[Advaita-l] DIFFERENCE IN ADVAITA OF SHANKARA & DATTATREYA??????

[TONY VERMA]

Dear Advaitins,
I am very keen to know the comparative differences and similarities between 
Advaita of Adi Shankara and Avaduta Dattatreya.....For those who wish to 
read "Avaduta Gita" of Dattatreya before making comments I am attaching an 
english translation in this email.


.Avadhut Gita
translated Hari Prasad Shastri


Chapter I

   1. By the grace of God the Brahmins above all men are inspired with the 
disposition to non-duality (unity of the Self with God), which relieves them 
of the great fear.
   2. How can I salute the Self, which is indestructible, which is all 
Bliss, which in Itself and by Itself pervades everything, and which is 
inseparable from Itself?
   3. I alone am, ever free from all taint. The world exists like a mirage 
within me. To whom shall I bow?
   4. Verily the one Self is all, free from differentiation and 
non-differentiation. Neither can it be said, "It is" nor "It is not." What a 
great mystery.
   5. This is the whole substance of Vedanta; this is the essence of all 
knowledge, theoretical and intuitional. I am the Atman, by nature impersonal 
and all-pervasive.
   6. That God who is the Self in all, impersonal and changeless, like unto 
space, by nature purity itself, verily, verily, that I am.
   7. I am pure knowledge, imperishable, infinite. I know neither joy nor 
pain; whom can they touch?
   8. The actions of the mind, good and evil, the actions of the body, good 
and evil, the actions of the voice, good and evil, exist not in me (Atman). 
I am the nectar which is knowledge absolute; beyond the range of the senses 
I am.
   9. The mind is as space, embracing all. I am beyond mind. In Reality the 
mind has no independent existence.
   10. How can it be said that the Self is manifest? How can it be said that 
the self is limited? I alone am existence; all this objective world am I. 
More subtle than space itself am I.
   11. Know the Self to be infinite consciousness, self-evident, beyond 
destruction, enlightening all bodies equally, ever shining. In It is neither 
day nor night.
   12. Know Atman to be one, ever the same, changeless. How canst though 
say: "I am the meditator, and this is the object of meditation?" How can 
perfection be divided?
   13. Thou, O Atman, wast never born, nor didst thou ever die. The body was 
never thine. The Shruti (revealed Scriptures) has often said: "This is all 
Brahman."
   14. Thou art all Brahman, free from all change, the same within and 
without, absolute bliss. Run not to and fro like a ghost.
   15. Neither unity nor separation exist in thee nor in me. All is Atman 
alone. "I" and "thou" and the world have no real being.
16. The subtle faculties of touch, taste, smell, form and sound which 
constitute the world without are not thyself, nor are they within thee. Thou 
art the great all-transcending Reality.
   17. Birth and death exist not in the mind, not in thee, as do also 
bondage and liberation. Good and evil are in the mind, and not in thee. O 
Beloved, why dost thou cry? Name and form are neither in thee nor in me.
   18. Oh my mind, why dost thou range in delusion like a ghost? Know Atman 
to be above duality and be happy.
   19. Thou art the essence of knowledge, indomitable, eternal, ever free 
from modifications. Neither is there in thee attachment nor indifference. 
Let not thyself suffer from desires.
   20. All the Shrutis speak of Atman as without attributes, ever pure, 
imperishable, without a body, the eternal Truth. That know to be thyself.
   21. Know all forms, physical and subtle, as illusion. The Reality 
underlying them is eternal. By living this Truth one passes beyond birth and 
death.
   22. The sages call Atman the "ever-same." By giving up attachment the 
mind sees neither duality nor unity.
   23. Concentration is not possible either on perishable objects, on 
account of their mutability, nor on Atman. "Is" and "is not" do not apply to 
Atman either. In Atman, freedom absolute, how is Samadhi possible?
   24. Birthless, pure, bodiless, equable, imperishable Atman thou knowest 
thyself to be. How then canst thou say: "I know Atman," or "I know not 
Atman."
   25. Thus has the Shruti spoken of Atman; "That Thou art." Of the illusory 
world, born of the five physical elements, the Shruti says: "Neti, neti" 
(not this, not this).
   26. All this is ever pervaded by thee as Atman. In thee is neither the 
meditator nor the object of meditation. Why, O mind, dost thou shamelessly 
meditate"
