This Pravachan was delivered on 15 Jan1977
Pravachan Audio link – Soundcloud –
https://on.soundcloud.com/focqb
Pravachan Transcript link –
https://oshostsang.wordpress.com/2018/07/29/अष्%e2%80%8dटावक्र-महागीता-प्रव-65/
(Pravachan No 64 is a Question and Answer
session. All even numbered pravachans are Q&A sessions. Therefore, these
have been left out, for the time being – these will be taken up, on completion
of all expositions of Ashtavakra Gita.)
ashTAvakra uvAca |
aprayatnAt prayatnAdvA mUDhO
nApnOti nirvRtim |
tattvaniScayamAtrENa prAjnO
bhavati nirvRtaH || 18 : 34 || 210 ||
SuddhaM buddhaM priyaM pUrNaM
nishprapancaM nirAmayam |
AtmAnaM taM na jAnanti
tatrAbhyAsaparA janAH || 18 : 35 || 211 ||
nApnOti karmaNA mOkshaM
vimUDhO(a)bhyAsarUpiNA |
dhanyO vijnAnamAtrENa
muktastishThatyavikriyaH || 18 : 36 || 212 ||
mUDhO nApnOti tadbrahma yatO
bhavitumicchati |
anicchannapi dhIrO hi
parabrahmasvarUpabhAk || 18 : 37 || 213 ||
nirAdhArA grahavyagrA mUDhAH
saMsArapOshakAH |
EtasyAnarthamUlasya
mUlacchEdaH kRtO budhaiH || 18 : 38 || 214 ||
na SAntiM labhatE mUDhO yataH
Samitumicchati |
dhIrastattvaM viniScitya
sarvadA SAntamAnasaH || 18 : 39 || 215 ||
अष्टावक्र उवाच ।
अप्रयत्नात् प्रयत्नाद्वा
मूढो नाप्नोति निर्वृतिम् ।
तत्त्वनिश्चयमात्रेण
प्राज्ञो भवति निर्वृतः ।। 18 : 34
।। 210 ||
शुद्धं बुद्धं प्रियं
पूर्णं निष्प्रपञ्चं निरामयम् ।
आत्मानं तं न जानन्ति
तत्राभ्यासपरा जनाः ।। 18 : 35
।। 211 ||
नाप्नोति कर्मणा
मोक्षं विमूढोऽभ्यासरूपिणा ।
धन्यो विज्ञानमात्रेण
मुक्तस्तिष्ठत्यविक्रियः ।। 18 : 36
।। 212 ||
मूढो नाप्नोति तद्ब्रह्म
यतो भवितुमिच्छति ।
अनिच्छन्नपि धीरो
हि परब्रह्मस्वरूपभाक् ।। 18 : 37
।। 213 ||
निराधारा ग्रहव्यग्रा
मूढाः संसारपोषकाः ।
एतस्यानर्थमूलस्य
मूलच्छेदः कृतो बुधैः ।। 18 : 38
।। 214 ||
न शान्तिं लभते मूढो
यतः शमितुमिच्छति ।
धीरस्तत्त्वं विनिश्चित्य
सर्वदा शान्तमानसः ।। 18 : 39
।। 215 ||
(In the book ‘Ashtavakra Samhita’ by Swami
Nityaswarupananda, these 6 Slokas are given as Chapter 18 (34 – 39); but, according to
the transcript of the Pravachan, all these are
given sequentially (210 – 215) without any chapters. Accordingly, both the
systems of numbering have been adopted here.)
Pravachan
ashTAvakra uvAca |
aprayatnAt prayatnAdvA mUDhO
nApnOti nirvRtim |
tattvaniScayamAtrENa prAjnO
bhavati nirvRtaH || 18 : 34 || 210 ||
First Sutra – Ashtavakra says – ‘An ignorant
person (ajnAnI) does not attain peace (sukha) whether by action (effort)
(prayatna) or by inaction (abstention) (aprayatna); a wise person (jnAnI)
attains peace, just by knowing the Truth (tattva), with certainty (conviction)
(niScaya).’
This a very important Sutra. It is necessary for
every practitioner (seeker) (sAdhaka) to understand this in depth; it is a
priority (prAthmik). If there is any mistake (error) (bhUl) here (in
understanding), then, it (error) persists throughout. If no error is made here,
half the job has been accomplished. Proper (correct) beginning is half of the
journey. This Sutra is fundamental (buniyAd). An ignorant person makes a lot of
effort, in order to attain peace (sukha), but he attains only misery (grief)
(dukh). He succeeds, not in getting peace, but in getting grief. Who doesn’t
want to go to Heaven (svarga)? But, everyone reaches only Hell (nark). Everyone
makes efforts for Heaven, but, in the end, the result is Hell only. You are
familiar with these results (fruits); these fruits are the essence (sAr) of
your life; they (fruits) are the cause for your gloom (vishAda). You desired
nectar, but got poison; you desired love, but got hatred; you dreamt of
success, but got only gloom; gloom has filled your vitality (prANa). By the
time life comes to end, you start feeling, as if the whole nature (creation)
(prakRti) is working against you (your interests), that you would not be able
to succeed, and your failure is pre-determined.
Everyone wants happiness, but who gets
happiness? This is very surprising. Everyone wants happiness, but no one is
able to attain it. We have to ponder, as to why so – there should be some big
mistake; there should be such a great error – a fundamental error – not by one,
but by everyone. That error is this – the very thought of getting happiness, is
indeed the error. Happiness is our nature (svabhAva); happiness is born along
with us; we cannot be born, without happiness. Even before our birth, the
stream of happiness has been flowing inside us. The meaning of ‘svabhAva’ is –
‘that which is ours’. As the fire burns, being its nature, so also, happiness
is the very nature of our consciousness (caitanya) –
Existence-Consciousness-Bliss (sat-cit-Ananda) is dwelling inside us. This is
the error we make – we think that we will get it (happiness). We search for
that, which is inside us. We think that we would adopt some method, to get that,
which is already attained by us. Because of these methods, we lose everything.
We are so much involved in these methods, that we are unable to notice the
presence (darSana) of happiness (inside us).
Understand thus – there is wealth lying before
you; but your eyes are set in the sky – in the moon and starts – in search of
wealth. Though wealth is lying before you, your eyes are not focussed there –
in front of you. Whatever you want to obtain, is lying in front of you, but you
do not notice it. Whatever (happiness) you are searching, that is self-evident
(svabhAva-siddha). No one can ‘get’ happiness; it is attained by one, who does
not make effort for it, who stops running after it (happiness), who sits down,
closing his eyes, who delights (ram) in himself – one who delights in Self
(AtmArAma), who proceeds to seek (search) inside, that which he has been seeking
(searching) outside, and failed to get.
The logic (tark) of life is – if you do not
find, whatever you are seeking (searching) outside, you intensify the search;
you think that you are not searching whole-heartedly, that you are not putting
total energy into it. Therefore, you increase the pace. It is also logical,
that you might think, that others are creating hindrance in your effort.
Therefore, you get into struggle with others. Others also are in the same boat
– in search of similar happiness. They also think that you are hindering them.
Therefore, there is a cut-throat competition, such a great struggle (strife) in
life, and so much violence (himsA). (Translator’s note – Acharya has described
about the search for happiness and the consequent struggle, very vividly. This
has been condensed here, to avoid repetition.)
Till you recognise happiness, which lies inside,
you cannot become non-violent. How can you become non-violent? Does anyone
become non-violent, by drinking sieving water? One might drink water, after
sieving, but, he would not mind drinking others’ blood, without sieving. Does
one become non-violent, by not taking food in the night? These are all petty
tricks (tarkIb). (Translator’s note – Drinking water after sieving with a
cloth, is a Jain (vegetarian) tradition, in order to avoid consuming the
organisms in water. Drinking blood – this might probably refer to exploitation
of others, through religious exhortations.)
