“All knowledge is secondary and unreliable. There is no doubt about it.
156-59. “The greatest of all delusions is the conviction that knowledge is not a delusion.
“A hallucination holds the field in the interval antecedent to correct knowledge in the same way as it does when we mistake a shining mother-of-pearl for a piece of silver. So also the mistake of the reality of the universe persists until primary and basic Self-knowledge is realized. This false sense is universal like the blue color of the sky and it will end simultaneously with the realization of Pure Intelligence.
160. “I have now answered your questions. Do not waver but make up your mind at once.
161. “I shall enlighten you further on the point you raised with regard to the activities of jnanis (sages).
162-65. “Jnanis may be classified as (1) the best, (2) the middle class and (3) the lowest. Of these, the last know the Self and yet are influenced by the pleasures and pains accruing to them according to their prarabdha (past karma). Jnanis of the higher order even while reaping the fruits of their past karma are however firmer in their internal happiness like men inebriated with drink. Jnanis of the highest order are never detached from the enjoyment of their bliss even if confronted with a million times more prarabdha; they are not surprised at the most unnatural and miraculous happenings; they are not elated by the greatest pleasures, nor depressed by the worst miseries. They are always peaceful and calm within, although they appear to act like common folk.
“These differences are due to the differences in their intellects and to the degrees of development of jnana (wisdom).
166. “Their activities depend on their predispositions as determined by their past karma. But all their actions are like those of a drunken man.
Thus ends the Eighteenth Chapter in Tripura Rahasya.
Chapter XIX
1. After having heard Sri Dattatreya say so, Parasurâma asked him further regarding the conduct and activities of the jnanis.
2-4. “Lord, please tell me clearly how intellects differ according to the stages of jnana (wisdom). Is not wisdom of one kind alone, being simply the revelation of the Self? Moksha (emancipation) is the simple unfolding of the Self and is alone to be sought. How can it be dependent on stages of development according to mental predispositions? Do the methods also differ in the same way?”
5. Thus asked again, Sri Datta, the Ocean of Mercy, began to answer his questions.
6. “I shall now tell you the secret of it all. There is no difference in the methods, nor does jnana differ in fact.
7. “The fruits differ according to the grades of accomplishment. The same extends through several births and on its completion, jnana easily unfolds itself.
8. “The degree of efforts is according to the stage of incompleteness brought over from past births. However, jnana is eternal and no effort is really needed.
9. “Because it is already there and needs no accomplishment, jnana is pure intelligence, the same as consciousness which is ever self-radiant.
10-13. “What kind of effort can avail to disclose the eternally self-resplendent consciousness? Being coated with a thick crust of infinite vasanas (dispositions), it is not easily perceived. The incrustation must first be soaked in the running steam of mind control and carefully scraped off with the sharp chisel of investigation. Then one must turn the closed urn of crystal quartz—namely, the mind cleaned in the aforesaid manner—on the grinding wheel of alertness and finally open the lid with the lever of discrimination.
“Lo! the gem enclosed within is now reached and that is all!
“Thus you see, Rama, that all efforts are directed to cleaning up the Augean stables of predispositions.
14-15. “Intellects are the cumulative effects of the predispositions acquired by karma. Effort is necessary so long as the predispositions continue to sway the intellect.
“The dispositions are countless but I shall enumerate a few of the most important.
16. “They are roughly classified into three groups, namely, (1) Aparadha (fault), (2) Karma (action) and (3) Kama (desire).
17-29. “The disposition typical of the first group is diffidence in the teachings of the Guru and the holy books which is the surest way to degeneration. Misunderstanding of the teachings, due to assertiveness or pride is a phase of diffidence and stands in the way of realization for learned pandits and others.
“Association with the wise and the study of holy books cannot remove this misunderstanding. They maintain that there is no reality transcending the world; even if there were, it cannot be known; if one claims to know it, it is an illusion of the mind; for how can knowledge make a person free from misery or help his emancipation? They have many more doubts and wrong notions. So much about the first group.
“There are many more persons who cannot, however welltaught, grasp the teachings; their minds are too much cramped with predispositions to be susceptible to subtle truths. They form the second group—the victims of past actions, unable to enter the stage of contemplation necessary for annihilating the vasanas.
“The third group is the most common, consisting of the victims of desire who are always obsessed with the sense of duty (i.e., the desire to work for some ends). Desires are too numerous to count, since they rise up endlessly like waves in the ocean. Even if the stars are numbered, desires are not. The desires of even a single individual are countless—and what about the totality of them? Each desire is too vast to be satisfied, because it is insatiable; too strong to be resisted; and too subtle to be eluded. So the world, being in the grip of this demon, behaves madly and groans with pain and misery, consequent on its own misdeeds. That person who is shielded by desirelessness (dispassion) and safe from the wiles of the monster of desire, can alone rise to happiness.
“A person affected by one or more of the above said three dispositions cannot get at the truth although it is self-evident.
30-33. “Therefore I tell you that all efforts are directed towards the eradication of these innate tendencies.
“The first of them (i.e., fault) comes to an end on respectfully placing one’s faith in holy books and the master. The second (i.e., action) may be ended only by divine grace, which may descend on the person in this birth or in any later incarnation. There is no other hope for it. The third must be gradually dealt with by dispassion, discrimination, worship of God, study of holy scriptures, learning from the wise, investigation into the Self and so on.
34. “Efforts to overcome these obstacles are more or less according as the obstacles are greater or lesser.
35-37. “The most important of the qualifications is the desire for emancipation. