Asthavaka Gita Part 23

Peace (part 6)


Though pleased he is not pleasured; though pained he does not suffer.
This wonderful state is understood only by those like him.

The belief in duty creates a relative world for its performance. The wise one
knows Himself to be formless, timeless, all-pervasive, immaculate,
and thus transcends duty and world.

Even doing nothing the dull one is anxious and distracted. Even amidst great action
the wise one remains still.

Even in practical life the wise one remains happy. Happy to sit, happy to sleep,
happy to move about, happy to speak, happy to eat…

Because he knows Self the wise one is not disrupted by practical life.
He is deep and still, like a vast lake. He is not like ordinary people.
His sorrows have vanished.

For the deluded one, even rest is an activity. For the wise, even action bears the
fruit of stillness.

The deluded one is often adverse to the things of his life. To one with no thought
for body, attachment and aversion have no meaning.

The deluded mind is caught up in thinking and not thinking.Though the mind
of the wise one may think what thoughts come, he is not aware of it.

The sage sees nothing being done even when performed by his hands.
Like a child he is pure and acts without reason.

Blessed indeed is he who knows Self. Though seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating,
he never desires nor changes.

For one who is void and changeless, where is the world and its imaginings?
Where is the end? Where is the possibility of it?

Glorious indeed is he who, free of desire, embodies Bliss itself.
He has become absorbed in Self.

In short, the great soul who has realized Truth is free of desire, enjoyment and liberation.
In all of space and time he is attached to nothing.

What remains for One who is Consciousness itself, who sees the non-existence
of a phenomenal world created by the mere thought of a name?

Peace is natural for one who knows for certain nothing exists, who sees appearances are illusion,
to whom the inexpressible is apparent.

Rules of conduct, detachment, renunciation, asceticism— what are these to one
who sees the unreality of things, who is the Light of Awareness?

How can there be joy or sorrow, bondage or liberation, for one who perceives non-existence
and lights the infinite?

Until Self-realization, illusion prevails. The sage lives without
thoughts of “I” or “mine.” His connection to illusion is severed.

What is knowledge? What is the universe? What are thoughts like “I am the body,” or
“the body is mine”?
The sage is imperishable and sorrow-less. He is Self alone.


(to be continued .... Bows)

Asthavakra Gita Part 22

Peace (part 5)

Timid men fear sensory experience much as they do tigers.
They seek refuge in caves and try to un-think the world.

Sensory experiences are like elephants who, upon encountering a desireless man,
see him as a lion. They immediately turn on their heels,
or if unable to escape, stay on to flatter and serve him.

A man with no doubts, who knows only Self, has no need of practice
or liberation. Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating— he lives as he is, happily.

One whose mind is emptied and unconflicted by the mere hearing of Truth
sees nothing to do, nothing to avoid, nothing to warrant his indifference.

The sage does whatever appears to be done without thinking of good or bad.
His actions are those of a child.

Depending on nothing, one finds happiness. Depending on nothing, one attains the Supreme.
Depending on nothing, one passes through tranquility to One Self.

When one realizes he is neither the actor nor the one who watches, the mind-storm is stilled.

The actions of the sage, free of pretence and motive, shine like clear light.
Not so those of the deluded seeker who affects a peaceful demeanor
while remaining firmly attached.

Unbounded, unfettered, untethered from the projections of mind, the wise are free
 to play and enjoy, or retire to mountain caves.

Whether honoring a spiritual scholar, a god, or holy shrine; whether
seeing a desirable woman, a king, or beloved friend-- the heart of the sage
is unmoved.

Though his servants, sons, wives, daughters, grandchildren and all his relatives
ridicule and despise him, the yogi is undismayed.

Bows (to be continued .... )

Asthavakra Gita Part 21

Peace (Part 4)

Hearing ultimate Truth, the dull-witted man is bewildered. The wise man hearing Truth
retreats within and appears dull-witted.

The ignorant practice meditation and no-thought. The wise, like men in deep sleep,
do nothing.

The ignorant man finds no peace either by effort or non-effort. The wise man
by Truth alone is stilled.

Though they are by nature Self alone, pure intelligence, love and perfection;
though they transcend the universe and are clearness itself, men of the world will
not see this through meditation and practices.

The ignorant man will never be liberated by his repetitious practices. Blessed is he who
by simple understanding enters timeless freedom.

Because he desires to know God, the ignorant man can never become That.
The wise man is God because he is free of desire and knows nothing.

