YOGA

VAASISHTA

A PHILOSOPHICAL TREATISE

COMPOSED BY

VAALMIKI MAHARSHI

qF 9*




ESSENCE OF YOGAVAASISHTA
Compiled by

Tejasvini









F9

SECTION FIVE QUIESCENCE

PART SIX


INTRODUCTION


Uddhaalaka, a young aspirant after liberation practices the method of enquiry and
contemplation; and attains the state of the Self.
The process is given in detail step by step so that any seeker after liberation can follow
the same methods practiced by Uddhaalaka and realize the Self.

OM TAT SAT
















UDDAALAKAS STORY


CHAPTER ONE

*
Vasishta spoke

|

cc

* ||

Do not remain absorbed in thoughts,
which are like razor-sharp knives,
which can aim far (towards various sense objects),
which are thin (light/meaningless),
which are extremely sharp (cut one away from the Self),
which are white (reflect any object)!

H @|

||

Rama! You are a person of excellent conduct!
This creeper of intellect arises in the field (the individual) after a long time.
Make it grow well by watering it with discrimination.

=-

c ||

Before the body-creeper fades away (stuck by old age) in course of time
and falls on the ground (lifeless),
lift it up and care for it.
(Follow the words of the knowers and develop the intellect-creeper).

@

= ||

Like Uddhaalaka, cut and slice the five elements again and again with the intellect,
acting braver than the bravest;
and analyze within.


Rama spoke

H =

c=

9 ||

O Sage! How did Uddhaalaka cut the five elements and analyze them within?

*
Vasishta spoke

=
@ 9 7*H ||

Rama! Listen as to how Uddhaalaka attained the unimpaired Supreme vision
in the past,
through analyzing the nature of the collection of elements.


In this old, wide and ancient world-house, in some remote corner of the earth, in some
collection of vessels namely mountains named Aniladig, there was a place named
GandhaMaadana hill. Flowers were strewn everywhere. The trees themselves looked like
flowers spreading out the pollen.
The land there was filled with varieties of creepers, colorful birds, wild animals and lakes
filled with lotuses.
On the summit of the hill there was a huge Sarala tree filled with flowers, with its
pleasant shade spread out on a large area.
A Sage named Uddhaalaka of great intelligence lived there. He had not yet reached the
threshold of youth. He was an expert in all scriptures and sciences. He was determined to
fulfill the supreme end of life (liberation). He was always absorbed in serious thoughts
and silent. He performed penance diligently.
At first he was not able to understand much though he thought a lot. He was not able to
grasp the state of the Self and was not able to contemplate on the Self though he tried his
best.
Later, by regular practice of penance and following the methods suggested by the
scriptures, he attained the discriminative knowledge like the earth visited by the spring
season.
Then fearing the ill effects of Samsaara, remaining in solitude, he started to ponder in his
mind with a purified mind and thought like this.




CHAPTER TWO

7 =
Uddhaalaka thought

l c9 9 qq=
c9 =

= ||

What is the important goal to be achieved in life,
by resting in which one does not grieve again?

cH
= 5

j -

||

When will I rest for ever in the supremely sacred state,
being freed of thoughts,
like a cloud resting on the peak of the Meru Mount?

c=c

= * = ||

When will I scoff within,
the imagined duties after this work, I have to do the next one,
with my intellect well-established in the Supreme state?

lH=
lH* |

||

When will I laugh mocking the meaningless actions done by the world beings,
who are like children intensely absorbed in a (purposeless) game?

j
cc *

||

When will my mind-elephant intoxicated by self-importance,
will get attacked by the lion of Self-Knowledge and perish?


Worried like this, Uddhaalaka Brahmin lamented for long; again and again sat for
meditation and tried to concentrate on the Self.

CHAPTER THREE

*
Vasishta spoke


{THE DIFFICULTIES IN CONTROLLING THE MIND}

|

c
9* 9 ||

Though the mind which was restless like the monkey,
was led away from the sense objects,
he was not able to stabilize in the pleasant state of quietude.

q( c=
c 9q cc- ||

Sometimes after discarding the contact of external objects,
when he contemplated on the Self,
his mind-monkey became highly agitated.
(either through fear of leaving the world - Rajas /or due to laziness - Tamas/
or was agitated by the desire for heavenly pleasures -Sattva)

===c=
cc ||

Sometimes, his mind-monkey got disinterested in the contemplation of the Self,
and fickle by nature,
jumped towards sense objects as if burnt by poison.

l

7*g=
=

H ||

O Lotus-eyed Rama!
Sometimes the mind saw the luster (of the Self) within, like the rise of the Sun
and moved away from the sense objects.


==c c

q cH ||

The mind discards the blinding darkness inside (a little)
(by the glimpse of the Self)
and yet again attracted towards the sense objects,
flies away sometimes like a tormented bird.

(+===cHc 5 =
= ||

Sometimes his mind renouncing the internal and external contacts,
remained for long,
in the sleep-state (blank state)
which is in-between the ignorance and knowledge.

In this manner, he sat in the caves trying to meditate; but became restless and agitated
unable to steady his mind.
He was hit hard by the waves of desires and kept rolling to and fro, like a tree uprooted
by the stormy winds caught in the flood waters.

{THE CAVE}

Uddhaalaka wandered in many hills feeling agitated and frustrated.
One day he crossed through regions unapproachable by any man or animal and found a
cave, like a Sage finding liberation.
No one moved there. No birds are animals were there.
Not even the wind disturbed that place.
It was a place not even found by gods or Gandharvas.
It shone forth like the Supreme space of Brahman.
Flowers covered the soft ground filled by the tender grass, as if emeralds were embedded
in between moon-stones.
The fragrant shadow of the trees made it cool and pleasant.
It was well-hidden like the harem of forest goddesses.
The temperature was neither too cold; nor too hot, as if the autumn sun had risen
shedding its golden light removing the chillness.
The cave faced the eastern direction allowing the light of the dawn to shine inside it.
The wind blew gentle and soft without making any sound from the other side of the cave.
Flowering trees surrounded the cave making it look like a princess holding a garland in
her Svayamvara.
The place was pleasant with flowers strewn all around.
It was as beautiful as a lake filled with lotuses.
It was like the state of quiescence personified.
It was as if Brahma himself rested there enjoying the calmness.

CHAPTER FOUR

{PREPARATION FOR CONTEMPLATION}


That righteous man entered the cave of the GandhaMaadana Mountain, like the bee
entering the lotus groove after wandering in various places.
He entered there, sure of peaceful contemplation, like Brahma deciding to rest in his
home having lost interest in the Creation work.
He took fresh leaves and collected them together like Indra collecting soft clouds in one
heap. He spread out the beautiful deer-skin on those leaves like Meru spreading out the
precious gems namely stars on the blue sapphire ground.
He sat there remaining silent by making the mind free of thoughts like the silent cloud
(without thundering) rests on the peak of the mountain after purifying itself by getting rid
of its waters.
Seated in the lotus-posture as instructed in the Yoga science; looking at the eastern
direction, he offered his salutation to all the gods and Gurus from Brahma onwards.
Holding back the mind-deer from running after Vaasanaa fulfillments, he pondered like
this in order to attain the Nirvikalpa Samaadhi state.

