THE CONCLUSION OF UPASANTIII PRAKARANA
Here Rama interrupted him thus What is the seed of this Maya ever increasing one like a vine ? What is its seed ? What the seed of this seed ? And what is the seed of the last one ? Please throw light upon ail these four seeds. Vasishta answered This body is the seed from which generates the sprout of pleasures and pains, giving rise to the ever-gyrat ing creeper of Samsara. The cause of this seed of body is the mind which, following” the track of desires, is the recep tacle of the jewel of pains arising from births and deaths. It is through the mind that the hosts of bodies which do not exist, through seeming to exist, arise beyond number. It enjoys these bodily objects as in dream.
To this tree of the painful mind which is encircled by the creepers of worldly actions, there are two seeds. Of them one is the motion of Prfina and the other is Vasanas. Know, oh king- who is an ornament to the Solar race, that these are the four seeds. The one all-pervading 1 Jnana becomes the visible Jnana through the motion of Prana. If this Prana is checked from expanding in all directions, then it will tend to one s (progress or) welfare. The intelligence becomes tacked to the visibles through desires. These visibles are a source of perpetual harassings to it.
If this solitary intelligence be in the Sushupti state without ever returning- from it (to the lower states), then it alone is Nirvana ; it alone is Atma ; it alone is the immaculate Seat. There is none else besides it. Therefore all re-births will cease, if the longing for sensual objects arising through Prana s fluctuation and Vasanas be gradually minimised. The excessive heterogeneity of thoughts constitutes the mind. With such a mind alone, all persons live in this world.
It is only to control this heterogeneous mind, that intelligent Yogis perform Pranayama through the control of Prana, Dhyana (contemplation), medicines or skill. The wise say that the beneficent control of Prana leads to that of the mind and causes, in one, equality of vision over all. It generates happiness and will not in the least allow sensual objects to arise in the mind.
Now to the second seed of the mind which illuminates all objects and being coupled with Vasanas enjoys externally the objects. Vasanas are the ignorance which enslaves us in sensual objects, after giving” up true discrimination of the past and hereafter, arising- through firm determination. The Atma (or ego) subjecting itself to the clutches of Vasanas which make it to be transformed into the object it sees to the exclusion of others, fancies that object to be real and is de luded in the same. Through the phrenzy created by the extreme velocity (or vibrations) of the Vasanas, it sees all things in the same illusory light. To define this mind clearly ; it can be stated to be the stainful visibles ; or the identification of I” with that which is not “I”, or that which thinks that to be real which is not so.
Through this mind birth, death and dotage are caused. As the fluctuating mind arises through its gradual association with objects, births and deaths also arise. It is only when the mind quits all with out any attraction or repulsion towards objects, that it will cease to exist. If thoughts are destroyed through the extinc tion of Vasanas, then quiescence will result and the mind s destruction will ensue. If there is no thought of any worldly objects or of any place, how can the mind exist (separate) in the void Akasa ? Therefore, Oh bountiful Rama, I think that form exists in the mind, so long as the Vasanas are coupled with it.
Moreover the conception of the heterogeneous objects in the heart through a conception of their reality and the enjoy ment of pleasures therein can be said to be of the form of the mind. How can the mind survive in those wise who, being more immaculate than Akasa itself, think that all the visibles do not form the subject of Karmas to be indulged in ?
It is said that the cognition by one of the Reality after true discrimination that he is not in this world and that the universe is not, constitutes mind s destruction. The wise say that the mind denudes itself of its form, even though enga ged in actions, if it after dissolving all things unto itself be comes as cool as ambrosia. Those Jivanmuktas who have disentangled themselves from the meshes of Vasanas will but live in this world to wear out their Prarabdha, like a potter s wheel continuing to roll on of itself through the impetus given by the potter.
It is these who are in possession of the pure Vasanas without any re-birth or pains. It is these who have a mind cognizing the Reality and yet are without (the lower) mind ; who have reached the most consecrated of spots, Jnfma, It is these Jivanmuktas that, giving up the body, attain the Chidakas and are termed the lofty ones. These are the two- seeds of mind a? stated before. They are fluctuation of Prana and Vasanas. Of these, if either of them dies, both perish. Through Vasanas, Prana s motion is caused ; through Prana s motion, Vasanas are caused. So that we may say that these are the seeds and the sprouts to the ripe dried fruit of the mind. Again these two have their root in the visibles of the universe.
Therefore if the visibles are destroyed, then Prana s fluc tuation and Visanas will be eradicated to their root like a tree. It is the mental actions that are the seed of the visi bles. If the intelligence does not play its part (in the visi bles), then the visibles will cease to exist. For will gingelly oil exist in the absence of the sesamum seed ? There exists not the difference of the visibles, externally or internally. The dawning Jnana will produce a kind of creation. Through Sankalpa, this Jnana will see in itself the visibles.
Just as in a dream, though one forgets himself yet he sees all things in it through some inherent power in himself, so the visibles are known through Vritti-Jnana. Those who through their present pure efforts of discrimination have destroyed this re flected intelligence, whether they have previously analysed it or not, will also have destroyed their dire Samsara. It is the non-destruction of the reflected visibles that lands us in the great Samsdra ; but with their destruction, the supreme end is attained. So say the great ones. Do not the visibles en tail on us immeasurable pains ?
Oh Rdma, the absence of the visibles and the non-cognition of objects do generate Nirvanic bliss. May you give up all oscillations of the mind, in blissful ignorance of all objects and yet not in an inert state and abandoning all worldly enjoyments. Thou alone art the Paramatma, the Jnana in which states the visibles are not seen. This is undoubtedly true. So said Vasishta.
Here Rama asked the Muni How can non-intelligence arise where there are not the visibles ? How can the visibles vanish from where there is no Jnana ?
Vasishta replied Atma, the all-pervading one without any attraction, which has neither the power of knowing nor non-knowing any inert object is without the visibles or intelli gence. If it should sttain that Jndna not linked to the visibles, it will be without visibles or Vritti-Jnana, though performing all actions. As the heart Akasa (in which Atma is) will not in the least come in contact with (or be affected by) the visibles, he alone is a Jnani. He alone is not inert and without perception of material objects.
He alone is a Jivanmukta. Such a person through his voluntary destruc tion of all Vasanas is like a child or a mute in intelligence. In that state, all visibles being abandoned, he attains full Atma-Jnana without any Vritti-Jnana. Then will his Jnana not at all recur to any objects ; and freed from all pains through Nirvikalpa Samadhi, he will be filled with full bliss, like the blue color permeating all throughout the Akasa. A Jnani therefore will always cling fast to such a Samadhi without in the least longing after the visibles and will always be revelling in the bliss of his own Atma. Whether standing or walking or talking or touching, he will be disassocia ted from them, not having any attraction for them.
Though without the visibles or the bliss in and the knowledge of them, he will be the great bliss itself. Grasping firmly this kind of vision (or conduct), may you become the ocean of Jndna itself, after mounting up from the sea of pains though enga ged in the base worldly actions.
