Upanishads

Maha Upanishad

Samaveda
group of Upanishads – pure Vedanta

Om! May my limbs and speech, prana, eyes, ears, life force
And all feelings grow in strength.
All existence is the Brahman of the Upanishads.
May I never deny Brahman, nor may Brahman deny me.
Let there be no denial at all:
Let there be no denial, at least from me.
May the virtues that are proclaimed in the Upanishads be in me,
Who are devoted to the Atman; let them abide in me.
Om! Let there be Peace in me!
May there be Peace in my surroundings!
May there be Peace in the forces that act upon me!

I-1-4. Then we shall expound the Mahopanishad. They say that Narayana was alone. There was no Brahma, Shiva, Water, Fire and Soma, Sky and Earth, Stars, Sun and Moon. He could not be happy. From (the desire of) Paramatman, the Yajnasthoma (the hymn known as Avyakta) is said to have arisen.

I-5-6. In it arose fourteen Purushas (Brahman, Vishnu, Rudra, Ishana, Sadashiva and nine Prajapatis like Daksha), one deva (Mula-Prakriti), ten organs (five of perception and five of action), Mind as the eleventh, bright intellect as the twelfth, ego as the twelfth, Prana as the fourteenth, Atma as the twelfth, Buddhi, Kama, Karma and Tamas, five Tanmatras along with the gross elements and the Being was the twenty-fifth (Sutratman).

Using it in creation, the supreme Being remained detached. From it all things arise.

I-7. Again Narayana, desiring something else, thought. From his forehead arose a man with three eyes and a trident, having fame, renown, truth, celibacy, austerity, detachment, intelligence, lordship, the seven Vyahritis (Bhur, etc.) along with Pranava, Rik and other Vedas, all meters - his body - therefore he is a great Lord.

I-8-9. Then again, desiring something else, he thought - From his forehead the sweat fell and became broad waters: from it a bright golden egg - in it was born the four-headed Brahma, facing the east. Narayana became Vyahriti, Bhur, the Gayatri chandas, the Rigveda and the deity Agni. Facing the west, he became Bhuvar, the Tristubh chandas, the Yajurveda and the deity Vayu. Facing the north, he became Vyahriti Suvar, the Jagati-chandas, the Samaveda and the deity Surya. Facing the south, he became Mahar, the Anustubh chandas, the Atharva-veda and Soma.

I-10-13. (Meditate on) the god of a thousand heads and eyes, the source of cosmic well-being, beyond all, the eternal Narayana - the universe exists in Him. Like the calyx of a lotus, the human heart hangs down, dripping drops of cold water for the sustenance of life. In its midst is a great flame, facing everywhere, subtle and upward; the great being is present - He is Brahma, Shiva, Indra, immortal and self-effulgent.

II-1-11. Shuka, of great splendor, devoted to Natural Bliss, the prince of sages, who realized the Truth even at birth (without instruction). So too, a man can gain certain knowledge of himself by himself through long introspection. (This is because) the self is beyond description, unrealizable (by worldly means) by the mind and senses; Pure Bliss, atomic, subtler than even the ether. Millions of particles undergo generation, existence and dissolution within the supreme Being by the rotation of the force.

The Supreme Being is Ether, because there is nothing outside of it, and yet not Ether, because it is all pure consciousness – it is nothing that can be designated (defined thus and so) as a thing, reality, etc.

It is conscious, being brilliant, yet like a stone, because it cannot be (usually) known; causing a pictorial awakening (existence) of the world in itself, pure ether.

This cosmos is only a manifestation of this being; there is nothing else; the differences in the universe are also its manifestation.

He is present everywhere, connected with all things, but He does not move because there is nowhere to go; He does not exist because there is nowhere (substrate) to exist, but He exists because He is Existence by nature.

Brahman is knowledge, Bliss and the refuge (source) of the giver of Jivanmukti. Renunciation of all mental desires is the path (to this knowledge). The wise say that the understanding of this Being is the absence of worldly concepts. The dissolution and creation of the universe are due to the contraction and expansion, respectively, of the Force.

The basis of the Vedanta statements, but beyond words, is "I am Reality, knowledge, bliss and nothing else."

II-12-13. Shuka knew all this with his own subtle intellect; then remained with his mind continuously immersed in it.

He had no idea that the Atman is real; his mind had simply turned away from the worldly temptations, the many (material) worldly pleasures that very often break, like the contented Chataka bird from the turbulent water.

II-14-37. (He knew everything, but out of respect for the tradition accepted at this stage).

Once Suka with pure knowledge asked with devotion his father Vyasa, the seer, sitting alone on Mount Meru: "O Seer, how did this complex (splendid) worldly life arise, how does it dissolve, how much and when?"

Having received this question, Vyasa told his son everything.

Already knowing all this, Shuka did not appreciate the verbal statement.

The sage Vyasa, knowing the thoughts of his son, said, "I do not know the truth; you can learn everything from Janaka, the king of Mithila, who knows it correctly." Having learned this, Suka went from there to the earth and to the city of Videha, which was ruled by Janaka.

The attendants announced to Janaka, "O king, Suka, the son of Vyasa, is waiting at the entrance." Wanting to know Suka, Janaka said, "Let him wait," and remained there for seven days. Then he allowed him to enter the courtyard, and Janaka treated Suka with women and other luxuries. Suka was not attracted by them, just as a gentle breeze cannot move a mountain. He simply remained pure as the full moon, even, silent and composed. Janaka looked at him and bowed down, knowing his nature. He said, "You have (renounced) all worldly activities and for all your desires, what (more) do you desire?" Suka replied, "This grand world - how did it arise and how did it dissolve?" Janaka related everything correctly - the same as father Vyasa had said.

'I myself already knew this; my father told me the same; so did you, the most eloquent speaker; this too is what is seen in the Shastras. The mass of mental fancies fades away with the death of fancies; the worldly life is also buried - this is certain. So, mighty Janaka, pray tell me the truth, firmly - the world gets peace for the tottering mind from you.'

(Janaka) replied): 'O Suka, listen to what I say, the details of knowledge, the essence of wisdom, knowing which, one can attain the status of Liberation in life.'

II-38-41. When the erasure of visible phenomena occurs by the mind realizing that there is no (real) visible object, then the great joy of Nirvana (Extinction - Liberation) arises.

The best, the complete renunciation of mental impressions (tendencies) the good (people) call liberation - this is a pure procedure (while) those people whose tendencies (are not abandoned, but) purified, are not subject to the danger of rebirth - these sages are called enlightened, Liberated in life. Strong (intensive) thinking about objects is called bondage; its subtlety, O Brahman, liberation.

II-42-62. It is said that "Liberated in Life" is one who has lost the taste for enjoyment through repentance, etc., and for no other reason.

Who neither rejoices nor grieves, being detached, when joy and sorrow befall (him) in accordance with time (destiny);

Who is not affected in mind by exaltation, anger, fear, lust and meanness;

Whoever renounces (as if) playfully, egoistic tendencies and remains, having renounced reflections;

Who is free from desire and unwillingness, because he is an introvert and behaves as if in deep sleep;

Who sits enjoying the spirit, satiated, pure in mind, having received wonderful peace, and desires nothing in the material world and lives without anointing;

Who is not tainted in the region of the heart by (objects) of knowledge and whose consciousness is not inert;

He who acts without expectation loves and dislikes (actions) (actions) of joy and sorrow, virtue and vice, success and failure;

Who is silent, devoid of ego, pride, avoids jealousy and performs actions without worry;

Who exists as a detached observer and acts without attachment and desire everywhere;

Who has internally renounced all Dharma and Adharma, thoughts and desires;

Who has completely abandoned the (worldly) view;

Who eats with equal detachment the bitter, sour, salty, astringent, seasoned and unseasoned;

Who has renounced Dharma and Adharma, joy and sorrow, death and birth;

Who, free from tension and joy, does not fall into despondency or ecstasy, with pure intellect;

Who has renounced all desires, all doubts, all volitional movements, all rigid thoughts;

Who is equal to birth, existence and death, rise and fall.

Who does not feel aversion or greed for anything and enjoys occasional pleasures.

Whose thoughts about worldly life have become calm, who has aspects and yet is aspectless, has a mind - but without a mind.

He who is active towards all objects, but does not desire them as if they were alien objects, is full of spirit.

II-63-69. He leaves the state of Jivanmukta when this body is given over to time (death), and enters into the state of Adehamukta (liberated without a body), like the wind that does not move.