It needs to be understood, as to why there is
violence. It is there, because, people are not getting happiness; they think
that others – a neighbour, a competitor - are placing hindrance. Everyone wants
to go to Delhi, but all of them are not able to reach Delhi; there is a great
crowd, everywhere, and so much brawl. One thinks – ‘others have reached (the
destination); if I do not take up the sword, my way would not be cleared’. That
is why, there is so much struggle and violence. People are not getting
happiness in life – that is the source of violence. Only a happy person would
be non-violent, because, there is no reason for him (to be violent); he has got
everything; then, what kind of violence? Violence is the characteristic of an
unhappy (dukhI) person. Therefore, one cannot become happy, just by ceasing
violence. If you become happy, then violence ceases. This is the fundamental –
foundational – point of view. If one becomes happy, the struggles cease,
because, there is nothing to struggle about. Happiness is undulating, in your
inner lake (reservoir) (sarOvar) of happiness. You are born with it – you did
not bring it, after struggle with anyone. No one can snatch it (lake of
happiness) from you; no one can destroy it. It has nothing to do with anyone
else. Therefore, another person has no meaning. Whenever you want, you may
close your eyes, and take a dive into it. Whenever you want, you may pluck the
strings of the lute, and music would burst forth. Whenever you want, you can
rest in the bed, in the Milky Ocean (kshIra sAgar), and become Vishnu. It
(happiness) is inside you; you are not to go anywhere – no need to travel even
an inch. You are losing it, because of such journeys (travels), because of your
race. If you want to attain (happiness), then you should leave off running
(racing). We call him ascetic (sanyAsi) who has ceased running. He (ascetic)
says – ‘it (happiness) is not far off – it is very near; it is so near, that
there is no need, even to extend (stretch) your hand; it is held right in your
hand – just open your eyes; all that is needed is, just a spark (cingArI) of
consciousness (hOS).’
Ashtavakra says – ‘An ignorant person does not
attain happiness by making effort or by not (desisting from) making effort.’ Firstly,
happiness is not attained by striving (prayatna). An ignorant person, when he
does not get happiness, even after making a lot of effort, (he) thinks – ‘now,
I shall try to find happiness by desisting from making effort, because wise say
- happiness is attained by desisting from actions.’ Ignorant again makes
mistake – mistake in understanding the language of wise. His mistake is in his
point of view. Even if you convey truth to him (ignorant), by the time it
reaches him, it would have become untruth; if you give him gold, the moment he
touches, it would have become soil (miTTI). There is a fundamental delusion – a
distortion (vikRta) - in the point of view of an ignorant; initially he runs
after happiness; when he does not get it, he searches for wise, enlightened
(buddha) persons, and enquires from them. There, he happens to hear that
happiness is not attained by making effort, but by desisting from making
effort. The ignorant interprets ‘desisting from action’ as ‘idleness’ (Alasya);
therefore, he thinks that he is not required to do anything; just go to sleep
under a bedsheet.
Keep in mind – happiness is not attained either
by running after it, or by desisting from such efforts. An ignorant knows only
two methods – either to run (after happiness) or to go to sleep (become idle).
When a wise talks of ‘desisting from making effort’, he is not talking about
idleness. Ashtavakra has chosen a unique word for a wise – ‘foremost of idlers’
(Alasya SirOmaNi). But, understand the meaning of ‘idle’ (Alasya); that is why
he has added ‘foremost’ to it. He (wise) is not an ordinary idler, but foremost
of them (idlers). He neither runs, nor goes to sleep. Both running and sleeping
are combined together – they are the two sides of the same coin. One who runs,
would go to sleep, and one who sleep, would also run. It is so because, by
going to sleep, one recoups energy (during sleep), and what else will he do,
with that renewed energy, but to run? Therefore, beware, running and sleeping
are combined. One who strives hard throughout the day, has a deep sleep during
the night. On the other hand, one who is idling throughout the day, is not able
to get sleep during the night. Therefore, if you interpret the statements of
wise, in your language, you would be committing mistake, and face the
consequences.
Therefore, Ashtavakra says – ‘An ignorant person
does not attain happiness either by my making efforts, or by desisting from
it’. One should neither run after things, like a Worldly person, nor should he go
to sleep, under a blanket, like a lazy person (idler). There is a middle path
between running and sleeping. Remain awake, similar to one who is running, and
remain at rest, similar to one who is asleep; then, the language of wise has
been understood (correctly). Remain awake, similar to a Worldly person, who is
running after things; remain restful – in deep relaxation – similar to a person
who is asleep. Consciousness (caitanya) should remain awake, and the body –
mind should go to sleep. The flame (lau) of awareness (cEtanA) should not become
dim (maddhim) even a bit. That is why Patanjali says that absorption (samAdhi)
is similar to deep sleep (sushupti). But, bear in mind, he (Patanjali) does not
say ‘sleep’ but ‘similar to sleep’. There is some difference. He said ‘similar
to sleep’, because, in absorption (samAdhi), there is deep relaxation (rest),
as in sleep; but, he did not say that it is ‘sleep’, because a ray of
wakefulness is present therein.
That is why, Krishna says, in Gita (2 : 69) – yA
niSA sarva bhUtAnAm tasyAm jAgarti samyamI’. ‘A person of restraint (samyamI)
is awake, in that, which is sleep for everyone.’ A restrained person’s flame of
awareness, keeps glowing, when others go to sleep. It is darkness, sleep,
relaxation, everywhere; but, in his interior – in his inmost chamber
(prakOshTha), in his inmost temple – the lamp is glowing; it does not get
extinguished, even for a moment. Therefore, if you run, you will not get
(happiness); if you go sleep, then also, you will not get (happiness). Keep the
wakefulness of running, and the relaxation of sleep. Combine wakefulness and
relaxation; then it is absorption (samAdhi). Therefore, Buddha said ‘middle
path’ (madhya mArg) – majjim nikAya. Walk in between – sway not, to the left or
right; neither this extreme (ati) nor that extreme. The World (samsAra) is in
the extremes, and salvation (nirvANa) is in the middle.
aprayatnAt prayatnAdvA mUDhO
nApnOti nirvRtim | - A fool (mUDha) is an unfortunate person (abhAgA).
Understand the word ‘fool’. Fool does not mean ‘senseless’ (buddhi-hIna). Fool
means, one who is sleepy, drowsy, oblivious. A fool could be intelligent
(buddhimAn); therefore, do not think that he will always be sensible. A fool
might be a scholar (paNDit). Often, only fools are scholars – one might have
great knowledge of scriptures (SAstra), be very fluent (bAhulya) in words, have
a vast web of doctrinal logic – an expert logician, be skilled in
argumentation; yet, he could be a fool. Take into consideration the meaning of
‘fool’. It is not the meaning given by psychologists – imbecile. Here, ‘fool’
has a great spiritual (AdyAtmik) meaning. The spiritual meaning of ‘fool’ is, a
person, who appears wakeful, but, not awake; who appears to be knowledgeable,
but does not know; who has deluded himself, that he is knowledgeable, and, is
deluding others also, but does not know. The meaning of ‘fool’ is, an egotist –
ego-wine drunk, who is sleepy, drowsy, oblivious; who talks, listens, and reads,
but not consciously.
Think of it - you are reading
something; you might have read a whole page; suddenly, at the end of the page,
you realise, that you do not remember, a single word. What happened? You were
foolish for that duration; you were not conscious. Eyes were glancing over the
words; intellect was also functioning; yet, there was a great oblivion at the
level of Self. Anyone who was watching you, might have thought that you are
reading with great attention; but, it was not so. Now, you will read the page
again. Similarly, from morning till evening, all your daily activities are
going on, in a state of oblivion. Your whole life is going on, like that only –
in a state of oblivion. You never bothered to think consciously – be it your
job, your love or your marriage. Everything is going mechanically. You never
bothered to consider as to why you are doing, what you are doing. You go along
with the crowd. The crowd is attacking a mosque, burning a temple; you join the
crowd. If someone asks you, you blink, because you did not do anything consciously.
Similarly, murders are committed in a fit of anger; when asked in the court,
you say – ‘it happened, in spite of me’. Ninety-nine out of a hundred cases of
murders are happening in a state of oblivion. Nothing happens consciously – be
it love or hate, friendship or enmity.