7 =
Uddhaalaka thought


{ADVICE TO THE MIND}

s c

= = =

lH ||

Hey foolish mind! For what purpose do you engage in worldly thoughts?
Wise ones do not get engaged in actions which end up in painful results.

=cHc
c= = j ||

He who goes after sense pleasures, rejecting the state of quiescence,
is entering the forest of poisonous trees,
ignoring the Mandaara garden of the heavens.

l |= d(
=

||

Whether you enter the insides of the earth (Paataala), or the world of Brahma,
you will not get the final beatitude without the nectar of quiescence.

l = =
+=c

H9 l l c ||

Hey mind frog! Wandering on this earth blindly all this time, rushing so fast,
what great thing has been achieved by you?

c= =

l ||

O foolish mind!
Why do you not try to achieve that quiescence
from which you will get the bliss which transcends the speech and mind;
in which you will end up in the restful state of JeevanMukti?


{SENSES}

Becoming the state of hearing () O fool,
wastefully reaching out far and wide,
do not be killed like the deer chasing the music of the hunter.

Becoming the sense of touch (cH) O blind idiot,
and wanting to touch a wide range of things,
do not get bound like the male elephant chasing the female elephant.
(This is a method used by hunters to catch the elephant.)

Becoming the sense of taste () O blind one,
do not go after bad food
and perish like the fish going after the piece of meat stuck to the hook.

Taking over the function of the sight (H c

) O idiot,
and moving towards shapes revealed by the light,
dont burn up like the moth rushing towards the bright fire.

Moving in the path revealed by the nose ( ) in the hollow of the lotus of the body,
chasing the smell O fool,
do not get imprisoned like the bee.
(When the elephants trample the lotuses, the bee gets trapped inside the lotus and dies.)

jj c
H

||

The deer, the bee, the moth, the elephant, the fish;
all these perish because of the lure of one sense.
O ignorant mind!
When all these harmful things are together at one place,
where is the hope for any happiness?

c = l
c

||

Hey Mind!
The net of Vaasanaas harming you is made for your imprisonment only;
like the sticky liquid which naturally oozes out of the lowly worm, binds it.

+c @

cH
l -

= ||

If like the autumn cloud
you become purified; get rid of the disease of the worldly existence;
and kill yourself completely,
then the victory is yours forever.


{MIND DIES WHEN ENQUIRY STARTS}

- l

-c

l ||

Why am I trying to advise you like this?
For a man of enquiry there is no mind at all, O taintless one!

7 c9c
q9

q =

||

As long as ignorance remains dense, the mind-state also remains dense.
As long as the monsoon clouds remain, mist will continue to be there in abundance.

7

c
9

qH =H ||

As the dense ignorance is on the decrease,
the mind also thins out.
When the monsoon wears out, the mist also perishes.

c @

c
ccH = ||

When the purified mind thins out through Self-enquiry,
I believe that it is completely destroyed like the autumn cloud.

q

s
lH = ||

Giving advice to one who is not there or dead,
is equal to hitting the waters or winds of the sky.

cHccc c=
t

c=

||

Therefore I will discard you completely
as you are unreal and have perished.
It is the peek of stupidity to advise one who has been discarded off!

{WHO AM I?}

s 7
c -7s-= ||

I am without any perturbations.
I am the shine of the Chit.
I do not have the Vaasanaa of ego.
O unreal one!
I do not have any connection with you who are the seed of the ego.

s

7 *
c

||

I am so and so this is a misconception
like the Shanka-poison virus attacking the brain,
which is entertained by you for no good,
only leading towards the destruction of the fool.

=ccc =
== ||

The limited existence inside the mind
cannot be there for the infinite principle of Self,
like an elephant cannot be contained within a rat-hole.

l

s +=c-= ||

What is this meaningless delusion like that of a stupid child,
that by the delusion of I am so and so (body),
Iness has been imagined?!

j

* c 9
=s ||

From the bottom of the foot to the tip of the head,
each tiny part has been analyzed;
yet this I thing was not at all seen.
Who indeed is parading as this I?

H=
5 s ||

This is the flesh; this is the blood; these are the bones in the body.
These are the winds that breathe through.
Who indeed is parading as this I?

= l H

s=s ||

The vibration of the powers of the winds symbolizes the Great Chit.
Old age and death belong to the body.
Who indeed is parading as this I?

=

H=== c
s= = =cs ||

The flesh is some thing else.
Blood is something else.
Bones are something else.
Hey mind!
The understanding is something else.
The vibration (wind) is something else.
Who indeed is parading as this I?

( c
H s ||

This is the nose. This is the tongue. This is the skin. These are the ears.
This is the eye. This is the touch.
Who indeed is parading as this I?

c
c @

s -

||

Actually, I am not the mind. (I am more than that).
I am not you, the mind. (I am not the thought processes).
I am not the Vaasanaa.
I am the essence of pure consciousness shining forth as all this.
Only that alone shines splendorous like this.

l=
c = 7* q H ||

I alone am here and everywhere (as the essence of all).
I am not also anything here (limited by the inert body).
This alone is the true understanding.
There is no other way to understand the I.

7
9 c=

7 =

||

I have been tormented for long by this ego, the cheat namely ignorance,
like the calf by the cunning wolf met in the forest.


l*g 7 7

- + ||

By some good fortune, I have understood the crafty thief namely ignorance.
I will not entertain him again, for he robs my true identity itself.

| c -

||

I am without pain.
I do not belong to him (ignorance) who brings about pain; nor does he belong to me.
The cloud, though it stays on the hill, has no connection with it.

c

c 1 *
c= ||

I take over the state of ego and so talk to you; understand; stay and go.
(like an actor wearing a disguise)
By contemplating on the Self, I have reached the egoless state.

= 7H
=

*=

l ||

I am sure that I am all these cognizing agents like eye etc.
Whether they stay or go, they are not anything to me.

{They are inert tools. Without me, they have no existence. I alone perceive through them.}


* s
qc

||

Ha, the pain of it all!
Who is this person called I?
How and by whom was he conceived?
It is the ghost possessing the boy namely the world.
It grows taller than the tallest Taala tree.

=

ls
=H

5

||

All this time I have wandered enough
like a deer lost in a dry rocky land bereft of grass.

H l=


s qs=

l ||

If my vision is turned towards the analysis of the Self,
who then can this I be, who is not affected by the pain?

{Uddhaalaka then analyzes each sense as connected to the ego.
Who rises as the I ghost when each sense is performing its particular function, he
ponders step by step. He realizes that the idea of the I is as unreal as the meaningless
mirage.}


{VAASANAA}

{If the mind is without Vaasanaas, can it perform its regular actions through the senses?
This is next part of the enquiry done by Uddhaalaka.}


| H|=5
9 l ||

This body will act in the outside world through the senses of eye etc,
even when the Vaasanaas are absent,
fulfilling its purpose.
Vaasanaa is not the cause here.

l lH

c
=



7s ||

Hey mind, if you do actions without the Vaasanaa,
the states of pain and pleasures will not become the leading experiences.

=

=5 cHc=

||

Therefore hey foolish senses!
Renounce the Vaasanaa within and do all actions.
You will never experience any pain.

|

jH| = ||

The (pleasure) Vaasanaa is entertained by you wastefully only to get pain,
similar to the clay toy which gives sadness to the children, by breaking.

q 7 H

c
l jq 7= ||

For the knower,
all the perceptions rising through the Vaasanaas do not differ from the Self,
like the waves etc do not differ from the water.
Not so for the ignorant.