Such a man neither rises nor sets, he is neither real nor unreal, and he is not distant, neither "I" nor "other." Apart from him, there is neither brilliance nor darkness that is stable and deep, inexpressible and unmanifested. Not an empty vacuum, formless, neither visible nor visible; not a mass of creations, but existing infinitely.

Undesignated by nature, more complete than the most complete, neither real nor unreal, neither existing nor arising, pure consciousness; not a Chaitya (mind-created world), infinite, ageless, auspicious, without beginning, middle or end, without affliction in mind or body. That which is considered vision among the seer, the seer and the object of vision. O sage, beyond this there is certainly nothing.

II-70-73. This is known to you and also heard from the preceptor: - a man is bound by his own fancy and is liberated by getting rid of it - non-attachment to the enjoyment of all visible (external) objects has arisen (in you); all that is to be obtained has been obtained by you with a perfect mind; you feel (mistaken) about your own nature, but now, being liberated, you give up the error; you see that you yourself are Brahman beyond what is external and internal - you see, but you do not see; you are the only and perfect observer (not involved).

II-74-77. Suka, silently (passively) rested in the Supreme Being in his own normal state, devoid of sorrow, fear and tension. Then he went unhindered to the top of Mount Meru for trance. There, for thousands of years he remained in "unlimited trance" and attained peace in himself, like a flame without oil.

Purified from the vice of multifarious thoughts, in the pristine and pure state, he became one, and all (worldly) tendencies melted away like a drop of water in the ocean.

III-1-15. The youth, Nidagha, the prince of seers and the enlightened one, who had been permitted by his father to go on a pilgrimage, bathed in three and a half crores of sacred places, then told Ribhu about himself. "After bathing in many places, a question arose in my mind:

The world is born only to die, and dies only to be reborn - all the actions of moving and immobile things are ephemeral; Such things as sources of splendor are sinful and give place to all miseries; unconnected with each other, like iron stakes, they are gathered together, only by the mental imagination. I have lost the taste for various things, like a traveler in deserts, my mind is tormented by how this suffering will subside; Riches do not please me, but give only cycles of care, as houses with children and women invite danger.

This (material) fame in the world is fragile, causes only delusion, does not bring happiness. Life is unstable, like a drop of water hanging on the top of a tender leaf; like a madman, it goes away, suddenly leaving the body. Life causes stress to those whose minds are destroyed by contact with the snake poison of worldly objects and who lack mature discrimination of self.

(It may be) wise to envelop the wind and cut through (empty) space, string water waves, but not to give up attachment to (worldly) life.

(On the contrary) having attained Brahman, what is to be obtained is obtained, which does not cause sorrow; it is the place of supreme joy.

Even trees live, as do animals and birds - only he (really) lives whose mind is supported by contemplation; the rest, who have no (spiritual) rebirth, are just old donkeys.

Shastra is a burden for one who is devoid of (spiritual) discrimination, knowledge is a burden for one who is attached (to life); the mind is a burden for one who is unprotected, the body is a burden for one who does not know himself.

III-16-26. From the ego arises danger, and also evil mental ailments and desires - there is no enemy more dangerous than the ego; whatever in the moving and unmoving world the ego enjoys - all that is unreal; only freedom from the ego is real. The mind runs hither and thither, vainly and eagerly, like a dog in the village. O Brahman, I have become inert through the pursuit of thirst and am eaten up by my mind like a dog.

Restraint of the mind is impossible even by drinking the ocean, uprooting the Meru, and eating fire. The mind is the cause of objects; when it exists, the three worlds exist; when it does not exist, they exist, so it must be cured by effort.

Whatever wealth of merit I may have acquired, Thirst cuts it off, like a mouse cutting a rope. Thirst is a fickle monkey - it treads impassable places, craves for fruits even when full of them; never rests long in one place.

The throat is a bee in the heart of the lotus. At one moment it goes to Patala; at another to the sky; at another it hovers in the bushes of space; of all the sorrows of worldly life, thirst alone brings the most lasting sorrow; a man (well guarded) in a harem it involves in great trouble.

Renouncing thought is the (preventive) chant for the cholera of Thirst.

III-27-38. There is nothing more pitiful than the body, low and unworthy; it rejoices little by little and suffers little by little. The body is the great abode of the householder, that is, the Ego. Let it roll or be motionless - what is that to me, O Master!

This body I do not like - the senses (animals) are bound by six ropes (vices) - the Ego jumps in its courtyard, it is overcrowded with servants - the mind. It frightens with the entrance held by the monkey (tongue) - in it are seen (bared) teeth and bones. Tell me what is attractive in the body, which is made of blood and flesh, inside and out, and which is destined only to perish - let him trust the body that sees stability in lightning, autumn clouds and cities in the sky (illusions). Childhood is the abode of fear of the teacher, mother, father, other people and older children.

Man is overcome by the house-lust, which dwells in the cave of his mind and causes many errors. Slaves, sons, women, relatives and friends laugh at a man shaken by old age as if he were mad. Desire is full of lack of helplessness, grows long in old age, the only friend of all dangers and the instigator of confusion is the heart.

Attributing happiness to worldly life - even this time cuts off, like grass by a rat. Time tries selfishly to take possession of (everything, from) grass and dust (to) Indra and gold, which is the dust of Meru - destroys everything, and all the three worlds are occupied by it.

III-39-48. What is auspicious about a woman - a puppet of flesh - a moving machine in a body cage - having nerves, bones and nodes?

Why are you mistaken; separate the skin, flesh, blood and tears, and then look at the body. Is it attractive?

A pearl necklace on the chest is like the flow of the Ganges on Meru (fleeting and ephemeral) - the same chest is eaten by dogs at the appointed time, like a piece of food, in the cemetery and in the corners of the cardinal directions.

Women are the flame of sin, have sooty hair, pleasant to the eye but not to the touch; they burn a man like grass.

Women are fuel, beautiful but harmful, for all fires burning at a distance, whether they have taste (affection) or not.

Women are traps for catching birds - men, set by the hunter, Manmatha, a lump of bait, a thread of malice for men who are fish in the pond of birth (life) and move in the mud of the mind.

I want nothing from this woman, who is a basket of all faults - jewels - chains of misery. Only he who has a woman desires enjoyment; where is enjoyment for him who has no woman? Renunciation of women means renunciation of the world; by this one will be happy.

III-49-54. Even the cardinal directions (e.g. North) are not seen, the regions give other (wrong) indications; even the oceans and stars dry up, even the permanent becomes impermanent, even the yogis (siddhas) perish, demons and others disintegrate; Brahma is reduced (to zero), the unborn Vishnu too; Shiva becomes non-existent, the lords of the cardinal directions disintegrate. Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra and all classes of beings rush towards destruction, like water currents towards a sea fire. Dangers come for a moment, as do wealth; birth and death are only for a moment – all perish. The brave are killed by the unbrave – a hundred are killed by one. Poison changes its sphere (effect) – poison is not poison!

III-55-57. The objects (of the world) destroy (only) one birth, poison destroys life only once; the time has come for my mind to burn in the forest fire of faults. Desires for enjoyment do not flare up even in the illusory fatamorgana; therefore, O preceptor, awaken me quickly with the knowledge of the truth. If you do not do so, I will become silent, without pride and jealousy, contemplating Vishnu with a mind like that which has become a picture.

IV-1-24. Nidagha, you have nothing more to know, you are the best of the enlightened ones - you know with your intellect, with God's grace - I will erase the error caused by impurity of the mind:

Control of the internal and external senses, investigation, contentment, and fourth, association with good people - resort to at least one of these, giving up everything, with all efforts - when one is achieved, the others will also be achieved.

Wisdom should be developed first; first liberation from worldly life through scripture, association with good people, penance and self-control. One's own experience (of oneself), Shastra and preceptor form one statement (they give one goal) by the practice (of the teaching) on which the self (is realized).

If you (attain) every moment, the avoidance of persistent fantasy and desire, then you will attain the sacred, thoughtless state. Samadhi is called the freedom of the mind from agency (activity). It is itself a unity, it is the highest and auspicious joy.

You must remain like a dumb, blind and deaf person, refusing with your mind to think of all things as yourself.

The vision came through the words (of Vedanta) that you are made of something, unborn, beginningless and endless, shining, tasting (bliss) alone, devoid of the marks of mind - all this is for (lower) knowledge and useless - only Om is real.

All visible things in the world are nothing more than consciousness without vibration - contemplate this.

