रामोवाच य एष देवः कथितो यस्मिन्ज्ञाते विमुच्यते वद कासौ स्थितो ब्रह्मन्कथमेनमहं लभे ।
Rama spoke: Who is this Lord, by
knowing whom we get liberated? Tell me, where he stays? How will I attain him?
वसिष्टोवाच य एष देवः कथितो नैष दूरे अवतिष्टते, शरीरे संस्थितो नित्यं चिन्मात्रमिति विश्रुतः ।
एष सर्वमिदं विश्वं
न विश्वं चैष सर्वगः , विद्यते ह्येष एवैको
न तु विश्वाभिधास्ति दृक् ।
चिन्मात्रमेव शशिभृच्चिन्मात्रं गरुडेश्वरश्चिन्मात्रमेव
तपनश्चिन्मात्रं कमलोद्भवः
।
Vasishta spoke: He, who is said to be the Lord of
all, does not stay very far. (He is the very questioning consciousness as
you.) He exists in the body always (as if embodied as you me and all).
He is known as the pure awareness (Chinmaatram).
He is this entire cosmos that is continuously keeps
changing (Vishvam).
He is not just the Vishvam; but is in all (those
who perceive this Vishvam); (and transcends that too.)
He is the only existing principle; but he is not
the one named the ‘Vishvam).
(He is everything that is seen; he is everything that sees; he is every
seeing process; he pervades all without divisions; yet he is not any of these;
yet he alone is.)
Shiva who wears the moon is just the principle of Chinmaatram.
Vishnu the Master of Garuda is just the principle
of Chinmaatram.
The Scorching Sun is just the principle of Chinmaatram).
Brahma, the Lotus-born is just the principle of Chinmaatram.
(What
he is not, where he is not, when he is not?)
रामोवाच बाला अपि वदन्त्येतद्यदि चेतनमात्रकं जगदित्येव केवात्र नाम स्यादुपदेशता ।
Rama spoke: If just ‘awareness or
Chetana’ alone is the world, even a child can speak about it; why the need for
instructions?!(If he is all, it is already a state of liberation. Why bother
to realize?)
वसिष्टोवाच चिन्मात्रं चेतनं विश्वमिति यज्ज्ञातवानसि न किञ्चिदेव विज्ञातं भवता भवनाशनम् ।
Vasishta spoke: You seem to know that this world is
just awareness; but you do not in the least know the technique of destroying
this worldly existence. (True! It is awareness only that is spread out as
all this; and nothing else. I know that you understand this; but you are the
one who is suffering and wanting to get out of this worldly existence. Have you
realized the truth that it is just the awareness alone, and are you aware of it
as your essence?)
चेतनं राम संसारो जीव एष पशुः स्मृतः एतस्मादेव निर्यान्ति जरामरणभीतयः।
Rama! This awareness (of the perceived) is the
Samsaara; Jeeva is known as a ‘Pashu’ (animal, who sees everything without any
sort of understanding); because of this only, the fears of aging, death etc
arise.
(सर्वं
अविशेषेण पश्यति इति पशुः animal -Pashu sees everything without any particular meaning)
पशुरज्ञो ह्यमूर्तोsपि दुःखस्यैवैष भाजनं चेतनत्वाच्चेतनीयं मनोsनर्थः स्वयं स्थितः।
This human shaped creature is ignorant; though
actually formless (Brahman), this creature becomes the receptacle of all sufferings
by his own ignorant state; because of this perceiving function, the mind perceives
the world, gives false interpretation and brings about harm.
चेत्यनिर्मुक्तता या स्यादचेत्योन्मुखताथवा अस्य सा भवितावस्था तां ज्ञात्वा नानुशोचति।
By knowing the natural state which is ‘freedom from
the (reality of the) cognition’, or ‘turning away from cognition’ (as false
knowledge), he will not suffer again.
भिद्यते हृदयग्रन्थिष्च्छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशयाः क्षीयन्ते चास्य कर्माणि तस्मिन्दृष्टे परावरे।
When
the Supreme who exists as the highest and the lowest is seen, the heart-knot (ego)
gets broken; all doubts get shattered; all actions get destroyed.
तस्य चेत्योन्मुखत्वं तु चेत्यासंभवनं विना रोद्धुं न शक्यते दृश्यं चेत्यं शाम्यति वै कथम् ।
अचेत्यचित्स्वरूपं यत्तच्चासंभवनं विना क्व स्वरूपोन्मुखत्वं हि केवलं चेत्यरोधतः।
The turning away from the perceived is not
possible, unless he knows that the perceived is not there at all. Otherwise how can the perceived cease to exist?
The state of pure awareness bereft of all perceptions
is not possible unless there is the Knowledge of the non-existence of the
perceived. You cannot turn away from the perceived, by just the cessation of
thoughts and reverting to the silent state of Samaadhi. (If one has to reach the state where the perceived
is non existent, you have to first of all understand that it is actually
non-existent. Unless this knowledge is acquired, you cannot get rid of the
perceived; you cannot just stop the thoughts and stay in a Samaadhi
trance-state, as an escapist route. Running away from the perceived to hide
inside meditation states is another form of ignorance only.)
रामोवाच यस्मिन्जीवे हि विज्ञाते
न विनश्यति संसृतिः, व्योमरूपी पशुस्त्वज्ञः स ब्रह्मन्कुत्र कीदृशः।
साधुसङ्गमसच्छास्त्रैः संसारार्णवतारकः दृश्यते परमात्मा यः
स ब्रह्मन्वद कीदृशः ।
Rama spoke: If the
Jeeva gets knowledge, Samsaara cannot perish; he is made of emptiness, is an
animal without understanding; is ignorant. Hey Brahman! How can he ever
understand anything and through what method?
(A Jeeva is just an animal who is not capable of understanding
anything; he is ignorance in essence; he by definition is an emptiness who imagines his individuality, as a
mind-structure. How can he understand the state which is the state which is
pure knowledge in essence?) It is said that the Supreme Self is realized by
crossing over the Samsaara
Ocean
(Rama’s
question means; if the ignorant Jeeva analyzes himself, he is not going to get
any knowledge of Para Brahman. It is like
darkness searching for light. How can the lie called Jeeva ever know the truth
of Reality; since his very nature is ignorance?)
वसिष्टोवाच यदेच्चेतनं जीवे विशीर्णे
जन्मजङ्गले एतमात्मानमिच्छन्ति ये ते तज्ज्ञाः पण्डिता अपि ।
जीव एव हि संसारश्चेतना दुःखसंततेः अस्मिन्ज्ञाते न विज्ञातं किन्चिद्भवति कुत्रचित् ।
ज्ञायते परमात्मा चेद्राम दुःखस्य संततिः क्षयमेति विषावेशशान्ताविव विषूचिका।
Vasishta spoke: This perceiving awareness called
the Jeeva is shattered and lost in the desert-lands of births and deaths; yet
the Knowers and learned ones love the Aatmaa which is their inner essence.
(The very same awareness is in the ignorant and the Knowers; the
ignorant Jeeva suffers lost in the forced succession of births and deaths. The
Knower is free and is in the bliss of the Self. Jeeva believes in the reality
of the perceived; a knower knows that the perceived is non-existent; that is
all the difference is; and not in the essence of awareness, which is common to
all.)
Jeeva alone is the ‘awareness of the world’ with
its succession of sufferings. If this Jeeva is understood, nothing gets known
actually. (Jeeva is also a part of the perceived. If he thinks that he is
real and searches for knowledge, of course nothing gets achieved.)
Rama! Only if the Supreme Self is known (as one’s
true nature) do the sufferings end, like the deadly disease gets cured by the
removal of poison.
(Jeeva
has to understand that he is non-existent as a bound perceiver; that the
perceived is non-existent; and stay as the state of Reality (pure awareness)
only.)
रामोवाच रूपं कथय मे ब्रह्मन्यथावत्परमात्मनः यस्मिन्दृष्टे मनो मोहान्समग्रान्सन्तरिष्यति।
Rama spoke: Brahman! Describe that state of the
Paramaatman by visualizing whom the mind will be able to cross over all the
delusions. (Where I can visualize it and know it?)
वसिष्टोवाच देशाद्देशान्तरं प्राप्तायाः संविदो वपुः निमेषेणैव यन्मध्ये तद्रूपं
परमात्मनः ।
Vasishta spoke: When
your awareness is moving from one object to another very fast, that pure
awareness which is in-between the two cognition points, is the form of that
Paramaatman.
(Pure awareness is the basic state of
all. Objects disturb as perceptions. Our mind jumps from one object to another
so fast that we do not see the dividing lines between two cognition points. We
always see a complete world without dividing lines of cognition. If we slow
down our thoughts and watch out carefully, we can understand and stay as the
pure awareness between two cognition points.
This is one form of contemplation
suggested by Vasishta; a Vichaara process accompanied by meditation. This verse gets repeated many times
again and again in this text.
Therefore the student should understand
the meaning of the verse correctly.)
अत्यन्ताभाव एवास्ति संसारस्य जगत्स्थितेः यस्मिन्बोधमहाम्भोधौ तद्रूपं परमात्मनः ।
That is the form of that Paramaatman, in which huge
ocean of knowledge this world-existence as the Samsaara is not existent at all.
(Samsaara is a collection of false knowledge; it cannot exist in the correct
knowledge called Brahman; like a barren woman’s son can never have existence.)
