Crest Jewel Of Wisdom
Even if beginningless, something originally non-existent is seen to come to an end. In the same way the living organism which is thought to belong to oneself through its identification with the intellect, does not really exist. On the other hand, the true self is quite distinct from it, and the identification of oneself with the intellect is due to misunderstanding. 200, 201
The cessation of that wrong identification is achieved by right understanding, and by no other means. Right understanding is held by scripture to be the recognition of the oneness of God and oneself. 202
This recognition is achieved by right discrimination between what is truly oneself and what is not, so one must develop this discrimination between the conventional self and one’s true self. 203
Like very muddy water, which is clearly water again when the mud is removed, one’s true self shines forth again when the contamination is removed. 204
When the non-existent is removed the individual is disclosed as the supreme self, so one must see to the removal of thoughts about “me” and suchlike from oneself. 205
The level of sense awareness cannot be one’s true self since it is changeable, physical, restricted, a sense-object and intermittent. What is transient should not be mistaken what is eternal. 206
The level of pleasure is the aspect of ignorance which is a sort of reflection the blissfulness of the true self. Its attributes are the qualities of enjoyment and so on, which are experienced when an enjoyable object is present. It presents itself spontaneously to those fortunate enough to experience the fruits of good deeds, something from which everyone experiences great pleasure without trying to. 207
The pleasure level is manifest at its fullest extent in deep sleep, whereas in dreams and the waking state it is only partially manifest, stimulated by such things as the sight of enjoyable objects. 208
The pleasure level cannot be the true self either, since it is changeable, a conditioned phenomenon, the result of good deeds, and involved in the other levels of consciousness as well. 209
When all these five levels have been disposed of by meditating on scripture, when everything as been eliminated there remains the witness, pure consciousness itself. 210
This self, the light itself, beyond the five levels, the witness of the three states, changeless, unsullied, eternal joy - this should be recognised by the wise as one’s real self. 211
The disciple
After transcending these five levels as unreal, master, I find nothing but a nothingness, the absence of everything. What object remains for a wise person to identify with? 212
The teacher
You have spoken the truth, learned one. You are skilled in discrimination. That by which all other phenomena, starting with the thought of “me”, are experienced, but which is itself experienced by none, know that, by the subtlest of understanding, as your true self. 213, 214
Whatever is experienced by something else has that as its witness. When there is nothing else to experience something, one cannot talk of it being witnessed. 215
This has the nature of self-awareness, since it is conscious of itself. Thus the individual self is by its self-awareness none other than the Supreme itself. 216
That which is fully manifest in the waking state, dream and deep sleep, which is perceived within in the form of the various experiences and impressions like self-consciousness, and which is experienced as the eternal Bliss, and Consciousness of one’s true self, see this within your own heart. 217
The ignorant see the reflection of the sun in the water of a jar and think it is the sun itself. In the same way the fool sees the reflection of consciousness in its associated qualities and mistakenly identifies himself with it. 218
The wise man ignores jar, water and the sun’s reflection in it, and sees the self-illuminating sun itself which gives light to all three but is independent of them. 219
When a man abandons the body and the intellect which is just a derivative of consciousness, and recognising one’s true self, the experiencer, pure awareness, the source of everything existent and non-existent, itself devoid of attributes, eternal, all-pervading, omnipresent, subtle, empty of inside and outside, and itself none other than one’s true self (for this is truly inborn), he becomes free from evil, sinless and immortal, free from pain, and the incarnation of joy. Master of himself he is afraid of no-one. There is no other way to the breaking of the bonds of temporal existence for the seeker after liberation than the realisation of his own true nature. 220, 221, 222
The recognition of one’s inseparable oneness with God is the means of liberation from temporal existence, by which the wise person achieves the non-dual, blissful nature of God. 223
Having attained the nature of God, the knower returns no more to the temporal state, so it is essential to recognise one’s own true inseparable oneness with God. 224
God is the truth, knowledge and eternal. He is pure, transcendent and self-sufficient - the everlasting, undiluted bliss which is enthroned undivided and inseparable within. 225
