Crest Jewel of Wisdom
(Viveka-Chudamani)

Verses 401-450

In the one Reality which is completely perfect like the primal ocean, how can there be distinctions in something which is changeless, formless and without characteristics? 401

When the cause of error has been annihilated like darkness in light, how can there be distinctions in something which is changeless, formless and without characteristics? 402

How can there be distinctions in a supreme reality which is by nature one? Who has noticed any distinctions in the pure joy of deep sleep? 403

After realisation of the supreme Truth, all this no longer exists in one's true nature of the imageless God. The snake is not to be found in time past, present or future, and not a drop of water is to be found in a mirage. 404

Scripture declares that this dualism is Maya-created and actually non-dual in the final analysis. It is experienced for oneself in deep sleep. 405

The identity of a projection with its underlying reality is recognised by the wise in the case of the rope and the snake, etc. The false assumption arises from a mistake. 406

This falsely imagined reality depends on thought, and in the absence of thought it no longer exists, so put thought to rest in samadhi in the inner reality of one's higher nature. 407

The wise man experiences the perfection of God in his heart in samadhi as something which is eternal consciousness, complete bliss, incomparable, transcendent, ever free, free from effort, and like infinite space indivisible and unimaginable. 408

The wise man experiences the perfection of God in his heart in samadhi as something which is free from natural causation, a reality beyond thought, uniform, unequalled, far from the associations of pride, vouched for by the pronouncements of scripture, eternal, and familiar to us as ourselves. 409

The wise man experiences the perfection of God in his heart in samadhi as something which is unaging, undying, the abiding reality among changing objects, formless, like a calm sea free from questions and answers, where the effects of natural attributes are at rest, eternal, peaceful and one. 410

With the mind pacified by samadhi within, recognise the infinite glory of yourself, sever the sweet-smelling bonds of samsara, and energetically become one who has achieved the goal of human existence. 411

Free from all false self-identification, meditate on yourself as the non-dual being-consciousness-bliss within yourself, and you will no longer be subject to samsara. 412

Seeing it as no more than a man's shadow, a mere reflection brought about by causality, the sage looks on his body as from a distance like a corpse, with no intention of taking it up again. 413

Come to the eternally pure reality of consciousness and bliss and reject afar identification with this dull and unclean body. Don't remember it any more, like something once vomited is fit only for contempt. 414

Burning this down along with its roots in the fire of his true nature, the imageless God, the wise man remains alone in his nature as eternally pure consciousness and bliss. 415

Let the body, spun on the thread of previous causation, fall or stay put, like a cows garland. The knower of the Truth takes no more notice of it, as his mental functions are merged in his true nature of God. 416

To satisfy what desire, or for what purpose should the knower of the Truth care for his body, when he knows himself in his own true nature of indivisible bliss. 417

The fruit gained by the successful man, liberated here and now, is the enjoyment in himself of the experience of being and bliss within and without. 418

The fruit of dispassion is understanding, the fruit of understanding is imperturbability, and the fruit of the experience of bliss within is peace. This is the fruit of imperturbability. 419

If the successive stages do not occur it means that the previous ones were ineffective. Tranquillity is the supreme satisfaction, leading to incomparable bliss. 420

The fruit of insight referred to is feeling no disquiet at the experience of suffering. How could a man who has done various disgusting actions in a time of aberration do the same again when he is in his right mind? 421

The fruit of knowledge should be the turning away from the unreal, while turning towards the unreal is seen to be the fruit of ignorance. This can be seen in the case of some-one who recognises or does not recognise things like a mirage. Otherwise what fruit would there be for seers? 422

When the knot of the heart, ignorance, has been thoroughly removed, how could the senses be the cause of the mind being directed outwards for some-one who does not want them? 423

When there is no upsurge of desire for goods, that is the summit of dispassion. When there is no longer any occurrence of the self-identification with the doer, that is the summit of understanding, and when there is no more arising of latent mental activity, that is the summit of equanimity. 424

He is the enjoyer of the fruit of infinite past good deeds, blessed and to be revered on earth, who free from external things by always been established in his awareness of God, regards objects which others look on as desirable like some-one half asleep, or like a child, and who looks at the world like a world seen in a dream, or like some mere chance encounter. 425

That ascetic is of established wisdom who enjoys the experience of being and bliss with his mind merged in God, beyond change and beyond action. 426

That function of the mind which is imageless pure awareness, and which is immersed in the essential oneness of oneself and God is known as wisdom, and he in whom this state is well established is called one of established wisdom. 427

He whose wisdom is well established, whose bliss is uninterrupted, and whose awareness of multiplicity is virtually forgotten, he is regarded as liberated here and now. 428

When a man's mind is at rest in God even when he is awake he does not share the usual condition of being awake. He whose awareness is free of desires is regarded as liberated here and now. 429

He whose worries in samsara have been put to rest, who though made up of parts does not identify himself with them, and whose mind is free from thoughts, he is regarded as liberated here and now. 430

The sign of a man liberated here and now is the absence of thoughts of "me" and "mine" in the body while it still exists, going along with him like his shadow. 431

The sign of a man liberated here and now is not running back to the past, not dwelling on the future, and being unconcerned about the present. 432

The sign of a man liberated here and now is to look with an equal eye on everything in this manifold existence with all its natural faults, knowing that in itself it is without characteristics. 433

The sign of a man liberated here and now is to remain unmoved in either direction, looking on things with an equal eye within, whether encountering the pleasant or the painful. 434

The sign of a man liberated here and now is to be unaware of internal or external, since the ascetic's mind is occupied with enjoying the experience of the bliss of God. 435

The sign of a man liberated here and now is that he remains unconcerned and free from the sense of "me" and "mine" in the things needing to be done by the body and the senses and so on. 436

The sign of a man liberated here and now is that he is free from the bonds of samsara, knowing his own identity with God with the help of the scriptures. 437

He is regarded as liberated here and now who has no sense of "this is me" in the body and senses, nor of "it exists" in anything else. 438

The sign of a man liberated here and now is that he knows by wisdom that there is never any distinction between God and what proceeds from God. 439

The sign of a man liberated here and now is that he remains the same whether he is revered by the good or tortured by the bad. 440

That ascetic is liberated into whom, because of his being pure reality, the sense object can flow and merge without leaving any alteration, like the water of a river's flow. 441

There is no more samsara for him who knows the Truth of God as there was before. If there is, then it is not the knowledge of God, since it is still outward turned. 442

If it is suggested that he still experiences samsara because of the strength of his previous desires, the answer is, No, desires become powerless through the knowledge of one's oneness with Reality. 443

The impulses of even an extremely passionate man are arrested in face of his mother, and in the same way those of the wise cease in face of the perfect bliss of the knowledge of God. 444

Some-one practising meditation is seen to have external functions still. Scripture declares that this is the effect of the fruits of previous conditioning. 445

So long as pleasure and the like occur, one acknowledges the effect of previous conditioning. A result occurs because of a previous cause. Nothing happens without a cause. 446

With the realisation that "I am God", all the actions accumulated over ages are wiped out, like actions in a dream on waking up. 447

How could the good or even dreadfully bad deeds done in the dreaming state lead a man to heaven or hell when he arises from sleep? 448

Recognising himself as unattached and impartial space, he never hold on to anything with the thought of actions yet to be done. 449

Space is not affected with the smell of wine by contact with the jar, and in the same way one's true nature is not affected by their qualities through contact with the things one identified oneself with. 450

This page was published on Realization.org on May 16, 2000.