=
=

=9

||

Vaasanaa-rope alone is the cause of your bondage,
like the string which passes through the empty hole inside the pearls and spreads out.

c l

||

This (Vaasanaa) is produced out of conception only.
It does not exist in actuality.
Only by the sickle of non-conception, can it be cut off.

l H
|

||

This (Vaasanaa) only leads to your delusion and destruction,
like the streak of the wind increasing the intensity of lights only to blow them off.








CHAPTER FIVE

7 =
Uddhaalaka thought


{AHAMKAARA/EGO}

=

c H= H ||

Chit is beyond comprehension.
It reaches beyond the measures of end and beginning.
It is subtler than the subtle atom which makes up the elements.
Vaasanaas can never affect it.

= l
l =

l ||

There is no birth and death for the Chit.
Chit is everywhere as the essence of all.
What does it mean when the creature dies?
By what does it get killed?

c c ||

The ignorance garlanded by misconceptions that one lives and dies,
belongs only to the mind;
not to the Self which is taintless in essence.

-

*


||

The idea of I is just a meaningless delusion.
Mind is just a mirage.
The entire collection of objects (made of elements) is inert.
Who has the I idea?



H *
c

s- ||

The body is made up of blood and flesh.
The mind (reflecting mechanism) is dead because of enquiry.
The Chitta (reasoning mechanism, memory faculty) etc are all inert.
From where does the idea of I rise up?


c c ||

That which pervades all; which is in all the bodies;
which is at all times; which is the source of all;
that conscious Self is alone here
which is identified with the Supreme Self, the only principle that is there (as the I).

l

l l

l+ l- l (

c l ||

When it is so,
what shape am I and who?
What am I supposed to do?
Why am I?
Of what form am I? Of what essence am I?
Who am I?
What shall I hold on to (as the real I)? What shall I discard (as the unreal I)?

c
+ = ||

Therefore there is nothing called the I,
which brings about the ideas of presence and absence.
As I am not the (limited) ego, with whom and how am I connected?

c- =
=-@ | qc ||

When the ego is not existent at all, who is connected with whom and in what way?
When the absence of the connection is proved beyond doubt,
the idea of duality also dissolves.

d(c c==
l

||

Therefore, whatever is there in the world is the essence of Brahman.
I am the principle of existence.
I am That.
Why do I worry for no reason?



CHAPTER SIX

7 =
Uddhaalaka thought

{BODY AND THE MIND}


c H cc

c c @

||

Withdrawing its limbs,
throwing oneself into the fire of the Supreme Self,
and burning oneself,
the taintless mind attains eternal purity.

= 7*g cHc
|c

||

Looking at the body as different (from itself)
(Soldier-who will reach the heaven after death of the body)

renouncing the Vaasanaa for pleasures,
(Soldier-sacrificing all that was connected to the body)

ready to die,
(Soldier-ready to offer his life in the battlefield)

the mind becomes victorious like a brave soldier.

| |

||

Mind is the enemy of the body.
Body is the enemy of the mind.
(because of tormenting each other).
If one is absent, both perish,
as they are dependent on each other to complete an action
(like the pot holding the water).

c

-= H

||

When they (body and the mind) are staying together always,
the talk about death is
as incredible as the story
in which the (imagined) lady moving in the sky is spoken of as consuming the earth.

(If the mind is there, body is sure to exist, as mind needs a body to fulfill its desires. As long as one does
not kill the mind through Self-enquiry, there is no question of the bodys death. Some particular form will
always be projected by the mind for Vaasanaa fulfillment. If one kills the mind through Self-knowledge,
then also there is no death and one remains as the eternal principle. Death is a myth either way.)


{THE IGNORANT MIND IS AN IDIOT}

5@ c l
cH q ||

That idiot who is attracted to the union these two contradictory things
(and wants to enjoy pleasures)
should be thrown into a heap of fire which pours out like waters unrestrained.


{MIND KEEPS THE BODY AS A SLAVE TO SUFFER}

*g

H
=

9 ||

The mind conceives the body like a child imagining a ghost;
makes the body consume sense-food as long as it lives;
itself gets nourished;
and dumps on the body all its pains.

= ||

The body suffering by those pains wants to kill the mind (which created it.)
The son will indeed kill a father who causes him suffering.


{WHY THE ENMITY?}

9c

cH

||

By nature no one is an enemy or friend.
One who gives happiness is considered to be a friend.
Those who give pain are considered as enemies.

==

=

H ||

The body suffers the pains and wants to kill the mind.
The mind immediately makes the body a repository of all its pains.
(through seeking sense pleasures)

{The body is made to sleep, consume harmful drugs, and drinks only to get rid of the pains. But the mind
pushes it again towards pleasures and torments it more and more.}

c5@ ||

How can happiness ever arise
when these two are joined together tormenting each other?
These two, the mind and the body by their very nature oppose each other.

H

cHc c s ||

If the mind is destroyed completely,
the body suffers no more.
Therefore, the body makes effort always to get it killed.
(through the practice of Yoga, Breath-control or some harmful intoxication methods even.)


** |
=c 9

||

The mind having no Self-Knowledge
maintains the body well,
as an abode of sufferings only leading towards destruction,
without bothering whether the body dies or lives.

| l
+ l

||

These two, the mind and the body which are both inert,
nourish each other and grow well like the cloud and the lake.

= + q
||

Existing to create pain to the other,
though different yet united as one,
they (body and the mind) work together always,
like the water and the fire.
(as when cooking)


{KILL THE MIND}

c H H H (

5 9 ||

When the wasting away mind dies,
the body will be uprooted.
If it (the mind) grows,
it (the body) will spread out its hundreds of branches like a tree.

H H 9H
H H cH = ||

If the wasting away mind dies, the body will be free of Vaasanaas.
If the body dies, the mind does not die.
Therefore mind should be destroyed.

{If you kill the body, mind will again produce another body for its purposes. It does not care what happens
to the body.
If you kill the mind, body will also be uprooted, for the mind cannot produce any more bodies. Body can
never become a channel for Vaasanaa fulfillment, if the mind is dead. So better kill the mind so both will
perish.}

*

cc
q

||

Cutting away the forest of the mind with its conception-trees and desire-creepers,
I will reach the land which spreads far and wide; and wander as I wish.

9H cs*

||

This assemblage of elements named body, is my enemy.
When the mind dies, let it remain or melt away!

l =
= s

||

Ones own body, for whose sake the entire range of pleasures is sought after,
that is not mine; I do not belong to it.
What need do I have for some infinitesimal pleasure (got through it)?



CHAPTER SEVEN

7 =
Uddhaalaka thought

{I AM A KNOWER OF THE SELF}


7s

s = ||

I (as the Self) am not ignorant. I have no pain.
I have no problems. I have no suffering.
Let the body be there or not; I stay now freed of the fever.



c =5
*= |

||

Where the Self shines, there is no mind; no senses; no Vaasanaas.
The lowly do not stay close to the emperor.

c|

l (

||

As I move with ease (in the world)
remaining in my Supreme state;
with the mind removed from the Vaasanaas;
this group (senses) that obeys me is good only.

