Kindle Notes & Highlights
follows. The aspirant must come to understand that the reason why one harbors pride for objects is because he believes the objects to be true. If one understands that objects are only a temporary appearance, and becomes convinced that objects cannot really provide true happiness, then the apparent reality of the objects automatically fades away. It then becomes possible for one to develop detachment for those objects that were previously held dear to one as true. A
Unless the futility of acquiring objects in this world is impressed irrevocably upon the mind, Self-Knowledge is difficult to attain. Unless one understands the false nature of objects, one will never aspire for the "Real Thing."
Self-Knowledge is the Knowledge about one's Self. Once we recognize who we really are, then automatically the determination is made regarding what is permanent and what is transient. Then,
very naturally the renunciation of the impermanent, and the acceptance of the permanent follows.
This beggar called man, who has lost his own treasure of the Self, continuously chants "I am the body, I am the body." He is forever discontent saying "I want this, I want that," and wanders around always begging for something in the world. He can only truly be pacified with
the gift of the Self.
As soon as one says, "I am the doer of a certain act," that "I" must enjoy the fruits of such action. Enjoyment and suffering of the fruits or the results of action are tied to the action itself, and to the identification as the doer. Actually, no such thing as an "I" exists.
The one who saw the absence of dreams, imaginings, and doubts, in the state of Forgetfulness, and knew of their absence or non-existence,
existence, is "The God of Knowledge" (Jnanadeva). It is He who witnesses the dissolution of all the modifications of Knowledge and is the one who presides over the Great-Causal Body. However, it should be clearly understood that this "Witnessing Knowledge" is also a parasite (an unwanted presence) on the "Pure Nature of the Self." This "Witnessing Knowledge" is only needed to be used to annihilate the "Ignorance" of the Causal Body which means having "no knowledge." When the "Witnessing
Knowledge" of the Fourth Body is left behind, the state of Forgetfulness is forgotten, and "Knowledge" sees only at itself. Observation of one's Self cannot be called "witnessing." The seer is called a witness when he forgets the Self and sees something objective or different from the Self. When seeing only Himself, he a...
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To separately look at one's own nature is Space, and when the "looking" is abandoned, it is "Pure Knowledge." Once Pure Knowledge is recognized properly in this
manner, even when mixed with any object, it can be selected and recognized.
once Pure Knowledge is known, its steady existence in this moving world in the form of Sat-Chit-Ananda (Being, Consciousness, and Bliss) can also be recognized.
The factual experience that "The world is nothing but Knowledge" is itself Knowledge becoming the "Final Reality" (Vijnana). It is because of the feeling that there is someone else in the world who is not "I," that we go around night and day with a feeling of anxiety that we should protect our wife, our wealth, and our belongings from the clutches of someone else. In this way, we turn into a "Gasti" or watchman due to the feeling of possessiveness and
ownership. However, when one realizes a feeling of "Oneness with Everyone," and the feeling that "I am present everywhere, I am pervading everything." On that day, the "Gasti" becomes "Agasti," the sage who drank the ocean in one sip. This ocean, which is the five elements that make up the entire universe, may not even be enough for one sip.
The Vedas and scriptures talk up to the point of the Great-Causal Body. Until then, it is the primary premise, or the theory. In the field of Knowledge beyond the Great-Causal Body is the proven final conclusion, or Siddhanta, and the cancelling of all that has been laid down is right there. When all phenomena is destroyed, or annihilated, whatever remains is your "Real Nature." It is impossible to describe it in
words. Where "the knowledge of words" proves to be Ignorance, where Consciousness becomes non-Consciousness, and where all remedies recommended by the scriptures are only hindrances, you will see for yourself how you reach that highest point. The Sadguru brought you to the threshold and pushed you inside, but the Sadguru cannot show you the beauty, or the panorama within. You have to seize the treasure, the trophy, yourself. Now, after all this has been said, there remains nothing that can be conveyed through words. Words were used for whatever had to be told. That which cannot be conveyed by
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Dasbodh tells us what one achieves by listening to and studying spiritual discourse, as well as how to practice devotion. It has been explained there how man becomes God after having developed detachment from the gross body, the mind, and the ego through spiritual knowledge. To be one with God
is called single-pointed devotion, devotion through oneness, and non-differentiation.
walk with one's feet means to follow what the Master (Guru) has prescribed, while to walk with one's head means to argue or speculate. When you have the above qualities, the Guru leaves you on the sixth rung of the ladder (in Indian philosophy there are seven stages to Absolute Reality. If all of the above requirements are met, the Guru takes the disciple to the next to the last stage. After this, he imparts the knowledge of Absolute Reality which must be experienced by the seeker for oneself.)
