Upon seeing this supreme Self, the knot at the heart is pierced, all doubts are removed, and his karmas disappear. (24)
If the chief of yogins attains the pure supreme State, he is not captivated even if he attains the state of the deities and asuras.37 (25)
He who sees the omnipresent, tranquil, blissful, immutable Self (dtmaka), for him nothing is unattainable and nothing remains to be known. (26)
Upon attaining wisdom and knowledge as well as the Object (jneya) residing at the heart, upon ascertaining the tranquil state, O Goddess, [there is] no Yoga, no concentration. (27)
Comments: When the Self, which can be contacted at the heart, is fully realized, the work of Yoga is accomplished, and then all yogic means, including concentration and meditation, are transcended.
When the supreme Absolute is known, (then the yogin] is through with all rules, measures, and regulations. What use is a palmyra fan when the wind blows from [Mount] Malaya? (28)
For him who sees himself as om [i.e., the Self], there is no binding of the life force (dsika) and no binding of the nostrils (nasikd); there is no discipline (yama) and no self-restraint (niyama). (29)
Yoga is not [attained] through the lotus posture and not by gazing at the tip of the nose. Yoga, say the experts of Yoga, is the identity (ailcya) of the psyche (jîva) with the [transcendental] Self. (30)
When the Supreme is contemplated here [on Earth] with faith even for an instant, the great merit that is gained thereby is incalculable. (31)
He who practices even for an instant the self-reflection “I am the Absolute” wipes out all sin, just as sunrise [dispels] darkness. (32)
The knower of Reality (tattva) obtains a crore38 of virtues, which are the fruit of vows, rites, austerities, pilgrimages, gifts, worship of the deities, and so forth. (33)
The natural state (sahaja-avasthd) is highest; meditation and concentration are middling; recitation and praising are low; sacrificial worship is lowest. (34)
Thinking (cintd) about Reality is highest; thinking about recitation is middling; thinking about the textbooks (shâstra) is low; thinking about the world is lowest. (35)
A crore of ritual worships (pitjd) is equal to one hymn of praise (stotra); a crore of hymns of praise is equal to one recitation (japâ); a crore of recitations is equal to one meditation; a crore of meditations is equal to one [moment of complete] dissolution (laya) [into the transcendental Self], (36)
Mantra is not superior to meditation; a deity is not superior to the Self; worship is not superior to application [of the limbs of Yoga]; reward is not superior to contentment. (37)
Inaction is supreme worship; silence is supreme recitation; nonthinking is supreme meditation; desirelessness (anicchd) is the supreme fruit. (38)
The yogin should daily practice the worship at twilight without ablutions and mantras, (and he should practice] asceticism (tapas) without sacrifices (homa) and rituals of worship (pujd), and worship without garlands. (39)
[He who is[ indifferent, unattached, free from desire (vâsanâ) and superimposition (itpddlii), absorbed in the essence of his innate [power] is a yogin, a knower of the supreme Reality. (40)
Comments: The term upddlii stems from Vedânta and signifies the mind’s habit of attributing finite aspects to the Infinite.
The body is the abode (alaya) of God (deva), O Goddess! The psyche is God Sadâ-Shiva. One should abandon the offering-remains of ignorance; one should worship with the thought “I am He.” (41)
Comments: The psyche (jîva) is the individuated consciousness deeming itself other than the omnipresent Divine. It is powered by the life force (prâna), which in turn is driven by the individual’s karmic stock. In truth, however, the psyche is not a limited consciousness trapped in a material body but the all-comprising Being-Consciousness, the eternal Shiva. This and the next stanza are built on the word play y/ra/Shiva.
The psyche is Shiva; Shiva is the psyche. The psyche is Shiva alone. The (unliberated) psyche is known as the fettered beast (pdshu). Sadâ-Shiva is one who is released from (all] bonds (pasha). (42)
Rice is imprisoned in the husk; when the husk is gone, the grain [becomes visible]. [Similarly,] the psyche is known as imprisoned by karma; Sadâ-Shiva is [that Reality which is eternally] free from [the “husk” of] karma. (43)
God abides in fire in the heart of devout worshipers (vipra)39 who have themselves awakened to the likeness (pratimd) [within], who know the Self everywhere. (44)
Comments: The inner likeness is none other than the Self.
