VIVEKACHUDAMANI
SRI ADI SANKARACHARYA
(Translated by Swami Madhavananda)
(Published by Advaita
Ashrama, Kolkatta)
1. I bow to Govinda, whose nature is Bliss Supreme, who is the Sadguru, who can
be known only from the import of all Vedanta, and who is beyond the reach of
speech and mind.
2. For all beings a human birth is
difficult to obtain, more so is a male body; rarer than that is Brahmanahood;
rarer still is the attachment to the path of Vedic religion; higher than this
is erudition in the scriptures; discrimination between the Self and not-Self,
Realisation, and continuing in a state of identity with Brahman – these come
next in order. (This kind of) Mukti (Liberation) is not to be attained except
through the well-earned merits of a hundred crore of births.
3. These are three things which are rare
indeed and are due to the grace of God – namely, a human birth, the longing for
Liberation, and the protecting care of a perfected sage.
4. The man who, having by some means
obtained a human birth, with a male body and mastery of the Vedas to boot, is
foolish enough not to exert himself for self-liberation, verily commits
suicide, for he kills himself by clinging to things unreal.
5. What greater fool is there than
the man who having obtained a rare human body, and a masculine body too,
neglects to achieve the real end of this life ?
6. Let people quote the Scriptures
and sacrifice to the gods, let them perform rituals and worship the deities,
but there is no Liberation without the realisation of one’s identity with the
Atman, no, not even in the lifetime of a hundred Brahmas put together.
7. There is no hope of immortality
by means of riches – such indeed is the declaration of the Vedas. Hence it is
clear that works cannot be the cause of Liberation.
8. Therefore the man of learning
should strive his best for Liberation, having renounced his desire for
pleasures from external objects, duly approaching a good and generous
preceptor, and fixing his mind on the truth inculcated by him.
9. Having attained the Yogarudha
state, one should recover oneself, immersed in the sea of birth and death by
means of devotion to right discrimination.
10. Let the wise and erudite man,
having commenced the practice of the realisation of the Atman give up all works
and try to cut loose the bonds of birth and death.
11. Work leads to purification of
the mind, not to perception of the Reality. The realisation of Truth is brought
about by discrimination and not in the least by ten million of acts.
12. By adequate reasoning the
conviction of the reality about the rope is gained, which puts an end to the
great fear and misery caused by the snake worked up in the deluded mind.
13. The conviction of the Truth is
seen to proceed from reasoning upon the salutary counsel of the wise, and not
by bathing in the sacred waters, nor by gifts, nor by a hundred Pranayamas
(control of the vital force).
14. Success depends essentially on a
qualified aspirant; time, place and other such means are but auxiliaries in
this regard.
15. Hence the seeker after the
Reality of the Atman should take to reasoning, after duly approaching the Guru
– who should be the best of the knowers of Brahman, and an ocean of mercy.
16. An intelligent and learned man
skilled in arguing in favour of the Scriptures and in refuting
counter-arguments against them – one who has got the above characteristics is
the fit recipient of the knowledge of the Atman.
17. The man who discriminates
between the Real and the unreal, whose mind is turned away from the unreal, who
possesses calmness and the allied virtues, and who is longing for Liberation,
is alone considered qualified to enquire after Brahman.
18. Regarding this, sages have
spoken of four means of attainment, which alone being present, the devotion to
Brahman succeeds, and in the absence of which, it fails.
19. First is enumerated
discrimination between the Real and the unreal; next comes aversion to the
enjoyment of fruits (of one’s actions) here and hereafter; (next is) the group
of six attributes, viz. calmness and the rest; and (last) is clearly the
yearning for Liberation.
20. A firm conviction of the mind to
the effect that Brahman is real and the universe unreal, is designated as
discrimination (Viveka) between the Real and the unreal.
21. Vairagya or renunciation is the
desire to give up all transitory enjoyments (ranging) from those of an
(animate) body to those of Brahmahood (having already known their defects) from
observation, instruction and so forth.
22. The resting of the mind
steadfastly on its Goal (viz. Brahman) after having detached itself from
manifold sense-objects by continually observing their defects, is called Shama
or calmness.
23. Turning both kinds of
sense-organs away from sense-objects and placing them in their respective
centres, is called Dama or self-control. The best Uparati or self-withdrawal consists
in the mind-function ceasing to be affected by external objects.
24. The bearing of all afflictions
without caring to redress them, being free (at the same time) from anxiety or
lament on their score, is called Titiksha or forbearance.
25. Acceptance by firm judgment as
true of what the Scriptures and the Guru instruct, is called by sages Shraddha
or faith, by means of which the Reality is perceived.
