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He who studies the present treatise and ascertains its drift, gets an insight of knowledge of Self and experiences supreme felicity by his unbroken presence in the luminosity of that Uniform Intelligence. Such is its result, SECTION IX. On the Light of Meditation. tk beginning the present treatise, the emancipation which proceeds from the worship of Brahma (like that accruing from knowledge of Supreme Brahma) is being pointed out. An illusion is to know a thing different from what it is, and to mistake it for something else. It is of two sorts (a2) Agreeable and (5) Disagreeable. They are defined as follows :— (a). When a mistake of different substance helps the ac- quirement of the desired object by going to it, it is called agreeable or conformable mistake. (3). When it does not help the accomplishment of thé desired result it is called unconformable or disagreeable, Like the acquisition of desired results from a conformable mistake, worship of the Supreme Brahma is also productive of emancipation; for which, various are the forms of warship: mentioned in the U/fara Lapniya. 2. If the ray of a gem be inistaken by one man for a gem; and the ray of a lamp mistaken for 2 gem by another man, though both of them are equally subject to mistake, yet there is difference ; for if they are tempted to run after the objects of their illusion, the first person, inspite of his mistake, becomed the master of the gem, while the second for his mistaking a lamp for it, can never have the gem: hence the first is an instance of agreeable or conformable mistake, and the second, its reverse, vis., uncomformable or disagreeable. 3. If the light of a lamp inside a house issuing from door falls outside ; dnd elsewhere, the ray of a brilliant jewel is similarly projected : 4. Two persons viewing the two rays of light at a distance, tan after them, knowing them to be jewels; both of them are Similarly influenced by mistake caused by the ray. 2230 PANCHADASI. 5. Bat that one, who had mistaken the ray of lamp-light for a gem end had accordingly run in that direction to seize the prize, is disappointed, while the other, who for his know- ledge of a jewel had mistaken it in its ray, is elated with the success attending his search, 6 Illustrations of the above two varieties of mistake are now again particularly set forth. Though the two mistakes are equal, yet for an absence of result in the second, namely lamp- light mistaken for a gem, it is called disagreeing or unconfor~ mable, and the mistake of gem in its light, is called agreeable or conformable—for it leads to the possession of the desired’ gem, 7. If the sight of vapory exhalations rising from & spot, induce a person to infer fire, and he goesin quest of it, mis taking vapor for smoke, and accidently gete it, it can ba called an instance of conformable mistake, 8. And'if a person believing the waters of the Godavery to be Ganges water, bathes in it with a desire of being benefit- ed, and that bath does produce good results, then it is a con- formable mistake, g. Ifa person guffering from: typhoid’ fever, pronounces the name of Narayana mistaking it to be the name of a friend, or his son, whom he wants to summon; and subsequent to" death, inherits the blissful abode of heaven [for that act], it is a conformable mistake, 10, The above are a few of the many instances of confor. mable mistake, either visible or inferred, mentioned: in the Shastras. 11. If a conformable mistake be not regarded to be pro- Guctive of result in the manner aforesaid, how then can images made of clay, wood, sione, etc., which are all material and subject to destruction, be regarded as Devas? And in Knowledge of the five mystic fires, how can woman be wor- shipped as fire? 12, Moreover it is visibly seen, that a different knowledge ’ PANCHADASI. aan accidentally produces a different result, as in the story of the fruit of palm falling from the flight of a crow; hence it ie feasonable to expect conformable mistakes producing results. 13. As conformable mistake, though an error, is produc- tive of results; so is the worship of Brahma, like the know. ledge of Impersonal Brahma, is a cause of person’s attaining emancipation, 14. With the help of the four means (passivity, self- control, and the rest) and the arguments used in the Vedanta,’ one is to ascertain the ordinarily invisible Parabrahma, es- tablish his oneness with It and worship thus: ‘‘ I am that Parabrahma.” 15. On the subject of the worship of Parabrahma, the mature of invisible knowledge is thus set forth. Instead of internally contemplating on the Supreme Brabma as impartite bliss, like the worship of the invisible form of Vishnu, ordinarily to know “ Brahma is,” from the proofs mentioned in the sacred writings, is here meant for ‘invisible knowledge.’ 