Such a state of
unconsciousness – oblivion – is called ‘foolishness’. Mahavir called it
‘insanity’ (pramAda); Buddha called it ‘oblivion’ (mUrcchA); Ashtavakra calls
it ‘foolishness’ (mUDhtA). A fool is essentially ignorant (ajnAnI). By
‘ignorant’, it could be even a scholar, who is a great knower, well-versed,
well read, yet, he is in a state of oblivion. (Translator’s note – Acharya has
explained very vividly what ‘foolishness’ is. In order to avoid repetition, the
same has been condensed.)
tattva niScaya mAtrENa prAjnO
bhavati nirvRtaH | - ‘A wise person, attains happiness, having known the truth
(tattva), with certainty.’ He does not do anything – neither makes effort, nor he
is effortless; he does not do anything at all. He just comes to know, with
certainty, that happiness is one’s innate nature (svabhAva); with a ray of such
a knowledge – (that happiness is one’s innate nature) – he becomes (remains)
happy.
In regard to Rinzai, a
Japanese Zen Fakir, there is a mention. He was passing by a temple (a monastery),
where a Buddhist Sutra was being read (recited). It was early morning time; the
Sun was just rising, the birds were chirping; all around, there was peace and
beauty. The voice of recitation of that Sutra reached his ears. He was just
passing by, and he happened to hear the words. The meaning of that Sutra was –
‘that which you are searching outside, is inside you.’ These are just normal
words, similar to those, always uttered by wise – ‘the kingdom of Lord is
inside you; bliss is inside you; your Self is inside you’. He (Rinzai) felt a shock
(jhaTkA), as if startled during a sleep. He stood stunned. The words pierced
him like an arrow. The words were so deep, that Rinzai became transformed
(rUpAntarit). It is said that Rinzai attained wisdom; he attained absorption
(samAdhi). He (Rinzai) was not even in search (of knowledge); he did not make
any effort for absorption (samAdhi); he was not even inquisitive (jijnAsA) for
truth (satya). He was just passing by the temple (monastery); these words were
not special – repeated in every temple, every day. One might be surprised to
know that, the priest who was uttering these words, was doing so for years, and
nothing happened to him. That priest was knowledgeable, but, foolish; he has
been repeating like a parrot – Ram Ram - which has been taught to it.
Therefore, you should not think that this parrot would attain liberation
(mOksha), just because it is repeating Lord’s name. It is also possible, that
it was not the priest, repeating the Sutra, but just a gramophone record, playing.
Even by hearing the gramophone record, one could attain knowledge; it depends
on you, how wakefully (prajnA), how consciously (hOS) you were hearing it. At
that early morning hours, when the Sun was just rising, he (Rinzai) must have
remained awake, conscious. Such a small Sutra brought a revolution in his life;
he became a great wise (mahA-jnAnI). He did not return home. He went to the
temple, got himself initiated (dIkshit) and became a monk (sanyasta). The
priest asked him – ‘what happened?’ He (Rinzai) said – ‘I beheld that, which I
was searching outside.’ (This is the purport of) ‘with certainty’ (niScaya
mAtrENa)’. The priest said – ‘I have been repeating these words, throughout my
life, and nothing happened to me. How did it happen to you?’ Rinzai said –
‘that I do not know. I do not know how you keep reading (reciting) it. My eyes
opened when I heard these words; I have never realised before, the Ocean of
Bliss undulating inside me. The Sutra was just a cause, and because of this
(Sutra), it could be accomplished.’ After Rinzai attained wisdom, he became
very famous, and he had thousands of disciples. In that monastery, the same
Sutra was being repeated (recited) daily. But, no one attained wisdom after
that. Rinzai remained wondering, that no one, after him, attained wisdom, by
reading (reciting) (hearing) the Sutra, which he could, just by hearing it
once. He used to wonder, as to why people miss it. It depends on you, how you
listen. If you are replete with peace, wakefulness, consciousness, that very
moment, it could happen. After that, there is no need for anything (else) - meditation,
penance (tapa) or chanting (japa). Then, you are not required to do, that which
is not to be done; there is no effort or non-effort. Just the knowledge
(wisdom) (bOdha) is enough. Knowledge of that whichever ‘is’ (exists), is
enough.
tattva niScaya mAtrENa – If reality
(tatvataH), Truth (satya), is ascertained and established in one’s vitals
(prANa), then a revolution – a fundamental (mUl) transformation (rUpAntaraNa) -
has taken place. prAjnO bhavati nirvRtaH – That wise person (prAjnavAn), just
by ascertainment (of the Truth).........A wise person is just the opposite of
ignorant (fool) (mUDh); a fool is asleep, and a wise is awakened. ‘By just
knowing the truth, with certainty, he becomes happy (sukhI)’. Happiness is not obtained
(attained) – just known; no need to search (khOj) – just recognised
(identified) (pahcAn); no need to go anywhere – just return home. The problem
is, that you have gone far away from yourself; you have gone very far away, by
travelling over many births; come back, just return. And, don’t ask – ‘how to
return?’ It is just your thought (khayAl) that you have gone far away. How can
you go away? It is as if, while sitting in your house, you imagined that you
had reached Calcutta – it is your imagination. You did not actually go – it was
just an imagination; in fact, you did not go anywhere. Maybe you are standing
in some road junction in Calcutta. Now, if I say – ‘come back’, would you ask –
‘how to come back? Which train or flight to be taken?’ No, you return, just by
listening to me (my call). You never went anywhere – it was just an appearance
(feeling) (AbhAs). The World is just an illusion (bhrAnti), a Maya. You feel
that you are in the World. You are indeed outside (bAhar) it (World). No matter
whatever means you adopt, you can never be in the World.
SuddhaM buddhaM priyaM pUrNaM
nishprapancaM nirAmayam |
AtmAnaM taM na jAnanti
tatrAbhyAsaparA janAH || 18 : 35 || 211 ||
‘In this World (samsAra),
those who are given to practice (abhyAs-parAyaNa), do not know the Self (AtmA),
which is pure (Suddha), intelligence (buddha), love (priya), perfect (pUrNa), bereft
of Universe (prapanca-rahita), and bereft of grief (dukha-rahita).’
Ashtavakra makes a wonderful
statement – those who are habituated to practices, who are involved (entangled)
(ulajh) in practices, (they) never come to know the blissful (Ananda-mayI)
Self, which is pure intelligence. It is very surprising, because, people ask –
‘what kind of practices should be adopted, in order to have Self-knowledge
(Atma-jnAna). And Ashtavakra says - AtmAnaM taM na jAnanti tatrAbhyAsaparA
janAH | - those who are immersed in practices (abhyAsa), are never able to know
the Self. Understand this. ‘Practice’ means – ‘efforts undertaken to become
that, which one is not.’ But, there is no need to make any effort, to become
that, which you already are. You are what you are. Practice is something which
one wears; it (practice) is a deformity (vikRti). Practice means, that which is
false, deception, phenomenon (delusion) (prapanca), hypocrisy (pAkhaND).
Practice means that which you impose (ArOpit) on yourself through some plan
(AyOjan) and effort. There is no need, for any practice for that, which one ‘is’
(endowed with).
Rose flower does not
undertake any practice, to be a rose flower; neither jasmine (campA), nor
magnolia (campA), nor jasminum (jUhi) make any effort. The cuckoo is just a cuckoo;
a crow is just a crow. A crow does not make any effort to be a crow; a cuckoo
does not make any effort to be a cuckoo. There is no need for a cuckoo to
undertake any practice. Suppose, some crow becomes insane – crow is never
insane; insanity is only in man - then, it would undertake practices - to stand
on head and do other Yoga exercises. Even then, no one can change one’s innate nature
(svabhAva); at the appropriate time, it (nature) would get revealed. A crow
might go to some music school, and undertake exercises to alter its throat
(voice), so that it can sing like a cuckoo. But, even then, at some odd time,
when it forgets the practice, things might go wrong.
There is one such mention in
the life of Kalidasa. A great scholar came to the assembly to Emperor Bhoja,
where Kalidasa also was. He (the scholar) was proficient in thirty languages.