   27. I know not Shiva, How can I speak of Him? Who Shiva is I know not, 
How can I worship Him?
   28. I am Shiva, the only reality, Like unto space absolute is my nature. 
In me is neither unity nor variety, The cause of imagination also is absent 
in me.
   29. Free from subject and object am I, How can I be self-realizable? 
Endless is my nature, naught else exists. Truth absolute is my nature, 
naught else exists.
   30. Atman by nature, the supreme Reality am I, Neither am I slayer nor 
the slain    31. On the destruction of a jar, the space therein unites with 
all space. In myself and Shiva I see no difference when the mind is 
purified.
   32. Brahman alone is, as pure consciousness. In truth there is no jar, 
and no jar-space, no embodied soul, nor its nature.
   33. There are no worlds, no Vedas, no Devas, no sacrifices, no castes, no 
family tribes, no nationalities, no smoke-path, no shining-path.
   34. Some there are that prize non-dualism, others hold to dualism. They 
know not the Truth, which is above both.
   35. How can the supreme Reality be described, since It is neither white 
nor any other colour, has no qualities such as sound, and is beyond voice 
and mind?
   36. "I eat," "I give," "I act"; such statements do not apply to Atman, 
which is purity, birthless and imperishable.
   37. Where the one Brahman alone is, how can it be said "this is Maya 
[creative power of the Lord, the means by which the phenomenal world has 
been brought into existence]", or "this is not Maya", "this is shadow" or 
"this is not shadow"?
   38. I am without beginning and without end. Never was I bound. By nature 
pure, taintless is my Self. This know I of a surety.
   39. From subtle substance (mahat) down to formed creation, there is 
nothing but Brahman; most clearly do I see this. Where then is the division 
of caste?
   40. The absolute void and its opposite, all am I everlastingly.
   41. Atman is not male or female, nor is It neuter; neither is It 
happiness or suffering. How dare ye pervert It?
   42. Atman is not purified by the six methods of Yoga. Absence of the mind 
makes It no clearer. The teachings of a Guru reveal It not. It is all 
purity, in Itself, by Itself.
   43. I am neither bound nor free. I am not separate from Brahman.
   44. Neither the doer nor the enjoyer of the fruits of karma am I. The 
pervader or the pervaded I am not.
   45. As a volume of water poured into water is inseparably united with 
water, so, I perceive, matter and spirit are one.
   46. Why callest thou Atman personal and impersonal. Since thou art 
neither bound nor free?    47. Pure, pure thou art, without a body, 
unrelated to the mind, beyond maya; why art thou ashamed to declare: "I am 
Atman, the supreme Reality"?
   48. O my mind, why dost thou cry? Realize thy Atman, o Beloved; drink the 
timeless great nectar of non-duality.
   49. Knowledge born of the intellect am I not. By nature Truth eternal am 
I. I am perpetual immutability.
   50. Neither formless nor with form, described by the Vedas as "Not this, 
not this," free from separation and unity, the true Self reigns supreme.
   51. There is no father, no mother, no kinsman, no son, no wife, no 
friend, no prejudice, no doctrine. Why art thou disquiet, o my mind?
   52. Why do the wise imagine the bodiless Brahman to be a body? In It 
there is neither day nor night, neither rising nor setting.
   53. Since the imperfections of attachment and the like are not in me, I 
am above the suffering of the body. Know me to be infinite, like unto space, 
one Atman.
   54. O my mind, my friend, many words are not needful, and the world 
comprehends not reason. In a word, I have told thee the essence of truth: 
"thou art Truth, thou art as space."
   55. In whatever place and in whatever state the Yogi dies, his spirit is 
absorbed into That, as, on the destruction of the jar, the space in the jar 
is united with absolute space.
   56. Whether he dies conscious or in coma, in a holy temple or in the 
house of an untouchable, he obtains liberation, becoming the all-pervading 
Brahman.
   57. The Yogis regard righteousness, prosperity, desire for Paradise and 
liberation, and also the moving and fixed objects, as mere 
will-o'-the-wisps.
   58. The Avadhut in unshakable equanimity, living in the holy temple of 
nothingness, walks naked, knowing all to be Brahman.
   59. Where there is no "Third" or "Fourth", where all is known as Atman, 
where there is neither righteousness nor unrighteousness, how can there be 
either bondage or liberation?