Unable to stand steady and eager for salvation, the ignorant perpetuate the illusion of world.
Seeing the world as the source of all misery, the wise cut it off at the root.

The fool thinks peace comes by controlling the mind. He will never attain it.
The wise one knows Truth, and is stillness itself.

For he who thinks knowledge is things and ideas how can there be Self-knowledge?
The wise do not see separate things-- only the timeless Self.

The fool tries to control the mind with the mind—what folly!
The wise one delights in Self alone. There is no mind to master.

Some believe in existence; others believe nothing exists. Rare is the one who
believes nothing and is never confused.

Weak intellectuals may believe the Self is One without other. But being mired in illusion
they do not actually know Self, so live out their lives in misery.

The mind of one seeking liberation depends on things for perception. The mind of the
liberated one perceives no-thing and is free of desire.


(will be continued ..... Bows)

Scattered Thoughts 4

1. You can run after the goat or chicken or train and bus .... But you can not run after god.... If you run after god , it simply means you failed to understand what ever you see ... And the seer in you all is god ... You can not run after something that is simply IS.

2. Mind becomes a samsari, mind becomes sannyasi , mind becomes yogi , mind becomes devotee , it is only mind that take so many shapes and quality depending on persons samskara of past life .. To get false sense of BLISS and in the process again enslave the being . ☺ say neti neti , not that , not this to all ... What will remain is all that IS.

3.Who can experience god ! ... Only God can.

4. Become devoid of all ..

5. Find the being of who you are .... The one nameless ... Formless ... Sitting in ever Silence.... Die there ...   

6. We are always here , at home , all understandings of separation from supreme self is ego , hence ignorance. The best part is it decays naturally even if you do not try. This is evolution of soul.

As the arrow was shot up .... Will loose momentum and fall to the ground naturally.

 

7. An Advaita do not take care of life , body or mind ... An Advaita ... Is like a wild life .. Just like the grass grows and dies ... Just like a cloud , that flows on where ever wind takes it .... Caring is mind , work is mind, ... An Advaita sees only ... That , caring taking place , working taking place , but Advaita can see clearly , that what is he is devoid of any of these ..... Talking more of Advaita is destroying Advaita .... Silence speaks better.

 

8. Shatter the illusion .... See ... What is permanent and what is not .... The mind will say "but" .... Lol ... Enough of this crap , dear mind you are not permanent .... But. I am .... You need maintainance .. I do not , you live , you die, so you fear dear mind, but I do not ...

 

9.  If you see, think or believe this world , this you, this samsara is imperfect, and you need to do things to make these perfect ..... Then you must understand , that , thus idea is out of ignorance, why you are then praying to a god, bhrambhan who creates imperfect world , you or samsara.....!

 

10. When one see everything is perfect and nothing is really there to be done, then only one bows his head down to this magnificent illusion ,.. And that is called surrender.... , the sense of overwhelming presence of silence 24 hours a day ... Is Devotion.

 

11. Stay in the cave of yourself.... the place where mind fears to go.

 

12.   Karma is not future event that will come as per the action i take in present.

Karma is 99% memory ... we say you enjoy or suffer a given situation as per your karma , that is 1%.

what your family considers as enjoyment , you might consider as pain , what you consider as joy , you family may consider it as pain .... because the karma is memory and it decides how you respond to given situation.

With death of the mind or the person ... Karma dies off ... if the being still lives on , ... is called Jiva Mukta . How can karma play its game if there is no you ! 

Bows to all Atman :)

 

Asthavakra Gita Part 20

Peace (part 3)

He who is beyond existence and non-existence-- who is wise, satisfied, free of desire--
does nothing, though the world may see him in motion.

The wise one is not troubled by action or inactivity. He lives happily, doing whatever
gets done.

Like a leaf in the wind the liberated one is untethered from life-- desireless, independent,
free.

For one who has transcended the world there is no joy or sorrow. With a stilled mind,
he lives on with no body.

One who knows Self, whose mind is serene and spotless, does not desire to give up
 anything, nor does he miss what is not there.

His mind being in a natural state of emptiness, the wise one knows nothing of honor
and dishonor. He does what comes to be done.

One who acts knowing “This is done by the body, not by I, pure Self,”
indeed does nothing-- no matter how much acting takes place.

The liberated one acts without claiming to be acting, but he is no fool.
He is blessed and happy even though in the world.

Having had enough of the endless workings of the mind, the wise one comes to rest.
He neither thinks, nor knows, nor hears, nor sees.

