The
Yoga Vasishtha
Maharamayana
of Valmiki
The only complete English translation is
by Vihari Lala Mitra (1891).
CHAPTER LIII.—The Rational Rapture of Uddālaka:
Argument. Description of the Soul unsullied
by its desires and
egoism, and the Difference subsisting between
the body and mind.
Uddālaka continued:—The intellect is an
unthinkable substance: it
extends to the limits of endless space, and
is minuter than the minutest
atom. It is quite aloof of all things, and
inaccessible to the reach of
desires, &c.
2. It is inaccessible by the mind,
understanding, egoism and the gross
senses; but our empty desires are as wide
extended, as the shadowy forms
of big and formidable demons.
3. From all my reasonings and repeated
cogitations, I perceive an
intelligence within myself, and I feel to be
the stainless Intellect.
4. This body of mine which is of this world,
and is the depository of my
false and evil thoughts, may last or be lost
without any gain or loss to
me, since I am the untainted intellect.
5. The Intellect is free from birth and
death, because there is nothing
perishable in the nature of the all pervasive
intellect: what then means
the death of a living being, and how and by
whom can it be put to death?
6. What means the life and death of the
intellect, which is the soul and
life of all existence: what else can we
expect of the intellect, when it
is extended through and gives life to all?
7. Life and death belong to the optative and
imaginative powers of the
mind, and do not appertain to the pure soul;
(which is never perturbed
by volition or imagination).
8. That which has the sense of its egoism has
also the knowledge of its
existence and inexistence (and that is the
mind); but the soul which is
devoid of its egoism can have no sense of its
birth or death (since it
is always existent of itself).
9. Egoism is a fallacy and production of
ignorance, and the mind is no
other than a appearance as the water in a
mirage; the visible objects
are all gross bodies; what then is that thing
to which the term ego is
applied.
10. The body is composed of flesh and blood,
and the mind is considered
as a nullity of itself; the heart and the
members are all dull objects,
what then is it that contains the ego?
11. The organs of sense are all employed in
their respective functions
for supporting the body; and all external
bodies remain as mere bodies;
what then is it to which you apply the term
ego?
12. The properties of things continue as
properties, and the substances
always remain as substances; the entity of
Brahma is quite calm and
quiet, what then is the ego among them?
13. There is only one Being which is all
pervading and subsisting in all
bodies; it exists at all times and is
immensity in itself. It is only
the Supreme Spirit that is the intelligent
soul of all.
14. Now tell me which of these is the ego,
what is it and what its form;
what is its genus and what are its
attributes; what is its appearance
and of what ingredients it is composed? What
am I and what shall I take
it to be, and what reject as not itself?
15. Hence there is nothing here, which may be
called the ego either as
an entity or nonentity; and there is nothing
anywhere, to which the ego
may bear any relation or any resemblance
whatever.
16. Therefore egoism being a perfect
non-entity, it has no relation to
anything at all; and this irrelation of it
with all things being proved,
its fiction as a duality (beside the unity of
God), goes to nothing
whatever.
17. Thus every thing in the world being full
of the spirit of God, I am
no other than that reality, and it is in vain
that I think myself as
otherwise, and sorrow for it.
18. All things being situated in one pure and
omnipresent spirit; whence
is it that the meaningless word ego could
take its rise?
19. So there is no reality of any object
whatever, except that of the
supreme and all-pervading spirit of God; it
is therefore useless for us
to inquire about our relation with anything
which has no reality in
itself.
20. The senses are connected with the organs
of sense, and the mind is
conversant with the mental operations; but
the intellect is unconnected
with the body, and bears no relation with any
body in any manner.
21. As there is no relation between stones
and iron nails, so the body,
the senses, the mind and the intellect bear
no relation with one
another, though they are found to reside
together in the same person.
22. The great error of the unreal ego having
once obtained its footing
among mankind, it has put the world to an
uproar with the expressions of
mine and thine, as that this is mine and that
is thine, and that other
is another's and the like.
23. It is want of the light of reason that
has given rise to the
meaningless and marvellous expression of
egoism; which is made to vanish
under the light of reason, as ice is
dissolved under heat of solar
light.
24. That there is nothing in existence,
except the spirit of God is my
firm belief, and this makes me believe the
whole universe, as a
manifestation of the great Brahmā himself.
25. The error of egoism presents itself
before us in as vivid and
variety of colours as the various hues which
tinge the face of the sky;
it is better to obliterate it at once from
the mind, than retain any
trace of it behind (as I am this child,
youth, old man, &c.).
26. I have altogether got rid of the error of
my egoism, and now recline
with my tranquil soul in the universal spirit
of God, as the autumnal
cloud rests in the infinite vacuum of the sky.
27. Our accompaniment with the idea of egoism
is productive only of our
misconduct and misery, by producing the great
variety of our acts of
selfishness.
28. Egoism hath taken a deep root in the
moist soil of our hearts, and
sprouts forth in the field of our bodies with
the germs of innumerable
evils.
