,transcriber's ,notes ,inconsistent punctuation has been silently corrected4 ,obvious misspellings have been silently corrected1 and the following corrections made to the text4 ,other spelling and hyphenation variations have not been modified4 ,page number for chapter ,,cxxxix in table of contents1 corrected from #cdb- #gdb4 ,page number for chapter ,,clxv in table of contents1 corrected from #hjh- #hhj4 ,page number for chapter ,,clxxxxiv in table of contents1 corrected from #agde- #ajde4 ,page #egj1 section #af - missing line 8nihilo nihil reverti posse2 there the whole universe is a void nothing740 added from from the ,parimal edition4 ,page #fec1 section #ab - fool - foul ,page #feh1 section #i - with - without ,page #gjh1 section #ee - there was darkness nor day - there was neither darkness nor day ,page #gii1 section #g - of one's or bad - of one's good or bad ,page #ihj1 section #ag - creator - creation ,page #ija1 section #a - ,he who is delighted - ,he who is neither delighted ,page #ija1 section #b - whose mind is moved - whose mind is not moved ,the spelling of ,sanskrit words are normalized to some extent1 including correct_/addition of accents where necessary4 ,note that the author uses 1 1 to indicate long vowels4 ,this notation has not been changed4 ,the ,,lpp edition 7#aiii7 which has been scanned for this ebook1 is of poor quality1 and in some cases text was missing4 ,where possible1 the missing_/unclear text has been supplied from another edition1 which has the same typographical basis 7both editions are photographical reprints of the same source1 or perhaps one is a copy of the other73 ,bharatiya ,publishing ,house1 ,delhi #aigh4 ,a third edition1 ,parimal ,publications1 ,delhi #aiih1 which is based on an ,,ocr scanning of the same typographical basis1 has also been consulted4 ,the term 8,gloss40 or 8,glossary0 probably refers to the extensive classical commentary to ,yoga ,vsishtha by ,ananda ,bodhendra ,saraswati 7only available in ,sanskrit74 ,angle brackets3 444 have been used by the transcriber to indicate editing of the text to insert missing words4 ,the translator 7in a very few places7 uses square brackets 4444 ,,the ,,yoga-,v,,sishtha ,,mah,r,m,,yana ,,of ,,valmiki in #d vols4 in #g pts4 7,bound in #d47 ,vol4 #d 7,in #b pts47 ,bound in one4 ,containing ,the ,nirvana-,prakarana1 ,uttaradha ,translated from the original ,sanskrit ,by ,,vihari-,,lala ,,mitra ,,the ,,yoga-,v,,sishtha-,,mah,r,m,,yana ,,chapter ,,cvi4 ,invalidation of the ,doctrine of cause and effect #efi ,,chapter ,,cvii4 ,the nature of ignorance or illusion of the ,mind #egg ,,chapter ,,cviii4 ,description of the knowledge and ignorance of the soul #egi ,,chapter ,,cix4 ,fighting with the invading armies at the gate of the city #ehe ,,chapter ,,cx4 ,battle of the wise ,princes1 with the ignorant ,barbarian #eij ,,chapter ,,cxi4 ,the flight of the soldiers on all sides #eif ,,chapter ,,cxii4 ,flight of the ,foreign ,fs #fjb ,,chapter ,,cxiii4 ,description of the ,ocean #fjg ,,chapter ,,cxiv4 ,description of the ,prospects all-around #fab ,,chapter ,,cxv4 ,the same subject continued #fag ,,chapter ,,cxvi4 ,narration of the speech of ,crow and ,cuckoo #fbe ,,chapter ,,cxvii4 ,description of the ,lotus lake1 ,bee and the ,swan #fcg ,,chapter ,,cxviii4 ,description of deer1 peacocks1 cranes c4 #fdc ,,chapter ,,cxix4 ,lamentation of the ,lovelorn ,traveller #fdh ,,chapter ,,cxx4 ,description of various objects on all sides #feb ,,chapter ,,cxxi4 ,exposition of the story of ,vipaschit #feg ,,chapter ,,cxxii4 ,the ,king's survey of the sea1 and his locomotion on it #fei ,,chapter ,,cxxiii4 ,the ,king's ,excursions on all sides #ffb ,,chapter ,,cxxiv4 ,quadripartite state of the ,king ,vipaschit #ffe ,,chapter ,,cxxv4 ,on the ,living liberation of the ,prince #ffi ,,chapter ,,cxxvi4 ,resuscitation and conduct of the ,vipaschitas #fgi ,,chapter ,,cxxvii4 ,cosmology of the universe #fhc ,,chapter ,,cxxviii4 ,the vacuum of ,brahma and the sight of the world therein #fhf ,,chapter ,,cxxix4 ,vipaschit's becoming a stag #fib ,,chapter ,,cxxx4 ,entering of the stag into the fire #fih ,,chapter ,,cxxxi4 ,bhsa's account of the worlds and his journeys throughout #gjb ,,chapter ,,cxxxii4 ,bhsa's ,relation of the ,transmigrations of his soul #gaj ,,chapter ,,cxxxiii4 ,story of the ,wonderful carcass #gac ,,chapter ,,cxxxiv4 ,the ,story of the carcass continued #gag ,,chapter ,,cxxxv4 ,disappearance of the carcass1 and the ,reappearance of the earth #gbd ,,chapter ,,cxxxvi4 ,story of the ,gnat and ,hunter #gbf ,,chapter ,,cxxxvii4 ,description of the states of waking1 sleeping and dreaming #gcj ,,chapter ,,cxxxviii4 ,the ,pervasion of the mind throughout the universe #gcg ,,chapter ,,cxxxix4 ,description of the ,dissolution of the world #gdb ,,chapter ,,cxxxx4 ,workings of ,imagination #gej ,,chapter ,,cxxxxi4 ,description of the ,termination of a ,kalpa-period #geh ,,chapter ,,cxxxxii4 ,ascertainment of ,karma or acts of men #gfj ,,chapter ,,cxxxxiii4 ,ascertainment of ,nirvna or ultimate ,extinction #gfg ,,chapter ,,cxxxxiv4 ,investigation into the nature and ,vicissitudes of things #ggh ,,chapter ,,cxxxxv4 ,description of the ,waking1 ,dreaming and ,sleeping states #ghe ,,chapter ,,cxxxxvi4 ,disquisition of sound sleep #gid ,,chapter ,,cxxxxvii4 ,the ,phenomenon and ,perspection of dreams #gih ,,chapter ,,cxxxxviii4 ,investigation into the nature of dreams #hjb ,,chapter ,,cil4 ,investigation into the ,original cause #hjg ,,chapter ,,cl4 ,transcendental ,admonitions #hab ,,chapter ,,cli4 ,view of ,inexistence #hah ,,chapter ,,clii4 ,the sage's discourse at night #hbj ,,chapter ,,cliii4 ,one soul is the cause of all #hbc ,,chapter ,,cliv4 ,relation of ,past events #hbf ,,chapter ,,clv4 ,relation of ,future ,fortune #hbi ,,chapter ,,clvi4 ,expostulation on ,sindhu by his ,minister #hce ,,chapter ,,clvii4 ,the ,ultimate ,extinction or ,nirvna of ,sindhu #hci ,,chapter ,,clviii4 ,fall of the ,huge body of the ,hunter #hdd ,,chapter ,,clix4 ,wandering of ,vipaschit #hdg ,,chapter ,,clx4 ,description of heaven and ,hell #hee ,,chapter ,,clxi4 ,explanation of ,nirvna #hfa ,,chapter ,,clxii4 ,annihilation of ignorance #hfg ,,chapter ,,clxiii4 ,means and manner of governing the senses and sensible organs #hgj ,,chapter ,,clxiv4 ,unity of the ,divinity and the ,mundane ,world #hgh ,,chapter ,,clxv4 ,on the ,similarity of ,waking and ,dreaming #hhj ,,chapter ,,clxvi4 ,on the ,attributes of the ,divine spirit1 in the form of a ,dialogue #hhc ,,chapter ,,clxvii4 ,absence of the threefold states of ,waking1 ,dreaming and ,sleep #hhh ,,chapter ,,clxviii4 ,story of the ,hewn statue or ,carved ,image #hid ,,chapter ,,clxix4 ,description of the calm and tranquil ,mind #ija ,,chapter ,,clxx4 ,on the conduct of the sapient ,man #ijg ,,chapter ,,clxxi4 ,meditation of ,pure ,vacuum #iaa ,,chapter ,,clxxii4 ,establishment of the identity of the ,diety and the ,world #iah ,,chapter ,,clxxiii4 ,brahma ,gt or a ,lecture on spirituality #ibd ,,chapter ,,clxxiv4 ,the same or a lecture on ,nirvna #ibi ,,chapter ,,clxxv4 ,paramrtha ,gt or ,lecture on ,transcendentalism or the solity #icc ,,chapter ,,clxxvi4 ,brahma ,gt4 ,account of ,brahmnda or ,mundane system #idc ,,chapter ,,clxxvii4 ,brahma ,gta4 ,description of ,divine ,nature #idf ,,chapter ,,clxxviii4 ,brahma ,gta4 ,narrative of ,aindava #ieb ,,chapter ,,clxxix4 ,the ,doctrine of ,pantheism or the ,one as all #ifj ,,chapter ,,clxxx4 ,brahma ,gta or the story on austere devotee #ifc ,,chapter ,,clxxxi4 ,brahma ,gta continued #ifh ,,chapter ,,clxxxii4 ,brahma ,gta continued4 ,sovereignty of the seven continents #igc ,,chapter ,,clxxxiii4 ,description of the seven ,continents #igi ,,chapter ,,clxxxiv4 ,a ,lecture on the all comprehensiveness of the soul #ihh ,,chapter ,,clxxxv4 ,admonition to and clairvoyance of ,kunda-danta #iie ,,chapter ,,clxxxvi4 ,demonstration of all nature 7and thing7 as ,brahma himself #iih ,,chapter ,,clxxxvii4 ,of the ,living creation #ajji ,,chapter ,,clxxxviii4 ,description of the ,living soul #ajag ,,chapter ,,clxxxix4 ,on the unity of the ,divine spirit #ajba ,,chapter ,,clxxxx4 ,ecstasies or inertness of ,rma #ajbd ,,chapter ,,clxxxxi4 ,solution of the great question of unity and duality #ajcg ,,chapter ,,clxxxxii4 ,on the attainment of spiritual ,ansthesia #ajdj ,,chapter ,,clxxxxiii4 ,mental torpor or tranquility #ajdc ,,chapter ,,clxxxxiv4 ,rma's rest in ,nirvna insensibility #ajde ,,chapter ,,clxxxxv4 ,lectured on the ,enlightenment of ,understanding #ajea ,,chapter ,,clxxxxvi4 ,story of wood-cutter and his gem #ajfj ,,chapter ,,clxxxxvii4 ,on the ,excellence of ,universal ,toleration #ajfd ,,chapter ,,clxxxxviii4 ,excellence of ,universal ,toleration #ajfi ,,chapter ,,clxxxxix4 ,state of ,living ,liberated ,man #ajge ,,chapter ,,cc4 ,the ,loud applause of the court on the sage's speech #ajha ,,chapter ,,cci4 ,explanation of rest and repose in ultimate and perfect bliss #ajhi ,,chapter ,,ccii4 ,remembrance of the assembly to their ,hypnotic rest #ajid ,,chapter ,,cciii4 ,description of ,nirvna or self extinction in divine meditation #ajif ,,chapter ,,cciv4 ,identity of ,abstract ,intellectuality and ,vacuity #aajb ,,chapter ,,ccv4 ,reputation of the doctrine of the causality of creation #aajf ,,chapter ,,ccvi4 ,the great inquiry1 or questions of the ,buddhist #aaab ,,chapter ,,ccvii4 ,replies to the aforesaid queries 7of the ,buddhist7 #aaag ,,chapter ,,ccviii4 ,solution of the great question #aabb ,,chapter ,,ccix4 ,on the consciousness or the intuitive knowledge of extraneous existences #aabf ,,chapter ,,ccx4 ,reputation of the conception of a duality in unity #aacb ,,chapter ,,ccxi4 ,lecture on transcendent truth #aach ,,chapter ,,ccxii4 ,on ascertainment of truth #aadc ,,chapter ,,ccxiii4 ,narration of ,rma's prior pupilage under ,vasishtha #aadg ,,chapter ,,ccxiv4 ,description of the great jubilee of the assembly #aaed ,,chapter ,,ccxv4 ,eulogy on this work and the mode of its recital #aafa ,,chapter ,,ccxvi4 ,conclusion of the celestial messenger's message of liberation #aafd ,,chapter ,,cvi4 ,,invalidation ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,cause ,,and ,,effect4 ,argument3--,arguments in proof of the intellectual vacuum1 and the representation of the world therein4 ,rma said3--,tell me again1 ,o ,venerable sir1 how is intellectual vacuity which you say to be the entity of ,brahma2 because ,i am never satiate to hear the holy words1 distilling as ambrosia from your lips4 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,i have fully explained to you that the two states of sleeping and waking imply the same thing2 as the twin virtues of composure and self-controul are both the same1 though they are differentiated by two names4 #c4 ,there is in reality none difference of them1 as there is none between two drops of water2 they are both the one and same thing1 as the vacuous essence of ,brahma and the ,intellect4 #d4 ,as a man travelling from country to country1 finds his self consciousness to be every where the same2 so and the very same is the ,intellect1 which dwells within himself in its vacuous form1 and is styled the intellectual sphere4 #e4 ,this intellectual sphere is as clear1 as the etherial sky2 wherein the earthly arbours display their verdure1 by drawing the moisture of the earth by their roots4 7,this passage rests on a text of the ,sruti2 and means that the intellectual sphere of men as the sky of trees is always clear1 though they live upon the sap of earth74 #f4 ,again the intellectual sphere is as calm and quiet1 as the mind of a man1 who is free from desires and is at rest in himself2 and whose composure is never disturbed by anything4 #g4 ,again the intellectual sphere is like the quiet state of am2 who had got rid of his busy cares and thoughts1 reposes himself at ease2 before he is lulled to the insensibility of his sleep4 #h4 ,again as trees and plants growing in their season1 rise in and fill the sky1 without being attached to it2 such also is intellectual sphere1 which is filled by rising worlds after worlds1 without being touched by or related to any4 #i4 ,again the intellectual sphere1 is as clear as the cloudless sky2 and as vacant as the mind of the saintly man1 which is wholly purified from the impressions of visibles1 and its thoughts and desires are about any thing in the world4 #aj4 ,the intellectual state is as steady as those of the stable rocks and trees2 and when such is the state of the human mind1 it is then said to have attained its intellectuality 7or else its restless state is called the active mind and not the intellect74 #aa4 ,the intellectual chasm1 which is void of the three states of the view1 viewer and visibles 7or the subjective and objective72 is said to be devoid also of all its modality and change4 7,it means the imperceptibility of soul74 #ab4 ,that is called the intellectual sphere1 where the thought of the various kinds of things1 rise and last and set by turns1 without making any effect of change in its immutable nature4 #ac4 ,that is said to be the intellectual sphere1 which embraces all things1 and gives rise to and becomes everything itself2 and which is permeated throughout all nature for ever4 #ad4 ,that which shines resplendent in heaven and earth1 and in the inside and outside of everybody with equal blaze2 is said to be the vacuity of the intellect4 #ae4 ,it extends and stretches through all1 and bends altogether1 connected by its lengthening chain to infinity2 and the vacuity of the intellect envelops the universe1 whether it rises before us an entity or non-entity4 #af4 ,it is the intellectual vacuum which produces everything1 and at last reduces all to itself2 and the changes of creation and dissolution1 are all the working of this vacuity4 7,but how can the vacuous nothing produce any thing from itself or reduce any into it 7,ex nihilum nihil fit1 et in nihilo nihil reverti posse2 there the whole universe is a void nothing774 #ag4 ,the vacuity of the intellect produces the world1 as the sleeping state of the mind1 presents its sights in our dream2 and as the dream is dispersed in our deep sleep1 so the waking dream of the world is vanished from view1 upon dispersion of its fallacy from the mind4 #ah4 ,know the intellectual vacuum to be possessed of its intellection1 and as quiet and composed in its nature2 and it is by a thought of it1 as by twinkling or winking of the eye1 that the world comes to exist and disappear by turns4 7,manu calls these the waking and sleeping states of the soul1 and as causes of the existence and inexistence of the world74 #ai4 ,the intellectual ,vacuum is found in the disquisitions of all the sstras1 to be what is neither this nor that nor any thing any where2 and yet as all and everything in every place and at all times4 7i4e4 ,nothing concrete1 but every thing in the abstract74 #bj4 ,as a man travelling from country to country1 retains his consciousness untravelled in himself2 so the intellect always rests in its place in the interim1 though the mind passes far and farther in an instant4 #ba4 ,the world is full of the intellect1 both as it is or had ever been before2 and its outward sight being dependent on its ideas in the mind1 gives it the form and figure as they appear unto us4 #bb4 ,it is by a slight winking of its eye1 that it assumes and appears in varied shapes2 though the intellect never changes its form1 nor alters the clearness of its vacuous sphere4 #bc4 ,look on and know all these objects of sense1 with thy external and internal organs1 and without any desire of thine for them2 be ever wakeful and vigilant about them1 but remain as quite sleepy over them4 #bd4 ,be undesirous of any thing and indifferent in your mind1 when you speak to any one1 take any thing or go any where2 and remain as deadly cold and quiet1 as long as you have to live4 #be4 ,but it is impossible for you to remain as such1 so long as you fix your eyes and mind on the visibles before you2 and continue to view the mirage of the world1 and look upon its duality rising as two moons in the sky4 #bf4 ,know the world to be no production from the beginning2 because the want of its prior cause prevents its sequence2 and there is no possibility of a material creation1 proceeding from an immaterial causality4 #bg4 ,whatever appears as existent before you1 is the product of a causeless cause2 it is the appearance of the transcendent ,one1 that appears visible to you4 7,the world is the visible form of the invisible ,one74 #bh4 ,the world as it stands at present1 is no other than its very original form2 and the same undual and undivided pure soul appears as a duality1 as the disc of the moon and its halo present their two aspects to us4 #bi4 ,thus the strong bias1 that we have contracted from our false notion of the duality2 has at last involved us in the error of taking the false for true1 as to believe the shadow of a dream for reality4 #cj4 ,therefore the phenomenal world is no real production1 nor does it actually exist or is likely ever to come to existence2 it is likewise never annihilated1 because it is impossible for a nihility to be nil again4 #ca4 ,hence that thing which is but a form of the serene vacuum1 must be quiet1 calm and serene also2 and this being exhibited in the form of the world1 is of its own nature quite clear and steady1 and imperishable to all eternity4 7,the ,beo-vyom or vacuum being a void1 cannot be annulled to a nullity again74 #cb4 ,it is nothing what is seen before us1 nor aught that is visible1 is ever reliable as real2 neither also is there ever a viewer for want of visible1 nor the vision of a thing without its view4 #cc4 ,rma rejoined3--,if it is such1 then please to explain moreover1 ,o most eloquent sir1 the nature of the visibles1 their view1 and viewer2 and what are these that thus appear to our view8 #cd4 ,vasishtha replied3--,there being no assignable cause1 for the appearance of the unreal visibles2 their vision is but a deception1 and yet it is maintained as true by the dogmatism of opponents4 #ce4 ,whatever there appears as visible to the vision of the viewer1 is all fallacy and offspring of the great delusion of ,my only4 ,but the world in its recondite sense1 is but a reflexion of the ,divine mind4 #cf4 ,the intellect is awake in our sleeping state1 and shows us the shapes in our dream1 as the sky exhibits the various in its ample garden2 thus the intellect manifests itself in the form of the world in itself4 #cg4 ,hence there is no formal cause or self evolving element1 since the first creation of the world2 and that which sparkles any where before us1 is only the great ,brahma ,himself 7not in his person or formless form1 but in his spirit or intellectuality74 #ch4 ,it is the sunshine of the ,intellect within its own hollow sphere1 that manifests this world as a reflexion of his own person4 #ci4 ,the world is an exhibition of the quality1 of the unqualified vacuity of the ,intellect2 as existence is the quality of existent beings1 and as vacuity is the property of vacuum1 and as form is the attribute of a material substance4 #dj4 ,know the world as the concrete counterpart1 of the discrete attribute of the transcendent glory of ,god2 and as the very reflexion of it1 thus visibly exposed to the view of its beholders4 #da4 ,but there being in reality no duality whatever1 in the unity of the ,divinity2 ,he is neither the reflector nor the reflexion himself2 say who can ascertain what he is1 or tell whether he is a being or not being1 or a something or nothing4 #db4 ,rma rejoined3--,if so it be as you say1 that the ,lord is neither the reflector nor reflexion1 and neither the viewer nor the view 7i4e4 if he is neither the prototype nor its likeness1 and neither the subjective nor objective72 then say what is the difference between the cause and effect1 what is the source of all these1 and if they are unreal why do they appear as realities8 #dc4 ,vasishtha replied3--,whenever the ,lord thinks on the manifestation of his intellect1 ,he beholds the same at the very moment1 and then becomes the subjective beholder of the objects of his own thought4 #dd4 ,the intellectual vacuum itself assumes the form of the world1 as the earth becomes a hill c4 by itself2 but it never forgets itself for that form1 as men do in their dream4 ,moreover there is no other cause to move it to action1 except its own free will4 #de4 ,as a person changing his former state to a new one1 retains his self consciousness in the interim1 so the ,divine ,intellect retains its identity1 in its transition from prior vacuum to its subsequent state of the plenum4 #df4 ,the thought of cause and effect1 and the sense of the visible and invisible1 proceed from errors of the mind and defects of vision2 it is the erroneous imagination that frames these worlds1 and nobody questions or upbraids himself for his error4 ,the states of cause and effect1 and those of the visible and invisible c41 are mere phantoms of error1 rising before the sight of the living soul and proceeding from its ignorance1 and then its imagination paints these as the world1 and there is nobody that finds his error or blame himself for his blunder4 #dg4 ,if there be another person1 that is the cause1 beholder and enjoyer of these 7other than the ,supreme ,one7 then say what is that person1 and what is the phenomenal1 that is the point in question2 or it is liable to reproof4 #dh4 ,as the state of our sleep presents us only1 an indiscernible vacuity of the ,intellect 7which watches alone over the sleeping world72 how then is it possible to represent the ,one soul as many1 without being blamed for it8 #di4 ,it is the self-existent soul alone1 which presents the appearance of the world in the intellect2 and it is the ignorance of this truth1 which has led to the general belief of the creation of the world by ,brahm4 #ej4 ,it is ignorance of this intellectual phenomenon1 which has led mankind to many errors1 under the different names of illusion or my1 of ignorance or avidy1 of the phenomenal or drisya1 and finally of the world or jagat4 #ea4 ,the manifestation in the intellectual vacuum1 takes possession of the mind like a phantom2 which represents the unreal world as a reality before it1 as the false phantom of a ghost1 takes a firm hold on the mind of an infant4 #eb4 ,although the world is an unreality1 yet we have a notion of it as something real in our empty intellect2 and this is no other than the embodiment of a dream1 which shows us the forms of hills and cities in empty air4 #ec4 ,the intellect represents itself as a hill or a ,rudra1 or as a sea or as the ,god ,virt himself2 just as a man thinks in his dream1 that he sees the hills and towns in his empty mind4 #ed4 ,nothing formal that has any form1 can be the result of a formless cause 7as ,god72 hence the impossibility of the existence of the solid world1 and of its formal causes of atomic elements1 at the great annihilation both prior to creation1 as also after its dissolution4 ,it is therefore evident1 that the world is ever existent in its ideal form only in the ,divine ,mind4 #ee4 ,it is a mere uncaused existence1 inherent in its vacuous state in the vacuous ,mind2 and what is called the world1 is no more than an emptiness appertaining to the empty ,intellect4 #ef4 ,the minds of ignorant people are as glassy mirrors1 receiving the dim and dull images of things set before their senses2 but those of reasoning men are as clear microscopes1 that spy the vivid light of the ,divine ,mind that shines through all4 7,this light is called ,pratyagnntma or the nooscopic appearance of ,divine soul74 #eg4 ,therefore they are the best of men1 who shun the sight of visible forms2 and view the world in the light of intellectual vacuity2 and remain as firm as rocks in the meditation of the steady ,intellect1 and place no faith or reliance on anything else4 #eh4 ,the ,intellect shows the revolution of the world in itself by its incessant act of airy intellection2 as the sea displays its circuition throughout the watery world1 by the continual rotation of its whirlpools4 #ei4 ,as the figurative tree of our desire1 produces and yields our wished for fruits in a moment1 so the intellect presents every thing before us1 that is thought of in an instant4 7,it is the subjective mind1 that shows the objects of its thought within itself74 #fj4 ,as the mind finds in itself1 its wished-for gem and the fruit of its desire2 in the same manner doth the internal soul1 meet with its desired objects in its vacuous self in a minute4 #fa4 ,as a man passing from one place to another1 rests calmly in the interim2 such is the state of the mind in the interval of its thoughts1 when it sees neither the one nor another thing4 #fb4 ,it is the reflection of the ,intellect only1 which shines clearly in variegated colours1 within the cavity of its own sphere2 and though devoid of any shape or colour1 yet it exhibits itself like the vacuity of the sky1 in the blueness of the firmament4 #fc4 ,nothing unlike can result from the vacuous ,intellect1 other than what is alike inane as itself2 a material production requires a material cause1 which is wanting in the ,intellect2 and therefore the created world is but a display of the ,divine ,mind1 like the appearance of dreams before our sleeping minds4 ,,chapter ,,cvii4 ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,ignorance ,,or ,,illusion ,,of ,,the ,,mind4 ,argument3--,proof of the cosmos as the reflexion of the gem of the ,intellect1 and the ,immateriality of the objective material world4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the world is the subjective ,intellect and inborn in it1 and not the objective which is perceived from without4 ,it is the empty space of the ,intellect which displays the noumenals in itself1 and here the tripart or the triple state of the ,intellect1 its intellection and the chetya or intellectual combine together4 7i4e4 ,the thinking principle1 its thinking and thoughts all unite together74 #b4 ,here in its ample exhibition1 all living beings are displayed as dead bodies2 and ,i and you1 he and it1 are all represented as lifeless figures in a picture4 #c4 ,all persons engaged in active life1 appear here as motionless blocks of wood1 or as cold and silent bodies of the dead2 and all moving and unmoving beings1 appear to be seen here as in the empty air4 #d4 ,the sights of all things are exposed here1 like the glare of the chrystalline surface of the sky2 and they are to be considered as nothing1 for nothing substantial can be contained in the hollow mind4 #e4 ,the bright sun-beams and the splashing waves1 and the gathering vapours in the air2 present us with forms of shining pearls and gems in them1 but never does any one rely on their reality4 #f4 ,so this phenomenon of the world1 which appears in the vacuum of the ,intellect2 and seems to be true to the apprehension of every body1 yet it is never relied on by any one4 #g4 ,the ,intellect is entangled in its false fancies1 as a boy is caught in his own hobby2 and dwells on the errors of unreal material things rising as smoke before it4 #h4 ,say ye boys1 what reliance can you place on your egoism and meity1 so as to say 8this is ,i and that is mine40 ,ah1 well do ,i perceive it now1 that it is the pleasure of boys1 to indulge themselves in their visionary flights4 #i4 ,knowing the unreality of the earth and other things1 men are yet prone to pass their lives in those vanities and in their ignorance of truth1 they resemble the miners1 who instead of digging the earth in search of gold1 expect it to fall upon them from heaven4 #aj4 ,when the want of prior and co-ordinate causes1 proves a priori the impossibility of the effect2 so the want of any created thing1 proves a posteriori the inexistence of a causal agent 7i4e4 there is no creation nor its creator likewise74 #aa4 ,they who deal in this uncreated world1 with all the unreal shadows of its persons and things2 are as ignorant as madmen1 who take a hobby to nourish their unborn or dead offspring4 #ab4 ,whence is this earth and all other things1 by whom are they made1 and how did they spring to sight2 it is the representation of the ,intellectual vacuum1 which shines in itself1 and is quite calm and serene4 #ac4 ,the minds of those that are addicted to fancy to themselves1 a causality and its effect1 and their time and place2 are thus inclined to believe in the existence of the earth1 but we have nothing to do with their puerile reasoning4 #ad4 ,the world whether it is considered as material or immaterial1 is but a display of the intellectual vacuum2 which presents all these images like dreams to our minds1 and as the empty sky shows its hues and figures to our eyes4 #ae4 ,the form of the vacuous intellect is without a form1 and it is only by our percipience that we have our knowledge of it2 it is the same which shows itself in the form of the earth c41 and the subjective soul appears as the subjective world to our sight4 ,,chapter ,,cviii4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,knowledge ,,and ,,ignorance ,,of ,,the ,,soul4 ,argument3--,the ,knowledge of the objective continuing with our ignorance of the subjective and the story of the wise prince ,vipaschit1 attacked by his rude enemies4 ,rma rejoined3--,he whose mind is bound by his ignorance1 to the bright vividness of visible phenomenal2 views the palpable scenes of the noumenal1 as mere his idle dreams1 and as visionary as empty air4 #b4 ,now1 ,o sage1 please to tell me again1 the nature and manner of this ignorance of the noumenal2 and to what extent and how long1 does this ignorance of the spiritual bind fast a man4 #c4 ,vasishtha replied3--,know ,rma1 those that are besotted by their ignorance1 think this earth and the elementary bodies1 to be as everlasting as they believe ,brahma to be4 ,now ,o ,rma6 hear a tale on this subject4 #d4 ,there is in some corner of the infinite space1 another world with its three lokas of the upper and lower regions1 in the manner of this terrestrial world4 #e4 ,there is a piece of land therein1 as beautiful as this land of ours2 and is called the sama bhmi or level land1 where all beings had their free range4 #f4 ,in a city of that place1 there reigned a prince well known for his learning1 and who passed his time in the company of the learned men of his court4 #g4 ,he shone as handsome as a swan in a lake of lotuses1 and as bright as the moon among the stars2 he was as dignified as the ,mount ,meru or polar pinnacle among mountains1 and he presided over his council as its president4 #h4 ,the strain of bards1 fell short in the recital of his praises1 and he was a firm patron of poets and bards1 as a mountain is the support of its refugees4 #i4 ,the prosperity of his valour flourished day by day1 and stretched its lustre to all sides of the earth2 as the blooming beauty of lotus blossoms1 under the early beams of the rising sun1 fills the landscape with delight every morning4 #aj4 ,that respectable prince of ,brhmanic faith1 adored fire as the lord of gods1 with his full faith2 and did not recognize any other god as equal to him 7,because agni is said to be the ,brahma or father of the gods74 #aa4 ,he was beset by conquering forces1 consisting of horse1 elephants and foot soldiers2 and was surrounded by his councillors1 as the sea is girt by his whirlpools and rolling waters4 #ab4 ,his vast and unflinching forces1 were employed in the protection of the four boundaries of his realm2 as the four seas serve to gird the earth on all its four sides4 #ac4 ,his capital was as the nave of a wheel1 the central point of the whole circle of his kingdom2 and he was as invincible a victor of his foes1 as the irresistible discus of ,vishnu4 #ad4 ,there appeared to him once a shrewd herald1 from the eastern borders of his state2 who approached to him in haste1 and delivered a secret message that was not pleasing unto him4 #ae4 ,lord6 may thy realm be never detached1 which is bound fastly by thy arms1 as a cow is tied to a tree or post2 but hear me relate to you something1 which requires your consideration4 7,the word go--,gr4 ge4--,pers4 gao--cow1 means both the earth and a cow and hence their mutual simile74 #af4 ,thy chieftain in the east is snatched away from his post1 by the relentless hand of a fever where upon he seems to have gone to the regions of death1 to conquer as it were1 the god ,yama at thy behest4 #ag4 ,then as thy chief on the south1 proceeded to quell the borderers thereabouts2 he was attacked by hostile forces who poured upon him from the east and west1 and killed by the enemy4 #ah4 ,upon his death as the chieftain of the west1 proceeded with his army to wrest those provinces 7from the hands of the enemy74 #ai4 ,he was met on his way1 by the combined forces of the inimical princes of the east and south1 who put him to death in his half way journey to the spot4 #bj4 ,vasishtha continued3--,as he was relating in this wise1 another emissary driven by his haste1 entered the court-hall with as great a rush1 as a current of the deluging flood4 #ba4 ,he represented1 saying3--,o lord1 the general of thy forces on the north1 is overpowered by a stronger enemy1 and is routed from his post1 like an embankment broken down and borne away by the rushing waters4 #bb4 ,hearing so1 the king thought it useless to waste time1 and issuing out of his royal apartment1 he bade as follows4 #bc4 ,summon the princes and chiefs and the generals and ministers1 to appear here forthwith in their full armour2 and lay open the arsenal1 and get out the horrible weapons 7of destruction74 #bd4 ,put on your bodies your armours of mail1 and set the infantry on foot2 number the regiments1 and select the best warriors4 #be4 ,appoint the leaders of the forces1 and send the heralds all around2 thus said the king in haste1 and such was the royal behest4 #bf4 ,when the warder appeared before him1 and lowly bending down his head1 he sorrowfully expressed3 8,lord1 the chieftain of the north is waiting at the gate1 and expects like the lotus to come to thy sunlike sight04 #bg4 ,the king answered3--,go thou quickly there1 and get him to my presence2 that ,i may learn from his report the sterling events of that quarter4 #bh4 ,thus ordered1 the warder introduced the northern chief to the royal presence2 where he bent himself down before his royal lord1 who beheld the chieftain in the following plight4 #bi4 ,his whole body and every part and member of it1 was full of wounds and scars2 it breathed hard and spouted out blood1 and supported itself with difficulty4 #cj4 ,while he with due obeisance1 and faltering breath and voice1 and contortion of his limbs1 delivered this hasty message to his sovereign4 #ca4 ,the chieftain said3--,my lord1 the three other chiefs of the three quarters1 with numerous forces under them1 have already gone to the realms of ,yama 7,pluto71 in their attempt to conquer death at thy behest 7i4e4 to encounter the enemies on every side74 #cb4 ,then the clansmen finding my weakness1 to defend thy realms alone on this side1 assembled in large numbers1 and poured upon me with all their strength4 #cc4 ,i have with great difficulty1 very narrowly escaped from them to this palace1 all gory and gasping for life as you see2 and pray you to punish the rebels1 that are not invincible before your might4 #cd4 ,vasishtha continued3--,as the yet alive and wounded chieftain1 had been telling his painful story in this manner to the king2 there appeared on a sudden another person entering the palace after him1 and speaking to the king in the following manner4 #ce4 ,o sovereign of men1 the hostile armies of your enemies1 likening the shaking leaves of trees1 have all beset in great numbers1 the skirts of your kingdom1 on all its four sides4 #cf4 ,the enemy has surrounded our lands1 like a chain of rocks all around2 and they are blazing all about with their brandishing swords and spears1 and with the flashing of their forest-like maces and lances4 #cg4 ,the bodies of their soldiers1 with the flying flags and shaking weapons on them1 appear as moving chariots upon the ground2 while their rolling war-cars1 seem as sweeping cities all about4 #ch4 ,their uplifted arms in the air1 appear as rising forests of fleshy arbours in the sky2 and the resounding phalanx of big elephants1 seem as huge bodies of rainy clouds roaring on high4 #ci4 ,the grounds seeming to rise and sink1 with the bounding and bending of their snoring horses2 give the land an appearance of the sea1 sounding hoarsely under the lashing winds4 #dj4 ,the land is moistened and whitened around1 by the thickening froth fallen from the mouths of horses2 and bears its resemblance to the foaming main1 fell with its salt spray all over4 #da4 ,the groups of armed armaments in the field1 resemble the warlike array of clouds in the sky2 and likens to the huge surges1 rising upon the surface of the sea1 troubled by the gusts of the deluge4 #db4 ,the weapons on their bodies1 and their armours and coronets1 are shining forth with a flash that equals the flame and fire of thy valour4 #dc4 ,their battle array1 in the forms of circling crocodiles and long stretching whales2 resemble the waves of the sea1 that toss about these marine animals upon the shore4 #dd4 ,their lines of the lancers c41 are advancing with one accord against us2 and flashing with their furious rage and fire1 are uttering and muttering their invectives to us4 #de4 ,it is for this purpose1 that ,i have come to report these things to my lord1 so that you will deign to proceed in battle array to the borders1 and drive these insurgents as weeds from the skirts4 #df4 ,now my lord1 ,i take leave of you1 with my bow and arrows and club and sword as ,i came1 and leave the rest to your best discretion4 #dg4 ,vasishtha added3--,saying so1 and bending lowly to his lord1 the emissary went out forthwith2 as the undulation of the sea disappears1 after making a gurgling noise4 #dh4 ,upon this the king with his honorable ministers1 his knights and attendants and servants2 together with his cavalry and charioteers1 the men and women and all the citizens at large were struck with terror2 and the sentinels of the palace1 trembled with fear1 as they shouldered their arms and wielded their weapons1 which resembled a forest of trees shaken by a hurricane4 ,,chapter ,,cix4 ,,fighting ,,with ,,the ,,invading ,,armies ,,at ,,the ,,gate ,,of ,,the ,,city4 ,argument3--,adopting ways and means to quell the disturbances of the hostile enemies4 ,vasishtha continued3--,in the mean while1 the assembled ministers advanced before the king1 as the sages of yore resorted to the celestial ,indra1 being invaded by the ,daityas--,titans around4 #b4 ,the ministers addressed3--,lord6 ,we have consulted and ascertained1 that as the enemy is irresistible by any of the three means 7of peace1 dissension and bribe or concession72 they must be quelled by force or due punishment4 #c4 ,when the proffer of amity is of no avail1 and the offer of hostages doth also fail2 it is useless to propose to them1 any other term for a reconciliation4 #d4 ,vile enemies that are base and barbarous1 that are of different countries and races1 that are great in number and opulence2 and those that are acquainted with our weakness and weak parts2 are hardly conciliated by terms of peace or subsidy4 #e4 ,now there is no remedy against this insurrection1 save by showing our valour to the enemy2 wherefore let all our efforts be directed1 towards the strengthening of our gates and ramparts4 #f4 ,give orders to our bravos to sally out to the field1 and command the people to worship and implore the protection of the gods2 and let the generals give the war alarm with loud sounding drums and trumpets4 #g4 ,let the warriors be well armed1 and let them rush to the field2 and order the soldiers to pour upon the plains in all directions1 as the dark deluging clouds inundate the land4 #h4 ,let the outstretched bows rattle in the air1 and the bowstrings twang and clang all around2 and let the shadows of curved bows1 obscure the skies as by the clouds4 #i4 ,let the thrilling bow strings1 flash as flickering lightnings in the air1 and the loud war whoop of the soldiers1 sound as the growling clouds above2 let the flying darts and arrows fall as showers of rain1 and make the combatants glare1 with the sparkling gold rings in their ear4 #aj4 ,the king said3--,do you all proceed to the battle1 and do promptly all what is necessary on this occasion2 and ,i will follow you straightaway to the battle field1 after finishing my ablution and the adoration of ,agni--the fiery god4 #aa4 ,notwithstanding the important affairs1 which waited on the king2 yet he found a moment's respite to bathe1 by pouring potfuls of pure ,gang water upon him1 in the manner of a grove watered by a showering of rain water4 #ab4 ,then having entered his fire temple1 he worshipped the holy fire with as much reverence1 as it is enjoined in the sstras2 and then began to reflect in himself1 in the following manner4 #ac4 ,i have led an untroubled and easy life1 passing in pleasure and prosperity2 and have kept in security all the subjects of my realm stretching to the sea4 #ad4 ,i have subdued the surface of the earth1 and reduced my enemies under my foot2 and have filled the smiling land with plenty1 under the bending skies on all sides4 #ae4 ,my fair fame shines in the sphere of heaven1 like the clear and cooling beams of the lunar orb2 and the plant of my renown1 stretches to the three worlds1 like the three branches of ,gang4 #af4 ,i have lavished my wealth1 to my friends and relatives1 and to respectable ,brhmans2 in the manner1 as ,i have amassed my treasures for myself2 and ,i quenched my thirst with the beverage of the cocoanut fruits1 growing on edges of the four oceans4 7,that is to say3--his realms were or bounded by the four oceans on all sides74 #ag4 ,my enemies trembled before me for fear of their lives1 and they groaned before me as croaking frogs with their distended pouches1 and my rule extended over and marked the mountains1 situated in the islands amidst the distant seas4 #ah4 ,i have roved with bodies of siddhas1 over the nine regions beyond the visible horizon2 and ,i have rested on the tops of bordering mountains1 like the flying clouds that rest on mountain tops4 #ai4 ,with my full knowing mind1 and my perfection in ,divine meditation2 ,i have acquired my dominions entire and unimpaired1 by cause of my good will for the public weal4 7,it means the prince's high attainments in spiritual1 intellectual as well as territorial concerns74 #bj4 ,i have manacled the lawless ,rkshasas1 in strong chains and fetters2 and kept my cares of religious duties1 and those of my treasures and personal enjoyments within proper bounds1 and without letting them clash with one another4 #ba4 ,i have passed my life time1 in the uninterrupted discharge of those triple duties of mine2 and have relished my life with great joy and renown4 ,but now hoary old age hath come upon me1 like the snow and frost fallen upon the withered leaf and dried straw4 #bb4 ,now hath old age come1 and blasted all my pleasures and efforts2 and after all1 these furious enemies have overpowered upon me1 and are eager for warfare4 #bc4 ,they have poured upon me in vast numbers on all sides1 and the victory is doubtful2 it is therefore better for me to offer myself as a sacrifice1 to the god of this burning fire1 which is known to crown its worshipper with victory4 #bd4 ,i will pluck this head of mine1 and make an offering of it to the ,fire-god 7as a fit fruit to the shrine2 and say3--,o ,igneous god1 ,i make here an offering of my head to thee74 #be4 ,i give this offering1 as ,i have ever before given my oblations to fire2 therefore accept of this also1 ,o god1 if thou art pleased with my former offerings4 #bf4 ,let the four urns of thy fiery furnace1 yield four forms of mine1 with brilliant and strong bodies1 like that of ,nryana1 with his mighty arms4 #bg4 ,thus will ,i be enabled1 with those four bodies of mine1 to meet my enemies on all the four sides2 and be invulnerable like thyself1 by keeping my thought and sight1 ever fixed in thee4 #bh4 ,vasishtha replied3--,so saying1 the king took hold of a dagger in his hand2 and separated the head from his body with one blow of it1 as boys tear off a lotus bud from the stalk with their nails4 7,in many instances1 the head is mentioned to be torn off by the nails74 #bi4 ,as the head became an oblation1 to the fire of dusky fumes2 the headless trunk of the self-immolated sovereign1 sprang and flew also upon the burning furnace4 #cj4 ,the sacred fire1 being fed with the fat and flesh of the royal carcass2 yielded forth with four such living bodies1 from amidst its burning flames2 as it is the nature of the good and great1 to make an instantaneous of fourfold1 of what they receive in earnest4 #ca4 ,the king sprang from amidst the fire1 in his fourfold forms of his kingly appearance1 and these were as luminous with their effulgence1 as the radiant body of ,nryana1 when it rose at first from the formless deep4 7,the spirit of god rising over the surface of the deep74 #cb4 ,these four bodies of the king1 shone forth with their resplendent lustre2 and were adorned with their inborn decorations of the royal crown and other ornaments and weapons4 7,the fire born form allude to the ,agniculas or fiery races of men74 #cc4 ,they had their armours and coronets on1 together with helmets1 bracelets and fittings for all and every part of the body2 and necklaces and ear-rings hung upon them as they moved along4 #cd4 ,all the four princes were of equal forms1 and of similar shapes and sizes in all the member of their bodies2 and were all seated on horse back1 like so many ,indras riding on their ,uchai-srava horses 7having their ears pricked up1 as in the plight of their heavenward flight74 #ce4 ,they had their long and capacious quivers1 full with arrows of golden shafts2 and their ponderous bows and bowstrings1 were equally long and strong with the god of war4 #cf4 ,they rode also on elephants and steeds1 and mounted on their war-cars and other vehicles in their warfare2 and were alike impregnable by the arms of the enemy1 both themselves as well as the vehicles they rode upon4 #cg4 ,they sprang from the bosom of the sacred fire1 as the flames of the submarine fire1 rise from amidst the ocean1 by being nourished with the oblations that were offered upon it4 #ch4 ,their flowery bodies on jewelled horses1 made resplendent on all sides as four smiling faces of the moon2 and their good figures looked like ,hara-,hari1 as if they have come out from fire and water4 ,,chapter ,,cx4 ,,battle ,,of ,,the ,,wise ,,princes1 ,,with ,,the ,,ignorant ,,barbarian4 ,argument3--,description of the warfare before the city gates1 betwixt the ,royal armies and the ,rude ,invaders of the ,realm4 ,vasishtha continued3--,in the mean time the battle was raging in its full fury1 between the royal forces1 and the hostile bands that had advanced before the city gates4 #b4 ,here the enemies were plundering the city and villages1 and there they set fire to the houses and hamlets2 the sky was obscured by clouds of smoke and dust1 and the air was filled by loud cries of havoc and wailing on every side4 #c4 ,the sun was obscured by the thickening shadow1 of the network of arrows spread over the skies2 and the disk of the sun now appeared to view3 and was then lost to sight the next moment4 #d4 ,the burning fire of the incendiaries1 set to flame the leaves of the forest trees2 and the fire brands of burning wood1 were falling as loosely all around1 as the iron sleets of arrow breast were hurling through the air4 #e4 ,the flame of the blazing fire1 added a double lustre1 to the burnished and brandishing weapons2 and the souls of the great combatants falling in battle1 were borne aloft to the regions of ,indra1 where they were ministered by the heavenly nymphs4 #f4 ,the ,thundering peals of fierce elephants1 excited the bravery of bravados3 and missile weapons of various kinds1 were flung about in showers4 #g4 ,the loud shouts and cries of the combatants1 depressed the spirits of dastardly cowards2 and the hoary clouds of dust flying in the air1 appeared as elephants intercepting the paths of the midway skies4 #h4 ,chieftains eager to die in the field1 were roving about with loud shouts2 and men were falling in numbers here and there1 as if stricken by lightnings in the battle field4 #i4 ,burning houses were falling below1 and fiery clouds dropt from above2 flying arrows in the form of rocks1 were rolling on high2 and descending upon and dispatching to death1 numbers of soldiers that were ready to die4 #aj4 ,the galloping horses in the field gave it the appearance of wavy ocean afar2 and the crashing of the tusks of fighting elephants1 crackled like the clashing clouds in air4 #aa4 ,the shafts of the arrows of the combatants1 filled the forts and its bastion2 and the flashing of the same on the top of it1 made a glare of fire around4 #ab4 ,the dashing of one another in passing to and fro1 tore their garments into pieces1 and the furling of flags in open air and the clashing of shield between combatants made a pat-pat noise all around4 #ac4 ,the flash of the tusks of elephant1 and the crash of weapons dashing on stony rocks1 and the loud uproar and clangour of the battlefield1 invited the elephants of heaven to join in the fray4 #ad4 ,the flights of arrows1 ran as rivers into the ocean of the sky2 and the flying lances1 swords and discuses1 which were flung into the air1 resembled the sharks and alligators1 swimming in the etherial sea4 #ae4 ,the concussion of the armours of the clamorous combatants1 and the clashing of the arms in commingled warfare1 represented the sounding main beset by islands4 #af4 ,the ground was trodden down to a muddy pool1 under the feet of the foot soldiers2 and the blood issuing out of their bodies from the wounds of the arrows1 ran as river carrying down the broken chariots and slain elephants in its rapid course4 #ag4 ,the flight of the winged shafts1 and the falling of the battle axes1 resembled the waves of the arrowy sea in the air2 and the broken arms of the vanquished1 floated as aquatic animals upon it4 #ah4 ,the sky was set on fire1 by the flames issuing forth from the clashing arms2 and the celestial regions were filled with the deified souls of departed heroes1 now released from the fetters of their wrinkled and decaying frames of earth4 #ai4 ,clouds of dingy dust and ashes filled the firmament1 with flashes of lightnings flaming as arches amidst them2 the missile weapons filled the air1 as the tractile arms occupied the surface of the earth4 #bj4 ,the contending combatants hooted at one another1 and broke and cut their weapons in mutual contest2 the cars were cleft by clashing at each other1 and the chariots were reft by dashing together4 #ba4 ,here the headless trunks of the kabandhas 7anthropophagi71 mingled with the gigantic bodies of the vetla demons1 were disastrous on every side2 and there the demoniac vetla plucking their hearts for their hearty meal4 #bb4 ,the bravos were tearing the arteries of the slain1 and breaking asunder their arms1 heads and thighs2 while the uplifted and shaking arms of the ,kabandhas1 made a moving forest in the air4 #bc4 ,the demons moving about with their open and jeering mouths1 made their maws and jaws as caskets for carrion2 and the soldiers passing with their helmets and coronets on1 looked fiercely on all around4 #bd4 ,to kill or die1 to slay or to be slain1 was the soldier's final glory in the field2 as it was their greatest infamy1 to be backward in their giving or receiving of wounds4 #be4 ,he is the gladdener of death1 who dries up the boast of soldiers and chieftains1 and drains the flowing ichor of ferocious elephants 7i4e4 puts an end to them72 and one who is entirely bent on destruction4 #bf4 ,there were loud applauses given to the victory1 of unboasting and unrenowned heroes2 as there were the great censures1 which were poured upon the nameless and dastardly cowards4 #bg4 ,the rousing of the sleeping virtues of prowess and others1 is as glorious to the great and strong2 as the laying out of their treasures1 for the protection of their protgs4 #bh4 ,the proboscides of the elephants1 were broken in the conflict of elephant riders and charioteers2 and oozing of the fragrant fluid of ichor from their front1 was altogether at a stop4 #bi4 ,elephants left loose by their flying leaders1 fell into the lakes1 and cried like shrill storks in them2 and here they were pursued and overcome by men who inflicted terrible wounds upon them with their hands4 #cj4 ,in some place the unprotected as well as the uninvaded people1 being downtrodden and half dead in their mutual scuffle2 fled to and fell at the feet of their king1 as the daytime takes its shelter under the shining sun4 #ca4 ,they being maddened by pride with the force of giddiness1 became subject to death 7i4e4 they called death1 to be re-born72 as millionaires and traders seek a better place in dread of their life4 #cb4 ,the red coats of soldiers1 and the red flags lifted upon their arms as a wood of trees2 spread a rubicund colour all around1 like the adoration of the three worlds4 #cc4 ,white umbrellas1 resembling the waves of the ,milky ocean1 when churned by the ,mandara mountain2 covered the weapons of the soldiers under them1 and made the sky appear as a garden of flowers4 #cd4 ,the eulogies sung by the bards and ,gandharvas1 added to the valour of the warriors2 and profluent liquor of the tall palma trees 7i4e4 the toddy juice71 infused a vigour to their veins1 as that of ,baladeva 7who fought dead drunk in battle74 #ce4 ,there was the clashing of arms of the ,rkshasas1 who fought together in bodies2 who were as big as lofty trees1 and fed on carcasses1 with which they filled their abodes in the caverns of mountains4 #cf4 ,there was a forest of spears rising to the sky on one side1 with the detached heads and arms of the slain attached to them2 and there were the flying stones on another1 which were flung from the slings of the combatants1 and which covered the ground below4 #cg4 ,there was the clapping of the arms and hands of the champions1 resembling the splitting and bursting of great trees2 and there was heard also the loud wailings of women1 echoing amidst the lofty edifices of the city4 #ch4 ,the flight of fiery weapons in the air1 resembled the flying fire brands on high1 with a hissing and whistling sound2 and the people betook themselves to flight from these1 leaving their homes and treasures all behind4 #ci4 ,the lookers were flying away1 from the flying darts all about1 in order to save their heads2 just as the timid snakes hide themselves1 for fear of the devouring phoenix1 darting upon them from the sky4 #dj4 ,daring soldiers were grinded under tusks of elephants1 as if they were pounded under the jaws of death1 or as the grapes are crushed in their pressing mills4 #da4 ,the weapons flying in the air1 were repelled and broken by the stones1 flung by the ballistics2 and the shouts of the champions1 resounded as the re-echoing yells of elephants1 issuing out of the ragged caverns4 #db4 ,the hollow sounding caves of mountains1 resounded to the loud shouts of warriors2 who were ready to expose their dear lives and dearly earned vigour in the battle field4 #dc4 ,the burning fire of firearms1 and the flames of incendiarism flashed on all sides2 these and mutual conflicts and chariot fightings1 went on unceasingly all around4 #dd4 ,the battle field was surrounded by the surviving soldiers1 who were as staunch hearted as the ,mount ,kailsa1 with the strong god ,siva seated therein4 #de4 ,the bravemen that boldly expose their lives in battle1 enjoy a lasting life by their death in warfare1 and die in their living state1 by their flight from the field4 7,the text is very curt and says3--,the brave live by dying1 and die by their living74 #df4 ,big elephants being killed in the battle field1 like lotus flowers immerging into the waters of lakes2 great champions were seen to stalk over the plains1 as towering storks strutted on the banks of lakes4 #dg4 ,here showers of stones were falling in torrents1 with a whizzing sound2 and the showers of arrows1 were running with a whistling noise around2 and the uproar of warriors were growling in the skies4 ,the flying weapons were hurtling through the air1 and the neighing of horses1 the cries of elephants and the whirling of chariot wheels1 together with the hurling of stones from the height of hills1 deafened the ears of men all about4 ,,chapter ,,cxi4 ,,the ,,flight ,,of ,,the ,,soldiers ,,on ,,all ,,sides4 ,argument3--,description of the ,discomfiture of the ,royal army1 and their use of pneumatic arms4 ,vasishtha continued3--,thus the war waged with the fury of the four elements1 in their mutual conflict on the last doomsday of the world2 and the forces on all sides1 were falling and flying in numbers in and about the battle field4 #b4 ,the sky was filled with the stridor of the fourfold noise of drums and conch-shells2 and the rattling of arrows and clattering of arms on all sides4 #c4 ,the furious warriors were violently dashing on one another1 and their steel armours were clashing against each other1 and splitting in twain with clattering noise4 #d4 ,the files of the royal forces1 were broken in the warfare2 they fell fainting in the field1 and were lopped off as leaves and plants1 and mown down as straws and grass4 #e4 ,at this time the trumpets announced the advance of king1 with a peal that filled the quarters of the sky2 and the cannons thundered with a treble roar1 resounding with uproar of the kapa or doomsday clouds4 #f4 ,they rent asunder at the same time1 the sides of the highest hill and mountains2 and split in twain1 the rocky shores and banks every where4 #g4 ,the king then issued forth to all the four sides1 in the four fold or four parted form of himself2 like the four regents of the four quarters of the sky1 or like the four arms of ,nryana1 stretching to so many sides of heaven4 #h4 ,being then followed by his fourfold forces 7composed of horse1 elephants1 war-cars and foot soldiers72 he then rushed out of the confines of his city of palaces1 and marched to the open fields lying out of the town4 #i4 ,he saw the thinness of his own army1 and the strong armament of his enemies all around2 and heard their loud clamour all about1 like the wild roar of the surrounding sea4 #aj4 ,flights of arrows flying thickly through the air1 appeared as sharks floating in the sea2 and the bodies of elephants1 moving in the wide battle field1 seemed as the huge waves of the ocean4 #aa4 ,the moving battalions wheeling circular bodies1 seemed as the whirling eddies in the sea2 and the coursing chariots with their waving flags1 appeared as the sailing ships with their unfurled sails4 #ab4 ,the uplifted umbrellas were as the foams of the sea1 and the neighing of horses1 likened the frothing of whales4 ,the glaring of shining weapons1 appeared as the flaring of falling rain under the sunshine4 #ac4 ,the moving elephants and sweeping horses1 seemed as the huge surges and swelling waves of the sea2 and the dark ,dravidian barbarians gabbled1 like the gurgling bubbles of sea waters4 #ad4 ,the big elephants with their towering and lowering bodies1 seemed as they were mounting or dismounting from the heights of mountains1 and breaking their hollow caves1 howling with the rustling winds4 #ae4 ,the battle field looked like the vast expanse of water1 in which the slain horses and elephants seemed to be swimming as fragments of floating rocks1 and where the moving legions1 appeared as the rolling waves of the sea4 #af4 ,the field presented the dismal appearance of an untimely dissolution2 appeared as an ocean of blood1 stretching to the borders of the visible horizon4 #ag4 ,the fragments of the shining weapons1 showed themselves as the sparkling gems in the womb of the sea2 and the movement of forces1 resembled the casting of ballast stones into it4 #ah4 ,the falling weapons1 were as showers of gems and snow from above2 and presented the appearance of evening clouds in some place1 and of fleecy vapours in another4 #ai4 ,beholding the ocean like the battalion of the enemy1 the king thought of swallowing it up1 as the sage ,agastya had sucked in the ocean2 and with this intent1 he remembered his airy instrument1 which he thought to employ on this occasion2 7and which would disperse the cloud of the hostile force like the wind74 #bj4 ,he got the airy instrument1 and aimed it at all sides2 as when the god ,siva had set the arrow to his bow on ,mount ,meru1 to slay the demon ,tripura4 7,this passage shows the slaughter of ,tripura1 when the ,indo-,aryans had their habitation on ,meru or the polar mountains74 #ba4 ,he bowed to his god ,agni--,ignis1 and let fly his mighty missile with all his might2 in order to repel the raging fire1 and preserve his own forces from destruction4 #bb4 ,he hurled his airy bolt1 together with its accompaniment of the cloudy arms2 both to drive off as well as to set down the fire of the enemy4 #bc4 ,these arms being propelled from his octuple cross bow1 burst forth into a thousand dire weapons1 which ran to and filled all the four sides or quarters of the sky4 #bd4 ,then there issued forth from these1 an abundance of darts and arrows2 and currents of iron spears and tridents2 and volleys of shots and rockets4 #be4 ,there were torrents of missiles and mallets1 as well as currents of discs and battle axes4 #bf4 ,there were streams of iron clubs1 crows and lances2 and floods of bhindipalas or short arrows thrown from the hand or through tubes2 and also swashes of spring nets1 and air instruments of incredible velocity4 #bg4 ,there was an effusion of fire bolts1 and a profluence of lightnings1 as also showers of fallings shorts1 and scuds of flying swords and sabres4 #bh4 ,there were falls of iron arrows1 and javelins and spears of great force and strength2 and purling of huge snakes1 that were found in mountain caves1 and grew there for ages4 #bi4 ,it was in no time1 that the force of these flying arms1 blasted the ocean of the hostile forces2 which fled in full haste and hurry in all directions1 as heaps of ashes before the hurricane and whirlwind4 #cj4 ,the thunder showers of arms1 and the driving rain of weapons1 were driven away by the impetuous winds2 and invading hosts hurried to all sides1 as the torrent of a river breaks its embankment1 and overflows on the land in the rains4 #ca4 ,the four bodies of troops 7consisting of horse1 elephant1 chariots and foot-soldiers71 fled vanquished from the field to the four directions2 just as the mountain cataracts precipitate on all sides during the rains4 #cb4 ,the lofty flags and their posts1 were torn and broken and hurled down as large trees by storm2 and the forest of uplifted swords were broken to pieces1 and scattered like the petals of mariche flowers over the ground4 #cc4 ,the sturdy bodies of stout soldiers1 were rolling as stones on the ground1 and besmeared with blood gushing out of their wounds2 while the groans of their agony1 broke down the stoutest hearts4 #cd4 ,large elephants rolled upon the ground with their elevated tusks rising as trees2 and roared aloud with their crackling sounds1 vying with thunder claps and roaring clouds4 #ce4 ,the clashing of the weapons against one another1 was as the crashing of the branches of trees against each other2 and the horses clashing on one another1 sounded as the clashing of waves of the sea4 #cf4 ,the crackling of war cars and their huge wheels1 sounded as the rattling of the hail storm on high2 and the mingled noise of the clashing of carriages1 horse1 elephants and foot-soldiers1 sounded as the crashing of stones4 #cg4 ,the harsh sound of war hoops and shouts1 was loud on all sides2 and cries of dying soldiers1 crying 8we die1 we are slain10 swelled in the air all around4 #ch4 ,the army appeared as a sea1 and their march was as the whirling of an eddy with its gurgling sound2 and the bloodshed on their bodies1 exhibited the roseate hue of the evening sky4 #ci4 ,the waving weapons1 appeared as a lowering cloud moving upon the shore2 and the ground besmeared in blood seemed as the fragment of a purple cloud4 #dj4 ,the lancers1 mace bearers and spearmen1 seemed to bear the tall tala trees in their hands2 while the cowardly crowds of men1 were seen to cry aloud like the timid deer in the plain4 #da4 ,the dead bodies of horses1 elephants and warriors1 lay prostrate on the ground liken the fallen leaves of trees2 and the rotten flesh and fat of the bruised carcasses1 were trodden down to mud and mire in the field4 #db4 ,their bones were pounded to dust under the hoofs of the horses2 and the concussion of wood and stones under the driving winds1 raised a rattling sound all around4 #dc4 ,the clouds of dooms-day were roaring1 and the winds of desolation were blowing2 the rains of the last day were falling1 and the thunders of destruction were clapping all about4 #dd4 ,the surface of the ground was all muddy and miry1 and the face of the land was flooded all over2 the air was chill and bleak1 and the sky was drizzling through all its pores4 #de4 ,the huts and hamlets1 and the towns and villages1 were all in a blaze2 and the people and their cattle1 with all the horses and elephants1 were in full cry and loud uproar4 #df4 ,the earth and heaven1 resounded with the rolling of chariots and rumbling of clouds2 and the four quarters of heaven1 reverberated to the twanging of his four fold bow on all the four sides4 #dg4 ,the forky lightnings were playing1 by the friction and clashing of the clouds2 and showers of arrows and missiles fell profusely from them1 with the thunder bolts of maces1 and darts of spears4 #dh4 ,the armies of the invading chiefs1 fled in confusion from all the four sides of the field2 and the flying forces fell in numbers like swarms of ants and troops of gnats and flies4 #di4 ,the myrmidons of the bordering tribes1 were burnt amidst the conflagration of fiery arms2 and were pierced by the fiery weapons1 falling like thunderbolts upon them1 from the darkened sky4 ,the flying forces resembled the marine animals of the deep1 which being disturbed by the perturbed waters of the sea1 plunge at last into the submarine fire4 ,,chapter ,,cxii4 ,,flight ,,of ,,the ,,foreign ,,foes4 ,argument4--,account of the routed soldiers1 and the names of their countries and places of retreat4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the ,chedis of ,deccan1 who were as thickly crowded as the sandal wood of their country1 and girt with girdles resembling the snakes about those trees1 were felled by the battle axes1 and driven afar to the southern main--the ,indian ,ocean4 #b4 ,the ,persians flew as the flying leaves of trees1 and striking against one another in their madness1 fell like the vanjula leaves in the forest4 #c4 ,then the demon-like ,darads1 who dwell in the caverns of the distant ,dardura mountains1 were pierced in their breasts1 and fled from the field with their heart rending sorrow4 7,the ,dardui is a people of ,afghanistan74 #d4 ,the winds blew away the clouds of weapons1 which poured down torrents of missile arms1 that shattered the armours of the warriors1 and glittered like curling lightnings4 #e4 ,the elephants falling upon one another1 pierced their bodies and gored each other to death with their tusks2 and became heaps of flesh1 similar to the lumps of food with which they filled their bellies4 #f4 ,another people of the same country1 and of the ,raivata mountains1 who were flying from the field by night2 were waylaid by the horrid ,pischas1 that tore their bodies and devoured them with voracity4 #g4 ,those that fled to the tala and tamala forests1 and to the old woods on the bank of the dasrn river2 were caught by lions and tigers crouching in them2 and were throttled to death under their feet4 #h4 ,the yovanas living on the coasts of the western ocean1 and those in the land of cocoanut trees2 were caught and devoured by sharks1 in the course of their flight4 #i4 ,the skas or ,scythians being unable to endure the impulse1 of the black iron arrows for a moment fled to all directions2 and the ,rumatha people were blown away and broken down1 like the lotus bed by the blowing winds4 #aj4 ,the routed enemy flying to the ,mahendra mountain1 covered its three peaks with their armours of black mail1 and made them appear as mantled by the sable clouds of the rainy weather4 #aa4 ,the legions of these hostile forces1 being broken down by the arms of the king1 like the large mines of gold1 were first plundered of their raiments by the highway robbers1 and then killed and devoured by the nocturnal cannibals and hobgoblins of the desert4 #ab4 ,the surface of the land was converted to the face of the sky2 by the broken fragments of weapons glistering on like the stars of heaven twinkling in myriads above4 #ac4 ,the caverns of the earth1 resounding to the noise of the clouds above1 appeared as a grand orchestra1 sounding the victory of the king both in earth and heaven4 #ad4 ,the peoples inhabiting the islands1 lost their lives under the whirling disks2 as those dwelling in the watery marshes perish on dried lands for want of rain4 #ae4 ,the vanquished islanders fled to the ,sahya mountains1 and having halted there for a week1 departed slowly to the respective places4 #af4 ,many took shelter in the ,gandhamdana mountains1 while multitudes of them resorted to the ,punnga forests2 and the retreating ,gandharvas became refugees in the sanctuaries of the ,vidydhara maidens4 #ag4 ,the ,huns1 ,chins and ,kirtas1 had their heads struck off by the flying discuses of the king2 and these were blown away by the opposite winds1 like lotus flowers by the blast4 #ah4 ,the ,nilipa people1 remained as firm as trees in a forest1 and as fixed in their places as thorns on stalks and brambles4 #ai4 ,the beautiful pastures of antelopes1 the woodlands and hilly tracts on all sides2 were desolated by showers of weapons1 and the rush and crush of the forces4 #bj4 ,the thorny deserts became the asylum of robbers1 after they deserted their habitations to be over grown by thorns and thistles4 #ba4 ,the ,persians who were abundant in number1 got over to the other side of the sea 7the ,persian ,gulph72 and were blown away by the hurricane1 like stars blasted by the storm of final desolation4 #bb4 ,the winds blew as on the last day of destruction1 and broke down the woods and forests all about2 and disturbed the sea by shaking its hidden rocks below4 #bc4 ,the dirty waters of the deep1 rose on high with a gurgling noise2 and the sky was invisible owing to the clouds of weapons1 which obscured its face on all sides4 #bd4 ,the howling winds1 raised a clapping and flapping sound all about2 and there fell showers of snow also1 which flowed on earth1 like the waters of the sea4 #be4 ,the charioteers of ,vidura country1 fell down from their cars1 with the loud noise of waves2 and were driven to fall into the waters of the lake1 like bees from lotuses4 #bf4 ,the routed foot soldiers who were as numerous as the dust of the earth1 and well armed from head to foot2 were yet so overpowered under the showers of darts and discs1 that they were blinded by the tears of their eyes1 and disabled to beat their retreat4 7i4e4 ,they were as dust1 set down by the showers of darts from above1 and tears of their eyes below74 #bg4 ,the ,huns were buried with their heads and heels1 in their flight over the sandy deserts of the north2 and others were as muddied as the dirty iron1 by their being fastened in the miry shores of northern seas4 7,the ,huns had been the progenitors of the present ,hungarians1 residing beyond the ,baltic4 ,they are said to have been as dark complexioned as their cognate ,dravidians of ,deccan in ,southern ,india74 #bh4 ,the ,sks 7,saccae or ,scythians71 were driven to cassia forests on the bank of the eastern main2 there they were confined for some time1 and then released without being despatched to the regions of death4 #bi4 ,the ,madrasees were repulsed to the ,mahendra mountains1 whence they lightly alighted on the ground as if fallen from heaven2 and there they were protected by the great sages1 who preserved them there with tender care as they bear for the stags of their hermitage4 #cj4 ,the fugitives flying to the refuge of the ,sahya mountains1 found in lieu of their imminent destruction1 in the subterranean cell1 the two fold gain of their present and future good therein4 ,thus it comes to pass that1 many times good issues out of evil1 where it was least expected4 7,we know not what were the two great gains made at this place1 except it be made to mean1 that the hidden cell of sahya or patience is the door to prosperity and success74 #ca4 ,the soldiers flying to ,dasrn at the confluence of the ten rivers1 fell into the ,dardura forest like the fallen leaves of trees2 and there they lay dead all about by eating the poisonous fruits thereof4 #cb4 ,the ,haihayas that fled to ,himlayas1 drank the juice of ,visalya-karan or pain killing plants by mistake2 and became thereby as volant as ,vidydharas1 and flew to their country4 #cc4 ,and then the people of ,bengal1 who are as weak as faded flowers1 showed their backs to the field1 and fled to their homes2 from which they dare not stir even to this day1 but remain as ,pischas all along4 #cd4 ,but the people of ,anga or ,bihar1 that live upon the fruits of their country2 are as strong as ,vidydharas1 and sport with their mates1 as if it were in heavenly bliss4 #ce4 ,the ,persians being worsted in their bodies1 fell into the tala and tamala forests2 whereby drinking their intoxicating extracts1 they became as giddy as drunken men4 7,the addictedness of ,persians to their delicious drinks1 is well known in their na ,cronatics74 #cf4 ,the light and swift mettled elephants of the swarthy ,kalingas1 pushed against their four fold armies in the field of battle1 where all lay slain in promiscuous heaps4 #cg4 ,the salwas passing under the arrows and stones of the enemy1 fell into the waters which girt their city1 wherein they perished with the whole of their hosts1 that are still lying there in the form of heap of rocks4 #ch4 ,there were numbers of hosts1 that fled to different countries in all directions2 and many that were driven to the distant seas1 where they were all drowned and dead1 and borne away by the waves4 #ci4 ,but who can count the countless hosts1 that fled to and lay dead and unnoticed in every part of the wide earth and sea1 on the fields and plains1 in forests and woods1 on land and water1 on mountains and dales1 on shores and coasts and on the hills and cliffs4 ,so there is nobody who can tell what numbers of living beings are dying every moment1 in their homes and abodes in cities and villages1 in caves and dens1 and every where in the world4 ,,chapter ,,cxiii4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,ocean4 ,argument3--,relation of the cessation of arms1 and description of majestic ocean4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the hostile forces of the enemies thus flying on all sides1 were pursued to a great distance by the four forms of ,vihaschit as said before4 #b4 ,these four forms of almighty power1 and of one soul and mind2 went on conquering the four regions on every side1 with one intent and purpose4 #c4 ,they chased the retreating enemies without giving them any respite1 to the shores of the seas on all sides2 as the currents of rivers keep on their course without intermission1 to the coast of the far distant ocean4 #d4 ,this long course of the royal forces1 as well as of the enemies1 soon put an end to all their provisions and ammunitions1 and all their resources and strength were exhausted at last1 as a rill is lost under the sands ere it reaches the lake4 #e4 ,the king beheld his forces and those of his enemies1 to be as exhausted at the end2 as the merits and demerits of a man are lost up on his ultimate liberation4 #f4 ,the weapons ceased to fly about1 as if they were at rest after they had done their part in the sky2 and as the flames of fire subside of themselves1 for want of fuel and the combustibles4 #g4 ,the horses and elephants went under their shelters1 and the weapons stuck to trees and rocks2 and they seemed to fall fast asleep1 like birds upon their spray at night fall4 #h4 ,as the waves cease to roll in a dried up channel1 and the snows to fall under the clouded sky2 and as the clouds fly before the storm1 and the fragrance of flowers is borne away by the wind4 #i4 ,so the flying weapons were submerged like fishes1 under the falling showers of rain2 and the dripping drops of darts1 were thwarted by the thickening showers of snow 7i4e4 the dropping arrows were driven away1 by the drifts of snow74 #aj4 ,the sky was cleared of the whirling disks1 that were hurled by hundreds1 and hurtling in the hazy atmosphere2 and it got a clean sweep of the gathering clouds1 that were soaring up in surges1 and pouring down in floods of rain4 #aa4 ,the firmament presented the appearance of an immense ocean1 composed of the limpid fuel of the vast void2 and containing the sparkling gems of the stars in its bosom1 and the burning submarine fire of the sun in the midst of it4 #ab4 ,the great vacuum appeared as extensive and deep1 and as bright and serene1 and devoid of the dust of rajas or pride1 as the minds of great men 7which are of equal extent and depth of knowledge c474 #ac4 ,they then beheld the oceans1 lying as junior brothers of the skies2 being of equal extent and clearness1 and stretching to the utmost limits of the horizon4 #ad4 ,these with their deep sounding waves and foaming froths1 are as gratifying to the minds of people2 as the roaring clouds with their showers of snow1 are ravishing of human hearts4 #ae4 ,they having fallen down from high heaven1 and stretching wide their huge bodies on the earth below2 seem to be rolling grievously on the ground1 with their deep groanings and breathings1 and raising up their billowy arms1 in order to lift themselves on high4 #af4 ,they are gross and dull bodies1 yet full of force and motion1 and though they are mute and dumb1 yet full of noise and howling in their hollow cavities2 they are full of dreadful whirlpools1 as is this world with all its dizzy rounds4 #ag4 ,the gems sparkling on the banks1 add to the brightness of the sun beams 7in the morning72 and the winds blowing in the conch shells1 resound all along the coast4 #ah4 ,here the huge waves are growling1 like the big clouds roaring loudly on high2 and the circling eddies are whirling around1 as the shattered corallines were scattered along4 #ai4 ,the hoarse snorting of sharks and whales1 is howling in the bosom of the deep2 and the lashing of the waters by their tails1 sounded as the splashing of the oars of vessels in them4 #bj4 ,here are the horrid sharks and alligators1 devouring the fleecy mermaids and marine men in numbers2 and a thousand suns shining in their reflexions on the rising waves4 #ba4 ,here are seen fleets of ships floating on the surface of the waters1 and rising aloft on the tops of the waves2 and driven forward by the blowing winds1 howling horribly through the furling sails and cracking cordage4 #bb4 ,the ocean with his hundreds of arms of the heaving waves1 handles the orbs of the sun and moon2 and displays varieties of sparkling gem1 with reflexions of their 'beams in them4 #bc4 ,here were the shoals of sharks1 skimming over the foaming main2 and there were the water spouts1 rising like columns of elephants' trunks to the skies1 and representing a forest of bamboos4 #bd4 ,in some places1 the rippling waves were gliding1 like curling creepers1 with hairy tufts and frothy blossoms on them2 and in others1 little rocks resembling the backs of elephants and bearing the vernal flowers1 were scattered in the midst of the waters4 #be4 ,some where were the heaps of froth and frost and hills of icebergs1 resembling the edifices of the gods and demigods2 and else where were the groups of sparkling little billows1 that laughed to scorn the clusters of shining stars in the skies4 #bf4 ,here are branches 7chains7 of rocks concealed in its depth1 like little gnats hidden in the hollows underneath the ground2 and there are the huge surges1 which make pigmies and dwarfs of the high hills on earth4 #bg4 ,its coasts are spread over with sparkling gems1 like beds of gemming sprouts and shoots of flowers on the ground 7or7 as the ground strewn over with the germinating shoots and sprouts of gemming blossom2 while the glistening pearls bursting out of their silvery shells sparkle amidst the spreading sands4 #bh4 ,the sea seems to weave a vest of silken stuff1 with its fleecy waves2 and decking it with all its floating gems and pearls2 while the rivers flowing into it from all directions1 serve to colour it with their various waters4 #bi4 ,the coasts studded with gems and pearls of various hues1 display as it were the beams of a hundred moons1 in the versicoloured nails of its feet4 #cj4 ,the shadows of the beaching tali forests1 falling on the swelling waves of the sea1 were imbued with the hues of the marine gems2 and appeared as moving arbours with their variegated foliage1 fruits and flowers4 #ca4 ,there are seen the shadows of sundry fruit trees1 reflected in the waters gliding below2 and as rising up and falling down with their reflexions in the moving waves and billows4 ,the false and falling shadows1 gathered numbers of marine beasts under them1 for gorging the falling fruits4 7,this is pursuing a shadow74 #cb4 ,again the greedy fishes were collected some where1 and leaping to catch the birds that were sitting on the fruit trees1 and seen in their reflexions on the waves4 #cc4 ,here are seen many sea monsters also1 that break the embankments1 and rove about at random in the watery maze1 as birds fly freely in the vacuous air4 #cd4 ,the ocean being a formless deep1 bears the image of the three worlds impressed on its bosom2 it bears also the image of the pure vacuum in itself1 as it bore the image of ,nryana in its breast4 #ce4 ,its great depth1 clearness and immeasurable extent1 gives it the appearance of the majestic firmament1 which is reflected in its bosom1 as it were imprest upon it4 #cf4 ,it bears the reflexion of the sky and of the flying birds thereof1 as if they were the images of aquatic fowls swimming on its surface1 or resembled the blackbees fluttering about its lotus like waves4 #cg4 ,its boisterous waves are borne to the skies by the violent winds1 and washing the welkin's face with their briny sprays2 and the deep sounding main1 resounding from its hollow rocks1 is roaring aloud like the diluvian clods4 #ch4 ,the gurgling noise of the whirlpools1 resembles the loud thunder claps of heaven2 and the submarine fire is sometimes seen to burst out of the deep1 like the latent flame of ,agastya1 that consumed the waters of the main4 #ci4 ,the watery maze presents the picture of a vast wilderness1 with its waves as the waving trees2 the billows as its branch boughs1 its surfs as blossoms1 and the foams and froths as flowers4 #dj4 ,the high heaving surges with the shoals of fishes skimming and skipping upon them2 appear as fragments of the sky fallen below1 and carried away by the gliding waters4 #da4 ,thus the hostile forces were driven afar to the shores of the salt seas2 extending far and wide and bounding the earth on every side2 while the lofty mountains rising to the skies with their verdant tops1 intercepted the sight on all sides4 ,,chapter ,,cxiv4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,prospects ,,all ,,around4 ,argument3--,description of the forest trees1 the hills and seas1 the forest and hill peoples1 and clouds on high4 ,vasishtha continued3--,then the royal army beheld whatever there was on sides of them2 namely1 the forests and hills1 the seas and the clouds1 and the foresters and hill people1 and the trees of the forest4 #b4 ,they said3 behold1 ,o lord1 that high hill1 which lifts its lofty top to the sky1 and invites the clouds to settle upon it2 while its midmost part is the region of the winds1 and the base is composed of hard and rugged stones4 #c4 ,see1 ,o lord1 how they abound with fruit trees of various kinds1 and the groves whose fragrance is wafted around by the gentle winds4 #d4 ,the sea breaks down the peninsulas with its battering breakers1 and disperses the stones of the rocks on its banks2 it shatters the bordering forests with its wavy axes1 and scatters their fruits and flowers all over the waters4 7,the gloss explains the peninsula to mean the maritime lands of ,madras74 #e4 ,behold the sea-breeze wafting away the clouds1 settling on the tops of mountains1 by the sufflation of the leafy boughs of trees dancing over them2 in the manner of men1 blowing away the smoke with their fans4 #f4 ,here are arbours on its coasts1 like the trees in the garden of paradise2 whose branches are as white as the conch-shells growing in the full-moon-tide1 and whose fruits are as bright as the disk of the moon4 #g4 ,lo1 these trees with their spouses of the creepers1 are honouring you with offerings of gemming flowers1 from the rosy palms of their rubicund leaves4 #h4 ,there is the ,rikshabana rock1 howling as a ferocious bear2 and devouring the huge sharks and swallowing the swelling waves1 in its cavern-like mouth1 and under its stony teeth4 #i4 ,the ,mahendra mountain with loud uproar1 growls at the roaring clouds 7moving below its height72 as the stronger champion hurls defiance against his weaker rival4 #aj4 ,there the enraged ,malaya mount lifts his lofty head1 decorated with forests of sandalwood2 and threatens the loud ocean below1 rolling with its outstretched arms of the waves on the shore4 #aa4 ,the ocean rolling incessantly1 with its gemming waves on all sides2 is looked upon by the celestials from high1 as if he bore away the treasured gems of the earth4 #ab4 ,the wild hillocks1 with woods and ruddy rocks on the tops1 and waving with the wafting gales2 appeared as huge serpents1 creeping with their crescent gems1 and inhaling the breeze4 #ac4 ,there were the huge sharks and elephants1 moving and grappling with each other upon the surges2 and this sight delights the minds of men1 as that of a rainy and light cloud opposing and pursuing one another4 #ad4 ,there is an elephant fallen in a whirlpool1 and being unable to raise itself from the same1 it left its proboscis on the water1 and dies with sputtering the water from snout on all sides4 #ae4 ,the high hills as well as the low seas1 are all equally filled with living beings2 and as the oceans abound with aquatic animals1 so are all lands and islands full of living beings4 #af4 ,the sea like the earth and all the worlds1 are full of whirlpools and revolutions of things1 and all these are mere falsities1 that are taken for and viewed as realities4 #ag4 ,the ocean bears in its bosom the liquid waves1 which are inert in themselves1 and yet appearing to be in continual motion2 so ,brahma contains the innumerable worlds1 which seem to be solid without any substantiality in them4 7,the worlds are as empty and unstable waves74 #ah4 ,it was at the churning of the ocean1 by the gods and giants of yore2 that it was despoiled of all its bright and hidden treasures1 which have since fallen to the lot of ,indra and the gods4 #ai4 ,it has therefore adopted to wear on its breast1 the reflexions of the greatest and brightest lights of heaven1 as its false and fictitious ornaments4 ,these are seen even from the nether worlds1 and of these no one can deprive it4 #bj4 ,among the shining sun is one1 whose image it bears in its bosom1 with equal splendour as it is in heaven4 ,this bright gem is daily deposited as a deposit in the western main1 to give its light to the nether world4 ,it is called the gem of day 1 because it makes day wherever it shines4 #ba4 ,there is a confluence of all the waters from all sides to it1 and assemblage of them in its reservoir1 gives it the clamorous sound1 as it is heard in the crowds of men in mixed processions4 #bb4 ,here is a continued conflict of the marine monsters in their mutual contentions1 as there is a jostling of the currents and torrents of the waters of rivers and seas1 at the mouths of gulfs and bays4 #bc4 ,there the large whales are rolling and dancing on the rising waves2 and spurting forth spouts of water from their mouth2 and these shedding showers of pearls1 are borne aloft and scattered about by the blowing winds4 #bd4 ,the streams of water1 flowing like strings of pearl1 and bearing the bubbles resembling brilliant pearls 7abdas7 amidst them2 adorn the breast of the ocean as necklaces1 and whistling by their concussion4 #be4 ,the sea winds serve to refresh the spirits of the siddha and sdhya classes of spirits1 that dwell in their abodes of the caverns of ,mahendra mountains2 and traverse the howling regions of the sounding main4 #bf4 ,again the winds exhaled from the caves of the ,mahendra mountains1 are gently shaking the woods growing upon it1 and stretching a cloud of flowers over its table lands4 #bg4 ,here is the ,mount ,gandhamdana1 full of mango and kadamba trees2 and there the fragments of clouds1 are seen to enter into its caves like stags1 with their eyes flashing as lightnings4 #bh4 ,the winds issuing from the valleys of ,himlaya mountains1 and passing through the encircling bowers of creeping plants1 are scattering the clouds of heaven1 and breaking the breakers of the sea4 #bi4 ,the winds of the ,gandhamdana mountain1 are exhaling the fragrance of the kadamba flowers growing upon it2 and ruffling the surface of the sea with curling waves4 #cj4 ,after twisting the fleecy clouds1 in the form of the curling locks of hair1 on the pinnacles of ,alaka 7the residence of ,kubera72 the winds are passing by the alleys of the ,gandhamdana groves1 and forming a cloud or canopy of flowers at this place4 #ca4 ,here the odoriferous airs1 bearing the sweet burthen of fragrant flowers and gums1 and moistened by the admixture of icy showers1 are creeping slowly amidst the alleys4 #cb4 ,lo there the nlikera creepers1 diffusing their sourish scent to the breezes1 which being acidulated by their sourness1 are turning towards the regions of ,persia4 #cc4 ,here the winds are wafting the odours1 of the flowery forests of sana on the ,kailasa mountain2 and there they are breathing with the perfume of the lotuses of the mountain lakes2 and blowing away the camphor-white 7fleecy7 clouds from the face of the sky4 #cd4 ,the fluid ichor which flows from the frontal proboscis of elephants1 is dried and stiffened by the breezes issuing out of the caverns of the ,vindhya mountain4 #ce4 ,the females of the savara foresters1 covering their bodies with the dry leaves of trees1 and accompanied by their swarthy males1 in leafy apparel1 have been making a town of their jungle1 by extirpating the wild animals1 with their iron arrows4 #cf4 ,behold1 great lord1 these seas and mountains1 these forests and rivers1 and these clouds on all sides1 look as if they are all smiling under your auspices1 as under the brightness of sun-beams4 #cg4 ,here they also describe the flowery beds1 of the ,vidydhari wood nymphs2 and their sports 7which is omitted on account of their uselessness74 ,,chapter ,,cv4 ,,the ,,same ,,subject ,,continued4 ,argument3--,description of the hills and forests1 rivers and other objects on all sides4 ,the ,royal companions related3--,hear1 ,o high minded lord6 the ,kinnara females from their abodes of leafy bowers1 where they enjoy themselves with singing their songs2 and the ,kinnara also being enrapt with the music1 listen to it attentively by forgetting their business of the day4 #b4 ,there are the ,himlaya1 ,malaya1 ,vindhya1 ,krauncha1 ,mahendra1 ,mandara1 ,dardura and other mountains2 which from their distant view1 appear to the sight of the observer1 to be clothed in robes of hoary clouds1 and seen as heaps of stones covered with the dry leaves of trees4 #c4 ,those distant and indistinct chains of boundary mountains1 appear to stretch themselves like the walls of cities2 and those rivers which are seen to fall into the ocean with their gurgling noise2 appear as the woof and texture threads of the broad sheet of waters of the ocean4 #d4 ,the ten sides of the sky1 which are spread over the tops of mountains2 appear as the royal consorts1 looking on thee from their lofty edifices1 and smiling gladly at thy success4 ,the many-coloured and roaring clouds in the sky1 resembling the variegated birds of air1 warbling their notes on high2 and the rows of trees which are dropping down the showers of flowers from high1 appear as the arms of heavenly nymphs1 shedding their blessings upon thy head with their hands4 #e4 ,the high hills overgrown with rows of trees1 and stretching all along the sea shore2 appear as ramparts2 and these being beaten by the surges1 seem as mere moss gathered on the coast4 #f4 ,o6 the extensive1 all sustaining and wondrous body of the ocean1 that supported the body of ,hari sleeping upon it2 contained the unrighteous creation at the great deluge1 and it covered all the mountains and rocks and the submarine fire under it4 #g4 ,there is the northern ocean1 to which the ,jambu river1 pours all the gold of the ,meru or polar mountain1 and it contains numerous cities and forests and mountains and countries4 ,it washes the face of the sky and all its lights1 and is therefore adored by gods as well as men4 #h4 ,here is this polar mountain1 reaching to the solar sphere1 and presenting the trees on its top as its cloud-capt head2 may the earth extending to this mountain be thine1 and may not this mount which hides the sun under its clouds1 obstruct the extension of thy realm4 #i4 ,here is this ,malaya mount on the south1 growing the fragrant sandal wood1 which converts all other woods to its nature4 ,its sweet paste decorates the persons of gods1 men and demons1 and is put as a spot on the forehead like the frontal eye of ,siva2 and is sprinkled over the body belike the bedewed persons of females with sweat4 #aj4 ,the waves of the ocean are continually laving the coast1 overgrown with forests of the sandal wood1 and encircled by folds of snakes2 while the woodland nymphs wandering on this mount1 throw a lustre about it by the beauty of their persons4 #aa4 ,here is the hill called ,krauncha1 with its groves resonant with the cooing of cuckoos2 and its rugged caves and rivers resounding harshly to one another2 while the bamboos are crackling with their mutual friction1 and the humble bees have been humming about2 among these is heard the warbling of emigrating cranes on high1 and the loud screams of peacocks1 which are terrific to the serpent tribe4 #ab4 ,behold here1 ,o great lord1 the sport of woodland nymphs1 in the groves of their soft leafy bowers2 and listen to the tinkling sound of their bracelets1 which are so sweet to the ears of hearers4 #ac4 ,there behold the drizzling ichor1 exuding from the foreheads of elephants1 and the swarming bees giddy with the drink2 which has made the sea to melt in tears1 on account of its being slighted by them4 #ad4 ,lo there the fair moon1 with his train of fairy stars1 sporting in their reflexions1 in the lap of his sire1 the milky ocean1 from which it was churned as its butter or froth4 #ae4 ,see there the tender creepers1 dancing merrily on the table-lands of the ,malaya mountain2 displaying their red petals as the palms of their hands1 and winking with their eyes formed of fluttering bees4 ,the blooming flowers bespeak their vernal festivity1 and the warbling cuckoos fill the groves with their festive music4 #af4 ,here the rain-drops produce the pearly substance of vansa-lochana1 in the hollows of bamboos2 and the gaja-mati or frontal pearl1 in the skull of elephants2 and large pearls in the womb of pearl-shells4 ,so the words of the wise1 are productive of unlike effects in different persons4 #ag4 ,so the gems are productive of various effects1 according as they are produced in varied forms in different receptacles2 as in men and stones1 in seas and forests1 in frogs1 clouds and elephants4 ,they gladden and distract the mind1 cause fear and error1 fever and death1 and many other preternatural and supernatural effects4 #ah4 ,lo here the city smiling under the rising moon1 and singing in praise of that ambrosial luminary1 through all its windows1 doorways and openings1 as it were from the mouths of its females2 and responsive to his eulogy sung by the ,mandara mountain1 from the many mouths of its caves and caverns1 and the pipes of hallow bamboos4 #ai4 ,the wondering women of the siddhas1 behold with their astonished and uplifted faces and eyes1 a large body of cloud borne away by the winds2 and dubitate in their minds1 whether it is a mountain peak carried away by the winds1 or is it a forest of the snowy mountain flying upward in the air1 or is it a column to measure the distance of the earth and sky1 or a balance to weigh their weight4 #bj4 ,see the moorlands at the foot of the ,mandara mountain1 how cool they are with the cooling breezes wafting the coldness of the waves of ,ganges2 and see its footlands inhabited by the fair ,vidydhara tribe2 and behold its flowery woodlands all around1 overtopped by shady clouds of flowers above4 #ba4 ,see the forests and groves and the hursts spread there abouts1 with the huts and hamlets and habitations of men scattered therein4 ,look at the holy shrines1 and the sacred brooks and fountains lying in them1 the very sight of which1 disperses our woes1 poverty and iniquities4 #bb4 ,mountain craigs and ridges1 overhung on all sides of the horizon2 the dales and caverns1 and the groves and grottos1 are overshadowed by clouds2 the limpid lakes1 resemble the clear firmament2 such sights are sure to melt away masses of our crimes4 #bc4 ,lo here my lord1 the ravines of the ,malaya mountain1 redolent with the odour of the aromatic sandal wood2 and there the ,vindhyan hills1 abounding with infuriate elephants2 the ,kailsa mount yielding the best kind of gold1 in its olden laureate lore2 and the ,mount ,mahendra1 fraught with its mineral ore 7aguru--agallochum72 the summits of the snowy mountain are plenteous1 with the best kind of horses and medicinal plants2 thus while every place is found to abound with richest productions of nature1 why does man set to repine in his time worn cell1 like an old and blind mouse in its dirty hole4 #bd4 ,behold the dark and rainy cloud on high1 appearing as another world1 to submerge the earth under its flood2 and threatening it with its flashing and forky lightnings1 and gliding as frisky shrimp fishes in the etherial ocean4 #be4 ,oh6 the bleak rainy winds1 blowing with the keen icy blasts of frozen snows1 poured down profusely by the raging rainy clouds on high4 ,they are now howling aloud in the air1 and now chilling the blood1 and shaking the body with horripilation4 #bf4 ,oh6 the cold winds of winter are blowing1 in their course with the dark clouds of heaven2 and scattering cluster of flowers1 from the twigs and branches of trees4 ,and there are the drizzling rain drops dropping in showers1 amidst the thick forests1 redolent with the odours of kadamba blossoms4 #bg4 ,there the winds are bearing the fragrance of the breaths of languid females1 as if it were the celestial odour of ambrosia1 stolen by and borne on the wings of zephyr4 #bh4 ,here the gentle breezes are breathing1 with the breath of the new blown lilies and lotuses of the lake1 and sweeping their tender odours to the land2 and the blasts are bursting the flakes of the folded clouds1 and wafting the perfumes from the gardens and groves4 #bi4 ,yonder the mild airs are lulling our toils1 cooled by their contact with the evening clouds of heaven2 and resembling the vassal florists1 perfumed all over in their culling the flowers from the royal gardens4 #cj4 ,some of these are perfumed with the odours of different flowers1 and others with the fragrance of lilies and lotuses2 in some places they are scattering showers of blossoms1 and shedding the dust of flowers at others4 ,some where the air is blowing from the hoary mountain of frost1 and at others from those of blue1 black and red minerals4 #ca4 ,the sun is scattering his rays1 as firebrands in some places1 and these are spreading a conflagration with loud cluttering in the woods1 like the riotous rabble in a country4 #cb4 ,the winds like wicked attendants on the sun1 are spreading the conflagration caused by the solar rays2 and carry their clattering noise afar4 #cc4 ,the cooling winds blowing from the woods1 and bedewed by the gentle beams of the moon1 or moistened by the watery particles of heaving waves2 though cheering to the souls of others1 appear yet as fiery hot to separated lovers4 #cd4 ,lo here1 ,o lord6 how the savara women1 on the low lands of the eastern main1 are covered in their rude and rough leafy garments1 and wearing their sounding bracelets of brass2 and see how they are strutting about1 in the giddiness of their prime youth4 #ce4 ,see how these newly loving lasses1 are clinging round the bodies of their mates1 for fear of darkness of the approaching night2 in the manner of timid snakes twining about the trunk of sandal wood trees4 #cf4 ,struck with fear by the alarm1 given by the sounding bell at day break2 the loving consort leans on the bosom of her lover1 as the darkness lingers in the enclosed room4 #cg4 ,there is a furze of kinsuka flowers1 blooming as firebrands1 on the border of the southern sea1 which is continually washing them with lavations of its waves1 as if it wanted to extinguish them4 #ch4 ,the winds are wafting their fuming farina1 which are flying upwards like mists of hazy clouds to heaven2 the flowers are falling about like flames of fire1 and the birds and black-bees are hovering over them as extinguished cinders of fire4 #ci4 ,behold there on the other side1 the real flashes of living wild fire1 blazing in the forests on the east2 and to their flames are borne above the mountain tops1 by the flying winds of the air4 #dj4 ,see the slow moving clouds1 shrouding the lowlands lying at the foot of the ,krauncha mountain2 and observe the crowding peacocks dancing under them1 and screaming aloud with their grave and shrill cries to the clouds4 ,lo there the gusts of rain-winds rising high1 and blowing the fruits and flowers and leaves of trees afar on all sides4 #da4 ,behold the sun setting mountain in the west1 with its thousand peaks of glittering gold2 shining amidst the dusky hue of the evening sky2 and the sloping sun descending below in his chariot whirling down with its rattling wheels in the rustling of evening winds4 7,but the solar car is a velocipedes with a single wheel only74 #db4 ,the moon that rises upon the eastern mount of ,meru like a full blown flower1 in order to give light to the darkened mansion of this world2 is itself accompanied by its black spots1 sitting as black-bees upon the blossom4 ,hence there is no good thing in this perverted world1 which is free from its fault and frailty4 #dc4 ,the moon light is shining like the laughter of the god ,rudra1 amidst his dome of the triple world2 or it is as the white wash of the great hall of the universe1 or it likens to the milky fluid of the milky ocean of the sky4 #dd4 ,look on all sides of the sky1 tinged with the evening twilight1 and the variegated hues of mountain tops2 and filled with the milky beams of the moon1 that was churned out by the ,mount ,mandara from the milky ocean4 #de4 ,look there1 ,o incomparable lord6 those hosts of ,guhyka ghosts1 that are as hideous as the large tla or palm trees2 and also those puny ,vetla younglings are pouring upon the ill-fated dominions of the ,hunas2 and devouring troubled inhabitants at night4 #df4 ,the face of the moon shines brightly like the beauteous face of a fairy1 so long as it does not appear out of its mansion at night2 but it is shorn of its beams1 and appears as a piece of fleecy cloud1 by its appearance at day light2 as the fairy face becomes disgraced1 by appearing out of the inner apartment4 #dg4 ,look at the lofty peaks of the snowy mountain1 covered with the fair vesture of the bright moon beams2 and see its craigs washed by floods of the falling ,ganges2 behold its head capped by perpetual snows1 and begirt by creepers of snowy whiteness4 #dh4 ,behold there ,mandara mountain touching the sky1 and crowning the forest with its lofty ridges2 here the winds are wafting the cradle chimes of ,apsara nymphs1 and there the mountainous mines gemming in various hues4 #di4 ,see the high hills all around1 abounding with blooming flowers like offerings to the gods2 see the thickening clouds round their loins1 and resounding hoarsely within their hollows1 while the starry heaven shines over their heads4 #ej4 ,there is the ,kailsa mountain on the north1 vying with firmament in its brightness2 below it there is the hermitage of ,skanda1 and the moon shines in her brilliance above4 #ea4 ,lo1 the god ,indra has let loose his winds1 to break the branches of trees1 and demolish the huts on the ground1 the fragments of which they have been carrying afar4 #eb4 ,the winds are wafting the profuse fragrance of flowers after the rains1 and filling the nostrils of men with their odours2 while the flights of bees are floating as clouds in the azure sky4 #ec4 ,methinks the goddess ,flora has chosen for her abode1 the blooming flowers in the forests2 limpid waters in the marshy grounds1 and in villages abounding in fruitful trees1 and flourishing fields4 #ed4 ,the windows are overgrown with creeping plants in the rains1 and the house tops are decorated with the flowers of the climbing creepers upon them4 ,the ground is strewn over with the dropping flowers up to the heels1 and the breezes are blowing the dust of the flowers all about4 ,all these have made the woodlands the seats of the sylvan gods4 #ee4 ,the rains have converted the rustic village1 to a romantic paradise or fairy land2 by the blooming champaka flowers1 the swinging of the rural nymphs in their cradles1 of creepers1 by the warbling of birds and gurgling of water-falls1 the blossoming of the tall palm trees in the skirts2 the tender creepers blooming with clusters of snow white blossom1 the dancing of peacocks on the tops of houses1 and the borders shaded by the sal trees2 and the rainy clouds hanging over the village and the bordering hills4 #ef4 ,again the soft and sweet breathing breezes1 the variegated leaves of the plants and creepers1 the verdure of the village1 the cries of cranes and other fowls1 and the wild notes of the foresters2 these together with the jollity of the swains1 and the merriment of the pastoral people1 over their plenty of milk1 curd1 butter and ghee1 and their glee in their peaceful abodes1 add a charm to this hilly tract4 ,,chapter ,,cxvi4 ,,narration ,,of ,,the ,,speech ,,of ,,crow ,,and ,,cuckoo4 ,argument4--,description of the battle field1 and of the hills and sky1 and the story of the foolish crow4 ,the companions added3--,look lord1 the field of battle1 stretching to the bordering hills2 look upon the heaps of shining weapons1 and the scattered forces of elephants1 horse1 infantry and war chariots4 #b4 ,look at the slain and their slayers1 and the combatants attacking their corrivals2 and how their dying souls are borne by celestial nymphs in heavenly cars to heaven4 #c4 ,the victor finding his adversary worsted in warfare1 ought not slay him unjustly1 unless he is justified to do so by laws of warfare 7as a youth is justified to take unto him no other woman but his legal wife74 #d4 ,as health and wealth and prosperity1 are good for men when they are rightly gained2 so it is right to fight for those by whom one is supported4 #e4 ,when one kills his opposing corrival in combat1 without violation of the laws of warfare1 he is justly styled a heavenly champion1 and not one who takes undue advantage of his enemy4 #f4 ,behold there the bold champion brandishing his sword1 as if he is swinging a blue lotus in his hand2 and casting the dark shadow of the evening dusk on the ground4 ,such a hero is courted by ,laxmi for her spousal4 #g4 ,look at those flourishing weapons1 flaming as the flying embers of wild fire1 in a mountain forest2 or as the dreadful dragons of the sea1 dancing on land with hundreds of their flashing hoods and heads4 #h4 ,look at the sky on one side1 resembling the sea with its watery clouds1 and shining with strings of its stars on another2 see how it is covered by dark clouds on one side2 and how it is brightened by moon beams on the other4 #i4 ,look at the firmament1 ranged by multitudes of revolving planets1 resembling the rolling chariots of warriors2 and crowded by myriads of moving stars1 likening the soldiers in the battle field2 and yet it is the error of the ignorant to think it an empty vacuum2 an error which is hard for the wise to remove4 #aj4 ,the sky with its over spreading clouds1 its fiery lightnings1 its thunder bolts that break down the mountain wings2 its starry array1 and the battle of gods and demigods that took place in it2 is still as inscrutable in his nature1 as the solid minds of the wise1 whose magnitude no one can measure4 #aa4 ,o wise man1 thou hast been constantly observing before thee1 the sun1 moon and all the planets and stars in the firmament1 together with all the luminous bodies of comets1 meteors and lightnings2 and yet is astonishing that your ignorance will not let see the ,great ,nryana in it4 #ab4 ,thou dark blue sky1 that art brightened by moon-light1 dost yet retain thy blackness1 like the black spot amidst the lightsome disk of the moon2 and such is the wonder with ignorant minds1 that with all their enlightenment1 they will never get rid of their inward bias and prejudice4 #ac4 ,again the clear sky which is full with endless worlds1 is never contaminated by their faults1 nor ever changed in its essential state2 and resembles the vast and pure mind of the wise1 which is full with its knowledge of all things1 and devoid of all their pollutions4 #ad4 ,thou profound sky1 that art the receptacle of the most elevated objects of nature1 and containest the lofty clouds and trees and summits in thy womb2 that art the recipient of the sun1 moon and the aerial spirits that move about in thee2 art yet inflamed by the flames of the fiery bodies that rise in thee to our great regret1 notwithstanding thy greatness1 which helps them to spread themselves high in heaven4 #ae4 ,thou sky that art replete with pure and transparent light1 and great with thy greatness of giving quarters to all the great and elevated objects of nature2 but it is greatly to be pitied1 that the dark clouds to whom thou givest room to rise under thee1 molest us like base upstarts1 with pelting their hailstones at random4 #af4 ,again thou dark sky1 art the attestor of all lights2 as the touchstone is the test of gold2 and thou art a void in thy essence1 yet thou dost support the substances of stars and planets of clouds and winds and all real existences at large4 #ag4 ,thou art the day light at daytime1 and the purple red of evening1 and turnest black at night2 thus devoid of all colour of thyself thou dost exhibit all colours in thee2 hence it is impossible even for the learned1 to understand aright thy nature and its convertible conditions also4 #ah4 ,as the helpless man is enabled to achieve his purposes1 by means of his patient perseverance2 so the inane sky has risen above all1 by means of its universal diffusion4 7,the gloss says that1 extension of knowledge1 is the cause of elevation74 #ai4 ,the sun that persists in his wonted course1 rises to the vertical point in time2 but the unmoving straws and trees1 and the dormant hills and places1 and stagnant pools and ponds1 are ever lying low on the ground4 #bj4 ,the night invests the sky with a sable garb1 and sprinkles over it the fair moonlight like the cooling dust of camphor2 with the decoration of stars like clusters of flowers upon it4 ,the day mantles the firmament with bright sun beams1 and the seasons serve to cover it in clouds and snows1 and in the gaudy attire of vernal flowers4 ,thus is time ever busy1 to decorate the heavenly paths of his lords the sun and moon1 the two time keepers by day and night4 #ba4 ,the firmament like the magnanimous mind1 never changes the firmness of its nature2 although it is ever assailed by the disturbances of smokes and clouds of dust and darkness1 of the rising and setting sun and moon and their dawns and dusks3 and of the confluence of stars and combat of gods and demons4 #bb4 ,the world is an old and decayed mansion1 of which the four sides are its walls1 the sky its covering roof above and the earth its ground floor below2 the hills and mountains are its pillars and columns1 and the cities and towns are its rooms and apartments2 and all the various classes of animal beings1 are as the ants of this abode4 #bc4 ,time and action are the occupants of this mansion from age to age1 and all its ample space presents the aspect of a smiling garden2 it is feared every day to be blown and blasted away1 and yet it is a wonder how this frail flower should last so long and for ever more4 #bd4 ,it is the air methinks1 that puts a stop to the greater height or rising of trees and hills2 for though it does not actually restrain their growth1 yet its influence 7pressure from above71 like the authority of noble men1 puts a check to the rise of aspiring underlings4 #be4 ,o fie for that learning1 which calls the air as void and vacuity2 seeing it to contain millions of worlds in its bosom1 and producing and reducing also unnumbered beings in its boundless bosom4 #bf4 ,we see all things to be born in and to return into the air2 and yet we see the madness of men1 that reckon the all containing and all pervading air1 as something different from ,god4 #bg4 ,we see the works of creation1 to be continually producing1 existing and extinguishing in air1 like sparks of fire2 ,i ween this pure and sole air1 which is without beginning1 middle and end1 as the universal source and terminus of all1 and no other distinct cause as ,god4 #bh4 ,the vacuum is the vast reservoir of the three worlds1 and bears in its ample space the innumerable productions of nature2 ,i understand infinite vacuity as the body of the ,intellect1 and that transcendent being1 in which this erroneous conception of the world1 has its rise and fall4 #bi4 ,therein the woodlands on mountain tops1 the solitary forester chants his charming strains amidst his sylvan retreat2 and attracts the heart of the lonely passenger1 who lifts up his head to listen to the rapturous times4 #cj4 ,hearken ,o ,lord1 to the sweet music1 proceeding from the thick groves on yonder lofty mountain2 and emitted with the heart rending strains1 of love born ,vidydhara nymphs2 and behold the lonely and lovesick passenger1 whose lovesick heart being smitten by the sound1 has neither the power to proceed forward or recede backward from the spot1 or utter a word4 #ca4 ,i hear a lovelorn ,vidydhara damsel1 singing her love ditty amidst the woods of the hill with her heaving sighs and tears flowing profusely from her eyes4 ,she sang saying3 8,lord1 ,i well remember the day1 when thou ledst me to the recess of the bower1 holding my chin and giving kisses on my cheeks with thy smiling face1 and now the pleasing remembrance of that gladsome moment1 hath left me to deplore its loss for years04 #cb4 ,i heard her tale1 ,o ,lord1 thus related to me from the mouth of a forester on the way4 ,he said3--,her former young lover1 was cursed by a relentless sage to become an arbour for a dozen of years2 and it is since this ill fated change of his1 that she has been reclining on that tree1 and singing her mournful ditty unto the same4 #cc4 ,and now observe the wonder1 that on my approach the arborescent lover1 was released of his sad curse1 and shedding a shower of flowers upon her1 he changed his form and clasped her unto his arms with his face smiling as his blooming flowers4 #cd4 ,the tops of hills are decorated with flowers1 as the heads of elephants are painted with white dye2 the sky is whitened with the stars and falling meteors1 as the summit of the mountain is etiolated with hoar-frost and snows4 #ce4 ,behold there the beautiful stream of ,kaveri1 gliding along with shoals of fishes skimming in its waters2 to its boisterous waves resounding with the cries of shrill and clamorous cranes2 see its banks mantled in vests of flowers1 and its shores freely grazed by timid fauns without any fear4 #cf4 ,look the ,bela rock1 which is washed by the billows of ,varuna--the god of the sea2 its stones shining as gold under the solar rays2 and sparkling as the marine fire when they are laved by the waves4 #cg4 ,look at the abodes of the ,ghosha shepherds at the foot of the mountain1 which are continually covered under the shrouding clouds2 and behold the beauty of the blossoming palsa and patala trees thereabouts4 #ch4 ,look at the plains1 whitened by the full-blown whitish flowers2 see the mandara tree with twining and flowering creepers2 look at the banks crowded by cranes and peacocks2 look at those villages and the water falls1 resounding as music from the mouths of mountain caves and forests1 and redounding to the joy of the happy inhabitants of the valley4 #ci4 ,here the buzzing bees are sporting about the new blown petals of plantain flowers2 and inspiring fond desire in the breasts of the ,pamara foresters2 who enjoy a bliss in their rustic pastures and hidden hilly caverns1 which ,i ween1 is not attainable by the immortal gods in their garden of ,eden4 7,so says ,hafiz3--,thou canst not have in heaven1 the blissful fount of ,roknabad1 nor the flowery groves of ,mossella74 #dj4 ,behold the black bees sporting and swinging in their cradles of the flowery creepers of the forest2 and to the ,pulinda forester singing to his beloved1 with his eyes fixed upon her face2 and mark also the sportive ,kirta1 forgetting to kill the deer roving beside his lonely cavern4 #da4 ,here the weary traveller is regaled1 by the sweet scent of various full blown flowers1 and is cooled in his body by the odorous dust1 wafted by the breeze from the flowering creepers2 while the winds bearing the watery particles of the waves1 which lave the vale on all sides1 render the spot more delightful than the spotted disc of the moon 7i4e4 the people have more of coolness here1 than the gods have in the moist sphere of the moon74 #db4 ,here the unceasing gliding of waters1 and the continued waving of the palm trees2 together with the dancing of the blossoming branches1 and the undulation of the spreading creepers in the air2 the forest of lofty sla trees in the borders1 and the hanging clouds over the bordering hills1 all combine to add a charm to this village of the vale1 not unlike to that of the gardens in the orb of the moon4 #dc4 ,the flashing of lightnings1 and the deep roaring of clouds2 the merry dance of peacocks and their loud shrieks and screams1 and their trailing trains displayed in the air1 decorate the valley with a variety of variegated gems4 #dd4 ,the bright orb of the moon appearing on one side1 and the dark clouds rising as huge elephants on the other2 serve to embellish the village in the valley1 and the hills in the skirts1 with a beauty unknown in the heavenly kingdom of ,brahm3 7which is the empyrean or city of fire only74 #de4 ,o6 how ,i long to lodge myself in the mountain grotto1 amidst the fragrant arbours of the beauteous ,mandna forest1 and in the delightsome groves of blooming santnaha blossoms1 and where the busy bees are continually fluttering1 over the mandra and paribhadra arborets4 #df4 ,o1 how much are our hearts attracted1 by the cries of the tender deer1 browzing the verdant and delightsome verdure2 and by the blooming blossoms on hills and in dales1 as by sight of the cities of mankind4 #dg4 ,look on yonder village in the valley1 where the waterfall appears as a column of clear chrysolite2 and the peacocks are in their merry dance1 all about the precipitate cascade4 #dh4 ,see how the joyous peacocks1 and the gaysome creepers1 bending down under the burden of their blossoms2 are dancing delightfully1 beside the purling water of the cataract4 #di4 ,i believe the lusty god of desire 7,kma or ,cupid71 sports here at his pleasure1 in this village of the valley protected by the hills all around4 ,he is sporting with the handsome harita birds 7the green partridges and parrots7 in the verdant groves1 and beside the crystal lakes1 resounding with the sweet warblings of water-fowls4 #ej4 ,o most prosperous and magnanimous lord1 that art the centre of all virtues1 and the highest and gravest of men2 thou art like the towering mountain1 the refuge of mankind from heat1 and the cause of their plenty 7i4e4 the rainy clouds on mountain tops1 are the causes of plenteous produce74 #ea4 ,thou cloud that bathest in holy waters 7i4e4 that resist from the waters of seas and rivers72 that art exalted above all earthly beings1 and choosest to abide in hills and wildernesses like holy hermits1 and art taciturn like them1 from the pure holiness of thy nature2 thou appearest also as fair in the form when thou art emptied 7of thy waters7 in autumn2 all this is good in thee2 but say why dost thou rise in thy fulness with flashing lightnings in thy face1 and roaring thunders in thy breast1 like lucky upstarts of low origin8 #eb4 ,all good things being misplaced 7or out of their proper place71 turn to badness2 as the water ascending to the clouds1 turns to hoar frost and cold ice4 #ec4 ,o1 wonder6 that the drops distilled by the clouds1 fill the earth with water2 and wonder it is that this water supports all beings1 and makes the poor grow with plenty 7of harvest74 #ed4 ,ignorant people are as dogs1 in their unsteadiness1 impudence1 in their impurity and wayfaringness2 hence ,i know not whether the ignorant have derived their nature from dogs or these from them4 #ee4 ,there are some persons1 who notwithstanding all their faults1 are yet esteemed for certain qualities in them2 as the dogs are taken into favour1 on account of their valour1 contentedness and faithfulness to their masters4 7,so are men serviceable to their masters for these virtues in them74 #ef4 ,we see all worldly people pursuing the course of their worldliness as madmen1 and pushing on in the paths of business at the sacrifice of their honor1 and likely to tumble down with fatigue4 ,i find them flying to and fro as trifling straws1 and know not whether it is of their will or madness or stupidity1 that they have made choice of this foolish course4 #eg4 ,among brute creatures1 the brave lion hears the tremendous thunder claps without shuddering3 while the cowardly dog trembles and shuts his eyes with fear at the sound4 #eh4 ,i believe1 ,o vile dog1 that thou hast been taught to bark at thy fellows1 and to ramble about in the streets1 by some surly and strolling porter or peon 7among men74 #ei4 ,the divine creator1 that has ordained varieties in all his works1 has made the nasty breed of his daughter ,sarom all equal in their filthiness4 ,these are the dogs1 that make their kennels or dog holes in dirt1 that feed upon filth and carrion and copulate in public places1 and carry about an impure body every where4 7,this is a slur against the progeny of one's daughters1 who generally turn to be vicious74 #fj4 8,who is there viler than thee02 says a man to his dog2 to which he answered1 8the silly man as thee is the vilest of all04 ,there are the best qualities of valour1 fidelity and unshaken patience1 combined in the canine tribe2 and these are hard to be had in human kind1 who grovel in the darkness of their ignorance amidst greater impurities and calamities4 7,the instinctive sagacity of beasts1 is a surer safe guard to them1 than the boasted reason of man74 #fa4 ,the dog eats impure things and lives in impurity2 he is content with what it gets1 feeds upon dead bodies and never hurts the living1 and yet men are fond of pelting stones on him every where2 thus the dog is made a plaything by men1 contrary to the will of ,god4 #fb4 ,looking at the crow flying there upon the offerings1 left on the lingam or phallus of ,siva on yonder bank2 and there appearing to sight to tell its tale to people1 saying2 8,behold me on high1 with all my degrading sin0 7of stealing from the altars of deities74 #fc4 ,thou croaking crow1 that crowest so harshly1 and treadst the marshy lake2 it is no wonder that thou wouldst vex us with thy cries1 that hast put down the sweet buzz of humming bees4 #fd4 ,we see the greedy rook1 devouring ravenously the dirty filth1 in preference to the sweet lotus stalk4 ,it is no wonder that some would prefer sour to sweet1 from their long and habitual taste of it4 #fe4 ,a white crow sitting in a bush1 of white lotus flowers and their snowy filaments1 was taken at first for a hansa or heron1 but as it began to pick up worms1 it came to be known as a crow4 #ff4 ,it is difficult to distinguish a crow1 sitting in company with a cuckoo1 both being of the like sable plumes and feathers2 unless the one makes itself known as distinct from the other1 by giving out its own vocal sound4 #fg4 ,the crow sitting on a forest tree1 or on a mould of clay or high built building1 looks on all sides for its prey2 as a nightly thief mounts on a chaitta tree2 and sits watching there from the ways of people4 #fh4 ,it is impossible for a crow1 to abide with cranes and storks by the side of a lake1 which abounds in lotus flowers1 that diffuse their sombre farina all about4 #fi4 ,for shame that the noisy crow1 should have a seat on the soft lotus bed in company with silent swans1 and play his disgraceful part and tricks among them4 7i4e4 ,it is impudence on the part of the ignorant1 to open their mouths1 where the learned hold their silence74 #gj4 ,thou crow that criest as the hardest saw1 say where hast thou left or lost thy former reservedness to-day4 ,why dost thou brood over the young cuckoo1 the sweetness of whose voice thou canst never attain1 and whom thou canst not retain as thy young4 #ga4 ,one seeing a dark crow sitting as a black steg1 in a bed of white lotuses1 and crowing aloud with delight at that place1 said unto him saying3--,it is better for thee ,o clamorous crow to rend ears of those with thy cracking voice1 that are not tired with splitting the head of others with their wily verbiage4 #gb4 ,it is well when the cunning consort with the cunning1 as the crow and the crab meeting at a pool2 or the rook and the owl joining in an arbour2 for the two rogues though seemingly familiar1 will not fail to foil one another by their natural enmity 7k ko lu kik74 #gc4 ,the cuckoo associating with the crow1 and resembling him in figure and colour2 is distinguished by his sweet notes from the other2 as the learned man makes himself known by his speech in the society of the ignorant4 #gd4 ,the blossoming branch is well able to bear1 the spoliation of its flowers by the cuckoo2 and will not yet suffer the association of crows and cranes1 and cocks and vultures upon its twigs4 7i4e4 ,it is possible to bear with an injury from the good1 but not to tolerate the society of bad people74 #ge4 ,how delightfully do people listen to the sweet notes of the cuckoo1 which unites the separated lovers together2 but who can brook to hearken unto the jarring cries of the crow or hooting of the owl1 without disgust4 #gf4 ,when the sweet notes of the young kokila1 serve to ravish the ears of hearers1 with the gladsome tidings of the vernal season2 there is the grating cry of the crow1 immediately obtruding upon their ears1 and demanding the melodious cuckoo as its foster child4 7,it is well known to all here1 that young cuckoos are fostered in the nests of crows74 #gg4 ,why and what hast thou been cooing so long1 ,o thou tender cuckoo1 with so much joy and glee in yonder grove2 lo6 thy pleasant vernal season is too soon over with its fading flowers1 and behold the stern winter approaching fast1 to blast the blossoming trees with its icy breath1 and bidding thee to hide thy head in thy nest4 #gh4 ,a separated mistress seeing a sweet kokila1 pour forth his notes to the tender blossoms of the vernal season thus address to him saying3 8say1 ,o sweet cuckoo6 who taught thee to tell1 that vernal season is tava tava tua tua1 i4e4 8for thee and thy enjoyment10 this is verily a woeful lie thou tellest me1 instead of saying 8it is mine and mine0 that art enjoying thy companion40 7,it would better rendering in ,english to reverse the application of the words mine and thine74 #gi4 ,the cuckoo sitting silent in an assemblage of crows1 appears as one of them in its form and colour of its feathers2 and the graceful gait of the cuckoo1 makes it known from the rest1 as the wise man is marked in the company of fools4 ,it is hence that every body is respected by his inward talents and outward deportment1 more than by outer form and feathers4 #hj4 ,o brother kokila6 it is in vain that thou dost coo so sweetly1 when there is none to appreciate its value2 it is far better therefore1 that thou shouldst sit quiet in thy secluded covert under the shady leaves1 when these flocks of crows are so loud in their cries2 and when it is time for the falling dews1 and not of vernal flowers4 #ha4 ,it is to be wondered1 that the young cuckoo forsakes its mother for its fostering crow2 which on her part begins to prick it with its bill and claws4 ,as ,i reflect on these1 ,i find the young cuckoo growing in its form to the likeness of its mother2 and hence ,i conclude1 that the nature of a person prevails over his training every where4 ,,chapter ,,cxvii4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,lotus-,,lake1 ,,bee ,,and ,,the ,,swan4 ,argument3--,description of a ,lake of lotus1 and the bees and swans frequenting them4 ,the companions said3--,behold there1 ,o lord6 the lotus lake on the tableland of the mountain2 reflecting the sky in its bosom1 and resembling the pleasure pond of ,kma or ,cupid4 ,behold there the beds of white1 red and blue lotuses1 with their protruding stalks2 and listen to the mingled sounds of the water fowls sporting thereon4 #b4 ,lo the full blown lotus standing on its stalk with its thousand petals1 and the royal gander or swan resting on its pericarp2 it is crowded by double streaked bees1 and birds of various kinds1 as if it were the abode of the lotus-seated ,brahm himself4 #c4 ,all the sides are overspread by mists and fearful frost1 and the red dust of the farina of full blown flowers and lotuses1 have been flying all about2 the bees and birds giddy with the odours spread around1 are humming and warbling their tunes and notes in the open air2 and the clouds are spreading above as an aerial canopy4 #d4 ,there is the lashing sound of the breaking waves1 beating against the shore2 and here is the rumbling noise of the humming bees1 vying with one another2 somewhere the silent waters are sleeping in the deep1 and elsewhere the fair lotus of the lake1 are lying hid in the bushes4 #e4 ,the pearly particles of water1 are lulling away the heat of the people2 wild beasts are prowling on the bank1 overgrown by wild thickets all around2 the waves are laving the stones on the bank1 and the land appears as the clear sky on the earth4 #f4 ,the bosom of the lake displays the rays of lightnings1 from the redness of the clouds by the dust of flowers borne above by the winds2 and one side of it is obscured by a dark rainy cloud hanging over it1 while the other side exhibits the variegated rays of the evening skies above it4 #g4 ,there is a fragment of the autumnal cloud1 borne aloft by the driving winds2 and appearing as it were a part of the sky supported upon the air4 #h4 ,the rippling waves of the lake by gentle breeze1 and the wettish humming bees fluttering over the bed of the lotus lake1 made a noise all around2 like the falling of flowers from the branches of trees1 lying on the bank of a river4 #i4 ,the large lotus leaves are waving like fans made of palm leaves1 and the foaming froths were puffing as the snowy chowries of princes2 the buzzing bees and cooing cuckoos1 were singing to and lauding the lake which lay like a lord1 in the assemblage of lotuses1 resembling the consorts of his harem4 7,the lake is likened to a lord74 #aj4 ,lo the chorus of black bees1 singing their charming chimes before him2 and the yellow farina of the lotus flowers1 have strewn his waters with dust of gold4 ,the yellowish froths are floating like fragments of its gold coloured flowers2 and the flowery furzes on the bank1 decorate it as its headdress4 #aa4 ,the deep fountain1 having the beautiful lotuses on its bosom2 enjoys their sweet fragrance1 as princes derive from the assemblage1 of talented men in their courts4 #ab4 ,the pellucid lake1 reflecting the clear autumnal sky on its surface2 resembles the mind of the wise man1 which is ever clear and composed1 with the light of the true sstra4 #ac4 ,the limpid lake is little discernible in winter1 when the keen blasts have covered it with hoar frost1 and converted its blueness to white4 #ad4 ,so the world appears to the wise1 a vast sheet of the glory of ,god2 and all these distinct forms of things1 like waves of the sea are lost at last1 into the bright element of ,eternity4 #ae4 ,it is by one's own exertion1 that every body should try to raise himself above the sea of error1 or else he must be continually whirling in the