{Since the mind is dead, senses are completely under control and are used only for moving in the world
arena. They act like obedient servants and do not make trouble anymore.}

=c
9 H

||

Though all things occur at all places, in all ways, at all times,
I have no likes or dislikes and am not affected by pleasures and pains.

{Realization does not change the world. The same things go on as usual. But the knower is not affected by
the pleasures and pains met with in his life.}
















CHAPTER EIGHT

*
Vasishta spoke


{SAMAADHI IS ATTAINED
NOT THROUGH ANY FORCED YOGA PROCESS (HATHA-YOGA)}
{HATHA-YOGA RESULTS IN PAIN!}



Having confirmed the Truth in this manner with the help of pure and steady intellect, the
Sage sat in the lotus posture; kept his eyes half-open.
Assured that Omkaara was the Supreme Brahman, the Sage recited the Omkaara loudly;
and attained the Supreme state.

{HE ATTAINED SAMAADHI THROUGH THE PRANAVA RECITATION}


He recited the Omkaara with a high pitch, like the ringing of the bell with an elongated
tongue.

He repeated it again and again; the sound penetrated from the Moolaadhaara to the
Brahma Randhra; he recited it till he could get absorbed in the Self-state at the end of the
resonating sound.

{The Omkaara is made up of Akaara; Ukaara and Makaara of half measures (ArdhaMaatra). Three stages
are mentioned now accordingly.}

Through the process of expelling the Praana as Rechaka, he forced the Praana to get
expelled through the first part of the Pranava-Naada, by the resonating sound starting
from the Moolaadhaara to the end of the lips, like Agastya emptying the ocean.

His Praana-wind remained in the space filled with the essence of Chit, discarding the
body, like the bird flying out of the nest.

The fire rising out of the center of his heart (point of Self-state) burnt away the entire
body like the fire burns the dry tree when the winds blow.




lc 99H

||

The state which was attained by him
through the recitation of the first part of the Pranava,
was not due to any forced Yoga process (Hatha-Yoga).
Hatha-Yoga indeed results in pain.


{All this was done by contemplation process accompanied by Pranava recitation. Hatha Yoga was not used
to expel the Praana; for it may result in fainting and subsequent death.
Uddhaalaka through Pranava-recitation discarded the thought of the body; as he exhaled the Praana fully
out, his mind had reached the body-less state and the contemplation of the Self acted as the fire burning
away the body-idea completely.
As we refer to Leelas story previously related by the Sage, we know that the body is not a physical reality
but only a projection of the mind.
Uddhaalaka did not perform any process mentioned in the Hatha-yoga. He just contemplated on the Self
along with the Pranava recitation and got rid of the body-identity.}

As he uttered the next part of the Pranava (Ukaara), he performed the Kumbhaka
(suspension of breath) where vibrations were stopped completely.

There was no agitation of the Praana outside, inside, above, below or in any other
direction like the still waters inside a pot (Kumbha).

The fire which had burnt the body-city subsided like a lightning.
The white ashes of the body appeared pale and white like the snow.

In this state, the bones of the body appear white and unmoving like lying comfortably on
a bed made of camphor powder.

The wind carried away those ashes along with the bones and absorbed into its own body.
The ash-filled wind appeared like a devotee of Shiva wearing bones and ashes.

The wind carrying the ashes and bones high in the sky instantly vanished somewhere like
the autumn cloud.

lc 9 H

||

The state which was attained by him
through the recitation of the next part of the Pranava,
was not due to any forced Yoga process (Hatha-Yoga).
Hatha-Yoga indeed results in pain.


As Uddhaalaka uttered the third part of Pranava, he performed the Pooraka (inhaling
breath) process of Praana.

In this process, the Praanaas entered the center of Chit-nectar (of Pure Consciousness).
They became cool like bathing in the pleasant cool icy waters.

Gradually they entered the Moon-sphere like the mist in the sky turning into cold water
vapors.

The winds (Praanaas) then turned into nectar rays in that Moon-sphere complete with all
digits like the sphere of all merits. (Samaadhi state known as Dharma-Megha)

These nectar rays which looked like rods of precious gems fell on the ashes of the body
like the moon light entering inside through the windows.
It was as if the flowing waters of Heavenly Gangaa were falling out of Shivas head.

Then a body shining like the moon and having four arms rose out of those ashes, like
Paarijaata tree rising out of the ocean churned by Mandaara Mountain.

Uddhaalakas body was now having the form of Naaraayana, with a lotus-like face
shining with splendorous beauty.

The Praanaas with the essence of nectar filled the body fully, like waters filling a lake;
like the essence of spring filling the tree.

Like whirlpools appearing in the Ganges, the Praanaas slowly filled the Kundalini
(corporeal coiled energy) within.

The Brahmins body now remained fit for the Samaadhi, cleared of all faults like the land
washed by the monsoon waters.

Now remaining in the lotus posture, making the body steady; withholding the five senses
like tying up the elephant to a stake; the Brahmin got ready to enter the Nirvikalpa
Samaadhi state to purify his own nature (realize the Self) like the taintless land of the
autumn season.

(The monsoon-drenched land filled with muddy waters becomes clean and clear in the autumn season. It
becomes fit for journeys towards holy cities.
Similarly the body burnt and purified by the contemplation process accompanied by Pranava recitation was
now ready for the Samaadhi state.}







CHAPTER NINE

*
Vasishta spoke


The deer named Praanaas were now in control through the Praanaayaama process and
had ceased going after the desired objects.
But the mind was dragged towards the world-oriented worries, like a stake (not firmly
buried) is pulled away by the rope.

He purified the mind running downwards through discrimination and steadied it
forcefully like damming the rushing waters.

His eyes were half-shut with the eye lashes on both sides slightly separated, with the
pupil held still, like the lotus at the evening time where the bee remains still, as it sucks
the honey.

The Sage equalized the Praana and Apaana breaths. The wind within was slow and cool
as if predicting an auspicious happening.

Like the tortoise withdrawing its limbs, like separating the oil from the gingili seed,
he withdrew the senses from their objects.

That courageous one completely discarded the external contacts, like concealing a gem
inside a small box and stopping its shine from spreading all over.

He made the mind completely bereft of all perceptions, like the winter drying the tree of
all moisture.

Then he contracted the anal region and stopped the flow of Praana in the nine holes of the
body, like the inverted pot when closed at the mouth closes all the other holes.

He held his neck straight like the Meru holding its peak up; beautiful with its gems
shining forth (Self shining forth); beautiful with the blossoms of Kalpa tree (the face
lighted up with a smile).

He held the mind in the heart-space like tricking the rogue elephant to fall into the ditch
of Vindhya Mountain.

His mind was now as pure as the autumn sky and he shone like the ocean undisturbed by
any winds.


Like the wind throwing away the mosquitoes, he threw away the disturbing thoughts that
rose while he was contemplating on the Self.

Whenever a thought appeared, he cut it off from the mind like cutting off the enemies
with a sword.

As the disturbances quietened down, he saw in his heart sheer blackness, like darkness
blocking the Sun of discrimination.

He erased that also by the Sun of Self-contemplation and through the rise of knowledge,
like wind carrying off the black soot fallen around the lamp.

When the darkness of Tamas was destroyed, he saw a heap of splendorous reddish luster,
like the lotus seeing the rise of the sun after the night subsides.

