1:
Instruction on Self-Realization
Janaka
said:
1.1
Master, how
is Knowledge to be achieved,
detachment acquired, liberation attained?
Ashtavakra
said:
1.2
To
be free, Turn
your attention to
forgiveness,
sincerity, kindness, simplicity, truth.
1.3
You
are not earth, water, fire or air.
Nor
are you empty space.
Liberation
is to know yourself
as
Awareness alone—
the
Witness of these.
1.4
Abide
in Awareness
with
no illusion of person.
You
will be instantly free and at peace.
1.5
You
have no caste or duties.
You
are invisible, unattached, formless.
You
are the Witness of all things. Be happy.
1.6
Right
and wrong, pleasure and pain, exist in mind only.
They
are not your concern.
You
neither do nor enjoy.
You
are free.
1.7
You
are the Solitary Witness of All That Is,
forever
free.
Your
only bondage is not seeing This.
1.8
The
thought: “I am the doer” is the bite of a poisonous snake. To
know: “I do nothing”
is
the wisdom of faith.
Be
happy.
1.9
A
single understanding:
“I
am the One Awareness,” consumes all suffering
in
the fire of an instant.
Be
happy.
1.10
You
are unbounded Awareness— Bliss, Supreme Bliss—
in
which the universe appears
like
the mirage of a snake in a rope.
Be
happy.
1.11
It
is true what they say:
“You
are what you think.”
If
you think you are bound you are bound.
If
you think you are free you are free.
1.12
You
are Self—the Solitary Witness.
You
are perfect, all-pervading, One.
You
are free, desireless, forever still.
The
universe is but a seeming in You.
1.13
Meditate
on this:
“I
am Awareness alone—Unity itself.”
Give
up the idea that you are separate, a person, that there is within and
without.
1.14
You
have long been bound thinking:
“I
am a person.”
Let
the knowledge: “I am Awareness alone” be the sword that frees
you.
1.15
You
are now and forever
free,
luminous, transparent, still. The practice of meditation keeps one in
bondage.
1.16
You
are pure Consciousness— the substance of the universe. The universe
exists within you. Don’t be small-minded.
1.17
You
are unconditioned, changeless, formless.
You
are solid, unfathomable, cool.
Desire
nothing.
You
are Consciousness.
1.18
That
which has form is not real.
Only
the formless is permanent.
Once
this is known,
you
will not return to illusion.
1.19
Just
as a mirror exists
both
within and without the image reflected, the Supreme Self exists
both
within and without the body.
1.20
Just
as the same space exists both within and without a jar, the timeless,
all-pervasive One exists as Totality.
2:
Joy of Self-Realization
Janaka
said:
2.1
I
am now spotless and at peace— Awareness beyond Consciousness. All
this time
I
have been duped by illusion.
2.2
By
this light alone
the
body and the universe appear.
I
am Everything
or
Nothing.
2.3
Seeing
there is no
universe
or body,
by
grace the Self is revealed.
2.4
As
waves, foam and bubbles are not different from water,
so
the universe emanating from Self is not different from Self.
2.5
Look
closely at cloth,
you
see only threads.
Look
closely at creation,
you
see only Self.
2.6
As
sweetness
pervades
sugarcane juice,
I
am the essence of creation.
2.7
Not
seeing Self, the world is materialized.
Seeing
Self, the world is vanished.
A
rope is not a snake,
but
can appear to be.
2.8
I
am not other than Light.
The
universe manifests at my glance.
2.9
The
mirage of universe appears in me as silver appears in
mother-of-pearl, as a snake appears in a rope,
as
water appears on a desert horizon.
2.10
As
a pot returns to clay, a wave to water,
a
bracelet to gold,
so
will the universe return to Me.
2.11
I
am wonderful indeed— beyond adoration.
I
cannot decay nor ever die, though God and all the universe should
perish to the last blade of grass.
2.12
I
am wonderful indeed— beyond adoration.
Even
with a body I am One.
I
neither come nor go.
I
am everywhere at once.
2.13
I
am wonderful indeed— beyond adoration.
I
am astounded at my powers. The universe appears within me but I do
not touch it.
2.14
I
am wonderful indeed— beyond adoration.
I
am everything thought or spoken, and have nothing.
shun
the experiences of the senses like poison.
2.15
In
Reality,
knowledge,
the knower, and the knowable do not exist.
I
am the transparent Self
in
which through ignorance they appear.
2.16
Looking
at One and seeing many is the cause of all misery.
The
only cure is to realize what is seen is not there.
I
am One—aware, blissful, immaculate.
2.17
I
am unbounded Awareness.
Only
in imagination do I have limits.
Reflecting
on this,
I
abide in the Absolute.
2.18
I
am neither free nor bound. The illusion of such things has fallen
into disbelief. Though I contain creation, it has no substance.
2.19
Having
seen for certain that this universe and body is without form or
substance,
I
am revealed as Awareness alone.
Imagination
has no place here.
2.20
The
body exists only in imagination, as do heaven and hell, bondage,
freedom, fear.