Or, with the mind always enlightened and performing worldly functions, you remain aware of the oneness of yourself, like a calm ocean.

Only the knowledge of Truth is fire for the grass of mental impressions - this is called Samadhi, and not mere silence.

Just as the world is active when the desired sun (Mani - the jewel of the day, the sun) has risen, so are the creations of the world when the supreme reality is present. Thus, O sage, agency and non-agency arise in oneself: - the spirit is non-agent when there is no desire - agent by its mere presence.

These two exist in the Supreme Being – agency and non-agency – Have recourse to it firmly, which is the (ultimate) cause of the two. Thus, through the thoughts well kindled that I am always non-agent, there remains only the state of equality, called supreme immortality.

Listen, O Nidagha, in the world are born men of noble qualities in Nirvikalpa Samadhi, ever rising and happy like the (autumn) moons in the sky; not depressed in time of danger, like the golden lotus at night, and not striving beyond the bounds of destiny, enjoying the path of good men. They shine through that firm (personality) with the merits of friendship; balanced and reconciled, pleasant, always good in conduct. They are within bounds like the ocean, calm in mind, not giving up discipline like the sun.

The wise man should fully inquire, "What am I? How did this vice of Samsara develop?" One should not commit wrong actions and live with a low person. Death, the killer of all, should not be looked upon with derision. One should look only at pure consciousness, avoiding the body, bones, flesh and blood, which are inauspicious, consciousness being the thread that holds all beings together, like a necklace. Pursuit of what is acceptable and total avoidance of what is not so is the (right) nature (attitude) of the mind. The seer should be freed from sorrow, knowing that he is Brahman with his own realization in the path prescribed by the preceptor.

IV-25. Enlightenment arises in the state of detachment in which the fall of a hundred sharp swords is borne as lily strikes, the burning of fire as soaking in snow, coal as sandalwood, the endless fall of arrows as a fall of cool water to relieve the summer heat, the cutting off of one's own head as a happy sleep, the loss of speech as silence, deafness as a blessing.

IV-26-27. I, as always observed by the practice of realization that arises from the instructions of the teacher. Just as the directions again, as before the delusion, so the world - the delusion goes away, destroyed by knowledge - think about this.

IV-28. Neither wealth, nor friends, nor relatives, nor straining the body, nor turning to sacred waters and temples help, but only through the conquest of the mind is this state achieved.

IV-29-38. All misfortunes, passions, unbearable mental pain disappear in people with a calm mind, like darkness in the sun. All beings calm down (attain calm) in a serene person, like children, mischievous or gentle, in their mother.

It is not by drinking elixirs, nor by embracing wealth that a person receives so much joy, as through inner peace.

He is said to be a calm person who neither rejoices nor feels depressed while hearing, touching, eating, seeing, and knowing good or bad. Whose mind is not disturbed, clear as the moon disk, in death, celebration, and also in battle.

Only the calm man shines among ascetics, the learned, sacrificers, kings, men of strength and virtue.

Great are the calm people who have achieved satisfaction in the drink of Amrita and rapture in themselves.

He is the contented one who gives up (longing for) what is not obtained, and is equal to what is obtained, not seeing (i.e. ignoring) grief and joy, who does not admire what is not obtained, enjoys according to desire what is (actually) obtained, and is gentle in his behavior.

Liberation in life occurs when the thought enjoys what it has received, like a good woman in a harem, and this gives joy to the spirit's own nature.

IV-39-43. The wise man should reflect on the path to liberation, every moment, in the manner of the Shastras, according to place, convenience and contact with good people, until he attains peace in spirit. The man who has peace in the fourth state (liberation) and is liberated from the ocean of worldly life, whether he lives or not, whether he is a householder or a hermit, has no purpose (meaning) in what is done or not done, nor the delusion of the Vedas and Smriti; he remains in his original state, like the ocean unchurned by the mountain (he is in the transcendental state).

When pure awareness of everything as spirit arises, then the 'body' shines in the form of consciousness, beyond origin, space and time.

IV-44-49. The visible cosmos of fixed and moving things melts away like a dream in (dreamless) sleep. The sages have attributed, for empirical purposes, names to the supreme Being, such as Rita Atma, Para Brahma, Truth, etc. Just as bangles, etc., are mere words and meanings, not different from gold, so is the magical illusion of the cosmos, expanded by the supreme being.

The perceived being within the visible world is called bondage, in the absence (dissolution) of the visible it is realized. What is called visible is a projection of the type "the universe is you and me". The illusion of the world is spread only by the mind - as long as this happens, it is not liberation.

IV-50-57. The cosmos is spread (generated) through the mind by the self-born supreme being. Therefore the visible cosmos is mental in nature. There is no real mind; it is only a flash of things. Know that mind is only an ideation. Understand that where there is ideation, there is Mind. Mind and ideation are never differentiated - when the mass of ideations slips away, only the (primordial) nature remains.

When the excitement of the visible, namely, "I and you - the cosmos," subsides, only the one state (primordiality) remains. On reaching the great dissolution, when the whole visible creation, etc., becomes (i.e. is known to be) non-existent, only calm remains. There is an unborn, divine, disease-free, radiant being, the never-setting sun, eternal, the creator of all, proclaimed as the supreme "I." From whom words turn away (do not reach), who is realized (only) by the liberated man, whose names, as (individual) "I," are accepted and not natural

IV-58-63. O great sage, of the three kinds of ether (space), namely, the mental, the spiritual and the gross, know that the spiritual (emptier) is subtler than the other two. When perception passes from one place to another, the interval should be known as the spiritual region, the moment you reach the stage where all ideas are rejected, then you will certainly attain the state of Universal Peace.

This state (condition) is Samadhi, which excludes bliss and contains the essence of detachment of Nobility and Beauty - when joy strongly arises from the realization of the falsity of the visible world, and sympathy and antipathy dissipate.

This awareness is indeed knowledge and its object, spiritual in nature - only this is the only state - everything else is false.

IV-64-69. Nidagha, know that the world is an illusion, Airavata in heat is locked in a corner of mustard, a mosquito fights with groups of lions inside an atom, Meru, placed in a lotus, is exhausted by a bee.

Only the mind defiled by involvements, etc., is worldly life. The same mind is said to be the end of (worldly) existence when freed from them. The embodied being attains this state by being conceived by the mind - freed from bodily tendencies, he (she) is not soiled by the attributes of the body.

I am that (mind) which transforms the aeon into the moment and vice versa. One cannot attain (realize) (the truth) without abstaining from evil conduct, without calmness and concentration, but only through Enlightenment.

IV-70-72. Never (and nothing) is afraid to know the nature of oneself as Bliss, unparalleled, without attributes and a single mass of truth and consciousness. It is beyond all that is beyond, greater than the greatest, brilliant and eternal in nature, the wise, ancient Being, worshipped by all the gods. As a rule, "I (am) Brahman", these two words are meant for the liberation of the great. Whereas "Not Mine" and "Mine" give liberation and bondage (respectively).

IV-73-75. The creation (of the world) is supposed (projected) by God, from vision to Entry (from Generation to Dissolution) in the form of Jiva, Ishvara, etc. The nature of the animate and inanimate worldly life from waking to liberation is projected by Jiva.

The schools from Trinachiketa to Yoga depend on the illusion of Ishvara (at a still lower level); from Lokayata to Sankhya, the schools depend on the illusion of Jiva. Therefore, those who aspire for liberation should not consider these schools (illusory), but the (essential) truth of Brahman should be considered with steadfastness.

IV-76-82. Only he who sees everything in relation to consciousness is the real knower, Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Without the grace of a good preceptor, it is difficult to renounce objects, see the truth and (realize) the original state. The original state is naturally realized by the yogi who has the power born in it and has renounced all (worldly) activities.

When a person perceives even a small difference (between them), then, undoubtedly, fear will arise in him. A person with wisdom, like an eye, sees the highest as present everywhere - one who has no wisdom, like a blind man, does not see the sun.

The Supreme Being is knowledge alone - therefore a mortal becomes immortal only by the vision of Brahman. When the Great Beyond is seen, the knot of the heart is broken, all doubts are shattered and all (worldly) actions are extinguished.

IV-83-87. Be devoted to Samvid, with single attention, giving up unspiritual attitudes and not being influenced by the conditions of the world. In the desert, all water (in mirages) is an illusion - only the desert is real; (similarly) on reflection, all the three worlds are nothing more than a chit.

He who remains, renouncing what is implied and expressed, is Shiva himself, the best of the Knowers of Brahman. This indestructible being is the substratum (of all), without comparison beyond words and mind, eternal, omnipotent, omnipresent and subtle.