26. Not the mere indulgence of thought
(in curiosity) but the constant concentration of the intellect (or the
affirming faculty) on the ever-pure Brahman, is what is called Samadhana or
self-settledness.
27. Mumukshuta or yearning for
Freedom is the desire to free oneself, by realising one’s true nature, from all
bondages from that of egoism to that of the body – bondages superimposed by
Ignorance.
28. Even though torpid or mediocre,
this yearning for Freedom, through the grace of the Guru, may bear fruit (being
developed) by means of Vairagya (renunciation), Shama (calmness), and so on.
29. In his case, verily, whose
renunciation and yearning for Freedom are intense, calmness and the other
practices have (really) their meaning and bear fruit.
30. Where (however) this
renunciation and yearning for Freedom are torpid, there calmness and the other
practices are as mere appearances, like water in a desert.
31. Among things conducive to
Liberation, devotion (Bhakti) holds the supreme place. The seeking after one’s
real nature is designated as devotion.
32. Others maintain that the inquiry
into the truth of one’s own self is devotion. The inquirer about the truth of
the Atman who is possessed of the above-mentioned means of attainment should
approach a wise preceptor, who confers emancipation from bondage.
33. Who is versed in the Vedas,
sinless, unsmitten by desire and a knower of Brahman par excellence, who
has withdrawn himself into Brahman; who is calm, like fire that has consumed
its fuel, who is a boundless reservoir of mercy that knows no reason, and a
friend of all good people who prostrate themselves before him.
34. Worshipping that Guru with
devotion, and approaching him, when he is pleased with prostration, humility
and service, (he) should ask him what he has got to know:
35. O Master, O friend of those that
bow to thee, thou ocean of mercy, I bow to thee; save me, fallen as I am into
this sea of birth and death, with a straightforward glance of thine eye, which
sheds nectar-like grace supreme.
36. Save me from death, afflicted as
I am by the unquenchable fire of this world-forest, and shaken violently by the
winds of an untoward lot, terrified and (so) seeking refuge in thee, for I do
not know of any other man with whom to seek shelter.
37. There are good souls, calm and
magnanimous, who do good to others as does the spring, and who, having
themselves crossed this dreadful ocean of birth and death, help others also to
cross the same, without any motive whatsoever.
38. It is the very nature of the
magnanimous to move of their own accord towards removing others’ troubles.
Here, for instance, is the moon who, as everybody knows, voluntarily saves the
earth parched by the flaming rays of the sun.
39. O Lord, with thy nectar-like
speech, sweetened by the enjoyment of the elixir-like bliss of Brahman, pure,
cooling to a degree, issuing in streams from thy lips as from a pitcher, and
delightful to the ear – do thou sprinkle me who am tormented by worldly
afflictions as by the tongues of a forest-fire. Blessed are those on whom even
a passing glance of thy eye lights, accepting them as thine own.
40. How to cross this ocean of
phenomenal existence, what is to be my fate, and which of the means should I
adopt – as to these I know nothing. Condescend to save me, O Lord, and describe
at length how to put an end to the misery of this relative existence.
41. As he speaks thus, tormented by
the afflictions of the world – which is like a forest on fire – and seeking his
protection, the saint eyes him with a glance softened with pity and
spontaneously bids him give up all fear.
42. To him who has sought his
protection, thirsting for Liberation, who duly obeys the injunctions of the
Scriptures, who is of a serene mind, and endowed with calmness – (to such a
one) the sage proceeds to inculcate the truth out of sheer grace.
43. Fear not, O learned one, there
is no death for thee; there is a means of crossing this sea of relative
existence; that very way by which sages have gone beyond it, I shall inculcate
to thee.
44. There is a sovereign means which
puts an end to the fear of relative existence; through that thou wilt cross the
sea of Samsara and attain the supreme bliss.
45. Reasoning on the meaning of the
Vedanta leads to efficient knowledge, which is immediately followed by the
total annihilation of the misery born of relative existence.
46. Faith (Shraddha), devotion and
the Yoga of meditation – these are mentioned by the Shruti as the immediate
factors of Liberation in the case of a seeker; whoever abides in these gets Liberation
from the bondage of the body, which is the conjuring of Ignorance.
47. It is verily through the touch
of Ignorance that thou who art the Supreme Self findest thyself under the
bondage of the non-Self, whence alone proceeds the round of births and deaths.
The fire of knowledge, kindled by the discrimination between these two, burns
up the effects of Ignorance together with their root.
48. Condescend to listen, O Master,
to the question I am putting (to thee). I shall be gratified to hear a reply to
the same from thy lips.
49. What is bondage, forsooth ? How
has it come (upon the Self) ? How does it continue to exist ? How is one freed
from it ? What is this non-Self ? And who is the Supreme Self ? And how can one
discriminate between them ? -- Do tell me about all these.