Chapter II

            The Avadhut said:    1. Hold not the immature, the credulous, 
the foolish, the slow, the layman and the fallen to have nothing good in 
them. They all teach something. Learn from them. Surely we do not give up a 
game although we have mastered it?
   2. Think not lightly of thy Guru should he lack letters and learning. 
Take the Truth he teaches and ignore the rest. Know well that a boat, 
painted and adorned, will carry you across the river; so also will one that 
is plain and simple.
   3. The higher intelligence which without effort pervades the movable and 
the immovable, and which by nature is all peace and consciousness, that am 
I.
   4. How can the one supreme consciousness which without effort rules the 
living and the inert and is all-pervasive, be other than I?
   5. I am more subtle than primordial substance, beyond elements and 
compounds, free from birth and death, above duality and unity.
   6. The modifications of the inner organ (antahkarana) have no part in me. 
Like bubbles rising and falling in a river, thoughts and volitions rise and 
disappear in the inner organ.
   7. As softness is not perceived apart from soft objects, as sweetness is 
not known apart from honey, as bitterness is not known apart from the Nim 
tree [tropical Indian tree whose leaves have an extremely bitter taste], as 
fluidity and coolness are the nature of water, so the primordial form of 
matter called mahat [Cosmic Mind] is no other than the Self (Atman). As the 
rays of the sun differ not from the sun, so matter does not differ from God.
   8. How can "I" or "thou" be said of Brahman which is more subtle than 
mahat, free from all attributes, greater than all, above the range of mind 
and emotion, without medium or limitation, lord of the universe? It can 
neither be called static or dynamic.
   9. As space cannot be compared with another space, so Brahman being above 
duality, cannot be compared with any object. Brahman alone is perfection, 
taintless, all knowledge.    10. It walks not on the earth, the wind cannot 
move It, the water cannot cover It, It stands in the midst of Light.
   11. It pervades space-time. Nothing pervades It. From limitations ever 
free, eternally the same, with nothing outside It and nothing within, It 
abides.
   12. Atman, of which the high Yogis speak, most subtle, beyond perception, 
without attributes, must be realized step by step, and not by sudden 
violence.
   13. Ever practicing Yoga [practice of mind control, detachment and 
meditation], not depending on any object, the Yogi merges his consciousness 
in Brahman, and becomes Brahman.
   14. There is but one antidote to the poison of passions, which beget 
infatuation and are highly dangerous, and that is to return to the state of 
Atman. Atman is unapproachable by the emotions, is ever formless and 
independent.
   15. Hidden in the realm of eternal consciousness lies the world's cause, 
which is prakriti. Within this cause is Brahman. The husk of a coconut is 
the world, the pulp is prakriti, and the sweet cool water encased in the 
pulp is Brahman.
   16. Like the full moon is Atman. See It in all. Duality is the product of 
defective vision. As there is only one moon so there is only one Atman in 
all.
   17. No duality can touch the conception of Brahman, because It is 
all-pervasive. The wise who teach this acquire boundless patience, and their 
disciples can never be too thankful to them.
   18. The talented as well as the witless attain the state of 
desirelessness by knowing the mystery of Atman, through the grace of their 
spiritual teacher.
   19. This transcendent state of consciousness (Nirvana) is reached by 
those who are free from attachment and aversion, ever engaged in doing good 
to all living beings, whose knowledge is firmly rooted, and who are patient.
   20. The Yogi is merged in the divine after leaving the body, as the 
jar-space is merged in cosmic space on the destruction of the jar.
   21. The statement that the future condition is determined by the state of 
the thoughts at death is made of the uninitiated, not the initiated.
   22. The knower of Brahman may leave his body in a holy place, or in the 
house of an untouchable, he is absorbed into Brahman.
   23. When a Yogi has realized Atman, which is his true Self, birthless and 
beyond the range of the mind and emotions, then the karmas [actions and 
their consequences] no longer touch him. He may perform the rituals or leave 
them. To him it is all one.
   24. Atman realized is the master of creation, eternal, indestructible, 
formless, without dimensions, absolutely independent, without pleasure or 
pain, full of all powers.
   25. The wise discover that Atman is not seen either by the study of the 
Vedas, by initiations, by shaving the head, or by being a Guru or chela (an 
approved disciple). Nor is it seen through postures.
   26. That God, Atman, by whose power the whole universe is born, in which 
it abides and to which it finally returns like bubbles and waves in the sea, 
is realized by the wise.
   27. Atman, which the wise realize, is not the aim of control of breath 
(pranayama) nor of the postures of Hatha Yoga [physical austerities and 
exercises]. In It there is neither knowledge nor ignorance.
   28. There is neither unity nor duality in Atman, nor unity-duality, 
neither smallness nor greatness, neither emptiness nor fullness. All these 
exist in the mind, and the mind is not Atman.
   29. The teacher cannot teach Atman; the disciple cannot learn it.