Mind and the world are (only) the flowering of the supreme being; worldly life is diminished by restraint (of the mind) and intemperance (of the spirit).

IV-88-106. I will tell you about the cure for mental illnesses - by giving up any attractive object, a person achieves liberation. Pity this worm of a person who cannot make this refusal, who is absolutely good and depends on you.

The auspicious path cannot be obtained without the subjugation of the mind, which renounces desires, and which can be achieved by one's own effort. When the mind is cut off by the weapon of non-projection, then Brahman, omnipresent and calm, is attained (realized). Keep yourself undisturbed, freed from thoughts of worldly existence, possessed of great wisdom - the absorbed (controlled) mind is the seat of knowledge.

By resorting to great effort, making the mind no-mind, meditating in the heart, with the edge of the wheel of consciousness. Kill the mind without hesitation; your (inner) enemies will not bind you.

"I am he, this is mine," the mind is only so - it is cut off by the knife of non-projection. The mind is carried away only by the wind of non-projection, like a bank of clouds in the autumn sky. Let the winds of the flood blow, let the oceans become one (to destroy the world), let all twelve suns blaze; the mind is not affected.

Stay focused on that state of the empire of truth which can only be non-projection and which gives all success.

Nowhere is it seen that the mind is without fickleness - this is the nature of the mind, just as heat is the nature of fire. This power of pulsation, existing as the mind - know that this is the power which is the world of appearance. The mind without fluctuation is called Amrita. The same is spoken of as liberation in the teachings of the Shastras.

This wavering, which is another name for ignorance - destroy it by reflection. Sinless one, be free from projections (vikalpa), reaching that state with which the mind becomes one through human effort.

Therefore, resorting to (human) effort, possessing (i.e. controlling) the mind with the mind, be fit and free from worry, in a place without sorrow. Only the mind can firmly control the mind - who can control a king except another king?

For those who have been caught by the crocodile of desire and fallen into the ocean of worldly life and carried away (tossed) by the whirlpools, the mind alone is the lifeboat. Break the mind, with the mind, the rope, rise from the worldly life - which another cannot cross.

IV-117-115. Whatever tendency called mind has arisen from previous (other) impulses, these the wise should avoid, and from this there will be a reduction of ignorance. Abandon the tendency to discriminate; having abandoned the instinct for (worldly) enjoyment – then having abandoned both positive and negative (tendencies), be blessed without mental projection.

Avoiding desire for what is visible is the destruction of the mind, ignorance. Freedom from desire is extinction (liberation), acceptance of desire is unhappiness.

In unenlightened people, ignorance seems to exist. How can it exist in a person of sound wisdom, if it is accepted only by name? Ignorance rocks a person on the steep rocks of samsara, having thorny bushes of misfortune, not when ignorance fades, leading to the desire for self-perception, reducing delusions. When everything is seen, this desire also melts.

This ignorance is only desire, its destruction is called liberation - this happens through the destruction of projections. The thick darkness, ignorance, is reduced when in the sky of the mind the night of tendencies disappears, seeing the sun of consciousness.

IV-116-121. The Supreme Lord is the ineffable conscious principle, present everywhere and devoid of mental suffering. All this (the cosmos) is Brahman, ever conscious, indestructible. The other thing, namely, mental projections, does not really exist.

Nothing is really born, nothing dies in this triad of worlds, and there is no reality in the different stages of things; only Pure Consciousness is real, which is alienated, shining by itself, common to all and free from mental torment.

Whenever this is realized as pure, serene, tranquil, calm and unchanging, this mind is realized through reflection - the mind is so called because of reflection.

IV-122-125. So this thought, caused by force, is destroyed by the decision. The mind is firmly bound by the decision, 'I am not Brahman'; it is liberated by the decision, 'I am Brahman'; it is bound by the conception according to the thought, 'I am, thin, bound by misery; I have hands, legs, etc.' Whereas it is liberated by the conviction following the thought, 'I am not miserable, I have no body, the soul is not bound.' Man is liberated, when ignorance dies, by the inner conviction. 'I am not flesh, bones; I am beyond the body.'

IV-126-131. This ignorance is due to imagination, to the perception of non-spirit as spirit. With great effort, with supreme determination, and leaving desire at a distance, be blessed without imagination.

My son, my wealth, he is mine - such a tendency is jumping about in the confusion of the senses. Do not be ignorant, be wise; give up involvement in samsara - why do you lament like an ignorant person from such attachment? What is this body of yours, a dull, dumb, impure lump of flesh, because of which you are oppressed by worldly pleasures and pains?

It is strange that the true Brahman is forgotten by people! May you not be soiled by attachment when you are active.

It is also strange that the mountains are bound by the fiber of the lotus! This universe is outraged by ignorance that does not exist! The simple grass has become unyielding!

V-1-7. Then I will speak truly about the seven stages of ignorance, the seven stages of wisdom. The stages between them are innumerable and are produced differently.

Liberation is existence in the natural (spiritual) state; falling away from it is the concept of 'I' - attributes such as desire and hatred, born of ignorance, are not for those who do not deviate from their nature as a result of realizing pure consciousness.

Falling from the spiritual nature, drowning the consciousness in mental matters; there is no other delusion, now or in the future, other than this.

Existence in the spiritual nature is said to be the destruction of mental activity, being in the middle (untouched), when the mind passes from object to object. The highest existence in nature remains as a stone, all ideas die, free from waking and sleeping.

It is the self (spiritual) nature which is not inert, the unpulsating (calm) mind when the ego aspect is dead.

V-8-20. Awakening in the seed state, (simple) awakening, great awakening, etc., the sevenfold error - when they unite with each other, they become manifold; listen to its nature.

The first stage is the undesirable, pure state of consciousness, taking the name of mind, Jiva, etc., which will arise. Awakening existing as a seed (potential) is called awakening-in-the-seed - this is the new or first state of consciousness.

The state of wakefulness (second): after the new stage (subtle) the concept of “I”, “Mine”, arising purely – this is wakefulness, which did not exist before.

Great Awakening: the broad (gross) concept that arises in the previous birth as "I" and "mine."

Daydream: the "kingdom" of the mind, whether developed or not, as an identification with them.

The dream state: it is of many kinds, arising from the waking state, in the form of two moons, shell silver, mirage, etc. The awakened person's reflection: "it was seen only for a short time, it will not arise - because I have not seen it for a long time, it is like a working state."

The state of sleep-wakefulness: the inert state of Jiva, renouncing the six states.

Deep sleep is filled with future suffering - in this state the world is plunged into darkness.

I have spoken of the seven stages of ignorance, each of which has hundreds of varieties with varying splendor.

V-21-35. Knowing the seven stages of knowledge, one will not be immersed in the quagmire of illusions. Many schools speak differently about the stages of Yoga, but for me only the following are acceptable: liberation follows the seven stages.

The first stage of knowledge is auspicious desire, the second is reflection, the third is refinement of the mind, the fourth is the attainment of Sattva, then detachment, the sixth is reflection on objects, and the seventh is Turiya.

Their explanation: The wise say that auspicious desire is the desire that follows detachment - the meditation "why do I remain like a fool when good people look at me?"

Thinking is a good activity (tendency) after practicing detachment and contact with scriptures and good people.

Refining the mind is a state in which attachment to sense objects is reduced through wholesome desire and reflection.

Sattvapatti is the mind in the pure state of Sattva through the practice of the above three stages.

The Asamsakti stage is the developed state, without even a trace of involvement, through the practice of the four stages.

Padarthabhavana is the sixth stage, arising from the five stages, the enjoyment of the spirit firmly through non-contemplation of internal and external objects.

The "Fourth" (Transcendental) state (here the seventh) is concentration on one's nature, seeing no real difference, through long practice of the six stages - this is the stage of Jivanmukti.

The stage "Beyond the Fourth" is the stage of liberation without a body.

V-36-40. Nidagha, those who have reached the seventh stage, enjoy the spirit - they are not drowned in pleasure and pain. They do (or do not do) only what is significant and minimal. They perform actions following the past, awakened (prompted) by those around them, like one who awakens from sleep.

These seven stages can only be known to the enlightened ones - having reached this state, even animals, barbarians, etc. are certainly liberated with or without a body.

Wisdom is indeed the breaking of the knot and liberation - the death of the illusion of the mirage.

V-41. But those who have crossed the ocean of illusion - they have achieved a high position.