50. The Guru replied: Blessed art
thou ! Thou hast achieved thy life’s end and hast sanctified thy family, that
thou wishest to attain Brahmanhood by getting free from the bondage of
Ignorance !
51. A father has got his sons and
others to free him from his debts, but he has got none but himself to remove
his bondage.
52. Trouble such as that caused by a
load on the head can be removed by others, but none but one’s own self can put
a stop to the pain which is caused by hunger and the like.
53. The patient who takes (the
proper) diet and medicine is alone seen to recover completely – not through
work done by others.
54. The true nature of things is to
be known personally, through the eye of clear illumination, and not through a sage:
what the moon exactly is, is to be known with one’s own eyes; can others make
him know it ?
55. Who but one’s own self can get
rid of the bondage caused by the fetters of Ignorance, desire, action and the
like, aye even in a hundred crore of cycles ?
56. Neither by Yoga, nor by Sankhya,
nor by work, nor by learning, but by the realisation of one's identity with
Brahman is Liberation possible, and by no other means.
57. The beauty of a guitar’s form
and the skill of playing on its chords serve merely to please a few persons;
they do not suffice to confer sovereignty.
58. Loud speech consisting of a
shower of words, the skill in expounding the Scriptures, and likewise erudition
- these merely bring on a little personal enjoyment to the scholar, but are no
good for Liberation.
59. The study of the Scriptures is
useless so long as the highest Truth is unknown, and it is equally useless when
the highest Truth has already been known.
60. The Scriptures consisting of
many words are a dense forest which merely causes the mind to ramble. Hence men
of wisdom should earnestly set about knowing the true nature of the Self.
61. For one who has been bitten by
the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what
avail are the Vedas and (other) Scriptures, Mantras (sacred formulae) and
medicines to such a one ?
62. A disease does not leave off if
one simply utter the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly)
without direct realisation one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the
word Brahman.
63. Without causing the objective
universe to vanish and without knowing the truth of the Self, how is one to
achieve Liberation by the mere utterance of the word Brahman ? -- It would
result merely in an effort of speech.
64. Without killing one’s enemies,
and possessing oneself of the splendour of the entire surrounding region, one
cannot claim to be an emperor by merely saying, ‘I am an emperor’.
65. As a treasure hidden underground
requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of
stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never
comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the
self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the
instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so
forth, but not through perverted arguments.
66. Therefore the wise should, as in
the case of disease and the like, personally strive by all the means in their
power to be free from the bondage of repeated births and deaths.
67. The question that thou hast
asked today is excellent, approved by those versed in the Scriptures,
aphoristic, pregnant with meaning and fit to be known by the seekers after
Liberation.
68. Listen attentively, O learned
one, to what I am going to say. By listening to it thou shalt be instantly free
from the bondage of Samsara.
69. The first step to Liberation is
the extreme aversion to all perishable things, then follow calmness,
self-control, forbearance, and the utter relinquishment of all work enjoined in
the Scriptures.
70. Then come hearing, reflection on
that, and long, constant and unbroken meditation on the Truth for the Muni.
After that the learned seeker attains the supreme Nirvikalpa state and realises
the bliss of Nirvana even in this life.
71. Now I am going to tell thee
fully about what thou oughtst to know – the discrimination between the Self and
the non-Self. Listen to it and decide about it in thy mind.
72. Composed of the seven ingredients,
viz. marrow, bones, fat, flesh, blood, skin and cuticle, and consisting of the
following limbs and their parts – legs, thighs, the chest, arms, the back and
the head:
73. This body, reputed to be the
abode of the delusion of ‘I and mine’, is designated by sages as the gross
body. The sky, air, fire, water and earth are subtle elements. They –
74. Being united with parts of one
another and becoming gross, (they) form the gross body. And their subtle
essences form sense-objects – the group of five such as sound, which conduce to
the happiness of the experiencer, the individual soul.
75. Those fools who are tied to
these sense-objects by the stout cord of attachment, so very difficult to snap,
come and depart, up and down, carried amain by the powerful emissary of their
past action.
76. The deer, the elephant, the
moth, the fish and the black-bee – these five have died, being tied to one or
other of the five senses, viz. sound etc., through their own attachment. What
then is in store for man who is attached to all these five.
77. Sense-objects are even more
virulent in their evil effects than the poison of the cobra. Poison kills one
who takes it, but those others kill one who even looks at them through the
eyes.
78. He who is free from the terrible
snare of the hankering after sense-objects, so very difficult to get rid of, is
alone fit for Liberation, and none else – even though he be versed in all the
six Shastras.