Chapter III

   1. How shall I worship that Atman great Which is neither personal nor 
impersonal. Taintless, above love and aversion, uncreated, All pervasive, of 
the form of the universe, Having no attributes, yet not attributeless That 
all-bliss Shiva, my Self.
   2. How shall I bow down to mine own Self In my own Self and by my Self? I 
have no colours, white or yellow; Eternal Shiva am I.
   3. I am rootless, and without root, Free from smoke, and smokeless am I, 
Without a lamp, and lightless am I, Equanimity am I, like a sun ever risen.
   4. How can I name the passionless, desireless One As having desires? The 
Absolute cannot Be described in terms of conditions; How can I speak of 
myself? I am neither with an essence, Nor am I without an essence. 
Space-like all equanimity am I.
   5. How shall I say that non-duality Is all this creation, or that, or 
that? Even if it be duality, then too I cannot Attribute creation or 
dissolution to It. How can the Eternal, the All Be expressed in any way? 
Space-like, all-bliss am I.
   6. Neither gross nor subtle is my Atman; It comes not, and It goes not; 
Without a beginning and without an end; Neither higher nor lower is It; That 
Truth absolute, space-like, Immortality-giving knowledge am I.
   7. Know well that all the senses Are as space, and so also their objects. 
Know that the One is taintless, The One is neither bound nor free. That 
all-pervasive ever-blissful Shiva, Immortality-giving knowledge am I.
   8. The knowledge of the Self, hard to obtain, Which is experienced, is 
not Atman; The object of meditation, Hard to concentrate upon, is not Atman; 
That which is near, and that which is far, far away, Is not Atman. 
Space-like, all-bliss Shiva am I, Shiva am I.
   9. Without karma am I, I burn up karmas; Without pain am I, I burn up 
sufferings; Bodiless, homeless am I, and yet I burn up these, All 
equanimity, space-like am I.
   10. The seed of the plant of the world exists not in me, Contentment and 
pleasures exist not in me; Bondage and ignorance are not in me; Space-like, 
absolute Shiva am I.
   11. Atman is not the Knower Nor is It the known. It is not accessible to 
inference. Words cannot describe This Consciousness Absolute. The mind is 
lost in Its majesty. How can It be explained to thee? Space-like 
immortality-giving knowledge am I.
   12. There is no separation and no unity in It. Neither is It inner nor 
outer. It is Truth transcendental. It cannot be said "It was all before." 
Verily nothing exists but Atman. And that space-like immortality-giving 
Knowledge am I.
   13. I am the eternal principle. Free from attachment and aversion, Free 
from imperfections am I, Fate and providence exist not in me. Eternally free 
from the sufferings of the world, Verily, space-like immortality-giving 
Knowledge am I.
   14. As the three states of consciousness Exist not in Atman, How can It 
be the Fourth? Free from past, present and future How can the cardinal 
points exist in IT? Eternal peace, space-like transcendental Truth am I.
   15. Neither father nor mother have I, Neither wife nor child. Birth and 
death I do not know. The mind is not my own. Eternal peace, space-like 
transcendental Peace am I.
   16. Devas and Gods, like Indra and Brahma, Have no place in Atman. 
Neither Paradise nor Heaven exist in Atman. The one taintless transcendental 
Truth am I.
   17. The saying of the Shruti "not this, not this" Does not apply to 
Atman. How can it be said "When all is subtracted Atman alone remains"? It 
is symbolical but not a symbol; Yet even this cannot be said of Atman. 
Space-like, the water of immortality am I.
   18. Maya is not my modification. Nor is its glamour mine. Deceit and 
hypocrisy, truth and untruth Have no place in me. Space-like, 
immortality-giving knowledge am I.