Are
these my concern?
I,
who am pure Awareness?
2.21
I
see no differences or separation.
Even
the multitudes appear
as
a single formless desert.
To
what should I cling?
2.22
I
am not the body.
I
do not have a body.
I
am Awareness, not a person. My thirst for life bound me to a seeming
of life.
2.23
In
the limitless ocean of Myself the winds of the mind
roil
the myriad waves of the world.
2.24
But
when the wind subsides in the limitless ocean,
the
ark of personhood is swallowed up, along with the universe it
carries.
2.25
And
how wonderful it is!
In
the limitless ocean of Myself, waves of beings
arise,
collide, play for a time, then disappear—as is their nature.
3:
Test of Self-Realization
Ashtavakra
said:
3.1
Having
realized yourself as One, being serene and indestructible, why do you
desire wealth?
3.2
Just
as imagining silver in mother-of-pearl, causes greed to arise,
so
does ignorance of Self cause desire for illusion.
3.3
Having
realized yourself as That
in
which the waves of the world rise and fall, why do you run around in
turmoil?
3.4
Having
realized yourself as pure Awareness, as beautiful beyond description,
how can you remain a slave to lust?
3.5
It
is strange
that
in a sage who has realized Self in All and All in Self
this
sense of ownership should continue.
3.6
Strange
that one abiding in the Absolute, intent on freedom,
should
be vulnerable to lust
and
weakened by amorous pastimes.
3.7
Strange
that knowing lust as an enemy of knowledge, one so weak and nearing
death should still crave sensual pleasure.
3.8
Strange
that one who is unattached
to
the things of this world and the next, who can discriminate between
the
transient and the timeless, who yearns for freedom,
should
yet fear the dissolution of the body.
3.9
Whether
acclaimed or tormented the serene sage abides in the Self. He is
neither gratified nor angered.
3.10
A
great soul
witnesses
his body’s actions as if they were another’s.
How
can praise or blame disturb him?
3.11
Realizing
the universe is illusion, having lost all curiosity,
how
can one of steady mind fear death?
3.12
With
whom can we compare the great soul
who,
content knowing Self,
remains
desireless in disappointment?
3.13
Why
should a person of steady mind, who sees the nothingness of objects,
prefer one thing to another?
3.14
He
who is unattached, untouched by opposites, free of desire,
experiences
neither pleasure nor pain as events pass through.
4:
Glorification of Self-Realization
Janaka
said:
4.1
Surely
one who knows Self, though he plays the game of life, differs greatly
from the world’s bewildered burdened beasts.
4.2
Truly
the yogi feels no elation, though he abides in the exalted state
yearned for by Indra and all the discontented gods.
4.3
Surely
one who knows That
is
not touched by virtue or vice,
just
as space is not touched by smoke, though it seems to be.
4.4
Who
can prevent the great soul, who knows the universe as Self, from
living life as it comes?
4.5
Of
the four kinds of beings, from Brahma to a blade of grass, only the
sage can renounce aversion and desire.
4.6
Rare
is he who knows himself as One with no other—
the
Lord of the Universe. He acts as he knows and is never afraid.
5:
Four Ways to Dissolution
Ashtavakra
said:
5.1
You
are immaculate, touched by nothing. What is there to renounce?
The
mind is complex—let it go.
Know
the peace of dissolution.
5.2
The
universe arises from you like foam from the sea. Know yourself as
One.
Enter
the peace of dissolution.
5.3
Like
an imagined snake in a rope the universe appears to exist in the
immaculate Self,
but
does not.
Seeing
this you know:
“There
is nothing to dissolve.”
5.4
You
are perfect, changeless, through misery and happiness, hope and
despair,
life
and death.
This
is the state of dissolution.
6:
The Higher Knowledge
Janaka
said:
6.1
I
am infinite space;
the
universe is a jar.
This
I know.
No
need to renounce, accept or destroy.
6.2
I
am a shoreless ocean; the universe makes waves. This I know.
No
need to renounce, accept or destroy.
6.3
I
am mother-of–pearl;
the
universe is the illusion of silver.
This
I know.
No
need to renounce, accept or destroy.
6.4
I
am in all beings;
all
beings are in me.
This
I know.
No
need to renounce, accept or destroy.
7:
Nature of Self-Realization
Janaka
said:
7.1
In
me, the shoreless ocean, the ark of universe drifts here and there
on
the winds of its nature.
I
am not impatient.
7.2
In
me, the shoreless ocean, let the waves of the universe rise and fall
as they will.
I
am neither enhanced nor diminished.
7.3
In
me, the shoreless ocean, the universe is imagined. I am still and
formless.
In
this alone I abide.
7.4
The
Self is not in objects,
nor
are objects in the pure and infinite Self. The Self is tranquil,
free
of attachment and desire.
In
this alone I abide.
7.5
I
am Awareness alone. The world is passing show. How can thoughts arise
of acceptance or rejection? And where?
8:
Bondage and Liberation
Ashtavakra
said:
8.1
When
the mind desires or grieves things, accepts or rejects things,
is
pleased or displeased by things— this is bondage.