79. The shark of hankering catches
by the throat those seekers after Liberation who have got only an apparent
dispassion (Vairagya) and are trying to cross the ocean of samsara (relative
existence), and violently snatching them away, drowns them half-way.
80. He who has killed the shark known
as sense-object with the sword of mature dispassion, crosses the
81. Know that death quickly
overtakes the stupid man who walks along the dreadful ways of sense-pleasure;
whereas one who walks in accordance with the instructions of a well-wishing and
worthy Guru, as also with his own reasoning, achieves his end – know this to be
true.
82. If indeed thou hast a craving
for Liberation, shun sense-objects from a good distance as thou wouldst do
poison, and always cultivate carefully the nectar-like virtues of contentment,
compassion, forgiveness, straight-forwardness, calmness and self-control.
83. Whoever leaves aside what should
always be attempted, viz. emancipation from the bondage of Ignorance without
beginning, and passionately seeks to nourish this body, which is an object for
others to enjoy, commits suicide thereby.
84. Whoever seeks to realise the
Self by devoting himself to the nourishment of the body, proceeds to cross a
river by catching hold of a crocodile, mistaking it for a log.
85. So for a seeker after Liberation
the infatuation over things like the body is a dire death. He who has
thoroughly conquered this deserves the state of Freedom.
86. Conquer the dire death of
infatuation over thy body, wife, children etc., -- conquering which the sages
reach that Supreme State of Vishnu.
87. This gross body is to be
deprecated, for it consists of the skin, flesh, blood, arteries and veins, fat,
marrow and bones, and is full of other offensive things.
88. The gross body is produced by
one’s past actions out of the gross elements formed by the union of the subtle
elements with each other, and is the medium of experience for the soul. That is
its waking state in which it perceives gross objects.
89. Identifying itself with this
form, the individual soul, though separate, enjoys gross objects, such as
garlands and sandal-paste, by means of the external organs. Hence this body has
its fullest play in the waking state.
90. Know this gross body to be like
a house to the householder, on which rests man’s entire dealing with the
external world.
91. Birth, decay and death are the
various characteristics of the gross body, as also stoutness etc., childhood
etc., are its different conditions; it has got various restrictions regarding
castes and orders of life; it is subject to various diseases, and meets with
different kinds of treatment, such as worship, insult and high honours.
92. The ears, skin, eyes, nose and
tongue are organs of knowledge, for they help us to cognise objects; the vocal
organs, hands, legs, etc., are organs of action, owing to their tendency to
work.
93-94. The inner organ (Antahkarana)
is called Manas, Buddhi, ego or Chitta, according to their respective
functions: Manas, from its considering the pros and cons of a thing; Buddhi,
from its property of determining the truth of objects; the ego, from its
identification with this body as one’s own self; and Chitta, from its function
of remembering things it is interested in.
95. One and the same Prana (vital
force) becomes Prana, Apana, Vyana, Udana and Samana according to their
diversity of functions and modifications, like gold, water, etc.
96. The five organs of action such
as speech, the five organs of knowledge such as the ear, the group of five
Pranas, the five elements ending with the ether, together with Buddhi and the
rest as also Nescience, desire and action – these eight "cities" make
up what is called the subtle body.
97. Listen – this subtle body,
called also the Linga body, is produced out of the elements before their
subdividing and combining with each other, is possessed of latent impressions
and causes the soul to experience the fruits of its past actions. It is a
beginningless superimposition on the soul brought on by its own ignorance.
98-99. Dream is a state of the soul
distinct from the waking state, where it shines by itself. In dreams Buddhi, by
itself, takes on the role of the agent and the like, owing to various latent
impressions of the waking state, while the supreme Atman shines in Its own
glory – with Buddhi as Its only superimposition, the witness of everything, and
is not touched by the least work that Buddhi does. As It is wholly unattached,
It is not touched by any work that Its superimpositions may perform.
100. This subtle body is the
instrument for all activities of the Atman, who is Knowledge Absolute, like the
adze and other tools of a carpenter. Therefore this Atman is perfectly
unattached.
101. Blindness, weakness and
sharpness are conditions of the eye, due merely to its fitness or
defectiveness; so are deafness, dumbness, etc., of the ear and so forth – but
never of the Atman, the Knower.
102. Inhalation and exhalation,
yawning, sneezing, secretion, leaving this body, etc., are called by experts
functions of Prana and the rest, while hunger and thirst are characteristics of
Prana proper.
103. The inner organ (mind) has its
seat in the organs such as the eye, as well as in the body, identifying with
them and endued with a reflection of the Atman.
104. Know that it is egoism which,
identifying itself with the body, becomes the doer or experiencer, and in
conjunction with the Gunas such as the Sattva, assumes the three different
states.