Chapter IV

   1. Nothing can be added or taken away from the Universal Consciousness. 
It cannot be invoked or worshipped with flowers and leaves. Meditations and 
Mantrams cannot reach It. How could It be worshipped as Shiva for in It 
there are neither distinctions nor unity?
   2. In the One there is neither bondage nor salvation, neither purity nor 
impurity. From union and separation the One is free. That space-like Truth 
am I.
   3. As in reality I am Nirvana, thoughts as to the reality and unreality 
of the world trouble me not at all.
   4. Eternally free from the taint of ignorance as I am, knowledge or 
illusion never had birth in me. How can I say whether I am bound or free?
   5. Neither sin nor virtue ever existed in me; by nature I am Nirvana. 
Neither the worshiper nor the worshipped am I. No instructions and no 
rituals are there for me. Knowledge also am I not. By nature I am Nirvana.
   6. Taintless Nirvana am I; I am neither the comprehender nor the 
comprehended. Neither the cause nor the effect exist in me.
   7. Neither am I a body, nor am I bodiless. The buddhi [higher mind which 
includes the discriminative faculty and intuitive reason], the mind and the 
senses are not mine. How can I talk of attachment and detachment, since I am 
taintless Nirvana?
   8. In me exist not birth, death, purity, impurity, poison or the water of 
immortality. Verily I am free even from the taint of Nirvana. I cannot speak 
of the "Third" or the "Fourth".
   9. Neither a fool nor a pundit am I, neither silent nor of many words; 
how can I speak of reasoning or argument since I am free even from the taint 
of Nirvana?
   10. Giving up all meditations, all good and evil karma, drinking the 
water of immortality, the heros know that I from the taint of Nirvana am 
free.
   11. No ritualist injunction is binding on me; mind, the seat of 
anxieties, does not exist in me. Far, far from me also is egotism. 
Space-like, immortality-giving knowledge absolute am I.    12. I cannot say 
whether the world is nothingness or if it is partly real and partly unreal, 
or, if like a flowing river though ever changing, it is in fact real as a 
whole. Space-like immortality-giving knowledge absolute am I.
   13. There is not the least shadow of name or form in the Infinite, nor is 
there unity or diversity in me. O my shameless mind, why createst thou a 
confusion? Space-like immortality-giving knowledge absolute am I.
   14. O my friend, there is no cause for disquietude since thou art not the 
body. Thou art imperishable and eternal, then why criest thou? Rest in 
peace. Space-like, immortality-giving knowledge absolute am I.
   15. Why art thou troubled, O friend, since avarice, lust, attachment, are 
not in thee? Space-like, immortality-giving knowledge absolute am I.
   16. Why this craving for power, O companion, when in truth wealth is not 
thine. "Mine" and "thine" are not in thee.
   17. In thy heart there is no meditator, there is no Samadhi, nor is there 
any possibility of meditation in Atman. Time and causation never existed in 
thee.
   18. I have told the, o disciple, the essence of Truth. There is no "thou" 
nor "I", no world, no Guru, or disciple. Know that by nature I am freedom 
absolute. I am transcendental Truth.
   19. When Atman, the absolute existence, alone is, and It is I, then where 
is transcendental Truth, where is bliss, where is knowledge, secular or 
spiritual?
   20. Unknown to fire, water and earth, motionless, all-pervasive as space, 
knowledge absolute know thy Atman to be.
   21 Renounce, renounce the world, and also renounce renunciation, and even 
give up the absence of renunciation. By nature all-pervasive as space, 
knowledge absolute art thou.

