by Bibek Debroy
Chapter 38
‘“Alarka asked, ‘O illustrious one! I wish to hear the truth about a yogi’s conduct. How is it that a yogi who follows the path of the brahman does not suffer?’
‘“Dattatreya replied, ‘Honour and dishonour cause joy and misery among men. However, for a yogi, they act in the opposite way and are the means to ensuring success. Honour and dishonour are known as both poison and amrita. For them, dishonour is amrita and honour is terrible poison. He examines the ground with his eyes before placing a foot, he only drinks water after it has been strained through a piece of cloth. 479 He does not speak words that have not been purified by the truth. He does not have thoughts that have not been purified through intelligence. To accomplish his objective, a person who knows about yoga never accepts hospitality, attends the performance of shraddhas and sacrifices, or participates in processions that honour gods and great men. A yogi goes and seeks alms from what has been thrown away, when the smoke and the fire in a household have been extinguished and when everyone in the household has eaten. However, he must never resort to all three. 480 Without abusing the path of virtue, the yogi must always act so that he is despised and disrespected. Begging alms from householders and the houses of vagrant mendicants 481 is the best. Of these, the former is said to be better. The yogi must always go to a householder who is good in conduct, faithful, controlled, learned, great-souled, superior in every way—not a householder who has fallen down. Begging from a householder who has no varna is said to be an inferior means of subsistence. Alms should be rice gruel, buttermilk, milk, barley gruel, fruits, roots, seeds of the priyangu creeper, broken grain, oilseeds and pounded ground meal. 482 These are said to be auspicious foods for a yogi and ensure his success. Before eating, the sage must control himself and remain silent. He must meditate and first touch water. He must say, “To prana”. This is said to be the first oblation. He must next say, “To apana”. This is the second oblation. He then says, “To samana”. This is the next oblation. As the fourth oblation, he then says, “To udana”. As the fifth oblation, he says, “To vyana”. Having separately performed these acts of pranayama, he then eats, as he wishes. After this, he again sips water and rinses his mouth, thereafter touching his heart. Honesty, brahmacharya, renunciation, lack of avarice and non-violence—these are said to be the five supreme vows for a mendicant. Lack of anger, service to the guru, purity, restricted diet and constant studying—these have been described as the daily rituals. He must pursue the essence of jnana. This will ensure that he accomplishes the objective. Too many kinds of knowledge become impediments to yoga. If one wanders around, thirsty for knowledge and exclaiming, “This is knowledge. This must be known,” one can spend a thousand kalpas without knowing what should be known. Without attachment, conquering anger, limited in diet, conquering his senses and using his mind as a gate, he must immerse his mind in dhyana. A yogi must always practise dhyana in secluded places, caves and forests. Control over speech, control over action and control over the mind—these are the three staffs of control used by a yogi who is a tridandi. 483 He considers everything in this universe, cause and effect, to be pervaded by the atman. Everything is pervaded by gunas and delinked from gunas. O king! Whom does he love and whom does he hate? His intelligence has been purified. A clod of earth and a lump of gold are the same to him. He is controlled and impartial towards all beings. This mendicant goes to the supreme, undecaying and eternal region, from which, there is no rebirth. The Vedas and all the rites and sacrifices are the best. But meditation is better than sacrifices and the path of jnana is better than meditation. Dhyana, without association and attachment, is superior to jnana. Through this, one realizes the eternal. If a great-souled person is controlled and immersed in the brahman without any distraction, if he is pure and single-mindedly conquers his senses and if he engages in this yoga, then through his own yoga, he attains emancipation.’”’