whirlpool of blunder1 like all other ignorant men4 #af4 ,as the waters of wells1 tanks1 lakes and seas1 differ from one another in their quality2 so the persons of men and women1 are different from each other in their respective dispositions4 #ag4 ,who can count the aquatic plants and lotuses1 which grow in the lakes as plentifully1 as the passions and desires spring in the fountain of the human heart2 and which are carried away by the waves of accidents1 or hurled into the whirlpool of perdition4 #ah4 ,oh1 the wonderful effect of bad company1 that the lotus growing in the company of aquatic plants1 loses its fragrance in the current waters1 and shows its thorny stalks to view4 #ai4 ,the good qualities of a person like those of the lotus1 are lost under the assemblage of vicious faults in the same2 such as the pores1 the hollowness and the too fine and fragile fibres of the lotus stalks1 make them entirely useless to any body4 #bj4 ,but the lotus which adorns its natal waters1 and fills the air with its fragrance2 is as a nobleman born with the noble qualities of a noble family1 and whose virtues are impossible for the hundred hooded serpent--,vsuki also to relate4 7,such a person is called the lotus of his family74 #ba4 ,what other thing can equal the lotus in its praise1 which in form of ,laxm1 rests on the bosom of ,hari1 and graces his hand in the manner of a bouquet or nose gay4 #bb4 ,the white and blue lotuses1 are both esteemed for their quality of sweet scent1 though they differ in their colour2 and hence the one is sacred to the sun and the other to the moon4 #bc4 ,the blooming beauty of the lotus-bed1 is not comparable to that of the full blown flowers of the forest2 nor does the lotus-lake bear comparison with the starry heaven also2 but they are to be compared with the comely and smiling face of the dancing girl in her fete4 #bd4 ,blessed are bees1 that have all along enjoyed their lives in revelling over the sweets of flowers1 without having any other thing to care about4 #be4 ,blest are the bees and cuckoos1 that feast upon the flavour of mango fruits1 and regale themselves with the fragrance of their flowers2 all others not so blest1 are born only to bear the name of the species4 #bf4 ,the bees cloyed with honey1 and giddy with the flavour of lotuses1 in the lake where they revel2 laughed to scorn some others of their tribe1 that led their humble lives on the common farina of flowers4 #bg4 ,the black bee that buzzed to the lotus1 lived and sported in its company and slept in its honey cup at night2 was in trouble at the approach of autumn1 not knowing what flower to choose for its fare1 and were to resort for its rest4 #bh4 ,a black bee sitting on the unblown bud of a flower1 appeared as a black man placed over a trident by kla4 #bi4 ,o thou insatiate bee6 that ever rovest over hills and dales1 and suckest the sweets of all kinds of flowers2 why wanderest thou still1 unless it were for thy restless discontent4 #cj4 ,thou soft bodied bee1 that art bred up in sweets1 and feedest upon the farina of flowers2 it is better for thee to resort to the lotuses of the lake1 than bruise thy body in thorns and thistles4 #ca4 ,o humble bee1 if thou art deprived of thy mellifluous food and thy fair fare of the farina of flowers in stern winter2 thou shouldst yet repair as wise men do to such as may suit thy taste1 and be congenial to thy nature2 rather than be mean and debase thyself1 by thy attendance upon the base and mean4 #cb4 ,look there1 ,o lord6 the assemblage of milk white swans1 swimming in the lake1 and feeding upon the silvery fibres of lotus stalks1 and guggling as gravely1 as the chaunters of the ,sma ,veda4 #cc4 ,here the gander pursuing the geese1 seated in their cradles of lotus bushes2 thinks the limpid lake as the blue sky1 and the lotus cradle as a cloud1 and stops from his pursuit 7for fear of falling down on earth74 7,mistake of the terrestrial lake1 for the aerial mandkin74 #cd4 ,let no body be so unfortunate1 ,o lord1 as was this gander1 which was in pursuit of the shadow of the goose4 #ce4 ,the sweet music of the swan as it sings of its own accord1 is inimitable by the crow or crane1 although they are taught to learn it for many years in its society4 #cf4 ,although the swan and drake are both of the same kind1 and of like form and figure1 and live upon the same sort of food2 yet they differ widely from one another in their respective species and qualities4 #cg4 ,the swan soaring in the sky1 with his snow white wings and feathers2 appears as the hoary lotus sitting upon its stalk2 and then it gladdens the minds of men1 as the full-moon with her icy beams4 #ch4 ,the elevated stalks of lotuses1 rising as the lofty stems of plantain trees1 with the lotuses sitting as the goddess ,flora upon them1 afford delight to swans only1 and to no other bird4 #ci4 ,lo1 how the lake is adorned like a beauteous lady1 with the waves resembling her waving bracelets1 and the ripples likening her necklaces2 while the aquatic plants and flowers1 represent wreaths and garlands on her bosom4 #dj4 ,the strings of fluttering bees1 are as streaks of black spots on her person2 the swelling of cranes and storks are as the tinklings of her anklets1 and the rippling waves are as the glances of her eyes4 #da4 ,the lake is graced like a lady1 by the young swans crying by her side as her young ones2 and looking up to the mountain as her lord1 for a fresh supply of fresh water from his profluent cascade4 #db4 ,don't you1 ,o harmless swan1 says one1 reside with the malicious water fowls and birds of prey1 in one and the same lake2 it is better that thou dost remain with thy own kind1 that may assist thee in distress4 #dc4 ,look to thy end1 ,o silly bee1 says one1 that art now so giddy with thy drink of the sweet honey of flower1 and treadst on the heads of elephants1 to sip and suck their exuding ichor1 and ramblest at large among the blooming lotuses1 that the winter of scarcity is fast approaching to thee1 when thou shalt be constrained to live upon the dewdrops drizzling on blades of grass or dripping from stones4 #dd4 ,o lord6 the milk white swan with wide stretched wings entered into the lotus bush1 to see after his young ones1 they on seeing him1 begin to cackle1 as a child does on seeing his father before him4 ,the young ones said1 ,o father1 it is all delusion1 like white pearl in silver and one sees fog over his head at mid-day4 #de4 ,the swan is as silently floating over the limpid waters of the lake1 as the bright moon is gently gliding along the translucent atmosphere of the firmament2 and as it passes through1 the beds of lotuses1 its wings bruise against the blossoms1 causing them to distil their fragrant fluid1 which is gulped in by fishes1 in the manner of the holy water of ,ganges4 ,,chapter ,,cxviii4 ,,description ,,of ,,deer1 ,,peacocks1 ,,cranes ,c4 ,argument3--,this chapter is devoted to the description of some beasts and birds1 some fishes and a traveller4 ,some companion said3--,behold the crane1 which notwithstanding its destitution of all good qualities1 has one special instinct of uttering the onomatopoeia signifying the rain4 #b4 ,o crane that resemblest the swan in the colour of thy feathers1 thou mightest well be taken for a young swan1 wert thou but without the rapacity of the king-fisher 7mudgu74 #c4 ,so there is a line of king-fishers1 that are expert in diving amidst deep waters1 and catching the fishes in its wide extended beaks1 now sitting idle on the shore1 and not venturing to dart themselves into the water1 for fear of the sharks1 floating there with their open mouths and wide stretched jaws4 #d4 ,thus murderers also dart upon men1 in the manner of diving king-fishers1 and cry out saying1 8madgu madguru1 this king-fisher is our instructor in killing40 #e4 ,seeing a white heron with its long neck and uplifted head1 sitting silently and watching on the shore1 the people took it at first for a hansa or hernshaw2 but finding it afterward to catch a shrimp from the marsh water1 they came to know it as a heron at last4 #f4 ,a crane was observed by a woman1 to be sitting on the shore like a devotee the live long day1 while it was in reality watching for prey1 until the evening shade1 as the day labourers are wont to do for their bread4 #g4 ,look there1 says a wayfaring woman to her companion1 how these rustic women are culling the lotuses amidst the frosty lake2 if you like you can follow them1 but ,i will fall back from you4 #h4 ,look there1 ,o lord6 7says the companion to the king71 how that traveller appeases his angry mate1 and leads her to the flowery bower of the weedy bush4 #i4 ,look then1 ,o lord1 at the dalliance of the lady1 and at her smiling face mixed with her frowning looks2 and hearken to her speech to her associate4 #aj4 ,the crane1 king-fisher and other rapacious birds1 that live together in the same place1 are all of the same mind and purpose2 but the fool and wise man can never agree1 though they abide together in the same society for ever4 #aa4 ,as the cricket caught under the bill of wood pecker1 whistles to his face2 so the retribution of our past misdeeds1 flies as a flag before us1 and unfolds itself unto us 7wherever we may happen to go1 or chance to be reborn74 #ab4 ,as long as the cruel crane of fate1 keeps clucking upon the tall tree on the shore2 so long doth the fearful shrimp 7of the living soul71 keep itself concealed in the bog 7of the body7 with its inward trepidation4 ,hence there is no rest or quiet of the body and soul1 until the ultimate quietus of both4 #ac4 ,the bodies of animals1 which are devoured by rapacious beasts and birds1 and then disgorged unhurt and entire out of their bowels2 resemble ,i ween to their rising from the lap of sleep1 or a state of profound trance4 #ad4 ,the fear that overtakes the fishes in their native waters1 at the sight of rapacious animals1 is far greater than those of thunder claps or thunder bolts falling upon them2 and this ,i know from remembrance of my past life of a fish1 and cannot be denied by the wise4 #ae4 ,behold there the herd of deer before thus reposing in raptures over the bed of flowers1 under the shade of trees on the borders of the lake2 and look also at the hive of the bees about the new blown flowers of the grove4 #af4 ,look the high minded and lofty headed peacock craving and crying aloud for rain water1 to the great god of the clouds and rains2 and the god ,indra in return pours in floods to fill the whole earth with water2 for the greatness of gods looks to the general and individual good4 #ag4 ,the peacocks like suckling babes1 attend on the clouds as their wet nurses2 or it may be1 that the black peacocks are the offspring of dark clouds 7that endears and unites them thus to one another74 #ah4 ,lo the wanderer looking with wonder on the eyes of the antelope1 and finding their resemblance with those of his dear one at home1 remains stupified as statue at the sight of the objects exposed to his view4 #ai4 ,the peacock instead of drinking water from the ground1 snatches by force the snake from underneath2 wherefore ,i am at a loss to know which of these to blame for its malice4 7,the peacock kills the snake1 but this one destroys all living creatures74 #bj4 ,why is it that the peacock shuns to drink in the large lake1 which is as liberal as the minds of great men2 and is content to swallow the drops of rain water1 spit out and spirted by the cloud2 unless it be for shame of stooping down his head1 to drink the water of the lake4 #ba4 ,see the peacock dancing1 with displaying his gaudy train to the clouds2 and oscillating their starry plumage in the rain1 as if they were the offspring of the rainy season4 #bb4 ,the rainy dark cloud which was carried by the wind from the bed of ocean1 appeared over the forest lake and met with the gleeful dancing peacock below4 #bc4 ,it is better for thee1 ,o chtaka6 to pick up the blades of grass for thy food1 and drink the water of the fountains1 and rest in the shady plantain grove of the forest2 than to dwell in the hollow cave of a withered tree in sultry heat1 by thy pride of never stooping down for thy subsistence4 #bd4 ,think not1 ,o peacock6 this cloud to be a sea and the abode of sharks2 but know to be a watery cloud1 born of the smoke of wild fire1 and of the vapours of the mountain and ascending to the sky4 7,therefore thou canst not fear to dance before it74 #be4 ,the peacock seeing the cloud that was so profuse of rain even in autumn1 becoming sometimes so scant of its supply as not even to fill a tank 7such as in times of drought71 sustains its thirst with patience1 in gratitude to the past favours of the cloud2 nor does it fain to blame its former supporter for failing1 nor deigns to drink any other earthly water like the common people4 #bf4 ,the peacock that was wont to drink the crystal drops of the clouds1 would not now stoop to drink the dirty water of the ditch1 though pressed and pinched by drought and thirst2 because the sweet remembrance of his past beverage1 supports him from fainting1 and the expectation of fresh draughts1 preserves him from dying4 #bg4 ,travellers mitigate the toils of their journey1 by mutual conversation on the way2 as the ignorant that cannot commune with themselves1 communicate their thoughts with others1 to beguile the tediousness of their lives4 #bh4 ,look there1 ,o lord6 to the slender stalks of the lotuses1 supporting the burden of the water on the lotus leaves2 like yon tender damsels carrying the water pots on their heads4 #bi4 ,being asked why they were carrying those of lotus flowers and leaves and for what use2 they replied1 to make cooling beds for assuaging the fever heat of the love sick wives of travellers from their homes4 #cj4 ,these impassioned damsels1 with their swollen breasts and youthful dalliance1 and the motions and gestures of their bodies1 served to excite the remembrance of the separated brides1 whom the travellers had left behind at their far distant abodes4 #ca4 ,ah surely1 says a traveller1 that dear one of mine1 must now be weeping and wailing1 or falling down and rolling on the ground1 at the sight of yonder dark cloud in the sky in my absence4 #cb4 ,lo there the lines of black bees1 fluttering on the cups of lotuses1 and the little bees giddy with the dulcet liquor of flowers2 the gentle breezes are blowing on all sides1 and wafting the fragrance of the opening blossoms2 while the leaves of trees are dancing to the tunes of the rustling winds4 ,,chapter ,,cxix4 ,,lamentation ,,of ,,the ,,lovelorn ,,traveller4 ,argument3--,the lovesick traveller1 relating the woes of his separation to his beloved one4 ,the companions continued3--,the traveller having returned home1 and finding his beloved one by the arbour of mandara trees1 began to relate to her the pangs of his protracted separation4 #b4 ,listen to my marvellous tale1 said he1 and what happened to me one day1 when ,i sought to send some one to thee with my tidings4 #c4 ,i sought long but sought in vain1 at the time of my painful separation1 to send one to thee at this house of mine2 but where such a one be found in the world1 who would take a severe interest in the affliction of another1 for the sake of charity or mere friendship8 #d4 ,lo1 ,i came to behold even then and there1 a big cloud on the top of a mount1 resembling the steed of cupid1 that appeared jocundly before me1 accompanied by the swift lightening as his precursor4 #e4 ,i advanced before him and addressed unto him1 saying3 ah brother cloud1 thou bearest the rainbow of ,indra1 as a collar about thy neck1 and are graceful in thy course1 have pity on me for a moment4 ,please go to my dear one and tell her my tidings1 with thy low voice1 sympathetic tears and breath of sighs2 because the tender form of the pliant creeper1 will not be able to bear thy loud uproar4 #f4 ,i know not1 ,o dark cloud6 to what abode to direct thee to find my beloved one1 who is pictured in the plate of my heart by the pencil of my mind1 and is forever situated in my bosom4 #g4 ,but now1 ,o my friendly cloud6 my distracted mind has lost that figure of my beloved in my breast1 together with the sight of her person from my eyes2 and now having lost the freedom of my body in a foreign country1 ,i have become but a wooden framework without my love1 which is its living soul3 for what living body can bear the pangs of separation4 #h4 ,people then thought me dead1 and with tears in their eyes1 began to prepare my obsequies and collect wood for my funeral4 #i4 ,i was borne away to be burnt on a dreadful funeral pile1 which was horribly crackling with the cracking wood1 of the blazing fire on the burning ground4 #aj4 ,there1 ,o my lotus eyed love1 ,i was laid on the pile by some persons with their weeping eyes2 and the pyre was surrounded by a number of men1 who stood as spectators of the horrible sight4 #aa4 ,at that time the curling smoke of the pyre1 began to enter into my nostrils like the creepers or stalks of lotus plants2 and as when the dark and lengthy body of the curvilinear snake1 enters into a hole in the ground4 #ab4 ,but in all this1 ,i was defended by the strong armour of my firm love to thee2 as the unborn or selfborn son of god ,brahm1 was defended from the showers of darts1 of the whole host of demons and thinking myself to be plunged in the cooling pool of thy love within my heart2 ,i was untouched by the flames of fire burning all about me4 #ac4 ,all this time ,i lay in the ecstacy of my love to thee1 and ,i felt raptures of joy rise in my breast1 from my fancied association with thee4 ,i deemed myself as drowned in an ambrosial lake1 while ,i was in that state of rapture1 and thought sovereignty of the whole world1 too insignificant before my ecstatic transport4 #ad4 ,methought ,i felt raptures of inexpressible delight fill my whole soul1 at the thought of all thy blandishments and graces1 and in the allurements of thy speech1 sweet smiles and sidelong glances1 and all the gestures and motions of thy person1 that spread an ambrosial charm all around me4 #ae4 ,methought we clasped in mutual embraces1 and together in amorous folds2 till exhausted with surfeit1 ,i lay upon the cool soft bed1 as if ,i was drowned in the cold and icy ocean of the lunar disc4 #af4 ,at this moment as ,i lay long in my bed1 bedewed with cool sandal paste1 and the cooling beams of the full-moon2 ,i heard a thundering noise accompanied with flames of fire1 rising from the burning pile of woods under me1 as it was the submarine fire1 proceeding from the milky ocean wherein ,i was lying4 #ag4 ,the companions resumed3--,when the husband had said so far1 his listening spouse cried out aloud2 saying 8,ah me6 ,i am dead1 ,i am gone10 and for fear of hearing the sad consequence1 fell into a swoon and became senseless4 #ah4 ,the husband finding her fainting1 began to wave over her a fan of lotus leaves1 besprinkled with water2 and taking her up to his bosom1 tried to restore her to her senses4 #ai4 ,being then desired by her to finish his tale1 he began to relate the remainder by holding her chin with his hand4 #bj4 ,as ,i felt the pain of the burning flame touching my body1 ,i cried out and groaned in affliction2 the spectators hastened to extinguish the blazing pile1 and felt delighted to find me alive4 #ba4 ,the attendants then with loud shouts of joy1 like the sound of drums c4 and with garlands of flowers1 raised and embraced me to their bosoms2 and went on shouting and singing and dancing and laughing with exultation4 #bb4 ,i then saw the funeral ground resembling the formidable body of ,bhairava--the god of destruction4 ,it was equally covered with ashes1 wreathed with snakes and studded with human skulls3 and the scattered bones that were strewn over the ground1 seemed as the beams of the moon crowning the head of ,siva4 #bc4 ,here hot winds were blowing from the funeral piles1 as from the burning fire on ,hara's head2 and bearing the burnt ashes of the dead bodies1 as a dark mist all around2 they bore stink of the rotten bones to the air1 and carried about the rustling noise of the bones jostling against one another4 #bd4 ,the burning piles and their flashing flames and flying sparks1 and the fiery winds scorching the trees and herbage2 give this place the appearance of the play ground1 of the gods of wind and fire1 and of the sons of sun--,yama and ,saturn4 #be4 ,thus ,i saw the funeral ground full of terrors1 and covered with skeletons of half-burnt bodies and putrid carcasses also2 it is infested by hungry dogs and howling jackals1 and other voracious beasts1 and the ravenous ravens and vultures4 ,it is a place where the ,vetla--demons and ,pischa--hobgoblins1 revel with fearful shrieks and jarring sounds4 #bf4 ,i beheld there the biers of dead bodies1 borne by their mourning friends1 with loud cries and lamentations that filled the air all about4 ,i saw the beasts and birds1 that tore their entrails and arteries1 yet moist with blood1 and ,i saw the ground strewn over with half burnt logs of wood and bushes4 #bg4 ,in some places the glaring pyres1 gave a gloomy light1 and in others the tufts of hair1 were heaped as spots of clouds2 somewhere the ground was besmeared with blood1 and looked like a lurid sheet of cloth2 and elsewhere the clouds were roaring1 as the setting sun went down the western hill 7or horizon74 ,,chapter ,,cxx4 ,,description ,,of ,,various ,,objects ,,on ,,all ,,sides4 ,argument3--,prolusion on the winds and the forest trees and wild bees2 then on celestial nymphs1 birds c4 ,the companions continued3--,thus the loving pair after taking to one another in the aforesaid manner2 began to sip their delicious wine4 ,and now attend1 ,o lotus eyed lord to the other things of things of this place4 #b4 ,lo1 there the winds1 shaking the plantain leaves and clusters of their flowers1 and blowing to all sides1 with the dust of various sorts of flowers1 with which they have adorned themselves4 #c4 ,there the breezes are blowing1 loaded with odours exhaled by the flowers of the forest2 and there the gentle zephyrs are wafting the perfumes1 which they have stolen from the locks of their favourite fairies4 #d4 ,here are the blasts blowing from the salt sea on the south2 and driving as fastly as the stern lion rushes into the fastness of woods and mountain caves2 and as forcibly1 as the fierce giants attacked the gods on the top of ,mount ,meru4 #e4 ,again there is the high wind playing and shaking with the high tamla1 tla and other palma trees2 while the gentle gales1 are softly gliding over the waves1 and wafting their moisture to the tender plants below4 #f4 ,there the soft breezes are wheezing1 with the dust thrown out by the flowers2 while gentle zephyrs are moving about as princes amidst the bowers and flower gardens4 #g4 ,there the god ,aeolus plays his sweet sylvan pipe1 in the holes of the hollow bamboo2 in the manner of the female sweet musicians1 tuning their reeds in the city of ,pndu or ,hastinpura4 7,here is a palpable anachronism with regard to the anterior of prince ,pndu74 #h4 ,here every plant is fraught with bees1 except the karnikara flower2 which is avoided by them1 on account of its disregard of the god of air1 by withholding to pay him the tribute odour and farina4 #i4 ,the tla or palm tree1 that rises as high as a column but yields no fruit nor flower to the hungry passenger1 owing to its inaccessible height1 is as disgraceful in itself as the uncharitable rich man4 #aj4 ,ignorant and unworthy people1 build their pride on outward show1 as the kinsuka flower displays the beauty of its colour to view1 in absence of its fragrance4 #aa4 ,look at the ,karnikara flower1 blooming only to decay2 because its want of fragrance makes it as worthless and despicable1 as unworthy and ignorant men are disregarded by all4 #ab4 ,so the tamla tree with its blushing blossoms1 beguile the thirsty chtaka by its false appearance of a rainy cloud1 so the fair outside of the foul1 deceives the unwise by his inward foulness4 #ac4 ,look at these robust1 woody1 shady and cloud-capt hills1 which afford shade and shelter to others2 and are possessed of many more qualities1 befitting the kings of men2 are standing in the manner of lofty bamboos 7having all these qualities in them74 #ad4 ,look at yonder cloud on the mountain top1 resting as it were upon the seat of its table land of bright gold1 and twirling its yellow mantle of lightnings2 appearing as the god ,hari clad in his vest of aureate yellow4 #ae4 ,look on the blooming kinsuka flower1 with the flutter-bees and birds about them appearing as a fighting warrior1 pierced by flying arrows1 and besmeared with crimson blood4 #af4 ,lo the golden mandra flowers1 touching the amber-coloured clouds of heaven2 appearing as the giddy ,gandharva lads1 lying on the top of the ,mahendra mountain4 #ag4 ,behold the weary wayfarers1 laying and lulling themselves to rest1 under the shade of the ,kalpa trees in the garden of paradise2 while the siddhas and ,vidydharas are sitting there at ease1 and singing their songs to the tune of their stringed instruments4 #ah4 ,behold also the celestial nymphs1 stretched there at ease1 tittering and singing in the groves-bowers of the ,kalpa arbour of ,eden4 #ai4 ,there is the silent abode of the great sage ,mandapala1 famed in the legends2 and the cave of the celebrated vulture said to be his wife4 #bj4 ,see there the line of hermitages of the ancient sages2 where the envious animals forget their mutual animosities1 and live together in perfect concord and amity4 #ba4 ,there are the coral plants1 growing with other shrubs and bushes1 by the side of the sea coast2 and the drops of water trickling upon them1 glisten as gems by the solar rays4 #bb4 ,the waves are rolling with precious gems1 on the bosom of the ocean2 like playful damsels rocking on with their ornaments on the breasts of their lovers4 #bc4 ,here the jingling noise of the jewelleries of the celestial nymphs1 sauntering from the celestial regions1 to the infernal abodes of the serpents through the midway skies4 #bd4 ,here those hollow mountain caves1 whistling with a sound resembling the buzzing of wild bees1 falling down giddy with drinking the ichor exuding from the forehead of elephants4 #be4 ,lo the sea ebbing with the waning moon during the dark fortnight of the month2 and the receding tides describing and leaving the linear marks of their regression upon the sands on the shore4 #bf4 ,lo the woodland decorated as a beauty1 with clusters of flowers hanging as wreaths and garlands on every side2 breathing fragrance all about1 and attired in the robe of its cooling shade4 #bg4 ,the variegated foliage from its party-coloured dress1 and the waterfalls seem as its sweet smiles2 and the flowers strewn about1 appear as the flowery bed of the happy woodland dame4 7,the word vana means the vana-devi or woodland goddess1 corresponding with a dryad1 sylva or ,flora74 #bh4 ,here the high-minded sages and hermits1 are as highly delighted with their quiet sylvan retreats2 as the celestials are joyous in gardens of ,eden4 7,eden and ,udyna are both the same74 #bi4 ,the placid and indifferent minds of sages1 are equally delighted with these solitary woodlands1 as the restless and impatient minds of lovers and worldly people4 #cj4 ,the waters of the sea1 whether running into the land1 or washing the foot of the rock on the sea-shore2 are equally shining and sounding as their tinkling ornaments or anklets 7nupurs74 #ca4 ,the punnga flowers blooming on mountains1 appear as golden mines upon them2 and the goldfinch birds flying over them1 look like winged angels in the aerial course4 #cb4 ,the mountain forests appear to be in a conflagration1 with their full blown champaka flowers blazing as fire1 and the bees and clouds hovering over them as smoke2 while the current winds are spreading above their dust and petals like the sparks of fire4 #cc4 ,lo the kokila swinging and singing1 on his seat of the topmost stalk of a karavira tree2 when his mate comes and embraces him there1 and sings responsive to his songs with her clamorous chattering4 7,it is a sarcasm on pettish wives1 that often interrupt the silent musings of their consorts with their tastelessness74 #cd4 ,see the salt waters of the briny ocean1 roaring aloud against shore2 but the coast-lands are kept in subjection under the hands of their able masters4 7,the rule of kings stretched to the seashore74 #ce4 ,o lord6 deign to make this earth 7i4e4 the continent of ,jambudwpa or ,asia71 stretching to the four seas on the four sides1 as thy footstool2 and establish thy rule over the remaining potentates1 that escaped the brunt of thy valour2 appoint rulers over all the provinces on all sides2 and provide them with proper force and arms1 which are necessary to keep them in order2 and continue to govern thy realms with mercy and moderation4 ,,chapter ,,cxxi4 ,,exposition ,,of ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,vipaschit4 ,argument3--,boundaries of ,vipaschit's ,realms4 ,his adoration of fire and attempt to proceed further4 ,vasishtha related3--,then the king ,vipaschit and his companions1 sat on the coast of the sea1 and did whatever was requisite for the establishment of his sovereignty4 #b4 ,they then chose spots for their abodes at that place1 and made houses for themselves according to their positions2 they settled the boundaries of the provinces1 and set guards for their defence4 #c4 ,at last they went down into the ocean1 and then proceeded to the other side of the world2 in order to show his glory2 like that of ,vipaschit1 to other parts of the world4 #d4 ,then came on the dark night1 in the form of an all overshading cloud2 and the people all sank into the lap of sleep1 after finishing their daily works and rituals4 #e4 ,they were amazed to think in themselves1 how insensibly they were led to so great a distance in so short a space of time1 and to meet the ocean like currents of rivers falling into it4 #f4 ,they said3 8,it is a wonder that we have come so far1 without any attempt on our part2 and therefore this great velocity must be attributed1 to the swiftness of the vehicles of the great god ,agni 7or ,electricity itself704 #g4 ,lord6 say they1 how extensive is the view that lies before our sight2 stretching from one end of the ,jambudwpa to its other extremity of the vast salt ocean1 and thence again to the islands in it1 and other lands and seas beyond them4 #h4 ,there are islands and seas beyond these1 and others again beyond them2 how many such and many more1 may there be of this kind1 and how inscrutable is the delusion which is thus spread before our minds4 7i4e4 ,all these are but our mental delusions74 #i4 ,let us therefore pray the god of fire 7electricity71 that we may see at once every thing on all sides by his favour1 and without any exertion of or pain on our sides4 #aj4 ,so saying and thinking in this manner1 they all reflected on the god with one accord1 and meditated on him1 as they sat in their respective places4 #aa4 ,the god appeared to them1 and stood manifest before their sight in his tangible form1 and spoke to them saying3--8,ask ye my sons1 what favor you desire of me40 #ab4 ,they said3 ,o lord of gods1 that abidest beyond this visible and elemental world1 ordain1 that by means of the vedic mantra and our purified minds1 we may know the knowables in our minds4 #ac4 ,give us1 ,o ,god1 this great and best boon1 that we ask of thee2 that we may know by thy light1 whatever is knowable by either the external senses2 mind or by our self-consciousness4 7i4e4 ,by the three means of knowledge74 #ad4 ,enable us to see with our eyes ,o lord6 the paths1 which lead the siddhas and yogis to the sight of the invisibles2 and make us also to perceive in our minds the things1 that are imperceptible to them4 #ae4 ,let not death overtake us1 till we have reached to the ways of the siddhas2 and let thy grace guide us in the paths1 where no embodied being can pass 7i4e4 in our journey to the next world1 when we have shuffled our mortal coil74 #af4 ,vasishtha said3--8,so be it01 said the igneous god1 and instantly disappeared from their sight2 as the submarine fire bursts forth1 and vanishes at once in the sea4 #ag4 ,as the fiery god disappeared1 there appeared the dark night after him2 and as the night also fled after a while1 the sunshine returned with the reviving wishes of the king and his men1 to survey the wide ocean lying before them4 ,,chapter ,,cxxii4 ,,the ,,king',s ,,survey ,,of ,,the ,,sea1 ,,and ,,his ,,locomotion ,,on ,,it4 ,argument3--,the king walks on foot on the sea1 his chase of sharks and other marine animals4 ,vasishtha related3--,rising then in the morning1 they regulated the affairs of the state according to the rules prescribed by law2 and were eager to see the sea1 as if they were impelled by some preternatural force1 which nothing less than the power of ministerial officers could restrain4 #b4 ,but they were so exasperated by their mad ambition1 that they forgot their affection for their families1 and forsook them all weeping before them1 for undertaking their perilous sea voyage4 #c4 ,they said1 8we will see what there is on the other side of the sea1 and then return instantly to this place40 ,saying so they muttered the invocatory mantras of the ,fire god1 who inspired them with the power of walking on foot and dryshod over the sea4 #d4 ,all the representatives of the king1 being followed by their companions on all sides1 proceeded to the borders of the several seas1 and then walked on their feet over to watery maze4 #e4 ,they walked on foot upon the waters1 as if they were walking upon the surface of the ground1 and all the four bodies of the quadruple king1 now met together in one place1 and immediately afterwards they separated apart with all their forces4 #f4 ,marching on foot over the vast expanse1 they surveyed all that was in and upon the sea2 and disappeared altogether from the sight of the people on the shore1 as a spot of cloud1 vanishes from view in autumn4 #g4 ,the forces travelled on foot all over the watery path of the ocean1 with as much fortitude2 as the elephants of the king1 traverse with patience on land1 when they are bound to a distant journey4 #h4 ,they mounted high and went down1 along with the rising and lowering waves2 as when men climb upon and descend from steep mountains1 and as one rides and goes galloping on horseback1 or in the manner of ,hari floating upon the billowy ocean1 or in his act of churning the sea4 #i4 ,they paced over the whirlpools1 as the straws float upon waters2 and they promenaded as gracefully amidst the encompassing waves1 as the beauteous moon passes through the surrounding clouds4 #aj4 ,the brave soldiers that were so well armed with weapons in their hands1 and so well protected by the power of their mantras and amulets2 that they were as often disgorged from bowels of the sharks1 as they came to be devoured by them3 7because they could neither masticate nor digest them74 #aa4 ,pushed onward by the waves1 and driven forward by the winds1 their bodies were carried to the distance of many a league in a moment4 #ab4 ,the huge surges which lifted them to great heights1 represented the enormous elephants1 on which they used to mount1 and ride about in their native land4 #ac4 ,the vast expanse of water appears as the void space of the sky2 and the succession of heaving waves in it1 represents the folds of gathering clouds in heaven1 and as they were dashing against one another1 they emitted the flash of lightnings anon4 #ad4 ,the loose and loud surges of the sea1 resembled the loosened elephants in the battle field2 and though they dashed against the shore with all their force2 yet they were unable to break them down1 as the elephants are baffled in their attempt to break down a stone built rampart4 #ae4 ,the waving waves reflecting the rays of the brilliant pearls and gems1 which they bore with them from shore to shore2 resemble the eminent men1 who though they pass alone from place to place1 appear yet to be accompanied by their train and glory every where4 #af4 ,the surf tramples over the mass of hoary froth with contempt1 as the snowy white swan treads upon the bed of whitish lotuses in disdain4 7,the surf and the swan1 being whiter far than the froth and the lotus74 #ag4 ,the sounding main1 which was as loud as the roaring clouds1 and the re-billowing billows1 which were louder than they1 bore no terror to them that stood as rocks thereon4 #ah4 ,the cloud-kissing waves of the ocean1 now rising above the mountains1 and now falling low at their feet1 were likely to touch the solar orb1 and then sink into the infernal4 #ai4 ,they were not afraid of the rising or falling waters2 but passed over the sea as upon sheet of cloth2 and shrouded by the drizzling clouds1 which formed a canopy over them4 #bj4 ,thus the companions of the king crossed the ocean1 which was full of sharks and alligators1 and tremendous eddies2 they were sprinkled by water like showers of flowers1 and adorned with marine gems and pearls2 and they crossed over on foot1 as others do in navies4 ,,chapter ,,cxxiii4 ,,the ,,king',s ,,excursions ,,on ,,all ,,sides4 ,argument3--,the ,king and his train1 pass over the islands and proceed towards the west4 ,vasishtha related3--,thus they proceeded onward1 to explore into the visible phenomena1 exposed before them by ,ignorance 7avidy or external nature72 and continued to walk on foot1 over the watery maze and the islands it contained4 #b4 ,they passed over the ocean to some island1 and then from that island to the sea again2 and in this manner they traversed on foot1 over many a mountain and wilderness in interminable succession4 #c4 ,then as the king was proceeding towards the western main1 he was seized and devoured by a voracious fish1 which was as the undying breed of ,vishnu's fish1 and as fleet as a boat in the stream of ,bitasta ,beyah4 7,vishnu's fish was the deathless incarnation of himself74 #d4 ,the fish fled with him in his belly to the milky ocean2 but finding him too hard for his digestion1 he bore him in his bowels to a great distance in another direction4 #e4 ,he was then borne to the saccharine ocean on the south1 and was there cast out in the island of ,yakshas2 where he was overpowered to the love of a female fiend by her art of enchantment1 7or7 where he was enchanted into the amour of a female ,yaksh1 by her skill in sorcery4 7,the yakshas are the present yakhas of ,ceylon1 or ,egypt1 and are said to be equally adept in the art of my or magic74 #f4 ,he then went towards the east1 and passing by the ,ganges1 he killed a shark that had pursued him1 and arrived at last at the district of ,knya ,kubja the modern ,cawnpore4 #g4 ,then proceeding towards the north1 he came to the country1 of ,uttara-kurus1 where he was edified by his adoration of ,siva1 and became exempted from the fear of death1 in all his wanderings on all sides of the earth4 #h4 ,in this way1 travelling long and afar1 both by land and sea2 he was often attacked by wild elephants on the boundary mountains1 and repeatedly gorged and disgorged by sharks and alligators in the seas4 #i4 ,then proceeding towards the west1 he was picked up by an eagle and set upon his back2 and the bird took to his golden pinions1 and bore him in an instant to the ,kusa-dwpa across the ocean4 #aj4 ,thence he passed to the ,krauncha-dwpa on the east2 where he was seized and devoured by a ,rkshasa of the mountain1 but whom he killed afterwards by ripping up his belly and its entrails4 #aa4 ,roving then in the south1 he was denounced to become a yaksha by curse of ,daksha the king of that part3 until he was released from that state by the king of the ,saca-dwpa after some years4 #ab4 ,he then passed over the great and smaller seas lying in the north1 and after passing over the great frigid ocean1 he arrived at the country of gold1 where he was changed to a stone by the siddhas of that place4 #ac4 ,in this state he remained a whole century1 till by the grace of his god ,agni--ignis1 he was released from the curse of the siddha1 who received him again into his favour4 #ad4 ,then travelling to the east1 he became king of the country of cocoanuts2 and after reigning there for full five years1 he was restored to the remembrance of his former state4 #ae4 ,then passing to the north of the ,meru ,mountain1 he dwelt among the ,apsaras1 in the groves of kalpa trees for ten years1 and subsisted on the bread fruits of cocoanuts4 #af4 ,going afterwards to the ,salmali-dwpa in the west1 which abounds in trees of the same name1 he dwelt in the society of birds for many years1 having been previously instructed in their language1 when he had been carried away by ,garuda4 #ag4 ,thence journeying in his westerly course1 he reached to the ,mandara ,mountain which abounded in verdure and madra forests2 and here he sojourned for a day in company with ,mandar--a ,kinnera female4 #ah4 ,he then journeyed to the ,nandana garden of the gods1 which abounded in kalpa trees rising as high as the waves of the milky ocean2 and he remained in the company of the woodland gods for a septenary1 sporting with the ,apsara damsels in their amorous dalliance4 ,,chapter ,,cxxiv4 ,,quadripartite ,,state ,,of ,,the ,,king ,,vipaschit4 ,argument4--,the actions of the ,individual prince1 appertaining to his quaternary forms4 ,rma said3--,tell me sir1 whether the different states and acts of the prince1 relate particularly to any one part of his quadripartite body1 or generally or severally to all and each part of himself2 because it is equally impossible that all and every part should act the same part1 as that the several parts of the same person1 could act differently from the other4 7,it is unnecessary to be multipartite to act alike1 as well as impossible for the same personality to act differently in its many persons or parts or forms1 which are all one and the same being74 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,any person that is conscious of his self identity1 and its invariability and indivisibility1 may yet think himself as another person and doing different things1 as a man does in his dream4 #c4 ,again it is the clearness of the soul1 that shows the abstract images of things in itself1 as it did in that of ,vipaschit or the wise prince2 and as a mirror reflects the discrete figures of objects1 and of the sky and sea1 in its clear and empty bosom4 #d4 ,as reflectors made of the same metal1 reflect one another in themselves2 so all things which are in reality but of an intellectual or ideal nature1 reflect themselves in the intellect4 7,the mind is the repository of the ideal forms of things1 and it is mental fallacy only which makes them appear as real ones4 ,this is the idealistic theory of ,berkeley74 #e4 ,hence whatever object presents itself1 to any one of the senses of any body1 is no other than the concretion or density of his intellectual idea of the same in its nature4 7,hence the sensibles are but solidified ideas1 and ectypes of the ideal2 and not as causes or prototypes of our eternal ideas74 #f4 ,it is the one and self same thing that appears as many1 and the varied ones are but the invariable one in reality2 there is no positive variety nor uniformity either in esse1 because all apparent variety is positive unity 7i4e4 all is one1 and the one in all74 #g4 ,hence whatever part of the prince1 was conscious of anything1 which presented itself before him of any time2 the same is said to be the state of his being during that time4 7i4e4 ,whatever a man is conscious of doing or suffering at any time1 the same forms the state or mode of living for the time being74 #h4 ,and as it is possible to a yogi1 who sits secluded in one place2 to see all present1 past and future events at one view before him2 so it is possible for a prince1 sitting retired in his palace1 to manage all affairs of his whole domain2 and much more for the king ,vipaschit1 who delegated his viceroys1 as members of his body to all parts4 7,this passage explains the quadripartite kings1 to mean himself and his three viceroys on three sides74 #i4 ,so doth a cloud stretch itself to all the quarters of the sky1 and perform at once the several functions of quenching the parched earth with its water1 and of growing the vegetables and fructifying the trees4 ,so also doth a man boast of his manifold acts at the same time4 #aj4 ,so also are the simultaneous acts of the lord ,god1 and those of the lords of men and yogis2 who design and perform at the same time1 the multifarious acts relating to the creation1 preservation and management of the world4 #aa4 ,so doth the one and selfsame ,vishnu1 with his four arms and as many forms1 act many parts and separably also1 as the preservation of the world on the one hand1 and the enjoyment of his fair consorts on the other4 #ab4 ,again though the two hands of a person1 are enough to discharge the ordinary affairs of life2 yet it is requisite to have many arms1 in order to wield many weapons in warfare4 #ac4 ,it was in the same manner1 that the self same monarch was situated with his fourfold persons1 in all the four sides of the earth2 where though they were impressed with the consciousness of their self identity1 yet they all acted their several parts as quite distinct and apart from others4 #ad4 ,they were all alike conscious of the pains and pleasures attending on their lying down on naked grounds1 their passing to distant islands and their travelling to different forests and groves1 and desert lands also4 #ae4 ,they all remembered their journeys over hills and mountains1 as well as their voyages by water and air2 they knew how they floated on the seas1 and rested on clouds4 #af4 ,they knew how they mounted upon waves of seas1 and rode on the back of flying wind2 and how they lay on the shores of seas1 and at the foot of mountains4 #ag4 ,again the prince proceeding to ,scythea1 or the land of sacas on the east2 passed into the enchanted city of the yakshas1 lying at the foot of the ,eastern mountain or ,udaya-giri2 where being spellbound by their sorcery1 he lay asleep for full seven years in the wood of the leafless mans sij trees4 #ah4 ,rising afterwards from his drowsiness1 he was converted to the torpid state of a stone by his drinking some mineral water1 and was condemned to remain for seven years more with the mineral substances of the earth4 #ai4 ,he was then confined in a cave of the western mountain--,astchala1 which reaches to the region of the clouds and is shrouded by darkness2 and he became enamoured of the company1 of ,pischa and ,apsara females4 #bj4 ,he then arrived at a region which was free from fear1 and where there rose a high mountain with water-falls in all sides of it2 here the prince was lost in the forest of haritaki or chebula--myrobalans1 and become invisible for years4 #ba4 ,the prince that had erewhile been spellbound by the yaksha1 travelled afterwards to the frigid climate2 and there being transformed to a lion1 he roved about the ,raivata hills for ten days and nights4 #bb4 ,and then being deluded by the black art of ,pischas1 he was changed to the form of a frog1 and lived in that state in the caves of the golden mountain for a decad of years4 #bc4 ,travelling afterwards to the country of ,kumrika 7,cape ,comorin71 he dwelt at the bottom of the northern ridge of the ,black mountain4 ,then going to the saca country1 he was transformed to a hog1 and lived in a dark hole for a hundred years in that shape4 #bd4 ,he lived for fourteen years as a squint-eyed1 in the land of marivaca2 when the western form of the prince was turned to a ,vidydhara1 by virtue of his skill in learning various lore4 #be4 ,there he enjoyed sexual intercourse at his full satisfaction under the scented bower of al1 and passed his time in amusement4 ,,chapter ,,cxxv4 ,,on ,,the ,,living ,,liberation ,,of ,,the ,,prince4 ,argument3--,mutual assistance of the four persons of the prince to one another1 and their true meaning4 ,vasishtha continued3--,now of the quadripartite bodies of the prince1 that which was transformed to a tree1 in the valley called the vale of fearlessness in sacadwpa3 supported itself by sucking the better water of the rock which it drew by its roots4 #b4 ,it was then that the western part of the royal person1 came up to the relief of the former or eastern part1 and released it from the curse of its vegetable state of full seventy years1 by the power of its incantations4 #c4 ,again the western person of the king1 passing to the frigid clime1 was there transformed to a stone by curse of the chief of the ,pischa tribe2 but was released afterwards from that state by a southern personage1 by his offering of meat food to the carnivorous ,pischa4 #d4 ,at another time as this western personage1 was settled beyond the western horizon1 it was changed to the form of a bull by a female fiend1 that had assumed on her the form of a cow1 and was freed at last from that state by the southern person4 #e4 ,again the southern figure of the prince1 was doomed to live as a demon on a mountain tree in the ,kshemaka1 and was liberated at last from it by the yaksha prince4 #f4 ,then again1 the eastern person of the prince1 was metamorphosed to the shape of a lion1 on a mountain in the province of ,vrishaka1 and was delivered for its metamorphoses by the western personality4 #g4 ,rma rejoined3--,how is it sir1 that the single individuality of the prince1 which was confined in one spot as that of a yogi2 could be ubiquious at one and the same time1 could perform the various acts of different times and places at once1 by the all comprehensive universality of the mind4 #h4 ,vasishtha replied3--,o ,rma6 ,let the unenlightened think whatever they may1 respecting this world 7i4e4 let them take its unreality for positive reality72 but do you attend to what ,i say1 regarding the light in which it is viewed by the enlightened yogis 7who view it in its spiritual light1 and conduct all their operations in the mind only74 #i4 ,according to spiritualists1 there is no other essence1 except one universal ,intellect2 the phenomenal are an utter inexistence1 and the creation or increate entity of the world1 blends into nothing4 7,the intellect is a formless and all-pervading essence1 and acts in many ways in all places74 #aj4 ,this universal ,intellect is the eternal residence of and one with the eternal and universal soul2 and it is this that constitutes the essentiality and universality of the ,supreme soul at all times4 #aa4 ,say1 who can obstruct any where or by any force the course of the great mind1 which is ubiquious and all comprehensive1 and exhibits itself in various forms in the endless varieties of its thoughts4 7,hence there is nothing in reality1 except they be but representations of the inward thoughts of the mind2 or manifestations of the omnipresent ,one in various shapes74 #ab4 ,what is it to us and what can we call to be ours1 when all these sights are exhibited in the supreme soul or ,intellect in all places and times2 and all that is present1 past and future1 are comprised in that all-comprehending mind4 #ac4 ,so that the far and near1 a moment and an age1 are the same to it1 which is never altered in its nature 7so says the sruti3--,it is both near and afar1 the past and the present c474 #ad4 ,all things are situated in the soul1 and yet look at the act of ,ignorance1 that they appear to be placed without it1 as we behold them with our naked eyes 7as phantasms of the hidden soul74 #ae4 ,the soul is the substantial omniscience of vacuous form1 and exhibits the three worlds in its vacuity1 without changing its vacuousness 7but shows like the magic lantern1 the phantasmagoria of these in itself74 #af4 ,the universal soul appears in the universe1 as both its viewer and the view in itself1 or as the subjective and objective in its self-same nature2 but how is it possible for the inherent soul of the apparent world1 to admit of a visible form in any way1 unless it be by the delusion of our understanding to think it so4 #ag4 ,but tell me thou sage that knowest the truth1 what thing is impossible to the active agency of the selfsame ,deity1 to whom all things are alike possible at all times and places2 and so also to the wise king ,vipaschit1 who was alike conscious of his self identity in all his quadruple forms4 7,the ,lord that spreads unspent1 and acts alike in all4 ,pope74 #ah4 ,the enlightened ,intellect of the yogi1 that has not yet arrived at its transcendent state of unity with the ,deity2 and retains the sense of its individuality2 can yet readily unite itself with the souls of others in all places4 #ai4 ,there is nothing impossible to the supreme soul2 but the half enlightened soul1 that lingers between its knowledge and ignorance1 and has not attained to transcendent wisdom1 is confounded in its intellect regarding the true knowledge of things4 #bj4 ,the soul that is some what advanced in its knowledge1 is said to have partly progressed towards its perfection 7siddhi72 hence the four parts of ,vipaschit situated on the four sides1 made up a perfect whole4 7,the whole number in common calculation1 is usually divided into and made up of four quarters74 #ba4 ,these four parts were as so many states or degrees of perfection1 which lighted on ,vipaschit like the rays of heavenly light2 and these states mutually helped and healed each other1 as the members of the body assist and supply to the defects of one another4 #bb4 ,rma said3--,tell me1 ,o venerable ,brhman1 why the quadruple king ,vipaschit1 ran on all sides like brutes1 if he was so enlightened in every part1 and why he did not sit collected in himself as he was4 #bc4 ,vasishtha replied3--,what ,i have related to you regarding enlightenment1 applies only to the case of yogis1 who though they are combined of many parts in their minds1 do yet remain sedate in themselves in the same state4 #bd4 ,but the ,vipaschitas were not so wholly enlightened as the holy yogis1 but being partly enlightened1 they remained in the midmost state between the two1 as if hanging betwixt both state of enlightenment and ignorance at the same time4 #be4 ,they bore upon them the marks of both at once1 namely of the one by their discretion and discernment1 and of the other by the passions and affections of their minds1 that led them to the two different ways of liberation as well as of bondage4 #bf4 ,those who are ever vigilant in the discharge of their pious acts1 and are wavering between their temporal and eternal concerns1 as the ,vipaschitas continued in their course of action1 such persons cannot be perfect and esoteric yogis in this life4 #bg4 ,the devotees that are devoted to their devotion of a particular deity as the ,vipaschitas were of the god of fire1 are styled as the dhran yogis2 and not transcendent or param yogis1 unless they attain to transcendental knowledge 7or jnna yoga1 which removes the avidy--ignorance74 #bh4 ,the learned yogi does not see any mist of ignorance1 to obstruct his sight of the lights of truth2 but the ignorant devotee is blind to truth1 though he may be received into the favour of his favorite deity4 #bi4 ,the ,vipaschitas were all of them subject to ignorance1 and they rejected the knowledge of the true soul1 by their attachment to gross material bodies1 which are at best but vain unrealities4 ,listen therefore to what ,i will now relate1 regarding those that are liberated from their grossness even in their lifetime4 #cj4 ,the yogis retain of course their knowledge of the concrete1 in their conduct of the external affairs of life2 but liberation is the virtue of the mind1 consisting in its freedom from subjection to gross materials1 and subsisting in the mind only1 and not in the body or its sensibility4 #ca4 ,but as the bodily properties are inseparably connected with the body1 and its sensibility can in no way be separated from it2 the liberated soul is therefore in no way attached to it1 nor doth the yogi ever take any heed of it in his mind 7his thoughts being solely fixed in the solity of the soul74 #cb4 ,the mind of the liberated yogi1 is never reunited with his body1 any more than pollen is ever rejoined with its parent stalk2 although the bodily properties of the living liberated yogi1 ever remain the same as those of worldly persons4 7,freedom consists in the minds and soul1 and not in the bonded body74 #cc4 ,the bodies of both are of course equally perceptible by all1 but not the minds which are hidden in them2 the liberated soul cannot be seen by others2 but the incarcerate spirit is known to every body1 by its addictedness to the discharge of its bounded duties4 #cd4 ,self-liberation is as well perceptible to oneself1 as his perception of the sweetness of honey and the taste of other things1 are well known to himself2 and one is well acquainted with his liberation and bondage1 from his consciousness of pleasure and pain from the one or other4 #ce4 ,it is thus by one's inward perception of his liberation1 that he is called the liberate2 and it is also the inward coolness of his soul1 as well as the indifference of his mind1 that constitute his liberation even in his life time4 #cf4 ,neither the bondage1 or liberation of the soul1 nor the pleasure or painfulness of one's mind can be any how known to another2 whether you divide the body into pieces or place it upon a royal throne4 7,though the features of the face1 are said to be indicators of the inward mind74 #cg4 ,whether laughing or crying1 the liberated soul feels no pleasure or pain therein2 because it is situated in both states in the unalterable spirit of ,god4 #ch4 ,the minds of liberated persons1 are settled in the divine spirit and no where else1 even when they are in the act of receiving or doing any thing with their bodies3 ,but the learned men of the different schools1 are seen to be quite otherwise from their unacquaintance with liberation 7and being moved by the circumstances of life74 #ci4 ,the bodies of liberated persons1 are not affected by external events1 and though such a one may appear to be weeping1 yet he never weeps in grief2 nor does he die1 with the death of his mortal body4 #dj4 ,the great man that is liberated in his life time1 does not smile though he has a smiling face2 nor is he affected by nor angry at any thing1 though he seems to be moved by affections and anger4 7i4e4 ,his feelings are never lasting74 #da4 ,undeluded he sees the delusions of the world1 and unseen by any he sees the failings of others2 and all pleasure and pain seem as ideal unto him4 #db4 ,every thing is as nil to the liberate1 as flowers growing in the garden of the sky2 and the existence of the world is non-existence unto him1 who sees the unity alone in all existence4 7,the ,one being all and all being one2 all others are lost in the only ,one74 #dc4 ,the words pleasure and pain1 are as aerial flowers to him1 who are indifferent to them1 who have become victorious over their feelings1 by their liberation from all sensations in their life time4 #dd4 ,they that have known the truth1 are unaltered in their natures2 as the mouths of ,brahm1 are unflinching in the recital of ,vedas4 787 #de4 ,and as ,siva ripped the upper head of ,brahm1 as a bud of lotus1 with the nail of his hand2 and the god neither resented it1 nor grew another head instead1 which he was well able to do3 so the meek yogi remains unresentful at any harm done to him4 #df4 ,of what use is the upward or sky-looking face to him1 whose inner or intellectual eye shows him the voidness of all things around2 hence the possession of the external organ of sight1 is useless to him1 who sees everything within himself4 #dg4 ,every one gets as it is allotted to him by his fate1 in retribution of his past actions2 and his fatality 7of retributive justice71 does not betide mortals only2 but binds the god ,siva also to the sweet embraces of ,gaur1 as well as to his melancholy contemplation for ever2 and so also doth the milky ocean1 bear the ambrosial moon in his ample bosom4 7,an irrevocable binds even ,jove himself1 as ,hara to his nakedness1 and ,hari to his serpent bed74 #dh4 ,good minded men are seldom seen to abandon their passions1 though they are capable of doing so in their life time2 but they become quite dispassionate upon their death1 when the five elemental principles of their bodies1 are burnt away upon the funeral pile4 7,all lie level with the dust in their silent graves74 #di4 ,but the living liberated man1 gains nothing by his doing anything1 nor loses aught by his doing of naught2 nor has he any concern with any person1 nor interest whatever with anything here on earth4 #ej4 ,what avails one's passionateness or dispassionateness in this world2 since what is fated in this life1 cannot be averted by any means4 #ea4 ,the god ,hari1 who is liberated in his life1 does not yet cease from his work of slaying the ,asuras1 or to have them slain by the hands of ,indra c42 he becomes incarnate1 to die himself or by hands of demons2 and is repeatedly born and grown up1 to be extinct at last4 7,such is the general doom of all74 #eb4 ,no one can give up his alternate activity and rest at once1 nor is there any good to be reaped by his attachment to the one1 or relinquishment of the other4 #ec4 ,therefore let a man remain in whatever state he may be1 without having any desire of his own2 because the god ,hari is without any desire in himself1 being the form of pure ,intellect or ,intelligence only4 7,desire subsists in the mind1 and not in the intellectual soul74 #ed4 ,the changing time changes and moves the steady soul1 like a ball on every side2 as it turns about the fixed sun round the world in appearance 7and not in reality74 #ee4 ,the lord of the day1 is not able to restrain his body1 from its apparent course2 though he is seated in his nirvna as he is1 without any desire of changing his place4 #ef4 ,the moon also appears to be waning under her wasting disease1 though she remains ever the same in all kalpa ages of the world2 so the soul of the liberated person continues the same1 though his body is subject to decay by age4 #eg4 ,the fire too is ever free and liberated in itself1 because nothing can extinguish its latent heat at any time2 and though it was suppressed by the sacrificial butter of marutta1 and the seminal liquid of ,siva for a while1 yet it revived again as it was before4 7,light and heat are coeternal elements74 #eh4 ,vrihaspati and ,sukra the preceptors of the gods and demigods1 were liberated in their life time1 and with all their ambitious views of predominance1 they appeared as dull and miserable persons4 #ei4 ,the sagely prince ,janaka is perfectly liberated in his mind1 and yet he is not loathe to rule over his princedom1 and to quell his enemies in battle4 7,liberation consists in the mind1 and not in cessation from action74 #fj4 ,the great kings ,nala1 ,mandhta1 ,sagara1 ,dilpa1 ,nahusa and others1 were all liberated in their lives2 and yet they reigned and ruled over their realms1 with all the vigilance of sovereigns4 #fa4 ,a man acting either wisely or foolishly in life1 is neither bound to or liberated in this world2 but it is his ardent desire of or apathy to worldliness1 that constitutes his bondage to or liberation from it4 #fb4 ,the demoniac princes ,vali1 ,namuchi1 ,vritra1 ,andhaka1 ,mura and others1 lived quite liberated in their lives2 though they acted as unwisely1 as if they were elated by their ambition and passions4 #fc4 ,therefore the existence or disappearance of the passions1 in the conduct of any body1 makes no difference in his spiritual character2 but it is the pure vacancy of the human soul and mind1 that constitutes his liberation in this world4 #fd4 ,being possest of the knowledge of ,god as pure vacuum1 the living liberated person is assimilated to the likeness of vacuity itself2 and is freed from the duality of thinking himself otherwise than the divine spirit4 7,the sense of self personality1 is lost in the knowledge of the universality of the divine soul74 #fe4 ,he is conscious of the fallacy of phenomenal appearances1 which he knows to be no more than as the variegated rainbow reflected in empty air 7by the ineffable light of the glory of ,god74 #ff4 ,as the various colours are seen to shine in the rainbow1 in the field of empty air2 so these myriads of brilliant worldly bodies1 are but vacuous particles appearing in infinite space4 7,the great worlds are as minute atoms in the sight of great ,god74 #fg4 ,this world is an unreality1 appearing as a reality in view2 it is unborn and increate1 and yet it is irresistibly conspicuous to our sight1 like the appearance of the sky in the empty firmament4 #fh4 ,it is without its beginning or end1 and yet appearing to have both of these2 it is a mere void1 and seeming as a real substantiality2 it is increate1 and yet thought to be a created something2 it is indestructible1 though thought to be subject to destruction4 #fi4 ,its creation and destruction are phenomena occurring in the vacuous essence of ,god1 as the structure of a wooden post and statue1 takes place in the substance of the wood4 7,here the ,divine essence is considered as the material cause of the world1 and the one being void the other is considered equally void also74 #gj4 ,the mind being freed from its imagination1 and drowned in deep meditation 7samdhi71 as in the state of a sleepless sleeper2 it comes to the sight of an even intellectual vacuity1 engrossing the sights of all the worlds1 as if absorbed in it4 #ga4 ,as a man passing from one place to another1 is unmindful of the intermediate scenes2 so the attention being directed solely to the sight of the intellectual void1 the thought of all the world and other existences is wholly lost in the same4 7,such sight of the single point in view is called the sakh chandra darsana4 ,nyya74 #gb4 ,in this state of intense meditation1 the thought of a duality is lost in that of the unity2 and this idea of oneness disappears in that of a vast void1 which terminates to a state of conscious bliss 7which is the summum bonum of yoga philosophy74 #gc4 ,in this state of insouciance1 the duality of the world is lost in the nullity of vacuity2 the knowledge of self personality is dwindled to spirituality1 and all futurity presents itself clearly to the view of the clairvoyance of the enrapt yogi4 7,this forms the prnat or perfectibility of yoga practice74 #gd4 ,the perfect yogi remains with his mind1 as clear as the vacuous sky1 enveloping the phenomenals in its ample sphere2 he sits silent and as still and cold as a stone2 he views the world in himself1 and remains quiet in rapturous amazement at the view4 ,,chapter ,,cxxvi4 ,,resuscitation ,,and ,,conduct ,,of ,,the ,,vipaschitas4 ,argument3--,release of the ,dead from the error of the world1 their wanderings and fancies of themselves4 ,rma said3--,now tell me sir1 what the ,vipaschitas did1 being cast in the seas1 islands and forests1 in the different parts of the earth4 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,hear now1 ,rma1 of the ,vipaschitas1 in all their wanderings amidst the forests of tla and tamla trees1 upon the hills and in the islands of different sides4 #c4 ,one of the ,vipaschitas1 that was roving about the westerly ridge of a mountain in ,kraunchadwpa1 was crushed to death by the tusk of an elephant1 as it tears a lotus in the lake4 #d4 ,another of these was smashed in his contest with a ,rkshasa1 who bore his mangled body aloft in air1 and then cast it amidst the marine fire1 where it was burnt to ashes4 #e4 ,the third was taken up by a ,vidydhara1 to the region of the celestials2 where he was reduced to ashes by curse of the god ,indra1 who was offended at the prince's want of respect towards him4 #f4 ,the fourth that went to the farthest edge of a mountain in the ,kusadwpa1 was caught by a shark on the sea shore1 which tore his body to eight pieces4 #g4 ,in this manner did all these four lose their lives on all sides1 and they all fell as sorrowfully as the regents of the four quarters1 at the last dissolution of the world on the doomsday4 #h4 ,after they were reduced to the state of vacuity amidst the vast vacuum1 their vacuous and self-conscious souls1 were led by the reminiscence of their former states to behold the earth 7to which they had been so much attached74 #i4 ,they saw the seven continents with their belts of the seven oceans1 and also the cities and towns with which they were decorated every where4 #aj4 ,they beheld the sky above1 with the orbs of the sun and moon forming the pupils of its eyes2 and also the clusters of stars1 that were hanging as chains of pearls about its neck1 and the flaky clouds that formed its folded vest4 #aa4 ,they saw with their intellectual eye1 the stupendous bodies that rose out of chaos at the revolutions of past kalpa cycles1 and filled the amplitude of the sky and all sides of the horizon with the gigantic forms4 7,these were the big bodies of the many ,unitarian ,saivas that appeared at the beginning of repeated creations74 #ab4 ,being possest of their consciousness in their spiritual forms1 they descended to observe the manners of elemental bodies that were exposed before them4 #ac4 ,all the four ,vipaschitas were actuated by their previous impressions1 to the inquiry into the measure and extent of the ignorance1 which led people to the belief of the body as soul itself1 in want of their knowledge of the spiritual soul 7as it is the case with gross materialists74 #ad4 ,they roved from one continent to another1 to witness in what part of this ideal globe of the earth was this ignorance 7avidy7 most firmly seated1 so as to give it the appearance of a visible substance4 #ae4 ,then passing over the seven continents and oceans1 the western ,vipaschit1 happened to meet with the ,god ,hari standing on a parcel of firm land4 #af4 ,receiving then the incomparable knowledge of divine truth from him1 he remained in his samdhi meditation at that spot for full five years4 #ag4 ,finding afterwards his soul to be full with divine presence1 he relinquished even his spiritual body1 he fled like his vital breath1 to the transcendent vacuum of final extinction nirvna4 #ah4 ,the eastern ,vipaschit was translated to the region of moon 7by his adoration of that luminary71 and was seated beside that full bright orb 7for his great purity and piety74 ,but the prince1 though placed in the exalted sphere of the moon1 continued ever afterwards to lament for the loss of his former body4 7,so heavenly souls are said to long for their bodies74 #ai4 ,the southern prince being forgetful of his spiritual nature1 thinks himself to be reigning in the ,salmalidwpa1 and employed in the investigation of external and sensible objects4 #bj4 ,the northern one dwelling amidst the limpid waters of the seventh ocean1 thought himself to be devoured by a shark1 which retained him in his belly for the space of a thousand and one years4 #ba4 ,there he fed upon the bowels of the shark1 which killed the animal in a short time2 and then he came out of its belly1 as if it gave birth to a young shark4 #bb4 ,then he passed the frigid ocean of snows and over its icy tracts1 stretching to eighty thousand yojanas 7or leagues7 in dimension4 #bc4 ,he next arrived at a spot of solid gold1 which was the haunt of gods1 and stretched to ten thousand yojanas1 and here he met with his end4 #bd4 ,in this land the prince ,vipaschit attained the state of a ,godhead1 in the same manner as a piece of wood is turned to fire in a burning furnace4 #be4 ,being one of the principal gods1 he went to the ,lokloka or polar mountain1 which surrounded the globe of the earth1 as an aqueduct begirds the base of a tree4 #bf4 ,it rises to the height of fifty thousand yojanas1 and has the inhabited earth on one side of it which faces the sunlight1 and eternal darkness reigning on the other4 #bg4 ,he ascended to the top of the polar mount1 which pierced the starry sphere2 and as he was seated upon it1 he was beheld in the light of a star by the beholders below4 #bh4 ,beyond that spot and afar from this highest mountain1 lay the deep and dark abyss of infinite void4 #bi4 ,here was the end of the globular form of this earth1 and beyond it was the vacuity of the sky1 of fathomless depth1 and full of impervious darkness4 #cj4 ,there reigns a darkness of the hue of a swarm of black bees1 and as the shade of the black tamla trees2 there is neither the stable earth nor any moving body under the extended sky2 this great void is devoid of support1 nor does it support anything whatever at any time4 7,this is chaos74 ,,chapter ,,cxxvii4 ,,cosmology ,,of ,,the ,,universe4 ,argument3--,account of the ,earth and the starry frame below the endless ,vacuum1 which envelops the ,universe4 ,rma said3--,please1 tell me sir1 how this globe of the earth is situated1 how and where the polar mountain stands upon it1 and do the stars revolve about the same4 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,as boys build their fancied castles in empty air1 so is this world the creation of the imagination of the mind of ,brahm1 and no more than this4 #c4 ,as the dimsighted man sees the shadow of the moon1 and other false sights before his eyes1 so the creative ,power--,brahm sees in the beginning1 the phantoms of the phenomenal world in the vacuity of its ,intellect 7like a shadow of the prototype in the ,divine mind74 #d4 ,as an imaginary city is situated in the mind1 and is invisible to the eye2 so the notion of the world is posited in the intellect1 and not exhibited in actuality4 #e4 ,whenever there is the reflexion of anything whatever in the mind1 and arising spontaneously of its own nature 7from previous reminiscence72 the same presents itself even then and in that state before the sight 7as in a dream74 #f4 ,as the dimsighted eye1 sees false sights in the sky2 so the deluded mind1 sees the earth and the orbs of heaven 7i4e4 the heavenly bodies74 #g4 ,as the current water flows on the surface of rivers1 and there resides the latent fire underneath2 so the notions of things presenting themselves as dreams of the mind1 are manifested as real ones before the sight4 #h4 ,hence as thoughts and notions of things1 occur and subside continually in the mind2 so the earth and heavenly bodies1 appear incessantly to revolve in their spheres 7and the stars to rise and set in endless succession74 #i4 ,the world is entirely inexistent1 to dull and inanimate beings2 it is visible to those that have the visual organs but utterly invisible to the blind1 and altogether unknown to them that are born as such4 ,it is imperceptible to the insensible1 and perceptible only in the same manner as it is presented in the mind4 ,so it is in the power of the mind alone1 to represent it in some form or other to one's self4 #aj4 ,it is thus according to the mental conception 7of some astronomers71 that the bodies of stars1 are considered to be as large as the earth2 and the unreal world 7of spiritualist71 is believed as a real entity 7by the materialist74 #aa4 ,the world has both light and darkness1 owing to the presence or absence of the sun2 beyond which there is the great abyss of vacuity1 which is a vast expanse of darkness1 except where there is a glimpse of ,zodiacal light4 #ab4 ,the polar circle is called the polar mountain1 from the protuberance of the poles at both ends2 it is termed also the ,lokloka or having a light and another dark side1 owing to the course of the sun towards or away from it4 ,its distance from the starry circle1 derives it also of ,zodiacal light4 #ac4 ,beyond the polar circle1 and afar from the sphere of the sky1 there is the sphere of the starry frame1 which revolves around them at a great distance on all the ten sides4 #ad4 ,this starry 7zodiacal7 belt1 girds the firmament up and down1 from the heavens above to the infernal regions below1 in the vast vacuity of space2 and extends to all sides4 #ae4 ,the starry sphere 7or belt of the zodiac71 turns round the polar circle of the earth1 and its nether regions1 as it appears to our imagination1 and not otherwise 7as fixed and motionless74 #af4 ,the sphere of zodiacal stars1 is twice as distant from the poles1 as those are distant from the middle of the earth2 in the same manner as the covering crust of a ripe walnut is aloof from the sheath of its seeds4 #ag4 ,thus the starry belt is settled at double the distance from the poles1 as the polar circle is situated from the equator2 and it turns all about the ten sides1 as a bel fruit whirls in the sky4 #ah4 ,the aspect of the world is according to the modality1 in which it is situated in the imagination of ,brahm1 and as it is reflected from its archetype in the ,divine mind 7or its consciousness of it74 #ai4 ,there is another sphere of the heavens1 which is afar from the starry frame1 and twice in its extent than that2 this is lighted by the zodiacal light and beyond it there reigns a thick darkness4 #bj4 ,at the end of this sphere1 there is the great circle of the universe2 having one half of it stretching above and one below1 and containing the sky in the midst of them4 7,this is called the ,brahmnda kharpara1 or the mundane sphere74 #ba4 ,it extends to millions of yojanas1 and is compact with all its contents2 it is a mere work of imagination1 and formed of vacuity in the immensity of vacuum 7which is the mind of ,god74 #bb4 ,the sphere of light turns on every side1 of the great circle of vacuity1 with all the lightsome bodies of the sun1 moon and stars in its circumstance3 there is no upside nor downward in it1 but are all the same herein4 #bc4 ,there is no actual ascending1 descending nor standing1 of any planetary body therein2 they are mere manifestations of the intellect1 which exhibits these variations in the workings of the mind4 ,,chapter ,,cxxviii4 ,,the ,,vacuum ,,of ,,brahma ,,and ,,the ,,sight ,,of ,,the ,,world ,,therein4 ,argument3--,vipaschita's wanderings beyond the sphere of the world and the regions of darkness4 ,rma6 ,i have told you all these by my personal perception of them1 and not by any guess-work of mine1 because it is by means of their purely intelligent bodies1 that yogis like ourselves have come to the clear sight of these things in nature1 which are otherwise unknowable to the material body or mind4 #b4 ,thus the world of which ,i have spoken1 appears to us as in a dream1 and not in any other aspect as it is viewed by others 7,as either an imaginary or solid material body74 #c4 ,now whether the world is viewed in the light of a dream or any other thing1 it is of no matter to us2 since it is the business of the learned1 to speak of its situation and what relates thereto 7and not of its nature or essence74 #d4 ,there are the two poles 7merus7 situated at the utmost extremities of the north and south of the world2 and it is the business of the learned1 to enquire into the endless kinds of beings lying between them4 #e4 ,these varieties are well known to the people of those particular parts2 and not to us here1 where they do not appear in their native beauty4 #f4 ,the two poles 7as said before71 standing at the farthest extremities of the globe1 limit the earth with its seven continents and seas1 and stretch no farther beyond them4 #g4 ,now hear1 ,o ,rma1 that the whole body of water on earth1 is ten times as much1 as the extent of the two continents 7lit41 valves71 which are surrounded by it4 #h4 ,the two continents attract the circumambient waters around them1 as the magnet attracts the needles about it2 and the water 7in its turn71 upholds the continents 7and islands71 as the ,kalpa tree supports the fruits upon it4 #i4 ,all things on earth are supported by it1 as the fruits of a tree are supported by its stem2 wherefore every thing on earth falls down on it1 as fruits fall upon the ground4 #aj4 ,far below the surface of the water1 there is a latent heat underneath1 which is ever burning without any fuel1 which is as still as air1 and clear as the flame of fire4 #aa4 ,at the distance of ten times from it1 there is the vast region of air2 and as many times afar from that1 there is the open space of transparent vacuum4 #ab4 ,at a great distance from that1 there is the infinite space of the vacuity of ,divine spirit2 which is neither dark nor bright1 but is full of ,divine ,intelligence4 #ac4 ,this endless void of the supreme spirit1 is without its beginning1 middle or end2 and is named as the universal soul1 the great ,intellect and perfect bliss 7nirvna or insouciance74 #ad4 ,again there are myriads of orbs1 in the distant parts of these spheres2 that appear to and disappear from view by turns4 #ae4 ,but in reality1 there is nothing that either appears or disappears1 in the uniformly bright soul of ,brahma2 where every thing continues in the same manner1 throughout all eternity4 #af4 ,i have thus related to you1 ,rma1 all about the phenomenal worlds1 that are perceptible to us2 hear me now to tell you1 what became of ,vipaschit in the polar region4 #ag4 ,being led by his former impressions and accustomed habit1 he kept wandering about the top of the mountain 7as he was wont to do before72 but fell down afterwards in the dark and dismal pit therein4 #ah4 ,he found himself lying as dead at that spot1 when the birds of air1 as big as mountain peaks1 alighted upon his dead body1 which they tore to pieces and devoured at last4 #ai4 ,but as he died on the holy mount1 and had a spiritual body of himself2 he did not feel the pains and pangs which are inevitable upon the loss of the material body1 but retained his clear consciousness all along4 #bj4 ,yet as his self-consciousness1 did not attain the transcendent perceptivity of his soul2 he remembered the grossness of his past acts and deeds1 and was sensible of them1 as any living body4 #ba4 ,rma asked3--,how is it possible sir1 for the unembodied mind1 to perform the outward actions of the body2 and how can our spiritual consciousness1 have any kind of perception of any thing8 #bb4 ,vasishtha replied3--,as desire drives the home-keeping man from his house1 and as imagination leads the mind to many places and objects1 so the mind of this prince was led from place to place 7as his reminiscence portrayed them before it74 #bc4 ,as the mind is moved or led by delusion1 dream1 imagination and by error or misapprehension and recital of stories1 7to the belief of things72 so the mind of the prince was led to the credence 7of whatever appeared before him74 #bd4 ,it is the spiritual or intellectual body 7or the mind71 which is subject to these fallacies 7and not the corporeal body72 but the human mind1 forgets in course of time1 its spiritual nature2 and thinks on its materiality 7i4e4 takes it for a material substance74 #be4 ,but upon disappearance of these fallacies1 in the manner of the mistaken notion of the snake in a rope2 there appears the spiritual body only1 in lieu of the corporeal one4 #bf4 ,consider well1 ,o ,rma6 that the spiritual body is the only real substantiality2 because all that appears to exist here beside the intellect1 is no existence at all 7without the mind1 which makes and unmakes them74 #bg4 ,as the mind of a man going from one place to another1 passes on quietly over the intermediate places1 and is quite unconscious of them2 such is the case with the intellect1 which passes to endless objects1 without ever moving from its fulcrum1 or changing itself to any other form4 #bh4 ,say therefore1 where is there a duality1 and what object is there deserving your amity or enmity1 when all this totality is but one infinite ,deity1 and known as the transcendent understanding4 #bi4 ,the transcendental understanding is that calm and quiet state of the ,intellect1 which is without the workings of the mind2 and though the prince ,vipaschit was settled in his spiritual body1 he had not yet attained to that state of transcendentalism4 7,this is ,platonism or musing of the soul in itself74 #cj4 ,he being in want of this percipience1 found his mind on the stretch2 and with his spiritual body1 he saw a dark gloom1 as it appears to a foetus confined in the embryo4 #ca4 ,amidst this gloom1 he beheld the mundane egg split in twain1 and perceived the surface of the earth1 situated in the lower valve thereof4 ,it was a solid substance1 as bright as gold1 and extending to millions of yojanas4 #cb4 ,at the end of this he saw the waters1 eight times in extent to that of the land2 and these in the form of crusts of the oceans1 formed the two valves 7continents7 of the earth 7i4e4 the ,eastern and ,western hemispheres74 #cc4 ,after passing over this1 he reached to the region of light1 blazing with the sun and stars2 emitting flames of conflagration issuing from the vault of heaven4 #cd4 ,having passed that region of fire1 without being burnt or hurt in his spiritual body2 he was led by his mind to another region1 where he thought and felt himself to be borne aloft by the winds to his former habitation4 #ce4 ,as he was carried in this manner1 he felt himself to be of a spiritual body2 for what is it beside the mind1 that can lead any body from one place to another4 #cf4 ,with this conviction of himself1 the patient prince passed over the region of the winds2 and got at last to the sphere of vacuum1 which was ten times in extent to that of the former4 #cg4 ,passing over this1 he found the infinite space of the vacuum of ,brahma2 wherein all was situated1 and whence all had proceeded1 which is nothing and yet something1 of which nothing can be known or predicated4 #ch4 ,moving along this empty air1 he was carried far and farther onward in his aerial journey2 until he thought in his mind1 he could see from there1 all the other spheres of the earth and water1 and of fire and air1 which he had passed over before4 #ci4 ,there were again the formations of worlds1 and repeated creations and dissolutions of them to be seen in it2 and trains of gods and men1 and those of hills and all other things2 going on in endless succession therein4 #dj4 ,there was a recurrence of the primary elements1 and their assuming of substantial forms2 and repetitions of creations1 and reappearances of worlds and the sides of the compass4 #da4 ,thus the prince is still going on in his journey through the infinite void of ,brahman2 and finds the succession of creations and their dissolutions in it to no end4 #db4 ,he has no cessation from his wanderings1 owing to his conviction and assuetude of thinking the reality of the world2 nor does he get rid of his ignorance1 which is from ,god also4 7,man is created in ignorance1 and barred from tasting the forbidden fruit of knowledge74 #dc4 ,whatever you view in your waking1 or see in your dream2 is the perspicacity of the ,divine soul1 and ever displays these sights in itself4 #dd4 ,this world is an apparition of our ignorance1 like the spectres that are seen amidst deep darkness2 but know that it is the transparent intellect of ,god which represents it so1 and will ever do the same4 #de4 ,and as the dark sight of the gross world1 as well as the clear light of its transparency1 do both of them proceed alike from the selfsame mind of ,god2 it is impossible to conceive1 whether it is the one or the other1 or both alike4 #df4 ,hence1 ,o ,rma1 this prince being uncertain of the transparency of the ,divine spirit has been wandering for ever more1 in the dark maze of his preconceived worlds2 as a stray deer1 roves amidst the tangled wilderness4 ,,chapter ,,cxxix4 ,,vipaschit',s ,,becoming ,a ,,stag4 ,argument3--,the fates of the four ,vipaschitas1 and the transformation of one to a stag4 ,i have heard of the liberation of two ,vipaschitas1 by grace of ,vishnu2 and want now to know what became of the two brothers1 that have been wandering all about4 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,one of these two1 learnt by long habit to subdue his desires1 and by his wandering in many islands1 had at last settled in one of them1 and obtained his rest in ,god4 #c4 ,having relinquished the sight1 of the outward livery of the world1 he saw millions of orbs rolling in the vacuity and is still enrapt with the view4 #d4 ,the second one 7or other7 of them1 was released from his personal wanderings1 by his continuance in the contiguity of the moon1 where his constant association with the stag-like mark on the disc of that luminary1 changed his form to that of that animal1 which he still retains in his situation upon a hill4 #e4 ,rma asked3--,how is it sir1 that the four persons of ,vipaschit1 having but one mind1 and the same desire and aim in view1 could differ so much in their acts1 that brought upon them such different results of good and evil8 #f4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the habitual desire of a person1 becomes varied according to the various states of his life1 in course of time and in different places2 it becomes weaker and stronger in degree1 though it is never changed in its nature4 #g4 ,it is according to circumstances that the selfsame desire or object of a person1 is modified in different forms2 and whatever of these is greater in its intensity1 the very same takes the precedence of others1 and comes to pass in a short time4 #h4 ,in this divided state of their desires1 the four persons of the prince1 arrived to four different states in their modes in life2 so that two of them were immerged in their ignorance1 the third became a deer1 and the last gained his liberation at last4 #i4 ,the two former have not yet arrived at the end of their nescience1 but have been grovelling in darkness by their blindness to the light of truth2 which can hardly dispel the darkness1 that is continually spread by ignorance4 #aj4 ,it is only the light of philosophy1 that is able to drive the gloom of ignorance2 which however deep rooted it is1 then flies at a distance1 as the shade of night is dispersed before the light of day4 #aa4 ,attend now to what this ,vipaschit did in the other world1 where he was cast on the coast of gold1 across the far distant ocean of sweet waters1 and which he mistook for the habitable earth4 #ab4 ,beyond this he beheld an orb in the vacuity of ,brahm1 which was as he thought the vacuum of the great ,brahma himself4 #ac4 ,here he was led by his excellent virtues1 amidst the society of the learned2 and learning from them the visible world in its true light1 he was amalgamated into the state of ,brahma himself4 #ad4 ,no sooner had he arrived at that state1 than his ignorance and his body disappeared from him1 as the sea in the mirage vanishes before the closer view1 and as falsehood flies before truth4 #ae4 ,thus ,i have related to you all the acts of ,vipaschit1 and about the eternity of ignorance as that of ,brahma1 because it is coeval with him 7because the positive idea of knowledge1 is always blended with that of its counterpart or the negative idea of ignorance74 #af4 ,see the millions of years1 that have been passing in eternity1 but the mind by its nature1 is quite unmindful of their course and number4 7,so also is the idea of eternity1 of which we have no definite idea74 #ag4 ,as the knowledge of horses is said to be false1 when known1 so the knowledge of the world 7as a separate existence7 is a falsity1 but being truly known1 it is found to be ,brahma himself4 787 #ah4 ,there is no difference of avidy or ignorance1 from the essence of ,brahma2 because the one subsists in the other2 for ,brahma is the perfect ,intellect himself that shows the difference in the modes of intellection4 7,all differences are displayed in the ,divine ,mind74 #ai4 ,another ,vipaschit1 that was wandering all about in the universal sphere1 could not come to the end of his ignorance 7avidy71 in his course of a millennium4 #bj4 ,rma said3--,how was it1 sir1 that he could not reach to the utmost pole of the universe1 nor could he pierce its vault to get out of it8 ,please explain this fully to me1 which you have not yet done4 #ba4 ,vasishtha replied3--,when ,brahma was born at first in mundane egg1 he broke the shell with both his hands1 into the upper and lower halves4 #bb4 ,hence the upper valve of the shell1 rose too far upwards from the lower half2 and so the lower valve1 descended as far below the upper part4 #bc4 ,then there are the circles of earth1 water and air1 which are supported upon these valves2 while these two serve as bases for the support of other spheres4 #bd4 ,in the midst of these there is the vacuous sky1 which is infinite in its extent1 and which appears unto us1 as the blue vault of heaven4 #be4 ,it is not bounded by the circles of earth and water1 but is a pure void1 and basis of all other spheres that rest upon it4 #bf4 ,he passed by that way into the infinite void1 as the circles of the starry frame revolve amidst the same2 in order to examine the extent of ignorance and to obtain his release from it1 as he was taught to find4 #bg4 ,but this avidy or ignorance being coalescent with ,brahma1 is as infinite as the ,deity himself2 and there she is as unknowable as ,god1 as yet nobody has been able to know her nature4 7,god and ,nature are both unknowable74 #bh4 ,vipaschit continuing to mount afar and higher in the heavens1 found the nature of avidy or ignorance to be coextensive with the extent of the worlds1 through which he traversed on high4 #bi4 ,now see how one of these persons was liberated1 and another grazing about as a stag2 see the other two fast bound to their former impressions1 and constrained to rove about the worlds1 which they took for realities in their ignorance4 #cj4 ,rma said3--,tell me kindly1 ,o sage1 where and how far and in what sorts of worlds1 have these ,vipaschitas been still roaming1 with getting their intermission4 #ca4 ,at what distance are those worlds1 where they are born over and over again2 all this is very strange to me1 as they have been related by you4 #cb4 ,vasishtha said3--,the worlds to which the two ,vipaschitas are carried1 and where they have been roving2 are quite invisible to me1 notwithstanding all my endeavours to look into them4 7,it is the terra incognita74 #cc4 ,so the place where the third ,vipaschit is roving as a deer1 is also in a land which is known to nobody on earth4 #cd4 ,rma said3 you have said sir1 that the ,vipaschit who is transformed to a deer1 has been roving on a hill2 tell me therefore1 o most intelligent seer1 where is that hill situated1 and how far is it from here4 #ce4 ,vasishtha answered3--,hear me tell you1 how far off is that world from here1 where ,vipaschit has entered after passing through the vast vacuity of the supreme spirit2 and has been wandering there in his form of a deer4 #cf4 ,know it to be somewhere amidst these three worlds1 where he has been roving as a stray deer2 because this is the vast vacuity of the ,divine spirit2 in which all these worlds are interspersed at great distances from one another4 #cg4 ,rma rejoined3--,how is it consistent1 sir1 to say with good reason1 that ,vipaschit was born and dead in this world1 and is still roving as a deer in it8 7,why did he wander about in infinity1 if he were to remain a finite being herein8 gloss74 #ch4 ,vasishtha replied3--,as the whole must well know all the parts of which it is composed1 so do ,i know every thing every where1 which is situated in the all comprehensive soul of ,god1 whereto ,i have assimilated myself4 7,vasishtha means to say1 that he knew all in his svnubhava or all knowing mind4 ,gloss74 #ci4 ,i know the absent 7i4e4 all things past and future71 and all that is destroyed1 as well as all forms of things whether small or great1 are all interwoven together and exhibited before me1 as if they were the production of this earth of ours4 #dj4 ,hence all that ,i have told you1 ,o ,rma1 regarding the adventures of the prince1 was the work of his fancy1 and took place in some part of this world1 where he lived and died4 #da4 ,the ,vipaschitas all wandered about the other worlds in empty air1 and all this was the work of their imagination1 which is unrestricted in its flight through boundless space4 #db4 ,one of these has happened to be born here as a deer1 and it is in the dale of a mountain1 somewhere upon this earth4 7,it is believed that all mortal souls transmigrate to this again1 after their wanderings are over in other spheres74 #dc4 ,the place where the prince is reborn in his form of a stag1 after all his wanderings in other spheres were over2 is in this orb of earth1 where he is placed on a certain spot by an act of unaccountable chance 7kka tliya74 #dd4 ,rma said3--,if it is so1 then tell me sir1 in what region of this earth1 on what hill and in what forest of it1 is this stag placed at present4 #de4 ,what is he doing now1 and how does he nibble the grass in the verdant plain2 and how long will it be1 before that veteran seer may come to the remembrance of his former state and past actions4 #df4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is the same stag1 which has been presented to you by the ruler of the province of ,trigarta2 and is kept close in your pleasure garden for your sport4 #dg4 ,vlmki said3--,rma was quite surprised with all the people sitting at the court1 upon hearing the sage say so2 and ordered his attendant lads in the hall to bring it forthwith before his presence there4 #dh4 ,then the brute stag was brought and placed before the open court1 when the court-people found it plump and fat1 and quite tame and gentle4 7,lit43 content with its own state74 #di4 ,its body was spotted all over1 as with the stars of heaven2 and its eyes were as outstretched as the petals of lotus flowers1 and by far more handsome than the eyes of beauteous damsels4 #ej4 ,it looked with its timorous glances1 on the blue sapphires which decorated the court2 ran to bite them with its open month1 thinking them to be blades of grass4 #ea4 ,then as it gazed at the assemblage1 with its raised neck1 uplifted ears and staring eyes through fear2 so they raised their heads1 pricked up their ears1 and looked upon the animal with their open eyes1 for fear of its leaping and jumping upon them4 #eb4 ,at last the king with all his ministers and courtiers1 were all amazed at the sight of the animal1 and thought it was all a magic1 which they saw before them4 #ec4 ,the wondering eyes of the assembled people1 and the shining gems on the persons of the princes1 made the court hall appear1 as if it were studded with full blown lotuses all around4 7,the simile of blooming eyes and blossoming lotuses1 is common in all ,indian poetry74 ,,chapter ,,cxxx4 ,,entering ,,of ,,the ,,stag ,,into ,,the ,,fire4 ,argument3--,the stag burnt in the meditation of ,vasishtha1 and turned in its former figure of the ,prince4 ,vlmki related3--,rma then asked ,vasishtha1 to tell him by what means ,vipaschit was released from his brutish shape and restored to his human form again4 #b4 ,vasishtha said3--,the way by which a person has had his rise1 is the only means that conduces to his success1 welfare and happiness in life 7and a departure from this course1 brings on his ruin74 #c4 ,vipaschit had been a worshipper1 and it is by his re-entrance into the refuge of that deity only2 that his changed form of the stag1 may be altered and restored to its former figure1 of bright and unalloyed gold4 #d4 ,i will now try the means of his restoration in your presence1 as you may all witness it with your open eyes2 and this stag will of itself enter into the fire before your sight4 #e4 ,vlmki related3--,saying so1 the benevolent sage1 touched his water pot with his hand1 and muttered his mantras upon it in the proper form 7i4e4 with fixed attention74 #f4 ,he thought intently upon the god of fire1 with his flashing flames all around him2 and immediately there sprang a blaze of fire1 upon his reflection on it 7in the midst of the royal hall74 #g4 ,this was a pure flame1 kindled without any coal or fuel1 and burning with a rumbling noise1 without emitting any smoke or soot or sloe4 #h4 ,brighter and brighter it burnt in its beauty1 and shone as a dome of gold1 by shedding a golden lustre all about2 it was as flushing as the blushing kinsuka blossom1 and as glowing as the evening clouds of heaven4 #i4 ,the assembled hosts receded backward1 upon beholding the spreading flame2 but the stag flushed with the fervour of its former faith1 on seeing its adored deity manifest before its sight4 #aj4 ,as it looked on the fire with its ardent desire1 he got rid of his sins1 as if they were burnt away by its flames2 and then advancing slowly towards it1 he jumped at once amidst the blaze1 as a lion springs aloft on his prey4 #aa4 ,at this moment1 the ,muni moved his mind to meditation1 and found the sins of the prince were burnt away from his soul2 and then addressed the god1 saying3-- #ab4 ,o lord1 that bearest the sacrificial butter to the celestials1 recall to thy mind the past acts of the prince1 in his faith to thee2 and kindly restore him1 to his former handsome figure again4 #ac4 ,as the sage was praying in this manner1 he saw the stag to be released from the flame1 and running towards the assembled princes1 with the velocity of an arrow flying towards its butt end or mark4 #ad4 ,having entered into the burning fire1 he appeared as a flaming body1 and was seen by the assembly to be of a form1 as bright as the appearance of an evening cloud4 #ae4 ,thus the stag was changed to the form of a man1 before the sight of the assembled princes2 as a spot of cloud is seen to assume another figure in the face of the bright vault of heaven4 #af4 ,it was seen amidst the flame1 to assume a figure as that of pure gold2 which afterwards took the form of a man1 of handsome shape and appearance4 7,so the funeral fire purifies the soul of its impurities1 and gives it a brighter form afterwards74 #ag4 ,he appeared as the orb of the sun1 or as the disc of the moon in the sky2 or as the god ,varuna in the waters of the deep1 or as the evening cloud or rising moon4 #ah4 ,there was the reflexion of the sun in the pupils of his eyes1 as it was reflected on the surface of water1 or on a mirror or bright gem2 and the fire of his faith1 blazed serenely in the sockets of his eyeballs4 #ai4 ,shortly afterwards this blaze of light disappeared from the court1 as the light of a lamp is blown away by the breath of wind2 or as the tinges of evening clouds vanish in the sky under the shades of night4 #bj4 ,the man then stood as plainly in the hall1 as the idol of a deity is seen to stand in a dilapidated temple 7without its brightness72 or as an actor is seen behind the scene 7without his dress74 #ba4 ,he stood silent holding a rosary on his hand1 and having his sacred thread1 hanging down a chain of gold about his neck2 he wore a robe of pure white blanched by the fiery heat2 and appeared as the bright moon1 rising before the assembly4 #bb4 ,on seeing the brightness of his person and attire1 the courtiers all and every one1 cried out saying1 8,o to the lustre02 and because he was as lustrous as day light1 he was named1 8,lustre0 by all4 #bc4 ,the courtiers also confirmed it by saying that1 because he is as bright as brightness itself1 let him be styled the 8bright or ,bhsa01 the name that he bore on him ever afterwards4 #bd4 ,he sat in the hall in his meditative mood1 and remembered all the incidents of his past life and former body4 #be4 ,the assembly was struck with wonder1 and remained quite motionless and speechless and absorbed in thought2 as ,bhsa was reflecting in his mind the adventures of his past life4 #bf4 ,then the prince rose from his reverie after a short while1 and advanced towards the assembly1 under his newly obtained title of ,bhsa or the light4 #bg4 ,he advanced at first towards ,vasishtha1 and saluted him with delight2 and then addressed him saying3--8,i bow down1 sir1 before thee1 as the giver of my life and light of knowledge of myself40 #bh4 ,vasishtha raised him by touching his head with his hand2 and said3 8,may thy protracted ignorance1 ,o prince1 dissipate this day and for ever after04 #bi4 ,victory to ,rma1 said ,bhsa1 and bowed down to ,dasaratha2 who rising a little from his seat1 thus accosted him smilingly and said3-- #cj4 ,dasaratha said3--,you are welcome1 ,o prince6 be seated on this seat2 you have wandered through many difficulties of the world1 now take your rest here4 #ca4 ,vlmki related3--,thus accosted by the king1 the prince now bearing the name of ,bhsa1 took his seat on a cushion1 after making his salutation1 to the venerable sages ,visvmitra and others4 #cb4 ,dasaratha exclaimed3--,o the pains1 that ,vipaschit has so long undergone1 under the thraldom of ,ignorance2 in the manner of a wild elephant1 tied in fetters at his feet by ruthless huntsmen4 #cc4 ,o to what miseries is man exposed1 owing to his want of precise understanding1 and by his false knowledge of the reality of these worlds1 that are seen to be revolving in empty shape4 #cd4 ,how wondrous are these worlds1 so extensive and so remote1 which ,vipaschit has traversed out1 and how incredible are the pains1 through which he has passed so long4 #ce4 ,o how wonderful is the nature and glory1 of the inane ,intellect of the vacuous spirit of the ,supreme1 that exhibits in empty air1 the blank thoughts of his all comprehensive mind1 as sole and substantial ones 7to the apprehension of ignorant mortals74 ,,chapter ,,cxxxi4 ,,bh,,sa',s ,,account ,,of ,,the ,,worlds ,,and ,,his ,,journeys ,,throughout4 ,argument3--,there is no substantive world1 separate from the thoughts in the ,eternal mind4 ,dasaratha said3--,i understand that ,vipaschit has acted unwisely1 in taking so much pains in his wanderings for a knowledge of the spheres2 because it is all in vain to inquire into unrealities and useless matters1 and it was his ignorance or avidy alone1 that led him to the search4 #b4 ,vlmki related3--,at this moment the sage ,viswmitra1 who was sitting beside the king2 oped his mouth and said on the subject now under consideration4 #c4 ,viswmitra said3--,o king1 there are many such men1 who without a good understanding1 and for want of best knowledge2 are apt to think that all things are possible to be known by them4 #d4 ,hence it is that the sons of king ,vatadhna1 have been wandering in this manner1 and for very many years1 in search of true knowledge1 all over this earth1 and without ever being able to arrive at it4 #e4 ,it is for exploring the limits of this earth1 that they have been employed with ceaseless toil and unwearied labour1 as a river runs in its incessant course for ever4 #f4 ,this great world 7the earth71 is situated as an orb in the air1 like an imaginary tree of boys growing in the sky1 or as a toy ball of fanciful ,brahm1 rolling about in empty air4 #g4 ,as creeping emmets move about a sugar ball1 without falling off from it2 so do all living bodies move about their support of this earth1 which is sustained in the empty air4 #h4 ,those that are situated on the lower surface of this globe1 are moving thereabouts as erectly1 as those that are on its upper side 7and though this earth is turning up and down yet no one sides away from it74 #i4 ,the sun1 moon and planets1 together with the starry frame and the heavenly stream 7the milky way72 are attracted to turn round it incessantly1 without ever coming in contact with it4 #aj4 ,the sky girds and surrounds it on all sides1 though the firmament appears to be above our heads1 and the earth below our feet4 #aa4 ,the living beings below the earth1 are both moving downward or flying upward1 as the beasts and birds on the upper side of it2 and the region to which they fly is called the upper sky 7whether it be in this or that side of it74 #ab4 ,there is on some part of this earth1 a warrior race by name of ,vatadhnas2 and there were born three princes of this royal family1 in days of yore 7and are said to be living still74 #ac4 ,they were firmly intent like ,vipaschit1 to know the limits of the visible world2 and set out in their journey to explore the same1 with a firm and unfailing resolution4 #ad4 ,they passed from the land to water1 and the waters to other lands again2 and thus they passed many lives and ages1 in their repeated inquiries with their resuscitated bodies in reiterated births 7because the steady pursuit of one1 follows him in his successive births74 #ae4 ,thus wandering for ever all about the earth1 they like ants moving on a sweet cake1 found no end of it1 nor reached to any other spot1 beyond the same even in their thought of another one4 #af4 ,they are still turning around it in the air1 like busy emmets about a roll2 and they are yet in the same search without being tired of it4 7,alexander said1 8,earth is this thy end80 but these princes found no end of it74 #ag4 ,because whoever stands on any part of the globe1 thinks it as the uppermost1 and all other places on every side of it1 to be lower than it2 and so the antipodes below think themselves as upmost4 #ah4 ,they then said among themselves that1 if they could not find the end of the earth all their toil1 they must give up the pursuit and remove themselves elsewhere4 #ai4 ,so it is with this world1 ,o king6 which is no more than display of the thoughts of ,brahm2 it is a work or creation of the mind only1 and a delusion as that of a protracted dream4 #bj4 ,the mind is the ,supreme ,brahma1 and ,brahma is self-same with his very mind2 they are both of the form of the intellect1 and there is no more difference between them1 than that of open air and the sky4 #ba4 ,the intellect operates in itself1 like the running waters in whirlpools2 and as the eddies and their swelling bubbles1 are no other than the very water1 so the operations of the mind1 are modifications of the mind itself4 #bb4 ,the sky which is but vacuum1 and was a void in the beginning2 shows itself in the form of the world2 which is neither created nor ever destroyed4 #bc4 ,whatever the intellect suggests 7from its preconceptions and predilections72 the mind 7which is the active principle71 obeys the same and is inclined in the same way2 and continues to view the outer world1 as it has ever existed in thought4 #bd4 ,the visible world is of the same form1 and equally imperishable as the intellectual2 it is the eternal ,god that manifests himself in this manner1 which is otherwise nothing of itself4 #be4 ,there is an atom of the divine ,intellect1 an infinity of minuter atoms in the shape of ideas1 just as there are innumerable stones in the body of a rock2 they reside in the spirit of ,god1 and are as translucent as the divine spirit4 #bf4 ,they abide in their own natures in the unexpanded spirit of ,god2 but they do not live independent of themselves1 as there is nothing that is separate from the supreme spirit4 #bg4 ,therefore this world is said to be the manifestation of the ,divine ,mind2 and this conclusion is arrived at by the learned1 by means of their logical consideration of the antecedent and subsequent 7i4e4 by both their a priori as well as a posteriori arguments74 #bh4 ,it is strange therefore that the human soul1 should sorrow for its degradation and think itself as a different thing1 though it is inseparable from the one universal soul4 #bi4 ,now let the so called prince ,bhsa1 who is otherwise known as the mighty monarch ,vipaschit by his former appellation2 what other strange things1 he remembers to have seen1 in all his wanderings through worlds4 #cj4 ,bhsa replied3--,i have seen many sights1 and wandered untired through many regions2 and remember also to have felt various vicissitudes in my life4 #ca4 ,hear ,o king1 how much ,i have known and felt1 in my course through remote regions in the spacious firmament on high2 and know the joys and griefs1 which ,i have enjoyed and suffered1 in my transmigrations in different bodies and distant worlds1 from a long long time out of mind4 #cb4 ,it was by favour of the god of fire1 and by the good and bad turns of fate2 that ,i have seen a great many scenes1 in my course in various forms and lives1 like the revolving waters in a whirlpool1 with a calm and constant and resolute mind4 #cc4 ,actuated by past reminiscence and misled by mistaken view of visibles2 ,i was impelled by my firm zeal to inquire into all worldly things1 in the different forms and changes of my body4 #cd4 ,i had been an arbour for a thousand years1 having my senses undeveloped in me1 and feeling the rigours of all climates and seasons within myself4 ,i had no mind nor mental action1 save those of drawing the sap of the earth by my roots1 and expanding myself into fruits and flowers4 #ce4 ,i had been a mountain stag for a hundred years1 with my skin of golden hue1 and my ears as flat as leaves of trees2 ,i fed on blades of grass1 was charmed with all kinds of music1 and being the weakest of all animals of the forest1 ,i could do no injury to any one4 #cf4 ,i lived for half a century as a ,sarabha1 a wild animal with eight legs2 ,i dwelt in the caves of ,krancha mountain1 and brought on my death by falling down from a craig1 in attempting to fight with the raining clouds on high4 7,the ,sarabha is a fabulous beast that dies by jumping down the hill74 #cg4 ,i had also been born once as ,vidydhara1 and had lived upon the table land of ,malaya mountains1 and amidst the happy bowers of ,mandara1 redolent with the sweet scent of sandal woods and kadamba flowers4 ,here ,i have breathed the sweet air perfumed by gum agallochum1 and enjoyed the company of ,vidydhar-fairies4 #ch4 ,i was born as a cygnet of the swan of ,brahm1 and tasted the honey of aureate lotuses for more than a century1 and sported on the banks of the heavenly stream of ,mandakin1 on the celestial mount of ,meru4 #ci4 ,for a hundred years1 ,i remained by the side of milky ocean1 feeling the cooling breezes wafting the moisture of its waves1 and the fragrance of the forests and listening to the songs of the songsters of springs1 which join to vanish the infirmities and sorrows of life4 #dj4 ,i was once born as a jackal1 in the woods of ,kalenjara mountains1 and roved about the blossoming gunja and karanja forests2 here ,i was trodden down by an elephant1 and was about to expire1 when ,i beheld that elephant to be killed by a lion in his turn4 #da4 ,i was at one time transformed to the form of a celestial nymph1 and accursed by a siddha to dwell alone in some other sphere2 where ,i lived for the period of half a yuga upon the sahya mountain1 smiling with the blooming blossoms of santanaka arbours4 #db4 ,i next lived as a ,valmika bird of raven1 in my nest amidst the karavra plants1 growing on the marshy grounds at the foot of a mountain2 and there ,i passed my solitary life of a hundred years1 with a fearful breast and ceaseless scrambles on the dreary rocks4 #dc4 ,i saw afterwards a level plain somewhere1 with shady bowers of sylvan creepers under the shade of sandal trees2 and beheld some females amusing there with swinging1 like fruits on the branches of trees1 and to be ravished away by the passing siddhas4 #dd4 ,at another time1 ,i passed my days as an anchorite1 under the shade of ,kadamba trees at the foot of a mountain2 where ,i dwelt on the meditation of the single object of my devotion1 and thus foolishly met my end with the pain of not meeting my object4 #de;a4 ,i saw also this universe to be full of beings1 which fill it as fishes people the ocean on every side2 the air1 sky and light1 are all inhabited by beings1 as well as this earth of ours4 #de;b4 ,there is another wonder which fills this universe1 as the shadow of the sky fills the ocean on all sides2 it pervades in the air1 water1 sky and light1 as well in all forms of things on earth4 7,this is the reflexion of ,brahma in all creation1 as that of the sky in water4 ,gloss74 #df4 ,i also saw another wonder in a woman1 who contains the three worlds in her ample womb2 and who is pictured with the forms of hills and all things1 resembling their reflexions in a mirror4 #dg4 ,i asked her saying3 ,o thou big bodied and big bellied one6 tell me who thou art2 to which she replied and said3--know me sir1 to be the pure and clear ,intellect1 that contains all these worlds within herself4 #dh4 ,she added and said3--,o sir1 as you see me so wondrous in my form1 so must you know all things in the world to be of the same kind2 but people who view them in their natural form find them otherwise1 unless they look into them in their spiritual light1 when the gross forms vanish into nothing4 #di4 ,these numberless beings on earth1 are continually hearing1 even without the directions of the ,vedas and sstras1 a warning voice arising from some part of their bodies1 bidding them what is right or wrong for them to do4 7,this is called anhata dhwani or the voice of conscience74 #ej4 ,nature reigns over all elements like anhata dhwani4 ,the elements appear immovable at sight1 but in fact1 they possess inherent mobile forces2 no one can assign any cause over them except delusion or my4 #ea4 ,i once went to a place1 where there were no females to be found1 nor had the people any desire for them2 and yet many among the living there were fastly passing away1 and many others newly coming to existence4 #eb4 ,i have seen the wonder of some portentous clouds in the sky1 charging against each other with a jarring noise2 and pouring down their rains with fragments of things on all sides1 which were picked up and used as weapons by men4 #ec4 ,i have seen another wonder somewhere that1 these earthly cities and buildings1 were passing in their aerial course1 amidst a mist of thick darkness2 and then vanishing in the air1 returning to be your habitations here below4 #ed4 ,another wonder that ,i saw was1 that all these men and gods and reptiles1 having left their differences of species1 came to be of one kind in common with all other beings4 7,all distinctions are lost in the end74 ,because all things proceed at first from vacuum1 and to this they return at last4 #ee4 ,i also beheld a spot which was full of light1 and shone forth brightly without the lights of the sun1 moon and stars4 ,i remember well that effulgent glory1 before which there was neither darkness nor day and night1 and nothing else in existence4 #ef4 ,i saw also a place never seen before1 which was devoid of gods and demons1 men and animals of all kinds1 it was without the vegetable creation1 and habitation of any kind of being2 and a world where the present and future1 and all worlds are blended into eternity4 #eg4 ,in short1 there is no place which ,i have not seen1 nor any side 7of the compass7 where ,i have not been2 there is no act or event which ,i have not known1 and in a word there is nothing unknown to me1 that is unknown to the knower of all4 7,the soul that becomes one with ,omniscient soul1 becomes all-knowing like the same74 #eh4 ,i remember to have heard the jingling sound of the armlets of ,indra1 which resembled the noise of the rattling clouds on high2 or likened the jangling jar of the gems1 which glistened on the peaks of the ,mandara mountain1 in its trepidation of churning the milky ocean4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxii4 ,,bh,,sa',s ,,relation ,,of ,,the ,,transmigrations ,,of ,,his ,,soul4 ,argument3--,bhsa relates his repeated births1 the wonders he has seen1 and the vanity of the world4 ,bhsa continued3--,it was once at the foot of the ,mandara mountain1 that ,i dwelt as a siddha under the shady bower of ,mandra trees2 and had been sleeping in the sweet embrace of an ,apsara1 ,mandar by name2 when it happened1 that the current of a river bore us both away1 as it carries down a straw in its course4 #b4 ,i supported my partner now floating on the water1 and asked her to tell me how could it happen to be so2 when she with her tremulous eyes answered me thus1 saying3-- #c4 ,here it occurs at the full moon1 that this mountain which is sacred to the moon1 gives rise to its outlets1 which then rush out as rapidly1 as ladies run to meet their consorts at the rising of the moon4 #d4 ,it was owing to my rapture in your company1 that ,i forgot to tell you of this2 saying so she lifted me up1 and fled with me into the air1 as a female bird mounts into the sky with her young4 #e4 ,i was to the top of that mountain1 where ,i remained seven years1 with my dried and unsoiled body1 as a bee remains unsullied on the pericarp of a lotus flower growing in the bed of the ,ganges4 #f4 ,i thence saw some other worlds beyond the starry circle1 which were encircled by one another like the coatings of a plantain tree4 ,they were bright by their own light1 and were peopled by luminous bodies4 #g4 ,there were no distinctions of directions nor divisions of daytime 7for want of the sun72 there were no sstras or rules of conduct1 nor vedas for religious guidance2 there was no difference of the gods and demigods1 but the whole was bright with its own light4 #h4 ,i was next born as a ,vidydhara1 and lived for twice seven years as an ascetic under the name of ,amarasoma1 dwelling in the grove of kadamba trees1 at the foot of a cloud-capt mountain1 which was frequented by aerial cars of the celestials1 for their pleasure1 the sport and diversion4 #i4 ,then ,i was borne with the velocity of winds1 afar amidst the etherial regions on high2 whence ,i beheld numberless elephants and horses1 lions and deer1 and woods and forests filled with beasts and birds1 all moving along in the form of clouds beneath4 #aj;a4 ,it was thus with the force of the bird of heaven--,garuda1 that ,i mounted up to heaven from earth1 and passed through infinite space1 by favour of the god of fire1 in order to see the extensive range of the delusion of ,avidy or ,ignorance1 which was displayed all around4 #aj;b4 ,it was thus by favour of the god of fire1 and the fervour of my desire to see the extensive range of the delusion of ,avidy or ,ignorance2 that ,i mounted up to heaven from earth1 with the force of the bird of heaven--,garuda2 and passed through the infinite space1 that was spread all around4 #aa4 ,i felt in myself to fall off once1 away and afar from the solar world2 it seemed to be an etherial ocean inhabited by stars1 amidst which ,i was situated as one1 with the consciousness of my fall and course of time4 #ab4 ,with the only consciousness of my fall from the sky on high1 ,i felt in myself the sense of falling fast asleep from fatigue2 and then in that state of sound sleep of my body1 ,i thought ,i saw the sensible world in my mind1 as if it were in my waking state4 #ac4 ,i saw again the same world within the horizon1 and the same mandra mountain of the gods amidst it2 whilst ,i had been fluttering in the midst of its abyss1 as a bird sitting on a slender twig1 is shaken and tossed about by the blowing wind4 #ad4 ,i saw with my eyes to the utmost extent of the sensible world1 and again and again ,i was led to the sight of the visibles1 and enjoyment of the sensibles only 7in the repeated transmigrations of my soul74 #ae4 ,thus ,i passed a long series of years1 in viewing the visible and invisible objects 7both of my waking and dreaming hours72 as well as in passing through the passable and impassable paths 7of this and other worlds74 #af4 ,i could not find anywhere1 the limit of this ,avidy or ,ignorance1 which showed unto me the visibles only 7in my waking and dreaming1 and in this world and others74 ,it is a fallacy that has taken the possession of our minds1 as the apparition of a goblin takes a deep root in the breasts of boys4 #ag4 ,this and this 7i4e4 the visible7 are not realities1 is the firm conviction of all in their right reasoning2 and yet the false sight of this and this as a reality1 is never to be removed from any body4 #ah4 ,we find our pleasures and pains1 occurring to us every moment1 with the changes of time and place2 their course is as constant as the currents of rivers1 which are ceaselessly succeeding one another4 #ai4 ,i remember to have seen a world1 with all kinds of moving and unmoving beings in it2 and a verdant mountain top in the midst1 rustling with the blowing breeze1 and shining of itself without the light of the luminaries4 7,this is the pinnacle of the glory of ,god74 #bj4 ,this mountain peak is delightsome to solitary recluses1 it is quite free1 alone and unlimited1 and beyond all fear of change or decay4 ,i have never seen in this brightsome world1 a glory which is comparable to this divine effulgence4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxiii4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,wonderful ,,carcass4 ,argument3--,description of a carcass falling from above1 and covering the whole surface of the ,earth4 ,vipaschit said3--,i saw another great wonder1 in some part of some other world1 which ,i will now rehearse unto you2 it was a horrible sight that attends on sin1 and which ,i had to see by my blind attachment to ignorance4 #b4 ,there is somewhere amidst the vast vacuum1 a wonderfully bright sphere1 which is quite impassable by you2 it is situated in a vacuity like this of ours1 and so different from it1 as a city in dream differs from one in sight4 7,because the romantic view of the vision is not realizable to ocular sight74 #c4 ,as ,i saw rambling in that sphere1 in search of the object that ,i have in my heart1 and looking to all sides of the void2 ,i saw a huge and unmoving shadow1 like that of a body of locusts spread over the earth4 #d4 ,i saw astonished at the sight1 and cast my eyes on all sides to see what it was2 ,i came to find the mountainous form of a man1 falling fast from the sky2 and hurling down like a whirlpool upon the earth4 #e4 ,who can be this person8 said ,i1 is it the lord ,virt with his mountainous body1 or a mountain falling from the clouds8 ,it fills the sky and the whole space of heaven1 and hides the light of the day under its all developing shadow8 #f4 ,as ,i saw pondering in me what might this portent mean2 7as whether it was the figure of ,virt or the form of ,brahm himself72 ,i saw soon after1 the bulky body of the sun falling down from heaven1 it seemed to be hurled down by the hurricane of desolation and dashing with a hideous crash against the backbone or great belt of the mundane egg of ,brahm4 #g4 ,soon as this hideous and prodigious body1 fell down upon the earth1 it filled its whole surface1 and covered the face of the seven continents and oceans4 #h4 ,i dreaded my imminent destruction1 together with that of whole earth under its blow2 and determined to enter into the ever burning fire by my side4 #i4 ,then the lord fire--the source of vedas1 and my adored divinity in a hundred repeated births1 appeared manifest before me in his cooling moon-like form1 and said1 fear not1 no evil will betide thee4 #aj4 ,i then addressed the god1 saying3 be victorious1 ,o my lord and adored one in repeated births2 save me from this untimely desolation1 which is now impending on all4 #aa4 ,thus invoked by me1 the god responded again saying the same words3 8,fear thou not1 but rise1 ,o sinless one1 and follow me to my region of the empyrean04 #ab4 ,saying so1 he made me sit on the back of his parrot1 and flew with me up to heaven2 by burning athwart a part of the falling body4 #ac4 ,getting to the upper sky1 ,i found the body as if it were made of wood1 and it was this which struck so much terror below1 as it is attended with the falling of a portent--a comet or meteor from above4 #ad4 ,then as it felt down in full force1 the earth shook beneath its weight1 with all trembling waters and tottering mountains1 and shaking woods and forests4 ,the mountains burst forth in cataracts1 which overflowed on the land1 and bored it to horrible holes4 #ae4 ,the earth groaned from her bowels1 and the sky roared on all its four sides2 the heavens resounded to the roar1 and mountains growled with the fearful howling of all beings1 as at the approach of their last doom4 #af4 ,the earth groaned under the burden1 and all the quarters trembled with fear2 the vacuum was filled with the echo of cries rising from the earth1 and the ,garuda-eagles were on their flight through fear4 #ag4 ,there arose a harsh and hideous uproar on high1 from the loud bursting of the mountains below2 and like the crashing and clattering of the dark and dense clouds of deluge1 when they are shattered and scattered1 by the blasts of diluvian winds4 #ah4 ,the earth trembled and roared at the impetuous fall of the hideous carcass1 and the resounding sky re-bellowed to the sound from its hundred mouths2 the mountains burst out on all sides1 and their falling fragments and pinnacles1 were hurried headlong1 and buried underneath the ground4 #ai4 ,its fall was as the breaking down of a mountain pinnacle or fragment1 smashing the tops of the lower hills1 rending and splitting the ground1 and levelling all things on earth with the dust4 #bj4 ,it perturbed the waters of the deep1 and hurled down the hills to the ground2 it crushed all living beings1 and gave ample range to the sport of the agents of destruction 7the ,rudras74 #ba4 ,the falling of the sun upon the earth1 and his hiding the face of the continents under him2 the crushing of mountains and the breaking down of towering cities4 #bb4 ,the celestials saw all these from above this earth1 which forms one half of the mundane egg1 turning to a vacuum form2 7i4e4 vanishing into the air74 #bc4 ,as ,i was looking on that mountainous body of flesh1 7i4e4 the huge carcass72 ,i observed that the ample space of all the seven continents of the earth was not enough to contain this single body4 #bd4 ,seeing this1 ,i applied to the good grace of the god of fire2 and asked him saying1 ,lord what is this and what does it mean4 #be4 ,why did the sun also fall down from heaven1 along with that corpse2 and how is it that the space of the whole earth and all its oceans1 has not sufficient room to compass it8 #bf4 ,the ,god of fire replied3--,hold your patience1 my son1 for a while1 until this portentous event passes away2 when ,i will explain this marvellous matter fully to you4 #bg4 ,soon as the ,god had said these words1 there flocked an assemblage of the celestials all around us2 and it consisted of all kinds of beings that are born and move about in the aerial regions4 #bh4 ,there were the siddhas1 sadhyas1 ,apsaras1 ,daityas1 ,gandharvas and ,kinnaras among them2 together with the ,munis1 ,rishis1 yakshas and ,patres1 ,matres and the gods also with them4 #bi4 ,all these celestials then1 bowed down their heads in veneration2 and all joined with their prostrate bodies to praise the dark goddess of ,night1 who is the refuge and resort of all4 #cj4 ,the celestials said3--,may that goddess protect us her protgs1 who is immaculate and incomparable1 and has the grey braids of ,brahm's hairs1 tied at the top of her khattanga ensign1 and the heads of the slain ,daityas1 strung to the neck-chain hanging on her breast2 who wears the feathers of ,garuda on her head1 and who after devouring the world1 drinks off the deep also at the end4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxiv4 ,,the ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,carcass ,,continued4 ,argument3--,description of the body of the ,goddess1 and her food of the carcass1 and drink of the blood4 ,vipaschit continued3--,all this time ,i was looking at the carcass1 that had fallen from above1 and covered the whole surface of the earth under it4 #b4 ,i distinguished that part of its body which was its belly1 and had hid in it the whole earth1 with all its seven continents and immeasurable mountain4 #c4 ,i was then told by the god of fire1 that there was no limitation of its arms and thighs1 and of the extent of its head2 and that it had fallen from beyond the polar region1 which is inaccessible to mankind4 #d4 ,the ,goddess who is so much lauded by the celestials1 is the manifestation of vacuum1 which of itself becomes dry 7i4e4 is naturally empty and void74 #e4 ,she is represented as accompanied by ghosts and furies1 as followed by demons and hobgoblins1 which walk in her train1 and shine as stars and meteors in the open firmament4 #f4 ,her long and muscular arms1 are stretched to the skies as the tall pines of the forest2 and her eyeballs flash forth with living fire1 and scatter the solar beams all around4 #g4 ,the flashing weapons in her hands1 were jangling in the sky2 and her missiles were darting like flocks of birds flying from their aerial nests4 #h4 ,her flaming body and flashing eyes and limbs1 glistened with the glare of a bush of reeds set on fire1 or as the sparkling of a flight of arrows in the midway air4 #i4 ,her glittering teeth1 shed the lustre of the beaming moon1 and brightened the faces of the four quarters of heaven1 with a milk white splendour2 while her tall slender stature1 reached to and touched the sky4 #aj4 ,she stood supportless1 like the stretching clouds of the evening sky2 and was mounted on a dead body1 as if she rested on the blessed seat of ,brahm4 7,brahma pada the throne of ,god1 ,elysium1 ,valhalla or ,nirvna74 #aa4 ,she shone in her brilliant form1 like the crimson clouds of evening2 and added to the ocean of the etherial expanse1 the burning blaze of submarine fire4 #ab4 ,she was flaunting in her decorations of human skeleton and bones1 and flourishing her weapons of the mallet and others2 and darting her arrows all around1 as a mountain scatters its flowers all about4 #ac4 ,she mounted aloft in the air1 with her neckchain of human skulls1 sounding with a harsh clattering noise2 resembling the rattling of stones1 falling down a mountain with the precipitate rains4 #ad4 ,the gods then prayed to her saying3 ,o mother goddess6 we make an offering of this carcass to thee2 do thou join with thy adherents1 and soon take this corpse for your food1 and make an end of it4 #ae4 ,upon this prayer of the gods unto her1 the