Ashtavakra Gita

Sanskrit-English translation

with

Commentary

By

Sushil Soni

Introduction My true identity is my Pure Existence and as individual I am the Awareness of all things. When I touch Reality, the Knowledge, the Knower and the Knowable dissolve in me. All that appears before me are not objects but my own mental projections which arise through my own ignorance. I reject them all, since I am the Self who is transparent.

Kkua Ks;a rFkk Kkrk f=r;a ukfLr okLroe~A

vKkukn~ Hkkfr ;=sna lks·gefLe fujatu% AA

Ashtavakra Gita, II.15 Ashtavakra wants us to accept that we are not only enlightened and liberated, but that we are also free – only that we do not know it yet. The operative word here is “accept”. Once we have transcended this phenomenon, then we will have reached our original state. We do not accept because we are conditioned to walk on a given path, to follow a tested method, to experiment within the confines of the methods and experience what has already been experienced before. Here, society is satisfied in repetition of experiences since that verifies the correctness of its conditioning. Society needs to reconfirm that what it is doing is the right thing because that brings orderliness in chaos and orderliness means peace. Thus, society needs to manacle our thought-processes, society needs to put shackles around our bodies, society needs to impose rules and regulations upon us with a reminder that if we do not follow them then we will be responsible for breaking the order and bringing chaos and, therefore, sorrow. Little do we realize that this society is the result of a choice made by people like us. Little do we realize that this order that the society speaks of is actually a mirage that we have imposed on nature. The order that we speak of here is actually a book of manual to live in a particular, categorized organization. And this manual and the organization have not been given to us on a platter by someone from out there. You and I have created this order, thinking that there is a chaos which has to be set to an arrangement of our liking. This arrangement teaches us to think and live the way this book of manual instructs. In this way, this society owns our thoughts. We cannot think beyond a limitation set by the society; in fact, our thinking is continuously regulated by the norms set by the society which categorizes the thinking processes into religion, spirituality, science, technology, law and politics. All these keep us confined to the limitations of our body where the outer skin is supreme, where the beauty of an individual lies in what he wears rather than in what he is. In order to itself survive, the society ensures that every individual continues to indulge in the

limitations of the body by remaining attached to earthly desires, worries and cares. This is a merry-go-round of attachment leading to greed and greed leading to attachment. You always say “My shirt, my wife, my house, my car, my phone, my religion, my country”, but no one hears you saying “My world, my solar system, my milky way, my galaxy”. After all, there is limitation to your thinking. Since your mind is crammed with thoughts, your organs clogged with toxins and your bodies stiffened with neglect, do you think there is space for anything else? Ashtavakra says, yes, there is always space for that thing. The space for that “anything else” was already there, only that you were not aware of it. He asks us to consider a simple situation: Now, if New Delhi burns, nothing that is mine is actually burnt. He further says that this is possible because nothing belongs to me; or in another way, everything belongs to me. Once you have transformed your thinking process by moving out of the box in which society has imprisoned you, then you’ll know that you were already free but did not have the realization that you were free.

vgks vga ueks eáa ;L; es ukfLr fdapuA

vFkok ;L; es loZ ;n~ ok³eulxkspje~AA

Ashtavakra Gita, II.14

vgks vga ueks eáa - The problem with me is that since my childhood I have been

conditioned in such a way that I cannot accept that “I am wonderful” and “beyond adoration”. It is the separation from all that is and my identification with the worldly attachments that forces me to think in terms of happiness and sorrow, in terms of good and not good, in terms of adoration and hatred, in terms of wonderful and dreadful. “You are innocent”, Ashtavakra says. Since you permeate this whole cosmos, how can you sin? You are a part of the whole; in fact, you are the whole. There is nothing which is not in you and there is nothing in which you are not. You are present everywhere, in all things, organic or inorganic. Physicist Alain Aspect in 1982 established that subatomic particles such as electrons were able to communicate instantly with each other regardless of distance between them, which means that each particle somehow knew what the other particle was thinking, even if that particle was 10 to 12 billion miles away. This gives credence to the ancient belief that the universe is a living entity. However, David Bohm went a step further to say that these particles seem to remain in contact with each other because their separateness was an illusion. While the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI) defines astrobiology as the “study of living universe” – that includes everything from extremophilic microbes (those microbes that can live in extreme conditions) to the evolution of intelligence as well as search for extraterrestrial life, including future of human civilisation – our ancient rishis were of the opinion that Brahman, the supreme cosmic spirit, is not only the life-sustaining force, but also the foundation of existence. Brahman is the infinite being, the infinite consciousness. Nature does not stand on its own feet

but is grounded in Brahman. In this context, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj says: “The entire universe contributes incessantly to your existence. Hence the entire universe is your body.”

Ancient wisdom says that what is inside is outside, or what is above is also below. The atoms and the chemicals that reside and fluctuate or rather vibrate in me are also vibrating outside in the entire universe. These particles do not die but only get transformed. We can even go to the extent and say that you are today breathing the same breath that was exhaled by Lord Krishna or Lord Buddha several millennia ago. Every thought that arises in my mind affects not only me but also my surroundings. Ever noticed how you are able to attract or repel individuals and objects only by your personal likings and dislikings? This is to say that “Every presence resides in the greater being.” If this is the case, it follows that there is no difference between me and the entire universe around me. I am inside the universe and the universe happens to be inside of me because both I and the universe are made up of the same matter as well as intelligence. This body in which I reside is composed of the constituents that make up the universe, the five elements that form the nature. These elements come and go and therefore my body comes and goes. Now there is something that knows that these elements come and go. This is the Self. Now, this Self which is in this body is not separate from the Self that resides in creation. There are no two different entities, called Self but only a Single entity called Self. This Self resides in Itself. Brahman is in all existence and all existence is in Brahman. Thus we reach the Pillar of Truth: “My being is the Ultimate Being.” Ashtavakra tells Janak that:

vgks vga ueks eáa n{kks ukLrhg eRle%A

vlaLi`”; “kjhjs.k ;su fo”o fpja /k`re~AA

- Ashtavakra Gita, II.13

When the universe is not different from you, then how can the ideas of acceptance and rejection arise? These are qualities of the mind. And the mind is where the thoughts reside. The mind is where you undergo fluctuations, where you get distracted, where you feel that you are in bondage. The mind wants to perform. The mind understands birth, activity and ego-sense. It is here in the mind that the universe appears like the waves of the ocean creating all the turbulence. However, when you stand at the shore and watch the waves, what do you see? You see the waves breaking on the shore at your feet. They do not disturb you because here you have become the Witness. Similarly, Ashtavarka says above that the “universe appears within me but I do not

touch it”. In fact, you have never touched the universe at all, you never do. It is only your mind that thinks that the universe is affecting you. In reality, the mind is beyond bondage and liberation. When you have not touched the universe at all, how can you liberate yourself from it? Ashtavakra Gita is probably the most astounding of the works created by any living individual in any age. Nothing is known about this great book apart from the fact that it contains a dialogue between Janak, the king of Mithila and Ashtavakra, a 12-year-old boy who is now a master. His story occurs in Mahabharata’s “vana parva”. When his father Kahora was defeated in a debate with Bandin in the court of king Janak, Ashtavakra came to his rescue and engaged in a breath-taking debate with the king. Nothing more profound has been said after this debate on the nature of reality, on the nature of existence and on the ultimate knowledge, if there is any. All the Upanishads pale in front of Ashtavakra Gita and even the Bhagwad Gita seems like a kindergarten stuff. Here are ecstatic expressions of an enlightened master that go beyond the Upanishads and the Bhagwad Gita. Ashtavakra’s philosophy is of complete rejection – there is no such thing as existence, there is also no such thing as nonexistence; nothing is wrong and nothing is right; there are no objects and there are no thoughts. There is no maya or illusion. In fact, you yourself do not exist. All that remains is infinite Consciousness. When the Self gets united, all duality dissolves and the knower, knowledge and knowing then does not exist. Later on, the Buddhist Madhyamaka philosophy extended this concept that objects do not exist as independent, self-enclosed entities but only appear so in our minds. In other words, they are empty of inherent existence. For an object to exist ‘inherently’ it should be changeless, which is not the case on observation. So, an object to exist independently, it should neither decay nor die, and not even take birth. In an everyday world, the objects appear to exist as things but even quantum physics tells us that reality is not composed of things but of processes. In Bhavaviveka, it is written thus: “Neither existence, nor nonexistence, Nor both existence and nonexistence, nor neither, True reality is free from all four possibilities.” This assertion above brings us closer to emptiness where not seeing anything at all is to see true reality. Ashtavakra provides us with an answer: all these objects that we see arise with the thought of “I”. It gives us the idea of a separate identity, thereby inventing the material world which actually is our ignorance. Once we invent the material world, we strive hard to sustain it, forgetting our original Oneness. “Even with a body I am One; I neither come nor go. I am everywhere at once” (II.12). Needless to say, that is our pure nature – I am everywhere at once.

This is choiceless, pure awareness, which we already are. Only that we have forgotten it and need to recover from the illusion of separation. This recovery comes only from self-erasure. This method of erasure is not new here; even Brahman is described through the process of neti, neti. But here in Ashtavakra Gita, self-erasure is complete. Only then can you gain absolute independence, absolute oneness with all things. There is an uncompromising character in these teachings but they happen to push us into the realm of awareness which is our original nature. When the wall of illusion is pulled down, we begin to shine in our pristine glory. In a nutshell, Ashtavakra says: “Give up identifying with your body and the senses. Give up your attachment to meditation. Give up your attachment to detachment. Give up giving up. Reject nothing, accept nothing. In the end you will find yourself.” Notice how Ashtavakra Gita ends: “Where is existence or nonexistence? Where is unity or duality? Nothing emanates from me. No more can be said.” Brahman is everywhere. It is the pure plane of immanence as it eludes all transcendence of the subject and the object. Brahman is absolute immanence. It is in itself, not in something; does not belong, does not depend, does not emanate. Now, only Brahman or Consciousness has become a fact. HARI OM! Sushil Soni New Delhi 2016 PS: The original work in Sanskrit has been divided into Twenty Chapters. All the translations and interpretations also accept all these Twenty Chapters. However, I have deliberately omitted the last two chapters from the original in this translation as I think what King Janak says in these two chapters is mere repetition of what has occurred in the preceding chapters.

OM NAMAH SHIVAYE

Chapter One

Janak said:

dFka KkueokIuksfr dFka eqfDrHkZfo’;frA oSjkX;a p dFka izkIresrn~czwfg ee izHkksAA1AA katham gyanam avapnoti katham mukti bhavishyati vairagyam cha katham praptam ayetad bruhi mam prabho katham=how (is), gyanam=knowledge, avapnoti= gained, (and) mukti=liberation, bhavishyati=achieved; vairagyam= detachment , katham=how (is), praptam=attained, ayetad=this, mam=to me, bruhi=tell, prabho= lord. Janak said: O Lord, tell me this, how is knowledge gained, how is liberation achieved, how is detachment attained? Like most Hindu scriptures and treatises, Ashtavakra Gita too begins with a question, rather with three simple and innocent questions. Those who are familiar with Hindu scriptures and treatises know that such dialogues normally are conducted through Lord Shiva and Parvati, but here the characters have changed. Janak, the king, is the quintessential learner, the mumukshu, who is present in all of us, and Ashtavakra, the enlightened being, is the person who imparts knowledge. However, it is apparent that the sequence of the three queries that King Janak has placed in front of the knowledgeable Ashtavakra is incorrect – or so it appears to him as is apparent from the answer he gives. King Janak first wants to know how knowledge is achieved, only after that he wants to know how liberation is achieved; and towards the end of his query he is desirous of knowing how he can attain detachment. It is abundantly clear that King Janak is as yet a beginner, a learner, rather a mumukshu as Ashtavakra indicates in his answers.

v’Vkodz mokp

eqfDra bPNfl psÙkkr fo’k;ku~ fo’koÙ;tA {kektZon;krks’klR;a ih;w’kon~ HktAA2AA Taat= dearest, chetat= if, ichasi= you want to, muktim= (achieve) liberation, (then), tayaj=give up, vishvat= like poison, vishyani=anything perceived by the senses, (and) piyushvat=like amrit (nectar), bhaj=drink, kshma=forgiveness, daya=sympathy,santosh=contentment, satyam=truth.

Ashtavakra said: Dearest, if you want to achieve liberation, then you must give up like poison anything perceived by the senses and drink the nectar of forgiveness, sympathy and truth.

Forget knowledge. Forget detachment. They do not help you in achieving liberation. Can a book that you read liberate you? Will detachment lead you anywhere? Ashtavakra immediately presents King Janak with a simple yet hugely difficult method. As the ultimate aim is to achieve liberation, freedom from bondage, then there is no need to work hard to attain knowledge – besides one should not even think about detachment. Everything that one knows is attached to creation and the universe, arising out of the five elements. Thus, anything that you want to know will keep you attached to this world in which you have appeared, if ever you think you were born. To know that is to possess that knowledge. Once you possess that knowledge, it gives you a sense of satisfaction, an element of enjoyment in the knowing that you know that knowledge. This enjoyment feeds your ego which then bloats like a bubble and wants to be fed again and again so that it remains satiated forever and ever. So, to feed your ego with knowledge arising out of the five senses, you remain attached to the subject of enjoyment. In your enjoyment and in your desire to feed your ego, you never become aware of the essence or otherwise of the subject. You are simply enjoying. The moment you realize that your enjoyment is unfulfilled, you become impatient. This is your attachment to the enjoyment of that knowledge. This is the poison that you must throw away. So, how can you throw away this poison? So long as the senses are working, attachment to the enjoyment of the senses is present. Does it then mean that only after all the five elements of your body mingle with the five elements that make this creation, will you be able to achieve liberation? Does liberation come only after the death of the mind? Even that is not the case, according to Ashtavakra. Liberation can be achieved only by giving up everything that you perceive by the senses. By giving up knowledge itself you can achieve liberation. But you cannot give up knowledge in a jiffy. For giving it up, you must inculcate forgiveness, sympathy, contentment and truth.

Even then, the problem has not been solved. Ashtavakra has given a formula for achieving liberation which includes giving up something and accepting something else in its place. Here is a give-and-take method which does not satisfy both King Janak and the reader. The question is: why take up anything after giving up everything? After all, forgiveness, sympathy, contentment and truth also belong to the five senses. This has been explained in the following verse. In fact, it is now that Ashtavakra begins to impart knowledge that surpasses all the books, that goes beyond all the theories and concepts, that even outshines knowledge itself. In one go, Ashtavakra pulls you away from the worldly senses into a realm that you can only experience and never describe or explain. This is the greatest jump that you can take, rather a jump of your life, from the next verse onwards. Once you have taken this leap, you can only soar higher and higher. Nothing will bring you back. But this is the leap that you have to take. Ashtavakra is like a guru who can only tell you that this is the way to take that Leap of Enlightenment. It is for you to enjoy this fascinating journey which once you have taken, you will never forget.

u i+FOkh u tya ukfXuuZ ok;q|kSZuZ ok Hkoku~A ,’kka lkf{k.kekRekua fpnzwia fof) eqDr;s AA3 AA Bhavaan=you (are), na prithvi=not the earth, no jalam=not the water, na agni=not the fire, na vayu= not the air, na dhayo=not the space, va=but, muktye=for liberation, vidhi=know, atmanam=yourself, sakshinam=(as) witness (of), ayesham=all these, chidrupam=in consciousness. You are neither made of earth, nor water nor space, nor fire, nor air. But to achieve liberation, know that you are Witness of all these in Consciousness (Brahman). Notice that everything is happening in the mind. Your bondage or your liberation is happening in your mind only. No such even is taking place outside of you. That outside does not get affected by your bondage or liberation. That outside is functioning in its own way. Rather, that outside is existing on its own. So, we must understand that it is through the mind alone that you have to tell yourself that you are neither of any elements that you think you actually are made up of. You have to deny yourself of what you are. Earth, space, water, fire, air – these elements have condensed at a point in time-space continuum to give you a form. And this form does not belong to you. Your body is not your body, your breath is not your breath, your eyes are not your eyes, and the fire that burns up the food in you is not your fire. In fact, nothing is yours. If anything was yours, then you must be able to possess it for eternity. The truth is that you cannot even possess this body that you mistakenly think is yours, for eternity, what to speak of the shirt that you wear or the house that you live in. Everything is already in the mouth of death. Once you have realized this simple fact then what remains? Only YOU remain, as a Witness, as Consciousness, as Awareness. You are a witness of all that which happens around you, of all the objects that appear to arise in front of you. You are this Consciousness which is Aware that It is Witnessing. Know this Consciousness as Atman or Brahman or Awareness or Mind or whatever you want to call it – now, it makes no difference because nothing affects or changes you. Everything stirs but you as Consciousness do not. You are now to remain steadfast in your centre, unmoving, still and calm. This is the state one has to achieve, this is the state one is striving for throughout the life. In fact, it would not be out of place here to say that the purpose of life is to become aware, and till such time that you are firmly settled in Awareness, you are only in a state of Becoming Now that the plunge into the eternal has been taken, Ashtavakra wants King Janak to sustain this leap and rise higher and higher. There is always this fear of returning, of coming back to these worldly desires and attachments. The moment of ‘let go’ is neither perpetual nor self-sustaining. So, one has to be in a state of endless alertness and keep on reminding that one should not fall back, now that a giant leap has been taken to achieve constant happiness and bliss.

;fn nsga i`Fd~ d`R; fpfr foJkE; fr’Bfl A v/kquSo lq[kh “kkUrks cU/keqDrks Hkfo’;fl AA4 AA yadi=if, deham=body, prithak kritya=is separated, (and you) vishram=abide in, chiti=awareness, (and) tishthasi=remain steadfast, adhuna eva=now, sukhi=(by being) happy, (and) shantah=peaceful, bhavishyasi=you will (be) bandhmukta=free from bondage. If you separate your body from yourself; and remaining steadfast, abide in awareness; now and instantly you will be free from bondage and achieve happiness and peace. Think of your body as separate from you, not a part of your being. Remember, if your body was part of you, then you would take it with you wherever you would go after your so-called death. Now then, since the body is not yours, you have to think of it as something else, something not belonging to you. Now, if you do not abide in your body, then in which realm do you abide? Or do you abide at all? Or do you abide and do not abide at the same time? To understand this conundrum, we must return to the same Awareness, which can also be called Consciousness or Atman or Brahman spoke about earlier. It is in this realm that you are steadfastly abiding. Now, you are free from bondage of your body. And once you are free from this bondage, you are in total bliss and peacefulness and stillness. Now, you begin to live in the NOW. This NOW has no beginning and no end. This NOW is ever present. There cannot be a beginning if there is a NOW. And for a beginning to happen, there has to be an end. Since, both the beginning and end does not happen, there is a state that is always NOW. Know this state as being freedom. This freedom is liberation or moksha. It must be understood that moksha does not reside in some region or in some planet or in a country or on a mountain; nor is it a thing or an object. The destruction of false knowledge itself is moksha, that is, when a person thinks that he is the doer and that he experiences. In this precarious situation, he remains stuck in the bondage of the five elements or what is called the body. However, when the same person through self awareness, realises that he is neither the doer nor the person who is experiencing, but is pure and untouched consciousness, a witness to all, then that false knowledge is destroyed and moksha or freedom is attained. The destruction of identification is moksha or liberation. This has been explained further in the next verse.

u Roa foizkfndks o.kksZ ukJeh uk{kxkspj% A vl Xksùfl fujkdkjks foElk{kh lq[kh Hko AA5 AA

na=no, tvam=you, viproaadi=Brahmin, varna=caste, na=no, ashrami=belonging to the four ashrams, na=no, akshagochar=an object of sense, ashang=unattached, nirakaar=formless, vishvasaakshi=witness of all things, asi=is, bhav=be, sukhi=happy. You are neither Brahmin nor do you belong to any caste; you do not even belong to the four ashrams of life like brahmcharya, etc; but you are invisible, unattached and formless – a witness of all that is. So, be happy. There goes my identity! With what identity did I come to this earth? With what identity will I go from this earth? When I did not come with any identity, then why was I identified even before I realized that I needed to be identified? Society wants to survive. It thrives on rules and regulations, in categorizing, in departmentalizing and in punishing those who step aside and find their own uniqueness. The process begins from the moment you are born. Your birth certificate is issued. And there are so many ceremonies and rituals to be performed just because you have appeared. You are shaped by your family according to your family’s whims, regulations and traditions; then you are shaped by the educational institutions which do not know why they are teaching you what they are teaching you, all along, you are shaped by the society in which you and the rest of us live. You begin to work and you are shaped by the company for which you work. You follow the ashrams or stages of life: brahmacharya, grihastha, vanprastha and sanyas. Of course, you are free to make a choice whether you want to enter into this stage of life or that. Some opt for family, some remain bachelors throughout their lives, others simply take a sudden leap into sanyas even while they are in the first stage of life. Wherever you are, you are still a part of the ashramas. Howsoever you may try, there is no escaping. Apart from this, you are required to live according to the rules that govern the society. And the rules have been made by one of us. Break the rule and there is punishment waiting for you. You are conditioned by the society, period. Society kills an avatar. Society hates you if you think out of the box. It is not the body that binds you, it is the society that binds you. Come to think of it, is there a difference between two atmans, between two souls? Is there more than one Consciousness? Is there any difference in space? Can space be divided, categorized, departmentalized? It is only us who are imposing identities on something which does not exist. Once we have established identifications, we live according to those identifications. We begin to think in departments, in compartments. We begin to identify ourselves with those identifications. Then we personalize these identifications – my shirt, my house, my wife, my family, my car, my religion, my country, my ideas, my concepts, my books. We have been constantly limiting ourselves through the ages by imposing this mirage of identities upon ourselves. We must come out of the ashramas and remain unattached. Our identity is formless, all-pervading Atman. We are a Witness to what is happening around us.

/kekZ/kekSZ lq[ka nq%[ka ekulkfu u rks foHkks u drkZfl u HkksDrkfl eqDr ,okfl loZnk 6 dharmadharma=dharma and non-dharma, sukham=happiness, dukham=sorrow, manasani=exist in mind, na=no, tey=for you, vibho=O, widespread, na=no, karta=doer, asi=is, na=no, bhogta=experiencing, mukta=liberated, evasi=already is, sarvda=always. Right and wrong, happiness and sorrow exist only in the mind. They should not concern you at all. You are neither the doer nor are you experiencing. As always, you are already free. Rather, this is a repetition of what has already been spoken earlier, but the repetition is not without purpose. The idea has to be brought home again and again that you are free. You do not sin. There is no such thing as sin. It is only a concept. Concepts are only in the mind, nowhere else. Religion has forced down your throat that you are a sinner and that you have to repent. And you have never asked, repent from what? What was this sin that I committed? You never asked these questions, you only accepted what you were told. Society has taught you, from your childhood, that you must always accept what your elders say. Never question them because they know more than you, because they have seen the world and they have had all the experiences. Elders can never go wrong. But the fact is that the elders have always been wrong. They were right in their age and era, now they are wrong. Question everything. Question even what you are reading now on this page. It is your right to find out the truth, not my truth, not someone else’s truth, but your own truth, your own reality. You are free. There is no need to remain in bondage of this society and accept this society’s truth. Break the conditioning imposed by the society. Everything exists in the mind. Since you are Atman, pure Consciousness, how can right or wrong be done by you and how can pleasure and pain affect you. You do no wrong, you do no right. These are again concepts which you must get rid of. Only remember that you must not consciously and deliberately do anything that brings sufferings and sorrows to yourself and to others – this is the only golden rule that you must follow. Alexander, Changez Khan, Napoleon, Hitler – they consciously destroyed everything for the fun of it. It gave them “happiness and joy” as well as “satisfaction”. They were only feeding their ego. But you are free from ego. Here, the beauty lies in the fact that you are being repeatedly told that you are free, you are already free, that you have always been free. There is no bondage and if there is any bondage, then it is only in your mind. Come to think of it, what have you done since you came to this earth? What have you experienced? You do nothing, only your body does the doing – it walks, eats, performs sex, sleeps and wakes up. It also experiences all these states of sleep, dream and wakefulness. The only task that you do is think thoughts you do not know where they come from, create objects you do not know if you really need them. If you say that you have created this laptop on which you are working, then again you are wrong. The creating of the laptop had to happen, you are only a medium for that creation. And once that creation is complete, you do not think of that creation again. You are thinking of something else.

,dks nz’Vfl loZLo eqDrizk;ksùfl loZnk v;eso fg rs cU/kks nz’Vkja i”;lhrje~ 7 eka=one, drishta=one who sees, sarvasye=everything, sarvda=all the time, ayam=this, eva=already, hi=that, tey=your, bandha=bondage, drishtaram=seer, pashyasi=act of seeing, itaram=the other You are One that is the solitary witness all the time of all that is. However, your only bondage as a Seer is in not seeing this. But do we really are a Witness? What do we see? Do I see my wife sitting in front of me? Do I really see my children? Am I really seeing the person who is speaking to me, who is trying to get my attention? Do I really see? Do we see the objects as they are or as we think they are? In actuality, we see them through our thinking, our impressions, our memories, our identifications and our concepts. We are always in bondage of something that is exterior to us. So, we see everything through this bondage, through this screen that we have built with the help of society. We have fixed this screen is between us and the objects. Unless we break this screen, we will not be able to see, to become Witness, to become the Seer. We see nothing in its purity, in its totality, in its wholeness. We must unlearn all that we have learnt since our coming to this earth. We must shun all impressions, forget all experiences, drop all the identifications, concepts, ideologies, books, treatises, holy books and all that we have gathered before we can become a Witness, the real Seer. As atman or pure Consciousness, you are the One, self-luminous Seer of what is around you. You are a Witness and not the Doer of any karma. You are, in fact, not performing any karma at all and you are not experiencing the results of your past and present actions. You are part of this Oneness and not separate from One. Those who think that they perform and experience, are in bondage and not seeing This.

vga drsZR;gaekuegkd`’.kkfgnaf”kr% ukga drsZfr fo”oklke`ra ihRok lq[kh Hko 8 aham=I, karta=do, iti=like this, ahamaan-mahakrishna-hidanshit=bitten by a egoistic and poisonous, black snake, na=no, aham=I, karta=do, vishvamritam=the amrit of confidence, peetva=drink, sukhi=happy, bhav=be. “I am the doer” – this thought is like the bite of a poisonous, black snake. To remove this poison, drink the nectar of the thought, “I do nothing”, and be happy.

If you think that you are doing action, then you may also believe that you are actually tasting the fruits of your actions. This is false knowledge. You are only feeding your ego, which is the poisonous black snake that keeps on biting you and you keep on groping in the dark, aimlessly moving from one place to another. “naaham karta” – to remove the poison from your system you must drink the antidote of “I am not the doer”. This will bring happiness in your life.

,dks fo”kq)cq)ksùga bfr fu”p;ofquk izTokY;kKkuxgua ohr”kksd% lq[kh Hko 9 eko=one, vishudhbodh=pure awareness, iti=like, nishchayvahinna=agni that is determined, prajvala=burning it, agyangehnam=false knowledge goes, veetshoka=free from sorrow, sukhi=happy, bhav=be. If like a determined fire, you decide that you are One, Pure Awareness, you will burn the forest of false knowledge. Then you will be free from sorrow and be happy. You are Pure Awareness. Only that you are not aware of this. You must light the fire of awareness in your heart that you are not different from your surroundings or this solar system or this universe. You are the Consciousness that is all-pervading. You are the Brahman, that Atman which is omnipresent and omniscient. Once you decide that you are Pure Awareness and nothing else, not even this body, not even this name which has been given to you, then like the fire you will burn the false knowledge and become happy.

;= fo”ofena Hkkfr dfYira jTtqliZor~ vkuUnijejuUn% l cks/kLRoa lq[ka Hko 10 atra=in which, vishvam=world, idam=this, bhaati=appearing, kalpitam=mirage, rajjusarpvat=seeing the snake in a rope, anandaparnanada=supreme bliss, sa=that, bhodh=awareness, tvam=you are, sukham=happy bhav=be In this world which appears like the mirage of a snake in a rope, you are Pure Awareness, Supreme Bliss. Be happy.

The rope is the snake. The snake is the rope. And you can go on endlessly. Suppose you were to examine a table in front of you. When looked from above, you see a flat tabletop. Looked from beneath, you see a tabletop supported by four legs. Get close to the table and you see that the legs are joined to the top and with each other. Move to its one side, you will see that the table is long. Walk up to the next edge, and you see that the table is narrow on the other side. What is

happening is that from different angles of vision you are seeing different visuals of the same table. Rap your knuckle on the table and you know what material the table is made of. These perceived appearances give you a mental picture of the table. But they are different appearances of the same object, which we may safely call the ‘reality’ of the table.

But is that the ‘reality’ of the table? Bring the table under the microscope and soon you view holes and irregularities in it. Look more closely and you’ll see molecules and atoms vibrating. What earlier appeared to be a three dimensional fixed object has lost its solidity and is now simply a sum of particles in empty space. Go closer still and you’ll reach a level where you see only quanta, were energy occurs at two different levels: as particle and as waves. So, there are no boundaries; therefore, there is no definite object located in a definite place. Here, there is variation and there is tremendous uncertainty because you do not know where and how the energy will appear the next moment. Having lost its solidity, this table becomes a phenomena occurring in space-time. It has lost its identity. It is now a mirage. In essence, the table is empty. The essence of everything is emptiness.

What is emptiness? To understand this, we must take another example. Examine a cup. When we say the cup is empty we mean that there is nothing in the cup. But is it really so? The cup is still full of air. So, it is not empty. To state that the cup is empty we must say empty of what? Therefore, from the physical point of view, the cup always contains something. Yet, the cup is always empty. Here, emptiness is different from the physical meaning. The cup is always empty because it does not have any inherent existence. It does not have an independent existence which cuts it off from other objects. Does that mean that the cup does not exist? No, the cup’s existence depends on external circumstances, out of which one single most circumstance is the observer.

The cup’s existence depends upon your seeing it. Therefore, it exists relative to you. Does that mean that the cup does not exist if you do not observe it? No, the cup still exists but it has not ‘arisen’ into existence. There are several forms of dimensions, several forms of energy levels in this creation that exist but we do not see them because of our limited vision. An object can be an inherently existing entity only if it does not change and by definition does not ‘arise’. Here, we are confronted with the problem of origination which is dependent upon the observer; so, this object happens to be an illusory phenomenon. This object is neither permanent nor does it go into extinction. It does not come to our sight nor does it go out of sight on its own. Moreover, this object is neither one thing nor different things as we have seen in the case of our perceptions of the table above. It is there because we are experiencing it.

When we were examining the table, we were experiencing it as an object with our senses and not as a phenomenon, and thus it was a finite object for us to which we could identify as a ‘table’ with all its attributes, including wood, texture, legs, colour and its usefulness. If we remove the table from our eyes, the memory of the table will remain for a short while, yet it will eventually cease. This means that the experience of the table itself has no inherent existence because our mind is dependent upon the table to experience it.

However, we can recall this experience any moment that we desire to and all the associations of the table will come back to us. This self-reference is a direct mental activity which is not dependent upon external, immediate factors. For example we can think of a thought, from which arise subject, perceiver and an object. Now, the mind normally tends to perceive the subject, the perceiver and the object as separate because it tends to attribute an owner to the thought. This owner is the ego which dwells in illusion that it is the owner and what it is observing is the reality. However, what it is seeing is nothing but false projection of cosmic illusion or maya as we have seen in our experiments with the table and the cup above. This realization is known to the Self or the Atman, the centre of consciousness, who silently witnesses the distinction as well as the oneness or Brahman where emptiness is filled with infinite possibilities. But we must go beyond the table and the cup. Only then we become Pure Awareness, Supreme Bliss itself.

eqDrkfHkekuh eqDrs fg c)ks c)kfHkekU;fiA fdaonUrhg lR;s;a ;k efr% lk xfrHkZosr AA11AA

muktabhimani=proud of liberation, mukta=is liberated, badhdho=in bondage, badhabhimani=proud of bondage, hi-because, ih=in this world, satya=it is true, eham=this, ya=as you, mati=think, sa=in the same way, gati=momentum, bhavet=become.

He who takes pride in bondage, is bound. He who takes pride in liberation, is liberated. It is true that you are what you think. If you think you are bound, then you are bound. If you think you are liberated, then you are free.

All your actions arise from your thinking. If you think that you are king, then you start to behave like a king. If you think you are a beggar, then all your actions display that you are indeed poor. Know that a rich person is not born rich but becomes rich. A poor person cannot think of big money, but a rich man thinks in millions and billions before he really becomes that. A poor man thinks only in thousands. But you are neither a king nor a beggar. You are pure, free from the mirage of maya, formless and liberated. Bondage and freedom are the qualities of mind.

We can remove all sorts of the thinking processes but we cannot think away that we are. That we are is the very nature of our being and we cannot deny this. And that we are is not an object of our experience but that One who is without a second. There are no relative attributes involved here, there is no stretching process involved here, there is nothing that needs completing. That is absolute. That alone is. There is fullness and there is knowing. In fact, this process of knowing is

existence itself. And existence exists in everything. If even a tiny thing or an object goes out of existence, it is known to do so because of its existence which supported it. Existence is a condition which cannot change because there is neither death nor birth involved here. Everything else is in some state or the other. Everything is in a state of flux, ever changing, always moving. There is momentum in the universe. It is filled with the vital breath or prana, throbbing with energy and life.

Everything is filled with existence. But nothing fills existence. Existence is the ‘one alone without a second’. Therefore, existence is absolute. It is That. How do we find the nature of this existence, this That? The answer lies within us. Our own existence can solve the problem. There is a Vedic dictum “Thou Art That” which expresses that That is identical with Self or Atman, which is a subject known to be within us. That and Atman – what is outside is also inside. Now, how do we experience this? We do this by NOT identifying ourselves with our mind. Our mind is the greatest obstacle in our effort to get a glimpse of the timeless. Like the case of an elephant tied to a rope. To train an elephant and to keep it in control, a baby elephant is tied with an iron chain to a huge tree. Gradually, as the elephant grows, the size of the tree and the size of the chain begin to shrink. Ultimately, this big animal is tied with a flimsy rope. And the elephant is unable to escape because he still thinks he is imprisoned. You see, he made a commitment to a particular reality from the time he was a baby.

Mind creates its own reality. Mind places a screen or curtain of concepts and ideas between you and the universe. This screen removes you from the Now, the present moment in which you live. It is said that 90 per cent of the thoughts we have today are the ones we had yesterday. No wonder we have predictable biological and psychological responses. Once we remove the bundle of conditioned reflexes from our body-mind structure, a whole new experience opens up in front of us. The dramatic outcome of this is the experience of unity with the cosmos that leads to absolute happiness or Bliss Consciousness. In ‘Shiv Sutra’, it is explained like this: “By establishing one’s mind in the Universal Consciousness, the whole world of perception appears as one’s own nature”. All that you see is a reflection of your mind, which is the maya of reality, a façade of materialism that pervades around you with such vigour. So, you must recognize that you are not in the body and the body is not you. You are neither the mind nor the universe. You are not what you are. That is the truth.

vkRek lk{kh foHkq% iw.kZ ,dks eqDrf”pnfdz;%A vlaxks fu%Li`g% “kkUrks HkzekRlalkjokfuoAA12AA

atman=soul, sakshi=witness, vibha=all pervading, poorna=perfect, ekah=one, mukta=free, chit=awareness, akriya=actionless, asango=solitary, nihsprihah=desireless, shantah=still, brahmaat=seeming, sansaarvan=universe/world, eva=

You are the Atman, the Solitary Witness. You are all-pervading Awareness, perfect, One. You are actionless, desireless, still. This universe, this world is but only seeming.

You are Atman. You are awareness. You are witness. You were never born. You will never die. Both birth and death are merely concepts. How do you know that you are born? You never experienced your birth. Someone told you that you were born on such and such date and you believed. In fact, there is no such thing as birth. Your mother did not give birth to you. She was only a vehicle who helped you appear on this earth. Yes, you took nine months before you could appear here. You stayed for nine months trying to become. Everything in you was complete before you appeared. Nobody did anything to make you. Whom you call your father did nothing to make you, he only gave his seed to your mother; he did not even fix your eyes or make your fingers. And your mother did nothing, absolutely nothing apart from letting you become – and that’s the greatest job that she did in her life, to let you become inside her. She protected you while you were becoming. And when you came out of her womb, you were complete. Nothing more remained to be made or added to you; and so you were ready, you simply wanted to come out of her womb. The only task that remained after you came out was that you grew in size – from one foot to six feet. And you gained knowledge and awareness of this world around you as you began to see and understand. You were told that she is your mother, he is your father, that is your sister, your cousin, and the whole pack of relatives. So your date of birth is not your date of birth. There is no such thing as a date of birth. You have been duped on this count.

Moreover, you have been told that you come to this world, that you are an Atman that comes to this world to perform various kinds of karma in this cycle of birth-death-rebirth till you attain liberation or moksha. This is the greatest fraud. And you had belief in this fraud all the time. Endless treatises and books have been written on karma, but it is only a theory which has no basis, no evidence, no proof that you come here to perform karma. You have even gone to the extent of saying that there exists a Law of Karma. How stupid of me that I should believe in sanchit karma – an act which I performed in the past life and have yet to receive the results? And sanchiyamana? I am performing actions in my present life so that I will get results in the next life? Just give me a break, please! This fraud has been going on for so many centuries that we

have even forgotten who started it in the first place. I know nothing about my past life, so how do I know that I am experiencing results of my actions of my past life. And how do I know that I am going to get a “next” life? In any case, when I have not come from anywhere, where am I going to go? I have always been here and I will always be here. Period.

