the same way, consciousness is the
supporter of all and is immanent in all and always
remains
perfect like space, pervading the mind also. Diversion of
attention from other items is all that is necessary for
Selfrealisation.
Or do you say that the Self-illuminant can
ever be absent from any nook or corner?
46. There can indeed be no moment or spot from
which consciousness is absent. Its absence means their
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absence also. Therefore consciousness of the Self becomes
manifest by mere diversion of attention from things or
thoughts.
47. Realisation of Self requires absolute purity only
and no concentration of mind. For this reason, the Self
is
said to be unknowable (meaning not objectively
knowable).
48. Therefore it was also said that the sole necessity
for Self-realisation is purity of mind. The only impurity
of the mind is thought. To make it thought-free is to
keep
it pure.
49. It must now be clear to you why purity of mind
is insisted upon for Realisation of Self. How can the
Self
be realised in its absence?
50-51. Or, how is it possible for the Self not to be
found gleaming in the pure mind? All the injunctions in
the scriptures are directed towards this end alone. For
instance, unselfish action, devotion and dispassion have
no other purpose in view.
52. Because transcendental consciousness, viz., the
Self, is manifest only in the stain-free mind.
After Janaka had spoken thus, Ashtavakra continued
to ask:
53-54. O King, if it is as you say that the mind made
passive by elimination of thoughts is quite pure and
capable
of manifesting Supreme Consciousness, then sleep will
do it by itself, since it satisfies your condition and
there is
no need for any kind of effort.
55. Thus questioned by the Brahmin youth, the king
replied: I will satisfy you on this point. Listen
carefully.
56-63. The mind is truly abstracted in sleep. But
then its light is screened by darkness, so how can it
manifest
its true nature? A mirror covered with tar does not
reflect
images, but can it reflect space also? Is it enough, in
that
case, that images are eliminated in order to reveal the
space reflected in the mirror? In the same manner, the
mind is veiled by the darkness of sleep and rendered
unfit
for illumining thoughts. Would such eclipse of the mind
reveal the glimmer of consciousness?
Would a chip of wood held in front of a single object
to the exclusion of all others reflect the object simply
because all others are excluded? Reflection can only be
on
a reflecting surface and not on all surfaces. Similarly
also,
realisation of the Self can only be with an alert mind and
not with a stupefied one. Newborn babes have no
realisation of the Self for want of alertness.
Moreover, pursue the analogy of a tarred mirror. The
tar may prevent the images from being seen, but the
quality
of the mirror is not affected, for the outer coating of
tar
must be reflected in the interior of the mirror. So also
the
mind, though diverted from dreams and wakefulness, is
still in the grip of dark sleep and not free from
qualities.
This is evident by the recollection of the dark ignorance
of sleep when one wakes.
64. I will now tell you the distinction between sleep
and samadhi. Listen attentively.
There are two states of mind:
Om Tat Sat
(Continued...)
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