8.2
When
the mind does not
desire
or grieve,
accept
or reject,
become
pleased or displeased— liberation is at hand.
8.3
If
the mind is attached to any experience, this is bondage.
When
the mind is detached from all experience, this is liberation.
8.4
When
there is no “I”
there
is only liberation.
When
“I” appears,
bondage
appears with it.
Knowing
this,
it
is effortless to refrain from accepting and rejecting.
9:
Detachment
Ashtavakra
said:
9.1
Opposing
forces,
duties
done and left undone— when does it end
and
for whom?
Considering
this, be ever desireless, let go of all things,
and
to the world turn an indifferent eye.
9.2
Rare
and blessed is one
whose
desire to live,
to
enjoy, and to know,
has
been extinguished by observing the ways of men.
9.3
Seeing
all things as threefold suffering, the sage becomes still.
Insubstantial,
transient, contemptible— the world is fit only for rejection.
9.4
Was
there an age or time
men
existed without opposites?
Leave
the opposites behind.
Be
content with what comes.
Perfection.
9.5
The
greatest seers, saints and yogis agree on very little.
Seeing
this,
who
could not be indifferent to knowledge and become still?
9.6
One
who
through
worldly indifference, through serenity and reason,
sees
his true nature and escapes illusion— is he not a true teacher?
9.7
In
the myriad forms of the universe see the primal element alone.
You
will be instantly free, and abide in Self.
9.8
Desire
creates the world—renounce it.
Renounce
desires
and
you renounce the world.
Now
you may live as you are.
10:
Quietude
Ashtavakra
said:
10.1
Give
up desire,
which
is the enemy.
Give
up prosperity,
which
is born of mischief and good works.
Be
indifferent.
10.2
Look
upon
friends,
lands, wealth, houses, wives, gifts— and all apparent good fortune—
as
a passing show,
as
a dream lasting three to five days.
10.3
Where
there is desire, there is the world.
Be
firm in non-attachment.
Be
free of desire.
Be
happy.
10.4
Bondage
and desire are the same.
Destroy
desire and be free.
Only
by detaching from the world does one joyfully realize Self.
10.5
You
are One—
Awareness
itself.
The
universe is neither aware nor does it exist.
Even
ignorance is unreal.
What
is left to know?
10.6
Attached
as you have been to
kingdoms,
sons, wives, bodies, pleasures— life after life—
still
they are now lost forever.
10.7
Prosperity,
pleasure, pious deeds… Enough!
In
the dreary forest of the world the mind finds no rest.
10.8
For
how many lifetimes
have
you done hard and painful labor with body, mind, and speech?
It
is time to stop.
11:
Wisdom
Ashtavakra
said:
11.1
Existence,
non-existence, change— this is the nature of things. Realizing
this,
stillness,
serenity and bliss naturally follow.
11.2
One
who knows for certain that “Self creates All and is alone”
becomes still, desireless, unattached.
11.3
One
who knows for certain that adversity and success
come
and go in obedience to destiny becomes content.
He
neither desires nor grieves.
11.4
One
who knows for certain
that
birth and death, happiness and misery, come and go in obedience to
destiny sees nothing to accomplish.
He
engages in non-action,
and
in action remains unattached.
11.5
One
who has realized
that
only by caring
is
misery caused in the world, becomes free, happy, serene, desireless.
11.6
“I
am not the body,
nor
is the body my possession— I am Awareness itself.”
One
who realizes this for certain
has
no memory of things done or left undone.
There
is only the Absolute.
11.7
“From
Brahma to the last blade of grass— I alone exist.”
One
who knows this for certain
becomes
immaculate, serene, unconflicted.
Attainment
has no meaning.
11.8
One
who knows for certain
that
this manifold and wonderful universe is nothing
becomes
desireless Awareness,
and
abides in the stillness of No-thing.
12:
Abiding in the Self
Janaka
said:
12.1
Becoming
first intolerant of action, then of excessive speech,
then
of thought itself,
I
come to be here.
12.2
Neither
sounds nor other sense perceptions attract my attention.
Even
the Self is unperceived.
The
mind is free, undistracted, one-pointed.
And
here I am.
12.3
Effort
is required
to
concentrate a distracted mind superimposed with illusion. Knowing
this, I remain here.
12.4
Nothing
to reject,
nothing
to accept.
No
joy, no sorrow.
Lord
God I am here.
12.5
The
four stages of life, life without stages, meditation, renunciation,
objects of mind— nothing but distractions.
I
am forever here.
12.6
Doing
and not-doing
both
arise from ignorance.
I
know this.
And
I am here.
12.7
Thinking
of the unthinkable One unavoidably conjures thought.
I
choose no-thought
and
remain here.
12.8
Blessed
is he
who
attains this by effort.
Blessed
is he
who
is such by nature.
13:
Happiness
Janaka
said:
13.1
The
tranquil state
of
knowing Self alone is rare—
even
among those who own but a loincloth. I therefore neither renounce nor
accept, and am happy.