There are only two types of karmas that we do. One is that karma which binds, the other is that karma which liberates. The one karma that binds gives me stress, diseases and tension because I refuse to let go. The other karma gives me a healthy body and mind, happiness and bliss because I let go of everything. We perform no other karmas, no karma gets accumulated and no karma gets dissolved. Accumulated for whom and where? And dissolved from whom and where? Surprisingly, the people who propagate this Law of Karma do not have any answers to these simple questions. I am simply arising in this Consciousness and then I merge back again into this Consciousness. Just like a single sparkle, I arise from oblivion and in a twinkle I fade away into oblivion. Just like that, my arising is for a moment only. It is my Ego that thinks I have lived 100 years, accumulated 100 cars and 20 houses and stacked away all the money that I could collect. What kind of birth and death and karma is my Ego fooling with? The fact remains that there is no birth and no death. There is only arising of awareness. Now then, since you were never born, how can you die? You did not experience your birth. You are not going to experience your death. Actually, there is no experience that you are experiencing. You are existing. You are knowing. You are becoming. You are Atman, a solitary Witness.

dwVLFka cks/kenSrekRekua ifjHkko;A vkHkklks·ga Hkzea eqDRok Hkkoa ckáeFkkUrje~AA13AA

kootastham=stillness, bodham=awareness, advaitanm=oneness, atmanam=on atman, paribhavya=think about/meditate, abhasah=shadow, aham=I, brahmam=of illusion, muktawa=give up, bhavam=thought, bahyam=outside, ath=and, antaram=inside.

Think about yourself as Awareness, as Oneness, as Atman, as Stillness. Give up the thought that you are part of this illusion, both inside and outside.

“I am part of this illusion”, “I am ego” – give up this thinking. Do not get swayed by objects both outside and inside. You are pure Awareness, you are One, and you are Still. There is no difference between you and the universe. This is once again explained in the following verse.

nsgkfHkekuik”ksu fpja c)ks·fl iq=dA cks/kks·ga Kku³[kxsu r%fud`R; lq[kh HkoAA14AA

dehabhimanpashain=being proud of having this body, chiram=for a long time, badh=bondage, asi=you are, patrak=o child, bodh=awareness, aham=I am, gyankhangaen=the sword of knowledge, tat=that, nikritya=cut it, sukhi=happy, bhav=be.

For a long time you have been bound by thinking that you are a person with a body. Let the knowledge of “I am Awareness” be like a sword to cut it, O child. Be happy.

I am the body. This is my hand. This is my beautiful face. Beauty product manufacturers have been continuously telling us as to how their products can make us more beautiful. They will show you models and those models will ask you to use those products – soaps, shampoos, cosmetics. The manufacturers have to sell their products. And we willingly fall into their trap. Do you think that by using this particular product, you can become fair complexioned? Photographers will make you look more beautiful than you actually are, that’s the trick of lighting. Magazines will photoshop your face and body to make your skin look spotless and smooth. The physical body attracts. Actors and actresses in cinemas are willingly showing off their bodies, their physique, and what not. The body here is more important than the mind. For them, life begins and ends with the body. A beautiful body – what about a beautiful mind. They are proud of possessing this beautiful body. Actresses will go to any length to show every part of their body – for a price. This body has been used and abused for personal gains and benefits. But these gains and benefits are only temporary and fleeting.

This is all happening in this illusion. And we are only assisting this illusion to reinstate itself, again and again. This thinking is false and fallacious. It makes us live forever in forgetfulness. In this forgetfulness, we remain in bondage of the body and the society, out of touch with the reality of ourselves. This body and this world is an illusion, unreal. So, “I am Awareness” should be meditated upon endlessly. This knowledge of awareness is like a sword that can cut off this bondage of illusion and set us free. In fact, you actually have been free and innocent from the beginning. Only that you were not aware of this simple fact because of the illusion that kept you in bondage of forgetfulness – the illusion of this body, of this world, of this society. Once you are able to cut it off, bliss will dawn upon you and you will taste freedom, liberation, moksha.

Everyone can reach this state of awareness. It is not a difficult task but it requires a consistent effort on your part, a consistent reminder that you are pure awareness, that you are not this body, that you are Consciousness, that you are Oneness. The world outside is not separate from you. That man sitting across this street is not a separate identity, that table and that stone is part of you. This cloud that sweeps across the sky reminds me that this body too will be swept away. But it is only the body that is getting swept away. Like the same cloud that keeps on changing its shape as it moves across the sky, this body too keeps on changing as it moves on this earth. But you are Unmoved. And having gained the knowledge that I am Awareness, you enter a state of Stillness which cannot be explained or described but can only be known. This Stillness is deeper than the ocean, vaster than the space and quieter than the silence.

Having reached this Stillness, it is not that you will never get disturbed but that disturbance will not affect the way it used to before you were Aware. Now you know that this disturbance is also an illusion and like the cloud it will fly away and change into something else. Everything is changing into something else. A moment before, you were unaware, NOW you are Awareness itself. A moment before you were getting disturbed, now nothing affects you. There is only stillness and peace, and this happiness comes to you without a reason. In fact, you are happy without a reason. This happiness has no cause because this state is not an effect. You are beyond cause and effect. You are only Awareness, witnessing all that occurs around you without consciously performing any karma. This state will take you away from any kind of bondage, nothing will stick on you and nothing will stay with you.

fu%laxks fu’dz;ks·fl Roa Loizdk”kks fujatu%A v;eso fg rs cU/k% lekf/keuqfr’BflAA15AA nihsang=solitary, nishkriya=actionless, tvam=you, svaprakash=self-luminous, niranjan=pure, ayameva=this, hi=that, tey=your, bandh=bondage, samadhim=Samadhi (meditation), anushthasi=practice. You are actionless, unbound, One, self-luminous and pure. Now that you are this, any practice or meditation will only keep you in bondage. When you are free, without any bondage, where is the need to practice even meditation, for that matter? Since you yourself are the self-luminous Atman, there is absolutely no need to meditate on this Atman. Such practice of meditation will only throw you back into bondage.

Ro;k O;kIrfena fo”oa Rof; izksra ;FkkFkZr%A “kq)cq)Lo:iLRoa ek xe% {kqnzfpRrke~AA16AA Tvaya=you are, vyapta=all-pervading, vishvam=this world, tvayayi=for you, protam=to thread a needle, yatharth=highest Truth, shudhbudhswaroop=form of pure Awareness, tvam=you, magama=do not possess, kshudrachittam=opposite thoughts in the mind. You are the all-pervading universe. This world has been created for you the way the beads are threaded. This is the highest Truth that you are pure Awareness. Do not possess opposite thoughts. Each bead is being threaded, one by one, as each one arises. There are infinite numbers of beads that will get threaded. You thread one bead, the next one comes, and you push back the previous one to thread this new one. In this way, it becomes an eternal process. So, what is there that you are trying to grasp? Know that this world is a projection of your awareness. You are constantly creating this world in the same way that you thread the beads, one by one. This is the highest Truth. Know that this world which is your own projection only arises and subsides in front of you even as you make it happen. In actuality, the world is simply maya as it never remains constant. Do not possess any opposite thought to this if you want to be liberated and free.

fujis{kks fufoZdkjks fuHkZj% “khryk”k;%A vxk/kcqf)j{kqC/kks Hko fpUek=oklu%AA17AA nirpeksh=without expectations, nirvikar=without form, nirbhar= , sheetalashay=cool, aghadbuddhi=very deep, fathomless, akshubdha=calm, bhav=be, chinmatravasna=Consciousness. You are formless, calm, unfathomable Awareness. You are cool and solid like a rock, ever still. Remain forever as Consciousness. You do not possess any form since you are not the body. You do not have any expectations and you are still and cool, unfathomable. So, you ought to be free from actions since you are Consciousness. Anything perceived by the senses should be abandoned. Once you have done this then you become a Witness.

lkdkjeu`ra fof) fujkdkja rq fu”pye~A ,rRrRRoksins”ksu u iquHkZolaHko%AA18AA Sakaram=(think) of the body, anamrita=illusion, vidhvi=know, nirakaram=formless, nishchalam=tranquil, ayetattatvoupadesh=from this teaching, na=no, punah=then, bhavsambhav=arising in the world Know from this teaching that anything arising in this world which you see as a form, like this body, is illusion. Know that only formless is tranquil, permanent. Once you know this you will not return to this illusion. This universe is not based on bits of matter. It is not even made of atoms. All objects are appearances and can be seen either as waves or particles; and consciousness of them is the basic element of reality. What is outstanding here is that since there is no separation of objects, this field becomes unified. In this field, from the standpoint of physical observation, objects appear as matter but from the standpoint of Consciousness everything is an appearance which is nothing but Consciousness.

This unified field is Brahman which is One and all that there is. Brahman simply is. Other than Brahman, everything else, including the universe, material objects and individuals, are false, illusion. But these false objects can be described, this illusion can be seen, Brahman cannot be described. Therefore, Brahman is described by the usage of neti, neti because Brahman cannot be described as this or that since It is reality. Brahman caused its complex, illusory power to manifest as material world of separate forms, collectively known as maya or illusion. This maya has been deliberately created for two basic reasons: firstly, to hide Brahman from common human perception, and secondly, to present maya or the material world in place of Brahman. However, even maya which has been created by Brahman is not aware of Brahman, though maya is part of Brahman. And yet Brahman is untouched by maya. Brahman is both sat and asat, absolutely pure, completely hidden from human eye as well as perception, indescribable, formless, homogeneous, source of all sources.

How do we know this formless form? By negating all that is not Brahman or Atman. Shankaracharya in his Atmashatakam says: “I am not mind, nor intellect, nor ego, not the reflection of inner self or chitta. I am not the five senses. I am beyond that. I am not the ether, nor the earth, nor the fire, nor the wind – I am indeed that eternal knowledge and bliss, Shiva, love and pure Consciousness”. Veda Vyas has said elsewhere that this universe is viewed by the wise as unreal. It is seen as a crack on the ground that a rope appears to be in darkness. Further, it is seen as a buddle created by rain, which remains ever unstable, devoid of bliss and ceasing to exist after dissolution. This means that from the standpoint of Highest Reality, all duality is

unreal. If all duality is unreal, then what remains? Atman is not a part of Brahman that must ultimately dissolve into since that is not the purpose of existence. In reality, Atman is Brahman Itself. An analogy that can be given here is that of the reflection of the moon on water. If you place, say twenty jars filled with water on the terrace during the full moon night, you will find the reflection of moon in all the twenty jars. This does not mean that there are twenty moons because they are appearing in twenty jars. There is only one moon. Similarly, Atman cannot become multiple by twenty people saying simultaneously, “I am happy”. The common and constant factor that permeates in these twenty people is that they say the same “I am happy”. Then there are twenty other people saying “I am not happy”.

This amounts to saying that all our dealings are matters of avidya or ignorance because then the reflection of Atman falls on avidya, Atman becomes jiva, a living body with senses. It is only then that each jiva becomes a unique individual. If all these dealings are matters of unawareness, it is the awareness which is the purpose of our births. However, this striving for awareness leads to a distinct existential dilemma which comes from the knowledge of unreality or proof of maya. The fact remains that nothing exists.

;FkSokn”kZe/;LFks :is·Ur% ifjrLrq l%A rFkSokfLu~“kjhjs·Ur% ifjr% ijes”oj%AA19AA

yatha=in the way, eva=decide, adarshmadhyasthay=established in the middle of the mirror, rupey=image reflected, antahparit=inside and outside, sah=this body, tathaeva=in the same way, asminshariray=in this body, antahparitah=inside and outside, parameshvarah=god exists.

Just as the mirror exists both within and apart from the reflected image, in the same way God exists both within and outside this body.

The image is only underlying. That is, it is to be seen in the mirror. Only in the mirror is the image reflected. The mirror is everywhere. Everything is being reflected. Similarly, my body which is underlying my Atman, which is everywhere, inside and outside – it is all-pervading. An object cannot be separate from its place of dwelling. That abode is that object’s realm. It is because of that abode that we see that object. So, that object is dependent arising and not independently existing. Any such object which is dependent arising, does not exist because it

needs the support of something else to exist. Remember, the cup’s existence depends upon your seeing it. Actually, it does not exist. What independently exists is only Atman or Brahman.

,da loZxra O;kse cfgjUr;ZFkk ?kVsA fuR;a fujUrja czã loZHkwrx.ks rFkkAA20AA

ekam=one, svargatam=all-pervading, eternal, vyom=space, bahiantah=outside-inside, ghatey=jar, nityam=perpetual, nirantaram=ceaselessly, Brahman=Brahman, sarvbhutganay=in all the animate and inanimate objects, tatha=the same way.

Just like the one, all-pervading space exists both inside and outside the jar, in the same way Brahman exists perpetually and ceaselessly in all the animate and inanimate objects of this creation.

Brahman, having created all this has entered into it since Brahman itself is the material cause of creation. Brahman is constantly and perpetually existing in all the perceived and unperceived objects. The Brahman which is exists in me is the same Brahman which exists in the stone or in Mars. Brahman itself is existence. Objects might appear to be different but Brahman is the same, One, formless yet in all forms, outside and inside and in all the directions.

End of Chapter One

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Chapter Two

tud mokp vgks fujatu% “kkUrks cks/kks·ga izd`rs% ij%A ,rkoUrega dkya eksgsuso foMafcr%AA1AA Aho=surprised, niranjana=spotless, shantoh=peace, bodho=awareness, aham=I am, prakriteh= Prakriti (Nature), parah=away, etavantam=all this, kalam=time, mohey=without knowledge, eva=without doubt, vidambitah=cheated. Janak said: I am surprised that all this time I have been duped by this illusion, without doubt as I was without this knowledge that I am spotless, at peace, Awareness in Consciousness. The eyes see everything, the fingers touch, the nose smells and the tongue tastes. Everything that is around me is this reality that I see, touch, smell and taste. There is no separate world than this physical reality. In fact, the spiritual world may not at all exist because I do not see it, I cannot feel it, I cannot smell it and I cannot taste it. For anything to exist, that object must pass the test of all my five senses or any one of them. The spiritual world may only be just my imagination, or even a mental projection which does not pass the test of the five senses, since everything is in the mind. However, I know that this reality that I see, touch, smell and taste does not exist forever, just like my body which will ultimately merge with the five elements. I say reality does not exist at all. Nothing exists that I see with my eyes. This is only maya, an illusion which is constantly making fun of us. It is a fraud on us and it is consciously duping us humans all the time. I would rather go to the extent of calling this term ‘maya’ as delusion and not illusion – which is now an accepted English equivalent – but since this word “illusion” has been established, we can go on using this term to avoid confusion. But the real English term for maya is “delusion”. Maya is all-powerful, it is ever present to feed your ego, ever changing its face and form as well as its dimension. Now that I know, now that I am aware, now that I have gained knowledge that all this that surrounds me is maya, an illusion, I am surprised at myself that I did not realize this till now. Now I know that I am Pure Awareness, I am Consciousness that I am. King Janak suddenly wakes up from deep slumber of this body and the world. The process of knowing, the process of becoming aware is always a sudden process, it never happens gradually, there are no steps, no phases; nothing in any given order that ever happens. Awareness just happens. You cannot go step by step, nobody can tell you how to become Aware, you just become Aware; rather, you already are Aware, but now you have come to know that you are Awareness.

King Janak is now beginning to see the world through the eyes of Ashtavakra. His mind has changed. He has dropped his understanding of the world that was imposed upon him since his childhood and is now beginning to see the world as it is, not through the eyes of the concepts and theories and books and teachings. But still, his knowledge is not complete. So he must continue to understand.

;Fkk izdk”k;kE;sdks nsgesua rFkk txr~A vrks ee txRloZeFkok u p fdapuAA2AA yatha=when, prakashyami=I shine, deham=body, aynam=this, tatha=the same way, jagat=the world, antah=therefore, mam=mine, jagat=world, sarvam=complete, athwa=or, na=not, cha=and, kincham=any thing. The way I illumine my body, in the same way I illumine this world. I am full, complete, everything or nothing. King Janak is still not totally confident about the reality of his existence. He is still a bit confused by the sudden realisation that what he thought he knew now he does not know. Now he knows what illusion is; now he sees himself as Awareness, as Consciousness. Whether he is complete, full or not is yet another matter. But that he shines forth and spreads his radiance throughout the world, about that he is confident. This is the body and that is the world. What I see, what I witness is what I imagine and what I make out of what I see. If you see through my eyes, you will realize that the sky is not blue even though it seems to be so. In the same way, the world in actuality does not appear to be so. Even my body does not appear to be so because this body too is part of maya which I mistakenly believe is reality.

l “kjhjegks fo”oa ifjR;T; e;k/kqukA dqrf”pr~ dkS”kykn~ ,o ijekRek foyksD;rsAA3AA sashareeram=along with the body, aho=surprised, vishvam=the world, paritajaya=give up, maya=to me, adhuna=now, kutshachit=somewhere, kaushalat=by being clever or through teaching, eva=this, parmatma=Supreme Self, vilokyata=is observed. By giving up this world, along with the body, and through my being clever and from teachings, now to me, this Supreme Self appears. So, the spiritual growth of King Janak has begun in right earnest. Everything that he sees around him, including his body, is only seeming to be so; only appearing to be so. All this is fib, an illusion, maya, a fraud.

I must now give up this thought that has been imposed upon me that this is the body and this is the world. The world is there and I am here. This is my name, this is my body, this is my identity – I must give up this false knowledge and accept reality as it is. I know this is a difficult task to do but till now I have not been accepting existence as it exists but the way I think it should exist. All my theories which I, through my ego, tried to apply on this world, have failed. Now I know that there is no body and that there is no world. Then what is there? When I give up all that I know and even all that I don’t know, the Supreme Self, by Its own grace, appears.

;Fkk u rks;rks fHkUukLrjaxk% Qsucqn~cqnk%A vkReuks u rFkk fHkUu fo”oekRefofuxZre~AA4AA yatha=in the way, na=no, toyatah=from water, bhinnah=different, tarang=waves, fainbudhbudhah=foam and bubbles, atmano=from atman, na-no, tatha=the same way, bhinna=different, vishvam=the world, atmavinirgatam=atman pervades or emanates. The way waves, foam and bubbles are not different from water, in the same way the world emanating from the atman or Self is not different from the Self.

rUrqek=ks Hkosn~ ,o iVks ;}n~ fopkfjr%A vkRerUek=esosna r}n~ fopkfjre~AA5AA tantumatro=merely thread or fibre, bhavet=is, pato=cloth, yadvat=like, vicharitah=opinion or thought, atmatanmatram=the realm of the Self, tadvat=in the same way, vicharitam=appears. As the cloth is merely made up of several threads or fibre, in the same way the world is only Self. ;FkSos{kqjls Dy`Irk rsu O;kIrSo “kdZjkA rFkk fo”oa ef; Dy`Ira e;k O;kIra fujUrje~AA6AA tatha=the way, eva=indeed, ikshrase=sugarcane juice, kalrlipta=essence, tain=the same way, vyapt=pervades, shakarra=sweet, tatha eva=the same way, vishvam=the world, mayi=in me, kalripta=essence, maya=I, vyaptam=pervade, nirantaram=always. The way sweetness always pervades in the sugarcane juice, in the same way I am the essence of this world.

There is a steady progression into the realm of Oneness by King Janak as is evident in the above three verses. The metaphors of waves, foam, bubble, thread and sweetness all point to the awareness of Oneness that has arisen in his mind. There is no difference between you and me and if you think that there is any difference it has only been imposed externally, from the outside, which has arisen from the ego, or in other words, it appears so, and what simply appears and is not, you think that it is the Truth, or it is Reality. On the contrary, the water is the source of waves, foam and bubbles at once. The waves, foam and bubble cannot arise independently. They are the forms of water just like necklace made from gold is gold but appears in the form of a necklace. And you do not see the necklace as a necklace but you see the necklace as gold. In the same way, you see water and not the waves because the waves do not stay permanently. It is in the nature of the form to perish and disappear. The future of the bubble is to burst and not remain as a bubble so long as it wishes. The shirt is not a shirt but only a form sewn together by a great number of threads and given a particular shape. The planet, the galaxy, everything – they are all the same. So, there is no difference between the source of the form and what appears as a form or shape – both are the same. The difference is in our perception of the form. Once you go beyond the form, you go deep into the shape of the object that appears or has arisen before your eyes, so then you are going beyond that object. It is only then that you actually touch the reality of that object. The next obvious step that you take is to realize the essence of that object. Only after realizing the essence of that object are you able to understand the reality of that object. The essence pervades throughout the creation in the same way that sweetness pervades in the sugarcane juice. The sweetness is always there in the sugarcane. The sugarcane is always sweet, that is the essence of sugarcane – its sweetness. The creation is no different. There are no two different objects in this world, in this universe or in this creation. They only appear different in forms and shapes. Beneath these forms and shapes is the unity, the Oneness which is the essence of these objects. This oneness is Brahman, the Self that pervades, that is omnipresent and omniscient. This Self is the “I am” principle which is the essence of this creation. This creation is within me and also apart from me. What is above is also below, what is here is also there, what is inside is also outside. Since each object is made up of the five elements, then where is the difference? Therefore, the essence of this creation is the all-pervading Self, who happens to be Me.

vkRekKkukTtxn~ Hkkfr vkReKkukUu HkklrsA jTToKkuknfgHkkZfr rTKkukn~ Hkklrs u fgAA7AA atma-agyanat=from the ignorance of the atman, jagat=this world, atmagyanat=from the knowledge of the atman, nabhasatey=does not appear, rajjvigyanat=from the ignorance of the rope, ahi=snake, bhasti=appears, tajgyanat=its knowledge, nahi=no, hi=certainly.

The world is materialized only when you ignore the Self. The creation vanishes if you see the Self. The rope is certainly not the snake, yet it appears to be. Are we supposed to be aware of the fact that there is nothing that exists? However, in nonexistence, there is existence; but nonexistence does not exists – that a thing actually can be born from nothing and that a thing can dissolve into nothingness. Nothingness comprises everything. Understand that this thing is actually an object and that this nothing comprises of five elements which have not taken a form and shape. Sat is established in asat or from asat arose sat. These opposites are in actuality complementary entities. Their interaction produces and maintains everything. Brahman is opposed to brahmanda yet Brahman is in brahmanda. Brahman alone is without a second but is not capable of being designated either as existence or nonexistence because both are happening simultaneously. The self-effulgent Brahman has no form. An object can exist at a certain point. A single object cannot exist all over the universe at the same time. Having said that, the true nature of Brahman is beyond time, beyond space and beyond shape. Its real nature cannot be explained, Its form cannot be described, and Its place cannot be defined. Brahman is beyond the range of ordinary human experience because self realization happens only beyond the range of human experience. It happens when the mind is silent. When the mind is at rest, when the ripples have calmed down, intelligence gets purified and refined. You cannot have this experience if your mind is not free from the clutter of concepts, modifications or thought patterns. When that stage of Oneness is achieved, there is no Shiva, there is no Bhairava, there is not even Shakti. There is simply nothing, apart from Awareness, the Self, Brahman or Consciousness.

izdk”kks es futa :ia ukfrfjDrks·LE;ga rraA ;nk izdk”krs fo”oa rnkga Hkkl ,o fgAA8AA Prakash=Light, mein=mine, nijam=intrinsic, rupam=form, na=no, atirikt=different, asim=not, aham=I, tatam=in it, yada=when, prakashtey=lightens, vishvam=the world, tada=then, ahambhas=from my Light, evahi=actually. Light is my intrinsic form. I am not different from Light. That is why whe n the world appears in front of me, I see it as the Light of my Self. We are beings of light! Russian scientist Pjotr Garjajev has managed to read a communication from a DNA molecule in the form of ultraviolet photons – light! This is the light that is used for communication between one cell and another. It is not that we humans alone are the ones who are emanating light; plants and leaves have been

photographed as glowing in their own glory. Light is present in plants and is used during photosynthesis. We eat plants and therefore take up some photons from them. So, light in our bodies may hold the key to our mental state. The more the coherent light, the more awakened the human being, and the more the illumined he becomes. An illumined person radiates a brilliant aura and the energy that he emanates is increasingly palpable. Anyone who comes within the influence of this energy himself gets energised with the pleasant qualities of his whole personality which we sometimes term as divine. There is no other way to describe such a person. On the other hand, no wonder people who indulge in cruelties and criminalities emanate a negative aura that distracts. A spiritual being attracts from his intrinsic form. He is aware of his own awareness. He is aware that if he indulges in wrong actions, he will bring suffering to fellow human beings and he himself will only gain temporarily. He does not see a fellow human being as another but as himself. While a cruel man sees himself different from the rest of the mankind, an illumined being sees Oneness everywhere and knows that a single act of cruelty will have a cascading effect on the entire mankind. Light is the intrinsic form of this illumined being. That is why when the world appears in front of his eyes, he sees nothing else but his own light which is the Light of the Self.

vgks fodfYira fo”oeKkukUef; HkklrsA :I;a “kqDrkS Q.kh jTtks okfj lw;Zdjs ;FkkAA9AA Aho=surprised, vikalpit=imagined, vishvam=the world, agyanat=ignorance, mayi=in me, bhastey=appears, rupayam=silver, shuktau=mother-of-pearl, phani=snake, rajjo=rope, vaari=water, suryakari=sun rays, yatha=in this way. Just like silver appears in mother-of-pearl, in the same way this mirage of the world appears in me. This is happening just like rope appearing like snake and water appearing like reflected sunrays in the desert. I am surprised, indeed! Maya is an illusion albeit an empirical one, arising from the Absolute base of all appearances. It is a relative manifestation without an independent self-existence. A coiled rope is cloaked by the illusion of a snake, the coiled rope being Brahman and snake being the phenomenal world. However, in actuality, the snake is a projection by the perceiver on the rope. This is the error of avidya or ignorance. In the clear light of vidya, however, this error gets rectified and the truth of the matter stands clear, this time permanently and without even an iota of doubt. Brahman is the real in which arises the unreal or maya. In fact, maya then is a conditioned reality. Now, this condition has been imposed by us, as it were. Maya cannot exist independently. It needs a perceiver to arise, an observer to be present for it to be seen. If maya is not seen, then there is no maya. It is not that the objects do not exist. The trees and the sun exist even if we don’t see them. And even if we don’t see them, we know that they exist. This is sufficient for maya to come into existence. Of the

objects that we are not aware of, they do not exist for us. Of an object whose shape and form we have absolutely no idea and which has not been named, which also does not appear as a concept, that object does not exist because we can neither describe nor define that object. That reality does not exist for us. But once we see that object, know its shape and give it a name, then it exists.

eRrks fofuxZra fo”oa e¸;so y;es’;frA e`fn daHkks tys ohfp% duds dVda ;FkkAA10AA matta=from me, vinirgatam=arisen, vishvam=this world, mayi=in me, layam=return to, ayeshyati=get, mridir=clay, kumbho=pot, jaley=in water, vichi=wave, kanke=to gold, katkam=bracelet, yatha=like. In the same way that the pot returns to clay, a wave to water and a bracelet to gold, so will the world which arose from me will return to me. Whichever object takes shape and arises, it returns to its original form. The original form of pot is clay, the original form of wave is water and the original form of bracelet is gold. Everything is in the process of forming and returning and forming and returning. Everything has the potential of becoming - this is the greatest truth. The creation itself is the potential. This is an endless cycle – forming and dissolving back to its original state and then forming again. There is absolutely no end at all to anything – there is no full stop in creation. There is no beginning, no end. Everything is beginingless, everything is endless. Nothing begins and nothing ends. Everything is in a state of becoming. Nothing remains stable and at one place or in one shape. Everything is changing. You see an object at this moment. When you see that same object at the next moment, it has undergone a transformation. It has become something else. Everything is becoming something else. Even your thoughts about that object are changing, are transforming into something else. Nothing started and nothing ended. For a thing to start, there ought to be something for it to start, there should be a point from where it started. But there never was and never will be point, a particular spot because there never is. Everything is happening simultaneously. There never was anything to start something because something never happened. Nothing is happening outside our thoughts, our mind. Everything is in a state of potentiality, everything is just happening, everything is in a state of potentiality. Everything will happen, and we will see it only after it has happened. We will never know if it is going to happen. We see an object in a particular state, not in its wholeness, not from its beginning to its end. And in that particular state, that object itself is in a state of transformation. The

second time we see that object, it has changed into something else. Everything is becoming something else. We too, our bodies, out thoughts, our concepts, our world, are always changing into something else. Nothing remains the way it was. A painting hanging on this wall does not remain the same painting forever as the colours and the canvas get transformed through moisture and time. Nothing is constant. For something to remain constant, it can neither arise nor return. Brahman is constant. That may be the rule or an exception. We do not know. Brahman does not arise nor does it return. So, Brahman cannot create. If Brahman were to create, then it has to transform itself, it has to change. And if Brahman transforms, if Brahman changes, then Brahman is not constant. So, if it is not constant, then it is not Brahman as we understand Brahman to be. If that is not the case, then we must change the definition of Brahman. There is nothing that is constant, nothing that is permanent. Brahman is never constant nor temporary. It is all-pervading, omniscient, omnipresent, ever moving. ever changing, endlessly transforming. Creation is an ever-changing principle, it is always happening, even as it is being perished. The perishing is inherent in the birth, in the arising. And the arising is inherent in the perishing. This is an endless cycle. Everything is happening all the time, at all places. So, there is nothing that is permanent. Everything is for the moment. Everything is happening in this moment, in the NOW which has no past and no present. NOW is happening, NOW is becoming, NOW is always, NOW is Brahman, NOW is God. When you see objects around you, they are happening in this moment. When you see them again, they have changed into something else, although they remain the same objects and are happening in this moment. Everything is changing into something else. Therefore, everything appears to happen. But nothing happens in actuality because what happens at this moment does not last another moment as something else has happened to it. There never was anything happening, and there never will be anything happening. Everything is in the moment. Everything is momentary. There never was a Big Bang and there never will be a Big Bang. This so-called Big Bang is just a fairy tale. What was there before the Big Bang and what will be there after the process of Big Bang ends? This is just a theory. It looks fairly good on paper, but it is idiotic, to say the least. Reality is something else. Reality is a cycle without a full stop. The original form of this world is inherent in the five elements which is Brahman from where everything gets formed and arises and then returns to it. So will the world which arose when I appeared and will return to me when I return to the five elements. Everything arises from Brahman and will return to Brahman to arise again. This is the supreme truth. There is nothing beyond this truth. OM.

vgks vga ueks eáa fouk”kks ;L; ukfLr esA czãkfnLraci;ZUra txUuk”kks·fi fr’Br%AA11AA aho=surprised, aham=I am, namo=namaskaar, maham=for me, vinashay=annihilation, yasyame=that for me, brahmanadistambhparyatnam= from Brahman to an ant, jagganashey=end of the world, pi=also, tishthatah=that which is happening. I am astonished at myself, indeed! Being the source of all that is created, I do not perish. If everything from Brahman to ant is perished, Brahman still remains. If Brahman is the source of all that is created, then would not Brahman become pathogenetic? If that is the case, would Brahman not then become the cause of destruction? Now, if everything arises and returns to Brahman, then Brahman cannot be pathogenetic because it is the single cause of both creation and destruction. Everything moves in a cycle, everything goes from the source and returns to the same source. There is no disorder here. Brahman remains because it is from Brahman that everything arises and returns.

vgks vga ueks eáa ,dksùga nsgokufiA DofpUu xUrk ukxUrk O;kI; fo”oeofLFkr%AA12AA aho=surprised, aham=I am, namo=namaskaar, maham=for me, ekah=no duality, aham=I, dehvaan=being this body, api=even then, kinchit na=nowhere, ganta=going, naagamta=coming, vayapt=everywhere, vaishvam=to the world, avasthit=present. I am astonished at myself, indeed! Even being in this body I am One. I am neither coming nor going. I am everywhere at once. This is the moment of awakening. And the moment of awakening is only a moment, it is momentary, it is never ever-lasting. It appears that each body has a separate atman or soul. There is also a theory that each individual soul has come here for experiencing. Come here from where – to experience what? Why has the soul or atman come here to experience at all? Why has the atman not gone somewhere else? If that is the case, then we must first find out from where this soul has come into this body. Thousands of years have gone past and some of us have been repeatedly kept informing each other that this soul has come here to experience. None of us has even taken the step to ask a simple question, from where? We do not even know from where this soul comes into being in this body, if this something called soul is ever there. Just that somebody wrote in a book, we have taken it for granted! The atman does not arise, nor does it retreat. I am Awareness, I am atman. I am neither coming from anywhere, nor am I going anywhere. There is no birth, there is no death.

There is only transformation, there is only change. Something is always changing into something else. There is no individual soul either. If that is the case, then there would have been so many atmans, seven billion today from one billion a few centuries ago. How did they increase in numbers? Or were they standing in line in a Waiting Room somewhere waiting for their turn to enter the bodies, waiting for the number of bodies to increase? How did the bodies increase and why? All this does not make any sense, and rightly so. There is only one atman which is all-pervading, omniscient, omnipresent. This atman is Brahman, the Self, which is present in all of us. The difference is only in outward appearance. Brahman is everywhere, all the time and at once.

vgks vga ueks eáa n{kks ukLrhg eRle%A vlaLi`”; “kjhjs.k ;su fo”o fpja /k`re~AA13AA aho=surprised, aham=I am, namo=namaskaar, maham=for me, daksha=cunning, na asti=there is no one, matsam=in comparison to me, asansprishya=individual and separate, sharirayan=in body, yain=because, vishva=the world, chiram==forever, dhritam=to possess. I am astonished at myself, indeed! There is no one greater a cunning person in this world in my comparison. There is no one individual and separate from this body. That is why I salute myself! It is surprising indeed that even after being one with everyone I still try to see other bodies as individual and separate. I am like a magnet which does nothing and yet tries to attract iron. But fire is separate from the object that is being burnt and yet it burns that object and vanishes into thin air. I am like that fire which does nothing and yet becomes the trigger for action to take place through the body. This atman or the Self being actionless is the creator of action in this world. That is why I am surprised at myself. There is no one like me as there is no separate entity from this atman and this body.

vgks vga ueks eáa ;L; es ukfLr fdapuA vFkok ;L; es loZ ;n~ ok³eulxkspje~AA14AA aho=surprised, aham=I am, namo=namaskaar, maham=for me, yasya=whose, main=mine, na=no, asti=have, kinchan=something, athava=or, yasya=whose, main=mine, sarv=everything, yad=whatever, vadngsagocharam=subject of speech and thought. I am astonished at myself, indeed! I am everything whatever is being said or thought. But I have nothing.

You call me by any name – that I AM. I am an object and I am not an object at once. Whatever you say about me, I am THAT. Whatever you may think about me, I am THAT. This nature of mine to become anything indemnifies me from having any relation with any object. I cannot relate myself to any thing, to any object, to any place, to any space, to any idea, any concept and any theory. All that arises from thoughts and all that is being said are objects of illusion. It has no relation with the Self which is Awareness and Consciousness. I am because I AM. Therefore, I have nothing. This means that I am and I am not. This is surprising, indeed!

Kkua Ks;a rFkk Kkrk f=r;a ukfLr okLroe~A vKkukn~ Hkkfr ;=sna lks·gefLe fujatu%AA15AA gyanam=knowledge, gyeam=knowable, tatha=and, gyata=one who knows, trityam=all the three, na asti=is not, vastavam=in reality, agyanad=from ignorance, bhati=appears, yatra=concerning, idam=these three, sahaham=in this, asmi=is, niranjanam= Eternal Soul. This triad – knowledge, knowable and the knower – in reality does not exist. I am the Self in which they appear out of ignorance. Curiosity and investigation are the natural qualities of the mind, fired up by desires and longings. When an object is first seen, the mind at that moment is not self-luminous, since it sees both the object and the subject as separate entities. The mind only becomes aware of something specific and witnesses it in isolation. Then it tries to understand the object of perception in detail. This perception is at this particular moment of time associated with the physical object: the “I” witnesses the object. Awareness of this object is rooted in this perception, which is, of course, limited within space and time. This perception is the knowledge based on external objects. But knowledge based on external objects is no knowledge because an object has no existence, as implied by the theory of maya. That is why a wakeful person, is ever desirous of knowing more. He is never satisfied by what he perceives to be an object and his inquiring mind wants to go to the cause of that object. In fact, he wants to go beyond it. This urge of ‘going beyond’ is what leads him to higher knowledge, what we can term as knowledge of everything. This knowledge of everything comes from the knowledge of one thing, that one object that was perceived by the witness when his mind was not self-luminous. Once that knowledge of everything comes, the witness transcends space and time and comes to an understanding that everything is actually made up of that same thing. This is the kind of knowledge that dissolves into all kinds of knowledge, or braham vidya, which does not exclude other kinds of knowledge. This fusion leads to indivisible experience, the merging of the witness with the object. This is the knowledge that does not function on the basis of duality since the object and the witness have now merged. This knowledge of the unity is a self-identical, integral experience.

Now, the mind has become self-luminous. It is itself the knower which is the Self or atman, which in turn cannot be an object of knowledge. Now, reality is pursued without words and notions. In fact, both words and notions have ceased to exist. Then the perception of external reality also dissolves. This means that Consciousness does not have contact with the objects. Now then, if Consciousness has no external contacts, then appearance of external objects is false. Hence, Consciousness has no birth and things perceived by it do not pass into it. Brahman is birthless and deathless – all this is a semblance, a mere simulation. What is real is chaitanya atman, pure Awareness.

}S”;esru~ nq%[ka ukU;RrL;k·fLr Hks’kte~A n`”;esru~ e`’kk loZ ,dks·ga fpnzlksey%AA16AA dwaitmoolam=duality is the root cause, dukham=sorrow, na=no, anyatah=any, yat=that, tasye=whose, asti=is not, bheshajam=medicine, drishyam=sight, etat=this, mrishah=false, sarvam=all, ekah=one, oneness, aham=I, chidras=juice of awareness, amlah=pure. The root cause of all sorrow is looking at One and seeing it as duality or several. The cure for removing this sorrow is to realize that what is seen is not there but only Oneness. I am pure Awareness. When the Self is eternally One, then why am I filled with sorrow? I am full of sorrow because I falsely perceive that object as another. Actually, I am not full of sorrow. The only problem with me is that I am not able to see Oneness forever and ever. What appears as duality is illusion or maya. Actually, that is not reality, nor truth. In fact, this Eternal Self is reality, the Truth. This is the only cure and the medicine for removing sorrow. But this realization has to be sustained.

cks/kek=ks·geKkukn~ mikf/k% dfYirks e;kA ,oa foe`”krks fuR;a fufoZdYis fLFkfreZeAA17AA Bodhamatra=Awareness, aham=I am, agyanad=ignorance, upadhih=attribute, name, kalpitah=imagined, evam=in this way, vimrishyatah=by thinking, nityam=perpetual, nirvikalpay=abiding, settled, sthitih=place mam=mine. I am Pure Awareness. It is only through ignorance that I have imagined myself with attributes. By reflecting on this, I abide perpetually in Awareness. I am Awareness. But through ignorance alone I have created this illusion or maya. It is through this ignorance only that I have imagined this maya. I am the source of this maya. Without thinking, what appeared to be Truth, that by constant reflection alone it now appears to be maya or false.

vgks ef; fLFkra fo”oa oLrqrks u ef; fLFkre~ u es cU/kks·fLr eks{kks ok HkzkfUr% “kkUrks fujkJ;kAAA18AA aho=surprised, mayi=in me, sthitham=settled, vishvam=the world, vastutah= in fact, na=no, sthitam=settled, na=no, may=mine, bandh=bondage, asti=is, mokshah=liberation, va=or, bhranti=mistake, delusion, shantoh=in peace, nirashraya=without support. I am astonished that this world which seems to be settled in me is actually not in me. I am free from bondage and liberated. Reflecting in this way I know this delusion is without support and I am at peace. This body is bondage. I see this body as real and that I am bound within it. This world too is bondage because I keep on reacting to it. That object that has arisen in front of my eyes is not going to be there perpetually. It is not eternal. That object is without support. In the same way this world, this creation is without support since it is filled with objects that have no basis. I have been living in this delusion that this world is real and, therefore, was in bondage. Now I know this world is not real and I am liberated. Since I am Pure Awareness I cannot abide in both bondage and liberation. Since I am not the body, I am not the doer, I am not the experiencer, nor do I have the senses. I am Brahman. I AM.

l”kjhjfena fo”oa u fdafpfnfr fuf”pre~A “kq)fpUek= vkRek p rRdfLeu~ dYiuk/kqukAA19AA Sashareeram=along with the body, idam=this, vishvam=the world, na=no, kinchit=nothing, iti=this, nishchitam=this is decided, shudchinmatra=pure awareness, atman=self, cha=and, tat=then, kismin=which place, kalpana=imagine, adhuna=now. When this is decided that this world, along with this body, is nothing, then I am this Self which is Pure Awareness. Now, imagination has no place here. Once you have realized that you are nothing but Pure Awareness, then this body is not this body, then this world is not this world. What you think about this world also becomes useless since you are then unable to describe it, or in whichever way you describe it is acceptable and not acceptable. This is the irony. That is why, even imagination fails.

“kjhja LoxZujdkS cU/keks{kkS Hk;a rFkkA dYiukek=esoSrr~ fda es dk;Z fpnkReu%AA20AA

shariram=the body, swaragnarko=heaven and hell, bandhmoksho=bondage and liberation, bhayam=fear, tatha=and, kalpanamatra=only imagination, eva=without doubt, etat=this, kim=what, karyam=to do, chidatmanam=atman that is aware. Without doubt, this body, heaven and hell, bondage and liberation, as well as fear, are all in the imagination. What is there left to do for the Atman that is Awareness? My thoughts, my feelings, my happiness, my fears, my ideals, my ideas, my concepts, my theories, my books, even my body, my office, my boss, my wife, my children, my house, my car, my mobile phone, me, you – the list is endless. All these are already in the mouth of death. Therefore, they cannot be truth. Anything that is mine and anything that is not mine is maya. What is the need of this chair that I have bought and I am sitting in? Of what value is it? What is this plot of land on this earth that I bought and built a house to live in? From whom did I buy this plot? From whom did he own it from whom I bought it? Who was the first owner of this plot of land? And how did he become the first owner? So, how come I have become the owner of this plot of land? And to whom am I paying a particular amount of money for buying this land? Is he really the owner? Who is the original owner? We have created endless fishing nets in our lives and we are trapped in all of them. The tragedy is that there is not a single fishing net, but several. Nobody from elsewhere built up these nets. We ourselves are the creators of these fishing nets. As we remain trapped in these nets, we are living in forgetfulness, all the time providing fodder to the system. In actuality, the system is false, it does not exist, it has no authority over you, it is ignorance, maya.

vgks tulewgs·fi u }Sra i”;rks eeA vj.;feo lao`Rra Do jfra djok.;ge~AA21AA aho=surprised, jansamoohay=in the midst of living beings, api=also, na=no, dvaitam=duality, paschyatah=seeing, mam=mine, aranyam eva= wilderness, samvritatam=to do, tasmaat=then, kva=how, ratim=desire, kravaani=will do, aham=I. I am astonished! I do not see any dualism in the midst of living beings. All this I see is wilderness. What should I do with my desires? Somewhere someone has died. There is a great mourning. The person who died happened to be the only earner in the household. The wife is mourning the death of her husband and the children are mourning the death of their father. Others have gathered to share in the mourning. Someone from the guests says: “Only he who has lost the person knows what that loss is”. Who has lost and what is this loss that this guest speaks about? The wife has lost a companion and an earner. She knows that from now onwards, there will be no income for the upkeep of the family, for the payment of house rent, for the payment of bills and the school fees, apart from the companionship and the moral and physical support that she was receiving from her husband. On top of all this, she was basking in

the glory that her husband had a status and respect in the society. All this has been lost by his going away. The children are mourning because their mother is mourning and because they no longer will be able to look up to the man who was larger than life. Somewhere else someone has died. The wife is happy and the children are relieved. The man who died was old and suffering from multiple diseases. Taking care of him was itself a burden, apart from the cost of medical treatment. The wife is not mourning and the children are only performing the rituals that must take place for the occasion. In both these scenarios, nobody is actually mourning the loss of a person. We do not see beyond ourselves. Anything that happens is first related to us. If that is not related to us, it does not matter. It matters to me that my father died because I am still in college. Who will pay my fees? It matters to me that my husband died because now the bread-earner is missing. What will I do? It does not matter to me that my husband has died because he had already been ill for the last ten years and secretly I had been wishing that he should be liberated from his diseases. I am mourning that he has gone but I am happy that he is free. We are interested in this world till such time that it is useful to us. It is surprising that I still consider another person as useful although that person is not different from me. I do not love him, I do not have compassion for him because I see him as a different person and I only see his usefulness. But, in actuality, this is incorrect. An ignorant person remains attached to objects while a person who is aware knows that this is maya, knows that there is no difference, knows that nothing is happening, knows that whatever action is performed is for the body, whatever interest it is there is for the body, for the concept, for the society, for ever remaining in this forgetfulness.

ukga nsgks u es nsgks thoks ukgega fg fpr~A v;eso fg es cU/k vklh|k thfors Li`gkAA22AA na=no, aham=I, na=no, may=mine, deh=body, jiva=living being, na=no, aham=I, hi=definitely, chit=Awareness, ayameva= this, hi=definitely, may=mine, bandh=bondage, aseet=was, jeevitay=in living, spriha=desire. I am not the body nor do I have a body. I am Pure Awareness. My desire for life has kept me in bondage. Who am I? How do I describe myself? A person, a man, a human being, a body, a Mr. so-and-so, an editor, a poet, a thinker, a writer, a husband, a father, an owner, a mind, a soul, Self, Atman, Consciousness, nothing? Or total confusion? It is in our nature to complicate what is simple. This complication does not come on its own, it is deliberately done to confuse and keep you in forgetfulness.

The fact is that you are not what you are, you are something else, and you are becoming something else always. You think that you are because you are attached to your body. For you the body is all that there is. So, you want to make it look beautiful. You want to keep it clean, you want to wear good clothes and you want to become attractive. All these actions are happening on the outside and not inside, within you. You are only projecting yourself, and this projection never is inward, it is always outward. That is why you are always in bondage.

vgks HkqoudYyksySfoZfp=SnzkZd~ leqfRFkre~A e¸;uaregkaHkks/kkS fpRrokrs leq|rsAA23AA aho=surprised, bhuvankallolay= waves of the earth, vichitttrateh=different types, samutithtam=there is difference, mayi=mine, anatmahamabhodho=like the ocean, chittavateysamudhtey=arising of breeze like awareness, samudhyateh=there is no difference. I am astonished to see that I am the limitless ocean of myself. I am the cause and the stimulation of waves. Everything suddenly arises. Everything is happening. There is no cause, there is no effect. Everything just happens. There is no reason for anything to take place. If you think that you are born for a purpose, then know that there is no purpose. The purpose has been created by you. It is part of delusion. It is part of forgetfulness. You want to forget the reason why you were born and add your own purpose to it. If ever you were born, you do not want to know. You just want to know what next step you must take, what next step society has assigned for you. You are not interested in what you do. You are concerned about how society will react to what action you take. But you take actions. You cannot help. Actions happen. Actions take place. Who acts and how and why and what – one does not know, and one will never know. The beauty is that everything is happening simultaneously and at once. Existence is existing. That is the ultimate truth. Nothing happens beyond this truth. Everything else is false. Waves arise – they are feelings, emotions, and falsehoods. We think they are real and so we react. In this kind of reaction, several Alexanders are born, several Hitlers are born, and several other personalities are born who ruin the established society even though they know what the reality is even though they understand that this is the truth, that they know everyone is always perishing even as they are born.

e¸;uaregkaHkks/kkS fpRrokrs iz”kkE;frA vHkkX;kTthoof.ktks txRiksrks fou”oj%AA24AA

mayi=my, anantmahambhodhyao= like the vast ocean, chittvateyprashanmyati=after calming the waves of thoughts, abhagyaat=unfortunately, jeevanijah= like the jeeva, jagatopat= the body, vinaashvar=perishes. After calming the waves of thought, my mind which is a vast ocean, perishes. How unfortunate! Mind is larger than an ocean. It is limitless, unending, deep and profound. The thoughts that arise in my mind are the waves that arise on this ocean. They are only for a moment even as the waves are only for a moment. They do not stay, they do not last. Is this action not unfortunate? Indeed it is, since I think I am the body, I am the person, I am the personality. Else, nothing is either fortunate or unfortunate. This is the truth. How wonderful I am that I can think like this!

e¸;uaregkaHkks/kkok”p;Z thoohp;%A m|fUr ?ufUr [ksyfUr izfo”kfUr LoHkkor%AA25AA mayi=mine, anantamhambhyodha=like a huge ocean, ascharya=surprised, jeevvichaye=waves that seem alive, udhyanti=arise, dhannati=fighting with each other, khelanti=playing with each other, pravishanti=in rhythm, sambhavat=it is possible. I am surprised! In this limitless ocean, waves of beings arise, collide, and play with each other. They stay in rhythm and then vanish, and it is possible. This is existence. Each one of us arises, mixes with each other and then disappears. Nothing else is happening. This is the ultimate truth. What else is there is say? End of Chapter Two.

Chapter Three

v’Vkodz mokp vfoukf”kuekRekua ,da foKku; rRRor%A rokReKL; /khjL; dFkeFkkZtZus jfr%AA1AA Avinashinam=imperishable, atmanam=to atman, ekam=oneness, tatatvatah=precise, vigyanay=having known, tav=your, atmangyasye=self-knowledge, dhirasye=solace, katham=why, artharjane=for executing wealth, ratih=acquire Ashtavakra said: Having known that you are imperishable and truly one, why a man of self-knowledge like you feel solace in performing the act of acquiring wealth? Acquiring wealth may be termed as greed but this greed is desire. And desire is the single-most powerful force in creation. It was desire that willed this creation, this universe. If there was no desire, would this world have ever been formed? It was desire that brought you and me, and all the rest of us, to this world. Similarly, it is the desire to attain enlightenment that we go for enlightenment. But it is only after you let go of letting go that you attain enlightenment. What will a person do after he has attained enlightenment and has become self-illumined? What will he do with his mind and body? Will he wait endlessly for his last breath or would he perform khechari mudra and commit suicide? What options does an enlightened being have? His body will still demand food and shelter and his mind will still seek more. Even if he runs away from society and lives as a recluse in a forest, he will still need food and shelter. He is enlightened, all right, but he is still living and has desires. Desires do not go away till your last breath. The only choice that you have is to let go. You have to perform, you have to act. What will you do if you would not act? You have to perform action till your last breath. Even that last breath is an act. Thoughts will arise till your mind is dead. Thought itself is an action. But an enlightened being does not keep attachment with his thoughts. He lets them go. Wealth will come to him if it has to, but he will not be attached to the wealth. However, if he consciously and deliberately works hard to acquire wealth, then he is obviously not enlightened because he will do those very acts that will bring wealth to him. And those acts may not bring happiness to others.

vkRekKkukngks izhfrfoZ’k; HkzexkspjsA “kqDrsjKkurks yksHkks ;Fkk jtrfoHkzesAA2AA Atmanagyanat=without the knowledge of atman, aho=surprised, pritih=love, vishaybrahmgochar=mistaken perception of objects, shuktey=mother-of-pearl, agyantah=ignorance, lobhoh=greed, yatha=like, rajatvibrahmay=looks like silver One who is ignorant about Atman or the Self, takes pleasure in objects of mistaken perception in the same manner as greed arises for acquiring mother-of-pearl mistaking it as silver. If a person is ignorant about the Self, then he is not enlightened. He will only take pleasure in material objects. He will perceive the mirage as real and he will see silver in mother-of-pearl. But an enlightened person who has realized the Self will know right from wrong, truth from falsehood, illusion from reality.

fo”oa LQqjfr ;=sna rj³xk bo lkxjsA lks·geLehfr foKk; fda nhu bo /kkoflAA3AA vishvam=the world, saphurti=throbbing, yatra=ocean, idam=this, tarang=waves, sa=that, aham=I, asmi=am, iti=in this way, vigyay=knowing, kim=why, deeneva=needy, dhavsi=you run All this moves like the waves of an ocean. Having realized “I am That”, why should you run around after objects like a person who is needy? Whatever object arises in front of your eyes is like the wave on the surface of the ocean. A wave arises and returns to the ocean. The wave takes shape and form and then gets dissolved into the ocean. Then another wave arises and another. Waves come and go but the ocean remains an ocean, water remains water. All the objects that arise and appear in front of your eyes come and go but you remain. Even your body arises and dissolves back into the five elements but you remain. When you are all-pervading Awareness, silence, stillness, then you will not go after the material objects. Of what use are those objects to you? Do you really need them? What will you attain after acquiring them? Objects will not give you realization, only the “I Am” principle will bring enlightenment. So, why run after objects?

JqRokfi “kq)pSrU; vkRekuefrlqUnje~A miLFks·R;UrlalDrks ekfyU;ef/kxPNfrAA4AA

shrutvapi=even while knowing, shudhchaitanyam=pure awareness, atmanam=to atman, atisundaram=supremely beautiful, upastey=near objects, anantsasankat=supremely fond of, malinyam=foolishly, adhigachchti=remains. Having realized that you are pure Awareness, beautiful beyond description, how can you foolishly be greatly fond of objects that are near you? An enlightened person, who has realized himself as Pure Awareness does not get attracted to material objects or rather does not lust after objects. He does not find material objects to be beautiful because he knows that nothing is more beautiful than the Atman or the Self.

loZHkwrs’kq pkRekua loZHkwrkfu pkRefuA equstkZur vk”p;Za eeRoeuqorZrsAA5AA atman= the Self, sarvabhutayshu=in all that is, cha=and, atmanim=in atman, sarvbhutani=of all that is, muney=the sage, jantah=knowing, ascharya=surprised, mamatvam=love, anuvartatey=should have. It is suprising that a sage who has realized one in all this and all this in one should continue to love objects. Whose life is it, anyway?

vkfLFkr% ijek}Sra eks{kkFksZ·fi O;ofLFkr%A vk”p;Za dkeo”kxks fody% dsfyf”k{k;kAA6AA asthitah=remain, paramadvitam=total oneness, moksharthapi=for liberation also, vyavsthitah=raised, aschcharya=surprised, kamavashgah=weakened by lust, viklah=vulnerable, kelishikshya=amorous pastime. It is surprising that a person remaining in total Oneness and intent on moksha or liberation, weakened by lust should be vulnerable to amorous pastime.

mn~Hkwra KkunqfeZ=eo/kk;kZfrnqcZy%A vk”p;Za dkeekd³~{ksr~ dkyeUreuqfJr%AA7AA udbhootam=arisen, gyandurmitram=enemy of knowledge, avdharay=retaining, atidurlabh=becoming weak, ashcharya=surprised, kamam=lust, akangkhet=desire, kaalamantah=till the end, anushratah=resort.

It is surprising that even during the last days of one’s life, one should still hanker after sensual pleasures. No force should be applied to control any kind of desire. In fact, no force should be applied at all. If you want to fulfill your sensual desire, then you are required to awaken an opposite thought. This opposite thought if applied forcefully will result in conflict and tension. Moreover, applying an opposite force – especially when it comes to fulfilling a biological necessity – means that you are following a pattern or a concept or an idea which is contrary to the natural flow of things, rather to Nature itself. Nature has not said that you should apply a force contrary to what it has ordained. So, why go against Nature at all? Why go against your own natural living? Why impose your ideas on Nature? Who gave you this authority to go against Nature? Who are you in front of Nature? Nature has made you and you are trying to reverse a natural process? Nature has ordained that you must unite with your opposite. This is the most natural desire, this is the most natural act that you can do. There is nothing else that Prakriti or Nature is asking from you. But you impose your own rules and regulations, your own notions and concepts where they are not required. There was a school of thought in ancient India which propagated a mistaken concept that withdrawing the semen and pushing it “up” – whatever that meant – would give a person enormous prana. What about women? How do they get this enormous prana? What do they push up? Is there any scientific proof that something like this pushing up ever happens? Then there was another un-enlightened school of thought which propagated brahmacharya or celibacy. Brahmacharya does not mean celibacy. Finally, we were asked to take sanyas. We take sanyas from what? What are you renouncing? What is yours that you can renounce? You are not renouncing anything, you do not have any power to renounce. These sanyasis you see in these saffron clothes have renounced nothing. They have only gone away from home. Nothing was there’s that they could have possibly renounced. Why deceive yourself at all? People are taking sanyas at a very young age and their natural desires remain unfulfilled which leads to various kinds of aberrations in their lives. The only way to become separate from desires is to let go of those very desires and not by opposite forces. It is surprising, indeed, that we are still following these un-enlightened concepts and notions. Having said that, why become slaves to concepts and notions? Let go of everything. What is yours and what is mine? When your body dissolves in the five elements, nothing will go with you.

bgkeq= fojDrL; fuR;kfuR;foosfdu%A vk”p;Za eks{kdkeL; eks{kkn~ ,o foHkhf’kdkAA8AA

ih=this, amutra=objects of the next world, viraktasye=aversion, nityaanityavivekinah=who thinks about permanent and impermanent, ashcharya=surprising, mokshakamasye=desiring for moksha, mokshad=from moksha, vibhishika=afraid. It is surprising that a person who has aversion for permanent and impermanent objects and who desires for moksha should still be afraid of liberation. Physical desires are natural. Desire for moksha or liberation is unnatural. When Buddha achieved Enlightenment was he liberated? He left his home, his family and all the comforts of the body. Did he get liberation? One thing replaces another. A forest replaces a palace, that’s all. What are you liberating yourself from? You are only replacing one thing with another, one thought with another, one concept with another. After all, moksha itself is a concept. There is no birth and there is no death. So, where does this question of liberation come from? All this is the Self.

/khjLrq HkksT;ekuks·fi ihMîekuks·fi loZnkA vkRekua dsoya i”;u~ u rq’;fr u dqI;frAA9AA dhir=one who knows, bhojyaman=by experiencing, api=also, pidyaman=while suffering, api=also, sarvada=always, atmanam=Self, kevalam=one, paschyan=seeing, na=no, tushyati=happy, na=no, kupyati=unhappy. A wise man is neither pleased nor disappointed whether he is honoured or tormented because he resides in the Self. If all this is Self, then there is no happiness and no suffering. Nothing pleases me and nothing torments me. I am neither happy nor unhappy. I have no desires and yet all my desires are fulfilled. You are giving me respect, it does not matter. You are humiliating me in front of the world, it still does not matter. Why should anything bother me? These are all impermanent movements in time and space. They all arise from personal desires, whether triggered by jealousy, or concepts or ego or falsehoods. I am not affected by any actions that are taking place outside of me. Only you are being affected. All this is the Self in which I reside. I am breathing, eating, sleeping and performing all those necessary actions that I am required to perform without harming others. And I will continue to do so till such time that I am required to. To you it may appear that I am still experiencing but I am not. I am residing in the Self.

ps’Vekua “kjhja Loa i”;R;U;”kjhjor~A laLros pkfi fuUnk;ka dFka {kqH;sr~ egk”k;%AA10AA cheshtamanam=while acting, shariram=the body, svam=own, paschya=see, anyesharirvat=someone else’s body, sah=that, sanstavey=praise, ca=and, nindayam api=also in blame, katham=how, shobhyet=gets disturbed, mahashay=great person. When a great soul sees his own body in action as someone else’s, then how can he get disturbed by praise or blame? This body has been made of the five elements and will return to the five elements. Hence, the owner of this body is these five elements. Hence, this is not my body because I do not own it and cannot even claim to be its owner. This body belongs to the five elements. In any case, this body has only taken a shape and a form as it has arisen for a moment. My existence in this body is for a moment. On the other hand, I am the Self where there is no difference but only Oneness, which is my true nature. Then how can I get disturbed by someone else’s speech, whether that is meant to praise or blame me? Is it not surprising that we have composed so many stutis in praise of every god and goddess that we could think of? Read the scriptures. One after another, there are so many stutis that are being sung in front of these very gods and it is also written that these gods and goddesses are pleased by these stutis. What kind of message is being conveyed here?

ek;kek=fena fo”oa i”;u~ foxrdkSrqd%A vfi lfUUkfgrs e`R;kS dFka =L;fr /khj/kh%AA11AA mayamatram=only maya, idam vishvam=to this world, paschyam=seeing, vigatkautukah=whose ignorance has vanished, mrityoh sannihitey api=even when death approaches, katham=why, trasyatih-should fear, dhirdhi=strong-minded. When a strong-minded person sees this world as an illusion and has no interest in it, then why should he be afraid at the approaching death? But then there is no death. There is no birth. The Self is birthless and deathless. The Self is forever and ever. I see this world as an illusion, as unreal, and have no interest in it. But my having no interest in it does not separate me from what’s going on in this world or even for the world to exist. I am still a part of it till my prana goes out of my body. So, I will keep on performing action till then. This is the truth, if there is any.

fu%Li`ga ekula ;L; uSjk”;s·fi egkReu%A rL;kReKkur`IrL; rqyuk dsu tk;rsAA12AA

nihsapriham=without desire, mansam=mind, yasya=whose, nairashyeapi=in moksha also, mahatmanah=in that great soul, tasye=that, atmangyantripasye=satisfaction in self-knowledge, tulna=comparison, keyna=with what, jayete=can be done. A strong-minded, great soul whose mind is free from desire of even moksha and who has found satisfaction in self-knowledge, how can he be compared? Even the desire for moksha or liberation is not in a great sage. How can he have worldly desires? He has gone beyond liberation. This is the ultimate stage that he can reach. There is nothing beyond this stage. So, there can be no comparison because he alone exists in the Self. He performs actions only because actions need to be performed but these actions do not arise from desires, nor do they arise in him. So, he does not act. Actions only take place through him. Settled in self-knowledge, how can he have desire? He alone exists as Self or Consciousness.

LoHkkokn~ ,o tkukuks n`”;esrUu fdapuA bna xzkáfena R;kT;a l fda i”;fr /khj/kh%AA13AA svabhavat=by nature itself, jananah=he who knows, drishyam=what is seen, etat=this, na kinchan=there is nothing, idam=this, grahhayam=to be considered, tayajajyam=to be rejected, sah=that, kim=how, paschyati=can be seen, dhirdhih=a wise person. How should a wise person consider one thing and reject another since he knows that what he sees is nothing by its very nature? An object by its very nature has no existence. Only a realized person is aware of this. That person who is attached to the world, to the body, to actions that are being conducted by others, cannot know this. Only by rising above this world, this body and these actions can one know the real nature of existence. Now, if an object has no independent existence, then how can a person either reject or accept that object?

varLR;Drdk’kk;L; fu}ZU}L; fujkf”k’k%A ;n`PN;kxrks Hkksxks u nq%[kk; p rq’V;sAA14AA Antastayektakshayasye=who has given up objects from his inner self, nirdvandasye=who is free from dualism, nirashishah=who has no desires, yadrishya=from divinity, agatah=receives, bhog=experience, na dhukha=neither sorrow, ca=and, natushtah=nor satisfaction. He who, from his inner self, has given up objects, who is free from dualism and who has no desire, does not even experience sorrow or pleasure received from divinity.

You cannot blame the objects that are endlessly present in front of your eyes for the actions that you do and the thoughts that arise in you. If they attract and if they tempt, it is because of you and not because of the objects. The objects by themselves have no inner essence but you are giving meaning to them, you are making them important. Your wife is an object for you and will remain so till such time when you stop thinking about her as another object who is external to your being. As she is an object, you always have this desire to obtain her and so you obtain her again and again. You know that she is your wife and she is always with you and beside you, yet still you want to obtain her. Once you begin to see her as part of the Self, then your desire to obtain her will get reduced. Then your desire to desire her also will get diminished. After all, you will realize that a man and a woman unite physically only for one purpose – the rest is only for obtaining physical pleasure. There is something in the brain, in the mind that wants to repeat the experience of this pleasure. Since this pleasure is short-lived, it wants to re-live it. The same applies to a person who spends his life in meditation. He cannot sit in meditation forever. So, returns to the place of meditation again and again to meditate. This is an addiction just like indulging in physical pleasures. Meditation should not be seen as an object. A realized person does not have to sit in meditation. He is always in meditation. He is never out of meditation. He will not go to the forest, he will not take any retreat, and he will not even go to a place of worship whether it is a temple, a church, a mosque or a gurdwara. All these places of worship are in him. As he sits, he meditates, as he walks he meditates and as he sleeps he meditates. No object can touch him as he has become part of the object. If that is the case, then there are neither divine experiences nor non-divine experiences. End of Chapter Three.

Chapter Four tud mokp gUrkReKkuL; /khjL; [ksyrks Hkksxyhy;kA u fg lalkjokfgdSewZ<S% lg lekurkAA1AA hant=as it is, atmangyasye=knower of the atman, dhirasya=steady, khelat=while playing, bhogleelaya=playing game of enjoyment, na hi=definitely not, sansarvahikay=embracing this world, moodhey seh=with a mad person, samanta=resemblance. Janak said: Established in the Self, though a person plays the game of life, he cannot bear any resemblance with a bewildered person of ignorance who is embracing this world. The difference is in the attitude as well as in the approach. A person who is established in the Self will perform action but will not get influenced or affected by that action while a person who is constantly embracing this world is endlessly reacting to any action that takes place, both within and without. So, an enlightened being cannot be compared to a person who is yet to attain knowledge of the Self.

;r~ ina izsIloks nhuk% “kdzk|k loZnsork%A vgks r= fLFkrks ;ksxh u g’kZeqixPNfrAA2AA yat=which, padam=seat, praypsav=desiring, deenah=discontented, shakradhah=Indra, etc., srvdevatah=all the devatas, aho=surprised, tatra=that seat, sthith=established, yogi=yogi, harsham=elation, na upgachati=does not reach. A yogi does not get elated at being established in that state for which all the devatas right from Indra yearn for and get discontented. One who is established in the Self is infinitely living in total Bliss. There is no higher happiness than this Bliss. In this Bliss there is silence, there is satisfaction due to the fact that there is no desire. Everything is happening and nothing is happening at the same time, at once, here and now. One who is established in the Self does not get swayed by anything, not even by the thoughts that arise in him. Even the Lord of all the gods, Indra, gets swayed by happiness and sorrow. However, like a child who has yet to achieve realization of truth, Indra and the other devatas are endlessly yearning for the state in which a true yogi is already established. A true yogi does not get affected by the gain or loss of an object, but these devatas, including Indra, react to gains and losses.

rTKL; iq.;ikikH;ka Li”kksZ áUruZ tk;rsA u ákdk”kL; /kwesu n`”;ekukfi l³xfr%AA3AA tatjgyesye=knower of that state, punyapapabhayam=with good deeds and bad, sparsh=touch, na jayete=does not happen, na=no, hi=because, akashshashye=the space, ghumain=with smoke, drishyemana=appearing to be, api=also, sangatih=connection. The knower of That State does not get affected by virtue or vice just as space is not touched by smoke though it appears to. What is virtue and what is vice? Where have these notions come from? Who created them? Why were they created? And why have these questions not been asked till date? What is vice? What is a good quality and what is a bad quality? Who is going to ask all these questions? Both virtue and vice are notions, they are mere concepts that have no value, absolutely no meaning outside our mind. We have drawn a yardstick on a blackboard and we measure a person’s qualities from there. In this way, we do not see the person directly but measure that person from what is written on that blackboard. But what is amazing is that the blackboard does not have an independent existence. Concepts do not have an independent existence. Theories are mere theories – they do not touch reality in the same way the smoke does not touch the space. It only merges into space. So, who created all these notions and theories and for whom? We never have asked these questions because we are afraid that we will know and the answer would shatter us our belief system. We want to remain in our comfort zone. That is our problem.

vkReSosna txRloZa Kkra ;su egkReukA ;n`PN;k orZekua ra fu’ks)qa {kesr d%AA4AA Atman eva=atman alone, idam=this, jagat=world, sarvam=full, gyatam=known, yain mahatmana=great soul, yaddrishaya=living, vartmanam=in the present, tam=that, nisheddhum=can prevent, kshamet=pleases, kah=who. Can anyone prevent a great soul, who has realized that the world is nothing else but the Self, from living life as it comes? Notions, concepts, theories, books, laws and ideas – have they thus far helped us in living? Should these notions dictate how we should live? Do we really know what living is? Does the lion know what “table manners” are? Do they make any sense at all? Have we not wasted so many lives of fellow humans just to fulfill and realise a notion, an idea, an ideal? Should an ideal or “ism” be taken seriously? How many people have we killed just for a piece of land which never was ours in the first place?

That lion is more intelligent than us humans. He does not create garbage. We do. He follows nature. We don’t. We follow notions, ideas and books – all of which are far, far away from nature. But a realized soul has touched nature, or rather nature has taken him into her lap because he himself has allowed her to. They both live in harmony with each other and balance each other out. Those who have not realized that this universe, that this creation, is nothing but the Self, or Consciousness, or Brahman, dig holes into this earth for their own self-centred greed, thinking that this earth is separate from them and that it has been given to them for their personal use.

vkczãLrEci;ZUrs Hkwrxzkes prqfoZ/ksA foKL;So fg lkeF;ZfePNkfuPNkfootZusAA5AA abrahmanastamprayantey=from Brahma to the ant, bhutgramay=of the living beings, chaturvidhey=the four categories, vigyasyeva=only the man of knowledge, samarthayam=capable of, ischchanischchavivarjaney=renounce desire and aversion. Of the four categories of beings, from Brahma to the ant, only a realized soul is capable of renouncing both desire and aversion. How can a realized soul get entangled in causes and effects? How can a realized soul get entangled at all? And for whom is this above verse meant ? This verse is not meant for the realized soul but is an indication to an unrealized being. A realized soul is free from entanglement.

vkRekur};a df”pTtkukfr txnh”oje~A ;n~ osfRr dq#rs u Hk;a rL; dq=fpr~AA6AA Atmanam=a person, advaitam=undivided, kashchit=that one, janati=knows, jagdeeshwaram=the Lord, yat=act, vaitit=knows, kurutey=does, na=no, bhayam=afraid, tasya=he who knows, krutrichit=any. He who knows himself as One, the Lord of the universe, he acts as he knows and is not afraid of anything. We are living in constant fear. Beginning with childhood, we are constantly bombarded with rules and regulations on how to live, how to eat, how to drink, how to talk, how to sit and how to walk. Endless reams of paper have been wasted in printing ways and means of attracting opposite sex, as if it is a mystery or an alien world. And then someone tells you that you must drink ten glasses of water every day – not less, not more. Even if you are not thirsty, you must

drink ten glasses. A doctor will tell you to take carbohydrates compulsorily even if you are suffering from diabetes. Another will kill you if you don’t agree with him, that is, if you don’t agree with his notions, his concepts, his ideas and his ideals. There should be no fear of living. End of Chapter Four.

Chapter Five v’Vkodz mokp u rs laxks·fLr dsukfi fda “kq)LR;DrqfePNflA la?kkrfoy;a dqoZUusoeso y;a oztAA1AA na=no, te=your, sang=attached, asti=is, kenapi=with anything, kim=whose, shudh=pure, tayaktam=giving up, ischchsi=desire, sanghatvilyam=giving up this body, kurvan=do, evameva=in this way, layam=peace, vraj=to be obtained by. Ashtavakra says: You are pure and immaculate, attached to nothing. What is there to give up? You do not have any attachment to this body and its ego. Go to peace. Realize that you are not the body. You are pure Awareness, immaculate, you are untouched by anything. Nothing can touch you. Nothing can affect you. It is your mind only which is reacting to external objects and external events. Only your ego is reacting because you think this body is yours. If it were your body, then you would keep it with you always, even after you merge with the five elements – rather you would have so much of control over it that you would not allow it to become old and diseased. Your body gets old, your body gets diseases but you do not. Nothing is taking place inside you, everything is taking place inside your mind and body. So, remove this ego-ness and remain steadfast in your nature. This is liberation, this is moksha. This is peace.

mnsfr Hkorks fo”oa okfj/ksfjo cqn~cqn%A bfr KkRoSdekRekua ,oeso y;a oztAA2AA udati=arisen, bhavatah=in you, vishvam=this world, varidhay=from the ocean, eva=like, budhbudhah=bubble, iti=in this way, gyatva=knowing, ekam=one, atmanam=to atman or the Self, evam eva=in this way, layam=peace, vraj=go to. The creation arises in you like the bubble in the ocean. Know yourself to be like this one. Go to peace. You are an abrupt bubble in a deathless world. You are only living in a moment. Even that moment does not exist. There is no time, there is no existence. Everything arises and subsides. What is the essence of the bubble? In this vast ocean, there is only peace. Nothing is happening. Everything is at rest. Only your mind is agitated.

izR;{keI;oLrqRokn~ fo”oa ukLR;eys Rof;A jTtqliZ bo O;Dra ,oeso y;a oztAA3AA pratyaksham=what appears to arise, avastuvad=in actual fact, vishvam=this world, na asti=is not, amalaye=insubstantial, tvayi=like you, rajjusarp=snake and rope, eva=seen, vyaktam=is seen, evameva=that is why, layam=peace, vraj=go to. What appears to arise in front of your eyes in this world in actual fact does not exist. Just like an imagined snake in a rope, it is insubstantial. Go to peace. It is not that the world does not exist, that the objects that appear in front of your eyes do not exist. In fact, they do. Even if you close your eyes, the objects are always there – the sun, the moon, the earth and the trees – every object that you know about is there. It is only that they are insubstantial in front of the Self, which is supreme, birthless and deathless. Knowing this, you must rest in peace.

lenq%[klq[k% iw.kZ vk”kkuSjk”;;ks% le%A lethfore`R;q% lUusoeso y;a oztAA4AA samuddukhasukham=in sorrow and happiness, poorna=complete, ashanirashah=hope and despair, samah=equal, samjeevitahmrityu=equal in life and death, sanevameva=happening in this way, layam=peace, vraj=go to. You are complete. Your sorrows, your happiness, hope and despair, life and death are not different. Go to peace. You are the Self and not the body. For you sorrow does not exist, nor does happiness. Emotions do not affect you. You are neither hoping for anything nor do you despair when you do not obtain an object. Even life and death have no difference for you because you are birthless and deathless at the same time. If there is no beginning and no end, there is also no middle. In fact, all these three states do not exist – only Brahman exists. End of Chapter Five.

Chapter Six tud mokp vkdk”konuUrks·ga ?kVor~ izkd`ra txr~A bfr Kkua rFkSrL; u R;kxks u xzgks y;%AA1AA akash=space, anant=infinite, aham=I am, ghatvat=a jar, prakritam=nature, jagat=the world, iti gyanam=this knowledge, ayetasya=this, na tyago=not sacrifice, na graham=not accept, laya=perish. Janak said: I am infinite space and this world is a natural jar. This I know. There is nothing to renounce, nothing to accept, nothing to destroy. The Self is infinite and the world is infinite. Everything is infinite because everything lies in infinity. When I am infinite, all-pervading, I will be silent and still and no single thought will grip me. Every object that is in this world which is a natural jar, will arise and dissolve. For me, there is nothing to renounce because I am not attached to any object or thought. I have not accepted anything as my own. So, there is nothing that needs to be destroyed.

egksnf/kfjokga l iziapks okfpl·fUuHk%A bfr Kkua rFkSrL; u R;kxks u xzgks y;%AA2AA mahodahih eva=shoreless ocean, aham=I am, sa=this, prapanch=world, vachiannibah=like the waves, iti gyanam=this knowledge, tatha=because of this, aytasya tyago=renouncing this, na=no, graho laya=accept, perish. I am like the shoreless ocean and the universe makes waves. This I know. There is nothing to renounce, nothing to accept, nothing to destroy. The Self or Consciousness or Brahman is the ocean. It is infinite and without borders. There is no shore and the waves that arise in it do not crash or end at a particular spot but only dissolve back into the ocean. In fact, the waves do not have their own individual existence. They are not separate entities. Objects arise and dissolve and again arise to dissolve back again. All this is happening in this infinite ocean which is me. Knowing this, I cannot remain attached to any object or thought. Therefore, I know that there is nothing to renounce, nothing to accept and nothing to destroy.

vga l “kqfDrl³dk”kks :I;on~ fo”odYiukA bfr Kkua rFkSrL; u R;kxks u xzgks y;%AA3AA aham=I am, sa=this, shuktishankaskah=mother-of-pearl, rupayvat=appears like silver, vishvkalpana=universe is imagination, iti gyanam=this knowledge, aytasya tyago=renouncing this, na=no, graho laya=accept, perish.

I am mother-of-pearl and this imagined universe looks like silver. This I know. There is nothing to renounce, nothing to accept, nothing to destroy. My empty pride, my arrogance, my self conceit, my notions about myself, my attachment to objects like my car or my branded mobile phone will not allow me to see the real me. I am already a dead body – this is the destination of this living body. All my ideas, all my notions, all my empty pride is attached to this body. It is not attached to anything else. It is all in my mind. Nothing exists outside the mind. When this body is not there, where is my empty pride? For instance, what will I do with my favourite car? Like the mother-of-pearl that I am, I am always thinking that I am silver, more precious than I am – so I must be something larger and greater than I think I am, which gives me pride, and which makes me arrogant. That is the reason I keep showing others what I am and what I have. All of my thoughts and all my actions, and all that I possess are meant for display. Of course, they do satisfy my desires, but they are meant for projection. I am all the time projecting myself outward rather than going inwards. That is the reason why I am attached to this body, this car and this world. That is the reason I cannot see reality or the truth that I AM.

vga ok loZHkwrs’kq loZHkwrkU;Fkks ef;A bfr Kkua rFkSrL; u R;kxks u xzgks y;%AA4AA aham=I am, sarvabhutashu=in all objects, sarvbhutani=all objects, mayi=in me, iti gyanam=this knowledge, aytasya tyago=renouncing this, na=no, graho laya=accept, perish. I am in all objects and all objects are in me. This I know. There is nothing to renounce, nothing to accept, nothing to destroy. I am all-pervading, I am omnipresent, I am omniscient – I AM that I AM. The world is in me and I am in the world. What is outside is also inside. What is above, that is also below. Whatever I witness is part of me, and I am part of what I witness – it is happening in me. The object and the witness are one, same, and there is no difference. I am the owner of this car which you do not have. But it is only a car in which I will not be able to sit when I am bed-ridden with a disease. So, of what use will that car be when I am bed-ridden? External objects are like the blue colour of the sky. They are not real. I am real. I

am reality. I am the truth. I am Pure Awareness. I am Consciousness. Since I am Consciousness, Pure Awareness, I cannot create any object, and I cannot destroy because there is no object to be destroyed. What is it that I have brought to existence and what is it that I will remove from existence? Existence exists and I am part of that existence. There is no difference. The only difference is in my mind. End of Chapter Six.

Chapter Seven tud mokp e¸;uaregkaHkks/kkSS fo”oiksr brLrr%A Hkzefr Lokarokrsu u eekLR;lfg’.kqrkAA1AA Mayianantamahambhodhayo= I am the infinite ocean, vishvapotah=the worldly boat, itath tattah=from here and here, brahamtih=false, svantavateinah=the wind which is like the mind, mam=myself, ashishnuta=impatience, na asti=not there. Janak said: In this infinite ocean of myself, the worldly boat drifts from here to there, like the mind swayed by the wind. I am not impatient. Since I AM the Self, Consciousness, Pure Awareness, I am unmoved, Still, at Peace. This world which drifts like a boat by the wind of thoughts, cannot disturb Me. The mind may be swayed but it is not disturbed. It only moves with the wind. Thoughts arise and subside. They do not stay. Since they do not stay, they do not disturb. I also do not catch hold of them. I allow them to arise and I allow them to subside. In fact, I do allow them to subside. Thoughts arise on their own will, I do not will them. But I will them to subside because I am not impatient. After all, these are only thoughts and this is not Reality. Reality is something else.

e¸;uaregkaHkks/kkSS tx}hfp% LoHkkor%A mnsrq okLrek;krq u es o`f)uZ p {kfr%AA2AA Mayianantamahambhodhayo= I am the infinite ocean, jagadvichi=worldly waves, svabhavatah=of their own nature, udaytu=arise, va=if, astam=rhythm, ayatu=get obtained, na=no, may=mine, vridhdhi=increase, na=no, cha=and, shati=loss. In this infinite ocean of myself, the worldly waves of their own nature rise and fall. I neither gain nor lose anything. Watch the ocean carefully and completely. Watch the surface of the ocean. The waves arise and fall, one after the other. What is happening here? It is only the waves which are arising and falling back into the ocean. The change is only on the surface of the ocean. Even the waves are changing – they are arising and falling back. But nothing is happening to the ocean. The ocean is not gaining the waves. The ocean is not losing the waves. I am like this ocean. Thoughts arise and subside. My mind is the ocean, my thoughts are the waves. What do I gain when the thoughts arise and what do I lose when the thoughts subside?

e¸;uaregkaHkks/kkSS fo”oa uke fodYiukA vfr”kkarks fujkdkj ,rnsokgekfLFkr%AA3AA Mayianantamahambhodhayo= I am the infinite ocean, vishvam=the world, naam=definitely, vikalpana=imagine, atishant=supremely peaceful, nirakaar=formless, etateva=this Self, aham=I, asthith=established. In this infinite ocean of myself, this world is imagined. I am peaceful and formless. I am established in the Self. The Self does not transform into this world. In fact, this world is only imagined. My infinite nature is formless. Form has not arisen inside of me or outside of me. The world cannot arise in the Self since the Self is unchanging, unmoved, still and peaceful.

ukRek Hkkos’kq uks HkkoLr=kuUrs fujatusA bR;lDrks·Li`g% “kkUr ,rnsokgekfLFkr%AA4AA na=no, atma=Self, bhaveshu=in the body, na=no, bhavah=body,tatra=that, anantey=infinite, niranjaney=spotless, iti=not there, asaktah=free of attachment, shantah=peaceful, etateva=this Self, aham=I am, asthith=established. The Self is not contained in the body. The Self is infinite and spotless, free of attachment. I am peaceful and formless. I am established in the Self. Since the Self is all-pervading, it cannot have a form. It is infinite. It is also spotless because it is untouched. Being eternal by nature, it cannot arise. And if it cannot arise, it cannot also subside. It is ever present, all the time in its own nature, peaceful and formless, established in itself.

vgks fpUek=esokga bUnztkyksiea txr~A bfr ee dFka dq= gs;ksikns;dYiukAA5AA aho=surprised, chimatram=being awareness, aham=I, indrajalopamam=magician’s show, jagat=the world, iti=that’s why, mam=mine, katha=because, kutra=where, heyyopadeykalpana= imagine there is acceptance or rejection. This is surprising. I am Pure Awareness and this world is a magician’s show. So how can I imagine that there is anything to accept or reject – and where? I am Pure Awareness which is the Self.

End of Chapter Seven.

Chapter Eight v’Vkodz mokp rnk cU/kks ;nk fpRra fdfUpn~ okaNfr “kkspfrA fdafpu~ eaqpfr x`gakfr fdafpn~ â’;fr dqI;frAA1AA

tada=then, bandhah=bondage, yada=when, chittam=mind, kinchitt=something, shochati=grief, kimchin=something, munchit=gives up, grihanati=accepts, hrishyati=is happy, kupyati=sorrows. Ashtavakra said: When the mind desires things, accepts or rejects them, is pleased or is displeased by things, then this is bondage. We are endlessly attached to objects, persons, ideas, concepts, some ‘ism’ or the other. When we are children we are attached to our parents, when we become young we get attached to our youth, when we get married we get attached to our wife and family, when we become old, we get attached to old age. In between, we develop attachment to political ideals, moral values and the office in which we work. In this way, our desires never end; they remain infinite as well as endless. Our moods and our emotions are all dependent upon our desires. We reject what we like and we accept what pleases us. When we receive an object which we like, we are pleased. A loss of that very object pushes us into grief and depression. This, according to Ashtavakra, is bondage.

rnk eqfDr;Znk fpra u okaNfr u “kkspfrA u eaqpfr u x`.gkfr u â’;fr u dqI;frAA2AA tada=then, mukti=freedom, yada=when, chittam=mind, na=no, vanchit=likes, na=no, shochati=grief, na=no, munchit=gives up, na=no, grihanti=accepts, na=no, hrishyati=happy, na=no, kupyati=sorrow. When the mind does not desire nor grieves, neither accepts nor rejects, neither is pleased nor is displeased, then it is liberated. You should never be affected by any outward or inward motion, by any thought or any object. Just be a witness and let the world flow by you. Once you are settled in yourself, you are at peace, unaffected, still. That is the state of liberation.

rnk cU/kks ;nk fpRra lDra dk”ofi n`f’V’kqA rnk eks{kks ;nk fpRrelDra loZn`f’V’kqAA3AA tada=then, bandho=bondage, yada=when, chittam=mind, saktam=is attached, kasu=anything, api=this, drishtishu=witnessing, tada=then, moksho=liberation, yada=when, chittam=mind, asaktam=not attached, sarvdrishtisu=all witnessing. When the mind is attached to what it witnesses, then this is bondage. When the mind is unattached to what it witnesses, then this is liberation. Thirty years ago from this date, there were no mobile phones. Now there are millions. Before these gadgets, we were living the way we were. After these gadgets came, we are still living the way we are. But when these gadgets like the mobile phones were introduced, we were told that they are a necessity, they are useful in that you are in touch always with your family, friends and everyone and that in case there is an emergency, you can contact the right person. How did you contact the right person before the mobile phones were introduced? Suddenly, they have gained importance in our lives. Thirty years ago, no one had even heard of or imagined that there would be such a thing like a mobile phone. Now, even children are carrying mobile phones with them. This is attachment to an external object which is not part of living. The key to liberation is giving up of objects as well as subjects. The less the subjects you are involved with, the easier the liberation – meaning that you must not possess nor discuss subjects with which you have no direct involvement, which are not part of your existence. Attachment to objects as well as subjects like notion, ideas and ideals cuts you off from existence, from pure living.

;nk ukga rnk eks{kks ;nkga cU/kua rnkA eRosfr gsy;k fdafpUek x`gk.k foeaqp ekAA4AA yada=when, naaham=I am not, tada=then, moksho=liberation, yada=when, aham=I am, bandhnam=in bondage, tada=then, matva=believe, iti=in this way, helaya=by desiring, kinchinma=knowing this, graham=accept, vimanch=give up, ma=belief. When there is no idea of “I”, then there is liberation. When the idea of “I’ appears, then there is bondage. Knowing this, give up the belief of desire as well as acceptance. What is yours that you can possess? What is yours that you can reject? And for how long can you possess something? And what will happen after you reject? For how long can you possess your husband, your wife and your children? For how long can you possess your car? Who knows, the car that you possess today may outlast you? Your body is not

going to last forever and ever. If there is anything definite, then your body is going to merge with the five elements. This is the ultimate truth. No books, no scriptures, no ideas are going to come to your rescue. End of Chapter Eight.

Chapter Nine

v’Vkodz mokpv’Vkodz mokpv’Vkodz mokpv’Vkodz mokp d`rkdrs p }U}kfu dnk “kkUrkfu dL; okA ,oa KkRosg fuosZnkn~ Hko R;kxiks·ozrhAA1AA Kritakrit= duty-bound and duty-less work, cha=and, dvandani=sorrow and happiness, kada=when, shantani=go into silence, kasye=whose, sanchay=without doubt, evam=like this, gyatva=knowing, eh=in this world, nirvedat=from this thought, bhav=done, tyagparah=giving up, avrati=indifferent. Ashtavakra said: When does the duty-bound and duty-less action, happiness and sorrow end? Knowing this, without doubt, let go of all things and live in this world with total indifference. How can one action of yours be duty-bound and another not duty-bound? What is duty-bound? What is duty? How have we come to this conclusion that this action that we perform is our duty? All these are concepts imposed by us upon by us. There cannot be duty-bound action and duty-less action. You are either performing action or you are not. You are performing action when you are alive. You are not performing action when you are not alive. Action is performed by this body. Moreover, you are only performing your action according to your nature. You are only existing – and the rest is false, an illusion, a fraud. Since you are bound by the mind and the body, you will experience happiness and sorrow. Once you step away from both the mind and the body, you are letting go of every thing in this world. You don’t even have to turn an indifferent eye to the world consciously because this will happen on its own nature. Then this will become your nature.

dL;kfi rkr /kU;L; yksdps’Vkoyksdukr~A thforsPNk cqHkq{kk p cqHkqRlksi”kea xrkAA2AA kasya=who any, api=even, taat=a beloved, dhanasya=blessed soul, lokcheshtavaloknat=no desire for arising and retreating worlds, jeeviteychcha=desire to live, bubhuksha=to enjoy, cha=and, bubhutsa=to know, upshamam=to peace, gata=go. The blessed one is he whose desires for the objects of the world which are arising and subsiding in front of his eyes, whose desire to live, to enjoy and to know, has been extinguished. He lives in peace.

My body, my wife, my child, my house – these are all objects of desire. They do not remain. They come and go back to where they came from. What is there to enjoy? How can you enjoy an object? Is there a method? You do not even know the object of enjoyment. Once you know the object, then you are neither enjoying that object nor is that object giving you sorrow.

vfuR;a loZesosna rkif=r;nwf’kre~A vlkja fufUnra gs;fefr fuf”pR; “kkE;frAA3AA anitya=transient, sarvamidam=all this, taaptrityadooshitam=three-fold suffering, asaram=without substance, ninditam=contemptible, heyam=to be rejected, iti=this, nischayatya=after deciding, shamyati=go to peace. All this leads to three-fold suffering. All this is insubstantial, transient and contemptible. By giving up this, become still and at peace. Ashtavakra says that there are three kinds of sufferings: spiritual, material and by destiny. Spiritual suffering comes from our desires, material suffering comes from fellow human beings and animals, etc, and by destiny it is meant suffering that comes from evil spirits. All these sufferings are insubstantial, transient and contemptible. Therefore, they should be given up – you cannot give up the suffering but that which leads to suffering. Only then will you be still and at peace.

dk·lkS dkyks o;% fda ok ;= }U}kfu uks u`.kke~A rkU;qis{; ;FkkizkIrorhZ flf)eokIuq;ir~AA4AA kah=which, aso=that, kalah=time, vay=situation, kim=what, yatra=in which, dvandani no=there is no duality, nrinaam=in man, taani=all those, upeksha=by forgetting, yathapraptvarti=accepting and experiencing objects, siddhim=to perfection, avapnuyat=reaches. Was there ever a time or situation in which duality did not exist? Forget all those and by accepting and experiencing objects, reach perfection. Till the moment that you are in this body, you will have the experiences of happiness and suffering. In suffering there is happiness, in happiness there is suffering. Both are together, dependent upon each other, cannot exist without each other. There is no way that these can be given up. If you try to give them up then you would be plunged into depression and stress. The best way, however, is to accept them. When you begin to accept, duality vanishes. Remember that believing in a concept, a theory, a particular god,

a particular book, leads to duality and thus conflict and suffering. Accept and experience whatever comes and forget them. Whatever comes arises in front of your eyes and goes away without changing. Only your mind changes with your encounter with the objects. Becoming aware of this, you will attain perfection.

ukuk era eg’khZ.kka lk/kwuka ;ksfxuka rFkkA n`’V~ok fuosZnekiUu% dks u “kkE;fr ekuo%AA5AA nana matam=various belief systems, maharshinam=of saints, sadhunaam yaginam=of sadhus nd yogis, tatha=and, drishtva=by seeing, nirvadam=indifferent, apann=to reach, kah=which, na=no, shamyati=peace, manah=person. There are several belief systems of great souls, saints and yogis. Having seen them, which person cannot be still and at peace after being indifferent to them? All philosophies and belief systems lead to arguments. All arguments are based on illusion. And illusion leads to delusion. Once you are deluded, you can only perish. The Self is Truth, the Self is Awareness, the Self is Bliss.

d`Rok ewfrZifjKkua pSrU;L; u fda xq#%A fuoZsnlerk;qDr;k ;Lrkj;fr lal`rs%AA6AA kritva=knowing, murtiparigyanam=knowledge of an idol, chaiytanyasya=of Consciousness, na=no, kim=who, guru=teacher, nirvedsamatayuktya=indifferent through serenity, taryati=sees, samsaritey=this world. Is there not a true teacher, who sees this world with indifference and with serenity, and achieves full knowledge of Consciousness? How can a guru lead you to liberation? How can guru help you even attain Enlightenment? You make a mistake if you approach him for liberation. He cannot lead you to liberation. A guru cannot even show you the path because there is no path. How can he liberate you? You are already liberated. Only that you do not know. A guru cannot even make you aware that you are liberated. These days, a guru will give you a mantra and will expect that you remain his disciple the rest of your life, serving him till his body ceases to function. Who has seen life after that? That is how a guru thinks. A guru is filled with desires. He wants disciples. See, that is also a desire. There is no dispassion here, no indifference to the worldly desires. A guru wants to be served. He wants his disciple to build his ashram, his own study, his own bedroom. He also wants a kitchen so that he and others in the ashram are well fed. Then he wants followers. The more the followers, the greater the guru. They talk among

themselves about how many followers they have. They do not talk about how many of their followers have become liberated. A liberated person will never have a desire to have followers or even an ashram. These so-called gurus are only running businesses. Because they can speak, they conduct satsangs. Actually, there is no satsang, you are being fooled. This so-called guru is only a good orator which you can also become if you practice and have a determination. He has not become an orator overnight. It has taken a lot of time to master this oratory. You are not an orator – that is the only reason you go to these satsangs. You have not read scriptures – that is the only reason you go to these satsangs. How can a guru bring Enlightenment in you? This is asking for the impossible, if there is any. If a guru could bring Enlightenment, then Gautam would have become Buddha when he was training in. He did not and so he had to leave these gurus. You are going to a guru, you are going to a temple, you are going to a place of worship for your own selfishness, not for seeking Enlightenment. You do wrong, you indulge in corrupt practices and then you seek protection from the gurus and the gods. You are in bondage. Your guru and your gods will not free you from anything. You keep on doing what you want and then you go to your guru and to a place of worship and ask for protection! You will do whatever pleases and you want some other external force, a messiah, an avatar, to save you! This is nothing but hypocrisy, this is nothing but deceit. Look at the people thronging for the glimpse of a guru. There are so many satsangs going on all over this world even as you read this page. And each satsang is attracting people in thousands. People are always in search of external props to hold on to, some help that should come from outside, someone to bring you out of this bog that you allowed yourself to fall into. But the reality is that nobody can set you free from your delusions. You have to set yourself free. But you do not want to take this initiative. You are afraid. There is a great fear in your heart that something terrible may happen if you set yourself free. There is no need to search for a guru, no need to learn from him. This guru of yours is a selfish person. You are not. You are Pure Awareness.

i”; HkwrfodkjkaLRoa Hkwrek=ku~ ;FkkFkZr%A rR{k.kkn~ cU/kfueqZDr% Lo:iLFkks Hkfo’;flAA7AA pashya=seeing, bhutvikaran=changes in the elements, tvam=you, bhutmatran=elements only, yatharthah=as they are, tatakshanat=immediately, bandhnimuktah=freedom from bondage, swaroopsthat=established in your own nature, bhavishyasi=will happen. If you see the changes in the five elements as nothing more than the elements and as they are, you will immediately be free from bondage and abide in your own nature, which is the Self.

Matter has an inbuilt mechanism for change. It will transform from one form to another, from one thing to another. Everything is becoming something else. Yet there is something which is not becoming something else, which cannot change. The Self cannot change. If the Self changes, then it is not the Self, it is matter, made up of the five elements. The Self does not contain these five elements because the Self cannot change from one thing to another. The Self is beyond and above the five elements. When you know this, then you are seeing the five elements as a Witness and you are Aware that these shapes and forms are merely the five elements. I am Pure Awareness that I AM.

okluk ,o lalkj bfr lokZ foeqap rk%A rRR;kxks oklkukR;kxkfRLFkfrj| ;Fkk rFkkAA8AA vasna eva=there are desires, sansar=this world, iti=like this, sarva tah=all those desires, vimuncha=give up, tattyago=give up, vasna=desires, stithi=abide, adhya=when this happen, yatha=that, tatha=this. This world is created by desires. Renounce them. By renouncing this, you renounce that. Then you abide in your nature. There is no good deed, there is no sin, there are no actions being performed. There is only desire. Without desire, this world would not have been created. You desire for a thing, you desire for an object, you desire for an idea, you desire for a disciple, you desire someone to listen to you and to follow your desires. When you renounce the desires, you renounce the world. Renunciation does not mean you go to a forest or a monastery or hide yourself– this too is the desire to renounce. You must give up the desire to have desire. Then a stage will come when you will have given up giving up. Then you will abide in your nature, which is the Self. End of Chapter Nine.

Chapter Ten v’Vkodz mokp fogk; oSfj.ka dkeeFkZ pkuFkZladqye~A /keZeI;sr;ksgsZrqa loZ=knja dq#AA1AA Vihay=by giving up, veyrinam=enemy, kamam=desires, artham=meanings, cha=and, anarthsankulam=filled with disasters, dharmam=dharma, eytayo=these, heytum=cause of the two, srvatra=all these actions, anadaram kuru=practice indifference. Ashtavakra says: This desire is your enemy, itself so full of disasters. This desire is the cause of your dharma. Practice indifference towards them both. You are inviting troubles and disasters in your life because you have desires and desires pull you away from reality, from the Truth which is established in you. You perform your actions because desire is the trigger. You call your actions dharma. You say it is my dharma, that is, my duty to serve my father, my wife and my children. You want to earn wealth for their comforts and, thereby, your own comforts. But these comforts are only bodily and worldly comforts. In fact, comfort is only a state of mind. No dharma exists in actuality. You have only made it up. It is in your mind. All these so-called dharma-connected actions are actually manifestations of your desires. Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu and even Lord Brahma remain unaffected by desires.

LoIusUnztkyor~ i”; fnukfu =hf.k iap okA fe={ks=/kukxkjnkjnk;kfnlain%AA2AA svapnendrajaalvat=dreams and magic shows, paschaye=see, dinani=days, trinani=three, panchay=five, va=or, mitrachetradhangardaardayadisampadah=friends, lands, houses, wives, gifts, wealth. Friends, lands, houses, wives and gifts and properties are nothing but dreams or magician’s shows lasting for three to five days. The question is how long will you last in this world? Are you here forever? You are just a sparkle – that is your reality; you do not last beyond the time-scale given to a sparkle. Once you become aware that you are nothing but a moment’s existence, all your friends, all your relatives, all that you have collected and think that these are yours will not last because the so-called owner will have gone. It is only your mind that thinks that it is the

owner; your body does not think. And you do not own because you are the real owner of all that is.

;= ;= HkosRr`’.kk lalkja fof) r= oSA izkS<oSjkX;ekfJR; ohrr`’.k% lq[kh HkoAA3AA yatrayarta=in whichever objects, bhavet=occurs, trishna=desires, sansaar=world, vidhi=know, tatra=that, vay=firm, praodvaragyam=detachment which is difficult, ashritya=establishing, veettrishna=free from desires, sukhi bhav=be happy. Where there is desire there is the world. Establish firmly in detachment which is difficult to do. Be free of desires and be happy. In whichever object your desires arise, know that to be the world. These desires for objects lead to actions that create this world. Now that you are the Self, and everything is yours, how can you have desire for external objects? All these objects that appear before you are in you and you are in them. Detachment is not a difficult task if you approach in this way. Only the mindset has to change and this change will come in you. It has, in fact, already come. Only you have to become aware.

r`’.kkek=kRedks cU/kLrUuk”kks eks{k mP;rsA HkoklalfDrek=s.k izkfIrrqf’VeqZgqeZqgq%AA4AA Trishnamatraatmakah=only desire is nothing, bandh=bondage, tannasha=its destruction, moksha=liberation, uchchtey=it is said, bhavasansaktimatreyn=detachment from the world, praptitushti=realize Self and be satisfied, muhurahmuhu=forever. Desire is nothing but bondage. It is said that its destruction is liberation. Only by detaching yourself from the world can you establish in the Self and be happy forever. Observe an old person carefully. His face is full of wrinkles, his teeth are coming apart – he cannot see properly, he cannot even walk without some sort of support. Bring a young and beautiful girl in front of him. Then watch him! Serve him the best and tastiest dishes and he will eat all of them. Even at his age, he is bound by his desire to have more. Give me more, give me more, give me more. It is apparent that greed is running the world in which we live.

Roesd”psru% “kq)ks tMa fo”oelRrFkkA vfo|kfi u fdafpRlk dk cqHkqRlk rFkkfi rsAA5AA tvam=you, ek=one, chetan=awareness, shudhah=pure, jadam=root, vishvam=the world, asat=unreal, tatha=in that way, avidya api=that ignorance also, na kimchitam sa=that is false, ka=what, bubhatsa=desire to know, tatha api=in this way tey=you. You are One, Pure Awareness. This world is rooted in unreality. In this way, ignorance also is unreal. What is there left to know? Both knowledge and ignorance exist in the Self. The Self covers all and is covered by all. The world exists in the Self and the Self exists in the world. Thus, it is One without a second. The Self is Pure Awareness.

jkT;a lqrk% dy=kf.k “kjhjkf.k lq[kkf.k pA lalDrL;kfi u’Vkfu ro tUefu tUefuAA6AA rajyam=kingdoms, sutah=sons, kaltrani=wives, shareerani=bodies, sukhani=happiness, cha=and, sansaktasya=an attached person, api=also, nashtani=destroyed or lost, tav=your, janmani janmani=in every lifetime. You have been attached to kingdoms, sons, wives, physical bodies, and happiness life after life. Now, they are lost forever. Do you remember the face of your wife of your last birth? Do you know your present wife may have been your mother in your last birth, if ever there was a last birth? Or is your present wife really the same wife you were living with in your last birth? On which piece of land were you ruling then? Were you able to bring both of them in this lifetime? Are you going to take your sons and your happiness into your next birth? Now, they too are gone forever. This is enough proof that all that you see and desire is an illusion. The objects that appear in front of your eyes appear illusory in dreams and the objects that appear in dream disappear when you open your eyes. In the same way, a wise person when he wakes up from a dream state and becomes awake, for him the world appears as illusion. So then, what is real if everything is illusion? Real is that which can last the three states.

vyeFksZu dkesu lqdrsukfi deZ.kkA ,H;% lalkjdkUrkjs u foJkUreHkwu~ eu%AA7AA

Alam=enough, artham= finding meaning, kamen=with desires, sukriten karmana api=even by performing good deeds, ayebhayam=of these, sansarkantarey=in this forest-like world, na=no, vishshrantambhuna=is not happy, manah=mind. Enough of finding the meanings, in these desires and performing even good deeds! In this forest-like world, the mind can never find peace. So long as you are here, how can you have peace? But when you aredetached, you are not here. That is the key. It is by giving up all these three, dharma, artha and kama, that you can be liberated from this bondage of life and living. Even if you possess the entire planet earth, you will still desire for something much higher than this, like heavens. Therefore, so long as you are attached to this world, you will never be in peace. You have to give up desires, you have to give up seeking more and more and more.

dqra u dfr tUekfu dk;su eulk fxjkA nq%[kek;klna deZ rn|kI;qijE;rke~AA8AA

kritam na=not done, kti=how many, janmani=births, kayen=of the bodies, mansa=of mind, giri=by speech, dukham=giving sorrow, ayasadam=working hard, karmam=actions, tada=that, adhyapi=now then, uparyatam=time to stop.

For how many births have you not worked hard with your body, mind and speech – all of which have given you sorrow? Now then, it is time to stop.

You must bring an end to your suffering. But you do not want to. You are not allowing your mind to end this suffering because you are afraid that if you do, something terrible might happen. You are afraid of the unknown. Since childhood, you have been in bondage of this suffering which has been created by the society and imposed upon you. Again and again you have been told that there is suffering, there is sorrow – that you have to work hard even if that action gives you sorrow, even if that action brings happiness to others and suffering to you. That is your state, a state of bondage. And you feel satisfied in this state because you see your fellow humans in the same state. You don’t want to be different and you do not want to see them differently. This is your bondage. Nobody can free you from your bondage. You have to find your own liberation.

End of Chapter Ten.

Chapter Eleven v’Vkodz mokp HkkokHkkofodkj”p LoHkkokfnfr fu”p;hA fufoZdkjks xrDys”k% lq[ksuSoksi”kkE;frAA1AA bhavbhavahvikaraschye=changes in existence and non-existence, svabhavat=by nature, iti=like this, nischayi=definitely, nirvikar=without changes, gatkalesh=without moving, without stress, sukheneva=with happiness, upshamyati=abides in peace. Ashtavarka said: Changes in existence and non-existence as well as no changes – this is the nature of things. Realizing this, unmoved and without stress, you will definitely abide in happiness and peace. The changes do not take place in the Self. Changes in existence and non-existence as well as no changes are happening in the field where there is everything that can be perceived. This field is seen and experienced through the five senses of the perceiver. So, you are always looking outside. As it is said in the “Katha Upanishad” that God made sense turn outward, man therefore looks outward. But when he looks back, inwards, he finds himself. The whole purpose of life is to find one self, to know who I AM. And the only way to find out who I AM is to leave everything, including this troublesome mind. Find that which itself is aware of the mind.

bZ”oj% loZfuekZrk usgkU; bfr fu”p;hA vUrxZfyrlokZ”k% “kkUr% Dokfi u lTtrsAA2AA Ishwarah=God/Ishwar, sarvanirmata=who creates everything, na=no, anye=another, iti=like this, nischayi=decidedly, antargalitsarvasha=who has shed desires, shantah=at peace, kava pi=will never, na=no, sajjatey=never be attached. A person, who knows for certain that God creates all and is Alone without a second, becomes desireless, at peace, and detached. We’ll be walking into the realm of speculation if we try to understand in what context Ashtavakra used the name of Ishwar or God. However, from the second word in the first sentence of the above verse, it is abundantly clear that by Ishwar he meant one who creates. Now, this God is entirely and fundamentally different from the common concept

that we carry with us endlessly. Ishwar here is not the controller but a creator, he is not somebody who sits somewhere “up there” or “down there” trying to or rather having all the control switches and knobs to run the universe and all those who are in it. If this were so, it shows to prove that we are stupid, indeed! Experiments conducted in science labs that show that the mind suddenly becomes aware of an overwhelming presence do not prove the presence of God. God presence cannot be generated by a scientific instrument. God presence cannot be a result of chemicals injected into your body. It is another matter that these may generate somewhat identical reactions in your mind and body, but these are only reactions. God presence is not a chemical reaction happening in the left or right lobe of your brain. Scientists have always been seeing the chair instead of wood. Confrontation with God is your confrontation with your self, or rather Self. It is not even a confrontation, it is an encounter – confrontation implies some sort of violence or assertion of individuality. However, when you encounter the Self, your individuality melts or rather perishes and there is only the Self. Now, there is not self and the rest of the world. The rest of the world itself is the Self which is you and all the rest that there is. Experienced meditators speak about the feeling of being outside time and space, rather of transcendence of the here and now. Scientists are of the opinion that this happens because the pre-frontal cortex is highly stimulated by deep concentration and the information about space, time and orientation is rather suppressed giving the meditator a feeling of the other world. Does this happen to a scientist who is deeply immersed in mathematical calculations or to a writer who is so absorbed in his work? Do they too get spiritually transcended? In meditation, the sense of orientation is not lost. The sense of timelessness and infinity does not happen because of shutting down of some activity of particular organs or portions of the brain. These experiences cannot be limited to chemical reactions. They are beyond in the sense that they happen in all parts of the physical body of the meditator. All the visions, including the tunnel visions, or the so-called Near Death Experiences should not be connected with God presence, because these experiences are a result of mental projections of what we have learnt since our childhood or what we have heard over the years. The Self cannot be limited by anything concept or theory or our limited thinking. Moreover, the mind is too vast for us to know how it functions. We know only one per cent of the universe – we do not even know much about earth’s satellite the moon, what to speak of the Solar System about which we know only a fraction. Similarly, our understanding of our mind as well as our brain is limited. Mind does not rest in any organ, nor is it itself an organ. Mind is everywhere, in each cell of our body and outside our body. Then there is a rather silly concept which some scientists are pursuing which says that we are part of the so-called computer simulation in which our Creator is playing a computer

game with us. Will science ever end writing fairytales that it has been doing since Charles Darwin? We are all players, sportsmen then but what about rewards and trophies and annual contracts? What about Super Eight and Semi-Finals? Who and where is the referee? Is there a Super Human Being who made us? Did aliens make us? Why did they make us? To play a game? Are you kidding? Is this what the scientists can come up after all this expensive education, all the massive investment and grants that have been given to the universities and colleges? If the aliens made us, where are these aliens and why don’t they meet us? Were we abandoned? Then why were we abandoned? Does this theory mean to say that Ishwar or this so-called Creator after making us realized that he made a mistake? Probably so, because we are in actuality stupid! And now we are realizing that in this year of 2012. We have always been living in a make-belief world. We have even created a God whom we say created us. We create God and then we say He created us – we are just going round and around without realizing that we are going round and round in circles. The question, if God created us, how can He realize that He made a mistake, how can He abandon us? If that is the case, then God is not a superior being. He is an ordinary being, even lesser mortal than us whom He created. But then the question arises as to why should he create? What for did He create this creation and us? And should someone play a computer game with us as mere characters in the game? Why? Scientific community can give us a theory but then it limits itself to the process only and not to the ‘why’ of it? Is the scientific community afraid that science will collapse if it asks these questions? Unless these questions are not answered, there is no point in discussing these theories – they suddenly become baseless, a part of illusion. Science should not delude – knowledge should not delude, knowledge should lead to enlightenment, to awareness, to wisdom. Remember, that we cannot know by logic and reasoning alone because logic and reasoning is part of our thoughts. These two methods of thinking have been created by us, but there is no proof that these methods are correct. We think they are correct because this line of thinking satisfies us. If God made a mistake creating us, then we have made a mistake by creating these methods. Ishwar or God, if He is alone without a second, then He cannot create because if creation were to happen, there must a thought to create, a vibration that will lead to creation. If this happens, then there will be a change in God or Ishwar. But we have accepted ourselves that Ishwar or God is constant, unchangeable, omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Then how can a change take place in what is constant? We do not yet know if our concepts are correct or not. But why do we have to live in concepts? We know that the potential is always there, but then that is only a state of potential. The universe is a place of infinite possibilities. And they are all possibilities, a state of potentiality. Creation is always in a state of potential. It is not happening per se. It is not that I have made this table and that is it. The table has not been made, only the elements have been transformed into a particular shape and form which I call a table. This shape and form still has the potential to become something else. This earth on which we live is part of creation. Has it retained its shape and form from that day it was first created? This is the year 2012 AD. And we are witnessing a different

earth as well as a different sky from our ancestors. Our earth, so to speak, is revealing itself to us. Or is it? Ishwar or God cannot create. If He does, then He has changed into something else. Consciousness does not create but the potential to create is inherent in Consciousness. It is existence which is existing. There is only existence. The Self is only aware of existence because It is the Witness to It. God is neither the origin of anything nor is He the goal of anything. He cannot even be called the Source. This manifest and unmanifest existence already is God. It is difficult to become aware of a simple thing like God only Is. That is the Truth. God can never stop being, God has already become – God always Is. “Is” simply means this moment, here and now. This present moment is. Existence is. Existence is happening here and now – even now as you read this word. At the same time there is destruction happening here and now – even as you read this word. Here, we are not speaking of the various gods who have various names and attributes, and to whom we pray. This God who only Is, cannot have a name, He cannot even be called God since then we assign an attribute where there is none. It simply Is. Or better still, That simply Is. On the other hand, the various gods that we pray to all over the world are manifestations. Thus, those gods we pray to all over the world have their origins in the five elements. Thus, they are not superior to these five elements out of which they arose. To find the reality of That is to remove all the names and attributes and images and live in the Now, in the Present Moment, in the Present Condition because That Is, not was or will be.

vkink% lEin% dkys nSoknsosfr fu”p;hA r`Ir% LoLFksfUnz;ks fuR;a u okUNfr u “kkSpfrAA3AA apadah=adversity, sampadah=wealth, kaley=on time, daivateva=unexpectedly or by circumstances, iti nischaye=know for certain, triptah=contented, svastheydriya=senses under control, nityam=perpetually, na=no, vanchiti=desiring, shochati=grief. One who knows for certain that adversity and wealth take their own time to come, unexpectedly or by chance, becomes perpetually content. He neither desires nor grieves. Wealth cannot stay at one place nor can you remain perpetually poor. Nothing happens according to plans. Nature does not have a plan. Nature works in its own way about which we will never know because that way is based upon the concept of impermanence. It is not necessary if you have had a good monsoon one year, you will have the same kind of monsoon the following year – you may have a drought around that time or even a flood. There are no laws the nature follows. In fact, nature does not make any laws. It works unexpectedly, on its own, perpetually with circumstances and with combinations that may or may not happen. Once we become aware of how Prakriti works, we will have our senses under our control which will lead to perpetual happiness and bliss. In other

words, there is no destiny, there is no luck, there is no past, and there is no future. These are simply concepts in our minds and we have developed this belief system over the years without even questioning the system.

lq[knq%[ks tUee`R;w nSoknsosfr fu”p;hA lk/;kn”khZ fujk;kl% dqoZUufi u fyI;rsAA4AA sukhdukhay=happiness and sorrow, janammrityu=birth and death, daivateva=unexpectedly or by chance, iti nischaye=know for certain, sadhyadarshi=seeing achieveable, nirayasah=without action, kuvaran=performs action, na liptey=does not get attached. One who knows for certain that happiness and sorrow, birth and death arise unexpectedly or by chance, knows that there is nothing to achieve, engages in non-attachment and while acting remains detached. Here this question once more needs to be asked: Is the universe the result of an Intelligent Design? Now then, since the universe does exist, we know it can exist. If it can exist, then it can also not exist. Anyway, this kind of argument will not lead us anywhere, except that we will endlessly move in circles. Now then, if the universe is the result of a design, then what could be the reason for designing the material universe? What could be the purpose of creating it? Science has taken an awefully long time in its understanding of the universe and it probably realizes that, by now, it knows only a fraction of the whole. Even then, science only knows one aspect of that fraction: how it works. Science only wants to know the process, it does not want to know the reason or the purpose behind that process; or perhaps science is too arrogant to ask such relevant questions, fearing that it will never be able to answer. Having said that, science is still incorrect in its approach as it is focusing its resources to explain the external world as if humans are separate from it. The key to understanding the reason and purpose for existence to exist is in the Self, is in me. That always Is. Since the Self is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent, It cannot move from A to B nor return to A. It is simultaneously present in A and B. Here, the arrow of time does not exist, not even the trajectory of time, nor does movement. There never was any such arrow which was never shot in any case. In the absence of both time and movement, there is no past and no future. There is only the present. In the present moment – which is eternal – fate and destiny turn into mere concepts without any basis. How can then fate work when you are living in the present moment and how can destiny push you into a future when there is no motion and no time? In other words, since you are endlessly living in the present, both fate and destiny have no meaning.

fpUr;k tk;rs nq%[ka ukU;Fksgsfr fu”p;hA r;k ghu% lq[kh “kkUr% loZ= xfyrLi`g%AA5AA chintaya=by worrying, jayate=arises, dukham=suffering, na=no, anyatha=any other way, iti=like this, nischayi=certain, tatha=therefore, heenah=rid of, sukhi=happy, shantah=peace, sarvatragalitsprihah=its desires are dropped. Knowing that suffering arises from nothing else but worrying, therefore one must certainly get rid of desires and be happy and at peace. Worrying comes from attachment to objects, notions, ideas and people around you. Worrying arises only when you have desires for the possession of those very objects.

ukga nsgks u es nsgks cks/kks·gfefr fu”p;hA dSoY;a bo laizkIrks u LejR;d`ra d`re~AA6AA naaham=I am not, deham=body, bodhoham=awareness I am, iti=in this way, nischyayi=certain, kaivalyam=freedom from body, samprapta=attains, na samrti=no longer remembers, akritam kritam=things done and left undone. “I am not the body nor is the body mine. I am Awareness” – realizing this, one attains liberation and no longer remembers things done or left undone. When you know that you are Pure Awareness, how can you have attachment to your body? You are above your body, you are above actions, you are above the results of actions and you are above your ego.

vkczãLraci;ZUra vgesosfr fu”p;hA fufoZdYi% “kqfp% “kkUr% izkIrkizkIrfofuo`Zr%AA7AA abrahmastambpaayantam=from Brahma to the blade of grass, ahameva=only I am, iti=in this way, nischyayi=certain, nirvikalpa=settled, shuchih=pure, shantah=peace, praptapratptafonivritah= unconcerned about gains or losses. “I am alone from Brahma to the blade of the grass” – realizing this, in this way, one certainly becomes settled, pure and at peace, unattached to material gains or losses. The Self is omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent. Since the Self is in all and all is in the Self, where is the difference and where is the gain and loss? I do not perform any action and still I am doing everything in this creation.

uk”p;Zfena fo”o u fdafpfnfr fu”p;hA fuokZlu% LQwfrZek=ks u fdafpfno “kkE;frAA8AA naashcharyam=several wonders, idam=this, vishvam=this world, na kinchit=is nothing, iti=in this way, nischayi=certainly, nirvasnah=without desires, safurtimatra=simply inspiring, na kinchidiv=without inclinations, shamyati=to peace. After realising that this varied and wonderful world is certainly nothing, you are inspired to become desireless, without inclinations and abide in peace. Human beings have never been able to know this world, or for that matter what any thing really is. It is likely that they may not know what any thing is for a very long time to come. The nature of truth and the nature of reality is always something else from what we take it to be. So, we can never be sure, we can never be certain about anything, anyway. Yes, this uncertainty about anything should never be taken seriously, rather it should become a springboard for something else. For this to happen, you must observe everything impartially without any prejudice. Do not perform any mental operation upon the objects that you see. Simply allow them to be as they are. Whatever objects or experiences are arising, it is important to remain non-judgemental and unattached. In doing so, you become much more aware than you already are, and in this freedom from judgement and attachment, you begin to observe the objects and the experiences as they are. Then it dawns upon you that you too are a part of those objects and those experiences. Then you realize that you are a witness to these objects and experiences. Then this varied and wonderful world no longer astonishes you. You now know that since there is no difference between you and the objects that you perceive, you begin to develop a desireless state towards them. You now have no inclination to possess them. Once this stage is reached, you are at peace and settled. End of Chapter Eleven.