He challenged those assembled – ‘if someone identifies my mother tongue, I
shall present him a lakh gold coins; if anyone fails to identify, then he shall
give me a lakh gold coins.’ The Emperor felt bad – is there no one in the
assembly who can identify his mother tongue? The challenge was accepted. One
after another, everyone failed. Ultimately, Bhoja asked Kalidasa to do
something. Kalidasa said – ‘let me watch him; he seems to have practised well;
whatever language he speaks, it seems to be his mother tongue. He makes similar
kind of errors, which one does, in his mother tongue. He speaks each language,
as if it is his mother tongue, with the same kind of accent and tone. All the
languages are a little tough. Let me see what I can do.’ Kalidasa was watching
him for four days. On the fifth day, when he (the scholar) was getting down the
stairs of palace, after winning a lakh gold coins, Kalidasa shoved him; he fell
rolling down the steps. He became very angry and started shouting. Kalidasa
said – ‘pardon me (for shoving you); there was no other method; I had to shove
you; pardon me, if you have been hurt. This is your mother tongue.’ And, it was
indeed his mother tongue. He (the scholar) forgot all the languages he
practised, and his mother tongue got revealed at that moment. If someone
resorts to abuse, he would not use any language other than his mother tongue;
one derives pleasure in abusing in one’s mother tongue only.
There was a friend of mine,
who had married an American girl friend. He told me – ‘there are problems in
two things – one, when you are fighting, and two, when you are in the mood of
love. Then, I feel like talking in my mother tongue.’ When one is angry, and
when one is full of love – in war and love – one feels like talking in his
mother tongue. In other occasions, any other language will do.
‘Through practice, we (super)impose
(ArOpaNa) over our innate nature’. Ashtavakra says – it is comforting
(happiness) (sukha) to be (remain) immersed (DUb) in one’s innate nature.
Therefore, there cannot be any practice for happiness; you will face only grief
by any kind of practice. Practice brings unhappiness, because it is only a hypocrisy
(pAkhaNDa). Therefore, this is a wonderful Sutra. AtmAnaM taM na jAnanti – what
to say about those unfortunate (abhAga)! They never come to know the Self
(AtmA). tatra abhyAsa parA janAH | - Those whose lives are afflicted by the
disease of practice, who are always doing practices, they live a life of
falsity; they only have a mask (facade) (mukhauTA).
Poem of Acharya –
प्रत्यंचित भौहों
के आगे
समझौते, केवल
समझौते
भीतर चुभन सुई की, बाहर
संधिपत्र पर पढ़ती
मुसकानें
जिस पर मेरे हस्ताक्षर
हैं
कैसे हैं, ईश्वर
ही जाने
आंधी से आतंकित चेहरे
गर्दखोर रंगीन मुखौटे
जी होता आकाश—कुसुम
को
एक बार बाहों में
भर लें
जी होता एकांत क्षणों
में
अपने को संबोधित
कर लें
लेकिन भीड़—भरी
गलियां हैं
कागज के फूलों के
न्यौते
झेल रहा हूं शोभायात्रा
में
चलते हाथी का जीवन
जिसके माथे मोती
की झालर
लेकिन अंकुश का शासन
अधजल घट—से
छलक रहे हैं
पीठ चढ़े जो सजे कठौते
समझौते, केवल
समझौते
प्रत्यंचित भौहों
के आगे
समझौते, केवल
समझौते
Rough
Translation –
In the
face of raised eyebrows,
Compromise,
just compromise;
It
pinches inside, but, outside,
It’s smiles;
glancing the agreement,
On
which, there is my signature;
God only
knows, how they are there;
Face
terrified by dust storm;
Coloured,
dust-proof, masks;
Desire
arises to gather,
The
sky-flowers in the hands;
In the
moments of loneliness,
Feel
like exhorting myself; but,
In
crowded lanes,
Paper
flowers are inviting;
Bearing
it, like the life of,
Elephant
in the procession,
Having
pearl frills in the face, but,
Under
the control of goad;
Half-filled
pitcher, spilling water,
Hoisted
on its back, decorated, in platter;
Compromise,
just compromise;
In the
face of raised eyebrows,
Compromise,
just compromise.
Practice
makes us false; it is a compromise with the other (para) – against one’s
nature. Practice means, if there are tears inside, there is smile on the lips;
it means – inside something, and outside something else. Slowly, two different
Worlds come into being – one inside, and another outside. Psychologists call
this ‘schizophrenia’ – man becomes two – one inside, and other outside. There
is such a chasm (khAyI) between them, that it cannot be bridged; one loses
contact with, even oneself, because, he tends to forget his original (maulik)
face, and begins to consider his mask (mukhauTA) itself to be his face.
Elephant shows one set of teeth, but eats with another set of teeth – such a
problem arises in your life. You no longer remain natural; and that is where
one loses his happiness. Happiness is the natural fragrance.
These
plants (trees) are happy, because, rose flower does not try to be lotus;
magnolia (campA) is just magnolia; jasmine (camEli) is just jasmine. There is
no competition with anything else. Nothing is trying to be (become) another.
But man is insane; it is difficult to find a healthy (svastha) person.
Understand the meaning of ‘healthy’ (svastha). This word is very valuable; it
means – abiding in oneself; that indeed is ‘health’ (svastha). One who is one
with his innate nature (svabhAva) is healthy (abiding in oneself). It is very
difficult to find a person, who is healthy (abiding in oneself). There is wound
upon wound, compromise upon compromise, mask over mask.
Have you
observed carefully – how many masks are you wearing? One mask in front of wife,
another in front of son, yet another in front of the servant, another in front
of your boss (mAlik) – you keep on changing it (mask), throughout the day. You
have thousands of such faces. You are so habituated (practised), that you are
not even aware, when it (mask) changes; you change it so quietly. Husband and
wife are quarrelling; if some guest knocks at the door, the mask changes; the
guest would not even come to know. No matter how much they hate each other,
they would seem loving (in front of the guest). He (guest) would think – ‘I am
missing something; why my life is not like this? Why my wife does not love me,
like this woman does (her husband)?’ He does not know what was happening, just
a moment before – before he knocked at the door. Seeing the other happy,
everyone thinks – ‘there may not be a more unhappy person, than me, in the
World’. It is so because, he is aware of his inner reality (asalitya); others
are aware of your mask only. You might deceive everyone else, but how would you
deceive yourself? No matter, how much you deceive yourself, no matter, how many
means you might adopt for that, your reality would keep emerging at intervals;
it would keep telling you about your falsity (jhUTh). Till the time you are
false, you would remain unhappy (dukhI). The moment one becomes truthful (real)
(sac), he becomes happy; the moment he becomes authentic (prAmANik), he becomes
happy.
‘In this World (samsAra), those who
are given to practice (abhyAs-parAyaNa), do not know the Self (AtmA), which is
pure (Suddha), intelligence (buddha), love (priya), perfect (pUrNa), beyond the
phenomenal Universe (prapanca-rahita), and bereft of grief (dukha-rahita).’
That vault (tijOri) which you
brought along (at birth), that asset which you remain holding inside it – you never
opened it. No one knows, what kind of paints and varnishes (rang rOgan) you
have applied on that vault. Firstly, you never opened the vault; on the top of
it, you have applied paint-varnish over it; therefore, it is possible that,
now, you might not be able to insert the key; even the key-hole might have been
blocked because of the paint-varnish applied on the vault. That which you are searching,
is locked inside. You came (to this World), bringing it along.
This might appear contradictory
(virodhAbhAs), but, remember – you were sent to this Earth, to search out that,
which you are having (milA); you have come to this Earth, to become familiar
with, that which you are; you are to become nothing else. You have to augment
your familiarity with, what you are; you have to come face to face with it; you
have to hold its hand; you have to embrace it. (In the process,) you would find
that you never became impure (aSuddha) – you are (always remained) pure. You
never - not even for a moment – stepped out of (got down from) (utar)
intelligence (buddha). The Self (AtmA) inside you, is in a state of supreme
intelligence – supreme knower (jnanI). There, the stream of essence (ras) is
flowing; there, the nectar (ambrosia) (amRta) is raining; there, it is only illumination
(prakASa) – darkness (andhakAr) never entered there; darkness cannot enter
there. You are the source of great consciousness (mahA-caitanya). The Lord
(prabhu) - the pure, wise, beloved, perfect, beyond the phenomenal universe,
and bereft of grief - is splendid (established) (virAjamAna) inside you.
nApnOti karmaNA mOkshaM
vimUDhO(a)bhyAsarUpiNA |
dhanyO vijnAnamAtrENa muktastishThatyavikriyaH
|| 18 : 36 || 212 ||
‘An ignorant person (ajnAnI)
does not attain liberation (mOksha) through practice-like (abhyAs-rUpI) actions
(karma); a wise person (jnAnI), (being) without actions (kriyA), just by
knowledge (jnAna) alone, abides (sthita) (in oneself) by becoming free
(mukta).’