105. When sense-objects are
favourable it becomes happy, and it becomes miserable when the case is
contrary. So happiness and misery are characteristics of egoism, and not of the
ever-blissful Atman.
106. Sense-objects are pleasurable
only as dependent on the Atman manifesting through them, and not independently,
because the Atman is by Its very nature the most beloved of all. Therefore the
Atman is ever blissful, and never suffers misery.
107. That in profound sleep we
experience the bliss of the Atman independent of sense-objects, is clearly
attested by the Shruti, direct perception, tradition and inference.
108. Avidya (Nescience) or Maya,
called also the Undifferentiated, is the power of the Lord. She is without
beginning, is made up of the three Gunas and is superior to the effects (as
their cause). She is to be inferred by one of clear intellect only from the
effects She produces. It is She who brings forth this whole universe.
109. She is neither existent nor
non-existent nor partaking of both characters; neither same nor different nor both;
neither composed of parts nor an indivisible whole nor both. She is most
wonderful and cannot be described in words.
110. Maya can be destroyed by the
realisation of the pure Brahman, the one without a second, just as the mistaken
idea of a snake is removed by the discrimination of the rope. She has her Gunas
as Rajas, Tamas and Sattva, named after their respective functions.
111. Rajas has its Vikshepa-Shakti
or projecting power, which is of the nature of an activity, and from which this
primeval flow of activity has emanated. From this also, mental modifications
such as attachment and grief are continually produced.
112. Lust, anger, avarice,
arrogance, spite, egoism, envy, jealousy, etc., -- these are the dire
attributes of Rajas, from which the worldly tendency of man is produced.
Therefore Rajas is a cause of bondage.
113. Avriti or the veiling power is
the power of Tamas, which makes things appear other than what they are. It is
this that causes man’s repeated transmigrations, and starts the action of the
projecting power (Vikshepa).
114. Even wise and learned men and
men who are clever and adept in the vision of the exceedingly subtle Atman, are
overpowered by Tamas and do not understand the Atman, even though clearly
explained in various ways. What is simply superimposed by delusion, they
consider as true, and attach themselves to its effects. Alas ! How powerful is
the great Avriti Shakti of dreadful Tamas !
115. Absence of the right judgment,
or contrary judgment, want of definite belief and doubt – these certainly never
desert one who has any connection with this veiling power, and then the
projecting power gives ceaseless trouble.
116. Ignorance, lassitude, dullness,
sleep, inadvertence, stupidity, etc., are attributes of Tamas. One tied to these
does not comprehend anything, but remains like one asleep or like a stock or
stone.
117. Pure Sattva is (clear) like
water, yet in conjunction with Rajas and Tamas it makes for transmigration. The
reality of the Atman becomes reflected in Sattva and like the sun reveals the
entire world of matter.
118. The traits of mixed Sattva are
an utter absence of pride etc., and Niyama, Yama, etc., as well as faith,
devotion, yearning for Liberation, the divine tendencies and turning away from
the unreal.
119. The traits of pure Sattva are
cheerfulness, the realisation of one’s own Self, supreme peace, contentment,
bliss, and steady devotion to the Atman, by which the aspirant enjoys bliss
everlasting.
120. This Undifferentiated, spoken
of as the compound of the three Gunas, is the causal body of the soul. Profound
sleep is its special state, in which the functions of the mind and all its
organs are suspended.
121. Profound sleep is the cessation
of all kinds of perception, in which the mind remains in a subtle seed-like
form. The test of this is the universal verdict, "I did not know anything
then".
122. The body, organs, Pranas,
Manas, egoism, etc., all modifications, the sense-objects, pleasure and the
rest, the gross elements such as the ether, in fact, the whole universe, up to
the Undifferentiated – all this is the non-Self.
123. From Mahat down to the gross
body everything is the effect of Maya: These and Maya itself know thou to be
the non-Self, and therefore unreal like the mirage in a desert.
124. Now I am going to tell thee of
the real nature of the supreme Self, realising which man is freed from bondage
and attains Liberation.
125. There is some Absolute Entity,
the eternal substratum of the consciousness of egoism, the witness of the three
states, and distinct from the five sheaths or coverings:
126. Which knows everything that
happens in the waking state, in dream and in profound sleep; which is aware of
the presence or absence of the mind and its functions; and which is the
background of the notion of egoism. – This is That.
127. Which Itself sees all, but
which no one beholds, which illumines the intellect etc., but which they cannot
illumine. – This is That.
128. By which this universe is
pervaded, but which nothing pervades, which shining, all this (universe) shines
as Its reflection. – This is That.
129. By whose very presence the
body, the organs, mind and intellect keep to their respective spheres of
action, like servants !