Chapter 39
‘“Dattatreya said, ‘If a yogi is properly established in yoga, even hundreds of births are incapable of dislodging him from his position. He directly sees the paramatman, manifested in the form of the universe. His feet, head and neck are the universe. He is the lord of the universe. He is the creator of the universe. On obtaining him, the yogi chants the extremely sacred akshara of “Oum”. Studying the nature of this supreme akshara is the same as hearing its sound. There are three letters—“O”, “U” and “M”. These three matras are said to respectively represent sattva, rajas and tamas. There is also half a matra that is placed above these. It is without qualities and can be perceived by the yogi. Since it is based on the svara of gandhara, it is known as gandhari. Its motion is like that of an ant 484 and it can be perceived on the top of the head. When “Oum” is pronounced, it moves upwards towards the head. The yogi becomes full of the akshara Oumkara, he becomes one with the akshara. Prana is the bow, the atman is the arrow and the supreme brahman is the target. Unwavering like an arrow, he becomes one with what is to be known. “Oum” represents the three Vedas, Rig, Sama and Yajur Veda, the three worlds, and the three fires that are Vishnu, Brahma and Hara. However, the supreme meaning must be known—there are three and a half matras in Oumkara. United with it, the yogi gets fused into it. “O” is said to represent bhuloka and “U” represents bhuvarloka. With “a” added, “Ma” is thought of as svarloka. The first matra of “O” is manifest, the second matra of “U” is not manifest, the third matra of “M” is the power of consciousness 485 and the half matra is the supreme state. These should be known as the progressive bases for practising yoga. By pronouncing “Oum”, everything manifest and unmanifest is realized. The first matra of “O” is short, the second matra of “U” is long, the third matra of “M” is drawn out 486 and the half matra cannot be grasped through speech. This supreme akshara is the sign of the brahman. If a man understands this properly and repeatedly meditates on it, he casts aside the cycle of samsara and abandons the three types of bondage. 487 He obtains the brahman and fuses himself into the supreme paramatman. In case his bondage of karma has not been exhausted, omens inform him about the time of his death. He remembers everything at the time of his death and becomes a yogi. Through success in yoga in this life, he also attains success in yoga in the next life. Since omens always inform him about the time of his death, he does not suffer at the time of his death.’”’
Chapter 40
‘“Dattatreya said, ‘O great king! I will describe the omens to you. Listen. On looking at them, a person who knows about yoga will know about the time of his death. If a man cannot see the path of the gods, 488 Dhruva, Venus, the shadow in the moon or Arundhati, 489 he will die at the end of the year. If a man cannot see the rays in the solar disc or the rays encircling a fire, he will not live for more than eleven months. In a dream, if he sees gold or silver in vomit, urine or excrement, he will live for ten months. If he sees pretas, pishachas, a city of the gandharvas or a tree that is golden in complexion, he will live for nine months. If a fat person suddenly becomes thin, or if a thin person suddenly becomes fat, his natural lifespan will end after eight months. When he steps on dust or mud, if the mark of the front part of the foot or heel is cracked, he will live for seven months. If a vulture, pigeon, raven, crow, predatory bird or any blue bird comes and perches on his head, this indicates he will live for six months. If a man is attacked by a flock of crows, if dust is showered on his head, or if he sees his own shadow appear crooked, he will live for four or five months. When there are no clouds, if he sees lightning in the southern direction or a rainbow in the night, he will live for three months. If he cannot see the reflection of his body in ghee, oil, a mirror or water, or if the head has been lopped off, he will not live for more than a month. O king! If a smell like that from a corpse is exuded by a yogi’s body, it is known that he will live for half a month. If a person’s heart and feet become dry immediately after bathing, or if his throat is dry despite drinking water, he will live for ten days. If scattered winds strike at his inner
organs and if his body hair does not stand up at the touch of water, his death is imminent. In a dream, if a man sees that he is being carried in a southern direction by bears and monkeys while he is singing, his death is extremely close. In a dream, if he is conveyed in a southern direction by a woman clad in a red or black garment, while she is singing and laughing, he will not live. If in his dream, a man sees an immensely strong and naked kshapanaka 490 laughing and leaping, it should be known that the person’s death is imminent. In a dream, if a man sees himself immersed, right up to the neck, in a sea of mire, he will immediately die. In a dream, if a person sees hair, coal, ashes, snakes or rivers that have no water, after ten days, he dies on the eleventh day. In a dream, if a man sees terrible, hideous and dark men who strike him with upraised weapons and stones, he