V-42-43. The means of stilling the mind is said to be Yoga. This should be known as having seven stages which lead to the state of Brahman.

V-44. There is no sense of "you" and "I", of one's own and another, no perception of existence or non-existence.

V-45. All is calm (not needing) support, existing in the ether (of the heart), eternal, favorable, devoid of disease and illusion, name and cause.

V-46. Neither existing, nor-existing, neither between, nor the negation of all; beyond the understanding of mind and words, fuller than the fullest, more joyful than joy.

V-47. Beyond (worldly) perception, the limit (horizon) of man's hope is vast, there is no existence of anything other than pure knowledge.

V-48. The body exists only when there is a connection of the perceiver, the perceived and the vision that connects them, whereas this position (of liberation) is devoid of such a connection of (separate) Perceiver, Perception and object.

V-49. Between the movement of the mind from object to object is the unqualified essence of the intellect. It is the immaterial perception, the reflection; always identify yourself with That.

V-50. Your eternal essence (is), devoid of states such as waking, dream and deep sleep or Equalities such as intellect and inertia; always identify yourself with that.

V-51. Eliminating this stony heart, inertia, always identify yourself with that which is beyond the mind. Throwing the mind into the far distance (you see), you are that which is; be established as That.

V-52. At first the mind was formed from the principle of the higher Self; by the mind this world with its many details was spread. Sages! Nothing, temptingly named, shines out of nothing, like blue from the sky.

V-53. When the mind dissolves, through the weakening of mental constructs, the fog of cosmic fantasies will be dissolved. The one, infinite, unborn, primordial and pure Spirit shines within, like a cloudless sky in autumn.

V-54. A picture arose in the sky without an artist or a support (i.e. canvas). It has no perceiver; (it is) one's own experience without the medium of sleep or dream.

V-55. In the conscious Self, which is a witness, general, transparent and indisputable, like a mirror, all worlds are reflected without will (of any kind).

V-56. To cure the mind of its inconstancy, deliberately reflect on the one Brahman as the Sky of Spirit, the indivisible Self of the cosmos.

V-57. As a huge rock covered with main lines and sub-lines, learn to regard the one Brahman with the three worlds superimposed on It.

V-58. It is now known that this problematic world is not created because there is no second entity that could serve as a cause. This tempting (world) can be considered a miracle.

V-59. Long troubled (as I have been, now) I am at rest; there is nothing but pure Spirit. Casting aside all doubt, casting aside all sense of wonder, behold!

V-60(a). Rejecting all mental constructions, the principle of thoughtlessness (can be considered as) the highest status.

V-60(b). (The sages), having got rid of their sins, reached infinity --

V-61(a). Those (sages) whose intellects are great and calm, and who have risen above the mind.

V-61(b)-62. He who has judged (the nature of things according to Vedanta), whose mental changes (objectively caused) have ceased, who has given up all reasoning (in relation to objects), who has discarded the objective sphere devoid of values, but has seized upon that which alone has eternal value, has a mind which corresponds to the eternal Reality.

V-63-66. When the network of deep-rooted impressions of empirical life is broken, like the fowler's net by the rat, when, through the power of dispassion, the knots of the heart are untied, man's nature as Brahman becomes crystal clear through the experienced Knowledge (of Brahman), like muddy water treated with the powder of Kataka. Now man experiences the eternal Witness; he no longer contemplates the inert (invisible). While he (still) lives, he is awakened to the supreme Truth, which alone has to be realized. He is entirely oblivious of the ways of the world, enveloped in the thick darkness of delusion; and through the eminent degree of mature dispassion he ceases to experience any pleasure even in so-called delicacies, which are (really) dry and tasteless.

V-67. Like a bird from a cage, the mind flies out of delusions, free from attachments, weaknesses, dualities and supports.

V-68. The mind filled with (Truth) shines like the full moon, conquering all meanness born of perplexities and casting aside all dilemmas caused by (idle) curiosity.

V-69. Neither I nor anything else exists here; I am only Brahman, which is the World - so perceives he who contemplates the connection between the existing and the non-existent.

V-70. As the mind indifferently comes into contact with the objects of the senses of sight, etc.; when encountered by chance, so a man of firm intellect considers (courses of) action (in his daily life).

V-71. Experience lived through by Knowledge alone proves satisfactory. A thief, recognized and befriended, is no longer a thief, but becomes a friend.

V-72. Just as an unplanned journey to the country, when completed, is regarded (without) delight by the travellers, so the splendour of enjoyment (that may befall them) is considered by those who know.

V-73. Even a slight distraction of a well-controlled mind is considered quite sufficient; its refinement is not sought, since such (refinement) is the source of (future) suffering.

V-74. A king released from confinement is glad to eat (but) a morsel. He who is not attacked or detained hardly cares about his (entire) kingdom.

V-75. By locking one hand in the other, by placing one row of teeth on another, and by applying one limb to another, one subdues the mind.

V-76. From this sea of empirical life there is no escape except by conquering the mind. In this vast empire of hell it is difficult to subdue oneself and one's opponents - the sense organs, which ride on uncontrollable elephants, sins, and are armed with the long arrows of desires.

V-77. In the case of one whose egoistic power has weakened and who has conquered his enemies, the sense organs, the latent impressions aimed at pleasure, wear out like lotuses in winter.

V-78. Like no eternal spirit; latent impressions play tricks only as long as the mind remains undefeated due to lack of intensive development of non-dual truth.

V-79. Of the men of discrimination, the mind, I hold, is a servant, for it attains what is sought; a minister, for it proves the cause of all attainments; and a faithful leader, for it regulates the assailing sense organs.

V-80. The mind of the wise, I believe, is a loving spouse, because it wills; a protective parent, because it guards; and a friend, because it constructs the best (arguments)

V-81. The paternal mind, well studied by the eye of the Shastras and realized in (the light of) one's own intelligence; abolishes itself, bringing about the highest perfection.

V-82. Extremely perverted and ingrained (in itself), (once) well awakened, controlled and purified, the delightful gem of the mind shines (in the heart), nourished by its own virtues.

V-83. O Brahmin! To attain perfection, be luminous after being washed clean in the waters of discrimination, the jewel of the mind immersed in the quagmire of many faults.

V-84. Having completely overcome the hostile feelings, having resorted to sovereign discrimination and contemplating the Truth with the intellect, cross the sea of empirical existence.

V-85. The wise know that worry, as such, is the abode of endless suffering; they also know that carelessness is the home of joys, both here and hereafter.

V-86. Bound by the bonds of latent impressions, this world revolves (constituting empirical life). In manifestation they are in agony; when they are destroyed, they contribute to well-being.

V-87. Although an intellectual, although extremely and diversely educated, although high-born and distinguished, a man is bound by desires, like a lion by a chain.

V-88. By the highest personal endeavor and perseverance and by steadfastly following sastric conduct, who cannot attain perfection?

V-89. I am this whole cosmos; I am the highest Self that does not disappear. There is nothing but me - this vision is the highest affirmation of the Self as "I" (or the first level of self-affirmation).

V-90. I am superior to all; I am finer than the tip of a hair - this, O Brahmana, is the second and beneficial way of self-assertion.

V-91. This (method) promotes liberation, not slavery. (Witness) the case of the Liberated One in life.

V-92. The conviction that I am nothing more than a bundle of parts, such as arms, legs, etc.; there is a third way of self-affirmation - it is empirical and petty.

V-93. This root of the evil tree of empirical life is evil and must be rejected. Afflicted by this, the worldly man quickly falls ever lower.

V-94. By discarding this vicious way of self-affirmation from one's life, in due time, through a beneficial way, one attains liberation in the world.

V-95. Having resorted to the first two unworldly ways of self-affirmation, the third worldly way, which causes pain, must be rejected.

V-96. Then, discarding even the first two, man becomes free from all means of self-affirmation and thus ascends to the transcendental status (freedom).

V-97. Bondage is nothing but the thirst for objective enjoyment; its renunciation is considered liberation. The assertion of the mind is dangerous; its denial is a great blessing. The mind of the Knower tends to denial; the mind of the ignorant is the chain (of bondage).

V-98. The (timeless) mind of the Knower is either blissful or blissless; neither fickle nor dispassionate. It neither is nor is not. And does not occupy a mental position among all these - so say the wise.

V-99. Just as the ether illuminated by the Spirit is not (objectively) perceived due to its subtlety, so the partless Spirit, although perceiving everything, is not observed.