130. By which everything from egoism
down to the body, the sense-objects and pleasure etc., is known as palpably as
a jar – for It is the essence of Eternal Knowledge !
131. This is the innermost Self, the
primeval Purusha (Being), whose essence is the constant realisation of infinite
Bliss, which is ever the same, yet reflecting through the different mental
modifications, and commanded by which the organs and Pranas perform their
functions.
132. In this very body, in the mind
full of Sattva, in the secret chamber of the intellect, in the Akasha known as
the Unmanifested, the Atman, of charming splendour, shines like the sun aloft,
manifesting this universe through Its own effulgence.
133. The Knower of the modifications
of mind and egoism, and of the activities of the body, the organs and Pranas,
apparently taking their forms, like the fire in a ball of iron; It neither acts
nor is subject to change in the least.
134. It is neither born nor dies, It
neither grows nor decays, nor does It undergo any change, being eternal. It
does not cease to exist even when this body is destroyed, like the sky in a jar
(after it is broken), for It is independent.
135. The Supreme Self, different
from the Prakriti and its modifications, of the essence of Pure Knowledge, and
Absolute, directly manifests this entire gross and subtle universe, in the
waking and other states, as the substratum of the persistent sense of egoism,
and manifests Itself as the Witness of the Buddhi, the determinative faculty.
136.By means of a regulated mind and
the purified intellect (Buddhi), realise directly thy own Self in the body so
as to identify thyself with It, cross the boundless ocean of Samsara whose
waves are birth and death, and firmly established in Brahman as thy own
essence, be blessed.
137. Identifying the Self with this
non-Self – this is the bondage of man, which is due to his ignorance, and
brings in its train the miseries of birth and death. It is through this that
one considers this evanescent body as real, and identifying oneself with it, nourishes,
bathes, and preserves it by means of (agreeable) sense-objects, by which he
becomes bound as the caterpillar by the threads of its cocoon.
138. One who is overpowered by
ignorance mistakes a thing for what it is not; It is the absence of discrimination
that causes one to mistake a snake for a rope, and great dangers overtake him
when he seizes it through that wrong notion. Hence, listen, my friend, it is
the mistaking of transitory things as real that constitutes bondage.
139. This veiling power (Avriti),
which preponderates in ignorance, covers the Self, whose glories are infinite
and which manifests Itself through the power of knowledge, indivisible, eternal
and one without a second – as Rahu does the orb of the sun.
140. When his own Self, endowed with
the purest splendour, is hidden from view, a man through ignorance falsely
identifies himself with this body, which is the non-Self. And then the great
power of rajas called the projecting power sorely afflicts him through the
binding fetters of lust, anger, etc.,
141. The man of perverted intellect,
having his Self-knowledge swallowed up by the shark of utter ignorance, himself
imitates the various states of the intellect (Buddhi), as that is Its
superimposed attribute, and drifts up and down in this boundless ocean of
Samsara which is full of the poison of sense-enjoyment, now sinking, now rising
– a miserable fate indeed!
142. As layers of clouds generated
by the sun’s rays cover the sun and alone appear (in the sky), so egoism
generated by the Self, covers the reality of the Self and appears by itself.
143. Just as, on a cloudy day, when
the sun is swallowed up by dense clouds, violent cold blasts trouble them, so
when the Atman is hidden by intense ignorance, the dreadful Vikshepa Shakti (projecting
power) afflicts the foolish man with numerous griefs.
144. It is from these two powers
that man’s bondage has proceeded – beguiled by which he mistakes the body for
the Self and wanders (from body to body).
145. Of the tree of Samsara
ignorance is the seed, the identification with the body is its sprout,
attachment its tender leaves, work its water, the body its trunk, the vital
forces its branches, the organs its twigs, the sense-objects its flowers,
various miseries due to diverse works are its fruits, and the individual soul
is the bird on it.
146. This bondage of the non-Self
springs from ignorance, is self-caused, and is described as without beginning
and end. It subjects one to the long train of miseries such as birth, death,
disease and decrepitude.
147. This bondage can be destroyed
neither by weapons nor by wind, nor by fire, nor by millions of acts – by
nothing except the wonderful sword of knowledge that comes of discrimination,
sharpened by the grace of the Lord.
148. One who is passionately devoted
to the authority of the Shrutis acquires steadiness in his Svadharma, which
alone conduces to the purity of his mind. The man of pure mind realises the
Supreme Self, and by this alone Samsara with its root is destroyed.
149. Covered by the five sheaths –
the material one and the rest – which are the products of Its own power, the
Self ceases to appear, like the water of a tank by its accumulation of sedge.