This supreme Reality is non-dual in the absence of any other reality beside itself. In the state of knowledge of ultimate truth there is nothing else. 226
This great variety of things which we experience through our failure to understand is all really God himself, once the distortion of thought is removed. 227
A pot made of clay is nothing other than clay, and its true reality is always simply clay. The pot is no more than the shape of a pot, and is just a mistake of imagination based on the name. 228
No one can show that the reality of the pot is different from the clay, so the pot is just an imagination based on misunderstanding, and the clay is the only final reality. 229
Similarly everything which is made of God is just God and has no separate existence. Whoever says it exists is not yet free from delusion and is like someone talking in his sleep. 230
The supreme scripture of the Arthava Veda declares that “All this is God”, so all this is simply God, and anything in addition to that has no reality. 231
If it has any reality, that is the end of any eternal reality for oneself, the scriptures are false, and the Lord himself a liar, three things which are quite unacceptable to great souls. 232
The Lord, who knows the reality of things, has stated “I do not depend on them” (Bhagavad Gita 9.4) and “Things do not exist in me” (Bhagavad Gita 9.5). 233
If everything really existed, it ought to exist in deep sleep too. Since nothing does, then it follows that it is unreal and an illusion like a dream. 234
So the world is not distinct from the Supreme Self, and its perception is an illusion like all attributes. What we add to That has no reality, but merely appears to exist in addition to That through misunderstanding. 235
Whatever a deluded person experiences in his delusion is still always God. The silver is only mother-of-pearl. It is always God that is mistaken for something else, and whatever is added to God is just a name. 236
So there exists only the supreme God, the One Reality without a second, consisting of pure consciousness, without any blemish, peace itself and without beginning or end, actionless and having the nature of pure bliss. 237
Beyond all delusion-created distinctions, this Whatever shines by its own light, eternal, fulfilled, indivisible, infinite, formless, inexpressible, nameless and indestructible. 238
Seers know this supreme Reality, free from the distinctions of knower, known and knowledge, infinite, complete in itself and consisting of pure Awareness. 239
What cannot be got rid of or taken hold of, beyond the sphere of mind and speech, measureless and beginning-and-endless is God, one’s true self and supreme glory. 240
The words “God” and “yourself”, referred to by the terms “That” and “Thou” are conscientiously purified by repetition of the scriptural phrase “Thou art That”, and are clearly seen to be identical. 241
Their identity can be indicated but not described, since they have mutually exclusive meanings like a firefly and the sun, a king and a slave, a well and the ocean, or an atom and mount Meru. 242
The distinction between them is due to the imagined additional associations, but in reality there are no such additions. The primary mental activity is due to the Lord’s Maya, and in the case of the individual it is the result of the five sheaths. 243
These are additions to the Lord and the individual, and when they are removed, there is neither Supreme nor individual. A ruler is known by his kingdom, and a warrior by his arms. Take these away, and there is neither warrior nor king. 244
Scripture itself, with the words “Here is the teaching” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.6), denies the imagined duality in God. One must get rid of these additions by means of understanding backed up by the authority of the scriptures. 245
“Not this, not this” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.6) means that nothing one can think of is real, like a rope mistaken for a snake, or like a dream. Carefully getting rid of the apparent in this way, one should then come to understand the oneness of the Lord and the individual. 246
So the meaning of these two expressions, Lord and individual, must be carefully considered until their essential oneness is understood. It is not enough just to reject or accept either of them. One must come to the recognition of the identity of the meaning of them both. 247
In the phrase “this person is Devadatta” the identity is indicated by removing the distinction, and in the same way, in the expression “Thou art That” the wise must get rid of the apparent contradiction and recognise the complete identity of God and self by carefully identifying the shared attribute of pure consciousness. Hundreds of scriptural sayings declare the identity of oneself and God in this way. 248, 249
In accordance with “It is nothing material” (Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 3.8.8) eliminate the unreal and find that which like the sky is pure and solitary, and is beyond thought. Eliminate too this purely illusory body which you have hitherto identified with yourself. Then recognising, “I am God” with purified understanding, see your true self as undifferentiated consciousness. 250