Chapter Twelve

tud mokp dk;d`R;klg% iwoZ rrks okfXoLrjklg%A vFk fpUrklgLrLekn~ ,oesokgekfLFkr%AA1AA kayakrityasah=not liking physical activity, purvam=earlier, tat=after that, vagvistarasah=not liking excessive speech, atha=finally, chintasah=not liking thinking, tasmat evam=for this reason, aham eva=I am, sthithah=settled. Janak said: Becoming first averse to physical activity, then to excessive speech, and finally not liking the thinking process, I am now established. King Janak has now a first-hand experience. And he must inform his guru about what he knows from this experience. It is not that he does not like physical activities, it is that he is averse to those actions that are done with purpose and those that bring suffering. Moreover, this statement of his shows that King Janak is now becoming aware that he is not performing any real action. Similar is the case with speech and the thinking process. He has now given up wrong speech and wrong thinking as well. Having giving up all these, he is now established in the Self. But he has to carry on this practice vigorously to firmly establish himself in the here and now.

izhR;Hkkosu “kCnknsjn`”;Rosu pkReu%A fo{ksiSdkxzân; ,oesokgefLFkr%AA2AA prityabhaven=with the feeling of delight, shabdaday=in sound, adrashayatven=sense perceptions, ca=and, atma=Self, vikshepekagrahridayah=my attention is fixed in heart, deflecting them, evam eva=like this, aham=I, sthithah=established. The delight in sound and sense perceptions get deflected by my attention which is focused in the heart, that is the Self, and I am established. If you cannot focus on the Self, then you must focus on your heart, the seat of the anahata chakra. Love is firmly established here and cannot be snatched away from your heart. If you are thinking with your mind, then you are not thinking with love. You must think and react with your heart because only love will flow, not reason or discussion or argument. It is in your heart; that is where the Self is abiding. Not in your mind which wants to reason, not in your ego which wants to assert itself, but in your heart. Once you have established yourself in your heart, all the changes that are happening outside get deflected.

lek/;klkfnfof{kIrkS O;ogkj% lek/k;sA ,oa foyksD; fu;ea ,oesokgefLFkr%AA3AA Samadhyasadivishikptoh=thorough effort to keep concentration, vayavharah= behaviour, samadhay=for Samadhi, evam niyamam=these rules and regulations, vilokaya=seeing, aham=I am, sthitah=established. Thorough efforts are required to keep distracted mind in concentration for Samadhi by following rules and regulations. Knowing this, I am established. The illusion of rules and regulations are to be followed to keep the money mind in concentration. Otherwise, the state of Samadhi may never come. Rules and regulations are for the learner, for the beginner, for the mumukshu, who has yet to understand what this whole game is about. Once the learner knows, then rules and regulations do not apply.

gs;kikns;fojgkn~ ,oa g’kZfo’kkn;ks%A vHkkokn| gs czãUu~ ,oesokgefLFkr%AA4AA heyyopadeforahat=relinquishing the abandoning and accepting, evam=in the same way, harshvishadnyoh=rejecting joy and sorrow itself, abhavad=by that sense, adhya=now, brahmannah=O Brahmin, evameva=as is it, aham=I am, sthithah=established. By giving up the sense of abandonment and acceptance, and having no joy and no sorrow, O Brahmin, I am established. King Janak is now aware that he must give up a great many things as these things or objects or concepts or beliefs no longer make any sense. Now, he has given up even the sense of both abandonment as well as acceptance. It makes no difference whether someone accepts or abandons his concepts and ideas or even himself. In the same way, he has also given up the feelings of joys and sorrows. When there is nothing to accept, nothing to abandon, where is the question of embracing joy and sorrow?

vkJekukJea /;kua fpRrLohd`rotZueA fodYia ee oh{;SrSjsoesokgekfLFkr%A5AA ashramanasharmam=ashram or no ashram, dhaynam=meditation, chittasvikritvarjnam=renouncing the objects accepted by mind, vikalpam=dream, mam=mine, vikshay=seeing, aytav=all those, aham=I am, sthitha=established.

With all the four stages of life or without all the four stages of life, meditation as well as renouncing of dream objects accepted by mind – having seen these arising from my mind, knowing this, I am established. We have always been living in belief systems, and we still are. Only that we keep on changing our belief systems, once we are either tired of them or realize that they are not working any longer. And these belief systems are unreal. They all have been made by us, they have all arisen from our mind, they belong to our mind; they are nothing else but our dreams, our concepts, our notions, our ideals. However, the irony and shall we say humankind’s greatest tragedy is that it believes in all of them. The four ashrams or the stages of life, from brahmacharya to sanyas are all figments of imagination with which we have been living and deluding ourselves into following them sincerely and honestly. Meditation, accepting and rejecting of objects – these too are in the realm of imagination. What have you accepted and what can you renounce? What was yours that are you renouncing? We are simply fooling ourselves, if nothing else.

dekZuq’BkueKkukn~ ;FkSoksijeLrFkkA cqn~/ok lE;fxna rRRoa ,oesokgefLFkr%AA6AA karmanushthanam=performing karma, agyanad=from ignorance, eva=also, uparam=giving up karma, tatha=in the same way, budhdhva=knowing, samyak=like that, aham=I am, sthithah=established. Even as performance of actions arises from ignorance, so also does giving up of actions. Knowing this, I am established. King Janak is revising Ashtavakra teachings. He is only reinforcing them in his mind so that these teachings remain with him and he is constantly reminded of them. This is also another way telling his guru that he has understood his teachings and that he is now incorporating them in his life.

vfpaR;a fpaR;ekuks·fi fpUrk:ia HktR;lkSA R;DRok rn~Hkkoua rLekn~ ,oesokgefLFkr%AA7AA Achintayam=the Unthinkable, chintayamanah=(looking), chintaroop=thought, bhajti=conjuring, tayaktva=giving up, tadbhavnam=towards that thought, tasmat= thus, evam eva=without thought, aham=I am, sthitah=established. Thinking of the Unthinkable One is like conjuring up what looks like that thought. By rejecting this and remaining without thought, I am established.

It is not possible to think about something which is formless. You can only conjure up several images in your mind about that something. That Self cannot be seen, neither can It be described with words. The only way out is to reject any thought that comes about the Self.

,oeso dra ;su l drkFkksZ HkosnlkSA ,oeso LoHkkoks ;% l d`rkFkksZ HkosnlkSAA8AA kritam=does work, yen=he who, sa=that, kritarthah=having attained one’s aim, bhavet=come to pass, aso=person, evameva=so, svabhavo=such a nature, sa=that, kritarthah=having attained one’s aim, bhavet=come to pass. He who has attained one’s aim has achieved his goal. Blessed is he who has such a nature. King Janak ends this part of his speech with a typical prayer that we are so familiar with. End of Chapter Twelve.

Chapter Thirteen tud mokp vfdapuHkoa LokLF;a dkSihuRos·fi nqyZHke~A R;kxknus fogk;kLekngekls ;Fkklq[ke~AA1AA Akinchanbhavam=an idea which says there is nothing, svasthyam=a tranquil state, kopinatvey=loin-cloth, api=also, durlabham=difficult, tyagadaney=both renunciation and acceptance, vihay=leaving, asmat=for this reason, aham=I, aso=steady, tathasukham=happy. Janak said: It is difficult to attain a tranquil state of nothingness even for those who wear loin-cloths. For this reason, I do not renounce or accept and I am happy. You don’t have to go to the mountains, you don’t have to sit in a cave, and you don’t have to wear a loin-cloth to attain liberation. Your freedom is here and now, everything is here and now. Where is the need to run from one place to another when everything that you are looking for is inside you? If you really have to go anywhere, go inside. Do not renounce or accept anything. Nothing is yours. Be happy.

dq=kfi [ksn% dk;L; ftOgk dq=kfi f[k|rsA eu% dq=kfi rRR;DRok i#’kkFkZs fLFkr% lq[ke~AA2AA kutrapi=sometimes, khed=grief, kayansya=of the body, jeehva=speech, kutrapi=sometimes, khidhyate=grief, manah=mind, kutrapi=sometimes, tat=all three, tyakatva=giving up, purusharthey=I live as I please, sthithah=steady, sukham=happy. Sometimes there is grief because of one’s body, sometimes there is grief because of one’s speech and sometimes there is grief because of one’s mind. Giving up all these three, I live as I please. I am steady and happy. You cannot live without performing these three actions as mentioned in the above verse. Your body will perform action whether you like it or not. You have absolutely no choice. Now, that you are living in this body and in this world, you might as well accept this as a fact. The body will breathe, it will accept food, it will rest, walk, sit and do all that it is required to do by nature or the five elements. You cannot also live without talking. And your mind can never rest – there are always thoughts arising and subsiding. All these actions give you sorrow, one way or the other, this way or that, now and then. By giving up actions performed by these three, you must live as you please. But do not get carried away by them, do not let them push you around. That is the only way you can be steady and happy and stay away from grief.

d`ra fdefi uSo L;kn~ bfr lafpUR; rRRor%A ;nk ;RdrZqek;kfr rr~ d`Rokls ;Fkklq[ke~AA3AA Kritam=body actions, kimapi=which ever, na=no, eva=actually, atmakritam=atamic actions, tit=in this way, samchintye=by thinking, tatatvah=as it is, yada=when, yat=whatever karma, kratum=doing that, ayatit=comes, tat=that, kritva=done, aso=steady, yathasukham=pleased. Whichever actions are performed by the body are not of the Self. Realising it in this way, I know that nothing is done. I perform only the actions that are required to be performed. And I am happy and steady. It is only the ego which assumes that it is performing actions and without it no actions can be performed. But that is delusion. Ego being a concept in your mind cannot direct your body to perform action or cannot even influence the five elements to perform a particularly given action. For example, if you say that it is you who is eating food, you are wrong because you are not eating; it is your body which is eating and digesting the food for its upkeep. Actually, nobody is performing any action. Everything is going on, on its own. Come to think of it, nobody is in reality doing anything. Existence is existing by itself only. So, in which way this body performs action, in which way this voice is performing action and in which way this mind is performing action? Action is performed by its own volition. Knowing this, I am steady and happy.

deZuS’dE;ZfucZU/kHkkok ngLFk;ksfxu%A la;ksxk;ksxfojgkngekls ;Fkklq[ke~AA4AA karmanishkarmanibandhanbhava=in bondage of karma and nishkarma, dehasthyoginah=yogis identifying with their bodies, samyogayogviraht=with attachment and detachment with the body, aham= I am, asey=settled, yathasukham=happy. Yogis who are attached to the body, are in bondage of karma and nishkarma, but abandoning attachment to the body, I am settled and happy. This is indeed true. Some yogis are still in bondage of their bodies. They only insist on certain rules and regulations and exercises like asanas and pranayama. They have not stepped forward and beyond these bodily functions. The yoga teachers teaching exercises across the globe are actually not teaching yoga, they are only teaching asanas or physical exercises. In fact, yoga begins where asanas and pranayama end. These two steps are only happening at the beginning level. By going through taking these steps, a person is only preparing to unite with the universe. But you can unite with the universe without going through these two steps. Awareness of the Self, the Consciousness, the Atman, God, etc, does not require you to pass through these man-made levels. You only have to

become aware of this Awareness that is you. This IAM principle will not ask you to sit in a particular asana or perform an important ritual. You are only required to contemplate on I AM, nothing else. Its so simple.

vFkkZuFkkS u es fLFkR;k xR;k ok “k;usu okA fr’Bu~ xPNu~ Loiu~ rLrLekngekls ;Fkklq[kke~AA5AA arthanartha=gain or loss, na=no, may=to me, sthithya=from this situation, gahtya=walking, va=or, shayan=sleepinbg, va=or, nishthan=sitting down, gachchan=going, svapan=sleeping, tasmat=for this reason, aham=I am, asay=settled, sukham=happy. I do not gain or lose by standing, walking or lying down. So, whether I stand, walk or sleep, I am happy and settled. I am not disturbed by the worldly behaviour because I do not attach any pride to being able to walk, sleep, lie down and sit in a particular manner. My ego gains nothing from these activities. In fact, I do not allow my ego to gain anything at all. Since I am happy and settled in the Self, what role does ego have? What does it gain or lose from these activities? These activities are happening in the illusion. They have no beginning and no middle and no end. In fact, they are devoid of any purpose. Then we have a new category of specialist who, armed with endless analyses and studies, keep telling you the way you should walk, sleep, stand and lie down and the benefits that you can accrue from them. It seems a great number of kiosks have come up around the world for earning money by fooling others.

Loirks ukfLr es gkfu% flf);ZRuorks u okA Ukk”kksYyklkS fogk;kLekngekls ;Fkklq[ke~AA6AA Svaptah=while sleeping, na asti=not, hanih=loss, siddhi=perfection, yatnavath=by making efforts, na=no, va=or, nashollaho=loss and gain, vihay=leaving it, asmat=for this reason, aham=I, aso=settled, yathasukham= settled and happy. There is nothing to lose by sleeping and nothing to gain through effort. So, by giving up the thought of gain or loss, I am settled and happy. A person who is free does not make any effort. He only allows the events to take place. He does not interfere, he does not even impose his views or force an event to have the way he wants it to. He does not think about losses and gains as these belong to the world and not to the Self.

lq[kkfn:ik fu;ea Hkkos’okyksD; Hkwfj”k%A “kqHkk”kqHks fogk;kLekngekls ;Fkklq[ke~AA7AA Sukhadirupaniyamam=the inconsistency of happiness, etc, bhaveshu=through all the births, alokya=after seeing, bhurishah=again and again, shubhashubh=fortunate and unfortunate, vihay=leaving it, aham-I am, aso-settled, yahasukham=happy. After observing again and again the inconsistency of happiness through the ages, I have given up both the fortunate and the unfortunate karmas and I am settled and happy. Worldly happiness cannot be consistent and forever. So, we must give up going after the so-called joys that do not have any intrinsic value. End of Chapter Thirteen.

Chapter Fourteen tud mokp izd`R;k “kwU;fpRrks ;% izeknkn~ HkkoHkkou%A fufnzrks cksf/kr bo {kh.klaLrj.kks fg l%AA1AA prakritrya=by nature, shunyachitto=with emptiness of mind, yah=on, pramadat= by oversight, bhavbhavanah=serves the objects, nidrito=while sleeping, bodhit=awake, ksheensansaranah=apart from the world, sah=that. Janak said: He who by nature has ascended his mind into Emptiness, who thinks about the world unintentionally, and is free from remembering, is like the one who is awakened from a dream. Awakening is nothing but the dissolving of separation. There is nothing mystical about this. There is nothing even spiritual about this. There is just this shift in the thinking process – which has happened inside you. This simple act of knowing that you are not separate from anything or anyone around you leads to a great transformation. And this transformation is also taking place inside you. Remember, nothing is happening outside. The ego has just stepped back – ego never goes to backstage, ego only takes a step back, yet it still remains there. You begin to feel the sense of the Self which can neither be defined nor described nor even explained out from your ideas, isms, beliefs, notions, images and books. The Self is not what you think the Self is. You’ll never be able to tell others what kind of shift you are experiencing. But the shift has occurred, nevertheless. It is a shift of perception, an awakening of the heart, a glimpse of something you will never be able to grasp, a leap from individuality to Oneness, which gives you incredible clarity, dissolution of mindless complications and opens the door to living in mindful simplicity. This is awakening. There is this feeling of returning back to where you came from. All this time, you had been trying to find your home, going from one place to another, from one book to another, from one satsang to another, from one guru to another – not knowing all this time that you never went away, never left your home in the first place. You always were home, all the time. You only got distracted for a while by these unwanted externalities. But this illusion has been very powerful. It always is – and we all get trapped by it, one way or the other. Now that you know, now that you are awake, now that you are aware, now that you are enlightened, nothing has changed either inside your body or outside. Only you have changed. You will still be walking, still be sleeping, still be eating, still be working, and still be experiencing from your physical as well as mental bodies. All these you will do – you can only escape from them when your body, along with your mind, ceases to function. If you try to escape, you are only forcing yourself to becoming something else,

to becoming who you are not. That will give you stress, that will make you insane. However, if you will be deeply involved in what you do when you do it, all your energies will get focused and will be in full sway. You have now begun to live in the present, in the here and now. There are now no memories, so there are no sufferings. There is no future to plan, so there is no anxiety or stress on account of that. There is only the present, only the Now. Nothing will cease to be, nothing will come into existence. Everything is happening at once, simultaneously. This is the Emptiness of the mind. This is non-clinging. You will now live as you will live, happy and still. Nothing is there now to disturb you, not even a mosquito or a pinprick.

Do /kukfu Do fe=kf.k Do es fo’k;nL;o%A Do “kkL=a Do p foKkua ;nk es cfyrk Li`gkAA2AA Kva=where, dhanani=is wealth, kva=where, mitrani=are friends. kva=where, vishyadasyavah=are thieves of the senses, kva=where, shastram=scriptures, kva=where, cha=and, vigyanam=knowledge, yada=when, may=mine, balita=melted, spriha=desires. When my desires have melted, how can there be wealth or friends, how can there be seduction of senses, and where are the scriptures and where is knowledge? Desires shut the ascendant potential of a person. Once desires are overcome, this potential is unlocked. The person is then released from the feelings of deficit. Desires never get fulfilled because we keep ourselves in a perpetual state of deficit. And as we keep on indulging in desires, we get caught in the unending cycle of non-gratification. Thus, there never is a positive state. Craving is negative for the simple fact that till the object of craving is not obtained it will dominate our life. In this way, we keep on strengthening it till such time that we are able to obtain it. Till then, we remain unhappy and under intense stress and anxiety. Once we have obtained the object of our desire, we start looking elsewhere, something else attracts our attention and we go after with the intention of obtaining that object of desire. In this way, we remain in a perpetual state of deficit. This state of deficit is of our own making. It is partly created by the external world, especially the market culture. It is we who have fallen into the trap of this market culture. Now, this is a potentially dangerous trend that we are witnessing in this material world of today. We know that the market culture is no longer controlled by the society in which it functions. It has broken through and is now having a mind of its own. Free market is erasing everything, every ideology, every ism, each and every structure of the modern civilization. It now has its own existence. This market culture has captured each and every instrument that runs our civilization – from the governments to the media to the unit that makes it – that is you. It has made sure that you are always influenced by it and do not think independently. It has made sure that you live in utter forgetfulness and take

for granted what it has to offer to you. It knows, it tells you that it knows what is right for you and you agree. Market culture is the modern Leviathan. However, there is a way out, as there always is. But this can only happen at the individual level, at your personal level. Craving and delusion are two entanglements which lead to narrow selfishness. An alternative entanglement is required that will emancipate us from these entrapments. This new entanglement includes the use of attention through meditation that would bring awareness. The practice of meditation will open a space within us which will lead us to the real meaning of desires. Simultaneously, we will become mindful or conscious or aware of attention and thus keep at bay the unhappy limitations of desires which are nothing but self-centred.

foKkrs lkf{kiq#’ks ijekRefu ps”ojsA uSjk”;s ca/keks{ks p u fpark eqDr;s eeAA3AA vigyatay=upon knowing, sakshipurushay=person who is witness, parmatmani=parmatma, nairashay=without desire, bandhmokshay=bondage and freedom, cha=and, na=no, chinta=think, muktay=about liberation, mam=I. Upon realizing myself as the Supreme Self, the Witness, I am without desire for bondage and liberation. No need for liberation. Attachment or hatred leads to suffering and misery. These emotions arise from the incorrect view, often called ignorance, of the nature of the Self. The nature of the Self is pure existence. Here, there is no knowing, no action, not even bliss. Self only Is. Self alone is real. The rest is illusion or apparent reality, like the waves arising from the ocean. The shapes and forms that arise have an apparent reality but not the Self, which alone is real. Any object to be real has to have an existence of its own, without dependency, without relative existence with another and without the witness or even the knower. However, the Self cannot be an object because it can neither be witness nor can it be known by the senses. Anything that is based upon sense perceptions leads to inference and presumption. Since the Self is existence, God, Consciousness, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent, no words can define its nature. When we say the word “cat”, it evokes an image of a cat in the mind. Cat is associated with an image because we know it is an object of perception and that we can describe it with words. On the other hand, the Self does not evoke any image since it is not an object of perception. You cannot say, “Look at that Self”, but you can say, “Look at that cat”.

Now then, what is this Self that we speak of, and why does it have a name if we cannot describe it or explain it or see it? Then why is there a language which is being used for the Self? To understand this, we must go back to our previous question: whether we see any object at all. We must take into account that we receive impressions from an object seen through our sense data but Vedanta deals with this conundrum in a very peculiar and convincing way. It takes recourse to language. Words give form to an object in the physical world. So, what we see is from the standpoint of language, rather an object is a product of the language. This means that unless we translate into words whatever data from an object our senses receive, our mind will not be able to identify that particular object. Surely, we cannot know anything about a perceived object unless we know its attributes. You don’t need any formula or scientific theory to prove this. Having said that, we know that there is a common and accepted notion that Self or Atman enters our body at the time of our birth and leaves the body at the time of our death, though we do not know about the truth of it. Some have even called it the vital force or prana. It is apparent that the formula “to each one his own reality” is working very well here. However, this may not be the case. Whatever we may think may be something else, after all. Consider the obvious first. We have a body, we have eyes that can see, we have ears that can hear, we have nose which can smell, we have tongue which can taste and we have skin which can feel. In addition, we have feelings, emotions, ideas as well as notions – we can think and create also. Remember, through these senses we are experiencing the outside, material world as well as what is happening inside of us, that is, in our minds. So, what do we make of ourselves? Who are we? If you say you are a body, then you must also remember that anything can be taken away from you, including your body. Similarly, in this way, you must find the Self. Perhaps, the easiest way to do this is by removing all the cobwebs from your mind which have been gathering since your childhood. These include the books you have read, the lessons you have learnt from teachers, the theories you have known, the formulas you have crammed, the news you have heard, including the breaking news as well as the concept and ideals you have till this time believed in. Question everything and find out the origin of all that you know and all that you have been told about, and still are being told. A stage will come when you will reject everything, including your body. Your understanding of your real identity has been hidden because of your identification with your body. The body has no identity – it is an object which in itself is limited. Now, when you identify with your body you also confine yourself within those limitations. Reality has no limitations. Thus, by identifying yourself with your body, you are putting limits on the Self. But your real nature, your Self, is formless, limitless, bodiless and mindless. The problem that arises here is in our approach – you want to reach that stage rather than become what you already are. In reality, you are That all the time, you are the Self all the time. You do not become that what you are: the Self, because of the wall of material world that has been erected. You think Self-realisation is something that comes to you,

that you must experience it, that you must know it, and that you must become aware of. This is not the case. Does the fish know about the ocean in which it is swimming? Your occupation with your mind is the stumbling block. Your mind is the greatest distraction. You have to give up this thought that you have a mind. You must go beyond your mind – rather when you give up your mind, you will realize that you already are in that pristine state. You never left it in the first place. When you become aware of this stage, you will realize that you are nothing but the Self, Pure Awareness. This internal progression will lead you to where you have come from – the origin of all origins, the source of all sources. There are no concepts, no notions, no ideals, no time, no space, no place, no movement, no nothing here. You are all-pervading and all-embracing. You have now become yourself.

varfoZdYi”kwU;L; cfg% LoPNUnpkfj.k%A HkzkUrL;so n”kkLrkLrkLrkn`”kk ,o tkursAA4AA Antarvikalpshunyasya=inwardly who is free from doubt, bahih=outward, svaschandcharinih=moving freely, bhrantasyaeva=who is perplexed, dashah=various directions, tah tah=that, that, tadhrisheva=directionless, jantay=knows. He who is inwardly without doubt, yet outwardly moves freely in all directions like a perplexed person. He can only be known by a person with the same condition. A person who has no doubts about anything, to whom no questions arise, who has all the answers, that person is a gyani, a knower. To a worldly person, this gyani will appear to be a confused man, but a person who knows this condition of a gyani will recognize him immediately. For worldly man, this gyani appears confused because this gyani has the ability to accept everything, even the opposites while a worldly man distinguishes between the two and has a particular theory about life and living with which he lives. A gyani has no distinguishing theory, and if there is any such theory by which he lives, then it is the theory of accepting all the theories and not worrying about them. End of Chapter Fourteen.

Chapter Fifteen v’Vkodz mokp ;FkkrFkksins”ks d`rkFkZ% lRRocqf)eku~A vkthoefi ftKklq% ijLr= foeqáfrAA1AA yathatathopdeshen=even by casual teachings, kritarthah=satisfied, sattavbudhimaan=a man of pure intelligence, ajeevanapi=lifetime, jigyasu=seeker, prah=without knowledge, tatra=in him, vimuhyati=stays in the world. Ashtavarka said: He who is of pure intelligence will achieve his goal even by casual teachings, but a man who is attached to the world, even though he may seek knowledge, will remain in lifetime confusion. We are all born with Pure Intelligence. It is not that somebody is gifted, others are not. There is no such thing as gifted. Creativity does not require any gift. It is just a matter of shifting – you become something else. In fact, you are allowing yourself to become something else and then everything falls in line, as it were. If you do not allow the door to open, then you will never reach your goal howsoever intelligent you are. You may have what is called pure intelligence but if you do not open the door, then how can you achieve what you set out to.

eks{kks fo’k;oSjL;a cU/kks oS’kf;dks jl%A ,rkonso foKkua ;FksPNfl rFkk dq#AA2AA Moksha=liberation, vishyevairasyam=aversion of objects, bandho=bondage, vaishyik=of the objects, rasah=pleasures, etavat eva=all this, vigyanam=knowledge, yatheschsi=in whichever way, tatha=in that way, kuru=do. Liberation comes from aversion to objects. Bondage comes from the pleasures of objects. With this knowledge, do whatever as you please. Bondage and liberation are both within. You can be in bondage this moment, and liberated the next moment. You can even go back to bondage again. Everything is in the mind. Clearly, you have a choice here. You have the knowledge, you have the wisdom, you have the awareness of knowing what is liberation and what is bondage. You have even experienced them both. Now, the choice is yours whether you want to remain perpetually in bondage or in perpetual liberation.

okfXeizkKkuegks|ksxa tua ewdtMkyle~A djksfr rRRocks/kks·;erLR;Drks cqHkq{kfHk%AA3AA vagnimpragyamhodhyogam=an eloquent, energetic, janam=person, mookajdalsam=mute, inert, karoti=does, tatatvbodhah=awareness, ayam=this, tayakt=giving up, bubhukshubhih=who seek enjoyment. When an eloquent and energetic person becomes aware of this truth, he turns into a mute and inert person. So, this truth is avoided by those who seek enjoyment. What is the use of eloquence and energy when you have already become aware of the Truth? Is there anything else to be known or said?

u Roa nsgks u rs nsgks HkksDrk drkZ u ok Hkkou~A fpnzwiks·fl lnk lk{kh fujis{k% lq[ka pjAA4AA na=no, tvam=you, dehah=body, na=no, tey=you, bhokta=experiencer, karta=doer, na=no, va=also, bhavan=your, chidrupah=awareness, sada=perpetually, sakshi=witness, nirpekshah=without desires, sukham=happy, char=go. Neither you are the body nor is the body yours. Neither are you the doer of actions nor are you the experiencer of actions. Desireless, you are a perpetual witness. Go in happiness. There is nothing that you can call yours. You do not own anything, including this body that you mistakenly call yours. How can it be yours? When did you buy it? Where did you buy it? From whom did you buy it? If you did not buy it then do you think that you made this body? When did you make it? This body is not yours, it can be taken away from you at anytime, at anyplace? You won’t even know that your body is gone. Since you are not the body, who has desires and who performs actions? Find out.

jkx}s’kkS euks/kekSZ u euLrs dnkpuA fufoZdYiks·fl cks/kkRek fufoZdkj% lq[ka pjAA5AA ragdvesho=attachment and aversion, manodharmo=arise in the mind, na=no, manah=mind, tey=yours, kadachan=when, nirvikalpah=changless, asi=is, bodhatman=Awareness, nirvikarah=formless, sukham=happiness, char=go.

Attachment and aversion arise in the mind. And the mind is not yours. You are Awareness, changeless, formless and free. Go in happiness. The suffering comes from holding on to, happiness arises from giving up. Non-clinging is the key word here. We are all the time, throughout our lives, holding on to something: a notion, an idea, a system, a book, my wife, my family, my car, my job. If I am angry, the anger comes from me and it is mine; if I desire, it is my personal desire for my personal satisfaction; if I push an object away, then I do so because it is not to my liking. Everything is as me or mine. I am always identifying everything with myself. Perhaps my personal relationship with clinging began when I was a baby, clinging to my mother’s arms, my head comfortably resting on her soft and warm bosom. Perhaps I became incomplete, perhaps I was put into a state of deficit when I was taken away from her bosom. Perhaps now I am trying to fill the gap that was then created with objects that give me comfort. Seriously, I have failed to replace that comfort, one in which I was placed when I was a baby. I do not blame anyone for this. However, I am trying to fill up that deficit. But I cannot – my attachment to external objects is endless and the well of deficit is abysmal. Now, I am in a strange and piquant situation. If I continue to keep my childhood relationship with bonding, then I will remain unfulfilled. And if give up attachment I will lose everything that I have and enter an uncomfortable zone. But this is wrong thinking. This is thinking which is attached to the body. All that I have to do is to not cling to anything, not even my body. I must let go of everything – all that I see and all that I don’t see. In this universe there is nothing that is mine. All that I have invested in throughout my life, thinking that they belong to me, will not remain with me forever. These objects, that I have acquired all these years through hard work and sacrifices, did not belong to me from the very beginning. I had been clinging to them without realizing that they were already inside me, they were already part of me, they were never separate from me. Now I know that I am not the acquirer of these objects nor am I the owner of these objects. Now they are not objects of attachment since they are not separate from me. In this unity, which I have just now discovered, the notion of attachment has become absolutely absurd. There is nothing outside of me – now I know. When there is nothing outside of me, how then can I be attached, and with what? Having said that, I must keep going on, I cannot do away with existence. Non-attachment does not mean shunning every object and spending the rest of your life in a cloistered environment. To me, non-attachment is non-clinging which comes from the wisdom that nothing is truly separate. To me, this is my wife, my family, my friends with whom I have relationships but I do no longer cling to them. Having gained this knowledge of non-clinging, there is now no deficit in my life, no deprivation. Now I am full and satisfied and calm, in total peace. I had been

unnecessarily complicating my life all these years. Before I gained this knowledge of non-clinging, I was getting food, shelter, clothing, companionship and status in society. Now after gaining this knowledge of non-clinging, I am still getting the same food, shelter, clothing, companionship and status in society. So, what difference has all this made? Nothing has happened outside of me. But now I can value each moment that I am living. I am living the way that I should be living. In other words, while I was clinging, I had forgotten how to live. Now I know.

loZHkwrs’kq pkRekua loZHkwrkfu pkRekfuA foKk; fujgadkjks fueZeLRoa lq[kh HkoAA6AA sarvbhuteshu=in all the elements, cha=and, atmanam=Self, sarvbhutani=all in, cha=and, atmani=in Self, vigyay=knowing, nirhankaro=without personally identity, nirmam=without responsibility, tvam=you, sukhi=happy, bhav=be. Realizing that Self is in All, and All is in Self, be free from both responsibility and occupation with “me” and remain happy. When you know that all objects are in you and you are in all objects, and that there is no attachment and no clinging, you will never be occupied with wrong notions of “I’ and ‘mine”. For whom are you responsible now? Think about it.

fo”oa LQqjfr ;=sna rjaxk bo lkxjsA rRRoeso u lUnsgf”pUewrsZ foTojks HkoAA7AA vishwam=the world, safurti=arising, yatra=in which place, idam=that, taranga eva sagare=like waves of ocean, tat=so, tvaneva=you also, na sandeh=no doubt, chinmurta=awareness, vijwar=sorrow, bhav=be. You are that Awareness, that Consciousness, in which the world appears like waves appearing in the ocean. Undoubtedly, you are That. Be free from sorrows. So many waves arise and subside back into the ocean. You cannot even count them. Each one of them is a world, a universe in itself, which appears and disappears. This has been happening all the time in the past, and this will happen all the time in the future also. This is the truth about creation. Realize that you are Awareness, a witness to all that is. Once you do that, you will no longer suffer.

J)Lo rkr J)Lo uk= ek·ga dq#’o Hkks%A KkuLo:iks HkxokukRek Roa izd`rs% ij%AA8AA Shradhatsva=have faith, tat=O son, shradhatsva=have faith, na=no, atra=in this, moham=desire, kurushva=don’t have, bhom=O dear one, gyanswaroop=whose nature is knowledge, bhagwan=The Supreme, Atman=Atman, tvam=you, prakritayah=nature, prah=away. Have faith, my son. Don’t be deluded. You are the Supreme, whose very nature is knowledge. O dear One, you are the Atman that is beyond Nature itself. Ashtavakra tells King Janak that he should not get deluded by both thoughts and objects around him. He must understand that he is beyond them both. You are the Atman, theSelf, Awareness which is beyond creation itself.

xq.kS% laosf’Vrks nsgfLr’BR;k;kfr ;kfr pA vkRek u xark ukxark fdesueuq”kkspflAA9AA guno=in gunas, samveshtit=covered with, deh=body, tishthati=settled, ayati=comes, yati=goes, cha=and, aman=Self, na=no, ganta=will go, na=no, aganta=will come, kim=for whom, ayenam=on account, anushochsi=mourn. This body is made of gunas. It comes, it stays and it goes. The Self neither comes nor goes. Why mourn on this account? Movement takes place only at the limited level, not at the permanent level. The body is limited, made up of five elements. Therefore, it arises, stays for a while, and then subsides. The Self, on the other hand, is permanent. It never arises, so it cannot go anywhere.

nsgfLr’Brq dYikUra xPNRo|So ok iqu%A Do o`f)% Do p ok gkfuLro fpUek=:fi.k%AA10AA Deh=body, sthishthatu=settled, kalpantam=till end of Age, gachchtu=end, adhyaeva=now, va=if, punah=whether, kva=where, vridhdhi=gain, kva=where, cha=and, hani=loss, chinmatrarupinah=Awareness. Whether the body lasts till the end of Age or it perishes now, is there any gain or loss? You are Pure Awareness.

