section V - chapter 1 2 - bhogas tyakttum na sakyante tat tyagena vina vayam prabhavamo na vipadam aho sankatam agatam (2/21)
Valmiki said:
The people (including the gods, demi-gods, and sages, and the members of the royal court) listened to sage Vasistha 's words of wisdom with total attention. The emperor Dasaratha and his ministers had for the time being abandoned their royal preoccupations and pleasures, intent on absorbing the teachings of the sage. At noon, the conches gave the timesignal, and the assembly rose for the midday interval. In the evening, the congregation was given leave to retire for the day. And, as the kings and the princes rose to leave the court, their dazzling ornaments illumined it. The court itself appeared to be a miniature universe.
When the assembly had thus dispersed, the king Dasaratha duly worshipped the sages and received their blessings. After this, Vasistha gave leave to the princes, Rama and his brothers, to retire for the day. They too, fell at the sage's feet, and received his blessings.
When night fell, all except Rama retired to bed. But, Rama could not sleep.
Rama contemplated the illuminating words of the sage Vasistha thus:
What is this world-appearance? Who are all these different kinds of people and other beings? How do they appear here, from where do they come, and where do they go? What is the nature of the mind and how does it attain quiescence? How did this Maya (cosmic illusion) arise in the first place, and how does it come to an end? Again, is such an end to this illusion desirable or undesirable? How has limitation entered into the infinite self ?
What exactly are the means that the sage Vasistha has prescribed for the conquest of the senses and the mind? They are surely the sources of sorrow. It is impossible to abandon enjoyment of pleasure, and it is not possible to end sorrow without abandoning such enjoyment. This indeed is a problem. But, since the mind is the crucial factor in all this, surely if the mind once tastes the supreme peace, freed of all world-illusion, it will not abandon that and run after sense-pleasure.
Oh, when will my mind be pure, and when will it rest in the supreme being? When will my mind rest in the infinite, even as a wave is reabsorbed in the ocean? When will I be free of all craving? When will I be blessed with equal vision? When will I be rid of this terrible fever of worldliness?
O mind, will you really remain firmly established in the wisdom revealed by the great sages? O my intellect, you are my friend. Contemplate the teachings of sage Vasistha in such a way that we shall both be saved from the miseries of this worldly existence.
section V - chapter 3 4 - yad yad raghava samyati mahajana saparyaya dinam tad iha salokam sesastv andha dinalayah (4/12)
Valmiki continued:
When the day dawned, Rama and the others got up, and performed their morning religious functions, and went over to the residence of the sage Vasistha. The sage himself had by then concluded his own dawn prayers, and was in deep meditation. When he rose, he and the others ascended a chariot, and drove to the palace of king Dasaratha. As they entered the royal court, the king walked three paces to receive them with due honour. Soon after this, all the other members of the assembly (the gods, the demi-gods, the sages, and others) entered the assembly, and took up their respective places.
Opening the day's proceedings, Dasaratha said:
O blessed Lord, I hope you have thoroughly recovered from the strain of yesterday's discourse. For our part, we feel highly elevated by the words of supreme wisdom that you uttered yesterday. Surely, the words of enlightened sages dispel the sorrows of all beings and bestow bliss upon them. They drive away the impurities caused in us by our own evil deeds. The evil tendencies like craving, greed, etc., are weakened by your wisdom. Our deluded belief in the reality of this world-appearance is also provided with a powerful challenge.
O Rama, only that day on which such sages are worshipped can be regarded as fruitful. The other days are of darkness. This is your best opportunity: enquire and learn from the sage that which is worth learning.
Vasistha said:
O Rama, have you deeply contemplated the teachings I have communicated to you? Did you reflect over them during the night and have you inscribed them on the tablet of your heart? Do you remember that I said to you that the mind is man? Do you remember what I said about the creation of this universe in all its details? For it is only by frequent remembrance of such teachings that they attain clarity.
Rama said:
Lord, I have indeed done just that. Giving up sleep, I have spent the whole night meditating upon your enlightening words, endeavouring to see the truth that the words pointed to. Thus have I enshrined that truth in my heart. Who will not bear your teachings on his head, knowing that they confer the highest bliss on him? At the same time, they are extremely sweet to hear, they promote every type of auspiciousness, and they bring us the incomparable experience.
Hence, O Lord, I pray: resume your most excellent discourse.
section V - chapter 5 - he jana aparijnata atma vo duhkhasiddhaye parijnatastv anantaya sukhayopasamaya ca (23)
Vasistha said:
O Rama, kindly listen to this discourse on the dissolution of the universe and the attainment of supreme peace.
This seemingly unending world-appearance is sustained by impure (rajasa) and dull (tamasa) beings, even as a superstructure is sustained by pillars. But, it is playfully and easily abandoned by those who are of a pure nature, even as the slough is effortlessly abandoned by a snake. They who are of a pure (satva) nature, and they whose activities (rajas) are based on purity and light (satva), do not live their life mechanically, but enquire into the origin and the nature of this world-appearance. When such enquiry is conducted with the help of the right study of scriptures, and the company of holy ones, there arises a clear understanding within oneself, in which the truth is seen, as in the light of a lamp. Not until this truth is perceived, by oneself, for oneself, through such enquiry, is the truth seen truly. O Rama, you are indeed of a pure nature. Therefore, enquire into the nature of the truth and the falsehood, and be devoted to the truth. That which was not in the beginning, and which will cease to be after a time, how can that be regarded as truth? That alone can be regarded as the truth which has always been and which will always be.
Birth is of the mind, O Rama; and growth is mental, too. And, when the truth is clearly seen, it is mind that is liberated from its own ignorance. Hence, let the mind be led along the path of righteousness, by the prior study of the scriptures, company of the holy ones, and the cultivation of dispassion. Equipped with these, one should resort to the feet of a master (guru) whose wisdom is perfected. By faithfully adhering to the teachings of the master, one gradually attains to the plane of total purity.
Rama, behold the self by the self through pure enquiry, even as the cool moon perceives the entire space. One is tossed around over the waters of this illusory world-appearance like a piece of straw, only as long us one does not get into the secure boat of self-enquiry. Even as particles of sand floating in water settle down when the water is absolutely steady, the mind of the man who has gained the knowledge of the truth settles down in total peace. Once this knowledge of the truth is gained, it is not lost. Even if a piece of gold has lain in a heap of ashes, the goldsmith finds no problem in seeing it. When the truth has not been known, there may be confusion. But once it is known, there can be no confusion. Ignorance of the self is the cause of your sorrow; knowledge of the self leads to delight and tranquility.
section V - chapter 5 - yatha rajobhir gaganam yatha kamalam ambubhih na lipyate hi samslistair dehair atma tathaiva ca (31)
Vasistha continued:
Resolve the confusion between the body and the self, and you will be at peace at once. Even as a nugget of gold fallen into mud is never spoiled by the mud, the self is untainted by the body. I repeat, with uplifted arms I proclaim, "The self is one thing, and the body is another, even as the water and the lotus", but no one listens to me! As long as the inert and insentient mind pursues the path of pleasure, so long this darkness of world-illusion cannot be dispelled. But, the moment one awakens from this, and enquires into the nature of the self, this darkness is dispelled at once. Hence, one should constantly endeavour to awaken the mind, which dwells in the body, in order that one may go beyond the process of becoming - for such becoming is fraught with sorrow.
Even as the sky is not affected by the dust-particles floating in it, the self is unaffected by the body. Pleasure and pain are falsely imagine to be experienced by oneself, even as one falsely thinks that 'the sky is polluted by dust' . In fact, pleasure and pain are neither of the body nor of the self which transcends everything; they belong only to ignorance. Their loss is no loss. Neither pleasure nor pain belong to anyone. All indeed is the self, which is supreme peace and infinite. Realise this, O Rama.
The self and the world are neither identical nor are they different (dual). All this is but the reflection of the truth. Nothing but the one Brahman exists. 'I am different from this' is pure fancy; give it up, O Rama. The one self perceives itself within itself as the infinite consciousness. Therefore, there is no sorrow, no delusion, no birth (creation), nor creature; whatever is, is. Be free from distress, O Rama. Be free of duality; remain firmly established in the self, abandoning even concern for your own welfare. Be at peace within, with a steady mind. Let there be no sorrow in your mind. Rest in the inner silence. Remain alone, without selfwilled thoughts. Be brave, having conquered the mind and the senses. Be desireless, content with what comes to you unsought. Live effortlessly, without grabbing or giving up anything. Be free from all mental perversions and from the blinding taint of illusion. Rest content in your own self. Thus, be free from all distress. Remain in an expansive state in the self, like the full ocean. Rejoice in the self by the self, like the blissful rays of the full moon.
section V - chapter 6 7 - kecittvakarmani rata virats api karmanah narakannarakam yanti duhkhad duhkham bhayadbhayam (6/3)
Vasistha continued:
O Rama, he who knows that all the activities merely happen because of the mere existence of consciousness - even as a crystal reflects the objects around it without intending to do so - is liberated. They who, even after taking this human birth, are not interested in such non-volitional activity, go from heaven to hell, and from hell to heaven again.
Some there are who are devoted to inaction, having turned away from or suppressed all action. They go from hell to hell, from sorrow to sorrow, from fear to fear. Some are bound by their tendencies and intentions to the fruits of their own actions; and they take birth as worms and vermin, then as trees and plants, then as worms and vermin again. Others there are who know the self; blessed indeed are they. They have carefully enquired into the nature of the mind and overcome all cravings: they go to higher planes of consciousness.
He who has taken birth for the last time now, is endowed with a mixture of light (satva) and a little impurity (rajas). Right from birth he grows in holiness. The nobler type of knowledge enters into him with ease. All the noble qualities like friendliness, compassion, wisdom, goodness, and magnanimity, seek him, and take their abode in him. He performs all appropriate actions, but is not swayed if their results appear to be gain or loss, nor does he feel elated or depressed. His heart is clear. He is much sought after by the people.
Such a one, who is fill of all the noble qualities, seeks and follows an enlightened master, who directs him along the path of self-knowledge. He then realises the self, which is the one cosmic being. Such a liberated one awakens the inner intelligence, which has been asleep so far. And, this awakened intelligence instantly knows itself to be the infinite consciousness. Becoming constantly aware of the inner light, such a blessed one instantly ascends into the utterly pure state.
Such is the normal course of evolution, O Rama. However, there are exceptions to this rule. In the case of those who have taken birth in this world, two possibilities exist for the attainment of liberation. The first is: treading the path indicated by the master, the seeker gradually reaches the goal of liberation. The second is: self-knowledge literally drops into one's lap, as it were, and there is instant enlightenment.
I shall narrate to you an ancient legend which illustrates the second type of enlightenment. Please listen.
1. The Story of King Janaka
section V - chapter 8 - upasamasukhamaharet pavitram sasamavatah samameti sadhucetah prasamitamanasah svake svarupe bhavati sukhe sthitiruttama ciraya (8/18)
Vasistha continued:
O Rama, there is a great monarch whose vision is unlimited, who rules over the Videha territory; he is known as Janaka. To those who seek his aid, he is a cornucopia. In his very presence, the heart-lotuses of his friends blossom; he is like unto a sun for them. He is a great benefactor to all good people.
One day, he went to a pleasure-garden where he roamed freely. While he was thus roaming, he heard the inspiring words uttered by certain holy, perfected ones.
Thus did the perfected sages sing:
We contemplate that self which reveals itself as the pure experience of bliss when the seer (the experiences) comes into contact with the object (the experience), without a
division or conceptualisation.
We contemplate the self in which the objects are reflected non-volitionally, once the divided experience (predicate) of subject-object and the intention or volition that created this division have all ceased.
We contemplate that light that illumines all that shines, the self that transcends the twin concepts of 'is' and 'is not', and which therefore'is 'in the middle' of the two sides, as it were.
We contemplate that reality in which everything exists, to which everything belongs, from which everything has emerged, which is the cause of everything, and which is everything.
We contemplate the self which is the very basis of all language and expression, being the alpha and the omega, which covers the entire field from 'a' to 'ha', and which is indicated by the word 'aham' ('I').
Alas, people run after other objects, foolishly giving up the Lord who dwells in the cave of one's own heart. He who, having known the worthlessness of the objects, still remains bound at heart to them, is not a human being!
One should strike down every craving with the rod of wisdom, whether that craving has arisen or is about to rise in the heart.
One should enjoy the delight that flows from peace. The man whose mind is well-controlled, is firmly established in peace. When the heart is thus established in peace, there arise the pure bliss of the self without delay.
section V - chapter 9 - arajjureva baddho ham apanko smi kalankitah patito smyuparistho pi ha mamatman hata sthitih (16)
Vasistha continued:
Having heard the words of the sages, king Janaka became terribly depressed. With the utmost expedition, he retraced his steps to the palace. Quickly dismissing all his attendants, he sought the seclusion of his own chamber.
In a mood of intense anguish, King Janaka said to himself:
Alas, alas, I am helplessly swinging like a stone in this world of misery. What is the duration of a life-span in eternity; yet, I have developed a love for it! Fie on the mind. What is sovereignty even during a whole life-time? Yet, like a fool, I think I cannot do without it! This lifespan of mine is but a trivial moment - eternity stretches before and after it. How shall I cherish it now?
Ah, who is that magician who has spread this illusion called the world, and thus deluded me? How is it that I am so deluded? Realising that what is near and what is far is all in my mind, I shall give up the apprehension of all external objects. Knowing that all the busy-ness in this world leads only to endless suffering, what hope shall I cherish for happiness? Day after day, month after month, year after year, moment after moment, I see happiness comes to me bearing sorrow, and sorrow comes to me again and again!
Whatever is seen or experienced here is subject to change and destruction. There is nothing whatsoever in this world which the wise would rely on. They who are exalted today are trodden under foot tomorrow. O foolish mind, what shall we trust in this world?
Alas, I am bound without a cord; I am tainted without impurity; I am fallen, though remaining at the top. O my self, what a mystery! Even as the ever-brunt sun suddenly faces a cloud floating in front of him, I find this strange delusion mysteriously floating towards me. Who are these friends and relatives, what are these pleasures? Even as a boy seeing a ghost is frightened, I am deluded by these fanciful relatives. Knowing all such relatives as cords that bind me to this old age, death, etc., I still cling to them. Let these relatives continue or perish; what is it to me? Great events and great men have come and gone, leaving just a memory behind; on what shall one place reliance even now? Even the gods and the trinity have come and gone a million times; what is permanent in this universe? It is vain hope that binds one to this nightmare known as worldappearance. Fie on this wretched condition.
section V - chapter 9 - kakataliyayogena sampannayam jagatsthitau dhurtena kalpita vyartham heyopadeyabhavana (49)
King Janaka continued:
I am like an ignorant fool, deluded by the goblin known as the ego-sense which creates the false feeling "I am so-and-so". Knowing full well that Time has trampled under foot countless gods and trinities, I still entertain love for life. Days and nights are spent in vain cravings, but not in the experience of the bliss of infinite consciousness. I have gone from sorrow to greater sorrow, but dispassion does not arise in me.
What shall I regard as excellent or desirable, seeing that whatever one cherished in this world has passed away, leaving one miserable. Day by day, people in this world grow in sin and violence, hence day by day they experience greater sorrow. Childhood is wasted in ignorance, youth is wasted in lusting after pleasures, and the rest of one' s life is spent in family worries. What does a stupid person achieve in this life?
Even if one performs great religious rites, one may go to heaven - nothing more. What is heaven, is it on earth or in the netherworld, and is there a place which is untouched by affliction? Sorrow brings happiness, and happiness brings sorrow on its shoulders! The pores of the earth are filled by the dead bodies of beings; hence it looks solid!
There are beings in this universe whose winking is of the duration of an epoch. What is my life-span in comparison? Of course, there appear to be delightful and enduring objects in this world, but they bring with them endless worries and anxieties! Prosperity is truly adversity, and adversity may be desirable depending upon the effect upon the mind. Mind alone is the seed for this delusion of world-appearance. It is the mind that gives rise to the false sense of 'I' and 'mine'.
In this world which appears to have been created, even as the fruit of cocoanut-palm might appear to have been dislodged by a crow which coincidentally happens to alight on the tree at that moment, sheer ignorance generates feelings like 'this I should have' and 'this I should reject'. It is better to spend one's time in seclusion or in hell, than to live in this world-appearance.