13.2
The
body is strained by practices.
The
tongue tires of scripture.
The
mind numbs with meditation.
Detached
from all this,
I
live as I am.
13.3
Realizing
that nothing is done, I do what comes,
and
am happy.
13.4
Yogis
who preach
either
effort or non-effort are still attached to the body.
I
neither dissociate nor associate with any of that
and
am happy.
13.5
I
have nothing to gain or lose
by
standing, walking, or sitting down.
So
whether I stand, walk or sit,
I
am happy.
13.6
I
do not lose by sleeping
nor
attain by effort.
Not
thinking in terms of loss or gain, I am happy.
13.7
Pleasure
and pain fluctuate and are inconsistent. Without good or bad I live
happily.
14:
Tranquility
Janaka
said:
14.1
Though
appearing asleep like other men, one whose interest in the world is
exhausted, whose mind has been emptied,
who
thinks only by inadvertence, is in Reality awake.
14.2
When
desire has melted, how can there be wealth,
or
friends, or the seduction of senses?
What
use is scripture and knowledge?
14.3
I
have realized the Supreme Self, the Witness, the One. I am
indifferent
to
bondage and freedom.
I
have no need for liberation.
14.4
The
inner condition
of
one who is devoid of doubt,
yet
moves among creatures of illusion, can only be known by those like
him.
15:
Knowledge of the Self
Ashtavakra
said:
15.1
A
man of open intuition may realize the Self upon hearing a casual
instruction, while a man of cluttered intellect inquires bewildered
for a lifetime.
15.2
Aversion
to the world’s offerings is liberation. Attraction to the world’s
offerings
is
the suffering of bondage.
This
is the truth.
Now
do as you please.
15.3
This
knowledge of Truth
turns
an eloquent, wise and active man mute, empty, and inert.
Lovers
of the world therefore shun it.
15.4
You
are not the body.
You
do not have a body.
You
neither do nor enjoy.
You
are Awareness only—the timeless Witness.
You
are free.
Go
in happiness.
15.5
Attachment
and aversion are attributes of the mind. You are not the mind.
You
are Consciousness itself— changeless, undivided, free. Go in
happiness.
15.6
Realize
Self in All and All in Self. Be free of personal identity and the
sense of “mine.” Be happy.
15.7
You
are That in which the universe appears like waves appearing in the
ocean.
You
are Consciousness itself.
No
need to worry.
15.8
Have
faith, my son, have faith. You are Awareness alone, the Self, the
One.
You
are the Lord of Nature.
15.9
The
body is made of worldly stuff.
It
comes, it lingers, it goes.
The
Self neither comes nor goes, yet remains.
Why
mourn the body?
15.10
If
the body lasts until the end of time or perishes today—
is
there gain or loss for you?
You
who are Awareness?
15.11
Let
the waves of the universe rise and fall as they will.
You
have nothing to gain or lose.
You
are the ocean.
15.12
You
are the substance of Consciousness.
The
world is You.
Who
is it that thinks
he
can accept or reject it?
And
where does he stand?
15.13
In
you who are One— immaculate, still Awareness— from where can
birth, action, or a separate person arise?
15.14
Whatever
you perceive
is
You and You alone.
How
can bracelets, armlets and anklets be other than the gold they are
made of?
15.15
Leave
behind such distinctions as “I am He, the Self,”
and
“I am not this.” Consider everything Self. Be desireless.
Be
happy.
15.16
Your
ignorance alone
creates
the universe.
In
reality One alone exists. There is no person or god other than You.
15.17
One
who knows for certain
that
the universe is illusion only, becomes desireless pure Awareness,
and
finds peace in the existence of No-thing.
15.18
In
the ocean of existence,
only
One is, was, and ever will be.
You
are neither bound nor free.
Live
content and be happy.
15.19
Do
not stir the mind
with
“yes” or “no.”
You
are pure Consciousness.
Be
still,
and
abide in the bliss of Self.
15.20
Give
up completely
all
contemplation.
Hold
nothing in the mind or heart.
You
are the Self, forever free.
Of
what use is thinking to you?
16:
Special Instruction
Ashtavakra
said:
16.1
You
can recite and discuss scripture all you want,
but
until you drop everything you will never know Truth.
16.2
You
can enjoy and work and meditate, but you will still yearn for That
which is beyond all experience,
and
in which all desires are extinguished.
16.3
Everyone
is miserable
because
they exert constant effort.
But
no one understands this.
A
ripe mind can become unshackled upon hearing this one instruction.
16.4
The
master idler,
to
whom even blinking is a bother, is happy.
But
he is the only one.
16.5
When
the mind is free of opposites
like
“This is done,” and “This is yet undone,” one becomes
indifferent to
merit,
wealth, pleasure and liberation.
16.6
One
who abhors sense objects avoids them.
One
who desires them becomes ensnared.
One
who neither abhors nor desires
is
neither detached nor attached.
16.7
As
long as there is desire—
which
is the absence of discrimination— there will be attachment and
non-attachment. This is the cause of the world.