V-100. The Eternal Spirit, free from all concepts and beyond nomenclature, has been given designations such as I, etc.

V-101-102. Transparent as the hundredth part of the ether, indivisible as manifested in those who know, ever conscious of the one Self of all that is pure in empirical life, this Spirit does not set nor rise; does not rise nor lie (low); does not go nor return; it is neither present nor absent here.

V-103. This Spirit has an impeccable (own) mode, undoubted and without support.

V-104. In the very beginning, purify the disciple through perfections such as calmness of mind, restraint of the senses, etc. Then impart to him the teaching that all this (the world) is Brahman, that is, the purified You.

V-105. He who teaches an ignorant or a half-awakened (student) that "all this is Brahman" will (in fact) plunge him into an endless series of hells.

V-106. But the disciple whose intellect is well awakened, whose thirst for objective enjoyments is extinguished, and who is free from all 'expectations', is freed from all defilements born of ignorance; a wise teacher can instruct him.

V-107. As there is radiance where there is light, as there is day where there is sun, as there is fragrance where there is a flower, so there is peace where there is Spirit.

V-108. When the viewpoint of Knowledge is purified, when (the dawn of) awakening is widespread, this very world will no longer seem real.

V-109. Having established yourself, you correctly realize the strength and weakness of the flow of my words (instructions) – (you realize this) with the highest kind of ignorance, which prompts the effort to erase the sphere of the small Self.

V-100. By it (the highest kind of ignorance) is attained the knowledge which absorbs all errors, O Brahman! One rocket puts another out of action; one defect destroys its opposite.

V-111. One poison can be neutralized by another; an enemy can destroy another. Such is the wonderful mystery of the elements, which delights through self-destruction!

V-112. The true nature of this enigma is not perceived. When it is observed, it perishes - observed with a fiery imagination, the content of which is: "In Truth it does not exist at all."

V-113. He who cherishes with (creative) and liberating imagination (the thought that) all this is spirit, that the perception of difference is ignorance, must renounce this (ignorance) by all possible means.

V-114. Sage! That final Status which is said to be imperishable is (in reality) not won. Twice-born sage! Do not speculate as to whence this (ignorance) arose.

V-115. Rather, reflect on this: "How can I destroy it? As soon as it dissipates and dissipates, you (renunciation) will know this state."

V-116. This integral status (includes the knowledge) "From where did this Maya come and how did she perish. Therefore try to cure (by means) this abode of diseases (i.e. Maya)."

V-117-118(a). So that she may not subject you again to the sufferings of birth (etc.). The Sea of Spirit shines in your Self with its glorious inner vibrations. Meditate with confidence within that which is uniform and infinite.

V-118(b). The power of the Spirit in the sea of Spirit is the slightly agitated state of the latter.

V-119. Like a wave in the sea, this pure Power shines there, just as the wind automatically blows in the sky.

V-120. In the same way, the Self itself, by its own power, becomes mobile. This almighty Deity flashes forth for a moment.

V-121. Whose potencies of space, time and action are not increased (by any means); who is predominantly established in his infinity, being fully conscious of his own essential nature.

V-122. Inconceivable, She creates the final form. When that supremely charming Deity gives birth to that (final) form.

V-123-124(a). Other ideas (views), names, numbers, etc.; follow it. The individual self (the "Knower of the field") is the designation of this form of Spirit, O Brahman; it is the basis of space, time and activity, and its forms are rooted in manifold (mental) constructions.

V-124(b). He (the "Knower of the field"), generating latent impressions, again assumes the form of egoism.

V-125. Corrupted egoism, as a determinant, is called intellect, which, imagining forms, becomes the basis for thinking (or mind).

V-126. With its abundant imaginations, the mind slowly (changes into) the sense organs. The wise consider the body with its hands and feet (to be nothing but) the senses.

V-127. Thus, indeed, the Jiva descends through the stages, bound by the bonds of imagination and impressions and overwhelmed by many sufferings.

V-128. The mighty Spirit, thus degrading into dense egoism, voluntarily passes into slavery, like a silkworm in its cocoon.

V-129. And, like a lion in chains, becomes completely dependent, finding himself in the net of his own imaginations and nothing more.

V-130. Sometimes (it acts as) mind, sometimes as intellect; sometimes as knowledge; sometimes as (pure) action. Sometimes it is egoism, and sometimes it is considered as what is thought.

V-131. Sometimes it is called Prakriti and sometimes it is considered Maya. Sometimes it is designated as "flaw" and sometimes it is referred to as "action".

V-132. Sometimes it is proclaimed as bondage, and sometimes it is considered the "eightfold case". Sometimes it is spoken of as avidya, and sometimes it is identified with "desire".

V-133. Carrying within himself, like his fig-tree seeds, this entire empirical sphere which forms the fetters of desires, the Jiva is verily a tree without fruits.

V-134-135(a). O Brahman! Like an elephant stuck in a swamp, the mind is consumed by the flames of care, crushed by the python of rage, bound to the waves of the sea of lust and does not remember its own great progenitor (Spirit): save it.

V-135(b)-136. These are the Jivas (living beings) - the phases of the Spirit established by bringing into being the empirical sphere. Their forms, in lakhs and crores, have been assigned by Brahma. Innumerable (Jivas) have been born in the past and even now are being born from all directions.

V-137. Others will also be born, like many drops of water from a waterfall. Some of them are in their first birth; others have (already) had more than a hundred births.

V-138. Others have (already) had countless births. Some will have two or more births besides. Some are born as subhuman and superhuman beings, gifted with music and Knowledge; some as mighty reptiles.

V-139. Some of (these living beings) (should be identified) with the sun, the moon and the lord of the waters; others with Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. Some have divided themselves into Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaisyas and Shudras.

V-140. Others with grass, greenery, trees, with their fruits, roots and winged insects. Jivas (should also be identified with) trees such as Kadamba, Jambira, Sama, Tala and Tamala.

V-141. And with mountains such as Mahendra, Malaya, Sahya, Mandara and Meru; and with seas of salt water, milk, ghee and sugarcane juice.

V-142. And with vast quarters and swift rivers; some of them frolic high above (the earth); some descend and fly up again.

V-143-144(a). Constantly struck by death, as if they were balls being hit by hands, these Jivas are constantly struck by death, like balls being hit by hands. After passing through thousands of births, some unintelligent ones, despite (some degree of) discrimination, fall into the vanity of worldly life.

V-144(b)-145. The Self-principle, undefined by space, time, etc.; by virtue of Its power, simply playfully assumes the body of space and time. Possessing innate tendencies (to manifest) various orders of living beings, Itself is the highest (Lord and Creator), which becomes the mind, which is unstable and prone to construction and dissolution.

V-146-148(a). In the beginning, in an instant, the Constructive Power of the Mind forms a transparent (image) of space, inclined to possess, as its essence, the seed of sound. Then, becoming dense, through the process of gross vibrations, this mind generates vibrations of air, inclined to possess the seed of touch.

V-148(b)-149(a). From these two, space and air, the bases of sound and touch, by intense repeated friction, fire is generated.

V-149(b)-150. Then the mind, enriched by these three, including the rudimentary form, goes on to the concept of pure fluidity and instantly realizes the coolness of water, followed by the perception of water.

V-151. The mind, thus enriched with such attributes, meditates at once on the rudimentary odor; hence arises the perception of the earth element.

V-152. Then this body, covered with rudimentary elements, casts off its subtlety, beholding in the sky a flash like a spark of fire.

V-153. United with the element of egoism and the seed of intellect, this bee in the lotus of the elemental heart is (now) called Puryashtaka.

V-154. Due to the intensity of longing in it, by meditating on the glorious embodiment, the mind becomes coarser, like the Bilva fruit in the process of ripening.

V-155. This radiance in the sky, shining like liquid gold in a crucible, takes shape with certain contours due to its inherent nature.

V-156. At the top is a round head; at the bottom are the feet. On the two sides are the arms and in the middle is what functions as the stomach.

V-157(a) In time, the body (in which the mind resides) develops completely and becomes flawless.

V-157(b)-158(a). The same divine Brahma, the progenitor of the whole world, is established in intelligence, purity, strength, energy, forms of knowledge and dominion.

V-158(b)-160(a) Contemplating his own attractive and outstanding body, the blessed Lord, whose range of perception spans all three periods of time, wondered what would appear first in that supreme space whose essence is pure Spirit and whose limits are limitless.

V-160(b) Thus wondered Brahma, whose vision was as flawless as Shiva's.