Everything made of clay, such as pot, is always to be seen as purely clay. In the same way, everything deriving from this supreme Self must be simply recognised as pure Reality. Since there is no reality beyond that, it is truly one’s very self, and you are that still, unblemished, non-dual, supreme Reality of God. 251
Just as the things like places, time, objects and observer imagined in a dream are unreal, so the world experienced in the waking state too is created by one’s own ignorance. Since the body-creating forces, self-identification, and so on, are also unreal, you are that still, unblemished, non-dual, supreme Reality of God. 252
That which is mistakenly imagined to exist is recognised by wisdom to be That alone, and is thus undifferentiated. The colourful world of a dream disappears. What remains other than oneself on waking? 253
Beyond birth, creed, family and tribe, free from the distortion of attributes of name and appearance, transcending locality, time and objects, you are That, God himself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 254
That supreme Reality beyond the realm of anything that can be said, but the resort of the pure eye of understanding, the pure reality of Consciousness-Awareness-Mind, etc. - you are That, God himself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 255
That which is unaffected by the six afflictions (of aging, death, hunger, thirst, desire and ignorance), which is meditated on in the heart of the devotee, unrecognised by the senses, unknown by the intellect - you are That, God himself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 256
That basis on which the mistakenly imagined world exists, itself dependent on nothing else, devoid of true and false, without parts, and without mental image - you are That, God himself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 257
That which is indestructible, free from birth, growth, development, decay, illness and death; which is the cause of the creation, maintenance and destruction of everything - you are That, God himself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 258
Free of parts, of an unchanging quality, undisturbed like a waveless sea, declared to be of an eternally indivisible nature - you are That, God ihimself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 259
Itself One but the cause of the many, the supreme Cause which does away with all other causes, itself devoid of distinctions of “cause” and “effect” - you are That, God himself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 260
Without modification, great and unending, the supreme Reality beyond destruction and indestructibility, the eternal unfading, unblemished, fulfilment - you are That, God himself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 261
That Reality which manifests itself as the many through the illusions of names, shapes, attributes and changes, but which, like gold is always itself unchanged (in different objects) - you are That, God himself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 262
That, beyond which there is nothing, but which shines beyond everything else, the inner, uniform self-nature of being-consciousness-joy, infinite and eternal - you are That, God himself. Meditate on the fact within yourself. 263
One should meditate within oneself with the mind well controlled on the truth declared here. Then the truth will be disclosed free from doubt, like water in the palm of one’s hand. 264
Realising one’s true nature as pure consciousness, one should remain always established in oneself, like a king surrounded by his army, and should redirect all that is back into God. 265
In the cave of the mind, free from attributes of being and not-being, there exists God, the Truth, supreme and without a second. He who by himself dwells in that cave returns no more to a mother’s womb. 266
Even when one knows the truth, there still remains the strong, beginningless tendency to think “I am the doer and the reaper of the consequences” which is the cause of samsara. It must be carefully removed by living in the state of observing the truth within oneself. The wise call that removal of this tendency liberation. 267
The tendency to see “me” and “mine” in the body and the senses, which are not oneself must be done way with by the wise by remaining identified with one’s true self. 268
Recognising one’s true inner self, the witness of the mind and its operations, and reflecting on the truth of “I am That”, get rid of this wrong opinion about oneself. 269
Abandoning the concerns of the world, abandoning concern about the body, and abandoning even concern about scriptures, see to the removal wrong assumptions about yourself. 270
It is owing to people’s worldly desires, their desires for scriptures, and their desires concerning their bodies that they do not achieve realisation. 271
Those who know about these things call these three desires the iron fetter that binds the feet of those who are seeking escape from the prison-house of samsara. He who is free from them reaches liberation. 272
The beautiful smell of aloe wood which is masked by a bad smell through contamination by water and such things becomes evident again when it is rubbed clean. 273