He who is the same in praise and abuse, cold and heat, joy and sorrow, and [who is always the same] toward friend and foe is chief among yogins, beyond excitement and nonexcitement. (45)
The yogin who is desireless and always content, seeing the same [in all], with his senses controlled and sojourning as it were in the body knows the supreme Reality. (46)
He who is free from thought, free from doubt, unsullied by desire and superimposition (upadhi), and immersed in his innate essence is a yogin who knows the supreme Reality. (47)
As the lame, blind, deaf, timid, mad, dull-witted, etc., live, O Mistress of Kula, so [lives] the yogin who knows the [ultimate] Reality. (48)
He who is keen on the supreme bliss produced by the five seals (mudrd) is chief amongst yogins’, he perceives the Self within himself. (49)
Comments: Sanskrit does not have upper- and lowercase letters. Therefore the phrase pasliyaty dtmanam âtmani could also be translated as “he perceives the self w ithin the Self,” “he perceives the self within the self.” But dtman also can simply mean “oneself.” The five seals referred to here are better known as the “Five M’s,” which comprise the core of the Kaula ritual: wine, meat, fish, parched grain (thought to have aphrodisiacal properties), and sexual intercourse.
O Beloved, the joy that comes about from wine (a/i), meat, and intercourse [causes] liberation for the wise but sin (pâtaka) for the ignorant. (50)
He who ever enjoys liquor and meat, ever cares for [ritual] practice, and is ever free from doubt is called a kula-yogin. (51)
Drinking liquor, eating meat, intent on behaving according to his will, contemplating the identity of “I” and “That,” he should live happily. (52)
He who does not have the smell of flesh or liquor [coming from] his mouth is undoubtedly merely a “beast” who must make atonement and must be shunned. (53)
So long as there is the smell of liquor [on his breath], the “beast” is Pashupati [i.e., Shiva] himself. Without the smell of wine and flesh even Pashupati is obviously a “beast.” (54)
In the world the lowly are elevated and the elevated are lowered: This has been declared to be the path of Kula by Bhairava, the great Self. (55)
Bad behavior is good behavior; what should not be done is the best of what should be done. O Mistress of Kula, for the kaulikas untruth is truth. (56)
O Mistress of Kula, the kaulikas should drink forbidden drinks, eat forbidden food, and enjoy forbidden intercourse. (57)
O Mistress of Kula, for the kaulikas there is no rule, no prohibition, no virtue, no sin, no heaven, and no hell. (58)
O Lady of Kula, even if they are ignorant the kaulikas know, even if poor they are rich, even if ruined they llourish. (59)
O Mistress of Kula, even enemies are friendly to the kaulikas, kings serve them, and all the people are loyal to them. (60)
O Mistress of Kula, the indifferent become partial toward the kaulikas, all those who are haughty pay tribute to them, and harassers become helpful. (61)
O Mistress of Kula, for the kaulikas worthless [things] are endowed with [excellent] qualities (guna), what is akula is fit for the kula, and nonvirtuous [qualities] are virtuous. (62)
Comments: As a branch of Tantrism, the Kaula school adheres to the principle of reversal (pardvritti) by which seemingly unspiritual actualities are viewed as spiritual. In Buddhist parlance, the world of change is the changeless Reality, or samsâra equals nindna.
O Goddess, for the ka
ulikas death is actually a physician, one’s home is heaven, and, O Mistress of Kula, intercourse with a woman is meritorious. (63)
O Beloved, why say more? The adept kula-yogins have all their desires fulfilled. One should not doubt this. (64)
O Mistress of Kula, in whatever stage of life (âshrama) the kula-yogin may be, he is unsullied by whatever disguise (veslia) [he may adopt]. (65)
Desiring the welfare of human beings, yogins roam the earth in various guises, with their true nature unrecognized. (66)
O Mistress of Kula, they do not easily divulge their Self-knowledge but live among people as if intoxicated, dumb, and stupid. (67)
Comments: Kula-yogins conceal their spiritual attainment and do not mind looking foolish in the eyes of others. This shows the level of their realization, contentment, and inner certainty.