150. On the removal of that sedge
the perfectly pure water that allays the pangs of thirst and gives immediate
joy, appears unobstructed before the man.
151. When all the five sheaths have
been eliminated, the Self of man appears – pure, of the essence of everlasting
and unalloyed bliss, indwelling, supreme and self-effulgent.
152. To remove his bondage the wise
man should discriminate between the Self and the non-Self. By that alone he
comes to know his own Self as Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute and becomes
happy.
153. He indeed is free who
discriminates between all sense-objects and the indwelling, unattached and
inactive Self – as one separates a stalk of grass from its enveloping sheath –
and merging everything in It, remains in a state of identity with That.
154. This body of ours is the
product of food and comprises the material sheath; it lives on food and dies
without it; it is a mass of skin, flesh, blood, bones and filth, and can never
be the eternally pure, self-existent Atman.
155. It does not exist prior to
inception or posterior to dissolution, but lasts only for a short (intervening)
period; its virtues are transient, and it is changeful by nature; it is
manifold, inert, and is a sense-object, like a jar; how can it be one’s own
Self, the Witness of changes in all things ?
156. The body, consisting of arms,
legs, etc., cannot be the Atman, for one continues to live even when particular
limbs are gone, and the different functions of the organism also remain intact.
The body which is subject to another’s rule cannot be the Self which is the
Ruler of all.
157. That the Atman as the abiding
Reality is different from the body, its characteristics, its activities, its
states, etc., of which It is the witness, is self-evident.
158. How can the body, being a pack
of bones, covered with flesh, full of filth and highly impure, be the self-existent
Atman, the Knower, which is ever distinct from it ?
159. It is the foolish man who
identifies himself with a mass of skin, flesh, fat, bones and filth, while the
man of discrimination knows his own Self, the only Reality that there is, as
distinct from the body.
160. The stupid man thinks he is the
body, the book-learned man identifies himself with the mixture of body and
soul, while the sage possessed of realisation due to discrimination looks upon
the eternal Atman as his Self, and thinks, "I am Brahman".
161. O foolish person, cease to
identify thyself with this bundle of skin, flesh, fat, bones and filth, and
identify thyself instead with the Absolute Brahman, the Self of all, and thus
attain to supreme Peace.
162. As long as the book-learned man
does not give up his mistaken identification with the body, organs, etc., which
are unreal, there is no talk of emancipation for him, even if he be ever so
erudite in the Vedanta philosophy.
163. Just as thou dost not identify thyself
with the shadow-body, the image-body, the dream-body, or the body thou hast in
the imaginations of thy heart, cease thou to do likewise with the living body
also.
164. Identifications with the body
alone is the root that produces the misery of birth etc., of people who are
attached to the unreal; therefore destroy thou this with the utmost care. When
this identification caused by the mind is given up, there is no more chance for
rebirth.
165. The Prana, with which we are
all familiar, coupled with the five organs of action, forms the vital sheath,
permeated by which the material sheath engages itself in all activities as if
it were living.
166. Neither is the vital sheath the
Self – because it is a modification of Vayu, and like the air it enters into
and comes out of the body, and because it never knows in the least either its
own weal and woe or those of others, being eternally dependent on the Self.
167. The organs of knowledge
together with the mind form the mental sheath – the cause of the diversity of
things such as "I" and "mine". It is powerful and endued
with the faculty of creating differences of name etc., It manifests itself as
permeating the preceding, i.e. the vital sheath.
168. The mental sheath is the
(sacrificial) fire which, fed with the fuel of numerous desires by the five
sense-organs which serve as priests, and set ablaze by the sense-objects which
act as the stream of oblations, brings about this phenomenal universe.
169. There is no Ignorance (Avidya)
outside the mind. The mind alone is Avidya, the cause of the bondage of
transmigration. When that is destroyed, all else is destroyed, and when it is
manifested, everything else is manifested.
170. In dreams, when there is no
actual contact with the external world, the mind alone creates the whole
universe consisting of the experiencer etc. Similarly in the waking state also;
there is no difference. Therefore all this (phenomenal universe) is the
projection of the mind.
171. In dreamless sleep, when the
mind is reduced to its causal state, there exists nothing (for the person
asleep), as is evident from universal experience. Hence man’s relative
existence is simply the creation of his mind, and has no objective reality.
172. Clouds are brought in by the
wind and again driven away by the same agency. Similarly, man’s bondage is
caused by the mind, and Liberation too is caused by that alone.
173. It (first) creates an
attachment in man for the body and all other sense-objects, and binds him
through that attachment like a beast by means of ropes. Afterwards, the
selfsame mind creates in the individual an utter distaste for these
sense-objects as if they were poison, and frees him from the bondage.