goddess began to draw in with her inhaling breath1 the blood and pith of the carcass into her bowels and intestines4 #af4 ,as the goddess was absorbing the dead blood1 by her inhalation of it1 the red fluid rushed into her wide open month1 like the entrance of the evening clouds1 into the cavity of the western mountain 7of the setting sun74 #ag4 ,the etherial goddess drank the blood1 thus drawn in by her breath2 as long as her lean skeleton-like frame1 grew fat from her satiety1 and she stood confest in her form of ,chandika4 #ah4 ,being thus filled and fattened1 by full draughts of the sanguineous beverage2 she had the appearance of a blood red cloud1 with flashing lightenings shooting from her eyes4 #ai4 ,the pot bellied goddess1 being then giddy with her bloody drink2 became loose in her attire1 began to flounce her ornaments1 and flourish all her weapons in the empty air4 #bj4 ,she began to dance and toss about in the air1 which was almost filled by the bulk of her body2 while the gods kept watching on her movements1 from their seats on the distant border or boundary mountains4 #ba4 ,immediately upon this1 the whole host of her female ghosts and goblins1 composed of ,rupikas and others1 flew upon the carcass1 as the rainy clouds alight upon mountains4 #bb4 ,the mountainous carcass1 was laid hold by the clutches of ,kumbhandas1 and torn to a thousand pieces by them2 while the ,rupikas bored its belly1 and the yakshas gored its back with their elephantine tusks4 #bc4 ,but they could not get or break its arms1 shoulders and thighs2 because these members of its body1 stretched far beyond the limits of the mundane or solar system4 #bd4 ,they could not therefore be reached unto by the ghosts1 who are confined within the limits of this world1 and could not go beyond1 where those parts were rotten away of themselves4 #be4 ,as the goddess was dancing in the air1 and her hobgoblins were prancing over the carcass2 the celestials remained sitting on the mountain tops1 and kept looking on this dreadful scene4 #bf4 ,the disgusting morsels of putrid flesh1 and the stench of the rotten carcass filled the air and blood red clouds shrouding the scene1 seemed as burning bushes1 forming the fuel of the furnace 7for roasting the rancid meat74 #bg4 ,the chopping of the fetid flesh1 raised a sap-sap sound2 7meaning the sap of the carcass72 and the breaking of its hard bones1 sent forth a kat-kat noise 7purporting to cut them to pieces74 #bh4 ,the concourse of the demons1 caused a clashing sound2 resounding as the clashing occasional by the collision and concussion of rocks and mountains against one another4 #bi4 ,the goddess devoured her mouthfuls of flesh1 roasted in the fire that flashed forth from her mouth1 and the offals and fragments that fell down from it1 covered the earth below with filth2 while the drops of blood that distilled from the draughts she had drank1 reddened the ether with tints of vermilion hue4 #cj4 ,the celestial spectators saw their premises1 within the precincts of the visible horizon2 and the surface of the continents of the earth1 to present the sight of an universal ocean of blood4 #ca4 ,all the mountains on earth1 were covered with blood1 which reflected their redness to the cloud on high2 which gave the appearance of a red mantling veil1 spreading over the faces of the female regent deities of all sides of heaven4 #cb4 ,the sky below blazed with the flash of the weapons1 which brandished in the hands of the goddess all around2 and there was no vestige of any city or habitation to be seen on earth4 7,lit43 they were lost to sight1 but retained in memory3 i4e4 things absent from sight1 are present in the mind74 #cc4 ,it was an incredible sight to see1 that all the moving and unmoving objects of nature should be engrossed and absorbed in the bodies of the ghosts of insatiate death4 #cd4 ,the dancing demons were waving their arms in air1 in a manner as if they were weaving nets for catching the aerial birds2 and were lifting and dropping them up and down1 so as they seemed to measure the height and depth of the firmament4 #ce4 ,they stretched out the entrails of their victims1 from the earth below to the solar circle above2 and appeared to measure the distance with lines and cords4 #cf4 ,the gods seeing the earth thus endangered by the portentous carcase and its surface converted to an extensive sheet or ocean of blood4 #cg4 ,they felt themselves dismayed and distressed1 from their seat above the polar mountain2 and beyond the boundary of the seven continents1 where the stench of the putrid carcass could not stink into their nostrils4 #ch4 ,rma asked3--,how is it sir1 that the stench of the carcass could not infect the gods1 in their seats on the polar mountain2 when the fallen dead body is said to extend even beyond the limits of the mundane system8 #ci4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is true1 ,o ,rma1 that the dead body stretched beyond the limits of the mundane sphere2 but its belly lay within the boundaries of seven continents1 and that its head and thighs and its head and feet were without it4 #dj4 ,but from its breasts and the two sides and its loins and waist1 which lay out of this sphere1 one could have a clear view of the polar circle1 as well as that of its mountainous top4 #da4 ,sitting in those parts and places1 the gods could well behold the pinnacles of the mountain2 which were surely bright to sight1 and as white as the rainless clouds of the skies 7i4e4 white as fleecy clouds74 #db4 ,then the maters of furies of heaven1 kept on dancing on the wide spread dead body2 while the hosts of ghosts were devouring its flesh1 as the corpse lay its face turned downwards 7i4e4 upside down or topsy turvy74 #dc4 ,seeing now the streams of reddish blood running around and the putrid stink of rotten body spreading on all sides2 the gods all felt sorrowful at heart1 and grieved among themselves with exclaiming 7as follows74 #dd4 ,ah alas6 whither hath that earth disappeared1 with all the bodies of waters upon her2 where are those multitudes of men fled from it1 and where are the mountains swept away from its surface4 #de4 ,alas for those forest of sandal1 mandara and kadamba woods which had so ornamented the earth6 and woe for the flower gardens1 and the happy groves of ,malaya mountains6 #df4 ,where are those uplands of the lofty and gigantic snowy mountains of ,himlaya which appear now to be reduced to lurid clay1 by ire of the redhot blood1 of the bloody ghost of the carcass4 #dg4 ,even the gigantic ,kalpa trees1 that grew below the ,krauncha mountains1 in the continent of the ,krauncha dwpa2 and which had spread its branches up to the ,brahma-loka1 are now reduced to dirt4 #dh4 ,o thou lordly milky ocean6 where art thou now1 that hast produced the moon and the goddess ,laxm from thy bosom2 and that didst yield the prijata flower and the celestial ambrosia of the gods of yore4 #di4 ,o thou ocean of cards6 what has become of thee1 that was full with thy waving forest of billows2 which rose as high as mountains1 and bore about sweet butter with their foaming froth4 #ej4 ,o thou mellifluous sea of honey1 which was bordered by mountains studded by cocoa-nut trees2 whose fruits afforded sweet liquor for the beverage of goddesses1 where hast thou and they fled at present4 #ea4 ,o ,krauncha dwpa6 that didst abound in ,kalpa arbour which were inseparably clasped by the twining ivy of golden hue2 say where art thou hid with thy towering ,krauncha mountain4 #eb4 ,o ,puskara dwpa6 where art thou now with thy limpid fountains1 which were ever decked with beds of lotus bushes1 sported upon by the silvery swans of ,brahm8 #ec4 ,o where are thy ,kadamba groves gone1 with their outstretched branches on all sides2 and whose sheltered coverts were frequented by aerial nymphs1 for their secluded amusements4 #ed4 ,o where is the ,gomedha dwpa gone with its springs of sweet waters1 and the flowery gardens about its holy places8 ,and where are those vales and dales1 which were beautified by ,kalpa trees and their golden creepers8 #ee4 ,ah6 where is the ,saka dwpa with its forests of heavenly and ever verdant arbours1 the very remembrance of whose fair spectacles1 raises in the minds the sense of holiness and the sensations of heavenly bliss4 #ef4 ,ah6 where are those tender plants1 which waved their leaves at the gentle breeze2 and where are those blooming flowers1 which had brightened the scene all around4 #eg4 ,the devastation of all these beauties of the landscape1 fills our mind with pity and grief2 and we know not how much more piteous and painful must it be to the majority of mankind4 #eh4 ,ah6 when shall we see again1 the sugar-cane field beside the sea of saccharine waters2 and the hardened sugar candy on the dry lands about2 when shall we see the sweetmeats made of molasses and confectionary dolls of sugar4 #ei4 ,when shall we see again1 sitting on our golden seats on ,mount ,meru the merry dance of the beauteous ,apsaras daubed with sandal paste in their arbours of tla and tamla trees2 and wafted by the cooling breeze of ,kadamba and ,kalpa trees on sylvan mountains8 #fj4 ,ah6 we remember the memorable ,jambuvat river1 which flows with the sweet juice of jambu fruits1 and passes through the ,jambudwpa to its boundary ocean 7i4e4 the ,indian ocean in the south74 #fa4 ,i oft remember said one1 the giddy song and dance of celestial nymphs1 in the thick and shady groves of sailendra-trees1 and in the coverts of mountains beside the heavenly stream2 and it rends my heart like the lotus flower1 as it opens its petals in the morning4 #fb4 ,another one said3--,look at this ocean of blood1 sparkling like the melted gold on the top of the golden mountain of ,meru2 and brightening the beams of the rising and setting sun1 or as the moon-beams spread over the face of all sides of heaven4 #fc4 ,alas6 we know not where the earth is gone1 with all her circumambient oceans about the continents2 nor do we know where that high hill of ,himlaya has fled1 which was the resort of many rainy clouds1 and yielded the lotus flowers on its summit4 #fd4 ,we know neither where those rivers1 forests and groves have gone1 which decorated the earth before2 and pity for the cities and villages and their people1 that are now to be seen no more4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxv4 ,,disappearance ,,of ,,the ,,carcass1 ,,and ,,the ,,reappearance ,,of ,,the ,,earth4 ,argument3--,the corpse was eaten up by the ghosts1 and its blood sucked up by the goddess4 ,vasishtha resumed and said3--,after the corpse had been partly devoured by the demons1 the gods who had been sitting on the polar mount1 with ,vsava or ,indra at their head spoke to one another in the following manner4 #b4 ,lo6 the voracious goblins have not yet wholly devoured the corpse2 but flung its fat and flesh into the air to prove the paths of vehicles of ,vidydharas2 and these being wafted away and scattered about by the winds1 appear as huge masses of clouds overspreading the skies4 #c4 ,see them also throwing away the relics of their food and drink1 over the seven continents and oceans of the earth1 and making it again to reappear to view 7in the forms of its mud and waters74 #d4 ,alas6 that the once delightsome earth1 is now polluted by the impure carrion and blood2 and covered under the garniture of its forests1 as the sky is over shadowed by clouds4 #e4 ,the big bones of its bulky body1 form the mountains of this earth2 and what is this high ,himlaya1 but the huge back bone of the gigantic skeleton4 #f4 ,vasishtha said3--,as the gods were speaking in this manner1 the demons were employed in the meantime to construct the earth anew with the materials of the carcass1 after which they flew in the air1 and kept on dancing and flouncing there4 #g4 ,as the ghosts were disporting in their giddy dance in the air1 the god commanded the liquid portion of the dead body1 to be collected together in one great basin of the ocean the abodes of whales and sharks4 #h4 ,and as this ocean was from the pleasure 7gaudium7 of the gods1 it is thenceforth styled the ocean of wine 7or merriment of the deities2 in distinctions from the oceans of milk and other beverages74 #i4 ,the demons having done their dancing in the pandemonium in air1 come down to drink their full draughts of that ,stygian pool2 after which they repair to their aerial abysm to dance again4 #aj4 ,the demoniac orgies are still wont1 to indulge themselves in drinking of that bloody pool2 and to dance in their airy circles1 in company with their co-partners4 7,it refers to strong drink and drunken sots74 #aa4 ,and because the earth was besmeared1 with the fat and flesh 7medhas7 of the corpse1 it is thenceforward termed the medin or corpus4 7,the earth is said to have been formed of the flesh of the dead body of the demon ,madhu1 killed by ,hari in the beginning of creation74 #ab4 ,at the last disappearance of the dead body of the demon1 there appeared again the succession of day and night2 and the lord of creatures having formed all things anew1 restored the earth to its former shape4 7,this is event of the war between the gods and titans of yore74 ,,chapter ,,cxxxvi4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,gnat ,,and ,,hunter4 ,argument3--,explication of the story of the carcass1 and the ,narrative of ,asura and others4 ,bhsa said3--,hear now1 ,o lord of the earth1 what ,i then said to the god of fire1 from my seat under the wing of his riding parrot1 and the answer which the god made to my query4 #b4 ,i said1 ,o lord1 of the sacrificial fire and sacrifice1 deign to explain unto me the mystery of the carcass1 and the accompanying events 7of the goddess and her demons74 #c4 ,the god of fire replied3--,attend1 ,o prince1 and ,i will tell you all of what has happened2 and relate to you all about the carcass1 as it is well known in all the three worlds 7i4e4 in the traditions of all people74 #d4 ,know there is an eternal formless and transcendent ,intellect1 in the form of the boundless and formless vacuity2 wherein there are countless worlds1 subsisting as minute atoms in endless space4 #e4 ,this intellectual void1 which contains all and every thing in itself2 happened of its own spontaneity1 to be conscious of its contents in course of time4 #f4 ,i conceived by its innate knowledge1 the abstract idea of igneous particles of in itself1 just as you find yourself to be in the state of travelling in your dream2 by thinking yourself as such in the state of your waking4 7,one dreams whatever he thinks in himself74 #g4 ,it was thus that the ,divine ,intellect saw the particles of fire1 as in the unconscious state of its dream2 and as one sees the lotus dust 7for any thing17 before him in his imagination4 #h4 ,then as this ,intellect reflected on the expansion of these particles1 it became itself assimilated with them2 and evolved itself in the thought in the shape of powers and organs of sense1 in those particles of its body4 #i4 ,it then beheld the sensible organs1 as receptacles of their particular faculties2 and saw the world with all its beings1 appearing before it as in its dream2 and as we see a city in our dreaming state4 #aj4 ,there was one among the living by name of ,asura1 who became haughty and proud of his dignity1 he was vain and addicted to vanities1 and had no parents nor forefathers of his own4 #aa4 ,being elated with giddiness1 he entered once into the holy hermitage of a sage1 and destroyed and defiled the sacred asylum in his rage4 #ab4 ,the sage denounced his curse upon him and said 8whereas thou hast demolished my abode with thy gigantic figure1 be thou now be born as a contemptible gnat1 by thy immediate death under my curse40 #ac4 ,the burning fire created by the rage of the sage1 burnt down the ,asura to ashes1 even at that moment and on the very spot1 as the wild fire consumes the woods1 and as the submarine fire dries up a channel4 #ad4 ,then the ,asura became as air1 without his form and its supporting body2 and his heart and mind became as insensible as in a swoon4 #ae4 ,his sensibilities fled from him1 and became mixed with the etherial air2 and were hurled up and down thereabouts1 by the course of the flying winds4 #af4 ,they existed in the form of the intelligent and airy soul1 which was to be the living soul in connection with the body2 composed of particles of the undivided elements1 of earth1 fire1 water and air 7or the air in motion as distinguished from the vacuous air74 #ag4 ,the quintessence of five elements being joined with a particle of the intellect1 begets a motion of their own accord as the vacuity of the sky1 produces the wind by its breath and of its own nature4 #ah4 ,at last the particle of intellect1 is awakened in the airy soul2 as the seed developes its germs in connection with the earth1 water and air1 and in course of time4 #ai4 ,the understanding 7or intellectual part7 of the ,asura1 being fully occupied with the thought of the sage's curse and that of its having the nature of a gnat2 brooded over the reflection of the parts of its body1 and became the very gnat in its shape4 #bj4 ,this puny insect which is born by daylight in dirt1 and is blown away by the breath of wind1 is the short-lived ephemeral of a day4 #ba4 ,rma asked3--,how can living animals be born from other sources 7as dirt c471 if they are but the creatures of our dream as you said before8 ,so please to tell me1 whether they have really their birth2 or be anything otherwise4 #bb4 ,vasishtha replied3--,know ,rma1 all living beings from the great ,brahm to the animalcule and vegetable below1 have two kinds of birth2 the one is that they are all full of ,brahma1 and the other that they are the creatures of our errors4 #bc4 ,the false but rooted knowledge of the previous existence of the world1 and of all creatures besides1 leads to the belief of the regeneration of beings from the reminiscence of the past2 and this called the erroneous conceptions of births in the visible world4 #bd4 ,the other is the viewing of the representation of ,brahma1 in all things appearing to exist in this non-existent and unreal world2 and this called the pantheistic view of the world1 and not as a production either by birth or creation of it4 #be4 ,thus the gnat being produced by its delusive knowledge of the world1 and its continuance in the same state of blunder2 did not allow it to see the one ,brahma in all1 but led to different views and attempts1 as you shall hear just now4 #bf4 ,it passed half a day of its lifetime in whistling its faint voice1 among the humming gnats in the bushes of reeds and long grass2 and drank merrily their juice and dews1 and sported and flew all about4 #bg4 ,the next day it kept fluttering over a pool of mud and mire1 in company with its female copartner4 #bh4 ,being then tired with its swinging1 it rested on a blade of grass in some place1 where it was trodden over by the foot of a deer1 which killed him on the spot1 as it was by the fall of a rock upon him4 #bi4 ,now as it died by looking at the face of a deer1 it was reborn in the shape and with the senses of the same 7from its reminiscence of them74 #cj4 ,the deer grazing in the forest1 was killed by arrow of an archer2 and as he saw the countenance of the huntsman in his dying moment1 he came to be born next in the same form4 #ca4 ,the huntsman roaming in the forest1 happened to enter into the hermitage of a hermit1 by whom he was reclaimed from his wickedness1 and awakened to the light of truth4 #cb4 ,the muni said3--,o erring man6 why did you roam so long1 afflicting the innocent deer with your arrows2 why do you not rather protect them1 and observe the law of universal benevolence in this transitory world8 #cc4 ,life is but a breath of air1 and overhung by the clouds of calamities1 and is as frail as a drop of falling water2 our enjoyments are a series of clouds interspersed by fickle and flickering lightnings2 youth is fleeting and its pleasures are as the gliding waters1 and the body is as transient as a moment2 therefore ,o my child6 attain thy felicity while in this world1 and expect thy nirvna-extinction at the end4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxvii4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,states ,,of ,,waking1 ,,sleeping ,,and ,,dreaming4 ,argument3--,the ,hunter's ,inquiry into the means of salvation and the sage's instruction about them4 ,the ,huntsman said3--,instruct me now1 ,o sage1 the way to my salvation from misery2 and teach me the best mode of conduct1 which may neither be too difficult nor too facile to practice4 #b4 ,the sage replied3--,now be submissive to me1 and throw away your bow and arrows2 and betaking yourself to taciturnity and conduct of sages1 be free from trouble and remain herein4 #c4 ,vasishtha related3--,being thus advised by the sage1 the huntsman threw away his bow and arrows2 and betaking himself to the conduct of sages1 remained still even without asking for food4 #d4 ,in course of a few days1 his mind turned to the investigations of sstras2 as a full blown flower enters into the minds of men1 by means of its far smelling fragrance4 #e4 ,once he asked his preceptor1 ,o ,rma1 to tell him1 how and in what manner1 outward objects come to be seen within us in our dream4 #f4 ,the sage said3--,this very question1 ,o my good fellow1 had also arisen at first under my scrutiny2 how these shadows of things beyond us1 rise like the bodies of clouds in our sleeping hours in the sphere of our minds4 #g4 ,i then applied to my meditation1 and practiced the closeness of my attention for my introspection into this matter2 and steadily sat in my padmsana posture of folded legs1 and intensely intent upon investigation of this incident4 #h4 ,sitting in this manner1 ,i stretched my thought all about and afar2 and then retracted them1 into the recess of my mind2 as the rising sun stretches out his beams in the morning1 and afterwards draws them back into its disc in the evening4 #i4 ,i sent forth my breathings in quest of knowledge1 and then called to myself2 and thus continued in exhaling and inhaling my breaths1 as flowers let out and contract their fragrance by turns4 #aj4 ,my breath being accompanied with my mind1 was reposed in the air before me2 and then it was with the air inhaled by the pupil sitting before me1 and intromitted into his nostrils4 #aa4 ,thus my breath being mixed with his1 was admitted into his heart2 as a snake is drawn in by the breath of a bear1 sitting with his wide open mouth at the entrance of his hole4 #ab4 ,thus ,i entered into his heart1 by means of my vehicle of my breath2 and was put into difficulty of being confined therein1 by my folly of following my breath in its passage into his breast4 #ac4 ,i passed there amidst the arteries and aorta1 and was led through all the conduits and blood-vessels into all the nerves and veins1 both large and small and inside and outside the body4 #ad4 ,i was at last confined in the cage of the ribs on both sides of the body1 and had the fleshy masses of the liver and spleen presented before me4 ,this was the painful habitation of my living soul1 and these were as potfuls of meat set before it4 #ae4 ,my intestines kept coiling within me with a hissing sound1 and were surrounded by a flood of red hot blood continually flowing and boiling1 like the waves of the ocean heated under the hot sunshine4 #af4 ,i had fresh supplies of sweet scents1 incessantly borne to my nostrils by the blowing breeze2 and these tended to infuse both life to my body1 and sensibility to my soul4 #ag4 ,but then ,i was tormented as in hell-fire1 by the boiling blood1 bile and phlegm2 in my dark and dismal dungeon4 7,which was moreover infected by the stink of dirt within74 #ah4 ,it is the free and slow passage of the vital airs through the lungs1 that regulates the circulation of blood in all parts of the body2 and this determines the state of the bodily humours1 a derangement of which tends to generation of future diseases4 #ai4 ,the vital airs pushing against each other1 burst forth in explosion within their cavities2 while the culinary fire is burning as the submarine blaze1 through the tubular stomach1 resembling the hollow pipe of a lotus stalk4 #bj4 ,the external air carries the particles of things1 through the outer organs of sense into the body2 and these then enter into the mind1 either in their gross or pure state1 as thieves enter into a house at night4 #ba4 ,the chyle is carried with a chyme by the internal winds1 to all parts of the body by the passage of the intestines2 as the outer air bears the low and loud sounds of songs in all direction4 #bb4 ,i then entered into his heart1 which is difficult of access1 and ,i passed therein with as much jostling1 as a strong man makes his way amidst a thickly crowded throng of men4 #bc4 ,soon afterwards ,i found the sight of some shining substance1 at a distance from the heart 7i4e4 the culinary fire72 as a man scorched by sun shine1 finds the sight of cooling moon in the gloom of night4 #bd4 ,it was the spiritual light1 which reflected like a mirror all this triple worlds in itself1 and threw its rays upon all things therein2 it was the essence of whatever there is in existence2 and the receptacle of all living souls4 #be4 ,the living soul or life1 says the sruti pervades the whole body1 as the fragrance of a flower runs through all parts of it4 ,yet it is the heat of the heart in which it chiefly resides1 as the perfume of the flower dwells in the pistils1 after the blossom is expanded by the solar heat4 #bf4 ,i then crept unperceived into that heat1 which was the cell of the living soul2 and was there preserved by the vital airs from extinction1 as a burning lamp in a lantern1 is preserved by its interior airs from its being blown out or extinguished4 7,because the light is put out in a receptacle74 #bg4 ,i entered into that heat as fragrance passes into the air1 or as the hot wind pushes into the cold air1 or as water rushes into a pot 7i4e4 ,i pass through several sheaths1 to the seat of bliss74 #bh4 ,i passed into the second sheath1 which is as bright as moon light and as clear as a spot of white cloud2 and thence ,i ascend to the fair sheaths known by the names of the cells of butter1 sweets and milk-white water4 #bi4 ,being tired with my arduous passage through these sheaths1 ,i returned and rested in the genial warmth of my breast1 where ,i saw the full view of the world1 appearing as a dream before my sight4 #cj4 ,it showed the images of the sun and moon1 and the pictures of the seas and hills1 with the shapes of gods and demigods and human forms2 it presented also the sights of cities and countries1 and the face of the sky on all sides around4 #ca4 ,it exhibited also the oceans with their islands1 and the course of time and seasons and all moving and unmoving objects to my view4 #cb4 ,this vision of my dream1 continued steadfast and quite alike even after ,i was awake1 wherefore ,i remained in the same state after my sleep as ,i had been when sleeping1 because the view recurred to me in my waking state1 as it had occurred to me in my sleep4 7i4e4 ,the world is but a waking dream74 #cc4 ,now listen to me1 ,o huntsman1 what then ,i did4 ,i said to myself1 8what1 is this a waking dream ,i see before me80 and as ,i was thinking in this manner1 ,i had this knowledge of it awakened in me4 #cd4 ,verily it is the representation of the ,divine ,intellect1 and it is the manifestation of the ,deity himself2 and all these objects under the different names1 are but manifestations of the ,divine spirit in various shapes in the world4 #ce4 ,wherever there is the substance of ,intellect1 there is the cosmical image of the ,deity impressed upon it2 in its empty vacuous form1 which it never forsakes 7for aught of a gross nature74 #cf4 ,ah6 it is now ,i perceive1 said ,i to myself1 that all these appearances passing under the names of the world2 are mere representations of the intellect1 in the form of a passing dream4 #cg4 ,it is a little expansion of the essence of the intellect1 which is termed a dream 7or an imperfect view of things72 and it is also a greater expansion and extension of the same1 which is said to be waking2 both being the display of the self-same intellectual essence4 #ch4 ,a dream is said to be dream in the waking state1 and not while one continues in his dreaming state1 when it appears as waking2 so our waking is but a dream1 whence the two states of our waking and sleeping dream4 #ci4 ,even our death is a dream1 which continues with our intellect even after our death2 because the intellect which resides in the body1 does not die even in a hundred deaths of the body2 for who has ever heard of the death of the soul 7which is same with intellect7 of any body4 #dj4 ,this ,intellect is a void and vacuous substance1 dwelling in and expanding with the body2 it is infinite and undivided1 and remains indivisible and indestructible1 both with as well as without the destructible body4 #da4 ,the vacuous particle of the intellect1 which is indestructible by its nature1 and shines forth eternally and ad infinitum by itself2 has the so called world for its pith and sap and ever attached to itself4 #db4 ,the vacuum of the intellect1 contains within its bosom1 the minute particles of ideas2 each of which represents a part of the great variety of objects1 that compose its totality 78as parts of an undivided whole074 #dc4 ,the soul breaking off from its view of the visibles1 rests in its receptacle of heart2 and sees the various sights in its dream1 which are unfolded by the intellect before it4 #dd4 ,again the soul being inclined to the outer mind of sights1 exposed before it by its own intellect2 it comes to see the visions of the external objects1 which pass under the phenomenal world4 #de4 ,the soul sees in itself and in the same state1 the sights of all things both within and without it2 such as1 this earth and sky1 the winds and waters1 the hills and cities1 and all things spread on all sides4 #df4 ,as the solar disc which is situated in the heaven above1 appears also in the waters below in full blaze2 so the soul is situated both in the inside and outside1 in the form of the world1 7or with the form of imprest ideas in it74 #dg4 ,therefore knowing that it is the intellectual soul1 that sees the internal dream and the external world in itself2 whoso abstains from craving anything is surely blest 7because he has every thing in himself4 ,every soul or mind being full of the thoughts and sights of all things in itself1 can be no more in want of anything74 #dh4 ,the soul is both inseverable and uninflammable 7i4e4 it can neither be cut asunder nor burnt away72 and whoso says otherwise1 he must be betrayed by the delusion of duality1 as a boy is decoyed by the deceitful yaksha 7hocus-pocus74 #di4 ,he who sees his inward soul1 to view the world internally in itself1 is said to be dreaming in himself2 and whoso finds his soul looking outwardly on the external world1 is known to be waking4 #ej4 ,thinking so for regarding the dreaming and waking states1 ,i was inquisitive to know the state of sound sleep1 and went on making my inquiries therein4 #ea4 ,but ,i thought of what good is the sight of the visible to me8 ,better remain quiet in myself1 because it is the thoughtless oblivion1 and consciousness of self1 that is true insouciance or the stupor or susupti--somnum or hypnotism4 #eb4 ,as the hair and nails of the body1 are never thought of1 though they are well known to belong to and to be attached to it2 so the mind is quite unconscious of all material and immaterial objects in nature1 in its state of sound sleep when it rests in its self-consciousness alone4 #ec4 ,tired with the rambles and sights of my waking and dreaming states1 ,i sought my quiet rest in the state of my thoughtless self-consciousness2 and this being the sole aim and end of sound sleep1 there is no other meaning of the susupti hypnotism4 #ed4 ,it is possible even in the waking state1 to have this sound sleep of susupta hypnotism2 by our determination of thinking of naught1 save that of sitting quiet in one and same state 7of abstractedness74 #ee4 ,the state of abstraction being arrived at1 is termed susupti--sound sleep2 but when the sleep is light 7,vikshepa71 it is called swapnam--somnum or dream4 #ef4 ,having ascertained my torpor to the hypnotic susupti1 ,i was resolved to seek after the turya or fourth state of supreme bliss2 and with this resolution1 ,i set out in search of it with my best introspection and diligence4 #eg4 ,i tried my utmost1 but could get no indication of its true form and feature3 and found out at last1 that it was not to be had without our clearsightedness1 as the sunlight is imperceptible to the dimsighted eye4 #eh4 ,that is called clearsightedness1 wherein our view of the world1 as it appears unto us is utterly lost2 and whereby we see in that light in which it exists in the ,divine ,mind4 #ei4 ,therefore the three states of waking1 dreaming and sound sleep1 are all included under this fourth state2 wherein the world is seen as it exists1 in the light of a nihility4 #fj4 ,this then is the turya or ultimate view of the world1 that it is produced by no cause and from nothing2 but it is ,brahma himself that exists in this state of tranquillity1 from all eternity4 #fa4 ,the impossibility of the pre-existent and primordial causes1 precludes the possibility of the production of anything and of the creation itself2 it is the ,intellection of the intellect only1 that gives rise to the conception of creation2 as it is the nature of water to assume its fluidity and exhibit its dilation4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxviii4 ,,the ,,pervasion ,,of ,,the ,,mind ,,throughout ,,the ,,universe4 ,argument3--,the joining of the two souls of the sage and his pupil together made them twain1 and gave a two fold view of objects3 but their union in unity made them one1 and presented the one and same view of things to both the united pair4 ,the ascetic sage continued3--,i then thought of being united with his consciousness1 and breathed out the breath of my life to be joined with his1 as the ripe mango sends forth its flavour1 to mix with the fragrance of lotus flowers4 #b4 ,i did not forsake my vital heat 7or energy71 until ,i entered into his intellect2 and began with infusing my outward sensations1 into the organs of his external senses4 #c4 ,i then attracted my outward sensations1 by the internal sensibility of my heart1 and mixed them with those of his1 as a drop of oil is mixed with and diluted in water4 #d4 ,as my sensuousness was intermingled with his sensations1 ,i became sensible of a duplex feeling of all external objects1 which appeared in their reduplicated forms to my senses4 #e4 ,all things on all sides seemed to be doubled about me1 and there appeared two suns and two moons to be presented to my sight4 ,so the heaven and earth appeared in their two fold forms before me4 #f4 ,as one face is seen as two in some glasses1 so all things presented their double forms to the mirror of my eyes4 ,and all these biplex shapes seemed to be as closely united together as the world 7i4e4 the body and mind74 #g4 ,and as the same intellect resides in the form of oil in two sesame seeds1 so ,i saw the two worlds mixed up together with my intellect united with his in his body4 #h4 ,and though my consciousness was united with his in the same body1 yet it was not wholly assimilated with his 7owing to the difference of our desires72 but they view the world respectively1 in the different lights of milk and water 7i4e4 as appearing pleasant to the one and painful to the other74 #i4 ,yet as ,i looked awhile into his consciousness1 and compared and measured it with mine2 they were both found to be the same thing and of the self same essence4 7,consciousness is joint knowledge of ourselves in connection with others74 #aj4 ,my consciousness was joined with his in the same manner1 as one season joins with another 7at its end72 or as the confluence of two rivers runs together1 and as the smoke mixes with the clouds1 or the wind carries the fragrance of flowers with it4 #aa4 ,this our consciousness being mixed up together1 the double view of the world now became one2 just as the erroneous sight of the two moons in the sky1 is soon changed to one upon aright its right view4 #ab4 ,then my power of discernment which was in his person1 became finer and finer without wholly losing itself in his1 and resided together in his very body4 #ac4 ,afterwards the faculties of the mind which resided in his breast1 were found to be directed to the observation of external objects2 and to take delight in noticing the occurrences of the day 7i4e4 the present objects74 #ad4 ,he being at rest from his weariness1 after taking his meal and drink2 felt drowsy and inclined to sleep1 as the lotus flower shuts its petals at nightfall1 after sucking the nectarious liquid of the lake4 #ae4 ,he withdrew his mind from observing occurrences1 that circulated all about the busy scene of the external world2 as the setting sun retrenches his rays from the face of the world1 as he goes to take his rest in the evening4 #af4 ,the functions of his senses receded into heart1 and the operations of his mind retired to his brain1 and remained hidden therein1 like the members of a tortoise drawn inside its shell4 #ag4 ,his eyelids were closed1 as his heart had shut up2 and he remained as dead as a lifeless block or as a figure in painting or statuary4 #ah4 ,i also followed the course of his mental faculties1 and settled with them in his mind1 and my senses being under the direction of the mind were reposed in the recess of his heart4 7,the sensations are said to pass from their organs1 and run through the veins and arteries to the recess of the heart74 #ai4 ,then insensible of all outward perceptions1 and their conceptions too in my mind2 ,i remained with that heat 7or spirit7 in me1 as sleeping on a soft bed1 and perceiving naught but a void all about me4 7,this is termed the blissful state of nanda-maya--felicity74 #bj4 ,and as the breathing of our vital breath1 was neither obstructed in the aorta1 nor passed with rapidity through the lungs1 as it does in cases of excess in eating and drinking and fatigue1 it passed evenly by its passage of the nostrils4 #ba4 ,then our souls remained with the supreme soul in the breast1 and kept the course of the naturally ungovernable mind under subjection 7of the blissful soul74 #bb4 ,the soul is then employed in its consciousness of supreme bliss in itself1 and takes no notice of the actions of others2 and the body also then rests in perfect blissfulness1 in that state of sound sleep4 7,sound sleep of hybernation or hypnotism is the perfect rest of the body and soul1 when undisturbed by dreams74 #bc4 ,rma asked3--,say sir1 what does the mind do now in its subjection under the vital breath1 which was the cause of its operations in the waking state8 ,the mind has no form also beside the breath1 how then does it subsist without the same4 #bd4 ,vasishtha replied3--,even so1 there is neither the body beside its being the notion of one's self2 it is the imagination of the mind alone that makes the body1 just as the dream causes the appearance of a mountain and other things4 7,there is no existence of the mind independent of the vital air of breathing4 ,gloss74 #be4 ,so there is not the mind also in absence of its idea or thought of something2 as there is no production of the visible world1 for want of its causes at the beginning of creation4 7,therefore the phenomenal world is only the effect of our previous reminiscence4 ,gloss74 #bf4 ,therefore all these are forms of ,brahma1 as he is the soul of all2 and the world itself is not otherwise than the image of ,god4 7,hypothesis of theological ,pantheism1 that all things are manifestations of ,god74 #bg4 ,the mind and body are both ,brahma1 to them that know the truth2 though they are otherwise to our knowledge of them1 than what they are in theirs4 7,the common knowledge of them1 is that of ,soulism74 #bh4 ,the manner in which the triple world is ,brahma1 and how he is the soul of all these varieties2 is as you1 ,o intelligent prince1 shall now hear me to relate unto you4 #bi4 ,there exists for ever the only pure ,intellect 7or ,intelligence71 which is of the form of infinite vacuum2 and it is that alone which shows itself always in all forms1 without being either the world itself or its visible appearance4 7,the formless ,god exhibits all forms74 #cj4 ,the ,lord being omniscient1 took upon him the form of hypostasis of the mind1 without forsaking his nature of pure intelligence1 and exemption from disease and decay 7which the material body is subject to74 #ca4 ,then as the ,lord thought upon the movement of his mind1 he assumed the substantivity of the vital breath upon himself2 and know1 ,o ,rma1 that best knowest the knowable1 that these are but modalities of the selfsame being of ,god4 #cb4 ,now as this inflation of the air1 appears to be a model form of the ,divine essence2 so the sensations and bodily perceptions1 and the entities of space and time1 are but various modifications of the same being4 #cc4 ,thus the whole world is entirely the formation of the ,divine ,mind1 and as this mind is the very intellect of the supreme ,brahma2 so the totality of creation is only the expansion of the mind of ,brahma himself4 #cd4 ,the formless ,brahma who is without his beginning and end1 who has no reflexion of himself1 and is free from disease and decay1 is the quiet intellect and the only quiescent ,ens of ,brahma1 that was the whole universe for its body4 7,whose body nature is1 and ,god the soul4 ,pope74 #ce4 ,the supreme being is omnipotent1 and so the mind also retains its potency every where1 though it remains as empty air4 #cf4 ,the volitive mind is ,brahma1 which immediately produces in itself1 whatever it wills at any time2 and the reproduction of every thing in the mind1 is a truth too well known even to boys4 #cg4 ,now behold1 ,o ,rma the almighty power of the mind1 which at first made itself 7or became7 a living being by its breathing2 and then an intelligent being1 by its power of thinking2 and next became the living soul1 with its body2 it made the three worlds1 and became the prime male in the form of ,brahm2 it became embodied from its aerial form1 in the shape of ,virt2 thus it created every thing in itself of its own will1 as men produce all things in their imagination1 and see the cities of their fancy in dream4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxix4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,dissolution ,,of ,,the ,,world4 ,argument3--,predominance of the mind over the vital breath1 and the view of final ,dissolution in ,dream4 ,vasishtha related3--,whatever the mind wills1 regarding the creation of the world1 the same immediately appears before it2 whether it be the production of the non-existent to view1 or annihilation of existing ones1 or the representation of one as the other--pratibhshika4 #b4 ,now in an answer to ,rma's question1 8how does the mind subsist or have its action or thought without being moved by the vital breath01 he says that whenever the mind fancies itself as the vital breath1 and can neither subsist nor do any thing without its being actuated by the air of respiration2 it is then said to be subject to vitality 7i4e4 to exist with the breath of a living being and no more74 #c4 ,it thinks it cannot live long without the association of respiration 7as in the state of transient and breathless dream7 but must come back to its life and living action 7of thinking7 with the return of breathing4 7,the thinking power of the mind is suspended with the breathing1 in the states of dreaming and wondrous sight seeing74 #d4 ,again as the mind fancies itself to be accompanied with the vital breath in some living body2 it finds itself instantly joined with same1 and beholds the world rising as an enchanted city to view4 #e4 ,the mind thinks of the convenience of its union with the vital breath and body2 and with this persuasion it is pleased to remain for ever as a triplicate being1 combined with its intellectuality1 vitality and corporeality4 #f4 ,know now that the uncertainty of knowledge1 which1 keeps the mind in suspense1 is the cause of great woe to mankind2 and that there is no way of getting rid of it except of the true knowledge of tattwajnna4 #g4 ,he who has the knowledge of the distinction of his self and another 7i4e4 of the ego and nonego--the subjective and objective as different from another72 can have no redress from his error1 save by means of his spiritual knowledge of the only spirit4 #h4 ,there is no way to true knowledge1 except by means of the investigations of liberation2 therefore be employed with all vigilance to inquire into the means of liberation4 #i4 ,verily the very conceptions of ego and alias ,i and another are erroneous1 and proceed from utter ignorance2 and there is no other means to remove them1 except by means of liberation4 7,the knowledge of ego and tu is the bondage of the soul3 and the want of egoism and tuism1 leads it to its liberation from all74 #aj4 ,hence any thought which is habitual to the mind1 comes to be firmly impressed upon it in time2 and hence the idea that the vital breath is one's life and all1 makes his mind dependent upon the breath4 7i4e4 ,as the thought of one's being this or that1 makes him as such2 so the firm belief of the mind as breath1 makes it subject to the same74 #aa4 ,so also when the body is in a healthful state with its vitality1 the mind is dependent on it and has its free play2 but being in ill health1 it feels its life embittered and forgets to know itself in its true nature4 #ab4 ,when the respiration is quick in discharging the duties of the body1 and the mind is engaged in its busy thoughts1 then neither of them is capable of meditation1 unless they are repressed in the breast4 #ac4 ,these two the mind and respiration1 stand in relation of the car and driver to one another1 and what living being is there1 that is not driven along by them in their train8 #ad4 ,it was in this manner that the supreme spirit1 hath ordained the mind and vital breath1 in the very beginning of creation2 and therefore this law of their co-operation1 continues unaltered to this day4 #ae4 ,hence the mind and vital airs are acting in concert in all living bodies1 and conducting them at all times in all places in their stated course or action all along 7except those of yogis who have repressed them under their subjection74 #af4 ,the co-equal course of both1 serves to the regular conduct of the functions of life 7as in the waking state72 but their unequal course1 produces dissimilar effects 7as that of dreaming when the mind alone is active72 and the inactivity of both causes the inertness of the body and soul 7as in the state of sound sleep74 #ag4 ,when the intestines are blocked by the chyle of food taken into them1 and the breathing becomes dull and slow2 the mind also becomes calm and quiet1 and then ensues the blissful state of sound sleep4 #ah4 ,when the stomach is filled with food1 and the lungs are languid with weariness1 the breathing then remains without its inflation1 and brings on a state of sweet and sound sleep of susupti or hypnotism4 #ai4 ,again when the intestinal parts are cool and phlegmatic1 or exhausted by effusion of blood owing to some sore or wound1 and the breathing being stopped in the body1 there comes the state of numbness of sleep4 #bj4 ,the ascetic said3--,then ,i had entered into his heart1 it became all dark to me as night2 and he fell into a sound sleep1 from his satiety with the fulness of his food4 #ba4 ,i was there assimilated into one with his mind1 and lay in deep sleep with himself without any effort of my own4 #bb4 ,then as the passage of his lungs was re-opened1 after digestion of the food in his stomach2 his breathings resumed their natural vibration1 and he began to breathe out slowly and softly in his slumbering state4 #bc4 ,after the sound sleep had become light and airy1 ,i beheld the sunny world arising out of my breast1 and appearing manifest before me in my dream4 #bd4 ,this world seemed to rise out of the troubled ocean1 and to be filled with water 7seas7 upon its surface2 it was released from the darkness of diluvian clouds1 which had enveloped it1 like the mists overhanging on oceans4 #be4 ,there was a hurricane blowing over it1 bearing aloft the rocks and stones1 in its whirling and uproarious course2 and carrying away uprooted arbours1 with the furze and grassy turfs along with them4 #bf4 ,it was carrying away and casting all about1 the fragments and remains of the last conflagration of desolation2 and hurling down the detachments of celestial cities from high4 #bg4 ,then as ,i was looking at a certain place1 ,i found my self situated with my consort in one of the abodes of a splendid city rising at that spot4 #bh4 ,and there as ,i was sitting in company with my consort and children1 and attended by my friends and servants1 and supplies with dishes and cups of food and drink1 ,i was all on a sudden carried away by the waves of the deluging waters4 #bi4 ,the flood swept me away together with the edifice and the city1 wherein we were situated2 and we were floating on the tops of mountainous waves1 and buffeting in the water4 #cj4 ,there arose a loud dashing noise louder than the roaring sea2 ,i was stunned by the stridor1 and was insensible of the fates of my family4 #ca4 ,men were driven away and hurled down into the whirling eddies1 and were buried deep into the dreadful mud1 with their wailings and loud cries1 with the beating of their breasts4 #cb4 ,the houses and huts were breaking and cracking1 their beams and posts were splitting1 the pillars and supports were bursting1 and the roofs and coverings were falling down1 while the females were looking out with their faces fixed at the windows4 7i4e4 ,women stared from within the doors and windows and dared not to stir without74 #cc4 ,as ,i was looking awhile at all this1 being affected at the sight2 and was weeping sorrowfully at the event1 ,i saw the whole edifice falling down on the ground4 #cd4 ,the walls on the four sides broke down1 and buried the old and young and female inmates under them2 and these were borne away by the waves at last1 as the impetuous waterfall carries away the shattered and scattered stones to a hundred different ways4 #ce4 ,i was then blown away into the waters of the deluge1 leaving behind me my family and friend2 and accompanying only my mind and vital breath with me4 #cf4 ,i was tossed about by the waves1 and borne away to the distance of leagues after leagues2 and was thrown upon the floating woods1 which roasted me by their inburning wildfire4 #cg4 ,i was dashed against the floating planks and timbers1 and slashed in many parts of my body1 then falling into a whirlpool ,i was hurled into the abyss of ptla4 #ch4 ,being thus tossed all about1 and hurled up and down1 ,i had been for a long time1 buffeting amidst the waves and waters1 and their gurgling1 roaring and rumbling sounds4 #ci4 ,i was then buried under the mud1 caused by the friction of the drowned mountains against one another2 and was again lifted upward like an elephant1 by the influx of a flood of water4 #dj4 ,as ,i was halting on a hill covered with foam and froth2 immediately ,i was run over by a rush of water1 as a man is overtaken by his enemy4 #da4 ,being then ingulfed in the water1 and carried away by the waves and current wheresoever they pleased1 ,i lost the sight of whatever ,i was seeing1 and was greatly dejected in my mind4 #db4 ,at this moment there1 ,i had come to know by my reminiscence1 that a certain muni will lecture to the public1 the ,vasishtha's address of ,rma hereafter4 #dc4 ,i remembered my former state of holy trance 7samdhi7 and exclaimed2 ,o1 had ,i been an ascetic in another world4 #dd4 ,i have entered into the body of another person1 in order to see the sights in his dreaming2 and all that ,i am now seeing 7of this flood and others71 is no more than a dream1 and mere error of the mind and falsehood4 #de4 ,it is from our habitual bias in the present scene1 that ,i believed these falsehoods as true in me2 and though ,i was troubled to see myself to be borne away by the flood in my dream2 yet ,i feel myself happy at present to find1 it was but the unreality of a dream4 #df4 ,what ,i saw as water1 was the whirling eddy in the ocean of the universal deluge1 and as false as the water of mirage2 and the hills and woods1 and the cities and towns1 that were swept away by the flood1 were as false as any visual deception4 #dg4 ,there were the gods and aerials1 men and women1 and huge snakes also borne away by the flood2 and the great cities and mansions of the rulers of men 7i4e4 royal edifices71 all floating upon the waters4 #dh4 ,i saw the mountain merged in and mixed up with the waters1 and being battered and shattered by the waves2 ,i saw the approaching dissolution of the world1 and thus considered within myself4 #di4 ,there is even the god ,siva with his three eyes1 swimming upon and swept away as a straw by the waves3 ,o fie for shame6 that there is nothing impossible for the fates4 #ej4 ,fragments of houses floating upon the waters1 looked like lotus flowers flaunting under the sun-beams4 #ea4 ,it was astonishing to see the bodies of ,gandharvas1 ,kinnaras1 and of men and ,ngas1 floating on the waters1 like swarms of bees fluttering over lotus-beds in the lake4 #eb4 ,the fragments of the splendid edifices of the gods and demigods and others1 decorated with the ornamental works of the vidydharas1 were floating like golden vessels on the wide expanse of the ocean4 #ec4 ,the god ,indra was floating on the glassy water1 as if he were lying in his crystal palace2 he mounted over the waves1 as if he rode on his elephant2 and was swinging on the surges as upon his cradle4 #ed4 ,the waves rising to the sky1 were washing the faces of the stars1 and the winds were scattering them all about2 as they drop down the flowers of the garden of ,eden on the mansions of the gods1 and as men strew the ground with fried rice4 #ee4 ,waves as high as mountains rose to the sky1 and then their breakers flying aloft like stones flung by ballistas1 fell upon the lotus seat of ,brahm1 and turned it about with the god also1 who was sitting upon it in his deep meditation4 #ef4 ,the clouds were roaring aloud with deep and appalling thunder1 and the billows were flashing like frightful lightnings in the air2 elephants1 horses1 and ferocious lions were wandering in the atmosphere1 and forests as large as the earth1 were floating in the sky4 #eg4 ,the dark blue waves of over-flowing waters1 pushed with such violent force against one another2 as if the god of destruction was propelling them one after another to the act1 of utter annihilation 7or as the powers of destruction were propelling one another74 #eh4 ,the waves were carrying down into the deep1 the gods1 men1 and ,ngas1 together with their abodes in heaven1 earth and the regions below4 #ei4 ,the irresistible flood having flooded over all sides1 of earth1 heaven and the infernal region1 the bodies of the gods and demigods1 were all floating together like shoals of fishes2 and their heavenly cars and vehicles were swimming over on the surface of the waters1 as in the field of battle4 #fj4 ,the body of dark blue waters1 resembled the azure form of ,krishna2 and their foaming froths1 likened the milk white calves about him4 7,the text is utterly meaningless74 #fa4 ,the waves pushed one another1 with the burber sound for drowning every thing2 and the females both of the gods and giants were heard to wail aloud with cries of hola and howling4 7,hola is the exclamation of wailing1 corresponding with wal in ,persian74 #fb4 ,the loud cries raised by all1 at the falling down of their houses1 were resounded by the waters on all sides2 and the clouds roving over the rolling waves1 appeared as the covers of fallen and floating domes4 #fc4 ,ah it was piteous to behold1 how the whirling waters of whirlpools1 hurled down even the gods into the deep2 and how ,indra1 ,yama1 and ,kubera1 breathed out their last breaths in the form of flying and flimsy clouds4 #fd4 ,there the learned and saintly persons1 were carried away with the ignorant1 in the shape of dead bodies and devoid of their pride2 and the cities of the gods ,brahm1 ,vishnu1 and ,indra1 were swept away1 all broken and crushed to pieces4 #fe4 ,the bodies of weak women1 were washed and carried over by the waves1 and there was no body left to save them from the grasp of death2 which devoured them altogether under his horrid jaws4 #ff4 ,the floods which flowed at first with their serpentine course into the caves of mountains1 overflooded them to their tops at last2 and the cities of the gods1 which floated at first as boats upon the waters on mountain tops1 were hurled to the bottom at last4 #fg4 ,the gods and giants and all other beings1 together with their residences in heaven1 and the continents and mountains on earth1 were all submerged and shattered like lotus-beds by the waters2 and the three worlds were turned to an universal ocean and all their grandeur and splendour were swallowed up by time1 together with all the sovran powers of earth and heaven4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxx4 ,,workings ,,of ,,imagination4 ,argument3--,the sage's situation at the end of the ,deluge1 and his description of the reproduction of creation4 ,the ,huntsman said3--,tell me sir1 how a sage as yourself1 could be exposed to that state 7of the dream or delusion of the ,deluge72 and why were you not delivered from your meditation4 #b4 ,the sage replied3--,at the end of the ,kalpa age1 all kinds of beings meet with their destruction2 namely1 there is a termination of the erroneous forms of the worlds1 and a cessation of the luminous bodies in the heaven4 #c4 ,sometimes the dissolution takes place gradually at the end of a kalpa2 and at others it comes on all on a sudden1 with a simultaneous turmoil and disorganization on all sides4 #d4 ,so when there was an outbreak of waters on every side1 and the gods were repairing to ,brahm the first cause of all2 for redress from the impending danger1 they were all swept away by the overflowing tide4 #e4 ,moreover1 ,o forester6 know time to be the most mighty destroyer of all things2 and every thing must occur in its time1 as it is predestined at the beginning4 7,time devours all things74 #f4 ,the time of one's dissolution being nigh1 there ensues a detriment in the strength1 intellect and prowess of everybody not excepting even the great4 7,nothing is of any avail before fate74 #g4 ,i have told you also1 ,o fortunate forester6 that all that is seen in a dream is mere dreaming2 and nothing of it1 comes to take place in reality herein4 #h4 ,the forester responded3--,sir1 if the dream is a mere falsity and error of imagination2 then what was the good of your relating all this1 that know well what is good and useful for mankind4 #i4 ,the sage replied3--,there was much use of my relating all this to you1 ,o intelligent huntsman1 for improvement of your understanding2 and as you have come to know1 that the visibles are all as false as the sights in sleep1 you shall now know what is real and true4 #aj4 ,now as long as the waters of deluge lasted1 ,i remained seated in the heart of the said medium1 and saw some other false sights in his dream4 #aa4 ,i saw the waters of the deluge1 to recede to the unknown region from where they had overflown2 and the huge waves disappeared altogether1 as when the winged mountains fled away for fear of the thunders of ,indra4 7,who lopped of their pinions of yore4 ,see the legend in stanza--,book ,i4 ,kumra sambhava of ,klidsa74 #ab4 ,i was borne aloft by my good fate to some distant shore1 where ,i was seated as firmly as upon the elevated peak of a high and solid mountain4 #ac4 ,thence ,i saw the waters to subside in their basins1 and the stars of heaven shining upon them1 like the sparkling particles of their splashing billows1 or as their foaming and floating froths4 #ad4 ,the reflexions of the stars in water1 seemed as the shining gems in the bosom of the ocean2 and the stars that shone above in the firmament1 appeared as the nightly flaming bushes on the tops of mountains4 7,there are the medicinal plants that are said to burn by night4 ,vide ,kumra ,sambhava ,stanza--,book ,i474 #ae4 ,the firmament studded with lustrous stars1 and had the appearance of an island beaming with gold2 and the azure sky seemed wrapt over with the blue garments of celestial dames4 #af4 ,the blue diluvian clouds that floated in the sky1 resembled a bed of cerulean lotuses in the etherial lake2 and the lightnings that flashed in their bosoms1 likened the yellow farina of flowers1 flying all about the midway sky4 #ag4 ,masses of mountain-like clouds flushed with frost1 and poured down showers of rain on all sides2 the floods of the deluge rolled down with their reflexions1 as bearing the huge ,kalpa forests in their bosom4 #ah4 ,afterwards the basin of the universal ocean was dried up1 and turned to an empty and dry hollow on all around2 and the mountain of the ,mandara and ,sahya hills1 that had been drowned under the waters were found to be melted down to mud or washed away by the receding flood4 #ai4 ,here the sun and moon were found to be sunk in the slough1 and there the gods ,yama and ,indra to be hid under the soil2 somewhere the serpents and takshakas were rolling in the mire1 and elsewhere the ,kalpa woods lay buried with their tops and branches underneath the mud4 #bj4 ,in some places the heads and hands of people were scattered over the ground1 and looked like lotus buds and flowers torn from their stalks and strewn about the bare and barren land4 #ba4 ,there were the ,vidydhara females drowned up to their necks in the slime1 and crying in their piteous chimes in one place2 and there were the big bodied buffaloes of ,yama lying in another1 and resembling the huge bodies of dead elephants appearing in dream4 7,the buffalo of ,yama is no less bulky than the ,airvata elephant of ,indra74 #bb4 ,in some place the bulky body of ,garuda1 bulged out like the huge mountain of the gods2 and in others the embankments were swept away2 as if they were slashed by the mace of ,yama fallen upon the ground4 #bc4 ,there were the remains of the dead hansa of ,brahm1 muddled in the mire somewhere1 and the relics of ,indra's elephant were huddled in the mud in another place4 #bd4 ,in the meanwhile ,i found a flat land in one spot1 where ,i resorted for rest from my weariness2 and was there overtaken by sound sleep1 that insensibility stole upon me4 #be4 ,then waking from my sound sleep1 ,i found myself seated in the heart of the hunter2 and retaining the possession of my sensibility1 ,i was led by my innate desire to see the similar sights of desolation as before4 #bf4 ,i beheld upon my waking1 the said flat land to lie in the very heart of the hunter where ,i was situated2 and was seized with greater grief and sorrow at my sight of the spectacle4 7,the reproduction of the world being but the renovation of our woe1 and happy are they who work no more to the sight74 #bg4 ,i saw therefrom the rising of the bright and beautiful sun on the next day2 and by means of the solar light1 ,i came to the sight of the worlds and the sky1 of this earth and its hills1 which presented themselves to my view4 #bh4 ,but ,i soon found that1 the earth and sky1 the air and all its sides1 together with the hills and rivers1 were all but the reproduction of my mind 7from its previous ideas of them72 as the leaves shoot forth from the trees4 7,because the insensible stones1 have no perception of the visibles74 #bi4 ,then on seeing the things1 as they were exposed to my sight on the earth2 ,i began to manage with them in a manner as ,i had somewhat forgotten their right and proper use4 7,reminiscence of the past being often liable to obliteration74 #cj4 ,after my birth ,i passed sixteen years at that spot1 and had the knowledge of this person as my father1 and that one as my mother1 and this spot as my dwelling place1 and all this knowledge rising spontaneously from my self-cogitation4 #ca4 ,i then saw a village and the hermitage of a ,brhman at that place2 and there ,i beheld a house and found a friend therein1 and many more other places4 #cb4 ,thus ,i remained in the society of my friends1 in the village huts and hamlets2 and passed many days and nights1 in the states of repeated watchfulness and returning sleep4 #cc4 ,remaining thus in company with these1 ,i came to lose in course of time the light of the understanding ,i had attained before1 and forgot myself as one of them by my habitual mode of thinking1 as the man forgot himself to a fish 7as it is related before in the story of ,dama1 ,vyla and ,kata74 #cd4 ,in this manner1 ,i remained as a village ,brhman 7or parish-person7 for a long time2 relying only in my body as begotten by a ,brhman1 and quite forgetful of other4 #ce4 ,i believed my material body only to constitute my person1 and my wife alone as my copartner2 ,i understood my desires only to be the essence of my soul1 and thought that riches only were the sole object of gain in life4 #cf4 ,i had an old cow only for my treasure1 and the greens of my garden as my only provision2 my collections were only the sacred fire and sacrificial animals1 and my utensil an only water pot4 7,kines constituted the wealth of the ancient ,indians1 as the pecus or sheep were reckoned as riches by the old ,latins2 hence godhana means kine money1 as pancha godhanam--the value of five cows corresponding with the penta pecuniae of the ,romans74 #cg4 ,my hopes were as frail as perennial plants1 and my conduct the same with that of other men2 and the state of my living was as mean1 as of the mud and mire about my dwelling4 #ch4 ,i passed my days in pruning and weeding the garden of my greens2 and in performing my daily ablutions1 in the rills and rivulets reckoned as holy by men4 #ci4 ,i was employed in providing my food and drink1 and in procuring the fuel and cow-dung for fire2 and remained entangled in the snare1 of scrutinizing about what was right or wrong for daily observance4 #dj4 ,in this way a whole century of my life time1 passed away at that place1 when it happened on a time that a holy hermit passed by that way from a great distance1 and became my guest in my humble abode4 #da4 ,being welcomed and honoured by me1 he entered in my dwelling1 and took his rest after washing and bathing himself4 ,then after his meal he sat on his bed1 and began to tell his fate at the approach of night4 #db4 ,he spoke of many climes and countries1 and of many lands and mountains2 and talked of their different customs and manners1 which were pleasant to hear1 and related to various subjects4 #dc4 ,all these1 he said1 are the display of the ,one ,intellect1 which is infinite and immutable in its nature2 and manifests itself in the form of cosmos1 which is for ever present with it as it is now seen to be4 #dd4 ,being thus enlightened by him1 ,i was filled as it were with a flood of light1 and remained listening to him with attention1 all whatever he said on this and other subjects4 #de4 ,i heard also my own tale from him1 and learning that the person which contained me within its womb1 is no less than the body of ,virt himself1 ,i was eager to come out of the same4 #df4 ,so long as ,i was not aware1 that its mouth is the only door way for my exit of that body2 ,i kept moving through it1 as if ,i were wandering amidst the vast extent of the earth and oceans4 #dg4 ,i then left that spot1 beset as it was by my friends and relations2 and entered into his vital part1 in order to make my egress with the vital breath4 #dh4 ,intending then to see both the inside and outside of the ,virta's body1 in which ,i resided1 ,i continued to mark well the process of its outer movements as also of its inner thoughts4 #di4 ,i fixed my attention to my consciousness1 and remained settled at my station without changing its spot2 and then breathed out with his breath1 as the fragrance of flowers accompanies the wind4 #ej4 ,the rising with his respiration1 ,i reached the cavity of his mouth2 and mounting afterwards on the vehicle of the wind1 ,i went on forward1 and beheld all that lay before me4 #ea4 ,i observed there the hermitage of a sage1 situated in the grotto of a mountain at a distance2 and found it full with anchorites1 and myself sitting in my padmsana among them4 7,he saw the sight to which he was habituated all along his life74 #eb4 ,these anchorites stood before me as my pupils1 and were employed in their duty of taking care of my person in its state of anaesthesia4 #ec4 ,after a while that man was seen among them1 in whose heart ,i had been residing2 and he appeared as lying flat and at ease upon his back1 after taking some food which he got in the adjacent village4 #ed4 ,seeing this wonder ,i remained quiet1 and did not speak any thing about it to any body waiting upon me2 ,i then re-entered that body for my own amusement4 #ee4 ,i got to the region of vitality which was situated within the heart1 and was by my lasting desire to see the friends ,i had before1 and ,i left behind4 #ef4 ,as ,i was looking around1 ,i saw the end of the world approaching with its direful aspect2 and changing the course of nature1 together with the positions of the world4 #eg4 ,the mountains appeared altered and changed to another state1 the sky presented another face1 and the whole world seemed to be dislocated from its place4 #eh4 ,i could find no trace of my former friends or habitation nor mark the situation of that tract of land1 nor find the direction where it lay before2 all these seemed to be swept away by the winds1 nor could ,i know where they were taken4 #ei4 ,i then found the world appearing in another form1 and presenting a sight altogether different from what it had been before1 and quite anew to view4 #fj4 ,i saw the twelve suns of the twelve signs of the zodiac1 shining all at once and burning in all the quarters of heaven and melting down the high mountains1 like snows and icebergs to water4 #fa4 ,the volcanic fire spread from mountain to mountain1 and the fire of conflagration flew from forests to forests2 the earth was parched with all the gems in her bowels1 so that there remained no vestige of them save in the memory of men4 #fb4 ,the seas were dried up1 and the earth was full of burning embers on all sides2 and there rose a strong gale1 which wafted the ashes all away4 #fc4 ,subterranean1 terrestrial and etherial fires1 began to issue forth in flames and flash on all sides2 and the face of the whole universe flushed with a blaze1 glistening like the glowing clouds of the evening sky4 #fd4 ,i entered amidst this burning sphere1 as a flying moth falls into a flame2 and was confined within its cave1 as the roving bee is closed up in the calyx of the shutting lotus1 and was quite unscorched and unscathed by the burning flame4 #fe4 ,i then flew amidst the flames as freely as air1 and flickered as the flash of fleet lightnings in the cloud2 and sometimes hovered over the burning fire1 as the light winged butterfly flies upon the lotus of the lands 7sthala padma74 ,,chapter ,,cxxxxi4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,termination ,,of ,a ,,kalpa-,,period4 ,argument3--,continuation of the subject of fire and flame1 and hot winds and fiery clouds at the final ,dooms-day ,dissolution4 ,the sage continued3--,though repeatedly burning amidst those fires1 yet ,i was neither consumed nor felt the least pain therein2 and though falling from one fire into another2 yet ,i thought all this as a dream in my dreaming 7i4e4 one dream in another74 #b4 ,the fires flew aloft1 and filled the vault of heaven with flames2 and ,i was flying as a fire-brand amidst and all about it4 7,so the sinless soul soars in the highest empyrean of heaven74 #c4 ,as ,i was wandering with my spiritual light and unwearied soul amidst this universal conflagration1 there arose on a sudden a tremendous hurricane 7raised by the rarefied air on all sides74 #d4 ,it howled and growled aloud like the roaring of clouds on high2 and blew fiercely all along1 bearing down and carrying away every thing before it4 #e4 ,the whirling and howling tornado1 raged with redoubled force in the forest2 lifting aloft large tracts of woods in the form of clouds1 and intermixed with rolling firebrands1 resembling the revolving suns above4 #f4 ,flames of fire flashed above1 like the evening clouds of heaven1 and blazed like hundreds of fiery pools on high2 and the earth with the habitation of men1 giants and gods1 burned as burning mountains on all sides4 #g4 ,the burnt1 unburnt and half burnt devils and demons1 were roving together throughout the heated air1 and grappling each other in the etherial streams4 #h4 ,the gods and goddesses1 were falling down as flames of fire2 and the abode of the celestials1 were melted down in showers of fire4 #i4 ,flashes of fire were flickering as lightnings1 from the burning vault of heaven2 and clouds of dark smoke hid the face of the vertical sky in darkness4 #aj4 ,the faces of the earth and sky and of all sides of heaven1 were wrapt in a flaming veil like that of the evening cloud2 and the whole universe with its seven spheres1 appeared as a massive mountain of flaming fire4 #aa4 ,on one side the sparks of flaming fire1 were flashing over the head2 and on another a huge mountainous mist of smoke hid the hemisphere from sight4 ,in the midst there appeared a mountainous body of fire as that of ,hara--the god of destruction1 dancing amidst the destructive winds of the ,rudras blowing on all sides4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxxii4 ,,ascertainment ,,of ,,karma ,,or ,,acts ,,of ,,men4 ,argument3--,here ,god is ascertained as the ,cause of the visionary world2 and ,refutation of the ,theory of ,karma or ,human ,deeds and ,destiny4 ,the sage resumed and said3--,continuing thus in the vagaries of my false imagination1 ,i was led to many such painful sights1 until they raised in me the feelings of woe and sorrow1 and my curiosity gave way to weariness4 #b4 ,i then thought in my mind that it is a mere dream in the mind of another person1 which ,i have come to see from my seat within his breast2 therefore ,i must refrain from such sights1 and restrain my sorrow for them in vain4 #c4 ,the ,huntsman asked3--,it was for the investigation of the nature of dream1 that you had entered into the bosom of another person2 say then what have you come to know about it1 and how are your doubts removed 7with respect to its false phantasms74 #d4 ,how came you to see the ocean in the breast1 which never exists therein1 and how did you see the conflagration in the heart and the tornado in the bowels1 which are never to be found in any of those places4 #e4 ,you said you saw the earth and sky1 and the rivers and mountains and many other things in the mind2 but how can these and the world itself1 be in any manner situated therein4 #f4 ,the sage replied3--,all these things and the world also are mere non-entities1 as there was no pre-existent material cause for the production of the world1 before its coming to existence2 therefore neither the term creation nor its sense1 is in any way applicable to this world or it is seen by us4 7,it is therefore but the mere phantasm of an everlasting dream74 #g4 ,hence the world creation and its meaning1 proceed from ignorance of the supreme soul1 which is immutable in its nature2 and it is ignorance of this truth 7lit4 true knowledge71 that produces the fallacy 7lit4 the false knowledge7 of creation4 7,therefore the world 7i4e4 the idea of the world71 is ever present in the ,divine mind74 #h4 ,therefore ,i say1 ,o thou fortunate one1 that after you come to your knowledge in this respect 7i4e4 of the nature of ,god71 and your ignorance of ,his supremely pure nature is removed3-- #i4 ,you will no more believe like myself1 the false impression of your consciousness 7of the existence of the world72 but must come to know that1 this causeless and uncreated world1 is only the expanded reflexion of your own mind4 #aj4 ,where is the body and the heart1 and where are these elements of water c42 what is this dream and what are these conceptions and perceptions1 and what is life or death or anything else8 7,all which are nothing in reality74 #aa4 ,there is but one transpicuous ,intellect everywhere1 before which the subtile ether is opalescent1 and the biggest mountain is but a mite4 #ab4 ,it is of its own nature that this intellectual vacuity1 reflects on something in its thought2 and sees the same as its aeriform body2 and this it is what is called the world4 #ac4 ,as it is our intellect alone1 which reflects itself in various forms in our dream2 and as there is nothing besides it that then presents itself to our view1 so this world is no other than the aerial form of the intellect only4 #ad4 ,this universe is a quiet vacuity without any stir or shadow of anything in it2 and it is the dimness of the purblind eye of the intellect1 that presents these false shapes to sight1 as blind men see black spots in the clear sky4 #ae4 ,to my sight the world is neither an entity nor a non-entity1 nor is it a mere void or the shadow or reflexion of anything2 but the formless infinity of the vacuous intellect only3 7or the infinite vacuity of the formless intellect only74 #af4 ,as it is in the state of our sleep1 that the pure intellect sees itself in the various forms of its dream1 without any cause whatsoever2 so doth it view every thing in its own vacuum in waking also2 without the external objects of sight or its act of seeing them4 #ag4 ,it is something that is unspeakable and without its beginning and end2 it is apparent with its own conceptions which are one with it and make no duality in its nature 7,lit41 whose nature is free from unity or duality1 or as ,sdi says3--azchunin ,o chunan1 from this that and so such74 #ah4 ,as there is but one endless duration1 embracing the periods both of creation as well as annihilation2 and as the tree comprehends all its parts1 blossoms and fruit under it2 so is ,brahma the ,soul of all4 7,these are but parts of one stupendous whole4 ,pope74 #ai4 ,as the great edifice of one1 appears as an empty space to another2 so as one's sight of a castle in a mirage1 appears as nothing to another2 so this visible world of waking people1 is the dream of sleeping persons1 and rising on the ground of their imagination4 #bj4 ,it is as the transpicuous vacuity of the intellect1 exhibits itself from time to time in itself2 that we see the things in our dream1 as we behold them when we are awake2 and so also we see the sights in our waking state1 as we behold them in our dreams in sleep4 #ba4 ,as the fragrance of flowers1 lies hid in the invisible air2 so the world lies concealed in the invisible intellect1 which sees through every pore of it4 #bb4 ,it is by shutting out your thoughts of all and everything from your mind1 that thou mayst be quite pure in thyself2 and it is then only that thy infinite soul has its everlasting peace and rest1 when it is freed from all cares1 both within and without itself4 #bc4 ,the ,huntsman said3--,tell me sir1 how can men get rid of their thoughts and cares of life1 when they are invariably accompanied by the acts and reminiscences of their past lives4 ,tell me also what kind of men are subject to the tendencies of their past conduct1 and who are they that are released from them4 #bd4 ,the sage replied3--,those souls that are full of intelligence and have their spiritual bodies1 are never subject to renewed births nor to the consequences of their past actions2 and such were the bodies of ,brahm1 and ,kapila and others1 that became manifest of themselves 7suam-bhvah71 and such were the supernatural bodies of the gods and divine incarnations4 #be4 ,their bodies were not of this world1 nor were they subject to its dualistic illusory imaginations2 but they were forms of pure intelligence and of a subtile and spiritual nature4 #bf4 ,in the beginning of creation1 there was no primordial act of any body1 to fashion his form or frame of mind2 but there existed the sole and self-existent ,brahma only1 who manifested himself in the form of the world 7which is therefore a manifestation of the ,deity himself1 and is thence called tanmaya or full of the ,divine essence74 #bg4 ,as the great ,brahm and others1 were the manifestations of the supreme ,brahma in the beginning1 so there have been many thousands more that were manifested from the same divine essence1 which are known as pure intelligences1 and superior orders of beings4 7,such are the gods and angels and spirits of different denominations74 #bh4 ,but these persons who are deluded by their ignorance of truth1 to think themselves other than or apart from ,brahma1 and as dull and unintellectual beings1 and as a distinct duality from the nature of ,god3-- #bi4 ,they are seen to be born again the next time1 in consequence of their past actions1 and accompanied with the results of those acts1 whereby they are confined in their unintellectual bodies1 in order to lead their unspiritual lives1 quite forgetful of their divine nature1 and subjected to the false belief of their materiality4 #cj4 ,but such as preserve the purity of their divine character1 by thinking themselves as inseparable from the ,divine soul1 are known here as uncontaminated by their former acts1 as the persons of the divine ,brahm1 ,vishnu and ,siva or the holy trinity4 #ca4 ,all those that know the true nature of the soul1 remain with its purity in the spirit of ,god2 but such as understand it in the light of the living spirit1 live in themselves as detached from the ,divine soul4 #cb4 ,whenever one knows himself as a mere living being1 he is then certainly accompanied by his ignorance or avidy2 and the soul takes the name of the animal spirit or life1 which is conversant only with the world wherein it is situated4 #cc4 ,but as he comes to know in course of time1 the true and divine nature of his soul1 he is then reinstated in his real state and becomes one with the supreme soul of all4 #cd4 ,as the fluidity of water exhibits itself in the form of whirlpools in some waters2 so the divine intellect shows the in-existent world as existent1 to those understandings which are ignorant of the nature of the supreme soul4 7,it is the nature of the omniscient mind1 to picture in itself1 the appearances of things that are not in actual existence74 #ce4 ,the world is the reflexion of omniscience1 and not the representation of our dreaming or waking states2 therefore it can have no action or property of itself1 when it is nothing in reality4 #cf4 ,in fact neither the knowledge of the world nor ignorance of it1 or its action or motion or any of its properties1 is anything in reality2 all these are the results of our thought1 that represents the unreal as real one unto us4 #cg4 ,in truth ,brahma being the very creation or the great cosmos itself1 is verily the soul of all beings2 it is in vain therefore to suppose our prior acts as cause of our births4 ,that ,god is the creator of the universe1 is a mere assumption made from his omnipotence 7which is supposed to make everything out of nothing2 but as ex nihilo nihil fit1 ,god is himself diffused throughout all nature74 #ch4 ,it is impossible for any body to have the bindings of his prior acts upon him1 at his first creation in the world2 it was only afterwards through his ignorance that he fabricated to himself a fate or causality of his actions for his fruitions in afterlives 7i4e4 in his subsequent and succeeding births or transmigrations in the world74 #ci4 ,say whether the vortex of sea has any body or action of its own2 it is but the whirling water1 as ,brahma himself is apparent in the form of this seeming world4 #dj4 ,as the persons appearing in our dream have no prior acts for their appearance2 so were the living beings in their first formation1 endued with pure understanding only 7for want of their prior acts to actuate them at first74 #da4 ,it is a mere supposition1 that they had their causal acts at first creation2 and that all living beings have been roving ever since 7in repeated births71 being fast bound by the chain of their prior acts4 7,man was pure in his creation1 but since his first act of transgression or original sin1 and then his actual sins1 have subjected him to the miserable doom of undergoing repeated births74 #db4 ,but this creation is no act of creation1 but verily the manifestations of ,brahma himself2 and such being the case 7that the world is the selfsame ,brahma71 say what can acts mean1 whence they proceed and where they lie4 #dc4 ,it is only the ignorance of the supreme soul1 which binds us to the bondage of acts2 but its fetters fall off from the believer of ,brahma by his knowledge of truth4 7,those who rely on their acts of faith1 are subjected to them2 but the believer in ,one is released from their bonds74 #dd4 ,know the outward acts of faith1 to proceed from ignorance of the universe2 but as the wise man advances in his knowledge1 he extricates himself from the bondage of all religions and ceremonial acts and observances4 #de4 ,whereas the external acts of faith are entirely devoid of any substantiality or meritoriousness in them1 it is no way difficult to get rid of them at once2 it is solely our spiritual bond which is our chief concern1 beside which there is no bond whatsoever4 #df4 ,so long there is the dread of the dreadful illusion of this world1 as long as you do not attain to your wisdom2 and so long do you exhibit your wisdom1 that you do not fall into the vertiginous eddy of worldly affairs4 ,therefore try always1 ye men of pure hearts and soul1 to acquire your wisdom and learning2 because there is no other way of your flying from the fears of the world1 save by means of your right understanding4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxxiii4 ,,ascertainment ,,of ,,nirv,,na ,,or ,,ultimate ,,extinction4 ,argument3--,praise of wisdom and ,intellectual knowledge1 and arguments in support of the ,intellectuality of the world4 ,the sage continued3--,the wise man shines in the assembly of the learned1 as the sun illumines the assemblage of lotuses1 in his investigation of the duties of religion and ceremonial acts1 leading to the welfare of men in both worlds4 #b4 ,the heavenly felicity which is attained by the learned and wise by means of their spiritual knowledge1 is as an ocean of bliss2 before which the prosperity of god ,indra even1 appears to dwindle away as rotten straws amidst the billows4 #c4 ,i find no such felicity or prosperity1 in the three regions of this earth or heaven above or in the ptla below1 which is greater or comparable with the blissfulness of learning and wisdom4 #d4 ,the learned have as clear a sight of the true state of all things1 as the moon-light gives a clear view of the sphere of stars in the cloudless sky4 #e4 ,the visible world1 soon vanishes from sight1 and turns to the invisible ,brahma1 by the sapience of the wise2 as a rosary of cord1 appearing at first as a snake1 is soon found to be a line upon its inspection4 #f4 ,that ,brahm--the god is ever situated in his ,brahma-hood or godhead is a truth evident by itself2 and that it is his nature that gives rise to the terms creation1 destruction1 body and others4 7,gloss3 that the words creation c41 appertain to his very nature1 and are not distinct from him74 #g4 ,he to whom the existence of the world is nil and naught1 has no care or concern for acts and duties1 which are no more than blank letters to him4 #h4 ,it is possible to believe in the production of the material world1 from the prior existence of its material cause2 but in want of such there can be no world1 nor can there be a cause of it1 when it is itself null and void4 #i4 ,it is only the reflection of ,brahma1 that takes the names of the earth and all other things2 wherefore it is not necessary for these mere reflexions to have any cause at all4 7,the substance of ,god1 being the cause of the shadow74 #aj4 ,as the men seen in a dream1 have no real cause except the imagination of the dreamer2 such are the persons seen in our waking dreams1 but mere reflexions of our imaginations1 and not the production of their parents4 #aa4 ,as there is not the causality of the prior acts1 for the appearance of persons in human forms in our dream2 so neither is there any actual cause for people seen in waking dream1 to assume the garb of humanity upon them4 #ab4 ,both prior acts as well as desires1 are equally false in their causality1 of framing living beings in different shapes in their repeated births1 just as they are no causes of producing the persons seen in our dreams4 #ac4 ,men appear as dreams and their impressions1 in the course of their births and deaths2 and they are conscious of this state or that as they think themselves either as the one or the other 7i4e4 we seem to be or not1 as we think ourselves to be74 #ad4 ,people appear to be as they think of their being1 from their consciousness of themselves2 and they seem to be in the same state in their dream1 as they appear in the waking state1 both in their intents and actions4 7,the dreamer and the dreamt do not differ from their waking states74 #ae4 ,the desires and sensations of the dreaming man1 are alike those of the waking1 and differing only in the dimness of the former1 from the distinctness of the latter4 ,thus a dreaming man is sensible of deriving the same satisfaction1 in obtaining the object of his wish as the waking man2 though the one is of a concealed and the other of an overt nature4 7,therefore there is no difference between the states74 #af4 ,whenever our pure consciousness of things1 shines forth of its own nature in either of its two states of clearness or faintness2 it is then the reflexion of the one that takes the appellation of waking1 and the other is known as the dreaming state4 #ag4 ,as long as this consciousness continues to glare in any body1 since his first creation until his final emancipation1 he is said to be a living being1 under his repeated births and deaths4 #ah4 ,the import of the words waking and dreaming1 is not at all different from that of consciousness2 whose irrepressible reflexion constitutes the essence of both states1 as light is the essentiality of luminaries4 #ai4 ,as heat is the gist of fire1 and motion the marrow of the sufflated air or wind2 or as the fluidity of water is the pith of the billows1 and coolness the quiddity of breeze 7so is consciousness the quintessence of both our waking and dreaming states74 #bj4 ,the whole universe is an unruffled chasm1 and an unchanging unreality2 and this seeming reality of the world1 is even united with its negative sense of nihility4 #ba4 ,brahma in its exoteric sense1 is both the production as well as the destruction of the world1 and equally alike its visible form and its notion also2 but being viewed in its esoteric light1 it is only of the nature of the pure ,intellect1 and the ,one alone1 that is for ever calm and quiet and undecaying in itself4 #bb4 ,whatever thought of causality or effect1 passes in the mind of ,brahma at any time1 the same comes to take place immediately1 as men construct their houses as they please in cities4 #bc4 ,the whole creation abides in the mind of ,god1 as the city you dream of is in your thought2 the cause and effect herein1 being the same in one case as in the other4 #bd4 ,the causality and effectuality are both contained in the womb of the dense ,intellect2 and these are exerted in the same manner in the act of creation of the world1 as in that of the construction of thy imaginary castle4 #be4 ,the ,divine ,intellect employs its will1 in the causation of its intended creation2 as you form the plan for the construction of your projected edifice3 ,thus the causality and its effect are combined together in the one and same mind4 #bf4 ,the divine mind develops itself in its own form of the sky1 and the world that is for ever situated therein1 is then called the creation and lying in the expanse of that sky4 7,gloss4 ,the srutis deny the existence of the outer and visible world74 #bg4 ,the light which the sun of our consciousness1 cast upon the imaginary city in the mind2 is of its own nature what is signified by the terms causality and its effect4 7i4e4 ,our consciousness is the cause of our knowledge of the world--the false creation of our imagination74 #bh4 ,the forms in which the mind displayed itself at first1 the same continue to exist ever since in the same state2 and these are invariably designated by the terms of time1 space and the rest4 #bi4 ,whatever names are borne by the things1 which are exhibited in the vacuity of the ,intellect2 they are ever after viewed as realities under the designations of some as causes and others as their effect 7as the cow is the cause of the production of milk1 and the pot is the cause of its reception1 and so forth74 #cj4 ,the creation which was miraculously displayed in its ideal form in the ,intellect1 consisted at first of mere ideas1 which received the name of the 7material7 world afterwards4 7,so the sruti3 whatever is thought of in the mind at first1 receives a name 7or a word7 for its designation afterwards74 #ca4 ,this triple world is of a vacuous form1 and is situated in the vacuity of the intellect2 just as the clear air contains its insufflation inbred in it4 7,the inherence of vibration inborn in it74 #cb4 ,as the vapours and clouds covering the face of the sky1 give the appearance of blueness to it2 so the dizziness of ignorance1 misrepresents the clear intellect in the form of the gross world4 #cc4 ,but on receiving the true reflexion of the spirit in the intellect1 by means of intense meditation1 the notion of the creation turns to that of non-creation2 as the false notion of the snake in the rope1 is changed to that of the rope upon its revision4 #cd4 ,the dead find the future world1 as what they used to see in their dream2 but that world as well as this1 are equally as formless as the vacuum of the ,intellect4 7,both this world and the next1 are situated in the ,divine-,mind1 and are of the same form as that74 #ce4 ,the ,huntsman said3--,tell me sir1 why are men regenerated in new bodies2 for their sufferings and enjoyments in future births2 and tell me also what are the principal and accompanying causes of our reproduction in this world4 #cf4 ,if it is on account of the pious or impious acts1 which are done in our present destructible bodies1 that we are destined to their retributions afterwards2 then say why our indestructible souls1 should be brought to feel their results in other bodies1 which seems to be very absurd to me4 #cg4 ,the sage replied3--,the words piety and impiety1 our desires and acts1 are words of the same import1 and significant of their causality in framing the living soul according to their own stamp2 but these are mere suppositions1 and neither true causes of the schesis of our souls1 nor of the modes of our lives4 #ch4 ,it is the mind which is situated in the vacuous intellect1 and is possest of the power of intellection that imagines in itself the various states of things 7and the happiness and miseries of life71 and gives names to them accordingly4 7,so says the sruti3--,the sapient seeing the different form and states of things1 coin words to designate them and their various modes also74 #ci4 ,the conscious soul comes to know by means of its intellection1 its own body in its vacuous self2 and after death it sees the same to exist as in its dream or imagination 7i4e4 in its ideal form74 #dj4 ,the knowledge of the dead in regard to the next world1 is likewise in the manner of a dream2 and though this dreaming state of the soul continues for a long duration1 it bears no truth in its nature4 #da4 ,if a new body is framed by another person 7such as parents or the creator himself71 for the re-entrance of deceased spirit into it1 then can the new born body have any remembrance of the past1 and how can this body be what the dead person had before1 and as for his intellect1 it is a mere vacuity1 and cannot pass from one body into another4 #db4 ,therefore no one that is dead is born again1 or is to be reborn afterwards at any time2 it is only an idea of the mind1 that ,i was so and am reborn as such2 and a vain wish in its vacuity1 to be born again in some form or other4 #dc4 ,it is by nature and habitual mode of thinking1 that men are impressed with belief of his regeneration1 both by popular persuasion and scriptural evidence of a state of future retribution1 which is altogether false and fanciful4 #dd4 ,the soul is an aerial and vacuous substance1 giving rise to the phantoms of visibles1 in the forms of shadowy dreams in its spacious vacuity2 and always views its births and deaths in endless repetitions in this world4 #de4 ,it views every particular object1 in the illusive net work1 which is spread in its ample sphere2 and seems to see and act and enjoy everything1 without being in the actual enjoyment of any thing4 #df4 ,in this manner millions and millions of worlds1 are constantly rising before its sight2 which appear to be so many visible phenomena in its ignorance2 but which when viewed in their proper light1 prove to be the display of ,one all pervading ,brahma only4 #dg4 ,but none of them ever occupy any space1 nor do any one of them ever exist anywhere in reality2 but there is that one ,brahma that spreads undivided through all1 and knows all these to be an undivided whole1 and yet every one of them forming a world of itself4 7,the ,lord is full and perfect in each and all of these74 #dh4 ,now all beings in these worlds1 are connected with one another in a common link 7of the universal soul of all72 they appear as realities to the erroneous sight of people1 but being viewed in their true light1 they proved to be self-same with the unborn ,one4 #di4 ,that undecaying ,one which is known as true reality1 to the knower of the knowable 7i4e4 to him who knows the truth71 and what is understood as unreal by the enlightened sage1 is believed to be true by the ignorant4 7,this is the contrariety between both74 #ej4 ,the belief that all things every where are realities1 because they are all but reflexions of the selfsame ,one2 is enough to reconcile these opposite parties1 and to settle in one common faith of universal catholicism 7of ,one1 to pan74 #ea4 ,or in order to ascertain1 whether the world as one views it is real or unreal1 let one consult his own consciousness about it1 and rely on its verdict1 with regard to its reality or otherwise3 7because nothing can upset the undeniable conviction of consciousness74 #eb4 ,who can doubt the evidence of consciousness1 or confute its dictates of this kind or that2 or with regard to the difference or identity of things1 or their unity or duality4 #ec4 ,the knowledge of the knowable ,god2 in as much as it is known to us is right1 and establishes the identity of the knowable ,one with his knowledge2 but the position that the known or visible world1 is identic with the unknown and invisible god1 is false and mistaken knowledge4 7i4e4 ,god is seen in his works1 but the works are not the ,god74 #ed4 ,such being the meaning 7of this mystery71 the knowable ,one is not distinct from knowledge of ,him2 but being seated in our finite understanding1 is quite unknown to and apart from the ignorant1 that have no knowledge of the knowable ,one4 #ee4 ,the ,knowable ,one is known to us in proportion to our knowledge of him2 but not so to those that are ignorant of ,him2 as our knowledge increases1 so the knowable soul spreads of itself over our souls4 #ef4 ,hence the unreal worlds1 that appear of themselves as real ones before the eyes of the ignorant1 are naught and nothing to my sight4 #eg4 ,being rightly understood1 all things are but forms of the one intellect1 and equally void as itself1 and this appears in a thousand shapes to the understanding of gross instincts4 #eh4 ,as the one intellectual soul assumes many forms to itself as it exhibits in its dreams1 and engrosses them all again into one1 or the single form of its unity in its sound sleep2 so doth the ,divine soul appear in one or more forms to our intellects also4 #ei4 ,thus our consciousness of ,god though one and same1 yet it appears in various forms according to the various apprehensions of men2 and are either vacuous or formal1 as our dreams and the works of our imagination4 #fj4 ,the consciousness of the dreams that we have in the vacuum of our minds1 is what take the name of the worlds2 but the sound sleep of the mind or its unconsciousness of anything1 is called its pralaya or anaesthesia3 and this analogy applies equally to them4 #fa4 ,this substantial totality of existences1 are mere perceptions of the mind only2 and whatever appears in any manner in the thought in any manner at any time or place1 the same seems to present itself in reality before us even then and there4 #fb4 ,it was the thought alone at first1 that manifested itself in the forms of the primary elements of fire and water1 and the earth and in the beginning of creation1 all which rose in the mind in the manner of dreams and the phantoms of its imagination4 #fc4 ,again the inward impressions of these things1 that are preserved in the vacuous space of our consciousness2 the same unite together of themselves1 and exhibit unto us this world1 in the form as we view it in our presence4 #fd4 ,our consciousness appears unto us1 in both its transient as well as permanent states2 while in reality it is no temporary thing1 but continues with us even at the end of all transitory things1 as our transient lives also4 #fe4 ,our consciousness accompanies us for ever1 wheresoever we remain or go2 conceive in yourself for instance as passing on either towards the east or west2 you see many things and cities on your way2 but can never lose your memory of the past1 nor the consciousness of yourself as you proceed onward4 7,the knowledge which the mind has of its operations1 is never effaced from it74 #ff4 ,anything that the mind has seen or willed or is long practiced to do or think upon is never effaced from consciousness1 unless it be from numbness of the ,intellect4 7,gloss4 ,so one is never at a loss to realize his wishes1 unless he is remiss in his efforts to bring them to effect74 #fg4 ,you may rove wherever you please1 either to the east or west1 and you will find your consciousness to continue the same1 and never changing with the change of your place4 7,so doth one's consciousness accompany him even after his death74 #fh4 ,we have seen the man of steady consciousness1 attain to the object or state of his wish1 by his firm perseverance2 while on the contrary the unsteady minded are sure to lose them both3 7i4e4 his wished for object together with the consciousness of himself74 #fi4 ,the man of steady consciousness1 is possessed of both states whether he goes to the north or south2 but the one that is unsteady in himself and to his purpose also1 is deprived of both 7himself and his object74 7,consciousness is joint knowledge of ourselves1 in connections with others1 so that the mind knows both what it is1 as well as what it wills74 #gj4 ,the man of firm intent that thinks of his being both in heaven and earth1 has them both by fixing his mind in one1 while his body is placed in the other2 as the man thinking of going both to the east and west1 may do both by walking one way and thinking of the other4 ,but the man of unsteady purpose is neither for this world or that1 nor walks one way or the other 7but stands in the middle74 #ga4 ,by steadfast belief in the ,one1 we find the intellect alone pervading the whole vacuity of space2 but this one appears as many and many thousands to the understanding of ignorant sceptics4 #gb4 ,be the body destructible because of its materiality1 or indestructible by reason of it being the reflexions of the divine intellect2 yet it is after all but a mere appearance in the dream of the living soul1 whether in this or in the future world4 7,the indestructible intellect1 cannot be the destructible body1 because the destruction of this would involve the other to destruction also74 #gc4 ,that the souls of men do not die with their bodies1 is evident from the instances of the ghosts and spirits of the barbarians1 that are invoked by wizards1 and made to relate the incidents of their past lives4 #gd4 ,men in the country of barbarians that have long been dead and burnt down to ashes1 are known to reappear before people1 and delivering their errands1 to have disappeared with their living souls4 #ge4 ,if it is impossible for departed souls to reappear like the living as the ,chrvkas say2 then let me ask them1 why do they not reckon their absent friends as dead also1 and unable to return4 7,this argument maintains the doctrine of spirituality1 of the capability of the reappearance of departed spirits from the analogy of the return of absent people to their homes2 as ,butler proves the rising of the dead at the ,resurrection1 upon the analogy of our waking from sleep74 #gf4 ,if the property of action be true of the living1 why should it not be equally true of the dead also2 upon the analogy of our conception of the idea of the action of the one as well as of the other4 #gg4 ,the doctrine of the visionary dream of the world1 being the established and irrefutable truth of ,aryan sstras2 it is quite compatible and conformable with the tenet of eternal ideas maintained in ,indian philosophy4 #gh4 ,these worlds are equally as true as well as false to view1 as the sight of the appearances in the disc of the moon1 which appears as realities to the eyes of beholders1 without having any substantiality in them 7,the lunar spots are considered as mere marks--kalankas though to all appearance they seem as habitable parts--chandra-loka74 #gi4 ,the subjective world is real1 in having all its objects as parts of the true ,entity2 and the subjective mind is a reality1 in its being composed of pure ideas only4 ,the ,intellect is true as reflexion only1 and so they are all true without having any reality of themselves4 #hj4 ,all these are immutable and quiet1 and lie quiescent in the vacuity of the ,divine ,intellect2 they are irremovable and unconspicuous of themselves1 and lie immanent in the ,divine soul4 #ha4 ,it is the steady consciousness1 that is conscious of whatever is fixed upon at any time or place2 and represents all things whether real or unreal1 that is inbred or inherent in it4 #hb4 ,let our bodies rise or fall1 and our destinies overtake us as they will2 let happiness or misery befall on us as they are decreed1 they cannot affect the serenity of the indifferent soul4 #hc4 ,hence it is of no matter unto us1 whether these are realities or otherwise1 or whether it may be so and so or not2 avoid your desire for any thing1 and be wise and at rest after all your wanderings4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxxiv4 ,,investigation ,,into ,,the ,,nature ,,vicissitudes ,,of ,,things4 ,argument3--,the ,intellect manifested in the ,world1 which is but a manifestation of the ,divine--mind and its ,omnipotence4 ,the sage continued3--,the visible world is being a something in nothing an entity based upon non-entity 7i4e4 a substance based upon the intellect71 resembles our consciousness of things seen in our dream only4 ,and as all things are eternally situated in the ,divine ,mind1 there can be no meaning in our being bound to or liberated from them4 #b4 ,these worlds that appear to rove before us1 are seen as the mites flying about in the solar rays 7or as the bright circlets seeming to swim before our closed eyes72 they are but evanescent phantoms in the air1 and appearing as stable bodies in the minds of the ignorant4 #c4 ,whatever is seen to be placed before us in any form or state1 is soon found to change its mode and manner before us2 so likewise is the changeful state of all things herein1 that are continually rotating like the waters in a whirlpool4 #d4 ,the earth1 air1 water c41 are the materials that combine to form frail bodies1 that are doomed to decay and dissolve in a short time2 and yet they are computed by the ignorant to last for ages--as yugas kalpas4 7,everything is changing and nothing lasting74 #e4 ,the world is a dream1 and the totality of existence a mere nihility2 and yet the notion of entity that we have of this nullity1 is no other than a reflexion of the one ,eternal ,intellect4 #f4 ,like this solar world of ours1 there are hundreds and thousand others to be seen in the skies2 nor is it incredible that others have the like notions of other peoples4 #g4 ,we see the seas and lakes1 teeming with living beings of various kinds1 and find the pools and bogs full of frogs everywhere2 but none of them know anything about the other reservoirs1 nor of their inhabitants neither beside those of their own4 #h4 ,as a hundred men sleeping in one and the same room2 see as many air built castles differing from another in their dream2 so there appear different worlds in the airy intellects of some1 which are seen and unknown to others4 #i4 ,as many aerial cities are seen1 in the dreams of many men1 sleeping together in the same room2 so do these aerial worlds appear in empty sphere of our minds1 and are said to be in being and not being in the same time 7i4e4 being but a dream which is no-being or nothing74 #aj4 ,the sky is a miracle of the mind1 and a phenomenon of itself2 it is visible without its form1 and appears as limited without its limitation1 and as created without its creation4 7vacuity being increate74 #aa4 ,the vacuum bearing the nature of the vacuous mind1 is vainly styled the firm firmament2 it presents to view the forms of fleeting objects in it1 as the understanding represents its ideas and passing thoughts to our knowledge4 #ab4 ,the remembrance of a thing1 is the cause of its dream by night1 as the desire of something causes its conception in the mind2 and as the apprehension of one's death1 proceeds from his seeing in the instances of others4 #ac4 ,in the beginning of creation1 the world appears as an image in the mind2 which is no other than a flash or reflexion of the ,divine ,intellect1 and to which no other name than a rchauff of the ,divine ,intellect1 can be properly assigned4 #ad4 ,the saying that ,brahma shines as the very world means to say that1 he did not shine anew in the form of the world1 but has this form eternally subsisting in his omniscience4 #ae4 ,it is said that the cause is 7identic with7 the effect1 because the common cause of all1 is specialized in its form of the effect 7i4e4 the one becomes as many74 ,the action which was confined in the cause at first 7as vegetation in the seed71 becomes evolved in the germ of creation afterwards4 #af4 ,when such things 7or conditions7 occur in the mind in dreams1 as have not been seen or known before1 they are called sanskras or pristine impressions in the mind 7as our inward-passions and feelings71 and not the external objects of sense1 which are not inbred in the mind4 #ag4 ,these mental impressions or reminiscences1 are perceptible to us in our dreaming and not in the waking state2 and though they are unseen in our waking2 yet they are not lost unto us so long as we retain those impressions in the mind4 ,they naturally appear in the soul in dreaming1 as the visibles appear to sight in the waking state4 #ah4 ,thus the vedntist comes to know the inexistence of the outer world1 and by knowing the knowable ,one1 they come to attain the consummation of their object 7which is the attainment of their final emancipation or moksha74 #ai4 ,the impressions of the waking state1 which occur in the state of dreaming1 are the newly made imprints of the waking hours on the memory2 and these make the sleeping hours seem as waking to the dreaming soul4 #bj4 ,these recent ideas fluctuate in the mind1 as by the breath of the wind1 and they occur and recur of themselves1 without the agency of pristine impressions4 #ba4 ,there is one sole ,intellect only1 possessed of its many multitudes of airy dreams2 and being dispossessed of them at last1 it remains solely by and in itself4 #bb4 ,the consciousness that we have of the dreams1 ranging at large in the empty sphere of our ,intellect1 is verily what is denominated the world by us2 and the want of this consciousness in our sound sleep1 is what is termed the extinction of world by ourselves4 ,this analogy applies also to the nature of the self-existed ,one4 #bc4 ,there exists only the infinite sphere of one eternal ,intellect1 and there appears an infinity of shapes1 perpetually rising and setting in its open in the manner of dreams4 ,these are born of its own nature and are called the world1 and bear the same intellectual form with itself4 #bd4 ,thus the atomic particle of the ,intellect1 contains the form of the whole cosmos within its bosom2 which is an exact ectype of its archetype1 as the shadow under a mirror1 is the true representation of the prototype4 #be4 ,the cavity of the ,intellect contains the consciousness which is diffused in it like the dilution of an atom2 and extends throughout without beginning and end1 and this is called the cosmos4 #bf4 ,hence as far as the vacuity of the ,intellect extends to all infinity1 there is the appearance of the wide world connected with it1 as immanent in and identic with itself at all times4 7,the intimate connection of the subjective mind and objective world together74 #bg4 ,the intellect is selfsame with the world1 and therefore all minds and intellectual beings as myself and thyself1 are worlds or microcosm also2 and it is for this reason that the great macrocosm of the world1 is said to be comprised in the corpuscle of the mind4 #bh4 ,therefore ,i who am a minute soul1 am of the form of the whole world also 7being its container in the mind72 hence ,i abide everywhere likewise1 even in the midst of an atom also4 #bi4 ,being in the form of the minutiae of the intellect1 ,i am also as great as the universal soul1 and as expanded as the open air all around2 ,i also see all the three worlds about one1 wherever ,i abide or move4 7,all things are present in the mind1 at all places and times74 #cj4 ,i am an atom of the intellectual soul1 and am joined with the intellectual soul of the universe2 it is my sight of the supreme spirit in my meditation1 that ,i am lost in it as a drop of water is lost in the ocean4 #ca4 ,having entered into the ,divine spirit1 and feeling its influence in me1 ,i am filled with its cognition2 and behold the three worlds within me1 as the seed lies hid in the pericarp or in the seed vessel 7to be developed in its future foliage74 #cb4 ,i see the triple world expanding within myself 7according to our reminiscence of the same which is engraven in the mind71 beside which there is no outer world on the outside of any body4 7,the world lies in the conception of mind only1 and the exterior one is but a reflexion of the same74 #cc4 ,whenever the world appears in any form1 whether of a gross or subtile nature1 as in the states of our waking or dreaming2 both these forms of the interior or exterior worlds1 are to be known as the reflexion of the ideal one imprinted in the intellect4 #cd4 ,when the living soul indulges itself in the sight of the world1 in the state of its dreaming2 it is to be known as a reflexion of the expanded particle of the intellect1 which the sleeping soul delights to dote upon4 #ce4 ,the ,huntsman rejoined3--,if the visible world is causeless or without its maker1 then how could it come into existence1 and if it be a caused or created exterior world1 how could we have any knowledge of it in the sleeping and dreaming of the soul4 #cf4 ,the sage replied3--,all this is without a cause1 and the world proceeded at first without any causality whatever4 7,the ,muni means to say that there cannot be any independent or instrumental cause of creation save the emanation of ,one oneself74 #cg4 ,it is verily impossible for gross and perishable bodies and transient beings1 to come to being without a cause2 but that which is a facsimile or shadow only of the antitype and original model of the eternal mind1 cannot possibly have any cause at all4 #ch4 ,it is ,brahma himself that thus shines refulgent1 by nature of his intellectual effulgence2 hence the world's creation and destruction are utterly inapplicable to what is without its beginning and end4 #ci4 ,thus the uncaused creation1 abides in the substance of the great ,god1 and shines forth with divine glory to all infinity4 ,it is to gross minds only1 which are prepossessed with the grosser ideas of materiality1 that it appears in the form of a gross material body4 #dj4 ,what numberless varieties do there appear in the unvaried ,brahma1 and what un-numbered diversities of shapes and forms are seen in the formless ,one1 that is ever unchanged and imperishable4 #da4 ,brahma is formless in his person 7which is of a spiritual form72 yet he exhibits himself in many forms1 in his being the mind 7or mirror of all ideal forms72 where he represents his spiritual self or soul1 in all the various forms of moving and immovable bodies4 #db4 ,he makes the gods1 sages and seers in his likeness1 and directs them to their different degrees and duties also2 he stablishes the laws and prohibitions of conduct1 and appoints the acts and observances at all times and places4 #dc4 ,all existences and privations1 productions and destructions1 of moving or unmoving bodies1 whether great or small ones1 are subject to his decree1 and can never transgress any of his general laws4 #dd4 ,ever since the general decree1 nothing takes place without its proper special cause2 as you can never expect to exude oil from sand 7save from oily seeds74 #de4 ,the destined decree of providence1 is the leader of all events in the world2 it is as one part of the body of ,brahma1 by which he represses the other part of himself 7i4e4 his will72 as we restrain the action of one hand by the other4 7,one over-ruling fate governs even ,jove himself74 #df4 ,this unavoidable destiny overtakes us1 against our prudence and will1 like the sudden fall of a fruit on a flying crow 77 and drives us along with its course1 as the tide or eddy bears down the waters with it4 #dg4 ,the preordination of certain effects from certain causes1 is what is called destiny2 without which there result all disorder and disturbance1 and in want of which the great ,brahma even cannot abide4 ,it is therefore the imperishable soul of all existence4 #dh4 ,thus then this destiny is the cause of all1 and although it is unseen and unknown1 yet it acts on all as it is destined for them ever since their very production4 7,this is no more than the unchangeable law of nature74 #di4 ,the uncausing ,brahma that causes nothing1 is believed by the ignorant as the causal agent of creation2 which they mistake as the production of its maker by error of their judgment4 #ej4 ,the wise man however1 seeing the sudden appearance of world before him1 like the rotation of a wheel1 considers its causes as such and such or this and that1 as they have been determined by their preordained destiny4 #ea4 ,so all existent bodies have their special causes1 in their primordial destiny1 which determines their subsequent lots in endless succession4 ,hence the occurrences1 of our waking state1 resembling the visions in our dream1 are never without their antecedent causes4 #eb4 ,thus when ,i dreamt the erroneous dream of the destruction of the world1 caused by concussion of the elements and waters ,i had its cause inbred in me1 in my reminiscence of the great deluge ,i had heard of in traditional narration4 #ec4 ,in this manner we see the reflexions of almighty power in all things that come under own reflection 7or observation71 just as we see the crystals and shell-fishes shining with their intrinsical brightness4 ,may this ,omnipotent power that is ever-living soul of souls1 and known to us in our imperfect notion of him1 be glorified for ever and ever4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxxv4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,waking1 ,,dreaming ,,and ,,sleeping ,,states4 ,argument3--,the three ,humours of ,human body ,composing the three states of its earthly existence4 ,the sage continued3--,the living soul 7or man7 perceives the dream of the outer world1 by means of the external organs of sense2 and that of the inner world by the internal senses2 but the quickness of both the internal and external senses1 gives the sensations of both these worlds to the soul4 #b4 ,when the outer senses are busily employed with outward objects1 then the perceptions of mental objects and inner functions become faint and fainter by degrees4 #c4 ,when the external senses are all directed to the inside1 and the inner senses are concentrated in the mind2 then the object of thought and the idea of the world however minute they had been before1 assume gradually a more expanded form1 and present their extended appearances to the soul4 7,brooding upon a thought1 dilates it the more74 #d4 ,in this manner the world which is nothing in reality1 being once thought upon as something however small in its idea1 dilates itself to an enormous size in the mind1 which cast at last its reflexion on the external organs of sense also1 and make it appear so big and vast to sight4 #e4 ,when the eyes and senses of a living person1 are occupied with outer objects1 then the soul beholds the intellect1 the form of the exterior world only 7so the external senses carry their impressions to the mind also74 #f4 ,the intellectual and aeriform soul1 is composed of the congeries of all outward sensations2 namely of the ears or hearing1 touch or feeling1 seeing and smelling1 and taste as also of the four internal sensations of will or volition4 #g4 ,therefore the living soul is always present at every place1 accompanied with all the senses in its intellect1 hence the airy intellect is to be ever unobstructed1 because it always knows and sees every where4 #h4 ,when the phlegmatic humour or fluid of the body1 fills the veins and arteries of the living person2 the soul is then lulled to sleep and to see false visions in its dream4 #i4 ,it seems to swim in a sea of milk1 and to soar in the moonlight sky2 it thinks it sees a limpid lake about it1 filled with full blown lotuses and their blooming buds4 #aj4 ,it sees in itself the flowery gardens of the vernal season1 and mantled in vest of flowers1 vying with the bespangled sky1 and resounding with the warbling of birds1 and the buzz of humming humble bees4 #aa4 ,it sees all mirth and festivity afoot in its mansion1 and the merry dance of sportive damsels afloat in its compound2 and views its court-yard filled with provisions of food and drink 7to its heart's content74 #ab4 ,it beholds profluent streams like adolescent maidens1 running sportfully to join the distant sea2 girt with the swimming flowers and smiling with their flashy foams2 and darting about their fickle glances1 in flitting motion of the shrimps1 fluttering on the surface of the water4 #ac4 ,it views edifices1 turrets1 rising as high as the summits of the ,himlayan mountains1 and the tops of ice bergs 7in the frigid climes72 and having their white washed walls1 appearing as if they were varnished with moon-beams4 #ad4 ,it sees the landscape covered by the dews of the dewy season1 or as hid under the mists of winter1 and shrouded by the showering clouds of the rainy weather1 and views the ground below overgrown with herbaceous plants1 and the muddy marshes grown over with blue lotuses4 #ae4 ,the woodlands were seen to be overspread with flowers1 and resorted to by droves of deer and the weary traveller2 that halted under the cooling umbrage of the thickening foliage of the forest1 and were soothed by soft breezes of the sylvan spot4 #af4 ,the flowery arbour had all its alleys and arcades1 bestrewn over with the flaring farina of flowers2 and the crimson dusts of ,kunda1 ,kadamba and ,mandara blossoms1 were blushing and mantling the scenery all around4 #ag4 ,the lakes were attired in azure with blue lotuses1 and the ground wore the flowing floral garment of flowers2 the woodlands were clear of clouds1 and the firmament was clear and cold under the autumnal sky4 #ah4 ,the mountain range was crowned with rows of ,kunda1 ,kadamba and ,kadal or plantain trees1 which waved their leafy fans on their exalted heads1 which appeared to nod at the dancing of the leaflets4 #ai4 ,the tender creepers were shaking with negligence1 with the unblown buds and blossoms upon them2 appeared as young damsels dancing gracefully1 with strings of pearls on their slender persons4 #bj4 ,it sees the royal hall and the regal synod1 shining as brightly as the blooming lotus-bed in the lake2 and he sees also the fanning white chouries and waving over them1 like the feathered tribe1 flapping their wings over the floral lake 7or lotus beds74 #ba4 ,it sees also the running rills softly gliding in playful mood1 with curling creepers and flowers wreathed with their currents2 and murmuring along with mixed music of birds on the spray beside them4 #bb4 ,the dhar--terra or earth was filled and flooded1 by dhra or torrents of water falling from the adharas or cataracts1 of dhardharas or mountains2 and all the sides of heaven were obscured by the showers of rain and snows1 falling all about its vault4 #bc4 ,when the internal channels of the body are filled with the fluid of bile 7pitta71 the soul remains with its internal vigor as an atom in its cell1 and then sees the dreams of the following nature in itself4 #bd4 ,it sees flames of fire about it1 and red kinsuka flowers upon its withered trees and blasted by the winds2 it sees also the forms of red lotus flowers1 burning as flames of fire before it4 #be4 ,the inner nerves and veins became as dry of the gastric juice1 as when the limpid streams turn to dry sand banks2 and there appear flames of wild fire1 and dark smoke flying over the darkened face of nature4 #bf4 ,there appear fires to be blazing around1 and the disk of the sun seems to dart its burning rays2 wild fires are seen in forests1 the withered and the dried ponds emit a poisonous gas1 instead of their limpid waters4 #bg4 ,the seas are seen with their boiling waters1 and turning to beds of hot mire and mud2 the horizon is filled with sultry winds1 and the forests with flying ashes1 while the deserts appeared quite desolate all about4 #bh4 ,the moving sands spreading about1 and flying like a flight of storks in the air2 the landscape appearing otherwise than before1 and the former verdure of the trees1 are no more coming to sight4 #bi4 ,it sees the fearful wayfarer1 covered over by the burning sand of the parching desert2 and looking wistfully on the distant tree by the way side1 spreading its cooling ambrosial shade over the parched ground4 #cj4 ,it sees the earth burning as a flaming furnace with all its lands and places hid under the ashes1 and a dark cloud of dust covering the face of the sky on all sides4 #ca4 ,the world appears in a flame on all sides1 with all its planetary bodies1 cities and seas1 together with the hills and forests and the open air1 all which seem to be burning in a blaze4 #cb4 ,it sees the empty clouds of autumn1 spring and hot seasons1 that serve to favour the fires instead of quenching them2 and beholds the lands below covered with grass and leafy creepers1 which entrap them as vestures of clouds4 #cc4 ,it sees the ground glittering as gold on all sides1 and the waters of the lakes and rivers1 and the snowy mountains even all tepid and hot4 #cd4 ,when the channels of the body are dried up1 for want of the gastric juice1 they are filled with wind and flatulence2 and the soul retaining its vigour1 sees various dreams of the following description4 #ce4 ,the understanding being disturbed by the wind1 sees the earth and the habitations of men and the forests1 and sees in dream1 quite different from what they appeared before4 #cf4 ,the soul beholds itself as flying in the air1 with the hills and hilly lands all about it2 and hears a rumbling noise as that of the whirling of the wheels of a chariot4 #cg4 ,it seems to be riding about on horse back1 or upon a camel or eagle or on the back of a cloud1 or riding in a chariot drawn by ganders or swans4 #ch4 ,it sees the earth1 sky and cities and forests1 all appearing before it2 and trembling as in fear like bubbles in the water4 #ci4 ,it finds itself as fallen in a blind ditch1 or in some great danger1 or as mounting in the air1 upon a tree or hill4 #dj4 ,when the conduits of the body are filled1 with a combination of all the three humours of phlegm1 bile and flatulence2 then the soul is led by the windy humour to see several dreams of the following nature4 #da4 ,it sees rainfalls flowing down the mountains1 and hailstones hurling down its sides to its terror2 it hears the bursting of the hills and edifices1 and sees the trees to be moving about4 #db4 ,woods and forests1 appear to gird the distant horizon2 which is over cast by huge clouds1 and traversed by big elephants and lions4 #dc4 ,the palm and tmala trees1 appear to be burning around2 and the hollow caves and caverns1 to resound with the harsh noise of the flashing fire and falling trees4 #dd4 ,the mountain craigs seeming to be clashing and crashing against one another1 and the caverns resounding to their hoarse and harsh crackling4 #de4 ,the mountain tops also seem to clash against each other1 and emit a harsh and hideous noise about them2 and the streams running amidst them1 appear as wearing necklaces with the loosened creepers and bushes which they bore away4 #df4 ,fragments of rocks are seen1 to be borne away by the mountain streams to the ocean2 and the torn bushes which they carried down1 seemed to spread as far as the utmost pole4 #dg4 ,craggy hills seemed to crash each other with their denticulated edges1 and crashed and split themselves with their harsh and hideous sounds4 #dh4 ,the forest leaves with creepers were scattered all around by the strong wind1 and the broken stones of the mountain made their bed over the moss below4 #di4 ,the tall tla trees fell to the ground with marmara sound1 like the wars of the ,gods and ,titans of yore2 and all birds flew with a harsh scream1 like the crying of men at the last day of desolation of the world4 #ej4 ,all woods1 stones and earth mixed together as one mass1 like jarkrita jva in dream4 #ea4 ,silence reigned there like worm underneath the earth1 and frog underneath a stone1 boy within the belly1 and the seed within the fruit4 #eb4 ,like boiled rice and solidified liquid in the bowel1 and the sapling within the wall of a pillar4 #ec4 ,the vital air ceased to blow1 and the all things are blamed1 as if they are encased within the hollow of the earth4 #ed4 ,deep darkness reigned there1 and susupti appeared like deep dark well within the cavern of a mountain4 #ee4 ,as heavy food is digested by the digestive organ of the body1 and afterward by a separate juice a new energy comes within1 so the vital air which once disappeared1 makes its appearance again4 #ef4 ,as after digestion certain kind of juice appears within the body in the shape of vitality1 so stone begins to fall therein4 #eg4 ,as fire increases more fire1 a little adds little more2 so the combination of triple humours1 composes the inward and outward essence of the body4 #eh4 ,thus the living soul being confined within the bonds of the body1 and led by force of the triple humours 7phlegm etc472 sees 7by means of its internal senses71 the dreams of the absent world1 as it beholds the visions of the visible phenomena1 with its external organs of sense4 #ei4 ,it is according to the more or less excitement of the senses1 by the greater or less irritation of the humours1 that the mind is liable to view its internal vision1 in a greater or less degree2 but the action of the humours being equable1 the tenor of the mind runs in an even course4 #fj4 ,the living soul being beset by irritated humours 7from the effects of intoxication1 mantras or poison and the like71 looks abroad over the wide world1 and sees the earth and sky and the mountains to be turning round2 and flames of fire issuing from burning piles4 #fa4 ,it finds itself rising to and moving about the skies1 the rising moon and ranges of mountains2 sees forests of trees and hills1 and floods of water washing the face of heaven4 #fb4 ,it thinks itself to be diving on and floating on the waters1 or rambling in heavenly abodes1 or in forests and hilly places1 and finds itself to be floating in the sky1 upon the backs of hoary clouds4 #fc4 ,it sees rows of palms and other trees ranged in the sky1 and sees the false sights of hell punishments1 as the sawing and crushing of sinful bodies4 #fd4 ,it fancies itself to be hurled down by a turning wheel1 and rising instantly to the sky again2 it sees the air full of people1 and thinks itself as diving in the waters upon the land4 #fe4 ,it sees the business of the daytime1 carried on everywhere at night1 the sun shining then as in the day time2 and a thick darkness overspreading the face of the day4 #ff4 ,the mountainous regions are seen in the skies1 and the land is seen to be full of holes and ditches2 rows of edifices are seen in the air1 and amity is found to be combined with enmity 7friends turning to foes