What is Pure Awareness? It is a state when awareness is just aware of itself. There is no content here, there is also no awareness of any object. Pure Awareness is simply filled with the presence of Knowing. In yoga, what is called Samadhi is actually awareness directly knowing itself. Awareness is a field which is empty but luminous. It is luminous not from any physical light or a light bulb, but from an inner light that shines by its own presence. Awareness is empty, awareness is itself. Awareness does not get transformed by experiences. In its natural state, it does not contain anything, like notions, views and memories. When you perceive an object, awareness fills itself with that particular object and your attention goes there. Then thoughts arise in your mind and you connect them with your memories, views and notions of that object. But no two thoughts that arise in your mind have an inherent connection since one thought doesn’t think other thoughts. You may feel the connectedness, the flow of thoughts, but each thought arises independently. It is not that thought A thinks of thought B for thought B to arise. However, they all arise from emptiness which is the realm of awareness. Once you are aware that thoughts arise from emptiness, then you know that this is just is an illusion. Armed with this knowledge, you can do wonders – one of which is to give up this movement of thought and return to emptiness. Sometimes it is asked as to how one can create emptiness. You cannot create something which is already there. That is the original state. You will notice that this emptiness gets filled up with thoughts after you perceive an object because your attention goes there. Once you have experienced that object, the thoughts as well as the objects fade away into oblivion – and emptiness once again is felt. So, emptiness has not changed even a bit. This is Pure Awareness.

Ro¸;uaregkaHkks/kkS fo”oohfp% LoHkkor%A mnsrq okLrek;krq u rs o`f)uZ ok {kfr%AA11AA anantmahambhodhyo=this great ocean, vishvichih=worldly waves, svabhavatah=by nature, udaytu=arise, astam=subside, ayatu=gain, na=no, tey=your, vridhih=increase, va=and, kshatih=loss. You are the great ocean in which the worldly waves arise and subside. There is no gain and no loss for you. Your nature is that of the ocean. The Self is all-pervading, all-embracing. Objects, events and experiences arise and subside, arise and subside, arise and subside. They do not touch the Self, they simply work on the surface of the ocean. How can an imagined object affect the Self. For the Self which is ever-present, how can there be gain or loss?

rkr fpUek=:ik·fl u rs fHkUufena txr~A vr% dL; dFka dq= gs;ksikns;dYiukAA12AA tat=son, chinmatrarupah=awarness, asi=you are, na=no, tey=your, bhinnam=different, idam=this, jagat=the world, ateh=therefore, kashya=whose, katham=what for, kutra=where, heyyopadadekalpna=acceptance and rejection is imagined. Son, you are Pure Awareness. The world is not different from you. Therefore, who is to accept or reject, and where and what for? Since the world is not different from you who are Pure Awareness, there is nothing that you can accept or reject. Even if you try to reject something, that still is yours, since there is no difference between you and the world. Both have arisen from the five elements.

,dfLeUuO;;s “kkUrs fpnkdk”ks·eys Ro;A dqrks tUe dqr% deZ dqrks·gadkj ,o pAA13AA ekasmin=One, avyav=unchanging, shantey=peaceful, chidakasho=all-pervading Awareness, kuto janam=where is birth, karma kuto=where is karma, kutoahankarah=where is ego, eva cha=and. You are Oneness, unchanging, all-pervading Awareness. So, how can there be birth, action and ego? In Oneness, nothing is excluded, everything is included. Even that about which we are not aware, about which we have no idea, that which we have yet to perceive, and that which we have rejected, is also included in Oneness. We, as humans, are also included in Oneness. We are part of it. We are part of the whole. We are the whole. There is man and woman, there is dog and daisy. There is light and dark, happiness and sorrow. They appear to be separate, different. Each of us has a different name, a different face, unique characteristics, but we belong together. Everything embraces us. Life embraces us. Life embraces everything. Life is all the time embracing existence and existence is life. Science and technology keeps us in total separation not only from creation but also from our own selves. It cannot understand that creation is whole. Science only wants to know how things work, it is interested only in the process, the mechanical part, the material expression of creation.

But this is incomplete knowledge. It is not a living experience. Science cannot tell us how to live and what is it that makes us live. Science cannot go into the realms of existence. It does not have any questions related to life or even existence. Life is not a mechanical process. A mechanical process cannot heal and transform. Nature is not constant. It cannot follow any laws because there are no laws in creation.

;RRoa i”;fl r=SdLRoeso izfrHkkllsA fda i`Fd~ Hkklrs Lo.kkZr~ dVdkaxnuwiqje~AA14AA yat=that which, tvam=you, pashyasi=see, tatra=that, ekah=one, tvameva=you, pratibhastey=appear, kim=what, prithak=different, bhastey=appear, svarnat=from gold, katkangadnupuram=bracelet, armlet and anklet. Whatever you see, it is you who is manifesting that. How can bracelet, armlet and anklet be different from the gold they are made of? Yes, you are only seeing gold in bracelet, armlet and anklet. You do not see the bracelet, it is only an appearance. A wave appears on the surface of the ocean, but that is water taking shape of a wave.

v;a lks·ge;a ukga foHkkxfefr laR;tA loZekResfr fuf”pR; fu%l³dYi% lq[kh HkoAA15AA ayam=this, sa=that, na=no, aham=I, vibhagam=distinction, iti=like this, santyaj=give up, atman=Self, eti=like this, nischayat=decide, nihsankalpah=without imagination, sukhibhav=be happy. Give up distinctions that I am this, I am that. Do not imagine as you are the Self. Be happy. We are always entangled in twin states: unbounded or boundless state and bound state. In the boundless state there is no absence but the bound state is always in bondage and thus limited. So, in this bound state there is an element of desire arising from unfulfillment, from incompleteness. Since both these states are contradicting each other, they cancel each other out. There is no differentiation, no plurality, no duality, and no distinction.

roSokKkurks fo”oa Roesd% ijekFkZr%A RoRrks·U;ks ukfLr lalkjh uklalkjh p d”puAA16AA Taveva=yours only, agyanto=from ignorance, vishvam=the world, tvam ekam=you are one, parmarthtah=in reality, tvatatah=from you, anyah=other, na=no, asati=is, sansari=wordly, cha=and, kanchan=any. From your ignorance you think that all this exists. In reality, it is you who exists. Apart from you, there is no one here and beyond this world. The Self alone is. Once this veil of ignorance is removed, you will become aware that you alone exist. There is no difference between you and the world.

HkzkfUrek=fena fo”oa u fdafpfnfr fu”p;hA fuokZlu% LQwfrZek=ks u fdafpfno “kkE;frAA17AA bhrantimatra=just illusion, idam=this, vishvam=world, na=no, kimchit=nothing, iti=like this, nischayi=decide, nirvasanah=without desires, safurtimatra=pulsating, na=no, kimchiteva=becoming desireless, shamyati=rest in peace. When a person has decided that this world is nothing but an illusion, that person himself becomes desireless and at peace. Where is the need for desires, for acquisitions, when the world itself is an illusion? What will you extract from an illusion?

,d ,o HkokaHkks/kkoklhnfLr Hkfo’;frA u rs cU/kks·fLr eks{kks ok dqR;d`R;% lq[ka pjAA18AA ekah=one, bhavambhodho=ocean of being, aseet=you were, asti=you are, bhavishyati=you will be, na=no, tey=your, bandh=bondage, moksho=liberation, va=and, kritkrityah=satisfied, sukhamchar=live happily. In this ocean of being, only you were, you are and you will be. There is no bondage or liberation. Be satisfied and live happily.

You yourself are the ocean of being. The Self is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Liberation is only for that which is in bondage. The Self is not bounded at all, so there is no question of liberation.

ek l³dYifodYikH;ka fpRra {kksHk; fpUe;A mi”kkE; lq[ka fr’B LokReU;kuUnfoxzgsAA19AA ma=don’t, sankalpvikalpabhyam=thoughts for and against, chittam=mind, kshobhay=disturb, chinmaye=O, Awareness, upshamay=calm your mind, sukham=happy, tishtha=settled, svatmani=in your nature, anandvigrah=remain happy. Do not disturb your mind with thoughts for and against. You are Awareness, at peace and settled in your nature. In Oneness, there are no options. You are unnecessarily disturbing your mind by thinking about options. Options are also part of the whole. So, where is the need for discussing for and against?

R;tSo /;kua loZ= ek fdafpn~ âfn /kkj;A vkRek Roa eqDr ,okfl fda foe`”; dfj’;flAA20AA tayaj=give up, dhyanam=meditation, sarvatra=totally, ma=don’t, kimchit=anything, hridi=in heart, dharya=keep, atma=Self, tvam=you, mukta=free, asi=is, kim=what, vimrishya=thinking, karishyasi=will do. Give up meditation totally. Don’t cling to anything by keeping it in your heart. You are the Self that is free. What will thinking do? The Self is always in meditation, untouched, non-clinging, free. End of Chapter Fifteen.

Chapter Sixteen

v’Vkodz mokp vkp{; “k`.kq ok rkr ukuk”kkL=k.;usd”k%A rFkkfi u ro LokLF;a loZfoLek.kkn~ _rsAA1AA achakshey=recite, shrinu=listen, va=or, tat=o, son, nanashastrani=different scriptures, anekshah=different ways, tathapi=but, na=no, tav=you, svasthyam=peace, sarvvismaranat=dropping everything, shratey=without. Ashtavakra said: You may recite and listen to different scriptures in different ways, but you can never get peace unless you drop everything. Give up everything! That is the key to peace and satisfaction. There is no satisfaction in the five elements, no end to imagination, no end to making up beliefs and laws and regulations. What is being regulated and what is being imagined? You are actually imagining in this illusion. You are only putting on layer upon layer of illusion. Drop this imagination, drop this book, drop this notion, drop this idea and drop all that you have been told since your childhood. Nothing matters now that you know you are Pure Awareness.

Hkksxa deZ lekf/ka ok dq# foK rFkkfi rsA fpra fujLrlokZ”keR;FkZ jkspf;’;frAA2AA bhogam=enjoy, karma=actions, Samadhi=Samadhi, va=or, kuru=do, vigya=O Knowledgeable, tathapi=but, yet=yours, chittam=awareness, nirsatsarvosham=beyond all desires, atyartham=totally, rochyishyati=yearn. O Knowlegeable, you can enjoy, work and sit in Samadhi. But you will still yearn for that which is totally beyond experiences where there are no desires. You may drink the nectar of all the enjoyments that you can get, you may perform all the actions that you want to, you may even sit in meditation. But you will never attain peace unless you perform without desires, without bondage, without attachment. Only then will you attain to that state which is beyond experience.

vk;klkRldyks nq%[kh uSua tkukfr d”pu A vusuSoksins”ksu /kU;% izkIuksfr fuo`Zfre~ AA 3 AA

ayasat=by effort, sakal=every person, dukhi=grief, na=no, eynam=this very, janati=does not know, kashchan=any, aneyaneva=this, updeshan=teaching, dhanyah=fortunate, praptnoti=attains, nivritim=supreme happiness. Efforts lead to misery but no one understands this. Fortunate is he who attains supreme happiness from this one teaching. We still keep on making efforts in this grand illusion. We have written down some goals that we must reach in our lives. These are all imaginary goals – every action that we perform towards achieving these goals are done in illusion. Yet, we keep on making efforts to achieve a target because there is a carrot that we will get after achieving this target. We are all after this carrot which is always dangling in front of us. The carrot never goes away, it is never removed, it is never eaten, it is always there where it was in the first place. And our efforts never end – because the carrot is there. This carrot is a mirage, an illusion after which we are running. Look at the people. Go outside and watch them walking on the streets. Everybody is moving, everybody is trying to reach somewhere, everybody is trying to achieve something. Each achievement is rewarded and this reward is in the form of a material object. However, a person who is fortunate knows that all these efforts are happening in the imagination, in illusion. I aware that the body will take care of itself – it knows how to – and all these efforts that I am making are basically to attain an illusion, a mirage.

O;kikjs f[k|rs ;Lrq fues’kksUes”k;ksjfi A rL;kyL; /kqjh.kL; lq[ka uU;L; dL;fpr~AA 4AA vyaparo=the labour, khidhyate=grief, ya=who, nimeshonmeshyo=opening and shutting of the eyes, api=also, tasya=that, alasyedhurinasya=lazy, sukham=happy, na=no, anaysya=the other, kasyachit=whoever. That lazy person is supremely happy for whom even the opening and shutting of the eyes is a labour. No one else is. The more a person makes an effort, the more a person labours hard, the more he is unhappy. An enlightened person does not labour hard, he does make an extra effort. He allows events to take place on their own. He has realized that any extra effort only leads to grief and not happiness. But he is not an idle person. He knows where that extra effort has to be made and where he needs to do anything. He lives with discrimination.

bna d`rfena usfr }}SeqZDra ;nk eu% A /kekZFkdkeeks{ks’kq fujis{ka rnk Hkosr~ AA 5AA

Idam=this, kritam=work done, na=no, iti=like this, dvand=pair of opposities, muktam=be free, yada=when, manah=mind, dharmarthkammoksheyshu=dharma, artha, kama, moksha, nirpeksham=without desire, tada=than, bhavet=is done. When the mind is free from the pair of opposites, like “This work is done” and “This work is not done”, one becomes indifferent to merit, wealth, pleasure and liberation. Only after becoming free of opposites can a person really attain freedom. When a person is free from attachments to his actions, he is free from all the four levels of life that have been assigned to him.

fojDrks fo’k;}s’Vk jkxh fo’k;yksyqi%A xzgeks{kfoghuLrq u fojD;ks u jkxoku~ AA 6AA viraktah=aversion, vishaydvand=dislikes objects, raagi=lover, vishaylolupah=desiring objects, grahmokshaviheenah=neither aversion nor attraction, na virakyoh= no aversion, raagvan=love for. A person who has an aversion to objects, dislikes them. A person who loves objects, desires them. One who neither has aversion or love, is neither detached nor attached. Likings and dislikings are personal, intensely internal emotions. Objects, on the other hand, do not have any such emotions. Thus, happiness for liking and sorrow for not liking are happening inside you, and not inside the objects that you perceive. So, who is going to get affected?

gs;ksikns;rk rkoRlalkjfoVikadqj% A Li`gk thofr ;kno~ oS fufoZpkjn”kkLine~ AA 7AA Heyopadeyta=thoughts of attachment and non-attachment, tavat=till then, sansarvitpangkur=the root and branches of world-tree, spriha=desire, jeevit=alive, nirvichardashaspadam=lack of discrimination. The cause of the world is lack of discrimination. So long as the desires are alive, there will be attachment and non-attachment. In a man who is liberated, there is no desire. A liberated man allows objects to arise and subside, he allows events to happen one after the other. He does not interfere with them, he does not wish for something to happen or something to appear.

Ikzo`RrkS tk;rs jkxks fuo`RrkS }s’k ,o fg A fu}ZU}Z ckyon~ |heku~ ,oeso O;ofLFr% AA 8AA pravitti=indulgence, jyate=happens, raago=attachment, nivritto=free from self-interest, dvesh=aversion, eva hi=thus, nirdvand=without pairs, balvad=as a child, dhiman=intelligent person, evameva=like, vyavasthit=lives on. Indulgence leads to attachment and aversion to freedom. An intelligent person is free from both and like a child lives on. Bring an object in front of a child. He will look at it. He may want to it, touch it and examine it. Take that object away from the child as soon as he reaches out for it. Nothing will happen. He will just look away to another object. One should have a child-like attitude towards the world. Everything is new, fresh. You do not even know what you must like or hate. There is no opinion.

gkrqfePNfr lalkja jkxh nq%[kftgkl;k A ohrjkxks fg funqZ%[kfLeUufi u f[k|fr AA 9 AA hatum=by giving up, ichchati=desiring, sansar=the world, ragi=attached person, dukhjihasaye=relieving misery, veetrago=without desire, nirdukh=without grief, tasmin=worldly objects, api=also, na=no, khidyati=does not grieve. A person who is attached to the worldly objects thinks that by renouncing them he will be relieved of misery. A person who is attached to nothing, and is without desire, does not grieve. Where is the need to give up attachment? The world exists and will exist even when you are not here in this world. If you think that by giving up objects of the world, you will attain bliss, then you are wrong. The worldly objects will remain in front of your eyes – you can never give them up. All that you have to do is have no attachment to them. Let them remain where they are – why should they affect you?

;L;kfHkekuks eks{kks·fi nsgs·fi eerk rFkkA u p ;ksxh u ok Kkuh dsoya nq%[kHkkxlkSAA10AA yasya=he who, abhman=pride, moksho=liberation, api-also, dehe=body, mamta=mine, tatha=same way, na=no, cha=and, yogi=yogi, na-no, va=or, gyani=intelligent person, kevalam=only, dukhbhak=suffers misery, aso=he.

He, who prides that liberation is his attainment as a person, is neither a yogi nor an intelligent person. He only suffers in misery. I am a yogi, I am an intelligent person, I am liberated, I am Buddha. How can you know that you are all this and more? Liberation should result in humility and not pride. It leads to love, universal love. A person who has in him universal love, cannot have any kind of pride or ego. gjks ;|qins’Vk rs gjh% deytks·fi okA rFkkfi u ro LokLF;a loZfoLej.kkn`rsAA11AA harah=Lord Shiva, yadi=if, updeshata=teaching, tey=your, harih=Lord Vishnu, kamaljah=Lord Brahma, va=or, tathapi=even then, na=no, tav=you, svastham=peace, sarvvismaranatshruti=without giving up. Even if Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu or Lord Brahma themselves come and teach you, you will never attain peace unless you give up. Give up attachment to the objects of the world – this is the secret. End of Chapter Sixteen.

Chapter Seventeen rsu KkuQya izkIra ;ksxkH;klQya rFkkA r`Ir% LoPNsfUnz;ks fuR;a ,dkdh jers rq ;%AA 1AA tain=who is, gyanfalam=fruits of knowledge, praptam=received, yogabhayassafalam=the fruits of yoga, tatha=and, triptah=satisfied, svachaydriyo=purified senses, nityam=perpetually, eykakai=solitude, ramtey=dwell. One who has Knowledge, who has received the fruits of yoga and is content, he is purified of senses, and perpetually lives in solitude. You do not attain liberation by wearing saffron clothes or even living in an ashram in the Himalayas. Your senses can never be purified by changing your environment. Purification comes from practice of purification and constant effort at gaining Knowledge. Then you can live alone without depending upon another.

u dnkfpTtxR;fLeu~ rÙkoKks gUr f[k|frA ;r ,dsu rsusna iw.kaZ czãk.Me.Mye~AA2AA Na=no, kadachit=never, jagat=world, asmin=this, tattatvagyah=knower of elements, hant=this is correct, khidhyati=to grief, yat=because, ekaintain=from that one, purna=full, brahmandmandalam=whole universe,. The knower of Truth is never miserable because he knows that the world is full of himself. You are in grief only when you desire something, a second. When you are only One, then where is the desire, where is the grief? You cannot be miserable when you know that that there is no difference between you and what you perceive – there is Oneness here.

u tkrq fo’k;% ds·fi Lokjkea g’kZ;UR;ehA lYydhiYyoizhrfeosHka fuaciYyok%AA3AA na jatu=never, vishyah=object, kayapi=any, svaramam=Svatmaram (Self), harshyanti=pleases, ami=this, sallakipallavpreetam=pleased with the leaves of Sallaki, ibham=the elephant, nimbapallavah=foliage of neem tree,

As the foliage of neem tree does not please an elephant who likes sallaki leaves, so does the Self who is never pleased by the sense objects.

A person who dwells in himself, as the Self, finds that the sense objects are worthless. They do not give him any satisfaction or Bliss. The nectar of the Self is like the juice of sallaki leaves that provides Ananda to the person who drinks it. So, it is better to drink the juice of the Self than to drink the juice of neem leaves.

;Lrq Hkksxs’kq HkqDrs’kq u HkoR;f/kokflr%A vHkqDrs’kq fujkdka{kh rn`”kks HkonqyZHk%AA4AA yastu=he who, bhogayshu=enjoys, bhukteshu=past enjoyments, na=no, bhavti=does, adhivasitah=not attached, abhukteshu=not enjoying, nirakangshi=desireless, tadrishah=that man, bhavdurlabh=rare in the world. He who is not attached to past enjoyments and does not also desire for enjoyments to come, is indeed rare in this world. I am settled in the Self. The past does not affect me. I do not want to repeat the experience of what I enjoyed in the past nor am I waiting for an experience of enjoyment in the future. I am at peace with myself, content with what I am. OM.

cqHkq{kqfjg lalkjs eqeq{kqjfi n`”;rsA Hksxkseks{kfujkdka{kh fojyks fg egk”k;%AA5AA Bubhukshah=desiring enjoyments, ih=this, sansare=objects of the world, mumukshuh=who desires liberation, api=and, drishyate=can be seen, bhogomokshanirakangshi=without desire for enjoyment and liberation, virlo=rare, mahashay=great soul. Those who desire enjoyments and those who desire liberation can be seen in the world. Rare is a great soul who desires neither enjoyment nor liberation.

/kekZFkZdkeeks{ks’kq thfors ej.ks rFkkA dL;kI;qnkjfpRrL; gs;ksikns;rk u fgAA6AA dharmakamamokshayshu=dharma, kama, moksha, jeevitay=life, marnay=death, tatha=and, kasya=which, udarchittasya=noble mind, heyopadeyta=covets or gives up, nahi=not.

Rare is the noble-minded person who neither covets nor gives up dharma, kama, moksha, life and death. okaNk u fo”ofoy;s u }s’kLrL; p fLFkrkSA ;Fkk thfod;k rLekn~ /kU; vkLrs ;Fkk lq[ke~AA7AA Vancha=wishes, na=no, vishvvilye=dissolution, na=no, dvaysh=anger, cha=and, stithto=situation, yatha jeevikaya=whatever life presents, tasmat=because of this, dhanya=blessed soul, astay=remains, yathasukham=happy. He is a blessed soul who neither wishes for the dissolution of the world nor is angry with its settled situation. He accepts whatever life presents and remains happy. A man of knowledge, a rare soul, a great sage, lives in a reality which is different from the others. He experiences the world from a totally different perspective. It is not that the rare soul does not live on this planet or is in mindful delusion but that his views of things are apart from others. He may look crazy, he may talk like an insane person, but he is actually resting in peace and knows. He is perpetually sensing reality. He has awakened from his dream experiences and realizes that whatever happened or is happening is nothing but appearances in his mind. For him, there is neither an outer reality nor an inner, subjective world. The truth is neither “out there” nor “in here”. There is neither the ultimate reality nor the relative reality. The false “seeing” has become perfect seeing, now. The three-dimensional objects of the world are the same, only the sage’s way of looking at them has changed. He knows reality or truth is confined within the realm of words, sentences, language. Visual objects and experiences can only be known through language. But language does not possess the liberating power. A person who is addicted knows that it takes much more than just knowing its hazardous nature to quit. A sage knows that truth or reality can be perceived from two perspectives – from the standpoint of the world and from the standpoint of liberation. He is aware that the dividing line between these two perspectives is thin, brittle and unstable. So, he gives up both the standpoints. By definition, then, there is no real, no ultimate, no seeming, no false reality; in fact, no reality at all. There is not even illusion. Yet, every phenomenon is existence. Existence IS. Existence is neither real nor an illusion. No definitions can bind it. Nothing is arising in front of a rare soul, and nothing is subsiding in front of a rare soul. There is no phenomenon that is either existent or non-existent since the great soul is beyond language, beyond definitions, beyond ignorance. This noble soul is in a meditative equipoise, and engages in helping others so that they too may become rare souls.

There is just a single one point where phenomena or objects or experiences do not get established anything. All disputes have ended here; there are no arguments. If you tell the noble soul that the world exists, he will agree. And again, if you tell the noble soul that the world does not exist, he will still agree. For him there is no consensus and there is no opposition – there is nothing to pinpoint to say, Yes, this is it! All is beyond expression.

d`rkFkksZ·usu KkusR;soa xfyr/kh% d`rhA i”;u~ “k`.ou~ Li`”ku~ ft?kzUu~ v”uUUkkLrs ;Fkk lq[ke~AA8AA kritartha=satisfied, anayan=this, gyanayna=this knowledge, galitdhih=empty mind, kriti=knowledgeable person, paschyan=seeing, shravan=listens, sparshan=touches, jigranna=smells, ashnan=eats, astay=stays, yathasukham=always happy. A sage whose mind is empty, who is satisfied and at peace, is always happy, seeing, listening, touching, smelling, eating. What else is there to do for the sage who is enlightened? The body has to live for a number of years that it has to – no science can ensure or astrologer can predict as to how many years a person will live.

“kwU;k n`f’Vo`ZFkk ps’Vk fodykuhfUnz;kf.k pA u Li`gk u fojfDrokZ {kh.klalkjlkxjsAA9AA shunya=nothing, drishti=sight, vritha=going, cheshtha=worldly desires, viklani=dried, indrayani=senses, cha=and, na=no, spriha=wishes, viraktih=free from worldly attachments, kshinsansarsagaraye=the ocean of this world which is in dissolution. In whom the ocean of this world has dried up, he is free from attachments and worldly desires. His sight is vacant, he has no wishes and his senses inactive. The knowledgeable has no desire for anything because the world from which he desires does not exist. If the world does not exist, then how can a sage have any attachments or worldly desires? In the absence of any such desires, the sage has no wishes and his senses do not respond to external changes. So, his eyes seem vacant although he sees – he is the witness of all that is.

u tkxfrZ u funzkfr uksUehyfr u ehyfrA

vgks ijn”kk Dokfi orZrs eqDrpsrl%AA10AA na=no, jagrati=awake, na=no, nidrati=asleep, na=no, unmiliti=opens eyes, na=no, militia=shuts eyes, aho=surprised, pardasha=superior state, kvapoi=how, vartati=everywhere, muktchetasah=liberated one. For the Supreme Soul, the liberated state is everywhere. Surprising, that he is neither awake, nor asleep, neither opens his eyes, nor shuts them. When the Supreme Soul is settled in the state of turiya or emptiness, then he neither perceives nor does not perceive any external objects. For him this supreme state of liberation is in unconditional, all-pervading and forever.

loZ= n`”;rs LoLFk% loZ= foeyk”;%A leLrokluk eqDrks eqDr% loZ= jktrsAA11AA sarvatra=everywhere, drishyate=appearing, svasthah=peaceful, sarvatra=everywhere, vimalashey=whose heart is pure, samasthavasna muktah=free from all desires, muktah=liberated, sarvatra=everywhere, rajtey=stays. A liberated soul, whose heart is pure and who is free from desires, appears everywhere in peace. Pairs do not affect a liberated soul. He is neither happy in happiness nor does he grieve in sorrow. He is always in a state of perfect peace, ananda, perpetually in bliss. A person who is not liberated may get affected by dualities, but a liberated soul stays settled in his own calmness and even spreads this stillness wherever he goes.

i”;u~ “k`.ou~ Li`”ku~ ft?kzUu~ v”uu~ x`.gu~ onu~ oztu~A bZfgrkuhfgrSeqZDr eqDr ,o egk”k;%AA12AA pashyan=seeing, shravan=listening, sparshan=touching, jighran=smelling, ashnan=eating, grihanan=accepting, vadan=speaking, vrajan=going, ihitahnihita=from pair of opposites, mukta=free, muktah=liberated soul, eva=definitely, mahashay=great soul. Seeing, listening, touching, smelling, eating, accepting, speaking, and going around, the great soul is definitely free from the pair of opposites. u fuUnfr u LrkSfr u â’;fr u dqI;frA

u nnkfr u x`.gkfr eqDr% loZ= uhjl%AA13AA na nindati=no blames, na stauti=no praises, na hrishyti=no rejoicing, na kupyati=no anger, na dadati=no giving, na grihanati=no accepting, muktah=liberated, sarvatra=everywhere, neersi=without desires. He neither blames, nor praises, neither rejoices nor is he angry. He does not even accept or gives. The liberated man is free from desires everywhere. It is easy to distinguish a liberated soul from a person who is in bondage. The characteristics of a liberated soul may not look familiar to a common man.

lkuqjkxka fL=;a n`’V~ok e`R;qa ok leqifLFkre~A vfogoykeuk% LoLFkks eqDr ,o egk”k;%AA14AA sanuragam=desire, striyam=towards woman, drishtava=seeing, mrityum=approaching death, va=and, samupasthitam=near, avigvlamanah=unperturbed, svastho=at peace, mukta=free, mahashey=a great soul. A person who is not disturbed by the sight of a desiring woman or at the approaching of death, is indeed a great soul who is at peace. He is a great soul who does not flow with emotions that arise from external factors. A person who is internally calm and still will not get perturbed by the sight of a woman who is beckoning him or even when he knows that death is very near since his will power is mighty strong.

lq[ks nq%[ks ujs uk;kZa laiRlq p foiRlq pA fo”ks’kks uSo /khjL; loZ= lenf”kZu%AA15AA sukhay=happiness, dukhay=grief, narey=man, nayaryam=woman, sampatsu=success, vipatsu=loss, cha=and, visheysha na=no distinction, dhirasya=liberated soul, sarvatra=everywhere, samndarshanah=see as equal.

A liberated soul finds no distinction between happiness and grief, a man and a woman, success and failure for he sees everything as equal. For a liberated soul, all are the same. He abides in the Self and sees all that is visible as part of the Self.

u fgalk uSo dk#.;a ukS)R;a u p nhurkA

uk”p;Z uSo p {kksHk% {kh.klalk.ks ujsAA16AA na himsa=no aggression, na karuna=no compassion, na audvaytam= no immortal, na cha=no and, deenta=humility, na ashcharya=no surprise, na kshobhah=no disappointment, kshinsansarnay=the world is over. There is no aggression, no compassion, no immortality, no pride, no humility, no surprise and no disappointment for a person whose days in the world are numbered.

u eqDrks fo’k;}s’Vk u ok fo’k;yksyqi%A vlalDreuk fuR;a izkIrkizkIreqik”uqrsAA17AA na=no, muktah=liberated soul, vishayadveshthta=averse to sense objects, na=no, va=or, vishaylolupah=attached to sense objects, asansaktamnah=detached mind, nityam=perpetually, praptapraptam=achievement and non-achievement, upashnutay=enjoys. A liberated soul is neither averse nor attached to the sense objects. In both achievement and non-achievement, he enjoys perpetually with a detached mind. He flows with the motions of life, always present in the here and now, doing what is required to be done, without aversion, without attachments, not seeking fruits of labour, intensely detached, but ever living.

lek/kkuklek/kkufgrkfgrfodYiuk%A “kwU;fpRrks u tkukfr dSoY;feo lafLFkr%AA18AA Samadhanasamadhanhitahitvikalpanah=alternatives of solutions and no solutions and its benefit and loss, shunyachittah=mind in emptiness, na=no, janati=knows, kaivalyam=detached, eva=like, sthithah=established. He, whose mind is established in emptiness and who is detached, does not know the alternatives of solutions and no solutions and its benefits and loss. What difference would it make to a great soul if he benefits from a solution to a problem? What would he gain and what would he lose? For him, there are no problems, no alternatives, and no options other than existing. The Self is all-pervading – there is no difference anywhere.

fueZeks fujgadkjks u fdafpfnfr fuf”pr%A

vUrxZfyrlokZ”k% dqoZUufi djksfr u fyI;rs AA19AA nirmamo=without affections, nirhankaro=without pride, na=no, kimchiditi=nothing exists, nischyati=decided, antargalitsarvashah=desires extinguished within, kuvarna karoti=performs actions, na=no, lipayete=without attachment. Free from affections and pride, that this is me and this is mine, aware that nothing really exists, and with desires extinguished, a liberated soul performs actions without attachment. Such is his detachment that a liberated person acts without performing action. He is aware that since nothing actually exists and all is covered with the Self, he does not have the pride of possessing anything.

eu%izdk”klaeksgLoIutkMÓfooftZr%A n”kka dkefi laizkIrks Hkosn~ xfyrekul%AA20AA manahprakashsammohasvpanjadyavivarjitah=free from mental display of dreams and delusion and stupor, dasham=state, kamapi=indescribable, sampraptam=achieve, bhaved=does, galitmanasah=whose mind is dissolved. He, whose mind is dissolved, who is free from mental projections of dreams and delusions and stupor, achieves the indescribable state. All the disturbances that were once arising in the mind have now been dissolved. The mind is no longer engaged in options of any kind. The outward mental projections have now ceased to trouble. The mind is now moving inside, towards the cave of the heart, away from dreams and delusion, away from the worldly stupor. End of Chapter Seventeen.

Chapter Eighteen v’Vkodz mokp ;L; cks/kksn;s rkoRLoIuon~ Hkofr Hkze%A rLeS lq[kSd:ik; ue% “kkUrk; rstlsAA1AA yasya bodhodaye=whose awareness has risen, tatvat=before, svapnavat=like a dream, bhavati=becomes, braham=delusion, tasmay=its, sukhayekrupaye=bliss by nature, namah=salutations, shantaya=still by nature, tejsey=luminous. Ashtavakra said: Salutations to That which by nature is blissful, luminous and still, and which by Its awareness reveals that the world is a dream. Once you become aware of the Self, then you enter a realm which is utterly blissful and at peace. There is a stillness which you can only have but cannot share. The Self shines by Itself and spreads the light everywhere. Nothing arises here and nothing also subsides.

vtZf;Rook·f[kyku~ vFkkZu~ HkksxkukIuksfr iq’dyku~A u fg loZifjR;kxeUrjs.k lq[kh Hkosr~AA2AA arjayitva=collecting, akhilan=totally, arthan=abundance, bhogan=pleasures, apnoti=receives, pushklaan=all, na=no, hi=definitely, sarvparityagam=giving up all, antrayn=without, sukhi=happy, bhavet=is. By collecting all the riches of the world and receiving all its pleasures, a man is definitely not happy unless he gives them up. The more you collect, the more unhappy you become. Once you collect the riches you need to protect them from theft and destruction. That gives you tension and stress. You are always worrying about losing all that you have collected by hard work and deceit. Yes, deceit because no one can become very rich without deceiving. An honest person is never super rich. There is a common saying that you spend your whole life working hard to earn, and then when you have earned, you are spending that amount for treating diseases that you also picked up along the way. You never even realized, while you were working so hard, that all these riches are meaningless and would never give you happiness. All that you got was a bloated ego and bodily comforts which has given you illnesses. A thousand square yards of house and an acre of farmhouse, so many cars, all these gadgets and servants to shout at! At the end of the day, ask yourself what you have gained from all these efforts for gathering material objects. You will get your answer.

drZO;nq%[kekrZ.MTokyknX/kkUrjkReu%A dqr% iz”keih;w’k/kkjklkje`rs lq[ke~AA3AA kritvyadukhamatrandjwaladagdhantratmanah=inner heart scorched by the sun of sorrow arising from duties, kutah=where, prashampiyushdharasaram=shower of the nectar of peace, ritay=until, sukhm=happy. How can a person whose inner heart has been scorched by the sun of sorrow arising from earth-bound duties, be happy unless he receives the shower of the nectar of peace? There is no end to suffering till such time that you are bound by the duties of family, parents, sons, workplace, society, etc. The web of this artificially built set of duties is an entanglement out of which you cannot come out so easily. A person who realizes the insignificance of all these duties carries a heavy heart. He is all the time seeking a drop of the nectar of peace which is even more difficult to get because of this entanglement. Illusion is more powerful than the thoughts that arise in our minds.

Hkoks·;a Hkkoukek=ks u fdafpr~ ijekFkZr%A ukLR;Hkko% LokHkkouka HkkokHkkokfoHkkfouke~AA4AA bhav=world, ayam=this, bhavnamatro=only imagination, na=no, kimchit=nothing, parmarthah=highest truth, na=no, astey=untrue, svabhavnam=natures, bhavabhavavibhavinam=being and non-being. This world is nothing but imagination. In fact, it is nothing. This highest truth can only be known by seeing the true nature of being and non-being. Seen from the standpoint of the highest truth, there is nothing but the Self. This is only a way of saying it, to understand the Self which cannot be placed under any conditions. The Self itself has no standpoint, so it cannot be seen from a standpoint or a perspective. The Self is pure, total and perfect. The rest is imagination. All that you must do is remove these cobwebs of imagination and the sorrows from the scorching sun will go away. The death of imagination is liberation.

u nqja u p ladkspkYyC/kesokReu% ine~A fufoZdYia fujk;kla fufoZdkja fujatue~AA5AA

na=no, duram=far away, na=no, cha=and, sankochatlabdham na=limitless, atman=Self, padam=nature, nirvikalpam=unimaginable, nirayasam=effortless, nirvikaram=immutable, niranjanam=spotless. The nature of the Self is immutable, spotless, effortless and unimaginable. It is without limits and is not far away from you since you are forever the Self. The Self cannot be altered – it pervades everywhere. The Self is omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent. You are the Self and the Self is you. There is no difference. There is only Oneness.

O;keksgek=fojrkS Lo:iknkuek=r%A ohr”kksdk fojktUrs fujkoj.kn`’V;%AA6AA vyamohmatravirto=end of worldly desires, svaroopdanmatratah=by knowing one’s own nature, veetshokah=without grief, virajantey=beautiful, niravarandrishatyah=unclouded vision. When vision becomes unclouded, there is an end to worldly desires, and you know your own nature. You are without grief and the Self shines in Its glory. How do you remove the dark clouds of illusion? This is done by detaching yourself from the worldly desires – only then you will know yourself.

leLra dYiukek=ekRek eqDr% lukru%A bfr foKk; /khjks fg fdeH;L;fr ckyor~AA7AA samstam=all, kalpanamatram=imagination only, atman=Self, muktah=-liberated, sanatanah=eternal, iti=like this, vigyaye=know, dhirah=great soul/sage, kim=what, abhyasyati=lives, balvat=child.