There is nothing apart from the seer and the seen in this world. The One who resides in the hearts of all is Brahman, and He is "Real." One who takes refuge in the seen perishes, and one who takes refuge in Brahman attains That status. He becomes Brahman. Whoever worships, will attain the object of worship. If you concentrate your attention on the seen (objective world), you will be destroyed along with the seen.
He who says, "I am the one who experiences," is swallowed by the demon of "I"
Life is useless if one is not detached. It is one's attitude that must be changed. To remain in the world with the clear understanding that "All of this is false," is an act of great courage. In this way, remain detached mentally.
"When objective knowledge ends, the seer does not survive as a seer. At that time the pride of "I" disappears." (Dasbodh - Chapter 6, Sub-chapter 10)
Your mind is engrossed in the objects created by Illusion (Maya). This includes even the body. As long as your mind is involved in Maya you have the concepts of "you" and "I." The whole struggle in Illusion is because you want the body only to get what the mind considers to be "good." Because you devote your mind to this struggle, the world exists. Because there are students, there are teachers. If the students go away, for whom is the teacher? Because there is objective knowledge, "you" exist.
The aspirant asks, "When one is in the company of a sage, within how many days will one attain liberation?" After listening to spiritual discourse, and after implementing the advice, when one starts getting experiences, he will immediately be liberated. Faith in the teachings means that whatever the Master says must be brought into practice. When one takes this world as untrue, then one is content. As we honor the
Master, so should we honor all. All have the Atman, the Self, present in them, so all should be treated with respect and dignity. The teachings of the Master must be brought into practice. Then one gets rest. There is no escape unless you separate the body from the Self.
You must become fearlessness. Faced with either happiness or misery, why should we not think that everything might be occurring for the good? Keep your faith in the unseen, adrishta. Adrishta, the unseen, means that which is beyond the realm of reason. Jnanis, the "knowledgeable ones," understand this and go their own way. Wherever God has put us, live there happily. We should keep to the path of virtue. The sign of a saint is that he does not act according to what comes to his mind. If someone is harassing you, bear it, knowing that he is talking to the mind.
The Master is necessary beyond the gross, subtle and causal bodies. One who understands that there is no salvation without a Master, surrenders to the Master. To bow one's head means to surrender one's intellect. Whatever had to be done through the intellect has been done, but there is no fruition.
Without the Master you cannot get "True Knowledge." When the Master promises to give you liberation, at that very moment you get liberated. There is no doubt about it. He has the capacity of bestowing liberation. The Master explains this knowledge to you in countless ways. He proves it until it becomes crystal clear to the aspirant. The Master has a monopoly over liberation. Take it for granted that devotion is the mother of Knowledge, and the travails of the world and God that give you stress go away. Devotion means faith in the Master.
There is no difference between your Self and the Self of the Master.
The Master gives without expecting anything in return. It is impossible to repay what He has given by any means. Therefore, each devotee should express devotion to his Master.
The one who is steady in the Self, says that "I am all-pervading, complete, and inherently present in every heart." The qualities associated the attainment of Absolute Reality are:
1. Detachment: Absence of desire to acquire things (or people). 2. Generosity: There is nothing that belongs to me in this world. Let things come and go. I am free from all things. Severance from everything, including the body is okay. No motivation to protect worldly things. 3. Knowledge: I am Brahman. Success is certain. 4. Success: To be rid of Maya. Good riddance to rubbish (Illusion)!