dies immediately. At the time of sunrise, if a female jackal howls in front or behind a man, crosses his path or circles him, he dies instantly. If a person feels hungry immediately after eating, or if his teeth gnash against each other, there is no doubt that his lifespan is over. If a person does not recognize the smell of a lamp, if he is frightened day or night, or if he sees his own reflection in another person’s eyes, he will not remain alive. If a person sees a rainbow at midnight or the large number of planets during the day, if he knows about himself, he will know that his lifespan is short. If the nose becomes crooked, if the ears are raised or bent down, or if tears flow from his left eye, then his lifespan is over. When the face becomes red and the tongue becomes yellow, the wise man comprehends that his death is near. O lord of men! In a dream, if a person is conveyed in a southern direction in a vehicle drawn by camels or donkeys, then he will die immediately. If a person cannot hear a humming sound when his ears are covered, or if the light in his eyes is dimmed, he will not remain alive. In a dream, if a person sees that he has fallen into a pit, with the door closed so that he cannot raise himself up, his life is over. Eyes that cannot steadily look upwards, eyes that are red and roll around, a mouth that is hot and a navel that is cold are indications that the man will adopt another body. In a dream, if a person enters a fire or water and cannot emerge again, his life is over. If wicked bhutas attack a man during the day or at night, there is no doubt that he will die at the end of seven nights. If a man sees his own clean and white garment as red or black, this is an indication that his death is near. When a man’s character and nature turn contrary, this is an indication that Yama and Antaka will soon approach him. 491 When a man disrespects and criticizes those who should be revered and towards whom he has always behaved humbly, when he doesn’t worship the gods, when he criticizes seniors, preceptors and brahmanas, when he doesn’t honour the mother, the father and the son-in-law, when he slights yogis, those learned in knowledge and other great-souled ones—the accomplished know that his death is near. O lord of the earth! Yogis should always pay attention to these omens. It is known that these yield fruits day and night and at the end of the year. Those who are accomplished should always consider this range of terrible fruits. O lord of men! Having determined the time of death, they should make up their minds about what to do. Having ascertained the time, the yogi should seek out an appropriate place and engage in yoga, so that the remaining time is not fruitless. Having seen these omens, the yogi must cast aside all fear of death. He must consider the time when those omens manifest themselves. A person who knows about yoga must look at the omens and practise yoga at the time of the day when those omens manifest themselves—forenoon, mid day, afternoon, day or night. He must keep practising until the actual day presents itself. He discards all fear. This is the way a person who knows about the atman conquers time. He steadies his mind and remains in the chosen place, engaged in yoga, conquering the three gunas and immersing himself in the paramatman. Immersed in the atman, he must cast aside all his mental inclinations. That is the way he attains the supreme state of nirvana, impossible for the senses to perceive. He attains a state that the intelligence is incapable of describing. O Alarka! I have described all this to you accurately. Now hear briefly about how the brahman can be attained. When the chandrakanta jewel 492 unites with the moon’s beams, it releases water, but it does not release water when it is not united. This is said to be a simile for yogis. When the suryakanta jewel 493 unites with the sun’s rays, it emits fire, but it does not emit fire when it is not united. This is a simile for yogis. O Indra among kings! As long as the master of the house is alive, the ant, the rat, the mongoose, the house lizard and the chataka bird 494 reside in the same house. However, when the master of the house dies, they do not grieve. They simply move to another house. 495 This is a simile for success in yoga. Though its mouth is small, an earthworm gathers up some earth. This has an instruction for yogis. 496 Trees full of leaves, flowers and fruit are destroyed by animals, birds, humans and others. Seeing this, the yogi strives for success. 497 The tip of the horn of a ruru antelope fawn is as small as a sesamum seed. But as the fawn grows, so does the horn. Seeing this, the yogi strives for success. 498 He looks at the movements in the limbs of a person who climbs from the surface of the ground to an elevated spot, holding a vessel filled with liquid in his hand. What does a yogi learn from this? 499 Understanding the truth that a person will give up everything to save his life, the yogi attempts to ensure success. The spot where one resides is the house. Whatever ensures subsistence is food. Whatever ensures the objective is happiness. What is this sense of ownership? An instrument is used to accomplish the intended task. Like that, the yogi uses his intelligence to ensure the best in the world hereafter.’”
