August 12, 2026
upalā api mitrāṇi bandhavo vanapādapāḥ
vanamadhye sthitasyā ‘pi svajanā mṛgapotakāḥ (3)
RĀMA asked:
When one has realised the supreme truth, what does he become?
VASIṢṬHA replied:
To such a one even the rocks become friends and the trees in the forest are relations; even when he lives in the middle of a forest the very animals become his kith and kin. A kingdom appears to be void in his eyes, calamities become great good fortune; even when he lives in a kingdom, he rejoices in (celebrates) his misfortunes. Disharmony becomes harmony, sorrow is great joy, and even when engaged in intense activity he experiences deep silence. He sees utter non-action in action. Awake he is in deep sleep; alive he is as good as dead. He does everything but nothing. He enjoys without tasting the pleasure. He is a very dear friend of all. He is free from pity for others but full of compassion. Free from craving, he appears to want. He is only interested in the proper performance of his actions.
He appears to be happy and unhappy in the respective situation. He does not abandon what is natural and plays his appropriate role in this drama of life. He sympathises with the sorrowful and rejoices with the happy ones, without being tainted at heart.
RĀMA asked:
But some clever though ignorant people can also pretend to be in that state (observing celibacy like a horse, without the right spirit). How does one distinguish the true from the false?
VASIṢṬHA replied:
Whether it is true or false, such a nature is praiseworthy. The truly wise ones live as if they had various desires and they laugh with the fools, though they themselves are wise. No one knows their inner peace and illumined state. Only wise ones know other wise men. The true men of wisdom do not expose their wisdom nor parade it to win the admiration of the masses. The latter are distractions in the eyes of the wise. “I wish everyone to know how good I am so that they may worship me” – such thoughts arise in the mind of the vain man, not of the wise one.
Powers like levitation, etc., are gained by mantras, drugs, etc., even by the ignorant people. He who is prepared to make the necessary effort can gain these, whether he is enlightened or not. It is the ego that makes the effort and gains the powers. These powers intensify the vāsanās or mental conditioning. But the enlightened man is not interested in any of these. He regards the world like a blade of grass. The enlightened one lives a non-volitional life engaging himself spontaneously in appropriate action. Even the celestial pleasure-gardens do not make one as happy as the wisdom of the enlightened man. The latter sees, when his own body is subjected to heat and cold, etc., as if all these happened to someone else. He lives for the sake of others with a heart full of compassion for all beings. He may live in a cave, in a hermitage or a house, or he may be wandering constantly. He may be a teacher or a student. He may have psychic powers or he may be forever in samādhi.