Chapter V

   1. The syllable OM spoken is the essence of the lower and the higher 
knowledge. It is Brahman, space-like. There is neither existence nor 
non-existence in this world. Brahman is ever free from duality.
   2. Thou art that Atman of which the Shruti says, "Tat Twam Asi [That thou 
Art]." Know that thou art free from maya. Cry not, o mind, verily thou art 
all.
   3. There is neither higher nor lower in thee. Thou pervadest all equally, 
and there is neither inner nor outer. Then why mournest thou, O mind? All, 
all is Brahman.
   4. Neither that which is imagined, nor the imagination exist in thee; 
know that cause and effect touch thee not. Free from words and all 
expressions art thou, eternally the same. O mind, cry not.
   5. To know that there is neither higher nor lower in Atman is Samadhi; to 
know that Atman is ever free from time and space is Samadhi. Cry not, O 
mind, all is Brahman.
   6. As there is no jar, there is no jar space. As there is no jiva body, 
no conditioning medium [The conditioning of consciousness to form the 
individual soul (jiva) encased in the human body is compared to the apparent 
enclosure of space in a jar. As jars do not really limit space, so the 
conditioning medium of body and mind cannot limit Atman.], there is no jiva. 
The cause and effect which produce conditions do not exist in Atman. Why 
then dost thou cry, O my mind?
   7. It is all one whether we live in a hut in retirement, or in a house 
with many kinfolk, for Atman is free from the multitude as from solitude. 
Free also is It from knowledge, theoretical and practical, Atman being All, 
O my mind, cry not.