He destroyed that illusion also like an elephant cub destroying the lotuses on land. He
swallowed of the red luster like the vampire drinking away the blood.

When the luster was gone, the Sages mind fell asleep as if at night; like a drunkard
falling faint.

The Sage removed that also like the wind throwing away the clouds; like the elephant
throwing away the lotus; like the Sun removing the night.

When the sleep was gone, his mind started to see dark space around, like the man with
the infected eyes sees feathers in the sky.

The Sage of the pure mind erased it also like the wind removing the mist; like the cloud
(waters) removing the dark color of the Tamaala flower.

When the sky-scene was gone, his mind became drowsy like a drunkard woken up from
his stupor.

Even that was removed by the pure mind intent on contemplation, like the lethargy felt
at night is removed by the rising Sun.

Now having crossed over the states of light, darkness, dullness etc, the mind rested for a
second in some indescribable state (the silence state of the Self).

Instantly it fell into the perception state of a gigantic proportion (disturbed in the mind
because of the residue of Vaasanaas). It was like the water of the lake which when forced
through a canal fills the tank and again reverts back to the lake.

By continuous prolonged effort at contemplation and trying to retain the blissful state of
the Self, he attained the Savikalpa Samadhi state like the formless gold appearing like an
anklet (which holds on to the feet).

Then the mind gradually got out of the mind-state and attained the Chit-state through
steady contemplation. As the muddy water slowly evaporates leaving the mud behind, the
mud sticks to the pot and becomes part of the pot itself becoming one with it.

Renouncing the state of the cognizing consciousness, the Pure Consciousness (Chit) was
now in its true nature as the common essence of all, like the ocean is the essence of all the
waves, foam etc, without the idea of division.

The Sage had attained the enlightened state of the Self, the essence of the entire world,
having destroyed all the thoughts of the perceived world.
( A Knower of Brahman is Brahman -Shrutis)

Freed of the Seen and the Seeing, he experienced the state of bliss which was endless,
and excellent akin to the ocean of nectar.

The Sage who was endowed with a physical body, born somehow on this earth (through
some Vaasanaa pull) now became the ocean of bliss, the essence of all that exists.
(c=+c)

The swan of the Brahmins consciousness now swam in the waters of bliss.

He remained still like a painted picture, like the ocean with all the waves subsided, like
the cloud that does not pour out as rains.

Uddhaalaka stayed in this great vision for long.

He saw also the Siddhas moving in the sky, and the gods. He found himself getting many
Siddhis. He saw many divine damsels around him tempting him for the position of Indra.
That Brahmin ignored them all, like a mature person ignores childrens actions.

Rejecting the Siddhis, he remained in the blissful state of the Self for six months.


CHAPTER TEN

*
Vasishta spoke

=H

cqc9 q
@

d( ||

What the Brahmin attained as the state of Liberation while living,
Brahma, Hara, Siddhas, Gods, Saadhyaas were all in that state.

= c=
= = c- ||

By the excessive state of bliss,
he attained the state of non-bliss.
His consciousness shone forth as neither bliss nor non-bliss.

{As the mind was absent, it was not like the bliss experienced by the mind through sense-experiences. It
was the self-shining bliss-state of Chit. The terms used for mind-experiences have no meaning in that
state.}

H 9 =
7* ||

Be it a moment or thousand years, once the mind has experienced that state,
it does not get interested in sense pleasures,
like a person who has visited the heaven, no more is attracted towards the earth-life.

c = Q
=

+ ||

That state is the Supreme. It is the final beatitude. It is quiescent.
It is the highest good. It is eternal. It is auspicious.
For the person who has attained that state,
delusion never recurs.

c 9 77*

= lq = ||

Having attained that state,
the good men never revert back to this state of perceiving the world-patterns,
like those who have gone to the garden of Kubera (ChaitraRatha),
do not visit the lands filled with ordinary Khadira trees.

= cq l
7 ==

| ||

Those beings who have attained that state of great bliss,
through their minds purified by practices of Shravana, Manana etc,
do not care for the perceived phenomenon,
like the kings do not value the state of poverty.

c= @

7 9
q c ||

O Taintless Rama!
The enlightened mind which has understood the unreal nature of the Seen,
will reach that state of Supreme rest,
only with great difficulty, or not at all.

{The mind reaches the sixth level of knowledge (Samaadhi), only with great difficulty. It may not enter the
seventh level (of Sahaja Samaadhi remaining in the Brahman state always) at all.}


CHAPTER ELEVEN

*
Vasishta spoke


{Uddhaalaka avoiding the level of Siddhis remained in the Self state for six months.
When the enlightened Sage opened his eyes, he saw Vidyaadharas standing in front of
him and saluting him. They were surrounded by beautiful Vidyaadhara girls and heavenly
chariots. Sages were also present there offering him respect.
They requested him to ascend the chariot and enter the heaven and enjoy unlimited
pleasures there.
The Sage offered his salutations and respects to all in due order without affected by that
event.
He neither rejected nor accepted that offer; he just told them to go away and was engaged
in doing his own regular duties.
He had no interest in any pleasures. He just did what he was supposed to do without
attachment. Siddhas visited him many times to pay their respects to him.
Uddhaalaka wandered on this earth wherever he wished, as a JeevanMukta.
Now and then he remained absorbed in the contemplation of the Self, may be for a day or
a month, or year or years together in some caves of the hills.}


@+ s
l

ccc ||

Uddhaalaka, from then onwards, though engaged in routine works,
remained calm and composed,
having attained oneness with the principle of Chit.


ccc+=cc

||

Having practiced hard the contemplation of the Chit;
having attained the state of Chit;
he became equal-minded everywhere,
like the Sun shines equally on all those on the earth.

{He attained the sixth level of knowledge.}

c=+cc=c
7 === ||

Having practiced the state of common presence of Chit in all,
he attained the state of common presence in all.
He remained in this perceived phenomenon like a painted picture of the Sun,
that never set; nor rose.

{He attained the seventh and highest level of Knowledge.}



Rama spoke

c7l c

7 c= l ||

You are the only Sun for the day of Self-Knowledge!
You are the fire for the grass of my doubts!
You are the Moon for the scorching heat of ignorance!
Lord!
What is common presence in all?








CHAPTER TWELVE


INTRODUCTION


The word c= can be translated roughly as the common essence present in
the entire perceived phenomenon. This is another term for Brahman who is the essence of
all that exists. Brahman is the very principle of existence present in all, which makes the
perceived phenomena exist. The perceived phenomenon is of course unreal and non-
existent. For the existence of non-existent phenomena also Brahman alone becomes the
substratum. Brahman is beyond the existence/non-existence levels. Brahman cannot be
spoken of existing. Existence presupposes non-existence also. Brahman is
SattaaSaamanya, the common essence present in all that exists and non-exists.
A Sage who contemplates reaches the final state of Satta-Saamaanyata, where he is
Brahman himself. This is the seventh level of the Knowledge ladder and is attained by
only very few Sages like Vasishta or Shuka.