29. Here is death closely following the
course of life, and there is a
new life hereafter awaiting upon our death;
now there is a state of
being distinct from its privation or not
being, and again there is
reverse of it in our transmigration, to our
great annoyance only.
30. This I have gained, and this I will gain,
are the thoughts that
constantly employ the minds of men; and the
desire of a new gain is
incessantly kindled in the minds of the
senseless, as the ceaseless
flame of the sun-stone is increased in summer
heat.
31. That this I want and this must have are
thoughts ever attendant on
egoism; and the dull-headed pursue dull
material objects with as much
ardour, as the heavy clouds hasten to halt on
high-headed hills.
32. Decay of egoism withers away the tree of
worldliness, which then
ceases to germinate in the manner of a plant
on sterile rocks. (Or as
seeds cast on sandy sounds).
33. Your desires are as black serpents
creeping in the hole of your
heart; but skulking their heads, at the sight
of the snake-eater Garuda
of reason.
34. The unreal world gives rise to the error
of appearing as real; as
the unreal I and thou (or ego and nonego)
seem to be realities, though
they are caused by mere pulsations of the
unreal mind.
35. This world rises at first without a cause
and to no cause, how then
call it a reality which is sprung from and to
no cause at all. (The
visible world is produced by, and continues
with our error which, is no
cause in reality).
36. As a pot made of earth long before,
continues in the same state at
all times, so the body which has long ago
come to existence, still
continues and will continue the same. (The
body being made of earth,
remains in and returns to the earth again).
37. The beginning and end of billows is mere
water and moisture, and the
intermediate part only presents a figure to
view; so the beginning and
end of bodies is mere earth and water, and
the intermediate state is one
of bustle and commotion.
38. It is the ignorant only that trust in
this temporary and fluctuating
state of the body; which, like the billow, is
hastening to subside, in
its original liquid and quiet state.
39. What reliance is there in any body, which
makes a figure in the
middle, and is an unreality both in its prior
and latter states.
40. So the heart also is as quiet as the
intellect, both at first and in
the end; and remains immerged in itself, both
when it exists in the body
or not. What then if it heaves for a little
while in the midst? (i.e.,
the palpitation of the heart between its
prior and latter states of
inaction).
41. As it comes to pass in our dreams, and in
our deluded sights, of
marvellous things; and as it happens in the
giddiness of ebriety, and in
our journeying in boats:—
42. And as it turns out in cases of our
vitiated humours, and delusion
of senses, and also in cases of extreme joy
and grief, and under some
defect of the mind or body:—
43. That some objects come to sight, and
others disappear from it; and
that some appear to be smaller or larger than
they are and others to be
moving; so do all these objects of our
vision, appear and disappear from
our sight in the course of time.
44. O my heart! all thy conduct is of the
same nature, at the different
times, of thy joy and grief; that it makes
the long of short and the
short of long; as the short space of a single
night, becomes as tedious
to separated lovers as an age; and an age of
joyous affluence as short
as a moment.
45. Or it is my long habit of thinking that
makes the untruth appear as
truth to me; and like the mirage of the
desert, our mirage of life,
presents its falsehoods as realities unto us.
46. All things that we see in the phenomenal
world are unrealities in
their nature; and as the mind comes to know
the nothingness of things,
it feels in itself its nothingness also.
47. As the mind becomes impressed with
certainty, of the
unsubstantiality of external objects; its
desire of worldly enjoyments
fade away, like the fading verdure of autumn.
48. When the mind comes to see the pure soul
by means of its
intellectual light, it gets itself ridden of
its temporal exertions; and
being thereby freed from its passions and
affections, it rests with its
calm composure in itself.
49. And the heart attains its perfect purity,
when, by compressing its
members of sensational organs, it casts
itself into the flame of the
supreme soul, where all its dross is burnt
away.
50. As the hero boldly faces his death, with
the thought of his
ascending to heaven, by fighting bravely in
battle, so the mind conquers
all impediments by casting off all its
worldly desires and attachments.
51. The mind is the enemy of the body, and so
is the latter an enemy of
the former (because the growth of the one
puts down the vigour of the
other); but they both die away without the
half of each other, and for
want of desire which supports them both.
52. Owing to their mutual hostilities, and
their passions and affections
towards each other, it is better to eradicate
and destroy both of them,
for our attainment of supreme bliss. (As the
control of the body and
mind leads to temporal happiness, so the
utter extinction of both, is
the means to spiritual bliss).
53. The existence of either of these (i.e. of the body or mind) after
death is as incapable of heavenly felicity,
as it is for an aerial fairy
to fare on earth. (I.e., neither the body nor mind survives one's
death, as it is believed by many; and even if
it does, its gross nature
would not permit it to enjoy the pure
spiritual felicity of heaven).
54. When these things (the body and mind),
that are naturally repugnant
and opposed to one another, meet together in
any place or person, there
is a continued clashing of their mutual
mischiefs, like the crashing of
conflicting arms.