All is imagination. Knowing the Self as eternal and liberated, the sage lives like a child. Probably the most difficult task is to live like a child. The five year old is a liberated soul. For him, everything is new, fresh, to be enjoyed. The five year old child is innocent, has no ideals, he does not know anything about freedom of speech or democracy. He is not even concerned about ideals that we as adults adhere to. For him, the world is a wonderful toy to be played with and enjoyed. Every object that he perceives, gives him pleasure. The sage too is like a child, enjoying every moment, playing with every object that he perceives – detached and within the Self.

vkRek czãsfr fuf”pR; HkkokHkkokS p dfYirkSA fu’dke% fda fotkukfr fda czwrs p djksfr fde~AA8AA Atman=Self, Brahman=Brahman, iti=is, Nischaye=definitely, bhavabhavo=existence, non-existence, cha=and, kalpito=imagined, nishkamah=without desires, kim=what, vijyanti=knows, kim=what, brutay=says, cha=and, karoti=does, kim=what.

Knowing the Self to be Brahman and existence and non-existence as just imagination, what should a desireless person do, say and know? The Self is Brahman and Brahman is Self. There is neither difference nor separation. There is no different or separate atman that abides in your body which is different from the Oneness. In fact, the original meaning of atman is breath – and how it came to be known as soul is a matter of conjecture as well as research. Prana or the vital force or the breath that you inhale is atman, the Self. All the five elements are contained in this breath. It the breath by which you are living.

v;a lks·ge;a ukga bfr {kh.kk fodYiukA loZekResfr fuf”pR; rw’.khHkwrL; ;ksfxu%AA9AA ayam=this, aham=I am, na=no, aham=I, iti=this, sheenah=looses, vikalpana=thoughts, sarvam=all, atman=Self, nischaya=definitely, tooshenibhutasye=silently, yoginih=the yogi. Realising that there are no thoughts like “I am this” and “I am not this”, the yogi certainly goes into the silence that is the Self. Those who know have said that there are four ways to attain inner peace or silence. These are: 1/. Know that life is not an object or a thing, 2/. Reconcile with everything – accept, 3/. Forgive everyone – be the master of the situation and not a victim, and 4/. Do not judge – who gave you this power to judge who/what is right or wrong. Inner peace is not dependent on any external factors but purely upon our awareness. It is the silence which is alive and ecstatic. This silence further heightens our awareness and enlivens our intelligence.

Inner peace is here and now. You can find inner peace in the commotion of thoughts as it is always alive. This silence is a state and not a thing that you must acquire or attain. It is already there – only that you are not aware of its presence. The problem with us humans is that we are all the time reaching out, trying to get hold of something. This “thing” is an object, devoid of life. There is no enduring peace in this “thing”. You cannot find peace – it is not kept somewhere, at a certain spot. But it exists wherever you are, wherever life is. You will know this inner peace by realizing that life is neither a “thing” nor a “form” but a dynamic process. There is no peace in objects or things. You can know this inner peace by reconciling, completely and totally accepting the whole of existence. In Oneness, there is no discord. If there is any discord, then it is in your mind, in your thoughts, inside you. Why have anger, why have resentments? Why keep memories of discord or conflict? What will you gain or lose? So, the next step is to forgive. What have you gained till now by being self-righteous? Do you really believe that people have been doing injustice to you or have they been behaving the way they were wont to? It is all in your mind. You are carrying on your shoulder a position which is only a concept, a notion written in the wind. And it is affecting your thinking process. And so, the past keeps on coming back to you with all its emotional pollutants and negativities. Simply give up this self-righteousness and forgive everyone, including the dog who may have mistakenly barked at you and frightened you some months ago. Remember that by forgiving you are actually giving. You are no longer a victim. You have now reclaimed the authorship of your self. You have become the master. The act of forgiving has released you from the negative states of anger and resentment. If you think that by forgiving you are denying justice, then you are wrong. First of all, ask yourself as to who has given you the authority to judge? If someone tries to defame you or injures your son, do you have to defame him or injure his son? Observe prakriti, Mother Nature. Observe her carefully, closely and you will know if there is any principle of justice. You are neither “holy” nor “unholy”. In this Oneness, everything is reconciled. There is no right, there is no wrong. Only existence exists.

u fo{ksiks u pSdkxz;a ukfrcks/kks u ew<rkA u lq[ka u p ok nq%[ka mi”kkUrL; ;ksfxu%AA10AA

na=no, vikshepah=distraction, na=no, cha=and, ekagraham=focus, na=no, atibodhah=higher awareness, na=no, moodta=ignorance, na=no, sukham=happiness, na=no, cha=and, va=or, dukham=grief, upshantasya=peaceful, yoginah=a yogi. A yogi who is at peace, is neither distracted nor focused, has no higher knowledge nor is ignorant and has no pleasure nor pain. The mind is without options. There are no differences and no oppositions. Objects do not distract the mind nor is the mind ignorant of their appearance. Objects, thoughts and imaginations arise and subside, but this is happening someplace else. The yogi is at peace, silent, still, undisturbed, unperturbed. He is neither affected nor unaffected because nothing is taking place.

LokjkT;s HkS{k;o`RrkS p YkkHkkykHks tus ousA fufoZdYiLoHkkoL; u fo”ks’kks·fLr ;ksfxu%AA11AA svarajaye=independence, bhokshayavrittah=dependence, cha=and, labhalabhay=gain or loss, janey=society, vanay=forest, nirvikalpsvabhavasya=whose nature is without doubt, na=no, visheshah=distinctions. Dependence or independence, gain or loss, society or forest – a man whose nature is without options, makes no distinctions. When you are in Oneness, whether you live in a city or in a forest, should make no difference to you. You are neither dependent on anyone nor independent from anyone and you do not even think about acquiring anything. So, if you do not acquire anything, where is the question of losing? So, you are simply living in the present, in the here and now, without attachments to any object or thought or ideal or notion. How can you distinguish a table from a chair? For you, they are not even objects. You do not even have the notion of a table. Would it make any difference in your life if you did not know that a table exists? Think about it. And let the answer come without your forcing for an answer.

Do /keZ% Do p ok dke% Do pkFkZ% Do foosfdrkA bna d`rfena usfr }U}SeZqDrL; ;ksfxu%AA12AA kva=where, dharma=dharma, kva=where, cha=and,va=or, kama=action, kva=where, cha=and, artha=prosperity, kva=where, vivekata=thoughts, idam=that, kritam=done, idam=that, na=no, iti=this way, dvandeh=opposites, muktasya=free from, yoginah=a sage.

A great soul has nothing to do with dharma, artha and kama – he is free from opposites like “I have done this” and “I have not done this”. A great soul performs those actions which are necessary for existence. He does not act according to ideals, concepts and greed. He does not even bother to recognize that he has performed any action. There is no action that he performs while living.

d`R;a fdefi uSo u dkfi âfn jatukA ;Fkk thouesosg thoUeqDrL; ;ksfxu%AA13AA Krityam=duties, kim api na eva=are nothing at all, hridi=in heart, ranjana=attachment, yatha=like, jeevanam=life, eva=in the same way, ih=the world, jeevanmuktasya=liberated from life, yoginah=the great soul. For a great soul who is liberated while living, there are no duties that he performs, no attachments in his heart – in the same way his life goes. A great soul does not desire to perform a particular action for some results. For him, all actions have ceased to exist. He has no attachment to any objects, to any notion, to any idea, to any concept or to any theory or book. Ignorance has perished. Only existence exists.

Do eksg% Do p ok fo”oa Do rn~ /;kua Do eqDrrkA loZladYilhek;ka foJkUrL; egkReu%AA14AA kva=where, moh=desire, kva=where, cha=and, va=or, vishvam=the world, kva=where, tad=that, dhyanam=meditation, kva-where, muktata=liberation, sarvsankalpseemayam=the edge of all intentions, vishrantasya=calm, mahatmanah=great soul. Where is desire? Where is the world? Where is meditation? Where is liberation? When a great soul reaches the limits of all intentions, then he is calm. A great soul does not have any desires or intentions to achieve or attain this object or that notion. In Oneness, the world also does not exist as a separate body. There are no desires and no intentions to obtain. There is no deficit. There are no limits.

;su fo”ofena n`’Va l ukLrhfr djksrq oSA fuokZlu% fda dq#rs i”;Uufi u i”;frAA15AA yayn=that person, vishvam=the world, idam=this, drishtam=perceive, sa=that, na=no, asti=is, iti=like this, karotu=to go, vay=certainly, nirvasanah=without desires, kim karutay=what is done, pashyan=seeing, api=also, na pashyati=does not see. That person who sees the world may certainly say that he does not see it, but what can a desireless person do? In seeing he knows there is nothing to see. Why do we have eyes? Why do we perceive? What is it that happens when we perceive objects? What can eyes do when the breath is taken out of the body? These are neither philosophical queries nor scientific problems. These are basic questions about life and living, about reality and illusion. Is the world really out there? Yes, it is. Is the world nothing? Yes, it is. Is the world real as well as nothing? Yes, it is neither real nor unreal. It is both. In fact, it is neither. It all depends on the way you look at it. This is a completely subjective issue. The world cannot exist without you nor does it exist because you are there, nor does it exist because of you – what are you worried about, why are you afraid that you will lose the world? What did you bring with you when you came? What is yours? All these belong to the five elements and all these will return to the five elements. Reality is neither real nor unreal. A phenomenon is not merely an illusion, nor is it an empirical reality. All is relatively truth. However, all is unreal from the standpoint of absolute truth. It depends on which side of the fence you are standing. Maya or “not that” is the conditional reality of appearance which is inherently impermanent. Our confusion and our ignorance is in our perception and not in what appears. Both maya and absolute reality are the same – the sense of self separates them both. Everything else that you may think of as real or read in the books are just concepts that have simply nothing to do with what is. There are no causes, no effects, no attributes. There is no subjective reality, no ultimate reality, no actual creation, no dissolution. Nothing is relative, nothing is temporal, nothing is absolute, nothing is finite. There is no thing at all. Let us not reduce Oneness to concepts, theories and laws. Let us not project our thoughts on what Is. Let us not superimpose upon what Is. There is neither maya nor Brahman as separate – both of them are neither objects nor entities and both of them are concepts. Everything is One. All is Oneness – call it by any name; yet name cannot be given to it since it has neither shape nor form, and it cannot be reduced to an object. Know it only as Oneness.

;su n`’Va ija czã lks·ga czãsfr fpUr;sr~A fda fpUr;fr fuf”pUrks f}rh;a ;ks u i”;frAA16AA yain=for that person, drishtam=see, param=supreme, Brahman=Brahman, soham=I am Brahman, brahmanyeti=like this, chitayait=think, kim=how, chintyaiti=thinks, nishchayantah=certainly, dwitayam=duality, yo=that person, na=no, pashchayetey=sees. He who has seen the Supreme Brahman, may think “I am Brahman”, but how will a person think who sees no duality? Once you have transcended thought, you can see no other. You don’t even think that you are Brahman. In actuality, you are Brahman. There is no separation. There is only Self.

n`’Vks ;sukRekfo{ksiks fujks/ka dq#rs RoklkSA mnkjLrq u fof{kIr% Lkk/;kHkkokRdjksfr fde~AA17AA drishtah=seen, yain=that person, atman=self, vikshepah=distraction, nirodham=control, karoti=does, tu=but, aso=that person, udarah=great soul, tu=then, na=no, viksho[tah=without distraction, sadhyahbhavat=thought of attainable, karoti=to be done, kim=what. He who sees distraction, achieves self control. But a great soul is not distracted. When there is nothing to attain, what is he to do? In Oneness, what is there to achieve? You already are what you are.

/khjks yksdfoi;ZLrks oRrZekuks·fi yksdor~A u lekf/ka u fo{ksia u ysia LoL; i”;frAA18AA dhiro=great soul, lokvipayastah=without distractions of this world, vartamanah api=even though living, lokvat=like a worldly man, na=no, Samadhim=Samadhi, na=no, vikshepam=distraction, na=no, lepam=bondage, svasya=himself, paschyati=sees. Even though a great soul is living like an ordinary man, he sees that he is neither distracted by the world, nor is he in bondage nor is he in Samadhi. The world cannot be a distraction to the one who is living without bondage, who is free from the thoughts arising and who performs actions without being attached to them.

HkkokHkkofoghuks ;Lr`Irks fuokZluks cq/k%A uSo fdafpRd`ra rsu yksdn`’VÓk fodqoZrkAA19AA bhavabhavviheeno=free from emotions and emotionlessness, ya=who, tripah=satisfied, nirvasanah=desireless, buddhah=wise, na=no, evakimchit=nothing, kritam=done, tayn=that, lokdrishtya=in the eyes of the world, krutva=as if done. A person who is free from both emotions and non-emotions, who is contended, desireless and wise, does nothing even though the world sees him as performing action. There is no doer. There are no actions performed. There is nothing to be done. Established in the Self, what is there to do? What actions have to be performed, what is there to attain or achieve? In Oneness, there is neither existence, nor non-existence, there are no objects that are separate from the Self.

izo`RrkS ok fuo`RrkS ok uSo /khjL; nqxzZg%A ;nk ;RdrqZek;kfr rRd`Rok fr’Br% lq[ke~AA20AA Pravittoh=indulgence, va=or, nivrittoh=non-action, va=or, na eva=never, dhirasya=wise person, duragrah=obstacle, yada=whenever, yat=what, kritamayati=action to be performed, tat=then that, kritva=is performed, tishthatah=in trance, sukham=happily. A wise man encounters no difficulty in performing or not performing action because whatever action is to be performed gets performed happily. A wise man lives in a trance. He is happiness personified. For him, actions are only to be performed because existence Is and he performs them in a trance-like happiness. There is no indulgence or non-indulgence in the actions that are performed. They are simply performed in their pristine glory, pureness, simplicity and for themselves. Actions are performed for the sake of performing actions and for no other reasons.

fuokZluks fujkyac% LoPNUnks eqDrcU/ku%A f{kIr% lalkjokrsu ps’Vrs “kq’di.kZor~AA21AA nirvasanah=without desires, niralambah=without support, svachchandah=free-willed, muktabandhanah=free from bondage, kshiptah=inspired, sansarvatayn=given to worldly actions, cheshteh=tries, shukparvatan=like a dried leaf.

He who is without desires, independent, free-willed, without bondage, is inspired by the action of a dried leaf and tries to follow it. What inspires a man with no desires to act? A dried leaf does nothing but still moves around pushed by the wind.

vlalkjL; rq Dokfi u g’kksZ u fo’kknrkA l “khryeuk fuR;a fonsg bo jktrsAA22AA asansarasya=for whom the world does not exist, tu=so, na=no, kvapi=where, harsho=happiness, na=no, vishadta=grief, sah=that, sheetalmana=stilled mind, nityam=perpetually, vidheheva=like liberated, rajte=lives. For whom the world does not exist, that person with a still mind does not experience happiness or grief and is perpetually liberated. Liberation comes when you are detached from the objects and not otherwise. Your attachments to objects disturb you.

dq=kfi u ftgklkfLr vk”kk okfi u dq=fpr~A vkRekjkeL; /khjL; “khrykPNrjkReu%AA23AA kutrapi=where, na=no, jihasa=desire to give up, asti=is, asha=desire to accept, vapi=and, kutrachitt=where, atmaramsaya=settled in Self, dhirasya=great soul, sheetalaschtaratmanah=a serene and stilled mind. He who is settled in the Self, whose mind is serene and still, does not desire to give up anything nor accept anything. A person who abides in the Self does not have any desire. The Self is complete, there is no deficit that needs to be filled up. Also, there is nothing that has to be given away. There is no lack, there is no abundance. Everything here is perfect, complete, total. Thus, it is calm, still and undisturbed.

izd`R;k “kwU;fpRrL; dqoZrks·L; ;n`PN;kA izkd`rL;so /khjL; u ekuks ukoekurkAA24AA prakrityah=by nature, shuynachittasya=whose mind is empty, kurvatah=while doing, asya=this, yadrischasya=performs action, prakritasya=ignorant, dheerasya=great soul, na=no, mano=honour, na=no, avmanata=dishonour. A great soul whose mind by nature is emptiness, is ignorant of honour and dishonour, performs actions as they come. What is honour and dishonour? How does it affect your living? What happens when you are honoured or even dishonoured? Rather, who is honoured? Is it you who is honoured or a belief or concept that you carry which is honoured? Come to think of it, there are no beliefs and no concepts since the mind itself is empty. A thought arises and subsides, another arises and then subsides to be replaced by another thought. A single thought does not dwell in its entirety, nor does it stay forever – it does not continue endlessly. That thought which arose a moment ago is now in memory but it can be recalled. Thus, the mind is inherently empty. Investigate this mind. What is mind? When you investigate the mind closely, you will see that mind is neither solid, nor an object, nor is it lasting. The mind is not lasting because moment to moment thoughts change – they arise and subside giving place to the next thought. Since the mind keeps on changing it becomes impossible to locate it. You will notice here that the past no longer exists in the mind and the mind is not there in the past. What about future? Well, it has yet to arise; so, mind is also not in the future. That moment which you wanted to know, now is not there. Now, analyse this single moment. Does it exist? Do you see forms, do you hear sounds in this single moment? Suppose someone has switched on the TV in the adjoining room and the channel is playing music. You first hear the music and then you recognise that it is Beethovan’s “Fur Elise”, you favourite composition. You begin to enjoy. Now, analyse this enjoyment. Is the enjoyment in the music or in your mind? It is obviously not in the music or else your dog would also be swooning with enjoyment. So, this enjoyment is not linked to music. Similarly, the enjoyment is also not in your mind, otherwise you would experience the same sense of enjoyment without the music playing. So, where is the music? Is it in the TV set or in your ears? And where is enjoyment? Remember, the music is not existing on its own – without an ear there is no sound. Without your sense organs functioning, there is no phenomena. Through this exercise of mindfulness, you come to know the very nature of the mind which is that it always is in the present, where the past is gone and the future is yet to

arise. So, the mind is perpetually in an unborn state, naturally empty – rather, not even in an empty state because it is not yet born and will never be. There is no shape, there is no form, there is no smell, there is no taste, there is nothing to touch. Yes, there is nothing at all. You cannot even say that it is here. Like space, the mind is vast where thoughts arise and subside. You can catch the glimpse of this vastness in the gap between two thoughts. That is your direct contact with the Self. This is where the clouds gather and disappear without having to be consciously put together and put away somewhere else. Thus, there is no clinging here, no grasping, no ignorance, only awakening.

d`ra nsgsu deZsna u e;k “kq):fi.kkA bfr fpUrkuqjks/kh ;% dqoZUufi djksfr uAA25AA kritam=action performed, dehayn=the body, karm=action, na=no, maya=mine, sudhrupana=pure Self, iti= in this way, chinttanurodhi=who thinks, yah=who, kuvarna=performs action, api=also, karoti na=does not. The great souls know that action is performed by the body and not by the Self. So, even by performing action, he does not perform. All actions are performed by the body – only an object can move from one spot to another. The Self is all-pervading, It does not move from Point A to Point B because the Self is at both the points simultaneously. So, no action is performed at all by the Self.

vr}knho dq#rs u Hkosnfi ckfy”k%A thoUeqDr% lq[kh Jheku~ laljUufi “kksHkrsAA26AA atdvadaiva=saying the opposite, kuratey=acts, na=no, bhavet=desiring, api=even then, balishah=fool, jivanmuktah=liberated soul, sukhi=happy, sriman=man of glory, sansaran=worldly conduct, shobhatey=blessed. A liberated soul performs actions without desiring to be able to claim so. But he is not a fool. He is happy and blessed living in this world. A liberated performs actions without attachment. He simply performs all the worldly acts. He is all the time aware that he is performing, his body is acting, his hands are moving, his eyes are seeing, he is eating. But since he has no clinging, he does not claim to have performed those actions. Those actions, he knows, are not his personal actions; he does not own them and the results that follow from those actions are not because of him.

ukukfopkjlqJkUrks /khjks foJkfUrekxr%A u dYirs u tkfr u “k`.kksfr u i”;frAA27AA nanavicharsushrantah=end of several thoughts, dheero=liberated soul, vishrant=silence, agatamah=attain, na=no, kalptey=imagine, na=know, na=shrutenti=hearing, na=no, pashyati=seeing. A liberated soul who has had enough of endless thoughts and has attained peace, does not imagine, know, hear or see. There is nothing that “ought” to be done. A liberated soul does not think about “ought”. He has attained peace – so he has nothing that there is left to imagine or think about. There are no questions that arise in him, so there is nothing to know about.

vlek/ksjfo{ksiku~ u eqeq{kquZ psrj%A fuf”pR; dfYira i”;u~ czãSokLrs egk”k;%AA28AA asamadhayah=beyond Samadhi, avikshepan=free from opposites, na=no, mumukshana=not the seeker, cha=and, itarah=bondage, nishchitaya=certainly, kalpitam=imagine, pashyan=thinking, Brahman eva=in Brahman, astey=is settled, mahashay=great soul. Since he is beyond Samadhi and opposites, he does not seek liberation or bondage. Knowing that these are constructions of imagination, the great soul is settled in Brahman. There is no distraction in a great soul. A mumukshu is still in the learning mode, still trying to liberate himself from opposites. So, a liberated soul does not settle in Samadhi – he does not require this process because he is already free from constructions of imagination. He is still, at peace and settled in Brahman. In fact, he is awakened to the truth that he is Brahman, there being no difference and no separation.

;L;kUr% L;kngadkjks u djksfr djksfr l%A fujgadkj/khjs.k u fdafpnd`ra d`re~AA29AA yasya=whose, antah=inner self, syad=is, ahamkar=ego, na=no, karoti=does, karoti=does, sa=he, nirahamkardheerain=great soul without ego, na=no, kimchit=nothing, kritam=does, kritam=done.

He whose inner self is full of ego thinks that he is acting even when the body is at rest. The great soul without ego knows that he is not acting even when his body is moving. A liberated soul does not identify with his body nor with the performance of any action done by the body. The Self is only the witness to all that is. Does the Self go where the body goes? Does the Self move with the body?

uksf}Xua u p lUrq’VedrZLiUnoftZre~A fujk”ka xrlUnsga fpRra eqDrL; jktrsAA30AA na=no, dvignam=duality, na=no, cha=and, santushtam=satisfaction, akatraspandvarjitam=actionless and free from imagination and options, nirasham=desireless, gatsandeham=without doubt, chittam=mind, muktasya=liberated, rajtay=lives. A liberated mind does not have duality, is not satisfied, nor actionless, free from imagination and options, desireless and without doubt. When there is no duality what is there to be done? What are you free from? Where is desire, where is doubt? Everything gets resolved in Oneness.

fu/;kZrqa psf’Vrqa okfi ;fPpRra u izorZrsA fufuZfeRrfena fdarq fu/;kZ;fr fops’VrsAA31AA nirdhartum=mind without action, cheyshtitum=without exertion, vapi=and, chittam=mind, na=no, pravittay=prevent from happening, nirnirmittam=without resolve, kintu=but, nidhayayati=peaceful, vicheyshatay=does efforts. The mind which does not exert to take any action or makes no effort to act, does not prevent action from happening, yet remains peaceful. There is nothing to do but everything gets done. Actions will happen – why force any action? Interference leads to problems. A mind cannot remain peaceful and at ease when it is constantly interfering with the work of Mother Nature. It is not necessary that what you desire may take place. And when it does not, you get angry, stressed and worked up. That’s inviting a lifetime of troubles.

rRroa ;FkkFkZekd.;Z eUn% izkIuksfr ew<rke~A vFkok ;kfr ladkspeew<% dks·fi ew<or~AA32AA tatvam=That You, yatharth=Truth, akarnay=listening, prapnoti=acquires, mudtam=fool, athva=also, ayati=acquires, sankocham=amaze, amudah=intelligent person, koapi=and the other, modvat=like a fool. Listening to the ultimate Truth, a fool becomes amazed and the wise hearing the same Truth also appears amazed. The question is, “Who am I?” I have a personal identity, I have a name. My experiences are mine. I also experience myself as “me”. However, I normally tend to say, “my hands” as if hands are different from “me”. What is correct: “Am I walking?’ or “Is my body doing the walking?” Who is doing the walking? If my hand aches, who is feeling the ache? How is this feeling different from a typical, common expression like “I feel”? When I say “I am washing my hands”, who is doing the washing? Are my hands different from me? On the other hand, when I say, “I am washing my clothes”, how is it different from the expression “I am washing my hands”? There is a lot of inconsistency and nonsense here. Perhaps, this has something to do with the language or maybe with our constant shifting from “I” to “me” to “mine”. But what is it that makes up “me”? I have a form, I have a shape. I have two hands, two eyes, a mouth and the rest of me. But is this “me”? Am I in the skin, in the heart, in the eyes, in the brain, or in the mind? There is a sense of “self” here, a clinging to “self”, to itself. But this “me” is nowhere to be found. If this “me” was in the seeing, then it follows that there should another “me” in the hearing. But then you cannot have two “me-s”, one for seeing and one for hearing. Similarly, you can’t have a single “me” for all the senses because then your skin might start hearing. Then where is this sense of “me”? And why this constant clinging to “me”? Having examined all the parts of my body and the senses, I do not find this “me”. Now, since there is nothing to think of as “me”, there cannot be any clinging. If there is ever any clinging then it is clinging to illusion.

,dkxzrk fujks/kks ok ew<SjH;L;rs Hk`”ke~A /khjk% d`R;a u i”;fUr lqIroRLoins fLFkrk%AA33AA Ekagrata=meditation, nirodho=control of thoughts, va=or, muday=ignorant, abhaysayatey=practice, brihsham=many times, dheerah=wise person, krityam=the same

action, na=no, pashyanti=sees, suptvat=as in sleep, svapadey=in own nature, sthithtah=settled. An ignorant practices meditation or control of thoughts many times but a wise man by his nature is settled in deep sleep. A seeker or a learner needs to practice meditation and all the yamas and niyams as assigned in yoga because he has yet to reach a state of a wise man. Once he has reached that state, he is no longer a seeker, no longer a learner. His very nature becomes meditation; in fact, he is now settled in that deep state.

viz;Rukr~ iz;Rukn~ ok ew<ks ukIuksfr fuoZ`fre~A rRrofu”p;ek=s.k izkKks Hkofr fuo`Zr%AA34AA apraytnat=no efforts, prayatnat=with effort, va=or, mudh=ignorant, na=no, apnoti=acquire, nirvritim=bliss, tatatvanishchaymtrain=by Truth only, pragayo=wise man, bhavti=does, nirvritah=satisfied. For the ignorant there is no bliss in both effort and non-effort. But a wise man knowing the Truth alone, is satisfied and stilled. The wise man knows that now there is nothing else to do, no effort has to be made to achieve a target because now there is no target. Since he is aware of Oneness, he is satisfied and in utter bliss. Even meditation is not required, not even sitting in Samadhi. Only an ignorant person strives.

“kq)a cq)a fiz;a iw.kZa fu’iziapa fujke;e~A vkRekua ra u tkufUr r=kH;klijk tukAA35AA shudhdham=pure, budhdham=mind/intelligence, priyam=love, nishprapancham=free from falsehood, niramayam=free from grief, atmanam=Self, tam=that, na=no, janah=person, janti=know, tatra=this world, abhaspara=practice of meditation. A person of pure intelligence, full of love and free from falsehood and grief, by nature Self alone, is ever transcended. But men of this world will not know this even through practice of meditation. An ignorant does not know the Self. So, they keep on practicing meditation. But a person who has transcended this world is free.

ukIuksfr deZ.kk eks{ka foew<ks·H;kl:fi.kkA /kkU;ks foKkuek=s.k eqDrfLr’BR;fofdz;%AA36AA Naapnoti=does not acquired, karmana=from action, vimudhah=ignorant, abhasrupina=practice, dhanyah=blessed, vigyanmatrain=by understanding alone, muktah=liberated, tishthati=settled, avikriya=without action. An ignorant is never liberated by repeated practice. Blessed is he who by understanding alone is liberated. Ten thousand dips in the holy river will never liberate you; ten thousand visit to the place of worship will never liberate you, ten thousand agnihotras will never liberate you. Even meditation will never liberate. Ultimate freedom comes from awareness only.

ew<ks ukIuksfr rn~ czã ;rks HkforqfePNfrA vfuPNUufi /khjks fg ijczãLo:iHkkd~AA37AA mudo=ignorant, na apnoti=does not acquire, tad=for that reason, Brahman=Brahman, yato=for which reason, bhuvatum=happen, ichchati=desires, anichchanapi=not desiring, dhiro=wise person, hi=certainly, parbrahmanswaroopbhak=Brahman Itself. An ignorant person desires to know Brahman, and for that reason he cannot know. A wise person, being Brahman himself, certainly does not desire. An ignorant person is always seeking an external object, little knowing that what he is running after is already within him. A wise person does not seek anything that is outside him. There is only Oneness for a wise person.

fujk/kkjk xzgO;kxzk ew<k% lalkjiks’kdk%A ,rL;kuFkZewyL; ewyPNsn% d`rks cq/kS%AA38AA Niradharah=without any base, grahvyagrah=headstrong, muda=ignorant, sansarposhakah=perpetuating the world, etasya=this, anarthmulasya=source of misery, mulchchaedah=cutting off the roots, kritoh=does, budhah=wise person. Being without any base yet headstrong, an ignorant perpetuates the world which is the source of misery. The wise person cuts off the roots.

The ignorant is a headstrong person and so he keeps on perpetuating the illusion of this world, without realizing that it is this world which gives him misery and suffering.

u “kkfUra yHkrs ew<ks ;r% “kferqfePNfrA /khjLrRroa fofuf”pR; loZnk “kkUrekul%AA39AA Na=no, shantah=peace, labhtay=acquires, mudho=ignorant, yatah=because of, shamitum=for silence, ichchati=desires, dhir=wise person, tatvatam=That, vinishchitaya=certainly, sarvada=always, shantmansah=peaceful mind. An ignorant who desires to acquire peace of mind does not because of the same reason. However, a wise person is always in silence because he knows That. He who knows is perpetually settled in silence. He is aware of the Truth, he himself is That. In Oneness he is settled, knowing fully well that here is nothing to acquire, nothing to desire since everything is his.

Dokreuks n”kZua rL; ;n~ n’VeoyEcrsA /khjkLra ra u i”;fUr i”;UR;kRekueO;;e~AA40AA Kva=where, atman=Self, darshan=witness, tasya=that, yad=which, drishtam=which is seen, avlambate=adherence, tam=that, na=no, pashyanti=sees, pashyant=sees, atmanam=Self, avyam=indestructible. He who has adheres to what he sees does not witness the Self but the wise person does not see the objects but witnesses the indestructible Self. For the ignorant what he sees is real, the objects that he sees are Reality. He only sees reality which is material. For this reason, the ignorant cannot witness what is behind the objects, he cannot go deep into the reality of the objects. A wise person, on the other hand, is settled in the Self and is aware of the timeless reality.

Do fujks/kks foew<L; ;ks fucZU/ka djksfr oSA LokjkeL;So /khjL; loZnk·lkod`f=e%AA41AA Kva=where, nirodho=mind control, vimudasya=for the ignorant, yo=that, nirbandham=bondage, karoti=does, vay=by force, svaramasya=Self alone, eva=certainly, aso=this, dhirasya=to the wise person, sarvada=always, akritrimah=natural. Where is the control of the mind for the ignorant who desires to reach this state by force? But a wise person, who is Self-aware, his mind is by nature controlled. You cannot force your mind to think the thoughts that you want it to think. You cannot even make your mind go empty. Well, the only way for you to make it go empty is by hitting your head with a hammer – what in Western philosophy is termed the Unconscious Mind. An ignorant person will sit in meditation with the sole purpose of emptying his mind of thoughts. But there is no such state when the mind stays empty of thoughts. Even in the state which the wise persons term thoughtless has a thought of thoughtlessness in it. Having said that, there is nothing to master, the mind cannot be mastered – only awareness of the Self has to arise.

HkkoL; Hkkod% df”pu~ u fdafpn~ Hkkodks·ij%A mHk;k·Hkkod% df”pn~ ,oeso fujkdqy%AA42AA bhavasya=existence, bhavak=believer, kimchit=any, na=no, kimchit=anything, bhavakah=believer, apar=any other, ubhayabhavak=neither existence nor non-existence, kashchid=any, evameva=in the same way, nirakulah=healthy mind. Some believe that there is existence, others say nothing exists. The one who believes in nothing is of a healthy mind. So then, what is this word “believe”? Is it different from experience? Is it phenomenal or does it have its own domain? Is what you see is to be believed? I propose that the Moon does not exist. It is my belief that the Moon is not the moon. Now, I have built a relationship between myself and my proposal. I have become aware of the non-existence of the Moon. The proposal has now turned into a fact for me. You also realize the correctness of my proposal. You follow the same line of reasoning that I follow; rather, you make some remarkable additions by devising a mathematical formula on the non-existence of the Moon. The proposal, which started as a belief, is now a scientific theory. Students are now writing papers on this theory.

A wise man comes along, taps me on my shoulder and beckons me step out with him in the night. When we are out in the open, he points out to the bright object in the sky. “What is that?” I ask him. “That’s the Moon,” he says, “which does not exist.”

“kq)e};ekRekua Hkko;fUr dqcq};%A u rq tkufUr laeksgk|koTthoefuoZ`rk%AA43AA shudham=pure, adhyam=duality, atmanam=Self, bhavayanti=think, kubudhyamah=persons with weak minds, na=no, tu=but, janyanti=know, samohat=because of ignorance, yavajjivam=all their lives, nirvrittah=without satisfaction. People with weak minds believe that they are the Self without duality but because of their ignorance they actually do not know this and remain unsatisfied throughout their lives. It is one thing to believe, another to realize. By just saying that you know there is Self and there is no duality does not mean that you are living in Oneness. By simply saying something, you do not have the same experience. You must go through that experience yourself. And you must live that experience and endlessly be with that experience.

eqeq{kqkscZqf)jkyaceUrjs.k u fo|rsA fujkyacSo fu’dkek cqf)eZqDrL; loZnkAA44AA mumuksho=the seeker, budhdhi=mind, alambanantarain=without support, na=no, vidhyate=stays, niralanba=shelter, eva=certainly, nishkama=without desire, budhdhi=mind, muktasya=liberated person, sarvada=always. The mind of a seeker always desires support for a place to stay, but the mind of a liberated person is certainly free from such desires. A liberated person does not require any support. He is the support himself, a pillar on which the whole creation stays. But a mumukshu is always seeking some support to live, some idea, some concept, some notion on whose support to live the life.

fo’k;}hfiuks oh{; pfdrk% “kj.kkfFkZu%A fo”kfUr >fVfr dzksMa fUujks/kSdkxzÓfl);sAA45AA vishyadvipinah=worldly tigers, vikshep=seeing, chakitah=frightened, sharnarthinah=protecting one’s body, vishanti=enters, jhititi=immediately, krodam=cave, nirodhaykagrayasiddhye=cessation of thought and one-pointedness. A frightened seeker, upon seeing the tigers of the senses, immediately takes the refuge of a cave to control his thoughts and reach one-pointedness. Senses go with you wherever you go – that is the point here. So, you are ending up trying to escape yourself, which is not the correct approach. You can control your thoughts and reach one-pointedness here and now because you are already in that pristine state. Only that these have been covered by external, material world.

fuokZlua gfja n`’V~ok rw’.kha fo’k;nfUru%A iyk;Urs u “kDrkLrs lsoUrs d`rpkVo%AA46AA nirvasana=without desires, harim=lion, drishtva=seeing, tushinim=silent, vishyadantinah=sensory objects like elephants, palayante=running away, na=no, shaktah=not capable, sevantey=serve/flatter, kritchatva=worldly person. Upon seeing the lion, elephants turn on their heels; and if they cannot escape, serve the lion. Similarly, sensory objects serve or flatter a man who has no desires. What can the objects do if you have no desire for them? They will ever remain where they are because they are by nature inactive and insensitive. They arise only because you make them arise. Else they do not have any value. The illusion is very powerful, indeed. It is like a lion, always roaring to show its presence. There is no escape from illusion, you have to live in it – illusion is part of you and you are part of this illusion. There is no difference. All is Self, all is Consciousness. Everything exists in this Oneness.

u eqfDrdkfjdka /kRrs fu%”kadks ;qDrekul%A i”;u~PN`.oULi`”kft?kzUu”uUukLrs ;Fkklq[ke~AA47AA

na=no, muktikarikam=practice of liberation, na dhatatey=does not follow, nishankoh=without doubt, yuktamanasah=calm mind, pashchyam=seeing, shravan=hearing, sparshan=touching, jighranan=smelling, shanan=eating, astey=does, yathasukham=lives happily. A person who does not follow any school of liberation has no doubts and is of calm mind. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating – he lives happily. Nothing is of any value, nothing will remain, nothing is happening. There are no yamas and niyamas as propounded by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutra. You are only existing. Knowing the essence of existence, you can live happily.

oLrqJo.kek=s.k “kq)cqf)fuZjkdqy%A uSokpkjeukpkjekSnL;a ok izi”;frAA48AA vastushravanmatra=hearing the Truth of an object, shudhabuddhi=of pure mind, nirakulah=healthy mind, na eva=no. acharam=manners, va=and, na acharam=no manners, audasyam=dispirited, prapashyati=sees. A person of pure and healthy mind, who merely hears about the Truth of an object, neither has any manners nor no manners, ever remains dispirited in whatever he sees. An enlightened soul has no desire to perform right or wrong actions. He is ever present in the Truth.