द्रष्ट्रुदृश्यक्रमो यत्र स्थितोsप्यस्तमयं गतः यदनाकाशमाकाशं तद्रूपं
परमात्मनः।
That is the form of that Paramaatman where the
process of the perceiver perceiving something vanishes off completely; which is
the supreme expanse (Aakaasha) which contains everything, yet is not any
expanse at all and contains nothing also (as an object of knowledge).
अशून्यमिव यच्छून्यं यस्मिन्शून्यं
जगस्थितं सर्गौघे सति यच्छून्यं तद्रूपं परमात्मनः ।
That is the form of that Paramaatman, which is
completely void yet is like no-void; in which this void of the world exists;
which is void though it contains hosts of worlds within it.
यन्महाचिन्मयमपि बृहत्पाषाणवत्स्थितमजडं वा जडमेवान्तस्तद्रूपं परमात्मनः ।
That is the form of that Paramaatman which though
is a principle of pure awareness, stays like an inert rock; is not inert at
all, but is also inert within.
सबाह्याभ्यन्तरं येन सर्वं संप्राप्य सङ्गमं स्वरूपसत्तामाप्नोति तद्रूपं परमात्मनः।
That is the form of that Paramaatman which fills up
everything inside and outside and exists as everything, united with all, and is
referred to as the real which is its nature.
(All objects inside and outside are all the
expression of knowledge only; and are understood as real, because it is the
reality that bestows reality to everything.)
प्रकाशस्य यथालोकः शून्यत्वं नभसो यथा तथेदं संस्थितं यत्र तद्रूपं परमात्मनः ।
That is the form of that Paramaatman which stays in
the perceived like the brightness of the luster, or the voidness of the void
(as the very essence of Jagat.)
रामोवाच सद्रूपं परमात्मेति
कथं नाम हि बुध्यते इयतोsस्य जगन्नाम्नो दृश्यस्यासंभवः कथम्।
Rama spoke: How can one know that Para
Brahman is the reality (behind the perceived)?
How does this thing called Jagat be made non-existent?
वसिष्टोवाच भ्रमस्य जागतस्यास्य
जातस्याकाशवर्णवदत्यन्ताभावसंबोधे
यदि रूढिरलं भवेत् तज्ज्ञातं ब्रह्मणो रूपं भवेन्नान्येन कर्मणा
दृश्यात्यन्ताभावतस्तु ऋते नान्या शुभा गतिः।
Vasishta spoke: This delusion of the
world-appearance is like the colours (like black, white, red, orange, blue etc)
seen in the colorless space; and actually non-existent except as a perception
connected to the mind (brain). If this understanding becomes evident as one’s
natural state of knowledge, then that is how the nature of Reality is
understood. It cannot be acquired by any action (of meditation, worship,
penance, charity, and others based on the reality of the perceived.) Except the
complete non-occurrence of the perceived, there is no other auspicious course
to be followed.
(The
absence of knowledge (Avidyaa) makes us believe in the reality of the
perceived; the rise of Vidyaa will make us understand that the perceived is not
real. Real is non-existent for sure, like the various colours seen in the
voidness because of our mind-construes. Mirage River
अत्यन्ताभावसम्पत्तौ दृश्यस्यास्य यथा स्थितेः शिष्यते परमार्थोsसौ बुध्यते जायते ततः ।
Even as it is seen and
experienced, this perceived has to be realized as non-existent. What is left over as the supreme transcendental
Reality is realized and one rises as the essence itself (without the ego.)
न विदः प्रतिबिम्बोsस्ति दृश्याभावादृते क्वचित्क्वचिन्नाप्रतिबिम्बेन किलादर्शोsवतिष्टते।
जगन्नाम्नोsस्य दृश्यस्य स्वसत्तासंभवं
विना बुध्यते परमं तत्त्वं न कदाचन केनचित्।
Without
the non-existence of the perceived, the reflected identity of the (real)
perceiver (Reality-state) cannot be there ever; never does a mirror exist
without anything.
(Mind or the intellect reflects always the reflections
of Vaasanaa-fields as the perceived. Unless you understand the non-reality of
the reflections and stay in the non-reflecting state of the Buddhi-mirror (as a
knowledge-vision), the state of Paramaatman cannot be realized.
The Perceived blocks the pure state of the Buddhi-mirror,
like a taint.
The erasing of the perceived can happen through
Vichaara only.)
As long as the reality of the ‘Jagat is reflected
in the mirror of the intellect’ becomes non-existent, there cannot be the
realization of the Supreme truth for anyone.
रामोवाच इयतो दृश्यजातस्य ब्रह्माण्डस्य जगत्स्थितेः मुने कथमसत्तास्ति क्व मेरुः सर्षपोदरे ।
Rama spoke: Hey Muni! How can this
Jagat-state of Brahmaanda which appears as the perceived be non-existent ever?