Beyond stillness, beyond distraction, the great soul thinks nothing of liberation or bondage.
Having seen the universe is void-- even though it seems to exist--
he is God.

He who believes he is a person is constantly acting, even when the body is at rest.
The sage knows he is not a person, and therefore does nothing,
even when the body is in motion.

The mind of the liberated one is neither troubled nor pleased. It is actionless, motionless,
desireless and free of doubt.

The liberated one does not exert effort to meditate or act.
Action and meditation just happen.

(will be continued ..... Bows)

Asthavakra Gita part 19

PEACE (part 2)

Seeing everything is imagination, knowing the Self as timelessly free,
the sage lives as a child.

Knowing himself as Absolute, knowing existence and non-existence
to be imagination only, what is there for the desireless one
to learn, say or do?

Knowing for certain that all is Self, the sage has no trace of thoughts
such as “I am this” or “I am not that.”

The yogi who finds stillness is neither distracted nor focused.
He knows neither pleasure nor pain. Ignorance dispelled,
he is free of knowing.

Heaven or poverty, gain or loss, society or solitude, to the yogi free of conditioning
there is no difference.

Religious merit, sensory pleasure, worldly prosperity, discrimination between
this and that— these have no significance to the yogi free of opposites
such as “I do this” and “this I do not.”

The yogi who is liberated while living has no duties in this world, no attachments in
his heart. His life proceeds without him.

For the great soul who abides beyond desire, where is illusion? Where is the universe?
Where is meditation on That? Where even is liberation from them?

He who sees the world may try to renounce it. But what can the desireless one do?
He sees there is nothing to see.

He who has seen the Supreme Brahma thinks, “I am Brahma.” But he who has
transcended all thought, what can he think? He knows no other than Self.

He achieves self-control who sees his own distraction. But the great soul is not distracted.
He has nothing to achieve. He has nothing to do.

The man of Knowledge may live as an ordinary man, but he is not.
He sees he is neither focused nor distracted,
and finds no fault with himself.

(will be continued ..... Bows)

Asthavakra Gita Part 18

PEACE (part 1)

Ashtavakra said:

Praise That, which is Bliss itself, which is by nature stillness and light,
and which by Its knowing reveals the world as a dream.

One may enjoy the abundant pleasures of the world, but will never be happy
until giving them up.

How can one whose innermost heart has been scorched by the sun of sorrow
that comes from duty be happy until the sweet rain of torrential stillness?

The universe is but a thought in Consciousness. In Reality it is nothing.
One who sees the true nature of existence and non-existence
never ceases to exist.

The Self--which is absolute, effortless, timeless, immaculate--
is without limits and at no distance from you.
You are forever It.

For those whose vision becomes unclouded, illusion evaporates
and the Self becomes known. All sorrow is instantly dispelled.



to be continued as Peace (part 2).

Asthavakra Gita Part 17

The True Knower

Ashtavakra said:

One has attained Knowledge and reaped the fruits of yoga who is content,
purified of attachments and at home in solitude.

The knower of Truth is never miserable in the world,
for the whole universe is filled with Himself alone.

As the foliage of the neem tree does not please an elephant
who delights in sallaki leaves, so do sense objects not please
he who delights in Self.

Rare in the world is one who does not relish past enjoyments,
nor yearn for enjoyments to come.

Those who desire pleasure and those who desire liberation
are both common in the world. Rare is the great soul who
desires neither enjoyment nor liberation.


Rare is the right-minded person who neither covets nor shuns
religion, wealth, pleasure,life or death.


The man of Knowledge neither cares for the universe nor desires
its dissolution. He lives happily on whatever comes his way.
He is blessed.

Knowing Self, mind empty and at peace, the sage lives happily,
seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating.


There is no attachment or non-attachment for one in whom the ocean
of the world has dried up.
His look is vacant, senses still.
His actions have no purpose.


The sage is neither asleep nor awake. He neither closes nor opens his eyes.
Thus, for the liberated soul, everywhere there is only This.

The liberated soul abides in Self alone and is pure of heart.
He lives always and everywhere, free of desire.


Seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, eating, taking, speaking, walking,
the great soul exerts neither effort nor non-effort.
He is truly free.


The liberated soul does not blame or praise, give or take, rejoice or
become angry. He is everywhere unattached and free.


The great soul remains poised and undisturbed, whether in the presence
of a passionate woman or observing the approach of his death.
He is truly free.