Chapter VI

   1. The whole universe is a projection of the mind; therefore it is a mode 
of the mind. The true nature of the mind is bliss, and when the mind is 
stilled, bliss absolute is revealed.
   2. Consciousness absolute, being unknowable by the mind, how can speech 
explain it?
   3. The Self is free from day and night, and therefore the conception of 
its pilgrimage in time and space is no true one.
   4. No sun illumines Atman; the fire and the moon cannot shine therein. It 
is not equanimity or even desirelessness; how then can action exist in it?
   5. Neither can it be said that It is to be known by the absence of 
action. It is neither within or without. It is naught but bliss absolute.
   6. How can it be said that It is the first or that It is the last, since 
It is neither element or compound, nor emptiness nor fullness? Eternal, ever 
the same, the essence of all is Shiva.
   7. The statement that Atman is describable or indescribable cannot stand. 
Neither is It the knower nor the known. It cannot be imagined or defined. 
How can we say that It has a mind or any of the senses?
   8. Space, time, water, fire, earth, constituting the world, are a mere 
mirage. In truth the One, imperishable, ever blissful, alone exists. There 
is neither cloud nor water in It.
   9. As there is no possibility of birth and death in It, so no conception 
of duty nor dereliction of duty can be applied to It. That undifferentiated, 
eternal, all-pervasive Shiva alone is.
   10. The modifications of primordial matter and of individualized 
consciousness are in the realm of cause and effect. When there is eternal 
all-pervasive Shiva alone, how can there be matter or spirit therein?
   11. There is in It no suffering, and no possibility of suffering, because 
It is free from all attributes.
   12. There is no duality in It. How can there be age, or youth, or 
childhood in that One eternal principle?
   13. Atman is dependent on nothing and is unlimited. The law of cause and 
effect touches It not. How can the buddhi, which operates only in duality, 
and which is perishable, discern It?
   14. It grasps not, nor is It grasped. It is not born nor does It bring 
forth. We can only say that in It there is no destruction.
   15. In Atman there is neither manhood nor womanhood, because such 
conceptions cannot exist in eternity.
   16. There is no pleasure in It, and no faculty of enjoying pleasure, 
since It is free from such defects as attachment. Equally free from doubts 
and suffering, one and eternal is Shiva; thus the conception of "I" and 
"mine" do not apply to It.
   17. Neither is there Brahman in It, nor the absence of Brahman. Since It 
alone exists and is eternity, it must follow that It is free from pain, and 
also from freedom from pain.
   18. There is no gain and there is no loss. Infatuation and worldly wisdom 
have no place therein. When the eternal consciousness alone exists, how can 
discrimination or wisdom, or any such thing be contained in It?
   19. In It there is no "thou" and no "I", therefore family and caste exist 
not therein. It is neither true nor untrue. Neither is It of this world nor 
of the next. How then can one pray to It?
   20. Illusory is the connection of the learner and the teacher. Teaching 
and contemplation, when thus beheld, are not admissible. "Verily, I am 
Shiva." This alone is the whole Truth. How then can I pray to It, or worship 
It?
   21. The body itself is imagined in Atman, as is the whole universe. Atman 
is free from all differentiations. Then since I am Shiva, there can be no 
idea of prayer or worship.
   22. Consciousness absolute has no body. It cannot be said that It is 
without a body or attributes. All that can be said is that It is bliss 
absolute, and that bliss am I. This is the height of worship, and this is 
the culmination of all prayer.
   23. The Avadhut who has realized this mystery of all mysteries, and has 
risen to the state of unceasing and perfect bliss, moves about in the crowds 
unconcerned, radiating bliss and higher knowledge.
   24. He is clothed in a habit of old and worn. He walks in a path that is 
free from religious merit or sin. He lives in the temple of absolute 
emptiness. His soul is naked, and free from all taints and modifications of 
maya.
   25. The Avadhut has no ideal, neither strives he after the attainment of 
an ideal. Having lost his identity in Atman, free from the limitations of 
maya, free also from the perfections of Yoga, thus walks the Avadhut. He 
argues with no one, he is not concerned with any object or person.
   26. Free from the snares of expectations and hopes, he has cast off the 
worn-out garments of purity, righteousness, and all ideals. His path is free 
from any such consideration. It can only be said about him that he is purity 
absolute, and is far, far above the clouds of maya and ignorance.
   27. He has no such thoughts as "I am not in the body," or "I am not the 
body." He has no aversion, attachment or infatuation towards any object or 
person. Pure as space he walks, immersed in the immaculate bliss of his 
natural state.
   28. The Avadhut may be compared to immeasurable space. He is eternity. In 
him is neither purity nor impurity. There is no variety nor unity in him; no 
bondage nor absence of bondage.    29. Free from separation and union, free 
from enjoyment or absence of enjoyment, he moves calm and unhurried through 
the world. Having given up all activity of the mind, he is in his normal 
state of indescribable bliss.
   30. Atman, with which the Avadhut has found natural unity, is limitless 
and inconceivable. It is unknowable by the mind. It is neither a part nor is 
It divided. It cannot be said, "So far is its province and no farther." 
Verily, it is hard to describe and hard to obtain.
   31. The Avadhut is not concerned with the things of the world, because 
the natural state of Self-realization renders all else insignificant. Death 
and birth have no meaning; he meditates not, neither does he worship.
   32. All this world is a magic show, like a mirage in the desert. 
Concentrated bliss, alone and secondless, is Shiva and that is the Avadhut.
   33. The wise man strives not for anything, not even for Dharma [law of 
unity and righteousness] or liberation. He is free from all actions and 
movements, and also from desire and renunciation.
   34. What do they, the pundits, know of him? Even the Vedas cannot speak 
of him perfectly. That bliss absolute, ever indestructible, but a source of 
bliss to all, is the Avadhut.