Intention or motivation alone is the seed for this world-appearance. I shall dry up this motivation! I have enjoyed and suffered all kinds of experiences. Now I shall rest. I shall not grieve any more. I have been awakened. I shall slay this thief (the mind) who has stolen my wisdom. I have been well instructed by the sages. Now I shall seek self-knowledge.
section V - chapter 10 - sthite manasi niskame same vigataranjane kayavayavajau karyau spandaspandau phale samau (28)
Vasistha continued:
Seeing the king thus seated engrossed in deep contemplation, his bodyguard respectfully approached him and said: "Lord, it is time to consider your royal duties. Your Majesty's handmaiden awaits your pleasure, having prepared your perfumed bath. The holy priests await your arrival in the bath chamber, to commence the chanting of the appropriate hymns. Lord, arise, and let what has to be done be done. For, noble men are never unpunctual or negligent."
But the king ignored the bodyguard's words, and continued to muse:
What shall I do with this court and the royal duties, when I know that all these are ephemeral? They are useless to me. I shall renounce all activities and duties, and I shall remain immersed in the bliss of the self.
O mind, abandon your craving for sense-pleasures, so that you may be rid of the miseries of repeated old age and death. Whatever be the condition in which you hope to enjoy happiness, that very condition proves to be the source of unhappiness! Enough of this sinful, conditioned, pleasure-seeking life. Seek the delight that is natural and inherent in you.
Seeing that the king was silent, the bodyguard became silent, too.
The King once again said to himself:
What shall I seek to gain in this universe. On what eternal truth in this universe shall I rest with confidence? What difference does it make if I am engaged in ceaseless activity or if I remain idle? Nothing in this world is truly enduring in any case. Whether active or idle, this body is impermanent and ever-changing. When the intelligence is rooted in equanimity, what is lost and how?
I do not long for what I do not have, nor do I desire to abandon what has come to me unsought. I am firmly established in the self; let what is mine be mine! There is nothing that I should work for, nor is there any meaning in inaction. Whatever is gained by action or by inaction is false. When the mind is thus established in desirelessness when it does not seek pleasure, when the body and its limbs perform their natural functions, action and inaction are of equal value or meaning. Hence, let the body engage itself in its natural functions. Without such activity, the body will disintegrate. When the mind ceases to entertain the notions 'I do this' 'I enjoy this' in regard to the actions thus performed, action becomes non-action.
section V - chapter 11 - citta cancala samsara atmano na sukhaya te samamehi samac chantam sukham saram avapyate (5)
Vasistha continued:
Reflecting thus, king Janaka rose from his seat, as the sun rises in the horizon, and began to engage himself in the royal duties, without any attachment to them. Having abandoned all concepts of the desirable and the undesirable, freed from all psychological conditioning and intention, he engaged himself in spontaneous and appropriate action - as if in deep sleep, though wide awake. He performed the day's tasks, including the adoration of the holy ones; and, at the conclusion of the day, he retired to his own seclusion, to spend the night in deep meditation, which was easy and natural to him. His mind had naturally turned away from all confusion and delusion, and had become firmly established in equanimity. And, when he rose in the morning,
King Janaka thus reflected in his own mind:
O unsteady mind! This worldly life is not conducive to your true happiness. Hence, reach the state of equanimity. It is in such equanimity that you will experience peace, bliss and the truth. Whenever you create perverse thinking in yourself, out of your wantonness, it is then that this world illusion begins to expand and spread out. It is when you entertain desire for pleasure that this world-illusion sprouts countless branches. It is thought that gives rise to this network of world-appearance. Hence, abandon this whim and fancy, and attain to equanimity. Weigh in the balance of your wisdom, the sense pleasures on one side, and the bliss of peace on the other. Whatever you determine to be the truth, seek that. Give up all hopes and expectations, and freed from the wish to seek or to abandon, roam about freely. Let this world-appearance be real or unreal, let it arise or set. But, do not let its merits and demerits disturb your equanimity. For, at no time do you have a real relationship with this world-appearance. It is only because of your ignorance that such a relationship has appeared in you. O mind, you are false, and this world-appearance is also false. Hence, there is a mysterious relationship between you two - like the relationship between the barren woman and her son. If you think that you are real and that the world is unreal, how can a valid relationship exist between the two? On the other hand, if both are real, where then is the justification for exultation and sorrow? Hence, abandon sorrow, and resort to deep contemplation. There is naught here in this world which can lead you to the state of fullness. Hence, resolutely take refuge in courage and endurance, and overcome your own waywardness.
section V - chapter 12 - anamrstavikalpamsus cidatma vigatamayah udiyaya hrdakase tasya vyomniva bhaskarah (6)
Vasistha continued:
Having reached the understanding already described, Janaka functioned as the king, and did all that was necessary, without getting befuddled, and with a great strength of mind and spirit. His mind was not distracted by royal pleasures. In fact, he moved about as if he were continually in a state of deep sleep.
From then on, he was interested neither in accumulating nor in rejecting anything. Without any doubt or confusion, he lived in the present. His wisdom was uninterrupted, and his intelligence did not become clouded again by impurities. The light of self- knowledge (cid-atma) arose in his heart, free from the least taint of impurity and sorrow, even as the sun rises on the horizon. He beheld everything in the universe as existing in cosmic power (cid-sakti). Endowed with self-knowledge, he saw all things in the self, which is infinite. Knowing that all that happens, happens naturally, he neither experienced elation nor suffered depression, and remained in unbroken equanimity. Janaka had become a liberated one while still living (jivan-mukta).
Janaka continued to rule the kingdom, without his self-knowledge setting or rising again on account of the influence of the evil or the good prevalent around him. Remaining for
ever in the consciousness of the infinite, he experienced the state of non-action, even though he appeared to others to be ever busy in diverse actions. All his tendencies and intentions had ceased to be. Hence, though he appeared to be active, he was really in a state of deep sleep all the time.
He did not brood over the past, nor did he worry over the future. He lived in the present moment, smiling happily all the time.
Janaka attained whatever he did by dint of his own enquiry. Similarly, one should pursue the enquiry into the nature of truth till one reaches the very limits of such enquiry. Self-knowledge or knowledge of truth is not had by resorting to a guru (preceptor), nor by the study of scripture, nor by good works. It is attained only by means of enquiry inspired by the company of wise and holy men. One's inner light alone is the means, naught else. When this inner light is kept alive, it is not affected by the darkness of inertia.
section V - chapter 12 - prajnayeha jagat sarvam samyageva nga drsyate samyag darsanamayanti na pado na ca sampadah (38)
Vasistha continued:
Whatever sorrows there may be that seem to be difficult to overcome, are easily crossed over with the help of the boat of wisdom (the inner light). He who is devoid of this wisdom is bothered even by minor difficulties. But, he who has this wisdom, even if he is alone and helpless in this world, and even if he is unlearned in the scriptures, easily crosses the sea of sorrow. Even without the help of another, the man of wisdom accomplishes his work. He who is without wisdom does not - nay, even his capital is lost. Hence, one should constantly endeavour to gain this inner light or wisdom, even as one who aspires for fruits exerts constant effort in his garden. Wisdom is the root which, when thus constantly nourished, yields the good fruits of self-knowledge.
The effort and the energy that are directed by the people in worldly activities should first be directed to the gaining of this wisdom. One should first destroy the dullness of wit, which is the source of all sorrow and calamities, and which is the seed for this huge tree of world-appearance. And, whatever is gained in heaven or in the netherworld or by empires here, is gained by wisdom here and now. By wisdom is this ocean of worldappearance crossed over, not by charity, nor by pilgrimage, nor by austerities. Those men who are endowed with divine virtues here, gained them through wisdom. Even kings have gained their throne through wisdom. Wisdom is surely the path to heaven, as well as to supreme good or liberation.
It is by wisdom alone that a meek scholar wins in a contest against a powerful adversary. Wisdom or the inner light is like the legendary precious stone, O Rama, which bestows on its owner whatever he wishes to have. He who has this wisdom, reaches the other shore of this world-illusion easily. He who does not have this wisdom, drowns in world-illusion. When one's intelligence and understanding are properly guided by this inner light, one reaches the other shore; if not, one is overcome by obstacles.
Defects, desires, and evils, do not even approach that man of wisdom whose mind is undeluded. Through wisdom (in the inner light), the entire world is clearly seen as it is. Neither good fortune, nor misfortune, even approach one who has such clear vision. Even as the dense dark cloud that veils the sun is dispersed by wind, the darkness of ego-sense, which veils the self, is dispelled by wisdom (inner light). He who seeks to be established in the highest state of consciousness, should first purify his mind by the cultivation of wisdom, or by the kindling of the inner light, even as one who desires foodgrains tills the field.
section V - chapter 13 - ayameva hamityasmin sankoce vilayam gate anantabhuvanavyapi vistara upajayate (15)
Vasistha continued:
O Rama, thus do enquire into the nature of the self, even as Janaka did. Then you will reach, without any obstacle whatsoever, that realm of the knowers of what is to be known. Again and again, one should overcome the enemies known as the senses; and then the self attains self-satisfaction by its own endeavour. When thus the infinite self is realised, sorrow comes to an end, even the seeds of delusion are destroyed, the shower of misfortunes ceases, and the perception of evil ends. Hence, O Rama, be like Janaka, and realise the self in the inner light. Be an excellent person.
If one engages oneself in constant self-enquiry, and sees the ever-changing nature of the world, in due time, one will attain self-knowledge like Janaka. Neither god, nor rites and rituals (or any action), nor wealth, nor relatives, are of any use in this. To those who are afraid of the world-illusion, self-effort as self-enquiry alone is capable of bringing about selfknowledge. Pray, do not follow the teachings of those deluded ones who depend upon gods, various rites, and routine actions, and such other perverse practices. This ocean of world-appearance can be crossed only when you are firmly established in supreme wisdom, when you see the self with the self alone, and when your intelligence is not diverted or coloured by sense-perceptions.
Thus have I narrated to you how king Janaka attained self-knowledge, as if by an act of grace which caused the knowledge to drop from heaven, as it were. One who cultivates the wisdom that Janaka had, will experience the inner light in his own heart, and the ignorant fancy of world-illusion will be instantly dispelled. When the limited and conditioned feeling "I am so-and-so" ceases, there arises consciousness of the all-pervading infinite. Hence, O Rama, like Janaka, you too abandon the false and fanciful notion of the ego- sense within your own heart. When this ego-sense is dispelled, the supreme light of self- knowledge will surely shine in your heart. This ego-sense alone is the densest form of darkness. When it is dispelled, the inner light shines by itself. He who knows 'I am not', 'Nor does the other exist', "Nor is there non-existence', and whose mental activity has thus come to a standstill, is not engrossed in acquisitiveness. O Rama, there is no bondage here other than craving for acquisition, and the anxiety to avoid what one considers undesirable. Do not succumb to such anxiety, and do not let acquisition of what is considered desirable be your goal. Giving up both these attitudes, rest in what remains.
section V - chapter 13 - dhavamanam adhobhage cittam pratyahared balat pratyaharena patitam adho variva setuna (30)
Vasistha continued:
They in whom the twin-urges of acquisition and rejection have come to an end, do not desire anything, nor do they renounce anything. The mind does not reach the state of utter tranquillity till these two impulses (of acquisition and of rejection) have been eliminated. Even so, as long as one feels 'this is real' and 'this is unreal', the mind does not experience peace and equilibrium. How can equanimity, purity, or dispassion, arise in the mind of one who is swayed by thoughts of 'this is right', 'this is wrong' 'this is gain', 'this is loss'? When there is only one Brahman (which is forever one and the many), what can be said to be right and what wrong? As long as the mind is swayed by thoughts of the desirable and the undesirable, there cannot be equanimity.
Desirelessness (absence of all expectations), fearlessness, unchanging steadiness, equanimity, wisdom, non-attachment, non-action, goodness, total absence of perversion, courage, endurance, friendliness, intelligence, contentment, gentleness, pleasant speech - all these qualities are natural to one who is free from the instincts of acquisition and rejection; and even those qualities are non-intentional and spontaneous.
One should restrain the mind from flowing downward, even as the flow of a river is blocked by the construction of a dam. After having firmly abandoned all contact with external objects, turn the mind within, and reflect over everything within yourself, even while engaged in various activities. With the help of this sharp sword of wisdom, cut through this net-work of conditioning (which throws up cravings, intentions, motivations, acceptance and rejection), which alone is the cause of this stream of world-appearance.
Cut down the mind with the mind itself. Having reached the state of purity, remain established in it right now. Cut the mind down with the mind, and dismiss the thought of the mind which thus negates the mind; thus will you have finally destroyed the world- appearance. When thus the world appearance has been eliminated, delusion will not arise again, and the mind will not create the world-appearance again either. Though appearing to function in this world, be firmly rooted in the awareness of the unreality of all this, and thus give up all hopes and expectations. Rooted in equanimity, doing whatever happens to be the appropriate action in each given situation, and not even thinking about what has thus befallen you unsought, live a non-volitional life here. Even as the Lord may be said to be both the doer and the non-doer of all actions here, you, too, live non-volitionally - doing yet not doing what has to be done.
section V - chapter 13 - cetyena rahita yaisa cit tad brahma sanatanam cetyena sahita yaisa cit seyam kalanocyate (53)
Vasistha continued:
You are the knower of all, the self. You are the unborn being, you are the supreme Lord; you are non-different from the self which pervades everything. He who has abandoned the idea that there is an object of perception which is other than the self, is not subjected to the defects born of joy and grief. He is known as a yogi who is freed from attraction and aversion, to whom a clod of earth and a nugget of gold are of equal value and importance, and who has given up all the tendencies which confirm the world-appearance. Whatever he does, whatever he enjoys, whatever he gives and whatever he destroys, his consciousness is free and therefore equanimous in pain and pleasure. Doing whatever has to be done without the division into the desirable and the undesirable, he who engages himself in action does not drown in it.
He who is confirmed in his conviction that the infinite consciousness alone exists, is instantly freed from thoughts of pleasure and is therefore tranquil and self-controlled. The mind is by nature inert: it borrows intelligence from the consciousness which it pursues in order to gain the ability to experience. The mind thus comes into contact with whatever has been brought into being by the power or energy of consciousness (cit-sakti). Thus, the mind exists by the grace of consciousness, as it were; and it entertains various thoughts on account of its perception of this universe. The consciousness alone is its light: otherwise, how does the inert mind function intelligently?
They who are well versed in the scriptures declare that the fictitious movement of energy in consciousness is known as the mind. And, the expressions of the mind (like the hissing of the snake) are known as thoughts or ideas. Consciousness minus conceptualisation is the eternal Brahman the absolute; consciousness plus conceptualisation is thought. A small part of it, as it were, is seated in the heart as the reality. This is known as the finite intelligence or individualised consciousness. However, this limited consciousness soon 'forgot' its own essential conscious nature and continued to be, but inert. It then became the thinking faculty with reception and rejection as its inherent tendencies. In fact, it is the infinite consciousness alone that has become all this: but until it awakes to its infinite nature, it does not know itself in self-knowledge. Hence, the mind should be awakened by means of enquiry based on scriptures, dispassion and control of the senses. This intelligence when it is thus awakened shines as Brahman the absolute; or else it continues to experience this finite world.
section V - chapter 13 - yatha silamayi kanya codita pi na nrtyati tatheyam kalana dehe na kincid avabudhyate (65)
Vasistha continued:
When this inner intelligence is not awakened, it does not really know or understand anything: and what appears to be known through the thoughts is of course not the reality. These thoughts themselves derive their value from consciousness, even as a receptacle derives its scent from the incense kept in it. On account of this borrowed intelligence thought is able to know a minute fragmented fraction of this cosmic consciousness. The mind blossoms fully only when the light of the infinite shines upon it.
Otherwise, though appearing to be intelligent thought is unable to comprehend anything really even as the granite figure of a dancer does not dance even when requested to do so. Can a battle-scene painted on a canvas generate the roar of the fighting armies? Can a corpse get up and run? Does the figure of the sun carved on a rock dispel darkness? Similarly, what can the inert mind do? Even as the mirage appears to be flowing water only when the sun shines, the mind appears to be intelligent and active only because of the inner light of consciousness.