The sage sees no difference between happiness and misery,
man and woman, adversity and success. Everything is seen to be
the same.


In the sage there is neither violence nor mercy, arrogance nor humility,
anxiety nor wonder. His worldly life is exhausted.
He has transcended his role as a person.


The liberated one neither avoids experience nor craves it.
He enjoys what comes and what does not.


The sage is not conflicted by states of stillness and thought.
His mind is empty. His home is the Absolute.

Though he may perform actions, the man of Knowledge
does not act. Desires extinguished, free of thoughts of “I” and “mine,”
he knows with absolute certainty that nothing exists.


The sage is free. His empty mind no longer projects delusion, dreaming, dullness.
This state is indescribable.

Asthavakra Gita Part 16

Special Instruction


Ashtavakra said:

You can recite and discuss scripture all you want,but until you drop everything
you will never know Truth.

You can enjoy and work and meditate, but you will still yearn for That
which is beyond all experience, and in which all desires are extinguished.

Everyone is miserable because they exert constant effort.But no one understands this.
A ripe mind can become unshackled upon hearing this one instruction.

The master idler, to whom even blinking is a bother,is happy.
But he is the only one.

When the mind is free of opposites like “This is done,” and “This is yet undone,”
one becomes indifferent to merit, wealth, pleasure and liberation.

One who abhors sense objects avoids them. One who desires them becomes ensnared.
One who neither abhors nor desires is neither detached nor attached.


As long as there is desire-- which is the absence of discrimination--
there will be attachment and non-attachment. This is the cause of the world.

Indulgence creates attachment.Aversion creates abstinence.
Like a child, the sage is free of both and thus lives on as a child.

One who is attached to the world thinks renouncing it will relieve his misery.
One who is attached to nothing is free and does not feel miserable
even in the world.

He who claims liberation as his own, as an attainment of a person,
is neither enlightened nor a seeker. He suffers his own misery.

Though Hara, Hari or the lotus-born Brahma himself
instruct you,until you know "nothing" you will never know Self.

Asthavakra Gita Part 15

Knowledge of the Self

Ashtavakra said:

A man of open intuition may realize the Self upon hearing a casual instruction,
while a man of cluttered intellect inquires bewildered for a lifetime.

Aversion to the world’s offerings is liberation. Attraction to the world’s offerings
is the suffering of bondage.This is the truth.Now do as you please.

This knowledge of Truth turns an eloquent, wise and active man mute, empty and inert.
Lovers of the world therefore shun it.

You are not the body.You do not have a body.You neither do nor enjoy.
You are Awareness only--the timeless Witness.You are free.
Go in happiness.

Attachment and aversion are attributes of the mind.You are not the mind.
You are Consciousness itself-- changeless, undivided, free.
Go in happiness.

Realize Self in All and All in Self. Be free of personal identity
and the sense of “mine.” Be happy.

You are That in which the universe appears like waves appearing in the ocean.
You are Consciousness itself.No need to worry.

Have faith, my son, have faith. You are Awareness alone,the Self, the One.
You are the Lord of Nature.

The body is made of worldly stuff. It comes, it lingers, it goes.
The Self neither comes nor goes,yet remains.
Why mourn the body?

If the body lasts until the end of time or perishes today—
is there gain or loss for you? You who are Awareness?

Let the waves of the universe rise and fall as they will.
You have nothing to gain or lose. You are the ocean.

You are the substance of Consciousness. The world is You.Who is it that thinks
he can accept or reject it? And where does he stand?


In you who are One— immaculate, still Awareness— from where can birth, action
or a separate person arise?

Whatever you perceive is You and You alone.How can bracelets, armlets and anklets
be other than the gold they are made of?

Leave behind such distinctions as “I am He, the Self,” and “I am not this.”
Consider everything Self. Be desireless. Be happy.

Your ignorance alone creates the universe. In reality One alone exists.
There is no person or god other than You.

One who knows for certain that the universe is illusion, a no-thing,
becomes desireless, pure Awareness,
and finds peace in the existence of nothing.

In the ocean of existence only One is, was, and ever will be.
You are neither bound nor free. Live content and be happy.


Do not stir the mind with “yes” or “no.” You are pure Consciousness.
Be still, and abide in the bliss of Self.

Give up completely all contemplation. Hold nothing in the mind or heart.
You are the Self, forever free. Of what use is thinking to you?