16, Though Vishnu is pointed out in the Shasiras to have four hands, etc., yet during worship, instead of taking cog- Rivance of that form by the eyes, the wise simply pronounce his name in the act of worshipping, and that is acknowledged as invisible knowledge. 17, Now this knowledge of theirs cannot be called un- true, inasmuch as from the testimony of the Shasiras, know- ledge of his true form shines there intensely. 18. Inspite of knowing self as eternal intelligence, and bliss, according to the Shasfras, if intelligence be not duly contemplated on as the Impartite, such knowledge does not constitute visible knowledge of Parabrahma. 19. Knowledge of self as eternal, intelligence and bliss from the testimony of the sacred writings, though invisible, is reckoned as knowledge of reality, for it is not erroneous. 30. Moreover, it is worth remarking, though invisible knowledge of Brahma is comparatively slight, since for Its 233 PANCHADASI. vigible perception the transcendental phrase “That art Thou” has been explained in the Shasfras, to help the cognition of each self as Brahma, yet as that knowledge can never accrue to the ignorant without due discrimination, therefore the ‘invi- sible’ is but another means of knowledge and properly re- garded so. "ax, Why is visible knowledge of Brahma so difficult of being obtained from want of discrimination in the ignorant? To men of ordinary calibre, self is mistaken for the body, senses, etc., and as that erroneous conception is ever present, they are prevented from grasping self as Brahma,—hence invisible. 22. In men having faith in the Shas/ras, and understand. ing them, invisible knowledge of Brahma is ensily produced; for the visible perception of phenomena—a duality—is no bar to that non-duality ; 23. As in the visible perception of stone, no antagonism is created of the invisible knowledge of a Deva, whose image that stone is, and in the well-known image of Vishnu there ig never any dispute. 24. And regarding that invisible or visible knowledge, the examples of persons wanting in faith is not worth being taken into consideration, inasmuch as in the Vedas, only persons having faith are said to be qualified to undertake works, ag. After having once received instruction from a professor free from error, invisible knowledge is sure ta follow, and no argument is necessary for it, as the instruc. tion in regard to the form of Vishnu stands in no need of Mimansa. 26, Thus then, though there is no necessity for arguments, or discussion to have an invisible knowledge of the Supreme Self in the manner aforesaid, yet the arguments used in the Shasiras for discussion of works and devotional exercise are only for determining the inytility of practising works and PANCHADAS}. 243 worship to thet end :* otherwise it ie impossible for any one to deal with them as they are divided interminably, * In other words, for knowledge of self, neither works nor worship is needed. Why? Because they are naturally antago- nistic: knowledge produces emancipation which is eternal, works and worship enablea person to attain a better sphere hereafter, therefore their effects are non-eternal; knowledge destroys ignorance which is the material cause of re-birth, for which a theosophist is no more subjected to re-births; and that ignorance consisis in regarding Self to be identical either with the physical body, sensory organs, mind, Intellect, etc. The wise are free from illusion, they have no beliefin the agency or instrumentality of Sell, he is neither a doer of works, nor an enjoyer of their results, consequently they abstain from works save the fructescent, which must be exhausted by actual consummation of their results. Caste, state of life and condition belong to the body, whose properti they are, and not of Self, who is distinct from it, and no other than Brahma. For this visible knowledge of Self, and the mis taken attribution of caste, and the rest, to Self, having been totally destroyed, they, the wise are not engaged in any action. The same rule applies to worship; a difference between a Deva and one's Self is an error originating from the intellect; the wise are free from such error. ‘They regard all phenomena to be un+ teal, just as objects created in a dream: the only Reality is Intelli- gence pervading everywhere and that intelligence is called seve- rally Self, Brahina, Atma, and Paramatma. ‘They are all one, Tf we pause to enquire into the nature of results produced by devotional exercise, we shall find it to be invisible. Fur, according to the Shastras, a worshipper expects to derive benefit by an abode in heayen, of which he has an invisible knowledge produced from the same source. But knowledge of Brahma produces visible results, inasmych as the person who has acquired it, experiences felicity in life, and bis miseries are all removed.