Kumbha Muni answered: As this body, arising through Karmas, is not itself the Cause, therefore the effect of intelli gence is itself non-existent. That intelligence is itself illu sory. Hence Ahankara and other effects which ari:^e through the excessive delusion (of knowledge), are also non-existent. Hence also all objects which are not of the nature of the cause are illusory, like the conception of a serpent in a rope.
Then the King asked: There were the many creations of Brahman, who is the primeval one in the universe. How then can you say that Brahman is not the cause of the Universe ?
Kumbha-Muni replied : Prior to (every fresh) creation Parabrahm alone shines as Sat, which is the non-dual and the quiescent. As That alone is without a second, the Supreme Brahman cannot be the Cause- The King asked : Then is not Parabrahm the cause of Brahma ?
And Kumbha-Muni replied : Parabrahm is that which is emancipation itself, the imperishable, the immeasurable, the immaculate, the birthless and deathless, without pain, without distinctions, having no period, the beginningless and endless, without existence, the non-dual and the ineffable One beyond the reach of thought. How can Parabrahm which is unthinkable be the Cause ? How can it be the actor or enjoyer? Therefore this universe is not in the least created by any one, nor is it self-created.
The Supreme Sankalpa of that Absolute Consciousness is Brahma. Nought else is but the one true Jnana, All the created objects out of that Jnana are said to be no other than the form of that Jnana. All here are Brahman itself devoid of re-births. Therefore, it is neither an actor nor enjoyer. Having thus convinced yourself of the one Reality, if you destroy the Ajnna (ignorance) within your heart, then it will cease to have any resurrection. Through no other path than the destruction of these excessive Karmas can the delusion, which has become in us a certainty, vanish. If the Ajnana in us fades away gradually, then the conception of the certainty attributed to the universe will diminish and the Brahmic state will be attained.
Such a mind through the all-pervading Jnana, viz., the primeval god, Paramatma, into which it is absorbed, will ever be evolving fresh creations (through its Sankalpa). That which is named Brahman through A tmatatva is none other than the quiescent (or passive) aspect of this universe.
Here the King said : “All that you have -taught me is quite reasonable. As prior to creation there is no creator, there is really no Universe. Hence there really does not exist the (objective) vision of all things. Through your clear elucidation I have well understood and have become of the nature of my auspicious Self. Hence, I do not cognize all external objects as really existent. I have worshipped my (real) Self. Through the knowledge derived from the per after the desires of levitating in the Akasa, etc. All the hetero geneities of worldly objects are nothing but Maya. Those victors who have trampled Maya will never sink into it again.
If Jnanis will long after them, then no doubt Siddhis will arise through the abovementioned means. Medicines, Man tras, &c., will but confer, on one, Siddhis but never the beneficent Moksha. If a desire wells up in one for attaining a Siddhi, then with proper efforts it will be developed in him ; but desires of Siddhis which do but tend to bondage, will not arise in the hearts of Jnanis. With the extinction of all desires, Atma-Jnana without any disconcertation will dawn in one ; but those who are sunk in Siddhis which generate desires will not attain Atma.
Here Rama interposed and questioned Vasishta thus What is the cause of the Yogis living for such a long period as a Kalpa ?
Vasishta replied thus With the motion of Prana, they will move ; otherwise they will be immovable as a rock. Those Yogis who are able to control Prana will live a long period. If the motion of Prdna and (therefore) the mind be arrested both internally and externally, then will death and dotage fly to a great distance. Then will abide in the body Dhatus (spiritual substances) such as will never be expelled at any time.
Those only can be said to have truly cognized the Reality who, walking in the path of Atma-Jnana, era dicate their desires, render thereby their intelligence clear and tear asunder all the bonds of the mind.
Here Rama queried him thus If with the dawning of discrimination, the mind is absorbed in its Reality, where will the four qualities*, Maitri (benevolence), &c., have their stay ?
Vasishta replied The destruction of the mind is two fold through the mind being composite in character, Rupa (with form) and Arupa (formless). The destruction of the Rupa mind is wrought in Jivanmukti stage while that of the other takes place in Videhamukti stage. With the exis tence of the (Rupa) mind, pains are generated ; with its annihilation, bliss will increase. You should so destroy the mind that it will not afterwards be able to rear up its head at all.
Identifying itself with the burden of the attributes of matter, it is not able to cognize its Reality and hence groans with pains. This mind is Jiva. This mind ever hankering after and involved in pleasures and pains is the seed of all Maya. Thus much for the nature of the mind. We will then proceed to descant about the destruction of the mind, Please attend to it. The wise say that the fruitless mind can be said to be destroyed, only when a person looking with an equal vision over all is not in the least affected by pleasures or pains, like the Meru mountains in the midst of a breath of \vind.
Whoever is unconcerned even in the midst of enor mous wealth or terrible accidents or extreme poverty or death or illusions or extreme intelligence, such men can be said to have their minds destroyed. The removal of the Avidya which is the mind itself tends to its destruction and produces ripe (spiritual) intelligence. Such a mind which does not subject itself to the obnoxious re-births through the pure Vasanas associated with the four qualities, benevolence, &c., pertain to the Jivanmuktas. Thus is the Rupa (form) destroyed in the quiescent mind. It is in this mind that the four qualities abovementioned will bloom like a full-blown lotus in spring.
Now to the Arupa mind. The destruction of this mind is wrought by Videhamuktas. Kaivalya in a disembodied state can be attained, only when Satwa which originates the four abovementioned qualities perishes also. There is no other road to the destruction of this Arupa mind than through doing away with Satwa. Brahmic Seat is that which has and which has not Gunas and non-Gunas, wealth and non- wealth, dawning and setting, contentment and its reverse, light and darkness as well as day and night and the three Sandhyas (junction-periods) and which therefore occupies the neutral centre between the pairs.
It alone is the asylum of all who have conquered all the paraphernalia of, and inclination to wards, Samsara like Akasa, the receptacle of Vayu, &c., which takes in odor. Those great and transcendental personages who, having the Akasa as their body, live in Brahmic bliss without pains or Tamas or Rajas are truly saints who have annihilated their minds.