*
Vasishta spoke

H cc=
c=+ c= ||

When the mind diminishes by the excessive understanding of the absence of the world;
when the Chit remains in its true nature;
then there is Satta-Saamaanyata.

cl qc |
5c

c= ||

When the Chit which reflects everything, is without any cognition
(like a mirror without reflections);
is one with the Self;
is as pure as if non-existent (like space);
then there is Satta-Saamaanyata.

l=c(+=c
c= ||

When the mind stays rejecting whatever external and internal agitations are there,
(being undivided)
then there is Satta-Saamaanyata.

7 c=
+ + c= ||

When all that is seen is understood
as Satta-Saamaanyata;
as the nature of the Self;
as the shine of the Self,
then there is Satta-Saamaanyata.

|

j 7 |= cc
= c= ||

When like the tortoise withdrawing limbs within,
all the perceived phenomena merge in the Self by the Self
without any willful contemplation,
then there is Satta-Saamaanyata.

{This is the state of Sahaja Samaadhi, the natural state of a perfect JeevanMukta.
Just like the ignorant move in the world without effort, fully remembering their identity,
yet know at all times their identity as the body; so also a knower in the highest level of
realization is always in the identity of Brahman. He does not do any willful effort like the
other aspirants and remember I am that Brahman.
In that state, there is no I; no Brahman.
The principle of Existence/Knowledge/Bliss alone is there as itself, bereft of
perceptions.)


7* l
H

||

This is the Supreme-vision experienced by the liberated ones at all times,
with or without the body.
It is equal to the state of Turyaa (the transcendental state).

c

c
7 7 c ||



O Taintless Rama!
This state is possible for the knower who has reached the Highest
(the seventh level of knowledge);
and also for him who experiences the Samaadhi state
(fifth and sixth levels of Knowledge).
Only the ignorant never ever have this state which rises out of knowledge.

7 =H

||

All those great ones, the liberated remain in this state of vision,
unaffected like the minerals concealed in the earth
or the winds in the sky-region.

c9

q
d(*q 7* ||

All of us like Naarada and others;
even Gods like Brahma, Vishnu and Ishvara;
remain only in this state, Raaghava.

=
@ ql q

||

Remaining in this state, which destroys all fears,
this Uddhaalaka also lived in this world-house as long as he wished for.












CHAPTER THIRTEEN

*
Vasishta spoke


After a long time, Uddhaalaka decided I will remain as a liberated person without the
body, by discarding the body.

Having thought so, he-
entered the cave; sat on the seat of leaves in the lotus posture; remained with half-shut
eyes; contracted the anal region and controlled the nine holes of the body; withdrew the
senses one by one and absorbed them as part of the Self; controlled the breath; held the
neck straight; made the face looked upward by touching the tip of the tongue to the root
of the palate; concentrated the mind not outside, inside, up, or down, not also on any
object, and not on emptiness; remained without touching the teeth to the teeth; remained
equalizing the flow of breath so as to still the body and the mind; remained with a smiling
pleasant face; the hairs on the body stood on their end because of the vision of the Chit;
remained absorbed in the contemplation of the Chit without a break; attained the state of
consciousness common to all.

By the continuous practice of that, he attained the excellent state of bliss.

By enjoying the bliss, getting more and more absorbed in the state of the Chit, he
remained as the endless Self which fills the world () and reached the state of
Satta-Saamaanyata.

With all agitations subsided completely; remaining unperturbed and equal to the extreme;
he attained the Supreme state of rest.

With never-subsiding bliss his face remained beautiful with extreme innocence.
Even the horripilations stopped.
He attained the taintless state.
The discarded body remained like a painted picture, like the moon complete with all
digits shining in the autumn sky.






CHAPTER FOURTEEN

*
Vasishta spoke


In this manner, enquiring about the Self by the Self, attain rest in that expansive state,
Rama!
By the practice suggested by the Guru and the scriptures, the Seen completely perishes
and the Supreme state gets attained.
Either by the practice of dispassion, as guided by the Scriptures or Guru; or through the
understanding of the Truth, the Supreme state gets attained.


Rama spoke

=

=
9@

= s ||
=c

= ||

Lord! You are the best of all excellent people!
Tell me Sage,
between the two-
the enlightened Sage who though engaged in the worldly affairs,
remains in rest as if in Samaadhi state;
the enlightened Sage who remains in solitude absorbed in Samaadhi-
who is the better one?

*
Vasishta spoke

cc

= ||

Perceiving this assemblage of Gunas as not connected to the Self,
when there is coolness within,
it is known as Samaadhi (State of Complete Absorption in Brahman).

7 = c
c- q ||

Having ascertained that the perceived phenomena is connected to the mind alone,
some one is engaged in the world affairs;
some one is absorbed in contemplation.

{Basic realization level of both is same.}

q -== c
= c= ||

Both of them O Rama, have accomplished their purposes.
Both of them are completely cool within.
The coolness within is the fruit of endless penance.

q

c
c c =c

||

If the mind of the person absorbed in Samadhi is restless and disturbed by thoughts,
then his composure state is equal to the frantic dance of the insane.

=c cH
=cc

c @

||

If a person is performing a mad frantic dance, yet devoid of Vaasanaas,
his mad behavior is equal to the absorbed state of enlightenment.

| 9@

9@

||

The enlightened one who is engaged in the world activities,
and the enlightened one who stays in the forest,
both of them are equal in all ways;
both have attained the Supreme state without doubt.

||

The person who is engaged in activities,
is a non-doer as his mind is free of Vaasanaas;
like a man who listens to a story with his mind absorbed in a story.
(He knows it is not real; yet acts absorbed.)

9
=j + ||

Though a person is not engaged in activities,
if his mind is dense with Vaasanaas, he is a doer only;
like a man who though remaining paralyzed in the limbs when asleep,
experiences the pain of falling into the chasm in the dream.
(He still believes in the reality of the world and so desires linger in his mind.)

c cc

@ |

||

When the mind is in the state of non-action, then it is the excellent state of composure.
Know that as the Supreme state of aloneness.
It is the Supreme state of auspiciousness and bliss.

c

7 j

||

Mind is said to be the main cause for the states of contemplation and non-contemplation,
because of its movement and non-movement.
Therefore see to it that it does not sprout ever.

9H

| = ||

The state of devoid of Vaasanaas alone is said to be steady.
That itself is the contemplation of the mind.
That alone is the singleness state of Brahman.
That alone is the quiescent state which is always there.

c

q

||

When the Vaasanaas are on the decrease,
the mind is spoken of as becoming ready for the Supreme state.
(Fourth level of Knowledge ascendance)
The mind without Vaasanaas attains the state of the non-doer because of that.

c

||

Dense state of Vaasanaas makes the mind attain the state of doer ship,
leading towards all sorts of pains.
Therefore Vaasanaas should be reduced with effort.

9=s=|
c

||

When all the interest in the world affairs
(identity with the body and matters connected to the body)
is subdued;
when the mind remains free of grief, fear and desire;
when one remains established in the Self-state,
that state is known as Samaadhi.

c= c
* * c

s ||

Renouncing all attachments to all the objects of the world,
remain however you want, be it a cave in the hill or a house in the city.

||

For the householders who have their minds under complete control,
and are freed of the taint of ego,
the house itself is the place of solitude with no populace around.

l7

||


The forest and the house are identical for those,
who have controlled the states of the mind,
who are the essence of all beings in existence (as the Self),
like the space for all beings.