‘The dumb one continued, “After this, King Alarka bowed down to Atri’s son. Filled with delight, he addressed him in these humble words. “O brahmana! It was good fortune that destiny brought me an extremely fierce enemy. I faced the fear of being defeated by him and feared for my life. It is good fortune that the king of Kashi is extremely strong and valiant. I came here to ensure his destruction and met you. It is good fortune that my strength has been diminished. It is good fortune that my servants have been killed. It is good fortune that my treasury has been exhausted. It is good fortune that I have come here, scared. It is good fortune that I remembered your feet. It is good fortune that everything you said has found a place in my heart. It is good fortune that I met you and jnana has been generated in me. O brahmana! It is good fortune that you have shown this compassion towards me. When a man’s time is auspicious, something evil becomes something good. Thus, a hardship did me a good turn and I met you. O lord! Subahu is my benefactor and so is the lord of Kashi. O lord of yoga! It is because of them that I came to your presence. Your favour is like a fire and has burnt down the sin of my ignorance. I will make efforts so that I do not suffer from miseries again. O great-souled one! O one who imparts jnana! I will abandon the state of a householder, which is like a tree in a forest full of miseries. Please grant me permission.’ Dattatreya replied, ‘O Indra among kings! O fortunate one! By all means, leave. As I have described to you, roam around free, without a sense of ownership and without a sense of ahamkara.’ Thus addressed, he prostrated himself before him and left quickly for the spot where the king of Kashi and his elder brother, Subahu, were. Alarka approached the mighty-armed lord of Kashi. In Subahu’s presence, he seemed to smile as he spoke to the valiant one. ‘O lord of Kashi! O one who desires this kingdom! Enjoy the kingdom that you have earned. Or if you so wish, give it to Subahu.’ The king of Kashi asked, ‘O Alarka! Why do you want to give up the kingdom without a fight? You know about the dharma of kshatriyas. This is not dharma for a kshatriya like you. Having cast aside the fear of death and having conquered the large number of advisers of the enemy, a king must aim his arrow in the enemy’s direction. Having conquered the enemy, a king must enjoy the supreme and desired objects of pleasure. Having enjoyed this supreme success, he performs great sacrifices.’ Alarka answered, ‘O brave one! This used to be the state of my mind earlier. However, I now hold the opposite view. Listen to the reason. Just as the bodies of men are nothing but an a
ggregation of the elements, so is everything inside. Everything inside a being is nothing but an aggregation of the gunas. Nothing except the power of consciousness exists. O king! With that knowledge, who is a friend, an enemy, a master or a servant? Because of you, I suffered from great misery and fear. O lord of men! Through Dattatreya’s favours, I have obtained jnana. I will conquer this collection of the senses and abandon all kinds of association. I will fix my mind on the brahman. That victory is the supreme victory. Nothing else exists and one must make efforts to achieve that success. The control of the senses makes one progress towards that success. I am not your enemy, nor are you my enemy. This Subahu is not my malefactor. I have comprehended all this properly. O king! Therefore, search out some other enemy.’ Addressed in this way by the Indra among men, Subahu was filled with delight and got up. He welcomed his brother and said, ‘This is good fortune indeed.’ He addressed the lord of Kashi in the following words.”’