Ignorant people misconstrue the movement of life-force to be the mind: but in fact it is nothing more than the prana or life-force. But, in the case of those whose intelligence is not fragmented or conditioned by thoughts, it is surely the radiance of the supreme being or self. The intelligence that identifies itself with certain movements of life-force in the self (by entertaining notions of 'this am I', 'this is mine') is known as the jiva or the living soul. Intelligence, mind, jiva, etc., are names which are used even by wise men: such entities are not real, however, from the absolute point of view. In truth, there is no mind, no intelligence, no embodied being: the self alone exists at all times. The self alone is the world; the self alone is time and also the evolutionary process. Because it is extremely subtle it seems not to exist, though it exists. While appearing to be a reflection or appearance, it is also realised to be the truth: but the self is beyond all these descriptions and its truth can only be experienced directly in selfknowledge.
When the inner light begins to shine, the mind ceases to be - even as when there is light, darkness vanishes. On the other hand, when consciousness is objectified in an effort to
experience the objects of the senses, the self is forgotten, as it were, and there arise thoughts concerning the creatures of the mind.
section V - chapter 13 - pranasaktau niruddhuyam mano ruma viliyate dravyacchaya nu tad dravyam pranarupam hi manasam (83)
Vasistha continued:
A thought arising in the supreme being is known as individual consciousness; when this consciousness is freed from thought and individuation, there is liberation. The seed or the sole cause for this world-appearance is but the arising of a thought in the infinite consciousness, which gave rise to the limited finite individual consciousness. When consciousness thus moved away from its utterly quiescent state and became tainted, as it were, from thought, the thinking faculty arose and, with it, the mind thought of the universe.
O Rama, by the control of the life-force the mind is also restrained: even as the shadow ceases when the substance is removed the mind ceases when the life-force is restrained. It is because of the movement of the life-force that one remembers the experiences one had elsewhere; it is known as mind because it thus experiences movements of life-force. The life-force is restrained by the following means: by dispassion, by the practice of pranayama (breath-control) or by the practice of enquiry into the cause of the movement of the life- force, by the ending of sorrow through intelligent means and by the direct knowledge or experience of the supreme truth.
It is possible for the mind to assume the existence of intelligence in a stone. But the mind does not possess the least intelligence. Movement belongs to the life-force which is inert: intelligence or the power of consciousness belongs to the self which is pure and eternally omnipresent. It is the mind that fancies a relationship between these two factors: but such fancy is false and hence all knowledge that arises from this false relationship is also false. This is known as ignorance, as Maya or cosmic illusion, which gives rise to the dreadful poison known as world-appearance.
This relationship between the life-force and consciousness is imaginary; if it is not so imagined, there can be no world-appearance! The life-force, by its association with consciousness becomes conscious and experiences the world as its object. But all this is as unreal as the experience of a ghost by a child: the movement within the infinite consciousness alone is the truth. Can this infinite consciousness be affected by any finite factor? In other words, can an inferior entity overwhelm a superior one? Hence, O Rama, in truth there is no mind or finite consciousness: when this truth is clearly understood, that which was falsely imagined as the mind comes to an end. It appeared to be because of imperfect understanding; when this misunderstanding ceases, the mind also ceases to be.
section V - chapter 13 - jadatvan nihsvarupatvat sarvadaiva mrtam manah mrtena maryate lokas citreyam maurkhyacakrika (100)
Vasistha continued:
This mind is inert and is not a real entity: hence it is for ever dead! Yet beings in this world are killed by his dead thing: how mysterious is this stupidity! The mind has no self, no body, no support and no form; yet, by this mind is everything consumed in this world. This indeed is a great mystery. He who says that he is destroyed by the mind which has no substantiality at all, says in effect that his head was smashed by the lotus-petal. To say that one can be hurt by the mind which is inert, dumb and blind is like saying that one is roasted by the heat of the full moon. The hero who is able to destroy a real enemy standing in front of him is himself destroyed by this mind which does not even exist.
What is the power of that which has been put together by thought, whose very existence is false and which is found to be non-existent when its existence is enquired into?
Stupidity and ignorance alone are the sources of all sorrow in this world; this creation has been brought about only by ignorance and stupidity. In spite of knowing this, it is indeed strange that this unreal and false non-entity is sought to be strengthened by living beings.
This world-illusion can be compared to the imagination of the hero who thinks that he is bound by the invisible chains that issue from the eyes of his enemy and that he is harassed by the invisible army created by the mere thought of the enemy. This world thus conjured up by the non-existent mind is also destroyed by another equally non-existent mind. This illusory world-appearance is none other than the mind. He who is unable to understand the true nature of the mind is also unfit for being instructed in the truth expounded in the scripture. The mind of such a person is unable to grasp the subtle truth of the teaching expounded in this scripture: it seems to be satisfied with the illusory world-appearance. Such a mind is full of fear: it is afraid of the melodious sound of the veena and it is even afraid of a sleeping relative. It is frightened by hearing someone shout aloud and flees that spot. The ignorant man is completely overcome by his own deluded mind.
A man is burnt by his own mind which is in his heart, which is as virulent as poison though it is mixed with just a little happiness. He does not know the truth, for, he is foolishly deluded by the mind! This indeed is a great mystery.
section V - chapter 14 - na pasyatyvea yo thyartam tasya kah khalu durmatih vicitramanjaricitram samdardsayati kananam (3)
Vasistha continued:
My teachings are not meant for those, O Rama, whose intelligence has been silenced by a firm faith in the reality of this illusory world and the consequent striving for the pleasures of this world. What foolish man will endeavour to show a colourful forest to one who refuses to see? Who will strive to educate that man, whose nose has been eaten away by leprosy, in the delicate art of distinguishing different perfumes? Who will instruct the drunkard in the subtleties of metaphysics? Who will make enquiries concerning village affairs from a corpse lying in the crematorium: and if a fool does just this, who can dissuade him from such foolish attempt? Even so, who can instruct that ignorant person who finds it difficult to govern the mind which is dumb and blind?
In fact the mind does not exist: and hence, rest assured that it has all the time been conquered. He who finds it difficult to overcome the non-existent mind suffers from the effects of poison he has not taken. The wise man sees the self all the time; and he knows that all movement arises room the movement of the life-force; he knows, too, that the senses perform their respective functions. What then is known as the mind? All motion belongs to life-force and all consciousness belongs to the self, and the senses have each their own power: which is the one that binds them all together? All these are indeed aspects of the one infinite omnipotent consciousness: diversity is a word without substance. How does even the idea of diversity arise in you?
What indeed is the jiva (individual soul) but a word which has befuddied the intelligence of people? Even the finite or individualised consciousness is an unreal fancy: what can it do! Seeing the fate of the ignorant people who are suffering because the mind that they have fancied into existence veils the truth which alone exists, I am filled with pity.
In this world fools are born only to suffer and perish. Every day millions upon millions of animals are killed throughout the world; every day millions upon millions of mosquitoes are killed by the wind; every day in the oceans the big fish eat the small ones - what is there to grieve? The stronger animal kills and eats the weaker animal in this world; from the smallest ant to the greatest of divinities, all are subject to birth and death. Every moment countless beings die and countless others are born, totally regardless of whether people like it or not, whether they rejoice or grieve. Hence, it were wiser neither to grieve nor to rejoice over the inevitable!
section V - chapter 14 - atmano jagatasca ntar drastr drsya dasantare darsanakhye svam atmanam sarvada bhavayan bhava (50)
Vasistha continued:
O Rama, he who comes forward to remove the sorrow of people of perverted intelligence is endeavouring to cover the sky with a small umbrella. They who behave like beasts cannot be instructed, for they are being led like animals by the rope of their own mind. Indeed, even stones shed tears looking at those ignorant people who sink in the mire of their own mind, whose actions spell their own doom. Hence, the wise man does not attempt to teach those who have not overcome their own mind and are therefore miserable in every way. On the other hand, the wise do endeavour to remove the sorrow of those who have conquered their mind and who are therefore ripe to undertake self-enquiry.
The mind is not, O Rama: do not unnecessarily imagine its existence. If you imagine its existence then it destroys you, like a ghost. As long as you have forgotten your self, so long does this imaginary mind exist. Now that you have realised that the mind waxes large by the continued affirmation of its existence, abandon such thinking.
When objectivity arises in your consciousness, the latter becomes conditioned and limited: that is bondage. When objectivity is abandoned, you become mind-less: that is liberation. Coming into contact with the qualities of nature is conducive to bondage; abandoning them is the road to liberation. Knowing this do whatever you please. Realising 'I am not' and 'this is not' remain firm and unmoved, like the infinite space. Abandon the impure thought which creates a duality of self-world. In the middle between the self as the seer and the world as the seen, you are the seeing (sight): always remain in this realisation. Between the experiencer and the experience you are the experiencing: knowing this remain in selfknowledge.
When, abandoning this self you think of an object, then you become the mind (subject) and thus become the subject of unhappiness. That intelligence which is other than self- knowledge is what constitutes the mind: that is the root of sorrow. When it is realised that 'All this is but the self' there is no mind, no subject, no object and no thinking. When you think 'I am the jiva' etc. the mind arises and with it sorrow. When you know 'I am the self, the jiva and such other things do not exist', the mind ceases to be and there is supreme bliss. In the light of the truth that 'All this universe is the self alone', the mind does not exist. Only so long as this serpent of mind is in the body is there fear; when it is removed by the practice of yoga, where is the cause for fear?
section V - chapter 15 - adrsyaiva tti mamsasthirudhiradi sarirakat manobilavilinaisa trsna vanasuni nrnam (8)
Vasistha continued:
When the self, self-forgetfully, identifies itself with the objects seen and experienced and is thus impurified, there arises the poison of craving. This craving intensifies delusion. Gods like Siva, etc., may be able to cope with the fires of cosmic dissolution; but it is impossible for anyone to deal with the consuming fire of craving. Whatever terrible suffering and calamities there are in the world are all the fruits of craving, O Rama. Remaining unseen and subtle, this craving is yet able to consume the very flesh, bone and blood of the body. In a moment it seems to subside, the next moment it is in an expanded state. Afflicted by it, man becomes pitiable, weak, lustreless, mean, deluded, miserable and fallen.
When this craving has ceased, one's life-force is pure and all divine qualities and virtues enter one's heart. The river of craving flows only in the heart of the unwise person. Even as an animal falls into a trap (a blind well) on account of its craving for food (the bait), a man following the trail of his craving falls into hell. Even the worst blindness of senility is mild in comparison to the blinding delusion which craving brings about in one's heart in the twinkling of an eye.
Craving makes one cringe and become 'small': even lord Visnu became a dwarf when he decided to beg. Hence, this craving which is the source of all sorrows and which destroys the lives of all beings should be renounced from a great distance.
Yet, it is on account of craving that the sun shines on earth, the wind blows, the mountains stand and the earth upholds living beings; all the three worlds exist only on account of craving. All the beings in the three worlds are bound by the rope of craving. It is possible to break even the strongest rope in this world, but the rope of craving is hard to break.
Therefore, O Rama, give up craving by giving up thinking or conceptualisation. The mind cannot exist without thinking or conceptualisation. First, let the images of 'I', 'you' and 'this' not arise in the mind, for it is because of these images that hopes and expectations come into being. If you can thus refrain from building these images, you will also be counted as a man of wisdom. Craving is non-different from the ego-sense. Ego- sense is the source of all sins. Cut at the very root of this ego-sense with the sword of wisdom of the non-ego. Be free from fear.
section V - chapter 16 - sarvatra vasanatyago rama rajivalocana dvividhah kathyate tajjnair jneyo dhyeyas ca manada (6)
Rama said:
Lord, you instruct me to abandon the ego-sense and the craving that it gives rise to. If I abandon the ego-sense, then surely I should also give up this body and all that is based on the ego-sense. For, the body and the life-force rest on the support of the ego-sense. When the root (the ego-sense) is cut, then the tree (the body, etc.) will fall. How is it possible for me to abandon the ego-sense and yet live?
Vasistha replied:
Rama! The abandonment of all notions, conditioning and conceptualisation is said to be of two kinds: one is based on knowledge or direct realisation and the other is based on contemplation. I shall describe them to you in detail.
One should become aware of one's deluded notion in which one thinks that 'I belong to these objects of the world and my life depends upon them. I cannot live without them and they cannot exist without me, either.' Then by profound enquiry, one contemplates 'I do not belong to these objects, nor do these objects belong to me'. Thus abandoning the ego- sense through intense contemplation, one should playfully engage oneself in the actions that happen naturally, but with the heart and mind ever cool and tranquil. Such an abandonment of the ego-sense and the conditioning is known as the contemplative egolessness.
When there is knowledge or direct experience of the non-dual truth, one abandons the ego-sense and conditioning, and entertains no feeling of 'This is mine' even with regard to the body - this is known as direct realisation of egolessness.
He is liberated even while living who playfully abandons the ego-sense through the contemplative method. He who uproots this ego-sense completely by the direct experience is established in equanimity: he is liberated. Janaka and others like him follow the contemplative method. Others who have the direct experience of egolessness are one with Brahman and have risen beyond body-consciousness. However, both of them are liberated and both have become one with Brahman.
He is considered a liberated sage who is not swayed by the desirable and the undesirable, who lives in this world and functions though inwardly totally untouched by the world, as if he is in deep sleep.
As the sage Vasistha said this, another day came to an end. The assembly dispersed.
section V - chapter 17 - bhavadvaitam upasritya sattadvaitamayatmakah karmadvaitamanadrtya dvaitadvaitamayo bhava (29)
Vasistha continued:
O Rama, they who have gone above body-consciousness are beyond description, too: I shall therefore describe to you the nature of those who are liberated while living.
The desire that arises in the course of one's natural functions devoid of craving is that of a liberated sage. But that desire which is bound up with craving for external objects is conducive to bondage. However, when all ego-based notions have ceased in one's heart, the attention that is directed naturally is also the nature of the liberated sage. That which is afflicted by contact with external objects is the craving conducive to bondage; the non- volitional desire which is unaffected by any object is liberation. That desire which existed even before contact with the objects, exists even now and for ever: it is natural, therefore sorrowless and free from impurity. Such a desire is regarded by the wise as free from bondage.
'I want this to be mine'. When such a craving arises in one's heart, it gives rise to impurity. Such a craving should be abandoned by a wise person by all means at all times. Give up the desire that tends to bondage and the desire for liberation too. Remain still like the ocean. Knowing that the self is free from old age and death, let not these disturb your mind. When the whole universe is realised as illusory, craving loses its meaning.
The following four types of feelings arise in the heart of man: (1) I am the body born of my parents, (2) I am the subtle atomic principle, different from the body, (3) I am the eternal principle in all the diverse perishable objects in the world, and (4) the 'I' as also the 'world' are pure void like space. Of these the first is conducive to bondage and the others to freedom. The desires that are related to the first cause bondage; desires that are concomitant to the other three do not cause bondage.
Once the realisation that 'I am the self of all' has arisen, one does not again fall into error or sorrow. It is this self alone which is variously described as the void, nature, Maya, rahman, consciousness, Siva, Purusa, etc. That alone is ever real; there is naught else. Resort to the understanding of non-duality, for the truth is non-dual; however, action involves duality and hence functions in apparent duality - thus, let your nature partake of both duality and non-duality. The reality is neither duality (for it is the mind that creates division) nor unity (for the concept of unity arises from its antithesis of duality). When these concepts cease, the infinite consciousness alone is realised to be the sole reality.
section V - chapter 18 - vayam tu vakttum murkhanam ajitatmiyacetasam bhogakarddamamagnanam na vidmo bhimatam matam (13)
Vasistha continued:
The liberated sage who is disinterested in the events of the past, present and future looks at the state of the world with amusement. Constantly engaged in appropriate action, established in the happy medium between two extreme and opposite points of view, he dwells unremittingly rejecting every form of conditioning or intention. He rests in the supreme state of plenitude; hence he is not agitated or excited by the events of this world. In all hostilities he is in the neutral position; yet endowed with compassion and consideration for all, he remains unaffected by the world-appearance. If he is spoken to, he answers simply and suitably; if not spoken to, he is silent; he seeks nothing and he hates nothing. Thus he is not afflicted by the world. He says what is good for all, and when questioned he explains his views convincingly. He knows what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. He is aware of the point of view of other people. He is firmly established in the supreme state; remaining calm and cool in his own heart, he looks at the state of the world amusedly. Such is the state of the sages who have reached liberation while yet living in this world.