174. Therefore the mind is the only
cause that brings about man’s bondage or Liberation: when tainted by the
effects of Rajas it leads to bondage, and when pure and divested of the Rajas
and Tamas elements it conduces to Liberation.
175. Attaining purity through a
preponderance of discrimination and renunciation, the mind makes for
Liberation. Hence the wise seeker after Liberation must first strengthen these
two.
176. In the forest-tract of
sense-pleasures there prowls a huge tiger called the mind. Let good people who
have a longing for Liberation never go there.
177. The mind continually produces for
the experiencer all sense-objects without exception, whether perceived as gross
or fine, the differences of body, caste, order of life, and tribe, as well as
the varieties of qualification, action, means and results.
178. Deluding the Jiva, which is unattached
Pure Intelligence, and binding it by the ties of body, organs and Pranas, the
mind causes it to wander, with ideas of "I" and "mine",
amidst the varied enjoyment of results achieved by itself.
179. Man’s transmigration is due to
the evil of superimposition, and the bondage of superimposition is created by
the mind alone. It is this that causes the misery of birth etc., for the man of
non-discrimination who is tainted by Rajas and Tamas.
180. Hence sages who have fathomed
its secret have designated the mind as Avidya or ignorance, by which alone the
universe is moved to and fro, like masses of clouds by the wind.
181. Therefore the seeker after
Liberation must carefully purify the mind. When this is purified, Liberation is
as easy of access as a fruit on the palm of one’s hand.
182. He who by means of one-pointed
devotion to Liberation roots out the attachment to sense-objects, renounces all
actions, and with faith in the Real Brahman regularly practices hearing, etc.,
succeeds in purging the Rajasika nature of the intellect.
183. Neither can the mental sheath
be the Supreme Self, because it has a beginning and an end, is subject to
modifications, is characterised by pain and suffering and is an object; whereas
the subject can never be identified with the objects of knowledge.
184. The Buddhi with its
modifications and the organs of knowledge, forms the Vijnanamaya Kosha or
knowledge sheath, of the agent, having the characteristics which is the cause
of man’s transmigration.
185. This knowledge sheath, which
seems to be followed by a reflection of the power of the Chit, is a
modification of the Prakriti, is endowed with the function of knowledge, and
always wholly identifies itself with the body, organs, etc.
186-187. It is without beginning,
characterised by egoism, is called the Jiva, and carries on all the activities
on the relative plane. Through previous desires it performs good and evil
actions and experiences their results. Being born in various bodies, it comes
and goes, up and down. It is this knowledge sheath that has the waking, dream
and other states, and experiences joy and grief.
188. It always mistakes the duties,
functions and attributes of the orders of life which belong to the body, as its
own. The knowledge sheath is exceedingly effulgent, owing to its close
proximity to the Supreme Self, which identifying Itself with it suffers
transmigration through delusion. It is therefore a superimposition on the Self.
189. The self-effulgent Atman, which
is Pure Knowledge, shines in the midst of the Pranas, within the heart. Though
immutable, It becomes the agent and experiencer owing to Its superimposition,
the knowledge sheath.
190. Though the Self of everything
that exists, this Atman, Itself assuming the limitations of the Buddhi and
wrongly identifying Itself with this totally unreal entity, looks upon Itself
as something different – like earthen jars from the clay of which they are
made.
191. Owing to Its connection with
the super-impositions, the Supreme Self, even thou naturally perfect (transcending
Nature) and eternally unchanging, assumes the qualities of the superimpositions
and appears to act just as they do – like the changeless fire assuming the
modifications of the iron which it turns red-hot.
192. The disciple questioned: Be it through
delusion or otherwise that the Supreme Self has come to consider Itself as the
Jiva, this superimposition is without beginning, and that which has no
beginning cannot be supposed to have an end either.
193. Therefore the Jivahood of the
soul also must have no end, and its transmigration must continue for ever. How
then can there be Liberation for the soul ? Kindly enlighten me on this point,
O revered Master.
194. The Teacher said: Thou hast
rightly questioned, O learned man ! Listen therefore attentively: The
imagination which has been conjured up by delusion can never be accepted as a
fact.
195. But for delusion there can be
no connection of the Self – which is unattached, beyond activity and formless –
with the objective world, as in the case of blueness etc., with reference to
the sky.
196. The Jivahood of the Atman, the
Witness, which is beyond qualities and beyond activity, and which is realised
within as Knowledge and Bliss Absolute – has been superimposed by the delusion
of the Buddhi, and is not real. And because it is by nature an unreality, it
ceases to exist when the delusion is gone.
197. It exists only so long as the delusion lasts, being caused by indiscrimination due to an illusion. The rope is supposed to be the snake only so lo