and vice versa74 #fg4 ,relatives are thought as strangers1 and wicked people are taken for friends2 ditches and dells are viewed as level land1 and flats and planes appear as caves and caverns4 #fh4 ,there appear hoary mountains of milky whiteness and crystal gems1 and resonant with the melody of birds2 and limpid lakes are seen to glide below1 with their water as sweet as butter4 #fi4 ,forests of various trees appear to sight1 and houses adorned with females1 appearing as lotuses fraught with bees4 #gj4 ,the living soul thought it lies hid within1 and closed in itself2 yet perceives all these sights without1 as if it were awake to them4 7,thus the derangement of the humours1 causes these errors of sensation of perceiving what is not present to the senses74 #ga4 ,in this manner it is the work of vitiated humours1 to represent many such sights of external objects1 in the forms of dream to the minds of people4 #gb4 ,it is usual with men of disordered humours1 to see many extraordinary sights and fearful appearances1 both within and without them 7i4e4 in their dreaming and outward sight also74 #gc4 ,when the internal organs are equable in their action1 then the course of nature and the conduct of people1 appear in the usual state4 #gd4 ,then the situations of cities and countries1 and the positions of woods and hills1 are seen in the same calm1 clear and unperturbed state1 as they are known to exist1 agreeably to the natural order of things2 such as cool and clear streams1 shady forests1 and countries and paths traversed by passengers4 #ge4 ,days and nights decorated with the pleasant beams of the sun and moon1 and the rays of the starry array2 and all other appearances1 however unreal in their nature1 appear as wonders to the sight and other senses4 #gf4 ,the perception of phenomenals is as innate in the mind1 as vacillation is inherent in the wind2 and viewing the unreal as real1 and the intrinsical or what is derived from within it1 as separate and extrinsic or derived from without1 is the essential property of its nature4 #gg4 ,it is the calm and quiet spirit of ,brahma1 that gives rise to all things which are equally calm and quiet also2 the world is mere vacuum1 without having any reality in it4 ,it is the vacuous mind that represents endless varieties of such forms in the sphere of its own vacuity1 as the endless reflexions of its vacuous person4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxxvi4 ,,disquisition ,,of ,,sound ,,sleep4 ,argument3--,relation of sleep after dream1 and followed by dream likewise1 concluding with proof of the unity of ,god4 ,the ,huntsman said3--,tell me1 ,o great sage1 what did you do and see afterwards1 from your seat in the erroneous spirit of that person4 #b4 ,the sage replied3--,hear me tell you next1 what ,i did and saw afterwards1 by my union with and my situation in the spirit of that infatuated person4 #c4 ,as ,i resided in the dark cave of his heart1 in the confusion of the last doomsday2 there arose methought a hurricane1 which blew away the mountains as straws1 on the day of the final desolation of the world4 #d4 ,it was soon followed by outpourings of rain water from the mountain tops2 which bore away the woods and hills in the torrent4 #e4 ,as ,i dwelt in that cavity and in union with the vitality of the individual1 ,i perceived even in that state of my spiritual minuteness1 the falling rains and hailstones from the mountain tops4 #f4 ,i was then folded in the chyle of that person1 and fell into a state of sound sleep1 and felt a deep darkness enveloping me all over4 #g4 ,having laid down in my sleep for some time1 ,i was gradually raised from my sleepy state2 as the closed lotus of the night1 unfolds its petals in the morning4 #h4 ,then as a man lying in darkness1 comes to see some circular disks appearing to his sight2 so ,i saw some flimsy dreams flying about and hovering upon me4 #i4 ,being released from the chain of sleep1 ,i fell to a chain of dreams2 and saw a hundred shapes of things1 arising in my spirit1 as the shapes of unnumbered waves and billows1 rise in the bosom of the sea4 #aj4 ,very many forms of visible things1 appeared in the cell of my consciousness2 as a great many flying things are seen to be volitant in the still and motionless air4 #aa4 ,as heat is inherent in fire1 and coldness is innate in water1 and as fluidity is characteristic of liquids1 and pungency is immanent in pepper c42 so is the world inborn in ,brahma4 #ab4 ,the nature of the ,intellect being uniform and selfsame in itself2 the phenomenal world is engrained in it1 as the dream of a new born child1 presents itself to the sight of a sleeping man4 7,sight is here applied to the mind's eye74 #ac4 ,the ,huntsman rejoined3--,tell me sir1 how is it possible for the ,intellect to have the sight of anything in its state of sound sleep1 since dreams never occur in the mind except in the state of slight and light sleep4 #ad4 ,again in the state of sound sleep both of yourself1 as also of the person in whose heart you dwelt2 how could the sight of the creation appear to you 7or has the term sound sleep any other sense than the state of utter nescience87 7,sound sleep is the state of utter insensibility or anaesthesia--gloss74 #ae4 ,the sage replied3--,know that creation is expressed by the words1 viz4 jyati is born1 bhti appeareth1 and kachati shineth2 and are applied indiscriminately to all material things1 as pots and pictures 7 7 as well as to the world also2 all these words are used to express a duality 7or something different as proceeding from ,unity71 by men whose brains are heated with dualism1 or the notion of a duality 7as different from the nature of the ,unity or the only ,one74 #af4 ,know that the word jta or born means only being 7sattwa71 and its synonyms are prdurbhva--manifestation1 which is derived from the root bhu to be4 #ag4 ,now the meaning of ,bhu is being1 which expresses the sense of being born also1 and the sarga meaning production or creation1 it is same with being also4 #ah4 ,with us learned men1 there is nothing as jyti or what is made or may be said to be born or destroyed2 but all is one calm and quiet unborn being only4 7,an eternal ideal entity74 #ai4 ,the whole and soul of this entity1 is the one ,brahma alone 7the only ,ens to ,on or the ,om72 and the totality of existence1 is the ,cosmos1 macrocosm or the world4 ,say then what hypostasis or unsubstantiality is there that can be positively affirmed or denied of it1 which is of them alike4 #bj4 ,that which is called sakti or the active energy of ,god1 resides literally in the ,divine spirit1 but not as a free or separate power of itself2 because all power subsists in ,omnipotence1 which is self same with ,brahma1 and not as an attribute or part of him4 7,vednta ignores the predicates of potentiality as predicable of ,brahma1 who is the very essence of ,omnipotence74 #ba4 ,the properties of waking1 sleep and dreaming1 do not belong to the nature of ,god1 according to the cognition of men learned in divine ,knowledge2 because ,god never sleeps nor dreams1 nor does he wake in the manner of ,his creature4 7,no changing property appertaining to finite beings can ever be attributable to the ,infinite1 who is as ,he is74 #bb4 ,neither sleep nor the airy visions of dreaming1 nor also anything that we either know or have any notion of1 can have any relation to the nature of the ,inscrutable ,one2 any more than the impossibility of our having any idea of the world before its creation4 7,so the ,persian mystic ,berun ,ztash1 aztohmate chunan to chunin4 ,his nature is beyond our comprehension and presumption of it as so and such74 #bc4 ,it is the living soul which sees the dream1 and imagines the creation in itself2 or else the pure intellect is quite unintelligible in its nature1 and remains as clear as either in the beginning of creation4 #bd4 ,the ,intellect is neither the observer nor enjoyer 7i4e4 neither the active nor passive agent of creation72 it is something as nothing1 perfectly quiet and utterly unspeakable in its nature4 #be4 ,in the beginning there was no cause of creation1 or creative agent of the world2 it is only an ideal of the ,divine ,mind1 and exists for ever in the same state1 as a vision in the dream or an airy castle of imagination4 #bf4 ,it is thus that the individual ,intelligence1 is apprehended as a duality by the unwise1 but never by the intelligent2 because ignorant men like silly infants are afraid of the tiger or snake that is painted upon their own person2 but the intelligent knowing them too well to be marked upon their own bodies1 never suspect them as anything otherwise than their own person4 #bg4 ,the ,one invariable and translucent soul1 which is without its beginning1 middle and end1 appears as varying and various to the unreflecting dualist and polytheist2 but the whole appearing so changeful and conspicuous to sight1 is all a perfect calm and quiet and serene prospect in itself4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxxvii4 ,,the ,,phenomenon ,,and ,,perspection ,,of ,,dreams4 ,argument3--,the rise of dream from sound sleep2 and the vision of friends and relations in ,dreaming4 ,the sage continued3--,hear me now1 ,o strong armed archer1 how ,i awoke from my sound sleep1 and saw the sight of the world in my dream2 just as a man rising on the surface from the depth of the sea1 surveys the heavens above him4 #b4 ,i saw the heavens1 as hewn out of the etherial vacuum2 and ,i beheld the terrestrials1 as sculptured out of the earth2 but found them all1 to be fashioned out of the ,divine ,mind2 or framed in that manner1 by my visual organs or ocular deception only4 #c4 ,the world appeared1 as the early or long sprung blossom of the arbour of the eternal mind2 or as the ceaseless waves of the vast ocean1 or as phantoms of my deluded eye sight4 #d4 ,it seemed to appear from the bosom of the sky above1 or to have proceeded from all sides of heaven2 it seemed moreover as a masonry carved out of the mountains of all quarters of the firmament1 and also as a prodigy rising out of the earth or ,tartarus4 #e4 ,it seemed also to have sprung out of the heart1 as any of its feelings or affections2 and to have filled all the space of vacuity1 as the all pervading clouds of heaven2 methought it likewise as the produce of a large forest1 or like seeds or grains growing out of the earth4 #f4 ,as pictures of houses with apartments1 are painted upon the planes of level plates2 so the figures of living beings1 are drawn upon the smooth flatness of the ,intellect1 together with all the members and organs of their bodies4 #g4 ,these worlds appear to have sprung in some unknown part of ,infinity1 and to have presented themselves to our view1 like flying herds of distant regions coming to our sight2 or as presents are brought to the presence of prince from different parts of lands1 or as the retributions and rewards of one's good or bad deeds in this life1 meet him in the next and successive transmigration4 #h4 ,the world is but a blossom of the great arbour of ,brahma1 or a little billow of vast ocean of ,eternity2 it is a sculpture on the colossal pillar of the ,intellect1 without being carved out or cast upon it4 7,it is the macrocosm moulded in the mind of ,god74 #i4 ,the firmament is the ample field1 filled with an infinity of worlds1 appearing as our earthly abodes in the empty city of air2 the mind wanders at random all over it as an infuriate elephant1 with an airy empty life1 as fickle and fleeting as a breath of air4 #aj4 ,the edifice of the world appears to be built without its foundation1 and is unsupported by walls2 and the sky appearing so bright and variegated1 is without any colour or taint of its own2 it is the magical power of the great magician1 that has displayed these wonders and spread a curtain of delusion over the ignorant and infatuated world4 7,instead of knowledge1 man has rather eaten the fruit of the tree of ignorance74 #aa4 ,though the creation seems so exuberant1 at all places and in all times2 yet it is quite quiescent1 and unbounded by any limitation of space and time2 and though it appears as multitudinous yet it is the single unity2 and though seemingly multifarious1 yet is all but one invariable uniformity4 #ab4 ,the instance of the fairy land is exactly alike to that of this world1 in respect of the unreality of both2 and it is the same error which occurs to us in our dream1 that possesses us also even in our waking state of dreaming4 7,equality of day and night dreams74 #ac4 ,it is the reflexion of the mind only1 that represents the absent past1 as well as the future which is yet to be1 as already present before it2 whether they relate to aught of time or place1 or substance or action or anything relating to its creation or its destruction4 #ad4 ,there are numberless beings contained under every species of animals1 which contain others ad infinitum in their ovaries1 bearing animalcules like seeds of pomegranate fruits4 #ae4 ,the rivers1 forests and mountains1 are seen to be beset by clouds of the sky1 and studded with the gemming stars of heaven2 and the sea is heard to resound with the loud larum of battle drums1 raised by the warring winds with the conflicting currents4 #af4 ,i then beheld there a visible sphere before me1 amidst which ,i saw the village of my prior dream1 and recognized the spot of my former residence therein4 #ag4 ,i saw there all my former friends and relations1 at the very spot and of the same age as ,i had seen them before2 ,i saw my wife and my very children seated in the very same house4 #ah4 ,seeing my fellow villagers and my former village scenes1 my heart wished to meet them as violently1 as the sea-waves swell to meet the shore4 #ai4 ,i then began to embrace all my relatives1 and felt happy at my joining with them2 and being enrapt by my desire of seeing more and more1 ,i utterly lost all my remembrance of the past4 #bj4 ,as a mirror receives the reflexion of whatever is present before it1 so the mirror of the mind is wholly occupied with the objects of its future desires1 and becomes unmindful of the past4 #ba4 ,it is the vacuity of the ,intellect1 that has the knowledge of everything2 nor is there any other principle of understanding beside the intellect1 which ever subsists by itself4 #bb4 ,he who has not lost his pure understanding1 and his remembrance of himself2 is never misled by the goblin of dualism or doubt1 to think of a duality4 #bc4 ,he whose understanding is awakened by his constant inquiry into truth and divine knowledge1 and by his study of good sstras and attendance on divine sages1 does not forget his enlightenment any more 7nor relapses to his former ignorance74 #bd4 ,he who is imperfect in his divine knowledge1 and whose mind is bound down by worldly desires2 is liable to lose his good understanding1 as it were by the influence of an unfavourable planet or inauspicious star4 #be4 ,know thou1 ,o huntsman6 that thy understanding also1 which is not yet cultivated by association with the wise1 is liable to fall into error of duality1 and involve thee thereby to repeated difficulties4 #bf4 ,the ,huntsman answered3--,it is all very true1 ,o sage1 that notwithstanding all thy lectures1 my understanding does not find its rest in the knowledge of only true ,one4 #bg4 ,my understanding is still hanging in doubt1 as to whether it is so or not2 and though ,i rely in my conception of the truth as you have declared1 yet my mind finds no rest in it4 #bh4 ,ah6 that though ,i fix my faith on the doctrine you have preached1 yet ,i cannot rest secure in it1 so long as my ignorance reigns supreme in me4 #bi4 ,unless the understanding is enlightened in the company of wise men1 by attending the doctrine of the best sstras1 and due examination of their precepts1 there can be no end of the errors of the world1 nor any rest for the weary soul1 wandering continually in the maze of errors4 ,,chapter ,,cxxxxviii4 ,,investigation ,,into ,,the ,,nature ,,of ,,dreams4 ,argument3--,truth and untruth of ,dreams4 ,the ,huntsman said3--,if the sight of the world is no more than a vision in dream1 then tell me1 ,o great sage1 where lies its truth or falsehood1 which is a matter of great doubt and difficulty to me4 #b4 ,the sage replied3--,that dream is true and comes actually to take place1 which rises in our consciousness under the conditions of proper place and time1 and right actions and things4 7,these are the morning dreams relating to pious acts and sacred things in some adjacent place74 #c4 ,a dream that is caused by use of some gem or drug or by effect of some mantra or amulet1 comes to pass in actu1 whether it is favourable or not to the dreamer4 #d4 ,when the earnest desire of a man1 presents itself in the shape of a dream before his mental sight1 it comes to occur by accident by law of chance4 #e4 ,whatever we believe with certainty in our consciousness1 the same is sure as fate1 we are sure to see and become the same 7by the natural tendency and constitution of our minds74 #f4 ,certainty removes the uncertainty1 if any one reaches there1 the other falls down absolutely4 #g4 ,no object is ever situated1 either in the inside or outside of any body2 it is the consciousness alone1 that assumes to itself the various forms of worldly things1 and remains in the same state as it knows itself to be4 #h4 ,the certainty arrived at by evidence of the sstras1 that the phenomenals are as appearances in a dream1 makes it to be believed as so indeed2 but a disbelief1 in this belief makes one a sceptic1 who wanders about in his doubts for ever4 7,without coming to a settled belief74 #i4 ,if one gains his object by any other means1 notwithstanding his belief in the visionariness of the world2 that gain is to be reckoned as a visionary one only4 #aj4 ,whatever is ascertained as true in the world1 by the strong consciousness of any body in his waking state2 the same comes to be known as otherwise or 7untrue71 in course of time and change of place either sooner or later4 #aa4 ,in the beginning the world existed in ,divine ,intellect1 and was represented in its subtile and incompressible form2 ,it had its essence in the mind of ,god1 and then extended its tenuous substance to any length ad libitum4 #ab4 ,know that beside the true and immutable entity of the intellect of ,brahma alone1 all others are both real and unreal1 and lasting and transient also4 7,they are real as reflexion of the ,divine ,mind1 and unreal and transitory in their phenomenal aspects47 #ac4 ,whereas ,brahma is the only ens and soul of all1 there can be no other that may be styled as such2 say therefore what else is there1 that may be called a reality or non reality either4 #ad4 ,whether therefore a dream be true or false at anytime1 it cannot be deemed as the one or the other1 by either the ignorant or enlightened part of mankind4 #ae4 ,the phenomenal world appears before us1 by delusion of our senses and misconception of our consciousness2 the visible worlds commonly passed under the name of illusion 7my71 hath naught of reality or certainty in it4 #af4 ,it is the ,divine ,intellect that flashes forth in the mind1 with the glare of the glaring world2 just as fluidity is seen to be thrilling and flowing still1 in all bodies of waters and liquids4 #ag4 ,as one sees a dream at first1 and falls fast asleep afterwards2 so doth everybody behold the phenomenals in his waking state1 and then falls naturally into a deep and sound sleep4 7,this refers to the alternate creation and annihilation of the world74 #ah4 ,know then1 ,o great sage1 that the waking state is analogous to that of dreaming2 and know the dreaming state to be as that of waking1 and that both these states are but the two phases of the one and same ,brahma 7as the liquid and condensed states of ghee or butter are both the same74 #ai4 ,the ,divine ,intellect is a vacuous and incomprehensible entity1 and the spacious universe is its reflexion only2 the three states of waking1 dreaming and sleeping1 are the triple hypostases of the same being 7or ,divine ,existence74 #bj4 ,there is no law regarding the efficacy of dreams1 say how can you determine any rule for ascertaining the results of various dreams4 #ba4 ,as long as the mind dwells on the appearance of dreams 7either in sleep or waking71 so long it is troubled with its vagaries2 therefore the sage must wipe off their impressions from his consciousness4#a #bb4 ,it is the humour of the mind that gives rise to dreams1 like pulsation in air causing the current wind2 there is no other cause of dreams nor any laws for governing them2 except the sound sleep 7or insouciance71 when these appearances entirely subside or vanish away4 #bc4 ,it is the manner of the learned1 to impute the cause of the impressions in our consciousness1 to external appearances of this thing or that 7or ghata patadi c472 but relying on the doctrine of the causelessness of external objects 7or the objective71 they prove to be no other than mere imaginations of the subjective mind 7or noumenal only74 #bd4 ,in this therefore there is no other law with respect to this1 than the appearances of things whatever they be1 are generally granted as such by the common sense of mankind 7vyvahrikam74 #be4 ,thus there being no law in dreaming1 there is some times some truth in some dreams1 and at others there is no truth in any of them at all2 and in want of any constancy1 it is only a fortuitous occurrence4 #bf4 ,whatever appears subjectively to one's self1 either from his own nature or by means of artificial appliances2 and whatever one is habituated to think of anything in himself1 he sees the same in the very form1 both in his dreaming as well as waking states4 #bg4 ,the appearances of things1 both in the sleeping and waking states of men1 are the mere reflexions of their minds2 and they remain the same whether when one is waking or lying in the visionary city of his dreams4 #bh4 ,it is not enough to call the waking alone as waking1 because the dream also appears as waking to the waking soul that never sleeps4 7,the soul is ever wakeful74 #bi4 ,so also there is nothing as dreaming1 and may be called by that name2 it is only a mode of thinking in the ,divine ,mind1 which sees sleeping and waking in the same light4 #cj4 ,or it may be that there does not exist1 either of the two states of waking or dreaming1 because the ever living soul of a dead person1 continues to behold the visibles2 even after its separation from the body1 and resurrection after death4 #ca4 ,the soul remains the same1 and never becomes otherwise than what it is1 in any state whatsoever2 just as the endless duration never changes with the course of time1 and the ocean continues alike under its rolling waves1 and the airy space remains unchanged above the changing clouds4 #cb4 ,so the creation is inseparable from the supreme soul1 whether it exists or becomes extinct2 and as the perforations and marks in a stone are never distinct from it2 so are the states of waking and sleeping coincident with the soul ,divine4 #cc4 ,waking1 sleeping1 dreaming and sound sleep1 are the four forms of bodies of the formless and bodiless ,brahma2 who though devoid of all forms1 is still of the form of whole creation1 cosmos and the mundane soul4 #cd4 ,the supreme soul1 that pervades and encompasses all space is visible to us in only form of infinite space or sky2 the endless vacuity therefore being only the body of supreme ,intellect1 it is no way different from it4 #ce4 ,the air and wind1 the fire and water1 together with the earth and clouds on high1 are reckoned as the causes of all creation1 and subsist in their ideal shapes in the mind of ,brahma alone4 #cf4 ,the ,lord is devoid of all appellations and attributes1 and remains united with his body of the ,intellect1 containing the knowledge of all things within itself2 and the phenomenal is never separate from the noumenal4 ,,chapter ,,cil4 ,,investigation ,,into ,,the ,,original ,,cause4 ,argument3--,conversation of the two sages1 and relation of ,human ,miseries4 ,the ,huntsman said3--,tell me1 ,o sage6 ,what then became of the world that you saw in your dream2 relate in full all its accounts until its final extinction 7or nirvna74 #b4 ,the sage replied3--,hear me then tell thee1 ,o honest fellow1 what then passed in the heart of the person wherein ,i had entered1 and listen to the wondrous tale with proper attention4 #c4 ,as ,i remained there in that forgetful state of my transformation1 ,i saw the course of time gliding upon me1 with its train of months1 seasons and years1 passing imperceptibly by me4 #d4 ,i passed there full fifteen years in my domestic life1 and happy with enjoyment of my conjugal bliss4 #e4 ,it happened there once upon a time1 that a learned sage1 came as a guest to my house1 and ,i received the venerable and austere devotee with honour within my doors4 #f4 ,being pleased with my honourable reception of him1 he took his meal and he rested himself at ease1 when ,i made him the following inquiry regarding the weal and woe of mankind4 #g4 ,sir1 said ,i1 you are possest of vast understanding1 and know well the course of the world2 and are therefore known neither to fret at adversity1 nor delight in prosperity4 #h4 ,all weal and woe proceed from the acts of men1 engaged in busy life in the world2 so as the husbandman reaps good or bad crops in autumn1 according to the manner of his cultivation of the field 7such is the common belief of men74 #i4 ,but then tell me1 whether all the inhabitants of a place1 are equally faulty in their actions at the one and same time2 that they are brought to suffer and fall under some severe calamity or general doom all at once4 #aj4 ,we see alternate famine and drought1 portents and catastrophes repeatedly overtaking a large portion of mankind at the same time2 say then is it owing to the wickedness of the people at the one and very time4 #aa4 ,hearing the words of mine1 he stared at me1 and looked as if he was taken by surprise1 and seemed to be confounded in his mind2 and then he uttered these words of equal reverence and ambrosial sweetness4 #ab4 ,the sagely guest said3--,o well spoken6 these words of yours bespeak thy highly enlightened mind2 and that you have well understood the cause of the phenomenal1 be it a real or unreal one1 tell me2 how you came to know it4 #ac4 7,then seeing me sitting silent before him1 he added72 ,remember the universal soul only1 and think naught what thou art and where thou sittest2 ponder well in thyself1 what am ,i and from whence1 and what is the phenomenals1 whether it is anything substantial or ideal of the mind only4 #ad4 ,all this is the display of dream and how is it that you do not know it as yet8 ,i am a visionary being to you1 as you are the phantom of a dream before me4 #ae4 ,the world you see1 is a formless and a nameless nothing1 and mere formation of your imagination2 it glares with the glare of the glassy ,intellect1 and is a glaring falsehood in itself4 #af4 ,the true and unfictitious forms of the ,intellect is1 as you must know2 that it is omnipresent1 and therefore of any form whatsoever1 you think or take it to be any where4 #ag4 ,now in assigning a causality to things1 you will find that the ,intellect is the cause of all2 and in ascribing one cause to anything1 you have the uncaused and uncausing ,intellect for everything4 #ah4 ,it is the universal soul that spreads through all1 and in whom all living beings reside1 that is known as virajtma or common soul of all2 and the same viewed as residing in us1 is known as strtm or individual souls linked together in a series 7composed of all souls74 #ai4 ,there will be other living beings in future1 with the virajan soul pervading in all of them1 and causing their weal or woe according to their desires4 7,lit4 causing the affluence and want of men according to their respective acts74 #bj4 ,the soul is disturbed by derangement of the humours of the body and then the limbs and members of the bodies of men1 become perturbed likewise4 #ba4 ,drought1 famine and destruction1 may come upon mankind or subside of themselves2 because3-- #bb4 ,it is possible1 ,o good soul6 that there are many persons living together1 who are equally guilty of some crime at the same time2 who wait on their simultaneous punishment1 falling as the fire of heaven on a forest at the same time4 #bc4 ,the mind that relies on the efficacy of acts1 comes to feel the effects of its actions2 but the soul that is free from such expectation1 is never involved in its acts1 nor exposed to its result4 #bd4 ,whatever one imagines to himself1 in any form at any place or time2 the same occurs to him in the same proportion as he expected it2 whether that object be with or without its cause 7i4e4 actual or not74 #be4 ,the visionary appearances in dreams1 are in no way accompanied with their immediate or accessory causes1 as all actual existences are2 therefore this visionary world is the appearance of the everlasting ,intellect of ,intelligence1 which is ,brahma itself4 #bf4 ,the world appearing as an erroneous dream1 is a causeless unreality only2 but considering it as the appearance of ,brahma1 it has both its cause and reality 7,hence it is called sadasadtmaka i4e4 both a reality and unreality also74 #bg4 ,the casual occurrence of dreams1 deludes our consciousness of them2 and so the fortuitous appearance of the world1 is equally delusive of our apprehension of it4 ,its extension is a delusion1 as the expansion of a dream4 #bh4 ,everything appears to be caused or uncaused1 or as casual or causal as we take it to be 7hence while we deem our dreams as causeless delusions1 we are apt to believe the equally visionary world1 as a caused and sober reality74 #bi4 ,it is a deception of the understanding to take the visionary world1 as the product of a real causality4 ,it is natural to the waking state to take it for a reality1 what appears as quite calm and unreal in our sleep and dreams4 #cj4 ,now hear me tell you1 ,o great minded sage1 that the one satya--,ens or ,brahma is the sole cause of existences2 or else what other thing is it that is the cause of all nature and this all pervading vacuum4 #ca4 ,say what can be the cause of the solidity of the earth1 and the rarity of air2 what is the cause of our universal ignorance1 and what is the cause of the self born ,brahma4 #cb4 ,what may be the cause of creation1 and what is the origin of the winds1 and fire and water2 and what is the source of our apprehensions of things than mere vacuum or the vacuous intellect4 #cc4 ,tell me what can be the cause1 of the regeneration of departed souls1 into the mass of material bodies8 ,it is in this manner that the course of creation is going on in this manner from the beginning 7without any assignable cause74 #cd4 ,thus are all things seen to be going on1 and recurring in this world1 like the rotations of wheels and spheres in air2 from our constant habit of thinking and seeing them as such4 #ce4 ,thus it is the great ,brahma himself1 who in the form of ,brahm or creator1 spreads and moves throughout the world2 and receives afterwards as many different names1 as the different phases and forms of that he displays in nature1 such as the earth1 air c4 #cf4 ,all creations move about like the fluctuations of winds1 in the spacious firmament of the ,divine ,mind2 which conceives of itself various forms of things in its own imagination4 #cg4 ,whatever it imagines in any form or shape1 the same receives the very form as a decree of fate2 and because these forms are the very images or ideas of the ,divine ,mind1 they are deemed to form the very body of the ,deity4 #ch4 ,in whatever likeness was anything designed at first by the ,divine ,intellect2 it bears the same form and figure of it to this day 7and so will it continue to bear for evermore74 #ci4 ,but as the ,divine ,mind is all powerful and omniscient1 it is able to alter them and make others anew1 by its great efforts again 7i4e4 ,god can unmake what he has made1 and make others again74 #dj4 ,whenever anything is supposed to have a cause1 it is thought also to be subject to the will of that cause2 and wherever there is no supposition of a cause1 there is no apprehension nor capability of its alteration also4 7i4e4 ,the world is both as changeable as well as unchangeable1 according as it is believed to be made by or selfsame with its ,maker74 #da4 ,like vibration in air1 the world existed as first in the ideal of the ,divine ,mind2 and as it was an unsubstantiality before1 so it continues ever still4 #db4 ,they who amass for themselves1 the merits or demerits of their pious or impious deeds2 reap accordingly the good or bad rewards or results thereof in this life4 ,there are others who are crushed under a thousand calamities1 falling upon them like showers of hailstones or the thunderbolts of heaven4 ,,chapter ,,cl4 ,,transcendental ,,admonitions4 ,argument3--,conversation of the impossibility of the departed soul1 to reenter into the former body4 ,the house keeping sage then said as follows3--,it was by this kind of reasoning1 that my sagely guest expostulated with me1 and made me acquainted with whatever was worth knowing4 #b4 ,i then restrained my guest1 to remain longer with me by entreaties2 and he consented to abide at mine1 which resembled the abode of a dead 7ignorant7 person4 7,those that are dead to reason1 are called dead people74 #c4 ,the sage that spake to me those edifying words1 which were as bright and cooling as moonlight2 behold him to be the venerable personage1 that is now sitting beside you4 #d4 ,he said without my request the following speech1 for removal of my ignorance2 as if the sacrificial god rose out of fire1 being pleased with my sacrifice4 #e4 ,hearing these words of the sage1 the huntsman was confounded with wonder2 and could not know the sage that expounded the theory of dreaming1 now sitting confest before me4 #f4 ,the ,huntsman said3 ,o6 it is a great wonder1 and inconceivable in my mind1 that the sage that expounded the nature of dreams1 is now manifest before me4 #g4 ,i wonder at this1 ,o sage6 that the sagely guest whom you saw in your dream1 and who explained the cause of dreams to you1 should now be seen in this waking state4 #h4 ,say how could this visionary sage seen in your airy dream1 come to appear in a solid body1 and sit sedate at this place1 like the fancied ghost of boys4 #i4 ,please to explain to me this wonderful narration of yours1 in due order2 as to who he is and whence and wherefore he comes in this questionable form4 #aj4 ,the sage replied3--,hear me patently1 ,o fortunate man1 to relate to you about this wonderful narrative4 ,i will tell this briefly to you1 but you must not be hasty about it4 #aa4 ,this sage that now sits by thee1 had told me then for my acquaintance of him2 that he was a learned man1 and has come hither now with his tale too long to relate4 #ab4 ,he said these words1 saying1 that he remembered his former nature1 which was as bright and fair as the clear sky1 at the end of the foggy season 7of the month of mgh74 #ac4 ,o6 ,i remember also that ,i became a sage afterwards1 with an expanded mind2 my heart was swollen with joy1 and remained bathed 7amazed7 at my wondrous change4 #ad4 ,i was glad at that state of my life1 from my desire of the enjoyments of the world2 but was deceived like a weary passenger1 pursuing a mirage with eager expectation of water4 #ae4 ,alack6 that the phantoms of the phenomenal world1 should so allure even the wise2 as the tempting fiends of hell1 deceive mankind only to deceive them4 #af4 ,alas6 and ,i wonder at it1 that ,i was misled by my ignorance1 that ,i was misled by my erroneous knowledge of the world1 to this state of life1 which is utterly devoid of every good4 #ag4 ,or what ever ,i am1 ,i find myself to be full of errors only1 and there is no truth whatever in me2 and yet it is the error of errors and the greatest blunder1 that we should be so beguiled and betrayed by unrealities4 #ah4 ,neither am ,i nor this or that any entity at all2 and yet it is a wonder1 that all these false appearances1 should appear as realities4 #ai4 ,what then must ,i do at present to break my bondage to these falsities2 ,i see the germ of error lying inside myself1 and this tear off and cast away from me4 #bj4 ,be there the primeval ignorance1 prevalent all over the world2 she can do us no harm1 that is a mere negation herself2 ,it is now that ,i must try to get rid of my error1 of deeming the unreal as real4 #ba4 ,that this sage is my preceptor and ,i am his pupil1 is all a mistake2 because ,i am in and the very ,brahma1 and the person sitting here by me1 is as the man in the moon or in the cloud4 #bb4 ,then thought ,i of speaking to that great sage of enlightened understanding2 and so thinking1 ,i addressed him saying3-- #bc4 ,o great sage6 ,i will now go to my own body 7from out of the body of this person71 in order to see what ,i may be doing there4 #bd4 ,hearing this1 that great sage said smilingly to me1 ,ah6 where are those bodies of you two2 that are blown away afar in their ashes4 #be4 ,you may go there yourself if you please1 and see the matter yourself2 and by seeing their present state1 you will know every thing relating to them4 #bf4 ,being thus advised by him1 ,i thought on entering my former body4 #bg4 ,i told him1 do you remain here1 ,o sage1 until ,i come back to this place1 after seeing my former body2 so saying ,i became a breath of air1 and fled from my abode4 #bh4 ,then mounting on the car of wind1 ,i wandered through the air1 and was wafted to a hundred ways like the odour of a flower1 carried rapidly all about by the odoriferous breezes for a long time4 #bi4 ,roving long in this manner1 ,i sought to enter that body1 by the passage of its lungs2 but finding neither that or any other passage1 ,i kept floating in the air4 #cj4 ,then with deep felt sorrow1 ,i returned to my place1 and became tied again to that stake of the world1 by my returning affections to it4 #ca4 ,here ,i saw that venerable sage sitting before me1 and asked him intensely in the following manner in my house in this place4 #cb4 ,tell me sir1 said ,i1 for thou knowest all the past and future2 and knowest what all this is1 by means of thy all seeing sight4 #cc4 ,how was it that the person in whose body ,i had entered1 as also my own body likewise1 could neither of them be found anywhere4 #cd4 ,i then wandered throughout the vast expanse of the sphere of this earth1 and searched amidst all fixed and living bodies herein1 but could not find that opening of the throat from which ,i had come out4 #ce4 ,being thus addressed by me1 that high minded muni or sage then said unto me2 it is not possible for thee with thy bright and brilliant eyes to find it out unaided by my advice4 #cf4 ,if you should search after it with the light of thy yoga meditation1 it is then possible for thee to find it out as fully1 as one sees a lotus placed in his palm4 #cg4 ,now therefore if you wish to listen to my words1 then attend to my advice1 and ,i will tell thee all about it4 #ch4 ,know then that as it is the sunlight that expands the lotus blossoms in the lake1 so it is the enlightening beams of ,brahm only that developes the lotus of understanding1 and that you can know nothing of yourself4 #ci4 ,know then that as you sat once in your devotion1 you dreamt in your reverie1 of entering into the heart of another person1 and were confirmed in your consciousness of that belief4 #dj4 ,the heart wherein you thought to have entered1 you believed to have seen the three worlds therein2 and the great sphere of heaven and earth contained in its bosom4 #da4 ,in this manner as you absorbed in your reverie1 and thought yourself to reside in the body of another person2 you happened to fall asleep1 and your hermitage in the forest suddenly caught fire and was burnt down4 #db4 ,the burning hut sent forth clouds of smoke to the sky1 and the blazing cinders1 flew to the orbs of the sun and moon4 #dc4 ,the flying ashes covered the sky1 as with a grey cloud or ash coloured blanket2 and the blue vault of heaven was spread over as with a canopy4 #dd4 ,wild animals issuing out of their caves and caverns1 sent forth horrid yells and growling abroad2 and the bursting sparks filled the horizon4 #de4 ,the tall palm and other trees1 caught the flame and appeared as trees of fire2 and the flying and falling fires1 cracked as the clattering cloud4 #df4 ,the flames ascending far above in the air1 appeared as fixed lightenings in the sky2 and the firmament assumed a face as that of molten gold4 #dg4 ,the fiery sparks flying afar to the starry frame1 doubled the number of stars in heaven2 and the flashing fires in the bosom of the sky1 delighted the eyes of damsels 7as at the sight of fire works74 #dh4 ,the blowing and booming fires1 rebellowing in the hollow sky2 startled the sleeping foresters in the woods1 who rushed out of their caves and caverns1 and wandered about in the forest4 #di4 ,the wild beasts and birds being half burnt in their caves and nests1 lay and fell dead on the ground2 the lakes and river waters boiled with heat1 and the foresters were suffocated by the fumes4 #ej4 ,the young chauri bulls1 were parched in the flames2 and the stink of the burning fat and flesh of wild beasts1 filled the air with a nasty stench4 #ea4 ,this all devouring wild fire1 raging as a conflagration or diluvian fire1 hath wholly consumed and swallowed up your hermitage1 as a serpent devours its prey4 #eb4 ,the ,huntsman asked3--,tell me sir1 what was the real cause of this fire2 and why the ,brhman lads that dwelt in their pupilage there1 were burnt down also4 #ec4 ,the sage replied3--,it is the vibration or effort of the volitive or designing mind1 that is the true cause or incentive of the production or demolition of the desired object2 and so its quiescence is the cause of the absence of the three worlds4 #ed4 ,as a sudden fear or passion is the cause of palpitation of the heart1 so an effort or desire of the mind is the mobile force 7or primum mobile7 for the causation of the three worlds4 #ee4 ,it is the pulsation of the ,divine ,mind1 that is the cause of the imaginary city of the world2 as also of the increase of population and of rains and draughts4 #ef4 ,the will in the ,divine ,mind1 is the source of the creative mind of ,brahm1 which in its turn gives rise to the minds of the first patriarchs1 who transmit it to others in endless progression1 all of which proceed from the first quiet and calm intellect1 through the medium of vacuum4 #eg4 ,the learned know well1 that the effulgence of the pure and vacuous ,intellect1 shines in the vacuum of their intellects2 but the ignorant think it as it appears to them1 which is not the reality 7which it is not in reality74 ,,chapter ,,cli4 ,,view ,,of ,,inexistence4 ,argument3--,the world is a vision1 and to be known only by conception1 perception and meditation4 ,the other sage rejoined3--,afterwards the whole village together with all its dwellings and trees1 were all burnt down to ashes like the dried straws4 #b4 ,all things being thus burnt away1 the two bodies of you two1 that had been sleeping there1 were also scorched and burnt1 as a large piece of stone1 is heated and split by fire4 #c4 ,then the fire set after satiating itself with devouring the whole forest1 as the sea sat below in its basin1 after its waters were sucked up by the sage ,agastya4 #d4 ,after the fire was quenched and the ashes of the burnt cinders had become cold2 they were blown away by gusts of wind1 as they bear away the heaps of flowers4 #e4 ,then nothing was known1 as to where the hermit's hut and the two bodies were borne away2 and where was that visionary city1 which was seen as vividly as in waking1 and was populous with numbers of people4 #f4 ,in this manner the two bodies having disappeared1 their existence remains in the conscious soul1 as the memory of externals remains in the mind1 at the insensibility of the body in the state of dreaming4 #g4 ,hence where is that passage of the lungs1 and where is that ,virajian soul any more8 ,they are burnt away together with the vigour and vitality of the dead body4 #h4 ,it is on account of this1 ,o sage1 that you could not find out those two bodies2 and wandered about in this endless world of dreams1 as if you were in your waking state4 #i4 ,therefore know this mortal state1 as a mere dream appearing as waking1 and that all of us are but day dreams1 and seeing one another as we see the visionary beings in our dreams4 #aj4 ,you are a visionary man to me1 and so am ,i also to you2 and this intellectual sphere1 wherein the soul is situated within itself4 #aa4 ,you have been ere while a visionary being in your life1 until you thought yourself to be a waking man in your domestic life4 #ab4 ,i have thus related to you the whole matter1 as it has occurred to you2 and which you well know by your conception1 perception and meditation of them4 #ac4 ,know at last that it is the firm conviction of our consciousness1 which shines for ever as the glitter of gold in the vacuum of our minds2 and the intellectual soul catches the colour of our deeds1 be they fair or foul or a commixture of both1 in its state of a regenerated spirit4 ,,chapter ,,clii4 ,,the ,,sage',s ,,discourse ,,at ,,night4 ,argument3--,refutation of the ,reality of ,dreams1 and the reason of the ,preceptorship of the ,hunter4 ,the sage resumed3--,saying so the sage held his silence1 and lay himself in his bed at night2 and ,i was as bewildered in my mind1 as if blown away by the winds4 #b4 ,breaking then my silence after a long time1 ,i spoke to that sage and said3 sir1 in my opinion1 such dreams appear to have some truth and reality in them4 #c4 ,the other muni replied3--,if you can believe in the truth of your waking dreams1 you may then rely on the reality of your sleeping dreams likewise2 but should your day dreams prove to be false1 what faith can you then place on your night dreams 7which are as fleet as air74 #d4 ,the whole creation from its very beginning1 is no more than a dream2 and it appears to be comprised of the earth etc41 yet it is devoid of everything4 #e4 ,know the waking dream of this creation is more subtile1 than our recent dreams by night2 and ,o lotus eyed preceptor of the huntsman1 you will shortly hear all this from me4 #f4 ,you think that the object you see now1 in your waking state in the day time1 the same appear to you in the form of dream in your sleep2 so the dream of the present creation1 is derived from a previous creation1 which existed from before as an archetype of this1 in the vacuum of the ,divine ,mind4 #g4 ,again seeing the falsity of your waking dream of this creation1 how do you say that you entertain doubts regarding the untruth of sleeping dreams1 and knowing well that the house in your dream is not yours1 how do you want to dote upon it any more8 #h4 ,in this manner1 ,o sage1 when you perceive the falsity of your waking dream of this world2 how can you be doubtful of its unreality any more8 #i4 ,as the sage was arguing in this manner1 ,i interrupted him by another question2 and asked him to tell me1 how he came to be the preceptor of the huntsman4 #aj4 ,the other sage replied3--,hear me relate to you this incident also2 ,i will be short in its narration1 for know ,o learned sage1 ,i can dilate it likewise to any length4 #aa4 ,i have been living here1 as a holy hermit for a long time2 and solely employed in the performance of my religious austerities2 and after hearing my speech1 ,i think you too will like to remain in this place4 #ab4 ,seeing me situated in this place1 ,i hope you will not forsake me here alone2 as ,i verily desire to live in your company herein4 #ac4 ,but then ,i will tell you sir1 that it will come to pass in the course of some years hence1 and there will occur a direful famine in this place1 and all its people will be wholly swept away4 #ad4 ,then there will occur a warfare between the raging border chiefs1 when this village will be destroyed1 and all the houses will be thinned of their occupants4 #ae4 ,then let us remain in this place1 free from all troubles1 and in perfect security and peace1 and live free from all worldly desires1 by our knowledge of the knowable4 #af4 ,here let us reside under the shelter of some shady trees2 and perform the routine of our religious functions1 as the sun and moon perform their revolutions in the solitary sky4 #ag4 ,there will then grow in this desert land and deserted place1 many kinds of trees and plants1 covering the whole surface of this lonely place4 #ah4 ,the land will be adorned by fruit trees1 with many a singing bird sitting upon them2 and the waters will be filled with lotus beds1 with the humming bees and chakoras chirping amidst them4 ,there shall we find happy groves like the heavenly garden of paradise for our repose4 ,,chapter ,,cliii4 ,,one ,,soul ,,is ,,the ,,cause ,,of ,,all4 ,argument3--,arrival of the ,huntsman1 and the sage's preceptorship of him4 ,the other sage said3--,when both of us shall dwell together in that forest1 and remain in the practice of our austerities2 there will appear upon that spot1 a certain huntsman1 weary with his fatigue in pursuing after a deer4 #b4 ,you will then reclaim and enlighten him1 by means of your meritorious remonstrance2 and he then will commence and continue to practice his austerities1 from his aversion to the world4 #c4 ,then continuing in his austere devotion1 he will be desirous of gaining spiritual knowledge1 and make inquiries into the phenomena of dreaming4 #d4 ,you sir1 will then instruct him fully in divine knowledge1 and he will be versed in it by your lectures on the nature of dreams4 #e4 ,in this manner you will become his religious instructor1 and it is for this reason that ,i have accosted you with the epithet or title of the huntsman's guru or religious guide4 #f4 ,now sir1 ,i have related to you already regarding our errors of this world2 and what ,i and you are at present1 and what we shall turn to be afterwards4 #g4 ,being thus spoken to by him1 and learning all these things from him1 ,i became filled with wonder1 and was he more amazed as ,i remonstrated with him on these matters4 #h4 ,thus we passed the night in mutual conversation1 and after we got up in the morning1 ,i honoured the sage with due respect1 and he was pleased with me4 #i4 ,afterwards we continued to live together in the same homely hut of the same village1 with our steady minds and our friendship daily increasing4 #aj4 ,in this manner time glided on peacefully upon us1 and the revolutions of his days and nights1 and returns of months1 seasons and years2 and ,i have been sitting here unmoved under all the vicissitudes of time and fortune4 #aa4 ,i long not for a long life1 nor desire to die ere the destined day2 ,i live as well as ,i may1 without any care or anxiety about this or that4 #ab4 ,i then looked upon the visible sphere1 and began to cogitate in my mind2 as to what and how and whence it was1 and what can be the cause of it4 #ac4 ,what are these multitudes of things1 and is the cause of all these2 it is all but the phenomena of a dream1 appearing in the vacuity of the ,intellect4 #ad4 ,the earth and heaven1 the air and the sky1 the hills and rivers1 and all the sides of firmament2 are all but pictures of the ,divine mind1 represented in empty air4 #ae4 ,it is the moonlight of the ,intellect1 which spreads its beams all round the ample space of vacuum2 and it is this which shines as the world1 which is an ineffaceable fac-simile or cartography of the supreme ,intellect in the air4 #af4 ,neither is this earth nor sky1 nor are these hills and dales really in existence2 nor am ,i anything at all2 it is only the reflexion of the supreme ,mind in empty air4 #ag4 ,what may be the cause of aggregation of solid bodies1 when there is no material cause for the causation of material bodies in the beginning4 #ah4 ,the conception of matter and material bodies1 is a fallacy only2 but what can be the cause of this error1 but delusion of the sight and mind4 #ai4 ,the person in the pith of whose heart1 ,i remained in the manner of his consciousness1 was burnt down to ashes together with myself4 #bj4 ,therefore this vacuum which is without its beginning and end1 is full with the reflexion of the ,divine ,intellect2 and there is no efficient or instrumental or material cause of creation1 except its being a shadow of the substance of the ,divine ,mind4 #ba4 ,all these pots and pictures1 these prints and paints before us1 are but the prints of the ,divine ,mind2 nor can you ever get anything1 without its mould therein4 #bb4 ,but the ,intellect too has no brightness of it1 except its pure lucidity2 for how can a mere void as vacuum have any light1 except its transparency4 #bc4 ,the ,intellect is the pure ,intelligence1 of the extended entity of ,brahma2 which shows in itself the panorama of the universe1 what else are the visibles1 and where is their view besides4 #bd4 ,there is but one ,omnipresent soul1 who is uncaused and uncausing1 and without its beginning1 middle and end2 ,he is the essence of the three worlds and their contents4 ,he is something as the universal intelligence1 and shows all and every thing in itself 7and reflects them in all partial intelligences according to their capacities74 ,,chapter ,,cliv4 ,,relation ,,of ,,past ,,events4 ,argument3--,the living liberation of the sage1 by means of his habitual meditation4 ,the sage continued3--,having thus considered the vanity of the visibles1 ,i remained free from my anxious cares about the world2 and became passionless and fearless1 and extinct in nirvna1 from insensibility of my egoism4 #b4 ,i became supportless and unsupporting1 and remained without my dependence upon any body2 ,i was quite calm with my self-composure1 and my soul was elevated and rested in heaven4 #c4 ,i did as my duty called1 and did nothing of my own accord2 and remained as void and blank as vacuum1 which is devoid of all action and motion4 #d4 ,the earth and heaven1 the sky and air1 the mountains and rivers1 and all that lies on all sides and the sides themselves1 are not but shadow in the air1 and all living bodies are no more than the embodied 7died7 ,intellect or ,intellectual bodies4 #e4 ,i am quiet and composed1 and manage myself as well as ,i can2 ,i am quite happy in myself2 having no injunction nor prohibition to obey1 nor to act an inner or outer part 7i4e4 not having a double part to play1 nor any duplicity in the heart74 #f4 ,thus ,i resided here in my even temper1 and the same tenor of my mind and actions2 and it is by mere chance1 that you have come to meet me here4 #g4 ,thus ,i have fully explained to thee about the nature of dream and my personal self2 together with that of the phenomenal world and thyself4 #h4 ,hence thou hast well understood1 what is this visible world that lies before thee2 as also what these beings and these people are1 and what ,brahma is after all4 #i4 ,now knowing these things1 ,o thou huntsman1 to be mere false1 you must now have your peace of mind1 with the conviction that1 all this is the representation of the ,intellect in empty air4 ,yea1 it is this that is dimly seen in these1 and naught besides4 #aj4 ,the hunts-man rejoined3--,if so it be then both me and thee and the gods even1 you say to be nullity2 and that all of these are but the phantoms of a dream1 and that all men are no men1 and all existence as non existence 7sadasat74 #aa4 ,the sage replied3--,it is verily so1 and all and every one of us is situated as the spectre of a dream to one another1 and as phasma in the cosmorama of the world4 #ab4 ,these spectres appear in forms1 according to one's conception of them2 and the only ,one appears as many1 like the rays of light4 ,all these radiations cannot be wholly true or untrue1 nor a mixture of both of them4 #ac4 ,the visionary city of the world that appears in our waking state1 is but a waking dream or an apparition of our minds1 and appears as the prospect of a distant city before us1 that we never saw before4 #ad4 ,i have fully explained all this to you already1 and you have been enlightened in the subject to no end2 now you have grown wise and well known all and everything2 do therefore as you may like best for you4 #ae4 ,though thus awakened and enlightened by me1 your reprobate mind is not yet turned to reason1 nor found its rest either in transcendental wisdom1 or in the transcendent state of the most high4 #af4 ,without assuetude you cannot concentrate your vagrant mind into your heart2 nor can you without the practice of constant reflexion attain the acme of wisdom4 #ag4 ,it is impossible to attain the summit of perfection1 without your habitual observance of wisdom2 as it is incapable for a block of wood to contain any water in it1 unless it is scooped out in the form of a wooden vessel4 #ah4 ,habitual reliance in sapience and constant attendance to the precepts of the sstras and preceptors1 tend to the removal of the mind's suspense between unity and duality 7i4e4 between ,god and the world71 and set the mind to its ultimate bliss of nirvna--anaesthesia in quietism4 #ai4 ,insensibility of one's worth and state and inertness to all worldly affections1 refraining from the evils of bad associations1 and abstaining from all earthly desires and cravings of the heart-- #bj4 ,these joined with one's deliverance from the fetters of dualities1 and enfranchisement from all pleasurable and painful associations1 are the surest means that lead the learned to the state of unalterable bliss--nirvna 7which is ever attendant on the ,deity74 ,,chapter ,,clv4 ,,relation ,,of ,,future ,,fortune4 ,argument3--,the sage relates the elevation of the ,huntsman to heaven by means of his austere devotion4 ,the ,god ,agni said3--,upon hearing all this the huntsman was lost in wonder1 and remained as dumfoundered as a figure in painting in the very forest4 #b4 ,he could not pause to fix his mind in the supreme being1 and appeared to be out of his senses and wits1 as if he was hurled into a sea4 #c4 ,he seemed to be riding on the wheel of his reverie1 which pushed him onward with the velocity of a bicycle2 or appeared to be caught by an alligator1 which bore him with rapidity1 up and down the current of his meditation4 #d4 ,he was drowned in doubt1 to think whether this was the state of his nirvna or delirium2 wherein he could not find his rest1 but was tossed headlong like a headstrong youth in his foolhardiness4 #e4 ,he thought the visibles1 to be the work of his ignorance2 but he came to think upon his second thought1 this delusion of the world1 to be the production 7display7 of ,providence4 #f4 ,let me see1 said he1 the extent of the visibles from the beginning2 and this ,i will do from a distance1 by means of the spiritual body1 which ,i have gained by means of devotion4 #g4 ,i will remove myself to a region1 which is beyond the limit of the existent and inexistent worlds2 and rest myself quiet at a spot1 which is above the etherial space 7i4e4 in heaven74 #h4 ,having thus determined in himself1 he became as dull as a dunce1 and set his mind to the practice of his yoga devotion1 as it was dictated to him by the sage1 saying that no act could be fruitful without its constant practice4 #i4 ,he then left his habit of huntsmanship and applied himself to the observance of austerities1 in company with the sages and seers4 #aj4 ,he remained long at the same spot1 and in the society of the sagely seers2 and continued in the practice of his sacred austerities1 for very many years and seasons4 #aa4 ,remaining long in the discharge of his austere duties1 and suffering all along the severities of his rigorous penance2 he asked once his sagely guide1 as to when he shall obtain his rest and respite from these toils1 to which the muni responded unto him in the following manner4 #ab4 ,the muni said3--,the little knowledge that ,i have imparted unto thee1 is a spark fire and able to consume a forest of withered wood2 though it has not yet burnt down the impression of this rotten world from your mind4 #ac4 ,without assuetude you cannot have your beatitude in knowledge2 and with it1 it is possible to attain it in course of a long time4 7i4e4 ,no knowledge is efficacious without its long practice1 hence a novice in yoga is no yogi or adept in it74 #ad4 ,such will verily be your case1 if you will rely in my assurance of this to you1 and wear my words as a jewel about your ears1 knowing them to be oracular in this world4 #ae4 ,you praise the unknown spirit of ,god1 in your ignorance of his nature2 and your mind is hanging in suspense between your knowledge and ignorance of 7divine nature74 #af4 ,you are led of your own accord to inquire into the nature and extent of the cosmos1 which is but a phantom of delusion4 7,the world being but a delusion1 it is in vain to investigate about it74 #ag4 ,you will be thus employed for ages1 in your arduous understanding of making this research1 until ,brahm--the creative power will appear before you1 being pleased at your investigation into his works4 #ah4 ,you will then ask the favour of thy favouring god1 to release you from your ponderous doubt of the reality or delusiveness of the world1 saying3-- #ai4 ,lord6 ,i see the cosmorama of the phenomenal world1 is spread out every where as a delusion before our sight2 but ,i want to see a spot1 which exhibits the true mirror of the ,divine mind1 and which is free from the blemish of the visibles4 #bj4 ,the mirror of the vacuous mind1 though as minute as an atom1 represents yet the reflexion of this vast universe in some part or other within it4 7i4e4 ,the minute atom of the mind1 is the reflector of vast universe74 #ba4 ,it is therefore to be known1 how far this boundless world extends to our woe only2 and how far does the sphere of the etherial sky stretch beyond it4 #bb4 ,it is for this that ,i ask your good grace1 to make me acquainted with the infinite space of the universe2 accept my prayer1 ,o thou lord of gods1 and readily grant this my request4 #bc4 ,strengthen and immortalize this body of mine1 and make it mount upon the regions of sky1 with the velocity of the bird of heaven 7,garuda or ,phoenix74 #bd4 ,make my body increase to the length of a league each moment2 until it encircles the world in the manner of its outer and surrounding sky4 #be4 ,let this pre-eminent boon be granted to me1 ,o great and glorious ,god1 that ,i may reach beyond the bounds of the circumambient sky1 which surrounds the sphere of the visible world4 #bf4 ,being thus besought by thee1 ,o righteous man1 the ,lord will say unto thee1 8,be it so as though desirest10 and then he will disappear as a vision from thy sight1 and vanish into the air1 with his attendant gods along with him4 #bg4 ,after the departure of ,dis ,pater with his accompanying deities1 to their divine abodes in heaven2 thy thin and lean body emaciated by thy austerities1 will assume a brightness as that of the brilliant moon4 #bh4 ,then bowing down to me and getting my leave1 thy brightsome body will mount to the sky in an instant1 in order to see the object of thy desire1 which is settled in thy mind4 #bi4 ,it will rise high into the air as a second moon1 and higher still as the luminous sun itself2 and blaze above as brightly as a burning fire1 in defiance of the brightness of the luminaries4 #cj4 ,then it will fly upwards in the empty sky1 with the force of the strong winged phoenix2 and run forward with the rapidity of a running current1 in order to reach at the bounding belt of the world4 #ca4 ,having gone beyond the limit of the world1 thy body will increase in its bulk and extent2 and become as swollen as the diluvian ocean1 that covered the face of the whole universe4 #cb4 ,there thou wilt find thy body1 growing bigger and bigger still2 and filling like a big cloud the empty space of air1 which is devoid of all created things4 #cc4 ,this is the great vacuum of the ,divine spirit1 filled with the chaotic confusion of elements1 flying about as whirlwinds2 and the unbounded ocean of the infinite ,mind1 swelling with the waves of its perpetual thought4 #cd4 ,you will find within this deep and dark vacuity1 numberless worlds and created bodies1 hurling headlong in endless succession2 just as you perceive in your consciousness1 a continued series of cities and other objects appearing in your dream4 #ce4 ,as the torn leaves of trees1 are seen to be tossed about in the air by the raging tempest2 so you will see multitudes of worlds1 hurled to and fro in the immensity of the ,divine ,mind4 #cf4 ,as the passing world presents a faint and unsubstantial appearance to one looking down at it on the top of a high citadel2 so do these worlds appear as mere shades and shadows when viewed in their spiritual light from above4 #cg4 ,as the people of this world view the black spots attached to the disk of the moon1 which are never observed by the inhabitants of that luminary2 so are these worlds supposed to subsist in the ,divine spirit1 but they are in reality no other than the fleeting ideas of the infinite ,mind4 #ch4 ,you will thus continue to worlds after worlds1 moving in the midst of successive spheres and skies2 and thus pass a long time viewing the creation stretching to no end4 #ci4 ,after viewing the multitudes of worlds1 thronging in the heavens like the leaves of trees2 you will be tired to see no end of them in the endless abyss of ,infinity4 #dj4 ,you will then be vexed in yourself1 at this result of your devotion1 as also at the distention of your body1 and stretch of your observations all over the immensity of space4 #da4 ,of what good is this big body1 which ,i bear as a ponderous burthen upon me2 and in comparison with which millions of mountain ranges1 as the great ,meru etc41 dwindle away into lightsome straws4 #db4 ,this boundless body of mine1 that fills the whole space of the sky2 answers no purpose whatever1 that ,i can possibly think of4 #dc4 ,this ponderous body of mine1 that measures the whole space of the visible world2 is quite in the darkness--ignorance without its spiritual knowledge1 which is the true light of the soul4 #dd4 ,i must therefore cast off this prolated body of mine1 which is of no use to me1 in the acquisition of knowledge or in keeping company with wise and holy men4 #de4 ,of what good is this big and bulky body of mine1 to scan the unknowable infinity of the endless and supportless ,brahma1 whose essence contains and supports the whole of this universe1 and is hard to be ascertained4 #df4 ,thinking so in yourself1 you will shrivel your bloated body1 by exhaling your breath 7as you had expanded it by your inhalation of it71 and then shun your frame as a bird cast off the outer crust of a fruit after suction of its juicy sap4 #dg4 ,after casting off the mortal clod and coil of your body1 thy soul will rest in empty air accompanied with its respirative breath of life1 which is more tenuous than the subtile ether 7over which it floats74 #dh4 ,thy big body will then fall down on earth1 as when the great mount of ,meru fell on the ground1 being cleft of its wings by ire of ,indra2 and will crush all earthly beings1 and smash the mountains to dust underneath it4 #di4 ,then will the dry and starved goddess ,kl1 with her hungry host of ,mtris and furies1 devour thy prostrate body1 and restore the earth to its purity1 by clearing it of its nuisance4 #ej4 ,now you heard me fully relate unto your future fate1 go therefore to yonder forest of palm trees1 and remain there in practising your austerities as well as you may like4 #ea4 ,the huntsman rejoined3--,o sir1 how great are the woes that are awaiting upon me1 and which ,i am destined to undergo in my vain pursuit after knowledge 7of the infinite nature and works of ,god74 #eb4 ,pray tell me sir1 if you have anything to say1 for my averting the great calamity that you have predicted2 and tell me also1 if there be no expedient to avoid the destined evil4 #ec4 ,the sage replied3--,there is no body nor any power whatever1 that is ever able to prevent the eventualities of fate2 and all attempts to avert them1 are thrown on one's back4 #ed4 ,as there is no human power to the left on the right1 or fix the feet on the head2 so there is no possibility to alter the decree of fate4 #ee4 ,the knowledge of the science of astrology1 serves only to acquaint us with the events of our fate2 but there is nothing in it1 that can help us to counteract the shafts of adverse fortune4 #ef4 ,therefore those men are blest1 who with their knowledge of sovran predestination are still employed in their present duties2 and who after the death and burning of their bodies1 rest in the eternal repose of ,brahma in their consciousness4 ,,chapter ,,clvi4 ,,expostulation ,,of ,,sindhu ,,by ,,his ,,minister4 ,argument3--,the aerial spirit of the ,huntsman is reborn on ,earth as prince ,sindhu1 who kills ,vidratha1 and is remonstrated by his ,minister4 ,the ,huntsman said3--,tell me ,sir1 what will then become of my soul in its aerial position1 and of my body in its situation on earth4 #b4 ,the sage replied3--,hear me attentively to tell you1 about what is to become of your lost body on earth1 as also of your living soul sustained in the air4 #c4 ,the body being subducted from thy whole self1 thy soul will assume an aerial form1 and will remain in empty air1 united with its vital breath4 #d4 ,in that airy particle of your soul1 you will find the surface of the earth1 situated in the recess of your mind2 and you will behold it as clearly1 as you view the world in your dream4 #e4 ,then from the inward desire of your heart1 you will see in the amplitude of your mind1 that you have become the sovereign lord of this wide extended globe4 #f4 ,the will of this idea rises of itself in your mind1 that you have become a king by name and in the person of ,sindhu1 who is so highly honoured by men4 #g4 ,after eight years of thy birth1 thy other will depart from this mortal world1 and leave to thee this extensive earth1 reaching to its utmost boundaries of the four seas4 #h4 ,you will find in the border of your realm1 a certain lord of the land by name of ,vidratha1 who will rise as thy enemy1 and whom it will be difficult for thee to quell4 #i4 ,you will then reflect in yourself1 of your past and peaceful reign of a full century2 and think of the pleasures you have so long enjoyed in company with your consort and attendants4 #aj4 ,woe unto me1 that this lord of the bordering land1 has now risen against me in my old age2 and has put me to the trouble of waging a formidable warfare against him4 #aa4 ,as thou shalt be thinking in this wise1 there will occur the great war between thee and that lord of the land2 in which all your quadruple armaments1 will be greatly worsted and thinned4 #ab4 ,in that great war1 thou wilt succeed to slay that ,vidratha1 by striking him with thy sword1 and keeping thy stand on thy war-car4 #ac4 ,you will then become the sole lord of this earth1 to its utmost of the four oceans2 and become to be dreaded and honoured by all1 like the regents of all the sides of heaven4 #ad4 ,having thus become the sovereign monarch of the earth1 and reigning over it and the name of the mighty ,sindhu1 thou wilt pass thy time in conversation with the learned pandits and ministers of thy court4 #ae4 ,the minister will say1 ,it is a mighty wondrous deed1 ,o lord1 that thou hast achieved1 by slaying the invincible ,vidratha in thy single combat4 #af4 ,then thou wilt say1 tell me ,o good man1 how this ,vidratha waxed so very rich1 and possessed his forces as numerous as the waves of ocean2 and what cause impelled him to rise against me4 #ag4 ,the ,minister will reply3--,this lord has ,ll as his lady1 who had won the favour of the fair goddess ,sarasvat2 who is the supportress of the world1 by her extreme devotion to her4 7,sarasvat is the goddess of wisdom and hand-maid of ,god4 ,see ,sir ,wm4 ,jones' prayer74 #ah4 ,the benign goddess took this lady for her foster-daughter1 and enabled her to achieve all her actions1 and even obtain her liberation with ease4 7,wisdom facilitates all human act74 #ai4 ,it is by favour of this goddess1 that this lady is able to annihilate thee at a single nod or word of hers2 wherefore it is no difficult task to her to destroy thee all at once4 #bj4 ,sindhu then will answer him saying3--,if what thou sayest is true1 it is wondrous indeed1 how then could the invincible ,vidratha come to be slain by me in warfare4 #ba4 ,and why he being so highly favoured by the goddess1 could not get the better of me in this combat 7by slaying me with his hand74 #bb4 ,the ,minister will reply3--,because he always prayed the goddess with earnestness of his heart1 to give him liberation from the cares and troubles of this world4 #bc4 ,now then1 ,o lord1 this goddess that knows the hearts of all men1 and confers to all the objects of their desire1 gave thee the victory thou didst seek1 and conferred on him the liberation he sought by thy hands4 #bd4 ,sindhu then1 will respond to it2 saying3--,if it is so1 then ,i must ask1 why the goddess did not confer the blessing of liberation on me also1 that have been so earnestly devoted to her at all times4 #be4 ,the ,minister will then say in his reply3--,this goddess resides as intelligence in the minds of all men1 and as conscience also in the hearts of all individual beings1 and is known by the title of ,sarasvat to all4 #bf4 ,whatever object is constantly desired by any one1 and earnestly asked of her at all times2 she is ever ready to confer the same to him1 as it is felt in the heart of everyone4 #bg4 ,you lord never prayed for your liberation1 at the shrine of this goddess2 but craved for your victory over your enemies1 which she has accordingly deigned to confer unto you4 #bh4 ,sindhu will then respond to it and say3--why is it that prince did not pray the goddess of pure wisdom for his obtaining a kingdom like me2 and how was it that ,i slighted to pray her for my final liberation as he did8 #bi4 ,and why is it that the goddess knowing the desire of my heart for liberation1 left me only to desire it without attempting to seek after the same8 7i4e4 ,why does the goddess give us the knowledge of what is good1 without enabling us to exist and persist after its attainment78 #cj4 ,to this the minister will reply saying3--,the propensity of doing evil 7or slaughter71 being inherent in your nature 7from your past profession of huntsmanship71 you neglected to stoop down to the goddess1 and pray unto her for your liberation4 #ca4 ,it is well known since the creation of the world1 that the intrinsic gist forms the nature of man2 and this truth being evident to all from their boyhood to age1 there is no body to ignore or repudiate it at any time4 #cb4 ,the purity or impurity of the inner heart1 to which one is habituated by his long practice or custom1 continues to predominate over all his qualities and actions to the very last1 and there is no power to contravene it in any manner4 ,,chapter ,,clvii4 ,,the ,,ultimate ,,extinction ,,or ,,nirvana ,,of ,,sindhu4 ,argument3--,description of the nature of ,sindhu1 his resignation of the kingdom1 his discrimination and final liberation4 ,then ,sindhu will say3--,tell me sir1 what kind of a vile-person and how ignorant ,i had been before whereby ,i still retain the evil propensities of my past life1 and am doomed to be reborn in this earth 7the vale of misery74 #b4 ,the minister will say in his reply3--8,hear me attentively1 ,o king1 for a while2 and ,i will tell you this secret1 which you require me to relate1 and will surely remove your ignorance40 #c4 ,there is a self existent and undecaying ,being from all eternity1 which is without its beginning or end1 which is designated the great ,brahma1 and passes herein under the little of ,i and thou1 and of this and that c4 #d4 ,i am that self same ,brahma1 by the consciousness of my self cogitation 7ego cogito ergo sum74 ,this becomes the living principal with the power of intellection 7vivo qui intellego ,i live because ,i think74 ,this power does not forsake its personality2 7but retains its persona of ,i am that ,i am74 #e4 ,know this ,intellect to be a spiritual or supernatural substance1 having a form rarer and more transparent than that of the subtile ether2 it is this which is the only being in existence1 nor is there anything which is of a material substance4 7,this passage maintains the immateriality of the world74 #f4 ,this formless takes the form of the mind1 by its being combined1 with volition and its views of this and the next world1 7i4e4 its worldly enjoyments and future bliss71 in its state of life and death1 and of waking and sleep4 7,that is the mind is sensible of these passing and alternate phenomena74 #g4 ,the mind1 though formless1 stretches itself into the form of the phenomenal world2 just as the formless air dilates itself1 in the form of force or oscillation in all material bodies4 #h4 ,the world is identic with the mind1 as the seeming and visible sky is the same with empty vacuity2 so the corporeal is alike the incorporeal1 and there is no difference whatever1 between the material and mental worlds4 #i4 ,this net work or least of worlds resides in the mind1 in their immanent impressions in it1 and the outer world is in reality4 ,and that the cosmos consists of ideas in the formless mind1 its formal appearance has no real substance in it4 7,the immaterial ideas of the mind are real1 and not the material objects or the sober reality of the subjective only74 #aj4 ,there arose at first the pure 7satya7 personality of the impersonal and universal spirit of ,god 7,brahma71 in the person of the creative power known under the title of ,brahm4 ,this personal god assumed to himself the appellation of ego from his will of creation1 and the undivided spirit1 was divided into many impure personalities 7rjasa and tmasa71 from its desire of becoming many 7aham bahu syam-sim multa and plurim74 #aa4 ,the sindhu will say3 ,tell me sir1 what you mean by rjasa and tmasa bodies 7or impure personalities72 and how and whence are these appellations at first in primo to the supreme being--parapada--the ,indefinite ,one4 #ab4 ,the monitor will reply saying3--,as all embodied beings herein1 are possessed of members and limbs of their bodies2 so the bodiless spirit is comprised of an infinite variety of minor spiritual forms under it1 which are known as the good or bad spirits4 #ac4 ,the selfsame spirit then designates all these several parts of itself by various appellations1 and the incorporeal spirit assumes to itself1 an endless variety of material and terraqueous natures and names4 7,that changed through all1 yet in all the same2 known by this or that or one or other nature and name74 #ad4 ,thus the universal spirit continues to exhibit in itself1 all the various forms of this visionary world at its own will2 and gives a distinct name and nature to each and every one of these representations of itself4 #ae4 ,when the ,divine spirit1 deigned to covert itself into the personality of ,brahm1 and in those of me or thee and other individualities2 it became altered from its state of original holiness and purity to those impurity and foulness1 known as rjas and tmas4 7,when ,god breathed his spirit into the nostrils of ,adam1 it lost its purity and sanctity by contamination of flesh74 #af4 ,the unalterable pure nature of the holy spirit of ,god1 being thus transformed to unholiness1 it passed into different states of impurity in the living souls of beings4 7,the same living soul passing different degrees of purity and impurity74 #ag4 ,the spirit of ,god being blown at first as the living soul 7in an animal body72 the soul that comes to perceive its incarceration in flesh and its doom to suffering1 is said to be of the pure nature of sttik4 #ah4 ,those who while they are living in the world1 are possest of politeness and good qualities2 they are said to be merely of a good nature ,kevala sttiki4 #ai4 ,those who being born in repeated regenerations are destined to the enjoyments of life1 and to their final liberation at last1 are designated as the 4 #bj4 ,those again who being born in this nether world1 are inclined to the practice of their manly virtues only2 such souls are famed as the merely rjas 7shining71 and are few in their number4 #ba4 ,those souls which have been undergoing their repeated regenerations1 ever since the beginning of creation2 and are continually roving in the bodies of inferior beings1 are said by the wise1 to belong to the species of the most impure tmasa tmas2 though it is possible from them to attain their salvation at last4 #bb4 ,those which have been wandering in many births1 in the forms of vile animals1 and until they attain their salvation at the end2 such souls are designated as merely vile ,kevala tamasi by the wise1 who are versed in the science of psychology4 #bc4 ,in this manner have these philosophers classed the emanated soul of beings into many grades and species2 among which ,o my respected sir1 your soul is reckoned among the vilest of the vile tamasa tamas4 #bd4 ,i know you to have passed through many births of which you know nothing2 and these have been as various as they were fraught with the variegated scenes of life4 #be4 ,you have in vain passed all your lives in doing nothing that is useful2 and more particularly your late aeronautic life1 with that gigantic body of yours4 #bf4 ,being thus born with the vile species of thy soul1 it is difficult for thee to obtain thy liberation from the prison house of this world4 #bg4 ,sindhu will then say in his response3--,tell me sir1 how can ,i divest myself of this inborn vile nature of my soul2 that ,i may learn to abide by thy counsel1 and try to purify my soul and rectify the conduct of my life4 #bh4 ,there is nothing in all these three worlds1 which is hard to be acquired by means of earnest endeavour and intense application4 #bi4 ,as a fault or failure of the previous day1 is corrected by its rectifications to day2 so can you purify your pristine impure soul by your pious acts of the present day4 #cj4 ,whoever earns for any thing and labours hard to earn it1 is sure to gain it in the end1 wherein the remiss are sure to meet with failure4 #ca4 ,whatever a man is intent upon doing1 and tries to effect at all times2 and whatsoever one desires with earnestness1 and is constantly devoted to the same pursuit1 he is to succeed in it1 and have his object without fail4 #cb4 ,the sage related3--,the king being thus remonstrated by his minister1 was resolved to resign the burthen of his state1 and to renounce his realm and royalty even at that very moment4 #cc4 ,he wished to retire to some far distant forest1 and prayed his ministers to support his realm2 but he declined to take the charge1 though the state was free from all its enemies 7i4e4 though it was a peaceful realm74 #cd4 ,he then remained in the company of wisemen1 and was enlightened by their discourses2 as the sesame seeds became odorous by being placed amidst a heap of flowers4 #ce4 ,then from his inquiries into the mysteries of his life and birth1 and into the causes of his confinement in this world1 he obtained the knowledge of his liberation from it4 #cf4 ,it was thus by means of his continued inquiries into truth1 and his continual association with the wise and good1 that the soul of ,sindhu attained a holy sanctity in comparison with which1 the prosperity of ,brahma even1 is as a straw or the dried leaf of a withered tree1 which the winds of the sky toss about to and fro4 ,,chapter ,,clviii4 ,,fall ,,of ,,the ,,huge ,,body ,,of ,,the ,,hunter4 ,argument3--,the aerial body of the ,hunter1 and its downfall from the high heaven4 ,the sage resumed and said3--,i have thus related these future events1 as if they were past accounts unto thee2 do now1 ,o huntsman what thou wishest and thinkest best for thyself4 #b4 ,agni the god of fire said3--,hearing these words of the sage1 the huntsman remained aghast in wonder for a while2 and then rising with the sage1 went to bathe themselves to the nearest pool4 #c4 ,in this manner they continued together1 to conduct their religious austerities and discussions at the same spot2 and remained in terms of disinterested friendship with one another4 #d4 ,after some time the muni met with his final extinction--nirvna1 and by casting off his mortal body1 obtained his last repose in the state of transcendent tranquility4 #e4 ,in course of time and the lapse of ages1 it pleased the god ,brahma to give him a call1 in order to confer upon him the object of his desire4 #f4 ,the huntsman being unable to resist the impulse of his longing1 begged to obtain the very same boon of his god which the sage had predicted to him4 #g4 ,be it so1 said the god1 and he repaired to his favourite abode2 and the huntsman flew aloft into the open air1 in order to enjoy the fruition of his austere devotion4 #h4 ,he flew with incredible velocity1 to the extensive vacuous space1 which lies beyond the spheres of worlds2 and it was in course of an incalculable duration1 that the ever expanding bulk of his body1 filled the regions of the upper sky1 as a mountainous range is stretched along and across this lower world4 #i4 ,he fled with the force and swiftness of the great ,garuda 7the eagle of ,jove71 up and down and to all sides of heaven3 until the huge bulk of his body1 occupied the whole area of the open air1 in the process of an indefinite period of time4 #aj4 ,thus increasing in his size with the course of time1 and infatuated in the maze of his delusion1 began to grow uneasy in himself4 #aa4 ,from the great anxiety of his mind1 he suppressed the respiration of his breath2 until he breathed out his last breath of life in the air1 and his body dropped down as a carcass in the nether earth4 #ab4 ,his mind accompanied with his vital breath1 fled through the air into the body of ,sindhu1 who became the ruler of the whole earth1 and the great antagonist of ,vidratha4 #ac4 ,his great body resembling a hundred mountainous ranges1 became a huge mass of carcass2 which fell down with the hideous clattering of thunders1 as one earth falling upon another4 #ad4 ,at a certain time1 it shines as a ,kesandraka1 at others it appears as a covering of the huge range of buildings in sky4 #ae4 ,i have already related to thee1 ,o learned sir1 how this huge carcass had fallen from above1 and filled the surface of the globe of this earth4 #af4 ,the globe of the earth1 where upon this huge carcass had fallen1 resembled in every way this earth of ours1 which appears unto us as a city in our dream4 #ag4 ,the dry and big bellied goddess chand1 then devoured this carcass1 filling her bowels with its flesh1 and stuffing her entrails with its red hot blood4 #ah4 ,the earth is called medin or fleshy from the flesh of this corpse1 which overspreads its surface with its prodigious bulky frame4 #ai4 ,it was this huge fleshy body1 which was reduced to the substance of the earth in time2 and had the name of the earth given to it from the dust of this body4 #bj4 ,this fleshy earth gave rise to forests and habitable parts2 and the fossil bones rose high in the forms of mountains from underneath the ground1 which grew everything useful to men4 ,,chapter ,,clvix4 ,,wandering ,,of ,,vipaschit4 ,argument3--,the god of fire1 after directing ,vipaschit to wander over the world according to his desire1 disappeared from his sight4 ,the god of fire added3--,go now ,o sapient ,vipaschit1 to your wished for abodes1 and with the steadiness of your mind1 conduct with propriety every where on earth4 #b4 ,indra the lord of the assemblage of creatures1 has been performing his hundred fold sacrifices in his celestial abode2 and there ,i am invited to attend by an invocation of him4 #c4 ,bhsa said3--,saying so1 the lord ,agni disappeared from that place2 and passed through the transparent ether like the electric fire of lightning4 #d4 ,i was then led by my predestination to roam about in the air2 and direct my mind into the investigation of my allotted acts1 and the termination of my ignorance4 #e4 ,i beheld again an innumerable host of heavenly bodies1 roving about in the air2 holding their positions at different stations of the firmament1 and containing inhabitants of different natures and customs4 #f4 ,some of these were of one and same form1 resembling floating umbrellas in the sky2 and attracting the hearts of men1 by their shining appearance and slow motion4 7,the great velocity of heavenly bodies1 appear to be slow when they are seen by the naked eyes of men from this distant earth74 #g4 ,some of them are of earthy substance1 but shining and moving onward like mountains in motion4 #h4 ,some were of woody appearance1 and others of stony substance2 but they are all lightsome bodies1 and all moving onward in their uninterrupted course4 #i4 ,i beheld also some figures like carved statues of stone1 standing in the open space of my mind1 and talking together all their live-long days4 #aj4 ,in this manner ,i beheld for a long while1 many such figures like images in my dream1 and was quite bewildered in my utter ignorance of them4 #aa4 ,i then intended to perform my austere devotion1 in order to obtain my liberation2 when the god ,indra appeared unto me and said3 8no ,vipaschit1 you are doomed to become a stag again1 and not entitled to your liberation now40 #ab4 ,you are propelled by your previous predilection to prefer the pleasures of heaven2 therefore ,i must direct you to dwell in my paradise1 and wander there amidst my gardens of mandara trees4 #ac4 ,being thus bid by him1 ,i rejoined and said to him3 ,i am weary1 ,o lord1 with the troubles of the world1 and want to get my release from them2 ordain therefore my immediate emancipation from them4 #ad4 ,the god listened to my prayer and said3 emancipation attends on the pure soul1 which is purged from all its desires2 and this had been already expounded to you by the god of fire 7in his narrative of the sage and hunter72 ask therefore some other boon1 said he1 and ,i begged him to tell me of my next and future state4 #ae4 ,indra replied and said3--,i find you to be fated to be changed to the state of a deer hereafter1 from the fond desire of your heart1 to wander about and feed freely in the fields4 #af4 ,by becoming a deer1 you will have to enter the holy assembly 7of ,dasaratha72 where another deer like you1 has obtained his liberation before1 by listening to the spiritual instructions formerly delivered there by me4 #ag4 ,therefore be born as a deer in some forest on earth with your pensive soul2 and you will then come to recollect your past life from its relation by ,vasishtha 7in the court of king ,dasaratha74 #ah4 ,you will learn there1 that all this existence is but the delusion of a dream1 and the creation of imagination2 and the account of your future life depicted in its true colour4 #ai4 ,after being released from the body of the deer1 you shall regain your human form1 and perceive the rays of holy light shining in your inward spirit4 #bj4 ,this light will then dispel the long prevailing gloom of ignorance from your mind1 and then you shall attain your nirvna supineness1 as the calm and breathless wind4 #ba4 ,after the god had said so1 ,i had the presentiment of being a deer in this forest1 and entirely forgot my human nature1 under my firm conviction of having become a beast4 #bb4 ,i have been ever since residing in the recess of these woods1 under the impression of my being changed to a stag2 and feeding ever since upon the grass and herbs growing on the mountain top4 #bc4 ,here ,i saw once a body of troopers coming to a hunting excursion2 and being then affrighted at the sight1 ,i betook myself to flight4 #bd4 ,they then laid hold of me1 and took me to their place2 where they kept me for some days for their pleasure1 and at last brought me hither before ,rma4 #be4 ,i have thus related to you all the incidents of my life2 and the magical scenes of the world1 too full of marvelous events4 #bf4 ,it is the production of our ignorance1 which pervades over all things1 and branches out into innumerable forms in everything that presents itself to our view2 and there is nothing whatever to dispel this darkness1 except by the light of spiritual knowledge4 #bg4 ,vlmki relates3--,then as ,vipaschit had held his silence after speaking in this manner2 he was accosted by the well minded ,rma with the following words4 #bh4 ,rma said3--,tell me sir1 how a person without any desire of his own1 sees the object of another's desire in himself2 and could the deer thought of by yourself1 come to the sight of others in ,indra's ,paradise8 #bi4 ,vipaschit replied3--,let me tell you that the earth where upon the huge carcass had fallen1 was once before trodden upon by ,indra1 with the pride of his performance of a hundred sacrifices4 #cj4 ,there strutting along in his haughty strides1 he met the anchorite ,durvsas sitting still in his meditative mood2 and believing him to be a dead body lying on his way1 he knocked it down with his feet4 #ca4 ,at this the angry anchorite threatened the proud god with saying3--,o ,indra6 as you have dashed me with your feet by thinking me a lifeless corpse1 so will a huge carcass shortly fall upon this ground and slash it to pieces and reduce it to dust4 #cb4 ,and as you have spurned me as a dead body1 so art thou accursed to be crushed under the falling carcass on earth4 #cc4 ,he transformed into a deer1 as he was king of kings before1 and remained in his appearance according to his ideas4 #cd4 ,in truth neither is the actual world a reality1 nor the imaginary one an unreality2 it is in fact the one and same thing1 whether we conceive it as the one or other 7i4e4 either as the real or unreal74 #ce4 ,listen now1 ,o ,rma1 to another reason1 which appertains to this subject1 and clearly settles the point in question4 7,that ,god being ,almighty and all in all1 it makes no difference whatever1 whether the world is viewed as his creation or as a pantheon74 #cf4 ,he in whom all things reside1 and from whom everything proceeds2 who is all in all2 and who is every where in all must be the ,one that you may call all1 and beside whom there is none at all4 #cg4 ,it is equally possible to him1 to bring forth whatever he wills to produce2 as also not to produce1 whatever he does not wish to bring to existence4 #ch4 ,whatever is desired in earnest by any body1 must eventually come to pass to him in reality 7as the desired doership of ,vipaschit72 and this is as true as the instance of light1 being ever accompanied by its shade4 #ci4 ,if it is impossible for the desire and its act1 which are opposite in their nature1 to meet together in fact2 then it would be impossible for the omnifarious ,god to be all things both in being and not being2 therefore the objects of our desire and thought1 are equally present with us as the real ones4 #dj4 ,there is a reality 7or entity of ,god7 attached to every form of existence1 and there is nothing which of itself is either an entity or nullity also4 #da4 ,o the great magic or illusion1 which is overspread every where1 and pervades over all nature in every form and at all times2 and binds all beings in inextricable delusion4 #db4 ,the nature of the great ,god comprises the community of spirits in his spirit1 and combines in itself all laws whether permissive or prohibitive acting in concert and eternal harmony4 #dc4 ,it is his infinite power that has displayed the ignorance or ,illusion1 which spreads over all the three worlds from time with or without its beginning2 and it is our delusion only1 which depicts all things in their various forms to our view4 #dd4 ,or how could the creation that was once destroyed by the great deluge1 come to resuscitate again2 unless it were a rchauff of the reminiscence of the past one1 else the elementary bodies of air1 fire and earth1 could not possibly be produced from nothing4 #de4 ,therefore the world is no other than a manifestation of the divine nature2 and this is the verdict of the sstras1 and the conviction of mankind from the very beginning of creation4 #df4 ,things which admit of no sufficient proof for their material existence1 are easily proved to exist1 by their being considered under the light of the understanding4 #dg4 ,things of a subtile nature1 which are imperceptible by the senses1 are known in their essence by the understanding of the learned2 hence the essence of ,brahma is pure understanding1 of which we are quite ignorant owing to our ignorance of the ,intellect4 #dh4 ,the world is obvious to us from its figure1 as the air is evident by its vibration2 hence no body is born or dies herein1 7save that it appears to or disappears from our sight74 #di4 ,that ,i am living and the other is dead1 are conceptions of our mind2 hence death being but the total disappearance of the visible world from our view1 it must be as pleasing to us as our sound sleep itself4 #ej4 ,if it be the recognition of the visibles1 which is called the life or revivification of man2 then there are no such things in the world1 as are commonly termed the life and death of beings4 #ea4 ,at a time1 the intellect appears a duality1 and at other an unity1 both are nothing but intellect4 #eb4 ,it is the ,intellection of the ,divine ,intellect1 that infuses its intelligence into all minds2 hence what is life without the intellect and the faculty of intellection4 #ec4 ,the intellect being free from pain1 there is no cause of complaint in any intellectual being2 since the word world and all that it means to express1 are but manifestations of vacuous intellect4 #ed4 ,it is wrong to say1 that the intellect is one thing and the body another2 since the unity is the soul of all and pervades all multiformity2 and as the waves and whirlpools are seen in the waters1 so are all these bodies known to abide in the ,supreme being4 #ee4 ,the universal pervasion of divine essence1 as that of the subtile air1 is the cause of causes and the sole cause of all2 hence the world is a subtile substance also1 being but a reflexion of the ,divine ,intellect4 #ef4 ,it is wonderful1 how this subtile world appears as a solid body to us2 it is only our conception of it as such that makes it appear so unto us2 but conception is no substance at all1 therefore the world has no substantiality in it4 #eg4 ,it is the demon of error that reigns over us in its aerial form1 deludes us to take the shadowy world for the substance2 while in fact this creation of error is as nil and void1 as the vacuous creation of the intellect4 7i4e4 ,the sensible world is as void and null as the ideal one74 #eh4 ,hence this nether world below and the etherial worlds above1 are as void as the hyperphysical world of the ,divine ,intellect2 and all these being but reflexions of the ,divine mind1 are exhibited in various ways4 #ei4 ,the ,intellect being a subtile entity1 there is nothing as a solid substance anywhere2 the phenomenals are all unsubstantial rarities1 though they appear to us solidified realities4 #fj4 ,the knowledge of the true verity and that of the unreality1 are so blended together2 that we must remain in mute silence like a block of wood or stone1 to pronounce anything in the affirmative or negative about either4 #fa4 ,the visible whole is the infinite ,brahma1 and this universe displays the majesty of the great ,god2 and all these bodies are the various forms1 exhibiting the infinite attributes of the deity4 #fb4 ,in this manner1 is the substance of the ,divine ,intellect displayed in itself2 and it is the vacuous spirit of ,god1 that manifests this unsubstantial world in its own vacuity4 #fc4 ,the number of living beings1 since the beginning of creation1 is unlimited in every place2 and of these there are many1 that exist either in their corporeal or incorporeal forms4 #fd4 ,there are other siddha and spiritual beings1 abiding with their subtile natures and tenuous forms in the supreme ,being2 they live in groups in all elements1 but never come to see one another of their own kind4 #fe4 ,the exuberance of the visible world1 being purely of aerial and vacuous form2 they are never seen in their true and intellectual light1 except when they appear to us in their aerial shapes in our dreams4 #ff4 ,the world being well known1 remains as it does in our inward conception of it1 in the form of a hazy mist appearing to our sight at the end of night 7i4e4 dark and obscure74 #fg4 ,it is a dark and indistinct maze1 with nothing distinguishable in it when seen from a distance2 it becomes clearer at a nearer view1 and by keeping yourself afar you lose sight of it altogether4 #fh4 ,as the particles of water fly off1 and fall again into the sea2 so do the atoms of intellect in all living beings1 continually rise and subside1 in the vast ocean of the ,divine ,mind4 7,so doth every thing proceed from and recede into the ,divine ,spirit74 #fi4 ,this grandeur of creation is as the crowding throng of our dreams1 which ere before lay slumbering2 in the hollow space of the ,divine ,mind1 therefore know these effusions of the divine ,intellect1 as calm and quiet as the unruffled spirit of ,god 7that ever reposes in its calm felicity74 #gj4 ,i have seen the infinite glories of creation1 and have felt the various results of my deeds to no end2 ,i have wandered in all quarters of the globe for ages2 but ,i found no rest from the toils and troubles of the delusive world1 except in the knowledge of my vanities of the world4 ,,chapter ,,clx4 ,,description ,,of ,,heaven ,,and ,,hell4 ,argument3--,the ,breaking and ,rejoining of the ,court and the dissolution of the ,ignorance of ,bhsa and his ,liberation in ,life4 ,vlmki related3--,as ,vipaschit was going on saying these things1 the sun wishing to put an end to his speech1 proceed with his rapid strides to enlighten another world4 #b4 ,loud trumpets gave the alarum of the departing day1 and filled the air on all sides with their swelling sound3 and all the quarters of heaven seemed to re-echo in their joy1 the fanfare of victory4 #c4 ,the king ,dasaratha gave ,vipaschit1 many gifts in money1 maidservants and houses2 and bestowed on him many rich and royal presents worthy of kings1 and then rose from his seat4 #d4 ,the king1 ,rma and ,vasishtha1 having taken leave of the assembly1 and saluted one another in their proper order1 retired to their respective abodes4 #e4 ,then having bathed and refreshed themselves1 they passed the night in ease and repose2 then resorted to the assembly in the morning1 and were seated in their respective seats4 #f4 ,the sage ,vasishtha then resumed the subject of the last discourse2 and spoke his sweet words with such complacence of his countenance1 as if the comely moon was shedding her ambrosial beams1 from her bright and cooling face4 #g4 ,let me tell you1 ,o king1 that ,vipaschit has not been able with all his endeavours1 to ascertain the true nature of ,ignorance2 nor is it an error of the mind which makes the unreal appear as real4 #h4 ,the nature of ,ignorance as long as it is unknown1 appears to be eternal and endless2 but being understood1 it proves to be as null and nothing1 as the limpid water in a mirage4 #i4 ,you have already heard1 ,o wise monarch1 the narration of ,bhsa the minister of ,vipaschit2 and shall now hear of his liberation in his living state4 #aj4 ,it is likely that he will come to be acquainted with truth from some other source or discourse1 and then he will be liberated in his life time2 by being freed from his ignorance4 #aa4 ,and because this ignorance or ,avidy1 is ever accompanied with ,intellect of the ,lord himself1 it is for this very reason1 that the unreality is erroneous by taken for the reality itself4 #ab4 ,if this ignorance--avidy--nescience1 be an attribute of ,god1 then it is no other than the very ,god2 and the unknown or the mysterious nature1 is not otherwise than the inscrutable nature of ,god4 #ac4 ,this ignorance is infinity 7in the infinity of created things71 and is productive of endless shoots like the sprouts of spring1 some of which are insipid and others sapid1 some are luscious1 while others are mellow and inebriating4 #ad4 ,some growing as thorny plants1 all hollow within and hollow without1 while others are straight and herbaceous as the succulent reeds or sugar cane4 #ae4 ,some of them are unfruitful and unprofitable1 and others are attractive of the heart by their untimely blossoming1 which is predicative of evil only and no desirable good4 7,early blossoms are ominous74 #af4 ,avidy or ,nescience has no form nor shape1 save that of its shapeless bulk1 which fills all worlds2 it is a long and broad mass of darkness1 and infested by demons and devils 7that take in the dark and at night74 #ag4 ,like false light and phantasms in the open air1 and like the linked and twisted motes of light curling about in the sky2 do all these visibles appear to our view in the clear firmament1 and are in reality but fallacies of our vision4 #ah4 ,the variegated views which are stretched all about the empty air1 without any connecting chain or link between them2 are as the many coloured rainbows of heaven1 which are described by the falling rains and melt into the empty air4 #ai4 ,the world resembles a rainy river1 with all its orbs appearing as the countless waves of water1 with the dirty and foaming froths floating over it2 and the fearful eddies and whirlpools1 resembling the revolving planetary bodies4 #bj4 ,the world is a vast and dreary desert1 ever exhibiting the waters of mirage on its surface2 while in reality but a body of dust1 and filled with the ashes of dead bodies4 #ba4 ,as a man wandering in the fairyland of his dream1 finds no terminus of his journey2 so have ,i been roving forever in the land of my waking dream1 without finding any end to my travelling4 #bb4 ,the web of desires that ,i have been fondly weaving so long1 proved at last to be fragile and frail2 hence men of firm minds learn betimes1 to abandon their desires for the whole range of visible objects4 #bc4 ,all those objects 7ideas7 that are contained in the empty space of the ,intellect1 are as precious germs safely stored in the casket of the mind2 and appear by our misconception of them1 as visible objects placed in the open space of air4 #bd4 ,those worlds are as the celestial cities of the siddhas1 which are situated in the air and are quite invisible to us2 but these that appear to our view1 are non-entities1 and mere phantoms of our fancy4 #be4 ,the heavenly abodes of the siddhas or godly souls1 are feigned as teeming in gold1 precious gems and rubies1 with rivers yielding pearls and fields of diamonds2 they abound with victuals and eatables1 and rivers running with limpid and drinkable waters4 #bf4 ,they are said to abound in honey and wines1 in milk and curds1 in butter and clarified butter also2 there are streams of sweet beverage1 and celestial nymphs in groups4 #bg4 ,there fruits and flowers grow in the gardens at all seasons1 and heavenly damsels sport in the bowers at all times2 and all sorts of gains and enjoyments1 readily attends on the immediate desire of every body4 #bh4 ,there a hundred suns are shining1 on one side1 and a thousand moons on another2 and some inhabitants are dressed in gold and purple1 while others are quaffing their fill of ambrosial draughts4 #bi4 ,there is a spontaneous darkness in one place1 and full sunshine in another1 and an everlasting joy in some place2 and the siddhas or perfected spirits are continually wafted as by a breeze1 from one of these to another1 with their light and ponderous bodies4 #cj4 ,some meet with their birth and death at each moment1 while there are others that live to enjoy their everlasting joys of heaven4 #ca4 ,there are magnificent palaces and great dignities of all sorts2 it is fraught with the delights of all seasons1 and filled with whatever is desirable to mind1 and delectable to the spirit4 #cb4 ,but these desirable blessings1 attending upon the pious deeds of virtuous2 find no place in the quiet minds of the righteous 7which fixed divine felicity alone74 #cc4 ,there is nothing that is desirable to the soul1 which is devoted to the contemplation of ,brahma only2 say therefore1 ,o ye unholy1 of what good are all these blessings1 if they do not lead to divine felicity4 #cd4 ,if in the beginning there was no creation at all1 owing to its want of a creator2 say then what is this world1 of what it is composed1 and how came it to existence4 #ce4 ,if the world is not the act of causality and nothing in reality1 then how does it appear to be existent8 ,it is the everlasting will of ,god1 that manifests itself in the manner in the ,divine ,mind2 just as we see the display of our rising thought and wishes in our mind4 #cf4 ,it is even so1 ,o ye simpletons1 that you or ,i or he1 come to see our imaginary castles in the air2 by the stretch of our imagination1 or the liveliness or flight of our fancy4 #cg4 ,he who has the single object of divine felicity1 for his sole pursuit in life2 comes to attain the same supreme bliss1 after he forsakes his mortal body4 #ch4 ,but whoso pursues after the two fold objects of heaven and heavenly bliss1 by means of his religious rites and sacrifices in this life2 acquires both of them afterwards1 as the unity of purpose secures one only to one4 #ci4 ,the siddhas reign in the said manner1 according to the thoughts in their minds2 while the unholy are doomed to the torments of hell1 owing to the sinful thoughts of their minds4 #dj4 ,whatever one thinks upon1 he feels the same in himself1 as long as he possesses his mortal body2 and after he loses his material body1 he feels it in his mind1 which is but a part of the body4 #da4 ,when a living person quits one body for another1 he carries with him the same mind into the other that he had in the prior one1 and sees the same things in its thoughts1 which he was accustomed to look upon before4 #db4 ,a good conscience has all goodly prospects before it1 as a vitiated soul meets with ghastly aspects on all sides2 the airy mind sees only such aerial shapes in its vacuity4 #dc4 ,pure souls only come to enjoy the sights of these siddha cities in the air1 but impure spirits are subjected to suffer their torments in hell4 #dd4 ,there is a continual rotation of the unwieldy stones of grinding mills1 for crushing the vicious souls2 and the hurling of wicked into blind wells or dark pits1 out of which they can rise no more4 #de4 ,there some bodies are cast amidst the frozen snows1 where they are petrified to stones2 and many are thrown into the burning coals of devils1 or led amidst the burning sands of trackless deserts4 #df4 ,the clouds dropped down living fire1 and the skies poured forth fiery showers2 and red-hot bolts and arrows darted down from heaven4 #dg4 ,stones and disks and swords1 were floating on the running stream of the sky2 and falling like fragments of clouds upon the breasts of the accurst1 and breaking them as with the strokes of felling axes4 #dh4 ,the hot iron sleets and brimstones1 falling with a hissing sound2 and weapons were hurled from engines1 with a loud tremendous noise4 #di4 ,missiles and bolts and discs1 together with pikes and clubs1 and swords and shafts were falling in showers2 and traps and tackles and malls and mallets were striking in hundred4 #ej4 ,there the hot and burning sands1 buried the passengers under the ground2 and there burning meteors were falling like torches2 while large ravens were devouring the dead bodies around4 #ea4 ,blazing piles also ingulfed the dead1 from which they could never get out2 while darts and spears and bolts and arrows1 were piercing the other bodies all about4 #eb4 ,hunger and dismay and excruciating pains1 tormented by turns1 the bodies of dead apostates2 while others were hurled down from high hills and heights1 on rough and hard stones below4 #ec4 ,some were weltering in blood1 and rolling in pools of dirt1 rotten flesh and disgusting pus2 and others were crushed under stones and weapons1 and beneath the feet of horses and elephants4 #ed4 ,hungry vultures and owls1 were picking up and tearing the dead bodies1 out of caves and places2 and their limbs and members1 were mangled and scattered all over the ground4 #ee4 ,it is thus that men are prepossessed1 with these thoughts of the punishment of their guilt1 from the sacred writings2 and thereby come to suffer the same1 both in their bodies and minds1 from their inward impressions of them4 #ef4 ,whatever form or figure1 ever appears in the vacuum of the ,intellect2 or whatsoever is dreamt or thought of at anytime2 the same holds fast the imagination1 and presents itself before the mirror of the mind of its own accord4 ,,chapter ,,clxi4 ,,explanation ,,of ,,nirv,,na4 ,argument3--,manifestations of the self-existent ,intellect4 ,its light guiding to ,divine knowledge1 and ignorance thereof leading to darkness4 ,rma said3--,tell me sir1 whether these various events incidental to the lives of the hermit and hunter1 were owing to any cause1 or of their own spontaneity 7i4e4 whether they were the effects of any cause1 or of their spontaneous occurrence as mere dreams and phantasies74 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,these occurrences are as the appearance of eddies1 in the vast ocean of the unknown soul 7or mind72 and are known to be in their continual rotation in the vortex of the soul1 of their own accord and in their airy forms4 #c4 ,as the oscillating particles of air1 are ever in motion in the air2 so the current of thoughts is continually in action1 in the vast vacuity of intellect 7or mind74 #d4 ,whatever issues from its source in any shape1 retains its original form unless it is converted to and restrained in any other form2 so the aerial thoughts of the vacuous mind are always aerial1 unless they are drawn in painting or exhibited in another form4 7,just so a clod of earth is always the earth1 till it is moulded to the form of a pot or any other thing74 #e4 ,it is the vacuous essence of the ,divine ,intellect1 that inheres in every form that is exhibited by and derived from it2 so it is the substance of the body1 that permits through out all its members and limbs2 as it is the woody substance of the tree1 that is diffused through all the leaves and branches1 that shoot forth from it4 7,gloss4 ,the difference consists in the permanence of the permeating principle1 and the temporiety of the pervaded growth74 #f4 ,brahma appears to remain permanent in some existences1 as in the four elemental forms of earth etc42 while he seems to be transcient and evanescent in others1 as in the frail bodies of mortal bodies1 all of which abide in their aerial state in the vacuous spirit4 #g4 ,all these various objects therefore1 being but reflections of the ,intellect impressed upon the soul2 it is impossible for us to determine which of these is substantial or unsubstantial or real or unreal4 #h4 ,all these are altogether unknowable except that we know them as reflexions in the inanity of the ,intellect2 say ye therefore that are wholly ignorant of all what you think this visible world to be1 whether a reality or unreality4 #i4 ,whatever you behold anywhere in the universe1 is but an exhibition in the vacuum of the ,divine ,intellect2 and what avails it to you that know the truth1 whether you believe it as such or not4 ,rely therefore in your belief of it as it is4 #aj4 ,these forms of reflexions rise of themselves in the ,divine ,mind1 as the waves and billows exhibit themselves on the surface of the sea2 they are the spontaneous offspring of the ,divine ,spirit1 and are of themselves both their causes as well as effects 7or self caused effects74 #aa4 ,it is the display of the transcendent vacuum of the ,divine ,mind1 that passed under the appellations of its will or volition1 or its imagination and creation1 or the creation of its imagination2 hence this world is to be understood under any one of these senses1 and not of its being composed of earth and water4 #ab4 ,it is this appearance of the ,divine ,mind1 that appears in this manner and nothing besides2 it is the ,divine itself that resides in the ,divinity1 and passes under the title of ,avidy or ,ignorance1 from our ignorance of its nature4 #ac4 ,there is no material grossness in the integrity of the ,divine ,intellect2 which is purely vacuous and immaterial2 and composes the whole universe1 this is transcendental knowledge1 and its perfection is liberation4 #ad4 ,it is the reflexion of the vacuous ,intellect1 which spreads over the whole universe2 it is rare and uncompressed1 and ever calm and quiet1 and passes by the name of the world4 #ae4 ,the meditative man whose eye-sight is fixed in his musing1 whose body is emaciated in devotion1 and whose mind is abstracted from the concrete1 and is absorbed in intellection1 is only capable of seeing the ,intellectual world4 #af4 ,whatever the vacuous essence of the intellect1 exhibits in any form at any place2 the same appears to be present there of its own nature4 #ag4 ,the unthinking man and unreasonable soul1 sees only erroneous sights in the midst of skies2 as one who is dim-sighted and purblind by birth1 does not cease from seeing the double moon in the sky4 #ah4 ,whatever is seen anywhere1 is no other than the unpolluted ,brahma himself2 and the vacuous sphere of the ,intellect being for ever clear and transparent1 is never sullied by any foulness 7of gross matter74 #ai4 ,the intellect without forsaking its pure form of self-consciousness1 exhibits varieties of gross objects in the form of dreams within itself4 ,so also is our consciousness of the world1 in the manner of our dreams4 #bj4 ,by comparing the dicta of the sstras with one another1 and weighing them well with acute judgement1 one will find his rest in himself2 but the man of shallow understanding will not find it so4 #ba4 ,the ignorance which floats upon the sea of your understanding1 does not contaminate my mind1 in the manner of dirt polluting a pure and clear stream4 #bb4 ,as there is neither the earth nor any earthly thing1 to be met with in our sleep1 though we are conscious of them in our dream2 so also the phenomenal world has no real existence1 though we are conscious of it in our waking4 #bc4 ,as the clearness of the ,intellect1 like sunlight or flaming fire1 shows us many things in our sleeping dreams1 so doth its light exhibit the visibles to our view in our waking dreams also by day4 #bd4 ,there is no difference between the two states of dreaming and waking1 they are both of the same nature1 and the difference lies in the modes of our apprehension of them4 #be4 ,the waking man never apprehends his waking state to be a dream2 but the dead man that rises again to life in the next world1 thinks his past life to have been but a state of dreaming4 #bf4 ,the shortness and length of time1 occupied by the two states of dreaming and waking1 is generally considered to constitute the difference between them2 but during the time of their presence1 they are both considered alike the other 7i4e4 the dreaming man thinks himself as waking74 #bg4 ,the sleeping and waking dreams1 bearing alike the same quality of presenting false objects to view1 are necessarily of the same nature2 and there is no difference whatever in their outward features1 as there is neither elder and younger of two twin brothers4 7,dreaming and waking are twin brothers1 like sleep and death neither of which is more or less74 #bh4 ,whatever is the waking dream1 just so is the waking in dream also2 neither of which leaves anything--being1 behind the two states of waking and dreaming4 7,they present many things when present1 but leave nothing lasting in their absence or when they are past and gone74 #bi4 ,as we know the inconstancy of hundreds of dreams1 all along the length of our life time2 so the unredeemed and unenlightened soul1 sees hundreds of waking states 7in its repeated transmigrations in life1 i4e4 in this living world74 #cj4 ,as the living mortals may well recollect the very many sleeping dreams1 they have seen throughout their lives2 so the immortalized souls of siddhas well remember1 the number of waking dreams which they had seen1 in their past transmigrations in different bodies4 #ca4 ,thus our waking is equipollent with our dreaming1 and our dreams are equivalent with waking1 in their correlation with one another in like quality1 and our perception of both alike4 #cb4 ,as the word worlds and phenomenal1 are significant of the one and same meaning2 so the terms dreaming and waking are homonymous1 and interchangeable to one another--mutatis mutandis4 #cc4 ,as the fairy-land in a dream1 is as clear as the open space of the ,intellect2 so is this world an inane void and blank1 and without the grossness of avidy which ignorance imputes to it4 7,ignorance views the fair ideal world as a foul material one74 #cd4 ,the world is a vacuous substance1 and represented as a gross stuff by ignorance2 so ,i am as free as air and any airy thing in the world1 and it is my imagination only1 that binds me to my grossness4 #ce4 ,therefore do not confine your free and unconfined nature1 in the bondage of gross matter2 and never change the pure vacuum of your person to a material stuff1 nor disfigure your formless and intellectual self in a gross and finite form4 #cf4 ,there can be no bondage nor liberation1 of aught whatever in this visible world of our ignorance or avidy2 because all things herein are mere reflexions of the formless void of the ,divine ,intellect4 #cg4 ,here there is no display of ignorance1 nor any misconceptions of ours of any thing2 there is neither any bondage nor release of aught whatever1 and nothing that is either existent or inexistent 7since all are but reflexions of ,divine ,intellect74 #ch4 ,there is nescience1 nor knowing of anything here by us2 because it is the uncreated ,intellect alone1 that manifests itself in this manner2 it reflects all forms in itself1 as if they are all its dreams or creations4 #ci4 ,as a man passing from one place to another1 has his mind kept in abeyance in the interim2 so should we keep our minds quiet and still betwixt our sight of the visibles and our dreams4 7,in action of the mind is reckoned as nirvna74 #dj4 ,as one has his body and mind1 quite quiet and calm in his sleep at night2 and in the respite of his sights and thoughts1 in the states of his waking and dreaming2 this very state of insensibility is called nirvna of the yogi4 #da4 ,know our knowledge of the difference of objects 7as the one is immaterial and the other material71 is equally untrue as that of our waking and dreaming states2 because it is impossible for us to conceive any other thing as matter1 to consist in the immaterial ,intellect4 #db4 ,our knowledge of identity and diversity1 proceed however from the same vacuous intellect2 which combines the unity and duality also1 in unbroken union or harmony in itself4 #dc4 ,knowing all as parts of undivided whole1 all these are the same whatever they appear to be2 hence the visible however diversified they may appear1 are all one and the same principle4 #dd4 ,hence the etherial sphere of ,brahma1 contains all in itself2 and who as an aerial point concentrates all in it2 and the creation is the unity of ,brahma1 together with all its varieties4 #de4 ,knowing all things as full of ,god1 you must however reject them all 7as mere reflexions of the ,deity72 and rest yourself at last in the vacuous ,intellect1 as the great rock of your refuge4 #df4 ,now1 ,o fortunate ,rma1 remain to act in conformity with the rules of your order1 and laws of society and the statues of your position and dignity2 continue to go on1 eat and drink and rest in your usual course1 rely in your desired object1 and ever recline in the glorious and holy lord of your intellect1 and the supreme ,god of all4 ,,chapter ,,clxii4 ,,annihilation ,,of ,,ignorance4 ,argument3--,here ,duality is reduced to the unity of ,brahma2 and good counsels given for subversion of ignorance4 ,vasishtha continued3--,all objects being convertible to the conceptions of the vacuous intellect1 the whole universe is supposed to have its seat in the hollow mind2 and therefore both the outward sights of things1 as also the inward thoughts of their forms1 are all but ideal images in the empty mind4 #b4 ,the world being but a dream1 and of the form of an ideal city in the mind1 has nothing substantial in it2 and is therefore a quiet vacuity in itself1 without having anything of any kind1 or any diversity whatsoever contained therein4 #c4 ,it is the uniform display of the ,intellect1 appearing as multiform unto us2 and this variety though unsubjective to the soul1 is looked upon by it within itself1 as we view the fairy-land of our dream1 rising from ourselves4 7,query3--whether our dreams are subjective or objective to us87 #d4 ,in the beginning this world appeared1 as the aerial castle of a dream in the vacuum of the ,intellect2 it was a mere reflexion of the ,divine ,mind1 and though it was of the form of a false shadow1 remained as substantive to the supreme spirit4 #e4 ,the knowing theosophist well knows this mystery1 which is mysterious to the unknowing ignorant2 because the word creation bears the sense of both the reality as well as unreality in it4 #f4 ,the knowing spiritualist as well as the unknowing agnostic1 both acknowledge the reality of creation2 but they can neither understand how it exists1 nor communicate to one another their right conception of it4 #g4 ,they both know the meaning1 of the word creation in their minds2 the one having the sense of its sedateness ever wakeful in their minds 7from their spiritual view of it72 and the other having the sense of its unsteadiness always waking in them 7from their sight of the changeful scenes of the outer world72 so they resemble the sober and drunken men1 that view the world in its steady and shaking states4 #h4 ,as the liquid waters in a river1 rise incessantly in restless waves2 so the rolling worlds1 push forward into being1 in the vast expanse of the ,divine ,mind4 #i4 ,these creations which are not of the nature of the intellect1 have yet their sites in the ,intellect1 like the thoughts that rise and fall in it2 and these though they are invisible in their nature1 appear as visible things1 like the fair objects and fairy cities in our dream4 #aj4 ,it is spreading shadow of the divine ,intellect1 which pass under the name of the world2 and this formless in itself1 appears as having a form1 like the shadow of anything else4 #aa4 ,it is a gross error1 to take the unsubstantial shadow for a substantial body2 as it is a gross error to suppose the empty shadow of a ghost as an embodied being4 #ab4 ,the world is as unreal as an imaginary city1 and as false as a string of rain drops2 why then do you rely in an unreality1 which is palpable from the testimonies of both the ignorant and knowing men4 #ac4 ,the words then that are used to express this thing and that1 are mere empty sounds1 as those emitted by a splitting block of wood or a bamboo2 or those heard in the dashing of waves or blowing of winds2 it is the current air which conveys the empty sound into the open vacuum of the sky1 but they are all unreal and meaningless1 and bear but a conventional sense1 with which it has no connection whatsoever4 #ad4 ,it is light of the lord that reflects itself in his creation1 and the reflexion of his fiat that reverberates through the whole2 while in reality there is neither any sound nor substance1 that is to be heard or seen in the universe 7except the voice and the sight of the ,lord74 #ae4 ,whatever shines or exists herein1 is the transcendent reality of the ,lord2 otherwise there is nothing that could appear at first without its cause 7all being but parts of the one undivided whole--to pan74 #af4 ,therefore from 7thy knowledge of7 the distinctions of words and things2 know the one as all in all1 and remain as quiet and calm as the indefinite and infinite void itself4 #ag4 ,forsake the fickleness of thy mind1 by means of the calm repose of thy soul2 the purity of thy understanding1 and by an even tenor of thy disposition2 because an inconstant soul is troublesome in life4 #ah4 ,it is one's self that is a friend or enemy to himself1 and if one will not try to guard and save himself by his own self1 there is no other to do so for him4 7,he who is no friend to himself1 is his own enemy himself74 #ai4 ,get over the ocean of the world while you are young1 and make your good understanding the ferry boat1 to bear your body safely to the other shore4 #bj4 ,do what is good for you today1 and why defer till tomorrow2 you can do nothing in oldage1 when your body becomes a burden to yourself4 #ba4 ,know yourself as oldage 7if it is fraught with learning72 and account decrepitude as death itself in your lifetime4 ,youth is verily the life of the living1 provided it is fraught with learning4 #bb4 ,having obtained thy life in this living world1 which is as transient as the fleeting lightning2 you must try to derive the essence from this dirty earth1 by availing yourself of the benefit of good sstras and the company of the wise4 #bc4 ,woe to the ignorant6 that will not seek their salvation in life2 that are sinking in the pits of mud and mire2 and never striving to lift themselves above them4 #bd4 ,as the ignorant rustic is afraid at the sight of the earthen images of ghosts1 and bends down to them2 which those that are acquainted with the meaning of the word ghost never do4 #be4 ,so those that see ,god in an idol or in his visible creation1 are misled to think it their god and adore it as such2 but those that know the true meaning of the term1 never pay their adoration to any visible object4 #bf4 ,as things in motion come to rest afterwards1 and the visible disappear from the sight of the learned1 who are acquainted with their true meaning4 7,the world recedes1 and the light of ,god opens to their view74 #bg4 ,as the sights in a dream1 seeming to be true in the state of dreaming1 disperse at last upon waking1 and upon the knowledge of their unreal nature4 #bh4 ,so doth this world1 which is conceived as something existing in the vacuum of the understanding2 melts at last into empty air and nothing1 upon our knowledge of its intellectual nature4 #bi4 ,this living world is as a wilderness1 burning with the conflagration of various evils attendant on life2 and here we are exposed as weak antelopes1 living upon our precarious sustenances2 and here we are governed by our ungovernable minds and restless passions and senses of our bodies2 all these require to be subdued in order to obtain our liberation from repeated births and deaths4 ,,chapter ,,clxiii4 ,,means ,,and ,,manner ,,of ,,governing ,,the ,,senses ,,and ,,sensible ,,organs4 ,argument3--,government of the senses and fixedness of the ,mind1 and the study of yoga sstra4 ,rma rejoined3--,i know sir1 all knowledge to be in vain and useless1 without proper government of ourselves and senses2 tell me therefore how these may be kept under control1 in order to give us the true knowledge of things unbiased by the senses4 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,addictedness to enjoyments and display of manhood1 and devotedness to the acquisition of the means of life or wealth2 are preventives of self-controul and liberation of one's self1 as blindness is an obstruction to one's sight of a light4 #c4 ,then listen to this least advice of mine as the shortest and best means1 for the government of yourself and your senses2 and this is sure to lead one to his successfulness1 by his own endeavour and with no toil or trouble4 #d4 ,know the intellect as the man that mans you1 and its power of intellection which makes you a living man2 and whatever the living soul thinks of within itself1 it verily becomes the very same 7but the ignorant man becomes effeminate74 #e4 ,let the strength of your consciousness1 ply the pointed goad of your acute good sense2 and you will doubtless subdue your ungovernable elephantine mind1 and come off victorious shortly at last4 #f4 ,the mind is the captain of the army of your bodily and mental senses2 subdue therefore this leading mind1 and you will conquer the whole host of your senses4 ,just so does a man walking on boots1 tread over the thorns lying by his way4 #g4 ,in order therefore to subdue your mind1 you must settle your self-consciousness in your consciousness of the omnipresent vacuum of the ,divine soul1 and rest yourself quiet in the recess of your heart2 and then your mind will sit quiet of itself1 as the snows of winter settle down of themselves in autumn4 #h4 ,thus by stopping the action of your consciousness1 you will also shut up your mind1 and put a stop to the operation of all its faculties2 as you can never been able to do by means of all your devotion and austerities1 your pilgrimages1 your knowledge and sacrifice1 and all other ceremonies and acts and duties4 #i4 ,whatever comes to occur in the consciousness1 the same must be forgot or buried in the consciousness of the great ,god alone2 and so the forgetfulness of all enjoyments and their objects1 amounts to our victory over them4 7,the way to overcome the pleasures of life1 is to bury their remembrance in oblivion74 #aj4 ,we must try by all means1 to shut out the objects of sense from our consciousness2 and this state of our unconsciousness of them1 is tantamount to the state of godliness or heavenly bliss4 #aa4 ,again the contentment which arises1 from our acting in conformity with the rules of our order1 is another cause of preserving the steadiness of the mind2 therefore remain firm in the