We are unable to expound the philosophy of the fools who have not controlled their own mind and who are immersed in the mire of sense-pleasure. They are only interested in sexual pleasures and in the acquisition material wealth. We are also unable to expound the path of rituals and routines which bestow all kinds of rewards in the shape of pain and pleasure.
O Rama, live in this world with unlimited vision, having firmly rejected all limitation. Inwardly be free from all desires and hopes; but outwardly do what has to be done. Examine everything and seek only that which is not limited or finite: and, live in this world constantly contemplating the infinite. Without entertaining any hope in your heart, yet living as if you are full of hopes, live in this world with your heart calm and cool, behaving outwardly like everyone else. Inwardly give up all notions of 'I am the doer', yet engage yourself in all activities outwardly. Thus live in this world, O Rama, completely free from the least trace of the ego-sense.
There is no bondage and therefore there is no liberation, in truth. This world- appearance is essentially unreal and is of the nature of a juggler's trick. The omnipresent, infinite self can never be bound; so how is it to be liberated? All this confusion arises on account of the ignorance of the truth: when the truth is known this confusion vanishes, like the imaginary snake in the rope.
section V - chapter 18 - subandhuh kasyacit kah syad iha no kascidapyarih sada sarve ca sarvasya sarvam sarvesvarecchaya (49)
Vasistha continued:
You are a wise man, O Rama: be firmly established in egolessness and remain unpolluted like space. When the ego is non-existent, how can notions like 'These are my relatives' arise? The self is not involved in such notions, nor in notions of pleasure and pain, good and evil. Be free from fear and delusion caused by world-appearance. To one who is unborn there are no relatives, or sorrow caused by such relatives!
If you realise that you have been someone before, you are someone now and you will be someone later on, and if you realise that this is true even of all these relatives, you will be free from delusion. If you feel that you were before, you are now, but that you will not be hereafter - even then you need not grieve, for that is the end of this world-appearance. Hence, it is foolish to grieve here in this world; it is better to be happy at all times and to be ever engaged in appropriate actions. However, O Rama, yield neither to exultation nor to sorrow, but remain in a balanced state of mind. You are the eternal infinite light, pure and extremely subtle.
This world-appearance exists; later it will vanish and reappear: but this is only for the ignorant, not for the enlightened. This world-appearance has sorrow for its nature: ignorance expands and aggravates it. But you are wise, O Rama, therefore be happy. Illusory appearance is none other than illusion; dream is none other than a dream! All this is the power of the omnipotent and the appearance is just the appearance.
Who is a relative here and to whom, and who is an enemy to whom: by the wish of the Lord of all beings, all are all to all at all times! This river of relationship is flowing on constantly. What is on top proceeds towards the bottom, and what is below rises up, like the cartwheel. They who are in heaven later go to hell; and they who are in hell go to heaven. They go from one species to another, from one part of the universe to another. The brave become cowards and cowards become brave. There is nothing in this universe which is unchanging, O Rama. They who were relatives go away after a while. Friend, foe, relative, stranger, I, you - are words without corresponding substance. 'He is friend' and 'He is not a relative' - such thoughts arise in a mean person: in the magnanimous person such distinction does not arise. O Rama, all beings are your relatives, for in this universe there does not exist absolute unrelatedness. The wise know that 'There is nowhere where I am not' and 'That is not which is not mine': thus they overcome limitation or conditioning.
2. The Story of Punya and Pavana
section V - chapter 19 - kim putra ghanatam sokam nayasyandhyaika karanam baspadhararam ghoram pravrtkala iva mbujam (26)
Vasistha continued:
O Rama, in this connection there is an ancient legend which I shall narrate to you.
In the continent known as Jambudvipa there is a great mountain known as Mahendra. In the forests on the slopes of that mountain many holy men and sages lived. They had in fact brought down onto that mountain the river Vyoma Ganga (or Akasa Gang) for their bath, drinking, etc. On the bank of this river there lived a holy man named Dirghatapa who was, as his name implies, the very embodiment of ceaseless austerity.
This ascetic had two sons named Punya and Pavana. Of these Punya had reached full enlightenment, but Pavana, though he had overcome ignorance, had not yet reached full enlightenment and hence he had semi-wisdom.
With the inexorable passage of invisible and intangible time, the sage Dirghatapa (who had freed himself from every form of attachment and craving) had grown in age and, even as a bird flies away from its cage, abandoned the body and reached the state of utter purity. Using the yogic method she had learnt from him, his wife, too, followed him.
At this sudden departure of the parents Pavana was sunk in grief and he wailed aloud inconsolably. Punya, on the other hand, performed the funeral ceremonies but remained unmoved by the bereavement. He approached his grieving brother, Pavana.
Punya said:
Brother, why do you bring this dreadful sorrow upon yourself? The blindness of ignorance alone is the cause of this torrential downpour of tears from your eyes. Our father has departed from here along with our mother to that state of liberation or the highest state, which is natural to all beings and is the very being of those who have overcome the self. Why do you grieve when they have returned to their own nature? You have ignorantly bound yourself to the notions of 'father' and 'mother'; and yet you grieve for those who are liberated from such ignorance! He was not your father, nor was she your mother, nor were you their son. You have had countless fathers and mothers. They have had countless children. Countless have been your incarnations! And, if you wish to grieve over the death of parents, why do you not grieve for all those countless beings unceasingly?
Noble one, what you see as the world is only an illusory appearance. In truth there are neither friends nor relatives. Hence, there is neither death nor separation. All these wonderful signs of prosperity that you see around you are tricks, some of which last for three days and others for five days! With your keen intelligence enquire into the truth: abandon notions of 'I', 'you' etc., and of 'He is dead', 'He is gone'. All these are your own notions, not truth.
section V - chapter 20 - madhyasthadrstayah svastha yathapraptartha darsinah tajjnastu presaka eva saksidharme vyavasthitah (40)
Punya continued:
These false notions of father, mother, friend, relative, etc., are swept aside by wisdom as dust is swept away by wind. These relatives are not based on truth, they are but words! If one is thought of as a friend, he is a friend; if he is thought of as the other, he is the other! When all this is seen as the one omnipresent being, where is the distinction between the friend and the other?
Brother, enquire within yourself - this body is inert and it is composed of blood, flesh, bones, etc.; what is the 'I' in it? If you thus enquire into the truth, you will realise that there is nothing which is you nor anything which is 'I': what is called Punya or Pavana is but a false notion.
However, if you still think 'I am', then in the incarnations past you have had very many relatives. Why do you not grieve for their death? You had many swan relatives when you were a swan, many tree relatives when you were a tree, many lion-relatives when you were a lion, many fish-relatives when you were a fish. Why do you not weep for them? You were a prince, you were a donkey, you were a peepul tree and then a banyan tree. You were a brahmana, you were a fly and also a mosquito, you were an ant. You were a scorpion for half a year, you were a bee, and now you are my brother. In these many other embodiments you have taken birth again and again countless times.
Even so, I have had very many embodiments. I see them all, and your embodiments too, through my subtle intelligence which is pure and clear-visioned. I was a bird, a crane, a frog, a tree, a camel, a king, a tiger - and now I am your elder brother. For ten years I was an eagle, for five months I was a crocodile and for a hundred years I was a lion: now I am your elder brother. I remember all these and many more embodiments I have passed through in a state of ignorance and delusion. In all these embodiments there were countless relatives. Whom shall I mourn? Consindering this, I do not grieve.
All along this path of life relatives are strewn like dry leaves on a forest path. What can be the proper cause for grief or joy in this world, brother? Let us therefore abandon all these ignorant notions and remain in peace. Abandon the notion of the world which arises in your mind as the 'I'. And, be still, neither going up nor falling down! You have no unhappiness, no birth, no father, no mother: you are the self and naught else. The sages perceive the middle path, they see what is at the moment, they are at peace, they are established in witness consciousness: they shine like a lamp in darkness, in whose light events happen (without the lamp being involved).
section V - chapter 21 - tasmad asamanantanam trsnanam raghunandana upayastyaga evaiko na nama paripalanam (5)
Vasistha continued:
Thus instructed by his brother, Pavana was awakened. Both of them remained as enlightened beings, endowed with wisdom and direct realisation. They roamed the forest doing what they pleased but without blemish. In course of time they abandoned their embodiment and attained final liberation, as a lamp without fuel.
Craving is the root of all sorrow, O Rama; and the only intelligent way is to renounce all cravings completely and not to indulge them. Even as fire burns all the more fiercely when fed with fuel, thoughts multiply by thinking: thoughts cease only by the extinction of thinking. Hence, ascend the chariot of non-thinking and with a compassionate and limitless vision behold the worlds sunk in sorrow. Arise, O Rama.
This indeed is the Brahmic state - pure, free from craving and from illness. Attaining this even one who has been a fool is freed from delusion. He who roams the earth with wisdom as his friend and awareness as the female companion, does not become deluded.
There is nothing of value in the three worlds, nothing that one may wish to have which cannot be had by the mind free from craving. They who are cured of the fever of craving do not subject themselves to the successive rise and fall inherent in embodied existence. The mind attains fulfilment only by utter dispassion, not by filling it with desires and hopes. To those who are devoid of any attachment or craving, the three worlds are as wide as the footprint of a calf and a whole world-cycle is but a moment. The coolness of the ice-pack on top of the Himalayas is nothing compared to the coolness of the mind of the sage free from craving. The light of the full moon is not as bright nor is the ocean as full nor the face of the goddess of prosperity as radiant as the mind free from craving.
When all the desires and hopes which are like the branches of the tree of the mind are cut down, the mind resumes its own nature. If you resolutely deny refuge to these hopes and cravings in your mind, then there is no fear for you. When the mind is free from movements of thought (which are motivated by hopes or cravings) then it becomes no- mind: and that is liberation. The thinking that is brought about by hopes and cravings is known as 'vrtti' (movement of thought); when hopes and cravings are given up, there is no vrtti either. When the aggravating cause is removed, the effect ceases to be. Hence, for restoring peace to the mind, remove the disturbing cause, which is hope or craving.
3. The Story of Bali
section V - chapter 22 - tameva bhukttavirasam vyaparaughaim punah punah divase divase kurvan prajnah kasmanna lajjate (33)
Vasistha continued:
Or, O Rama, bring about a transmutation of the mind even as king Bali did. I shall narrate to you the story of Bali, listening to which you will gain knowledge of the eternal truth.
In another part of the world (jagat) there is what is known as Patala (the netherworld). In it are found extremely beautiful demonesses, strange reptiles with many heads, demons with enormous bodies, huge elephants, places which are heavily polluted and where a terrible 'kata-kata' noise constantly fills the air, caves or deep mines full of precious gems, places which have been hallowed or sanctified by the dust of the divine feet of the sage Kapila (California is regarded by some to be Kapila-aranya, the forest inhabitated by Kapila!) and places sanctified by lord Hatakesvara who is adored by celestial damsels.
The demon-king Bali, son of Virocana, ruled over this region. The Lord of the universe, Sri Hari, himself was the protector of this king; hence, even the king of heaven, Indra, adored him. By the heat of the very radiance of this king Bali, the oceans got dried up, as it were. His eyes were so powerful that by a mere look he could move mountains. Bali ruled for a very long time over the netherworld.
In course of time, intense dispassion overcame king Bali and he began to enquire thus:
How long should I rule over this netherworld, how long shall I wander in the three worlds? What shall I gain by ruling over this kingdom? When all that is in the three worlds is subject to destruction, how can one hope to enjoy happiness through all this?
Again and again, the same disgusting pleasures are experienced and the same acts are repeated day after day in this world: how is it that even a wise man is not ashamed of this? The same day and the same night, again and again, life in this world revolves like a whirlpool.
Doing all this every day, how can one reach that state in which there is cessation of this repetitive existence? How long should we continue to revolve in this whirlpool and of what
use is it?
While he was thus reflecting, he remembered:
Ah, I remember what my father Virocana once told me. I had asked him: "Father, what is the destination of this world-appearance or repetitive existence? When will it come to an end? When will the delusion of the mind cease? Gaining what shall one attain total satisfaction, seeing what shall one seek naught else? I see that it is impossible to attain this by means of experience of the worldly pleasures or actions. For, they only aggravate the delusion! Pray, tell me the means by which I shall rest for ever in supreme peace."
section V - chapter 23 - eka eva sti sumahams tatra raja mahadyutih sarvakrt sarvagah saryah sa ca tusnim vyavasthitah (6)
Virocana said to Bali:
My son, there is a vast realm, wide enough to engulf the three worlds. In it there are no lakes, no oceans, no mountains, no forests, no rivers, no earth, no sky, no winds, no moon, no gods, no demons, no demi-gods, no vegetation, no heaven, no high and low, no words; not me, nor the gods like Visnu. Only one is there and that is the supreme light. He is omnipotent, omnipresent, he is all - and he remains silent, as if inactive. Prompted by him, the king, his minister does everything - what has not been he brings about and what is, he alters. This minister is incapable of enjoying anything, nor does he know anything: though ignorant and insentient he does everything for the sake of his master, the king. The king remains alone, established in peace.
Bali asked:
Father, what is that realm which is free from psychosomatic illnesses? Who is that minister and who is that king? The story is wonderful and unheard-of. Kindly explain all this to me in detail.
Virocana replied:
All the gods and demons put together and even a force many times their strength can not even challenge the minister. He is not Indra the king of the gods, nor the god of death, nor the god of wealth, nor a god nor a demon whom you can easily conquer. Though it is believed that the god Visnu killed the demons, it was indeed this minister who destroyed them. In fact, even the gods like Visnu were overpowered by him and made to take birth here. Cupid derives his power from this minister. Anger derives its power from him, too. It is because of his wish that there is unceasing conflict between good and evil here.
This minister can only be defeated by his own master, the king; by no one else. When in due course of time there arises such a wish in the heart of the king, this minister can be easily defeated. He is the most powerful in all the three worlds; and the three worlds are but his exhalation! If you have the ability to conquer him, then, indeed, you are a hero.
When the minister arises, the three worlds are manifested, even as the lotus blossoms when the sun rises. When he retires, the three worlds become dormant. If you can conquer him, with your mind utterly one-pointed and completely free of delusion and ignorance, then you are a hero. If he is conquered, then all the worlds and everything in them are conquered. If he is not conquered, then nothing is conquered, even if you think you have conquered this or that in this world.
Hence, my son, in order to attain absolute perfection and eternal bliss, strive with all your might and in every possible manner, whatever be the difficulties and obstacles, to
conquer that minister.
section V - chapter 24 - visayan prati bhoh putra sarvaneva hi sarvatha anastha parama hyesa sa yukttir manaso jaye (17)
Bali asked:
Father, by what effective means can that powerful minister be conquered?
Virocana replied:
Though this minister is almost invincible, my son, I shall tell you how to conquer him. He is overcome in a moment if one grasps him by means of intelligent action; in the absence of such intelligent action, he burns everything, like a venomous snake. One who approaches him intelligently, plays with him as one plays with a child and playfully subdues him; such a one beholds the king and is established in the supreme state. For, once the king is seen, the minister comes completely under one's control; and when the minister is under one's control, the king is seen clearly. Until the king is seen, the minister is not really conquered; and until the minister is conquered, the king is not seen! When the king is not seen, the minister plays havoc and spreads sorrow; when the minister is not conquered, the king remains unseen. Therefore, one' s intelligent practice has to be simultaniously twofold: to behold the king and to subdue the minister. By intense self- effort and by steady practice, you can gain both these and then you will enter that region and never again experience sorrow. That is the region inhabited by holy men who are forever established in peace.
My son, I shall now make all this explicit to you! The region I have referred to is the state of liberation, which is the end of all sorrow. The king there is the self who transcends all other realms and states of consciousness. The minister is the mind. It is the mind that has made all this world, like pot from clay. When the mind is conquered, everything is conquered. Remember that the mind is almost invincible, except through intelligent practice.
Bali asked:
Father, kindly tell me what intelligent practice will enable me to conquer the mind.