V-161. In large groups he contemplated the past orders of (cosmic) manifestation. Then he remembered them all in the due order of all their attributes.

V-162. (Then) playfully he created, through (pure) imagination, a variety of living beings with their unique patterns of behavior - all this constituted, so to speak, a city in the sky.

V-163. For ensuring their happy state as well as liberation, for attaining righteousness, love and wealth, he established endless and varied Shastras.

V-164. Since the existence of the world has been established by the mind in the form of Brahma, it lasts only as long as Brahma exists; with his destruction the world also perishes.

V-165. O best of the Brahmins, in reality nothing anywhere, ever is born or destroyed. Whatever appears is unreal (neither is nor is not).

V-166. Abandon the idle spectacle of empirical life, the veritable pit of snakes of desire. Knowing that it is unreal, reduce them all to the status of their foundation.

V-167. With regard to the "city in the sky," whether adorned or not, or to the parts of its constitutive case (ignorance), progeny, etc., what justification is there for pleasures and pains?

V-168. Sorrow - not a sense of satisfaction - is appropriate in regard to wealth and the spouse in their nourishing state. Who can find a sense of security here, when the ignorance of error is becoming more and more entrenched?

V-169. Those very (empirical) experiences which in their abundance cause the fool to become attached (to this world) are the source, in the case of the wise man, of his dispassion.

V-170. Therefore, Nidagha, with your awareness of the Truth, develop indifference to all that perishes amidst the actions of empirical life, and accept all that is offered by itself.

V-171. The marks of a man of discernment are spontaneous indifference to experiences that do not come of themselves, and heartfelt acceptance of those that do.

V-172. Knowing and resorting to the untainted middle status between the real and the unreal, do not cling to the objective sphere, external or internal, and do not run away from it.

V-173. The intellect of a wise and active person, free from attachment and aversion, remains unstained, like a lotus leaf not wetted by water.

V-174. O twice-born (sage), if the charm of objects does not captivate your heart, then, having understood what is to be known (having attained true wisdom), you have crossed the sea of empirical life.

V-175. To attain an outstanding Status, separate by means of supreme wisdom the functioning mind from (all) latent impressions, like a strong fragrance from a flower.

V-176. The higher men of discrimination who board the Ship of Wisdom cross this sea of experiential life, full of the waters of latent impressions.

V-177. Those people who know this world and what is beyond it are in accordance with all things. They do not avoid or seek the ways of the world.

V-178. The germination of the mental construction consists in the inclination of the Spirits to objects ("knowables") - the Spirit, which is infinite, which is the Truth of the Self, and which is the Universal Being.

V-179. This very germination, having arisen easily, gradually fills up, developing into the mind; then it contributes to inertia, like a cloud.

V-180. By representing objects as something other than the Self, as it were, the Spirit is transformed into a constructive process, as it were; just as a seed into a sprout.

V-181. (Mental) construction is in fact a process of joining (the constituents); it arises automatically and grows rapidly to pain, never to pleasure.

V-182. Do not indulge in mental construction; in a state of stability, do not abide in positive existence. Persistently stop mental construction. In this way, one will never again follow the path of construction.

V-183. Due to lack of imagination, (the process of) mental construction is automatically exhausted. (One act of) construction leads to another. The mind eats itself, O sage!

V-184. Having departed (from the formation), abide in the Self. Once this is done, what can be difficult? Just as this sky is empty, so is the entire cosmos empty.

V-185. Wise Brahmin! Just as the husk of rice or the black film on copper are destroyed by effort, so too can the mental impurities of man be destroyed.

V-186. Like a grain of rice, the inherent impurity of the Jiva can also be destroyed to a sufficient extent. There is no doubt about it. Therefore strive.

VI-1. By renouncing the deeply felt and seductive charm that is the imagination, the empirical life, you remain what you (really) are; O sinless one! Playfully wander through the world.

VI-2. By means of the sharp and creative thought "I am a non-agent in all contexts" there remains only (the perception of) sameness, called "the highest immortality."

VI-3. In relation to all developments of pain caused solely by the feeling of one's activity, (in the end) only sameness remains when the mental constructions of a person are exhausted.

VI-4. This sameness, among all emotional moods, is the status based on Truth. Anchored in it, the mind is no longer reborn.

VI-5. O sage! Abandoning all forms of activity and inactivity and abolishing the mind, you remain what you (really) are; be steadfast.

VI-6-7. Steadfast in the final steadfastness, renounce the very tendency to renunciation. Renounce everything together with its cause - the dichotomy between Spirit and mind, light and darkness, etc.; latent impressions and that which gives rise to them - and also the vibrations of the vital breath, (be) like the sky with a quieted intellect.

VI-8. Having completely erased from the heart the mass series of latent impressions, he who remains free from all worries, is liberated, is the supreme Deity.

VI-9. I have seen everything that is worth seeing; through delusion I have wandered in all the ten directions of space. For the ignorant who wanders, through reasoning, (the realms of) empirical existence, the latter shrinks to the size of a cow's hoof.

VI-10. In the body with its entrances and exits, above and below, in the regions between, here and there, there is I; there is no world that is not I through and through.

VI-11. There is nothing in which I am not; there is nothing that is not That through and through. What more do I need? All things are essentially Being and Spirit, permeated by That.

VI-12. All this is indeed Brahman; all this expanded reality is I. I am one and this is another - give up this delusion, O sinless one!

VI-13. There can be no superimposed (objects) in the eternal, expanded and indivisible Brahman. There is no sorrow, no delusion, no old age, no birth.

VI-14. What is (really) here, only That exists. Always be calm, experiencing things as they happen, and without any desires.

VI-15(a). Without avoiding or clinging, be always calm.

VI-15(b)-16. Generous One! Flawless knowledge quickly flies to one who is in his last birth, just as pure pearls are placed in the best bamboo. This example has been suggested to be best suited to those who develop dispassion.

VI-17. Confidence in the joy of knowledge (comes from) close contact of the perceiver and the object. We properly meditate on this stable Self, manifested in the truth of one's Self (the source of the joy of knowledge).

VI-18. Giving up the perception of the seer and the object together with the latent impressions, we duly meditate on the Self which manifests Itself first as perception.

VI-19. We meditate properly on the eternal Self, the illumination of all lights, which occupies an intermediate position between "is" and "is not."

VI-20. By rejecting the Lord who reigns in the heart, those who are chasing after (some other) God are actually seeking a jewel, having discarded Kaustubha, already in their possession.

VI-21. As Indra strikes the mountain peaks with his thunderbolt, so should one strike with the rod of discrimination these opponents in the form of the sense organs, both active and passive.

VI-22. In the bad dream (seen) on the night of empirical life – in this empty illusion of the body – everything that is experienced (as an extended) delusion of empirical) life is impure.

VI-23. In childhood, man is befuddled by ignorance; in youth, he is overcome by woman. During the remainder of his life, he is troubled by his wife. What can a man, the lowest of men, achieve?

VI-24. (But lament thus): Unreality rides on the summit of existence; ugliness on the summit of beautiful things; pains ride on the summit of pleasures. To what single essence can I have recourse?

VI-25. Even those people die, closing and opening their eyes, whose misery or prosperity depends on the world. What kind of people are like my (humble) self?

VI-26. It is said that empirical life is the limit of suffering. When the body (of one's) has slipped into its depths, how can one achieve pleasure?

VI-27. I have awakened! I have awakened!! Here is the evil thief (that has been pestering me, namely) the mind. I will destroy it; I have long been under its attack.

VI-28. Do not be discouraged. Do not seek to seize what is only to be avoided. Having abandoned (the ideas of both rejection and seizure), remain rooted in that which can neither be rejected nor seized; be completely firm.

VI-29-30. The knower, freed from things to be rejected or seized, possesses, without hidden impressions, the qualities (such as): freedom from desire and fear, will and action; eternity, equality, wisdom, gentleness, confidence, fortitude, friendliness, contentment, mercy and gentleness of speech.

VI-31-32. With the sharp needle of the (piercing) intellect, tear apart the nest cast by the fisherwoman of thirst in the waters of the transient life - the net made of the ropes of (various) thoughts, as a strong wind scatters the (vast) net of clouds. Then abide in the vast state (as the unchanging Brahman).

VI-33. Cutting through the mind with the mind itself, as with an axe a tree, and having attained the holy state, immediately be steadfast.

VI-34. While standing or moving, sleeping or walking, while staying in any place, flying or falling, internally convinced that (all) this is unreal, avoid (all) clinging.