=c+ ===
=

=c ||

O Prince!
For him (the knower),
whose great cloud of the mind has subsided (like in the autumn sky),
even the cities shining bright with flames of people are empty forests.

c

cc =

||

O Destroyer of enemies!
For him (the ignorant),
who is intoxicated by the wayward nature of his (desire-filled) mind,
even the deserted forests are filled with great crowds.

c

c+ +=


5

||

The uncontrolled mind reaches the state of deep sleep at the end of its delusion.
(Vaasanaas remain as seeds causing births and deaths).

If the mind is free of all perturbations (desire, anger etc)
it attains the unperturbed state (highest level of realization).
You choose what you want!

c
c l ||

He
who sees the Self as transcending all that is perceived,
(as he remains in the absorbed state of the Self),
or as the essence of all that is perceived,
(as he performs actions in the world),
he is said to be in the state of composure.

ll H =

l ||

He who has no likes or dislikes,
he who is in the expansive state of the Self,
for whom all things are equal (as he is the essence of all),
he is said to be in the state of composure.

c c
=c ||

His mind always sees the world as the Self, the principle of existence,
does it not?
O King! As in the dream, so it is in the waking state also.

(A knowers mind does not see anything as different from the Self.}

=sc
=c 7 s ||

The various scenes of the market place are as if non-existent
for those move there (attending to their own affairs)
as they are not connected to them.
So also, for a knower even a village is a forest (without people).

=

d=

||

Always his mind withdrawn and asleep,
the enlightened one though moving among all
sees the city, or assemblage of people or a village,
only as a forest.

c=

c|

||

For the one who is always turned towards the self,
this entire world chaotic with beings becomes empty like the sky
as it does not serve any purpose in any way.

=

=
=

c ||
=*

c=

=ql ||

When the coolness is obtained within, the world remains cool life-long
for the men, as if cured of the fever.
For all those beings who burn inside with the thirst for pleasures,
the world is filled with blazing fires.
That which is inside only exists outside.

l* = Hl= q
q cccc ccc

||

There exists nothing whatsoever as something inside or something outside.
In whatever way the mind shines, so appears the perception.


{THE STATE OF COMPOSURE}


cc = ==5

lH
+ l ||

He who is interested only in the Self,
though doing actions with his organs of action;
he who does not get happy or sad without control,
he is said to be in the state of composure.

c ==

l ||

He who sees the Self as everywhere, and whose mind is at rest,
he does not grieve; nor does he meditate.
He is said to be in the state of composure.

=

=
7**

l ||


He who laughs at these perceptions,
looking at the nature of the world
where everything gets produced and perishes in the end,
he is said to be in the state of composure.

==c l
c s ||

He who has no limited ego-sense; no divisions; no mind;
no conscious and non-conscious states;
he (Brahman) alone is there; not others.

A knower who is in the Supreme state of the Self may stay or die; live in excellent
conditions; be in his house or in a crowd; live in a forest renouncing all comforts; or
dance madly in passion fully drunk; or live calmly in a hill renouncing all attachments; or
apply fragrant pastes on the limbs; or fall into the blazing flames; do sinful acts or
meritorious acts; die now or die after hundreds of Kalpas-

l= c=

c
j j ||

- he is not anything; nothing gets done by this noble one;
he never gets tainted like the gold placed in the wet mud.

== + = sl

=c-= = ||

When the misconception of the snake in the rope is gone,
the relief is there that there is no snake really.
The equanimous state within rises in the same manner,
when the ego-state is gone.

c 7

=7 7

||

Whatever one does, whatever one eats,
whatever one gives, whatever one offers in the sacrifice,
there is no desire for the fruit in a knower.
A knower may do anything or not do anything.


| c
c c= ||

There is no meaning for him in doing any act or not doing any act.
By realizing ones true nature, he remains in the Self state alone.

q=

q= ||

Desires (prompted by Vaasanaas) rise up in him, no more like flowers from the stone.
Whatever (desires for actions) rises from him are he himself (Self)
like waves from the waters.



CHAPTER FIFTEEN

INTRODUCTION


Everything is Chit, Pure awareness.
There is nothing but Chit.
There is no second.
Then how different objects are perceived as different from the Self?

Self alone is all the objects. It is their essence too. When Chit is aware of the essence of
the object, the object appears on the Self-arena as different from the Self.
It is awareness itself that is aware of the objects and their essence, as if different; as if it
has no knowledge of itself.
Self is the shine of awareness. When it is aware of its shine, the world arises as if with
divisions.
Self is aware of the sweetness and sugarcane is there.
Self is aware of the hardness, and the stone is there.
Self is aware of the heaviness and the hill is there and so on.
Awareness is Self. The awareness itself brings about the divisions of objects.





*
Vasishta spoke


{SUPREME SELF APPEARS AS THE INDIVIDUAL SELF}

c=cccc
=l l l c ||

When the Self which is the rays of consciousness,
is aware of the sharpness of the rays,
then the divisions of separate egos, space, time etc. are perceived.

{Self is the Sun of Awareness. As the rays shoot forth, the Self is aware of the rays as separate and sharp;
the differentiation is conceived in the Self by the Self; and the world with all its space/time divisions
appears in the Self-arena.
Each object appears in the Self-arena when the Self conceives the essence of that object as different from
the Self.}
{Scorching rays the scorching pain of suffering the Individual Self undergoes}

c=cc
=l l lc ||

When the Self which is the salt is aware of the saltiness,
then exist the divisions of separate egos, space, time etc.

{Saltiness Pains obtained through sense experiences}

=cHcc=

=l l l -

||

The Self which is the sugarcane is aware of the sweetness by itself,
then shine forth the divisions of separate egos, space, time etc.

{Sweetness-Pleasures obtained through sense experiences}

c7cccl
=l l l ||

When the Self which is the stone is aware of the hardness by itself,
then it becomes the divisions of separate egos, space, time etc.

{Undivided space-like Self now perceives solidity, limitations, and becomes rooted inside the cage of a
body.}

c 7 q
=l l |

||

When the Self which is the hill knows the heaviness by itself,
then get established the divisions of separate egos, worlds etc.

{Self identifies with the body and is weighed down by worries.}

c q5cl
=l q ||

When the Self by itself exists as fluidity of some object,
by flowing it takes on the shapes as if,
divided as the shapes of ego etc.

{Self chases the pleasures flowing downwards towards lowly enjoyments, forgetting its true nature.}

cH

l
=l l

| c

||

When the Self which is the tree is aware of the branches etc;
then the Self bursts forth as if, with the divisions of separate egos, worlds etc.

{The Self, like a tree grows downwards spreading out its Vaasanaas on all the sides; spreading its branches
of births and deaths without end and suffers. Knowledge alone is the axe that can destroy this tree.}

cc=cc

=c
=l l |

||

When the Self which is the sky is aware of the emptiness;
then is the cognition as if of the divisions of separate egos, worlds etc.

c=ccc
=l l |l | ||

When the Self which is the sky is aware of the hollowness;
then the divisions of separate egos, worlds etc light up.

{The Self as the ego remains stuck to the perceived phenomena fulfilling the Vaasanaas without control.
The individual is bound by actions and their results, which are empty and hollow without any essence.}

cq

= =
=l cql ||

When by nature, the denseness is dense for the Self which is solid,
then the divisions of space etc exist outside as it were.