Virocana replied:
The very best intelligent means by which the mind can be subdued is complete freedom from desire, hope or expectation in regard to all objects at all times. It is by this means that this powerful elephant (the mind) can be subdued. This means is both very easy and extremely difficult, my son: it is very difficult for one who does not engage himself in serious practice, but very easy for one who is earnest in his effort. There is no harvest without sowing: the mind is not subdued without persistent practice. Hence, take up this practice of renunciation. Until one turns away from sense-pleasure here, one will continue to roam in this world of sorrow. Even a strong man will not reach his destination if he does not move towards it. No one can reach the state of total dispassion without persistent practice.
section V - chapter 24 - avasyam bhavitavyakhya sveha ya niyatikriya ucyate daivasabdena sa naraireva netaraih (27)
Virocana continued:
Only by right exertion can dispassion be attained; there is no other means. People talk of divine grace or fate; but in this world we perceive the body, not a god. When people speak of god they imply what is inevitable, what is beyond their control and the events of natural order. Even so, whatever brings about total equanimity and the cessation of joy and sorrow is also referred to as divine grace. Divine grace, natural order and right self-exertion, all of them refer to the same truth; the distinction is due to wrong perception or illusion.
Whatever the mind conceives of through right self-exertion comes to be in its fruition, and when the mind apprehends such fruition there is experience of joy etc. The mind is the doer, and whatever it conceives of the natural order (niyati) creates and manifests. The mind is also able to run counter to the natural order; hence it may even be said that mind is the prompter of the natural order.
Even as wind moves in space, the jiva (the individual) functions in this world, doing what has to be done within the natural order, though such action appears to be selfish or egotistic. Prompted by nature, he seems to move or stand still - both of which are mere expressions or false superimpositions, even as the movement of trees on a mountain-top makes it look as if the peak is swaying.
Hence, as long as there is mind there is neither god nor a natural order; when the mind has ceased to be, let there be whatever is!
Bali asked:
Lord, tell me, how can the cessation of craving for pleasure be firmly established in my heart?
Virocana said:
My son, self-knowledge is the creeper that yields the fruit of cessation of craving for pleasure. It is only when the self is seen that the highest form of dispassion becomes firmly rooted in the heart. Hence, one should simultaneously behold the self through intelligent enquiry, and thereby get rid of the craving for pleasure.
When the intelligence is still unawakened, one should fill two quarters of the mind with enjoyment of pleasure, one part with study of scriptures and the other with service of the guru. When it is partially awakened, two parts are given over to the service of the guru and the others get one part each. When it is fully awakened, two parts are devoted to service of the guru and the other two to the study of scriptures, with dispassion as the constant companion.
section V - chapter 24 - desakramena dhanarn alpavigarhanena tena nga sadhujanamarjaya manapurvam tatsangamottha visayadyavahelanena samyag vicaravibhavena tava tmalabhah (71)
Virocana continued:
Only when one is filled with goodness is one qualified to listen to the exposition of the highest wisdom. Hence, one should constantly endeavour to educate the mind with purifying knowledge, and nourish the mind with the inner transformation brought about by the study of scriptures. When the mind has thus been transformed, it is able to reflect the truth without distortion. Then without delay one should endeavour to see the self. These two - self-realisation and cessation of craving - should proceed hand in hand, simultaneously.
True dispassion does not arise in one by austerity, charity, pilgrimage, etc., but only by directly perceiving one's own nature. And, there is no means for direct self-realisation except right self-exertion. Hence, one should give up dependence upon a god or fate and by right self-exertion firmly reject the seeking of pleasure. When dispassion matures, the spirit of enquiry arises in oneself. The spirit of enquiry strengthens dispassion. The two are interdependent, even as the ocean and the clouds are. These two and also self-realisation are all intimate friends and always exist together.
Hence, first of all, one should abandon all dependence on extraneous factors (like god) and, grinding one's teeth and with intense right self-exertion, cultivate dispassion. One may, however, earn wealth without violating local traditions and customs and without defying one's relatives, etc. One should utilise this wealth to acquire the company of good and holy men endowed with noble qualities. Such company of holy men generates dispassion. Then there arises the spirit of enquiry, knowledge and the study of scriptures. By stages, one reaches the supreme truth.
When you turn completely away from the pursuit of pleasure, then you attain to the supreme state through the means of enquiry. When the self is completely purified, then you will be firmly established in the supreme peace. You will never again fall into the mire of conceptualisation which is the cause of sorrow. Though you continue to live, you will remain freed from all hopes and expectations. You are pure! Salutations to you, O embodiment of auspiciousness!
In accordance with the prevailing social tradition, acquire a little wealth and with that acquire the company of saints and adore them. By their company you will gain contempt for the objects of pleasure. And by the right enquiry you will gain self-knowledge.
section V - chapter 25 26 - bhavyo si cettadetasmat sarvamapnosi niscayat no cettad bahvapi prokttam tvayi bhasmani huyate (26/12)
Bali said to himself:
Luckily, I remembered all that my father said to me. Now that craving for pleasure has ceased in me, I shall attain to the state of tranquillity which is like nectar. I am really and truly tired of repeatedly earning wealth, fulfilling my desires and enjoying sexual pleasures. Delightful is the state of peace; in utter inner tranquillity all pleasures and pains cease to be of value.
Life is one continuous round of repetitive experiences; nothing new is ever experienced. I shall give up everything and with my mind completely withdrawn from the pursuit of pleasure, I shall remain happily established in the self. This universe is but the creation of the mind: what is lost by abandoning it?
Enough of even this repentance! For, the important thing in a cure is the immediate treatment of the illness. 'Who am I?' 'What is all this?' I shall submit these questions to my guru Sukra.
Vasistha continued:
Having thus resolved, Bali contemplated the guru of the demons, Sukra. On account of the infinite consciousness he was established in, Sukra was omnipresent and knew that his disciple needed his presence. Instantly, he materialised his body in front of the king Bali.
In the immediate presence of the guru, Bali shone with a special radiance. He received the guru with due honours and worshipped the guru's feet with great devotion.
Then, Bali asked Sukra:
Lord, it is the reflection of your own divine radiance that prompts me to place this problem before you. I have no desire for pleasure; and I wish to learn the truth. Who am I? Who are you? What is this world? Please tell me all this!
Sukra replied:
I am on my way to another realm, O Bali: but I shall give you in a few words the very quintessence of wisdom. Consciousness alone exists, consciousness alone is all this, all this is filled with consciousness. I, you, and all this world, are but consciousness. If you are humble and sincere you will gain everythin from what I have said; if not, an attempt at further explanation will be like pouring oblations into a heap of ashes (i.e. useless; the oblations are meaningful only when poured into the sacred fire). The objectivity (conceptualisation) of consciousness is known as bondage and the abandonment of such objectivity is liberation. Consciousness minus such objectivity is the reality of everything: this is the conviction of all philosophies. When you are established in this vision, you will also attain the infinite consciousness. I shall now depart to do the work of the gods; for as long as this body lasts, one shall not abandon appropriate action.
section V - chapter 27 - dhyatrdhyeyadhyanahino nirmalah santavasanah babhuva vatadipabho balih praptamahapadah (33)
After Sukra left, Bali reflected thus:
What my preceptor said to me was indeed correct and appropriate. Surely, all that is is consciousness and there is naught else. It is when that infinite consciousness entertains the concept 'This is sun' that the sun is distinguished from darkness: it is consciousness that distinguishes light from darkness. It is consciousness that cognises earth as earth, the directions in space as such directions and the whole world as the world. If consciousness did not recognise a mountain, would it exist as a mountain?
Consciousness itself is all this: including the senses, the body, the desires that arise in the mind, whatever is within and whatever is outside, space and even changing phenomena. It is indeed on account of that consciousness that I am able to come into contact with the objects and experience them, not because of the body itself. Regardless of the body, I am consciousness, which is the self of the entire universe.
Since consciousness exists one without a second, who is my friend and who is my enemy? Even if the head of the body known as Bali is cut off, does the infinite consciousness lose its head? Even hate and other such qualities are but modifications of consciousness. Hence, again, there is neither hate nor attachment, neither mind nor its modifications - since the consciousness is infinite and absolutely pure, how can perversions arise in it? Consciousness is not its name, it is but a word! It has no name.
I am the eternal subject free from all object and predicate. I salute that omnipresent consciousness which is free from the tempting concept of objects, and hence eternally free. I salute myself which is the consciousness free of the subject-object division, which acts appropriately without division and which is the light which is reflected in all appearances. I am that consciousness in which the craving for experience has ceased. I am limitless like space; I am untouched by happiness, unhappiness and the like. Let them therefore do what they like to me, for I am non-different from them. Movement of energy in one substance is neither loss nor gain. When consciousness alone is everything, thoughts or its expansions do not make that consciousness expand or contract. Hence, I shall continue to be active till I reach absolute quiescence in the self.
Vasistha continued:
Having thus reflected, Bali, uttering the sacred word OM and contemplating its subtle significance, remained quiet. Freed from all doubts, from perception of objects and without the division between thinker, thought and thinking (meditation, meditator and the object of meditation), with all intentions and concepts quietened, Bali remained firmly established in the supreme state with a mind in which all movement of thought had ceased, like a lamp in a windless place. Thus he lived for a considerable time.
section V - chapter 28 29 - na kincidapi kartavyam yadi nama maya dhuna tat kasmanna karomidam kincit prakrtakarma vai (29/19)
Vasistha continued:
All the demons (followers or subjects of the king Bali) rushed to the palace and surrounded the king who was seated in deep contemplation. Unable to understand the mystery, they thought of their preceptor, Sukra. They beheld Sukra in front of them. Sukra saw that Bali was in a superconscious state. He said to the demons, with a smile radiating joy:
"It is indeed wonderful, O demons, that this king Bali has attained such perfection by dint of his own resolute enquiry. Let him remain established in his own self. The mental activity that gives rise to the perception of the world has ceased in him: hence do not try to talk to him. When the dark night of ignorance comes to an end, the sun of self-knowledge arises: such is his state now. In course of time he himself will come out of that state, when the seed of world-perception begins to sprout in his consciousness. Hence, go about doing your work as before: he will return to world-consciousness in a thousand years from now."
Hearing this, the demons returned to their posts of duty and carried on the work of the realm. After a thousand celestial years of such contemplation, the king Bali was awakened by the music of the celestials and divinities. A supernatural light that radiated from him illumined the entire city.
Even before the demons could reach him again, Bali reflected thus:
It was indeed a wondrous state in which I remained for a brief moment. I shall continue to remain in that state: what have I to do with the affairs of the external world? Supreme peace and bliss reign in my own heart now.
In the meantime, the demons rushed to where he sat; after looking at them, Bali continued to reflect thus:
I am consciousness and in me there does not exist any perversion. What is there for me to acquire or to abandon? What fun: I long for liberation, but who has bound me, when and how! Why do I long for liberation then? There is no bondage and no liberation: what shall I gain by meditation or by not meditating? Freed from delusion of meditation and non-meditation, let be what has to be: there is neither gain nor loss to me. I do not desire either meditation or non-meditation, neither joy nor non-joy, I do not desire the supreme being or the world. I am neither alive nor dead; I am neither real nor unreal. Salutations to myself, the infinite being! Let this world be my kingdom, I shall be what I am: let this world be not my kingdom, I shall be what I am. What have I to do with meditation and what have I to do with the kingdom? Let be what has to be. I belong to none and none belongs to me. There is absolutely nothing that has to be done by what is known as me; then why should I not do that action which is natural?
Thus having reflected, the king Bali turned his radiant gaze towards the assembled demons, even as the sun gazes upon a lotus.
section V - chapter 29 - yesu yesu pradesesu mano majjati balavat tebhyas tebhyah samahrtya taddhi tattve niyojayet (54)
Vasistha continued:
King Bali thereafter ruled the kingdom, doing everything spontaneously without premeditation. He worshipped the brahmanas, gods and the holy ones. He treated his relatives with deference. He rewarded his servants amply and gave in charity more than what they who sought it had expected. He fondly sported with the womenfolk.
The wish to perform a sacred rite rose in his heart. Quickly he assembled the men and materials needed for it. He conducted the rite in the appropriate manner. It was during this rite that lord Visnu, wishing to snatch the rulership of the three worlds from Bali and bestow it upon Indra, took the form of a dwarf and cheated Bali into giving away the rulership of the world to Visnu in charity.
O Rama, this Bali will be the next Indra; hence he dwells in the netherworld (to which he had been sent by lord Visnu himself) as a liberated and enlightened sage, awaiting the time when he shall rule the heaven. He is totally unconcerned whether he is visited by prosperity or adversity. His consciousness does not experience elation or depression in happiness or unhappiness. He had ruled the three worlds for billions of years; but now his heart is at rest. Once again he will rule the three worlds as Indra for a very long time.
But, he is not excited at the prospect of becoming Indra; nor was he depressed when he lost his position and was hurled into the netherworid. He welcomes whatever comes to him unsought and is at peace within himself.
Thus have I told you the story of king Bali, O Rama. Gain such a vision as he had and enjoy supreme felicity. Abandon the desire for the essenceless and useless sense-pleasure in this world. The attractive objects that tempt you here do not deserve your admiration any more than rock-figures seen at a distance. Establish your mind, which flits from one thing to another, firmly in your heart.
You are the light of consciousness, O Rama; in you are the worlds rooted. Who is your friend and who is other? You are the infinite. In you are all the worlds strung like beads of a rosary. That being which thou art is neither born nor does he die. The self is real; birth and death are imaginary. Enquire into the nature of all the illnesses that beset life, and live without craving. You are the light and the Lord, Rama: and this world appears to be in that light. It has no real and independent existence.
Formerly, you had repeatedly entertained the wrong notions of the desirable and the undesirable: give up these too. Then you will enjoy equanimity: and the wheel of birth will come to a halt. In whatever the mind tends to sink, retrieve it from it and direct it towards the truth. Thus will the wild elephant of the mind be tamed. Do not be led astray by the long-winded empty statements of the wicked self-appointed teachers who have no direct experience: you will surely attain enlightenment by listening to my discourse.
4. The Story of Prahlada
section V - chapter 30 31 - manakcalati parne pi drstaribhayabhitayah yadhvastrasyanti vidhvasta mrgyo gramagata iva (31/12)
Vasistha continued:
O Rama, I shall narrate to you another story which illustrates the path to enlightenment which is free from obstacles.
In the netherworld there was a mighty demon-king known as Hiranyakasipu. He had wrested the sovereignty of the three worlds from Indra (Hari?). He ruled the three worlds. He had many sons. Among them was the famous Prahlada who shone like a brilliant diamond among jewels.
The demon-king who thus enjoyed the lordship of the three worlds, the blessing of a mighty army and good children, became proud and arrogant. His aggressive ways and his rule of terror greatly worried the gods who prayed to the creator Brahma to find a way out of their predicament. In answer to their prayer, the lord Hari assumed the form of Narasimha and destroyed the demon-king. Narasimha's body was enormous and powerful. He had sharp and dreadful teeth and nails. His ear-rings were like fire-brands. His abdomen was ountainous. He had powerful arms which could shake the whole creation. His breath rocked mountains. The hairs on his body were like tongues of flames. His very limbs were terrible missiles. Unable to endure the fiery gaze of Narasimha, the demons fled in all directions. The inner apartments of the palace had been reduced to ashes.
Prahlada whose life had been spared performed the funeral rite of his fallen relations. He consoled the wounded ones. Stunned by the magnitude of the destruction, he and the others who remained alive stood immobile for a while.
Prahlada mused:
Who is there to help us now: the very seeds of the demon-families have been destroyed by Hari. Alas, our enemy has swiftly reached the peak of military victory. The gods who used to bow down humbly to the feet of my father have occupied our realm. My own relations have become lustreless, unemployed, without enthusiasm, destitute and miserable. The demons who were strong and powerful once, are weak and timid now like the gods: indeed, mysterious is the destiny. A timid deer when it is taken into a strange village, takes fright at the sound of a falling leaf: even so the demonesses, who have seen the valour of the enemy, panic at anything.
The gods have taken back the wish-fulfilling tree. Even as the demons delighted to look at the faces of the goddesses before, the gods delight to look at the demonesses now. The demi-goddesses and others who enjoyed life in the inner apartments of the demons have escaped and have gone away to the forests of the mount Meru and live like birds of the forest. My own mothers (the queens) are the very images of grief. Alas, my father's fan serves Indra now. By the grace of Hari, we have been subjected to incomparable and inexpressible adversity,the very thought of which makes us miserable and desperate.
section V - chapter 31 - avisnuh pujayan visnum na pujaphalabhagbhavet vlsnurbhutva yajed visnumayam visnuraham sthitah (40)
Prahlada continued to muse:
Even as the snowclad peaks of the Himalayas are never subjected to the scorching heat of the sun, the gods who live in the shade of the protection of Visnu are not subjected to oppression. Even as a little monkey seated on the branch of a tree annoys a powerful dog standing on the ground, these gods enjoying the security of the protection of Visnu haruss the demons.