practice of your particular duties1 and seek no happiness besides4 #ab4 ,he who relinquishes his inclination1 towards the attainment of what is unlawful for him2 and remains content with earning his lawful gains1 is verily said to be a man of subdued appetites1 and one who has governed4 #ac4 ,he who is pleased with his inward and conscious gratification1 and is not grieved at the unpleasant things all about him1 is said to have well governed and benumbed his mind4 #ad4 ,by suspension of the action of consciousness1 the mind too comes to forget and forsake its activity1 and the sensations also being relaxed from their restlessness1 pursue their discrimination and judgement4 #ae4 ,the discriminative and judging soul1 becomes ennobled and magnanimous1 and keeps its command over the feelings and senses2 and is not impelled by the waves of its desires1 to be tossed about on the surface of the wide ocean of this world4 #af4 ,the man of well governed senses comes1 by his association with the wise1 and his constant study of religious works1 to know all things in the world in their true light4 #ag4 ,all worldly errors are dispelled by the light of truth2 or else one must fall into the pit of misery1 by his mistake of falsehood for truth2 as the ignorant traveller is ingulfed in the dreary sands1 by his mistake of the mirage for water4 #ah4 ,knowing this world as the unknowable intellect itself1 that is the knowledge of the material world as the immaterial mind of ,god2 is the true light in which the cosmos is viewed by the wise1 who have neither the fear of their falling into the snare of error1 nor require their release from it4 #ai4 ,as the dried up waters of a river1 are seen no more to glide even slightly in their course2 so the formless phenomenals of the world1 never appear in the sight of the wise1 nor leave their slightest vestiges behind in their mind4 #bj4 ,the knowledge of the world as an infinite void1 and freed from the erroneous individualities of myself and thyself2 leads to the knowledge of a supreme-self1 which is apart from all1 and the only ego that fills the whole4 #ba4 ,all this conception of our subjective egoism and the objective world1 are but errors of our brain proceeding from ignorance2 they are all situated in the void of ,intellect1 and are void of themselves2 and all bodies are but empty shadows in air1 and as quiet as quietus or nullity itself4 #bb4 ,this world appears as a shadow of the ,intellect1 in the vacuity of the very ,intellect2 it is a void amidst the void of the ,intellect1 which is certainly a void itself4 #bc4 ,no body can deny its similitude1 to the shadowy sight in a dream2 it is an unreal notion1 and as unsubstantial as all notions can be1 and as the notion of a void is void itself4 #bd4 ,this dream is no other than our consciousness of it1 and the airy realms that it presents to our view for the time2 so doth the ,intellect show us the sight of the world1 without any action or passion or instrumentality of itself4 #be4 ,so ,i am of the substance of the very ,intellect1 which is without its activity1 passivity and instrumentality2 and the world being unassignable to any causality or instrumentality1 subsists only in our simple conception of it4 #bf4 ,as the conception of one's death in a dream1 is no reality at all2 and the sight of water in the mirage1 is a visual deception only 7so the sight of the world appearing to view1 is no real existence or entity at all74 #bg4 ,the vacuous intellect reflects its thoughts at first1 in the clear mirror of its vacuity 7or concavity72 which is a mere hap-hazard of chance1 and has no firm base or support 7nor any form or figure of itself74 #bh4 ,the world appears as fixed and firm1 without its foundation anywhere2 and seems to be shining brightly1 with its darksome opacity2 know then this fixity and this brightness of it1 to be the diuturnity and glory of the eternal and glorious ,god4 #bi4 ,the vivacity of living beings1 displays the spirit of the ever living ,god2 the air is his vacuity1 and the running waters1 show the vortiginous current of the eternal soul4 #cj4 ,as every member of the body is constituent part of the whole frame2 so all the various parts of animated and inanimate nature1 constitute the entirety of the one cosmical deity4 7,these are but parts of one undivided whole1 whose body nature is and ,god the soul4 ,pope74 #ca4 ,as the crystal mirror shows the shade of everything in itself1 so doth the transparency of ,divine soul1 exhibit the reflexions of all things in it2 the silent soul is as quiet as the mute crystal1 but shows the varying scenes of nature1 as interminably as a clear mirror reflects everything4 #cb4 ,there is no beginning or end of the supreme being 7nor of his acts and attributes1 which are displayed in nature72 it is the intermediate of the two that is dimly seen by us1 the rest is all enveloped in ignorance1 though there is no ignorance in the ,omniscient4 #cc4 ,the living soul wakes from its sleeping dream1 to fall back to its waking dream again2 and thus it continues for ever in its dreaming whether waking or sleeping which are both alike to it4 #cd4 ,the soul finds its rest only1 while it remains in the fourth state of its sound sleep2 or else it passes all along from dreaming to dreaming1 in both its state of sleeping and waking1 which continually haunt after it1 unless it is drowned in its susupti or sound sleep of hynotism1 the only resort of the wise4 #ce4 ,but waking and sleeping and dreaming and sound sleep1 are all alike to the enlightened soul2 which is equally indifferent in all states1 and whether it is asleep or awake1 is never infested by dreams nor set beside itself4 #cf4 ,the knowledge of unity or duality1 and that of ,ego and tu or the subjective and objective2 never disturbs the enlightened2 who views the whole as an empty void1 and is alike insensible of all as well as null4 #cg4 ,the distinction of unity and duality1 made in the meaningless speech of the unwise1 is laughed at by the enlightened and wise1 as the aged and intelligent men laugh to scorn1 at the pranks and prattlings of young lads4 #ch4 ,the controversy of unity and duality1 is of spontaneous growth in the heart like an indigenious plant2 which without its pruning will not put forth its blossoms1 to perfume the atmosphere of the understanding4 #ci4 ,the discussion of unity and duality1 is as benificial to man as his best friend2 in sweeping away the dirt and dross of ignorance from their minds1 as they drive away the dust from within the doors of their houses4 #dj4 ,then the minds of men are settled in the ,divine ,mind1 when there ensues a mutual communion between themselves1 and a communication and participation of their reciprocal joys and felicity with one another4 #da4 ,these men being always joined together in their fellowship1 and serving one another with the mutual delight and obligingness of their hearts2 attain to that state of the enlightenment of their understandings1 whereby they are admitted into their communion with the ,most ,high4 #db4 ,it is possible for a man to be benefited1 even by his careful preservation of a trifle 7at some time or other72 but it is never possible for any body1 to attain the most recondite knowledge of ,god1 without his diligent inquiry into the same4 #dc4 ,whatever highest position one may enjoy in this material world1 is to be recognised by all as nothing1 provided that one does not remain aloof from all kind of vices4 #dd4 ,what is that happiness which is gained by the possession of a kingdom1 which at last is no better than mere botheration of the mind2 while the mind that has gained its peace and tranquility in truth and ,divine knowledge1 spurns at the state of gods and kings as mere straws to him4 #de4 ,the sleepy as well as the wakeful1 are alike apt to see the visibles1 and are rapt with the sight2 but the saints that are calm and quiet and at rest with themselves1 are averse to sight-seeing1 and see the only one in themselves4 #df4 ,without painstaking1 and your continued practice of contemplation1 you can not succeed to attain this state of infinite felicity2 for know this state of transcendent bliss1 is the fruit of intense devotion only4 #dg4 ,thus have ,i said at length1 to impress in you the necessity of intense devotion2 but to what good is all this say the evil-minded to me1 and thus slight and take no heed of all that ,i have been so long delivering unto you4 #dh4 ,it must be by means of steady attention to these lectures1 and by long and repeated practice of devotion2 as also by hearing these sermons and discoursing upon them that the ignorant can come to the right light of truth4 #di4 ,he who having once read this spiritual work1 slights it afterwards as already perused by him2 and turns to the study of unspiritual books1 is a vile wretch that collects the burnt ashes after the fire is extinguished4 7,irreligious works are the ashes of the fiery religious ones74 #ej4 ,this excellent work is to be read always1 like the recital of the vedas1 which are embodied herein2 and this is calculated to reward the labor of the student1 by its being constantly read with reverence1 and rightly explained with diligence4 #ea4 ,the student will learn from this sstra all that he expects to find in the vedas2 because it embodies both the practical as well as spiritual doctrines of the sacred scriptures1 and a knowledge of both of them1 is available by proper perusal of this work4 #eb4 ,by learning this book1 one may have a knowledge of the doctrines of the vednta1 tarka and siddhnta sstras1 because this is the only work1 that treats of the tenets of all schools4 7,here the word drishti is homonymous with darsana1 which is rendered as a school of philosophy by ,colebrooke74 #ec4 ,it is from my sympathy for you all1 that ,i propound these doctrines to you2 and by way of imposture1 that ,i impose these lessons on your credulity4 ,you are best judges of my discourse and can well detect1 whether there is anything as deception in my prolusions4 #ed4 ,the knowledge that you may derive1 by weighing well the instructions given in this great work2 will serve you as salt1 in order to season and relish the teachings of other sstras1 that are at best but sundry dishes before it4 #ee4 ,the materialist who is conversant with the visibles1 disparages this book for its occult teachings of spiritualism2 but don't you be the killer of your souls as to neglect your eternal salvation1 in order to revisit this material world1 and to be busied with your temporal affairs4 #ef4 ,biased minds cling to the dogmas of exploded systems1 and ignoble men drink the foul water of tanks1 dug by their ancestors2 you are reasoning men yourselves1 therefore do not remain for ever fast bound to your ignorance4 ,,chapter ,,clxiv4 ,,unity ,,of ,,the ,,divinity ,,and ,,the ,,mundane ,,world4 ,argument3--,intromission of the ,living soul and all bodies1 that is the subjective and objective into the ,divine ,essence4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the atoms of living souls in the world1 are as the particles of rays in the orb of the sun 7or as the sparks of fire in a furnace72 and as all these parts taken collectively1 make the one undivided whole2 so there is no division of the unity of the ,deity1 throughout the whole creation4 #b4 ,by attaining the transcendental knowledge of all being the ,one1 and the ,one as all2 every thing loses its shape and form before us1 and there remains nothing whatever as a distinct being or duality4 #c4 ,the true believer or knower of truth1 sees the self-same object in all states and forms of things2 and this is the transcendent and translucent ,brahma only1 and nothing else whatsoever at any time4 #d4 ,he is the same1 that is known to the ignorant1 as their objects of sense2 but we do not recognize either ourselves or others1 or the sensible objects of the ignorant as such4 #e4 ,the belief of the ignorant man in the reality of himself1 thyself and all others1 does not affect the knower of truth1 as the delusion of mirage never overtakes the man on ,mount ,meru3 7where the deceptive sands of the deserts are wanting74 #f4 ,as the man intent upon one object1 has no consciousness of any other thing in his mind2 so one enrapt at the sight of ,god alone1 is conscious of nothing besides4 #g4 ,there neither is nor was nor shall ever be1 any such thing as the material world at any time2 the world in esse is the image of ,brahma himself1 and abides in his spirit4 #h4 ,the world is the splendour of the chrystalline vacuum of the ,divine ,intellect1 and subsists in the vacuity of the supreme soul itself2 it is in this light that the universe is seen in the dhyna yoga or abstruse contemplation of the yogi4 #i4 ,as there is nothing in an empty dream or in the aerial castle of imagination except the clear atmosphere of the ,intellect2 so there is no essence or substance nor form or figure of this world1 that we view in our present waking state4 #aj4 ,at first there was no creation of any kind1 nor this world which appears to us 7in its material form72 it exists in its aerial form in the ,divine ,mind from all eternity2 and there being no primary or secondary cause of it1 how is it possible to call it a material thing of its own spontaneous growth4 #aa4 ,therefore there is nothing that sprang itself out of nothing at first1 nor was there ever a creator called ,brahm or other by the ignorant1 in the beginning2 there is nothing but an infinite void from eternity to eternity1 which is filled by the self-born or increate spirit1 whose intellect exhibits this creation1 contained for ever and ever in its vacuity4 ,,chapter ,,clxv4 ,,on ,,the ,,similarity ,,of ,,waking ,,and ,,dreaming4 ,argument3--,the steadiness of the ,intellect in waking and ,dreaming1 which are alike to one another4 ,vasishtha continued3--,in the state of waking dream the dream passes under the name of waking2 and in the state of dreaming wakefulness1 this waking goes by the name of sleeping4#b #b4 ,the dream terminates into waking1 and the waking man rises from his dreaming1 and falls back into it again2 so one awakened from his dream like waking1 falls afterwards to his waking dreams4 #c4 ,the dream of the waking dreamer1 is to be called a dream also1 as the waking dream of this world2 and so the waking 7or consciousness7 of the sleeping waker1 is to be styled his waking state4 #d4 ,therefore that wakefulness 7or consciousness7 of one1 remains in his dreaming state1 is to be called his waking likewise and not his dreaming2 so also the waking dream 7of the existence of the world71 and the imaginations of airy castles while one is waking1 is to be designated his dreaming and never as his waking4 #e4 ,whatever lasts for a short while1 as a temporary delusion or flight of imagination1 passes under the name of a dream even in one's waking state2 and so the short watchfulness of consciousness in the state of dreaming1 is known as dreaming and never as waking4 #f4 ,therefore there is no difference whatever1 between the two states of waking and dreaming1 beside the absence of one of these two in the other 7i4e4 the absence of shortness in waking1 and that of durability in the dream74 ,again they are both unreal1 owing to their blending with one another 7i4e4 dreaming blended with the view of the phenomenals in waking2 and the wakeful consciousness blending with dreaming74 #g4 ,the waking dream of the world1 vanishes under its unconsciousness in death2 and the consciousness of dreaming is lost1 under the knowledge of its being an airy nothing4 7,the world recedes as heaven opens to view4 ,pope74 #h4 ,the dying person that does not come to perceive the vanity of the visionary world at his death-bed can have no sight of the state of his waking 7or resurrection71 in the next or future world4 #i4 ,whoever believing himself as alive1 among the varying scenes of this vacuous world1 lives content with them2 he can never come to the sight of the visions1 which await upon him4 #aj4 ,as the intellect displays its wonders1 in the exhibitions of the various scenes of worlds1 to the sight of one in his dream2 so doth this universe appear before the minds of men1 at the time of their waking4 #aa4 ,these creations which are so conspicuous to sight1 are at best but nothing in their transcendental light and all the forms of things1 are as the empty shadows of them appearing in our dreams4 #ab4 ,as the world with all its varieties of visible objects1 appear in its inane and shadowy form in the dream2 so it is seen in its vacuous and intellectual form only1 in our waking state 7although it seems to be tangible body74 #ac4 ,it is the nature of the vacuous ,intellect1 to show the form of the world in its own firmament2 so doth this earth appear unto us1 amidst the spacious atmosphere1 like the orbs of light in the skies4 #ad4 ,it is the wondrous display of the ,intellect1 that shines before us under the name of universe2 and these wonders are as inborn and innumerable in itself1 as the watery and earthly particles1 are connate with1 and diffused throughout nature4 #ae4 ,what thing is there in it1 which you can mistake for a reality in this unreal world2 that is situated as a vacuous body in the infinite womb of vacuity4 #af4 ,the words recipient1 receipt and reception1 or the percipient1 perceived and perception 7i4e4 the subject1 object and attribute71 are all meaningless with regard to this vacuous world2 and whether it is a reality or unreality1 we have no perception of it4 7,because the presence of everything is lost1 at the absence of its properties1 which are adscititious only74 #ag4 ,whether it is so or not or be it anything otherwise 7as others may have it72 yet why should mistake it for anything at all1 in whatever light you take it1 it will amount to your mistake of an empty ball for a fruit 7so says the vednta3-- 74 ,,chapter ,,clxvi4 ,,on ,,the ,,attributes ,,of ,,the ,,divine ,,spirit3 ,,in ,,the ,,form ,,of ,a ,,dialogue4 ,argument3--,definition of supreme soul and its synonyms and its simile to a blue stone4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the true sense of the word soul or self1 is to be understood from the title which is applied to it2 and this title of the soul is borne out by the simile1 of the solid and transparent blue stone4 #b4 ,it is from the beginning of creation1 that the vacuous soul is thus diffused in itself2 and the reflexion which it casts in its own vacuity1 the same passes under the name of this world or creation4 #c4 ,there runs no river in it1 nor there rises nor sinks any rock in the same2 it is the mere vacuum subsisting in its infinite void1 wherein the intellect reflects itself without any action or bidding or fiat of it4 #d4 ,this reflexion of the ,divine ,intellect1 was without its utterance of 8word0 and quite without its 8will0 or 8thought04 ,it was also without the appliance of any subsequent material 7as matter71 and this is the true sense of the word soul or self4 #e4 ,the soul itself is the whole world1 which has no other expression for it2 and being devoid of a name1 it is expressible by no other name though they give many names to it4 #f4 ,its name being nameless1 whatever appellation they put to it1 is not opposite but inappropriate to it2 what is the good therefore of giving it a name or no name at all4 #g4 ,its namelessness or giving it a misnomer or improper expression1 is all the same2 since all what is visible1 is no other than a display of the wondrous fabric of the ,divine ,mind4 #h4 ,whatever shines in any manner1 in the empty space of the ,divine mind at any time2 the same shines forth even then and in that manner1 as the rays of that ,intellect 7emanating therefrom1 and concentrating into all other minds74 #i4 ,it is denominated by one as soul1 by another as asat1 and by some as nothing2 all these are the mystery of intellect only1 but in fact1 all are the attributes of soul4 #aj4 ,the word itself conveys the meaning of self--soul4 ,it is without beginning and end1 and no language can express it2 in fact1 it is an undivided whole4 #aa4 ,now listen to a long narrative which hangs on this subject1 and which will serve to gladden your hearts and ears1 by removing the duality from your sight1 and by enlightening your understanding 7with knowledge of the unity74 #ab4 ,know that there is a very large crystal stone1 extending itself to thousands of leagues in space2 and stretching like the solid cerulean fabric of the firmament1 or as the blue sky all around us4 #ac4 ,it is all of a piece without any joining of parts in it1 and is as dense and compact as the hard adamant2 it is thick1 big and bulky in its size1 but at the same time as clear and far as the face of the sky4 #ad4 ,it continues from countless times1 and endures to endless duration2 and with its comely and pellucid body1 it appears as the clear firmament1 or the blank vacuum on high4 #ae4 ,no one ever knows its nature or genus1 from his having never seen anything of the same kind1 nor does any body know from when and where1 it hath come to existence4 7,all know it is1 but none knows how and whence it is74 #af4 ,it does not contain anything substantial1 as the material elements within itself2 and yet it is as dense and solidified in itself as a crystalline1 and indissoluble as an adamant4 #ag4 ,yet it is composed of innumerable streaks and strokes1 which are embodied in itself2 and these resemble the veins and fibres on lotus leaves1 and the marks of conches etc4 in ,hari's feet4 #ah4 ,these marks are named as air1 water1 earth1 fire and vacuum1 though there are no such things to be found therein2 except that the stone was possest living soul1 which it imparted to its marks4 #ai4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 how that stone of yours1 could have life or sensibility in it2 the stone is an insensible thing1 and could not give names to the marks on its body4 #bj4 ,vasishtha replied3--,that immense and luminous stone1 is neither a sentient nor inert body2 no body knows its nature and state1 and there is no other like it4 #ba4 ,rma said3--,tell me sir1 who ever saw those marks1 which are imprinted in the bosom of that stone2 and how could any one ever break that stone1 in order to see its contents and its marks4 #bb4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is hard to break this hard stone1 nor has anybody been ever able to break it2 by cause of its extending over infinite space1 and encompassing all bodies within its bosom4 7,so says the sruti3--,there is nothing but is encompassed by it--the all pervading soul74 #bc4 ,it is full of numberless spots in its spacious cavity2 and these consist of the marks of mountains and trees1 and of countries1 towns and cities4 #bd4 ,there are also small and large dots in it1 with any form or figure of them2 but serve to represent the forms of men1 and gods and demigods in them1 as an outline shows the images of things4 #be4 ,there is a long line drawn in it in the form of a circle1 which represents the great circle of the visible sky or horizon2 and this contains the two central points1 signifying the sun and moon4 #bf4 ,rma said3--,tell me sir1 who ever saw those marks of such forms2 and how it is possible for any body1 to look into the cell of a solid or hollow ball4 #bg4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is ,i1 ,o ,rma1 that beheld those marks of different forms in that impenetrable block2 and it is possible for you to look into it1 if you will but like to do so4 #bh4 ,rma said3--,how could you sir1 look into those marks inside that solid stone1 which you say1 is as stiff as adamant1 and incapable of being broken or perforated by any means4 #bi4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it was by means of my being seated1 in the very heart of that stone2 that ,i came to see those marks1 as also to penetrate into their meanings4 #cj4 ,who else is able to penetrate into that rigid stone beside myself1 who have been able by my penetration1 to pry and pierce into the mysteries of those hidden marks4 #ca4 ,tell me sir1 what is that stone and what are you yourself2 explain to me where you are and what you are speaking1 and what are those things that you have seen and known to mean4 #cb4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is the supreme soul1 which is the sole entity and sober reality2 and this is represented by figure of speech1 as the great stone1 of which ,i have been speaking to you4 #cc4 ,we are all situated in the cavity of this supreme spirit1 and the three worlds form the flesh of this ,great being1 who is devoid of all substantiality4 #cd4 ,know the spacious firmament to be a part of this solid rock1 and the ever flying winds as fragment of its body2 the fleeting time and evanescent sounds together with all our varying actions and desires1 and the imaginations of our minds1 to be but the fugacious particles of its substance4 #ce4 ,the earth1 air1 water and fire1 and the vacuum and understanding also1 together with our egoism and sensibilities1 are the portions and sections of its totality4 #cf4 ,we are all but bits and parcels of the great rock of the supreme soul1 and every thing whatever there is in existence1 proceeds from that source1 and we know of no other cause or causality whatsoever4 #cg4 ,this large stone is the great rock of ,divine ,intellect1 and there is nothing whatever1 which is beside and beyond its intelligence4 ,say then if there be any such thing and what it bears4 #ch4 ,all things are but mere notions of them1 as those of a pot or cot1 a picture and all others2 they appear in us as our dreams1 and rise before us as the waves of water 7which are no other but water74 #ci4 ,it is all the substance of ,brahma and the essence of the great ,intellect1 which fills and pervades the whole2 know therefore all these as one1 with the substantiality of the ,supreme spirit1 and all as quiet and calm as itself4 #dj4 ,thus all this plenum is situated1 in the bosom of the great rock of the intellect2 which is without its beginning1 middle and end1 and without any hole therein1 or doorway thereto4 ,therefore it is the ,supreme soul only which contemplates in itself1 and produces 7as the object of its thought71 this ideal creation of the universe 7or the one converted into many71 and which passes under the title of the visible or phenomenal world4 ,,chapter ,,clxvii4 ,,absence ,,of ,,the ,,three ,,fold ,,states ,,of ,,waking1 ,,dreaming ,,and ,,sleep4 ,argument3--,refutation of the four fold ,appellations of the ,world1 and the three fold states of the ,living soul4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the four titles1 namely1 the self-styled1 the misnamed1 the nameless1 and the otherwise named1 under which the world passes in their different senses2 are all meaningless to the spiritualist 7who view the world in its spiritual light1 and as selfsame with the ,supreme spirit1 as it is related in the preceding chapter74 #b4 ,these different words do not disturb the mind of the spiritualist1 whose soul is at rest in the ,supreme spirit1 and who pays no regard to the use of words 7or terminology of theology74 #c4 ,all these visibles rise from the ,intellect only1 and bear no names of their own2 they are of the nature of pure vacuum1 and appear unto us in their simple vacuous forms 7as phantoms in the air74 #d4 ,this is the soul1 and this its title 7that is giving a name to a nameless spiritual thing71 is an erroneous conceit or coinage of the brain4 ,the spirit admits of no expressions2 therefore take heed of no word but mind its meaning4 #e4 ,whatever appears to be moving or staying or doing any action1 is as calm and clear as the void air1 and devoid of action as the ,divine soul4 #f4 ,all things however sounding1 are as silent as the still stone said before2 and though they seem to be ever moving1 they are ever as quiet as the void of the sky1 and as still as the quiescent stone4 #g4 ,though all things appear to be acting in their various ways1 yet they are as motionless as the unmoving vacuum2 and though the world appears to be formed of the five elements1 yet it is but a void and devoid of its quintessence4 #h4 ,the world with its fulness of things1 is but a congeries of your conceptions2 it is full with the all pervasive and pellucid ,intellect1 which shows the visions of great cities1 like the vacant sights in our dream 7or as a dumb and shadowy show1 without any sound or substance in it74 #i4 ,it is full of action and motion1 without any activity or mobility in it1 like the passing city of our imagination2 it is the air built castle of our error1 and as the fairy land in our dream4 #aj4 ,it is a false conception or notion of the mind1 and as the fading shadow of a fairy2 it is creation of our fancies1 but altogether unsubstantial in its substantiality4 #aa4 ,rma rejoined3--,i ween this world as a waking dream1 and reproduction of our remembrance of it2 because it is reminiscence of the past only1 that presents the absent to our view1 and brings the outer objects to our knowledge4 7,hence remembrance is the cause of resolving everything to our knowledge of them74 #ab4 ,vasishtha replied3--,no ,rma1 it is the reflexion which the glassy mirror of the ,intellect1 casts before us at anytime1 the same appears to us even then in its vacuous form2 and there is no idea or thought of anything1 that lays a firm hold on the mind1 or has its foundation there4 7,refutation of innate conceptions and prior reminiscence74 #ac4 ,therefore the phenomenon always belongs1 to the noumenon of the ,supreme spirit2 and the fluctuating phenomenals ever abide in it1 as the undulating waves play in the calm waters of the sea4 #ad4 ,the uncaused world1 exists of itself in the ,supreme soul2 and becomes extinct of itself1 in the vacuity of the universal soul4 #ae4 ,the world is viewed in the same light by every one1 as it is reflected in himself1 hence the ignorant are always in fault in having a wrong view of it2 but not so the wise1 who know it as nothing4 #af4 ,again the lord god ,brahma himself1 has exhibited the lucid nature of his being1 according to the four states or conditions1 which are natural to the soul4 #ag4 ,these are the three states of waking1 dreaming and sleep1 together with a fourth called-the turya or the state of sound sleep1 and these names are applied to the soul by the ,supreme soul itself4 #ah4 ,but in reality none of these quadruple states1 belongs either to the ,divine or the living soul1 which is always tranquil1 and which is of the nature of an indefinite void4 #ai4 ,or it may be said in respect to the soul1 that it is either always wakeful1 or in its ever dreaming state2 or in a state of continuous rest and sleep4 7,the ,divine soul never sleeps4 ,sir ,w4 ,jones4 ,the ever wakeful eyes of ,jove4 ,homer74 #bj4 ,or it is ever in its fourth state of turya1 which is beyond all these triple states2 but whether it is in this or that or what state1 we know nothing of1 being ourselves always in a state of disquiet and continued agitation4 #ba4 ,we know nothing of the inanity of the vacuous soul1 as to whether it is as the chasm in the foam or froth1 or whether it is as the air in a bubble or spray2 or whether it is as the gap amidst waves of the sea or what it is at all4 #bb4 ,as a thing is known to be in its imagination1 so it is impressed also in our conception of the same2 and as anything appears either as real or unreal in the dream1 we retain the like idea of it in our waking also4 #bc4 ,all this is the display of our consciousness1 and whatever reflexion it exhibits unto us it is but an empty shadow in the hollow of the vacant mind1 which resides in the vacuity of the vacuous intellect1 that pervades the infinite vacuum of the soul4 #bd4 ,consciousness is the pith and marrow of vacuous ,intellect1 and retains this form 7of its quiddity7 at all times2 it neither rises nor sets1 and this world is inherent in it 7i4e4 it is subjective and derived from within74 #be4 ,the creations on the beginning1 and the dark nights of dissolution1 are but parts of its body1 and resemble its nails and hairs4 7i4e4 ,the light which was the first work of creation1 likened the whiteness of its nails1 and the darkness of the universal deluge1 equalled the blackness of its hairs74 #bf4 ,its appearance and disappearance1 that is its clearness and dimness2 are no other than as the breathing air of the great ,intellect4 7i4e4 ,the exhaling and inhaling breaths of the ,intellect1 are causes of its expansion and contraction74 #bg4 ,therefore what means the waking1 sleeping or dreaming of the soul1 and what signifies the term sound sleep or the turya of the soul 7which is ever awake7 ,so the word volition and nolition are meaningless when applied to the soul1 which is always composed and indifferent4 7,these attributes belong to the mind only74 #bh4 ,it is the inward consciousness1 that exhibits its inner concepts as outward objects2 how then is there a duality or anything objective1 and what means this remembrance of extraneous matter4 #bi4 ,therefore all these that appear to our sight1 are without their base or foundation2 they are the reflexion of our consciousness in open air1 which is wholly devoid of any material object4 #cj4 ,though the external world is said to be a reality1 it is because of its being a concept of the divine mind1 out of which it has risen to view2 and reminiscence is said to be its cause also1 by reason of our remembrance of the first creation1 which continue all along with us4 #ca4 ,but there is no outward object at all1 owing to the absence of material elements2 and the want of the five principles of matter1 before and at the time of first creation4 #cb4 ,as there are no horns of hares1 and no trees growing in the air1 and as there is no son of a barren woman1 nor a dark moon shining in the sky4 #cc4 ,so this visible world1 and these personalities of ourselves2 which are mere misrepresentations of our ignorance1 are things invisible and inexistent in themselves1 and are seen and known by ignorant only4 #cd4 ,to them the world appears as an erroneous body1 and our personalities and abstractions of persons2 but there is nothing as fictile or abstract to the spiritualist1 who view them all in one undivided whole--the ,divine spirit or soul4 #ce4 ,it is consciousness the pith and marrow of the soul1 that exposes all these concepts of it to light2 and the manner in which it displays them to the imagination1 so do they make their appearance to our sight4 #cf4 ,whenever our misconception portrays its concept in a material form1 or gives a name and form to an airy nothing2 we come to see the same form in our imagination1 in the empty void of our mind4 #cg4 ,the great ,intellect has the appearance of the sky for itself1 which in the ordinary use of language1 is expressed by the word matter1 as consisting of the four elements1 and the endless void which is devoid of them4 #ch4 ,the unchanging and undecaying intellect1 bears to itself the form of air only2 which it conceives by mistake as the stable earth2 just as imaginary men believe the air built castle to a reality4 #ci4 ,the intellect being an incorporeal substance1 has neither this form nor that nor of any kind at all2 it has its pulsation and rest of itself1 like the breath and stillness of winds in the air4 #dj4 ,as the intellect manifests itself in its own sphere in the two states of its volition and nolition 7or action or inaction72 so the world seems to be in its states of motion and quiescence2 which take place in the bosom of vacuum4 #da4 ,as the sphere of the ,intellect remains unchanged1 at the rise and subsidence of its thought2 so doth the sphere of air remain unvaried1 with all the creation and its dissolution in its bosom4 #db4 ,the world is always in the same unvaried state1 whether you call it so or otherwise2 and the seeming revolutions of bodies and succession of events1 are well known to be nothing to the learned and wise1 and not to others4 #dc4 ,because the wise soul dwells in the hearts of all1 which it views alike as its own self2 but the ignorant soul is unconscious of its identity1 from its sight of the outer world1 and its knowledge of the difference of bodies from one another4 #dd4 ,what is there the interior or exterior of it1 and that what is visible and invisible in it2 all this is in the ,lord whether active or quiescent1 know all to be the om or on and rest quiet4 #de4 ,there can be no reasoning1 without an insight into the meanings of the significant terms and their significates2 and it is consideration of both sides of the question that leads to our right judgment4 ,hence it is reasoning that leads us to truth1 as the light guides us amidst the darkness of night4 #df4 ,therefore drive off the multitudes of multifarious desires and doubts from your mind1 by means of the clearness 7light7 of your understanding 7obtained by your habit of right reasoning71 and also by your attention to the true interpretation of the sstras2 and then rise and fly aloft to the higher region of light and truth1 and attain the highest1 best and most perfect state of ,divine felicity and self-liberation4 ,,chapter ,,clxviii4 ,,story ,,of ,,the ,,hewn ,,statue ,,or ,,carved ,,image4 ,argument3--,the false and ignorant ,attribution of creation1 to the increate and self-manifest world4 ,vasishtha continued3--,as the unconscious tree1 displays various forms in its branches2 so doth the unconcerned spirit of ,god1 exhibit the airy semblance of creation in air4 #b4 ,and as the ocean describes the whirlpools1 insensibly upon its surface2 so doth the spirit of ,god1 exhibit this rotatory worlds unconcernedly1 on the surface of its own vacuum1 and as they are seen by all4 #c4 ,the ,lord gives also to the sensible part of his creation1 their internal faculties of the mind1 understanding and egoism1 as also many other powers under different appellations4 #d4 ,the phenomenal world is the production of the insensible ,intellect1 whose volitive faculties are as loose as the rolling eddies of rivers and seas4 #e4 ,the mind and understanding and all mental faculties1 proceed from the ,divine ,intellect2 in the same manner as the whirlpools and eddies1 and waves and surges rise on the surface of the sea4 #f4 ,as a picture is nothing except its canvas1 so the world which is no more than a painting1 is drawn on the substratum of the intellect2 and this is a vacuous substance1 with the lustre of the world in it4 #g4 ,what ,i have said before of the insensibility of the tree and sea1 in the production of the branches and whirlpools by them2 the same instance applies to ,intellect also1 which shows the creation rising in its vacuity1 not by an act of its intention or will1 but by ordinance of fate1 which governs all things1 7and rules over ,jove himself74 ,this is the doctrine of fatalism4 #h4 ,and as a tree exhibits its various forms1 receiving the several names of a plant1 a shrub1 a creeper c42 so doth the intellect display its many features1 like its flowers c41 and called by the different appellations of earth1 air1 water c4 #i4 ,and as the branches and leaves of a tree1 are not different from the tree itself2 so the productions of the great ,intellect1 are no other than its very substance 7or are essentially the same with itself74 #aj4 ,and as there are many things1 made of the substance of a tree1 bearing different names to themselves2 so the productions of the ,intellect1 and the offspring of a living being1 pass under several forms and appellations 7of boy1 girl1 infant1 adult and the like74 #aa4 ,the offshoots of the ,intellect are all these creatures1 which grow in and rise from the mind 7of their own spontaniety72 they appear to be the works of the mind as their cause1 but are no better than the dreams 7arising of themselves in the mind74 #ab4 ,should you say1 why these conceptions of creation rise in vain in the mind 7if the creation is nothing in substance72 ,i answer that they rise in the manner of dreams in the state of sleeping1 which you cannot deny to enjoy4 7,the thoughts of creation like those of imagination and the conception in our dreaming1 are not unattended by a certain degree of delight1 during the time of our enjoyment of them4 ,gloss74 #ac4 ,as the tree displays various forms in the productions1 and the imagination presents different shapes to our mental sights2 so the intellect is employed in realizing many such creations in empty air4 #ad4 ,as the odours of flowers fly about invisible in the open air1 and as pulsation abides inherent in the wind2 so the intellectual powers1 are intrinsic in the very nature of the soul4 #ae4 ,these creations likewise are ingrained in the ,divine spirit1 as fragrance is inborn in flowers and vacuity is ingenite in the air2 and as vacillation and velocity are innate in the winds4 #af4 ,as the air1 wind and the flower1 are receptacle of inanity1 oscillation and odours respectively2 so the ,intellect is container of creation1 although it is literally but an empty vacuity4 #ag4 ,vacuity is no other than vacuum itself1 as fluidity is not separate from liquids2 fragrance is as inseparable from flowers1 as pulsation is never to be the disjoined from the wind4 #ah4 ,heat is not disparate from fire1 nor is coldness apart from snow2 know thus the world to be no way different nor disengaged from the transparence of the vacuous ,intellect4 #ai4 ,in the beginning1 the ,divine ,intellect sees the creation appear in itself1 as a dream rising in the mind2 thus the world having no extraneous cause1 and being subjective to the ,intellect 7as derived from within itself72 is no way a heterogeneous mass or different from the ,divine mind4 #bj4 ,the instance of the dream is the best illustration of creation1 and you can judge it well by the nature of the dream you dream every night2 say what is there substantial in it1 beside its being essential to the universal soul4 #ba4 ,the dream is not the effect of any impression in the mind1 nor the result of remembrances stored in the memory2 because it shows us many sights1 unseen and unthought of before2 say therefore how these come to pass4 #bb4 ,if what is seen in a dream1 comes to present itself at the time of our remembrance of the dream8 #bc4 ,therefore these revolving worlds2 are as the rotatory whirlpools 7in the wide ocean of the infinite mind72 they are the fortuitous appearances of chance1 and whatever occurs in the mind1 passes afterwards for its dreams4 #bd4 ,the creations being insensibly produced from the ,divine ,mind1 like the waves and whirlpools in the ocean2 receives its stability and continuity afterwards1 in the manner of the continuation of the whirling waters and ever rolling billows4 #be4 ,whatever is born without its cause1 is equal to the unborn2 because the unborn are forever similar to those1 which have no cause for their birth4 #bf4 ,as the precious gems growing insensibly of themselves1 have their lustre inherent in them2 and as this brilliance is no substance or anything real at all1 so the appearance of the world has no substantiality of itself4 #bg4 ,some how or other1 the world has its rise1 like the wave or eddy in a river2 and then it continues to go on as the continuous course of the stream4 #bh4 ,there are numberless worlds of intellectual forms1 gliding in the vast vacuity of the ,intellect2 and passing as aerial dreams without any cause whatsoever4 #bi4 ,all these again become causes and productive of others1 and they are all of vacuous forms including even the great ,brahm and the gods and angels 7all of whom are aerial beings1 and others of the same kind74 #cj4 ,all that is born in and produced from void1 are null and void also2 they grow in the void or air1 and return also into vacuity4 #ca4 ,it is the vacuum that appears as the plenum1 as in the instance of an empty dream seeming as something2 the man that denies his own percipience of it1 is no better than a boor or brute4 #cb4 ,the unreal appearing as real1 is the fabrication of error and ignorance2 but the spiritualist who knows the truth1 views the world as the wondrous display of the ,divine ,mind and falsification4 #cc4 ,it is the longstanding and deep rooted prejudice1 that produces the erroneous conceptions of the creation and destruction of the world2 it is wisdom to know it in its true light1 and foolishness to take the wrong view of it4 #cd4 ,the light of the ,divine spirit1 being once seen in this causeless void of the visible world1 it continues for ever before our sight2 as the dream that we see in our vacant minds in sleep1 remains ever afterwards in our remembrance4 #ce4 ,it happens that the intellect comes to present1 the adventitious appearance of the world to our minds2 in the same manner1 as the sea shows its whirls and waves to our sight1 of its own nature4 #cf4 ,such is the nature of the ,intellect also1 that it shows itself in this manner 7as the sea72 and exhibits the revolving worlds1 in its own etherial essence only 7of its own accord74 #cg4 ,then the aerial ,intellect1 by a retrospective view in itself1 invented certain worlds afterwards1 significant of the mental and intellectual powers as well as of material elements and their properties4 #ch4 ,rma said3--,if it is so sir1 that all these powers are the spontaneous growth of chance1 how can the mental power of memory be produced on a sudden1 when it is well known to be the product of remembrance or former impressions in the mind4 ,please explain me this4 #ci4 ,vasishtha replied3--,hear me ,rma1 and ,i will destroy your doubt1 as the lion kills an elephant2 and will establish the one invariable unity as the broad day light of the sun4 #dj4 ,there is an only universal soul1 that is invisible amidst the vacuum of his ,intellect2 as the uncarved doll remains unseen1 in the wood of every forest tree4 7,all things are contained in the ,divine soul1 as the future images in blocks of wood and stone4 ,aristotle1 ,addison74 #da4 ,we see the carpenter that carves out the puppet1 from the wood of the tree 7and the mason who hues out the statue from the block of stone72 but we know not the soul1 which chisels out the figure of the world from the great bulk of ,instinct4 #db4 ,the statue does not appear in the rugged block1 unless and until it is hewn out by the skill of carver1 so the hidden world does not make its appearance in the ,intellect1 till it is brought to view by the ingenuity of the ,mind 7the universal architect74 #dc4 ,the uncarved body of the world 7,corpus-mundi71 does yet appear in its aeriform state2 which is original and genuine form in the ,divine ,intellect 7until it is moulded in this its fictitious shape by creative mind74 #dd4 ,in the beginning of creation1 the inventive ,intellect forms of its natural originality1 the concept of the future world2 appearing as an airy dream in the sight of the soul 7and then the imaginative mind frames it according to its conceit in various forms74 #de4 ,the vacuous ,intellect conceives in its empty bosom1 the airy ideal of the world2 as if it were a toy or doll gliding of itself in itself4 #df4 ,it conceives itself as the essential part of the great ,brahma1 and the seed of the mundane system2 and then imagines itself as the source of life and the living soul1 and the receptacle of egoism4 #dg4 ,it imagines itself as the understanding and the mind also2 and to be the reservoir of space and time4 ,it deems itself as the root of the knowledge of ,i1 thou1 he1 and others1 and as the quintessence of the quintuple elements4 #dh4 ,it sees in itself the congeries of the inward and outward senses1 as also of the eight faculties of the mind2 and both the spiritual as well as the elemental bodies contained in itself4 #di4 ,it thinks itself as the great trinity1 consisting of the three persons of ,brahm1 ,vishnu1 and ,siva2 and sees the sun1 moon and stars all in itself4 ,it considers itself as the whole creation and the interior and exterior part of everything4 #ej4 ,all these being the imaginary creations of the ,intellect2 there is nothing whatever beside itself2 but it is quite transparent in its essence1 there is no concrete matter in it2 and neither remembrance of gross materials is ever attached to it1 nor any duality whatsoever subsisting in the unity of its nature4 #ea4 ,the world is a causeless1 uncaused and increate thing2 and a nothing at all in reality2 its creation is a dream1 and its appearance1 is as that of a delusive shadow in empty air4 #eb4 ,it appears as a phantom in vacuum1 and as an intelligence in the ,intellect2 it is intelligible as it is1 and that is in the sense of a nihility4 #ec4 ,what is the remembrance of a thing1 any more than the dream of something1 which is nothing in reality2 and what is time of which we have no conception1 except it be an imagination or devise of the mind in empty air4 #ed4 ,what is contained in the inside of the compact intellect1 the very same appears on the outside of it2 but in reality there is no substantiality in the exterior object of sight1 as there is naught in the interior object of thought2 all which are but the glitterings of the ,intellect4 #ee4 ,whatever issues out of the bodiless and nameless something1 which is forever quiescent and calm in its nature2 are deemed as causeless and uncaused productions1 appearing before the blinded sight4 #ef4 ,know therefore that this world1 is to be viewed in the same intellectual light2 as you see the supreme ,brahma himself2 and know it to be the very aerial castle of your dream1 as it is represented in the vacuous space of your mind in your sleeping state4 #eg4 ,there is no such thing1 as the visible or phenomenal world at any time2 where can you find any dust on the watery surface of the sea2 and how can you see anything visible1 in the invisible spirit of ,brahma4 #eh4 ,if the world should appear as anything at all to your sight1 you must view it as the manifestation of ,god himself1 in his unthinkable and incomprehensible nature4 7,nature is the body of ,god74 #ei4 ,the world is full of the glory of ,god1 from the fullness of ,divine glory2 nor is the one derived from the other2 but a full representation of ,divine splendour on the face of nature4 #fj4 ,though ,i have been repeatedly giving these lectures1 yet the deluded minds of men are far from receiving them2 they believe the world of their dream as if it were in waking1 and knowing even its unreality they will never get rid of their rooted prejudice4 ,,chapter ,,clxix4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,calm ,,and ,,tranquil ,,mind4 ,argument3--,character of the unexcited and self-liberated man and his happiness in ,life4 ,vasishtha continued3--,he who is neither delighted with his delights1 nor dejected in his distress2 who looks only within himself for his peace and solace1 is verily called the liberated man in his life time4 #b4 ,he is called the self-liberated man1 whose mind is not moved from its steadiness in solid rock of intellectuality1 towards the worldly enjoyments that are spread before him 7and which are ever attractive of unrestrained minds74 #c4 ,that is called the liberated soul1 which reclines in its intellectuality1 and has its mind ever fixed in it2 which delights in intellectual culture1 and has repose therein4 #d4 ,he is verily styled the liberated soul1 who reposes in the supreme soul2 whose mind does not slide from divine contemplation1 nor takes any delight in visible objects all around4 #e4 ,rma said3--,sir1 ,i ween the man that feels no pain in pain1 nor derives any pleasure from what is pleasurable1 and is entire insensible of both1 to be a mere block1 and devoid both his senses and sensibility4 #f4 ,vasishtha replied3--,we call him the self reposed1 who rests in his vacuous intellect only2 and whose soul derives a spontaneous delight from the purity of his understanding1 such as it finds in nothing and no where besides4 #g4 ,he is said to have his rest in the supreme soul1 whose mind is cleansed of its doubts in all things2 and who has obtained by means of his discrimination1 the true and certain knowledge of everything4 7,so says the sruti3 ,no doubts disturb the mind of one1 whose soul confides and has found its rest in ,god74 #h4 ,he is said to rest and have his repose in ,god1 who takes no delight in any earthly thing whatever2 and though he is outwardly employed in discharging the duties of his life1 yet his soul is fixed in his god4 #i4 ,he is known to have his quiescence1 whose activities are all without any aim or expectation2 and he goes on and lives content1 with whatever he gets and offers itself to his lot4 #aj4 ,he alone is happy and successful1 in this world of woe and misery2 who in his long restless1 helpless and tedious journey in it1 has found his repose in the supreme spirit1 by means of his intellectual improvements4 #aa4 ,they who after running their long race1 in the active course of worldly life2 have come at last to set themselves at ease and quiet1 at the latter end of their lives1 are as men that appear to fall fast asleep1 and enjoy their repose after the vexatious dreams of their busy days4 #ab4 ,they shine and pass as brightly1 in the open sphere of their intellects1 as the glorious sun rises in the sky1 and runs his daily course without stopping any where4 #ac4 ,good people seem to be sleepy in their minds1 though they are seen to be wakeful and employed in business with their bodies2 they remain as inactive as any inert body1 though they are never dormant in their souls 7which are ever awake to their eternal concerns74 #ad4 ,they who lie asleep on their beds1 and are drowned in their reveries and dreams2 are said and believed to be sleeping3 though they are not insensible of the workings of their minds4 #ae4 ,when the tired traveller1 halts after his long and wearisome journey1 and ceases to utter a word owing to his hard breathing1 such dumbness does not bespeak his dead silence or torpidity4 #af4 ,the man of transcendent knowledge1 and perfect peace and tranquility of his mind and soul2 remains as blind to the splendours of day as the purblind owl1 and as quiet as any body in the darkness of night1 when the whole creation sleeps in the gloom of ignorance and unconsciousness4 #ag4 ,that man is happy1 who sleeps over the varied scenes of this visible world1 and does not sights of woe1 which it presents to view at the time of waking4 7,the gloss quotes a corresponding passage from the ,bhagavad ,gt74 #ah4 ,he who pays no regard to ceremonial rites1 and remains sincere to the welfare of his soul2 such a man is said to be self satisfied1 from his communion with himself1 and is never1 ,o ,rma1 deemed as dead himself4 #ai4 ,he who has passed over the miseries of this world1 and got to the other side of it 7next world72 remains supremely blest in himself1 by his sense of heavenly bliss in his inward soul4 #bj4 ,he who is fatigued with his long and tiresome journey in this world1 and is ever deluded by four senses and sensible objects2 gets weary of and cloyed with his enjoyments in life1 and meets with the spectres of despair at the end4 #ba4 ,being overtaken by hoary old age1 he is battered and shattered by the hoar-frost of diseases2 and then like the old and worn-out antelope1 he wishes in vain to traverse his native forests and plains4 #bb4 ,forsaken by the supreme soul1 the sole and faithful guide in our journey through life2 we are exposed to the intricate maze of thorns and thickets1 till the weary traveller is at a loss of the shady grove whereto take his rest4 #bc4 ,here we are robbed of our passport and passage money1 by the highway men of our sins and sensualities2 till we are overcome by our weakness1 and exposed to numberless dangers and difficulties on the way4 #bd4 ,he that is possest of his soul by means of his spiritual knowledge1 gets over the ocean of the world to the spiritual regions2 where he rests calmly in the bedstead of his spirit1 and without the bedding of his body4 #be4 ,the man who moves about1 without any aim or attempt of himself and without his dream and sound sleep2 whose mind is ever wakeful and whose eyes are never closed in sleep1 such a man sleeps softly in the lap of his soul4 #bf4 ,as a horse of real breed1 sleeps in his standing as well as running2 so the self-possest person sleeps in himself1 even though he is employed in the acts of life among mankind4 #bg4 ,how very sound and profound1 is the trance or reverie of the philosophic mind1 that it is not disturbed1 even at the crackling of thunders or cracking of volcanoes4 #bh4 ,how exquisite is the ecstasy of the right discerner of truth1 who sees all within himself1 which the external observer with his open eyes1 finds as lying afar without himself4 #bi4 ,the man who with his open eyes1 sees the world disappear from his sight2 is giddy with his ecstatic views1 and not with ebriety liquor4 7,he sleeps calmly in the trance of ecstacy74 #cj4 ,ah6 how happily he sleeps in his reverie1 whose soul is satiate and at rest1 after it has swallowed the visible world in itself1 and drank the ambrosial draught of self satisfaction4 #ca4 ,how happily doth the self-possest man sleep in his solity1 who is ever joyous without any joy or anything to enjoy2 who is joyful in enjoying the everlasting felicity of unity1 and who sees effulgent light of his inward spirit1 without any mortal thing on the outside4 #cb4 ,happy is the self-possest soul1 which is blind to the objects of common desire1 and rejoices in the blaze of transcendent light in itself2 which delights in subtile and spiritual joys1 as much as others luxuriates in their solid food and gross enjoyments4 #cc4 ,happily sleeps the spiritual man1 with the inward peace of his mind2 who shuts his eyes against the outer world1 which abounds only in sights of woe1 and restlessness of the giddy mob4 #cd4 ,the self-possest rest in perfect peace of their minds1 who bemean themselves as the meanest of the mean in their outer demeanour2 but deem themselves as the greatest of the great in the greatness of their souls2 they have their repose in the lap of the vast void of their selves4 #ce4 ,the spiritualist sleeps happily in the universal soul1 with its body resting in its vast vacuity2 which contains an infinity of worlds in every atom of it4 #cf4 ,the spiritualist rests perfectly blest in ,supreme ,spirit1 which is full of ineffable light1 and in which he sees the repeated creation and dissolution of the world1 without being destroyed himself4 #cg4 ,blest is the godly man1 that seeing the world as a dream in his sleep1 rests in the ,spirit of his god1 where he sees everything as clear as day light1 and as bright as open sky4 #ch4 ,how blest is the psychist with his musings1 who contemplates on the essences of all substances1 and engrosses the entity of whole nature in himself2 and whose comprehensive mind grasps the cosmos in itself1 as the vacuity of the sky1 comprehends the whole universe within its ample womb4 #ci4 ,how happily does the self-communing sage1 sleep in his abstract contemplation of the clear and bright heavens in himself2 and who views the whole universe in the light of the clear firmament1 resounding with the sound of his own breathings or snoring4 #dj4 ,how happily doth the self-communist1 rest in the depth of his inmost thoughts2 who finds himself as null and void1 as the infinite vacuum itself1 and views the universe hovering as a dream1 in a corner of that vacuity4 #da4 ,how cheerfully does the self-musing sage1 lie down in his humble bedstead1 which he finds as a matting made of straws1 swept before him by the tide of time1 and the current contented circumstances4 #db4 ,the sage1 who by his diligent self-consultation1 has come to know the true nature of himself 7i4e4 of his soul72 lives in his lifetime as in the state of dreaming1 and deems as an aerial figure of his dream subsisting in empty air4 #dc4 ,the sage who by his diligent self-cogitation1 has come to the knowledge of his own vacuousness2 comes to the same knowledge of all nature at large1 till at last he comes to reduce and assimilate himself to vacuity4 #dd4 ,the waking man falls to sleep1 and the sleeping person rises to wake again1 and in this manner they pass their time in endless turns2 but the sound sleeper alone is ever wakeful to his true friend of spirituality 7because sound sleep is one's absorption in the quiet of ,divine ,spirit74 #de4 ,he who having passed his days in this life1 in company with his best friend of self-liberation 7jvan mukti7 in his lifetime2 comes to enjoy the sweet companionship of that friend 7amurta-mukti71 in his future life for a long period of time1 he is verily entitled to his perpetual rest and everlasting bliss1 in the list of the ,divinity itself forever4 ,,chapter ,,clxx4 ,,on ,,the ,,conduct ,,of ,,the ,,sapient ,,man4 ,argument3--,our acts are our best friends and relatives2 their virtues and the enjoyments of their fellowship4 ,rma said3--,tell me sir1 who is that friend with whom he lives1 and what is the nature of this enjoyments1 whether it is subjective or objective1 that is whether derived from within oneself1 or from external objects4 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,our own conduct alone is our only true friend1 whether it is ingenite in our nature1 or derived by our extrinsic training and education from others4 7,the two words svaprabha and swaprya in the text1 are explained in the gloss as sahaja--innate and abhyasta or learnt47 #c4 ,our inborn good conduct is as infallibly and friendly to us1 as the natural beneficence of our parents2 and our extraneous good behaviour1 is as overruling upon us1 as the controul and restraints by a faithful wife in the intricate maze of life4 #d4 ,a fearless course of life1 and a well earned livelihood1 and a well regulated mode of living2 together with a dispassionate temper and coolness of mind1 are replete with unrestricted and ambrosial sweets4 #e4 ,an unblemished life acquired from early youth1 is able to save a person from all dangers and difficulties in the world1 and render him confidential for every trust1 and a repository of all wealth and treasures4 #f4 ,it is able to preserve men from all evils1 as a father prevents his boys from daubing their bodies with dust and dirt2 and hinder them from all acts of wickedness4 #g4 ,such a life gives a man the fervour of fire1 and the sweet of flowers2 it adds a clearness to his mind and countenance1 as the sunlight brightens the face of the day4 #h4 ,it supports a man as the father feeds and fondles his child1 and protects him from every accident1 as the father is ever ready to shield his children from all harm4 #i4 ,as fire purifies the body of gold from alloy1 and separates the gross that is to be rejected2 so does it show the good qualities1 from whatever is to be shunned and avoided4 #aj4 ,it gladdens the hearts of men with polite speech1 which is policed from rusticity2 and is a repository of all laudable pursuits1 as a treasury is full of moneybags and precious gems4 #aa4 ,as the sun never shows darkness to view1 so the good man never exposes his dark side to sight2 as the loving wife shows only her affection to her beloved1 so does he show his tenderness only to people4 #ab4 ,he speaks and behaves kindly with all men1 and doth them good only2 and his words are always sweet and cooling1 and without interested or selfish view4 #ac4 ,he is the well-wisher of men1 and is therefore revered by them all2 he speaks smilingly to all without any craving of his own1 and bears the form of goodness only to all beings4 #ad4 ,should he happen to meet an enemy in a contest1 who is ready to strike the first blow on him2 he tries to evade it by eluding his opponent by some artifice or sleight of art or skill4 #ae4 ,he is the patron of gentle and polite men1 and protector of women and his family2 and is as the nectarious physic to the souls1 of all those that ailing under sickness and sick-heartedness4 #af4 ,he is particularly a patron of learning1 and patronizer of the learned2 he is a servitor of venerable men1 and a favourer of the eloquent and argumentative4 ,he is a compeer and alter ego to his equals in births and breeding4 #ag4 ,he conciliates the favour of princes1 noblemen and the liberal towards him2 and in conducting all sacrifices1 acts of charities1 austerities of devotion and pilgrimages1 by contribution of his honest means4 #ah4 ,he partakes of his good food and drink1 in company with his friends and ,brhmans2 and joining with his wife and children1 and all the dependants and inmates of his family 7i4e41 he never eats alone71 and he never keeps company save with the good and great4 #ai4 ,he abstains from all enjoyments1 deeming them as straws and causes of disease2 and indulging himself in conversing upon good subjects1 with his view to the edification and beatification of mankind4 #bj4 ,in this manner he passes his time1 in company with his friends and family2 he is content with his own state1 and glad at what fortune has provided for him 7i4e41 his own lot and profession74 #ba4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me ,sir1 in short1 who are his wives and children and his friends also2 what are their different forms1 and what are the qualities and virtues they are respectively possessed of4 #bb4 ,vasishtha replied3--,sacred ablutions and charities1 religious austerities and meditation are his so many sons2 that are all of great souls1 and entirely devoted to him4 #bc4 ,his wife is named ,chandra-lekha1 who is like a digit of the moon in her appearance1 and whose very sight delights the eyes2 she is his constant companion1 always loving to him and content in herself4 #bd4 ,she is the ravisher of his heart1 and dispeller of the gloom of his mind1 by reason of her loving kindness to him2 she is the delight and delighter of his soul1 and is ever a faithful helpmate unto him4 #be4 ,he has another consort by name of ,samata 7i4e4 of the same mind7 with herself2 who is dear to his heart1 and keeps at the door to his house1 and pleases him by her very appearance4 #bf4 ,she fixes her mind always1 at the mansions of virtue and patience2 and runs before and guides the steps of her emburdened lord1 to the abode of the blessed and felicitous4 #bg4 ,that strong man has another wife named ,maitri or friendship1 whom he bears along with ,samata on his either shoulder2 and who advises him how to quell the enemies of his king's states 7in royal service74 #bh4 ,she is his clever counsellor in all honourable acts1 and gave proof of the veracity of her advices2 by augmenting his wealth and rendering him honourable before all4 #bi4 ,being thus employed in the discharge of his duties1 in the circle of his friends1 family and advisers1 the sapient man is always pleased in himself1 and never frets nor grumbles at any person or anything whatever4 #cj4 ,the wise man ever remains as he is1 silent and sedate in his mind2 he remains always as unmoved as a picture in painting2 though he may be moving about in the ordinary affairs of life4 #ca4 ,he remains as dumb as a stone in fruitless discussions2 and feigns himself as a deaf man in useless conversation4 #cb4 ,he continues as a dead body1 in acts which are against the social usage2 but in conversations regarding polity and good manners1 he is as eloquent as the wise ,brihaspati1 and as fluent as the snake ,vsuki 7with its hundred tongues74 #cc4 ,when engaged in some righteous discourse1 he exposes the fallacy of sophistical reasoners2 and clears all doubts in a moment1 by the versatility of his conversation on various subjects all at once4 #cd4 ,he is tolerant and magnanimous1 bounteous and charitable2 he is pliant and gentle1 sweet in his speech and handsome in his look1 and famed for his pious acts4 #ce4 ,such is the character of enlightened men of their own nature1 and no practice nor education can ever make any one as such2 as the sun and moon and fire are bright by themselves1 and there is none and nothing else1 that can ever make them shine4 ,,chapter ,,clxxi4 ,,meditation ,,of ,,pure ,,vacuum4 ,argument3--,on the nihility of the ,phenomenal1 and substantiality of the ,noumenal vacuum4 ,vasishtha resumed and said3--,it is the manifestation of our vacuous consciousness1 that exhibits the phenomenal world unto us2 whereas there is in reality no such thing as this world1 or its appearance1 or a vacuum in nature or a thing as consciousness in ourselves4 #b4 ,whatever is apparent before us1 is the manifestation of the ,intellect1 and vainly styled the world2 just as the open air called the sky1 is no other than the air itself4 7,so the vacuum known as the world1 is not otherwise than the very vacuum74 #c4 ,as a man going from one place to another1 sees a gap and blank between2 and yet thinks of the place he has seen and left behind1 so is the world a mere gap and thought of the mind4 #d4 ,before creation there was nothing1 how then could this something appear from that nothing2 the latter having no material cause1 is no material or visible thing4 7,ex nihilo nihil fit4 ,so the sruti3 sat eva asit1 na kinchit idam agra asit74 #e4 ,then there was not an atom--the origin of the world in existence2 how then and from where1 could this revolving world1 have its rise and form8 #f4 ,therefore this formal and visible world1 could not have sprung from it1 as no child could ever be born of a barren woman4 ,hence there is nothing as the visible world1 and the conception thereof must be entirely false 7as that of a ghost or goblin74 #g4 ,whatever then appears as visibly present before us1 is only the blank vacuity of the ,intellect2 and this is the transcendental state1 in which the supreme unity appears unto us 7according to the doctrine of srutis74 #h4 ,as it is in depth of our sound sleep1 there appears a fleeting dream before us2 so it is with the supreme ,intellect1 which never forsakes the serene and unalterable tranquility of its divine nature4 #i4 ,but exists of itself in itself1 and in its calm and quiet state1 ever before the appearance of creation2 and manifests intellectual vacuity1 in the form of the visible world1 as it appears unto us4 #aj4 ,as the idle thoughts of the mind1 present themselves as airy castles in our sleep2 so doth the vacuum of the supreme ,intellect1 exhibit the appearance of the creation in its own empty space4 #aa4 ,as the empty air evolves itself1 in the manner of whirlwinds in itself2 so does the intellectual vacuum exhibit the phenomenal world1 subsisting in its very self 7in the noumenon74 #ab4 ,hence the three worlds that appear so visibly to our view1 are quite unintelligible and unexposed to our sight in their very nature2 it is the ,supreme ,deity itself1 that appears in this manner of its subsistence in its own vacuous substance4 #ac4 ,there is nothing as the formal earth1 or anything whatever at any time2 or be it anything either formal or formless1 7i4e41 whether as plastic nature or subtile air or spirit1 or whatsoever you may choose to call it2 it is the ,great ,deity alone1 that manifests itself in this manner74 #ad4 ,as the formless mountain appearing in dream1 disappears in air upon waking2 and as the visible world in waking becomes invisible in sleep1 so does the triple world appear and disappear by turns1 in the transparent and tranquil intellect only4 #ae4 ,to the watchful and enlightened mind1 the world appears as identic with ,god2 but however intelligent we may be1 can never know that we are all along sleeping in our waking4 #af4 ,as the mind is unoccupied with any object1 in the interim of one's journey from one place to another2 so the minds of all livings beings1 are naturally unoccupied with any preconceived idea2 and this blankness is the true state of the intellect4 7,this passage contradicts the doctrine of innate ideas in the mind74 #ag4 ,that unemployed state of mind1 which one has in the interval of his journey from place to place1 is what bears the name of transcendent void1 wherein all existence is contained4 7,this passage is opposed to the preceding one4 ,to say the intellect to be a perfect void and blank1 and again the container of all1 is quite contradictory74 #ah4 ,now this void of the mind1 and the vacuity of the world1 are similar to one another as regards the similarity of their contents2 as neither of them contains anything besides the principles of the five elements1 either in their ideal or gross forms of elemental bodies1 called as the real and unreal ones4 7,sadasadtmaka74 #ai4 ,the ideal or unreal ones1 are the inward conceptions of the mind1 and are called as manaskras2 while the real or gross forms of them1 are styled the rpalokas or visible objects1 and both of these are but different modes of divine essence4 ,all of them are like the eddies and waves1 rising on the surface of the infinite ocean of the ,deity4 #bj4 ,hence there is no such thing as the objectivity of the world1 except that it be of the nature of that vacancy of the mind1 as a traveller has in the interim of his journey from one place to another4 #ba4 ,as the rising and setting of the passions and affections in the mind1 are mere modes of it2 so the being and not being of anything1 and the presence and absence of the world1 are mere modalities of the ,divine ,mind4 #bb4 ,the chasm that there is between one thought and another1 is truly characteristic of the voidness of the ,divine ,mind1 7which reposes forever1 in its everlasting and tranquil intellectual felicity sachchidnanda72 the visible world is but a wave in the ocean of ,eternity1 or as the mirage in a sandy desert4 #bc4 ,the ,divine spirit never changes from its state of calm repose1 and vacant mindedness1 as that of a traveller in the interval of his journey from one place to another4 ,such is the state of this world which is ever calm and quiet4 #bd4 ,from the beginning or since the time of the first creation of the world1 nothing was made1 that seems to be made2 it is only a magic show that appears so palpably to sight4 #be4 ,alas6 all this is nothing1 that is so bright to sight2 and yet it is something right1 when viewed in the light of ,brahma himself2 and then it affords us fresh delight4 #bf4 ,ah6 where shall ,i go1 and what can ,i get from this ungodly world1 which is ever prone to unrighteousness2 it is an unsubstantial sight1 and passes for substantial1 and yet no body understands that it is ,brahma the very god1 that exhibits himself in this mode and manner4 #bg4 ,it is no production nor reflexion1 neither the archetype nor its ectype2 what then are these phenomenals1 and how and from where8 ,all these that appear to view1 are of the vacuity of ,brahma1 who exhibits himself in this manner 7in all shapes74 #bh4 ,as a gem shines itself of its own lustre1 and not derived from without2 so does the vacuous ,intellect shine of its own splendour1 shown forth in the creation1 which is selfsame with itself4 #bi4 ,it is in that calm and quiet vacuity1 that this sun shines with all his glory2 or rather a spot of that vacuum shines in the shape of the sun1 which is but a modicum or molecule of it1 and nothing beside4 #cj4 ,though situated therein1 yet neither does the sun nor the moon shine of itself2 it is that ,god that illumes those luminaries1 neither of whom can illumine that transcendent ,being the supreme ,lord unto us4 #ca4 ,it is his lustre1 that enlightens this visible 7the mundane7 sphere2 and it is he alone that is the enlightener of the sun1 moon1 and stars and fire as also of all other shining bodies1 that shine with their borrowed light from him4 #cb4 ,whether ,he is formless or fictile1 bodiless or embodied1 is the verbal disquisition of the ignorant only at all times2 whereas it is well known to the learned1 that any supposititious form of ,him1 is as unreal as the potentiality of a sky flower growing in empty air4 7,here are ks-latas--sky-plants or orchids in air1 but no ks-pushpa or sky-flower1 which must grow on the plant and not in the air47 #cc4 ,as a ray of sunbeams1 a particle of sand or sunstone1 shine brightly in sunshine2 but the sun and moon also do not shine even as conspicuously as those particles1 before the great glory of their ,maker4 7,the sun is a grain of sand1 and the moon a molecule1 before the glory of the ,great ,god74 #cd4 ,the shining sun1 moon1 and stars being but offshoots1 of the flaming gem of the vacuous ,intellect of the ,deity2 say how can they be otherwise than flashes of the same gem1 from which they are emitted4 7,the flash is not separate from the gem74 #ce4 ,the divine state or hypostasis being divested of intellectuality1 and being devoid of its voidness also1 becomes deprived of its essentiality1 as also destitute of all quality2 being thus drained of all its properties and attributes1 it becomes full of the plenum and totally of all existences4 #cf4 ,the earth and all elemental bodies reside in it1 in a manner as they are absent therein1 and all living beings living by it1 do not abide in the same4 7,all these opposites meet in its nature74 #cg4 ,all things combine therein in unity1 and in their atomic forms1 without forsaking their grossness without2 while the ,divine never forsakes its uniformity1 without any mixture of duality in its pure entity of unity4 #ch4 ,anything here is nothing1 nor is anything a nothing altogether2 therefore it is too difficult to say1 what thing it is and what not4 7,the nature of ,god is inscrutable74 #ci4 ,there is one thing which is infinite1 and without any intersection1 and is ever extended in everywhere2 and this is the essence of the vacuous intellect1 containing the germ and gist of the universe in itself4 #dj4 ,as the mind is vacant and still1 in the interim of its passing from one thought to another2 such is the nature and form of the world 7i4e41 of a quiet void71 although it appears so variegated to view4 #da4 ,though it appears to be multifarious1 yet it is the uniform intellect only1 which extends invariably over all vacuity2 and sees as in its dream1 the forms of the five elemental bodies hovering about it4 #db4 ,as the intellect passes from its rest of sleep1 to the sights in its dream2 so it passes from the state of pralaya or the void of universal desolation to the commotion of creation4 7,the sleeping and waking of the soul causing the extinction and resuscitation of the world4 ,manu ,i74 #dc4 ,as sleep and dream recur to every soul1 so the extinction and renovation of the world1 occur to all alike2 so also is waking akin to the turya1 or enlightened state of the soul3 hence the world is no other than a phenomenon in the intellectual vacuum4 7,the words waking and enlightenment are synonymous terms74 #dd4 ,thus the whole universe is no more1 than a stage of waking1 sleeping and dreaming and turya scenes2 such is the understanding of the learned on this subject2 and we know nothing in what light1 it is viewed by the ignorant4 #de4 ,the ,lord is inscrutable amidst the living brute and all inert creation2 nor can we come to any conclusion1 in respect to the nature of that ,being1 who is beyond the knowledge1 of our mind and understanding4 #df4 ,this much is knowable of ,him1 that he is of the pure ,intellect1 and that all things are full of ,him2 yet they are not of the form of that ,reality1 which manifests itself in the form of the universe4 #dg4 ,the words permeation and diffusion1 of the ,divine spirit in creation2 are used by the learned only1 for explanation of the ,omnipresence of the ,deity2 else there is no scent1 i4e4 nothing of the import of the word pervasion 7of ,divine essence7 in all nature4 7,nature is the mere body2 but ,god its soul is a bodiless ,being74 #dh4 ,it is since the first creation of the world1 that this great essence of the vacuous ,intellect1 is situated of itself1 in the souls of great souled 7or high minded men74 #di4 ,the all pervading ,intellect is ever situated1 in the minds of the sages1 whose souls are full with the presence of the ,one supreme spirit2 and it is that ,intellect1 which conceived in itself the idea1 which passes under the name of the world4 #ej4 ,the knowledge of the felicity of the world1 like that of a dream upon waking1 is attained with delight1 but the want of this knowledge1 as of some bad dream at the time of sleeping1 makes us uneasy all the while4 #ea4 ,the silent saint that knows the truth1 is always in the selfsame state of tranquility1 whether he be walking or sitting any where1 or remain in the states of waking and sleeping4 #eb4 ,the wise man that remains indifferent to everything1 and sits content even in his distress2 and cares not whether he lives or dies1 has nothing whatever either to gain or lose4 #ec4 ,the wise man1 who is outwardly employed in worldly affairs1 without taking any thing to heart1 and neither parts with nor craves anything2 remains inactive in his active life4 #ed4 ,utter indifference is characteristic of the wise man1 just as heat and cold1 are natural to fire and snow1 and this habit of the mind1 is not acquired by practice or education4 #ee4 ,he who is not by his nature1 of this disposition of his mind1 is ever ignorant of truth2 and ignorance of this truth1 is the sign of a character1 that is inclined to base desires4 #ef4 ,the truly wise man1 remains perfect and pithy in his own good nature2 he is quite satiate with the sweet ambrosial draught1 of his transcendent tranquility2 he is sedate in his mind1 and without his varying desires of this thing or that4 ,,chapter ,,clxxii4 ,,establishment ,,of ,,the ,,identity ,,of ,,the ,,deity ,,and ,,the ,,world4 ,argument3--,the world a ,pantheon or full with the fullness of ,god2 and our erroneous conception of its materiality4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the world is devoid of any material element1 as the earth and others2 and ,i ween the first creator to be the ,mind only1 which is the fruitful tree of desires4 #b4 ,the word mind derived from the act of minding1 came to be used afterwards as a name for the thinking power1 as it was from the whirling of waters1 that is got the name of a whirlpool4 #c4 ,it is by its connection with the ,intellect1 that it has its understanding and the other faculties2 or else it would be as blank as the void of the air1 which could have no dust were it not for the earth underlying it4 #d4 ,the mind is neither the body nor heart1 nor the senses nor desires nor even has it any of these2 and though these are commonly attributed to it1 yet in its true sense1 it is devoid of all properties4 #e4 ,how can reminiscence be the cause of reproduction of the world8 ,the former creator or ,brahm1 being liberated or extinct with the extinction of that world1 could not have retained his reminiscence of it2 nor could the new creator of the new world1 possibly have any remembrance of what he knew not all4 7,there have been many by gone ,brahms before74 #f4 ,the holy and liberated souls1 have neither their bodies nor reminiscences any more2 nor the passing currents of other rivers1 return or whirl back1 like the whirlpools of some4 7,so the sruti3--,the liberated souls1 return no more to mortality74 #g4 ,or if he have any body at all1 owing to the reminiscence of his former state2 it must be an unearthly and immaterial body1 quite still and rarefied as in imaginary forms4 7,such are the spiritual bodies of gods and angels74 #h4 ,as our imagination presents to us1 a visionary mountain to the mind's eye2 such is the air-drawn body of the all engrossing ,virt2 presented unto us without any earthly form4 7,virt is ,pantheon74 #i4 ,there is therefore no such thing as reminiscence1 at any time whatsoever2 it is merely built on popular belief1 and not upon the reason of wise men4 7,because the creator had no remembrance of a prior creation in his first formation of the world74 #aj4 ,rma rejoined3--,how do you say sir1 that rememberest everything that there was no previous remembrance in the first creator2 who must have remembered the creation of a first kalpa or learnt it1 ,o inspired sage1 by his inspiration also4 7,so says the sruti3--,brahm performed austerities and was inspired by the ,lord1 see ,manu ,i74 #aa4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the pre-existence of reminiscence is possible in the outward or visible world1 which admits of cause and effect2 but can it be where there is no such world1 but a mere vacuum only4 #ab4 ,there is nothing visible here1 from the highest heaven to the lowest pit2 if it were so a nullity only1 then what is its reminiscence and to what use is it4 #ac4 ,the remembrance of the prior world in its absence1 is called its reminiscence2 but when there never was nor is any visible world at all1 how can you think of its reminiscence2 even in fancy4 #ad4 ,the entire absence of the phenomenals at all times1 makes it identic with the invisible ,brahma himself2 and this being the truth of it1 say how can you fancy the reminiscence of anything4 #ae4 ,therefore the prime creator1 could have no remembrance of a prior existence2 nor could he have any bodily form1 being of a spiritual form of pure intelligence only4 #af4 ,we should remember the past from our present state1 that we are mortal beings undergoing repeated transmigrations1 and not bring other persons and things to our remembrance1 as others think it to mean4 7,we should remember ourselves only74 #ag4 ,reminiscence means the retention of past things1 in our remembrance or inward memory2 but what can we remember1 when there nothing was nor is1 nor shall ever be anything4 #ah4 ,all this stupendous fabric1 is the supreme ,brahma itself2 who remains as immovable as a mountain1 and without its beginning1 middle or end4 ,what then is the reminiscence or presence of it8 #ai4 ,the ,lord being the universal soul1 is the soul or essence of all things2 and shines like the lustre of the vacuous ,intellect2 outwardly he is quite calm1 as ,i may say he is reposing in our remembrance4 #bj4 ,so the remembrance of the ,lord1 is as he is seen in the light of nature2 hence the habitual meditation of the lord1 corresponds with the contemplation of external nature4 7,because apart from nature we have no idea of ,god1 unless we think as the ,lord of nature4 ,this is called the natural religion1 or the worship of ,god in nature1 the ancient vedic religion74 #ba4 ,whatever is known to us is nature1 and the same is the object of our meditation4 ,hence the appearance of any thing 7in the mind71 is called to be its remembrance4 #bb4 ,and as anything which is absent or inexistent1 appears visible 7by error7 before our sight1 like the false appearance of water in the mirage3 such is the case with our misleading memory also 7which is hence called a treacherous memory74 #bc4 ,again any prejudice which is rooted in the minds of men1 and appears as right by long habit of thinking it as such2 this also passes for memory also 7though it is a wrong impression in the mind74 #bd4 ,any sudden accident or passing event1 that strikes the mind for a moment2 pass also under the name of memory2 though it may or may not happen any more4 #be4 ,any idea that rises of itself in the mind1 becomes so impressed in it1 by its being fostered for any length of time2 that any other thing bearing resemblance thereto1 passes for an object of our memory4 #bf4 ,any thing whether obtained or not by any means1 passes also for an object of memory2 as the ventilation of wind by means of a fan4 7,it means a negative idea is ever accompanied with its affirmative one in thought and memory74 #bg4 ,again whatever occurs in the mind1 by parts of the whole subject1 is also called its memory 7how imperfect so ever it may be72 just as any part of the body is called the body also4 #bh4 ,there are also many chimeras1 rising of themselves before the mind1 like magic shows appearing before our sight2 and if the remembrance of these be called memory1 then say what truth or reliance is there in it4 #bi4 ,consider then how very imperfect and erroneous1 this faculty of memory is to man2 and as there is no visible creation at all1 its memory therefore is altogether meaningless4 #cj4 ,hence then the world being but a display1 of the density or volume of the ,divine ,intellect2 it is reflected at present as a visible object in the minds of the ignorant1 who have given them the name of memory1 which in reality is nothing at all4 #ca4 ,i cannot tell you about the means of liberation1 nor do ,i know wherein it consists2 yet however to clear the doubt of the inquirer1 ,i will relate something about it at present4 #cb4 ,until there is an end of the sight of the visibles1 and an oblivion of the remembrance of past events2 and a cessation of avidy1 ignorance and delusion1 it is hard to be attained4 7i4e4 ,a slave to this world and errors1 is never emancipated in this life--jvan mukta74 #cc4 ,the ignorant have a belief1 in whatever is quite unknown to us2 since they can never conceive whatever is imperceptible to their senses 7i4e4 whose minds never rise beyond sensible objects47 #cd4 ,the enlightened are unacquainted with the gross errors1 which lurk in the darkness of ignorant minds2 as the ever luminous sun1 knows nothing of what passes in the gloom of night4 #ce4 ,whatever likeness of any thing1 ever appears to be impressed in the mirror of the mind2 the same being habitual to thought1 as any thing studied or stored in the mind1 receives the name of reminiscence from its impression in the memory4 #cf4 ,but these glaring impressions in the imagination1 being rubbed out of the mind like the colours of a painting1 there remains no more any tinge of the mistaken world therein1 as in the clear minds of the learned4 #cg4 ,the mirage shows the appearance of water in it1 which is a mere delusion and never true2 so is the dream that shows this creation to view1 which is no more in reality than a false vision4 #ch4 ,it is the vacuous ,intellect1 which contains the creation in it2 and shows its representation in ourselves2 thus the world appears in the void of the ,intellect only1 and not any thing as fallen or detached from it4 7,it is a picture in the plate of the mind74 #ci4 ,the supreme soul shows this form in itself1 and makes its unreality appear as a reality unto us2 and though this form was manifested at the beginning1 yet it is no more than the display of an unreality4 7i4e4 ,being seen in ,god it is real1 but without him it is unreal and nothing74 #dj4 ,then say1 whence and where is this world1 with all its pleasant as well as unpleasant things2 it is never anything of a plastic form1 nor an appearance proceeding from reminiscence4 #da4 ,the world having no cause 7either material or instrumental71 in the beginning1 appears as the very form of the supreme1 it is to our woe only1 that we view its visible form1 or search in our memory 7for a pristine pattern of it74 #db4 ,both of these views are wrong1 and tend to our bondage in the world2 but the view of its voidness in the vacuity of the ,intellect1 is the only means to our release and liberation from it4 #dc4 ,the view of the apparent world in its vacuous form1 and as situated in the vacuity of the ,intellect1 and its identity with swarpa or self same spirit of ,god1 and as undetached in their essence from the divine essence 7is the only means of our liberation herein74 #dd4 ,the view of the situation of the visible bodies1 as those of the sun1 moon1 and mountains c41 in the empty space of the ,divine ,intellect2 like those of the invisible ones1 as space1 time1 and other ideal objects therein1 is the only means of our release from the bondage of this world4 #de4 ,the view of the self same spirit1 situated or dwelling in the recess of the ,intellect1 and identic with its own notion of itself1 and bearing resemblance to the nature of the dream1 which proceeds from its essence1 is the only means of our emancipation from our temporal bondage4 #df4 ,how can any earthly or other elemental body1 have its place in the spirit of ,god1 which is not of the form of the earth or any other element2 it shines of itself and in itself1 in and as the quiet void of the ,intellect itself4 #dg4 ,how and from where could the earth and other elements1 proceed in the beginning as in the state of our dreaming2 unless they were inherent in and coeval with the divine essence1 as the many objects of our dream rise from our own nature4 #dh4 ,these effusions of the spirit1 as named afterwards as the earth c41 and deemed as material objects2 but say1 how could the spiritual emanations or mnemonic effluences1 assume such corporal and tangible forms4 #di4 ,the world is neither the production of our error1 nor is it a representation of our delusion or as a magic show2 nor is it the permeation of the spirit as pervading all nature1 but it is the very essence of the selfsame deity itself4 #ej4 ,it is the ,divinity ,brahma itself that shines in the form of this wondrous world2 it is the self-same unity1 which appears to manifest1 and yet so very obscure as mysterious unto us4 ,what is visible is only pure light1 and that of the serene clearness of open air1 which glows and grows dim by turns1 by the vicissitudes of the light and shade of creation and destruction4 7,these as they change are but the varied ,god4 ,thomson's ,seasons74 ,,chapter ,,clxxiii4 ,,brahma ,,gita ,,or ,a ,,lecture ,,on ,,spirituality4 ,argument3--,the attribution of all physical force to the ,divine spirit1 like the ascribing of all our bodily actions to the ,mind4 ,rma rejoined3--,if the nature of the ,divine spirit is1 as the notion which is ,universally entertained of it2 that it is common soul of all1 and infinite in its pervasion1 why then is it supposed to be the soul of the living body only1 and called the ,ego or a personal being8 #b4 ,how does the ,intellect become inert1 as a block of wood or stone in the state of our sleep1 and why is it said to exist or become extinct in the state of its numbness 7when it is said to be universal in its nature74 #c4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is by common usage and mode of speech1 that the universal soul is said to reside as the ego or personal being in the body2 as it is by common use of language only1 to take the hands of the body as hands1 and not to understand the feet as such4 7,so the embodied soul only is called the ego74 #d4 ,as the leaf of a tree is considered only as a leaf or part of the tree1 so the universal soul residing in the tree 7as vegetable life71 passes under the designation of a tree only4 #e4 ,and as vacuity in the sky1 is styled the sky also2 so the universal soul dwelling in matter1 is designated as that matter likewise4 7,and so the common vacuum indwelling a pot1 passes under the name of the pot also74 #f4 ,and as an aerial castle in a dream1 appears as a tangible castle to the dreamer for the time2 so the universal soul living in our sleep1 dream1 and waking1 is thought to be sleeping1 dreaming or being awake at that time4 #g4 ,as stony trees or cliffs are seen to rise on mountains1 and waves on the surface of waters2 so the huge mountain also rises as a stony tree1 from the bosom of the all pervading spirit4 #h4 ,as the living body gives growth1 to dull and dead nails and hairs1 so the living soul of the universe1 grows the insensible stones and trees upon it4 7,so the spirit produces the matter1 and the insensible rises from sensibles74 #i4 ,as the conscious soul becomes unconscious1 as a stone or block of wood in its sleep2 so the universal soul becomes inert1 before creation and after its dissolution4 ,and again as the sleeping soul1 sees the train of dreams rising out of it1 so the tranquil spirit of ,god1 beholds the lustre of creation issuing out of it4 #aj4 ,and as the sensible and insensible soul of man1 produces both sensible offspring and insensible excrements from its body2 so the universal soul1 produces both living beings and inert bodies from itself4 #aa4 ,the sensible as well as the insensible1 are both embodied in the person of the universal soul2 which is possessed of both the movables and immovables in itself1 although it is formless in its substance4 #ab4 ,all these contraries in nature1 disappear before the sight of the truly learned2 as the false sights in dream1 disappear from view of the awakened man1 who knows the falsity of dreams4 #ac4 ,all this is the vacuity of the ,intellect1 where there is no sight1 view nor its viewer2 as a dreamer being awakened from his dreaming1 neither sees his dream nor his dreaming sights any more4 #ad4 ,millions and millions of creations1 are appearing in and disappearing from the vacuum of the ,intellect1 in the manner of recurring waves1 and the revolving whirlpools in the sea4 #ae4 ,as the waters of the ocean1 show various shining forms in the rising waves2 so the ,intellect raises many creations1 bearing different names in its own intellectuality4 #af4 ,the world as it is1 appears as the very ,brahma to the truly learned1 while to the ignorant mass of men1 it appears as many and changing1 for want of the precise knowledge of it4 #ag4 ,the wave that knows its nature1 of calm and cool water only1 thinks no more of its being a fluctuating wave 7so the man that knows himself as ,brahma1 thinks no longer of his frail and mortal state74 #ah4 ,the conception of the undulation of the divine spirit1 from the fluctuating appearance of creation1 is a mistaking of the calmness of the ,divine nature2 the fluctuation belongs to the powers residing in the ,divinity4 #ai4 ,the vacuous ,intellect never forsakes its tranquility2 and the variety of knowledge that rises in it1 like the varying train of dreams1 is attributable to the mind1 which they call ,brahma or the great progenitor of all4 #bj4 ,thus the prime lord of creatures1 was the formless and undecaying mind2 it was of intellectual form like an imaginary being1 and supposed as the cause of all4 #ba4 ,who says 8thou art nothing10 that saying is like the word gold1 which has no form of itself1 but whose purity is gold4 #bb4 ,the increate ,brahma1 being of an intellectual and vacuous form1 and an imaginary body endued with volition1 appeared as the prime ,ego or a personal being1 and containing the world in his person4 #bc4 ,it is the empty void of the ,intellect1 which displays these wonders that are known to constitute the continued bustle1 of the alternate creation1 sustentation1 and destruction of the world4 #bd4 ,the clear and increate light1 to which the intellect evolves itself of its own accord2 and which bears resemblance to the evolution of airy dreams from the mind2 is termed the first father of all4 7,light was the first work of ,god1 or coeternal with the ,eternal spirit4 ,hail holy light ,heaven's first-born1 or the ,eternal coeternal beam4 ,milton74 #be4 ,as a wave assumes one form or other1 and rolls on interminably over the vast expanse of the sea2 so runs the heavenly mind1 in the forms of the revolving creations and their dissolutions4 #bf4 ,the light of the intellectual vacuum1 which passes under the name of ,virt2 is of the same mind as ,brahma1 and stretches out the creation1 like a castle or city of imagination4 #bg4 ,virt is the combined form of the triple states of waking1 dreaming and sleep2 the two first are analogous to the creation and supportance of the universe1 and the last is similar to the utter darkness of dissolution4 #bh4 ,from the chaotic state of his dissolution1 there sprang light and darkness 7in the forms of days and nights71 like dark and white hairs growing on his head2 and the rotations of time resembling the joints of his body4 #bi4 ,his mouth represented the fire1 his head the upper sky1 and the air below his navel2 his foot-stool was the earth1 his eyes were the sun and moon1 and the east and west were his two ears4 ,in this manner did the ,lord ,virt manifest himself1 in the imagination of his mind 7,virt represents the concrete universe74 #cj4 ,thus did the expanded vacuous form of ,virt1 represent the whole visible world in his ideal person2 which was a figure of his own imagination1 as any of the unsubstantial forms of our dream or fancy4 #ca4 ,whatever is thought of in the vacuity of the ,intellect1 the same comes to be vividly exhibited therein2 such is verily the form of this world1 which we conceive in ourself4 #cb4 ,virt is verily an aeriform being in himself1 and appears to be as wide extended as the vast extent of the universe2 and is in his own nature1 like a city or mountain1 that we see in our dreams4 #cc4 ,whatever one thinks himself to be1 he conceives in him to have become the same1 without his actually being as such1 so an actor is seen to play his part in dream1 from the concept of his acting on the stage4 #cd4 ,whatever be the tenets of the ,vednta1 ,buddhism1 ,snkhya and ,saugata systems of the philosophy2 and whatsoever may be the doctrine of ,tryaksha1 ,pashupati and other propounders of gama sstras2 they all agree in acknowledging ,brahma1 as the giver of the boons that they respectively desire2 and all of them obtain the particular object of bliss from the same4 ,such is the glory of the great ,god1 whose soul fills all bodies1 and whose bounty supports them all 7lit41 whose body comprehends the whole74#c ,,chapter ,,clxxiv4 ,,the ,,same ,,or ,a ,,lecture ,,on ,,nirv,,na4 ,argument3--,subsistence of ,brahma after evanescence of the world1 likened to the continuance of ,intellection after disappearance of dreams upon waking4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the ,intellect alone glistened in the beginning1 with its thought of creation1 appearing as the vision of a dream before it4 ,this was the representation of the three worlds1 and a reflexion of the light of ,brahma ,himself4 7,the ,divine spirit was the archetype1 of which the world was an ectype or rchauff74 #b4 ,these creations were as the endless billows in the ocean of the ,divine ,mind1 and rising from the fluidity of his omniscience2 hence there is no difference between the creation and its absence1 nor is there any woe in the one or bliss in the other4 #c4 ,as the dream and sound sleep of the soul1 do both of them appertain to its sleeping state2 when the mind remains as vacant as empty air2 so the visible and invisible creation 7i4e4 its presence and absence7 are both of them alike in the vacuity of the ,intellect 7where they both resemble but an empty dream74 #d4 ,this world appearing like a city seen in our dream1 in our waking state2 is not worthy of reliance of the wise1 who are well acquainted with its nature of a visionary appearance4 #e4 ,and as we find the falsity of the visionary city in the dream1 upon our waking1 so we come to find our mistake of the reality of the world at last4 #f4 ,as upon waking1 we come to find the falsity of all our efforts and desires2 in the visionary city of our dream2 so do we find at last1 all our aims and attempts in our waking state in this world1 to be equally false and fleeting4 #g4 ,if any one assigns any other cause1 then why that one does not admit1 what he said1 is mere fancy4 #h4 ,when guessing knowledge is no better than a dream of the world2 so ocular authority is more strong than inocular one4 #i4 ,it is better to judge the soul and other attribute by near example1 than by the far off2 otherwise it is like a fall from the top of a hill in a dream4 #aj4 ,perfect insensibility is entire inertness1 and a changeless state of body and mind2 while the nature of the world1 and the state of things herein1 are incessantly restless and changeful2 therefore it is incapable to conduct samdhi or intense meditation in either of these two states4 #aa4 ,meditation in worldly life1 must be too sensitive and variable2 while its intensity or trance stupifies a man to a stone2 but true liberation consists neither in the changeableness of mind1 nor in its stone like insensibility4 #ab4 ,i think nothing is obtainable from the stone like apathetic trance1 as there is nothing to be had from the drowsy stupor for anybody4 7,hence both fickleness as well as mental torpor are repugnant to meditation and self-liberation74 #ac4 ,it is therefore by means of consummate knowledge only1 that reasoning men can dispel their ignorance2 and there is no chance of his being born again1 who has secured his liberation in his life time4 #ad4 ,inflexible abstraction is said to have no bounds1 and it consists in sitting steadfast in profound meditation1 without distraction or diversion1 such a posture is said to be all illuminating1 or eternal sunshine to the ,yogi4 #ae4 ,it is called the endless hypnotism or absorption of the soul1 and is the fourth or last state of contemplativeness4 ,it is also styled as nirvna self-extinction1 or losing one's self in his reveries2 and this is what they designate moksha or liberation from all bonds and cares of the world4 7,this is the abstract ,platonism of the ancients74 #af4 ,it is the density or depth of pansophy1 and the intensity of excogitation2 and there being an entire absence of the retrospect of the phenomenals in it1 it is known as the state of perfect transcendentalism or glory4 #ag4 ,it is not the stone like inertness of some philosophers 7,gautama and ,kanada71 nor the hypnotism or sound sleep of others 7,hiranya garbas72 it is neither the unoptativeness or want of option of the ,ptanjalas1 nor is the inexistence or utter annihilation of the ,buddhist4 #ah4 ,it is the knowledge of ,brahma as the prime source of all1 and nihility of the visible creation2 it is knowing ,god as all and yet nothing that exists2 and therefore it is to know ,him as ,he is--in his all pervading spirit4 #ai4 ,it is the consummate knowledge of all 7as nothing71 that gives us our positive rest of nirvna 7in our nothingness72 and in knowing that the world as it is1 equal to its inexistence4 #bj4 ,that all this variety is no variety at all1 nor all these any entity in reality2 all apparent realities are mere unrealities1 and it is the end of all our conceptions and inductions1 that is the only reality 7i4e4 ,god the first and last of all--the ,alpha and ,omega74 #ba4 ,the entire nihility of the visible world1 is the state of its nirvna or extinction2 and the settled knowledge of this in any one1 constitutes his supreme felicity4 #bb4 ,this state is attainable by one's pure understanding1 and his habit of constant reconsideration2 joined with a knowledge of the sstras1 and scrutiny into the right sense of significant words and their significates4 #bc4 ,this work is the best guide to liberation1 by means of its constant study2 or else it is attainable by no other means1 save by enlightenment of the understanding4 #bd4 ,neither pilgrimage nor charity1 nor sacred ablutions or learning2 nor meditation or ,yoga contemplation1 nor religious austerities nor sacrifice of any kind 7is liberation ever attainable by mankind1 except by means of divine knowledge74 #be4 ,the world is only a delusion1 causing the unreal to appear as real2 it is the empty vacuum only which presents the appearance of the world1 which is as a dream in the vacancy of the ,intellect4 #bf4 ,no religious austerity nor pilgrimage1 is ever able to remove our error of the world2 they can at the best procure for us the reward of heaven1 but never secure unto us our liberation or final beatitude4 #bg4 ,our error is extirpated only1 by the light of the sstras and of our good understanding2 but above all1 it is spiritual knowledge alone1 which is the best means to our liberation and final salvation4 #bh4 ,but it is the vivid light of the scriptures1 which is sure to destroy our error of the world2 as the sunshine serves to dispel the gloom of night4 #bi4 ,the light1 clearness and shade1 of creation1 preservation and destruction respectively1 appear by turns in the clear vacuous mirror of the ,intellect2 as the ventilation of breeze in air1 and fluctuation of waves in water4 #cj4 ,as the rudiment of the future form1 is contained in the heart or embryo of every thing2 and as the air contains in its incessant motion 7sadgati7 within itself2 such is the existence of the world1 inherent in the ,divine ,intellect1 and so has it its evolution and dissolution therein1 like the rise and fall of wind in empty air4 ,,chapter ,,clxxv4 ,,param,,rtha ,g,t ,,or ,,lecture ,,on ,,trancendentalism ,,or ,,the ,,solity4 ,argument3--,the appearance of the world in our ,ignorance1 and its ,disappearance before the light of true knowledge4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the vacuity of the ,intellect which presented the shadow of a dream at first1 could not possibly assume the form of a causal and sensible body 7as that of ,brahm71 in order to be visible and form the visible world4 ,for how is it possible for the intellectual vacuum1 to have a bodily form at all4 #b4 ,in the beginning of creation1 ,o ,rma1 there was nothing except a shadow dream in the ,intellect4 ,and neither was there this creation nor the next world in visible existence4 #c4 ,the world appeared only in the form1 of an unsubstantial notion of it2 and the vacuous intellect remained as quiet with its ideal world1 as the mind rests quietly with the nightmare in its dream4 #d4 ,such is the essence of the ,intellect1 which is translucent and without its beginning and end2 and though it is a clear void in itself1 yet it bears the ideal model of the world in its mirror4 #e4 ,so long as this is unknown1 the world appears as a gross substance2 but being known as contained in the ,divine spirit1 it becomes a spiritual substance also2 because how is it possible for any gross matter1 to attach itself to the transcendent vacuum1 of which there is no beginning and end8 #f4 ,this pure and abstract knowledge of the world1 is as that of a city in dreaming2 and such being the state of the world ere its creation1 how can any earthly or other matter1 be ever joined with the same8 #g4 ,the light of the ,divine soul1 shining amidst the vacuity of the ,intellect1 is termed cosmos or the universe2 consisting as it is supposed1 of matter1 mind and faculties4 #h4 ,it is want of understanding only1 which makes us suppose a thing1 which is turning round like a whirlpool1 and having the force of the wind in it as the stable earth1 although it has no basis or stability of it4 #i4 ,afterwards the same ,divine spirit 7jva71 wishing to display its own glory 7thought in its personality of ,brahm71 of the ideal forms of the earth and other things 7in its imagination74 #aj4 ,then the great minds of 7,brahm71 shone with a purer light of itself2 and this is called his creation which is of an aerial form and no other4 7,light being the first work of creation74 #aa4 ,that pure light1 was nothing substantial of itself2 but the brightness of the ,intellect only1 shining with the effulgence of the ,divine spirit4 7,this was the psychic light of the soul in itself74 #ab4 ,this light is the body of the spirit1 which shone as intellectual light in the void of the ,intellect2 and it presented the appearance of the world in it1 in the manner of dreams floating before the empty mind4 #ac4 ,there being no other inference to be derived1 nor any other cause to be possibly assigned 7to the production of the world71 or of its being produced of itself2 it is certain that the divine spirit1 sees itself in the form of creation1 within the vacuum of its ,intellect in the beginning4 7,as anything cannot come by itself or from nothing2 the world must therefore be either a nothing or a form of something that is ever existent of itself74 #ad4 ,this body of the world 7corpus mundi71 having no property of a tangible body1 is never fragile in its nature2 but it is as void as the emptiness of the ,intellect1 and as inane as the empty air4 #ae4 ,its form is that of the supreme ,being1 which is without any form whatever2 and identic with the ,divine form1 it comprehends all bodies in itself1 and extends undivided as all in all in its ownself4 #af4 ,this will be better understood in the instance of a dream1 which rises of itself and shows itself in various forms2 but as all these varieties are nothing but empty visions1 so the diverse scenes and sights of the world1 are no more than shows of the ,divine spirit4 #ag4 ,the ,divine soul of ,brahma1 assumed to itself the state of the living spirit2 and without forsaking its transparent form1 became of the form of mind 7in the person of the great ,brahm--the creative ,power74 #ah4 ,this power extends the universe in its aerial form in air2 which appears to be changed from its unchangeable state of transparency1 to that of a gross nature 7i4e4 the visible and material world74 #ai4 ,the ,mind is ,brahm himself1 who gives an external and visible form to the world1 that was seated invisible in his heart2 and is continually employed in the process of repeated creation and destruction of all4 #bj4 ,the immaterial mind of ,brahma1 evolved the world from its protoplasm1 which was originally seated in his heart2 and thence it appeared in a different form as a counterpart of the original1 or as the formless representation of something in a dream4 #ba4 ,the ,god ,brahm though in himself dwelling with his formless mind1 in his embodied form of the triple world1 and of being diffused in endless forms of sensible and insensible beings therein4 #bb4 ,but there was neither the earth1 nor any material form1 nor even anything of a visible appearance therein2 it was only his mind which exhibited itself1 in the form of the formless and vacuous world4 7,the ,divine hypostasis of the personified mind of ,brahma1 was only a mental and aerial form1 and not a material one74 #bc4 ,then the lord ,brahm thought that1 this mental form of his1 was nothing in substance1 as it did not appear to sight2 it was the ,intellect only1 which shone in this manner within itself1 and had no solidity or substantiality in it4 7,the ,intellect is the omniscience of ,god1 and the ,mind is the intelligence of ,brahm74 #bd4 ,this mental conception or abstract contemplation of the world1 is inexpressible by words1 and makes the meditator remain in mute astonishment2 and causes him to continue as dumb in this ordinary conduct in life4 7,this is the state of platonic supineness or insouciance74 #be4 ,the ,intellect being infinite and unlimited1 the mind is lost in infinity in its reflection2 hence ,brahm having long remained in his silence1 became awakened to his knowledge at last4 7,brahm the ,demiurgic ,mind having recovered itself from its wonder and bewilderment1 becomes detached at last from the divine mind74 #bf4 ,after the insensible mind of ,brahm1 had come to its sense1 it revolved in itself with its thoughts2 as the liquid waters of the sea1 turns in whirlpools by agitation4 #bg4 ,so the insensible air is put to ventilation by its internal motion1 and so all living souls which are identic with the calm and quiet supreme soul1 slide away like the gliding waters1 from their main source4 #bh4 ,and as the winds and waves1 which are identical with the calm air and still water1 blow and flow in all directions of themselves1 so the minds of living beings which are same with supreme ,intellect1 run in several ways in their own accord4 #bi4 ,hence the vacuous intellect of all living beings1 is the same with the ,divine intellect2 and this1 ,o most intelligent ,rma1 is otherwise known as the supreme soul also4 #cj4 ,the ,divine soul appears unto us1 to have its twinklings like the vacillation of air2 its closing causes the close or end of the world1 as its flashing exposes the creation to view4 #ca4 ,its glancing causes the visibility of creation1 and its winking makes it invisible or extinct to view1 while the want of both these acts 7opening and closing of its sight71 is tantamount to the formless void of the world4 #cb4 ,but the view of the opening and shutting of its sight1 or the visibility and disappearance of the world in one unvaried light1 makes the equality of existence and non-existence in the mind1 and bespeaks the perfection of the soul4 #cc4 ,seeing and not seeing1 and their results of creation and extinction1 make no difference in the ,divine ,intellect which is always the same4 7,the veda says kshati or glancing of ,god1 and not his will or word is the cause of the world74 #cd4 ,know therefore this world1 to be as calm and quiet as the ,divine soul2 and that it is of the nature of the uncreated vacuum1 which is ever the same and no decay4 #ce4 ,the sensuous and conscious intellect1 exhibits itself as the insensible and unconscious vacuum2 the very intellect shows itself in the form of the world1 which is in a manner its body and residence4 #cf4 ,the ,intellect is neither born or made1 nor does it ever grow or decay2 it is never visible nor perceptible1 nor have we any notion of it2 it displays its wonders in itself1 without any extraneous substance in it4 #cg4 ,all that is called the phenomenal1 is the brightness of the blazing gem of the great ,intellect1 and proceeding from the quarry of its vacuum2 as the sunshine which illumines the world1 issues from the orb of that luminary4 #ch4 ,it is ,brahma himself that shines forth as the creation1 just as our sleep exhibits the visionary world in its dream2 so is all this creation as quiet as sleep1 and yet full with the bustle of the slumbering world4 #ci4 ,whatever is known in any manner in the mind1 either as existent or inexistent in the world2 the same is the reflexion of the ,intellect1 whether it be an entity or non-entity4 #dj4 ,should the impossibility of existence1 lead us to the supposition of some cause as of the primary atoms and the like2 then what cause can there be assigned to the appearance of sights in our dream 7and of fabrics without their foundation74 #da4 ,if the origin of the world is not ascribed to ,brahma1 as the origination of dreams to the ,intellect2 then neither is there any truth in the existence of the one1 or in the appearance of the other1 which is never true4 #db4 ,the minds of men are inclined towards the particular objects of their fancy2 hence those that believe and delight in ,god1 take him as the origin of all things that appear unto them4 #dc4 ,whatever is in the minds of men1 and to whatever their hearts are constantly devoted2 they know the same as the only objects of their lives1 and the very gist of their souls4 #dd4 ,he who delights in ,brahma1 becomes of the same mind in a moment2 and so any one who is gratified in any thing1 is incorporated with the same in his mind4 #de4 ,the man who has obtained his rest in ,god1 has found the highest bliss in his mind2 though he shows himself as otherwise in his outward conduct and social dealings4 #df4 ,there is no reason for the supposition of unity or duality herein1 when the whole existence is as ,i have propounded1 and it is in vain to look at anything else4 #dg4 ,there is nothing as visible or invisible1 or anything as formless or having a form herein2 there is nothing as subject or object1 nor aught of reality or unreality here1 when the whole is the very ,brahma himself4 #dh4 ,this world is without a beginning and end1 and is known to the world as soul2 but in fact1 one ,brahma rules over all without any fixed rule1 like a path without a name4 #di4 ,that which is conceived as the serene ,brahma1 is considered as the bright ,brahm or ,demiurgus also2 just as what is known as the calm and clear firmament1 the very same is said to be the empty void likewise4 #ej4 ,as the nebulae which seem to bedim the face of the sky1 are something in appearance and nothing in substance2 just so do our mental faculties appear to flutter in and obscure the clear atmosphere of the ,intellect1 and seem to be as dualities or otherwise than the serene intellectual principle4 #ea4 ,but the mental1 bodily and all other perceptive and active powers of living beings1 are the common properties of the intellectual soul2 just as the very many gaps and hollows in various bodies1 are in common with the vacuity of the one universal vacuum only4 7i4e4 ,all these are the aerial powers of psychic principle74 #eb4 ,as the quiet soul passing from its sleeping to the dreaming state1 retains its identity and invariableness2 so the divine soul passing into creation after its quiescence1 remains the very unchanged unity as ever4 #ec4 ,thus the supreme spirit reflects the shadow of its great ,intellect1 in the forms of creation and dream2 hence neither is this creation nor the vision in dreaming1 any thing in its substance than a mere shadow 7of the picture in the ,divine ,mind74 #ed4 ,it is the bright picture of the ,divine ,mind1 that exhibits its form in the vacuity of the ,great ,intellect2 and so the ideal appearance as the visible creation1 like the fairy land in dream 7and the airy castle of imagination74 7,the word chya--shadow means both the glory of ,god1 as also the darkness of illusion4 ,gloss74 #ee4 ,from the impossibility of the appearance of the world1 by any means as it is conjectured by different schools1 and from its want of a prior cause2 it must be that the intellect saw itself thus exhibited in its own vacuity4 #ef4 ,in the beginning of creation1 the formless void of the ,intellect1 showed itself in this visible and intangible form2 and represented itself as a picture of its mind or dream or its imagination4 #eg4 ,like the dream it was a blank and without any attribute2 it is changeable but not frangible1 and although it was the substance of intellectual voidness1 yet it was vitiated with the stain of our misapprehension of it1 called avidy4 7,the world is purely of an intellectual form1 and it is our ignorance which imputes a gross form to it74 #eh4 ,like the dream1 it seems to possess some properties in its appearance2 but is wholly devoid of any in its substance2 it is never different from the spiritual nature of the ,lord1 though it appears otherwise to our misconception of it4 #ei4 ,the phenomenal world likens a mountain seen in dream1 and is inseparable from the soul wherein it resides2 therefore the visibles appearing in the vacuity of the ,intellect1 are more vacuous than the vacuum of the firmament4 #fj4 ,that which is the supreme soul2 and devoid of all form2 the very same and of the same nature is all this1 that we call the visible world4 #fa4 ,whatever conception we have in our dream1 the same is the display of our intellect2 so the cities and castles that we see in the dreams1 are no real existences2 but appearances presented unto us by the intellect4 #fb4 ,as the recognizance of our acquaintances in dream1 and the remembrance of the impressions in our memory1 are altogether unsubstantial 7owing to the absence of their prototypes in us72 so the sight of the visibles and the perception of perceptibles quite unreal also 7because none of those things are present in us74 #fc4 ,therefore leaving these unrealities of our recognitions1 perceptions and remembrances1 which are so much relied upon by the ignorant2 we should take them in the light of the direct manifestations of the ,deity in those forms4 #fd4 ,as the waves of the sea1 continue to roll incessantly on the surface of the waters2 so innumerable worlds that are continually revolving1 on the surface of the supreme soul1 are of the same nature with itself4 #fe4 ,all laws and their anomalies1 as well as all varieties and complexities unite in harmony in the ,divine nature4 7,there all discord is concord1 and all partial evil is universal good74 #ff4 ,therefore that ,brahma is all in all1 and there is none and nothing besides2 ,he alone is the soul of all1 as all these live in ,him4 #fg4 ,the roving mind thinks the world to be roving about with all its contents2 but the steady minded take it to be quite sedate and quiet2 hence it is impossible for the learned also1 to settle their minds without the habitual sedateness of their attention4 #fh4 ,there is no other means1 for suppressing the mind from the sight of the visibles2 without the constant habit of attending to the lectures 7of the preceptor7 on this sacred sstra4 #fi4 ,though it is difficult to repress the mind from its thoughts of this world1 either in its states of living or death1 7i4e4 either in its waking or sleeping states72 yet it is possible to do so by effacing its impressions at once1 from the study of this spiritual sstra4 #gj4 ,the knowledge of the nihility of the visible body1 and that of the mind also in want of the body2 both in this world as well as in the next world1 will always serve to preserve our peace and quietism 7and this is attainable by means of studying this sstra74 #ga4 ,the mind1 body and the visibles1 are all three of them suppressed under the sense of their nothingness2 as the mind1 its force and the moving clouds1 do all disappear in absence of their cause 7i4e4 motion74 #gb4 ,the cause of restlessness is ignorance only1 which is altogether dispelled by the study of this sstra2 and those whose minds are a little enlightened1 have their composure from attending to the recital and preaching4 #gc4 ,the unintelligent will be able to understand the teachings of the former part from the latter2 and he that understands the words and purports of these lectures1 will never return disappointed 7in his expectation of nirvna or ultimate rest74 #gd4 ,then know this sstra as the best means1 to the dispersion of the error2 and to the production of an universal indifference or insouciance everywhere4 #ge4 ,therefore try your best1 to weigh well the precepts of this sstra2 and whether you study one or both parts of this work1 you will doubtless be freed from your misery thereby4 #gf4 ,should this sstra prove unpalatable1 owing to its being the composition of a holy sage2 in that case the student may consult the sacred srutis1 for the perfection of his spiritual knowledge4 #gg4 ,do not spend your time in false reasoning1 nor offer your precious life to flames and ashes2 but let your sapient understanding commit the visibles to the invisible soul 7i4e4 view them in their spiritual light1 and bury the gross phenomenal in utter oblivion and appear in the noumenal soul only74 #gh4 ,no one can buy a jot or moment of his lifetime1 at the cost of all the gems in the world2 and yet how many are there1 who foolishly misspent their time in their worldly dream8 #gi4 ,though we have a clear conception of the world1 yet it is a false sight together with that of its beholder--the living soul2 it is as false as the dream of one's own death in his sleep1 and his hearing the wailing of his friend at his demise4 ,,chapter ,,clxxvi4 ,,brahma ,g,,ta4 ,,account ,,of ,,brahm,,nda ,,or ,,mundane ,,system4 ,argument3--,the world resembling a dream and an atom of the ,divine mind1 and ,brahm's account of it4 ,rma rejoined3--,there are innumerable worlds in the universe1 many of which have gone before1 many are in existence1 and many as yet to be2 how then is it sir1 that you persuade me to the belief of their nullity4 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--you well know1 ,rma1 the relation which the world bears to a dream1 in that they both mean a passing scene2 and this sense of it1 can be denied by no one of this audience4 #c4 ,the words which are spoken by the wise1 who know their application and sense2 are neither understood nor received in the hearts of common people1 though they are in common use4 #d4 ,when you will come to know the knowledge of ,one1 then you will discern the three times clearly and behold them as present before you4 #e4 ,as it is the intellect alone1 that displays itself in the form of the world in our dream2 so doth the ,divine ,intellect also1 exhibit the worlds in itself1 in the beginning of creation2 and there is no other cause of their production4 #f4 ,hence there are innumerable worlds1 revolving like atoms in the infinite space of air2 and there is no one who can count their number1 and descry their modes and natures4 #g4 ,it was of old that my venerable sire--the lotus-born ,brahm1 and all besmeared with the fragrant dust of that flower1 has delivered a discourse on this subject1 which ,i will now relate unto you4 #h4 ,it was of old that my sire ,brahm1 told me about the number of worlds1 and their respective situations in the heavens1 whence they thus appear unto us4 ,to this he said 7as follows74 #i4 ,brahm said3--,o sage1 all this is ,brahma1 that is manifested as the world2 it is infinite entity of the ,deity in its abstract essence2 but viewed in the concrete1 the world is a nonentity4 #aj4 ,attend to this narration of mine1 which is as felicitous to the soul1 as it is pleasant to the ear2 it is called the narrative of the mundane egg1 or of the mundane body or mass4 #aa4 ,there is in the infinite vacuum1 a vacuous substance known as the vacuity of the ,intellect1 in the form of a minute atom only4 7,such as the grain of the mind is1 in the hollow cerebrum of the head74 #ab4 ,it saw as in a dream in itself1 of its being as the living soul1 resembling the oscillation of the wind in empty air4 7,the living principle or spirit1 is a breath of air74 #ac4 ,the ,lord thus became the living being1 with forsaking its vacuous form2 and thought itself to become the ego1 in its aeriform form4 #ad4 ,he had then his egoism1 and egoistic sense in himself2 and this was the knowledge of himself as an unit1 which is an act of delusion only4 #ae4 ,then he thought himself1 as changed to the conditions of the understanding1 mind and ego1 as in his dream2 and was inclined of his own option1 to impose mutability upon his immutable nature4 #af4 ,he then saw in his mind as if in dream1 the five senses attached to his body2 these are as formless as the appearance of a mountain in dream1 which the ignorant are apt to take as a solid body4 7,the five formless faculties of sense1 are thought to be composed of the five organs of sense by the gross corporealist74 #ag4 ,then he beheld in the atom of his intellect1 that his mental body 7or his mind71 was comprised of the three worlds2 in their aerial or abstract forms1 apparent to view1 but without their substance or solidity or any basis at all4 7,this is the mental form of ,virt--cosmos74 #ah4 ,this stupendous form was composed of all beings1 whether of the moving or unmoving kinds4 #ai4 ,he beheld all things comprised in himself1 as they are seen in dream or reflected in a mirror2 and the triple world appeared in his person1 as the picture of a city newly printed on a plate4 #bj4 ,he saw the three worlds in his heart1 as they are seen in a looking glass2 together with all things contained therein1 in their vivid colours of many kinds 7viz4 the view1 viewer and the act of viewing2--the doer1 deed and the action of doing2--the enjoyer1 enjoying and the enjoyment74 #ba4 ,he observed minuter atoms subsisting within the minute atoms2 and stupendous worlds also on high1 clustering together in groups and rings4 #bb4 ,these being seen in ignorance of their natures2 appear as gross material bodies2 but viewed in the clear light of their essence1 they prove to be the display of the divine mind only4 #bc4 ,thus the viewer who views the world1 in the light of ,brahma1 finds this view of it1 as a vision in this dream2 and comes to know that there is no real viewer to view of it1 nor any cause thereof nor any duality whatsoever4 #bd4 ,all these that appear all around us1 are quite quiescent in their nature1 and in the ,divine spirit alone as their main substratum2 they are all situated in the universal soul from eternity to eternity4 #be4 ,myriads of worlds that are situated in the ,divine spirit1 appear to be settled without the same2 just as the waves of the sea1 rise above its waters and scatter its salt spray in the air4 ,,chapter ,,clxxvii4 ,,brahma-,g,t4 ,,description ,,of ,,divine ,,nature4 ,argument3--,the fallacy of assigning a cause to the causeless world2 which is likened to a dream of the ,divine ,mind4 ,rma rejoined3--,if the world is without a cause1 and proceeds of itself from the essence of ,brahma1 as our dreams1 thoughts and imaginations1 proceed of themselves from the nature of our minds4 #b4 ,and if it be possible for anything to proceed from no cause1 then tell me sir1 why we can never have anything without its proper causes4 7,such as the production of paddy without its cultivation74 #c4 ,vasishtha replied3--,rma1 ,i am not speaking of common practice of men1 for the production of anything by application of its proper causalities2 but of the creation of the world1 which is not in need of the atomic principle and material elements1 as it is maintained by atomist4 7,text74 7,whatever invention is adopted by any one1 in order to produce a certain end1 is never effected without the application of its proper means and appliances74 #d4 ,in whatever light this visible world is imagined by anybody1 he views it in the same light2 while another sees it in a different manner1 according to his own imagination of it4 #e4 ,there are some who imagine it as the diffusion of the ,divine soul1 and think it as one with the nature of the ,deity2 while others think it as the living body of ,virt1 with the insensible parts of it1 resembling the hairs and nails growing upon his body4 #f4 ,the meanings of the words causality and not causality do both of them belong to the deity2 because the ,lord being almighty1 has the power to be either the one or other as he likes4 #g4 ,if there be anything whatever1 which is supposed to be beside ,brahma in its essence2 it is then reasonable to suppose him as the cause of the same1 which could not otherwise come to existence4 #h4 ,but when all things1 that appear so different from one another1 are all of them without their beginning or end or co-eternal with the ,eternal ,one4 ,then say1 which of these can be the cause of the other4 7,hence the world is one with the lord and has no cause of it74 #i4 ,here nothing comes to exist or desist at any time2 