55. The base man that has a liking for this world
of conflicts is like
one left to burn in a conflagration of
showering flames.
56. The mind stout with its avaricious
desires loads the body with
labour, and feeds upon its precious life, as
a ghost-yaksha preys upon
the body of a boy.
57. The body being harassed and oppressed
with toil, attempts to stop
and stay the mind; as an impious son intends
to kill his father, when he
finds him to stand an open foe to his life.
(It is lawful to kill an
enemy of one's life for self-defence).
[Sanskrit: unclear]
58. There is no one who of his nature is a
foe or friend to another; but
becomes a friend to one that is friendly to
him, and a foe to him that
deals inimically unto him.
[Sanskrit: 2 lines of verse, illegible]
59. The body being put to pain attempts to kill
the mind; and the mind
is ever intent to make the body the
receptacle of its afflictions. (The
intimate connection of the body and mind
causes them to participate in
one another's pains).
60. What good then can possibly accrue to us
from the union of the body
and mind, which are repugnant to one another,
and which of their own
nature can never be reconciled together.
61. The mind being weakened, the body has no
pain to undergo; wherefore
the body is always striving to weaken the
mind.
62. The body, whether it is alive or dead, is
subjected to all sorts of
evils by its hostile mind, unless it is
brought under the subjection of
reason. (I.e. the unreasonable mind is an enemy of the body).
63. When both the body and mind become stout
and strong, they join
together to break all bonds, as the lake and
rainwater join together to
overflow on the banks.
64. Though both of them are troublesome to us
in their different
natures, yet their union to one end is
beneficial to us, as the
co-operation of fire and water is for the
purpose of cooking.
65. When the weak mind is wasted and worn
out, the body also becomes
weakened and languid; but the mind being
full, the body is flushed like
a flourishing arbor, shooting forth with
verdure.
66. The body pines away with its weakened
desires, and at the weakness
of the mind; but the mind never grows weak at
the weakness of the body;
therefore the mind requires to be curbed and
weakened by all means.
67. I must therefore cut down the weed wood
of my mind, with the trees
of my desires and the plants of my
thirstiness; and, having reclaimed
thereby a large tract of land, rove about at
my pleasure.
68. After my egoism is lost, and the net of
my desires is removed, my
mind will regain its calm and clearness, like
the sky after dispersion
of the clouds at the end of the rainy
weather.
69. It is of no matter to me whether this
body of mine, which is a
congeries of my humours, and a great enemy of
mine, should waste away or
last, after the dissolution of my mind.
70. That for which this body of mine craves
its enjoyments is not mine,
nor do I belong to it; what is the good
therefore of bodily pleasure to
me? (When I have to leave this body and that
pleasure also for ever).
71. It is certain that I am not myself the
body, nor is the body mine in
any way; just as a corpse with all its parts
entire, is no body at all.
(The personality of man, belongs to his mind
and not to his person).
72. Therefore I am something beside this body
of mine, and that is
everlasting and never setting in its glory; it
is by means of this that
I have that light in me, whereby I perceive
the luminous sun in the sky.
73. I am neither ignorant of myself, nor
subject to misery, nor am I the
dull unintelligent body, which is subject to
misery. My body may last or
not, I am beyond all bodily accidents.
74. Where there is the soul or self, there is
neither the mind, nor
senses nor desire of any kind; as the vile
Pamaras never reside in the
contiguity of princes. (Mahibhretas mean mountains also).
75. I have attained to that state in which I
have surpassed all things;
and it is the state of my solity, my
extinction, my indivisibility, and
my want of desires.
76. I am now loosened from the bonds of my
mind, body and the senses, as
the oil which is extracted from the seeds of
sesamum, and separated from
the sediments.
77. I walk about freely in this state of my
transcendentalism, and my
mind which is disjoined from the bonds of the
body considers its members
as its dependent instruments and
accompaniments.
78. I find myself to be now situated in a
state of transparency and
buoyancy, of self-contentment and
intelligence, and of true reality; I
feel my full joy and calmness, and preserve
my reservedness in speech.
79. I find my fulness and magnanimity, my
comeliness and evenness of
temper; I see the unity of all things, and
feel my fearlessness and want
of duality, choice and option.
80. I find these qualities to be ever
attendant on me. They are constant
and faithful, easy and graceful and always
propitious to me; and my
unshaken attachment to them has made them as
heartily beloved consorts
to me.
81. I find myself as all and in all, at all
times and in every manner;
and yet I am devoid of all desire for or
dislike to any one, and am
equally unconcerned with whatever is pleasant
or unpleasant, agreeable
or disagreeable to me.
82. Removed from the cloud of error and
melancholy, and released from
dubitation and duplicity in my thoughts, I
peregrinate myself as a
flimsy cloud, in the cooling atmosphere of
the autumnal sky.
END OF THE SECOND VOLUME..
Om Tat Sat
(End of Voluma 2)
( My
humble salutations to Brahmasri Sreemaan Vihari Lala Mitra ji for the
collection)
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