Just as the constellations and planets become invisible in the world through a conjunction of sun and moon (i.e., at the lime of a solar eclipse], so the behavior of yogins (is too subtle to be understood!. (68)
Just as one cannot see the trail of water creatures in water or of birds in the sky, so (he behavior of yogins [is invisible, or unintelligible, to the ordinary person], (69)
The experts of kula-yoga, O Beloved, speak like liars, behave like fools, and look like rogues. (70)
They behave in this way so that people despise them, do not seek out their company, and say nothing [to them]. Thus does a yogin live. (71)
O Great Goddess, the knowing kula-yogin, even though liberated and a master of Kula, plays like a child, behaves like a simpleton, and speaks like a madman. (72)
Just as people laugh at, despise, and ridicule what comes from afar (i.e., what is strange and foreign], so fares the yogin. (73)
The yogin, wearing various garments (vesha), moves on the surface of the earth at times [like someone who is] honored and at times (like someone who is] downtrodden, or like a demon or ghost. (74)
The yogin enjoys enjoyments not out of desire but for the benefit of the world. Favoring all people, he plays [freely] upon the surface of the earth. (75)
Just as the sun dries out everything, just as fire is all-consuming, so the yogin enjoys all enjoyments but is not tainted by sin. (76)
Just as the wind touches everything, just as space (âkâsha) is omnipresent, just as all who bathe in rivers [for the daily ablutions are pure], so the yogin is ever pure. (77)
Just as the water of a village becomes purified when entering a river, so too what has been touched by a barbarian (mleccha), and so forth, becomes pure in the hands of a yogin. (78)
Oforemost Goddess, just as the experts of the kula wisdom do not stir, so the sages desiring the (highest] good (hila) honor the Self. (79)
That on which the master yogins move is deemed the supreme path, just as where the sun rises is called the eastern quarter. (80)
Wherever an elephant walks there is a [new) path. Similarly, O Mistress of Kula, wherever the kula-yogin moves there is the path [to liberation]. (81)
Who is capable of making a winding river straight or stopping its flow? Similarly, who can deter (the yogin] roaming peacefully and at will? (82)
Just as ]a snake charmer] fortified by mantras is not bitten by his playthings, so also the knower (jnânin) playing with the serpents of the senses is not bitten. (83)
Beyond suffering, contented, beyond the opposites, and free from envy, the peaceful kaulikas are dedicated to the kula wisdom and devoted to you. (84)
Free from pride, anger, arrogance, hopefulness, egotism (ahamkâra), truthful in speech, the foremost kaulikas are not controlled by the senses and are stable. (85)
O Goddess, those whose hair stands on end, whose voice shakes [with emotion], and who shed tears of bliss when the kula [way of life] is praised are called the foremost of kaulikas. (86)
Those who consider the kula teaching (dharma) arising from Shiva as the best of all teachings in the world are the foremost of kaulikas. (87)
O Beloved, he who knows the truth of the kula, is an expert of the kula doctrine, and fond of kula worship is a kaulika, and none other. (88)
He who delights in encountering kula devotees [endowed] with kula wisdom, kula behavior, and kula vows is a kaulika dear to Me [i.e., Shiva], (89)
He who is devoted to guru and deity and who knows the reality of the three principles (tatna), the sacred path (carana), and the meaning of the root mantra is a kaulika through initiation. (90)
O Beloved, the sight (darshana) of a kula teacher is difficult to obtain in all the worlds. It can be obtained only through the ripening of [previously accumulated karmic] merit, not otherwise. (91)
If he is merely remembered, lauded, seen, saluted, or spoken to, the adherent of the kula teaching instantly purifies even a canddla.40 (92)
0 Goddess, wherever there is a kula knower, be he omniscient or a fool, the lowest or the most exalted, there I [Shiva] am with you. (93)
1 do not dwell on Kailâsa, Meru, or Mandara. O Bhavini, I am wherever the knowers of kula dwell. (94)
Even if such people of the Great Lord be very far, one must go to them and [make every] effort to see them, for I am close [to them]. (95)
A kula teacher should be seen even when he dwells very far away. But, O Beloved, a beast [i.e., an uninitiated individual) should be ignored even when he is nearby. (96)
Wherever a kula knower lives, that place is blessed. By gazing upon and venerating him twenty- one generations (kula) are uplifted. (97)