but are all eternally existent in the self-existent ,one2 as one and the same with his vacuous self4 #aj4 ,what is the cause of anything1 and to what purpose should any be caused at any time2 the ,lord expects nothing from his creatures1 and therefore their creation is equal to their not being created at all4 #aa4 ,here there is no vacuum or plenum1 nor any entity nor non-entity either1 nor any thing between them2 as there is nothing predicable of the infinite vacuity of ,brahma 7as either this or that74 #ab4 ,whatever is is1 and what not may not be2 but all is ,brahma only1 whether what is or is not 7i4e4 what is past or gone or yet to be1 i4e4 all what is present1 past or to be in future74 #ac4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 how the ,divine spirit is not the cause of all1 when it is believed to be the sole cause1 by all who are ignorant of its quiescent nature 7as you maintain74 #ad4 ,vasishtha replied3--,there is no one ignorant of ,god1 since every one has an innate conviction of the ,divinity as the consciousness of himself2 and whoso knows the vacuous entity of the ,deity1 knows also that this nature admits of no scrutiny or discussion4 #ae4 ,those who have the knowledge of the unity of ,god1 and his nature of quiescence and as full of intelligence2 know also1 his unknowable nature is beyond all scrutiny4 #af4 ,ignorance of ,god1 abides in the knowledge of ,god 7because one acknowledges the existence of ,god1 when he says he is ignorant of his nature72 and this is as our dreaming is included under the state of sleeping4 7,gloss4 ,philosophers dream many false ungodly theories of causation1 while they are sleeping in the quiescent spirit of ,god47 #ag4 ,it is for the instruction of the ignorant1 concerning the omnipresence of ,god1 that ,i say1 ,he is the soul of all or as all in all2 while in reality his holy spirit is perfectly pure and undecaying4 #ah4 ,all existences are thought either as caused or uncaused1 according to the view that different understandings entertain respecting them4 7,but neither of these views1 refutes the doctrine of the unity of the ,deity4 ,gloss47 #ai4 ,those that have the right conception of things 7as manifestations of the unity in different forms72 have no cause to assign any cause to them whatever 7as the atomic principles or elements73 therefore the creation is without any cause whatever4 #bj4 ,therefore the assigning of a cause to this creation1 either as matter--prakriti or spirit--purusha1 by undermining one's self-consciousness of ,divine pervasion2 is mere verbiage of sophists for their own confusion only4 #ba4 ,in absence of any other cause of creation 7save that of our consciousness of it71 it is naught beside an appearance in our dream2 and there is nothing as the gross material form or its visible appearance whatsoever4 #bb4 ,say what cause can the ignorant assign1 to their sight of the land in their dream1 than to the nature of the ,intellect1 which exhibits such phenomena to minds4 ,say if there can be any other meaning of dreams4 #bc4 ,those who are unacquainted with the nature of dreams1 are deluded to believe them as realities2 but those that are acquainted with their falsehood1 are not misled to believe them or this world as real ones4 #bd4 ,it is the impudence of fools to broach any hypothesis of causality1 either by their supposition1 arrogance or in the heat of their debate 7as it is the case with all the different schools of philosophy74 #be4 ,is the heat of fire1 the coldness of water1 and the light of luminous bodies1 and the natures of things their respective causes1 as the ignorant suppose them to be8 7,or is it the attribute of ,brahma that is so manifested in these their several causes8 ,the entity of ,divine unity1 is the prime sole cause of causes74 #bf4 ,there be hundreds of speculative theorists1 that assign as many causes to creation without agreeing in any2 let them but tell the cause of the aerial castle of their imagination4 #bg4 ,the virtues and vices of men are formless things1 and are attended with their fruitions on the spiritual body in the next world2 how can they be causes of our corporeal bodies in this world4 7,as it is maintained by ,mmms philosophers74 #bh4 ,how can our finite and shapeless knowledge of things1 be the cause of the incessant rise and fall1 of endless1 and minute bodies in the world1 as it is maintained by vijnna vda or gnostic school4 7,these assert the existence of things depends upon our knowledge or perception of them as such74 #bi4 ,it is nature says the naturalist1 which is the cause of all events but as nothing result from the nature of anything1 without its combination with another2 it is too indeterminate in its sense4 #cj4 ,therefore all things appear as causeless illusions to the ignorant1 and their true cause to be a mystery to them2 while they are known to the intelligent as the wondrous display of the ,divine ,intellect1 that shows everything in itself4 #ca4 ,as one knowing the falsehood of dreams1 is never sorry at his loss of anything in dream2 so those that have the knowledge of truth in them1 never feel any sorrow even at the possession or separation of their lives4 #cb4 ,in the beginning there was no production of the visible world1 nor is it anything more than the vacuum of the intellect2 in its own and true form it appears as a dream1 and is no other than that in its essence4 #cc4 ,there is no other supposition1 which is more apposite to it3 than its resemblance to the dream2 and our conception of the world1 has the great ,brahma only for its ground work4 #cd4 ,as fluidity1 waves and whirlpools1 are the inherent properties of pure water2 such are the revolutions of worlds1 but appearances on the surface of the ,divine ,mind1 and have the ,divine spirit of ,brahma at their bottom4 #ce4 ,as velocity and ventilation1 are inborn in the nature of pure air2 the creation and preservation of the world1 are ingrained and intrinsical in the nature of ,god4 #cf4 ,as infinity and vacuity are the inherent properties of the ,great vacuum1 so is the knowledge of all things existent and non-existent1 and of creation and annihilation immanent in the ,divine ,mind4 #cg4 ,all things in existence and lying dormant in the ,divine ,mind1 are yet perceptible to us1 because we participate of the very same mind4 #ch4 ,this creation and its destruction also1 both abide side by side in the dense intellect of the ,divine ,soul2 as the thickening dreams and sound sleep1 both reside together in the calm sleeping state of our soul4 #ci4 ,as a man passes from one dream to another1 in the same dormant state of his soul2 so doth the supreme soul see the succession of creations1 taking place alternately in its own essence4 #dj4 ,the clear atmosphere of ,divine ,soul1 which is devoid of earthy and other material substances2 yet appears in their utter absence1 to be possessed of them all1 in the same manner as the human soul1 sees many things in its dream1 without having any of those things in itself4 #da4 ,as the human mind sees at a thought the forms of a pot1 or painting rising before it2 so the all seeing mind of ,god1 sees at a glance of its thought1 worlds upon worlds appearing at once in its presence4 #db4 ,the all seeing soul1 sees all things as they are in itself2 and finds them to be of the same intellectual nature with its own intellect2 and as all things are equivalent to the words expressive of them4 7,as there is a mutual correspondence between the significant words and their significates74 #dc4 ,of what use then are sstras1 and of what good is the reasoning upon their verbiage1 when our inappetency is the best way to felicity2 and there being no creation without its cause1 we have nothing to do with what appears but seemingly so4 #dd4 ,it being proved1 that the want of want is our best bliss below2 the sensation of want or desire1 must be the source of perpetual misery to man2 and though our desires are many1 yet the feeling of it is one and the same1 and betrays the prurient mind1 as the various dreams by night1 disclose the cupidinous nature of the soul4 ,,chapter ,,clxxviii4 ,,brahma-,g,,ta4 ,,narrative ,,of ,,aindava4 ,argument3--,the formlessness of the world1 for its formation from the formless mind4 ,rma rejoined3--,the world is known to consist of two sorts of beings1 namely the corporeal or solid substances and the incorporeal or subtile essences4 #b4 ,they are styled the subtile ones1 which do not strike against one another2 and those again are said to be solid things1 which push and dash against each other4 #c4 ,here we see always the dashing of one solid body against another2 but know nothing of the movement of subtile bodies1 or of their coming in contact with another4 #d4 ,we know yet something1 about the quick motion of our subtile senses to their respective objects1 and without coming in contact with them1 as we find in our perception of the distant orb of the moon 7without touching it74 #e4 ,i repudiate the theory of the half-enlightened1 who maintain the material world to be the production of the will or imagination2 nor can ,i believe that the immaterial intellect1 can either produce or guide the material body4 #f4 ,it is the will ,i ween1 that the material breath of life1 moves the living body to and fro2 but tell me sir1 what is that power which propels1 the living breath both in and out of the beings4 #g4 ,tell me sir1 how the intangible intellect moveth the tangible body2 and carries it about1 as a porter bears a load all about4 #h4 ,should the subtile intellect1 be capable of moving the solid body at its will2 then tell me sir1 why cannot a man move a mountain also by his own will8 #i4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is the opening and closing of the mouth of the aorta in the breast1 that lets in and out the vital breath1 through the passage of its hole and the lungs4 #aj4 ,as you see the bellows of ironsmiths about you1 having a hollow inside them1 so it is the hollow of the aorta1 which lets in and out the vital air1 by the breathing of the heart4 #aa4 ,rma rejoined3--,it is true that the ironsmith closes and expands the valves of the bellows2 but tell me sir1 what power blows the wind pipe of the heart1 and lets the air in and out of the inner lungs4 #ab4 ,how the single breath of inhalation becomes a centuple 7in order to pass into a hundred channels of the arteries71 and how these hundreds combine again into one 7in their exhalation72 and why are some as sensible beings1 and others as insensible as woods and stones4 #ac4 ,tell me sir1 why the immovables have no oscillation at all2 and why the moving bodies alone are possessed of their pulsation and mutation 7and why is the vegetable creation deprived of motion1 when it is possessed of sensibility in common with the animal creation74 #ad4 ,vasishtha replied3--,there is an internal percipience 7inner man71 which moves the interior cords of the body2 just as the ironsmith plies his bellows in the sight of men4 #ae4 ,rma rejoined3--,say sir1 how is it possible for the subtile and intactile soul1 to move the vital airs and tangible entrails in the animal body4 #af4 ,if it be possible for the imperceptible perceptive soul1 to put in motion the intestinal and tactual entrails of the body2 then it may be equally possible for the thirsty soul1 to draw the distant water to it4 7,in order to quench its thirst1 instead of going to the watery pool74 #ag4 ,if it be possible for the tangible and intangible1 to come together in mutual contact at their will2 then what is the use of the active and passive organs of action 7if the will alone be effective of any purpose74 #ah4 ,as the intangible powers of the soul or spirit1 bear no connection whatever with the outward objects of the world2 some think they can have no effect on the internal organs of the body 7in putting them to action74 ,so please explain it more fully to me4 #ai4 ,tell me1 how you yogis perceive the outward corporeal things in your inner incorporeal souls2 and how your formless souls1 can have any command over or any contact with solid bodies4 #bj4 ,vasishtha replied3--,hear me tell you for rooting out all your doubts1 and these words will not only be pleasing to your ears1 but give you a conception of the unity of all things4 #ba4 ,there is nothing here1 at any time1 what you call as a solid substance or tangible body1 but all is a wide and extended vacuum of the rare and subtile spirit4 #bb4 ,this spirit is of the nature of the pure ,intelligence1 quite calm and intangible2 and all material things as the earth1 are as visionary as our dreams1 and the creatures of imagination4 #bc4 ,there was nothing in the beginning1 nor shall there be anything at the end2 for want of a cause for its creation or dissolution2 the present existence is an illusion1 as any fleeting shape and shadow appearing before the dreaming mind4 #bd4 ,the earth and sky1 the air and water1 and the hills and rivers that appear to sight2 are lost sight of by the abstracted yogi2 who by means of his abstraction1 sees them in their ideal and intangible forms4 #be4 ,the outer elements and their inner perceptions1 the earth1 the wood and stones2 are all but empty ideas of the intellect1 which is the only real substratum of the ideas1 and there is no reality besides4 #bf4 ,attend now to the narrative of ,aindava1 in elucidation of this doctrine2 this will not fail to gratify your ears1 though ,i have once before related this to you4 7,in the former narration the world was identified with the mind1 and here it is represented as identical with the ,intellect itself74 #bg4 ,attend yet to the present narration1 which ,i am going to relate in answer to your question2 and whereby you will come to know these hills and others1 to be identic with your intellect4 #bh4 ,there lived once in days of yore1 a certain ,brhman in some part of the world1 who was known under the name of ,indu1 and was famed for his religious austerities and observance of vedic ceremonies4 #bi4 ,he had ten sons by whom he was surrounded like the world by its ten sides 7of the compass72 who were men of great souls1 of magnanimous spirits1 and were revered by all good and great men4 #cj4 ,in course of time the old father met with his demise1 and departed from his ten sons as the eleventh ,rudra1 at the time of the dissolution of the world4 #ca4 ,his chaste wife followed his funeral 7by concremation71 for fear of the miseries of widowhood2 just as the evening twilight follows like a faithful bride1 the departing daylight with the evening star shining upon her forehead 7in token of the vermeil spot on women's forehead74 #cb4 ,the sons then performed the funeral ceremonies1 and in sorrow for their deceased sire1 they left their home and domestic duties and retired to the woods for holy devotion4 #cc4 ,they practiced the best method for the intensity of their attention1 and which is best calculated to secure the consummation of their devotion2 and was the constant reflection of their identity with ,brahma 7in the formula we are the lords of all1 about us74 #cd4 ,thinking so in themselves1 they sat in lotus like posture2 and wishing to gain the knowledge of the unity of all things1 they did what you shall be glad to learn from me4 #ce4 ,they thought they sustained in them the whole world1 which is presided over by the lotus-born ,brahm2 and believed themselves to be transformed1 to the form of the mundane ,god in an instant4 #cf4 ,believing themselves as ,brahma1 they sat long with the thought of supporting the world2 and remained all along with their closed eyes1 as if they were mere figures in painting4 #cg4 ,with this belief they remained fixed and steady at the same spot1 and many a month and year glided over their heads and motionless bodies4 #ch4 ,they were reduced to dry skeletons1 parts of which were beaten and devoured by rapacious beasts2 and some of their limbs were at once severed and disappeared from their main bodies1 like parts of a shadow by the rising sun4 #ci4 ,yet they continued to reflect that they were the ,god ,brahm and his creation also1 and the world with all its parts1 were contained in themselves 7i4e4 ,they considered themselves as ,virt the form of macrocosm74 #dj4 ,at last their ten bodiless minds1 were thought to be converted to so many different worlds1 in their abstract meditation of them4 7i4e4 ,each of them viewed himself as a cosmos74 #da4 ,thus it was by the will of their intellects1 that each of them became a whole world in himself2 and remained so in a clear or abstract view of it1 without being accompanied by its grosser part4 #db4 ,it was in their own consciousness1 that they saw the solid earth with all its hills c4 in themselves2 because all things have reference to the intellect1 and are viewed intellectually only 7or else they are nothing74 #dc4 ,what is this triple world1 but its knowledge in our consciousness1 without which we have no perception of it1 and with which we have a clear conception of every thing4 ,so all things are of the vacuous nature of our consciousness1 and not otherwise4 #dd4 ,as the wave is no other than the water of the sea1 so there is nothing movable or immovable whatever1 without our conscious knowledge of it4 #de4 ,as the ,aindavas remained in their vacuous forms of intellectual worlds in the open air2 so are these blocks of wood and stone also1 pure intellectual beings or concept in the sphere of our minds4 #df4 ,as the volitions of the ,aindavas1 assumed the forms of the world1 so did the will of lotus-born ,brahm take the form of this universe4 7,so says the veda3 ,the divine will produced the world1 just as the adage goes1 the will is the mother of the act74 #dg4 ,therefore this world together with all these hills and trees2 as also these great elements and all other bodies1 appertain to the intellect only1 which is thus spread out to infinity4 #dh4 ,the earth is the intellect1 and so are its trees and mountains1 and heaven and sky also the intellect only2 there is nothing beside the intellect1 which includes all things in itself1 like the intellectual worlds of the ,aindavas4 #di4 ,the intellect like a potter1 forms every thing upon its own wheel2 and produces this pottery of the world1 from the mud of its own body 7out of its own intellectual substance74 #ej4 ,the sensible will being the cause of creation1 and framer of the universe1 could not have made any thing1 which is either insensible or imperfect in its nature1 and neither the mineral mountains nor the vegetable production1 are devoid of their sensations4 #ea4 ,should the world be said to be the work of design1 or of the reminiscence or former impression or of the ,divine will2 yet as these are but different powers of the ,intellect1 and are included under it2 the world then proves to be the production of the intellect1 under some one of its attributes as it is said before4 7,hence there is no gross body as the product of intelligent ,intellect74 #eb4 ,therefore there cannot be any gross substance in the ,divine ,intellect which blazes as a mine of bright gems1 with the gemming light of consciousness in universal soul of ,god4 #ec4 ,anything however mean or useless1 is never apart from the ,divine soul2 and as it is the nature of solar light to shine on all objects1 so doth the light of intellect1 take everything in the light of the ,great ,brahma1 which pervades alike on all4 #ed4 ,as the water flows indiscriminately upon the ground1 and as the sea laves all its shores1 with its boisterous waves2 so doth the intellect ever delight1 to shed its lustre over all objects of its own accord1 and without any regard to its near or distant relation4 #ee4 ,as the great creator evolves the world1 like the petals of his lotiform navel1 in the first formative period of creation2 so doth the divine intellect1 unfold all the parts of the mundane system from its own penetralia1 which are therefore not distinct from itself4 #ef4 ,the ,lord is unborn and increate1 and unconfined in his nature and purely vacuous in his essence2 he is calm and quiescent1 and is immanent in the interim of ens and nil 7i4e4 of existence and non-existence74 ,this world therefore is no more than a reflexion of the intellectual or its ideal pattern in ,divine ,mind4 #eg4 ,therefore the ignorant man1 who declares the insensibility of inanimate objects1 is laughed at by the wise1 who are sensible of their sensibility in their own kinds4 ,hence the rocks and trees which are situated in this ideal world1 are not wholly devoid of their sensations and feelings4 #eh4 ,the learned know these ideal worlds in the air1 to be full with the ,divine soul2 and so they know this creation of ,brahm's will1 to be but an airy utopia only1 and without any substantiality in them4 #ei4 ,no sooner is this material world1 viewed in its aerial and intellectual light1 than the distresses of this delusive world betake themselves to flight1 and its miseries disappear from sight4 #fj4 ,as long as this intellectual view of the world1 does not light to the sight of a man1 so long do the miseries of the world1 beset him thicker and thicker and closer on every side4 #fa4 ,men besotted by their continued folly1 and remaining blind to their intellectual view of the world1 can never have its respite from the troubles of the world1 nor find their rest from the hardness of the times4 #fb4 ,there is no creation1 nor the existence or inexistence of the world1 or the birth or destruction of any one here2 there is no entity nor nonentity of any thing 7beside the essence of the ,one74 ,there is the ,divine soul only1 that glows serenely bright with its own light in this manner2 or there is no light whatever except the manifestation of the divine spirit4 #fc4 ,the cosmos resembles a creeper1 with the multitude of its budding worlds2 it has no beginning nor end1 nor is it possible to find its root or top at any time1 or to discover the boundless extent of its circumference4 ,like a crystal pillar1 it bears innumerable statues in its bosoms1 which are thickly studded together without having their initium or end4 #fd4 ,there is but one endless being1 stretching his innumerable arms to the infinity of space2 ,i am that vacuous soul embracing every thing ad infinitum1 and ,i find myself as that stupendous pillar1 in my uncreated and all comprehensive soul1 which is ever as quiescent and transparent and without any change in itself4 ,,chapter ,,clxxix4 ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,pantheism ,,or ,,the ,,one ,,as ,,all4 ,argument3--,the intellectuality and incorporality of the ,world1 preclude the idea of its materiality4 ,vasishtha continued3--,now as the triple world is known1 to be a purely intellectual entity2 there is no possibility of the existence of any material substance herein1 as it is believed by the ignorant majority of mankind4 #b4 ,how then can there be a tangible body1 or any material substance at all2 and all these that appear all around to our sight1 is only an intactile extension of pure vacuity4 #c4 ,it is the emptiness of our intellectuality1 and contained in the vacuity of the ,divine ,intellect2 it is all an extension of calm and quiet intelligence1 subsisting in the serene intelligence of the supreme ,one4 #d4 ,all this is but the quiescent consciousness1 and as a dream that we are conscious of in our waking state2 it is a pure spiritual extension1 though appearing as a consolidated expanse of substantial forms4 #e4 ,what are these living bodies and their limbs and members1 what are these entrails of theirs1 and these bony frames of them8 ,are they not but mere shadows of ghosts and spirits1 appearing as visible and tangible to us4 7,or very likely they resemble the phantoms of our dreams1 and the apparitions that we see in the dark4 ,gloss74 #f4 ,the hands1 the head1 and all the members of the body1 are seats of consciousness or percipience2 where it is seated imperceptible and intangible1 in the form of the sensorium or sensuousness4 #g4 ,the cosmos appears as a dream in the vacuum of the ,divine ,mind2 and may be called both as caused and uncaused in its nature1 owing to its repeated appearance and eternal inherence in the eternal ,mind4 #h4 ,it is true that nothing can come out from nothing1 or without its cause2 but what can be the cause of what is eternally destined or ordained in the eternal mind4 7,predestination and ,preordination being the uncaused cause of all events74 #i4 ,it is possible for a thing to come to existence1 without any assignable cause or causality of it2 and such is the presence of every thing that we think of in our minds 7and so also is the appearance of this world in its intellectual light74 #aj4 ,if it is possible for things1 ever to appear in their various forms in our dreams1 and even in the unconscious state of our sleep2 why should it be impossible for them to appear also in the day dream of our waking hours1 the mind being equally watchful in both states of its being4 #aa4 ,things of various kinds1 are present at all times1 in the all comprehensive mind of the universal soul2 these are uncaused entities of the ,divine ,mind1 and are called to be caused also1 when they are brought to appearance4 #ab4 ,as each of the ,aindavas1 thought himself to have become a hundred in his imagination2 so every one of these imaginary worlds1 teemed with millions of beings--the mere creatures of our fancy4 #ac4 ,so is every body conscious of his being many1 either consecutively or simultaneously at the same time2 as we think of our multiformity in the different parts and members of our bodies4 7,or as the king ,vipaschit viewed himself1 as dilated in the sun1 moon and stars1 so also one man thinks himself as many1 in different states of his life74 #ad4 ,as the one universal body of waters1 diverges itself into a thousand beds and basins1 and branches into innumerable channels and creeks1 and as one undivided duration1 is divided into all the divisions of time and seasons 7so doth the one and uniform soul become multiform and many74 7,as the sruti says3--aham-bahu-syam74 #ae4 ,all compact bodies are but the airy phantoms of our dream1 rising in the empty space of our consciousness2 they are as formless and rarefied1 as the hollow mountain in a dream1 and giving us a void notion of it4 #af4 ,as our consciousness consists of the mere notions and ideas of things1 the world must therefore be considered1 as a mere ideal existence2 and it appears in the sights of it and observes in the same light2 as the fleeting notions of things glide over the void of the intellect4 7,the mind is conversant only with the ideas and not with the substance of things74 #ag4 ,our knowledge and nescience of things1 resemble the dreaming and sleeping states of the soul2 and the world is same as the intellect1 like the identity of the air with its breeze4 #ah4 ,the noumenon and the phenomenon1 are both the one and same state of the ,intellect2 being the subjectivity of its vacuous self1 and the objectivity of its own intellections and reveries2 ,therefore this world appears as a protracted dream1 in the hollow cavity of the sleeping mind4 #ai4 ,the world is a non-entity1 and the error of its entity1 is caused by our ignorance of the nature of ,god from the very beginning of creation4 ,in our dream of the world1 we see many terrific aspects of ghosts and the like2 but our knowledge of its non-entity1 and of the vanity of worldliness1 dispel all our fears and cares about it4 #bj4 ,as our single self-consciousness1 sees many things in itself2 so does it behold an endless variety of forms1 appearing in the infinite vacuity of the ,divine ,mind4 #ba4 ,as the many lighted lamps in a room1 combine to emit one great blaze of light2 so the appearance of this multiform creation1 displays the ,omnipotence of one ,almighty ,power4 #bb4 ,the creation is as the bursting bubble1 or foam and froth of the mantling ocean of omnipotence2 it appears as a wood and wilderness in the clouded face of the firmament1 but disappears in the clear vacuous atmosphere of the ,divine ,mind2 and there is no speck nor spot of creation in the infinite ocean of the ,supreme ,intellect4 ,,chapter ,,clxxx4 ,,brahma ,g,t ,,or ,,the ,,story ,,on ,,austere ,,devotee4 ,argument3--,vasishtha's elucidation of the story of ,kunda-danta at the request of ,rma4 ,rma rejoined3--,i pray you sir1 to remove the shade of a doubt from my mind1 as the sunshine dispels the darkness from before it2 in order to bring to light whatever is dark and obscure in the world4 #b4 ,i beheld once a self-governed ascetic1 who came to the seminary1 where ,i was sitting amidst the synod of the sages and learned men1 and conversing on subjects of theology and divinity4 #c4 ,he was a learned ,brhman1 and of a godly appearance2 he came from the land of the ,videhas or the ,mithilas1 and was practiced in religious austerities1 and was as unbearable in the lustre of his person as the terrific seer ,durvsas self4 #d4 ,on entering the assembly1 he made his obeisance to the illustrious persons2 when we also saluted him in return and advanced his seat for him to sit down4 #e4 ,the ,brhman being well seated1 ,i picked up many discourses with him from the ,vednta1 ,snkhya1 and ,siddhnta philosophy1 and when his weariness was gone1 ,i made this question to him1 saying3-- #f4 ,sir1 you seem to be tired with your long journey to this place1 please tell me1 ,o eloquent sir1 from where you have started here today4 #g4 ,the ,brhman replied3--so it is1 ,o fortunate prince1 ,i have taken great pains to come up to this place2 and now hear me to tell you the reason1 that brings me hither to you4 #h4 ,there is a district here1 known by the name of ,vaideha1 it is equally populous as well as prosperous in all respects2 and is a resemblance of its semblance of the heavenly paradise4 #i4 ,there ,i was born and educated1 and held my residence at the same place2 and named as ,kundadanta from the whiteness of my teeth1 bearing resemblance to the buds of ,kunda flowers4 #aj4 ,i resigned afterwards my worldly concerns1 and betook myself to travel far and wide about this earth2 and resorted to the asylums of holy sages and saints1 and to the shrines of gods to rest from my fatigue4 #aa4 ,i retired next to a sacred mountain1 where ,i sat silent for a long period1 practicing my devotional austerities4 #ab4 ,there ,i found a desert1 which was devoid of grassy pastures and woody trees2 and where the light of the sun and the shade of night1 reigned by turns1 as it was the open sky on earth4 #ac4 ,there is in the midst of it a branching tree1 with little of its verdant leaves and leaf-lets2 and the luminous sun dispensed his gentle beams1 from the upper sky and through cooling foliage4 #ad4 ,there hung suspended under one of its boughs1 a man of a holy mien2 who blazed as the resplendent sun pendent in the open air1 by the cords of his wide extending beams and radiating rays4 #ae4 ,his feet were tied upwards by a clotted cord of munja grass1 and his head hung downward towards the ground beneath2 and this gave him the appearance of an offshoot of the banian tree rooted in the earth below4 #af4 ,having then after a while1 approached to him at that place1 ,i saw him to have his two folded palms affixed to his breast 7as if he was intent upon the meditation of the lord1 with the devoutness of his heart74 #ag4 ,advancing nearer to the body of the ,brhman1 ,i found it to be alive by its respiration1 and from its having the feeling of touch1 and the perception of heat and cold1 and that of the breeze and change of weather4 #ah4 ,afterwards ,i employed myself solely1 in my attendance on that devout personage only2 and underwent all the rigours of the sun and seasons1 until ,i was received into his confidence4 #ai4 ,i then asked him saying2 who art thou lord1 that hast thus betaken thyself to this sort of painful devotion2 say1 ,o long sighted seer1 what is the aim and object of this thy protracted state of self-mortification at the peril-expense of thy precious life4 #bj4 ,he then replied to my question saying3--,tell me first ,o devotee1 what is the object of thy devotion and those of all other persons1 that are devoted to the particular objects of their pursuit4 7,so it is useless to inquire into the aim and object of another1 when there is no body without his particular end in view74 #ba4 ,this he said as introductory to his speech to me2 but being pressed further by my importunate inquiries1 he gave the following answer to my questions4 #bb4 ,i was born1 said he1 at ,mathura where ,i grew up from childhood to youth in the house of my father2 and acquired my knowledge of philology and the arts in course of this time4 #bc4 ,i then learnt this also1 that princes are the receptacles of all pleasures and enjoyments1 and that it is the early bloom of youth1 that is capable of the fruitions of life4 #bd4 ,since then ,i began to reflect on my being the possessor of the seven continents of the earth2 and to foster the ardent expectation1 of the gratification of all my desires of this life4 #be4 ,it is for this purpose that ,i have come to this place1 and have employed myself in this state of devotion1 for attainment of objects of my desire4 #bf4 ,therefore1 ,o thou disinterested and self offered friend of mine1 do thou now return to thy own country and desired abode2 and leave me to remain in this state1 with my firm resolution for the accomplishment of my desired object4 #bg4 ,being thus bid by him to depart from that place1 listen you now to what ,i replied unto him2 this you will wonder at its rehearsal1 and the wise will be gladdened in their hearts to learn4 #bh4 ,i addressed him saying3--,o holy saint1 let me remain here at thy service1 and underneath this holy tree1 until you obtain the desired boon of your devotion4 #bi4 ,on my saying so1 the meek minded devotee1 remained as cool and quiet as a block of stone1 and with his closed eye lids1 he persisted in his dormancy as a dead body1 without any motion in his outer limbs4 #cj4 ,i too continued to stay before him1 as quiet and quiescent as a block of wood1 and endured without shrinking the rigours of the climate and seasons1 for full six months at that spot4 #ca4 ,i saw at one time1 effulgent as the blazing sun1 descending from the solar orb1 and then standing in presence of the devotee4 #cb4 ,as this deific personage was adored mentally by the ascetic1 and by bodily prostration of myself2 he uttered his words1 in a tone as sweet as the exudation of ambrosial sweetness4 #cc4 ,he said3 ,o painstaking ,brhman1 that hast long been pendent on the projected bough of this branching banian tree1 suspend thy severe austerities1 and accept thy desired boon1 which ,i am ready to confer on thee4 #cd4 ,thou shalt as thou wishest1 reign over the seven oceans and continents of this earth2 and with this present body1 thou shalt rule over it1 for seven thousand years4 #ce4 ,in this manner did this secondary sun1 give his blessing to the devout ascetic2 and was prepared to plunge into the bosom of the ocean out of which he rose of himself4 7,the sun is usually said to rise from and set in the mountain top1 but he is made to rise out of and sink in the sea1 according to the ,grecian mythology74 #cf4 ,the ,deity having departed1 ,i accosted the ascetic hanging below the branch1 and said to him ,i witnessed to day what ,i had heard from before1 that the gods are ever propitious to their suppliants4 #cg4 ,now ,o ,brhman1 as you have gained the object of your desire1 it is desirable that you should give up your austerity1 and pursue the proper callings and the course of your life4 #ch4 ,he having assented to my proposal1 ,i ascended on the tree and loosened his feet therefrom2 as they let loose the feet of an elephant from the fetters tied to its prop and post4 #ci4 ,having then bathed himself1 he made his offerings with his pure hands for the remission of his sins2 and then with the fruits which he was fortunate to pluck from the tree1 he broke the fast of his long lent4 #dj4 ,it was by virtue of his meritorious devotion1 that we obtained plenty of the delicious fruits of that holy tree2 where upon we refreshed ourselves1 and subsisted for three days4 #da4 ,thus this ,brhman being desirous of obtaining the sovereignity of the earth1 consisting of the septuple continents girt by the seven oceans all around1 made his painful maceration with his uplifted feet and downward head1 until he obtained desired boon from the god of day1 and refreshed himself for three days at the spot1 till at last both of us set out on our journey towards the city of ,mathur4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxi4 ,,brahma-,g,t ,,continued4 ,argument3--,the guest's description of the sanctuary of the goddess ,gaur4 ,the guest ,kunda-danta resumed his narration and said3--,we then betook ourselves to our homeward journey1 and bent our course towards the holy city of ,mathur1 which was as fair and splendid as the solar and lunar mansions1 and the celestial city of ,amaravati of ,indra4 #b4 ,we reached at the rustic habitation of ,raudha1 and halted at the mango forest over an adjacent rock4 ,then we turned towards the city of ,salsa1 where we remained two days in the cheerfulness of our spirits4 #c4 ,we passed our itinerant time1 with that hilarity of our hearts1 which ever attends on travelling through unknown places and scenes2 and the succeeding season of our halting1 was passed in our repose under the cooling shade of woodland arbours1 and refreshing ourselves in the cooling brooks and breezes4 #d4 ,the faded flowers which were thrown down in profusion1 from the flowery creepers growing on the banks of rivers2 the dashing of the waves1 the humming of the bees1 and the singing of birds1 are delightsome to the souls of passing travellers4 #e4 ,the thickening and cooling shades of beachening trees1 the droves of deer and the flights of chirping birds2 and the frozen ice and dew drops1 hanging tremulously as pearls on the leaves of verdant trees1 and at the ends of the blades of green grass 7are refreshing to the soul of the weary passenger47 #f4 ,we passed many days through woods and forests1 and over hills and dales1 through caves and defiles1 over marshes and dry lands1 and in cities and villages2 and also crossed over a great many rivers and channels and running waters4 #g4 ,we passed our nights under the arbours of thick plantain forests2 and being weary with walking over snow and dew1 we laid ourselves on beds made of plantain leaves4 #h4 ,on the third we came to a jungle full of gigantic woods and trees1 which for want of human habitation1 seemed to have divided the empire of heaven between themselves 7meaning that there was to be seen nothing1 except the skies above and woods below74 #i4 ,here that devotee left the right path1 and entered into another forest1 with uttering these useless words to me 7which were discursive and preventive of our returning to our respective habitations74 #aj4 ,he said3--,let us go to the sanctuary of ,gaur here1 which is the resort of many munis and sages from all quarters2 and is the asylum to which my seven brothers1 have repaired for attainment of their objects4 #aa4 ,we are eight brothers in all1 and all of us have fostered great ambitions in various respects2 we are all equally resolved to devote ourselves to rigorous austerities1 for the success of our determined purposes4 #ab4 ,it is for that purpose that they have sought their shelter in this holy asylum1 and with fixed determination practiced various acts of self mortification1 whereby they have been expurgated from their sins4 #ac4 ,ere this ,i accompanied my brothers to this place1 and remained here with them for six months together2 and now ,i find this same sanctuary of ,gaur in the same state as ,i had seen it before4 #ad4 ,i see the piece of ground1 overhung by the shady flower of trees2 under the shade of which ,i see the young fauns to be reposing in this their peaceful retreat2 ,i see also the leafy bowers with the sprays of birds thereon1 listening to the recital of the sstras1 conducted by the sages underneath4 #ae4 ,let us therefore go to the asylum of the sages1 which resembles the seat of ,brahm crowded by the ,brhmans on all sides2 here shall our bodies be purified of their sins1 and our hearts will be sanctified by the holiness of the place4 #af4 ,it is by sight of these holy men of superior understanding1 that the minds of even the learned and saintlike persons1 and even those of the knowers of truth are purified 7wherefore it must be sanctifying to us also74 #ag4 ,upon his saying so1 we both went together to that asylum of the recluses of sages and hermits2 but to our great disappointment1 we saw nothing but the appearance of a total desolation4 #ah4 ,there was not a tree nor plant1 and neither a shrub nor creeper to be seen on the spot2 nor was there any man or muni or a boy or child was met thereabouts2 nor any altar or priest was there anywhere4 #ai4 ,it was only a vast desert1 all void and devoid of bounds2 an unlimited space of burning heat1 and appeared as the blank expanse of the sky1 had fallen down on the ground below4 #bj4 ,ah w to us6 what is all this come to be6 said we to one another2 and saying so1 we continued to rove about for a long while1 until we chanced to espy an arbour at some distance4 #ba4 ,it presented a thickly shady and cooling aspect1 resembling that of a dark and drizzling cloud in the sky2 and there was observed an aged hermit1 sitting in his meditation beneath it4 #bb4 ,we two sat upon the grassy spot1 spread out in front of the eremite2 and though we kept sitting there for a long time1 yet we could find no respite in the abstracted meditation of the muni4 #bc4 ,then feeling uneasy at my staying there for a long while1 ,i broke my silence in impatience1 and cried out in a loud voice1 saying1 suspend1 ,o sage1 the life-long musings of your mind4 #bd4 ,my loud cry awakened the muni from the trance of his reverie1 as the roaring of a raining cloud wakens the sleeping lion1 rising straight with his yawning mouth 7and stretched out limbs74 #be4 ,he then said unto us1 who are ye pious persons1 that are in this desert2 say where is that sanctuary of ,gaur gone1 and who is it that has brought me hither4 ,tell me what means this change and what time is this4 #bf4 ,upon his saying so1 ,i replied to him saying1 you sir1 know all this and not we2 say how is it that you being a sage and seer do not know yourself8 #bg4 ,hearing this the holy man betook himself to his meditation again1 and there saw all the events that had occurred to himself and us also4 #bh4 ,he remained a moment in deep thought1 and then coming to himself from his abstraction1 he said unto us1 learn now about this marvelous event1 and know it to be a delusion only by your good common sense4 #bi4 ,this young kadamba tree1 that you are seeing in this desert1 and that gives me a shelter underneath it1 and is now flowering in kindness to me4 #cj4 ,it was for some reason or other1 that the chaste goddess ,gaur1 dwelt for full ten years upon it1 in the form of the goddess of speech1 and underwent all the inclemencies of the seasons sitting there upon4 #ca4 ,it was by her that a goodly grove1 and an extensive forest was stretched out at this place1 which became therefore known by her name1 and was decorated by the flora of all the seasons4 #cb4 ,it was a romantic spot to all grades of gods and men1 who kept singing and sporting here in concert with the melody of tuneful and sportive birds2 the air was filled with clouds of flowers1 which brightened as myriads of moon in the sky2 while the flying dust of full blown lotuses1 perfumed the air on all sides of the forest4 #cc4 ,the pollen of mandara and other flowers1 perfumed the air around2 and the opening bud and blooming blossoms brightened as moons2 the flowering creepers sent forth their fragrance all about1 and the whole courtyard of the forest1 seemed to be strewn over with perfumery4 #cd4 ,its bowers were the seats of the god of the vernal season and flora2 and the orchestra of black-bees1 sitting and singing in concert with their mates on the top of flowers2 the flower beds were spread as the outstretched sheet of moon light1 and as cradles for the swinging sports of siddha and celestial damsels4 #ce4 ,here were brooks frequented by cranes and herons1 and aquatic birds of various kinds2 and there spacious lawns on the ground1 graced by cocks and peacocks1 and land birds of various hues4 #cf4 ,the gandharvas and yakshas1 siddhas and the hosts of celestials1 bowed down to this kadamba tree1 and their coronets rubbed against the branch1 which was sanctified by the touch of the feet of the goddess ,sarasvat alias ,gaur4 ,and the flowers of the tree1 resembling the stars of heaven1 exhaled their fragrance all around4 #cg4 ,gentle zephyrs were playing amidst the tender creeper1 and diffusing a coldness throughout the secret bowers1 even in the light and heat of the blazing sunshine2 while the flying dust of the kadamba and other flowers1 spread a yellow carpet all over the ground4 #ch4 ,the lotus and other aquatic flowers1 were blooming in the brooks1 frequented by storks and cranes and herons and other watery birds1 that sported upon them2 while the goddess regaled herself amidst the flowery groves1 which displayed her wondrous powers in the variety of their flowers4 #ci4 ,it was in such a forest as this1 that the goddess ,gaur the consort of the god ,hara1 resided at this spot for a long time1 for some cause known to her godly mind2 and then by changing her name and form to that of kadamba--,sarasvat1 she waved as gracefully as a kadamba flower1 on the crown of the head of her spoused partner ,hara or ,siva4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxii4 ,,brahma ,g,t ,,continued4 ,,sovereignty ,,of ,,the ,,seven ,,continents4 ,argument3--,meeting of the ,kadamba ,hermit with his brothers1 their bane and blessing and final success4 ,the old anchorite resumed and said3--,the goddess ,gaur dwelt for a full decade of years1 on this very ,kadamba tree of her own accord2 and then she left this arbour of her own will1 in order to join her lord ,hara on his left side4 #b4 ,this young ,kadamba tree1 being verified by the ambrosial touch of the goddess1 never becomes old1 nor fades or withers2 but ever remains as fresh as a child in the lap of her mother4 #c4 ,after the goddess had left this place1 that great garden was converted to a common bush1 and was frequented only by woodmen1 who earned their livelihood by woodcutting4 #d4 ,as for myself1 know me to be the king of the country of ,malwa1 and to have now become a refugee in this hermitage of holy ascetics1 by abdication of my kingdom4 #e4 ,on my resorting to this place1 ,i was honoured here by the inhabitants of this holy asylum2 and have taken any abode beneath this kadamba tree1 where ,i have been in my meditative mood ever since that time4 #f4 ,it was some time ago1 that you sir1 had come here in company with seven brethren1 and betaken yourselves to the practice of your religious austerities4 #g4 ,so did you eight persons reside here as holy devotees since that time1 and were respected by all the resident devotees of this place4 #h4 ,it came to pass in process of time1 that one of them removed from here to the ,sr mountain2 and then the second among them1 went out to worship the lord ,krtikeya in another place4 #i4 ,the third has gone to ,benares and the fourth to the ,himlayas2 and the remaining four remained at this place1 and employed themselves to their rigorous austerities4 #aj4 ,it was the earnest desire of each and every one of them1 to become the sovran lord of all the seven continents of the earth4 #aa4 ,at last they all succeeded to accomplish their objects of their self same desire1 by the grace and boon which obtained from the respective deity of their adoration1 that was pleased with the austerity of his particular devotee4 #ab4 ,the brethren returned to their habitation1 when you had been employed in your devotion2 and after their enjoyment of the fruition of this earth in golden age1 they have ascended to the empyrean of ,brahm4 #ac4 ,o sir1 those brothers of yours1 finding their respective gods propitious to them1 and willing to confer blessings upon them1 had made the following request of them saying3-- #ad4 ,ye gods6 make our seven brothers1 the lords of the seven continents of the earth2 and let all our subjects be truthful and sincere1 and attached to the occupations of their respective orders4 #ae4 ,the gods that were adored by them1 gladly occupied their prayer2 and having assented to their request1 disappeared from them1 and vanished in the open sky4 #af4 ,they all went afterwards to their respective habitation1 and met death except this one who is now here4 #ag4 ,i only have been sitting alone1 devoutly intent upon meditation2 and have remained as motionless as a stone1 beneath this kadamba tree1 which is sacred to the goddess of speech4 #ah4 ,now as the seasons and years1 have been rolling on upon my devoted head1 ,i have lived to see this forest1 to be broken and cut down by woodmen1 living in the skirts of these woods4 #ai4 ,they have spared only this unfading kadamba tree1 which they had made an object of their veneration1 as the abode of the goddess of speech2 and me also whom they believe to be absorbed in inflexible meditation4 #bj4 ,now sirs1 as you seem to have newly come to this place1 and bear the appearance of aged ascetics2 ,i have therefore related to you all that ,i have come to know by my cogitation only4 #ba4 ,rise then ye righteous men1 and proceed to your native homes2 where you will meet your brothers in the circle of their family and friends4 #bb4 ,you will find eight of your brothers1 remaining in their abode2 and resembling the eight high minded ,vasus1 sitting in the high heaven of ,brahm4 #bc4 ,after that great devotee had said so far1 ,i interrupted him saying3--,i have a great doubt in this wondrous relation of yours1 which you will be pleased to expound it to me4 #bd4 ,we know this earth to be composed of seven continents only1 how then is it possible for eight brothers1 to be the lord of them all1 at the one and same time4 #be4 ,the kadamba ascetic said3--,it is not inconsistent what ,i have related to you1 there are many such are seemingly incongruous1 but become evident when they are explained4 #bf4 ,these eight brothers1 having passed their periods of asceticism1 will all of them become lords of the seven continents of the earth1 in their domestic circles4 7i4e4 ,each thinks himself as such74 #bg4 ,all these eight brothers1 will remain in their respective houses on the surface of the earth2 and will there become the lords of the septuple continents1 in the manner as you shall now hear from me4 #bh4 ,every one of these eight persons had each a wife at home1 who were of unblemished character and persons withal2 and resembled the eight stars or planets of heavens1 in the brightness of their bodies4 7,they were equally chaste and fair and loving wives also74 #bi4 ,after these eight brothers have departed1 to conduct their protracted devotion abroad2 their love lorn wives became disconsolate at their separation1 which is altogether intolerable to faithful wives4 #cj4 ,they in their great sorrow of spirit1 made painful austerities to the memory of the absent lords2 and conducted a hundred ,chndryana vows and rites1 to the satisfaction of the goddess ,prvat4 7,the ,olympian ,juno1 and the patroness of chastity74 #ca4 ,invisibly the goddess appeared to them1 and spake her words to them separately in their inner apartments2 after each and every one of them had performed her daily devotion to the goddess4 #cb4 ,the goddess said3--,o ,child1 that hast been long fading away by thy austerities1 like the tender shoot under the scorching sun2 now accept this boon to thy heart's desire1 both for thyself as also for thy husband4 #cc4 ,hearing this voice of the goddess of heaven1 the lady ,chirantik1 offered her handfuls of flowers to her1 and began to address her prayer to the goddess1 to her heart's satisfaction4 #cd4 ,the reserved and close tongued damsel1 uttered her words in a slow flattering voice flushed with joy2 and addressed the heavenly goddess1 as the peahen accosts the rising cloud4 #ce4 ,chirantik said3--,o goddess1 as thou bearest eternal love to ,siva--the god of gods1 such is the love ,i bear also to my husband1 ,o make him immortal4 #cf4 ,the goddess replied3--,know1 ,o goodly minded lady1 that it is impossible to gain immortality1 from the inflexible decree of destiny1 ever since the creation of the world4 ,no devotion1 austerity nor charity can buy life1 ask therefore some other blessing4 #cg4 ,chirantik said3--,o goddess6 if it be impossible to attain immortality1 then ordain it thus far2 that he being dead1 his soul may not depart beyond the confines of this house of his4 #ch4 ,when the body of my husband1 falls dead in this house2 then confer me this boon1 that his parted soul may never depart from this place4 #ci4 ,be it so1 ,o daughter1 that your husband being gone to the other world1 you may still continue to be his beloved wife1 even after his demise4 #dj4 ,saying so1 the goddess ,gaur held her silence in the midst of the air2 as the sound of the clouds is stopped1 after its betokening the welfare of the world4 #da4 ,after disappearance of the goddess in air1 the husbands of these ladies returned to them from all sides1 and at the lapse of some time after they had received their desired blessings4 #db4 ,now was there a mutual interview of the wives with their husbands1 and general meeting of the brothers with each other1 and with their friends and relatives4 #dc4 ,hear now a wonderful event1 which happened to them at this time2 and which presented itself as an obstacle1 towards the achievement of their noble purpose4 #dd4 ,it was at the time when the brothers were employed in their devotion1 that their parents had gone out with their wives in search of them1 and were wandering about the hermitages of saints1 with their sorrowful hearts4 #de4 ,unmindful of their personal pains and pleasures1 for the sake of the welfare of their sons1 they intended to see the village of ,kalapa1 which lay on their way4 #df4 ,passing by the village of munis or saints1 they espied on their way a white man of short stature1 with grey and erect hairs on his head1 and his body bedaubed with ashes4 #dg4 ,thinking him to be an ordinary old passenger1 the parents forgot to do him due honour1 and let the dust of the ground they trod upon1 fly unwarily to his sacred person4 ,this irritated the old passenger1 who thus bespake to him in his ire4 #dh4 ,you great fool that are going on pilgrimage in company with thy wife and daughters-in-law2 don't you heed me the sage ,durvsas1 that you slight to do me due reverence4 #di4 ,for this act of thy negligence1 the boons so dearly earned by thy sons and daughters in law will go for nothing1 and will be attained with their contrary effect4 #ej4 ,on hearing this malediction the old parents and their daughters in law1 were proceeding to do him reverence1 when the ancient sage disappeared from their sight and vanished in air4 #ea4 ,at this the parents and their daughters1 were greatly dismayed and disheartened2 and returned disappointed to their home1 with their melancholy countenances4 #eb4 ,therefore ,i say1 there was not the only inconsistency1 in each of the brothers reigning over the seven continents all at once2 but there were many other odds awaiting upon them as on all human wishes2 and these occurring as thickly one after the other as the sores and ulcers growing on goitres4 7,or pouches on the throat74 #ec4 ,there are as many oddities and vanities1 always occurring in the wishes1 and aerial castles of the vacuous mind2 as the numberless portents and comets and meteors and unnatural sights1 are seen to appear in the empty sky4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxiii4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,seven ,,continents4 ,argument3--,brahm's relation of the contending sides of blessing and imprecation4 ,kunda-,danta rejoined3--,i then asked the hermit of ,gaur's asylum1 whose head was hoary with age1 and whose hair resembled the dried blades of withered grass4 #b4 ,there are but seven continents only1 that composed this earth2 how then could every one of the eight brothers1 become the sole lord of earth at one and the same time4 #c4 ,again how could a person1 that had no egress from his house1 conquer the seven continents abroad1 or govern them himself 7by sitting quietly at home74 #d4 ,how could they that had the boon on one hand1 and its contrary curse on the other1 go in either way which are opposed to one another1 as the cool shade of trees and the heat of sunshine8 #e4 ,how can opposite qualities reside together at the same time1 which is as impossible as the container and contained to become the same thing8 7,here the blessing of the gods and the curse of the sage1 must counteract one another1 and neither of them could effect anything74 #f4 ,the ,hermit of the asylum returned3--,attend1 ,o holy man1 to my relation of the sequel of their tale2 and you will come to see the sequence of their contrary fates4 #g4 ,as for you two1 you will reach to your home1 after eight days from this place2 and there meet with your relatives1 with whom you will live happily for some time4 #h4 ,these eight brothers also1 having joined with their families at home3 will breathe their last in course of time2 and have their bodies burnt by their friends and relations4 #i4 ,then their conscious souls1 will remain separately in air for a little while2 and there continue in a state of torpidity1 as in the insensibility of sleep4 #aj4 ,all this interval their acts will appear1 in the vacuous space of their minds1 for the sake of receiving their retributive justice2 and also the blessing of gods and the curse of the sage1 will wait on them at this time4 #aa4 ,the acts will appear in the shapes of the persons to whom they were done and the blessings and imprecation likewise will assume their particular forms1 in order to make their appearance before them4 #ab4 ,the blessings will assume the forms of fair moon-bright bodies1 having four arms on each1 and holding a lotus bud1 a club and other weapons in each of them4 #ac4 ,the curse will take the forms of ,siva with his three eyes1 and holding the lance and mace in his either hand2 and having a dark terrific body1 with a surly grim and frowning countenance4 #ad4 ,the ,blessings will vauntingly say3--,avaunt thou accursed curse6 it is now our time to work2 as it is with the seasons to act their parts at their proper times4 #ae4 ,the curse will say in his turn3--,be afar from here2 ye blessed blessings1 and do not intrude upon my time2 it will take effect as any one of the seasons1 nor is there any body capable of counteracting its wonted course4 #af4 ,the blessings will rejoin and say2 ,thou cured curse1 art but a creature of an human sage2 but we are messengers of the ,god of day2 now as preference is given to the first born ,god of light1 over a human being 7who is the last work of ,god72 it is proper that we should have our precedence here 7in the present case74 #ag4 ,upon the blessings saying so1 the personified curse of the sage got enraged1 and returned in reply saying1 ,i am no less the creation of a ,god than you are since we are born of the ,god ,rudra by his consort ,rudrn--the ,fury4 #ah4 ,rudra is the greatest of gods1 and the sage was born with a portion of ,rudra's prowess2 saying so the accursed curse lifted up its head1 as high as the exalted summit of a mountain4 #ai4 ,on seeing the haughty high-headedness of the personation of curse2 the personified image of the boon smiled scornfully at him1 and then made his reply in his speech of well weighed words4 #bj4 ,o thou miscreant curse1 leave thy wickedness and think on the end of this affair2 as also about what is to be done1 after termination of all this altercation of ours4 #ba4 ,we must have recourse to the father of the gods1 for his favourable decision of the case1 is it not therefore better for us to do even now what must come to be finally determined by him4 #bb4 ,the curse on hearing these words of the personified boon replied1 well1 ,i agree to what you say2 because a fool even cannot decline to accept the reasonable proposal of a person4 #bc4 ,then the curse agreed to resort to the abode of ,brahm2 in company with the divine ,blessing2 because the great-minded gods are always resorted to by the wise1 for the dissipation of their doubts4 #bd4 ,they bended down before ,brahm1 and related all that had occurred between them2 and the god on hearing the whole on both sides1 replied to them in the following manner4 #be4 ,brahm said3--,hearken unto me1 ye master of blessing and curse1 and let him have the precedence of the other1 that is possessed of intrinsic merit and essence4 #bf4 ,upon hearing this from the mouth of the great god1 they both entered in their turn into the heart of one another1 in order to sound their understandings1 and descry their respective parts4 #bg4 ,they then having searched into the eternal essentialities of one another1 and having known their respective characters2 came out in presence of the ,god1 and besought him by turns4 #bh4 ,the curse said3--,i am overcome1 ,o ,lord of creatures1 by this my adversary1 in my having no internal merit in myself1 and finding the curses of my foe1 to be as sound and solid as the hard stony rock and the strong thunderbolt4 #bi4 ,but both ourselves and the blessings1 being always but intellectual beings1 we have no material body whatever to boast of at any time4 #cj4 ,the ,blessing replied3--,the intellectual blessing1 which its giver 7the god in the sun71 has given to its askers the ,brhmans1 is here present before you2 and this is entrusted to my charge 7to be delivered unto them74 #ca4 ,the body of every one is the evolution of one's intelligence1 and it is this body which enjoys the consequence of the curse or blessing that is passed on one according to his knowledge of it2 whether it is in his eating or drinking or in his feeling of the same1 in all his wandering at all times and places4 7i4e4 ,the consciousness of one's merits and demerits1 accompanies him every where1 and makes him enjoy or suffer their results accordingly74 #cb4 ,the blessing received from its donor1 is strengthened in the mind of the donee in time2 and this acting forcibly within one's self1 overcomes at last the power or effect of the curse4 7i4e4 ,firm good will1 turns away the evil ones74 #cc4 ,the donor's bestowal of a blessing1 to his supplicants for it2 becomes strong and effectual only1 when it is deeply rooted and duly fostered in one's self4 7i4e4 ,a good given us by others1 is of no good1 unless we cultivate it well ourselves74 #cd4 ,it is by means of the continued culture of our conscious goodness1 and by the constant habit of thinking of our desert1 that these become perfected in one's self1 and convert their possessor to their form4 7,it is the habitual mode of the mind's thought1 that makes the future man1 be it a holy or accursed one74 #ce4 ,the pure and contrite conscience alone1 consummates one's consciousness in time2 but the impure conscience of the evil minded1 never finds its peace and tranquility4 ,hence the ,brhmans' thoughts of the blessing1 had taken the possession of their minds1 and not that of the curse3 because the earlier one1 has the priority over the latter1 though it be that of a minute only 7as the law of primogeniture1 supersedes the claim of youngsters to state72 and there is no rule2-- #cf4 ,nor force of pride to counteract this law4 7,hence the blessing of the god1 being prior to the curse of the sage1 must have its precedence over the latter74 #cg4 ,but where both sides are of equal force1 there both of them have their joint effect upon the same thing2 so the curse and blessing being conjoined together1 must remain as the commingling of milk with water4 #ch4 ,the equal force of the blessing and curse1 must produce a double or divided effect on the mind of man2 as a person dreaming of the fairy city in his sleep1 thinks himself as turned to one of its citizens 7without losing the idea of his own personality3 so a man has a different idea of himself1 in different states of his life74 #ci4 ,now pardon me1 ,o ,lord for my repetition of the same truths before thee that ,i have learnt from thee1 and permit me now to take leave of thee1 and depart to my place4 #dj4 ,upon his saying so1 the curse felt ashamed in itself1 and fled away from the presence of the god2 as the ghosts and goblins fly away from the air1 at the dispersion of darkness from the sky4 #da4 ,then the other blessing 7which was given by the goddess ,gaur to the ladies of these brothers71 concerning the restriction of their departed ghosts1 to the confines of their house1 came forward and presented itself before ,brahm in lieu of the curse1 and began to plead his case1 as a substitute does for his constituent4 #db4 ,he said3--,i know not1 ,o ,lord of gods1 how human souls can fly over the seven continents of the earth1 after their separation from their dead bodies 7,deign to explain this therefore unto me47 #dc4 ,i am the same blessing of the goddess1 that promised unto them their dominion over the seven continents in their own house2 and also their conquest of the whole earth within its confines4 #dd4 ,now tell me1 ,o ,lord of gods1 how am ,i to restrain their spirits to the narrow limits of their own abodes2 and at the same time confer the domain of the septuple earth1 to each and every one of them 7as it is destined to them by the blessing of the ,god of day47 #de4 ,brahm responded3--,hear me1 ,o thou blessing of conferring the realms of the seven continents on each of them2 and thou the boon of detaining their departed spirits within the confines of these mansions2 that both of you are successful in executing your respective purposes on them4 #df4 ,now do you retire from this place with full assurance in yourselves1 that the delivered ghosts of these brothers2 will never quit nor ever depart from their present abodes after their demise2 but continue to reside there forever more2 with the belief of their being the ,lords of the seven regions of this earth4 7,it is the firm belief of the mind of the possession of anything1 that makes it the true possessor thereof1 much more than its actual enjoyment of the same74 #dg4 ,their souls will remain at proper distances from each other1 after the loss and extinction of their frail bodies2 and will deem themselves as lords of the seven regions of earth1 though dwelling in the empty air of their own abodes4 #dh4 ,how could there be the eight regions and seven continents of the earth1 when to all appearance the surface of the earth1 presents but a flat level everywhere4 #di4 ,tell us ,lord6 where are these different divisions of the earth situated1 and in what part of their petty abode2 and is it not as impossible for the small place of their house to contain this wide earth in it1 as it is for the little cell of a lotus bud to hide an elephant in its pericarp4 #ej4 ,brahm replied3--,it being quite evident to you as to ourselves also1 that the universe is composed of an infinite vacuity only2 it is not impossible for its being contained within the hollow of the human heart1 as in the minute particle of the vacuous mind1 which contains all things in it in the manner of its dreams4 #ea4 ,if it were possible for the minute granule of their vacuous minds1 to contain the figures of their houses and their domestic circles within itself1 why should it be thought impossible for them1 to compress the greater and lesser circle of this earth also1 within their ample space4 #eb4 ,after the demise of a person1 the world exhibits itself in the same form as it is1 in the minute atom of his mind2 and this is but a vacuous mass of the visible and material world1 in its invisible and imaginary figure4 #ec4 ,it is in this invisible particle of the mind1 that the world is seen in its abstract form1 within the precincts of the body and abode of every body2 and this earth appears to be drawn in it as in a map1 with all its sevenfold continents and the contents thereof4 #ed4 ,whatever is manifest in the mind1 is a mere mental conception and inborn in the mind1 and there is no such thing as an extraneous or material world in reality4 ,it is the vacant mind that presents these vagaries of the world and all other visibles before its vision1 as the vacuous firmament shows the variety of atmospherical appearances to our sight4 #ee4 ,the personified benediction1 having learnt this abstract truth1 from the mouth of the divine ,brahm1 who had conferred this boon to the ,brhmanical brothers1 abandoned his erroneous conception of the material world1 and repaired to the abode of the deceased brethren1 that had been released from the mistake of their mortal bodies4 #ef4 ,the personated blessing bowed down to the bounteous ,brahm1 and departing from his presence with speed1 entered into the parlour of the eight brother kings1 in his eight-fold spiritual personality 7called the ashta siddhi74 #eg4 ,they beheld the brothers there in their respective residences1 each sitting as the ,lord of the earth with its septuple continents1 and all of them employed in the performance of their sacrifices and enjoyment of their blessings1 like the eight ,lordly ,manus for the whole period of a day of ,brahm4 #eh4 ,they were all friendly to each other1 though unacquainted with the respective provinces of one another2 each of them was employed in his concern with the world1 without clashing with the authority of another over it4 #ei4 ,one of them who was handsome in the bloom of his youth2 held his happy reign over the great city of ,ujjain1 which was situated in the precincts of his own house1 or rather in the environs of his own mind4 #fj4 ,another one of them had his domain over the country of ,scythia 7ska71 where he settled himself for his conquest of the ,ngas 7saccae72 he cruises as a corsair in the wide outlandish seas1 for his victory on every side4 #fa4 ,another reigns secure in his capital of ,kusadwpa1 and confers perfect security to his subjects from all alarm2 and like a hero who has quelled his enemies1 he rests in peace on the bosom of his beloved1 after all his conquest4 #fb4 ,some one of them indulges himself to sport1 in company with the celestial ,nymphs of ,vidydhara2 in skimming over the waters of the lakes on mountain tops1 and in the gushing water falls on their side4 #fc4 ,another one is engaged these eight days in conducting his horse sacrifice in his royal abode at ,krauncha dwpa1 which he has greatly aggrandised with his accumulated gold1 from the other continents4 #fd4 ,another one is employed in waging a battle in the ,slmali continents1 where his war elephants have assembled1 and have been uprooting the boundary mountain from their bases with robust tusks4 #fe4 ,the ,monarch of the ,gomedha continent1 who had been the eighth and last of the ,brhman brothers1 was smitten with love for the princess of the ,pushkara dwpa2 upon which he mustered a large armament for ravishing her in warfare4 #ff4 ,the monarch of the ,pushkara continent1 who was also the master of the ,mountainous regions of ,lokloka2 set out with his deputy to inspect the land of the gold mines4 #fg4 ,thus every one of these brothers1 thought himself to be the ,lord of his respective province1 as his imagination portrayed unto him in the region of his mind4 #fh4 ,the ,blessings then1 having relinquished their several forms and personalities1 became united and one with the consciousness of the ,brhmans1 and felt and saw whatever passed in them1 as if they were passing in themselves likewise4 7,the divine blessing on them being no other than the approbation of their conscience74 #fi4 ,so these brothers became and found in themselves1 what they had long been longing after1 in their respective lordship over the seven regions of the earth1 which they continued to enjoy ever since to their heart's content4 #gj4 ,it was in this manner that these men of enlarged understandings1 obtained what they sought in their minds1 by means of their austere devotion and firm devotedness to their purpose4 ,so it is with the learned that they find everything beside them1 whatever they are intent upon in their minds1 by means of their acting upon the same principle1 and using the proper means conducing to that end4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxiv4 ,a ,,lecture ,,on ,,the ,,all ,,comprehensiveness ,,of ,,the ,,soul4 ,argument3--,nature of the unenlightened soul1 to represent unnumbered worlds within itself4 ,kunda-danta said3--,i then asked the devotee sitting beneath the kadamba tree1 to tell me how the seven large continents of the globe1 could be contained within the narrow limits of the abodes of each of these brothers 7which is next to an impossibility74 #b4 ,the kadamba devotee replied3--,the essence of the intellect though so very vacuous in itself1 is notwithstanding the most capacious and ubiquious of any thing in existence2 and is present in its own nature with every thing1 wherever it is known to exist4 #c4 ,the soul sees itself in the form of the triple world1 and every thing besides in its different nature and figure1 without changing itself to any one of them4 7i4e4 ,the soul remains unchanged in all the changeful scenes of nature74 #d4 ,kunda-danta rejoined3--,but how do you attribute the quality of variety or multiplicity1 to the purely simple and immutable nature of the ,supreme soul1 as you see them appertaining to the intrinsic character of everything else in nature4 7,or as ,pope says3--,that changed through all1 yet in all the same2 great in the earth1 as in the etherial frame74 #e4 ,the kadamba devotee replied3--,the sphere of the intellectual vacuum1 is all quiet and serene1 and there is nothing as any variety or multiformity in it2 the changes that are apparent in its face1 are no more1 than the waves and eddies1 whirling on the surface of the changeless main4 #f4 ,it is in the immensity of intellectual vacuity1 that infinite creations seem to be continually purling about1 as the rising waves are seen to be whirling in the sea2 and it is in its fathomless depth that they appear to sink1 like the waters subsiding in the hollow of the deep4 #g4 ,the substantial forms of things1 that rise in the unsubstantial essence of the intellect1 are as the various forms of substances1 seen in the dreaming state of the soul1 and all which are utterly forgotten in its state of sound sleep--susupti4 #h4 ,as a ,hill seen in dream is no hill at all1 and as things appearing to be in motion in dreaming1 are found afterwards to be perfectly motionless2 so are all things in nature but mere unrealities1 and though as real from the real nature of soul itself4 7i4e4 ,it is the intellect that fashions everything in its own manner1 and its imagination gives a form to an airy nothing74 #i4 ,the intellect is an immaterial substance1 and neither creates nor perceives any thing material by itself2 but conceives everything as it is manifested to it in its idea in the beginning4 7i4e4 ,the ideas of things are inborn in the mind74 #aj4 ,as the intellect sees a great variety of objects in its dream1 which it takes for realities for the time2 so its belief in the reality of its ideas1 causes it to conceive them as real entities4 #aa4 ,the vacuous intellect1 which glitters of itself in its own state of transparence2 comes to find the world shinning in the same light within itself4 7i4e4 ,the world is subjective with the intellect1 and not a part from our intellectual light of the same74 #ab4 ,as we have the consciousness of heat in the fire1 even when it is seen in a dream2 so we are conscious of the presence of everything in our minds1 even in the absence of the thing itself from us4 7,it was thus that the ,brhman brothers were conscious of their lordship1 even in their want of the realms themselves74 #ac4 ,and as we have the idea of the solidity of a pillar1 from our dream of it in sleep2 so have we the idea of the great variety of things in existence2 although there is no diversity or difference in the nature of the ,one unvaried unity that pervades the whole4 7,and that shows its unchangeable self1 as many and changed through all--,aham-bahusyam74 #ad4 ,in the beginning all substances were as pure and simple1 as the essence of their maker by and after which they were made2 and they still continue to be in the same state of their ideal purity1 as they were originally made out of that airy entity and unity4 #ae4 ,as the tree is diversified in the various forms of its roots and fruits1 and its leaves1 flowers and the trunk2 so is the ,supreme unity varied in all and everywhere in his self-same and undivided essence4 #af4 ,it is in the fathomless ocean of the ,supreme essence1 that the immensity of creation is subsisting like the waters of the deep2 and it is in the boundless space of that transcendent vacuum1 that the infinity of the worlds have been rolling on1 in their original vacuous and apparently visible forms4 #ag4 ,the transcendental and comprehensible i4e4 the immaterial soul and the material world1 are but commutual terms as the tree and arbour1 and their difference lies in the intelligibleness of the one and unintelligibility of the other2 but true intelligence leads us to the unconceivable ,one1 while our ignorance of the same1 deludes us to the knowledge of many1 and tends to our distress only4 7,true happiness in our reliance on the unknown ,one only74 #ah4 ,the mundane and supermundane is surely the ,one and same thing1 according to the deduction of spiritual philosophy2 and the knowledge of this sublime truth1 is sure to lead one to his ultimate liberation4 #ai4 ,the world is the product of the will of ,god1 and the will is a power or faculty appertaining to the personality of the ,deity2 and the same being transmuted to the form of the world1 it is proved that the world is the formal part of the ,supreme soul4 7,whose body nature is1 and ,god the soul74 #bj4 ,he whom no words can define1 and yet who defines the senses of words2 who is subject to no law or prohibition1 or to any state or condition of being1 but appoints them for all sorts of beings1 is indeed the only ,lord of all4 #ba4 ,he that is ever silent but speaks through all1 who is inactive as a rock but acts in all2 who is always existent and appears as inexistent1 is the ,supreme ,lord of all4 #bb4 ,that subtile essence that constitutes the solidity of all gross bodies1 and remains undecayed in all frail bodies1 is the pure ,brahma himself2 ,he has no volition or nolition of creation or destruction1 and there is no possession or want of the property of anything4 #bc4 ,it is the one and invariable soul1 that rests always in its state of rest and sleep1 and perceives the succession of creation and destruction of the world1 in its alternate states of dream and sound sleep1 which present themselves as two pictures before its sight4 #bd4 ,it is also in the substratum of the intellect1 that unnumbered worlds seem to rise and set in succession2 they appear as passing pictures before the mind1 without being rooted or painted therein4 #be4 ,as the mixing of one thing with another1 produces a different effect in the mixture2 so doth the union of the mind with the organs of sense1 cause a variety of impressions to be imprinted in the intellect4 7,so the commixture of curd and sugar creates a different flavour in the condiment1 gloss74 #bf4 ,all things have their existence in the essence of the intellect only1 without which nothing is knowable to any body2 hence there is nothing anew in nature1 except its being but a representation of the original idea in the mind 7and this is evident from the identity and similarity of the ectypes with its antitypes1 gloss74 #bg4 ,hence our consciousness of the identity of things with the essence of our intellect1 proves them to be as immaterial and immovable as their fixed ideas in the mind4 #bh4 ,thus the world which is so visible and perceptible to us1 is nothing but a mere nullity in reality2 and whatever appears as existing herein1 together with the great gods and angels1 are no more than the false visions in our dream and fancy4 #bi4 ,we see the various fluctuations and phenomena1 rising in the waters of the vast ocean of the intellect2 and appearing in the forms of our joy and grief1 and those of moving and unmoving bodies in creation4 #cj4 ,o that the nature and course of the world1 should so obscure the bright mirror of the intellect2 as to hide it under the dirt of our passions1 and cover it under the clouds and snows of our ignorance4 #ca4 ,as spectres and dissolving views appear in the air1 before the sight of the dimsighted2 so doth this shadow of the world appear as substance1 to the view of the unspiritual myopist4 #cb4 ,whatever we imagine1 the same we find1 and seem to enjoy for the time2 and as we are delighted with the view of our imaginary city1 so do we indulge ourselves in the sight of this air-drawn utopia of the world4 #cc4 ,as we seem to enjoy our ecstasy1 in the fairy land of our fancy2 so we are betaken by the delusion of this unreal world1 under the belief of its reality4 #cd4 ,there is one eternal destiny1 which ever runs apace in its wonted course2 and destines all beings to continue in their allotted careers as ever before4 #ce4 ,it is destiny that produces the moving bodies from living beings1 and the motionless ones from the unmoving2 it is that predestination which has destined the downward course of water and fluids1 and the upward motion of the flames of fire4 #cf4 ,it is that blind impulse1 that impels the members of the body to their respective actions2 and makes the luminous bodies to emit their light2 it causes the winds to wind about in their continuous course1 and makes the mountains to stand unmoved in their proper places4 #cg4 ,it makes the luminaries of heaven1 to roll on in their regular revolutions1 and causes the rains and dews of the sky1 to pour down in their stated seasons2 and it is this eternal destiny that directs the courses of years1 ages and cycles1 and the whole curricle of time to run its wonted course4 #ch4 ,it is the divine ordinance1 that has ordained the limits of the earth and the distant ocean and seas1 and has fixed the position of the hills and rocks in them2 it has allotted the natures and powers of all things1 and prescribed the laws of rights and duties for all and every one4 #ci4 ,kunda-danta rejoined3--,the reminiscence of the scenes of past life1 occurs in the present state of existence1 in the forms of our imagination and of desire for the same2 and these inward thoughts become the gist and marrow to frame our lives in their fashion2 but tell me sir1 how could the first created beings in the beginning of creation have any reminiscence1 whereupon their lives and natures were moulded8 #dj4 ,the devotee replied3--,all these that offer themselves to our view1 are quite unprecedented and without their original patterns in the mind1 and resemble the sight of our own death that we happen to see in a dream4 ,it is the omniscience of ,brahm1 that caused the first creation1 and not his memory of the past as it is with us and other created beings4 #da4 ,it is the nature of our intellect1 to represent the imaginary city of the world in its empty vacuity2 it is neither a positive reality1 nor a negative unreality either2 being now apparent and now lost to sight by itself4 #db4 ,it is the clearness of the intellect1 which represents the imaginary world in the manner of a dream2 but the pure vacuous intellect1 neither sees nor bears the remembrance of the world in itself4 7,it is the sight of a thing1 that leaves its traces in the mind afterwards2 but when there is no sight of a thing1 there can be no remembrance of it74 #dc4 ,the wise that are devoid of joy and grief1 and remain unchanged in prosperity and adversity2 are men of right integrity and equanimity in their nature1 and move on as equably as the wheel of fortune leads them onward4 #dd4 ,as the intellect retains in it1 the remembrance of what it has seen in its dream2 so does it bear in itself the false impression of this triple world to its end4 #de4 ,it is only the reflexion of our consciousness1 which passes under the name of the world2 now knowing the nature of your consciousness as mere vacuousness1 you will blot out the impression of the world also4 #df4 ,that which is all and everything1 and from which all have issued and in which they exist2 know that ,all as all which fills all space1 wherein all things are situated4 #dg4 ,i have thus fully explained to you1 how you may come to know this creation as its creator--the ,great ,brahm ,himself2 and have also expounded to you the means1 whereby you may get rid of your impression of the phenomenal world4 #dh4 ,now rise ye ,brhmans and repair to your abodes1 as the bees resort to their cells and calyxes of lotuses at the dusk of the day2 go and perform your evening services1 while ,i remain here in my pensive meditation1 and absorbed in my spiritual ecstasy forever4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxv4 ,,admonition ,,to ,,and ,,clairvoyance ,,of ,,kunda-,,danta4 ,argument3--,the return of the interlocutors to the abodes2 ,demise of the brothers and enlightenment of ,kunda-danta4 ,kunda-danta rejoined3--,the old sage having said so far1 closed his eyes in meditation2 and he became as motionless as a statue or picture1 without any action of his breath and mind4 #b4 ,and we prayed him with great fondness and endearment1 yet he uttered not a word unto us2 because he seemed to be so rapt in his abstraction1 as to have become utterly insensible of the outer world4 #c4 ,we then departed1 from that place1 with our broken hearts and dejected countenances2 and were received after a few days journey1 by our gladsome friends at home4 #d4 ,we live there in joyous festivity1 as long as the seven brothers were living2 and passed our time in narrations of our past adventures1 and relations of the old accounts of by gone times4 #e4 ,in course of time the eight brothers disappeared 7perished7 one by one1 like the seven oceans at the end of the world1 in the vast ocean of eternity2 and were released like many of my friends also1 from their worldly cares4 #f4 ,after sometime1 the only friend that ,i had1 sunk also like the setting sun in darkness2 and ,i was left alone to bewail their loss in sorrow and misery at their separation4 #g4 ,i then repaired in the sorrow of my heart1 to the devotee under the ,kadamba tree2 in order to derive the benefit of his advice1 to dissipate my dolor4 #h4 ,there ,i waited on him for three months1 until he was released from his meditation1 when upon my humble request of him1 he deigned to answer me as follows4 #i4 ,the devotee replied3--,i can not pass a moment1 without my employment in meditation2 and must without any loss of time1 resort to my wonted devotion again4 #aj4 ,as for you1 you can not derive the benefit of my transcendent advice to you2 unless you engage yourself to practice my precepts with all diligence4 #aa4 ,now ,i tell you to repair to the city of ,ayodhy 7,oudh71 where the king ,dasaratha reigns1 and remains with his son ,rma 7and other children and members of his royal family74 #ab4 ,do you now go to this ,rma1 who has been attending on the lectures of the sage ,vasishtha1 the preceptor and priest of the royal family1 and delivered before the princes assembled in the imperial court4 #ac4 ,you will there hear the holy sermon1 on the means of attaining our final emancipation2 and will thereby obtain your best bliss in the divine state like that of mine4 #ad4 ,saying so1 he was absorbed in the cooling ocean of his meditation2 after which ,i directed my course to this way1 and arrived at last before ,rma and this princely assembly4 #ae4 ,here am ,i1 and all these are the incidents of my life1 as ,i have related herein1 regarding all what ,i have heard and seen1 as also all that has passed on me4 #af4 ,rma said3--,the eloquent ,kunda-danta that made this speech to me1 has been ever since sitting by my side in this assembly4 #ag4 ,this very ,brahmin bearing the name of ,kunda-danta1 that has sat here all along by me2 has heard the whole of the sermon1 which has been delivered by the sage1 on the means of obtaining our liberation4 #ah4 ,now ask this ,kunda-danta1 that is sitting here by me at present1 whether he has well understood the context of this lecture1 and whether his doubts are wholly dissipated or not4 #ai4 ,vasishtha said3--,upon ,rma saying so to me1 ,i looked upon ,kunda-danta1 and made him the following interrogatory1 saying3-- #bj4 ,tell me1 ,oh you goodly ,brhman ,kunda-danta1 what you have learnt and understood1 by your long attendance upon and hearing of my lecture1 calculated to confer liberation on men4 #ba4 ,kunda-danta replied3--,sir1 your lecture has wholly removed the doubts of my mind1 and ,i find myself now as perfect master of myself1 by my victory over all selfish passions1 and by my knowledge of the knowable ,one4 #bb4 ,i have known the immaculate ,one that is to be known1 and seen the undecaying ,one that is worth our seeing2 ,i have obtained all that is worth our obtaining1 and ,i have found my repose in the state of transcendent felicity4 #bc4 ,i have known this plenum1 to be the condensation of that transcendental essence2 and that this world is no other than a manifestation of this sel-fsame soul4 #bd4 ,the universal soul being also the soul of every individual1 is likewise the soul inherent in all forms of things2 it is only the self-existent soul1 that becomes apparent in all existences and all places4 #be4 ,it is possible for the human mind1 which is minuter than the molecule of a mustard seed1 to contain the whole world in itself2 though it is naught but a mere zero1 before the clear sight of the intelligent4 #bf4 ,it is possible also for a little room1 to contain the seven continents of the earth 7in its map or picture72 though the room itself is no more than a mere empty space4 #bg4 ,whatever object is perceptible to us at any time or place1 is only the concrete form of the divine spirit2 which is quite apart from every thing in the discrete4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxvi4 ,,demonstration ,,of ,,all ,,nature 7,,and ,,thing7 ,,as ,,brahma ,,himself4 ,argument3--,elucidation of the sacred text that 8all is ,brahma02 and the equality of curse4 ,vlmki said3--,after ,kunda-danta had finished his saying in the said manner1 the venerable ,vasishtha delivered his edifying speech on spiritual knowledge and said3 #b4 ,whereas the elevated soul of this person1 has found his rest in the paradise of spiritual philosophy2 he will see the world like a globe in his hand1 and glowing with the glory of the great ,god4 #c4 ,the phenomenal world is a false conception1 it is verily the increate ,brahma himself shining in this manner2 this erroneous conception is the very ,brahma1 that is one and ever calm and undecaying4 #d4 ,whatever thing appears any where1 in any state1 form or dimension2 it is the very ,deity1 showing himself in that condition of his being1 form and mode of extension4 #e4 ,this unborn or self-existent ,deity1 is ever auspicious1 calm and quiet2 he is undecaying1 unperishing and immutable1 and extends through all extent1 as the extensive and endless space4 #f4 ,whatever state of things he proposes in his all-knowing intellect1 the same is disposed by him in a thousand ways1 like the branching out of a plant in the rains4 #g4 ,the great mundane egg1 is situated as a particle in the bosom of the great intellect of ,god2 and this world of ours is a particle also1 being comprised in a grain of our brains4 #h4 ,know therefore1 my good friend1 thy intellectual sphere to be boundless1 and without its beginning or end2 and being absorbed in the meditation of thy personal extinction1 do thou remain as quiet as thou art sitting1 relying in thy unperturbed and imperishable soul4 #i4 ,wherever there is anything in any state or condition in any part of the world1 there you will find the presence of the divine spirit in its form of vacuity2 and this without changing its nature of calm serenity1 assumes to itself whatever form or figure it likes 7or rather evolves them from within itself at its free will74 #aj4 ,the spirit is itself both the view and its viewer2 it is equally the mind and the body1 and the subjective and objective alike2 ,it is something and yet nothing at all1 being the great ,brahma or universal soul1 that includes and extends throughout the whole4 #aa4 ,the phenomenal is not to be supposed as a duality of1 or any other than the self-same ,brahma2 but it is to be known as one and the same with the divine self1 as the visible sky and its vacuity4 #ab4 ,the visible is the invisible ,brahma1 and the transcendent ,one is manifest in this apparent whole 7because the noumenon shows the phenomenon1 as this exhibits the other73 therefore it is neither quiescent nor in motion1 and the formal is altogether formless4 #ac4 ,like dreams appearing to the understanding1 do these visions present themselves to the view2 the forms are all formless conceptions of the mind1 and more intangible ideas of the brain4 #ad4 ,as conscious beings come to be unconscious of themselves1 in their dormant state of sleep2 so have all these living and intelligent beings1 become unconscious and ignorant of themselves and their souls1 and turned to torpid trees that are lost to their sensibility4 #ae4 ,but the intellect is capable to return to its sensibility1 from its state of vegetable torpidity in time2 as the dormant soul turns to see its dreams in sleep1 and then to behold the vivid outer world after its wakening4 #af4 ,until the living soul is liberated from its charm of self delusion1 it is subjected to view its guileful reveries of elemental bodies1 appearing as a chain of airy dreams1 before the mind's eye in sleep4 #ag4 ,the mind gathers the dross of dullness about it1 as the soul draws the sheath of sleep upon itself2 this dullness or dimness of apprehension is not intrinsic in the mind1 but an extraneous schesis contracted by it from without4 #ah4 ,the intellect moulds the form of one1 who is conversant with material and insensible things1 into a motionless and torpid body2 and it is the same intellect1 which shapes the forms of others1 that are conscious of their intellectual natures1 into the bodies of rational and moving being4 7,the dull soul is degraded to the state of immovable things and rooted trees1 but intelligent souls1 are elevated to the rank of moving men and other locomotive animals74 #ai4 ,but all these moving and unmoving beings1 are but different modifications and aspects of the same intellect2 as the nails and other parts of the human body1 are but the multifarious modalities of the same person4 #bj4 ,the order and nature of things has invariably continued the same1 as they have been ordained by the ,divine will ever since its first formation of the world2 and because the creation is a transcript of its original mould in the ,divine mind2 it is as ideal as any working of imagination or a vision in dreaming1 both in its states of being and not being4 #ba4 ,but the intangible and quiescent ,brahma1 is ever calm and quiet in his nature2 he is never permeated with the nature of things1 nor is he assimilated with the order of nature4 #bb4 ,he appears as the beginning and end of creation1 or as the cause of its production and dissolution2 but these are the mere dreams of the ,divine intellect1 which is always in its state of profound sleep and rest4 #bc4 ,the world is ever existent in his spiritual nature1 and without any beginning or end of himself2 the beginning and end of creation1 bear no relation with his self-existent and eternal nature4 #bd4 ,there is no reality in the nature of the visible creation1 or in its existence or dissolution2 all these are no other than representations shown in the spirit of ,god1 like figures described in a picture4 #be4 ,as a legion drawn in painting1 does not differ from its model in the mind of the painter2 so these tangible objects of creation1 with all other endless varieties1 are not different from their prototype in the mind of ,god4 #bf4 ,notwithstanding the want of any difference1 between the noumenal and phenomenal worlds2 yet the mind is prone to view the variance of its subjectivity and objectivity1 as it is apt to differentiate its own doings and dreams1 in the states of its sleep and ignorance4 ,it is the profound sleep and insouciance of the soul1 that cause its liberation from the view1 as its sensibility serves to bind it the more to the bondage of the visibles4 #bg4 ,it is the reflexion of the invisible soul1 that exhibits the visible to view1 just as the subtile sunbeam1 displays a thousand solid bodies glaring in sight2 and shows the different phases of creation and dissolution as in its visions in dreaming4 #bh4 ,the dreaming state of the sleeping intellect is called its ideality1 and the waking state of the self-conscious soul is termed its vitality1 as in the instances of men and gods and other intellectual beings4 #bi4 ,after passing from these1 and knowing the unreality of both these imaginative and speculative states1 the soul falls into its state of profound sleep or trance1 which is believed as the state of liberation by those that are desirous of their emancipation4 #cj4 ,rma said3--,tell me1 ,o venerable sir1 in what proportion doth the intellect abide in men1 gods and demons respectively2 how the soul reflects itself during the dormancy of the intellect in sleep1 and in what manner does it contain the world within its bosom4 #ca4 ,vasishtha replied3--,know the intellect to abide alike in gods and demons1 as well as in all men and women2 it dwells also in imps and goblins1 and in all beasts and birds1 reptiles and insects1 including the vegetables and all immovable things 7within its ample sphere74 #cb4 ,its dimension is boundless and also as minute as an atom2 and it stretches to the highest heaven1 including thousands of worlds within itself4 #cc4 ,the capacity that we have of knowing the regions beyond the solar sphere1 and even of penetrating into the darkness of polar circles2 is all the quality of our intellect1 which extends all over the boundless space1 and is perfectly pellucid in its form and nature4 #cd4 ,so very great is the extent of the intellect1 that it comprehends the whole universe in itself2 and it is this act of his comprehension of the whole1 that is called the mundane creation1 which originates from it4 #ce4 ,the intellect spreads all around like the current of a river1 which glides all along over the ground both high and low1 leaving some parts of it quite dry1 and filling others with its waters4 ,so doth the intellect supply some bodies with intelligence1 while it forsakes others and leaves them in ignorance4 #cf4 ,it is intelligence which constitutes the living soul of the body1 which is otherwise said to be lifeless and insensible2 it resides in all bodies like the air in empty pots1 and becomes vivid in some and imperceptible in others as it likes4 #cg4 ,it is its knowledge of the soul 7i4e4 the intellectual belief in its spiritual71 that removes the error of its corporeity2 while the ignorance of its spiritual nature1 tends the more to foster the sense of its corporeality1 like one's erroneous conception of water in the mirage4 #ch4 ,the mind is as minute as the minutest ray of sunbeams2 and this is verily the living soul1 which contains the whole world within it4 #ci4 ,all this phenomenal world is the phenomenon of the mind1 as it is displayed in its visionary dreams2 and the same being the display of the living soul1 there is no difference at all between the noumenal and the phenomenal4 #dj4 ,the intellect alone is assimilated into all these substances1 which have substantiality of their own2 whatever is seen without it1 is like its visionary dream1 or as the forms of jewelleries made of the substance of gold4 7i4e4 ,the intellect is the intrinsic essence of all external substances74 #da4 ,as the same water of the one universal ocean1 appears different in different places2 and in its multifarious forms of waves and billows2 so doth the divine intellect exhibit the various forms of visibles in itself4 7i4e4 ,nothing is without or different from the divine essence74 #db4 ,as the fluid body of waters1 rolls on incessantly in sundry shapes within the basin of the great deep2 so do these multitudes of visible things1 which are inherent in and identic with the divine intellect1 glide on forever in its fathomless bosom4 #dc4 ,all these worlds are situated as statues1 or they are engraved as sculptures in the aerial column of the divine intellect2 and are alike immovable and without any motion of theirs through all eternity4 #dd4 ,we see the situation of the world1 in the vacuous space of our consciousness2 as we see the appearances of things in our airy dreams4 ,we find moreover everything transfixed in its own sphere and place1 and continuing in its own state1 without any change of its position or any alteration in its nature4 7,the invariable course of nature1 is not the fortuitous production of blind chance74 #de4 ,the exact conformity of everything in this world1 with its conception in the mind of man1 with respect to their invariable equality in form and property1 proves their identity with one another1 or the relation of one being the container of the other4 7i4e4 ,the mind is either same with or container of the world74 #df4 ,there is no difference between the phenomenal and noumenal worlds1 as there is none between those in our dream and imagination4 ,they are in fact1 the one and same thing1 as the identity of the waters1 contained in tanks1 rivers and seas1 and between the curse and blessing of gods4 #dg4 ,rma said3--,tell me sir1 whether a curse or blessing1 is the effect of any prior cause or the causation of subsequent consequences2 and whether it is possible for any effect to take place without its adequate causality4 7,here is a long legend of the transformation of ,nundi and ,nahusha given in illustration of this passage in the commentary74 #dh4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is the manifestation of the clear firmament of the divine intellect in itself1 that is styled as the world2 just as the appearance and motion of waters in the great deep1 is termed the ocean and its current4 #di4 ,the revolution of the eternal thoughts of the divine mind1 resembles the rolling waves of the deep2 and these are termed by sages1 as the will or volitions of the ever wilful mind of ,god4 #ej4 ,the clear minded soul comes in course of time1 to regard this manifestation of the divine will1 in its true spiritual light2 by means of its habitual meditation and reasoning1 as well as by cause of its natural good disposition and evenness of mind4 #ea4 ,the wise man possest of consummate wisdom and learning1 becomes acquainted with the true knowledge of things2 his understanding becomes wholly intellectual1 and sees all things in their abstract and spiritual light2 and is freed from the false view of duality 7or materiality74 #eb4 ,the philosophic intellect1 which is unclouded by prejudice1 is the true form of the ,great ,brahma himself2 who shines perspicuous in our consciousness1 and has no other body besides4 #ec4 ,the enlightened soul sees this whole plenitude of creation1 as the display of the ,divine ,will alone2 and as the exhibition of the tranquil and transparent soul of the ,divinity1 and naught otherwise4 #ed4 ,this manifestation of the ,divine ,will1 in the boundless space of the universe2 likens to the aerial castle of our imagination1 or the city of palaces seen in our dream4 #ee4 ,this all productive will1 is selfsame with the ,divine ,soul2 and produces whatever it likes to do any place or time4 7,lit4 ,whatever it wills1 the same takes place even then and there74 #ef4 ,as a boy thinks of his flinging stones1 at the aerial castle of his imagination2 so the ,divine will is at liberty to scatter1 myriads of globular balls1 in the open and empty space of boundless vacuity4 #eg4 ,thus everything being the manifestation of the ,divine will1 in all these three worlds2 there is nothing as a blessing or curse 7i4e4 good or evil7 herein1 which is distinct from the ,divine ,soul4 #eh4 ,as we can see in our fancy1 the gushing out of oil from a sandy desert2 so can we imagine the coming out of the creation1 from the simple will of the ,divine ,soul4 #ei4 ,the unenlightened understanding1 being never freed from its knowledge of particulars and their mutual differences3 ,it is impossible for it to generalize good and evil1 under the head of universal good4 78,all partial evil is but universal good04 ,pope74 #fj4 ,whatever is willed in the beginning1 by the omniscience of ,god2 the same remains unaltered at all times1 unless it is altered by the same omniscient will4 #fa4 ,the contraries of unity and duality1 dwell together in the same manner in the formless person of ,brahma2 as the different members of an embodied being1 remain side by side in the same person4 7,the knowledge of all contrarieties1 blends together in omniscience4 ,gloss74 #fb4 ,rma said3--,why some ascetics of limited knowledge1 are so very apt to confer their blessings1 as also to pour their imprecations on others2 and whether they are attended with their good or bad results or not4 #fc4 ,vasishtha replied3--,whatever is disposed in the beginning1 by the ,divine will which subsists in ,brahma2 the very same comes to pass afterwards1 and nothing otherwise4 7,lit4 there is no other principle besides74 #fd4 ,brahm the ,lord of creation1 knew the ,supreme ,soul in himself1 and thereby he became the agent of the ,divine will2 therefore there is no difference between them 7i4e4 betwixt ,brahm and ,brahma72 as there is none between the water and its fluidity4 #fe4 ,whatsoever the ,lord of creatures--,brahm1 proposes to do at first as inspired in him by the ,divine will2 the same takes place immediately1 and the very same is styled this world4 #ff4 ,it has no support nor receptacle for itself1 but appears as vacuous bubble in the great vacuity itself2 and resembles the chain of pearls1 fleeting before the eyes of purblind men in the open sky4 #fg4 ,he willed the productions of creatures1 and institution of the qualities of justice1 charity and religious austerities2 ,he stablished the ,vedas and sstras1 and the five system of philosophical doctrines4 7,namely2 the four ,vedas and the ,smritis1 forming the five branches of sacred knowledge1 and the five branches of profane learning--consisting of the ,snkhya yoga1 ,ptanjala1 ,psupata1 and ,vaishnava systems4 ,gloss74 #fh4 ,it is also ordained by the same ,brahm1 that whatever the devotees-learned in the ,vedas1 pronounce in their calmness or dispute1 the same takes place immediately 7from their knowledge of the ,divine will74 #fi4 ,it is he that has formed the chasm of vacuum in the inactive intellect of ,brahma1 and filled it with the fleeting winds and heating fire2 together with the liquid water and solid earth4 #gj4 ,it is the nature of this intellectual principle1 to think of everything in itself2 and to conceive the presence of the same within it1 whether it be a thought of thee or me or of anything beside 7either in general or particular74 #ga4 ,whatever the vacuous intellect thinks in itself1 the same it sees present before it2 as our actual selves come to see1 the unreal sights of things in our dreams4 #gb4 ,as we see the unreal flight of stones1 as realities in our imagination2 so we see the false appearance of the world1 as true by the will of ,god1 and the contrivance of ,brahma4 #gc4 ,whatever is thought of by the pure intellect1 must be likewise of a purely intellectual nature also2 and there is nothing that can do it otherwise 7or convert it to grossness71 as they defile the pure metal with some base alloy4 #gd4 ,we are apt to have the same conceptions of things in our consciousness1 as we are accustomed to consider them1 and not of what we are little practiced to think upon2 hence we conceive all that we see in our dreams to be true1 from our like conceptions of them in our waking state4 7,it is thus that we conceive this purely ideal world as a gross body1 from our habit of thinking so at all times74 #ge4 ,it is by uniting one's intellectuality1 with the universal and divine intellect1 and by the union of the subjective and objective and their perceptibility in one's self1 by means of the tripti yoga1 that we can see the world in its true light4 #gf4 ,one universal and vacuous intellect1 being all pervading and omnipresent1 is the all seeing subject and all seen objects by itself2 hence whatever is seen or known to be anywhere1 is the very verity of the intellect and no other4 #gg4 ,as oscillation is inherent in air1 and fluidity is immanent in water2 so is amplitude intrinsical in ,brahma1 and the plentitude is innate in the ,divine mind4 #gh4 ,even ,i am ,brahma also in his self manifest form of ,virt1 which embodies the whole world as its body2 hence there is no difference of the world from ,brahma1 as there is none between air and vacuity4 #gi4 ,as the drops of water as a cataract1 assume many forms and run their several ways2 so the endless works of nature take their various forms and courses1 at different places and times4 #hj4 ,all beings devoid of their senses and understanding1 issue as waters of the waterfall1 from the cascade of the divine mind2 and remain forever in their uniform courses1 with the consciousness of their existence in ,brahma4 #ha4 ,but such as come forth from it1 with the possession of their senses and intellects in their bodies1 deviate in different ways like the liquid waters1 in pursuit of their many worldly enjoyments4 #hb4 ,they are then insensibly led1 by their want of good sense1 to regard this world as theirs 7i4e4 the sphere of their actions1 72 being ignorant of its identity with the uncreated spirit of ,god4 #hc4 ,as we see the existence and distribution of other bodies in us1 and the inertness of stones in our bodies2 so the ,lord perceives the creation and annihilation of the world1 and its inertia in himself4 #hd4 ,as in our state of sleep we have both our sound sleep and our dreams also2 so doth the divine soul perceive the creation as well as its annihilation1 in its state of perfect rest and tranquility4 #he4 ,the divine soul perceives in its state of tranquility1 the two phases of creation and destruction1 succeeding one another as its day and night2 just as we see our sleep and dreams recurring unto us like darkness and light4 #hf4 ,as a man sees in his mind1 both the dream of moving bodies as well as immovable rocks in his sleep2 so does the ,lord perceive the ideas1 both of the stable and unstable in his intellectual tranquility4 7i4e4 ,it is possible for the intellect to conceive the ideas of gross bodies also74 #hg4 ,as a man of absent mind1 has no heed of the dust flying on any part of his body2 so the divine spirit is not polluted1 by his entertaining the ideas of gross bodies within itself4 #hh4 ,as the air and water and stones1 are possessed of the consciousness of their airy1 watery and solid bodies1 so are we conscious of our material1 intellectual and spiritual bodies likewise4 #hi4 ,as the mind that is freed from seeing the objects of sight1 and liberated from entertaining all their thoughts and desires also1 flows along like a stream of limpid waters2 so doth the current of the divine spirit glide on eternally1 with the waves and eddies of creation and dissolution1 perpetually rolling on and whirling therein4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxvii4 ,,of ,,the ,,living ,,creation4 ,argument3--,description of nature and destiny1 and of creation and its teeming with vitality4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 how can one paramount destiny1 guide the fates of these endless chains and varieties of beings2 and how can one uniform nature1 be the predominant feature of all these various kinds of beings4 #b4 ,say why is the sun so very shining among the myriads of gods1 and cause is it that lengthens and shortens1 the durations of days and nights 7in summer and winter74 #c4 ,vasishtha replied3--,whatever the ,lord has ordained at first of himself 7i4e4 of his own will and wisdom72 the same appearing as the fortuitous formation of chance1 is called the very system of the universe4 #d4 ,all that is manifested in any manner by omnipotence1 is and continues as real in the same manner2 because what is made of the pith of divine will and intelligence1 can never be unreal2 nor is it possible for the manifest and obvious to be evanescent4 #e4 ,all that is situated or appears to us in any manner1 being composed of the divine intellect1 must continue to remain for ever in the same manner2 this appearance of creation and its disappearance in its dissolution1 are both attributed to the unseen power of its destiny4 #f4 ,to say this one is such and that is otherwise1 is to attribute them to the manifestation of ,brahma as so and so2 and these formations of theirs1 together with their ultimate dissolution1 are called the acts of their destiny4 #g4 ,the three states of waking1 sleeping and dreaming1 appearing to the nature of the soul1 are no way separated from it2 as the fluidity and motion of water1 are not otherwise than properties of the same limpid liquid4 #h4 ,as vacuity is the property of air1 and warmth of the sunshine1 and as odour is the quality of camphor2 so the states of waking1 sleeping and dreaming1 appertain to the very nature of the soul1 and are inseparable from it4 #i4 ,creation and dissolution follow one another1 in the one and same current of the ,divine ,intellect2 which in its vacuous form1 subsists in the vacuous spirit of ,brahma4 #aj4 ,what is believed as creation1 is but a momentary flash of the ,divine ,intellect2 and that which is thought to be a kalpa period1 is but a transient glare of the same4 7,a kalpa age is but a fleeting moment in the eternal duration of ,brahma74 #aa4 ,the sky and space and the things and actions1 that come to our knowledge at any time2 are as mere dreams occurring unto us1 by a flash of the glaring nature of the ,divine ,intellect4 #ab4 ,the sights of things and the eternal thoughts1 and whatever occurs at any time or place2 are all presented unto us by our minds1 from their formless shapes or ideas in the vacuous intellect of ,god4 7,the mind derives the formal images1 from their ideals subsisting in the ,divine ,intellect74 #ac4 ,whatever is thus manifested by the mind or designed by it at any time1 the same is termed its destiny1 which is devoid of any form like the formless air4 #ad4 ,the uniform state of things for a whole kalpa age1 measuring but a moment of ,brahma2 is what is expressed by the word nature1 by natural philosophers that know all nature4 #ae4 ,the one soul--consciousness or universal intelligence 7of ,god71 is diversified into a hundred varieties of living beings2 and every portion of this general intelligence1 retains the same intellection like its original1 without forsaking its nature 7,note3 ,as the one element of fire1 diversifies itself into many forms of sparks1 without losing its properties of heat and burning74 #af4 ,the intelligences that appertain to and manifest themselves1 in the supreme intelligence of ,god1 do some of them imagine to assume to themselves some embodied forms1 in utter ignorance of their intellectual natures4 #ag4 ,the earth1 air1 water and fire and vacuum1 are severally the receptacles of many properties2 but it is the vacuous intellect which is the great repository of these1 that appear as dreams hovering all about it4 #ah4 ,this place contains the vast receptacle1 for the reception of all tangible and solid bodies2 and this spacious earth with all the population on its surface1 is seated in the midst of it4 #ai4 ,it has a place for the vast body of waters1 or the great ocean in it2 and affords a seat to the sun--the source of light2 it has a space for the course of the winds1 and a vacuum containing all the worlds in it4 #bj4 ,it is the reservoir of the five elements1 which are the quintuple principles of our knowledge2 and it being thus the container of the quintessence of ,brahma1 what is seen or anything else before it4 #ba4 ,the learned call this intelligence as the intellect and omniscience2 it is omniform1 uniformed and all-pervading1 and is perceived by all owing to its greatness and its great magnitude4 #bb4 ,brahm the son or offspring of ,brahma2 is the selfsame ,brahma himself2 who by expanding his intelligence1 has expanded the vacuum under the name of firmament2 and as an awning of silk in cloth4 7,in fact nothing was made by the father but by the son74 #bc4 ,when delusion rules over the intellect of ,brahm and over the subtile and gross matters2 then how is it possible for other things1 that are but parts of them1 to stand good in law8 #bd4 ,it is simply by his will 7and without any external appliance71 that this god ,brahma stretched the network of the universe1 as a spider weaves its web out of itself2 it revolves like a disc or wheel in the air1 and whirls like a whirlpool in the hollow depth of the intellect1 appearing as it were a sensible sphere in the heavens4 #be4 ,these spheres present some bodies of great brightness1 and others of a lesser light2 which there are some scarcely visible to us1 and all appearing as figures in a painting4 #bf4 ,all created objects appear in this manner and those that are not created never appear to view2 but they all appear as visions in a dream1 to the sight of the learned4 #bg4 ,the intellect is the selfsame soul1 and the ,lord of ,all1 and the seeming visibles are all really invisible2 they are all evanescent for their want of lasting bodies2 and neither are they visible by themselves1 nor are they ever perceptible to or seen by us4 #bh4 ,the vacuous intellect1 sees these as its dreams in the great vacuity of the intellect1 and this world being no other than a phenomenon of the vacuous intellect1 can have no other form than that of mere vacuum4 #bi4 ,whatever is manifested by the intellect in any manner1 the same is called its form and body2 and the countenance of that manifested form for a certain period1 is termed its nature or destiny4 #cj4 ,the first manifestation of the divine intellect1 in the form of vacuum and as the vehicle of sound2 became afterwards the source of the world1 which sprouted forth like a seed1 in the great granary of vacuity4 7,the conveying of sound and the containing of worlds are the nature of vacuum74 #ca4 ,but the account given of the genesis of the world1 and of the creation of things one after the other1 are mere fabrication of sages for instruction of the ignorant1 and has no basis on truth4 7,because no reason can be assigned for the ,lord's production of the material world74 #cb4 ,there is nothing that is ever produced of nothing1 nor reduced to nothingness at any time2 all this is as quiet and calm as the bosom of a rock1 and ever as real as it is unreal4 7,the world is real in the ideal1 but an utter unreality in its materiality74 #cc4 ,as there existed no separate body before1 so there can be no end of it also2 all things exist as inseparable infinitesimal with the spirit of ,god1 and can therefore neither rise nor set in it where they are always present4 #cd4 ,the vacuous world existing in vacuum of the divine spirit1 is a pure vacuity or blank only2 how is it possible then to rise or set in it1 or go beyond it to rise or set elsewhere4 #ce4 ,what is the world1 but a ray of the ever shining gem of divine intellect2 before whose omniscience1 every thing shines for ever in its own light and nature4 #cf4 ,the ,divine spirit though unknown to all1 makes itself some what conceivable to us in our consciousness of it1 and in our thinkableness of it1 and by means of our reasoning and reflection4 #cg4 ,we can get some knowledge of it by our reason1 as we can draw inferences of future events by means of our reasoning2 this knowledge is rarer than that of the subtile element of air1 and fainter than our prescience into the future of all things4 #ch4 ,then this transcendental essence of the divine spirit1 being about to reflect in itself1 becomes the thinking principle called the intellect1 which is somewhat intelligible to us4 #ci4 ,having then the firm conviction of its consciousness in itself1 it takes the name of the living soul1 which is known by the title of ,anima1 meaning the supreme spirit or soul4 #dj4 ,this living soul embodied in itself the nameless avidy or ignorance1 which shrouded the atmosphere of its intellect1 and superceded the title of the pure intelligence4 7,the living soul jvtm is involved in ignorance my1 of its original state of ,chiddta or the intelligent soul74 #da4 ,it is then employed in the thoughts1 of its bodily conduct and worldly carrier only2 and being forgetful of its spiritual nature1 is engaged in the discharge of his temporal functions4 #db4 ,being thus forgetful of its nature of vacuum1 which possesses the property of conveying the sound1 it becomes prepossessed with the error of taking the future material bodies for real1 in lieu of the reality of the intellect4 #dc4 ,it gets next the motion of its egoism1 with the idea of time1 in its spiritual body2 and then these two run together1 in quest of the material elements1 which are the seeds for the growth of the forth coming world4 #dd4 ,then the thinking power of the living soul1 begets the sense of consciousness within itself2 and produces therein the conviction of the unreal world1 as a positive reality4 #de4 ,after this the thinking principle or the mind1 bursts out like a seed into a hundred sprouts of its wishes2 and then by reflecting on its egoism1 thinks as a living being at the very moment4 #df4 ,thus the pure spirit passing under the name of living soul1 is entangled in the maze of its erroneous and unreal reality1 has been rolling like a heaving wave in the depth of the universal spirit4 7,all living souls of animate beings1 are as bursting bubbles in the ocean of the eternal spirit74 #dg4 ,the mind by constantly reflecting at first on the vacuous nature of the living soul2 is stultified at last to think it as solidified into the nature of animal life or the vital air or breath of life4 #dh4 ,this being became the source of articulate sounds or words1 which were expressive of certain meanings1 and significant of things1 that were to be created afterwards2 and were to be embodied in the wording of the ,vedas4 7,the ,lord spake and all things came out at his bidding1 which were afterwards stated in the ,book of ,genesis74 #di4 ,from him was to issue forth the would be world1 by virtue of the words which he spake to denote the things he meant2 the words that he invented were fraught with their meanings1 and productive of the things which they expressed4 #ej4 ,the intellect being employed in this manner 7in the thoughts of creation71 takes upon it the title of a living being2 which being garbed in significant words1 was productive of all existent entities4 7,the volitive principle of the divine intellect1 takes the name of the living soul or ,brahm the creative agent74 #ea4 ,it was this self-existent entity that produced the fourteen spheres1 which fill the whole space of vacuity2 and which give rise to so many worlds that subsist therein4 #eb4 ,but before this being had the power of his speech1 and of the use of his limbs and body1 it remained to reflect only on the significations of words1 having had his mind alone the only active part of himself4 7,so the mind alone of a living body1 is the only active part of it in its embryonic state1 before its attainment of the functions of all its other parts and members74 #ec4 ,as the air devolopes a seed to a plant1 by exhaling on its outer coat1 so doth the intellect develope the bodily functions of living beings1 by working in its internal parts4 7i4e4 ,the mind actuates the action of the body74 #ed4 ,and as the oscillating intellect or mind1 happens to come across the idea of light2 it beholds the same appearing to view2 as it is conveyed before it by its significant sound 7i4e4 as meant by the word74 #ee4 ,light is only our intellection or notion of it1 and nothing without it2 as feeling is our consciousness of it1 and not the perception derived by means of the touch of anything4 7,this is theory of ,berkeley74 #ef4 ,so is sound but our consciousness of it1 and a subjective conception of our mind2 as vacuum is a conception of the vacuous mind1 and as the receptacle of sound caused by itself4 #eg4 ,as in this state of sound it is known to be the product of air in its own vacuity1 so everything else is the product of our consciousness1 and there nothing as a duality beside it4 #eh4 ,so the properties of odour and flavour1 are as well as the substances of sound and air2 and these unrealities seem as real ones1 like the dreams that are seen and thought of in our minds4 #ei4 ,heat which is the seed or seat of the arbor of light1 and evolves itself in the radiance and other luminous bodies2 are the forms of the same intellect1 that shows itself in all things4 #fj4 ,so is flavour a mere quality of empty air1 is thought of as a reality in every article of our food and drink2 and is a mere name without its substance4 #fa4 ,all other things1 which were hereafter to be designated by different names as fragrance c41 are but so many forms of the thoughts and desires existing in the mind of this living being or ,brahm4 #fb4 ,this being had in his mind the seed of all forms and dimensions1 from which was to proceed this terrestrial globe1 that was to become afterwards the support of all creatures4 #fc4 ,all things yet unborn1 appeared as already born in this divine mind1 which was filled with the models of all future existences of every kind2 and all these formless beings had their forms afterwards1 as it thought and willed them to be 7i4e4 ,the ideal became the real at last74 #fd4 ,these forms appeared to view as by an act of chance1 and the organs whereby they came to be seen1 were afterwards called by name of eyes1 or the visual organs of sight4 #fe4 ,the organs which gave the perception of sounds1 were named the ears2 and those which bore the feeling of touch to the mind1 were called the organs of feeling or 4 #ff4 ,the organ of perceiving the flavours1 was styled the tongue or organ of taste2 and that which received the perception of smell1 were termed the nose or organ of scent4 #fg4 ,the living soul being subjected to its corporeal body1 has no perception of the distinctions of time and place by means of its bodily organs1 which are so imperfect and soulless on the whole4 7i4e4 ,he is not thoroughly diffused all over the body1 but has its seat in the mind also1 which perceives the abstract ideas of time and space and all other abstract natures of things74 #fh4 ,in this manner are all things but imageries of the soul1 and ideals of the intellect1 and wholly confined in the soul2 they neither appear nor set on the out side of it1 but are set as silent engravings in the stony and stiff bosom of the same4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxviii4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,living ,,soul4 ,argument3--,the ,living soul is identified with ,brahma or the universal soul2 its birth is but a fiction of speech2 and the erroneous conception of its animal soul and body1 is fully exposed herein4 ,vasishtha continued3--,the fiction of the first rise of the living soul2 from the calm and quiet spirit of ,god as said before1 is merely fictitious and not a true one2 but was meant to elucidate the nature of the animate soul1 as the same with and not distinct from the ,supreme soul4 #b4 ,in this manner the fiction 7of the living soul7 means that1 this being a part of the supreme soul is verily the same with it4 7,as the air in the pot or cot1 is the same as universal air or vacuum74 ,it is when the subjective soul is employed with the thoughts of the objective1 that it is termed the living ,god or spirit4 7,hence the quiescent and creative souls1 are but the states or hypostases of the same soul74 #c4 ,the inclination of the self-intelligent or subjective soul1 towards thinkable objects of thought1 garbs it under a great many fictitious names or epithets1 which you shall now hear me1 ,o ,rma1 relate to you in all their varieties4 #d4 ,it is called the living soul or jva1 from its power of living and thinking2 and from its addictedness towards the thinkables1 it is termed the thinking principle and the intellect4 #e4 ,it is termed intelligence for its intellection of this thing as that1 as well as for its knowledge of what is what2 and it is called the mind from its mending1 willing and imagining of many things4 7,the three powers of the mind are here reckoned1 as retention1 volition and imagination74 #f4 ,the reliance in self that1 8,i am0 is what is called egoism2 and the principle of percipience called the mind by the vulgar1 is when freed from everything1 styled the intellect by the wise and those acquainted with the sstras4 #g4 ,it is called the aggregate of the octuple principles or totality of existence1 when it is combined with all its wishes of creation2 and then named as subtile nature1 before its production of the substantial world4 #h4 ,being absent from or imperceptible to our perception1 it is called the hidden nature2 and in this manner many other fictitious names are given to it by way of fiction or fabrication of our imagination4 7,the word avidy here meant as absent1 is elsewhere explained as unknown and as ignorance and illusion also74 #i4 ,all these fictitious appellations that ,i have told thee here1 are mere inventions of our fancy1 for the one formless and changeless eternal being4 #aj4 ,in this manner are all these three worlds1 but the fairy lands of our dream and the castles of our imagination2 they appear as objects made for our enjoyment and bliss1 but are in reality an intactible vacuity4 #aa4 ,so must you know1 ,o best of embodied beings1 that this body of yours is of a spiritual or intangible nature2 it is the intellectual body formed of the vacuous intellect1 which is rarer than the rarified air4 #ab4 ,it never rises nor sets 7i4e4 it is neither born nor dies7 in this world1 but continue with our consciousness of ourselves1 until our final liberation from the sense of our personalities4 ,this mental body or mind of ours1 is the recipient of the fourteen worlds and all created objects4 #ac4 ,it is in the extensive regions of our minds1 that millions of worlds continue to be created and dissolved in the course of time2 and an unnumbered train of created beings1 are growing and falling as fruits in it in the long run of time4 7,the mind and time1 contain all things74 #ad4 ,this intellectual body beholds the world1 both inside and outside of it2 as the looking glass reflects and refracts1 the outward and its inward images both in as well as out of it2 and as the open air reflects and shows us the upper skies4 #ae4 ,the mind must bear these images in its mirror1 until its final dissolution with all things at the end of the world2 when all minds and bodies and all the world and their contents1 are to be incorporated in the great vacuum of the ,divine ,mind4 #af4 ,the compactness of the ,divine ,mind1 which comprehends all images or ideas in itself1 imparts them partly in all individual minds1 which are but parts of itself1 and which are made to think likewise4 7,this passage maintains the innate ideas derived immediately from ,god74 #ag4 ,this spiritual body that was employed in viewing the inborn world in itself2 is turned as the form of the ,great ,brahm by some1 and as that of the ,god ,virt by others4 #ah4 ,some call him the santana or sempiternal1 and others give him the name of ,nryana or floating on the surface of the waters4 ,some style him as sha and by his name as ,prajpati--the ,lord of creatures 7,patriarch74 #ai4 ,this being chanced to have1 his five organs of sense on a sudden1 and these were seated in the several parts of his body1 where they still retain there seats as before4 #bj4 ,then his delusion of the phenomenal1 seemed to extend too far and wide1 without any appearance of reality therein1 all being a vast waste and void4 7,the noumenal only is the true reality74 #ba4 ,it was all the appearance of that eternal and transcendental ,brahma1 and not of the unreal phenomenal which is never real2 it is the very ,brahma1 which is without its beginning and end1 and appearing in a light quite unintelligible to us4 7,being imperceptible in his person1 his reality is hid under the garb of unreality74 #bb4 ,our inquiry into the spiritual form of the deity1 leads us to take the delusive world as such2 just as the longing of the ardent lover after his loved one1 leads him to the view of its bloated phantom in his dream 7i4e4 in our search after the spiritual1 we are misled to take the corporeal as such74 #bc4 ,as we have the blank and formless notion of a pot1 presented in the real shape of the pot in our minds2 so have we the notions of our bodies and the world also1 represented as realities in dreams and imagination4 #bd4 ,as the