[Chaturamnaya] Yoga Vasishtha Sara - The Essence of the Yoga Vasishtha - CHAPTER VII (METHOD OF PURIFICATION)

[S Jayanarayanan]

(Continued from previous post)
 
 
CHAPTER VII: (METHOD OF PURIFICATION)
 
1. O Raghava, be outwardly active but
inwardly inactive, outwardly a doer but inwardly
a non-doer, and thus play your part
in the world.
 
2. O Raghava, abandon all desires inwardly,
be free from attachments and latent
impressions, do everything outwardly and
thus play your part in the world.
 
3. O Raghava, adopt a comprehensive
view, characterised by the abandonment of
all objects of contemplation, live in your
innate Self, liberated even while alive
(Jivan Mukta), and thus play vour part in
the world.
 
4. Burn the forest of duality with the fire
of the conviction, 'I am the one Pure
Consciousness' and remain happy.
 
5. You are bound firmly on all sides by
the idea, 'I am the body'. Cut that bond
by the sword of knowledge 'I am Consciousness'
and be happy.
 
6. Discarding the attachment to non-Self,
regarding the world as a partless (whole)
concentrated and with attention turned inward
remain as pure Consciousness.
 
7. Remain always as pure Consciousness
which is your constant (true) nature beyond
the states of waking, dream and deep sleep.
 
8. O mighty-armed, be always free from
mental concepts like the heart of a rock
though not insentient like it.
 
9. Do not be that which is understood, nor
the one who understands. Abandon all concepts
and remain what you are.
 
10. Eliminate one concept by another and
the mind by the mind and abide in the Self.
Is this so difficult, O Holy man?
 
11. Sever the mind, which has on account
of its cares become red hot, with the mind
which is like iron sharpened by the study
of scriptures.
 
12. O Raghava, what have you to do with
this inert and dumb body ? Why do you
feel helpless and miserable by joys and
sorrows on account of it ?
 
13. What a vast difference between the
flesh, blood, etc. (composing the body) and
you the embodiment of consciousness ! Even
after knowing this why do you not abandon
the idea of Self in this body ?
 
14. The mere knowledge that this body is
like a piece of wood or a clod of earth
enables one to realize the Supreme Self.
 
15. How strange that, while the real
Brahman is forgotten by men, the unreal
called avidya (nescience) appears very real
to them (lit. "struts about before them").
 
16. It is again strange that while the
Supreme Brahman is forgotten by men the
idea 'this is mine' called avidya is firmly
held by them (lit. "strongly confronts them").
 
17. When you do your work do it without
attachment even as a crystal which
reflects the objects before it (but is not
affected by them).
 
18. The conviction that everything is
Brahman leads one to Liberation. Therefore
reject entirely the idea of duality which
is ignorance. Reject it entirely.
 
 
(To be Continued)