Liberation (mOksha) is not
any goal (lakshya), not any destination (gantavyaa); it is not ahead (in
future) (AgE), but behind (pIchE) you. Liberation is not to be searched out
(khOj) by stretching your hands; it is to be found by looking inside.
Liberation is that diamond (jewel) (hIrA) lying in your depths (gahrayI). You
may wander from coast (taTa) to coast, glean (bInO) conches (shankh) and shells
(sIpI), but you will not find the jewel. You can find it only when you dive
deep into yourself – in the ocean of Self; then you will find.
nApnOti karmaNA mOkshaM vimUDhO(a)bhyAsarUpiNA
| ‘An ignorant person (ajnAnI) does not attain liberation (mOksha) through practice-like
actions (karma)’. No matter how many (kinds of) practices you might undertake –
chanting, penance, fasting, no matter how many methods you might adopt – leave,
renounce - the World or run away to Himalayas – whatever you might do, you will
not attain liberation; because, your fundamental (maulik) outlook (dRshTi) that
liberation is your innate nature, has not opened up. Then, what to achieve by
going to Himalayas? Whatever is not possible to achieve here, cannot be
achieved even in Himalayas. Why go to Himalayas, when that could be achieved
here itself? Wealth has not stopped you; how can wealth stop you? How can
silver scraps stop you? Neither your home nor your shop, nor your children,
wife, husband stopped you. How can any other stop you? You are stopped due to
your idiocy (mUDhtA); snap it. Do not go anywhere else; do not leave off
anything; just snap the idiocy. The day idiocy is snapped, you would find
paramAtmA splendid inside you; you would find the transcendent (parAtpara)
Brahman splendid inside you, your wife and your son. That day, your wife would
no longer be your wife – this is true; she also would become paramAtmA; that
day, your son would no longer be your son; he also would become paramAtmA. That
day, the whole World becomes that, which you are; it (World) becomes self-same
(rang mE rangnA). The celebration (utsava) that happens on that day, the
romantic dance (rAs lIlA), the blissful music that is played on that day, is
indeed, liberation (mOksha). Liberation (mOksha) means – identifying (recognising)
oneself (svayam). (Translator’s note – In the book ‘Ashtavakra Samhita’ by
Swami Nityaswarupananda, the word ‘practice’ (abhyAsa) has been amplified as
‘practices such as control of mind’, thereby meaning yogic practices.)
dhanyO vijnAnamAtrENa
muktastishThatyavikriyaH | - Ashtavakra says – ‘fortunate are those, who,
through wisdom (intelligence) (vijnAna), consciousness (caitanya) alone, attain
liberation; they do not undertake any practices (actions) at all. There is no
question of undertaking actions. Through actions, one can get what is outside;
but, through non-action (akriyA), one attains what is inside. Keep in mind -
non-action does not mean idleness (Alasya). By non-action, do not understand
‘ineffective’ (useless) (akarmaNyatA). Non-action (akriyA) means ‘peaceful
condition of action’; it means ‘trouble-free (anudvigna) condition’ (daSA); it
means ‘like a quiet lake, without waves’ – lake is there, but no waves. Vigour
(UrjA), energy (Sakti) required for action is there – like a brimming lake, but
no waves arise; there are no waves of desires; there is no race for desires. In
that brimful condition of energy (vigour), for the first time, you have
audience (darSan) (with the Lord). dhanyO vijnAna mAtrENa – Know that moment,
when paramAtmA is attained, through wisdom (bOdha) alone, to be ‘fortunate’
(dhanyatA); muktaH tishThati avikriyaH – and he is free (mukta) (then). One
does not become free (mukta) through quest (khOj) for liberation (mOksha);
freedom (mukta) is in knowing – ‘I am free’; it is proclaimed (udghOshaNA).
Upanishads say – ‘I am
Brahman’ (ahaM brahmAsmi). Mansur (Al Hallaj) (Persian mystique) said – ‘anal
Haqq’ – I am the Truth. There is nothing to be attained; Mansur was Truth
himself; now, it is has been realised. The sages (Rshi) of Upanishads said – I
am Brahman. It is not that he became brahman, that day (of declaration). How
can anyone become what he is not? You can never become, what you are not; you
can become only what you are – nothing else. You might have observed – one day,
the mango seed sprouts forth, it becomes tree, and start bearing mango fruit.
It only means that the mango was hidden inside the seed – nothing else.
Whatever gets revealed, that was already present therein. It is not that you
sow any seed, and it will bear mango fruit; you will have to sow mango seed
only; only if you sow mango seed, you will get mango. If one day, the sage of
Upanishad comes to know – ‘I am Brahman’, if Gautama Siddhartha comes to know –
‘I am Buddha’, if Vardhamana Mahavir comes to know – ‘I am Jina’, it only means
that they came to know that day only, which was already present; they
identified (recognised) (pahcAn) it. The seed was hidden inside, and got
revealed. The jewel (diamond) (hIrA) was lying in dense darkness, and it was
brought to light – only this much happened.
dhanyO vijnAna mAtrENa – An
ignorant, cannot become Brahman, as and when he wishes. To wish – ‘let me
become Brahman’, implies that he has not yet identified (recognised) his being
Brahman; the wish itself is the proof of that. If some man wishes to become a
man, what would you say – ‘you are insane; you are (already) a man; what is
there to wish for?’ If he says – ‘tell me the path, by which, I can become a man’,
what would you do, except showing the mirror to him, and say – ‘look at the
mirror’. A true preceptor (sadguru) does only this much – he places a mirror
before (the disciple).
There is an ancient story – A
lioness was leaping from one mound to another, and, in that process, she
delivered a cub; the cub fell down in the midst of sheep-herd, that was passing
by. Those sheep reared that cub, and it grew up in their midst. Though a lion
is always a lion, it (the cub) was believing itself to be a sheep; it was
accustomed so. It was in the midst of the sheep-herd, and was bleating like a
sheep; it was moving like sheep, rubbing against one another. It learnt the
language of sheep - fear. If there is anything frightful, the sheep start
shuddering. One day, a lion attacked the sheep-herd. There, seeing the lion cub,
it (lion) became surprised. It forgot about the attack, as it saw a lion-cub
along with sheep. It caught hold of the cub; but it (cub) was bleating, and
shaking in fear. It (lion) said to the cub – ‘idiot! You do not belong to this
crowd; you are a lion; have you forgotten?’ But the cub was not listening. The
lion took the cub to the river, by dragging it forcibly. It said to the cub –
‘look at the river; look your face, and my face also. Recognise yourself’.
Initially, the cub was reluctant; finally it looked at the river water. It said
– ‘both of us look alike; am I not a sheep?’ In just a moment, it (cub) roared
like a lion – roar which was, till then, remained suppressed inside; it was
such a deep roar, that the mountains shook. It (cub) said – ‘It is nice of you,
that you awakened me; I had fallen into the practice as a sheep.’
A lion always goes alone
(akElA). siMhOnkE nahIn lEhDE (Kabir Doha) – Lions do not have herd
(mentality). No lion remains in a crowd; only sheep remain in a herd (crowd). Only
those who are afraid (DarpOk), go in (along with) the crowd, because, they are
cowards; they are afraid. (He thinks) – ‘nothing will happen, if I go along
with the crowd of Hindus (or Muslims); there are so many people.’ There are
twenty crores of Hindus; therefore one has courage (himmat). An ascetic
(sanyAsi) is one who comes out of the crowd. Sanyasi is a lion – lions do not
have herd (mentality). A sanyasi does not have any caste (jAt). Kabir said –
‘do not ask the caste of a pious (sant)’. There is no caste for a pious. There
is caste only for cowards; what kind of caste for a pious (sant)? (Translator’s
note – this paragraph has been given as part of the story of lion. However, in
order to keep the sequence, it has been separated out.)
A true preceptor (sadguru)
means – ‘one who catches you, from among the herd of sheep’. You might get
annoyed, you might plead – ‘Sir, what are you doing? Leave me alone; let me go.