It is Visnu that protects the whole universe and upholds it. Even if Visnu abandons the use of weapons, no one can face him (Narasimha did not use conventional weapons). He alone is the refuge of all beings in this world, therefore by all means one should take refuge in him - there is no other way. No one is superior to him and he alone is the cause of the creation, preservation and dissolution of the universe. From this very momrnt I shall also be devoted to Visnu and live as if filled with his presence. The holy mantra 'Namo Narayanaya' dedicated to him is capable of bestowing every blessing on the devotee: may it never leave my heart.
However, one who is not Visnu does not derive any benefit by worshipping Visnu. One should worship Visnu by being Visnu. Hence I am Visnu. He who is known as Prahlada is none other than Visnu: there is no duality. Visnu's vehicle Garuda now bears me. His insignia adorn my limbs. Laksmi, his consort, is standing next to me. All the divine splendour of Visnu has become mine.
The conch, the discus, the mace and sword which are the symbols that are invariably associated with Visnu are with me now. The lotus that bears on it the creator Brahma springs from my navel. The entire universe which repeatedly appears and disappears is in my abdomen.
My colour is now the colour of Visnu, which is blue. I am dressed in the yellow garment of Visnu. I am Visnu. Who can be my enemy and who can challenge me now? Since I am Visnu, he who is hostile to me has surely reached the end-of his life-span. These demons who stand in front of me find it difficult or impossible to endure the dazzling brilliance that radiates from me. And those gods are really singing my own praise, as I am Visnu.
I have transcended all sense of duality and therefore I have myself become Visnu. He in whose abdomen ever abides the three worlds, he who subdues all evil forces in the universe and he who dispels the anxieties and fears of all - he am I and I salute him.
section V - chapter 32 33 - gunavannirguno jata ityanarthakramam viduh nirguno gunavan jata ityahu siddhidam kramarn (33/4)
Vasistha continued:
Having thus transfigured himself into the very image of Visnu, Prahlada thought of worshipping Visnu. He thought: "Here stands another Visnu who is also seated on his vehicle Garuda, who is endowed with all the divine qualities and powers, who bears all the insignias relative to the status of Visnu. I shall now worship him according to the tradition relating to such worship, but mentally."
Having thus resolved, Prahlada mentally worshipped Visnu, with all the materials ordained by tradition and scriptural injunctions. After this he also worshipped Visnu with external rites and rituals. Upon completion of this worship, Prahlada rejoiced.
From that time, Prahlada worshipped Visnu in that manner every day. Seeing him and following his example, all the demons in the kingdom also became staunch devotees of Visnu. And, the rumour spread like wild fire in heaven that the demons who had till lately been enemies of Visnu, had suddenly become his devotees! The gods in heaven were bewildered: how could demons become devotees! They quickly approached Visnu and asked him.
The gods said:
Lord, what is this mystery? The demons are your traditional enemies. That they should turn into your devotees appears to be unreal and a trick. Where is the diabolical nature of the demons; and where is devotion to you which arises only during the last incarnation of a jiva? Good and divine qualities just do not go with these demons: it sounds so incongruous. Surely, the qualities of a being are always in accordance with the fundamental nature of that being. To hear that these demons have become your devotees overnight is almost painful. If it were said that they had gradually evolved into higher states of being, cultivated good qualities and then become your devotees, we could very well understand it. But that someone who has been of wicked disposition has all at once become your devotee, is incredible.
The Lord replied:
O gods, do not suffer doubt and despair. Prahlada has become my devotee. This is indeed his last birth and he deserves to be liberated now. The seeds of his ignorance have been burnt; he will not be born any more. It is meaningless and painful to hear that a good man has become evil-minded. It is appropriate and good to hear that one who has had no good qualities has become good. Prahlada's change is for your good. Alternative meaning: it is improper to say that one who is limited and conditioned became unconditioned - but is is true to say that the unconcitioned being without qualities appears to be conditioned.
section V - chapter 33 - tribhuvanabhavanabhiramakosam sakalakalankaharam param prakasam asaranasaranam saranyamisam harimajamacyutamisvaram prapadye (19)
Vasistha continued:
After thus reassuring the gods, Visnu disappeared. And, the gods returned to their respective abodes. They became friendly towards Prahlada.
Every day Prahlada thus worshipped the lord Visnu by thought, word and deed. As the immediate fruit of such worship, all the noble qualities like wisdom and dispassion grew in him. He did not seek pleasure; even his mind did not contemplate pleasure. Having abandoned craving for pleasure, his mind was dangling without support. Lord Visnu came to know of the state of Prablada. He travelled along the netherworld to where Prahlada was worshipping him. Seeing that lord Visnu himself had come in the palace, Prahlada rejoiced even more and worshipped Visnu again.
Prahlada prayed:
I take refuge in the Lord in whom the three worlds rejoice, who is the supreme light which destroys the darkness of every kind of ignorance and impurity, who is the refuge of the helpless destitute, who alone is the Lord whose refuge is worth seeking, the unborn, the surest security. You are radiant like the blue lotus or the blue jewel; your body is blue like the zenith of the clear winter sky; and you hold your divine insignia in your hands - I take refuge in you. I take refuge in him whose voice is the truth (the holy scriptures), whose navel-lotus is the seat of Brahma the creator and who dwells in the hearts of all beings. I take refuge in him the radiance of whose nails sparkles as the stars in the heaven, whose sweet smiling face is the moon, in whose heart there is a jewel from which rays emanate and flow as the holy river Ganga and who is clad in the pure autumnal sky. I take refuge in him in whom this extensive universe rests without diminution, who is ever unborn and unchanging, whose body is composed of all the auspicious qualities and who rests on a banyan leaf. I take refuge in him who has goddess Laksmi at his own side, the beauty of whose body is like the beauty of the setting sun. I take refuge in the Lord who is like the sun unto the lotus of the three worlds, who is like a lamp unto the darkness of ignorance, who is of the nature of infinite consciousness, and who destroys the suffering and distress of all beings in the universe.
section V - chapter 34 - sarvasambhramasamsantyai paramaya phalaya ca brahmavisrantiparyanto vicaro stu tava nagha (3)
The Lord said:
O Prahlada, you are an ocean of good qualities and you are indeed the jewel among the demons. Ask of me any boon of your choice which is conducive to the cessation of the sorrow of birth.
Prahlada said:
Lord, you are the indweller of all beings and you grant the fruition of all our wishes. Pray, grant me that boon which you consider to be limitless and infinite.
The Lord said:
Prahlada, may you be endowed with the spirit of enquiry till you rest in the infinite Brahman so that all your delusions might come to an end and you may attain the highest fruit (blessing).
Vasistha continued:
Having said thus, the Lord disappeared. Prahlada concluded his worship and after singing hymns in praise of the Lord, began to reflect in the following manner.
Prahlada contemplated:
The Lord had commanded "Be continually engaged in enquiry"; hence, I shall engage myself in enquiry into the self. What am I who speaks, walks, stands and functions on this elaborate stage known as the world - I should find this out to begin with.
Surely, I am not this world which is outside and which is inert, composed of trees, shrubs and mountains. Nor am I the body which was born on account of the movement of the life-breath, and which seems to live for a very brief moment. I am not sound (word or name or expression) which is apprehended by the inert substance known as the ear, which is but a momentary movement of air and which is devoid of form and devoid of existence. I am not the sense or experience of touch, which is also momentary and which is able to function only on account of the infinite consciousness. Nor am I the sense of taste based on the ever changing and restless tongue ever devoted to its objects. I am not the sense of sight (or form) which too is momentary and which is but a perversion of the understanding of the seer. Nor am I the sense of smell, which is an imaginary creation of the nose and which has an indeterminate form.
Hence, I am devoid of all these imaginary qualities. I have nothing whatsoever to do with the functions of these senses. I am pure consciousness. I am peace beyond thought.
section V - chapter 34 - a idanim smrtam satyam etattad akhilam maya nirvikalpacidabhasa esa atma smi sarvagah (19)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
I am the all-pervading reality which is devoid of objectivity and therefore percepts and concepts. I am pure consciousness. It is by this consciousness that all things, from a little pot to the mighty sun, are perceived. Ah, I now recollect the truth that I am the self which is omnipresent, in which there is no conceptualisation. It is by that self that all the senses and their experiences are made possible, for it is the inner light. It is because of that inner light that these objects acquire their apparent substantiality.
It is thanks to that inner light of consciousness, which is utterly free from all modifications, that the sun is hot, the moon is cool, the mountain is heavy and water is liquid. It is the cause of all the effects that manifest as this creation, but it is itself uncaused. It is on account of that inner light of consciousness that the characteristic nature of the diverse objects arises. Because it is formless and because it is the cause of all effects, this universe has arisen in it, with all its diversity. It alone is the cause of the manifestation of the trinity (Brahma the creator, Visnu the preserver and Siva the redeemer); but it is not itself caused.
I salute this self which is its own light, free from the duality of knower and known, subject and object. In it exist all things of this universe; and into it they enter. Whatever this inner self thinks of, that happens everywhere - apparently as an external reality. When thought of by this consciousness, these things seem to come into being; when thought of as nonexistent, they reach their end. Thus, all these infinite objects appear in the limitless space of consciousness. They appear to grow and they appear to diminish, even as a shadow seems to grow and to diminish in the light of the sun.
This self or inner light of consciousness is unknown and unseen: it is attained by those who have purified their heart. But by the holy ones it is seen in the supremely pure cosmic space (dimension) of consciousness.
This self exists in an undivided state in the three worlds - from Brahma the creator to the blade of grass, as the infinite and self-luminous consciousness. It is one, without beginning and end; it exists as the all, as the inner experiencing of all mobile and immobile beings.
section V - chapter 34 - ghrtam yatha ntah payaso rasasakttir yatha jale cicchakttih sarvabhavesu tatha ntarahamasthitah (56)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
The one self, which is the sole experiencing, is therefore the experiencer in all: hence the self is said to have a thousand hands and a thousand eyes. With this beauteous body of the sun, this self which is 'I' roams the space, as also in the body of air. It is the same with the self embodied as the deity holding the conch, discus, mace, etc., who is adored in this world. It was this self or 'I' that was born as the one who is ever seated in the lotus (the creator Brahma). It is the self again that shall dissolve this creation or withdraw it from manifestation at the end of the world-cycle.
The self referred to as the I embodied in Indra protects the world. I am woman, I am man, I am the youth, I am the senile old man; and on account of embodiment, I am apparently born here. I am the omnipresent. From the ground of the infinite consciousness I raise trees and plants, being present in them as their very essence. Even as clay in the hands of a playful child, this world-appearance is pervaded by me for my own delight. The world derives its reality from the self (me), it functions in and through me and when I abandon it or cease to comprehend it, it ceases to have any reality. For, this world exists in me, the self or infinite consciousness, even as a reflection seems to exist in a mirror.
I am the fragrance in flowers, I am the radiance in flowers and leaves, I am the light in the radiance and even in that light I am the experience. Whatever mobile and immobile beings exist in this universe, I am their supreme truth or consciousness free from conceptualisation. I am the very essence in all things in the universe. Just as butter exists in milk and just as liquidity exists in water, even so as the energy of consciousness I exist in all that exists. This world-appearance of the past, the present and the future exists in the infinite consciousness without the distinction of objectivity. This omnipresent, omnipotent cosmic being is the self which is indicated by the 'I'. This cosmic kingdom known as the universe has come to me unsought and is pervaded by me. As the self or the infinite consciousness I pervade the entire universe, even as the one cosmic ocean pervades the cosmos after the cosmic creation has been dissolved. Even as a lame (incapacitated) aquatic creature finds the cosmic ocean is without limits, I find no end to the extent of myself, which is infinite. This world-appearance is like a dust-particle in the infinite consciousness: it does not satisfy me, even as a tiny fruit does not appease an elephant's hunger. Hence, the form which began to expand in the house of the creator Brahma even now continues to expand.
section V - chapter 34 - sarvabhavantarasthaya cetyamukttacidatmane pratyakcetanarupaya mahyameva namo namah (69)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
Truly, it was but the infinite consciousness that existed: how has this finite, limited ego- sense arisen in it, without any justification and support? What has given rise to the delusion which expresses itself in statements like 'This is you' and 'This I am'? What is this body and what is bodilessness, who lives and who is it that dies? Surely, my ancestors were of little understanding in that they abandoned this infinite consciousness and roamed this little earth. What comparison is there between the vision of the infinite and this fearful vanity known as worldly glory, which is full of dreadful desires and cravings? This vision of the infinite consciousness is pure and is of the nature of supreme peace: and it is surely the very best among the visions that are possible in this universe.
I salute my own self which is the indweller in all beings, which is the consciousness freed from objectivity or conceptualisation and which is the intelligence in all beings. I am the unborn in whom the world-appearance has vanished. I have gained what is worth gaining. I have triumphed and I live triumphantly. I find no delight in reigning over a kingdom, abandoning this supreme felicity of cosmic consciousness. Fie upon those wicked demons who revel in the filth of this worldly life.
Alas, how foolish and ignorant of my father to have remained satisfied and pleased with this physical existence! What has he gained by living a long life and by reigning over this little mud-ball called the earth? The delights of even countless such worlds is nothing compared to the bliss of the self. He who has nothing but has this self-knowledge has everything. He who abandons this and seeks other things is not a man of wisdom. What comparison is there between this mortal physical existence (like the arid desert) and the bliss of enlightenment (like a delightful pleasure-garden)? The sovereignty of the world as also all things in the three worlds exist in consciousness: why do people not experience the truth that there is nothing outside of consciousness?
Everything, everywhere and at all times is easily obtained through consciousness which is omnipresent and undifferentiated. The light that shines in the sun and the moon, the energy that animates the gods, the intrinsic characteristic of the mind and the elements, the qualities and the faculties that exist in nature (like that in space which permits aircraft to move in it) and the infinite variety of the manifestations of energy and intelligence are all the expansions and the functions of the one cosmic consciousness, which in itself is undivided and unmodified. Even as the sun shines on all things without distinction, this cosmic consciousness illumines all things without distinction, instantly and spontaneously as the very self of all things in the universe.
section V - chapter 34 - bhavena bhavamasritya bhavastyajati duhkhatam preksya bhavamabhavena bhavastyajati dustatam (99)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
The infinite consciousness simultaneously pervades the three periods of time and experiences the infinite worlds. It envelops all, it sees all; and because it is undisturbed and unmodified, it alone remains at all times. This consciousness experiences simultaneously what is sweet and what is bitter; it is tranquil and at peace. Because this consciousness is in itself free from all modifications (concepts and percepts), and because it is subtle and experiences all things at the same time, it is ever at peace and homogeneous, even while apparently experiencing the diversity of diverse phenomena.
When the apparently transformed becoming resorts to or rests on that being which has not undergone any modification, the former is freed from sorrow: and when what is is seen by what is not (or by the mind in which there is no movement of thought) that which is abandons its wickedness.
When consciousness abandons the perception of the three modes of time, when it is freed from the bondage of objectivity or conceptualisation, it rests in utter tranquillity. It is as if it were unreal, because it is beyond description: hence some people declare that the self does not exist. Whether there is the self (Brahman) or not, that which is not subject to dissolution is the supreme liberation.
On account of the modification (thought), this consciousness is apparently veiled and is not realised. They who are sunk in the mire of attraction and repulsion are unable to reach this realisation. They are caught in the net of thoughts. Such have been my ancestors. On account of their desire and hate and the deluded perception of duality, they lead the life of vermin.
He in whom the ghosts of cravings and hostility have been laid and the mirage of ignorant thinking and psychological perversion has been dispelled by the cloud of true inner awakening, he alone lives. For, how can there arise concepts and percepts in the infinite consciousness which alone is?
I salute the self! Salutations to myself - the undivided consciousness, the jewel of all the seen and the unseen worlds! You have indeed been reached very soon! You have been touched, you have been gained, you have been realised, you have been raised above all kinds of perversions: you are what you are. Salutations to you. Salutations to you - my self, Siva, the Lord of lords, the supreme self.