Chapter VII

   1. When as a pilgrim, I began to journey towards Thee, then my little 
notions of all-pervasiveness of Atman died.
   2. When my mind began to meditate on Thee, it lost all interest in 
objects. When my tongue began to praise Thee it lost the power of praising 
others. I forgot my three great sins.
   3. He whose buddhi is no longer attracted towards desires and pleasures, 
whose nature has become joyful and compassionate, he who, even in his heart, 
has no idea of possessions, who is ever peaceful and most temperate in all 
things and is not moved by any happenings and events - that Muni {sage] 
takes refuge in Atman. Ever watchful, solemn as the ocean and full of 
patience.
   4. He who has conquered the feelings of pleasure, wrath, avarice, 
attachment, vanity and aversion, this one is peace itself, and free from all 
pride.
   5. Efficient in his undertakings, full of compassion is the sadhu [holy 
man]; he gives pity to all, has enmity towards no one.
   6. He bears patiently heat and cold, seeing the one Self enlightening all 
bodies. He walks solitary as a rhinoceros [symbol of detachment, solemnity 
and peace]. He has become an ocean of Truth and is ever engaged in the work 
of mercy. Such is the Avadhut, free from birth and death.
   7. The knowers of God will know the meaning of the word AVADHUT by the 
four letters which form it, A, V, Dh, T.
   8. A stands for freedom from the snares of hopes and expectations, pure 
in the beginning, in the middle and the end, merged in Self-bliss.
   9. V stands for the rooting out of all desires after pleasure, subtle or 
material, and for life in the present as all-sufficient, the present being 
eternity.
   10. Dh is the physical body, covered with dirt and dust, but with the 
mind ever pure, and the heart ever still, above contemplation and 
meditation.
   11. T is the unceasing contemplation of the eternal Truth, and 
indifference to the activities of the mind and senses. It also bespeaks 
freedom from egoism and pride.
   12. Woe to them that give up this knowledge of the wisdom of Atman, which 
in itself constitutes eternal freedom and joy throughout all worlds, and 
turn to the realms of limited pleasure and of ignorance.
   13. Those who are desirous of acquiring this eternal bliss and of 
communicating it to others through their teaching, must give up all sensuous 
pleasures, more especially those which arise from sex union.
   14. The body is made up of impure elements, of blood, flesh, bones and 
the like. Woe to those who are attached to it, and indifferent to the ever 
blissful Atman.
   15. There are three kinds of wine, produced from syrup, grain and honey. 
But there is a fourth, the darkest of all, the wine of sex, which has 
intoxicated the whole world.
   16. When the mind is uncontrolled, then the body, which is the object of 
affection to the ignorant, also suffers, and when the mind is controlled, 
then the body also remains in good estate.
   17. Wherefore, all ye lovers of wisdom, protect your minds from feelings 
of pleasure, and engage them in spiritual wisdom.
   18. This is the song of the great Dattatreya Avadhut. Those who read it 
and hear it with respectful attention, they are not reborn on this earth.

end

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