16.8
Indulgence
creates attachment.
Aversion
creates abstinence.
Like
a child, the sage is free of both, and thus lives on as a child.
16.9
One
who is attached to the world
thinks
renouncing it will relieve his misery. One who is attached to nothing
is free, and does not feel miserable, even in the world.
16.10
He
who claims liberation as his own, as an attainment of a person,
is
neither enlightened nor a seeker.
He
suffers his own misery.
16.11
Though
Hara, Hari,
or
the lotus-born Brahma himself instructs you,
until
you know Nothing you will never know Self.
17:
The True Knower
Ashtavakra
said:
17.1
One
has attained Knowledge and reaped the fruits of yoga who is content,
purified
of attachments
and
at home in solitude.
17.2
The
knower of Truth
is
never miserable in the world, for the whole universe
is
filled with Himself alone.
17.3
As
the foliage of the neem tree does not please an elephant who delights
in sallaki leaves, so do sense objects not please he who delights in
Self.
17.4
Rare
in the world
is
one who does not
relish
past enjoyments,
nor
yearn for enjoyments to come.
17.5
Those
who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation are both common
in the world. Rare is the great soul who desires neither enjoyment
nor liberation.
17.6
Rare
is the right-minded person who neither covets nor shuns religion,
wealth, pleasure, life or death.
17.7
The
man of Knowledge neither cares for the universe, nor desires its
dissolution. He lives happily
on
whatever comes his way.
He
is blessed.
17.8
Knowing
Self,
mind
empty and at peace, the sage lives happily,
seeing,
hearing, touching, smelling, eating…
17.9
There
is no attachment or non-attachment for one in whom
the
ocean of the world has dried up.
His
look is vacant,
senses
still.
His
actions have no purpose.
17.10
The
sage is neither asleep nor awake. He neither closes nor opens his
eyes. Thus, for the liberated soul, everywhere there is only This.
17.11
The
liberated soul
abides
in Self alone
and
is pure of heart.
He
lives always and everywhere, free of desire.
17.12
Seeing,
hearing, touching, smelling, eating, taking, speaking, walking, the
great soul
exerts
neither effort nor non-effort.
He
is truly free.
17.13
The
liberated soul
does
not blame or praise, give or take,
rejoice
or become angry.
He
is everywhere unattached and free.
17.14
The
great soul
remains
poised and undisturbed, whether in the presence of a passionate woman
or
observing the approach of his death.
He
is truly free.
17.15
The
sage sees no difference between happiness and misery, man and woman,
adversity
and success.
Everything
is seen to be the same.
17.16
In
the sage there is neither violence nor mercy, arrogance nor humility,
anxiety nor wonder.
His
worldly life is exhausted.
He
has transcended his role as a person.
17.17
The
liberated one neither avoids experience nor craves it.
He
enjoys what comes
and
what does not.
17.18
The
sage is not conflicted
by
states of stillness and thought.
His
mind is empty.
His
home is the Absolute.
17.19
Though
he may perform actions, the man of Knowledge does not act.
Desires
extinguished,
free
of thoughts of “I” and “mine,” he knows with absolute
certainty that nothing exists.
17.20
The
sage is free.
His
empty mind no longer projects delusion, dreaming, dullness. This
state is indescribable.
18:
Peace
Ashtavakra
said:
18.1
Praise
That,
which
is Bliss itself,
which
is by nature stillness and light, and which by Its knowing reveals
the world as a dream.
18.2
One
may enjoy
the
abundant pleasures of the world, but will never be happy
until
giving them up.
18.3
How
can one whose innermost heart has been scorched by the sun of sorrow
that comes from duty
be
happy until the sweet rain of torrential stillness?
18.4
The
universe is but a thought in Consciousness.
In
Reality it is nothing.
One
who sees the true nature of existence and non-existence never ceases
to exist.
18.5
The
Self—which is
absolute,
effortless, timeless, immaculate— is without limits
and
at no distance from you.
You
are forever It.
18.6
For
those whose vision becomes unclouded, illusion evaporates
and
the Self becomes known.
All
sorrow is instantly dispelled.
18.7
Seeing
everything is imagination, knowing the Self as timelessly free, the
sage lives as a child.
18.8
Knowing
himself as Absolute, knowing existence and non-existence to be
imagination only,
what
is there for the desireless one to learn, say or do?
18.9
Knowing
for certain that all is Self, the sage has no trace of thoughts such
as “I am this,” or “I am not that.”
18.10
The
yogi who finds stillness
is
neither distracted nor focused. He knows neither pleasure nor pain.
Ignorance dispelled, he is free of knowing.
18.11
Heaven
or poverty,
gain
or loss,
society
or solitude—
to
the yogi free of conditioning there is no difference.
18.12
Religious
merit,
sensory
pleasure,
worldly
prosperity,
discrimination
between this and that—
these
have no significance
to
the yogi free of opposites such as “I do this,” and “This I do
not.”
18.13
The
yogi who is liberated while living has no duties in this world,
no
attachments in his heart.
His
life proceeds without him.