I salute the self which rejoices in its own body, being established in itself, in full control of itself, utterly freed from the veil of self-imposed ignorance (thoughts and concepts).
section V - chapter 35 - vicaratyesa lokesu jiva eva jagatsthitau vilasatyeva bhogesu prasphuratyeva vastusu (21)
Vasistha continued to contemplate:
Om is the one non-dual consciousness devoid of all perversion. Whatever there is in the universe is the one self. Even within this body composed of flesh and blood, etc., it is the intelligence that shines as it does in and through light-sources such as the sun etc. It makes the fire hot and it tastes the nectarine sweetness; it experiences all sense-experiences, as it were. Standing, it is not stationary; going, it does not move; at rest it is ever busy; dynamic, it is unaffected. In the past, present and in the future, here, there and everywhere, it is ever the same in all apparent modifications. Utterly fearless and uninhibited, it is this consciousness that brings into manifestation and sustains the infinite variety of beings, from Brahma the creator to the blade of grass. It is ever dynamic and active; yet it is more inactive than a rock and it is more unaffected by such activity than even the space.
It is this self or consciousness that activates the mind even as wind rustles the leaves; it makes the senses function as the rider guides the horse. Though the self is the lord of this body, it is ever engaged in diverse actions as if it were a slave.
The self alone is to be sought, adored and meditated upon. It is by resorting to it that one crosses this world-appearance with its cycle of birth and death and delusion. It is very easily accessible, it can be easily won over like a good friend, for it dwells in the heart-lotus of every one. It is attained in one's own body, without even the need to call upon it: it manifests itself and reveals itself even if it is contemplated for an instant. Though it is the Lord of all and is endowed with all excellences, one who adores it is free from arrogance and pride.
This self dwells in all bodies even as fragrance resides in flowers. It is not realised by all because no one enquires into the truth concerning the self. If it is realised through self- enquiry, there is instant experience of supreme bliss and one gets an undying vision of truth: all fetters drop away, all enemies are quelled and cravings do not agitate the mind. When it is seen, everything is seen; when it is heard, everything is heard; when it is touched, everything is touched - for the world is because it is. It is awake even when one sleeps, it goads the unwise into wakefulness, it removes the distress of the suffering and bestows all desired objects. In this creation, it exists as if it is a jiva (living entity); it appears to enjoy the pleasures; and it seems to expand in the objects of this world.
Yet, in all bodies, it exists as the self, experiencing itself in utter tranquillity. It is the one sole and cosmic reality in the whole universe.
section V - chapter 35 - sambandhah ko stu nah kamair bhavabhavairathendriyaih kena sambadhyate vyoma kena sambadhyate manah (32)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
This self is the emptiness in space. It is the motion in all things moving. It is the light in all things luminous. In all liquids it is taste. It is solidity in earth. It is heat in fire. It is coolness in the moon. It is the very existence of the worlds. Even as all these characteristic qualities exist in the corresponding substances, even so it exists as Lord in the body. Just as existence exists everywhere and just as time exists at all times, this self exists in all bodies, with all the physical and psychological faculties.
This self is the eternal existence. It enlightens even the gods. I, the self, alone am: in me there is no percept or concept. Even as space is unaffected by the dust-particles floating in it, even as a lotus is untainted by water, even so I am not affected by anything. Let the body be subjected to happiness or unhappiness: how is the self affected by it? Just as the flame of a lamp (though the wick itself is made of threads) cannot be bound by a piece of thread, the self which exceeds or transcends all material existence is not bound by such materiality. What relationship can exist between us (the self) and the cravings which spring from notions of existence and non-existence and from the senses? Who or what binds the space and by whom is the mind bound?
Even if the body is cut into a hundred pieces, the self is not injured; even if the pot is pulverised, the space within it is not destroyed. Even if this goblin mind which exists only as a word and not as a reality, ceases to be, what do we lose? Formerly, there was a mind which consisted of notions of happiness and unhappiness: but now that all such notions have ceased to be, where is my mind? Which fool would entertain such notions as 'One enjoys another', 'One grasps another', 'One sees another', 'One suffers a calamity'? Nature alone enjoys, the mind grasps or comprehends, suffering belongs to the body, the wicked person is a fool: but in one who has attained liberation there is none of these. I neither entertain craving for pleasure, nor do I wish to get rid of it. Whatever comes, let it come; whatever goes, let it go. Let notions of diverse experiences either arise or set in the body: I am neither in them nor they in me.
For so long I have been enslaved by the dreaded enemy known as ignorance who robbed me of my wealth of wisdom. But now, by the grace of lord Visnu and through my own excellent self-effort, I have attained that wisdom. By the magic-spell of self-knowledge this goblin ego-sense has been expelled. Rid of the destitution of delusion, I remain as the supreme Lord. All that is worth knowing is already known, all that is worth seeing has been seen; I have now attained that beyond which there is naught to be attained.
section V - chapter 35 - stutya pranatya vijnaptya samena niyamena ca labdho yam bhagavan atma drstasca dhigatah sphutam (49)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
Luckily for me, the deadly serpent of craving for sense-pleasure has been left far behind and all delusions and hopes have been quietened. I have attained the plane of supreme truth. The Lord who is the self, has been seen by me by means of singing hymns, salutations, prayer, peace of mind and disciplined living. By the grace of lord Visnu the realisation of the supreme being is firmly established in my heart.
Till now I was harassed by ignorant limitations and delusions. The forest of ignorance has numerous anthills inhabited by deadly snakes in the form of sense-cravings, many blind-holes known as death and many forest-fires of sorrow; in it roam the thieves of violence and greed, as also the most deadly ennemy of ego-sense. Now I am free of that by the grace of lord Visnu as also by my own self-effort; and my intelligence has been fully awakened. In the light of that awakened intelligence I do not perceive an entity which can be called ego-sense, even as one does not see darkness when the sun has arisen. Now that the goblin of ego-sense has been laid, I remain at peace within myself.
When the truth is seen and the ego-sense has been dispelled, where is room for delusion, sorrows, hopes, desires and mental distress? Heaven and hell, as also delusions concerning liberation, exist only as long as the ego-sense exists: pictures are painted on canvas, not on empty sky! When the intelligence is freed from the cloud of ego-sense and from the thunderstorm of cravings, it shines with the light of self-knowledge, even as the city shines during the autumnal full-moon night.
O self free from the mire of ego-sense, salutations to you. O self in whom the fearsome senses and all-consuming mind have attained quiescence, salutations to you. O self in whom the lotus of bliss has fully blossomed, salutations to you. O self whose two wings are consciousness and its reflection, and who dwells in the lotus of the heart, salutations to you. O self, the sun that dispels the darkness of ignorance in the heart, salutations to you. O self, the promoter of supreme love and the sustainer of all things in the universe, salutations to you.
Even as steel cuts the steel-beam which has been heated, I have subdued the mind with its own purified state. I have cut asunder cravings, ignorance and foolishness by their opposites. Egolessly, my body functions with its inherent energy. The past tendencies, mental conditioning and limitations have heen completely destroyed. I begin to wonder: how was it that for such a long Iime I was caught up in the trap of the ego-sense! Freed from dependency, from habits of thought, from desires and cravings, from deluded belief in the existence of the ego, from the colouring of pleasure-seeking tendency and from revelry - my mind has reached a state of utter quiescence. With this, all sorrow has come to an end and the light of supreme bliss has dawned!
section V - chapter 36 - vacyavacakadrstyaiva bhedo yo yamiha vayoh asatya kalpanaivesa vicivicyambhasoriva (8)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
At last, the self which is beyond all states or modes of consciousness has been realised. O self, fortunately you have been realised; salutations to you. I salute you, I embrace you: who but you is my friend and relative in the three worlds? You alone destroy, you alone protect, you give, you praise and you move: now, O self, you have been seen and attained - what will you do now and where will you go? By your reality are all the worlds pervaded, you alone are seen everywhere, O self: where will you run away now?
Between us stood the great wall of ignorance from beginningless time. Now that that wall has collapsed you are seen to be not distant at all. Salutations to the self, who has fully accomplished what needs to be accomplished, the real doer of all actions, the Lord, the eternal and the everpure being. Salutations to Visnu, to Siva, and to Brahma the creator. O self, the distinction between you (the self) and me is verbal, like the distinction between the word and the substance it refers to; the distinction is unreal and imaginary, like the verbal distinction between the wave and the water in the wave. In truth, you alone are spread out as the infinite variety of created objects that appear to be in this world.
Salutations to the seer, the experiencer. Salutations to the one that creates, to the one that unfolds and expands as all things. Salutations to that which is the inner reality of all. Salutations to the omnipresent. Alas, on account of your identification with the embodiment, you, O self, had, as it were, forgotten your own nature. Hence, you had to undergo endless suffering in repeated births, experiencing external perceptions without self-knowledge. This external world is nothing more than earth, wood and rock: O self, there is no reality in all this other than you. Attaining self-knowledge, one does not long for aught else.
Now, Lord, you have been seen and reached. Hereafter you will not be deluded again: salutations to you. Lord, how is it that the self which is the very light of the eyes and which fills the whole body as the innate intelligence, is not seen or experienced? How is it that that intelligence which functioning as the sense of touch and experiencing all other objects is itself not realised? How can that intelligence be distant from oneself - which as the intelligence in the sense of hearing, hears and produces goose-pimples? How is it that one does not taste the sweetness of that intelligence which experiences the sweetness or otherwise of the objects placed before it? How is it that one does not directly experience the presence of that intelligence which enjoys the sense of smell? How is it that the self whose glory is sung by the scriptures and who is knowledge or wisdom itself forgets itself? O self, now that you have been realised, the sense-pleasures that I revelled in before are no longer worthy of my attention!
section V - chapter 36 - hamsi pasi dadasi tvam avasphurjasi valgasi anahamkrtirupo pi citreyam tava mayita (36)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
O self, it is your own light of purity that shines in the sun; your nectarine coolness that radiates through the moon. The heaviness of the mountains is derived from you, as also the speed of the wind. Because of you the earth is firm and space is empty. Luckily, you have been realised by me: luckily, I have become yours. Luckily, O Lord, there is no distinction between you (the self) and me - you are I, I am you. Whatever is referred to as you (the self) or as I, whichever be the root and whichever be the branch, to that I offer my salutations again and again. Salutations to my self which is infinite and egoless: salutations to the formless self.
You (self) dwell in 'me' in a state of equilibrium, as pure witness consciousness, without form and without the divisions of space and time. The mind gets agitated, the senses begin to stir and the energy begins to expand, setting in motion the twin-forces of prana and apana (two modifications of the life-force). Drawn by the power of desires, the driver (mind) carries away the body made up of flesh and blood, bone and skin. However, I am pure consciousness, not dependent upon the body or anything else: let this body rise or fall, in accordance with the desires that move it.
In course of time, the ego-sense arises and in course of time the ego-sense ceases to be, even as the universe dissolves at the end of the cosmic cycle. But, after a long time of such cyclic (birth and death) existence in this creation, I have attained the state of peace and rest, even as the whole cosmos comes to rest at the end of its own cyclic existence. Salutations to you, myself, who is transcendental and who is all: salutations to all of them that speak of us!
The supreme self being the witness-consciousness is utterly unaffected by the faults of the experiences related to it. The self is all in all everywhere and exists in everything, even as fragrance exists in flowers and oil in sesame seeds. O self, you destroy, you protect, you give, you roar and you function here although you are completely free from ego-sense: indeed this is a great wonder. Being the light of the self, I open my eyes, as it were, and the universe comes into being; and I close my eyes and the universe ceases to be. You, O self, are the supreme atom in which the entire universe exists already, even as the great banyan tree exists potentially in the tiny banyan seed. Even as cloud formations in the sky often resemble horses, elephants and other animals, you yourself, O self, appear in the cosmic space as the infinite variety of objects. Free from being and non-being, the self exists as being and non-being and also the diverse beings, one distinct and separate from the other, as it were.
section V - chapter 36 - bhavanayamayam ca ham tvam sabdairevamadibhih svayamevatmana tmanam lilartham stausi vaksi ca (56)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
Abandon vanity, anger, impurity and violence: for great souls are not overcome by such base qualities. Remember past sorrow again and again; and with a cheerful attitude of mind enquire 'Who am I?', 'How could all this happen?' and be free from all that. All that is past is past and all the sorrows and anxieties that burnt you have ceased to be. Today, you are the sovereign of this city known as the body; and even as one cannot get hold of the sky with his fist, sorrow is not able to lay its hand upon you. Now you are the master of your senses and your mind; and you enjoy the greatest delight.
Lord, O self, you are ever asleep, as it were: you are apparently awakened by your own energy for the purpose of becoming aware of the experiences being undergone. It is in fact that energy that comes into contact with the objects of such experiences: but on account of such awareness, you assume such experiences to yourself. They who have, through the exercise of the life-forces, reached 'the aperture of Brahma' at the crown of the head, perceive every moment what is past and what will be in the future in the city of Brahma the creator.
O self, you are the fragrance in the flower known as the body; you are the nectar in the moon known as the body; you are the essence in the herb known as the body; you are the coolness in the ice known as the body. Just as there is butter in milk, there is friendship or attachment in the body. You dwell in this body even as fire dwells in wood. You are the light in all luminous objects; you are the inner light that makes knowledge of objects possible. You are the strength of the elephant known as mind. You are both the light and the heat of the fire of self-knowledge.
Speech terminates in you, O self! It reappears somewhere else. Even as different ornaments are fashioned out of gold, all the countless objects of creation have been fashioned out of you: the distinction is verbal. 'This is you', 'This is I' - such expressions are used when you yourself adore yourself or describe yourself for your own delight. Even as a huge forest-fire might momentarily assume various forms though it is but a single flame, even so your non-dual being appears to be all these diverse objects in this universe. You are the string on which all these worlds are strung. You are the ground of truth in which all these worlds abide. The worlds are for ever potentially present in you: and by you they are made manifest, as the flavour of foodstuff is made manifest by cooking. However, though these worlds seem to exist, they will cease to be if you are not! You are their reality. Even this body will fall down lifeless like a log of wood. Happiness and sorrow collapse when they approach you, even as darkness disappears when it approaches light. However, the experience of happiness etc., is made possible only because of the light of awareness derived from you.
section V - chapter 36 - tvadalokeksanodbhuta tvadalokeksanaksaya mrteva jata jateva mrta kenopalaksyate (71)
Prahlada continued to contemplate:
Pleasure and pain, happiness and unhappiness owe their existence to you, O self: they are born of you and they lose their identity when their non-existence independent of you is realised. Even as an optical illusion comes into being and vanishes in the twinkling of an eye, the illusory experiences of pain and pleasure appear and disappear in the twinkling of an eye. They appear in the light of awareness and they disappear when they are perceived as non-different from at awareness: they are born the moment they die and they die the moment they are born - who is the perceiver of all this mystery?
Everything is thus ever-changing all the time: how then can such momentary causes produce tangible and stable results? Waves may look like flowers, but can one string them into a garland? If it is credible to think that one can expect stable effects to accrue from such an unstable cause as the fleeting phenomena, then it should be possible to string lightnings into a luminous garland and wear it as an ornament! O self, you enjoy pleasure and pain as if they were real, while you perceive and receive them through the consciousness of a wise person, without ever abandoning the state of utter equanimity. But, what your experiences are when the same thing happens in the heart of an unwise or unawakened person, it is impossible for me to describe! O self, you are in truth non-attached, free from all desires and hopes, you are one and homogeneous without any parts, you are devoid of ego-sense: and you assume the doership of actions and you appear to experience the diversity, whether this is really true and factual or unreal and fictitious.
Hail, hail to you, O self, who has manifested as this limitless universe. Hail to the self which is supreme peace. Hail to you, O self, who is beyond the reach of the scriptures. Hail to you, O self, who is the basis and the goal of all scriptures. Hail to you, O self, who is born and who dwells in all creatures. Hail to you, O self, who is unborn. Hail to you, O self, who undergoes change and destruction. Hail to you, O self, that is unchanging and indestructible. Hail to you, O self, that is existence: hail to you, O self, that is non- existence. Hail to you, O self, that is conquerable, that can be attained. Hail to you, O self, that is invincible and beyond reach.