;nk ;RdrZqek;kfr rnk rRdq#rs _tq%A “kqHka okI;”kqHka Okkfi rL; ps’Vk fg ckyor~AA49AA Yada=when, yat=whatever, krutam=action performed, ayati=acquired, tada=then, tat=that, krutey=is done, rtju=without force, shubam=lucky, va apya=and, ashubam=not lucky, va api=and, tasya=whose, cheshta=behaviour, hi=because, balvat=like a child. Whatever action performed is done without force, whether it is good or bad, then those actions are like those of a child. Numerous theories have been invented to explain why we perform actions that we do perform. Probably, the most fascinating and believable is the one that’s been around for thousands of years, called the Laws of Karma. How and why these have become “laws”

is itself a mystery. Yet, they somehow satisfy a portion of your brain or mind or thinking process, whether there is any truth in them or not. Having said that, there is no doubt that actions must get performed and these get performed without our interference. It is not that only we humans perform actions. Every single atom is performing action in this creation. These actions get performed without free will and without destiny. Both free will and destiny belong to the realm of theories and beliefs. Beyond these theories and beliefs, there are no good or bad actions, there is no evil, no sinful action – in fact, there is no action that is taking place at all. Look at a child of four years. Observe him closely. What kind of actions is he performing? Is he acting according to your so-called Laws of Karmas? Does he even know what these laws are, if at all they are? Does he even know good from bad? Ask him what the word ‘sin’ means. Look into his eyes and you will see the entire creation. He is the witness, he is neither the doer nor the doing, just the witness.

Lokra«;kRlq[kekIuksfr Lokra«;kYyHkrs ije~A Lokra«;kfUuoZfra xPNsRLokra«;kr~ ije~ ine~AA50AA Svatantrayat=by freedom, sukham=happy, apnoti=acquired, svatantrayat=by freedom, labhyate=acquired, param=Supreme, svatantrayat=by freedom, nirvitim=without thought, gachchyat=acquired, svatantrayat=by freedom, param padam=Supreme State. By freedom, happiness is acquired; by freedom the Supreme is acquired; by freedom tranquility is acquired; by freedom the Supreme State if acquired. Let go of all that arises in your head. Don’t assume. There is nothing to grasp or to be understood. There is no reason, no intellect. There is no fixed entity. There is no notion, no idea, no ideology, no theory, no concept, no books, no holy books, no scriptures, no scientific knowledge, no mathematical equations, no formulas, no calculations, no spiritual experience, no birth, no death, no sin, no morality, no truth, no false, no right, no wrong, no give, no take, no action, no reaction, no cause, no effect, no destiny, no destination, no target, no beginning, no end, no past, no future, not even present. Everything is imagined but there is no imagination. There is only Self that extends through everything in creation. In fact, there is no creation either since there is no destruction. Everything is in the process of becoming yet it never becomes. The present is perpetually becoming present but it never becomes. The Self is doing itself by itself. Only you are interfering and not allowing the Self to become itself. Drop everything that is in your mind. Give up what you have grasped.

vdrZ`RoeHkksDr`Roa LokReuks eU;rs ;nkA rnk {kh.kk HkoUR;so leLrkf”pRro`Rr;%AA51AA akartatvam=not the doer, abhoktatvam=not the one who experiences, svatma=own Self, manyetey=believes, yada=if, tada=then, kshinah=destroys, bhavanti=gets, eva=certainly, samastah=everything, chittvrittyah=thoughts of the ming.

When one knows that one is neither the doer nor the one who experiences but only the Self, then certainly all the thoughts-waves of the mind get stilled. Who is the doer? What do I experience? Who is doing? Who is experiencing? What is being done or experienced? It is the body which is the culprit. No body, no doer. No body, no experience. No body, no mind.

mPN`a[kykI;d`frdk fLFkfr/khZjL; jktrsA u rq laLi`gfpRrL; “kkfUrewZ<L; d`f+=ekAA52AA uchchrikhala=highest/grace, akritika=nature, sthiti=state, dhirsya=a wise person, rajtey=noteworthy, na=no, tu=but, samsprihachittasya=deliberate and purposeful, shantih=peace, mudhasye=ignorant, kritima=affected action.

A wise person’s behaviour is natural and graceful while an ignorant acts out. A wise person has nothing to show. He is not an actor. He does not gain from behaving in this manner or that manner. He is in his natural state. Thus, everything that he does is done gracefully. There is no artificiality in his actions. There is no pretence, there is no motive.

foylfUr egkHkksxSfoZ”kfUr fxfjxgojku~A fujLrdYiuk /khjk vc)k eqDrcq);%AA53AA vilasanti=playing, mahabhogay=great enjoyments, vishanti=enter, girihavaran=mountain caves, nirastkalpana=without imagination, dhirah=a wise person, abadhdha=without bondage, muktabudhya=whose mind is free.

A wise person who is free from the bondage of the mind and imagination, is free to play and enjoy or enter mountain caves. Of all the species on this earth, humans are the only ones who can suspend themselves from reality by thinking about things that are not real. In fact, we are always living in our own insignificant ideas, thinking, imagination, calculating, gauging, wondering, worrying, aiming to achieve imaginary targets, always trying to define something or trying to explain. The movement is always outward, towards the Illusion. We easily get caught up in fantasies and fiction; either we are living in the past of projecting ourselves in the future. If not, we are endlessly trying to escape the here and now, the present, by busying ourselves with self-created distractions. This is happening all the time. We are perpetually stifling life by dragging our concepts, our conceptual existence in it. No wonder then we are unable to watch the chirping of the birds – for us the chirping is meaningless, sometimes annoying. The colour of the setting sun is meaningless, the beauty of the twinkling stars do not arouse any feelings. We are either escaping from boredom or spending our energies in a direction which is completely opposite to living. Else, we are living only by force of habit. Living has to be lived completely without getting entangled in any situation or experience. When you let go, you see life. That is pure life you are seeing, that is reality of life. That is Oneness. That is Enlightenment. In enlightenment there is loss, you let go, you lose everything, even your thoughts.

Jksf=;a nsorka rhFkZeaxuka Hkwifra fiz;e~A n`’V~ok laiwT; /khjL; u dkfi âfn oklukAA54AA shrotiyam=learned person, devatam=a god, tirthmangana=a holy place, angnam=a woman, bhupatim=a king, priyam=beloved, drishtva=seeing, sampujya=worship, dhirasya=wise person, na=no, hridi=in the heart, vasana=desires. The heart of a wise person is without desires, whether he sees or pays homage to a learned person, a god, a holy place, a woman or a beloved. When there is no difference and everything is Oneness, how can desires arise in the mind? And what are desires if not illusion? Every action is being performed in illusion. In the end, nothing is gained, nothing is lost.

Hk`R;S% iq=S% dy=S”p nkSfg=S”pkfi xks=tS%A fogL; f/kDd`rks ;ksxh u ;kfr fod`fra eukd~AA55AA bhrityeh=servants, putreh=sons, dohitrey=wives and daughters, cha=and, api=also, gotrajeh=relatives, vihasya=laugh, dhikritah=despise, yogi=wise person, na=no, yati=acquire, vikritam=disorder of the mind, manka=even a bit. Even if his servants, sons, relatives, wife, daughters and other laugh at him or despise him, a wise person does not get dismayed even a bit. There is no attachment, there is also no abhorrence. So, how can dismay arise at all in a wise person? People may laugh at him, they may even ridicule him in front of the world or even praise him, but a wise person will accept everything that is given to him.

lUrq’Vks·fi u lUrq’V% f[kUuks·fi u p f[k|rsA rL;k”p;Zn”kka rka rka rkn`”kk ,o tkursAA56A santushto=even though gratified, api=also, na=no, santushtah=gratified, khinno=pain, apui=also, na=no, cha=and, khidyatey=suffering, tasya=his, ashcharyadasham=a state of wonder, tam tam=that that, tadrisha eva=in the same way a wise person, jantey=knows. Even though he is gratified, he is not, even though he is pained, he does not suffer. He is in a state of wonder; that state which only a wise person knows. The fact is that another person can never know the wise man’s state of wonder. This state can only be experienced first hand. It can never be stated, it only be felt, it can never be transmitted. In fact, you cannot even observe it in another person. But if you yourself are in that state, you will know if the person in front of you is also in that very state of wonder. In that state, he is already gratified, completely satisfied – there is no desire, no greed, nothing that he needs. But everything comes to him without his asking.

drZO;rSo lalkjks u rka i”;fUr lwj;%A “kwU;kdkjk fujkdkjk fufoZdkjk fujke;k%AA57AA Kartavyatah=duty, eva=is, sansanro=world, na=no, tam=that, pashyanti=sees, suryah=a wise person, shunyakarah=emptiness, narakara=formless, nirvikarah=thoughtlessness, niramayah=without sorrows. Duty creates this world that we see. A wise person knows that there is Emptiness, it is formless, thoughtless, without sorrow. Thoughts like “I have to perform this action”, “I have to achieve this” and “It is my duty to do this action” lead to attachment and sorrow.

vdqoZUufi la{kksHkkn~ O;xz% loZ= ew</kh%A dqoZUufi rq d`R;kfu dq”kyks fg fujkdqy%AA58AA akurvan=not performing actions, api=also, sanshobhadh=distractions, vyagra=restless, sarvatra=everywhere, mudhdhih=a fool, kurvan=while doing, api=also, krityani=actions, kushalah=a wise person, hi=certainly, nirakulah=undisturbed. While a fool remains distracted and restless even while not performing actions, a wise person certainly remains undisturbed even while doing what he is required to do. You do not have to go to the places of worship, you do not have to perform all those rituals, you don’t have to do anything. Actions do not get performed anywhere. After death, who performs actions? After death, who is suffering and who is happy?

lq[kekLrs lq[ka “ksrs la[kek;kfr ;kfr pA lq[ka ofDr lq[ka HkaqDrs O;ogkjs·fi “kkUr/kh%AA59AA sukham=happy, astey=sits, sukham=happy, shetey=sleeps, ayati=comes, yati=goes, cha=and, sukham=happy, vyakti=speaks, sukahm=happy, bhunktey=eats food, vyavhare=behaviour, api=also, shantidhih=peaceful.

Happily he sits, happily he sleeps, happily he comes and goes, happily he speaks and happily he eats. This is the behaviour of a man at peace.

In Oneness you are at peace. There is no target to be achieved, no judgement to be passed, no options to be picked. You are only performing actions that need to be performed. You are not making things happen. You are not interfering. You have accepted everything as it is. There is only peace and happiness.

LoHkkok|L; uSokfrZyksZdon~ O;ogkfj.k%A egkân bok{kksH;ks xrDys”k% lq“kksHkrsAA60AA svabhavat=by nature, yasya=that, na=no, eva=certainly, trilokvat=like the three worlds, vyavharin=practical life, mahahanad eva=like a great lake, akshobhya=undisturbed, gatkalesh=without problems, sushobhtey=to grace. A person who by nature is without problems remains undisturbed by the practical life of the world. He is like a vast lake, calm and graceful. A wise person is like a vast lake in which the world exists. He performs actions in this world but does not regret having performed the actions. He is always calm and graceful.

fuo`fRrjfi ew<L; izo`fRr #itk;rsA izo`fRrjfi /khjL; fuofRrQynkf;fuAA61AA nivritti=non-activity, api=also, mudasye=for the fool, pravritti=activity, upjayate=prevails, pravrittiapi=activity also, dhirasye=a wise person, nivrittiphaldayani=bears the fruits of non-activity. For the deluded, non-activity is also activity but the action of the wise brings also the fruits of inaction. A fool thinks that he is performing the actions. He believes that he is running the corporation, that he is running the house, that he is running his country, that it is because of him that the world is the way it is and that it is in his hands to change everything. The truth, however, is that all these are non-activities.

ifjxzgs’kq oSjkX;a izk;ks ew<L; n`”;rsA nsgs foxfyrk”kL; Do jkx% Do fojkxrkAA62AA parigraheshu=belongings of the world and life, vairagyam=renounce, prayo=especially, mudasye=a fool, drishyate=sees, dehe=the body, vigalitashasye=finished, kva=where, ragah=attachment, kva=where, viragtah=detachment. A deluded person often renounces the belongings of this world and his life but for him who has dropped his attachment to the body, where is attachment and where is renunciation? Whose belongings are these? Whose body is this? Whose life is this? When nothing is mine, what is there to renounce?

HkkoukHkkouklDrk n`f’VeZq<L; loZnkA HkkO;Hkkou;k lk rq LoLFkL;kn`f’V:fi.khAA63AA Bhavana-abhavanasakta=in thoughts and no thoughts, drishti=sees, mudasya=a fool, sarvada=always, bhavyabhavnaya=free from the thoughts, sa=sight, tu=but, svatasya=a wise person, adrishtirupani=not aware of the seeing. A deluded person is caught up in thoughts and no thoughts while a wise person is not aware of what thoughts may come because he is free from thoughts. Even the thoughts do not belong to you. They simply arise in your mind, you cannot control them, you cannot keep them forever in your mind. Thoughts arise and subside, giving way to new thoughts. A wise person is aware of this process, so he remains free from the entanglement of thoughts.

lokZjaHks’kq fu’dkeks ;”pjsn~ ckyou~ eqfu%A u ysiLrL; “kq)L; fdz;ek.kks·fi deZf.kAA64AA sarvarambheshu=begins actions, nishkamo=free from desires, ya=who, charet=does, balvan=like a child, muni=a wise person, na=no, leptasya=attachment with that, shudhasye=pure one, kriyamanekarmaniapi=also in the actions performed. The wise person is like a child, free from desires in all actions. The Pure One has no attachment to the actions that he performs.

In that purity, the wise person is like a child, unblemished, free from concepts, free from theories, free from ideologies – only performing actions for the sake of actions, without even bothering to know if there are any results that would be forthcoming. The wise person just performs actions. l ,o /kU;% vkReK% loZHkkos’kq ;% le%A i”;u~ “k`.ou~ Li`”ku~ ft?kzUu~ v”ufUuLr’kZekul%AA65AA sa eva=that, dhanya=blessed, atmagyah=who knows Self, sarvbhaveshu=in all states, yah=who, samah=sameness, pashyan=seeing, shravan=listening, sparshan=touching, jighreen=smelling, ashnan=eating, nistasharmansah=free from desires. Blessed is he who knows the Self, whose mind is free from craving whether he is seeing, listening, touching, smelling or eating. The knower of the Self lives in Oneness. Desires for him are mirages. All the material objects are part of illusion. They arise only when he desires them. But he has no desires for any material objects because he is living in the Self. He himself is the Self, at peace and in Oneness.

Do lalkj% Do pkHkkl% Do lk/;a Do p lk/kue~A vkdk”kL;so /khjL; fufoZdYiL; loZnkAA66AA kva=where, sansarah=the world, kva=where, cha=and, abhas=inkling, kva=where, sadhyam= heaven, kva=where, cha=and, sadhanam=resources, akashasyaeva=like space, dhirasya=a wise person, nirvikalpasya=from from imaginations, sarvada=perpetually. Like space, a wise person who is perpetually free from imagination, where is the world, where is the inkling, where is the heaven and where are the resources? If the Self has covered all that there is, then all that we create and build are only our imaginations. Nothing exists on its own for the wise man whose home is as vast as space and who is free from the shackles of concepts, resources, ideologies and thoughts. A liberated person knows that Self is universally complete, filling everything and everywhere and that there is no second. So, there cannot be a heaven or hell, or even inkling of these objects.

l t;R;FkZlaU;klh iw.kZLojlfoxzg%A vd`f=eks·uofPNUus lekf/k;ZL; orZrsAA67AA sa=that, jayate=glory, arthsanyasi=absorbed in the Self, purnasvarasvigrahah=embodiment of Bliss, akritrim=by nature, anvachinay=in his own nature, Samadhi=Samadhi, yasya=whose, vartate=moves/turns. Glorious is the one who, absorbed in the Self, is an embodiment of Bliss. He moves about in Samadhi which is his very nature. What is seen and what is not seen does not influence or affect a wise person. He has neither desire for this world nor for any other world. He is perpetually living in a single state of sameness.

cgquk= fdeqDrsu KkrrRroks egk”k;%A Hkksxeks{kfujkdka{kh lnk loZ= uhjl%AA68AA Bahuna=a lot, atra=in this, kim=what, ukten=to say, gyattatvah=knower of Truth, mahashay=a great soul, bhogmokshanirakaghsha=free from desires of enjoyment or liberation, sada=always, sarvatra=everywhere, neerasah=from from attachments. What more is there to say about the knower of Truth! This great soul is free from desires of enjoyment or liberation and is always and everywhere free from attachments. A person who knows the Truth, who is established in the Self, is perpetually free from dualities. For him, there is no enjoyment or even liberation from enjoyment for the simple reason that he is not attached to either of them.

egnkfn txn~}Sra ukeek=fot`fEHkre~A fogk; “kq)cks/kL; fda d`R;eof”k’;rsAA69AA mahadadi=of cosmic, etc, jagatdvaitam=duality, nammatravijrimbhitam=difference is in expressions in words, vihaye=apart, shudhabodhasya=sage, kim=what, krityam=duties, avshishyate=what is left. What remains to be done by the sage who is above dualities of the world and who sees no difference in expressions?

He who knows the Self, is perpetually living in Oneness. The rest is only expression.

HkzeHkwrfena loZa fdafpUukLrhfr fu”p;hA vy{;LQqj.kk “kq)% LoHkkosuSo “kkE;frAA70AA brahmbhootam=falseness, idam=this, sarvam=all, kinchitam=something, na isti=is not, iti=like this, nischayi=certainly, alakshaysphurana=one who is aware, shudha=pure, svabhaven=by nature, eva=is, shamyati=at peace. He is at peace who is pure by nature and who is aware of the falseness of the world, who knows for certain that nothing exists. A person who knows that this world is an illusion will not struggle to achieve any material object or imaginary beliefs. He is ever settled in Oneness. So, to attain inner peace, he does nothing because he himself is Peace Incarnate.

“kq)LQqj.k:iL; n`”; Hkkoei”;r%A Do fof/k% Do p oSjkX;a Do R;kx% Do “keks·fi okAA71AA Shudhasphuranrupasya=of pure awareness by nature, drishyabhavam=sees, apashyate=not sees, kva=where, vidhi=rules and regulations, kva=where, cha=and, vairagya=dispassion, kva=where, tyaga=renunciation, kva=where, sham=asceticism, api va=et cetra. A person who by nature is Pure Light of Awareness, sees the unreality of the rules and regulations, dispassion, renunciation and asceticism. In a state of Awareness, there is no action to be performed. Therefore, there are no duties that a person conducts. To whom is the duty done and by whom is this action taking place? In this illusion, where is the sacrifice and where is that thing which belongs to me? When nothing belongs to me – all objects being in a state of impermanence – then what is there to renounce? Everything is Pure Awareness, everything is at Peace in this Oneness. LQqjrks·uUr:is.k izd`fra p u i”;r%A Do cU/k% Do p ok eks{k% Do g’kZ% Do fo’kknrkAA72AA

Saphoortah=Pure Light of Awareness, anantrupain=infinity, prakritim=Illusion, cha=and, na=no, pashyate=sees, kva=where, bandhah=bondage, kva=where, cha=and, na=no, mokshah=liberation, kva=where, harshah=happiness, kva=where, vishadata=sorrow. And a person of Pure Light of Awareness who sees illusion in this infinity; for him where is bondage and liberation, happiness and sorrow? All is Awareness. Everything is shining bright. There is immense sparkle of existence. Illusion too is part of Reality which is self-luminous. The Self is luminous and shines the infinity. There is only Bliss, not happiness, not sorrow, not bondage, not liberation.

cqf)I;ZUrlalkjs ek;kek=a foorZrsA fueZeks fujgadkjks fu’dke% “kksHkrs cq/k% AA73AA buddhiparyantsansarey=in the world where awareness prevails, mayamatram=mere illusion, vivartate=keeps changing, nimarmo=without affection, nirahamkar=without ego, nishkamah=without desire, shobhate=shines with glory, buddhah=a wise person. In this ever-changing world of mere illusion where Awareness prevails, a wise person does not have ego, is without desire and shines with glory. Everything is turning into something else. So how can a wise person even desire for an object since that object itself will change into something else.

v{k;a xrlUrkiekRekua i”;rks equs%A Do fo|k p Do ok fo”oa Do nsgks·ga eesfr okAA74AA Akshayam=impreshable, gatsantapam=without sorrows, atmanam=the Self, pashyato=seeing, muney=sage, kva=where, vidhya=knowledge, cha=and,kva=where, va=also, vishvam=the world, kva=deho=the body, aham mam=the feeling of ego. For the sage who is established in the Self, which is imperishable and without sorrow, where is knowledge, where is the world, where is the body and where is the feeling of ego? An enlightened being sees that the Self is immortal. Then there is no need for scriptures, discussions as well as arguments to understand or establish the Truth.

fujks/kknhfu dekZf.k tgkfr tM/kh;ZfnA euksjFkku~ izykika”p drZqekIuksR;R{k.kkr~AA75AA nirodhadini=meditation, karmani=actions, jahati=gives up, jadhdhi=ignorant, yadi=when, manorathan=desires, pralapan=ramblings, cha=and, kritum=to do, apnoti=inclines, atakshnat=then onwards. When an ignorant gives up doing meditation, from then onwards he is starts rambling. Never give up meditation. Not even for a single day should you not meditate. It is another matter that a person who has reached a certain level, does not require to sit in meditation. He is in meditation, always, throughout the day and night. eUn% JqRokfi r}Lrq u tgkfr foew<rke~A fufoZdYiks cfg;ZRuknUrfoZ’k;ykyl%AA76AA mandam=ignorant, shrutva=listening, api=also, tat=that, vastu=atman, na=no, jahati=give up, vimudtam=foolishness, nirvikalpo=without imagination, bahi=outside, yatnat=efforts, antarvirshaylalsah=inside he has desires. Even upon hearing the Truth an ignorant does not give up his foolishness. Outside he may appear free from imaginations, but inside he is making all the efforts to fulfill his desires. Nobody has thus far become enlightened by listening to what Truth is or by reading scriptures and other spiritual books. It is alright if you know that you are the Self and that there is Oneness. But knowing is not enough. One needs to have a first hand experience of this Oneness, this Atman, this Self.

Kkukn~ xfyrdekZ ;ks yksdn`’VÓkfi deZdqr~A ukIuksR;olja drZa oDrqeso u fdapuAA77AA gyanat=from knowledge, galitkarma=whose karmas have perished, yah=who, lokdrishtya=eyes of the world, api=also, karmakrit=performing actions, na=no, apnoti=gets, krutam=doing, waqtumeva=speaking, na=no, kimchin=anything. The sage who has given up actions through knowledge, has nothing to do and nothing to say, even though he is active in the eyes of the world.

In a sage, the desire for the fruits of actions has perished. Only actions remain to be performed which he does without any attachment to them.

Do re% Do izdk”kks ok gkua Do u fdapuA fufoZdkjL; /khjL; fujkradL; loZnkAA78AA kva=where, tamah=darkness, kva=where, prakasho=light, va=and, hanam=sacrifice, kva=where, na=no, kimchan=nothing, nirvikarsya=changeless, dhirasya=a wise person, nirantamkasya=without fear, sarvda=always. For a wise person, who is fearless and still, where is darkness, where is light, where is sacrifice, where is anything? Since you are prior to all definitions, what is there to fear? When all the disorders have been removed, where is darkness? When you have the experience of darkness, then how can there be light? Both are dependent upon each other. If one is not there, the other will not exist. Both exist from the standpoint of the world. But from the standpoint of the Self, both do not exist because there is no duality. For the wise person, even time has collapsed. There is no loss, no gain, no grief, no eclipse, no sacrifice.

Do /kS;Za Do foosfdRoa Do fujkradrkfi okA vfuokZP;LoHkkoL; fu%LoHkkoL; ;ksfxu%AA79AA kva=where, dhairyam=patience, kva=where, vivekitvam=discrimination, kva=where, niratankat=fearlessness, anirvachyasvabhavsva=whose nature cannot be described, nihsvabhavsva=without nature, yoginah=the yogi. Where is patience, where is discrimination, where is fearlessness for a yogi whose nature cannot be described and who is not even a person? Since you are prior to all definitions, you are not even what you are. You are only an essence. There can neither be discrimination nor patience in a yogi who is not a person. How can there be any fear in him? He himself is Oneness and in perpetual ananda or bliss.

u LoxksZ uSo ujdks thoUeqDeuZ pSo fgA cgquk= fdeqDrsu ;ksxn`’VÓk u fdapu~AA80AA na=no, svargo=heaven, na=no, eva=also, narko=hell, jivanmukti eva=liberated, na=no, cha=and, hi=certainly, bahuna=a lot, kim=how, uktain=by saying, yogadrishtiya=from the viewpoint of yoga, na=no, kimchan=there is nothing. For the liberated, there is no heaven and no hell. In brief, it can be said that from the standpoint of yoga, there is nothing. You are prior to all definitions. You are neither a theist nor an atheist. So, there is neither heaven nor hell since both of them are concepts. Remove all the definitions and all the concepts. What remains?

uSo izkFkZ;rs ykHka ukykHksukuq”kkspfrA /khjL; “khrya fpRree`rsuSo iwfjre~AA81AA Na=no, prarthyate=does pray, labham=for profit, na=no, alabh=for loss, na=no, anushochati=does not grieve, dhirasya=a wise person, sheetalam=cool, chittam=mind, amritain=with nectar, atah eva=that is why, puritam=filled with.

A wise person, whose mind is cool and who is filled with the sweetness of nectar, neither prays for profit nor grieves at losses. You are prior to all definitions. So, how can you pray at all? To whom is this prayer and for what? The fragrance that emanates from the flowers, where does it go? And to whom do the flowers send their fragrances?

u “kkUra LrkSfr fu’dkeks u nq’Vefi fuUnfrA lenq%[klq[kLr`Ir% fdafpr~ d`R;a u i”lfrAA82AA na=no, shantam=at peace, satoti=praises, nishkamo=without desires, na=no, dushtam=wicked, api=also, nindati=blames, samdukhasukhah=equal grief and happiness, tripta=content, kimchit=nothing, krityam=action performed, na=no, pashyati=sees.

Without desire, he neither praises peace nor blames the wicked. Equally content in grief and happiness, he sees that no actions are to be performed. You are prior to all definitions. In this Oneness, both sorrow and happiness are your mental reactions to what you think are real events. Actually, all is illusion. Only the Self is. What is there to praise, what is there to blame, and to what end? There is no goodness, there is nothing that is wicked or evil – these are only concepts and notions. Even the actions that you are performing are being enacted in this grand illusion.

/khjks u }sf’V lalkjekrekua u fnn`{kfrA g’kkZe’kZfofueqZDrks u erks u p thofrAA83AA dhiro=a wise person, na=no, dvaishti=dislike, samsaram=the world, atmanam=Self, na=no, didrishti=desire to see, harshamarshvinimukta=free from pleasure and pain, na=no, mritah=dead, cha=and, na=no, jivitai=alive. A wise person neither dislikes the world nor desires to see the Self. He is free from pleasure and pain and he is neither dead nor alive. You are prior to all definitions. The Self does not know the world as separate to Itself. The Self does not even seethe Self as separate from Itself. There is birth and there is no death.

fu%Lusg% iq=nkjknkS fu’dkeks fo’k;s’kq pA fuf”pUr% Lo”kjhjs·fi fujk”k% “kksHkrs cq/k%AA84AA nihsnehah=without attachment, putradarado=in children and wives, nishkamo=without desires, vishyeshu=in objects, cha=and, nishchantah=without worries, svasharirrey=in own body, shobhatey=glorious, budhdhah=a wise person. A wise person stands in glory who is without attachment to such objects like children and wives, is free from desires and is not even worried about his own body. You are prior to all definitions. The Self shines in its own glory as it is free from both attachments and non-attachments. The Self does not experience any objects nor has It any desire to see them. It is simply a Witness of Its own Awareness.

rqf’V% loZ= /khjL; ;FkkifrrofrZu%A LoPNUna pjrks ns”kku~ ;=kLrfer”kkf;u%AA85AA Tushti=bliss, sarvatra=everything, dhirasya=a wise person, yathapatitvartinah=like a faithful, svachandam=according to wishes, charto=roams, deshanam=everywhere, yatra=where, astmitashayinah=sun sets, sleeps there. For a wise person everything is blissful who faithfully lives and roams wherever he pleases, and sleeps where the sun sets. You are prior to all definitions. The Self is Bliss and reflects Bliss in everything. The Self has no connection with any place or spot but is present everywhere. So, if the body needs to rest, then it does not require the comforts of the bed, enclosed by four walls.

irrwnsrq ok nsgks ukL; fpUrk egkReu%A LokHkkoHkwfefoJkfUrfoLe`rk”ks’klal`rs%AA86AA Patatu=perishes, va=or, deho=the body, na=no, asye=this thought, chinta=worries, mahatmanah=great soul, svabhavbhumivishrantivismritasheyshsamsritey=rooted in the Self/grounded to his nature. As he is rooted in the Self, the great soul gives no thought to whether his body perishes or not. You are rooted in the Self. The Self is your resting place. You arise from the Self and dissolve into the Self.

vfdapu% dkepkjks fu}ZU}f”NUula”k;%A vlDr% loZHkkos’kq dsoyks jers cq/k%AA87AA akimchanah=without possessions, kamcharah=free from duties and rituals, nirdvando=without dualities, chinsanshey=free from doubts, asaktah=without attachment, sarvbhaveshu=in all thoughts and intentions, kevalo=free from disorder, ramtey=roams, budhdha=a wise person.

A wise person roams about free from duties and rituals, without any possessions or attachments, free from doubts, dualities and disorders, in all thoughts and intentions. You are rooted in the Self. The freedom that comes from detachment also brings eternal happiness which can be everlasting.

fueZe% “kksHkrs /khj% leyks’Vk”edkapu%A lqfHkUuân;xzfUFkfoZfu/kwZrjtLre%AA88AA nirmamah=without affection, shobhatey=glorious, dhirah=a wise person, samloshtashamkanchah=the earth, the stone and gold are the same, subhinhridaygranthih=the knots of the heart have been broken, nirdhutrajstamah=tamas and rajas behaviour have dissolved. A wise person shines with glory who is without affection, to whom there is no difference between the earth, the stone and gold, the knots of whose heart have broken and in whom both tamas and rajas have dissolved. You are rooted in the Self. There is only sattvic guna, that is, there is only purity in whatever he thinks and whatever he does.

loZ=kuo/kkuL; u fdafpn~ okluk âfnA eqDrkReuks for`IrL; rqyuk dsu tk;rsA89AA Sarvatra=in all subjects, anvadhanasye=without attachments, na=no, kimchit=anything. vasna=desires, hridayi=in heart, muktatmanah=liberated soul, triptasye=contented, tulna=comparison, ken=with whom, jayete=can be done. With whom can a contented, liberated soul be compared who is without attachments to all and in whose heart no desire is left? You are rooted in the Self. You desire nothing and yet you have everything that a common person desires – Bliss. No material objects, no bodily comforts and no entertainment can give you that Bliss which only a liberated soul is experiencing. And this experience becomes the character of the liberated soul.

tkuUufi u tkukfr i”;Uufi u i”;frA czqoUu~ vfi u p czwrs dks·U;ks fuokZlukn`rsAA90AA janan=knowing, api=also, na=no, janati=knows, pashyan=seeing, api=also, na=no, pashyati=sees, bruvan=speaking, api=also, na=no, cha=and, brutey=speaks, kah=who, anya=another, nirvasanat=without desires. Who is without desires, knows without knowing, sees without seeing and speaks without speaking. You are rooted in the Self. When there are no desires for the possessions of the material objects arising in front of your eyes, what is that which you are seeing? Now, a stage has been reached when there are no questions arising in the mind. This is the state of no-mind. There is absolute silence. So, even the desire to communicate has dissolved.

fHk{kqokZ HkwifrokZfi ;ks fu’dke% l “kksHkrsA Hkkos’kq xfyrk ;L; “kksHkuk··”kksHkuk efr%AA91AA Bhikshu=beggar, va=or bhupati=king, yah=who, nishkama=without desires, sa=he, shobhatey=shines in glory, bhaveshu=in all opinions, galita=perished, yasya=whose, shobhanaashobhana=glorious or inglorious, matih=mind. A person whose opinions of “glorious” and “inglorious” have perished in his mind and who is without desires, shines in glory whether he is a beggar or a king. You are rooted in the Self. What is there to desire when nothing is yours? You are the Self. Everything, all the objects that you perceive are inside you.

Do LokPNU|a Do ladksp% Do ok rRrofofu”p;%A fuO;kZtktZoHkwrL; pfjrkFkZL; ;ksfxu%AA92AA kva=where, svachchandhyam=freedom, kva=where, sankochah=restraint, kva=where, va=also, tatatovinishchyah=certainty of Truth, nivoyajarjavbhutasya=virtue and sincerity in behaviour, charitarthasya=right/real, yagonah=yogi. For the real yogi who is an embodiment of virtue and sincerity, where is freedom and where is restraint or even certainty of Truth?

You are rooted in the Self. You are now beyond concepts of the mind. Just the Self is there.

vkRefoJkfUrr`Irsu fujk”ksu xrkfrZukA vUr;ZnuqHkw;sr rr~ dFka dL; dF;rsAA93AA atmavishrantitripten=rooted in the Self and contented, nirashayn=without footing, gatatina= a sage, antah=inner, yat=what, anubhutay=experience, tat=that, katham=who, kasye=whom, kathyate=told. The inner experience of the sage who is content and rooted in the Self without any earthly foundation, how can it be told and to whom? You are rooted in the Self. You are content. You are bliss. You have no foundation at all – no conceptual foundation to stand upon. This is your inner experience. It is an experience which is exclusively yours. No one else can experience what you are experiencing. There are no words to describe this experience. In fact, the language to communicate this experience has not been discovered or created.

lqIrks·fi u lq’kqIrkS p LoIus·fi “kf;rks u pA tkxjs·fi u tkxfrZ /khjLr`Ir% ins insAA94AA suptah=sleeping, api=also, na=no, sushuptah=deep sleep, cha=and, svapone=dream, api=also, shayito=sleeping, na=no, cha=and, jagrey=awake, api=also, na=no, jagrati=waking, dhirah=a wise person, triptah=contented, pade-pade=every moment. A wise person who is content in all moments is not asleep in deep sleep, is not dreaming in sleep, nor waking when he is awake. You are rooted in the Self. What is there now in sleep, in dream, in being awake? A wise person is beyond all these states.

K% lfpUrks·fi fuf”pUr% lsfUnz;ks·fi fufjfUnz;%A lqcqf)jfi fucqZf)% lkgadkjks·ugad`fr%AA95AA gyah=a wise person, sachintah=without thoughts, api=also, nishchintah=thinking, saindriyah=senses, api=also, nirindryah=without senses, sabuddhi=having intelligence,

api=also, nirbuddhih=without intelligence, sahankaarh=having ego, api=also, anhankritah=without ego. A wise person is without thoughts when he is thinking, he is without senses when he is having sense experiences, having intelligence is empty-minded, having ego is devoid of ego. You are rooted in the Self. You are everything without being anything.

u lq[kh u p ok nq%[kh u fojDrks u laxoku~A u eqeq{kquZ ok eqDrks u fdafpUu p fdapuAA96AA na=no, sukhi=happy, na=no, cha=and, va=also, dukhi=unhappy, na=no, vikrato=detached, na=no, sangvan=attached, na=no, mumukshu=learner, va=also, mukto=liberated, na=no, kimchin=nothing, na=no, cha=and, kimchin=anything. There is neither happiness nor sorrow, neither detachment nor attachment, neither learner nor liberated, neither is there something nor is there nothing. You are rooted in the Self. You are totally free from duality. You are Absolute.

fo{ksi·fi u fof{kIr% lek/kkS u lekf/keku~A tkMks·fi tMks /kU;% ikf.MR;s·fi u if.Mr%AA97AA vikshep=in distraction, api=also, vikshiptah=no distraction, samadho=in Samadhi, na=no, samadhivan=no Samadhi, jado=in stupidity, api=also, jado=stupid, dhanya=blessed, panditya=in learning, api=also, na=no, panditah=learned. Blessed is the one who in distraction is not distracted, in Samadhi is not meditating, in stupidity is not stupid, in wisdom is not wise. You are rooted in the Self. In this self-luminosity, he is ever in Samadhi, undistracted, filled with wisdom even though to the world he may appear otherwise. But he is in a state that he is ever present.

eqDrks ;FkkfLFkfrLoLFk% d`rdRrZO;fuoZr%A le% loZ= oSr’.kkUu LejR;d`ra dqre~AA98AA mukto=the liberated, yathastithasvasthah=rooted in the Self, kritkartavyanivritah=free from the concept of action and duty, samah=sameness, sarvatra=wherever, vaitrishanat=free from greed, na=no, smartya=retain, akritam=yet to be done, kritam=action performed. A liberated who is rooted in the Self is free from the concepts of action and duty. He is the same wherever he is, free from greed and does not retain the thoughts that this action has been performed and that action is yet to be performed. There is this silence of knowing. You are only performing what action needs to be performed without your interference. There is only acceptance, contentment and peace.

u izh;rs oU|ekuks fuU|ekuks u dqI;frA uSoksf}tfr ej.ks thous ukfHkuUnfrAA99AA na=no, priyate=is happy, vandhyamano=in praise, nidhyamano=in blame, na=no, kupyati=upset, na=no, udyojati=afraid, marney=in death, jivaney=in life, na=no, abhinanditi=welcoming. The wise person is neither pleased when praised nor upset when blamed. He is neither afraid of death nor welcomes life. There is this silence of knowing. This knowing is all-embracing, all pervading and eternal. Everything is established in the Self. Nothing now remains to be known. There is this inner peace which is only experienced.

u /kkofr tukdh.kZa ukj.k;a mi”kkUr/kh%A ;FkkrFkk ;=r= le ,okofr’BrsAA100AA Na=no, dhavati=runs, janakirnam=crowded places, na=no, aranyam=forest, upshantidhih=one of tranquil mind, yathatatha=whenever, yatratatra=whevever, sam eva=same also, avitshthatey=remains.

One of tranquil mind does not run either to crowded places of pilgrimage nor to forest. Wherever and whenever he goes, the one of tranquil mind remains the same. OM! End of Chapter Eighteen.