October 25, 2025
cidātmana imā itthaṁ prasphurantīha śakttayaḥ
ityasyā ‘’ścaryajāleṣu nā ‘bhyudeti kutūhalaṁ (30)
VASIṢṬHA continued:
All these worlds, O Rāma, appear in Brahman the absolute; but they are apprehended as an independent substantial reality on account of ignorance or non-wisdom. Such an erroneous notion ceases on the arising of wisdom. Erroneous perception makes all this appear as “the world”: right perception brings about the cessation of this error. Rāma, this error is not dispelled except by right exertion with the right attitude and wisdom. Fie on that person, O Rāma, who though such possibility of overcoming this error exists, remains sunk in the mire of world-illusion. Blessed are you, Rāma, that the right spirit of enquiry has already manifested in your heart. When the truth is realised through such enquiry, strength, intelligence and radiance increase.
The sage who has realised the truth and who is liberated from error here and now beholds this world as he would in deep sleep, without the least craving. He does not apprehend with his inner intelligence even those objects and experiences which seek him unsought: for, his own heart is withdrawn into itself. He has no hopes for the future and he does not recall the past, nor does he even live in the present; and yet he does all. Asleep, he is awake; awake, he sleeps. He does all, yet he does nothing. Inwardly having renounced everything though outwardly he appears to be busy, he is ever in a state of equilibrium. His actions are entirely non-volitional.
The sage is unattached to anything or anybody. Hence, his behaviour appears to be devout to the devout and harsh to the harsh. He is a child among children, old man among old men, hero among heroes, youth among youth and sorrowing among the sorrowful. His soft and sweet words are full of wisdom. He has nothing to gain from noble deeds, yet he is noble; he has no longing for pleasure and hence is not tempted by it. He is not attracted to bondage or even to liberation. The net of ignorance and error having been burnt by the fire of wisdom, the bird of his consciousness flies away to liberation.
He is not elated when his efforts bear fruit; nor is he worried if they do not. He appears to take and to abandon with the playfulness of a child. He is not surprised if the moon shines hot or the sun shines cool. Knowing that the self which is the infinite consciousness can bring all these about, he is not surprised even by such wondrous phenomena. He is not timid and he is not given to outbursts of anger.
Knowing that beings are constantly born and that they die constantly, he does not give way to joy or grief. He knows that the world arises in his own vision, even as the dream-objects arise when one dreams and hence all these objects are of momentary existence. Therefore, he does not feel any justification for either pity or joy. When all such concepts like pleasure and pain, desirable and undesirable, cease, all notions in the mind cease. Error does not arise again, even as oil is not obtained from burnt seed.