dreamed objects of our vacuous minds1 seem to be real ones for the time in our sleep2 so all these aerial objects in nature1 appear as solid substances in the delusion of our dreams by daylight4 #be4 ,this spiritual and formless body 7of the deity71 comes to be gradually perceived in us and by itself also2 as we come to see the aerial forms presenting themselves unto us in our dream4 #bf4 ,it is then embodied in a gross body1 composed of flesh and bones1 and all its members1 and its covering of the skin and hairs2 and in this state it thinks 7of its carnal appetites and enjoyments74 #bg4 ,it then reflects on its birth and acts in that body1 and upon the duration and end of that body also2 and entertains the erroneous ideas of the enjoyments and incidents of its life4 #bh4 ,it comes to know its subjection to decay1 decrepitude and death1 and of its wanderings on all sides of the wide sphere of this globe2 it gets the knowledge of the knower and known1 and also of the beginning1 middle and of all acts and things4 #bi4 ,and thus the primordial spirit1 being transformed to the living soul1 comes to know the elementary bodies of earth1 air1 and water c1 and the varieties of created beings and conduct of men and finds itself as contained and confined within the limits of its body and of this earth1 after its having been the container of all bodies and space before4 7,the difference here spoken of1 is that of the personal soul of the jva or living being1 and that of the impersonal soul of ,brahma--the universal spirit74 ,,chapter ,,clxxxix4 ,,on ,,the ,,unity ,,of ,,the ,,divine ,,spirit4 ,argument3--,unity of the impersonal and personal spirit treated2 and the materiality of the living soul refuted4 ,vasishtha continued3--,this spiritual body 7or the personal spirit71 as that of ,brahma--the primeval creator of all2 being possessed of its volition1 comes as by an act of chance and of its own motion1 to think and brood on its thoughts2 7which it had derived from the eternal spirit of ,brahma74 #b4 ,it continues to remain in the same state1 as it is ever conscious of in itself2 and sees of its own nature1 this universe exposed before it as it had in his mind1 nor is there and wonder in this4 #c4 ,now this viewer--,brahma1 and his viewing and the view of the world1 must either all be false 7as there is no duality in nature72 or they must all be true1 having the spirit of ,brahma at the bottom4 #d4 ,rma rejoined3--,now sir1 please to tell me1 how this spiritual and shadowy sight of the primeval ,lord of creation1 could be realized in its solidified state1 and reality can there be in the vision of a dream4 #e4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the spiritual view is ever apparent by itself within ourselves2 and our continuous and ceaseless sight of it1 gives it the appearance of a solid reality4 #f4 ,as the visionary sights of our dreams1 come to be realized in times1 by our continuous poring upon them2 so doth the spiritual appear as real1 by our constant habit of thinking them as such4 7,so it is recorded in the case of ,king ,harischandra of old74 #g4 ,the constant thought of the reality of our spiritual body1 makes appear as a real object to our sight2 as the constant craving of deer after water1 makes it appear in the mirage of the parched desert before them4 #h4 ,so the vision of this world1 has like every other fallacy1 misled us like the poor and parching deer1 to the misconception of water in the mirage2 and does this and all other unrealities appear as real ones in our ignorance4 #i4 ,many spiritual and intellectual objects1 like a great many unreal things1 are taken for the material and real1 by the avidity of their desires and ignorant admirers4 #aj4 ,the impression that ,i am this1 and that one is another1 and that this is mine and that is his2 and that these are the hills and skies about us2 are all as erroneous as the conception of reality in our dreams and false phantoms of the brain4 #aa4 ,the spiritual body which was at first conceived1 by the prime creator of all--,brahm1 assumed a material form as that of a globe under his sight4 7,meaning the ,mundane egg74 #ab4 ,the living soul of ,brahma1 being born of the mundane egg in a corporeal body2 forgot or rather forsook to think of its incorporeal intellectuality1 and thought himself as composed of his present material body only4 ,he looked into it and thought1 that this was his body and the recipient of his soul3 7instead of the souls being the fountain of the body74 #ac4 ,then it becomes confined in that body1 by its belief of the unreality as a sober reality2 and then it thinks of many things within itself1 and goes on seeking and running after them all4 7,but the steady soul is sedate1 and has all within itself1 without seeking them elsewhere without74 #ad4 ,this ,god then makes many symbolical sounds and forms 7invents7 words for names and actions2 and at last upon his utterance of the mystic syllable ,om or 7on7 the ,vedas rang out and sang in currents of verbiage4 #ae4 ,then through the medium of those sacred words1 the god ordained the ordinances for the conduct of all mankind2 and everything turned to be1 as he wished and thought it to be in his own mind4 7,hence ,brahm is said the creative mind of ,god74#d #af4 ,whatever exists in any manner1 the same is the self same ,brahm itself2 and yet no body perceives it as such1 owing to the predominant error of all1 of believing the unreal world as a real existence4 #ag4 ,all the things from the great ,brahm down to all1 are but false appearances as those of dreams and magical show2 and yet the spiritual reality is utterly lost to sight1 under the garb of material unreality 7i4e4 ,the unreal matter is taken for real spirit74 #ah4 ,there is nothing as materiality anywhere and at any time2 it is the spiritual only which by our habitual mode of thinking and naming1 is said to be substantial1 elemental and material4 #ai4 ,this our fallacy of materiality1 has come to us from our very source in ,brahm--the creator2 who entertained the false idea of the material world1 and transmitted this error even into the minds of the wise and very great souls4 #bj4 ,how is it possible1 ,o ,rma1 for the intelligent soul1 to be thus confined in a clod of earth1 all this must either be an illusory scene1 or a representation of ,brahma himself4 #ba4 ,there can be no other cause of this world1 except the eternal causality of ,brahma2 who is self-existent1 only without any action or causation of himself2 thus the ,supreme soul being wholly devoid of the attributes of cause and effect1 what can this world be1 but an extension of the ,divine essence8 ,,chapter ,,clxxxx4 ,,ecstasis ,,or ,,inertness ,,of ,r,,ma4 ,argument3--,description of liberation1 as heedlessness of the past and future1 ignorance of the knowables1 and thoughtlessness about the thinkables4 ,vasishtha continued3--,gaining the knowledge of knowables1 is called our bondage in this world2 but it is our release from the bonds of knowable objects1 that is termed our liberation from it4 #b4 ,rma rejoined3--,but how can it be possible1 sir1 to get our escape from the knowledge of the knowables1 and how can our rooted knowledge of things1 and our habitual sense of bounden to them1 be removed from us4 #c4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is the perfection of our knowledge1 and feeling of it as such1 that removes our misjudgment2 and then we get our liberation from error1 after disappearance of our inborn bias4 #d4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 what is that simply uniform feeling1 and what is called that complete and perfect knowledge said to be1 which releases the living soul entirely1 from its fetters of error4 #e4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the soul is full with its subjective knowledge of intuition1 and has no need of the objective knowledge of the knowables from without2 and perfect knowledge is our inward sense of the same1 and not expressible in words4 #f4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 whether the knowableness of knowledge1 that is whether the internal knowledge of the knowing soul1 is the same or separate from itself2 and whether the word jnna or knowledge1 is taken in its instrumental or abstract sense 7i4e4 whether it is used to mean the power by means of which we derive our knowledge1 or the so derived knowledge itself74 #g4 ,vasishtha replied3--,all perception is knowledge1 and this term is denotative of its causality also 7as we say1 my knowledge is my guide1 i4e4 the instrumentality of my guidance74 ,hence there is no difference between knowledge and the known or the knowable1 as there is none between the air and its ventilation4 #h4 ,rma rejoined3--,if it be so 7that there is no difference between them72 then tell me1 whence arises the error of difference in our conception of them2 the conception of the materiality of the perceptible or objective world1 must be as erroneous as that of the horns of a hare1 which had never been in esse1 nor are likely to be at any time in future4 #i4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the error of the reality of external objects1 gives rise to the error of the reality to our knowledge of them also2 but there is no inward object of thought1 nor of the outward senses1 has ever any reality in it4 #aj4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me1 ,o sage1 how can you deny the existence of those objects1 which are evident to the senses of mine1 thine and all others alike2 and which are ever present in their thoughts in the minds of sensible beings4 #aa4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it was at the time of the first creation of the world1 that the self manifested ,god ,virt1 exhibited the outline of the cosmos in a corner of his all-comprehensive mind2 but as nothing was produced in reality1 there is no possibility of our knowing any as a knowable or real entity4 #ab4 ,rma rejoined3--,how can our common sight1 of the present1 past and future prospects of this world2 and our daily perception of things1 which are felt by all in general1 be regarded as nothing by your teaching4 7,common sense can not be controverted by abstruse philosophy74 #ac4 ,vasishtha replied3--,just as the dreamer's vision in sleep1 the deer's mistake of water in the mirage in sand1 the illusory sight of a moon in the sky1 and the prospects of our delusive fancies1 do all disappear on right observation2 so the false perceptions of worldly things1 and the mistaken conceptions of our own entities1 are as erroneous as the sights of the false lights in the empty air4 7,these dissolve as dreams upon waking1 and the testimony of one waking man1 is enough to disperse the deceptive sights of all dreamers and sleepers74 #ad4 ,rma rejoined3--,if our knowledge of ,i and thou and of this and that1 is as false as that of all other things in the womb of the world2 why then were these brought into existence1 not left to remain in their ideas in the mind of their creator1 as they had existed before his creation of them8 #ae4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is certain that everything springs from its cause1 and not otherwise2 what then could there be the 7material7 cause1 for the creation of the world therefrom1 after the dissolution of everything at the universal destruction8 #af4 ,rma replied3--,why sir1 cannot that being be the cause of recreation1 which remains undestroyed and indestructible1 after destruction of the prior creation8 #ag4 ,vasishtha replied3--,whatever substance there abides in the cause1 the same is evolved in effect also2 hence the essence of ,brahma being composed of his intellect only1 it could not give rise to the material world from itself2 as the substance of a pot1 cannot produce that of a picture or cloth4 #ah4 ,rma replied3--,why sir1 the world existed in its subtile 7or ideal7 state1 in the person 7mind7 of ,brahma 7,god72 from which it issued forth anew and again1 after dissolution of the former creation4 #ai4 ,vasishtha said3--,tell me1 ,o intelligence ,rma1 how could the ,lord ,god 7whose nature is composed of pure intelligence71 conceive the entity or quintessence of the world in himself1 and which like the productive seed1 sprang out in the form of the future creation4 ,say what sort of entity was it4 #bj4 ,rma replied3--,it is an entity of ,divine intelligence1 and is situated in the subjective soul of ,god in that form4 ,it is neither a vacuous nullity1 nor an unreal entity4 #ba4 ,vasishtha said3--,if it be so1 ,o mighty armed ,rma1 that the three worlds are ,divine intelligence only2 then tell me why bodies formed of pure intelligence 7as those of the gods and angels71 and those having the intelligent soul in them 7as those of human beings71 are subject to their birth and death4#e #bb4 ,rma said3--,if then there has been no creation at all at any time from the beginning2 then tell me sir1 whence has this fallacy of the existence of the world come to be in vogue4 #bc4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the inexistence of cause and effect1 proves the nullity of being and not being 7i4e4 its annihilation also72 all this that is thought of to exist1 is the thought and thinking of the divine soul1 which is the triputi or triple entity of thinker1 thinking and the thought together4 7i4e4 ,the soul is both the subjective and objective1 as also their connecting predicate by itself74 #bd4 ,rma rejoined3--,the thinking soul thinks about the implements and the acts1 as the looker looks on the objects of his sight2 but how can the divine looker be the dull spectacle 7and the object the same with the subject72 unless you maintain that the objective fuel burns the subjective fire 7which is impossible74 #be4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the viewer is not transformed to the view1 owing to impossibility of the existence of an objective view2 it is the all seeing soul1 that shows itself as one solid plenum in itself4 #bf4 ,rma rejoined3--,the soul is the pure intellect only1 and is without its beginning and end2 it thinks only on its eternal and formless thoughts2 how then can it present the form and appearance of the visible world4#f #bg4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the thinkables being all causeless of themselves1 have none of them any cause whatsoever2 and it is the privation of the thinkables1 that bespeaks the liberation of the intellect4 7,the production of the thinkables1 is as impossible as the birth of the offspring of a ,barren woman4 ,gloss74 #bh4 ,rma rejoined3--,if it is so1 then say how and whence have we the thought of our conception of ourselves2 and our knowledge of the world1 and our sense of motion and the like2 7as they are suggested to us by our common sense1 and the universal testimony of all people74 #bi4 ,vasishtha replied--,the impossibility of cause1 precludes the possibility of any production2 how and whence could the thinkables proceed1 when all is quite calm and quiet everywhere1 and the knowledge of creation is but an error and a delusion4 #cj4 ,rma rejoined3--,here tell us sir1 how this error comes to overshadow the unknowable1 unthinkable and the immovable being1 that is selfmanifest and ever untainted and clear by itself 7,swapraksa or ,swayampraksa74 #ca4 ,vasishtha replied3--there is no error or mistake herein1 owing to its want of any causation also2 our knowledge of egoism and tuism1 is drowned altogether in that of one unevanescent ,unity4 #cb4 ,rma replied3--,o venerable sir1 ,i am so bewildered in the error of my consciousness1 that ,i know not what other question ,i am here to make2 ,i am not so enlightened as the learned1 to argue any more on this point4 #cc4 ,vasishtha replied3--,do not desist1 ,o ,rma1 from making your inquiries concerning the causality of ,brahma2 until you are satisfied with the proof of his causelessness1 as they test the purity of gold on the stone2 and then by knowing this1 you will be able to repose yourself1 in the blissful state of the supremely ,blest4 #cd4 ,rma rejoined3--,i grant sir1 as you say1 that there is no creation for want of its cause1 but tell me now whence is this my error of the thinkable and its thought 7so rooted in me that ,i can not get rid of it74 #ce4 ,vasishtha replied3--,there is no error in the belief of the uncaused creation1 and in its perfect calmness2 but it is for want of your habit of thinking it so 7and your bias of the reality of the world71 that really makes you so restless4 #cf4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 whence rise this habit as well as the desuetude of this mode of our thinking2 and how does our rest proceed from the one1 and our disquiet from the other mode of thought4 #cg4 ,vasishtha replied3--,belief in the eternal ,god1 breed no error in that of the eternity of the world2 it is the habit of thinking it otherwise1 that creates the error of creation4 ,be you therefore as sound in your mind1 as the solid minded sages have been4 #ch4 ,rma rejoined3--,please to tell me sir1 in your preaching of these lectures to your audience1 what other mode of practice there may be1 in our attainment of a quietude like that of the living liberated sages4 #ci4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the lesson that we preach1 is to know one's self as ,brahma and resting in the spirit of ,brahma2 and this knowledge is sure to release the soul1 both from its longing for liberation1 as also from its dread of bondage in this world4 #dj4 ,rma rejoined3--,this doctrine of yours1 by its all negative distinctions of our knowledge of time and space1 and of our actions and thing1 serves to drive away our consciousness of all existence whatsoever from the mind4 #da4 ,vasishtha replied3--,yes1 because all our objective knowledge1 of the distinctions of time and place and of actions and things in our minds2 is the effect of our ignorance of the subjectivity of the soul1 beside which there is no other substance--before the liberated spirit4 #db4 ,rma rejoined3--,the absence of our knowledge of an intelligent agent1 and also of an intelligible object2 deprives us altogether of any intelligence at all2 the impossibility of the union of the unity and duality together1 must preserve our distinct knowledge of the knowing principle and the known or knowable object4 7,the transitive verb to know must have an object1 and cannot like a neuter or intransitive verb1 be confined to or reflect upon its agent4 ,gloss74 #dc4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is by your act of knowing of ,god1 that you have or get your knowledge of ,him2 therefore the word is taken in its active sense by you and others 7,who have to know a thing before it is known to them74 ,but with us 7or sages like ourselves71 who are possest of our intuitive knowledge of ourselves as the deity1 it is but a self-reflexive verb4 7,gloss4 ,buddhi with the ignorant1 means knowing2 but with the sapient1 it means feeling74 #dd4 ,rma rejoined3--,but how do you feel your finite selves or egoism1 and your limited knowledge1 as same with the infinite soul and omniscience of the deity2 unless it were to ascribe your imperfections to the transcendental divinity1 who is purer than the purest water1 and rarer than the rarefied ether4 #de4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is the feeling of the perfections of the divine soul in ourselves1 that we call our egoism2 and not the ascription of our imperfect personalities unto him4 ,and here the duality of the living and divine souls1 bears resemblance to the unity of the ventilating breeze with the universal and unfluctuating air4 #df4 ,as the waves of the ocean1 have been continually rising and subsiding in it2 so the objective thoughts of one's egoism and the world besides1 must be always rising and falling in the subjective soul of the supreme being1 as well as self-liberated persons 7,hence the subjective and objective cannot be the one and same thing74 #dg4 ,vasishtha replied3--,if so it be1 then say what is the fault1 that is so much reprehended in the popular belief of a duality2 and in disregarding the creed of the ,unity1 which is eternal and infinite1 full and perfect in itself1 quite calm and quiet in its nature1 and is termed the transcendent ,one4 #dh4 ,rma rejoined3--,if it be so 7that the living soul1 is as the breeze or breath of the calm air of ,brahma and same with it71 then tell me sir1 who and what power is it1 which conceives the ego1 tu and others1 which feels and enjoys all as their agent1 if the fundamental fallacy of the world be the root of all4 7,the whole being false1 there is nothing as one or an another or as bondage or liberation74 #di4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the knowledge of the reality of the objective or knowable things1 is the cause of our bondage 7in this world72 true knowledge does not recognise their reality1 and full intelligence which assumes the forms of 7and shows7 all things in itself1 sees no difference of bondage or liberation before it4 7,all things are alike in the full light of intelligence74 #ej4 ,rma rejoined3--,intelligence like light1 does not show us all things in the same light2 it shows us the difference between a pot and a picture1 as light shows the white and black to view4 ,again as the light of our eye sight shows us the different forms of outward objects1 so does our intelligence confirm and attest the reality of our visual perceptions4 #ea4 ,vasishtha replied3--,all outward objects having no cause of their creation1 nor any source of their production1 are as incredible as the offspring of a barren woman2 and the appearance of their reality which is presented to our sight1 is as false as that of silver in a conchshell or in the glittering sands1 and not otherwise4 7,the phenomenal is a mirage1 and deception of sight74 #eb4 ,rma rejoined3--,the sight of the miserable world1 whether it be true or false1 is like the startling apparition in a dream1 and attended with pain only for the time2 tell me therefore the best means1 how to avoid and get rid of this error4 #ec4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the world being never the better than a dream1 it is the reflection of the idea of its reality1 that is the best method of getting rid of the snare of its tempting joys and sorrows4 #ed4 ,rma rejoined3--,but how to effect this object1 which may redound to our bliss and rest2 say how to put an end to the sight of the world1 which shows the sights of falsities as realities1 in the continuous train of its deluding dreams4 #ee4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is the due consideration of the antecedent and subsequent states of things1 which must remove the erroneous impression of their reality2 just as the conception of the substantiality of sights seen in our dreams1 is eliminated upon reflection of their subsequent disappearance 7and bearing no trace of former forms behind74 #ef4 ,rma rejoined3--,but how do the rising apparitions of the world1 disappear in the depth of our minds1 and what do we then come to perceive1 after the vestiges of our gross remembrances have faded away8 7,the mind is never vacant of its thoughts of visible objects74 #eg4 ,vasishtha responded3--,after the false appearance of the world1 has vanished like the faded sight of a city from view2 the unconcerned mind of the unconcerned soul1 looks upon it as a painting1 wholly washed out by the rain 7i4e4 as a clear blank or vacuity74 #eh4 ,rma asked3--,what then becomes of the man1 after subsidence of the worldly sights and desires from his mind2 like the gross looking objects of a dream2 and after the mind rests in its state of listless indifference4 #ei4 ,vasishtha replied3--,then the world recedes from his sight1 and then this predilection of it1 and his desire for its enjoyment depart and die away along with it4 #fj4 ,rma rejoined3--,how can this blind and deep rooted predilection1 which has accompanied the soul from many previous births1 and branched out into multifarious desires1 resign its hold of the human heart all at once8 #fa4 ,vasishtha replied3--,as the knowledge of truth1 serves to disperse the rooted error of the material world from the mind1 so the sense of the vanity of human desires1 and of the bitterness of their enjoyment1 dissipate their seeds at once from the heart 7where they can take root no more74 #fb4 ,rma rejoined3--,after dissipation of the error of materiality1 of the visible spheres of worlds2 say1 ,o sage1 what is that state of the mind which follows it1 and how its peace and tranquility at last8 #fc4 ,vasishtha replied3--,after dissipation of the error of the material world1 the mind reverts to its seat in the immaterial soul2 where it is released from all its earthly bonds1 and finds its rests in the state of an indifferent insouciance--vairgya4 #fd4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 if the error of the world is as little1 as that of a child's idea of sorrow1 then what trouble there is for a man to remedy it8 #fe4 ,vasishtha replied3--,all our desires1 like the fond wishes of boys1 being wholly extinct in the mind1 there remains no more any cause of any sorrow in it2 and this you may well know from the association of desires in all minds4 #ff4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 what is the mind1 and how are we to know its nature and workings2 and what good do we derive1 by our best investigation of the mental powers and properties4 #fg4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the inclination of the intellect towards the intelligibles1 is called the mind1 for its mending the thinkables only2 and the right knowledge of its workings1 leads to the extinction of all our worldly desires4 7i4e4 ,the thoughts of things1 are productive of our desires for them2 banish your thoughts1 and you get rid of your desires at once74 #fh4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 how long continues this tendency of the intellect towards the thinkables1 and when does the mind come to have its unmindfulness1 which causes our coma or ansthesis of ,nirvna4 #fi4 ,vasishtha replied3--,there being a total absence of thinkable things1 what is then left for the intellect to be intent upon2 the mind dwells upon its thoughts only1 but the want of thinkable objects1 leaves nothing for it to think upon4 #gj4 ,rma rejoined3--,how can there be the absence of thinkables1 when we have the ideas in store to think and reflect upon2 nor is there any one who can deny the existence of ideas1 which are ever imprinted in the mind 7i4e4 the eternal ideas74 #ga4 ,vasishtha replied3--,whatever is the ideal world of the ignorant1 has no truth in it and is denied by the learned2 and the conception which the sapient have of it1 is that of a nameless and formless unity only4 #gb4 ,rma rejoined3--,what is that knowledge of this triple world of the ignorant1 which has no truth or reality therein2 and what is the true knowledge of the wise about it1 which is inexpressible in words8 #gc4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the knowledge of the ignorant1 regarding the duality of the world1 is wholly untrue from first to last2 but the true knowledge of the wise1 neither recognizes a duality herein2 nor acknowledges the production hereof2 7but views it in the light of a nullity and void74 #gd4 ,rma rejoined3--,whatever is not produced in the beginning1 can not of course exist at any time2 but how is it1 that this unreal and unapparent nothing1 could come to produce in us its conception of a something8 #ge4 ,vasishtha replied3--,this causeless and uncaused unreality of the world1 appears unto us as a real entity2 like the daydream that presents the false sight of the cosmos as a reality in our waking4 #gf4 ,rma rejoined3--,the sights that we see in our dreams1 and the images that we conceive in our imagination2 are but perceptions derived from our impressions of them in our waking state4 #gg4 ,vasishtha replied3--,tell me1 ,o ,rma1 whether the things that you see in your dream1 or conceive in your imagination1 are exactly of the same forms1 that you see in your waking state4 #gh4 ,rma replied3--,the things that we see in our dream1 and conceive of in our fancy or imagination2 do all of them appear unto us in the same light1 as they show themselves to us in our waking state4 #gi4 ,vasishtha questioned3--,if the impressions of the waking state1 come to represent themselves in our dreaming 7and if our dreams are alike our waking sights71 then tell me ,rma6 why do you find your house standing entire in the morning1 which you beheld to have fallen down in your dream4 #hj4 ,rma answered3--,i see that the things seen in waking1 do not appear the same in dreaming2 but tell me sir1 why they seem to resemble those that have been seen before4 #ha4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is neither the notion nor idea of anything1 that appears as a reality in our minds2 but the inherent impression of the world in the soul1 that exhibits it to us from first to last4 #hb4 ,rma said3--,i find it now1 that this world is no better than a dream2 but tell me sir1 how to remedy our fallacy of its reality1 which holds us fast as a goblin4 #hc4 ,vasishtha replied3--,now consider how this dream of the world has come into vogue1 and what may be the cause thereof2 and knowing that the cause is not different from its effect1 view this visible creation in the light of its invisible origin4 #hd4 ,rma said3--,but as the mind is the cause of the sights1 seen in our dreams in sleep1 it must therefore be the same with its creation of this world1 which is equally unsubstantial and undecaying as itself4 7,the world is the permeation of the ,divine mind--its maker or pervader74 #he4 ,vasishtha replied3--,so it is1 ,o most intelligent ,rma1 the world is verily the manas--mens or the mind of ,god1 which is no other than the consolidation of the ,divine ,intellect or intelligence4 ,thus the world being situated in the mind1 and this in that1 it is this mind only that exhibits these dreamlike shows1 which originate from it1 and have no other source besides4 #hf4 ,rma rejoined3--,but why am ,i not to think the identity of the world with ,brahma himself1 as there is the identity of the divine mind with him1 and that of the mind with the creation4 ,and likewise as the relation of sameness subsists between a component part and its ensemble or the integral whole1 as there is between the branch of a tree and the tree itself8 7because these are but parts of one undivided whole74 ,but it would be absurd to identify the undivided and formless ,brahma1 with the divided and formal world4 #hg4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is impossible1 ,o ,rma1 to identify this frail world with the eternal ,brahma1 who is increate to identify this perishable1 quite calm and quiescent and intact in his nature4 #hh4 ,rma added3--,i come to find at last and by a haphazard1 my erroneous conception of the world from first to last2 as also the error of my attributing the qualities of activity and passivity1 to the nature of the transcendent being4 #hi4 ,vasishtha concluded with saying3--,now ,i have fully exposed the erroneous views of the world 7entertained both by the wise and ignorant71 both by the elegance of my poetical diction1 as also by the enlightening reasonings of the learned2 both of which are calculated to remove the mistaken views of the vacuity and delusion of the world1 by establishment of the truth of the whole1 as being composed of essence of the ,one sole and ,supreme entity4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxxi4 ,,solution ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,question ,,of ,,unity ,,and ,,duality4 ,argument3--,concerning the identity of the world and ,god1 or the total absence of the universe4 ,rma rejoined3--,if it is so sir1 as you say1 the world must be a great riddle2 as it can neither be said to be in existence with all its contents1 or it is a perfect nullity with every thing quite extinct in it4 #b4 ,this existence that shows itself as the world to sight1 appears as a delusion or deception of vision in view2 though it cannot properly be called an illusion1 if it is composed of divine essence as you mean to say4 #c4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the fortuitous appearance in which ,brahma1 manifests himself of his own accord2 is known to him as the world and subsisting in himself4 #d4 ,rma rejoined3--,how does ,brahma manifest himself as the world1 before existence of space and after its extinction 7at the ultimate dissolution of creation72 and how does the divine spirit shine itself as the world in want of the light of the luminaries8 #e4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the world shines in this manner in the light of the ,divine ,intellect2 and know this light to proceed from the ,divine spirit1 which is thus diffused all over the universe4 #f4 ,as the light of the lamp or chandelier1 enlightens the house with its lustre2 it was thus the holy light of the ,divine spirit that shone itself1 without presenting its outward appearance1 or having any one to look upon it 7before creation74 #g4 ,thus it is an immaterial and imperishable entity1 without any appearance of or looker on it2 it shines with the light of the intellect1 upon the basis or stand of the ,divine spirit4 #h4 ,it shines in its visible appearance1 in the sight of the spirit only1 that constantly looks upon it1 as it sees its dreams in sleep4 #i4 ,it shines only in the light of the intellect1 and appears as the created world before its creation2 all its visible and shining sheen being derived from the ,supreme4 #aj4 ,the ,one supreme intellect alone1 assumes the triple forms of the sight1 seer and seeing 7i4e4 the subjective1 objective and the attribute71 in the beginning of creation2 and shows itself as the created world of its own nature and accord4 #aa4 ,we have the resemblance of such like appearance1 presenting unto us in our dreams and creatures of our fancy2 and it is in the same manner1 that this creation shines before us with the light of the intellect4 #ab4 ,this world 7shining so bright and fair71 is like a vacuous body appearing in the vacuity of the intellect2 the creation has neither its beginning nor end1 it is a development of the intellect1 which is distributed through it4 #ac4 ,it has become habitual to our nature1 to suppose the existence of the world1 but the false impression of its visibility1 is lost in the consciousness of high-minded men4 #ad4 ,to them this creation presents no visible forms1 nor any sensible appearance at all2 it is to them a representation of fallacy only1 as the mistake of a man in a statue1 or taking a false apparition as real4 #ae4 ,in this manner the blunder of a duality in the soul1 produces a dualism in the mind2 but ere the existence of creation1 there existed no dualism of the creator and the created1 or of the manifester and the manifested4 #af4 ,the want of a cause causes the appearance of a duality 7i4e4 of the causal agency and its effect1 in the vacuity of the intellect72 but tell me how could there be a cause when there is no creation in existence4 7,the creation presupposes a cause1 but not otherwise nor its absence74 #ag4 ,it is the ,divine intellect alone1 that manifests itself in the manner of the world1 in the total absence of all visible objects2 and though this seems to be the waking state of the ,supreme soul1 yet it is neither its waking1 sleeping nor dreaming state4 #ah4 ,the visible world is no production of dream1 but a manifestation of ,brahma himself2 and there existed the ,divine intellect only1 in the manner of the infinite void1 before the birth of the atmospheric vacuum of the world4 #ai4 ,the intellect which beholds this universe as its body1 without being distributed or changed in the form of the world2 is purely of a spiritual or vacuous form1 that manifested itself in this visible form before it came to existence4 #bj4 ,and this visible world that is so manifest to view1 is as void and vacuous as the empty air4 #ba4 ,now knowing this in your own understanding1 you must remain devoid of all dualism in your mind2 be as mute as a block of stone1 nor give heed to the words of the universe in your heart1 nor care for their sayings of earthly enjoyments1 7for fear of losing your spiritual bliss74 ,,chapter ,,clxxxxii4 ,,on ,,the ,,attainment ,,of ,,spiritual ,,anaesthesia4 ,argument3--,rma's coma and trance1 and his revival by the spiritual lecture of his preceptor4 ,rma rejoined and said3--,alas6 that ,i have so long strayed about1 in the erroneous maze of the world2 without the knowledge of its being a mere void and vacuum4 #b4 ,i now come to know the fallacy of my conception of the world1 which is but a mere nullity2 which never is nor was1 nor shall ever prove to be a positive reality4 #c4 ,it is all still and supportless1 and existing in our false knowledge of it2 it is an endless formation of the solid intellect1 and a mere vacuous conception of ours1 without any figure or form or colour or mark of its own4 #d4 ,it is the transcendental vacuum and of a wholly inconceivable nature2 and yet how wonderous it is1 that we call this our world1 our earth and the sphere of our action4 #e4 ,how it appears as a duality 7apart from the unity of ,god71 and how these worlds and mountains seen as separate and solid bodies of themselves2 when they are in reality but the pellucid sky appearing as thick and opaque to our misconception of them4 #f4 ,this creation and the future world1 are as the dreams that we see1 but working of our imagination2 while it is the intellect only that shows itself as these intelligible objects1 which could not otherwise present their visible aspects to our conceptions of them4 #g4 ,the thought that ,i am situated in heaven or hell in this life1 makes this world appear as such unto us2 because the visibles are all objects or creatures of our consciousness of them4 7,it is the mind that makes a heaven or hell74 #h4 ,there is nothing as visible or its vision1 nor this world or its creation1 unless it is caused as such1 by the intellect within us2 it is neither a scene in our waking or sleeping1 nor is this anything as real in its nature4 #i4 ,if this be but an erroneous sight1 how could the negative error produce this positive spectacle1 should it be but a false conception of the mind1 then tell me1 ,o sage1 how could this blank fallacy bring forth the thought of this real existence4 #aj4 ,it is not possible for error1 to creep into the infallible mind of omniscience2 nor is it probable that error should reign over this perfect creation at large2 it is therefore the ,lord himself1 that exhibits his glory in this manner4 #aa4 ,what can we think otherwise of the continuity of space1 infinity of vacuum and infinity of time1 than they are the attributes of omnipotence2 and how are we to look on the transparency of the air and crystal1 without thinking them as manifestation of his nature8 #ab4 ,an erroneous notion is as false1 as the sight of one's own death in a dream2 but how can this world which is so palpable to sight1 be lost to or expunged from our sight1 without losing our sight of its great manifester also8 7,to ignore the world is to ignore its maker also1 as the denial of ,god leads to that of the world74 #ac4 ,the sights of the mirage1 fairy cities and double moons in the sky1 are of course deceptions of vision and productions of our error2 but the same analogy does not apply to our sight of the world4 #ad4 ,the boys' apparitions of ghosts1 never lay hold on adults and the waking1 nor on any one in the day light and open air2 this and similar errors arise in our ignorance only1 but they vanish upon our second thought and true knowledge of them4 #ae4 ,it is improper in this place to raise the question1 regarding whence this bug bear of error could rise among mankind2 since it is evident from our own reasoning1 that there is no such thing as avidy or ignorance 7which is the cause of error7 ever in existence1 nor an asat or not being even in being4 7,because the ,veda says the existence existed from before74 #af4 ,it is evident by rational reasoning1 that whatever is invisible and imperceptible to us1 the same is called as asat or not being1 and the conception of idea or that is termed an error4 #ag4 ,that which is not clearly obtained by any proof or reasoning1 and is as impossible as the sky-flower or the horn of a hare1 how can that be believed to be as anything in existence4 #ah4 ,and a thing however apparent to sight1 but having no cause or evidence of its reality1 cannot be believed as a thing in existence1 but it must be a nullity like the issue of a barren woman4 #ai4 ,therefore there can no error at any time1 nor can an error ever produce anything whatever2 it is therefore the manifest omniscience of ,providence1 that is conspicuous in every part of this wide and grand display4 #bj4 ,whatever then is seen now to shine before us1 is the manifestation of ,supreme being itself2 the same ,supreme spirit fills this plenitude1 and is full with it in itself4 7,so the ,veda c474 #ba4 ,there is nothing that is either shining or unshining here at any time1 unless it be the calm and quiet and transparent spirit of ,god1 that inheres in its body of the mundane world4 #bb4 ,it is the one unborn1 undying and unchanging everlasting ,being1 that is the most adorable and ever adored ,lord of all1 that fills and pervades the whole with his essence4 ,he only is the word ego1 selfmanifest--pure and all pervading1 while ,i and all others are without our egoism1 and shine only in that unity 7literally1 without our duality74 ,,chapter ,,clxxxxiii4 ,,mental ,,torpor ,,or ,,tranquility4 ,argument3--,rma's ecstatic hybernation and union with the ,supreme unity4 ,rma rejoined3--,there is the only ,one alone whom neither the gods nor the rishis know or comprehend2 ,he is without beginning1 middle and end1 and it is that being that thus shines himself1 without this world and these phenomena4 #b4 ,it is useless to us to mind the difference1 between the unity and duality1 and to be led to the doubts created by the misleading verboilogy of erroneous doctrines2 without relying in the state of one tranquil and unvarying ,spirit4 #c4 ,the world is as clearly a vacuous body1 appearing in the womb of vacuity2 as the string of pearls and the aerial castles1 that are seen in the open sky4 #d4 ,the world is attached in the same manner1 to the solidity of the invisible intellect2 as vacuity is inherent in vacuum1 lapidity in the stone1 and fluidity in water4 #e4 ,though the world1 appears to be spread on all sides of space2 yet it is no more than an empty vacuity1 lying calm and quiet1 in the hollow womb of the great intellect4 #f4 ,this world appearing so fair and perspicuous1 to the sight of ignorant people2 vanishes as a phantom into nothing1 at the sight of the boundless glory of the transcendent ,god4 #g4 ,the impression of difference and duality1 existing between the creator and creation1 among worldly men2 vanishes upon reflection1 like waves into the waters of the sea4 #h4 ,the existence of the world1 together with all our miseries in it1 before the light of our liberation2 as the darkness of night flies away at sunrise1 and the light of the day disappears1 before the gloom of night4 #i4 ,whether in plenty or poverty1 or in birth1 death or disease2 or in the troubles and turmoils of the world1 the wise man remains unshaken1 though he may be overpowered by them4 #aj4 ,there is no knowing nor error in this world1 nor any pain or pleasure1 or distress or delight in it2 but they are all attributes of the deity1 whose pure nature is unsullied by them4 #aa4 ,i have come to know1 that this existence is the immaculate ,brahma himself2 and is the want of our knowledge1 which says anything to be beside the spirit of the ,great ,god4 #ab4 ,i am awakened to1 and enlightened in divine knowledge2 and find external existence cease to exist in any presence4 #ac4 ,perfect knowledge tells us1 all these worlds to be but ,brahma himself2 but want of this knowledge says1 ,i was no ,brahma before1 but have now become so by my knowledge4 #ad4 ,the known and the unknown1 the dark and the bright are all but ,brahma1 as vacuity and unity1 and brightness and blueness1 do all appertain to the one and same sky4 #ae4 ,i am extinct in the deity 7in my divine knowledge71 and sit dauntless of anything2 ,i am devoid of all desire1 with my leaning in perfect blessedness2 ,i am as ,i am1 ravished in my infinite bliss1 without my sensibility of what or which4 #af4 ,i am wholly that one and sole entity1 which is naught but perfect tranquility2 ,i see nothing but a calm and quiet1 which utterly absorbs and enrapts me quite4 #ag4 ,knowing the knowable 7the unknown ,one7 is to unknow one's self and ignore the visible2 as this cognition continues to dawn in the soul1 the whole cosmos sinks into oblivion and seems a block of stone1 without the name and sign of anything being known4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxxiv4 ,r,,ma',s ,,rest ,,in ,,nirv,,na ,,insensibility4 ,argument3--,rma's feeling of his comatosity1 and his relation of it to his preceptor ,vasishtha4 ,rma said3--,in whatever manner and form1 the living or individual soul conceives the universal soul within itself2 it has the same conception or idea presented before it1 agreeably to its concept thereof4 7i4e4 ,the divine spirit appears in the same form in us1 as we think it to be74 #b4 ,all these worlds lie in concert in their spiritual state1 in the boundless spirit of the great ,brahma2 but they appear to us in various lights1 like the different rays1 radiating from the one and same gem4 #c4 ,the great and bright quarry of the ,divine ,mind1 contains all these gemming worlds in its unbounded bosom2 all of which unite to shed and scatter their conjoined light upon us1 like the commingled rays of the gems contained in the womb of a vast mine4 #d4 ,all these several worlds1 shining together like so many lamps of a lustre2 are clearly perceived by some and are imperceptible to others1 as the blaze of day light is dazzling to the clear-sighted1 but quite dim to the blind4 #e4 ,as the rushing of the contrary currents1 describe the whirlpools in the waters of the deep2 so do the contact and conflict of the elementary atoms1 produce the consolidation and dissolution of worlds1 which are no acts of creation4 #f4 ,the creation is everywhere but a coagulation1 of the drizzling drops of the gelid intellect2 who can therefore count the countless watery particles1 that are incessantly oozing out of it1 and are condensed in the forms of worldly spherules4 #g4 ,as the part is not different in its substance1 from that of the whole2 so the creation is not otherwise than its creator1 except in the difference of the two terms of devious significations4 #h4 ,the causeless and uncausing unity1 being the archetype of infinite variety2 these numberless multiplicities are only ectypes of that sole moiety1 and neither a duality nor pluralities whatever2 nor do these copies and counterparts1 ever rise or fall apart from their original prototype 7but the both are showing the same74 #i4 ,it is that intelligence which shows the intelligibles in itself2 it produces these unproduced productions to view1 as the sun light exposes the visibles to light4 #aj4 ,it is from my inappetency of all things in existence1 that ,i have accomplished that perfection1 and acquired that prosperity for myself1 which is termed insouciance or the nirvna extinction4 #aa4 ,it is not by our understanding this bliss1 nor can we have any knowledge of it by our percipience2 neither is there any knowledge whereby we may know1 the unknown one which is alone to be known4 7,here is a pun and play of the word bdha or knowledge1 which is explained in the gloss to a great length74 #ab4 ,it is a knowledge that rises of itself1 and a waking of the soul resembling its somnolence2 it throws a light as that of the midday sun in the inmost soul1 and is neither confined in or absent from any place or time4 7i4e4 ,the full blaze of spiritual light1 fills the soul at all times and places or as ,pope says3 ,it wraps my soul1 and absorbs me quite74 #ac4 ,it is after the subsidence of all desire within1 and desistance from all actions without accompanied with one's desistance from all wishes1 that this stillness attends upon the enlightened soul4 #ad4 ,the saint of awakened understanding1 that is confined in himself1 and absorbed in his meditation2 is neither inclined to the prurience of any thing1 nor to the avoidance of aught whatever4 78,have what ,i have1 and dare not leave1 enamoured of the present day40 ,young74 #ae4 ,in this state of rapture1 the mind of the saint1 though in full possession of its mental faculties2 remains yet as fixed and inactive1 and unmindful of all worldly things and bodily actions2 as a burning taper1 that consumes itself while illumes others1 without any shaking or motion of its own4 7i4e4 ,thoughtful and inactive74 #af4 ,the soul becomes as ,viswarpa or incorporated with the world1 in its condition of thoughtfulness1 when it is called the ,viswtma or the mundane soul2 or else it is said to be situated in the state of the immense void of ,brahma1 when it is devoid of and unoccupied with its thoughts4 ,hence creation and its cessation1 both appertain to the ,divine ,intellect1 in its states of activity or thoughtfulness and its wants or stupor4 #ag4 ,he who is enrapt in divine ecstasy1 and settled in his belief of the identity of the ,deity with his excogitation of him1 remains closely confined in himself with his rapture and secure from distraction of his mind 7and perturbation of worldly thoughts74 #ah4 ,he who relies only in the cogitation of his self1 regardless of all other things in the world2 comes to find the reality of his self-cognition alone1 and else beside1 to be as nil as empty air4 7,literally3 as empty air is not distinct from vacuity74 #ai4 ,the man of enlarged understanding1 has an unbounded store of knowledge in himself2 but this ultimately ends in the knowledge of the unspeakable one4 7,the end of all knowledge is the knowledge of ,god74 #bj4 ,it is therefore in our quietism1 that we feel the very best entity of our consciousness1 to be either dormant or extinct2 and this state of tranquility of the mind1 is unutterable in words4 #ba4 ,that which is the acme of all knowledge1 is the abstract and abstruse knowledge of all as the true ,one2 hence the world is a real entity1 in as much as it abides in the eternal ,one 7in its abstract light74 #bb4 ,the felicity of ,nirvna--ecstasy1 with the utter extinction of all desire1 and the consciousness of a cool and calm composure of one's self1 is the summum bonum or highest state of bliss and perfection2 that is aimed at to be attained even by the gods ,brahm1 ,vishnu and ,siva4 #bc4 ,all things 7desirable to the soul71 are always present with it1 in all places and at all times2 they are ever accompanied with our concepts of them in the intellect1 which is the only pure entity that is ever in existence1 and is never dissolved4 7,the thought survives the thing it represents74 #bd4 ,too hot is the busy bustle of the world1 and very cooling is the bliss of ,nirvna insensibility2 it is therefore far better to have the cold heartedness of insouciance1 than the heart burning heat of worldliness4 #be4 ,as an artist conceives in himself1 the contrivance of a statue sculptured in relief1 in the slab of his mind2 so the ,great ,brahma sees this universe inscribed in him1 in rilievo and not carved out of him4 #bf4 ,just as the spacious ocean looks upon the waves1 heaving upon the surface of its waters2 so doth the great ,brahma see the myriads of worlds1 rolling about in the midst of its intellect4 #bg4 ,but ignorant people of dull understandings1 behold those fixed inseparable spectacles1 in the light of separate spectres1 appearing in various shapes and forms1 in the spheres of their intellect4 #bh4 ,in whatever manner doth any body conceive anything in his mind1 he verily thinks and beholds it in the same light1 by his habitual mode of thinking the same as such4 #bi4 ,as a man waking from his sleep1 finds no truth in aught he saw in his dream2 whether it be the death or presence or absence of a friend or other2 so the enlightened soul sees no reality in the ,life or death1 of any living being seen in this visible world because none lives by himself1 nor dies or departs away of himself1 but all are deputed alike in the tablet of the eternal mind4 #cj4 ,the thought and conviction of this truth in the mind1 that whatever appears to pass under and away from our sight1 is the fixed inert and quiescent rchauff of its divine original1 is sure and enough to forfend the mind1 from its falling into the error of taking the copy for its mould4 #ca4 ,this lesson will certainly tend to lessen the enjoyments of your body1 that none of them will ever serve to prevent its fall to naught2 as also to protect you from the error of accounting for the reality of these numberless1 that are at best but passing sights in your dream4 #cb4 ,inappetency of earthly enjoyments increases our wisdom1 as wisdom serves to diminish our worldly desires1 thus they mutually serve to augment one another1 as the open air and sunshine4 #cc4 ,the knowledge which tends to create your aversion to riches1 and to your family and friends1 is of course averse to your ignorance and dullness2 and the one being acquired and accomplished by you1 serves to put an end to your ignorance at once4 #cd4 ,that is the true wisdom of wise men1 which is unalloyed by avarice1 and that is the true learning of the learned1 which is not vitiated by any yearning4 #ce4 ,but neither wisdom and inappetency1 singly and simply1 nor their combined and augmented states1 are of no good unless they have attained their perfection1 but prove as vain as the blaze of a sacrificial fire in a picture1 which has not the power of consuming the oblation offered upon it4 #cf4 ,the perfection of wisdom and inappetence1 is a treasure which is termed liberation also2 because any body who has reached to1 and remains in that state of infinite bliss1 is freed from all the bonds of care4 #cg4 ,in this state of our emancipation1 we see the past and present1 and all our sights and doings in them as present before us2 and find ourselves situated1 in a state of even calm and tranquility1 of which there is no end nor any breach whatever4 #ch4 ,the self-contented man who finds all his happiness in himself1 is ever cool and calm and tranquil in his soul1 and is devoid of all desire and selfishness in his mind4 ,he relies in his cool hearted indifference and apathy to all worldly objects1 and sees only a clear void stretched before him4 #ci4 ,we scarcely find one man1 among a hundred thousand human beings1 who is strong enough and has the bravery1 to break down the trammels of his earthly desires1 as the lion alone breaks of the iron bars of his prison house4 7,the adamantine chain of avarice1 binds us all alike to this nether earth74 #dj4 ,it is the inward light of the clear understanding1 that dispels the mist of desires that overcasts the cupidinous mind2 and melts down the incrassated avarice1 as the broad sunshine dissolves the thickened ice in autumn4 #da4 ,it is the want of desire that is the knowledge of the knowable1 7or what is best and most worthy of being known71 and stands above all things that are desirable or worth our desiring2 it bears its resemblance to the breath of air1 without any external action of it4 7i4e4 ,the man that is without any desire of his1 lives to breathe his vital breath only1 without doing any external action of his2 but breathes as the current mind1 to no purpose whatsoever74 #db4 ,he sits quiet and firm in himself1 with his thoughts fixed in ascertaining the truths and errors of the world2 and looks all others in the light of himself1 without having to do with or desire of them4 #dc4 ,he sits reclined in the immensity of ,brahma1 with his enlightened view of the visibles as subsisting in ,him2 he remains indifferent to all things1 and devoid of his desire for anything1 and sits quiet in the quiescence of his liberation2 which is styled as moksha by the wise4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxxv4 ,,lecture ,,on ,,the ,,enlightenment ,,of ,,understanding4 ,argument3--,vasishtha's commendation of ,rma's knowledge1 and his further questions for his trial and ,rma's replies4 ,vasishtha said3--,bravo ,rma6 that you are awakened to light and enlightened in your understanding2 and the words you have spoken1 are calculated to destroy the darkness of ignorant minds1 and rejoice the hearts of wise4 #b4 ,these phenomenals that ever appear so very bright to our sight1 lose their gloss at our want of desire and disregard of them2 it is the knowledge of this truth1 that is attended with our peace and tranquility1 and our liberation and inexcitability4 #c4 ,all these imaginary sights vanish from our view1 at the suppression of our imagination of them2 just as the want of ventilation in the winds1 reduces them to the level of the one common1 and calm still air4 #d4 ,the enlightened man remaining unmoved as a stone1 or moving quietly in his conduct in life 7i4e4 who is ever unruffled in his disposition71 is verily said to have his clear liberation4 #e4 ,look at yogis like ourselves1 ,o ,rma1 that having attained this state of liberation1 have been cleansed from all our iniquities2 and are now set at quiet rest1 even in the conduct of our worldly affairs4 #f4 ,know the great gods ,brahm1 ,vishnu and others1 to have been situated in this state of quiet and freedom1 that they are remaining as pure intelligences1 even while discharging the offices of their godship4 #g4 ,do you1 ,o ,rma1 attain the enlightenment of holy sages1 and remain as still as a stone like ourselves4 #h4 ,rma replied3--,i see this world as a formless void1 situated in the infinite vacuity of ,brahma2 it is an uncreated and unsubstantial nihility1 and with all its visibility1 it is an invisible nothing4 #i4 ,it is as the appearance of water in the mirage1 and as a whirlpool in the ocean2 its glare is as glitter of gold in the dust1 and of sands in the sandy shores of seas in sunshine4 #aj4 ,vasishtha said3--,rma6 if you have become so enlightened and intelligent1 then ,i will tell you more for the edification of your understanding2 and put some questions for your answer to them1 in order to remove my doubts regarding them4 #aa4 ,tell me1 how can the world be a nullity1 when it shines so very brightly all about and above our heads2 and how can all these things1 which are so resplendent to sight1 and always perceptible to our senses4 #ab4 ,rma replied3--,the world was never created in the beginning1 nor was anything ever produced at any time1 it is therefore as nil as the offspring of an unprolific woman and a creation of our imagination only4 #ac4 ,it is true that there is no result without its cause1 or that nothing comes from nothing1 but can be the cause of the world when it is a nullity1 and a production of our error only4 #ad4 ,the immutable and everlasting deity1 cannot be the creator1 without changing itself to a finite form2 how can therefore be there a cause of this frail and finite form8 #ae4 ,it is the unknown and nameless ,brahma1 that shows himself as the cause of the world1 which having proceeded from him is his very self1 nor does the word world bear any other sense at all 7nor it can be made to bear any other sense74 #af4 ,the first intelligence named as the ,god ,brahm1 rises from and abides for a little while1 that unknown and nameless category of the universal spirit1 as the conscious soul and having a spiritual body4 7,this is called the jvtm or the living soul with a personal body of it74 #ag4 ,it then comes to see on a sudden1 the luminaries of the sun and moon and the heavenly hosts1 rising in the infinity of the ,divine ,mind1 and thinks a small moment as a long year as its reverie of a dream4 7,the ,morning and evening of the creation of ,brahm1 occupying many a year of mortals74 #ah4 ,it then perceived the ideas of space and time1 together with those of their divisions and motions also2 and the whole universe appearing to its sight1 in the vast immensity of vacuity3 7of the ,divine ,mind74 #ai4 ,upon the completion of the false world in this manner1 its false contriver the soi-disant ,brahm1 was employed in wandering all over the world as his creation4 #bj4 ,so the living soul of every body1 being deluded by its mistaken conception of the world as a positive reality1 traverses up and down and all about it1 in its repeated wanderings amidst its false utopia4 #ba4 ,and though the events of life1 takes place according to the wishes of the soul2 yet these are mere accidents of chance2 and it is a mistake to think them as permanent result of fixed laws4 #bb4 ,because it is as wrong to suppose the substantiality of the world1 and the permanency of the events2 as to grant the birth of a child born of a barren woman1 and the feeding of it with the powder of the pulverized air4 #bc4 ,nothing can be positively affirmed or denied1 regarding the existence of the world2 except that whatever it is1 it is no other than the diffusion of the all pervasive spirit of the ,eternal one4 #bd4 ,the world is as clear as the transparent atmosphere1 and as solid as the density of a rock2 it is as mute and still as a stone1 and quite indestructible in its nature4 #be4 ,the world is originally ideal1 from the ideas of the eternal mind2 and then it is spiritual1 from the pervasion of the all pervading spirit of ,virt2 it is thus a mere void1 appearing as a solid body to us4 #bf4 ,thus ,brahma being the great vacuum and its fulness1 where is any other thing as the world in it1 the whole is a dead calm as quietus1 and a void devoid of its beginning and end 7i4e4 a round sphere74 #bg4 ,as the waves have been ever heaving and diving1 in the bosom of the waters of the deep2 and as the waves are not distinct from those waters1 so the worlds rolling in the breast of the vacuous ,brahma1 are no other than the selfsame essence of ,brahma himself4 #bh4 ,the few that are versed in their superior or esoteric1 as well as in the inferior or exoteric knowledge2 live as long as they live and then dive at last in this ,supreme1 as drops of water mix into the sea4 #bi4 ,the exoteric 7or phenomenal7 world1 abides in the esoteric 7or the noumenal7 ,brahma2 and is of the same transcendent nature as the ,divine ,mind2 for it is never possible for the gross1 changeful and transitional nature1 to subsist in the pure1 unchanged and quiet state of the deity4 #cj4 ,for who that knows the nature of dream as false1 and that of mirage as a fallacy can ever believe them as realities2 so any one that knows the visible ,nature to be of the nature of ,brahma1 can ever take it for dull and gross material substance4 7,nature being one with its ,god1 is equally of a spiritual nature74 #ca4 ,the enlightened sage1 that has the esoteric knowledge of the world1 and reflects it in its spiritual sense2 cannot be misled to view it in its gross 7material7 light1 as the holy man that tastes ambrosia1 is never inclined to drink the impure liquor of wine4 #cb4 ,he who remains in his ,nirvna meditation1 by reverting his view from the sight of the visibles1 to the excogitation of his self2 and represses his mind from the thoughts of thinkables1 he is verily seated in the tranquility of ,supreme spirit4 #cc4 ,vasishtha said3--,if the visible creation is situated in ,brahma--their cause and origin1 as the germ or sprout of a plant is seated in its producing seed2 how then can you ignore the substantiality or distinction of either of them from their originating source the seed or ,god 7who is said in the sruti1 as the seed of the arbor of the world1--sansramahirpavja c474 #cd4 ,rma replied3--,the germ does seem to be seated or situated in the seed 7as a separate or different substance72 but as it is produced from the essence of the seed1 it appears to be the same substance with itself4 7,were it not so1 the germ would become another plant than that of the seed74 #ce4 ,if the world as it appears to us is inherent in ,brahma1 then it must be of the same essence and nature as ,brahma2 and these being eternal and imperishable in ,brahma1 needs have the world to be so also 7and not of the seed and sprout1 or the begetter and begotten74 #cf4 ,we have neither seen nor ever heard1 that any finite1 formal or perishable1 has ever proceeded from an infinite1 formless and imperishable cause 7therefore this world is not as it appears to us74 #cg4 ,it is impossible for a formless thing1 to remain in any form or other whatsoever2 as it is never possible for an atom1 to contain a mountain in its bosom4 #ch4 ,it is the voice of an idiot only who says1 that the stupendous world with its gigantic form1 abides in the formless abyss of ,brahma2 as bright gems are contained in the hollow of a box or basket4 7,the basket has a base to support any thing1 whereas the vacuity of ,brahma has no basis at all74 #ci4 ,it does not befit any body to say that1 the transcendence and tranquility of ,god1 supports the material and moving world upon it2 nor that a corporeal body 7the corpus mundi71 is an imperishable thing 7as the divine spirit74 #dj4 ,our perception of the world having a form1 is no proof of its reality2 because there is no truth whatever in the many curious forms1 that present themselves before us in our dreams4 7,this is a refutation of the ,buddhists' reliableness in perception74 #da4 ,it is an unprecedented dream1 that presents us the sight of the world1 of which we had no innate or preconceived idea in us2 while our usual dreams are commonly known1 to be the reproduced representations1 of our former impressions and perceptions1 and the results of our past remembrances of things c4 #db4 ,it is not a day dream as some would have it to be1 because the night dreams disappear in the day time2 but how does a dreamer of his own funeral at night1 come to see himself alive upon his waking in the day8 7,this continuous sight of the world day by day1 is not comparable to a transient dream by day or night1 but a permanent one in the person of the ,great ,god himself74 #dc4 ,others again maintain that1 no bodiless things can appear in our dream1 since we dream of certain bodies only2 but this tenet has no truth in it1 since we often dream of1 as well as see the apparitions of bodiless ghosts both by day and night4 #dd4 ,therefore the world is not as false as a dream1 but an impression settled like a dream in our very conscious soul2 it is the formless deity1 that manifests itself in the various forms of this world1 to our understandings4 #de4 ,as our intellect remains alone and in itself1 in the forms and other things1 appearing as dreams unto us in our sleep2 so doth ,brahma remain solely in himself in the form of the world we see3 for ,god being wholly free and apart from all1 can not have any accompaniment with him4 #df4 ,there is nothing that is either coexistent or inexistent in him 7that is what can be either affirmed or denied of him72 because we have no concept or conception of him ourselves1 nor do we have any notion or idea we are to form of him4 #dg4 ,what is this nameless thing1 that we can not know in our understanding2 it is known in our consciousness 7i4e4 we are conscious of it71 but it is in esse or non-esse1 we know nothing of 7this world74 #dh4 ,it is an inexistence appearing as existent1 as also an existence seeming to be unexistent2 all things are quite manifest in it at all times and in all forms 7but how and whence they are is quite unknown74 #di4 ,it is the development of ,brahma in ,brahma1 as the sky is evolved in vacuity2 for nothing can be found to fill the vacuum of ,brahma1 except ,brahma himself 7or his own essence74 #ej4 ,there ,i1 my seeing and my sight of the world1 is all mere fallacy2 it is the calm and quiet extension of the ,divine intellect only1 that fills the infinite vacuity of his own spirit1 and naught beside4 #ea4 ,as the rial castle of our imagination1 has no building nor reality in it2 so is this world but a calm and quiet vacuity1 and unfailing vacant ideality4 #eb4 ,it is a boundless space full with the essence of the ,supreme spirit1 it is without its beginning and end1 wholly inscrutable in its nature1 and quite calm and quiet in its aspect4 #ec4 ,i have known my own state also1 to be without its birth and death1 and as calm and quiet1 as that of the unborn and immortal ,brahma himself2 and ,i have come to know myself 7i4e4 my soul7 also1 to be as formless and undefinable1 as the ,supreme soul or spirit4 #ed4 ,i have now given expression1 to all that ,i find to be impressed in my consciousness2 just as whatever is contained in the seed1 the same comes to sprout forth out of it4 #ee4 ,i know only the knowledge that ,i bear in my consciousness1 and nothing about the unity or duality 7of the creation and creator72 because the question of unity and duality rises only from imagination 7of the one or other74 #ef4 ,all these knowing and living liberated men1 that have been liberated from the burthen of life by their knowledge of truth2 are sitting silent here1 and devoid of all their earthly cares1 like the empty air in the infinite vacuity4 #eg4 ,all their efforts of mixing with the busy bustle of the world1 are here at an end2 and they are sitting here as quiet and silent as yon mute and motionless picture on the wall1 medalling on the bright regions in their minds4 #eh4 ,they are as still as the statues engraven in a rock1 or as people described in fancy tales1 to dwell in the rial city built by ,sambara in air 7i4e4 as the inhabitants dwelling in the ,elysian of ,plato1 or in the utopia of ,sir ,thomas ,moore72 or as the airy figures in our dream4 #ei4 ,this world is verily a phantom appearing in our dream of the creation2 it is a structure without its base1 and a figure intangible to our touch4 ,where then is its reality8 7,its tangibleness is a deception of our sense74 #fj4 ,the world appears as a positive reality to the blinded ignorant1 but it is found to be a negative nullity by the keen-sighted sage2 who sees it in the light of ,brahma and a manifestation of himself1 and as still as the calm air1 reposing in the quiet vacuity of that transcendent spirit4 #fa4 ,all these existences1 with their moving and unmoving beings1 and ourselves also1 are mere void and vacant nullities1 in the knowledge of the discerning and philosophic mind4 #fb4 ,i am void and so are you too1 and the world beside but mere blanks2 the intellect is a void also1 and by having all several voids in itself1 it forms the immense intellectual vacuum1 which is the sole object of our adoration 7being as infinite and eternal1 as well as all pervading and containing all as the supreme spirit74 #fc4 ,being thus seated with my knowledge of the infinite vacuity of ,brahma1 ,i take thee also1 ,o thou best of biped beings1 as indistinct from the knowable ,one1 who is one and same with the all comprehending vacuum1 and so make my obeisance to thee4 #fd4 ,it is from the all comprehensiveness 7i4e4 omniscience7 of the vacuous intellect1 that this world rises and sets in it by turns2 it is as clear as the transparent air1 and has no other cause of it but the undulation of the same4 #fe4 ,this hypostasis of ,brahma is beyond all other existences1 and above the reach of all sstras1 it is by attaining to this state of transcendentalism1 that one becomes as pure and superfine as empty air4 #ff4 ,there is nothing as myself1 my feet and hands1 or this pot or aught else that ,i bear1 as any material existence2 all is air and empty and inane as air1 and knowing this1 let us turn ourselves to our airy intellects only4 7i4e4 ,i think ourselves as intellectual and spiritual beings only1 in utter disregard of our bodies and earthly things74 #fg4 ,you have shewn me sir1 the nullity of the world and the vanity of all worldly things2 and the truth of this doctrine is evident in the light of our spiritual knowledge1 in defiance of the sophistry of our opponents4 #fh4 ,the sophist that discomfits the silent sage with his sophistry1 can never expect to see the light of spiritual knowledge to gleam upon him 7spirituality is got by silent meditation and not by wrangling74 #fi4 ,the ,being that is beyond our perception and conception1 and without any designation or indication2 can be only known in our consciousness of him1 and not by any kind of reasoning or argumentation4 #gj4 ,the ,being that is without any attribute1 or sight or symbol of his nature1 is purely vacuous and entirely inconceivable by us1 save by means of our spiritual light of him4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxxvi4 ,,story ,,of ,a ,,wood-,,cutter ,,and ,,his ,,gem4 ,argument3--,illustration of the efficacy of knowledge derived from ,books and ,preceptors4 ,in the story of the ,wood-cutter1 and his obtaining a precious ,gem4 ,vlmki relates3--,after the lotus-eyed ,rma1 had said these words1 he fell into a trance and remained silent1 with his mind reposing in the state of supreme bliss4 7,the ecstatic state of rapture and transport of the devout74 #b4 ,he felt himself supremely blest at his repose in the ,supreme spirit1 and then awaking after a while from his holy trance1 he wistfully asked his sagely preceptor1 saying3-- #c4 ,rma said3--,o ,venerable sir1 that art the dispeller of my doubts1 as the clear autumn is the scatterer of dark clouds2 that the doubt which had so long rankled in my breast1 has at last quite set at rest4 #d4 ,i find this knowledge of mine to be the best and greatest of all1 and capable of saving me from the boisterous ocean of this world2 it transcends all other doctrines1 which are mere verbiology to ensnare the heedless minds of men4 #e4 ,if all this is certainly the very ,brahma1 and our consciousness of him2 then ,o ,venerable sir1 he must be unspeakable and inexpressible in words1 even by the most learned and wisest of men4 #f4 ,remaining thus in the meditation of the knowable ,one1 and without any desire in our minds of any earthly good2 we are enabled to attain the consciousness of our highest bliss 7,the ,turya state71 which is unattainable by learning and unutterable in words4 7,the divine state is only known to one's self1 but never to be spoken or expressed74 #g4 ,how can this certain and invariable state of felicity1 be obtained from the dogmas of the sstras2 which are at variance with each other1 and are employed in the enumeration of their several categories4 7,the ever varying sstras cannot give us any knowledge of this invariable felicity74 #h4 ,we can gain no true knowledge from the tenets of the different sstras1 that are at best but contradictory of one another2 it is therefore in vain to expect any benefit from them1 that are based upon mere theories of our pretended leaders4 #i4 ,tell me therefore1 ,o ,venerable sir1 whether it is of any good to us1 to learn the doctrines of the sstras or attend to the teaching of our preceptors 7when our true knowledge is derived from within ourselves3 i4e4 from our intuition1 self-consciousness and our personal experiences74 #aj4 ,vasishtha replied3--,so it is1 ,o mighty armed ,rma1 the sstras are not the means to divine knowledge2 those being profuse in wordy torrents1 and this beyond the reach of words4 #aa4 ,yet hear me to tell you1 ,o thou best of ,raghu's race1 how the dictates of the sstras and the lectures of your preceptors1 are of some avail towards the improvement of your understanding4 #ab4 ,there lived in a certain place some wood-cutters1 who had been ever unfortunate and miserable in this lives 7or who were miserably poor all their lives74 ,they pined and faded away in their poverty1 like the withering trees in summer heat4 #ac4 ,excessive poverty made them cover themselves with patched up rags1 and they were as emaciated in their despair as the fading lotus flowers for want of their natal water4 #ad4 ,being parched by famine1 and despairing of their lives2 they only thought of the means of filling their bellies4 #ae4 ,in this state of their distress and despondence1 one thought gleamed in their minds2 and it was to carry the woods day by day to the town1 and to live upon the profits of their sale as fuel4 #af4 ,thus determined they went to the forest to fell down the woods1 because any plan that is hit upon in distress1 is best to be availed of1 for the preservation of life4 #ag4 ,thus they continued daily to go to the forest to fell the woods1 and fetch them to the town for sale2 and to fill their bellies and support their bodies with the sale proceeds thereof4 #ah4 ,it happened that the skirts of the forest whither they went1 were full of woods with hordes of treasures1 consisting of gold and precious gems1 lying hidden under the trees1 and also exposed to view4 #ai4 ,it then turned out that some of the log-bearers1 happened by their good luck to espy the brilliant gems1 which they took with them to their homes from the forest4 #bj4 ,some saw the valuable sandalwood trees1 and others beheld beautiful flowers in some place2 some found fruit trees somewhere1 all which they took and sold for their food and livelihood4 #ba4 ,some men of dull understanding1 slighted all these goods2 and kept collecting the blocks of wood1 which they bore to the way side of the forest1 and there sold at trifling prices4 7,nothing is valued at home unless it is taken to a distance74 #bb4 ,among all these wood men1 who were employed in common in collection of woods1 some of them happened by their good luck1 to find some precious gems there1 which set them at ease for every care4 #bc4 ,thus amongst all of these that had been toiling and moiling in the same field of labour2 now it happened to obtain their desired boon the ,philosopher's gem4 7,that converts all things to gold1 and is desired by all but found by few74 #bd4 ,now they having obtained the desirable gem1 which bestowed upon them all the blessings of affluence and prosperity2 they became preeminently happy with their fortune1 and remained quite content in the very woods4 #be4 ,so the seekers and sellers of worthless wooden blocks1 being gainers of the all bounteous gem of their heart's desire 7,chintmani72 remained happily with themselves1 as the gods dwelling together in harmony in the ,elysian field4 #bf4 ,thus the ,kir woodmen1 having obtained their best gains of what forms the pith and gist of every good in the main1 remained in quiet and quite content in themselves1 and passed their days without any fear or grief1 in the enjoyment of their everlasting equanimity and felicity4 #bg4 ,this world is compared to the wilderness1 and all its busy people are as the day-labouring ,kiri foresters1 daily toiling and moiling in their hard work1 for their help of daily bread4 ,some amongst them are happy to find the precious treasure of true knowledge1 which gives them the real bliss of life and lasting peace of mind4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxxvii4 ,,on ,,the ,,excellence ,,of ,,learning4 ,argument3--,study of the sstras whether for temporal ends or ultimate bliss tends mainly to the edification of the ,mind4 ,rma said3--,do thou1 ,o greatest of sages1 deign to give me the best treasures of knowledge1 as the wood-cutter obtained their precious treasures of the ,philosopher's stones1 and whereby ,i may attain to the full1 perfect and indubitable knowledge of all things4 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the woodmen that ,i have mentioned bear allusion to all mankind in general and their great poverty that ,i have described1 refers to the extreme ignorance of men which is the cause of all their woe 7three fold miseries--tritapas of the body1 mind and soul1 or of this world and the next4 ,gloss74 #c4 ,the great forest which is said to be the place of their residence1 is the vast wilderness of knowledge1 which the human kind have to traverse under the guidance of their preceptors and the sstras2 and their labour in felling and selling the wood for their daily food1 is the hard struggle of human kind in their life time for their simple fare and supportance4 #d4 ,the unavaricious men that are unemployed in business1 and are yet desirous of the enjoyments of life2 are the persons that devote themselves to the acquisition of learning4 7,such is the literary body of students and scholars74 #e4 ,and those people also1 who pursue their callings for the provisions of life1 and are dependents on others for their supportance2 become successful in the acquirement of learning in their minds1 by their practice of the precepts and studious habits4 #f4 ,as the wood-cutters1 who sought for the worthless wood at first1 get the very valuable gems at last2 so men prosecuting their studies for a paltry maintenance and self supportance1 succeed to gain divine knowledge at the end4 7,secular knowledge often leads to the spiritual74 #g4 ,there are some sceptics who say by way of derision1 what is the good to be derived from poring upon books8 but these have been found to have turned to true believers at last4 7,those who came to deride1 returned believers at the end and confessed the truth74 #h4 ,worldly men devoted to the objects of their fruition in life1 and acquainted with the objects of mental and spiritual truths2 coming distrustfully to listen to the doctrines of the sstras1 have become fully convinced of their truths at last4 #i4 ,men are led away to many ways by the different tenets of the sstras1 and by direction of their various desires and inclinations2 but they come to meet at last in the same path of glory1 as the gemming forest of the woodmen4 #aj4 ,he who is not inclined to the injury of others1 but goes on in his own beaten course2 is called the upright man1 and it is his judgement which is sought and followed by every one4 #aa4 ,but men ignorant of truth1 are dubious of the result of righteous conduct1 in earning their livelihood2 and are doubtful also of the benefit1 which is derived from the study of the sstras4 7,hence they fall to misconduct and neglect their studies also1 in order to earn their bread by foul means74 #ab4 ,but men persisting in their righteousness1 gain both their livelihood and liberation at once2 as the honest woodmen obtained their wood as well as the gems together1 and in the same place4 #ac4 ,among these some succeeded to get the sandal woods1 and some to gain the precious gems1 while others met with some common metals1 and a great number of them1 found the wood of the forest trees only4 7,so are our lots differently cast among different individuals1 according to our respective deserts74 #ad4 ,some of us gain the objects of our desire1 and some acquire riches or deeds of virtue and merit2 others obtain their liberation2 and attain their proficiency in the sstras4 #ae4 ,know1 ,o ,rma1 that the sstras deal only with instructions for the acquirement of the triple blessings of our livelihood1 riches and virtue2 but they give no direction for our knowing the supreme ,one1 who is inexpressible in words4 7,because no word nor thought can ever approach to the unknowable ,one74 #af4 ,the words and their significations 7which are used in the sstras71 serve only to express the intelligible objects which are signified by them1 as the seasons denote the seasonal fruits and flowers which they bear2 but the knowledge of the supreme being1 is derived from one's intuition1 and is felt in our consciousness alone4 #ag4 ,divine knowledge is said in the sstras1 to transcend the knowledge of all other things2 and the transparency of the ,divine person1 surpasses the brightness of all objects1 as the beauty of the female body excels the lustre of the brightest gems4 7,the personal grace of females1 transcends the beauty of all their decorations74 #ah4 ,the transcendental knowledge of the ,deity1 is not to be derived from the doctrine of the sstras1 nor from the teachings of our preceptors2 it cannot be had by means of our gifts and charities2 nor by divine service and religious observances1 can we ever know the unknowable ,one4 #ai4 ,these and other acts and rites1 are falsely said to be the causes of divine knowledge1 which can never be attained by them2 now attend to me1 ,o ,rma1 and ,i will tell you the way to your rest in the ,supreme soul4 #bj4 ,the study of the sstras1 serves of course to purify the mind from vulgar errors and prejudices2 but it is the want of desire or aversion to worldly enjoyments1 that makes the mind look within itself1 wherein it sees clearly the image of ,god shining in it4 #ba4 ,this sstra stablishes right understanding in lieu of ignorance1 and this right reasoning serves to drive away all gross errors from the mind at once4 #bb4 ,the sstra or learning serves principally to cleanse the mirror of the mind1 from its dross of errors at first1 and then it purifies the person of its possessor1 by the force of its doctrines4 7,so the sstra has the power of purifying both the body and mind of the learned man74 #bc4 ,as the rising sun casts his image spontaneously1 on the dark bosom of the ocean2 so doth the luminary of sstra or learning1 shed of its own accord the bright light of truth1 in the minds of ignorant4 #bd4 ,as the sun enlightens all objects1 by his presence before them2 so doth the light of learning illume the dark understandings of the illiterate1 by its benign appearance therein4 #be4 ,in this manner there is an intimate relation1 between the learning derived from the sstra1 and the mind of the man that is desirous of his liberation2 in as much as the sstra alone affords the knowledge of the otherwise unknowable ,one to our minds4 #bf4 ,as the sight of the sun and the ocean1 shows us the blue waters of the one1 turning to a bright expanse by the rays of the other2 so the instance of the sstra and its doctrines1 shows the enlightenment of human intellect by means of the other4 #bg4 ,as boys in their play with pebbles1 rub them against one another in the water1 and have their hands cleansed of dirt by abrasion of the stones2 so the discussion of the sstras1 clears the minds of the disputants of their errors1 by refutation of discordant opinions4 #bh4 ,so also do learned men1 by their confutation of repugnant doctrines1 clear their minds of doubtful questions2 and become perfected in forming right principles1 and ascertaining the truth from falsehood4 #bi4 ,the sstras distil with sweetness of the holy texts1 and infuse the sweet balm of true knowledge into the mind2 they are as profuse of dulcitude1 as the sugarcane exudes with its saccharine juice1 which is so delectable to taste4 #cj4 ,as the rays of sunlight falling on the walls of houses1 become perceptible to us1 by means of our visual organs2 so the light of spiritual knowledge1 pierces into the souls of men1 by means of our hearing the sstras through the medium of our ears4 #ca4 ,learning acquired for the acquisition of the triple good of this world1 namely virtue1 wealth and the objects of our desire2 is no learning at all without the knowledge of the sstras leading to our liberation4 ,much learning both in theory and practice1 is worth nothing without the salvation of our souls4 #cb4 ,that is the best learning1 which gives us the knowledge of truth2 and that is true knowledge1 which causes our equanimity in all states of our being2 and that is called perfect equanimity1 which produces our hypnotism in waking 7i4e4 whereby we may sleep in insensibility over the waking and tumultuous world74 #cc4 ,thus are all these blessings obtained from learning of the sstras1 therefore let every one devote himself to the study of the sstras with all diligence4 #cd4 ,hence know1 ,o ,rma6 that it is the study of the sstras1 and meditation of their recondite meanings2 together with one's attendance on his preceptor1 and audience of his lectures and counsels1 as well by his equanimity1 and observance of his vows and discipline1 that he can attain his supreme bliss1 in the everlasting ,god1 who is beyond all worldly things1 and is the supreme lord ,god of all4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxxviii4 ,,excellence ,,of ,,universal ,,toleration4 ,argument3--,sama-darsana or equanimity agreeing with stoic fortitude under all the various shades of its meaning1 elaborately treated here4 ,vasishtha continued3--,hear me ,rma1 to tell you again for the perfection of your understanding 7after what ,i have said already in praise of the virtue of equanimity72 because the repetition of a lesson1 serves to impress it the more in the memory of inattentive persons4 #b4 ,rma6 ,i have told you before about the existence of the world1 after ,i had related to you in length regarding its creation or production2 whereby you have come to know1 that both the appearance and subsistence of the world 7i4e4 its coming to and being in existence71 are mere fallacies of our understanding4 #c4 ,i have next explained to you also1 in the ,upasama-,prakarana or my lecture on ,insouciance1 of the necessity of observing and maintaining a total indifference in regard to the whole creation 7which is here repeated as leading to our nirvna or lukewarmness in this our living state74 #d4 ,in my discourse on indifference1 ,i have described to you the different stages of nonchalance2 the attainment of the highest pitch of which1 will conduce ultimately to your obtaining the blissfulness of the nirvna numbness1 which is treated of in this book on ansthesia4 7,from the stage of ,upasama or allaying of all excitements to that of upasnti or absence of excitability1 there are some intermediate states spoken of before74 #e4 ,you shall have here to hear 7or learn7 from me1 regarding the manner in which the learned are to conduct themselves in this phenomenal world1 after they have learnt and obtained1 whatever there is to be known and obtainable herein 7i4e4 after their attainment of divine knowledge and wisdom74 #f4 ,a man having received his birth in this world1 should habituate himself from his boyhood1 to view the phenomenals as they are of themselves1 and without any concern with himself2 in order to have his security and happiness apart from all others4 7i4e4 ,constrain yourself to yourself1 and without any concern of yours with any74 #g4 ,regard all in the one and same light with yourself1 and observe a universal benevolence towards all beings1 and then placing your reliance in your own equanimity1 conduct yourself safely and securely every where4 #h4 ,know the plan of your even-mindedness1 to be productive of the fruits of purest and most delicious taste2 and bearing the blossoms of unbounded prosperity1 and the flowers of our unfading good fortune4 #i4 ,meekness of disposition1 yields the fruit of universal benevolence1 and makes the prosperity of the whole world wait at its service4 7,blessed are the meek2 for they shall enjoy all the blessing c474 #aj4 ,neither the possession of a kingdom on earth1 nor the enjoyment of the best beauties herein2 can yield that undecaying and essential happiness1 which is derived from the equanimity of the meek4 #aa4 ,the utmost limit of a cool disposition1 and the entire want of all anxious cares1 are the two antidotes that set at naught the fervour and vapours of sorrow from the human mind4 #ab4 ,it is very rare to meet a person1 amidst the spheres of all these worlds2 who is fraught with the ambrosia of cool insouciance1 who is friendly to his enemies and whose enemies are his friends1 and who looks on all alike as he does to himself4 #ac4 ,the mind of the enlightened man1 shines as brightly as the luminous moon2 and dazzles with drops of ambrosial dews2 the sages all lived to drink the cooling draught of immortality1 as you learn from the lives of the royal sage ,janaka and others of immortal fame4 #ad4 ,the man practising his demureness1 has his faults described as his qualities1 his sorrows seem as his pleasure 7i4e4 he rejoices in his misery72 and his death is eternal life unto him4 #ae4 ,smyam or stoicism is ever accompanied1 with a good grace1 good lot and placidness2 all of which are constant attendants on the stoic sage1 as faithful wives fondly cling to the sides of their beloved husbands4 #af4 ,equanimity is the perpetual prosperity of the soul1 and not the transitory hilarity of the mind2 therefore there is no treasure 7i4e4 spiritual bliss7 whatsoever1 which is a stranger to the meekness of spirit4 #ag4 ,he that is honest in all his dealings1 and steady in his own professions2 and liberal in his minds 7i4e4 taking no heed of the faults of others72 are men as valuable as richest gems1 and are deemed and desired by all as gods upon earth4 7,because men with godly virtues1 are deemed and deified as gods74 #ah4 ,the even minded man1 that is righteous and upright in all his doings and dealings1 who is magnanimous in his soul and benevolent in his mind2 such a man is neither burnt by fire1 nor ever soiled or sullied by water 7i4e4 nothing can alter the even tenor of his mind and the smoothness of his conduct74 #ai4 ,who can foil that man that does what is right1 and observes things in their true light2 who is not susceptible of joy or grief 7but goes on in the even course of his life74 #bj4 ,the righteous and unflinching man1 is relied upon and esteemed by all his friends and enemies also2 he is honoured by his king and master1 and loved by all wisemen with whom he has any dealing4 #ba4 ,the wise and even sighted men are of indifferent minds1 and do not try to flee from evil1 nor rejoice to receive any good2 they are content with whatever comes to pass upon them1 as aught of good or bad1 they care for naught4 #bb4 ,these meek minded men are unmindful of any good or desirable thing1 which they may happen either to lose or leave from them2 because they have to resort to the happy state of their equanimity 7,samat or stoic sameness72 of which no calamity or chance can deprive them4 #bc4 ,men enjoying the felicity of equanimity1 laugh to scorn at the tribulations of the world2 and live uninjured under all the varying circumstances of life2 they are venerated by the gods also1 for the invariable samat or sameness of their minds1 7as those of the gods themselves74 #bd4 ,if the 7unfavorable7 course of events1 ever happened to ruffle the countenance of the forbearing man2 yet the inward equanimity of his mind1 serves to shed the ambrosial beams1 of a placid moon light within himself4 #be4 ,whatever the even minded man acts or does for himself1 and whatsoever he says in opprobrium of the misdeeds of others2 are all lauded with applause by the majority of men 7who like to see the goodness of others1 and to learn of and correct their own faults74 #bf4 ,whatever good or evil is known or seen to be done by the impartial observer1 at any time whether past or present2 are all approved of by the public 7under the impression of their being done for common good74 #bg4 ,the man that sees all things in the same light 7of indifference71 is never displeased or dejected in his countenance at any calamity or danger1 that may betide him at any time4 #bh4 ,the prince ,sibi of old1 is recorded in history to have passed pieces of flesh from his own body1 and to have fed a hawk therewith1 in order to save the life of a captive pigeon from his claws4 7,this is an instance of samadristi or fellow feeling even towards the brute creation74 #bi4 ,again mind the impassible prince1 who did not sink into despondence seeing his beloved consort to be maltreated before his sight4 7,this is an instance of unimpressible fortitude74 #cj4 ,mind also how the king of ,trigarta1 offered his only son who was accomplished and successful in all his desires to the horrible ,rkshasa2 upon his being vanquished by the fiend1 at a certain wager he had laid with him4 #ca4 ,look at the great king ,janaka1 how he remained undismayed and undejected1 at the burning of his well decorated city of ,mithila4 #cb4 ,look at the quiet and submissive prince of ,slyadesa1 how he calmly struck off his head from his body1 as if it were the plucking off of a lotus leaf or flower from its stem1 in order to satisfy the demand of a deity for the same4 #cc4 ,the ,sauvra sovereign1 who had won the big ,airvata elephant of the god ,indra1 in a combat with him2 made at last a gift of him to the very god1 with as much unconcern1 as one offers a heap of white kundu flowers1 or huge heaps of rotten straws upon the sacrificial fire4 #cd4 ,you have heard how the elephant named kundapa1 employed his trunk in sympathy to the ,brhman's kine1 in lifting them from being plunged in the mud2 and afterwards devoted his body to the service of the ,brhman2 wherefore he was taken up to heaven in a celestial car4 #ce4 ,let your continued observance of toleration1 preserve you from acts of intolerance1 which tend at best to the oppression of others2 and know that the spirit of intolerance1 is as the goblin of the kadamba forest 7whose business was the havoc and depredation of all living beings74 7i4e4 ,by want of forbearance1 you make yourself an enemy to all1 and make them as enemies to you74 #cf4 ,remember the young and gentle ,jadabharata1 who by the natural hebetude of his mind1 devoured the firebrand that was thrown into his almspot1 thinking as a piece of meat1 and without any injury to himself 7,to the meek and tolerant1 a furnace of fire1 becomes a bed of roses and flowers74 #cg4 ,think of the soberminded kura1 who notwithstanding his following the profession of a huntsman all his lifetime1 was at last translated to heaven1 and placed by the souls of the righteous men after his demise4 #ch4 ,think of the listlessness and want of concupiscence1 in the person of the royal sage ,kapardana1 who being seated in the garden of paradise in his youth1 and beset by celestial damsels all about1 felt no desire for any of them4 #ci4 ,know how many princes and ,lords of peoples have from the unperturbed apathy of their souls1 resigned their realms and society of mankind1 and betaken themselves to lonely forests and solitary caves of ,vindhyan ,mountains1 and there spent their lives in motionless torpidity4 #dj4 ,think of the great sages and saints1 and of divine and devoted adepts1 who were adored by even the gods1 for the steadiness of their holy devotion1 that have passed away in the observance of their rigid and unruffled vows of an universal indifference4 #da4 ,call to your mind the instances of many a monarch1 of ordinary men and of base and mean huntsmen also1 that have been honoured in all ages and countries1 for their observance of an unimpressed equality in all states and circumstances of their lives4 #db4 ,all intelligent men strictly observed the rule1 of preserving their equanimity in their course through life2 whether it be for the achievement of their acts for this life or the next1 as also for the success of their understandings of every kind4 #dc4 ,they neither long for longevity nor desire their death in difficulties2 but live as long as they have to live1 and act as they are called to act1 without any grudge or murmur4 #dd4 ,it is the business of the wiseman1 to conduct himself in the career of his life1 with a contented mind and placid countenance1 both in his favourable and unfavourable circumstances1 as well as in the happiness or misery of himself or others4 ,,chapter ,,clxxxxix4 ,,state ,,of ,,living ,,liberated ,,man4 ,argument3--,the liberated man neither gains nor loses anything1 by his observance or neglect of the acts of life2 and yet he is enjoined to act in conformity with the prescribed rules of conduct of his society and country4 ,rma said3--,tell me sir1 why the wise and liberated man is not freed from his subjection to the prescribed rules of conduct1 when his soul is beatified with the spiritual light1 and his mind is emancipated from all earthly cares4 #b4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the observance and avoidance of all ritual and pious acts1 are equal and of no avail to the truly enlightened man2 who is indifferent to aught of good or evil to his life 7i4e4 who is neither solicitous to have anything desirable or leave what is unfavourable to him into the world74 #c4 ,there is nothing whatever in this frail world1 which may be desirable to the man of right understanding1 not aught of positive evil1 which deserves the avoidance and abhorrence of the wise man4 #d4 ,the wise man derives no positive nor permanent good1 by his doing of any act prescribed by custom or usage2 nor does he lose anything by his neglect of them2 wherefore it is best for him to stand in the middle course1 and according to the common rules of society and his country4 #e4 ,as long as there is life in the body1 it is called a living body and has its motion also2 therefore measure your movements according to the breathings of your life1 nor accelerate nor slacken them beyond their just measure 7i4e4 neither outrun thy breath1 nor halt in thy course74 #f4 ,if it is equal to any one1 to walk either by this way or that to his journey's end1 yet it is much better for him1 to walk by the beaten path1 than in a strange and unknown one4 7,so if it be the same thing to sleep at home or abroad2 yet it must be safer and more comfortable to every one to sleep at his own lodge than elsewhere74 #g4 ,whatever actions are done at any time1 with meekness and mildness of disposition1 and with a placid frankness of the mind1 is ever held as perfectly pure and contrite in its nature1 and never blameable in anywise4 #h4 ,we have seen many wise1 learned and farsighted men1 to have conducted themselves very honorably and blamelessly in this world1 which is full of faults and pitfalls1 and beset by traps and snares on every way4 #i4 ,every one is employed with perfect compliance of his mind1 in discharging the duties of the particular sphere in which he is placed2 some commencing their career in life1 in the state of householdership and others ascending gradually to state of living liberation 7when they are not exempted from observances of particular duties also74 #aj4 ,there are many wise and well discerning kings and princes1 like yourself and those sitting in this assembly who are vigilantly employed in the ruling of their respective states1 without their attachment or tenacity to them1 and without their desire of reaping any fruition from them1 and by way of the disinterested discharge of duty4 #aa4 ,there are some that follow the usages1 according to the true sense of the ,vedas1 and take their food from what is left after their daily offerings to the sacrificial fire4 7,the early ,aryans ever fed upon cooked food1 after their first offerings to the gods by their mouth of the fire 7,agner vaidevanam ,mukham774 #ab4 ,all men belonging to any of the four classes1 are employed in the observance of their respective rites and duties1 and in the acts of the worship of the gods1 and in their meditations with different ends and views 7,kamya-karma74 #ac4 ,some men of magnanimous minds1 and higher aims of future liberation or ,moksha1 have renounced all their ritual acts karma knda2 and remain inactive as ignorant people1 with their spiritual knowledge of the only ,one4 #ad4 ,some are seen to be sitting silent and insensitive1 in their posture of deep and unbroken meditation2 in dreary and dismal deserts untraversed by the deer and wild beasts2 and in distant and lovely solitudes1 where no trace of a human being was never seen even in a dream4 #ae4 ,some are found to resort to some sacred place of pilgrimage1 and there to perform their acts for future rewards2 while others are known to recline in some holy hermitage or sacred shrine of saints1 and there to pass their lives in the practice of resignation and indifference and quite unknown to men4 #af4 ,many are seen to leave their own houses1 and quit their native countries1 in order to avoid the enmity and scorn of their fellow countrymen2 and betake themselves to other lands1 where they settle as strangers4 #ag4 ,there are many who being dissatisfied with their families1 forsake their company and desert their homes2 and rove about as wanderers1 from forest to forest1 over hills and dales1 and cities and towns1 without being settled any where4 #ah4 ,how many are there that travel to the great city of ,benares1 and to the holy city of ,allahabad and visit the holy hills and cities1 and the sacred shrine of ,badariksrama 7for performance of their acts of righteousness there74 #ai4 ,how many are seen to resort to the holy places at ,slagrama1 and to the sacred cell in ,kalapagrma1 how many are on their way to the holy city of ,mathura1 and the sacred hill at ,kalinjar4 #bj4 ,see the numbers of pilgrims thronging in the woodlands on ,mahendra mountains1 and upon table lands of ,gandhamdana hills2 see also the pilgrims on the plains of ,dardura hills2 as those also upon the level lands of ,sahya ,mountains4 #ba4 ,see the pilgrims thronging on the craigs of the ,vindhyan range1 and those dwelling in the hollows of the ,malaya ,mountains2 see them that dwell in the happy groves of ,kailsa1 and those in the caverns of ,rikshavata mounts4 #bb4 ,in these as well as many other holy places and mounts1 you will find a great many hermits and far-sighted devotees dwelling in peace1 and wholly devoted to their holy devotion4 #bc4 ,those among them that have become sannyasins1 are deserters of their prescribed duties1 while they that are ,brahmacharins1 are strict observers of the law and their sacred rites3 but those that have the faith of ,buddha1 are apostates from the holy faith1 and fanatics in their practices4 #bd4 ,some of these have left their native homes1 and others have quitted their natal lands altogether2 some have their settled habitations in some place1 and others leading their nomadic lives from place to place4 #be4 ,among these1 ,o ,rma1 that dwell in the sublunar sphere of this globe1 as also among them that live at the antipodes1 and are known as daityas3-- #bf4 ,some are of clear understandings1 and well acquainted with the civil laws of their society2 some are of enlightened understanding1 and others again are acquainted with the past1 and have a foresight of the future4 #bg4 ,some are of unenlightened understandings1 and are always in suspense1 and suspicion of their minds2 they are addicted to vice1 and unable to govern themselves1 are always under the government of others4 #bh4 ,some there are who are half-enlightened1 and proud withal of their knowledge of truth2 they break loose from the observance of customary duties1 and are not yet the esoteric yogi or spiritualist4 #bi4 ,thus among these great multitudes of men1 that are wading in the vast ocean of life1 every one is striving to get the end1 according to his different aim and object4 #cj4 ,but it is neither one's confining himself at home1 or remaining in his native country1 nor his betaking him to hermitage or dwelling in some solitary forest2 nor the observance of customary duties2 nor practice of painful austerities1 whereby one may ford over the unfordable gulf of this world4 #ca4 ,neither dependence on righteous acts nor the forsaking of them2 nor one's employment in the observance of customary usages1 or his attainment of great powers1 can be of any avail to him1 in saving him from the turmoils of the world4 #cb4 ,it is one's self-control only1 that is the means of his salvation 7lit41 getting over the sea of the world72 and the man whose mind is not attached1 or tied down to anything in this world1 is said to have got or gone over it4 #cc4 ,it is no matter whether a man does or neglects1 the righteous deeds of his religion and society2 provided he keeps the contriteness of his mind in both1 and is never attached to nor affected by either3 such a man is deemed a sage and saved from his return to this nether world4 #cd4 ,the man that does neither any righteous or unrighteous action in his life1 but has his mind fixed in this earth1 and attached to earthly objects1 is deemed a hypocrite1 and destined to revisit this earth in his repeated births4 #ce4 ,our minds again are of the nature of nasty flies1 which are prone to fly about and pour upon the sores of worldly pleasures2 from which it is hard for us to deter them1 as it is impossible for us to kill them at once for attainment of our salvation 7or1 our minds are as surfeited bees1 cloyed with the honey of their cells from which they cannot fly away4 ,gloss74 #cf4 ,it sometime comes to happen and by the good fortune of a person1 that his mind turns of itself towards its perfection2 and then by a flash of inward light within itself1 comes to see the presence of the divine spirit in the very soul4 #cg4 ,the mind being enlightened by the flash of spiritual light in the soul1 becomes enrapt at the sight1 and losing all earthly attachment1 is unified with the supreme unity4 #ch4 ,being unmindful of everything1 and conscious of thy entity as a particle of the infinite vacuity1 remain perfectly happy with thyself1 and in the everlasting felicity of thy soul4 #ci4 ,being replete with the knowledge of transcendental truth1 and devoid of the faults and frailties of thy nature1 have the magnanimity of thy soul1 with the equanimity of thy mind and elevation of thy spirit2 and thus remain ,o thou support of ,raghu's royal race1 without sorrow and fear of death and rebirth1 and be as holy as the holy of holies4 #dj4 ,know the translucent state of the most ,holy ,brahma1 to be quite clear of all the grossness and foulness of nature1 and free from all the qualities and properties that are attributed to ,him4 ,he is beyond our conception and above the reach of our thought4 ,he is increate and ever existent of ,himself1 and manifest in his abode of our intellect4 ,knowing him then as thyself1 remain quite free and dauntless for ever4 #da4 ,there is nothing more that can be gleaned1 from greater verbosity on this subject2 nor is there anything remaining to be communicated to you1 for your best instruction in divine knowledge4 ,you are roused1 ,o ,rma1 to your full knowledge of the essential doctrines of divinity1 and you have become cognizant1 of whatever is knowable and recondite in nature4 #db4 ,vlmki says3--,after the chief of sages had spoken so far1 he saw ,rma rapt in his ecstasy and bereft of his mental efforts2 and the whole assembly sitting fixed in the one and same tenor of their meditation4 ,they were all entranced in their reveries and musings1 in the mysterious nature of the ,divinity2 as the humming bees ramble over the lotus petals with their soft and silent murmur1 and revel upon the sweetness of the honey cups of flowers4 ,,chapter ,,cc4 ,,the ,,loud ,,applause ,,of ,,the ,,court ,,on ,,the ,,sage',s ,,speech4 ,argument3--,narration of the plaudits of the assembly1 accompanied with the showering of flowers and uproar of musical instruments1 at the end of the holy sermon4 ,vlmki continued3--,upon the termination of the holy sermon on ,nirvna--anesthesia1 there arose loud hubbub without the court house1 which put a stop to the sage's proceeding further in continuation of his discourse4 #b4 ,but the whole audience in the court hall1 was immerged in a state of stead fast hypnotism1 and settled intentiveness in the ,supreme2 and the faculties of their mind were quite clear1 and their workings at rest4 #c4 ,the whole audience on hearing the lecture on investigation after intellect1 became passengers on the raft of sat1 and they all gained their salvation4 #d4 ,immediately there arose a loud chorus of applause1 from the mouths of the emancipated sages or siddhas1 dwelling in the upper regions of the skies1 and it filled the concave of heaven1 with the acclamations of praise to the venerable sage4 #e4 ,in the same manner there rose shouts of praise also1 from the holy sages seated in the assembly2 together with the loud acclamation given by the son of ,gdhi--,viswmitra1 who sat at their head4 #f4 ,then was heard a swelling sound1 filling the face of the four quarters of the firmament2 just as the blasts of wind filled the hollows of the withered bamboos in the forest1 and make them resound with a sound with a soft sweet melody4 #g4 ,next arose a flourish of trumpets from the celestials1 mingling with the hosannahs of the siddhas2 which rumbled together and resounded loudly1 amidst the hollow caves of distant mountains and dale4 #h4 ,along with the flourish of celestial trumpets1 there fell showers of flowers from above1 resembling the driving rain of snows1 which blocked the faces on all sides of heaven4 #i4 ,the floor of the court hall was strewn over with flowers1 and the fanfare of the drums and timbals1 filled the mouths of hollow caves and caverns2 the flying dust covered the face of the sky1 and the rising odours after the rain were borne upon the wings of the winds to all sides4 #aj4 ,then there rose a mingled rumble of the shouts of applause1 and the peal of heavenly trumpets2 joined with the whistle of the hissing showers of flowers1 and the rustling of the winds all about4 #aa4 ,the courtiers all looked around with their uplifted faces and eyes1 and were struck in their minds with wonder and surprise2 while the beasts all about the palace and in the parks1 remained amazed at the event with their pricked up ears4 #ab4 ,the women and children in the inside1 sat staring with their wonder stricken eyes2 and the princes sitting in the court hall1 looked astonished on one another with their smiling faces4 #ac4 ,the face of the firmament became exceedingly brightened1 by the falling showers of flowers from above2 and the great concavity of the world1 was filled with the hissing sound of the falling rains4 #ad4 ,the showers of flowers and drizzling rain drops1 with their hissing sounds1 made the royal palace an appearance of festivity4 7,with the scattering of fried rice1 sprinkling of rose water and blowing of conchshells74 #ae4 ,not only the palace1 but all places in the worlds1 seem to celebrate their festive mirth1 with tossing of flower garlands1 joined with celestial music4 #af4 ,the shouts of the siddhas and their ejaculations of joy1 rolled and growled as high in the upper sky2 as the rolling billows and rebillowing waves1 howled in the depth of the ocean and sea4 #ag4 ,after the hubbub of the heavenly hosts had subsisted1 7in the lull of the rains and rackets72 the following words of the siddhas proceeded from above1 and were heard to be uttered in an audible and distinct voice4 #ah4 ,the siddhas said3--,we have erewhile since time erst began1 listened to delivered thousands of sermons1 in the assembly of siddhas or perfect beings1 on the means of attaining liberation1 7which is the highest pitch of perfection of the living soul72 but never heretofore heard a lecture so impressive on the mind1 as this last locution of the sage4 #ai4 ,we see boys and women and the bending brute creatures1 together with the creeping and crawling animals1 are all enrapt by this soothing speech1 which will doubtless enrapture its readers and hearers in future4 #bj4 ,the sage has used every argument and example1 for rousing ,rma to his beatification2 such as it is doubtful whether he had ever shewn such affection to his ,arundhat or not4 #ba4 ,hearing this lecture on liberation1 even the brute creation of beasts and birds1 become emancipated from the burthen of their base bodies2 and as for men1 they forget altogether the trammels of their bodies in their embodied state4 #bb4 ,our draught of these ambrosial drops of divine knowledge1 through the vessels of our ears2 has not only satiated our appetite for wisdom1 but renovated our understandings1 and added a fresh beauty to our spiritual bodies4 #bc4 ,on hearing these words of the heavenly host of siddhas1 were struck with wonder1 and looked upward with full open eyes2 and then as they cast their looks below1 they beheld the surface of the court-hall1 to be strewn over with flowers and lotuses1 falling in showers from above4 #bd4 ,they saw heaps of mandara and other celestial flowers1 piled up to the roof of the lofty hall2 and observed the court yard to be covered over with blossoming plants and creepers1 and with wreaths and garlands of flowers without an interstice4 #be4 ,the surface of the ground1 was strewn over with buds and blossoms of ,prijata plants2 and thick clouds of ,santanaka flowers1 shadowed over the heads and shoulders of the assembled people in the court4 #bf4 ,the saffron flowers of ,harichandana 7yellow sandal wood71 hung over the jewelled crests of the princes2 and seemed as an awning of rainy clouds1 spread over the glittering chandeliers of the court hall4 7,harichandana is a tree in the garden of ,paradise74 #bg4 ,seeing these events in the court1 the people all gave vent to the repeated shouts of their loud applause2 and talked to one another of this and that1 as was fitted to the solemnity of occasion4 #bh4 ,they then adored the sage with the prostration of their bodies and limbs1 and made him their obeisances1 with offerings of handfuls of flowers4 #bi4 ,after the loud peals of applause had somewhat abated2 the king also rose and prostrated himself down and then worshipped the sage1 with the tray of his presents and wreaths of flowers held in his hands4 #cj4 ,dasaratha said3--,it was by your admonition1 ,o thou ,lord of ,arundhati2 that ,i was released from this my mortal frame2 and gained the transcendent knowledge which filled my soul1 and joined it with the supreme essence in perfect bliss4 #ca4 ,we have nothing in this nether earth1 nor is there anything with the gods in heaven1 which ,i ween is worthy enough to be given1 as a proper offering in thine adoration4 #cb4 ,yet ,i beg to pray you something in order to acquit myself of my duty to you1 and to render my services to thee prove effectual to me1 and hope you will not be irritated at this address of mine4 #cc4 ,that ,i adore you myself with my queens and my weal in both worlds1 together with all these dominions and servants of mine 7all which ,i now offer humbly at your venerable feet74 #cd4 ,all these possessions of mine are yours entirely at present1 so my lord take them as yours1 and make them as parts of your hermitage2 please to dispose of these as you please1 or use them as you like4 #ce4 ,vasishtha replied3--,know1 ,o great king1 that we ,brhmans are pleased1 only with the mere obeisances of people2 we are verily satisfied with receiving reverence of men1 and these you have already done and shown to me4 #cf4 ,you know to rule the earth1 and therefore its sovereignty is suitable to thee2 nor can you show a ,brahmin to have ever reigned as a king1 keep therefore what is yours to yourself and prosper therein4 #cg4 ,dasaratha answered3--,what is this trifle of a realm to me1 which ,i am ashamed to call and own as mine2 it cannot lead me to the knowledge of its true ,lord1 therefore do so as ,i may clearly and truly know the most high4 #ch4 ,vlmki relates3--,as the king was saying so1 ,rma rose from his seat1 and threw handfuls of flowers on the sacred person of his preceptor2 and then lowly bending himself before him1 he addressed him as follows4 #ci4 ,venerable sir1 as you have made the king speechless1 by telling him that you are pleased with mere obeisance of men2 so ,i am taught to wait here1 with my bare prostration at your venerable feet4 #dj4 ,saying so1 ,rma bowed down his head1 lowly at the feet of his guide2 and then scattered handful of flowers on his pure person1 as the trees on the sides of a mountain1 sprinkle their dew drops at the foot and base of the mount4 7,gloss4 ,the branches of trees serving as their hands1 and the leaves as their palms74 #da4 ,then the pious prince made his repeated bows of reverence to his venerable preceptor2 while his lotus like eyes were suffused with the tears of his inward joy and piety4 7nandsru--tears issuing from pious and joyous feelings74 #db4 ,next rose the brother princes1 of ,dasaratha's royal race2 namely ,bharata1 ,satrughna and ,lakshmana1 together with their equals in kith and kin2 and they all advanced to the sage1 and bowed down to him with their respectful reverence4 #dc4 ,the other chiefs and nobles and regents1 that sat in their order at a distance2 together with the saints1 sages and the clergy at large1 rose in groups from their seats1 and did their homage to the sage1 with flinging handfuls of flowers upon him4 #dd4 ,at this instant the sage was almost covered with and hid under the heap of flowers1 that were poured upon him from all sides2 in the same manner as the snowy mountain of ,himlaya1 is wrapped and concealed under the snows of water4 #de4 ,after clangor of the assembly was over1 and the peals of their pranma-hailings had ended2 ,vasishtha remembered his saying with the assembled sages1 of proving to them the truth of his doctrines1 and of removing the doubts of his audience regarding the miracles he had wrought4 #df4 ,he then shoved off with both his arms1 the heaps of flowers from about his sides2 and showed out his fair face from amidst them1 as when the disc of the moon1 shines forth from within the hoary clouds4 #dg4 ,then there ensued a hush over the flourish of the trumpets1 and a silence upon the fanfare of applauses2 the falling of flowers was at a stop1 and the murmur of siddhas above1 ceased with the clamour of the assemblage below4 #dh4 ,after the princes and assembled nobles1 had made their obeisances and greetings1 there occurred a calm stillness in the assembly1 as when a lull takes place in the atmosphere after a storm4 #di4 ,then the chief of sages ,vasishtha1 upon hearing the applauses poured upon him from all sides2 spoke softly to the royal sage ,viswmitra1 from the unblemished purity of his soul4 #ej4 ,hear me1 ,o sage1 that art the lotus of the princely race of ,gdhi1 and ye sages that are assembled here1 namely ,vmadeva1 ,nimi and ,kruta1 together with ,bharadwja1 ,pulastya1 ,atri1 ,nrada and ,ghrishti1 and ,sndilya4 #ea4 ,hear me also1 ,o ye sages ,bhsa1 ,bhrigu1 ,bharanda1 ,vatsa and ,vtsyyana1 with all others that are assembled here at present1 and had the patience to listen to this contemptible discourse of mine4 #eb4 ,please now with your well known affability to me1 point out to me whatever you have found as meaningless or unintelligible and ambiguous in my discourse4 #ec4 ,the audience responded3--,o ,venerable sir1 we have never heard or marked in a single word in this spiritual and divine discourse of thine1 that is meaningless or unintelligible to anybody4 #ed4 ,we confess that whatever foulness was inbred in our natures1 by our repeated births in this sinful world2 has been all purged out by your holy lecture1 as the alloy in gold is burnt away by the purifying fire4 #ee4 ,o sir1 our minds are as expanded by your divine sermon1 as the blue lotus buds are opened to bloom1 by the cold and ambrosial beams of moon light4 #ef4 ,we all bow down to thee1 ,o thou chief of sages1 as our best guide in divine knowledge2 and the giver of true wisdom to us1 with regard to all things in nature4 #eg4 ,vlmki relates3--,the sages said so far and then hailed and bowed down to ,vasishtha again1 and their united applause of him1 rose as high as the loud roar of raining clouds4 #eh4 ,then the speechless siddhas1 poured down again their showers of flowers from above2 and these hid the body of the sage under them1 as the clouds of winter cover the rocks under ice and snows4 #ei4 ,afterwards the intelligent and learned men in the court1 gave their praises to ,king ,dasaratha and to ,rma also2 saying that the four princes were no other than the four fold incarnation of the ,god ,mdhava or ,vishnu himself4 #fj4 ,the siddhas said3--,we hail the four princes of ,dasaratha line1 who are the quadruple forms of the self incarnate ,vishnu1 and are quite liberated from the bonds of flesh1 in these their living states of humanity4 #fa4 ,we hail king ,dasaratha1 as having the mark of the sovereignty of the whole world4 7,imprinted in his person72 that is of this world which extends to the limits of the four oceans1 and lasts forever in his race4 #fb4 ,we hail the sage ,vasishtha1 who is as bright as the sun1 and stands at the head of the whole host of sages2 and also the royal sage ,viswmitra of renowned fame and dignity4 #fc4 ,it is through their means 7i4e4 because of their assemblage in this court71 that we had this fair opportunity of hearing this divine discourse1 which is so full of knowledge and fraught with reason1 that it serves to dispel the great gloom of error at once4 #fd4 ,so saying the siddhas of heaven again let fall their handfuls of flowers in showers2 and made the assembly look up to them in silence1 with their uplifted eyes and gladdened minds4 #fe4 ,and then there was a mutual greeting of the siddhas from above1 and of the assembled people to them from below4 #ff4 ,at last the assembly broke1 with their respectful greetings to one another1 accompanied with their mutual offerings of flowers and salutations4 ,and the celestial and terrestrial1 the great ,munis and sages1 the ,pandits and ,brhmans2 together with the princes and nobles1 bade adieu to and took leave of one another 7in order to repair to their respective abodes74 ,,chapter ,,cci4 ,,explanation ,,of ,,rest ,,and ,,repose ,,in ,,ultimate ,,and ,,perfect ,,bliss4 ,argument3--,rma's conclusion on the lecture of ,vasishtha1 and ,viswmitra's request over ,rma4 ,vlmki related3--,after the assembly had rejoined the next day1 there was observed a profound silence over it2 and there appeared a cheerfulness in the countenances of princes from the enlightenment by the last lecture4 #b4 ,the people seemed to be smiling in their faces1 by reflecting on their former errors and follies1 after their coming to the light of truth4 7,the reminiscence of the freaks and follies of boyhood1 is a source of delight in old age74 #c4 ,the wisemen in the assembly1 appeared to be sitting fixed in their steadfast meditation1 by having the feelings and passions of their minds1 curbed and subdued upon their access to the relish of true knowledge4 #d4 ,at this time1 ,rma sat with his brothers1 in their posture of padmsana--having their legs crossed upon one another2 had the palms of their hands folded together1 and their eyes fixed steadfastly upon the face of their preacher4 #e4 ,the king ,dasaratha remained in a sort of entranced meditation1 and thought himself as liberated in his life time1 and placed in a state of infinite bliss4 #f4 ,the sage after holding his silence1 as long as he was adored by his reverential audience1 spoke to them at last in distinct words1 and wanted to know what they would now like to hear about4 #g4 ,he said1 ,o lotus eyed ,rma1 that art as the cooling moon in the clear sphere of thy race1 tell me what thou now wishest to hear1 as most desirable and delightsome to your mind4 #h4 ,tell me the state in which you find yourself at present1 and in what light you view the appearance of the appearance of the world now before you4 #i4 ,being thus addressed by the sage1 ,rma looked at his face2 and then bespoke to him in his distinctly audible voice1 and his plain and unfaltering accents4 #aj4 ,rma said3--,it is all owing to thy favour only1 ,o ,venerable sir1 that ,i have attained to my state of perfect holiness1 and become as pure as the clear atmosphere in autumnal calm and serenity4 #aa4 ,i am entirely freed from all the errors1 which are so detrimental to the right course of our lives in this world1 and an act as pure as the clear sky1 in the true and very state of finite vacuity4 7,the very state of the deity74 #ab4 ,i am set free from all bonds1 and released from all attributes and adjuncts2 ,i find myself situated in a crystalline sphere1 and shining there as clear as crystal4 #ac4 ,i am quite pacified in my mind and am neither willing to hear or do anything else2 ,i am quite satiate in myself1 and require nothing more for my satisfaction4 ,i am quite at rest as in the state of hypnotism4 #ad4 ,my mind is quite calm in its thoughts1 and entirely pacified in its wishes2 all my desires have fled from it1 and ,i find my mind to rest in its perfect peace and supreme bliss4 #ae4 ,i am staid in all my thoughts and allayed in my desires1 whilst living in this waking world2 ,i am enrapt and entranced1 while ,i am quite sane and sound and sleepless at all hours by day and night4 #af4 ,with my soul devoid of all wishes and expectations1 ,i live while ,i am destined to live in this material body of mine2 and remain smiling 7i4e4 rejoicing7 as long as ,i sit to listen to your inspiring lessons4 #ag4 ,now ,i am no more in need of admonition or instruction of the sstras1 or of the acquisition of riches or friends2 nor am ,i willing either to get rid of them at any time4 7,because of my utter indifference to them as is theirs also to me74 #ah4 ,i have found and am in the enjoyment of that unalloyed happiness1 which attends on one in heaven or ,paradise1 or in his attainment of the sovereignty of the whole world4 #ai4 ,the world which ,i perceive within myself by my outward senses1 is conceived to be brighter far and more transparent than the outward atmosphere1 by being viewed in the light of the intellect1 and considered as a part of its infinite vacuous sphere4 #bj4 ,this world ,i ween1 is certainly a vacuum2 and it is by my belief in the nihility of the phenomenal1 that ,i am awaked to my immortality4 7,the visible world is a passing and vanishing sight1 and it is by our belief in the spiritual only1 that we see the everlasting scene74 #ba4 ,let me remain content with all that is1 or comes to pass on me1 whether they are desirable to me or occur themselves2 and let me act as the law enacts to its full extent and without fail1 but without any object of mine or expectation of reward4 #bb4 ,i am neither content nor discontented with anything1 nor rejoice nor repine at any event2 ,i do what is my duty in society1 without retaining the erroneous conception of reaping their reward4 #bc4 ,let this creation be otherwise or go to perdition1 let the winds of the last destruction blow with their fury also2 or let the land smile in its plenty and beauty1 yet ,i sit unmoved by them1 and remain in the divine self or spirit4 #bd4 ,i rest in myself which is unseen or dimly seen by others1 and is undecaying and untainted in itself2 ,i am not enchained to my wishes1 but am as free as air1 which you cannot compress in your clutches4 #be4 ,as the fragrance of flowers upon the trees1 is wafted by the breeze and deposited in the air1 so is my soul borne away from the confines of my body1 and posited in empty vacuity 7where it ranges at large in its freedom74 #bf4 ,as these princes and rulers of people1 live and enjoy themselves in their realms at pleasure2 and whether they are enlightened or not1 they are employed in their respective occupations4 #bg4 ,so do ,i enjoy myself with the steadiness and equanimity of my mind1 which is freed from all fear1 grief or joy and desire4 #bh4 ,i am happy above all happiness 7derived from this frail world72 my happiness is in the everlasting ,one1 than which there is no happiness to be preferred by me4 ,but because ,i live here as a human being1 you are at liberty to appoint me to any duty1 in common with all mankind and becoming to humanity4 #bi4 ,i cannot be averse1 to manage myself with the trifles of this world1 as long as ,i am destined to them2 in the same manner as boys are never to be blamed1 for indulging themselves in their playthings in their boyhood4 ,so long sir1 as ,i shall have to live in this body of mine1 ,i must do my bodily acts1 with my mind fixed in the sole ,one only4 #cj4 ,i must live to eat and drink1 and continue in the course of my business in life2 but ,i am freed from all fear of my failings in them1 by the kind counsels to me4 7,that the liberated man is at liberty to do or undo his duties74 #ca4 ,vasishtha replied3--,o ,bravo ,rma6 that you have chosen for yourself the most meritorious course of life2 wherein you shall never have to repent1 from the beginning to the end of your career4 #cb4 ,by this cold indifference in thy self1 and complete equanimity in every state1 you have verily secured to the unbroken rest in your life1 as the visible firmament has found in infinite vacuity4 #cc4 ,it is by your good fortune1 that you have got rid of your sorrows1 and it is fortunate to you to be set so well composed in yourself2 it is your good luck to be freed from the fears of both worlds1 and it is happy for you to be at your heart's ease and rest4 #cd4 ,you are lucky1 my lord1 to be so fraught with your holy knowledge2 and to have purified the lineage of ,raghu1 with your knowledge of the present1 past and future4 #ce4 ,now prepare yourself to accomplish the object1 of the chief of sages--,the great ,viswmitra's request and by completion of his holy sacrifice at your sire's behest1 continue to enjoy the sovereignty of the earth2 in subordination to your royal parent4 #cf4 ,may the mighty king reign for ever in prosperity1 over this prosperous realm of his2 in conjunction with yourself and his other sons1 relatives and nobles and in possession of all his infantry1 cavalry1 his chariots and his lines of elephants c41 and without any disease and fear of his enemies4 ,,chapter ,,ccil4 ,,recumbence ,,of ,,the ,,assembly ,,to ,,their ,,hypnotic ,,rest4 ,argument3--,entrancement of the audience to a state of somnolence known as ,hybernation1 hypnotism and ,ecstasis in ,theosophy4 ,vlmki related3--,upon hearing these words of the sage1 the assembled