I am a Hindu (or Muslim) (or Christian) – I have to go to Church; today it is
Sunday. Where are you taking me? Let me go.’ But, once you come under the grip
of sadguru, he will not stop, till he takes you to the river, to look at
yourself. Once you see (realise), that which is in Buddha, in Mahavir, in
sadguru, in Ashtavakra, in Krishna, in Mohammed, in Jesus, in Zarathustra, is
in me also, then, you would roar forth – ‘ahaM brahmAsmi’ – I am Brahman; the mountains
would shake, tremble. You are not a sheep. You are in the crowd (herd); that is
why you seem like a sheep. Get out of the crowd; wake up from the crowd
(mentality). The crowd has trained you a lot. By nature (svabhAvataH), a crowd
can train you, only in that, which it (crowd) knows. What is the fault of the
sheep herd? They did not do anything knowingly. They made the lion cub also, to
understand, to do, whatever they themselves knew. Your parents taught you,
whatever they themselves knew. Neither they knew (the truth), nor you are able
to know. Whatever your grand-parents knew, they taught it to your parents – to
keep repeating like a parrot – Ram Ram. Therefore, they are also repeating; and
they taught it you too – not to miss out repeating Ram Ram, every day, in the
morning; they taught you to worship Sun (sUrya namaskAr), to go to Kumbha Mela.
That is how crores of sheep have been trained. A crowd can teach only that
which it knows. What is the fault of the crowd?
mUDhO nApnOti tadbrahma yatO
bhavitumicchati |
anicchannapi dhIrO hi
parabrahmasvarUpabhAk || 18 : 37 || 213 ||
‘An ignorant does not become
Brahman, by wishing to be Brahman.’ Understand this – even wishing to become
Brahman, to become liberated, is ignorance only. Even in this wish, there is a
notion, that we are not free now. Suppose, the lion cub, which was lost in the
herd of sheep, wishes to become a lion, and seeks method for it. Suppose, it is
told – ‘my son, you could, slowly, become a lion, through daily practice of
standing on head (SIrshAsan). Daily, you may also meditate, being a lion;
through such practices, and through contemplation, you would be able to
accomplish.’ Also suppose, that the lion cub follows these methods, then it
will be a failure; these will all be false. There is no need for it ‘to become’
a lion. All that it should do, is to bring up the awareness of being a lion –
no need for any practice – just knowledge. dhanyO vijnAna mAtrENa – He is fortunate
(dhanya), who awakens, just by listening, who sees his ‘face’ in his (apnA) mirror, and recognises
himself.
mUDhO nApnOti tadbrahma yatO
bhavitumicchati | The very expectation (ambition) (AkAnkshA) ‘to be’, will not
allow one to be. You are not to become, what you are not; just awaken.
Therefore, I do not hold that person, to be righteous (religious) (dhArmik),
who wants to become righteous – he would become a hypocrite (pAkhaNDI). I hold
him to be righteous, who beholds what he (indeed) is. It is wrong to wish ‘to
become’. ‘Becoming’ – bhavitum icchati – to become something (someone) - is not
the characteristic of a righteous person, but ‘being’ – knowing - what one is.
The race ‘to become’ is that of the World (samsAra). Righteous (religious)
(dharma) is awakening to that, which one ‘is’.
‘That wise (dhIra) person,
becomes enjoyer (adorer) (bhaja) of the nature (svarUpa) of Supreme Lord
(parabrahman), even though, he does not cherish, any such desire.’ That wise
person, who has roared like a lion (simha-nAda), who has recognised his real
(vAstavik) face, has attained wisdom (bOdha), even though he does not cherish
any such desire. When that lion, took the cub, to the bank of the river, there
was no desire, no expectation in its (cub’s) mind, to become a lion. It just
wanted to escape; it was saying – ‘Sir, leave me; why are you holding me? I am
a sheep; I want to remain a sheep; I am happy; I have no expectation of
becoming anything, other than what I am. My world is going on smoothly. What
are you doing? Where are you dragging me to? Let me go back to my family.’ It
had no desire; it did not want to become anything. But, once it saw its true
face, in the mirror – in the river water – what else will it do? When it comes
to know the truth, how can it escape? Therefore, the declaration – ‘aham
brahmAsmi’ – I am Brahman. anicchannapi dhIrO hi parabrahma svarUpabhAk | - One
who has awakened, even a little – even if there is a slight glimmer (ray) of
awakening – he becomes enjoyer (adorer) of the nature of Supreme Lord, even
though he did not cherish any such desire.
Understand the meaning of the
word ‘svarUpabhAk’ – one who enjoys (adores) the nature of Supreme Lord. The
word ‘bhajan’ is very unique. It (bhajan) means – that which happens uninterruptedly
(avicchinna), which flows uninterruptedly, without break (akhaND). When ardent
(insane) (pAgal) religious (dhArmik) people gather, they talk of uninterrupted
(akhaND) worship (bhajan), uninterrupted chanting (kIrtan). They disturb the
whole locality, by putting up mic etc; neither they sleep, nor let others
sleep. This is not ‘uninterrupted’ (akhaNDa). Uninterrupted worship (bhajan)
cannot be performed, because, whatever one does, there will be interruption; no
job can be uninterrupted; one needs to take rest.
I am now talking to you.
Between each word, there is a gap – it is interruption. One cannot chant Ram,
Ram without any gap. If there is a gap, then it is not ‘bhajan’. It is not
possible to perform uninterrupted bhajan. Therefore, it is necessary to
understand the meaning of ‘svarUpabhAk’. Worship (adoration) (bhajan) of
paramAtma can become uninterrupted, only when you remember – ‘I am paramAtmA’.
Then, it becomes uninterrupted; then it becomes ‘forever’ (satata). Then, one
comes to know (realise) that he is paramAtmA, while waking up, getting up,
sitting down, and sleeping. (Translator’s note – Acharya has vividly elaborated
the examples, to explain the meaning of ‘bhajan’. This has been condensed here,
to avoid repetition.) When the lion cub came to know that it is lion, it was
not necessary for it, to repeat (dOhrAnA) throughout – ‘I am a lion’. When the
lion cub roared, the declaration has been made; and the matter ended there.
There is no need to repeat it. Its subsequent conduct (vyavahAr) would be like
that of a lion. That is what ‘svarUpabhAk’. It (lion cub) would get up, move
about, sit down, sleep, breathe like a lion. All these – whatever it does -
will happen uninterruptedly. Its conduct would be its adoration (bhajana).
One becomes a truly
(vAstavik) religious (dhArmik) person, not by words, but by the flow (dhArA) of
his life. In his life, there is a constancy (continuity) (sAtatya), an
inexplicable (anirvacanIya) peace (SAnti), a flow of bliss (Ananda), the presence
(mauzUdgi) of Lord (prabhu). If he speaks, he speaks about the Lord; if he does
not speak, even in his silence (maun), there is the presence of Lord. When you
see him while awake, you will find the Lord; even while he is asleep, you will
find the Lord.
When Buddha sleeps, he
remains Buddha only – there is Buddha-hood even in his sleep. Ananda (disciple
of Buddha) remained with Buddha for many years – about forty years. He was very
near him, like a shadow (chAyA). In the night, when Buddha sleeps, he also
would sleep there itself, in order to take care of him. After watching Buddha
while asleep, for three or four years, he became very astonished; he felt like
watching the face of Buddha, while he is asleep. If you remain with a person
like Buddha, you also would feel like watching the face of that person, while
asleep. Therefore, sometimes, he (Ananda) would keep awake, watching Buddha’s
face – such an inexplicable peace! Sometimes, Ananda, watching Buddha, while he
is asleep, would become exulted – such a deep sleep, such a peace, no oblivion
(mUrcchA) at all! Buddha would sleep in the same condition, in the same
position, throughout the night – no change of position at all. Wherever and
howsoever he would place his hand, his feet, they would remain there,
throughout – no change at all. Ananda became very surprised, that he (Buddha)
is wakeful (watchful) even during sleep – hands and feet would not move. Buddha
sits consciously, during day time; but, in the night also! One day he said to
Buddha – ‘I want to say something. Firstly, I confess that I should not have
watched, while you are asleep – that is a private matter. But, I did watch you
during nights, when you were asleep; I have been beholding your beauty – so
wonderful! A question arises in my mind, often – ‘do you have consciousness
(hOS) even during sleep?’ Buddha said – ‘wherever you taste the ocean, you
would find it salty (kharA). Wherever you relish Buddha, you would find
Buddha-hood only; where can it (Buddha-hood) go, during sleep? Where can
consciousness go? The lamp would keep burning.’ This is ‘svarUpabhAk’ – this is
the enjoyment (adoration) (bhajana) of oneself (svarUpa).