How can Meru Mountain
वसिष्टोवाच दिनानि कतिचिद्राम
यदि तिष्टस्यखिन्नधीः साधुसंगमसच्छास्त्रपरमः
तदहं क्षणाद्प्रमार्जयामि ते दृश्यं बोधे मृगजलं यथा । दृश्याभावे द्रष्ट्र्ता
च शाम्येद्बोधोsवशिष्यते ।
Vasishta spoke: Rama, if you stay for a few days
without worrying about it all, and concentrate only in maintaining the company
of the noble, and listen to the exposition of Brahman-knowledge, then I will
erase off the perceived in seconds, like the mirage waters vanishing off when
their falsehood is understood.When the perceived is understood as non-existent,
then the perceiver-state also will subside; and only knowledge remains left
back.
द्रष्ट्रुत्वं सति दृश्येsस्मिन्दृश्यत्वं सत्यथेक्षके एकत्वं सति हि द्वित्वे द्वित्वं चैकत्वयोजने
एकाभावे द्वयोरेव सिद्धिर्भवति नात्र
हि, द्वित्वैक्यद्रष्ट्रुदृश्यत्वक्षये सदवशिष्यते।
Since
the perceiving process is in the perceived; the perceived-state is in the seer;
oneness in the duality; duality turns into oneness; if one goes off, both do
not become effective.
When
the two-ness and oneness, seer and seen are gone, Sat (Reality) alone is left
back.
(Perceiver is a state of perception, where Reality
shines as both the perceiver connected to his perceived. There is not two; but
one only; two-ness and one-ness are concepts that belong to the ignorant.There is just that; and nothing else.
When we understand that the perceived is not real;
then the perceiver is also realized as unreal.
The reality of the perceived state itself vanishes off
into nothingness. The reflection along with the reflected vanishes off; and the
Reality alone is left back like a pure reflection-less mirror.)
अहन्तादिजगद्दृश्यं सर्वं ते मार्जयाम्यहंमत्यन्त्याभावसंवित्त्या मनोमुकुरतो मलम्।
I will erase off all the taint of the Seen along with
the ‘I’-ness, from your mind-mirror, by making the perceived non-existent.
नासतो विद्यते भावो नाभावो विद्यते सतः ,यत्तु नास्ति स्वभावेन कः क्लेशस्तस्य मार्जने ।
Real does not cease to exist; the unreal never
exists.
What difficulty is there in erasing that which is
non-existent by nature?
जगदादावनुत्पन्नं यच्चेदं दृश्यते ततं तत्स्वात्मन्येव विमले
ब्रह्मचित्त्वात्स्वबृम्हितम् ।
Jagat was never produced in the beginning. Whatever
is seen here as spread out (as the perceived) is the self-expanded state of the
‘awareness of the Brahman’ (Brahma-Chit) within in its taintless self.
जगन्नाम्ना न चोत्पन्नं न चास्ति न च दृश्यते हेम्नीव कटकादित्वं किमेतन्मार्जने श्रमः ।
Nothing named Jagat was produced; it is not there now
also; and is not seen also, like the bracelet etc imagined in the gold. What is
the difficulty in erasing it off?
तथैतद्विस्तरेणाहं वक्ष्यामि बहुयुक्तिभिरबाधितं यथा तत्त्वं
स्वयमेवानुभूयते ।
I will explain all this in detail through many
stories and examples, so that the truth becomes experienced by itself.
आदावेव हि नोत्पन्नं यत्तस्येहास्तिता
कुतः , कुतो मरौ जलसरिद्वितीयेन्दौ कुतो ग्रहः ।
यथा वन्ध्यासुतो नास्ति यथा नास्ति मरौ जलं यथा नास्ति नभोवृक्षः तथा नास्ति जगद्भ्रमः ।
How can something that has not been produced at all
have existence now; how can a river of waters flow in the desert, how can two
moons be seen ever? Just like a son of a barren woman cannot really exist, just
like waters cannot exist in a desert, just like a tree cannot grow in the sky;
so also this Jagat which is a delusion is non-existent.
यदिदं दृश्यते राम तद्ब्रह्मैव निरामयं एतत्पुरस्ताद्वक्ष्यामि युक्तितो न गिरैव
च।
Whatever is
seen here Rama (as the perceived) is Brahman alone which is without
afflictions. I will explain and prove this to you directly through proper
examples and stories; and not just through words.
यन्नाम युक्तिभिरिह प्रवदन्ति तज्ज्ञास्तत्रावहेलनमयुक्तमुदारबुद्धे
यो युक्तियुक्तमवमत्य विमूढबुद्धिः कष्टाग्रहो भवति तं विदुरज्ञ्नमेव ॥
Rama!
Have an open mind. Whatever truths are explained here by Knowers should not be
disregarded. A
fool, who argues against these stories with a perverted sense of wisdom, will
not be able to grasp any of the truths; and is to be branded as an idiot only.
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