The "God of Death" (Yama) is sitting on one side of the balance (the body) and casts nets in the form of sensual pleasures. To release oneself from them, you should be ready to give them up, then the Master helps you. He is the true guide. If you get released from the bonds of death (transient appearances) there is success. 5. Liberation: Liberation from all karmas (actions). If you want sainthood, meditate on the teachings of the Master. If you only meditate on wife and
worldly affairs, you will only be miserable. Shri means the "Divine Wealth" that pervades all hearts, without pride, without concepts, beyond duality, dreamless, egoless, etc. Such is the nature of Brahmanhood. If one is committed to Brahmanhood, he acquires all of the qualifications mentioned above. If there is a lamp that is lit in the house, light will stream out through the window. When one gets the "Knowledge of Brahman," higher glory follows
automatically. It becomes evident in one's speech, hearing, and in all the senses. Let one who has to die, die happily, and let one who is going to live, live. The Master easily helps the earnest seeker become free from the trappings of this world. We have to release ourselves. Let us not talk of others, such as how much detachment do other people have, and how much discrimination? Let us not get involv...
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in many forms. She may come in a good form or a bad form. We must become free of this ghost of the ego. Exorcise the ego. Purge all these extraneous objects from your mind, and exorcise this ghost by the mantra, "I am Brahman." Then comes success, f...
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Once one seeks the Master's refuge, the world appears as "Soham" (I am That). But to all others it appears as "Koham"(Who am I?). The world appears the way one perceives it. One who identifies himself with Brahman sees all as Brahman. If one becomes
a jiva (an individual), he finds the world as mundane. "For one who is good, the world is good." The ignorant find the world full of different entities (forms). For the realized one, it is all One. There is no duality.
Duality is due to two entities, the seer, and the seen. The disciples of the Master see everything as One. The Master gives the gift of the third eye, "The Eye of Knowledge," and duality flees away. The veil of Maya (Illusion) is removed. The state of "being" becomes undifferentiated.
"I" or ego has been created from ignorance. (One should awaken from both Knowledge and ignorance). To say, "I am of
the nature of knowledge, I am Consciousness," is egoism. "I am Brahman" is also egoism. True aspirants understand this ego. There is no need to say, "I am Brahman." The moment one says it he is separated from Self, as he has created duality. Instead of saying "I am Brahman" in words, imbibe it's meaning. Then you abide in Parabrahman. When one abides in the Self, without duality, it is called "Experience."
Forgetfulness and Awareness (remembrance) go hand-in-hand. When the Self is forgotten, space arises. Arising of space means that even your own Self is not felt. This means there is nothing, the void. Why is it seen? Because we are not in our own Self. Because nothing is felt, there is no time, no
fixed hour, no place. Nothing is perceived in Brahman. This implies that there are no objects. When perception arose, concepts of space, time, and objects were created. In the beginning of creation, three things were created; (1) Space, (2) Time, (3) Objects. And the world came into being. When did it appear? When you saw it. In reality, there is nothing.
In the beginning, the owner needs to be present, then he builds a house and lives in it. Thus, the being is created first, and then the house he lives in. First there is "Being," or Awareness, then comes the Inner-Self, the body, etc. The subtle body appears first, then later the gross appears, and finally,
the world appears. This is the way a realized person understands the process of creation. A realized person knows that the Self is first, whereas an ignorant person believes that the world comes first. In a dream, one leaves this body and takes up another body. In this same manner, thousands of bodies are taken by the Self. If you say, the world comes first, then there is no end to the diversity of the process.
If one keeps quiet (if the mind is at rest), dreams, doubts, intellect, thoughts, etc. disappear. Then, what remains, is nothing. This "nothing" can
also be given up, but the one who gives it up remains. "I" am the one who transcends everything. So, "I" remain as a witness. Finally, leave even this "I." Now there remains just Truth, which is beyond knowledge and ignorance.
Who are you? Know this. One who knows oneself becomes the Self. If lust, anger, temptation, etc., arise, let them arise. They will eventually subside. How do they affect you? Know that you are quite different from all these. Knowing that, "I am beyond knowledge and ignorance, different from all," remain steady, at peace like a king. Know that God, your Self, is without shape, without attribute. Then you become free. Nobody can worship Nirguna (the attributeless) by remaining a separate entity.