If (you come to know that)
someone watching you, while you are asleep, you would lose cool; you would talk
nonsense; the day’s restlessness (bEcaini), running around (ApAdhApI), would
not go away; it would follow you in the sleep also. You would be busy during
sleep also – the story of ninety-nine rounds would keep going. Even if you
close your eyes during the sleep, the mind would be busy in pursuing day’s
activities. One day, during sleep, Mulla Nasruddin was tearing the bedsheet.
When the wife asked him – ‘what are you doing?’ he said – ‘do not come in
between; now, you started coming to the shop also?’ Then he opened his eyes –
he was selling cloth to some customer (in the dream). While the shop activities
go on during the day, it does not cease in the night (sleep) also. A sheep is a
sheep, whether it is day or night. A lion is a lion, whether it is day or
night. The activities (bhajan) of the World would keep going on. Whatever you
are, gets revealed, not only during daytime, but also during sleep. Observe
your dreams; they are the remnants of the day’s activities. Whatever you could
not accomplish during daytime, you do it in the sleep (dream). But, for Buddha,
there is no such thing to accomplish. He does not do anything during daytime,
and there is nothing to do in the night also. He is empty during the day, and
night also. (Translator’s note – the story of ninety-nine
rounds has been given in detail in the Pravachan 29.)
Buddha says – ‘wherever you
taste the ocean, you would find it salty only; wherever you relish me, you
would find Buddha-hood only’. During the night, Buddha does not have dreams.
Dreams are there only for those, who live amongst desires (vAsanA). Dreams come
for those, who live in the future. Dreams come for those, who want to ‘become’
something – ‘bhavitum icchati’. People are suffering from the insanity, suffering
from the fever of becoming something. They want to go to Delhi, to become
President, Prime Minister; if they could not accomplish in real life, they do
it in the dreams. In the dreams, you become that, which you could not
accomplish during daytime. Daytime’s restlessness, unfulfilled dreams,
unfulfilled desires, suppressed wishes – all these come up in the dreams. (Translator’s
note – Acharya has described in vivid details the kind of dreams people have.
However, in order to avoid repetition, these have been condensed here.)
A wise is not to ‘become’
anyone (anything) – he is fortunate (dhanyabhAgI). He has known, that which
‘is’. He is happy (pleased) with that which ‘is’; he does not want to become
anything else; there is no wish for ‘something else’. He is totally satisfied
with things, howsoever they are. He has known the ‘pure’ (Suddha), the
intelligence (buddha), the ‘love’ (priya), the perfect (pUrNa); now there is
nothing more to become. All his dreams have vanished. His nights are bereft of
dreams; his days are devoid (SUnya) of wishes (kAmnA); there is only one chant
(bhajan) inside him. It is not that he is repeating some words. Do wise (buddha
purusha) ever chant (repeat) Ram, Ram? That is the job of a parrot. But, that sound
(nAda) which resonates, inside him, day and night (aharniSa) – that OMkAr –
that is not (required) to be chanted (repeated); the lute (vINA) of vitals
(prANa) playing inside, that song of the Lord, being sung inside, that vitals
of vitals (prANOn-kA-prANa), moving inside, - they all keep going on by themselves.
That is why, we call it ‘OMkAr’ nAda – anAhata nAda (unstruck sound)’. It does
not emerge by your generating it. When you do not generate anything, then it is
heard; it keeps going day and night (without interruption) – svarUpabhAk - anicchannapi
dhIrO hi parabrahma svarUpabhAk |
nirAdhArA grahavyagrA mUDhAH
saMsArapOshakAH |
EtasyAnarthamUlasya
mUlacchEdaH kRtO budhaiH || 18 : 38 || 214 ||
‘That ignorant (mUDha) person
who is baseless (AdhAra-rahita) and obstinate (durAgrahI), nourishes (sustains)
(pOshaka) the World. The World (samsAra) which is the source (mUla) of this
nonsense (anartha), has been rooted out (mUla-chEd) by the wise (jnAnI)’.
A wise is the one, who has
attained his innate nature (svarUpa), one who has attained one’s (apnA) innate
(naisargik) nature (prakRti). The cuckoo (kOyal) is natural (prAkRtik), so is
the rose (gulAb), so also lotus (kamal) and the tweets (cahacahATa) of birds.
The day, you also come to your natural form, you have attained wisdom.
Poem of Acharya -
शहरों के छोड़ कर
मुहावरे
आओ हम जंगल की भाषाएं
बोलें
जिसमें हैं चिड़ियों
के धारदार गीत
खरगोशों का भोलापन
कोंपल की सुर्ख पसलियों
में
दुबका बैठा फूलों
जैसा कोमल मन
कम से कम एक बार
और सही
हम आदिम गंधों के
हो लें
पेड़ों से पेड़ों का
गहरा भाईचारा
उकडूं बैठे हुए पहाड़
जेठ की अगिनगाथा
पर छा जाने वाला
पोर—पोर
हरियल आषाढ़
बंद हो गई हैं जो
छंदों की
जंग लगी खिड़की हम
खोलें
शहरों के छोड़ कर
मुहावरे
आओ हम जंगल की भाषाएं
बोलें
A wise speaks his natural
(svabhAva) language; that is his chant (bhajan); he belongs to the jungle; he
belongs to paramAtmA; he belongs to the nature (prakRti). All those practices
are gone, gone are the hypocrisies, gone are the masks, gone are the
compromises (samjhautA). Now he does not put on external (superficial) (Upar)
things; he allows the flow of the interior (bhItar).
nirAdhArA grahavyagrA mUDhAH
saMsArapOshakAH | - That baseless (AdhAr-rahita) and obstinate (durAgrahI)
foolish (ignorant) (mUDha) person, is the one who nourishes (sustains)
(pOshaNa) the World (samsAra). And that obstinate (durAgrahI) foolish
(ignorant) (mUDha) person, does not have any base (AdhAr); yet, because of ego
(ahamkAra), he holds on (pakDE) to his notions (mAnyatA).
It is worth pondering
(khayAl) – all those notions (beliefs) (dhAraNA), you are holding on to, are
nothing but (sivAy) your ego. Do you know (patA) them? Have you ever known
(learnt) (jAnA) them? Have you ever experienced (anubhava) them? If someone
asks you – ‘is there God (ISvar)?’ you, Immediately, say – ‘yes’. Have you ever
known Him? Have you ever met the God? Have you got anything from your God? Did
you ever sit along with your God, holding his hand? Did you see the God in
anyone’s eyes? Has even His (God’s) shadow (chAyA) ever passed near you? You do
not know anything. Yet, you become ready to fight – even die – for God. Someone
says – ‘no God’. He also does not know anything. Do not repeat hearsays (sunI
sunI); experience it; do not be persistent (Agraha); be flexible (nirAgraha).
These talks are all baseless (AdhAra-rahita), because, there is only one basis
in life – experience, nothing else. Say only what you know (jAnA); for things,
not known to you, say – ‘do not know’. Have this much honesty. Do not say such
big lies (jhUTh); minor lies might be alright, because, they do not make much
difference. But you are telling very big lies. It is funny that those, who
refute small lies, teach you big lies. Temple priest, scholar, (so called) wise
(jnAnI), monks, pious – all of them exhort you, not to utter lies; but they ask
you, to believe God. They do not have any experience of God; then, how can you
believe, without knowing God? You might say only this much – ‘if I come to
know, I shall believe; how can I believe before that?’ I am not asking you to say
– ‘I do not believe (God)’, because, even that (not believing) is a belief –
anti-belief. Just say this much – ‘I do not know’. Keep the door open. In
telling ‘no (I do not believe)’, you close the door. Both theist (Astik) and atheist
(nAstik) have closed doors. I call him righteous (religious) (dhArmik), whose
doors are open, who says – ‘I am not persistent (Agraha); God might be; I am
keeping my doors open; you come; I am keeping vigil. If you do not come, what
can I do? But the door would still remain open; if you do not come, I would not
disturb you; if you come, I shall welcome you; if you agree, I am ready to
dance with you. If you do not come, I can’t do anything; I cannot produce
(God)’. (Translator’s note – Acharya uses four related words – Agraha, anAgraha,
nirAgraha, durAgraha. Agraha means ‘request’, ‘demand’, ‘persistence’ etc. anAgraha
and nirAgraha would, in my opinion, mean ‘not persistent’, ‘flexible’ etc.
durAgrah would, in my opinion, mean ‘obstinacy’.)