I am delighted. I am in a state of utter equilibrium and of supreme peace. I stand unmoving. I have reached self-knowledge. I am the victor. I live to conquer. Salutations to myself; salutations to you. As long as you, O my self, exist as the pure untainted reality, where is bondage, where is misfortune, where is good fortune, where is birth or death? I shall rest for ever in supreme peace.
section V - chapter 37 38 - daityodyogena vibudhastato yajnatapahkriyah tena samsarasamsthanam na samsarakramo nyatha (38/16)
Vasistha continued:
After thus contemplating, Prahlada entered into the state in which there is no mental modification at all, but where there is supreme bliss, undisturbed by the movement of thought. He sat where he was, like a statue. A very long time passed in this manner. The demons tried their best to disturb him: they could not. A thousand years went by. The demons concluded that he was dead.
Anarchy prevailed in the netherworld. Hiranyakasipu was dead; and his son remained dead to the world. No one else ascended the throne. The demons roamed the country freely, guided solely by their whims and fancies. There was utter disorder and the strong overpowered the weak, even as in the ocean the big fish swallow the small ones.
In the meantime, the protector of the universe lord Visnu who was reclining on his serpent-couch in the ocean of milk contemplated the state of the universe. In his own mind he saw the heaven and the earth and satisfied himself that everything was in order in those regions. Then, he saw the state of the netherworld. He perceived that Prahlada was deeply immersed in the transcendental state of consciousness. Freed from harassment by the demons, the gods in heaven enjoyed a run-away prosperity.
Seeing this, Lord Visnu thought:
Since Prahlada is immersed in the transcendental state of consciousness, the leaderless demons have lost their power. In the absence of a threat from the demons, the gods in heaven have nothing to fear and hence nothing to hate. If they have nothing to fear or hate, they will soon rise to the transcendental state of consciousness, beyond the pairs of opposites, and attain liberation! Then, the earthlings will find religious rites to be meaningless, since there are no gods to propitiate. This universe, which ought to exist till the natural cosmic dissolution, will thus abruptly cease to be. I do not see any good in this: hence, I think that the demons should continue to live as demons. If the demons function as the enemies of the gods, religious and righteous actions shall prevail in this creation: and thus will this creation continue to exist and flourish, not otherwise.
Hence, I shall presently go to the netherworld and re-establish it as it should be. If Prahlada shows no interest in ruling that realm, I shall appoint someone else in his place. Surely, this is the last incarnation of Prahlada and he shall live in this embodiment till the end of this worldcycle. Such is the world-order. Hence, I shall go to the netherworld and roar to awaken Prahlada. I shall persuade him to rule the realm whilst enjoying the consciousness of liberation. Thus shall I be able to sustain this creation till its natural dissolution.
section V - chapter 39 - stlhatavyamiha dehena kalpam yavadanena te vayam hi niyatim vidmo yathabhutamaninditam (24)
Vasistha continued:
Thus resolved, lord Visnu quickly reached the netherworld. In his radiance the demons gained new strength and vitality; but dazzled by his divine light they ran away. Visnu approached where Prahlada was seated, and roared aloud: "Noble one, wake up!" and at the same time blew his conch. Hearing this the demons fell down and the gods rejoiced.
The life-force began to vibrate in the crown of Prahlada's head. The life-force then spread throughout his body. The senses gained energy and they began to apprehend their respective objects. The mind began to function. The nadis (nerves?) began to vibrate. The mind began to become aware of its physical encasing, the body. Prahlada was fully awake to his surroundings and gazed upon the Lord.
Lord Visnu said to Prahlada:
Remember, O Prahlada, your identity as such, and as the ruler of the netherworld. You have nothing whatsoever either to acquire or to reject: arise. You have to remain in this body till the end of this world-cycle: I know this as inevitable, as I know the law of this world-order. Hence, you have to rule this realm here and now as a sage liberated from all delusion.
The time for cosmic dissolution is not yet: why do you vainly wish to abandon this body? The signs, symptoms and events that naturally precede such natural cosmic dissolution are not yet seen: why do you vainly wish to abandon this body?
I exist. All this world and the creatures in it exist. Hence, do not think of abandoning your body yet.
He is fit to die who is sunk in ignorance and sorrow. He who grieves, thinking "I am weak, miserable, stupid" etc., is fit to die. He who is swayed by countless desires and hopes and he whose mind is restless, is fit to die. He who is subject to the pairs of opposites like happiness and unhappiness, who is attached to this body, who is distressed physically and mentally, whose heart has dried up through the fires of lust and anger, is fit to experience death. People regard that as death when one abandons the body!
Living is appropriate to one whose mind is well controlled by his self-knowledge, and who is aware of the truth. He should live who does not entertain notions of egoism and who is unattached to anything, who is free from likes and dislikes and has a calm mind, whose mind has reached the state of no-mind. It is proper that he should live who is established in the perception of the truth and who functions here as if playfully, who is inwardly neither elated nor depressed by external events, who is free from the desire to acquire or to reject. He, hearing of whom or listening to whom, people experience great joy - life alone is appropriate to him, and not death.
section V - chapter 40 - dehasamstho pyadehatvad adeho si videhadrk vyomasamstho pyasakttatvad avyomeva hi marutah (4)
The Lord continued:
The functioning or the existence of the body is known as the state of living, according to the people; and the abandonment of the body in order to get another body is known as death. You are free from these two notions, O Prahlada: to you what is death and what is life! I was only using the popular notions to explain myself to you: in truth, you neither live nor die. Even though you are in the body, since you do not have the body, you are bodiless. You are the observer which is immaterial intelligence: just as, though air exists in space it is not attached to space, and hence it is free from spatial limitation. Yet, in a manner of speaking you are the body since you experience sensations through the body, even as, in a manner of speaking, space is responsible for the growth of a plant in as much as space does not arrest such growth.
You are enlightened. What is a body or embodiment to you? It is only in the eyes of the ignorant that even your form exists. At all times you are the all, you are the supreme inner light of consciousness: what is body or bodilessness to you and what can you hold or abandon? Whether it is springtime or the day of cosmic dissolution, they are nothing to one who has transcended the notions of being and non-being. For, in all conditions, he is firmly established in self-knowledge. Whether all the beings in the universe live or perish, or they prosper, he remains firmly established in self-knowledge.
The supreme Lord dwells in the body, undying when the body dies and unchanging when the body changes. When you have given up the false notions 'I belong to the body' or 'The body belongs to me', then there is no meaning in expressions like 'I shall give it up' or 'I shall not give it up', 'I have done this' and 'I shall do this now'.
Enlightened men, though they be constantly engaged in activity, do nothing: it is not by means of inaction that they reach the state of non-action! This very fact of non-action frees you from experiences: for there is no harvest where there is no sowing. When thus both the notions of 'I do' and 'I experience' have ceased, there remains only peace; when that peace is firmly grounded, there is liberation.
To such an enlightened person what is there to acquire or to renounce? For it is only when the notions of subject and object have ceased that there is liberation. Such enlightened persons (as you are) live in this world as if they are for ever in a state of deep sleep. Likewise, O Prahlada, perceive this world as if you are half asleep! Enlightened beings do not exult in pleasure nor grieve in pain; they function non-volitionally even as a crystal reflects the objects placed near it without intending to do so. They are fully awake in self-knowledge, but they are asleep, as it were, in relation to the world; they function in this world like children, without ego-sense and all the rest of its retinue. O Prahlada, you have reached the plane of Visnu; rule the netherworld for a world-cycle, which is equal to a day in the life of the creator Brahma.
section V - chapter 41 - idam sukhamidam duhkhamidam na stidamasti me iti dolayitam ceto mudhameva na panditam (12)
Prahlada said:
Lord, I was really overcome by fatigue and I took rest for a brief moment. By your grace, I have attained to the realisation in which there is to distinction between contemplation and non-contemplation. You were seen by me for a long time within myself: luckily, you are now seen in front of me. I have experienced the truth of the infinite consciousness within myself, in which there is no sorrow, no delusion, no concern with dispassion, no desire to abandon the body and no fear of this world-appearance. When the one single reality is known, where is sorrow, where is destruction, what is body, what is world- appearance, what is fear or its absence? I was in that state of consciousness which spontaneously arose in me.
'Oh, I am disgusted with this world and I shall abandon it,' such thoughts arise only in the ignorant. Only the ignorant think that there is sorrow when there is body and that there is no sorrow once the body is abandoned. 'This is pleasure', 'this is pain', 'this is', 'this is not' - only the mind of the ignorant swings like this, not of the wise. Notions of 'I' and the 'other' exist only in the minds of the ignorant who have left wisdom far behind. 'This is bo be acquired' and 'This is to be abandoned', such thoughts arise only in the minds of the ignorant. When everything is pervaded by you, where is 'another' which can be acquired or abandoned? The entire universe is pervaded by consciousness: what is to be acquired and what abandoned?
I was naturally enquiring of myself in myself, and rested just for a moment without any notions of being or non-being, of acquisition or rejection. I have attained self-knowledge now: and I shall do whatever pleases you. Pray, accept my worshipful adoration.
After receiving Prahlada's worship, Lord Visnu said to him:
Arise, O Prahlada: I shall presently anoint you king of the netherworld while the gods and the sages who are here sing your glories. (After thus crowning him king of the netherworld, he continued:) Be thou ruler of the netherworld as long as the sun and the moon shine. Protect this realm without being swayed by desire, fear or hate and looking upon all with equal vision. Enjoy the royal pleasures and may all prosperity attend you: but act in such a way that neither the gods in heaven nor the humans on earth are unduly agitated or worried. Engage yourself in appropriate action, without being swayed by thoughts and motives. Thus will you not be bound by actions. O Prahlada, you know everything already; what need have you to be instructed? From now the gods and the demons will live in friendship; the goddesses and the demonesses will live in harmony. O king, keep ignorance at a great distance from you and live an enlightened life, ruling this world for a very long time to come.
section V - chapter 42 - atmavalokanena su madhavah paridrsyate madhavaradhanena su svayamatma valokyate (21)
Vasistha continued:
Having said thus, lord Visnu left the realm of the demons. By the grace and with the blessings of the Lord, the gods in heaven, the demons in the netherworid and the humans on earth lived happily, without distress.
Thus I have narrated to you, O Rama, the auspicious story of Prahlada, which is capable of destroying all the impurities of one's heart. They who contemplate this narrative will soon attain a higher state of consciousness, even if they have been very wicked and sinful. Even a simple investigation of this narrative will destroy all sins; but if the investigation is of a yogic nature, surely it will lead to supreme realisation. Sin is only ignorance and it is destroyed by enquiry; hence one should never abandon enquiry.
Rama asked:
How was it, O Lord, that Prahlada who was in the highest state of non-dual consciousness was awakened by the conch-sound?
Vasistha replied:
O Rama, liberation is of two kinds 'with body' and 'without body'. That state of liberation in which the mind is totally unattached to anything (neither to actions involving acquisition nor to renunciation) and in which there is no craving at all, is known as 'liberation with body'. That itself is known as 'liberation without body' when the body drops.
In the case of the 'liberation with body', all the tendencies and mental conditioning are like fried seeds incapable of giving rise to future embodiment: but there still remains the conditioning of such purity, expansiveness and self-knowledge, though even this conditioning is unintentional and non-volitional (as in a sleeping person). As long as this trace remains, the sage who is 'liberated with body' can be awakened to world- consciousness even after a hundred years of inward contemplation. Such was the state of Prahlada and hence he 'awoke' to the sound of the conch.
Moreover, lord Visnu is the self of all and whatever notion arises in him materialises immediately. His manifestation is uncaused, but it has the sole purpose of creating the infinite creatures in this universe. By the attainment of self-knowledge, lord Visnu is realised; and by the adoration of lord Visnu, self-realisation is attained.
O Rama, reach the vision which Prahlada had and engage yourself in ceaseless enquiry: you will reach the supreme state. This world deludes one only as long as the sun of self- enquiry does not arise in one's heart. When one obtains the grace of the self and of lord Visnu, he is not troubled by the ghost of this illusory world-appearance.
section V - chapter 43 - aradhaya tmana tmanamatmana tmanamarcaya atmana tmanamalokya samtisthasva tmana tmani (19)
Rama asked:
Holy sir, you said that Prahlada attained enlightenment by the grace of lord Visnu. If everything is achieved by self-effort, why was he not able to attain enlightenment without Visnu's grace?
Vasistha replied:
Surely, whatever Prahlada attained was through self-effort, O Rama, not otherwise. Visnu is the self and the self is Visnu: the distinction is verbal. It was the self of Prahlada that generated in itself devotion to Visnu. Prahlada obtained from Visnu, who was his own self, the boon of self-enquiry; and through such enquiry attained self-knowledge. At times one attains self-knowledge through self-enquiry undertaken through self-effort; at times this self-effort manifests as devotion to Visnu who is also the self, and thus one attains enlightenment.
Even if one worships Visnu for a long time with great devotion, he does not bestow enlightenment on one who is not wise with self-knowledge. Thus, the foremost means for self-knowledge is self-enquiry; grace and such other factors are secondary means. Hence, attain mastery over the senses and by whole-souled spiritual practice lead the mind along the path of self-enquiry. Resort to self-effort and cross this ocean of world-appearance and reach the other shore.
If you think that lord Visnu can be seen without self-effort, why do the birds and beasts not get uplifted by him? If it is true that the guru can spiritually uplift one without the need for self-effort, then why does a guru not so uplift a camel or a bull? No, nothing whatsoever is gained with the help of god or guru or wealth or other means, but only by self-effort at a complete mastery of the mind. What cannot be attained by the resolute practice of self- mastery coupled with uncolouredness (freedom from every form of mental conditioning) cannot be attained by any other means in the three worlds.
Hence, adore the self by the self, worship the self by the self, behold the self by the self, and be firmely established by the self in the self. The cult of devotion to Visnu has been founded with the intention of possibly inducing those people who have turned away from the study of scriptures, from self-effort and from self-enquiry, to do something good. Determined and persistent self-effort is considered the best: in its absence, other forms of worship are prescribed. If there is complete mastery of the senses, of what use is worship; and if there is no mastery of the senses, of what use is worship? Without self-enquiry and the consequent inner tranquillity, neither devotion to lord Visnu nor self-knowledge is possible. Hence, resort to self-enquiry and the practice of cessation of distraction and thus adore the self: if you are successful in this, you have attained perfection; if not, you are no more than a wild donkey.
section V - chapter 43 - etadapyatmanaiva tma phalamapnoti bhasitam haripujakramakhyena nimittena risudana (33)
Vasistha continued:
Just as you perform worship of lord Visnu and others, why do you not worship your own self? Lord Visnu in fact dwells as the innermost being of all: they are surely the worst among men who, abandoning the indweller, seek Visnu outside. The Lord's primary dwelling is the heartcave of all beings: that is his eternal body. The form that is seen with the conch, discus, mace etc., is the secondary form of the self. He who abandons the primary truth and runs after the secondary aspects is like one who throws away a proven remedy and struggles in vain to effect a cure by other means. He who is unable to contemplate with one-pointed attention the indwelling self and who is therefore unable to attain wisdom of the self, might engage himself in the worship of the external form of lord Visnu. By the very effort involved in such practice the mind will gradually become purified and uncoloured. In the course of time when this practice is continued with intelligence and wisdom, there arises joy and peace in the heart and one attains maturity and ripeness for self-knowledge. In fact, this fruition that I have mentioned is derived from the self: the worship of lord Visnu (as it is called) is but an excuse for it.
Whatever boons or blessings are obtained from lord Visnu are in fact obtained from the self alone by one who practises enquiry into the nature of the self. All these different practices and all the blessings that seem to accrue from them are all based on the understanding and the mastery of one's own mind, even as the earth is the basis for all the diverse foodstuff. In fact, even for ploughing the soil or turning a rock there is no way but the mastery of one's own mind!
One may revolve on the wheel of birth and death for a thousand lifetimes: this will not cease till one has fully mastered the mind and till that mind has come to a state of supreme peace and equanimity. No one in the three worlds, not even the gods or the members of the trinity, can save a man from the torments of a wayward mind.
Hence, O Rama, abandon all the illusory appearances of objective phenomena, whether they appear to be within you or outside you. Contemplate the sole reality of consciousness for the cessation of repeated birth. Taste the pure consciousness (which is, in truth, the very essence of all that exists) by resolutely renouncing objectivity of consciousness (all the concepts and percepts) and contemplating the changeless consciousness which is infinite. You will surely cross this river of world-appearance and rebirth.