English
O Lord, in mercy hear ! I am proposing a question, and when I have heard the answer from your own mouth, I shall have accomplished my end. 51. What is bondage ? Whence is its origin ? How is it maintained ? How is it removed ? What is non-spirit ? What is the supreme spirit ? How can one discriminate between them ? The Master said : — 52. Thou art happy, thou hast obtained thy end, by thee thy family has been sanctified, in as much as thou wished to become Brahm by getting rid of the bondage of Avidyd. 53. Sons and others are capable of discharging a father's debts; but no-one except one-self can remove (his own) bondage. 54. Others can remove the pain (caused by the weight of) burdens placed on the head, but the pain (that arises) from hunger and the like cannot be removed except by oneself. 55. The sick man is seen to recover by the aid of medicine and proper diet, but not by acts performed by others, ( 109 ) 56. The nature of the one reality must be known by one's own clear spiritual perception and not through a pandit (learn ed man) the form of the moon must be known through one's own eye, how can it be known through (the medium of) others ? 57. "Who but oneself (atma) is capable of removing the bondage of Avtdyd, Kama and Karma (ignorance, passion and action) even in a thousand million of Kalpas ?* 58. Liberation cannot be achieved except by the direct perception of the identity of the individual with the universal self neither by Yofja (physical training), nor by Sankhya (speculative philosophy), nor by the practice of religious ceremonies, nor by mere learning. 59. The form and beauty of the lute (oina) arid skin in sounding its strings are for the entertainment of the people and not for the establishment of an empire (in the hearts of subjects through the good government of the king).f 60. Good pronunciation, command of language, exegetical skill and learning, are for the delectation of the learned and not for (obtaining) liberation. 61. If the supreme truth remains unknown, the study of the scriptures is fruitless ; even if the supreme truth is known the study of the scriptures is useless (the study of the letter alone is useless, the spirit must be sought out by intuition). 62. In a labyrinth of words the mind is lost like a man in a thick forest, therefore with great efforts must be learned the truth about oneself from him who knows the truth. 63. Of what use are the Vedas to him who has been bitten by the snake of ignorance ? (Of what use are) scriptures, incan tations, or any medicine except of supreme knowledge ? * One day of Brahma, >., one period of cosmic activity. t To understand the purport of this sloka it must be remembered that the etymological derivation of the Sanscrit word for king (Raja) is from the root raj to please. The king was the man who pleased his subjects most. A com parison of this derivation with that of the word king from cunant to know, will bring out a striking difference between the old and the Aryan Teutonic minds. ( no ) 64. Disease is never cured by (pronouncing) the name of medicine without taking it ; liberation is not achieved by the (pronunciation of the) word Brahin without direct percep tion. 65. Without dissolving the world of objects, without knowing spiritual truth, where is eternal liberation from mere external words having no result beyond their mere utterance ? 66. Without the conquest of enemies, without command of the treasure of a vast country, by the mere words " I am a king," it is impossible to become one. 67. Hidden treasure does not come out at (utterance of) the simple word " out," but there must be trustworthy infor mation, digging; and removal of stones; similarly the pure truth* itself transcending the operation of maya (may a here meaning the force of evolution) is not obtained without the instruction of the knowers of the supreme, together with reflection medita tion, and so forth, and not by illogical inferences. 68. Therefore wise men should endeavour by (using) all efforts to free themselves from the bondage of conditioned existence just as (all efforts are made) for the cure of diseases. 69. The excellent question now proposed by thee should be asked by those desirous of liberation, like a sage aphorism it is in agreement with the scriptures, it is brief and full of deep import. 70. Listen attentively, O wise man, to my answer, for by listening thou shalt truly be freed from the bondage of condi tioned existence. 71. The chief cause of liberation is said to be complete detachment of the mind from transitory objects ; after that (the acquirement of) sama, dama, titikshd, and a thorough renunciation of all karma (religious and other acts for the attainment of any object of personal desire). ( ill ) 72. Then the wise student (should devote himself) daily without intermission to the study of the scriptures, to reflection and meditation on the truths therein contained ; then (finally) having got rid of ignorance the wise man enjoys the bliss of Nirvana even while on this earth. 73. The discrimination between spirit and non-spirit which it is now necessary for thee to understand, is being related by me ; listen carefully and realize it in thyself. 74. 75. The wise call this the gross body which is the com bination of marrow, bone, fat, flesh, blood, chyle and semen and is made up of feet, breast, arms, back, head, limbs, and organs. It is the cause giving rise to ignorance and the delusion " I " and " my." The subtle elements are akasa, air, flre, water and earth (the higher principles of these elements are to be under stood here.) 76. By mixture with one another they become the gross elements and the causes of the gross body. Their functions are the production of the five senses and these are intended for the experience of their possessor. 77. Those deluded ones who are bound to worldly objects by the bonds of strong desire, difficult to be broken, are forcibly carried along by the messenger, their own karma, to heaven (swarya), earth and hell (naraka). 78. Severally bound by the qualities of the five (senses) sound and the rest, five (creatures) meet with their death, viz., the deer, elephant, moth, fish and black bee ;* what then of man bound by all (the senses) jointly ? * It is said that music exercises a powerful fascinating effect on the deer. \Vc are told that ancient Indian hunters used to take advantage of this fact and attract deer by playing soft music on the flute and thus lure animals to their death. The elephant is constantly surprised and killed by hunters while in a state of stupefaction caused by the pleasure the animal derives from rubbing its forhead against the pine tree. Sanskrit writers frequently mention this circumstance. The moth and bee are respectively attracted by sight, taste and smell. ( 112 ) 79. In point of virulence sensuous objects arc more fatal than the poison of the black snake (Nay a Trapidianus)', poison only kills one who imbibes it, but sensuous objects can kill (spiritually) even by their mere outward appearance (literally : by the mere sight of them). 80. He who is free from the great bondage of desires, so difficult to avoid, is alone capable of liberation ; not another, even though versed in the six systems of philosophy. 81. Those only sentimentally desirous of liberation and only apparently free from passion, seeking to cross the ocean of conditioned existence, are seized by the shark of desire, being caught by the neck, forcibly dragged into the middle and drowned. 82. He only who slays the shark of desire with the sword of supreme dispassion, reaches without obstacles the other side of the ocean of conditioned existence. 83. The mind becomes turbid of him who treads the rug ged path of yensuous objects, death awaits him at every step like a man who goes out on the first day of the month (according to the saying of the astrologers);* but whoever treads the right path under the instruction of a guru or a good man who looks after his spiritual welfare, will obtain by his own intuition the accomplishment of his object; know this to be the truth ! 84.