VI-35. If you depend on this objective (world), you have a mind and are in bondage. If you reject the objective (world), you have no mind; you are liberated.

VI-36. "Neither I nor it is real" - thus thinking remains absolutely motionless, in the intervals of subjective and objective awareness.

VI-37. Get rid of what gives pleasure and what gives pleasure, and, situated in the middle between the object and the enjoyer, always devote yourself to the contemplation of your Self as (pure) awareness.

VI-38. While in "taste", fill yourself with the higher Self; resorting to the unsupported, calm yourself again and again.

VI-39. Those who are bound by ropes are liberated: (but) none of those who are in the grip of thirst can be liberated by anyone. Therefore, Nidagha, rid yourself of thirst by abandoning all mental constructions.

VI-40. Having cut through this innate and sinful thirst, the essence of which is egoism, with the needle of self-denial, be placed in the borderland of the future and the present, completely suppressing all fear.

VI-41-43. Having abandoned the old idea, "I am the very life of these objects, and these objects are my very life!" "without them I am nothing, and they are nothing without me," and reflecting, "I do not belong to (any) object, and no object belongs to me," the intellect becomes calm and actions are performed in a sporting spirit. The latent impression (of such an agent) remains renounced. This renunciation, O Brahmana, is extolled as worthy of deep meditation!

VI-44. By the equilibrium of the intellect the complete destruction of latent impressions is achieved. This (indeed) must be considered as the destruction of latent impressions, having gained the victory, one renounces (even) the body, since one is free from all sense of ownership.

VI-45. He is called Jivanmukta (Liberated in Life) who lives having given up all conceivable objects; for he has regeneratively given up all latent egoistic impressions.

VI-46. Having abandoned all baseless (mental) constructions and latent impressions, he who has attained tranquility is the best among the Knowers of Brahman; he is liberated. His renunciation can only be inferred.

VI-47-48. These two fearless, unconcerned about the pleasures and pains that come in due time, have attained the status of Brahman - the (passive) renunciate and the (active) Yogi, both of whom are self-disciplined and peaceful. O Lord of the sages! For they do not strive for anything and do not reject anything amidst the internal, mental changes.

VI-49-50(a) He is called a Jivanmukta who lives as one in dreamless sleep, who is neither exalted nor depressed by the emotions of joy, intolerance, fear, anger, lust and helplessness and who is free from all objective prejudices.

VI-50(b). Craving born of latent impressions oriented towards external objects is called bound.

VI-51-52(a). He who is freed from the latent impressions connected with objects as such is called liberated. Know that desire culminating in the prayerful thought, "let this be the mind," will be a strong chain that gives rise to suffering, birth and fear.

VI-52(b)-53(a). The magnanimous man renounces (this fettering desire) towards objects, both real and unreal, and attains an exalted status.

VI-53(b)-54(a). Then, outgrowing attachment to both bondage and liberation, and to the states of pain and pleasure, attachment to both the real and the unreal, remains unshaken, like an undisturbed ocean.

VI-54(b). Good sir, a person can have fourfold confidence.

VI-55. Begotten of (my) mother and father, I am (the body) from the feet to the head. This special confidence, O Brahmana, arises from observing the anxieties of bondage!

VI-56. Good people have the second kind of confidence that is conducive to liberation, namely, "I am beyond all objects and beings; I am finer than the tip of a hair."

VI-57. The best of the Brahmins, the third kind of confidence, conducive only to liberation (consisting in the thought), has been established: “This entire objective world, this entire indestructible universe, is only I.”

VI-58. There is also a fourth confidence that brings liberation (which consists of the affirmation) "I and the whole world are empty and like the sky at all times."

VI-59. Of these, the first is said to (come from) the thirst that brings bondage. Those who have the last three are playful, extremely pure, and liberated in this (very) life. Their thirsts have been (entirely) purified.

VI-60. The magnanimous (sage), the mind, seized with the confidence "I am everything", is never born again to taste sorrow!

VI-61. This Brahman was (identified) with the void, Prakriti, Maya, and also consciousness. He was also called "Shiva, the pure Spirit, the Lord, the eternal and himself."

VI-62. There flourishes only the non-dual Power, which is the Self through and through; it playfully builds the universe with (factors) born (both) of duality and non-duality.

VI-63. He who has recourse to the status beyond all objects, who through and by the Spirit is perfect, who is not agitated and self-satisfied, never suffers in this empirical life.

VI-64. He who performs the actions that befall him, always looking equally at enemy and friend, who is free from both sympathies and antipathies, is neither sad nor hopeful.

VI-65. He who utters what pleases all; speaks pleasantly when asked; and who is acquainted with the thoughts of all beings, never suffers in this empirical life.

VI-66. Taking refuge in the original vision (of Reality), marked by renunciation of all objects and Self-established, fearlessly wander through the world as a (true) Jivanmukta.

VI-67. Inwardly having abandoned all desires, free from attachment, having rid himself of all latent impressions, (but) outwardly conforming to the established patterns of behavior, he fearlessly wanders through the world.

VI-68. Outwardly feigning enthusiastic activity, but, deep down, free from all this, outwardly an agent (but) in fact not an agent, he wanders through the world with purified understanding.

VI-69. Having rejected egoism, with visible intelligence, shining like the sky, unsullied, he wanders through the world with purified understanding.

VI-70. Exalted, pure in behavior, conforming to established norms of behavior, free from all internal attachments, leading, so to speak, an empirical life.

VI-71. Having recourse to the inner Spirit of renunciation, outwardly he acts to attain (some) goal (or another). Only petty people discriminate, saying: One is a relative, another is a stranger.

VI-72-73(a). For those who live generously, the whole world is but a family. Take refuge in a status free from all considerations of empirical life, beyond old age and death, where all mental constructs are extinguished and where no attachments find shelter.

VI-73(b). This is the status of Brahman, absolutely pure, beyond all desires and suffering.

VI-74(a). Thus equipped and wandering (on earth), man is not overcome by crisis.

VI-74(b)-75. Relying on detachment and qualities such as generosity, raise your mind persistently to enjoy the fruits of Brahmic freedom. Through detachment it attains perfection in the path of negation (of the object).

VI-76-77(a). (The mind is thus) emptied of all desires, like a clear lake (of water) in the autumn season. Why is the intelligent man not ashamed to cling to the same dry routine of tasteless actions, day after day?

VI-77(b). Slavery is formed by consciousness (as a subject) and its objects; as soon as one is freed from them, liberation comes.

VI-78. "Consciousness (Spirit) is never an object; all is Self" - this is the essence of all Vedic doctrines. Having recourse to this true doctrine, contemplate (the world) intellectually and freely.

VI-79. "You will independently attain the Self, the state of bliss (retention): I am Spirit, these worlds are Spirit, the directions (in Space) are Spirit; these manifested beings are Spirit."

VI-80-81. "I am the glory (mahas), devoid of objects and perceptions, completely pure in form, ever manifest, freed from all phenomena, the seer, the witness, the spirit free from all objects, the full-sphere light in essence, for whom there is no knowable, Knowledge pure and simple."

VI-82. "King of the sages! With the destruction of all mental constructions, with all aspirations, resort to the state of confidence and assert yourself in the Self."

VI-83. The Brahmana, a seeker after Truth, who abides in the Mahapanishad, becomes a well-versed Vedic scholar. (If) he is uninitiated, he becomes initiated; he is purified by fire, air, the sun, the moon, the Truth, by all means of purification. He becomes known to all the gods; is purified (as if he had bathed) in all the sacred waters. He abides in the thoughts of all the gods. He has (so to speak) performed all the sacrifices. To him are due the fruits of repeating the Gayatri sixty thousand times; of repeating the Itihasa, the Puranas, and Srirudra lacs of times; of repeating Omkara ten thousand times. He hollows out rows (of living beings) as far as the eye can reach; and seven generations both in the past and in the future. Thus declares Hiranyagarbha. "By repeating sacred sayings man obtains immortality" — this is the Mahapanishad.

Om! May my limbs and speech, prana, eyes, ears, life force
And all feelings grow in strength.
All existence is the Brahman of the Upanishads.
May I never deny Brahman, nor may Brahman deny me.
Let there be no denial at all:
Let there be no denial, at least from me.
Let the virtues proclaimed in the Upanishads be
Who are devoted to the Atman; let them abide in me.
Om! Let there be Peace in me!
May there be Peace in my surroundings!
May there be Peace in the forces that act upon me!

Thus ends the Mahopanishad included in the Samaveda.