18.14
For
the great soul
who
abides beyond desire, where is illusion? Where is the universe?
Where
is meditation on That?
Where
even is liberation from them?
18.15
He
who sees the world
may
try to renounce it.
But
what can the desireless one do?
He
sees there is nothing to see.
18.16
He
who has seen the Supreme Brahma thinks, “I am Brahma.”
But
he who has transcended all thought, what can he think?
He
knows no other than Self.
18.17
He
achieves self-control who sees his own distraction.
But
the great soul is not distracted.
He
has nothing to achieve.
He
has nothing to do.
18.18
The
man of Knowledge
may
live as an ordinary man, but he is not.
He
sees he is neither
focused
nor distracted,
and
finds no fault with himself.
18.19
He
who is beyond existence and non-existence— who is wise, satisfied,
free of desire— does nothing,
though
the world may see him in motion.
18.20
The
wise one
is
not troubled by action or inactivity.
He
lives happily,
doing
whatever gets done.
18.21
Like
a leaf in the wind
the
liberated one
is
untethered from life— desireless, independent, free.
18.22
For
one who has transcended the world there is no joy or sorrow. With a
stilled mind,
he
lives on with no body.
18.23
One
who knows Self,
whose
mind is serene and spotless, does not desire to give up anything, nor
does he miss what is not there.
18.24
His
mind being in a natural state of emptiness,
the
wise one knows nothing of honor and dishonor.
He
does what comes to be done.
18.25
One
who acts knowing,
“This
is done by the body, not by I, pure Self,” indeed does nothing—
no
matter how much acting takes place.
18.26
The
liberated one acts without claiming to be acting, but he is no fool.
He
is blessed and happy, even though in the world.
18.27
Having
had enough
of
the endless workings of the mind, the wise one comes to rest.
He
neither thinks, nor knows, nor hears, nor sees.
18.28
Beyond
stillness,
beyond
distraction,
the
great soul thinks nothing of liberation or bondage.
Having
seen the universe is void— even though it seems to exist— he is
God.
18.29
He
who believes he is a person is constantly acting,
even
when the body is at rest. The sage knows he is not a person, and
therefore does nothing, even when the body is in motion.
18.30
The
mind of the liberated one is neither troubled nor pleased.
It
is action-less, motionless, desireless, and free of doubt.
18.31
The
liberated one
does
not exert effort
to
meditate or act.
Action
and meditation just happen.
18.32
Hearing
ultimate Truth,
the
dull-witted man is bewildered.
The
wise man hearing Truth retreats within and appears dull-witted.
18.33
The
ignorant practice meditation and no-thought. The wise,
like
men in deep sleep,
do
nothing.
18.34
The
ignorant man finds no peace either by effort or non-effort.
The
wise man by Truth alone is stilled.
18.35
Though
they are by nature Self alone, pure intelligence, love and
perfection— though they transcend the universe and are clearness
itself—
men
of the world will not see this through meditation and practices.
18.36
The
ignorant man
will
never be liberated
by
his repetitious practices.
Blessed
is he who
by
simple understanding enters timeless freedom.
18.37
Because
he desires to know God,
the
ignorant man can never become That. The wise man is God
because
he is free of desire and knows nothing.
18.38
Unable
to stand steady and eager for salvation, the ignorant perpetuate the
illusion of world. Seeing the world
as
the source of all misery, the wise cut it off at the root.
18.39
The
fool thinks peace comes by controlling the mind. He will never attain
it.
The
wise one knows Truth, and is stillness itself.
18.40
For
he who thinks knowledge is things and ideas,
how
can there be Self-knowledge? The wise do not see separate things—
only the timeless Self.
18.41
The
fool tries to control the mind with the mind—what folly!
The
wise one delights in Self alone.
There
is no mind to master.
18.42
Some
believe in existence; others believe nothing exists.
Rare
is the one who believes nothing and is never confused.
18.43
Weak
intellectuals may believe the Self is One without other. But being
mired in illusion they do not actually know Self, so live out their
lives in misery.
18.44
The
mind of one seeking liberation depends on things for perception. The
mind of the liberated one perceives no-thing,
and
is free of desire.
18.45
Timid
men fear sensory experience much as they do tigers.
They
seek refuge in caves and try to un-think the world.
18.46
Sensory
experiences are like elephants who, upon encountering a desireless
man,
see
him as a lion.
They
immediately turn on their heels, or if unable to escape,
stay
on to flatter and serve him.
18.47
A
man with no doubts,
who
knows only Self,
has
no need of practice
or
liberation.
Seeing,
hearing, touching, smelling, eating— he lives as he is, happily.
18.48
One
whose mind is emptied and unconflicted by the mere hearing of Truth
sees nothing to do,
nothing
to avoid,
nothing
to warrant his indifference.
18.49
The
sage does whatever appears to be done
without
thinking of good or bad.
His
actions are those of a child.
18.50
Depending
on nothing,
one
finds happiness.
Depending
on nothing,
one
attains the Supreme.