{Self perceives solidity and is imprisoned by the space/time measures outside as if.}

cccccc
=l l c ||

When the Self which is the principle of existence knows existence alone,
then the divisions of egos etc become the expressions of consciousness.
(individual conscious points)

{Self gets into the cycle of existence and non-existence, births and deaths and suffers.}

=c9
=l cl c ||

When the Self which is awareness is aware of the shine of the Self, by itself,
then it knows itself as a Jeeva with ego as a cognizing agent.
(channels for some random group of Vaasanaas)

{Identified with a shape created by the mind, Self now undergoes particular Vaasanaa based experiences
bound by particularities of time and space; experiences cognitions without control and suffers.}

= c=5

5
l =ll ||

When the nectar of Chit which belongs to the moon of Chit, which is the essence of Chit,
is enjoyed by itself,
then it rises as ego etc.
(Mind experiences the bliss of Chit from outside objects).

{Self expresses itself as the cognizing, waxing, waning mind-principle and chases pleasures outside of
itself; experiences its own bliss as if from outside objects.}

c

= cc

q s l = ||

The Self as taste inside the jaggery of the Supreme Self
is tasted by itself,
then it rises as ego etc within itself.
(Mind experiences the bliss of Chit from outside objects).

{Though Self is the principle of bliss, it chases the sense experiences in search of happiness. It imagines the
pleasure to be a part of inert objects. It does not know that whatever happiness it experiences is actually an
infinitesimal part of its own nature.}

c cccq=
c =cl cc ||

When the Self which is the gem of Supreme Self is aware of its own shine by itself,
it knows I etc within
in the state of conscious Self state.
(Self conceives itself as a limited consciousness.)

{Self alone is everything. The whole process of appearance as this perceived phenomenon is the Self, like
the shine of the gem is the essence of the gem.
Though the Self was described as going through the process of shining forth as the divisions of perceived
phenomena, actually there is no change in the Self. Nothing happens as an action of creation.}

























CHAPTER SIXTEEN

*
Vasishta spoke


{SELF IS CHANGELESS}

l cc=q l

q ||
lc=c
= lqq- ||

It does not know anything, as nothing can be known.
It does not taste anything, as taste cannot be experienced by it.
It does not cognize anything, as nothing can be cognized.
It does not attain anything, as nothing can be attained.

c =

c ||

The Self does not shine forth as the appearances.
It is endless and filled up completely.
It remains always dense like a mountain in the Self.

j =

=lcl ||

Through these paradoxical words O Joy of Raghu dynasty,
I have proved to you that there does not exist any divisions like ego etc.

c cl+

*-

= - ||

There is no mental faculty; no cognition; no delusion of the world.
Like the silent cloud which has finished raining remains white and quiet,
it just subsides within.

l 5cq
l 7 7 7 c ||

Just like the water flows because of the fluidity within itself
so the Self the Knower of all attains the state of ego etc as the Knower,
in the Self which is the Knower.

{Self alone is there without second.
Self is Knowledge. Self is Consciousness; awareness of ones own nature; knowledge of ones own nature.
Why water flows? Because of its fluidity!
Why Self appears as the world phenomenon? Because of Knowledge!
Knowledge is the essence of the Self; the very nature of the Self.
Fluidity is water. Knowledge is Brahman.
Supreme Self is the Knowledge which knows itself.
Individual Self is also Knowledge which knows the world; knows not the Self.
Supreme Self the Knower appears as the individual Self- the Knower, within itself the Knower.
This is the very nature of the Self- to know itself as limited ego and cognize the perceived phenomena.
The very power of cognizing the perceived phenomena as the individual Self belongs to the Supreme Self.
There is no difference between the Supreme Self and the individual Self. Both are just different levels of
the same Knowledge.
One knows the Self and appears as the world; one knows not the Self; but knows the world as different
from it.}

5c =
l 7 7 ||

Like the liquidity in water, like the movement in the wind,
the ego, space, time etc. are in the Knower as Knowledge only.

7 7 7 7

7 s l 7 |c ||

The Knower (Supreme Self)
knows the auspicious knowledge (God)
in the known (perceived phenomena)
because of the expanse of knowledge.

The Knower (Supreme Self)
knows the ego etc (appears as the limited Self)
through the Jeeva which lives (manifesting the unmanifest Vaasanaas).




{God or Ishvara is the Supreme Self with the expanse of Knowledge. Ishvara knows that he is the
Supreme Self. He knows the world too.
He is not deluded.
Jeeva is also the Supreme Self but with no knowledge of the Self. Jeeva knows only the world.
There is no difference between Brahman and Ishvara; or, Brahman and Jeeva.
Knower alone is there as Ishvara and Jeeva both (the Controller and the controlled).}

7

= 7
= = @

||

Like the ignorant gets satisfied by whatever knowledge he attains,
the Knower knows the undifferentiated one as different
and shines forth as all this because of that.

{The Supreme Self appearing as the limited Self understands its undivided nature as divided; and goes
after the bliss of knowing other objects.
As this process continues, the Supreme shines forth more and more as this perceived phenomenon.
As mentioned in the previous chapter, the perception of hardness becomes the stone; the perception of
sweetness becomes the sugarcane and so on.
As the perceptions increase, the world also expands in space and time.}

7 7
c= 5c

7 ||

Life means Knowing and the Knower.
Life means life experienced by the Jeeva.
There is no difference at all between the Knower and Jeeva
in the level of Pure Consciousness.

{What is Life?
Knowing!
Knowing is the nature of the Knower.
Knowing means Knower, like self-shine means gem.

What is Life?
A point of consciousness becomes a Vaasanaa-channel and knows the objects as the limited ego. It is
called Jeeva.
Jeeva again is the Supreme Self. Jeeva Knows because it is Knower.
The Knower is Jeeva.
The Supreme Self is the individual Self.}

7
s 7 @ = ||

Just as there is no difference between the Knower and the Jeeva,
so also there is no difference between the Knower and Shiva(the controller).
Know that there is only the unbroken quiescent state.

{There is only the undivided state of Brahman. There is no difference at all between the Controller of the
Creation (God), or the Controlled (Jeeva) and the Supreme state of Knowledge.}

{What is Self?
That which is not cognizing; that which is bliss etc etc!
Whatever terms are used to describe THAT are superficial and have no meaning in the level of
Brahman. Self has no name.
Self does not have any character.
Self cannot be limited by words.
Self cannot be described.
IT is all this and yet not all this.
It is just AUM Akaara, Ukaara, and Makaara all in one; just the indescribable sound; Brahman is just
everything and yet nothing of all this. }

9=l c(
9= =

7*| l

||

THAT is
all; quiescent; unborn; one; beginning less; middle less;
shining forth wholly; existing only as bliss;
not given to the nature of cognizing.

The description of the Self as -
It is all; quiescent; etc in so many words
is for making you understand the truth;
has no meaning actually.
It is just OM.





PART SIX OF
SECTION FIVE UPASHAMA PRAKARANAM
COMPLETE









About the Author:

Maa Tejasvini

The author spent many years doing research on ancient Sanskrit texts in the Himalayan
region. She was exposed to many unique spiritual experiences which are beyond human
comprehension.
Her mission in life was to translate all renowned spiritual texts and literature of Sanskrit
and bring them to the light of the public.