Scattered Thoughts 3

Right actions are always welcome in the world , but how to know the action is right from every aspect of life ! - you know it can not be so. :)

there are another kind of action which is completely useless ... that is reaction ! ... it is relatively easy to let go , at least you can try ... if you do it , you will see 90% of your problems are gone , well that does not make you spiritual though , its just a way to have a less problematic life on this planet.

Bow down to everything you see ... innerly .... do know , mother nature is nurturing us with everything we do not even care to know. If you become awakened , bow down again ... you had a nice dream.

There is 3 state in being. Sleep State , Dream state and Awake state. Dream state ans awake state is similar , if a tiger chase you in dream or in awake state , in both the cases , there is almost no difference , fear , anxiety , running , trembling , sweating all happens in both state.
Sleep state is somehow different ... we do not get any experience of sleeping .. its dark there. You can not party for long , even after a long fun filled day you feel the need to go to bed and sleep really deep when the person in you do not exist. If you could be aware of the sleep state , its called yoganidra .. then you experience sleep , in the lap of mother nature , a state of no thought and no person hood .... merger of the limited self to the infinite self.

Most people do not seek it. Because if you get it , you get endless , infinite emptiness. It causes a fear within the mind , the last fear to pass over. But you get the essence that if you stay more there , you will dissolve in it , there will be no you. So people tend to protect their identity and resist the black-hole to engulf themselves and dissolve in The Self , or should be said there is not enough strong longing for freedom !

When you are in truth ... you are not concerned about jobs , businesses , you are not concerned about karmas good or bad , you are not concerned about Dharma or adharmas , you are not concerned about real or unreal , you are not concerned about the past , future or even present .. you are not concerned about births and deaths you are going through , you are not concerned about enlightenment or freedom , you are not concerned about the person who you think you are , not even concerned about who you really are .... you are not concerned about the creation and destruction .
You are just not concerned ... thats all.

Bows

Asthavakra Gita Part 14

Tranquility

Janaka said:

Though appearing asleep like other men, one whose interest in the world is exhausted,
whose mind has been emptied,who thinks only by inadvertence,
is in Reality awake.

When desire has melted,how can there be wealth, or friends, or the seduction of senses?
What use is scripture and knowledge?

I have realized the Supreme Self, the Witness, the One.I am indifferent
to bondage and freedom. I have no need for liberation.

The inner condition of one who is devoid of doubt yet moves among creatures of illusion
can only be known by those like him.

Scattered thoughts 2

1.One only sees things one values.If you seek money,you will see opportunities. You act or do not act its different matter altogether. You seek freedom , you will see things that binds you.If you break free or not is a different thing.Similarly if you seek Self , you will see illusion with clarity.IF you pay attention to illusion or self is a different matter.

2.Seeking is all there is for human being to grab on to know its own true nature.Seeking gives rise to questions.I am not so concerned about answers , because no answer satisfy me.Questions are all important result of seeking.Questions goes deeper to who is questioning!

3.Seriousness comes from the EGO , humour comes from the awareness , does not matter if it is about study , life , relationships or DEATH.Stupid knows something that is why they are so damn serious about life.Saints knows "nothing" , that is why they can humour till last breath.

4.Its "nothing" that breeds knowledge.Ignorance is the father of knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Nothingness , eternal ignorance is infinite.In this vast cosmos we know so little ! If we are not there tomorrow , no one will notice, yet our ego is so high we want to know this whole cosmos through our finite mental projection , the small I .

5.I am not small I .. I am nothingness , from where the supreme consciousness projecting dream of this creation and enjoying every bit of it. Small I , egocentric I can not know this BUT I can BE this.
Emptying oneself takes time if one goes on by knowing.But one understands one needs to know things to "know things" to unlearn. Neti Neti. Not this , Not that.What remains is the SELF.

6.You are life. Life is not you can have. Life is not Idea given to you by the society or family.Life is not something you need to latched onto.
If you are not there.Life is not there.So what ever you do .. what ever you are that is secondary , those are byproduct of life . Know life , know yourself , Know SELF. Enjoy self as it is.
Lets say - enjoy this afternoon.It does not mean you need to do something in order to enjoy the afternoon.It simply means this afternoon , every moment , stay bliss-ed out in self , and that is the highest enjoyment a life can get.Die with every breath out and get born in every breath in. In-between the life sprouts.

7.If you want to know the rule book of  creation and how it works, come to Veda ... if you want to end Illusion of this creation and want to go to self , you can try Vedanta.
The choice is yours.

8.Seeking is the only Sanathan Dharma , when you are that , seeking stops.