Depending
on nothing,
one
passes through tranquility to One Self.
18.51
When
one realizes
he
is neither the actor
nor
the one who watches, the mind-storm is stilled.
18.52
The
actions of the sage, free of pretence and motive, shine like clear
light.
Not
so those of the deluded seeker who affects a peaceful demeanor while
remaining firmly attached.
18.53
Unbounded,
unfettered,
untethered
from the projections of mind, the wise are free to play and enjoy,
or
retire to mountain caves.
18.54
Whether
honoring a spiritual scholar, a god, or holy shrine;
whether
seeing a desirable woman, a king, or beloved friend— the heart of
the sage
is
unmoved.
18.55
Though
his servants, sons, wives, daughters, grandchildren and all his
relatives
ridicule
and despise him, the yogi is undismayed.
18.56
Though
pleased he is not pleasured; though pained he does not suffer. This
wonderful state is understood only by those like him.
18.57
The
belief in duty
creates
a relative world
for
its performance.
The
wise one knows Himself to be formless, timeless, all-pervasive,
immaculate,
and
thus transcends duty and world.
18.58
Even
doing nothing
the
dull one is anxious and distracted.
Even
amidst great action
the
wise one remains still.
18.59
Even
in practical life
the
wise one remains happy.
Happy
to sit,
happy
to sleep,
happy
to move about,
happy
to speak,
happy
to eat…
18.60
Because
he knows Self
the
wise one is not disrupted by practical life.
He
is deep and still, like a vast lake.
He
is not like ordinary people.
His
sorrows have vanished.
18.61
For
the deluded one,
even
rest is an activity.
For
the wise,
even
action bears the fruit of stillness.
18.62
The
deluded one is often adverse to the things of his life.
To
one with no thought for body, attachment and aversion have no
meaning.
18.63
The
deluded mind is caught up in thinking and not thinking. Though the
mind of the wise one may think what thoughts come, he is not aware of
it.
18.64
The
sage sees nothing being done even when performed by his hands. Like a
child he is pure, and acts without reason.
18.65
Blessed
indeed is he who knows Self. Though seeing, hearing, touching,
smelling, eating,
he
never desires nor changes.
18.66
For
one who is void and changeless, where is the world and its
imaginings? Where is the end?
Where
is the possibility of it?
18.67
Glorious
indeed is he who, free of desire, embodies Bliss itself.
He
has become absorbed in Self.
18.68
In
short, the great soul
who
has realized Truth
is
free of desire, enjoyment and liberation. In all of space and time he
is attached to nothing.
18.69
What
remains for One who is Consciousness itself, who sees the
non-existence
of
a phenomenal world created by the mere thought of a name?
18.70
Peace
is natural for one
who
knows for certain nothing exists, who sees appearances are illusion,
and
to whom the inexpressible is apparent.
18.71
Rules
of conduct, detachment, renunciation, asceticism— what are these to
one
who
sees the unreality of things, who is the Light of Awareness?
18.72
How
can there be joy or sorrow, bondage or liberation,
for
one who perceives non-existence and lights the infinite?
18.73
Until
Self-realization,
illusion
prevails.
The
sage lives without thoughts of “I” or “mine.”
His
connection to illusion is severed.
18.74
What
is knowledge?
What
is the universe?
What
are thoughts like,
“I
am the body,” or “The body is mine”? The sage is imperishable
and sorrow-less. He is Self alone.
18.75
When
a weak man gives up meditation he falls prey to whims and desires.
18.76
Even
hearing Truth, the man of dull intellect holds on to illusion.
Through
effort and suppression
he
may appear outwardly composed, but inside he craves the world.
18.77
Though
others may see him working, the sage does nothing. Knowledge has
banished effort.
He
finds no reason to do or say.
18.78
The
sage is fearless, unassailable.
No
darkness, no light, nothing to lose.
Nothing.
18.79
Patience,
discrimination,
even
fearlessness—
What
use are these to the yogi?
His
nature cannot be described.
He
is not a person.
18.80
No
heaven, no hell,
no
liberation for the living.
In
short, Consciousness is Void. What more can be said?
18.81
The
sage neither yearns for fulfillment nor frets over non-attainment.
His
mind is cool
and
brimming with sweetness.
18.82
Detached
from desire,
the
sage neither praises peace nor blames the wicked. Equally content
in
happiness and misery,
he
would not change a thing.
18.83
The
sage neither rejects the world nor desires Self.
He
is free of joy and sorrow.
He
does not live, and cannot die.
18.84
The
wise one lives without hope.
He
has no attachment to his children, wife or anyone.
Pleasure
means nothing to him.
His
life is glorious.
18.85
The
sage wanders about as he pleases and lives on whatever may come.
Contentment ever dwells in his heart. And when the sun sets,
he
rests where he is.
18.86
Rooted
in Being,
no
thought of being born or reborn, the great soul is indifferent
to
the death or birth of his body.
18.87
The
wise one stands alone,
caring
for nothing, bereft of possessions. He goes where he will,
unhindered
by opposites, his doubts rent asunder. He is truly blessed.
