[Chaturamnaya] Yoga Vasishtha Sara - The Essence of the Yoga Vasishtha - CHAPTER III (THE MARKS OF A LIBERATED PERSON (JIVAN MUKTA))

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
CHAPTER III: THE MARKS OF A LIBERATED PERSON (JIVAN MUKTA)
 
1. The knowledge of the Self is the fire
that burns up the dry grass of desire. This
indeed is what is called samadhi, not mere
abstention from speech.
 
2. He who realizes that the whole universe
is really nothing but consciousness and
remains quite calm is protected by the
armour of Brahman ; he is happy.
 
3. The yogi who has attained the state
which is beyond everything and remains
always cool as the full moon is truly the
Supreme Lord.
 
4. He who reflects in his innermost heart
upon the purport of the Upanishads dealing
with Brahman and is not moved by joy and
sorrow, is not tormented by samsara.
 
5. Just as birds and beasts do not take
shelter on a mountain of fire so also evil
(thoughts) never occur to a knower of
Brahman.
 
6. Wise men also, like foolish men, (occasionally)
make others angry, (but they do
so only) in order to test their ability to
control their innate feelings (that is to say
to see how far the anger of other person
will affect on them).
 
7. Just as the trembling (of the body)
caused by the (imaginary) snake persists
(for some time) even after realizing that
there is no snake, so also the effect of delusion
persists (for some time) even after
getting rid of all delusions.
 
8. Just as the crystal is not stained by
what is reflected in it, so also a knower of
truth is not really affected by the result of
his acts.
 
9. Even while he is intent on outward
actions (the knower of Truth) always
remains introverted and extremely calm
like one asleep.
 
10. Firmly convinced of non-duality and
enjoying perfect mental peace, yogis go
about their work seeing the world as if it
were a dream.
 
11. Let death come to him (the knower
of truth) today or at the end of aeons; he
remains untarnished like gold buried in
mire.
 
12. He may cast off his body at Kashi or
in the house of an outcaste (lit. "one who
cooks dog's flesh"). He, the desireless one,
is liberated at the very moment he attains
knowledge (of Brahman).
 
13. To one who is desireless the earth, O
Rama, is (as insignificant as) the hoofprint
of a cow, Mount Meru a mound, space
as much as contained in a casket and the
three worlds a blade, of grass.
 
14. Like an empty vessel in space (the
knower of Truth) is empty both within and
without while at the same time he is full
within and without like a vessel immersed
in the ocean.
 
15. He who neither likes nor dislikes the
objects seen by him and who acts (in the
world) like one asleep, is said to be a liberated
person.
 
16. He who is free from the knots (of
desires) and whose doubts have been set at
rest is liberated even when he is in the body
(Jivan Mukta). Although he may seem to
be bound he is free. He remains like a lamp
in a picture.
 
17. He who has easily (lit. "as if in sport")
cast off all his egoistic tendencies and has
abandoned even the object of meditation, is
said to be liberated even when he is in the
body.
 
18. He who does not, like one blind, recognize
(lit. "leaves far behind") his relatives,
who dreads attachment as he would a serpent,
who looks upon, sense-enjoyments and
diseases alike, who disregards the company
of women as he would a blade of grass and
who finds no distinction between a friend a
foe, experiences happiness in this world and
the next.
 
19. He who casts away from his mind all
objects of perception and, attaining perfect
quiescence, remains still as space, unaffected
by sorrow, is a liberated man ; he
is the Supreme Lord.
 
20. The noble-hearted man whose desires
of the heart have come to an end is a liberated
man ; it does not matter whether he
does or does not practise meditation or
perform action.
 
21. The idea of Self in the non-Self is
bondage. Abandonment of it is liberation.
There is neither bondage nor liberation for
the ever-free Self.
 
22. If, by perceiving that the objects of
perception do not really exist, the mind is
completely freed (from those objects), there
ensues the supreme bliss of liberation.
 
23. Abandonment of all latent tendencies
is said to be the best (i.e. real) liberation
by the wise ; that is also the faultless
method (of attaining Liberation ) .
 
24. Liberation is not on the other side of
the sky, nor is it in the nether world, nor
on the earth ; the extinction of the mind
resulting from the eradication of all desires
is regarded as liberation.
 
25. O Rama, there is no intellect, no
nescience, no mind and no individual soul
(jiva). They are all imagined in Brahman.
 
26. To one who is established in what is
infinite, pure consciousness, bliss and
unqualified non-duality, where is the question
of bondage or liberation, seeing that
there is no second entity ?
 
27. O Rama, the mind has, by its own
activity, bound itself ; when it is calm it is
free.
 
 
(To be Continued)