When the ancestors behold a kula knower abiding in the family home, they praise him [saying,] “We shall go to the supreme State.” (98)
As farmers [appreciate) abundant rain, so the ancestors welcome into their families a son or grandson who is a kaulika. (99)
O Beloved, the sinless person whom the teachers of kula approach with delight (mudrâ) is indeed rich in this world. (100)
O Goddess, when a foremost kaulika is present, yogins together with yog inis approach the kaulika’s dwelling with delight. (101)
The ancestors and deities worship him who has joined the foremost of kula-yogins. Therefore those fond of kula wisdom should be worshiped with devotion [by everyone!. (102)
The sinners who do not venerate those of your devotees who have adored you, O Goddess, should not become receptacles of your grace. (103)
O Lotus-eyed [Goddess), you accept the offerings placed before you while 1 eat their essence from the tongue of devotees [who chant the sacred numtras]. (104)
O Goddess, I am the one who is undoubtedly worshiped by the worship of your devotees. Therefore he who seeks my favor should indeed worship your devotees. (105)
What is done for those who rely on kula is done for the deities. All the deities are fond of kula. Therefore one should adore the kaulika. (106)
Just as I am not pleased unless 1 am properly worshiped with devotion, so I am completely pleased, O Pârvatî, when one adores the foremost of kaulikas. (107)
The fruit that is obtained by the worship of the foremost kaulikas, that fruit, O Beloved, one cannot acquire by means of pilgrimages, austerities, charity, sacrifices, or vows. (108)
O Ambikâ. by disregarding a kula knower, [whatever one) gives, offers, sacrifices, does penance for, worships, or recites becomes useless for a kaulika. (109)
O Goddess, he who enters the kula teachings but does not know the way of kula is a sinner, a lowest dog-cooker, and his house is a cemetery. (110)
O Goddess, he who has abandoned the adherents of the kula [teachings) and gives to others, his charity is fruitless, and the donor himself goes to hell. (Ill)
The gift made to someone who is not a kuulika is like water in a broken vessel, seed sown on rock, or ghee poured into ashes [rather than the sacrificial fire). (112)
Whatever is given to a kula-yogin according to one’s ability and with love on specific days [bears] fruit that is not tainted. (113)
O Goddess, he who calls upon the kula wisdoms on auspicious days, worships—mindful of the deities—by means
of fragrant flowers or grain, and so forth, … (114)
… with devotion fully satisfies [the deities) by means of the five seals beginning with [the letter] “m.” All the deities become satisfied with these, and I become satisfied as well. (115)
O foremost Goddess, the merit of someone who offers his sister, daughter, or wife to an intoxicated kula-yogin is incalculable. (116)
The “honey” (mâdhû) [i.e., wine] given freely in the heroic circle (vîra-cakra) facilitates the pathway to the other world. (117)
“Honey” associated with evil conduct and rejected by the whole world yields, when offered to a kula-yogin. the [precious] kula substance. (118)
O Goddess, a country in which a hero (vira) fond of kula worship dwells is a pure country. Where better to reside? (119)
By once eating [from the food of] a foremost kaulika, one acquires a crore of merit. How can one calculate the merit of someone who eats [from the food of a foremost kaulika] repeatedly ? (120)
Therefore with every effort, in all conditions, and at all times, one who is fond of the kula teachings should venerate a kula knower. (121)
Whether knowledgeable or ignorant, as long as one retains a [physical [ body one must observe the conduct [proper to one’s] class (varna) and stage of life (dshrama) in order to free oneself from karma. (122)
When ignorance is uprooted through [appropriate] action, one attains Shivahood (shivata) by means of wisdom. In Shiva there is liberation. Hence one should cultivate [appropriate] action. (123)
One should engage in blameless actions and perform the [prescribed] daily actions. Dedicated to [appropriate] action, desiring joy, and being free [in the midst of] action, one finds joy. (124)
It is not possible for an embodied person (deha-dhdrana) to abandon all actions. He who gives up the fruit of his actions is called a [true] renouncer (tydgin). (125)
Casting off the I-sense (aham-bhâva), one should think that [merely] one’s organs are engaged in their respective functions. He who does this is not tainted. (126)
Actions done after the attainment of wisdom do not touch the knower of Reality, just like [muddy] water [does not stain] the leaves of the lotus. (127)
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