18.88
The
wise one has no sense of “mine.”
To
him earth, stone and gold are the same.
The
knots of his heart have unraveled.
He
knows neither ignorance nor sorrow.
He
is excellent in every way.
18.89
The
liberated soul
has
no desire in his heart.
He
is content and indifferent.
He
has no equal.
18.90
Only
one free of desire knows nothing of knowing, says nothing needs
saying, sees nothing to see.
18.91
He
who is without desire excels, be he beggar or king.
He
no longer sees good or bad.
18.92
What
is lust or restraint,
or
the desire for Truth
to
the yogi who has reached life’s goal, and who embodies virtue and
sincerity?
18.93
The
inner experience of one
who
is free of desire and suffering, who is content and reposes in Self—
how can it be described, and of who18.94
The
wise one’s state never varies.
Sleeping
soundly, he is not asleep.
Lying
in reverie, he is not dreaming.
Eyes
open, he is not wakeful.
18.95
The
man of Knowledge seems to think, but has no thoughts.
He
seems to have sense perceptions, but does not experience.
He
seems to have intelligence, but is empty-minded.
He
appears to be a person, but is not.
18.96
The
man of Knowledge
is
neither happy nor miserable,
neither
detached nor attached,
neither
liberated nor seeking liberation.
He
is neither this nor that.
18.97
Even
while distracted the blessed one is still.
In
meditation, he does not meditate.
In
ignorance, he remains clear.
Though
learned, he knows nothing.
18.98
The
liberated one,
who
abides unconditionally in Self,
who
is free of the concept of action and duty, who is always and
everywhere the same, is desireless.
He
does not worry
about
what he did or did not do.
18.99
The
wise one is neither pleased by praise, nor annoyed by blame.
He
neither rejoices in life
nor
fears death.
18.100
One
of tranquil mind
seeks
neither crowds nor wilderness.
He
is the same wherever he goes.
19:
Repose in the Self
Janaka
said:
19.1
With
the tongs of Truth
I
have plucked the thorn of thinking from the innermost cave
of
my heart.
19.2
Where
is meditation, pleasure, prosperity or discrimination? Where is
duality?
Where
even is Unity?
I
abide in the glory of Self.
19.3
Where
is past and future, or even present?
Where
is space, or even eternity?
I
abide in the glory of Self.
19.4
Where
is Self?
Where
is not-Self?
Where
is good and evil, confusion and clarity? I abide in the glory of
Self.
19.5
Where
is sleeping, dreaming, waking, or even the fourth state?
Where
is fear?
I
abide in the glory of Self.
19.6
Where
is close or far,
in
or out,
gross
or subtle?
I
abide in the glory of Self.
19.7
Where
is life and death?
Where
is the world and worldly relations?
Where
is distraction and stillness?
I
abide in the glory of Self.
19.8
There
is no need to talk about the three ends of life.
To
talk of yoga is purposeless.
Even
talking about Truth is irrelevant.
I
rest in Self alone.
20:
Liberation-in-Life
Janaka
said:
20.1
Where
are the elements, the body, the organs, the mind?
Where
is the void?
Where
is despair?
My
nature is transparent clearness.
20.2
Where
is scripture?
Where
is Self-knowledge?
Where
is no-mind?
Where
is contentment and freedom from desire? I am empty of two-ness.
20.3
Where
is Knowledge and ignorance?
Where
is “I”?
Where
is “this”?
Where
is “mine”?
Where
is bondage and liberation?
Self
has no attributes.
20.4
Where
is the unfolding of karma?
Where
is liberation-in-life,
or
even liberation at death?
There
is only One.
20.5
Where
is the doer or enjoyer?
Where
is the origin or end of thought?
Where
is direct or reflected knowledge?
There
is no person here.
20.6
Where
is the world?
Where
is the seeker of liberation?
Where
is the contemplative?
Where
is the man of Knowledge?
Where
is the soul in bondage?
Where
is the liberated soul?
My
nature is Unity.
20.7
Where
are creation and destruction?
Where
is the end and the means?
Where
is the seeker?
Where
is attainment?
I
am One.
20.8
Where
is the knower?
Where
is knowing?
Where
is the known, or knowledge itself?
Where
is anything?
Where
is nothing?
I
am pure Awareness.
20.9
Where
is distraction, concentration, knowledge or delusion?
Where
is joy or sorrow?
I
am Stillness.
20.10
Where
is the relative?
Where
the transcendent?
Where
is happiness or misery?
I
am empty of thought.
20.11
Where
is illusion?
Where
is existence?
Where
is attachment or non-attachment?
Where
is person?
Where
is God?
I
am Awareness.
20.12
Where
is activity or inactivity?
Where
is liberation or bondage?
I
am timeless, indivisible.
I
am Self alone.
20.13
Where
are principles and scriptures?
Where
is the disciple or teacher?
Where
is the reason for life?
I
am boundless, Absolute.
20.14
Where
is existence or non-existence?
Where
is Unity or duality?
Nothing
emanates from me.
No
more can be said.