‘That ignorant (mUDha) person who is baseless
(AdhAra-rahita) and obstinate (durAgrahI), nourishes (sustains) (pOshaka) the
World. The World (samsAra) which is the source (mUla) of this nonsense
(anartha), has been rooted out (mUla-chEd) by the wise (jnAnI).’ Those who have
known – the wise – have uprooted all those baseless notions (beliefs)
(mAnyatA), persistence (Agraha), and biases (pakshapAta). These are the roots
of this nonsense (anartha).’ Once people concede their ignorance, and make no
false demands, quest (khOj) (for Truth) can begin; then the stream can begin to
flow, and then the journey could commence, to seek the Truth. But, people are
sitting, confidently, someone as a Hindu, and someone as a Muslim; someone is
holding Quran, and someone Gita. They have nothing to do with Quran or Gita;
they neither know (recognise) Krishna, nor Mohammed. But they are sitting with
drawn swords. A lot of nonsense is taking place. Nowhere else, so much sin has
been committed, as in the name of Temple – Masjid. None have exhorted you to
fight, as much as the scholars and priests; the earth is soaked in blood. It is
funny that people talk of brotherhood; people are instructed about love, but,
wars are fought in the name of love.
Ashtavakra says something
very important – Those – the wise, the awakened, the knowers (jnAnI) – have
uprooted this nonsense. They said – ‘no demand (persistence) (anAgraha), no
obstinacy (haTh), no bias.’ A seeker’s (khOjI) sight (view) (dRshTi) should be
– open mind, open door, open windows, and open ventilation (vAtAyana). Let
the wind come in, bringing
the news (khabar); let the rays of Sun come in, bringing the news of paramAtmA;
keep your doors open. But your door are closed – as Hindu or Muslim, as
believer or non-believer (atheist); you do not open the doors, at all. If paramAtmA
knocks at the door, you think, that it is some gust of wind. It is not the gust
of wind, because, all those gusts are His only. If the footfalls of the
paramAtmA are heard, you think that they are rustle (khaDkhaD) of dry leaves, caused
by wind. No one is rustling the leaves, because all the leaves are His – both green
and dry. These are the methods of His coming. He comes, sometimes, in the sound
of dry leaves, sometimes in the gust of wind, sometimes as gathered (ghumaD)
clouds, sometimes as a shower of rain, sometimes in the moon, in the Sun –
there are thousands of methods. You just open eyes. Do not be obstinate; do not
remain under the shield (AD) of doctrines – throw them away; they are not worth
a penny. Choose the Truth, and there is only one method of choosing (Truth) –
experience (anubhava). Experience is the only basis (AdhAr); there is no other
basis. Logic (argument) (tark) cannot prove – only experience proves.
Experience is self-proven (self-evident) (axiomatic) (svayam-siddha).
na SAntiM labhatE mUDhO yataH Samitumicchati |
dhIrastattvaM viniScitya
sarvadA SAntamAnasaH || 18 : 39 || 215 ||
‘An ignorant does not attain peace,
by just desiring it (peace); but, a wise person, having known the Truth, with
certainty, always remains with peaceful mind.’ By desiring peace, one does not
get it, because, the very desire is the cause for disquiet (aSAnti). Therefore,
there cannot be any desire for peace. It is a contradictory desire.
People come to me, saying –
‘I want to become peaceful’. I tell them – ‘till you want to become something,
you cannot become peaceful’. ‘Becoming’ itself is disquieting. If you want to
become something, how can you attain peace? There is a tension (khincAv) for
that. You want to become something tomorrow, something else the day after;
then, you want to bring peace. Now, you are restless, in the name of peace. You
are really wonderful. Till now, you were restless in the name of wealth, in the
name of market; somehow or other, you got rid of it. Now you are restless, in
the name of peace. But, the race is on – race to get peace. Earlier, it (race)
was for wealth, position; and now for peace. Will you ever get rid of ambitions
(mahatvAkAnkshA)? Being peaceful means – not to get anything; then, one becomes
peaceful. When want (desire) ceases, peace ushers. If desire leaves by this
door, peace ushers by that door. Both (desire and peace) can never remain
together. Pay attention to this Sutra; ponder well over it; contemplate (manan)
on it.
na SAntiM labhatE mUDhO yataH
Samitumicchati | - A foolish (mUDh) person never attains peace, because, there
is wish (kAmnA) for peace. dhIrastattvaM viniScitya sarvadA SAntamAnasaH | -
And the knower (jnAnI) - the wise (dhIraH) - having understood the Truth
(tattva), with certainty (niScaya-pUrvak), remains with peaceful mind. He has
known that there is disquiet in demanding (mAng), in running (after the desire),
in becoming something. Therefore, what is left to do? The moment one comes to
know thus, the race ceases; in this profound (pragADh) knowledge (wisdom)
(bOdha), all ‘becomings’ are reduced to ashes (bhasmI-bhUt). Now, one is
supremely satisfied with whatever one is; he remains (supremely) pure (Suddha),
wise (intelligent) (buddha), perfect (pUrNa) and (full of) love (priya). While
seated, while moving, while getting up and sitting down - every moment, he is
supremely satisfied, with whatever he is. It can happen thus, just through
wisdom only. Listen to this great declaration. For such an event (ghaTanA), one
has to do nothing, because, it has already taken place thus – that (peace) is
your inner (bhItar) nature (svabhAva).
dhanyO vijnAna mAtrENa
(refers to Sutra 212) – Be the fortunate one (dhanya-bhAgI). Ashtavakra says –
‘it can happen this very moment.’ There is no need to lose even a moment. If
you understand Patanjali (sutras), you may have to wait for (through) many
births (janma). The practice (training) (abhyAs) is very vast – eight-fold
(ashTAnga) yOga. There many sub-divisions in each one of them. External
discipline (yama), internal discipline (niyama), postures (Asana), breath
control (prANAyAma), withdrawal of senses (pratyAhAra), concentration (dhAraNA),
meditation (dhyAna), then absorption (samAdhi). In samAdhi also, there are absorption
with modifications (savikalpa samAdhi) and modifications-less absorption (nirvikalpa
samAdhi), absorption with seed (sabIja samAdhi), seed-less absorption (nirbIja
samAdhi). Only after that (it can fructify). Certainly, it is not going to
happen in this life. It is not possible to accomplish (sadh) even internal
disciplines (yama); samAdhi is too far away; it is not possible to accomplish
even external disciplines (niyama). Therefore, your so called Yogis remain
stuck mostly in postures (Asanas) itself; they are not able to proceed further.
How can they go forward, even if postures are not fully mastered? There are so
many postures; by the time you master all the postures, a whole life would have
passed. By the time breath control (prANA-yAma) is mastered, whole life would
have passed. Then yama, niyama – these are not small. Then it is required to
master non-violence, (speaking) truth (satya), non-possessiveness (aparigraha),
non-stealing (acaurya), and celibacy (brahmacarya). You are doomed; nothing is
going to happen. This ‘celibacy’ itself would drown you; speaking truth would
drown you. You won’t be able go beyond these. This is very vast.
Ashtavakra says – ‘it can happen
this very moment’. There is no need to wait even for a moment. If there is
waiting, do not blame anyone else – it is only because of you. There is no question
of waiting through many births (janma); if you want to wait thus, it is your
pleasure. But, it can happen this very moment. dhanyO vijnAnamAtrENa muktaH
tishThati- avikriyaH | (Sutra 212) – In order to get established (pratishTha)
in liberation (mukti), there is no need for any action (kriyA) - just
understanding (samajh), wisdom (bOdha), and reflection (prajnAna) (is enough).
Contemplate (manana) well on
these Sutras, ponder, revise (uthal-puthal), chew (cabAnA) them, digest
(pacAnA) them. Let it get absorbed in your flesh, blood, marrow (mAmsa, rakta,
majjA). On the Earth, there is no other wonderful scripture, like this.
This much for today.
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