Desire for one’s true self which is veiled by endless internal other desires becomes pure and evident again like the smell of sandalwood through application with wisdom. 274
When the mass of desires for things other than oneself obscuring the contrary desire for one’s real self are eliminated by constant self-remembrance, then it discloses itself of its own accord. 275
As the mind becomes more and more inward-turned, it becomes gradually freed from external desires, and when all such desires are fully eliminated self-realisation is completely freed from obstruction. 276
When he is always poised in self-awareness the yogi’s thinking mind stops, and the cessation of desires takes place as a result, so see to the removal of all ideas of additions to your true self. 277
Dullness (tamas) is removed by passion (rajas) and purity (sattva), desire is removed by purity, and purity when itself purified, so establishing yourself in purity, see to the removal of all ideas of additions to your true self. 278
Recognising that the effects of past conditioning will sustain the body, remain undisturbed and work away hard at seeing to the removal of all ideas of additions to your true self. 279
“I am not the individual life. I am God.” Getting rid of all previous misidentifications like this, see to the removal of all ideas of additions to your true self created by the power of desires. 280
Recognising yourself as the self of everything by the authority of scripture, by reasoning and by personal experience, see to the removal of all ideas of additions to your true self whenever they manifest themselves. 281
The wise man has no business concerning himself with the acquisition or disposal of things, so by adherence to the one reality, see to the removal of all ideas of additions to your true self. 282
Realising the identity of yourself and God by the help of sayings like “You are That”, see to the removal of all ideas of additions to your true self so as to strengthen the adherence of yourself in God. 283
Eliminate completely your self-identification with this body, and with determination see that your mind is devoted to the removal of all ideas of additions to your true self. 284
So long as even a dream-like awareness of yourself as an individual in the world remains, as a wise person persistently see to the removal of all ideas of additions to your true self. 285
Without giving way to the least descent into forgetfulness through sleep, worldly affairs or the various senses, meditate on yourself within. 286
Shunning the body which is derived from the impurities of your mother and father and itself made up of impurities and flesh as you would an outcaste from a good distance, become Godlike and achieve the goal of life. 287
Restoring the self in you to the supreme Self like the space in a jar back to Space itself by meditation on their indivisibility, always remain silent, wise one. 288
Taking up through your true self the condition of your real glory, reject thoughts of a divine universe as much as of yourself as a reality, as you would a dish of filth. 289
Transferring your present self-identification with the body to yourself as consciousness, being and bliss, abandon the body and be complete forever. 290
When you know “I am that very God” in which the reflection of the world appears, like a city in a mirror, then you will be one who has achieved the goal of life. 291
Attaining that Reality which is self-existent and primal, non-dual consciousness, and bliss, formless and actionless, one should abandon the unreal body taken on by oneself, like an actor doffing his costume. 292
All this experienced by oneself is false, and so is the sense of I-hood in view of its ephemeral nature. How can “I know everything” be true of something which is itself ephemeral. 293
That which warrants the term “I” on the other hand is that which is the observer of the thought “I” etc. in view of its permanent existence even in the state of deep sleep. Scripture itself declares that it is “unborn and eternal” (Katha Upanishad 1.2.18). That true inner self is distinct from both being and not-being. 294
The knower of all the changes in changing things must itself be permanent and unchanging. The unreality in the extremes of being and not-being is repeatedly seen in the experience of thought, dreaming and deep sleep. 295
So give up identification with this mass of flesh as well as with what thinks it a mass. Both are intellectual imaginations. Recognise your true self as undifferentiated awareness, unaffected by time, past, present or future, and enter Peace. 296
Give up identification with family, tribe, name, shape and status which depend on the putrid body. Give up physical properties too such as the sense of being the doer and be the very nature of undifferentiated joy. 297
There are other obstacles seen to be the cause of samsara for men. Of these the root and first manifestation is the sense of doership. 298
So long as one has any association with this awful sense of being the doer there cannot be the least achievement of liberation which is something very different. 299
Free from the grasp of feeling oneself the doer, one achieves ones true nature which is, like the moon, pure, consummate, self-illuminating being and bliss. 300