princes and lords of men in the court1 felt a sang froid or coolness in their souls1 as if they were all besprinkled with ambrosial waters upon them4 #b4 ,rma with his lotus like eyes and moon like face1 remained as resplendent1 as if they were filled with ambrowaters1 or the nectarious liquid of the ,milky ocean4 #c4 ,then the sage ,vmadeva and others1 who were fraught with divine knowledge1 exclaimed with their admiration for the preacher2 ,o the holy instruction1 that you have imparted unto us this day6 #d4 ,the ,king with his pacified soul and joyous mind1 shone as shining in his countenance1 as if he had a new light infused in himself 7and causing the hairs on his body to stand on their ends1 from his inward gladness74 #e4 ,after many other sages1 who were well acquainted with the knowledge of the knowable ,one1 had thus pronounced their praises2 the enlightened ,rma 7lit4 who was purged from his ignorance71 oped his mouth again1 and spoke in the following manner4 #f4 ,rma said3--,o thou seer1 that knowest the past and future2 thou hast cleansed away all our inward dross1 as fire serves to purge gold from its impurity4 #g4 ,venerable sir we have now become cosmognostics or all knowing1 by our knowledge of the universal soul1 though we are confined in these visible bodies of ours1 and seeming to all appearance1 as knowing nothing beyond them4 #h4 ,i feel myself now as perfect and full in all1 and to have become quite undecaying in myself2 ,i am freed from all fear and apprehension1 and am quite cognoscent with all things4 #i4 ,i am overjoyed to no end1 and am happy beyond all measure2 ,i have risen to a height from which there is no fear of falling1 and am elevated to the supreme acme of eminence and perfection4 7,parama-purushrtha74 #aj4 ,alack6 how am ,i cleansed by the holy and cooling water of divine knowledge1 which you have so kindly poured forth in me1 and whereby ,i am as joyous1 as a full blown lotus in the lake of my heart4 #aa4 ,i am now set1 sir1 by your favour to a state of happiness1 which brightens to me the face of universe with ambrosial delight4 #ab4 ,i now hail myself1 that have become so fair within myself with the clearness of my mind1 and by disappearance of all sorrow from it4 ,i have received a grace in my face1 from the peace of mind and purity of my wishes4 ,i am joyous in myself with my inward joy1 and ,i am wholly pure with the purity of my soul4 ,,chapter ,,cciii4 ,,description ,,of ,,nirv,,na ,,or ,,self ,,extinction ,,in ,,divine ,,meditation4 ,argument3--,sounding of midday trumpet1 performance of daily ablution1 and description of the setting sun4 ,the meeting of the assembly on the next morning upon the discourse on ,nirvna4 ,vlmki related3--,as ,rma and the sage had been remonstrating in this manner1 the sun advanced towards the zenith1 to listen to their holy conversation in its royal dome4 #b4 ,the solar beams spread on all sides1 with greater force and effulgence2 as if to expose to clearer and greater light the sense of ,rma's speech4 #c4 ,then the lotus beds in the tanks of the pleasure gardens1 all about the royal palace1 began to expand their embosomed buds to bloom before him1 as the princes shone forth in brightness amidst the royal hall4 #d4 ,the air was exhilarated with joy at hearing the holy lectures of the sage2 and seemed to be dancing with the sunbeams1 glistening in the strings of pearls1 suspended at the windows of the palace4 #e4 ,the premature gleams of the sun1 glistened as bright at the glittering glass doors and shining chandeliers of the court hall2 as the gladdened hearts of the audience1 glowed at enlightening speech of the sage4 #f4 ,after ,rma was settled in his sedateness1 his face shone as bright as a blooming blue lotus by its reflexion of the rays of the sage's look upon it4 7,here the blue complexion of ,rma1 is compared to a blue lotus1 blooming under the moon bright look of fair ,vasishtha's countenance74 #g4 ,the sun advancing towards the summit of the horizon1 like the marine fire rising on the surface of the blue ocean2 sucked or dried up by his darting flames the dewy humidity of the sky1 as the submarine heat resorbs the waters of the deep4 #h4 ,the cerulean sphere of heaven1 appeared as the lake of blue lotuses1 and the shining sun seemed as the golden pericarp of the flower2 his bright beams resembled the aureate farina of flowers1 and his slanting rays likened the aslant pistils in the air4 #i4 ,he shone as the dazzling crown upon the head of the azure queen of the worlds2 and was hanging down like the resplendent earring1 pendant on the ear of heaven2 while the little lay hid under his glaring light1 like bits of diamonds lying concealed under the effulgence of a blazing ruby4 #aj4 ,the ethereal maids of all the quarters of heaven1 held out the mirrors of silvery clouds before his face1 with their uplifted arms of the mountain peaks all around2 and these are emblazoned by solar rays1 like the rainless clouds on mountain tops4 #aa4 ,the sun stones in the quarries on earth emitted a fury blaze1 which emblazoned the skies around1 with a greater light than that of the sun4 #ab4 ,the trumpets sounded aloud1 with the wind blown by the mouths of trumpeters2 and the conchshells blew as loudly at midday1 as the winds of the last deluge1 set the sea waves to their tremendous uproar4 #ac4 ,then the spherules of sweat1 appeared on the faces of the princes1 as the dew drops falling on lotus leaves2 and they were so closely connected together1 as to give them the appearance of strings of pearls4 #ad4 ,the thickening noise of the hurry and flurry of men1 resounded as hoarsely within the hollow walls of the hall1 that they filled the ears of men1 as the dashing waves fill the concave of the hollow sea4 #ae4 ,the waiting maids then came forward with cups of liquid camphor in their hands2 in order to sprinkle them on the persons of the princes2 to assuage their fervour of the solar heat4 #af4 ,then the assembly broke1 and the king rose from his seat in company with ,rma and the princes and ,vasishtha1 together with all the lords and nobles1 that were present in the assembly4 #ag4 ,the assembled lords and princes1 the ministers of the state and religion1 together with the high priests and sages2 rose from their seats1 and having gladly made their greetings to one another1 took their leave and departed to their respective abodes4 #ah4 ,the front of the royal inner apartment1 was fanned with flappers of palm leaves1 wafting the clouds of camphor powder1 that was scattered for allaying the midday heat4 #ai4 ,then the chief of sages--,vasishtha1 oped his mouth and spoke out to ,rma1 amidst the sonata of noonday music1 that resounded amidst the walls of the royal hall4 #bj4 ,vasishtha said3--,rma6 you have heard whatever is worth hearing1 and known also all that is worth your knowing2 and now ,i see nothing further1 that is worth communicating to you for your higher knowledge4 #ba4 ,now you have to reconcile in yourself1 and by your best understandings1 all that you have been instructed by me1 and what you have read and learnt in the sstras1 and harmonise the whole for your guidance4 #bb4 ,now rise to do your duties1 while ,i hasten to the performance of sacred ablutions2 it is now midday1 and the proper time of our bathing is fastly passing away4 #bc4 ,and then whatever else you have to enquire about1 for the satisfaction of your wishes1 you can propose the same to me tomorrow morning1 when ,i shall be happy to expatiate on the subject4 #bd4 ,vlmki related3--,after the sage had spoken in this manner1 the mighty king ,dasaratha saluted the parting chiefs and sages1 and honoured them according to their proper ranks and degrees4 #be4 ,and then being advised by ,vasishtha1 the virtuous king with ,rma by his side1 proceeded to give their due honours1 to the sages and siddhas and to the ,brhmanas also one after the other4 #bf4 ,he gave them gems and jewels1 and monies and bouquets of flowers2 and he gave to others riches equivalent to the values of the gems and jewels2 while he gave strings of pearls and necklaces to some also4 #bg4 ,he honoured some with his respects and civilities1 and others with monies suited to their worth and degree1 while he gave his gifts of cloths and seats1 food and drink1 and of gold and lands to others4 #bh4 ,he saluted others with perfumeries and aromatic spices and wreaths of flowers2 he honoured the elders with due respects1 and gave his bare regards to others4 #bi4 ,then the king rose from amidst the assembly1 with the whole body of his courtiers1 and the holy sages and ,vasishtha with him2 as the splendid moon rises in the sky1 with the train of stars about him4 7,the moon is masculine in ,sanskrit1 and twin brother of the sun74 #cj4 ,the rising of the assembly and its people1 was attended with a rumbling noise1 as it is heard in the treading of men1 over a bog of knee deep mud and mire4 #ca4 ,the clashing of the concourse against one another1 and the cracking of their armlets and wristlets by their friction with each other2 joined with the broken jewels and scattered pearls1 slipped from the torn necklaces of the nobles1 gave the floor of the court hall1 the appearance of the spangled heaven4 #cb4 ,there was a close concussion of the bodies1 of sages and saints1 of ,brhmans and princes and nobles all jumbled together2 and there was a rapid undulation of the chourie flappers1 waving in the hands of fanning maid servants4 #cc4 ,but there was no huddling or dashing or pushing one against the other2 as they were intent upon reflecting on the sense of the sages preaching1 and rather asking excuses of one another1 with the gestures of their bodies1 when they came in contact with others4 #cd4 ,at last the king and the sages and nobles1 accosted one another with sweet and soft words2 and took their parting leave 7for repairing to their respective abode for the day74 #ce4 ,they then left the palace1 and proceeded to their residences1 with their gladdened faces and contented minds2 as when the immortals repair to all parts of heaven1 from the synod of the king of gods--,indra or ,sakra4 #cf4 ,after every one had taken leave of others1 and arrived at his house2 he employed himself in the discharge of his ritual services of the day4 #cg4 ,thus the king and all1 performed their daily ablutions and services as usual1 until the end of the day4 #ch4 ,as the day ended with the discharge1 of the duties of the daily ritual2 so the sojourner of the etherial path--the tired sun1 sat down to rest in the west 7as the birds of air repair at eve1 to their respective nests74 7,the sun is said to be the unka or falcon of heaven2 resting at his aspiand or nest in the west1 by a poet of ,persia74 #ci4 ,after the performance of their vespers1 the prince ,rma and the people at large1 passed their nights awake and fastly1 with talking about and thinking upon the discourse of the day4 #dj4 ,then the rising sun advanced in the east1 with sweeping away the dust of darkness from before his path1 and strewing about the starry flowers on his way1 in order to fix his seat in the midst of his dome of the universe4 #da4 ,the infant or rising sun1 reddened the skies with his rays1 resembling the crimson hue of kusambha flowers2 and then he embarked on the board of his bright orb1 amidst the wide ocean of the etherial region4 7,the sun sailed in the etherial sea1 through the scattered island of the hidden stars and planets on his way4 ,gloss74 #db4 ,then the regnant princes and lords of men1 together with the nobles1 peers and their ministers1 met at the court hall of ,king ,dasaratha2 when there gathered also the great saints and sages1 with ,vasishtha at their head4 #dc4 ,they entered into the court and took their seats1 according to their different degrees and ranks2 just as the stars of heaven appear and occupy their places1 in their respective constellations and circles in the expanse of heaven4 #dd4 ,then the king and his ministers1 advanced and bowed down to ,vasishtha1 and ushered him to his high seat or pulpit2 and they all poured forth their praises to him1 after that sage was seated in the rostrum4 #de4 ,now the lotus-eyed ,rma1 who sat before the king and the holy sage1 oped his lotus like mouth1 and spoke in the following manner1 with his natural good sense1 and usual elegance of speech4 #df4 ,rma said3--,o ,venerable sir1 that art acquainted with all religions1 and art the great ocean of knowledge2 thou art the axe of all knotty questions and doubts1 and remover of the griefs and fears of mankind4 #dg4 ,please tell us whatever more is worth our hearing and knowing2 for thou knowest best whatever there remains to be said1 for the edification of our knowledge4 #dh4 ,vasishtha replied3--,rma you have gained your full knowledge1 and have nothing more to learn2 you have attained the perfection of your understanding1 and obtained the summum bonum which is sought by all 7but found by few71 and wherewith you are quite content in yourself4 #di4 ,you better consider in yourself and say1 how do you find yourself and your inner mind at present2 and what else is there1 that you wish to know and hear from me4 #ej4 ,rma rejoined3--,why sir1 ,i find myself fully perfected in my understanding2 and being possest of the peace and tranquility of my mind1 with the blessing of ,nirvna or ultimate beatitude of my soul1 ,i have nothing to ask or desire of thee4 #ea4 ,you have said all that you had to impart to me1 and ,i have known all that is worth my knowing2 ,now sir1 take your rest with the ,goddess of speech1 who has done her utmost for the instruction of us all4 #eb4 ,i have known the unknown and knowable ,one1 that is only to be known by us as the true reality2 and knowing this all as the ,one ,brahma1 ,i am freed from my knowledge of the duality 7of the living and supreme soul72 and having got rid of the deception of the diversity of the visibles1 ,i am released from my reliance in all worldly things4 ,,chapter ,,cciv4 ,,identity ,,of ,,abstract ,,intellectuality ,,and ,,vacuity4 ,argument3--,the abstraction and intellection of all knowledge1 merging in the infinite vacuum4 ,vasishtha resumed and said3--,hear me moreover1 ,o ,rma1 to tell thee1 a few words on transcendental knowledge1 that the mirror of the mind shines more brightly1 by expurgation of the external images that are reflected on it1 than when it is eclipsed by those outward shadows4 7i4e4 ,wipe off visibles from the mind74 #b4 ,again the significant words that are the symbols of the objects of our knowledge1 are as insignificant as the hissing murmurs of waters and waves1 and the phenomenal is but a semblance of the noumenal1 as a dream is the rchauff or reflexion of the mind1 and the visible world1 is but a recast of the visionary dream4 #c4 ,the waking state is that of dreaming1 and its scenes are those of our dreams2 and presenting themselves before us in both these states from our remembrance of them3 they are the inward concept of our consciousness1 and appearing to be situated without it4 7i4e4 ,they are the innate ideas of our minds1 and not perceptions of our outward organs of sense74 #d4 ,as ,i am conscious of the clearness of my intellectual sphere1 notwithstanding the view of the fairy lands in its state of dreaming2 so ,i find my mind1 to be equally clear in my waking also of all its imaginary forms of the three worlds and their contents1 which in reality are a formless vacuity only4 #e4 ,rma rejoined3--,if all things are formless amidst the formless void of the universe1 as in empty vacuity of the intellect2 then tell me sir1 whence arise these endless shapes and forms1 as those of earth1 water1 fire and those of these hills1 rocks and pebbles8 #f4 ,tell me why the elements are of different forms and qualities and why the empty air1 space and time have no forms nor properties of theirs2 what makes the wind so very fleet1 and what is the cause of the motions and actions of waving bodies4 #g4 ,how came the sky to be a vacuum only1 and why is the mind of the same nature also2 these are all the various natures and properties of things1 that require to be well explained from my knowledge therein4 #h4 ,vasishtha replied3--,you have well asked these questions1 ,rma1 as they naturally suggest themselves to every inquirer after truth2 but tell me in one word1 why do you see the varieties of earth and sky1 as well as of all other things that you see in your dream4 #i4 ,whence do you see the waters in your sleep1 and how are the pebbles scattered about you in your dream2 why do you see the flaming fires in your vision1 and all sides of heaven appearing before your sight4 #aj4 ,say how you have the idea of time in your dreaming1 and perceive the actions and motions of persons and things at that time2 and tell me from where do all those accidents proceed1 that you see to occur in your sleeping and dreaming moments4 #aa4 ,what is it that creates1 produces and gives the formless dream its fascinating form1 and then dissolves it to nothing at last2 you find it produced and presented to your view1 but cannot say how it acts and of what stuff it is composed4 #ab4 ,rma replied3--,the dream of the dreaming world1 has no form nor position of its own2 its soul and substance is mere void1 and the earth and rocks which it presents to sight1 are nil and in nubibus 7and leave not a rack behind74 #ac4 ,the vacuous soul only1 is its sole cause1 which is likewise as formless and supportless like itself2 ,the formless void is never in need of a support for it4 #ad4 ,nothing whatsoever of it is ever produced1 nor bear any relation with our consciousness2 they are the reflexions of the intellect only1 and are situated in the recess of the mind4 #ae4 ,the mind is the evolution of the intellect1 which reflects the images of things in the form of ideas upon the mind2 hence the notions of time and space1 and of air1 water1 hills and mountains1 are all reflexions of the intellect upon the mind4 #af4 ,our consciousness is also a void1 and receives the impressions of vacuum in the form of its vacuity2 and those of the stone1 air and water1 in the forms of their solidity1 fluidity and liquidity4 7i4e4 ,the vacuous mind receives and retains only the abstract ideas of all concrete bodies in the universe74 #ag4 ,in reality there is nothing as the earth or any solid body or its form or sight in existence2 but they all exist in their abstract states in the great void of the intellect1 and are equally void in their natures with itself4 #ah4 ,in fact there is nothing in reality1 nor anything which is visible to sight1 there is only the infinite vacuity of intellect1 which represents all things in itself1 and is identic with all of them4 #ai4 ,the intellect has the notion of solidity1 in the abstract in it2 and thereby conceives itself in the forms of the earth1 rocks and hills4 7,the idea or conception of solidity1 gives rise to the perception of solid bodies1 and not the perception of solids1 that produces the abstract idea of their solidity2 or that the innate ideas1 give birth to appearances in the concrete74 #bj4 ,so by its conception of oscillation and fluidity1 it perceives the form of air and water in itself2 and so also by its inward conception of heat1 it feels the fire in itself without forsaking its intellectual form4 #ba4 ,such is the nature of this intellectual principle1 in its airy and vacuous form of the spirit1 soul or mind2 that developes itself in all these various modalities and schemes1 without any cause or incentive4 7,these modes or states of being1 are here called nishkranaguna1 and ,akrana gunotpannaguna in ,nyya philosophy1 and same with the ,vibhu-nishthaguna of ,vednta2 all meaning them to be the increate and eternal qualities or attributes of the supreme soul or deity74 #bb4 ,there is nothing any where in nature1 beside these intellectual attributes of itself2 as there is no sky or vacuum without its vacuity1 nor the vast expanse of the ocean1 devoid of the body of waters in it4 #bc4 ,know then there is nothing else anywhere1 nay not even the sense of thyself or myself or any other1 except in the recess of intellectual vacuity2 so commit thyself to that all teeming void2 and remain quite sedate in thyself4 #bd4 ,as you see the earth and heaven and all their contents1 in thy dream and creation of thy fancy1 in the recess of thy mind and in the midst of this house of thine2 so should you behold everything in their incorporeal forms to be contained in the ample space of the infinite vacuum of the divine intellect and its all-knowing intelligence4 #be4 ,the vacuum of the intellect shines forth as the substratum of all bodies1 but without a body of its own in the beginning of creation2 because nothing having any prior material cause for its corporeal existence1 it is the intellect alone which must be understood1 to exhibit all formal existence in its vacuous space and to our ignorance4 #bf4 ,know your immaterial mind1 understanding and egoism1 together with the material existences of the elemental bodies1 these hills1 skies and all others1 to be situated as dull and dumb stones1 in the quiet1 calm and clear sphere of the infinite intellect4 #bg4 ,thus you see there is nothing produced nor destroyed1 nor anything1 that may be said to exist of itself2 this world as it appears to exist1 exists in this very form 7of its immateriality72 in the vacuity of the divine intellect4 #bh4 ,it is the sunshine of the intellect1 that manifests the world in its visible shape and form2 as the sunlight shows the hidden objects of darkness to view1 and as the fluidity of water1 gives rise to the waves and bubbles4 #bi4 ,this appearance of the world1 is no real appearance2 it is the representation of the intellectual vacuum only1 in its true and proper senses and light1 as it is viewed by the wise2 though the ignorant may view it in any light as they please4 ,,chapter ,,ccv4 ,,refutation ,,of ,,the ,,doctrine ,,of ,,the ,,causality ,,of ,,creation4 ,argument3--,the existence of the world in its spiritual sense1 and nullity of its creation1 destruction and material existence4 ,rma rejoined3--,if it is so1 sir1 that the whole plenum is vacuum1 as the phenomenon in our dreams2 it must follow therefrom1 that the world we see in our wakings is vacuity also1 and there can be no doubt in it4 #b4 ,but tell me sir1 in answer to this important question of mine2 how the formless and bodiless intellect appears to become embodied in all these various forms of bodies1 that we see in the state of our waking dream4 7i4e4 ,the vanishing visions of our sleeping dreams1 prove them to be quite vacuous and nil2 but not so the lasting scenes of our waking state which appear to be substantially positive2 and how does the negative intellect assume this positive form74 #c4 ,vasishtha replied3--,rma1 the visibles that appear to view in our waking dream by day light1 are all vacuous bodies2 owing to their being born1 resting and supportance in empty vacuity2 hence you cannot on any reason doubt about their vacuousness 7whose or when their production1 sustentation1 substance and supportance1 do all depend on the infinite and all comprehending vacuum1 which is the very attribute of the unity of the formless deity4 ,gloss74#g #d4 ,this infinite and eternal void1 being entirely devoid of all the material causes 7i4e4 earth1 air1 water and fire1 which are necessary for the production of anything72 it is impossible that creation could come out from this nothing in the beginning4 7,ex nihilo nihil fit74 #e4 ,and as the formless intellect could not bring forth the earth c41 for the formation of solid bodies2 it is impossible to believe this phenomenal appearance1 to have their real existence in nature4 7,the subtile mind cannot make or become any solid body74 #f4 ,therefore the airy intellect sees the visibles in the day time1 in the manner that it sees the visions in its dreams by night4 ,it sees them all rising1 in their intellectual light within itself2 but appearing as real and formal objects1 set without it by its delusion4 7,my or ,illusion74 #g4 ,it is the reflexion of the workings of the intellectual soul1 that appears as real within the hollow sphere of the intellect2 it resembles the representations of the memory in the mind in our sleep1 and takes the name of the visible world4 #h4 ,it is the clear perception of these intellectual representations1 in the vacuum of the mind only1 that is styled by us as a vision or dream1 while it is the gross conception of them in the mind1 that is called the gross or material world4 #i4 ,it is thus the different views1 of the same internal thought and ideas1 have different names and appellations1 given to them by the very intellect itself2 the finer and purer ones being called as thoughts1 and the grosser ones1 as sensible and material objects4 #aj4 ,thus it is the same reflexion of the intellectual1 which takes the names both of the dream as also of the world2 the working of the mind and its reflexion in itself are natural to intellect1 and though the visions subside with the disappearance of the dream upon waking1 yet the working and reflecting of the mind are never at rest1 either in waking or dreaming4 #aa4 ,many such visions of creation rise and set alternately1 in the vacuity of ,brahma's mind1 and are never apart from it2 just as the empty air is either in motion or at rest in the hollow of the great void1 and always inseparable from it4 7,hence the air1 vision1 dream c41 are all void1 and the world is but a phantom in it74 #ab4 ,rma said3--,sir1 you have spoken of millions of worlds to me before2 tell me now which of them are situated within the sphere of the mundane egg1 and which of them are beyond this egg 7or supermundane ones74 #ac4 ,which of them are the terrestrial globes and which the vacuous spheres2 which of them are igneous bodies in the sphere of fire1 and what are the airy bodies in the regions of air4 #ad4 ,which are the superfices of the earth1 situated in the midst of vacuity2 of which the hills and forests set at the antipodes1 are opposed to one another on both sides1 and hang up and down perpendicular in empty air4 #ae4 ,which are the aerial bodies with their living souls1 and which the inhabitants of darkness with their darksome shapes2 what are they that are formed of vacuum only1 and what can they be1 whose bodies are full of worms and insects4 #af4 ,what sorts of beings settle the etherial sphere1 and what are they that live in the midst of rocks and stones2 what are they that dwell in the vessels and basins of water1 and what be they that people the air like the aerial fowls of air4 #ag4 ,tell me1 ,o thou greatest of philosophers1 how this mundane egg of ours is situated among them4 7,these are questions of cosmogony1 and bear no relation to theology74 #ah4 ,vasishtha replied3--,these wondrous unknown1 unseen and unheard of worlds1 are mentioned and described in the sstras with their exemplifications also2 and they have been received and believed as true by their students4 #ai4 ,rma1 the cosmology of the world1 has been described--given by gods and sages1 in hundreds of their sstras called the gamas2 all of which you are well acquainted with4 #bj4 ,now as you are well acquainted with the descriptions1 that are given of them in the sstras2 it is not necessary to relate them again in this place4 7,the cosmology of the world has been given before in the narrative of ,ll74 #ba4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me yet1 ,o ,venerable sir1 how the great void of the intellect came to be produced from divine spirit2 tell moreover its extent and duration in time and space4 #bb4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the great ,god ,brahma1 is without beginning and ever existent and without decay2 there is no beginning1 midst nor end of him1 nor are there any shapes of figures in his transcendent vacuum4 #bc4 ,the vacuum of ,brahma is without its beginning and end1 and is spread unspent and unbounded to all eternity2 it is this which makes the universe1 which is ever without its beginning and end4 #bd4 ,the reflexion of the intellectual vacuum in its own vacuity1 is called the universe by itself to no purpose 7by itself or the human mind1 which views the world in the wrong light of creation1 and not as the ,divine ,mind itself4 ,gloss74 #be4 ,as a man sees a fair city in his dream by night1 so is the sight of this world to him1 in his dream by day light4 7,the ,sanskrit word ,bhano in the text meaning reflexion1 corresponds with the ,greek ,phano to see1 and hence phantom or false sights74 #bf4 ,think not the solid rock to have any solidity in it1 nor the fluid waters any fluidity in them2 do not think the empty firmament to be a vacuity1 nor the passing time to have any flight or counting of it4 7,all these are seemingly so1 but they are nothing in reality74 #bg4 ,all things are fixed in their formless1 invariable and ideal states in the divine intellect2 but it is the fallacious and fickle nature of the human mind1 to give and view them in different forms1 according to its own fancy4 #bh4 ,the mind views the non-created eternal ideas of the intellect1 as created objects before its sight1 just as it sees rocks where there are no rocks1 and the sky in a skyless place in its dream4 #bi4 ,as the formless and insensible mind1 sees the formal world in its sleep1 as if it were in its waking state2 so does it see the invisible and formless world in its visible form1 during its waking hours of the day also4 #cj4 ,as the motion of air always takes place amidst the air at rest 7i4e4 as the winds fluctuate amidst the still air72 so also doth the spirit of ,brahma1 oscillate in his own spirit incessantly1 and without its rise or fall4 #ca4 ,this world resides in the same manner in the divine spirit of ,brahma as the property of fluidity is inherent in water2 and vacuity appertains to vacuum2 and as substantiality is essential to all substances in the abstract4 #cb4 ,the world is neither adventitious nor extraneous to the soul1 and does not occur to or transpire from it1 in the life or deaths of any body2 it is causeless and comes from no cause1 and is neither joined with nor set separate from the divine spirit4 #cc4 ,the ,one that has no beginning nor end2 nor has any indication of itself2 that is formless and is of the manner of the intellectual vacuum only1 can never become the cause of the visible and material creation4 7,therefore the world is to be supposed to exist in its ideal and immaterial form1 in the vacuity of the divine intellect74 #cd4 ,thus as the forms and features of a whole body1 are but parts and properties of its entirety tout ensemble2 so is this vacuous world situated1 in the undivided and formless vacuity of ,brahma 78as parts of one undivided whole01 ,pope74 #ce4 ,all this is a hiatus and quietus1 without its support and substratum1 it is but pure intelligence1 without any grossness or foulness herein2 there is no entity nor nonentity here1 nor can anything be said to exist or not exist 7independent of the ,divine ,mind74 #cf4 ,all this is but an air drawn city1 of our imagination and dream2 and everything here1 appears to be stretched out in a fairy dance all about us2 but in reality it is only a calm and quiet vacuity1 full with the unchanging and undecaying spirit of ,god4 #cg4 ,the whole is the hollowness of the divine heart1 and the vacuous sphere of the ,omniscient ,intellect2 it is its intellection1 that reflects many a transparent image in its own sphere and to no end4 ,this it is which is called the world or the image of the divine soul1 which continues forever and ever1 7and is said--the world without end4 ,amen74 ,,chapter ,,ccvi4 ,,the ,,great ,,inquiry1 ,,or ,,questions ,,of ,,the ,,buddhist4 ,argument3--,entity of ,brahma and non-entity of the world1 illustrated in the story of the king of ,kushadwpa4 ,vasishtha resumed3--,the uncreated phenomenon of creation1 that appears to view1 is nothing in reality4 ,it is the transcendental principle of supreme ,brahma1 that is the only true reality4 #b4 ,it was on this subject1 that ,i was once asked by some one1 to my reply to a certain question of his2 which ,i will now relate to you1 ,o high-minded ,rma1 for strengthening your understanding to the full knowledge thereof4 #c4 ,there is the great island of ,kushadwpa1 surrounded by the seas on all sides2 like a watery belt about it1 and this land is renowned 7for its beauty71 all over the three regions of the world4 #d4 ,there is the city called ,ilvat1 situated on its north eastern side1 and is beset by a colonnade of pillars1 gilded all over with gold1 and glittering with radiant beams1 reaching from earth to the skies4 #e4 ,there formerly reigned a prince1 known by the name of ,prajnapti2 who ruled on earth as the god ,indra in heaven2 and to whom this earth or land paid its homage 7as the skies do to the regent of heaven74 #f4 ,it was on one occasion1 that ,i happened to alight at the presence of this prince2 as the sun descends on earth on the last day of desolation4 #g4 ,the prince hailed and adored me with offerings of flowers and presents1 made me sit by him with due reverence2 then in the course of my conversation with him1 he fondly asked me as follows4 #h4 ,tell me sir1 said he1 what becomes of the world after the destruction of all things2 and when the causalities of recreation are all extinct and annihilated1 in the undefinable vacuum of desolation4 #i4 ,what then becomes the prime cause of the causation of things1 at the recreation of the world2 and what are accompanying elements for the reproduction of objects1 and how and whence they take their rise4 #aj4 ,what is the world and what was the beginning of its creation2 what was the primeval chaos1 and whence is this earth8 ,what is the air the support of the seas1 and what is hell1 which is filled by worms and insects8 7i4e4 ,whence are these varieties from the one source of ,brahma87 #aa4 ,what be the creatures contained in the womb of air 7i4e4 the celestials71 and what are they that are contained in the bosom of the mountains 7i4e4 the demons72 what are the elementary bodies and their productions1 and how the understanding and its faculties have come to existence8 #ab4 ,who is the maker of all these1 and who is their witness2 what is the support of the universe1 and what are these that are contained therein8 ,i am quite certain1 that the world can never have its ultimate destruction4 #ac4 ,all the ,vedas and sstras are opposed to one another1 in their different views and interpretations2 and every one of them has made a supposition1 according to its particular view4 #ad4 ,from our knowledge of the world1 we know not whether it is indestructible or an unreality in itself4 7i4e4 ,if it is an ideal unreality1 it needs have no cause nor is it destructible at all2 but should it be a reality and destructible thing1 then what must be the cause of the production and destruction thereof8 ,gloss74 #ae4 ,again tell me1 ,o thou chief of sages1 what is the form and cause of those bodies that are doomed to dwell in hell2 after the demise of men on earth1 and cremation and destruction of their bodies here4 #af4 ,what are the accompanying causes of the regeneration of bodies1 after their destruction on death8 ,the virtues and vices of departed souls1 being both of them formless things1 cannot be their accompanying causes1 towards the formation of their corporeal frames4 #ag4 ,it is quite an absurd reasoning1 that want of matter could possibly produce a material body2 just as it is impossible to believe1 that there should be an offspring1 without the seminal cause of its parents4 #ah4 ,tell me sir1 what else should be the cause1 of the production of material bodies 7after death72 and for want of any such cause1 it is improper also1 to deny the existence of a future state4 #ai4 ,it is contrary to the dictates of ,vedas and sstras1 as also to the conviction and common sense of mankind1 to deny the future state of our existence4 ,the resurrection of our bodies is as unavoidable as our transportation to a distant land by decree of law1 though it be against our wish or will4 #bj4 ,how are beings born and actuated in the course of their lives1 by invisible causes which are quite unconnected with them 7i4e4 by the merit or demerit of the acts of their past lives1 which are altogether detached from their present bodies874 ,just as the pillars of stone were converted to gold 7by word of the ,brhman71 and without being gilded over by it4 ,say1 sir1 how this vast treasure was obtained in a moment by the ,brhman4 7i4e4 ,what could be the cause of this preternatural event74 #ba4 ,how that to be called a great one1 which remains for a moment only8 further what necessity is there to frame strict laws for the present to reap harvest in future1 when that does not stand good on sound reasoning8 #bb4 ,tell me sir1 how do you reconcile such discordances in the ,vedas1 which mention the existence of a being and not being in the beginning2 and tell us also that1 the ,not being existed before creation1 and then the ,being or creation was born of the not being4 7,the discordant passages are again 74 #bc4 ,how could the primeval nonentity become ,brahm1 or how could the latter be produced from the former2 or if it were the mighty vacuity which gave birth to ,brahm1 then tell me sir1 why there were no other ,brahms also1 born of its spacious womb4 #bd4 ,tell me how the vegetable and other creations1 could be produced without their different sources2 and how they derived their nature of propagating their kinds1 by their own seeds and property4 #be4 ,tell me why the life and death of one man1 are coeval with those of his friend or adversary2 and do people happen to obtain their wishes in their next lives by dying in the holy places of ,prayga c4 #bf4 ,should the wishes of men1 be crowned with success in their next lives2 then tell me sir1 why the sky is not filled with myriads of moons1 when the worshippers of that luminary1 are daily seen to be dying with the expectation1 of becoming a brilliant orb like it1 in the next state of their existence in heaven4 #bg4 ,say how can men succeed to their wishes in future1 when most of them desire to gain the same object1 and it falls to the lot of one of them2 just as a maid expected to be wedded by many1 is destined to and secured by one man only4 #bh4 ,again how can a woman be called a wife1 who is either unchaste1 or leads a life of celibacy even when dwelling in her husband's house8 #bi4 ,say sir1 what is the difference between the blessing and curse1 which are pronounced on the ,brhman brothers1 for their sovereignty over the seven continents on the one hand1 and their having no such thing on the other2 when they remained thinking themselves as monarchs of the world in their very house4 #cj4 ,the acts of piety consisting of charities1 austerities and obsequious ceremonies1 which are productive of unknown rewards in the next world1 and are of no benefit to their observers on earth2 then what is the good derived from them1 if they are not attended with any earthly benefit to the earthly body1 but to a future body with which no one here has any concern4 7,lit4 to which none bears any affection74 #ca4 ,should it be said that the soul of the pious observer1 reaps the reward in its future state2 this also is impossible because the disembodied soul is incapable of enjoyment2 and should it have another body to enjoy hereafter1 but of what use is that distant body to the person of the present observer 7of the pious acts78 #cb4 ,should these acts be accompanied with any reward1 either in this life or in the next1 they could be known to the actor1 but in want of this1 their observance appears to be an irreconcilable incongruity4 #cc4 ,these are my doubts 7in the sstras and practices of men71 which ,i beg you will kindly remove by your cool and clear reasoning1 as the moon-light disperses the evening twilight4 #cd4 ,now sir1 deign to dispel my doubts in my inquiry after transcendental truth1 that it may conduce to my good in both worlds2 because the company of the righteous1 is ever fraught with very great blessings to all people4 ,,chapter ,,ccvii4 ,,replies ,,to ,,the ,,aforesaid ,,queries 7,,of ,,the ,,buddhist74 ,argument3--,desultory replies of the sage to the foregoing questions in the three following chapters4 ,vasishtha replied3--,hear me prince1 and ,i will clearly expound to you the doctrine1 which will root out your doubts all at once4 #b4 ,all these entities in the world1 are inexistent nullities for ever2 though they appear as realities in our consciousness4 #c4 ,whatever appears in any manner in our consciousness1 7either as existing or non-existent1 or as so and so72 the same is thought as real as it seems to be1 without our consideration of its true nature of a reality or otherwise4 #d4 ,such is the nature of this consciousness1 that it is thought to be one and same with the bodiless soul1 by every one who knows what it is 7by his acquaintance with the science of psychology74 #e4 ,it is this knowledge 7or the idea7 of a thing in the mind1 either in waking or dreaming1 that they call to be its body2 hence it is this erroneous consciousness of anything1 that is believed as its body1 and there is nothing else beside this that they call a solid body4 #f4 ,the world shines 7or shows itself7 before us1 like the sights seen in a dream2 and the privation of all causes towards the production of the 7material7 world1 prove it to be not otherwise than the phantom of a dream4 #g4 ,thus this pure and immaculate knowledge of the universe1 is termed the very ,brahma himself 7because ,god is said to be infinite knowledge only4 74 ,the very same shines as the world1 which is not otherwise than that4 #h4 ,thus doth the world remain quite pure and unchanged1 from ever before and forever more2 and so it is thought and said to be1 by the ,vedas and all good and great sstras1 as also by the joint assent of all thinking men1 in all ages and countries4 #i4 ,they are the most ignorant fools1 and resemble the croaking frogs dwelling in the recess of dark caves and pits2 who deny the sole existence of the beings which is impressed in the consciousness of all beings1 which is full and perfect every where1 and is acknowledged by all great souls4 #aj4 ,there are many at present1 who are deluded by their notions of the appearances of things1 and the evidence of their senses1 and have fallen into the error of understanding the gross body1 as the cause of consciousness and inward impressions 7i4e4 they maintain the objectivity of their knowledge as derived from without1 and deny the subjective consciousness derived from within74 #aa4 ,they are giddy with their wrong notions1 and are not worthy of our discourse2 because no conversation can be held with them that are intoxicated without intoxication1 and are learned with their ignorance or learned fools4 #ab4 ,when the discourse of the learned1 is not capable of removing the doubts of men in all places2 such discourse is to be understood as the foolish talk of the universe4 #ac4 ,he who relies in his belief in the sensibles only1 and regards the believer of the invisible as a fool2 such a man 7i4e4 the ,buddhist or ,charvaka71 is considered for his unreasonable reasoning1 as a block of stone or stony block head4 #ad4 ,the fool that maintains this 7materialistic7 doctrine1 in opposition to all rational philosophy1 is said to be a frog of the dark cave 7or as a blind mole of the hole72 because he is blind both to the past which is out of his sight1 as also to the invisible future and is concerned only what is present before him4 #ae4 ,it is the veda and the sayings of wisemen1 and the inferences of their right reasoning 7in support of the invisible71 as ,i have maintained in these lectures1 that can remove the doubts in these matters4 #af4 ,if the sensible body 7i4e4 its sensation7 be consciousness 7according to the ,buddhist72 then why is the dead body unconscious of anything8 7,to this the ,buddhist retorts by saying37 ,should the conscious and all pervading soul be the body1 then why doth not the dull corpse think as the living body8 ,in reply to this foolish question1 it is thus said in the veda3 #ag4 ,this world is an imaginary city of the divine mind1 in its form of ,brahm--the creator2 and it is hence that the phenomenon of the world1 appears to our minds as a phantom in our dream 7or as a reflex of the same74 #ah4 ,therefore all this that you see1 is but the creation of the divine intellect1 and an intellectual entity in itself2 and you are not amiss in your judgement1 if you consider them as phantoms in your dream1 and appearing in the vacuity of your mind4 #ai4 ,hence this earth and the skies1 these hills and cities1 are all but appearances in the void of the intellect1 and conception of your mind1 as those appearing in the reveries of dream1 or as air built castles4 #bj4 ,it is the dense vacuum of self-consciousness1 which is called the great ,brahm or the personal god of creation2 and it is the display of his will in the concrete1 which is known as ,virt or the visible universe2 thus is the pure and discrete consciousness of ,brahma1 condensed into the form of the world4 #ba4 ,whatever is imagined in the imaginary city of ,brahma1 the same is conceived as existent in reality2 as you conceive the objects of your desire or fancy1 to be present before you in actuality 7i4e4 ,the thought of a thing appears as the thing itself74 #bb4 ,so whatever is thought of in the fancied city1 or fairy land of one's imagination at any time2 the same seems to be present before him for the time being1 as you see in the air-drawn castle of your fancy4 #bc4 ,hence as ,brahma in his form of the mind1 thinks of the action of living and quietus of death bodies2 so are they thought of by all mankind4 #bd4 ,after the great dissolution of the world 7and dissolution of all things71 it is said to be reproduced and renovated anew from nothing2 but as the want of any material cause1 cannot produce the material world1 it is certain there is no material being in existence4 #be4 ,brahm--the lord of creatures1 having got rid of the world upon its dissolution1 was freed also from all his remembrance and ideas of creation for ever2 therefore it is the reflexion of divine light only which appears as the world before us4 #bf4 ,thus the supreme soul of ,brahma1 reflected itself in itself in the beginning1 in the manner of an imaginary castle of his will1 which was air-drawn as the visible sky in the invisible vacuum1 and known as the cosmos or world subsisting in empty space4 #bg4 ,as an imaginary castle is the creation of the brain or intellect1 and presents to our minds only its intellectual form alone2 so does the world appear to us in its intellectual form1 and only as an evolution of the intellect1 and without having any other cause for its appearance4 #bh4 ,whether there be any body or not any where1 there is the vacuous intellect which is every where 7i4e4 the hollow space of the mind comprehends both the plenum as well as the vacuum of the world74 ,and know the divine spirit to pervade all over this totality1 whether it be the embodied duality or vacuous unity4 #bi4 ,hence the vacuous mind of a dead body1 beholds the figure of the whole world within its vacuity2 the empty mind of a living being1 sees the shapes both of solid and subtile bodies1 in its imagination or dream4 7,it means to say that1 the death of the body does not involve the death of the mind74 #cj4 ,as the living man thinks this immaterial world1 to be a solid mass of dull matter2 so doth the dead person think this vacuous universe1 as a solid and substantial existence lying exposed before him in its mind4 #ca4 ,but as the enlightened or awakened soul of a living body1 sees no trace of scenes of its dream upon its waking2 so the redeemed soul of a dead being sees no trace of the objects-sight in this world1 upon its redemption and beatification in the next world4 #cb4 ,the very same is the case with the enlightened soul1 of every body in this world2 that it bears only the inward conception of it within itself2 but no outward perception thereof without4 ,therefore there is no material reality in existence1 as there is no substantial causality in vacuity4 #cc4 ,as the sleeping man sees the visionary world of his dream1 in the light of a real existence2 so the unenlightened person views the phenomenal world1 as a sober reality before him2 and so do the souls of the dead1 deem the empty void of air as the world of their departed spirits4 7,thus there are three different worlds1 for the sleeping1 waking and departed souls of men74 #cd4 ,the unpeopled or open air1 appears as the earth and heaven1 and full of mountains c4 as before to the souls of the departed 7from their bearing those impressions with them even to the next world1 and so on throughout all their future transmigration74 #ce4 ,the departed soul perceives its separation from a dead body1 and thinks of its regeneration in another frame on earth2 where it will have its enjoyments and suffering again as before4 #cf4 ,the soul never gets rid of this delusion of its regeneration1 7and of its desire of renovation also71 so long as it neglects to resort to the means1 of obtaining its salvation and final liberation2 it is by means of its knowledge of truth and absence of desire1 that is freed from its error of reproduction4 #cg4 ,hence it is the consciousness of the soul1 of its righteous or unrighteous desire2 that represents the picture of this airy world1 in the hollow sphere of the mind4 7,thus the world is only the picture and production of one's own desire74 #ch4 ,the world is therefore neither of a substantial nor vacuous form1 but the display of divine intelligence2 the want of this knowledge is the source of all misery to man1 but its true knowledge as representation of divine wisdom1 is fraught with all bliss and joy4 ,,chapter ,,ccviii4 ,,solution ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,question4 ,argument3--,answer to the question of future rewards and punishment of departed souls in another world4 ,vasishtha continued3--,hear me now to tell you1 why men happen to meet with their 7unexpected7 good or fortune at home2 and in the same manner how rewards and retributions1 come to attend on departed souls from unforeseen causes in the far distant 7or next7 world4 #b4 ,you know the whole world to be the volitional city 7or fabric7 of ,divine will1 and appearing as phenomenal to our outward sight1 and as noumenal in the light of our inward insight of it1 and as ,brahma himself in its spiritual light4 7i4e4 ,god has so willed the world1 as to be viewed in the triple light of the physical1 intellectual and spiritual also74 #c4 ,in this volitional city1 everything appears in the same light1 as one would behold it in any of its different aspects4 #d4 ,as in your own house1 you are master of the direction of your offspring1 and of the disposal of your things and affairs as please2 so is the ,lord the sole disposer and dispensator of all things in this world of his will1 as he likes of his own accord4 #e4 ,as in the desired dwelling of your liking1 you find everything to be as well disposed as you wish it to be2 so doth he direct and dispose all things in this world of his4 #f4 ,the disorder that there appears to take place in the order of nature1 is to be attributed to the ,divine ,will as the sovran law of all4 #g4 ,the good or evil which waits on men1 owing to the obedience to or transgression of law2 is both attributable to the ,divine ,will 7which has originated the laws and ordained their results74 #h4 ,it is the dispensation of the ,divine will also1 whereby all living bodies have their perceptions of worldly things2 just as they have the conception of the existence of the world1 which in reality has no entity of it4 #i4 ,it is by will of the divine intellect1 that everything appears to be existent before us2 as it is the oscitation and occlusion or the gaping and closing of the intellect1 which causes the appearance and disappearance of the world to our view4 #aj4 ,the king said3--,tell me sir1 if the world was the production of the divine will1 why was it not known to exist before with the eternity of the ,will divine1 and why and when it came to be manifested and known to others afterwards2 tell me also1 whether the world is an unstable and vanishing appearance in the air1 or it has any fixity in the divine mind or stability in nature4 #aa4 ,vasishtha replied3--,such is the nature of the vacuous and volitional city of divine intellect2 that it comes to being and not being in succession1 in the states of repeated waking dreams of creation1 and in the sleeping oblivion of its desolation4 #ab4 ,like the mud built house of playful boys1 and the air drawn castles of fanciful men1 do the appearances of creation1 appear both as real and unreal in the divine intellect as well as to our minds4 #ac4 ,as you build and break your imaginary city in the air1 and make and unmake a fabric of your will elsewhere2 whether it be of your own or choice or for any other reason1 so it is with the ,divine will1 to construct and protract or retract or annul any of its works ad libitum4 #ad4 ,thus are all beings1 continually rising and falling1 in this vacuous city of the divine will2 which is ever shining in its nature1 with the pure light of the divine mind4 7,god throws his own light on the work of his will74 #ae4 ,the whole plenum of the world is a vacuum1 and full with the dense intelligence of omniscience2 therefore it is this omniscient intelligence1 which doth still whatever it thinks upon and wills4 7,this passage shows that the ,vednta ,brahma1 is not inactive or ,nishkriya as many believe2 but the living ,god1 and sole agent of all things and director of all accidents in this world74 #af4 ,therefore it is not the hidden but self manifest ,god1 that does all things even at the distance of ,millions of miles1 and myriads of ages1 as if they lay before him at the present time4 #ag4 ,so there is nothing in any country or in any world1 which is not known nor thought of by the sole and unhidden soul of all4 7,the gloss applies it to every individual soul1 which is conscious of its merits and demerits everywhere74 #ah4 ,as a brilliant gem reflects its light and shade within itself1 so doth the gem of the intellect reflect by its own light the various vicissitudes of the world in itself4 7i4e4 ,the human mind is sensible of its deserts74 #ai4 ,laws and prohibitions1 which are necessary for the preservation of people1 are implanted in the human soul4 7,as they are the eternal varieties of the divine mind71 and accompany it every where with their just rewards4 #bj4 ,the soul never sets nor rises 7i4e4 ,it neither dies nor revives1 but supposes itself as such by its error only72 ,it is ,brahma himself and his reflexion in others1 and emanating always from the divine soul its source and origin4 #ba4 ,as from being the viewer1 it supposes itself to be the view1 and thinks its imaginary world as a visible phenomenon2 7i4e4 believes itself both as the subjective as well as objective72 so it thinks itself to be born1 living and dying 7by the like error of its own74 #bb4 ,when the soul of its own nature ceases to cast its reflexion1 or suppresses it within itself1 and remains quietly in the vacuous sphere of divine intellect1 by assimilating itself with the universal soul of ,brahma1 it is then said to be quietus of quiet in death4 7,the word for death in the text is ,snta-,samita or extinct1 or instinct in the divine soul74 #bc4 ,the emission and intromission of its reflexion1 are as natural to the ignorant and imperfect living soul of animal beings2 as oscillation and calm are congenital with air 7or as respiration and inspiration with breath74 #bd4 ,now as you see in the city of your imagination1 the growth1 decay and death of people1 at different times and places2-- #be4 ,so it is the nature of this imaginary city of ,god1 to exhibit these changes everywhere1 as in the cases of animals1 vegetables and all things in all the three worlds4 #bf4 ,but ,god neither wills nor does everything himself1 in this creation of his will1 but he acts by general laws and secondary causes1 as in the cricket play of boys1 and growth of grass from grass1 and production of trees and their fruits c4 from seeds4 #bg4 ,it is the nature of the almighty intellect of ,god1 to bring forth forthwith to being whatever it wills to be and appear4 7,the almighty thought1 will or word1 is variously said to be the prime cause of all74 #bh4 ,all things being originally of intellectual form1 appear afterwards in various forms1 and with different natures2 as the almighty intellect invests them with4 #bi4 ,hence everything here1 is verily of an intellectual form1 by their originating from the divine intellect2 and as the intellect includes all things in itself1 it is omniform and shows itself in any form it likes4 #cj4 ,this very intellect is the omniscient and universal soul1 without having its beginning1 middle or end2 it is omnipotent and something which is nothing1 and an entity appearing as non-entity2 ,it appears such as it remains anywhere1 and shows itself as anything2 it is the origin of all things and beings1 and the source of all vegetables and grass4 ,,chapter ,,ccix4 ,,on ,,the ,,consciousness ,,or ,,intuitive ,,knowledge ,,of ,,extraneous ,,existences4 ,argument3--,reconciliation of the opposite results of virtuous and sinful acts1 on one and same person at the same time4 ,vasishtha continued saying3--,the life of a person is dear and useful to him1 as long as he lives and not afterwards2 but hear me tell you the good of a man's dying in some holy place1 with a wish for future reward in his next life4 #b4 ,god has ordained certain virtues and merits to certain places1 even from the beginning of his imaginary city of this world 7as to all other things at their very beginning74 #c4 ,whatever merit is assigned to any place1 the same awaits on the soul of the person1 after its release from bondage1 by his performance of the acts of piety enjoined by the sstras4 #d4 ,hence any great sin that is committed by any body anywhere1 is either partly or wholly effaced by the good act of the person1 according to comparative merit of the holy place1 or the degree of absolution in the mind of the penitent sinner4 #e4 ,in any case of the insignificance of the sin1 with regard to the greater sacerdotalism of the place2 there the sinner is quite absolved from his guilt1 and attains the object of his wish 7in his future life74 #f4 ,but in case of the equality of the merits of penitence1 with the holiness of the place2 the penitent man receives two bodies in his next life1 that is both a physical body and spiritual soul4 #g4 ,such is the effect of the primeval guilt and merit of mankind1 that they are endowed with double bodies1 consisting of their physical frames and spiritual souls 7the one maculate and the other immaculate7 and such the divine soul even from before4 #h4 ,the principle is called ,brahma in its sense of the whole1 and as ,brahm--the totality of the living soul jva2 and also as aham or the ego1 meaning any living soul in particular2 and as he remains in any manner of the whole or part1 so he manifests himself in his semblance of the world4 #i4 ,the reflexion of purity acquired in some holy place1 appears to the penitent soul in the same manner2 as it appears in its contrary light to the guilty soul1 which is not so absolved from its sin in any holy place4 7,these different reflexions1 present the appearance of heavenly bliss to the soul of one1 and that of hell torments to the other1 as in their visions of paradise and ,styx in dream74 #aj4 ,the one sees the visions of his own death1 and the weeping of his living relatives2 and deems himself as a departed ghost to the next world1 all alone and without a single soul beside him4 #aa4 ,he sees also the deaths of his friends there1 and thinks also that he hears the wailings of their relations at that place2 he sees the chimeras of all these in his phrensy1 as a man of deranged humours sees the spectres of bugbears in his delirium4 #ab4 ,so it happens with great souls also1 to see the sights both of good grace and affright1 according to the measure of their merit or guilt in this life2 and thus thousands of hopeful and hideous shapes1 float about in the imaginations of men1 owing to the purity and depravity of their natures4 #ac4 ,the friends of the dying man1 lying insensible as a dead body2 weep and wail over his corpse1 and then take him to the funeral ground for his cremation4 #ad4 ,but the guiltless man being accompanied by his self-conscious and righteous soul sees the approach of his decrepitude and death1 with firmness and without any feeling of sorrow 7as if he had no decay nor death74 #ae4 ,with his present body he sees himself to be a living being2 and with his invisible part or inward soul1 he sees his conquest over death by the merit of his holy pilgrimage 7and the immortality of his soul in the future world74 #af4 ,the guiltless man is in fear of his death for a moment only1 but is conscious of the indestructibility of his inward soul1 as a man clad in mail1 is dauntless of the shafts of his unarmoured antagonist4 7,the pure soul is invulnerable to the shafts of death74 #ag4 ,in this manner the relatives of the deceased1 find his pure soul1 to obtain its immortality after his death2 and that life and death are indifferent to the virtuous and purified person4 #ah4 ,the sights of all the three worlds1 are equally fallacious both in their tangible and intangible forms2 as the vision of one object in a dream1 is as false as another in their visionary nature4 7,the gloss says that1 one error succeeds another1 in the same way as one lie is followed by another74 #ai4 ,we have clear conceptions of the fallacies1 arising in our minds1 both in our dreams and imagination2 but the fallacies of our waking dreams by broad daylight1 are more obvious and never less conspicuous to our apprehension than either of them 7the latter being more general and lasting than the former ones74 #bj4 ,the king said3--,but tell me sir1 how virtue and vice1 both of which are bodiless things 7as being the abstract qualities of our actions71 assume to themselves the bodily forms of living beings1 in the course of the transmigration of our souls4 7,virtuous souls being blessed with human bodies1 while vicious spirits are doomed to suffer in various brutish forms74 #ba4 ,vasishtha replied3--,there is nothing impossible to the creative power of ,brahm1 to be produced in the imaginary fabric of this world of his mind2 nor is it impracticable to the substantive divine will to give substantial forms to understand things4 7,the substantive will is called satyasankulpa which brings the inexistent to real existence74 #bb4 ,there is nothing which is unimaginable1 and cannot be produced by the mind of ,brahm2 as it is with us to have no idea of anything and nothing in being1 of which we have no imagination in our finite minds4 7,brahm has given forms to all the imaginary ideas of his mind1 which we cannot do to our formless and abstract idea of any74 #bc4 ,a visionary city in the dream and an imaginary castle of fancy1 do both present the like ideal form to the mind2 and yet both of them are composed of a train of ideas1 which appear as real objects for the time being4 7,so the ideal seems as real for a time74 #bd4 ,all the numerous thoughts1 which lie as a dead and dormant mass1 in the states of our deep and sound sleep2 appear to us in endless forms in the vision of our dream and waking our imagination and leave their traces in the memory4 #be4 ,who is there that has not had the notion1 of the aerial castles of his dream and imagination2 and found them not to be composed of our concepts only1 in the airy world of our vacuous consciousness4 #bf4 ,therefore what thing is there1 that is not capable of being produced in this rial world1 which is the production of the airy imagination of the vacuous intellect2 and what thing also which is substantially produced therefrom8 7,the creatures of the mind1 have mental forms only74 #bg4 ,therefore it is this fallacy only1 which appears in the form of the visible universe2 where there is nothing in real existence or inexistence2 but all things appear to be in esse and non esse1 in the ,nabhas and in the ,nubibus of the divine mind4 #bh4 ,anything that is perceived in any manner1 the same is thought as a manifestation of its ker in the same manner2 and the enlightened seekers of truth1 find no impropriety in their belief as such4 7,these as they change1 are the varied ,god4 ,thomson's 8,the ,seasons074 #bi4 ,hence when a man is taught by the tenets of his religion1 to hope for the enjoyment of flowery banks 7lit4--hills71 and streams flowing with nectar in paradise 7lit4--heaven72 it is very probable that he will meet with the same things1 in his future life in the next world4 7,so the ,moslem is taught to expect the gratification of all his carnal desires in heaven1 as the promised rewards of his holy ,koran4 ,the ,hindus likewise have bodily delights to expect in their different heavens74 #cj4 ,hence the acts that are done in this world by any body1 are attended with their like rewards unto him in the next2 and there is no inconsistency in this belief1 though it appears so to the unbeliever 7,the adage--as you sow1 so shall you reap1 holds equally true in every religion with regard to future retribution1 as in every case here below74 #ca4 ,should there be anything1 which may be said to be permanent in this world1 it must be ever present in the view of its viewer2 let then any man say upon this criterion1 which he does not lose the sight of all other things before his eye sight1 except the ideas of things in his mind1 which are ever present in his knowledge1 and never lost sight of in his consciousness4 #cb4 ,i have given you the analogy of our dreams and thoughts1 to prove the essentiality of our notions and ideas2 and whereas the worlds appertain to the will and subsists in the mind of omniscience1 they are not otherwise than the essence of the ,great ,brahma ,himself4 #cc4 ,as there is nothing wanting or impossible to be produced1 in the rial castle of your imagination2 so there is nothing which does not and cannot exist in the will and mind of the almighty4 #cd4 ,whatsoever is thought of in any form1 in the ,divine ,mind1 the same remains fixed therein in the very form2 and the same appears to be situated in the same nature before our views in its photo or in a scenography4 #ce4 ,hence this semblance of the ,divine ,mind1 is perceived only by our internal senses1 and not perceptible to the external organs1 or to both of these at once2 because it is for our minds only to perceive the impressions of the eternal mind1 and to impel the internal organs 7by their inward efforts71 to receive those reflexions4 #cf4 ,as the lord has willed everything at first1 so it lasts with him to the very last of his creation 7i4e4 from the very beginning of his ,sankalpa1 to the end of the kalpa epoch72 when his will of creating the world anew1 gives another form to the state of things in future4 #cg4 ,the ,lord manifests himself as he wills1 in the manner of his will1 and in the form of another world in every kalpa duration of creation2 as the minds of men come to see another world and another state of things in their each successive dream4 #ch4 ,there is nothing which does not exist1 in this worldly city of ,divine will1 and all that exists therein is naught but the production of the ,divine ,intellect2 therefore this world is to be known1 as full of the forms of the productive mind of ,god4 ,,chapter ,,ccx4 ,,refutation ,,of ,,the ,,conception ,,of ,a ,,duality ,,in ,,unity4 ,argument3--,end of ,vasishtha's ,replies to the important queries1 and his showing the unity of the world with ,brahma himself4 ,vasishtha resumed and said3--,now hear me tell you in reply to the question1 why the heaven is not filled with a hundred full moons1 if it were the wish of a hundred persons to shine as such a luminary on future1 and if the wishes of all are crowned with success in their next state of being4 7,the souls of the pious are said to twinkle as stars in heaven74 #b4 ,those that aspired to become as bright as the full moon of heaven1 became actually so in their conception of themselves as such in the sphere of their minds2 and not by their situation in the vault of the sky or in the orb of that luminary4 #c4 ,say who has ever and anywhere1 got into the imaginary city of another2 and who has ever got any fancied treasure1 except the framer of the fancy and the fabricator of the wished for wealth4 7,every one is the master of his own ,utopia and delights in his hobby horse74 #d4 ,every one has a heaven of his own1 in the utopia of his creation2 wherein he is situated and shines as a full bright moon1 and without its phases of the wane and waste4 #e4 ,all those aspirants to luminosity1 had thought of entering into the moon of his own mind2 and there he found himself to rest at last1 with full light of that luminary and delight of his conscious soul4 #f4 ,each of them thought of entering into the disc of the moon shining in their minds1 and felt themselves glad in their situation1 as if they were seated in the orb of the celestial moon4 #g4 ,whatever one seeks and searches after1 the same becomes con-natural with his consciousness2 and in the case of his firm belief in the same state1 he thinks and feels himself to be the very same4 #h4 ,as every aspirer to the state of the full moon1 came to be such in his respective conception of that luminary2 so the suitors of the same bride in marriage1 became wedded to her according to his own conception of hers4 7,every one imagines his doxy1 as a fairy paragon of beauty74 #i4 ,the one pure maiden that is thought of being taken to wife1 by many men in their minds2 is never defiled by any one of them in her character1 by their simple enjoyment of her ideal only4 7,the ideal is not tangible possession74 #aj4 ,as the sovereign ruler of the seven continents1 holds his sway over them1 without ever going out of his city2 so the soul passes to them all1 by remaining in the precincts of its body3 and so does every man see his imaginary castle1 in the sphere of his own house4 #aa4 ,when the whole universe owes its origin to the imagination of its omniscient originator--the self born ,brahma2 what can it be otherwise1 than an intangible vacuum and quite calm and quiet in itself4 7,the moving bodies are the fixed figures of the divine mind1 and appear to be turning round like the pictures in a panorama or the objects in a scenograph74 #ab4 ,now hear me tell you of the unknown and invisible results of the acts piety1 such as charity1 obsequeous rites1 religious austerities and the mutterings of holy mantras1 which accrue to the departed ghosts of bodily beings in the next world4 #ac4 ,the souls marked with traces of pious acts in them1 come to view them vividly as their actual works1 and painted in as lively colours as their dreams1 by fabrications of their lively intellects4 #ad4 ,the carnal mind distrusting the reality of these impressions of consciousness1 and disregarding the internal operation of the inward intellect2 becomes restless for its sensuous enjoyment and exercise of the outward organs of action1 until by abatement of this fervour1 it is restored to its inward peace and tranquility4 #ae4 ,it is the theme of early poets which tells us1 that the impressions of the acts of piety and charity which are imprinted in the intellect1 are reflected over the passive soul in the next world1 when the conscious soul continues to keep the gratification of those acts4 #af4 ,thus the rewards of charity and uncharitableness1 are equally felt in the gratification and dissatisfaction of the soul in this world also1 where everything is by our feeling of it4 #ag4 ,thus have answered fully to whatever you have asked of me2 and now know from all this1 that the sensible world is an intangible dream1 and an air drawn spectacle of the mind4 #ah4 ,the prince rejoined3--,but please to tell me sir1 how could the intellect alone and itself before the production of the body2 and how can a light subsist without its receptacle of a lamp or lantern4 #ai4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the sense in which you use the world body1 is quite unknown to the spiritualist1 who discard the material meaning of the term1 as they reject the idea of the dancing of stones in air4 7,the learned know the spiritual body only74 #bj4 ,the meaning of the word body1 is the same as that of ,brahma 7who is all in all72 and there is no difference in the meaning of the two1 as there is none between the words fluid and liquid4 #ba4 ,the body is a visionary appearance1 and the great body of ,brahma1 is likened unto the figure of a phantom in vision1 which represents the forms of all things as in dream in the stupendous fabric of the universe4 ,brahma is more likely the phantasmagoria that shows all forms in it4 ,gloss4 #bb4 ,but the difference between thy dream or vision and spectrum of ,brahma1 consist in the former representing the figures of thy previous thoughts alone1 which disperse and vanish upon thy waking2 but the universe which is exhibited in spectrum of ,brahma1 is not so evanescent as that of other4 #bc4 ,what is thing then we call the body1 and how does it appear into us in the shape of something in our dream2 and why doth anything appearing as a reality in dream1 appear as nothing and vanish as an error upon our waking4 #bd4 ,there is no waking1 sleeping or dreaming1 nor any other condition of being1 in the ,turya or transcendent state of ,brahma as in those of the divine hypostases of ,brahm1 ,virt and others4 ,it is something as the pure and primeval light and as the transparent air1 all quiet and still1 as the infinite eternity4 #be4 ,it is the same as the unknown and inscrutable light1 which shows and glows before us to this day2 ,it is the same primeval and primordial light1 that showed first the sight of the world to view1 as if it were a dream in the gloom of night4 7,light was nature's first born1 and brought forth all nature from it74 #bf4 ,as in passing from one district to another1 the body though proceeding onward1 is ever in the midst of its circuit1 and yet never fixed at any spot2 so are all things in their endless rotation in this world1 whether singly or collectively4 #bg4 ,the sight of the world1 like that of a dream1 presents a favourable aspect to some minds1 but it presents a clear and serene prospect to men of unclouded intellects4 #bh4 ,the vacuum as well as the plenum of objects1 and the reflexion as likewise the eclipse or adumbration of things2 the existence and inexistence of the world and matter1 and the unity and duality of the divine entity1 are all but the extraneous phases or aspects of the same vacuous intellect4 #bi4 ,the world is entirely or completely evolution from the fulness of the deity2 and stands as a complete counterpart of the original2 it is neither a shining or unshining body by itself1 but is as bright as the contents of a crystal within its bowels4 #cj4 ,wherever there is the evolution of the world in the intellect1 there is the presence of the subtile soul also at that place1 and whenever there is a jot of thought anywhere1 it is attended with the thought of the world also4 7,the mind and soul are one with creation1 and the same thing74 #ca4 ,the vacuum of intellect is present everywhere 7pervading and comprehending the whole74 ,and this omnipresence is the divine presence 7which engrosses and envelopes this all7 which is termed the world4 ,the word world-jagat passing in our right1 is spiritually snta or quiet4 #cb4 ,the divine soul is as quiet and unchangeable1 as this universe is stable and stationary2 and it is the fluctuation of the supreme mind1 which causes these variations in the face of the city of the divine will or the world4 #cc4 ,the impossibility of any other inference of the world's duality or its being aught otherwise than the divine entity2 proves it necessarily to be of the very same essence4 ,any unreasonable hypothesis of sophists is inconsistent with this subject of the absolute unity4 #cd4 ,the joint assent of the common belief of mankind1 the testimony of the sstras1 and the dicta of the ,vedas1 are established and incontrovertible truths4 ,hence nobody can have any doubt in regard to the real entity of the ,divine spirit4 #ce4 ,this being confessed it becomes evident1 that the world is the deity itself2 and when the world appears as one with the deity1 it is seen in our clairvoyance to be extinct in the ,divine essence4 7,clairvoyance is charama-skshat kra or the last sight of creation at one's dying moment2 when the world disappears1 and eternity appears full open to view4 ,gloss74 #cf4 ,from this analogy of the ultimate evanescent sight of the world1 it will be evident to the living soul1 that the sight of the phenomenal is wholly lost before it in the noumenal4 ,this is the doctrine of cosmotheism1 wherein whole nature is seen in nature's ,god4 #cg4 ,he who is acquainted with the sphere of his intellect1 is not unacquainted with the fact of the dependency of the arbour of the world to it1 he sees the three worlds in himself1 in either of his two states of bondage and liberation4 7,the fettered soul is fastened to the sight of the material and temporal world2 but the liberated soul views it in its spiritual light74 #ch4 ,the visible world though so manifest to view1 is entirely lost to sight upon its right knowledge2 and the knower thereof in its light1 becomes like the setting sun1 wholly invisible to public sight1 and remains as mute as a clod of silent stone4 #ci4 ,the way that is established by the ,vedas1 and received by the general assent of wisemen2 is to be acknowledged1 as the right path leading to sure success 7vox populi vox dei74 #dj4 ,he who adheres steadily to his own purpose1 by utter disregard of all other objects in his view2 is said to be firmly fixed to his point1 and is sure to reap his success at the end4 #da4 ,everything appears to one in the same light1 as he is accustomed to view and take it for2 and whether this object of his faith is a true or false one1 it appears just the same to any body as he is wont to believe it4 #db4 ,this is the conclusion of your question1 as ,i have determined and delivered to you2 now be quick and walk your way with perfect ease of your mind1 health of your body and agility of your limbs4 ,,chapter ,,ccxi4 ,,lecture ,,on ,,transcendent ,,truth4 ,argument3--,relation of ,brahma as the all-pervading spirit1 and of the means of the presentation of spiritual being before one4 ,vasishtha resumed3--,as ,i was sitting relating these things to the prince1 he honoured me with his obeisance2 and then thinking ,i had dispensed my task to him1 rose up to proceed on my aerial journey 7from the ,ilvrita-,varsha of ,kushadwpa74 #b4 ,thus ,i have related unto you this day1 ,o most intelligent ,rma1 regarding the omnipresence of the ,divine spirit2 keep this vacuous view of ,brahma before your sight1 and proceed everywhere with the peace of your mind 7as you are ever living and moving in the ,lord74 #c4 ,know all this to be ,brahma itself1 and a nameless and unsubstantial void only2 it is something unborn and increate1 all calm and quiet1 and with out its beginning1 middle and end4 7,it is infinity in space and eternity in duration74 #d4 ,it is said to be the reflexion of the intellect1 and named as ,brahma from its immensity1 it is termed the most transcendent1 and something without any designation at all4 #e4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 how can we have the sights of the celestial1 and of the ,siddha and ,sdhya spirits1 of ,yama1 ,brahm and of the heavenly ,vidydharas and choristers2 and tell me also sir1 how the people of the other spheres can be visible to us4 #f4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the celestial siddhas1 ,sdhyas1 the gods ,yama and ,brahm1 and the ,vidydhara demigods2 these together with all other beings of great souls and wondrous might2-- #g4 ,are all visible to you both by day and night1 and above1 below1 behind and ever before you1 if you will but look at them with the eyes of your mind2 but if you shut your mental eye against spirituality1 you can never have the sight of spirit presented before your view4 7,this passage is illustrated in the story of ,chudaloka4 ,gloss74 #h4 ,these beings being habituated to be viewed in our minds1 are never afar from us1 and as they are represented to be volitive or self willed beings1 they are said to be ever roving everywhere4 7,the spirits are of two kinds2 some stationary in their particular lokas or spheres2 and others to be wandering about4 ,gloss74 #i4 ,these volitional beings are as fickle as the living creatures of this earth of ours2 and as the volatile winds1 which are blowing at random in every direction4 #aj4 ,these resemble the airy creatures of your imagination and dream1 which hover and gather about you by day and night2 while the others are devoid of their volition and motion1 and are settled stationary in their respective spheres4 #aa4 ,if you can in the calm quietness of your mind and soul1 secure the reflexion of any of these spirits in your silent and steadfast meditation2 you can without fail1 have the visitation of the same in the inmost recess of your soul 7and hold your secret communion with it also4 ,gloss74 #ab4 ,in this manner do men see the gods as they see the siddhas1 arrayed with all their majesty and glory1 as they are feigned to be in their intense meditations4 7,dhynenaivapara-devah74 #ac4 ,now as men of steady minds1 find themselves to be soaring to heaven1 in the company of the siddhas and clad in all their glory2 those of fickle and unsubdued minds1 have to take great pains1 in order to confine the fleeting object of their contemplation under their control4 7,it is often dangerous to the unadept novice in meditation1 to let slip the object of his contemplation from his grasp74 #ad4 ,the world is altogether an unsubstantial and imperceptible thing2 and is ever as silent and a serene void1 as the vacuum of the intellect 7or the ,divine mind74 ,it appears however as a solid and compact mass1 according as the notion we have of it in our consciousness4 7i4e4 ,this nothing is thought of as something1 according to our mistaken notion or conception of it74 #ae4 ,it does not exist in our unconsciousness1 nor does it appear to be in existence or otherwise it is not dull1 insensible and unthinking beings2 it is a vacuity and nullity1 and utterly an intangible and imperceptible thing in our sensibility and unconsciousness of it4 #af4 ,it is the nature of the intellect to reflect in itself1 and all that is seen about us1 is the shadow of that reflexion2 the knowledge of substantiality in this shadowy reflection1 proceeds from the vanity of the intellect1 and not from its nature which is free from mistake4 #ag4 ,there can be no talk of causation1 production or vegetation1 in the nature of the universe2 which being an absolute void1 is entirely devoid of the elements of cause and effect4 7,ex nihilo nihil fit c474 #ah4 ,that which appears to be produced1 is only a void in the midst of primeval vacuum 7teo et beo72 nor can there be the attribution of unity or duality to the infinite vacuity4 #ai4 ,yet the world appears as something existent in your mind2 and as visible before your eyes2 and this happens in the same manner as you have the consciousness and sight of your dreams2 in the unruffled calm of your hollow sleep4 #bj4 ,as imagination causes the mountains and mountainous regions1 to rise in the hollow sphere of our minds2 but neither is the one nor the other found to be really existent therein2 such is this creation an airy working of the divine mind 7and leaving no trace of it left behind74 #ba4 ,hence it is the nature of the wise and sapient1 to remain as quiet and mute as motionless blocks of wood or stone2 and the character of great minds1 to manage themselves as wooden puppets1 moving wholly as they are moved by the prime mobile power of ,god alone 7,without being actuated by their own desire1 or deeming themselves as free agents74 #bb4 ,as the waves are seen to roll about on the surface waters1 and as the eddies are whirling round and hurling headlong into the deep2 so the whole creation and all created things1 turn about the pivot of the great ,brahma alone4 7,not an atom herein1 has an excentric course of its own74 #bc4 ,as vacuity is inborn in the firmament1 and undulations are immanent in the air2 so are these creations inherent and inseparably connected with the divine spirit1 in their amorphous or formless and ideal shapes4 7,this passage maintains the idealistic theory of the ancients74 #bd4 ,as an air drawn castle of our will or imagination1 presents a substantial shape before us with all its unsubstantialness2 so does this world appear as a compact frame exhibited before us1 notwithstanding its situation in the formless mind of ,brahma4 #be4 ,all these three worlds1 that we are accustomed to believe as real ones1 and as seats of our temporal as well as spiritual concerns2 are all void and formless1 and as unreal ones as the airy castles of our imagination4 #bf4 ,as it is the thought of our minds1 that creates full populous cities in them2 so it is the thought of the mind of ,god1 that creates these numerous worlds1 and presents them to our minds and eyes4 #bg4 ,though ever and all along thought as a reality1 this visible world bears no meaning at all2 and resembles the sight of a man's own death in his dream4 #bh4 ,as a man sees the funeral of his dead body1 conducted by his son in his dream2 so the unreal world is seen as a reality1 in as much as it is reflected as such by its supreme contriver4 #bi4 ,both the entity and non-entity of the cosmos or world1 constitute the corpus of the immaculate deity2 just as a fictitious name applied to a person1 makes no difference in his personage4 #cj4 ,whether what ,i have said is true or not 7that the siddhas and others are mere imaginary or spiritual beings71 you have nothing to lose or gain therefrom 7because we have no concern whatever with them72 and as it is useless for wise men to expect any reward by casting fruits into the ,phlgu river1 so it is of no good to the intelligent who have known the true ,god1 to take the pains of invoking the aid of the minor gods instead of ,him4 ,,chapter ,,ccxii4 ,,on ,,ascertainment ,,of ,,truth4 ,argument3--,thinking ,god as the ,ego1 ,brahm and the creation1 and the description of ,god4 ,vasishtha resumed3--,the man that considers himself as the ,ego1 from his possession of the intellect and intellectual powers in him2 elevates him to the rank of ,brahm and contains the whole world in himself4 #b4 ,as the ,lord ,brahm or ,hiranyagarbha remained in this state 7of the totality of souls7 he was not then the creator of the world2 but was alike the increate ,brahma--the everlasting ,god1 as he continued from all eternity4 7,brahm assimilating himself to the impersonal ,god1 had no personality of himself1 so the holy trinity was all ,one1 before the ,lord caused his coeternal son to create the world2 as nothing was created but by the son74 #c4 ,it is in our consciousness1 that the world appears in this manner1 and is like the mirage in a desert1 where its very unreality shows itself as a reality4 7,hence our consciousness1 is not always the test of truth74 #d4 ,it is since the creation1 that the primeval vacuum began to present1 the blunder or falsity of the world in itself2 but how and whence arose this blunder1 unless it were the presentation of ,brahma himself4 7,delusion is ,god also74 #e4 ,the world is a whirlpool 7a revolving sphere71 in the vast ocean of ,brahma 7i4e4 in the great expanse of vacuum74 ,where then is the question of unity or duality in this1 or the talk of the dualism of the eddy from the waters of the deep1 or how can there be the topic of unity in want of a duality4 7,the world is therefore ,brahma-dharma or an hypostasis of ,god4 ,gloss74 #f4 ,the great ,brahma is profoundly quiet1 and having his intellect inherent in himself1 he is conscious of his being the great or sole ,ego 7or the totality of beings7 in his mind1 and sees himself as the midst of the vast expanse of vacuity4 #g4 ,as fluctuation is inherent in air1 and heat is inbred in fire2 and as the moon contains its coolness in itself1 so does the ,great ,brahma brood over the eternal ideas of things1 contained in the cavity of his fathomless mind4 #h4 ,rma rejoined3--,tell me sir1 how does the divine mind come to think of and brood upon his creation2 when the eternal intellect is ever employed in its process of intellection4 ,the course of ,divine thought being unobstructed from eternity to eternity1 its even tenor cannot be supposed to be now and then turned to the act of creation1 or even said to be brought in its action and motion1 since the time that this creation first began to exist 7,there can be no talk of the beginning or end of the world before eternity74 #i4 ,vasishtha replied3--,it is even so1 ,o ,rma6 the great ,ego of ,god always thinks of everything in itself2 and the increate and ever existent spirit of ,god1 has never anything unknown to his knowledge4 7,the evolution and involution of the world1 are known by the terms of its creation and annihilation74 #aj4 ,the vacuous is ever and every where present both in creation and non-creation 7i4e4 both before as well as after it72 and there is nothing that is known to him as existent or nonexistent at any time 7since the ignorant know the world as existent1 and the learned consider it a nihility2 but the ,lord knows them all in himself74 #aa4 ,as the mind is conscious of its fluctuation1 and the moon of her coldness2 and as the air knows its voidness1 so doth ,brahma know himself as the ,ego1 and never thinks himself without the other4 7,they are ,misra or combined together74 #ab4 ,such is the entity of ,god1 and never unlike to or otherwise than this2 and whereas the world is without its beginning and end1 it must be as imperishable as ,brahma himself4 7,the world is without end74 #ac4 ,it is only from your want of sufficient intelligence1 and hearing of or prejudice in the word non-ego2 that you are led to the belief of a duality1 in the undualistic unity of the ,deity4 #ad4 ,never does any body nor anything here1 think of itself of anything whatever2 there is none and naught whatsoever1 that can think unless it is the same with the ,divine ,ego4 #ae4 ,the apparent threefold world1 ever appears in this manner2 as one with and inseparable from ,god that dwells alike and evenly in all1 which composes one uniform whole1 without admixture of any diversity or duality 7all which blend together in harmony in one universal unity74 #af4 ,know ,o ,rma1 that is nothing like a rock or tree1 is produced in empty vacuity2 so these seeming solid worlds1 can never be produced in the vacuous spirit of ,brahma 7but are all mere phantoms of what they appear to be7 know this1 and go on freely in your own way4 #ag4 ,precepts to men of little intelligence and doubtful minds1 fail to persuade them to the knowledge of truth2 and so long as they can not comprehend the unity1 they are ever apt to believe in the multiplicity of objects4 #ah4 ,neither precepts nor sstras1 can lead the ignorant to the knowledge of truth1 unless they can get rid of their prejudice of diversity1 which the creator ,brahm1 has spread over the minds of men4 #ai4 ,rma rejoined3--,i understand sir1 what you say 7regarding the ego as the agent72 but ,i beseech you to explain it by some illustration1 for my clear knowledge of it4 #bj4 ,what does the supreme ,brahma do1 by his assuming the title of ego or thinking agent to himself2 you know all this 7by your vast knowledge71 though it is not quite satisfactory to your audience4 #ba4 ,vasishtha replied3--,the supreme ,one that was quite indistinct before 7as the undistinguishable chaos72 becomes after his assumption of the title ego to himself1 divided and distinguished into the distinct essences of vacuum1 space and its directions and time with all its divisions4 7,the ego itself is diversified into these various forms74 #bb4 ,the ego then assuming its personality1 finds many such distinctions appearing before itself2 which are quite imperceptible in its state of impersonality4 7,the personal soul only1 is conscious of these74 #bc4 ,the knowledge of these vacuous principles1 their qualities and attributes1 which is preserved in the soul in the forms of their abstract ideas2 is expressed afterwards by certain symbolical sounds or words1 which are also as void as air4 7,a word is a breath1 and the breath is air74 #bd4 ,it is thus the formless and vacuous principle of the ego1 entertains in itself or its soul1 the notions or knowledge of times and space in their ideal forms4 #be4 ,this universe which appears as the rchauff or reflex of the ideal of the ego1 and seems as the visible and substantial world1 is in reality but the intangible ,brahma1 and appearing as the tangible non ,brahma to view4 #bf4 ,the world is verily the quiet spirit of ,brahma1 it is one with ,him1 and without its beginning1 middle or end2 it is verily the void of ,brahma1 who assumes to himself the titles of ,ego and the living soul1 vacuous himself in his own vacuous self1 as this vast and extensive phenomenon1 and as something otherwise than what ,he is4 7,the world is the mirror of the divine ,mind and its thoughts74 ,,chapter ,,ccxiii4 ,,narration ,,of ,r,,ma',s ,,prior ,,pupilage ,,under ,,vasishtha4 ,argument3--,vasishtha's relation of a lecture delivered to ,rma in a former birth4 ,vasishtha continued3--,o ,rma1 the destroyer of thy enemies1 this very question that you have asked me today1 was put to me once before1 when you had been a pupil under my discipline4 #b4 ,in a former age1 there was once this spiritual discourse betwixt ourselves1 when you had been a pupil of mine in a certain forest 7according to ,metempsychosis71 the present is but a repetition of a past life4 ,the wheel of life rolls and revolves incessantly from age to age4 #c4 ,as ,i sat there as your preceptor1 and your sitting in my presence as my pupil2 you then had put this very question to me1 with the gravity of your understanding4 #d4 ,the ,pupil said3--,you sir that know all things1 now deign to remove this doubt and difficulty of mine1 regarding what things die and perish at the great deluge1 and what things are not liable to destruction4 #e4 ,the ,preceptor replied saying3--,know my son1 that the relics of all things are utterly destroyed at the last deluge2 as your thickening dreams disappear in your sound sleep4 #f4 ,the hills and rocks on all the ten sides of the earth1 are all destroyed without any distinction1 and of the actions of men and routine of their business1 there remains nothing behind4 #g4 ,all beings are destroyed at the end1 and the great void 7that is the receptacle of all bodies71 becomes a perfect void4 #h4 ,the gods ,brahm1 ,vishnu1 ,indra1 ,rudra and others1 that are the prime causes of the causal agencies of this world1 do all become extinct at the end of the world1 and there remains no vestige of them at last4 #i4 ,there remains only the great vacuity of the divine intellect1 which is ever existent and undecaying2 and this appears from the divine spirits remaining as the witness both of annihilations as also of the regeneration of the past and future worlds4 #aj4 ,the entity never becomes a non-entity1 nor the non-entity never comes to be an entity2 tell me therefore where the past world disappears1 and from whence the future world comes to existence4 #aa4 ,the ,preceptor replied3--,this world1 my boy1 is not wholly destroyed nor does it become altogether extinct2 and it is quite true that nothing ever goes to nothing1 nor does anything1 nor does anything ever proceed from a nihility4 #ab4 ,that which is an entity in reality1 never becomes a non-entity in anywise1 and how can that which is inexistent of itself1 ever become a nil and null afterwards 7,ex nihilo nihil fit c474 #ac4 ,where is water to be had in the mirage1 and when are the two seeming moons to be seen in the sky2 where are the delusive hairs found to be floating in the air1 and when does a false conception prove to be true4 7,so the seeming world is a nullity1 although it appears awhile as something to our deluded sight74 #ad4 ,know my son1 all these phenomenals to be mere delusions1 and without any reality in them2 they appear as cities and towns in our dreams1 and are ever obtrusive on us4 #ae4 ,they are however liable to vanish away quite out of our sight at last1 as our dreams disappear upon our waking1 and as our waking scenes are lost and hid under the veil of our sleep4 #af4 ,as we know nothing where the city of our dreaming1 vanishes away at last upon our waking2 so we are quite ignorant about that chaotic void1 wherein the universe submerges upon its exit4 #ag4 ,the ,pupil rejoined3--,if the world is a nullity as you say1 then sir1 be pleased to tell what is it that thus appears to and disappears from us by turns2 and what is that vacuous intellect which presents this extensive view before us2 as also how does the void present its reflexion of the plenum and to what purpose4 #ah4 ,the ,preceptor replied3--,it is the vacuous sphere of the intellect1 my boy1 that thus shines with its transparency2 and it is this reflexion of it which is called the world1 which is no other than this4 #ai4 ,it is the reflexion of the widely extended substance of the great void of the intellect2 and this apparently solid figure of it1 is no other than the same transpicuous form of that intellect4 7,so says the sruti1 ,brahm reflects his twofold forms to us1 the one opaque and seen with our naked eye1 and the other translucent and viewed by our mental sight74 #bj4 ,the incorporeal ,brahm like all corporeal bodies1 presents both a fair as well as a dark complexion 7the one being his clear or intellectual form seen by the clear sighted1 and the other his hazy figure viewed by gross understandings74 ,he also discloses himself some times and closes at another1 which cause the creation and annihilation of the world4 7,manu calls it the waking and sleeping of ,god1 and others the evolution and involution of the divine spirit74 #ba4 ,the clearness of the divine spirit1 ever remains the same and unaltered1 both before and after the creation and its dissolution2 as a fountain of limpid waters is always clear1 whether it reflects the shadows of its bordering arbours or not4 7,no change in nature can affect the spirit of ,god74 #bb4 ,as a man remains unchanged in his sleep1 whether he be dreaming or enjoying his sound rest2 so the spirit continues alike in its intellect1 whether it is in the act of creation or annihilation4 #bc4 ,as the ideal world appears to be calm and quiet1 both in the dream of the dreamer1 as well as in the sound sleep of the sleeper2 so this visible world of ours is ever viewed in its calmness1 in the tranquil spirit of the ,lord and of the contemplative saint4 #bd4 ,hence ,i do not recognize the existence of a vacuum or sky1 anywhere and independent of our soul2 nor can we expect the same sphere appearing in the souls of others1 as it does in ours according to our view of it4 #be4 ,if we can perceive the light of our intellect1 even at the point of our death1 and disappearance of the world from us2 why should we not conceive the same to be the case with others1 and that they do not perceive the same intellectual light also in their consciousness4 7,this is an evidence of the immortality in our souls74 #bf4 ,the ,pupil rejoined3--,if such is the case1 that others who are awake1 have the same view of the world1 as the dreamer has in his dream2 then ,i believe that all those that are living1 have the same view of the world as those that are dying1 7i4e4 ,a mere faint idea of it and not a substantial one74 #bg4 ,the preceptor replied3--,so it is1 ,o my intelligent lad1 the world then does not appear in its real form 7of a solid body to the dreamer and the dying71 as it appears as a reality to the intellects of others 7that are waking and living74 ,idealism presents the true picture of the world4 #bh4 ,the world does not appear and is not anything1 and nothing that is real or has any reality in it2 it is a mere reflexion of the intellect1 and there can be no reality in our false sight of it4 #bi4 ,it is apparent everywhere1 and seems to be in every way at all times2 but it does not exist in reality in anyway1 anywhere or at anytime4 #cj4 ,and because it is both the real and unreal form of ,brahma1 it is both a reality as well as unreality likewise2 and being of the intellectual void1 is never destructible nor ever destroyed4 #ca4 ,the vacuous entity of the supreme intellect1 which exhibits the phenomena of creation and its destruction 7in repeated rotation71 abounds with our misery only1 if we attend to its occurrences with any degree of concern2 but it does not affect us at all1 if we can but remain altogether unconcerned with its casualties4 #cb4 ,all these appearances exist every where at all times1 in the same manner as they appear to the ignorant2 but in truth1 they appear in no where1 in any manner or at any time to the wise and learned 7who know the nature of worldly delusions74 #cc4 ,it is the one self-same ,being that appears as a god in one place1 and as a pot or clod in another4 ,here he is seen as a hill and there as a rill or dale2 ,he is an arbour here1 of furze or bush there1 and the spreading grass in another4 ,he is the moving and movable some where and the unmoving and unmovably else where2 and ,he is the fire and all other elements also everywhere4 #cd4 ,he is entity and nonentity1 and both vacuity and solidity also2 ,he is action and duration1 and the earth and sky likewise4 ,he is the being and not being1 and their growth and their destruction likewise1 and ,he is good as well as the evil1 that attends on one and forefends another4 #ce4 ,there is nothing that is not ,he1 who though one is always all things in all places2 ,he is in and out of everything1 and extends along the beginning1 middle and end of all things4 ,he is eternity and duration and the three divisions of time also2 7i4e4 the present1 past and future1 called the triple time74 #cf4 ,he is all1 and existent in all things1 in all places and times2 and yet ,he is not the ,all1 and neither existing with anything at any time or place 7but is but dimly seen in these ,his lowest works4 ,milton74 #cg4 ,know now1 ,rma1 that ,brahma being the universal soul1 ,he is all in all places and times2 and because ,brahma is the conscious soul1 ,he exhibits all things to our consciousness1 as if they were images in our dreams or the creatures of our imagination4 7i4e4 ,a corporeal ,god only can form a formal and plastic world2 but the intellectual soul of ,god1 can make only a formless and immaterial creation1 as we see in our dream and phantasies74 #ch4 ,the maker of the terrene world1 must have an earthly body2 and the framer of the woody arbours must have a wooden frame1 but the ,lord ,god of all1 has neither a corporeal body nor a material shape4 7,thus they frame a fire1 air and water ,god1 but the true ,god is none of these elements74 #ci4 ,others make a mountain ,god as the ,lord of all2 and some even make and worship a human figure as the supreme ,god 7and so are all the heathen gods represented in human figures74 #dj4 ,some make a picture the ,lord and maker of all2 and others make some image as such1 and worship it as the great ,god of all4 #da4 ,but there is only one supreme ,being1 who is the maker1 supporter and the ,lord ,god of all others2 ,he is without beginning and end1 and the ,lord ,brahma1 whose spirit upholds and supports all others4 #db4 ,a straw made image or an earthen pot1 is attributed with divine powers1 and represented as the ,most high2 and so the formless ,god is shown in frail images1 which are made and destroyed by human hands4 #dc4 ,an outward object is made the actor and enjoyer of acts2 but the wise know intelligence only1 as the active and passive agent of all actions4 #dd4 ,but the truly wise 7i4e4 the vacuist7 acknowledges no active nor passive agent of creation2 although many among the wise 7i4e4 the ,pshupatas7 recognize one ,god alone1 as the only actor1 and enjoyer of all4 #de4 ,all these views may be probable1 and well apply to the most high1 who is the sole object of all these theories2 and as there is nothing1 which can be positively affirmed or denied of ,him4 7,here the vacuist ,vasishtha is a tolerator of all faiths1 as suited to the capacities of the different understanding of men74 #df4 ,all these believers look to their desired objects1 as manifest to their view in the vacuous space of their intellects1 and by viewing the whole world in themselves1 they remain undecayed at all times4 #dg4 ,all visibles and all laws and prohibitions1 together with all desires and designs of men2 are confined with their knowledge of them in themselves4 ,hence those that are true to their faiths1 and firm in the observance of their duties and performance of their acts1 are verily of the nature of the divine soul1 by their viewing all nature in themselves4 #dh4 ,this very doctrine was inculcated to before1 when you had been a pupil under my preceptorship2 but as you could not fully comprehend it then1 you are doomed to another birth1 to learn it again from me4 7,vasishtha means to say that he is immortal1 though ,rma may have his transmigration in many incarnations74 #di4 ,the world representing the longsome dark and dreary winter night1 presents the pure light of knowledge1 shining with the serene and cooling beams of the autumnal lunar disk2 now ,o ,rma6 as you are edified by your pure intelligence1 shake off the dross of dull ignorance from you1 and continue in the discharge of your duties1 as they have lineally descended to you and to your royal race4 #ej4 ,do you remain released from your attachment1 to all things of this temporal world2 and relying solely in the ,one supreme and universal soul1 whose pure nature is perceptible throughout all nature2 then be as lucid as the pellucid sky1 with the peace of your mind and transport of your soul1 and learn to rule your realm with justice and equity4 ,,chapter ,,ccxiv4 ,,description ,,of ,,the ,,great ,,jubilee ,,of ,,the ,,assembly4 ,argument3--,demonstration of the exceeding exultation of the audience at the close of the long winded lengthy lecture4 ,vlmki related3--,as the sage had finished saying these things1 or so far1 the celestials sounded their trumpets from heaven1 as the clouds resounded in the rainy skies1 with showers of nectarious rain drops 7on the earth below74 ,the face of the sky was whitened on all sides1 as by drifts of snowfalls in hoary winter1 and the surface of the earth was covered by rain drops1 dropping like showers of flowers4 7,the sound of celestial trumpets1 is ever accompanied with or followed by a shower of refreshing rain74 #b4 ,the earth appeared to be blessed with prosperity in the beauty of the flowers1 stretching their pistils and peduncles like beauties in their evening decorations1 and sending afar the fragrance of their farinacious dust1 like the perfumery on the persons of fairies1 their outer garniture and inner cool sweetness are verily the gifts of the gods4 #c4 ,the falling flowers of heavenly arbors1 dropped down from their dried boughs1 by the rampant and apish hurricane of heaven1 are now vying with the glittering stars1 scattered all over the face of the firmament1 and deriding at their grim laughter with their bashful and blushing smiles4 #d4 ,the lowering clouds accompanied with sounds of trumpets1 and drizzling rain drops and falling of flowers 7which bore resemblance to one another72 next lighted upon the court hall1 like the shadowy snow fall on ,himlaya's head1 and filled the assembly with wonder1 and gaping mouths and staring eyes4 #e4 ,the assembly seated in their order1 took hold of handfuls of these heavenly flowers2 and poured them upon ,vasishtha with their obeisance1 and cast away all their earthly cares and woes with those celestial offerings to the sage4 7,every offering confers and recurs1 with an equivalent blessing to the offerer74 #f4 ,the ,king ,dasaratha said3--,o wonder6 that we are so lightly released of our cares and woes1 in this wide extended vale of miseries of the world2 and that our souls are now lightened of their throws by your grace1 like the heavy clouds lightened of their weight1 and floating lightly at last on ,himlayas4 #g4 ,we have reached to the goal of our acts1 and seen the end of our miseries of this life2 we have fully known the knowable ,one 7that is only to be known71 and have found our entire rest in that supreme state 7by your good grace alone74 #h4 ,we have known to rest in the ultimate void in our meditation1 and to get rid of our erroneous thoughts of bodies1 by means of our intense application to the abstract 7or ,platonic abstraction74 #i4 ,it is by our riddance from the coinage and vagaries of our imagination1 and by our escape from the feverish fervour for the sights of the dreaming world2 as also by our ceasing to mistake the shells and cockles for silver1 and by our deliverance from misdeeming ourselves as dead either in our sleep or dream1 7that we may be enabled to the true knowledge of ourselves c474 #aj4 ,it is by our knowledge of the identity of the wind and its oscillation1 and of the sameness of the water with its fluidity2 as also by our distrust in this talismanic world1 and in this fairy land of our fancy 7that we can attain to the knowledge of truth c474 #aa4 ,it must be by our discredit in the magical scenes of this world1 and in the aerial castles of fairies2 as also by our mistrust in the limpid currents of the mirage1 and in the aerial groves and double moons of heaven 7that we can come to know the truth74 #ab4 ,it is no earthquake1 if our tottering foot steps should shake and slip in our drunkenness2 nor can we view a ghost in a shadow as boys do1 nor see the braids of hair hanging down from the clouds in heaven4 #ac4 ,from these and other instances1 which you have given for our instruction2 you have sir1 at once effaced our credit in the visible sights of this world4 #ad4 ,rma added3--,my ignorance is dispelled1 and ,i have come to the knowledge of truth by your good grace2 and ,o thou chief of sages1 ,i acknowledge thee to have brought me to light from my impervious darkness4 #ae4 ,i am freed from my doubts1 and set to the light of the true nature of ,god2 and ,i will now act as thou sayst1 in acknowledging the transpicuous truth 7or viewing ,god as manifest in nature1 and not as hidden under her veil74 #af4 ,remembering and reconsidering thy words1 that are so fraught with ambrosial sweetness and full of delightsome taste2 ,i am filled with fresh delight1 though already satisfied and refreshed by their sense 7i4e4 the more ,i think of them1 the happier ,i seem to feel my-self74 #ag4 ,i have nothing to do for myself at present1 nor is there any left undone or remaining to be done by me4 ,i am as ,i am and have ever been1 and always without any craving for me4 7,this state of self-satisfaction and self-sufficiency1 is the highest bliss for man74 #ah4 ,what other way to our true felicity can there be1 than this that has been shown by thee8 or else ,i find this wide-extended field of the earth1 to be so full of our woe and misery4 #ai4 ,i have no foe to annoy me nor a friend to give any joy to me2 ,i have no field to work in1 nor an enemy to fear nor a good soul to rely in4 ,it is our misunderstanding that makes this world appear so troublesome to ourselves1 while our good sense makes it all agreeable to us4 7,if the world will not suit thee1 suit thyself to it74 #bj4 ,how could we know all this 7for our happiness7 without thy good grace unto us2 as it is never possible for a boy1 to ford and cross over a river1 without the assistance of a boat or bridge4 #ba4 ,lakshmana said3--,it is by reason of your removing the doubts1 that had been inherent in and inherited by me in my repeated births2 and it is by virtue of the merit1 that ,i had acquired in my former births2 that ,i have come to know the truth this day1 by the divine sermon of the holy sage2 and to feel the radiance of a holy light in me1 shining as brightly as the cooling beams of moonlight4 #bb4 ,it is strange that in disregard of this heavenly bright and vivid light1 that men should be entangled in a thousand errors1 and be burnt at last as dried wood or fuel1 by their foul mistake and great misfortune4 #bc4 ,viswmitra said3--,o6 it is by our great merit1 that we have come this day1 to hear this holy lecture from the mouth of the sage2 and which has at once expurgated our inner souls1 as a thousand lavations in the clear stream of ,ganges4 #bd4 ,rma rejoined3--,we have seen the highest pitch of all prosperity1 and the best of all that is to be seen2 we have known the end of all learning1 and the last extremity of adversity2 we have seen many countries and heard many speeches2 but never have we heard1 nor seen nor known anything better than the discourse on the beauty of the soul1 which the sage has shown to us to-day4 #be4 ,nrada added3--,our ears are purified to-day1 by the hearing of what we have never heard heretofore2 to be preached by ,brahm or the gods above or men below4 #bf4 ,lakshmana rejoined3--,sir1 you have entirely dissipated all our inner and outer darkness also2 and have shewn us the transcendent light1 of the bright sun of the ,divine soul4 #bg4 ,satrughna said3--,i am satisfied and tranquilized1 and uncomposed in the supreme soul2 ,i am for ever full and perfect in myself1 and sit quite content with my solity4 #bh4 ,dasaratha repeated3--,it is by the merit of our deeds1 done and acquired in our repeated lives1 that we have been1 ,o thou chief of sages1 sanctified this day by thy sacred and sanctifying speech4 #bi4 ,vlmki related3--,as the king and his courtiers1 were speaking in this manner1 the sage oped his mouth again1 and thus bespoke his words fraught with pure and purifying knowledge4 #cj4 ,vasishtha said3--,hear me1 ,o thou moon like king of ,raghu's race1 and do as ,i bid you to do2 ,rise now and honour the assembled ,brhmans1 who deserve their due honour at the close of a discourse4 #ca4 ,rise therefore1 and satisfy their desires with thy ample gifts2 and thou will obtain thereby1 the merit that attends on the learning of the vedas1 and doing thy duties according to their dictates4 #cb4 ,it is incumbent on even a mean worm-like man1 to honor the ,brhmans to their utmost at the termination of a sermon on salvation2 how much more important must it then be on the part of a monarch to acquit himself of this necessary duty4 #cc4 ,hearing this behest of the sage1 the king held his reverential silence2 and beckoned to his heralds to proceed to all the ten sides of his dominions1 and invite thousands of ,brhmans1 that are acquainted with the vedas forthwith 7to the royal court74 #cd4 ,he bade them to go to ,mathura1 ,surshtra and ,gauda1 and to bring with them with due respect all the ,brhmans1 that are born of ,vedic families1 and are abiding in those districts and lands4 #ce4 ,there then assembled more than ten thousands of ,brhmans to the royal palace1 and the king fed them all alike and paying particular regard to the more learned among them4 #cf4 ,he treated them with the best sorts of food and rice1 honoured them with their honorariums1 and gave them a good many gifts2 and after honouring them in this manner1 he offered his oblations to the manes of his ancestors1 and gave his offerings to the tutelar gods of his house4 7,a ,brhman has his precedence in a feast to the gods and patres2 but the merit of giving a feast is lost unless it is followed by other gifts74 #cg4 ,the king next treated his friends and relatives with proper repast1 and then fed his companions and servants and the citizens all on the same day4 ,his attention was at last directed to the feeding of the poor and needy1 and of the lame and blind and lunatics4 #ch4 ,having discharged to his utmost the duties of the festival1 he commanded a great festivity to be held in his hall1 all over decorated with silk and embroidery1 and with gold1 gems and pearls4 #ci4 ,the city then being adorned and lighted1 like the ever bright mount of ,meru1 there went on a merry dance and ball of giddy girls and players in every house 7as a sign of general joy74 #dj4 ,there was a ringing of bells and sounding of cymbols all about1 with the beating of drums and trimbrels at every door2 flutes and wind instruments were blowing on every side1 and guitars and wired instruments were playing with loud gingling1 and vying with each other4 #da4 ,the markets were closed1 and the marketers stopped in their course2 the air appeared as an arbour of plants1 shaking with the uplifted and quavering and waving arms of the merry dancers in the streets2 and it seemed as the starry heaven1 by the glittering light of the teeth of strolling players1 displayed in their comic dance and loud laughter4 #db4 ,there was the heroic dance attended by the loud shouts of the players1 and melodramas accompanied with the soft and sweet strains of the performers1 there was also a staggering and strutting dance on one foot and leg1 and thumping the ground with the other4 #dc4 ,here they flung wreaths of flowers glittering like stars and falling down in showers2 and there the scattered flowers1 which were strewn over the ground as rain drops1 were indiscriminately trodding down under the feet of passersby4 #dd4 ,here the actresses dance about with their loose ornaments and gestures of love2 and there the bards chanted their hymns with clearness1 as the ,brhmans recited them and the songstresses sang4 #de4 ,here the sots and topers drank their fill of wine2 and the food mongers fed upon their eatables of various kinds 7i4e4 some were seen to be indulging their drink and others in their eating74 #df4 ,the insides of houses were daubed with wine1 as the outer bodies of the princes with ointment of moon light hue4 #dg4 ,the attendent servants and waiting maids on the king1 sauntered about trimmed in gaudy attires of various colours2 and graced the royal festival with their decorations of necklaces and sweet perfumes on their persons4 #dh4 ,the sprightly ballet girls1 being besmeared with a paste of all perfumeries 7called the yaksha dust71 and decorated with glittering ornaments1 repaired to the ball at the royal hall with all alacrity4 #di4 ,thus the king ,dasaratha held his entertainment for a whole week1 and passed full seven nights in festive mirth and rejoicing2 while he distributed his gifts and food for as many days1 which redounded to exhaustless prosperity on earth4 ,,chapter ,,ccxv4 ,,eulogy ,,on ,,this ,,work ,,and ,,the ,,mode ,,of ,,its ,,recital4 ,argument3--,vlmki speaks in praise of this work to this pupil ,bharadwja1 and blesses him to be as blessed as the divine ,rma with the hearing of it4 ,vlmki said3--,o most intelligent ,bharadwja1 and the chief of my pupils1 you have now heard how the great ,rma and others1 came to the knowledge of the knowable ,one 7that is only to be known71 and passed across this vale of misery and sorrow1 by their attention to these lectures4 #b4 ,do you thus fix your sight to the light of ,brahma1 and conduct yourself gladly1 by abandoning all your affections and cares of this world1 and by remaining dauntless with your living liberation and tranquility of mind4 #c4 ,know1 ,o thou sinless one1 that the learned and the meek1 that do not mix with the society of worldly men1 but remain steady as ,rma and others in their right principles1 are never liable to be deluded although they are beset by temptations on all sides4 #d4 ,thus these men of great natures1 as the king ,dasaratha and the prince ,rma and his brothers1 together with companions1 have attended to the state of the living liberated 7even in their life time74 #e4 ,thou my son ,bharadwja6 that art naturally of a liberal mind1 hast now become more liberated at present1 by thy hearing of these sermons on the salvation of our souls4 #f4 ,it is possible even for boys to obtain their liberation1 by their attention to those holy lectures1 as the most evident and surest means to salvation2 and cannot therefore fail to convince thee of the truth thereof4 #g4 ,as the high minded and sinless and sorrowless sons of ,raghu's race1 have attained to their holy state of perfection and self-liberation2 so do thou also obtain that best and highest state1 by your attending to the lectures of the divine sage ,vasishtha4 #h4 ,it is by advice of the good and service under the great1 as also by means of humble inquiries to and explications of the learned2 that weak men of good understandings1 can know the knowable1 as the ,rghavas and others did under ,vasishtha4 #i4 ,the ties of avarice and affection that have fast bound the hearts of the ignorant 7to this world72 do all tend to debar them like playful boys from inquiring into the means of their liberation1 until they become too old to benefit by their knowledge4 #aj4 ,those that can discern the minds of high minded men1 can only come to their knowledge of truth2 and such men only have no more to return to this world of woe2 and this is the substance of all that ,i can speak to thee 7i4e4 know and have the minds of the great1 in order to become as great thyself1 so says ,gay in his ,fables4 7,hast thou fathomed ,tully's mind1 and the vast sense of ,plato's head774 #aa4 ,having first received your instruction from the preceptor1 you must weigh well and digest its meaning in yourself2 and then communicate its sense1 to the most sensible and intelligent student4 ,this is said by sages and saints1 as the trivium of science2 know this and you need no more1 to become wise when your boyhood is over4 #ab4 ,whoso will read this book1 not without understanding its sense and whoever will manuscript it without the expectation of getting its fee2 as also anybody who will recite or cause it to be recited 7to a public audience71 either with or without any desire of reward1 shall have his ample recompense in the land of ryas 7both in his present and future lives74 7,so it is with the public preaching of its doctrine74 #ac4 ,these men receive the reward1 awaiting on the performance of the ,rjasya sacrifice1 and are entitled to their heavenly seats in their pure essence2 as often as they ascend to it after their demise on earth1 and until they attain their final liberation1 which attains on them as prosperity does on the meritorious 7after the third transmigration of their expurged souls74 #ad4 ,it was at first that the god ,brahm of unknowable form1 had composed this work in his excellent diction2 and then considering it as the only means to the liberation of mankind1 had revealed it to the assemblage of saints 7of which ,vasishtha or ,vlmki has made this version74 ,let nobody therefore take the truthfulness of this saying for an untruth4 #ae4 ,at the close of the recital of these lectures1 on the means of human salvation1 it becomes every sensible man of good sense1 to honour the ,brhmans with diligence2 and to serve them with their desirable gifts of food and drink1 and furnish them with goodly houses for their lodging4 #af4 ,they should also be rewarded with their honorariums1 and supplied with monies to their hearts' desire1 and to the utmost capacity of the donor2 and then the giver or master of the ceremony should rest himself assured1 of having acquitted his duty to and reaped its merit to the intent of the sstras4 #ag4 ,i have thus rehearsed to you the great sstra1 in elucidation of divine knowledge and its pure truth2 with addition of a great many tales and stories1 serving as example and illustrations of the abstruse doctrines for your clear understanding of them4 ,may your hearing of these1 serve to lead you to your utter indifference of this world1 and to the desire of your liberation in it1 while you are alive herein4 ,may this tend also to your continued prosperity1 in order to engage your attention towards the perfection of your knowledge and devotion1 and to the discharge of the duties of your station without failing4 ,,chapter ,,ccxvi4 ,,conclusion ,,of ,,the ,,celestial ,,messenger',s ,,message ,,of ,,liberation4 ,argument3--,acknowledgment of the obligation of ,arishtanemi and others1 to their preceptors and preachers4 ,vlmki continued to say3--,i have thus related to you1 ,o prince1 whatever the pot born ,vasishtha had taught and preached to the princes2 and it is certain that you will attain the same elevated state1 as they did by the hearing of these lectures on sacred knowledge4 #b4 ,the ,prince ,arishtanemi replied3--,o ,venerable sir1 your kind look is enough to extricate us from bondage in this world2 and it is hence that ,i am not only brought to light1 but saved from the ocean of this world by your favour4 #c4 ,the ,heavenly ,messenger said3--,after saying so1 the said prince seemed to look amazed in his look2 and then he began to speak these words to me with a graceful voice4 #d4 ,the ,prince said3--,i bow down to thee1 ,o ,messenger divine1 and wish all safety to attend on thee2 it is said that the friendship of the good is attended with seven benefits1 all which hast thou conferred upon me4 #e4 ,now return in safety to your seat in the heaven of ,indra1 and well know that1 ,i am both gladdened as well as grown insouciant of worldly concerns1 by hearing this discourse of thine4 #f4 ,i shall continue to remain here for ever more1 and without feeling any anxiety1 to think well and ponder deeply into the sense of all that ,i have heard from thee4 ,now ,i tell thee1 ,o ,lady6 that ,i was quite surprised 7to see so much civility on the part of a prince74 #g4 ,he said3--,i have never heard before1 such words and fraught with so much knowledge1 as ,i have come now to hear from thee2 ,it has filled my inward spirit with as much joy1 as if ,i have drunk my fill of an ambrosial draught just now4 #h4 ,i then repaired to thee1 ,o thou sinless fairy1 at the bidding of ,vlmki2 in order to relate unto thee all that thou hast asked of me4 ,and now ,i shall bend my course1 towards the celestial city of ,sakra4 #i4 ,the fairy said3--,i must thank thee now1 ,o thou very fortunate emissary of the gods6 for all that thou hast related to me2 and my knowledge whereof1 has entirely composed my spirit1 by its benign influence4 #aj4 ,i am now quite satisfied in myself1 and will ever remain from sorrow and all the sickening cares of life2 and you may now to your destination at ,indras1 with all speed attending on your journey thither4 #aa4 ,so saying ,suruchi--the best of fairies1 continued to keep her seat on the slope of the ,himlayas1 and contiguous to the ,gandhamdana mount of fragrance1 and reflect on the sense of what she had heard 7of divine knowledge74 #ab4 ,now as you have fully heard1 my son1 all the precepts of ,vasishtha1 you are at liberty to do as you like1 by your weighing well their purport4 7,for the effecting of your liberation which is the main object of man1 both in this life as well as in the next74 #ac4 ,krunya said3--,the remembrance of the past1 the sight of the present1 and the talk of future events1 together with the existence of the world2 are all as false as the sights in our dreams or of water in mirage1 or as the birth of a boy of a barren woman4 #ad4 ,i gain nothing from my deeds1 nor lose aught by what is left undone2 ,i live to do as it happens1 or at the impulse of the occasion and without any assiduity on my part4 #ae4 ,agasti said3--,krunya--,the worthy son of ,agnibesya1 said in the aforesaid manner1 and continued to pass his time in the discharge of his duties1 as they occured to him from time to time4 #af4 ,and you ,o ,sutikshana6 should never entertain any doubts regarding the acts1 that you shall have to perform after your attainment of divine knowledge 7,lest they entail their retribution on you afterwards74 ,because dubitation destroys the virtue of the deed1 as selfishness takes away its merit4 #ag4 ,upon hearing this speech of the sage1 which reconciles the duplicity of action and reflection1 into the unity of their combination2 he bowed to his preceptor and uttered as follows with due submission to him4 #ah4 ,sutkshana said3--,any action done in ignorance of the actor1 is reckoned as no act of his1 unless it is done in his full knowledge to be taken into account4 7,so the brute activities of the giddy mob1 bear no value or blame in them before the wise74 ,but actions done with reason and reasonable men1 are invaluable in their nature4 ,all our acts are best seen by the light of the intellect as the actions of stage-players are seen only in the candle light4 7,so are all our mental and corporeal acts1 actuated by the essence of the great soul in us74 #ai4 ,it is the presence of the supreme soul in us1 that the action of our hearts1 directs the motions of our bodies2 as it is the malleability of gold1 that moulds it to the many forms of jewelleries4 7,hence we should never reject the one for the other74 #bj4 ,as it is the great body of waters1 that gives rise to the boisterous waves1 as well as the little playful billows1 that heave and move in our sight2 so it is the inbeing of the great soul1 that fills all the great and small alike4 #ba4 ,i submit to and bear with all that befalls to me1 because there is no escape from destiny1 nor slighting of the sound sayings of sages2 and ,i acknowledge ,o ,venerable sir1 to owe my knowledge of the knowable ,one to thy good grace only4 #bb4 ,i own myself to be quite felicitous to thy favour1 and bow down prostrate to thee on the ground1 for thy lifting me up from the doleful pit of the world2 because there is no other way to repay my gratitude to my venerable preceptor4 #bc4 ,nay there is no other act1 whereby one may give expression to his obligation to his tutor1 for his salvation in this world1 save by means of offering himself to his services2 with his whole body and mind and the words of his mouth4 #bd4 ,it is by thy good grace1 ,o my good sir1 that ,i have passed over the ,rubicon of this world2 ,i am filled with infinite joy amidst all these worlds1 and am set free from all my doubts4 #be4 ,i bow down to that ,brahma1 who is sung in the ,sma-veda1 as filling all this universe1 as the waters of the ocean fill the boundless deep2 and whose remembrance fills our soul with ecstasy4 #bf4 ,i bow down also to the sage ,vasishtha1 who is of the form of incarnate knowledge alone1 and who is immerged in the joyous bliss of divine felicity2 who is beyond all duality and sees the only ,one in the unity of infinite vacuity4 ,who is ever alike the pure and immaculate ,one1 and witnesseth the inmost of all minds2 who is beyond all states and conditions 7of so and so or of such and such72 and who is quite devoid of the three qualities 7which belong to all bodies7 i4e4 ,there is no known quality or property that can be predicated to the ,deity4 ,the qualities of the unknown ,one1 as unknown1 peculiar and unique as own nature4 #bg4 ,here ends the ,mahrmyana of the sage ,vasishtha1 with its continuation by his recorder ,vlmki1 and the speech of the celestial messenger at the latter end of the ,book on ,nirvna or the ultimate ,extinction of the living soul4 ,,finis4 ,,footnotes3 #a ,the mind involved in ignorance1 is said to be waking1 and the uncontrouled mind is styled as dreaming3 the mind subdued by weariness is said to be asleep1 and when brought under subjection by any effort1 is called samdhi or meditation1 lastly its liberation from ignorance1 is known as its state of mukti or emancipation4 #b ,note4--,each of the three states of waking1 dreaming and sound sleep admit of three conditions viz4 waking wakefulness1 waking dream and the waking sound sleep2 again dreaming watchfulness1 dreaming dream and dreaming sleep2 and lastly the sleepy waking1 the sleepy dream and the sleepy sound sleep 7see the scholium of ,sureshvara for instances of every ,kind74 #c ,the founder of ,vednta was ,vysa1 of ,buddhism--,buddha1 of ,snkhya--,kapila1 of ,saugata--,patanjali4 ,tryaksha1 ,pashupati and ,bhairana were professors of gama tantras4 #d ,note4 ,the sacred ,sanskrit was at once a perfect language1 without any knowledge of us regarding its formative stage1 though a balabhs or infant-language is said to have existed before1 of which we have no relic nor know anything4 #e ,note4 ,if the world be a form of ,divine knowledge1 and subsistent in and subjective to the eternal mind of ,god2 it can then be neither created nor destroyed at any time2 but since it is subject to creation and destruction1 it can be a part of ,divine knowledge4 ,nor is it an object for want of any cause of its creation4 ,therefore it is a mere nullity4 #f ,note4--,if the thinkables are the produce of their first creation1 then it remains to be said1 whence 7i4e4 from what materials7 they were formed4 #g ,note4--,according to ,vasishtha1 ,byam1 ,beom or vacuum1 is possest of all the attributes of ,brahm ,godhead1 in its unity1 infinity1 eternity1 incorporeality and formlessness1 as also in its omnipresence1 omnipotence in its supporting the worlds and in the omniscience of the vacuous intellect4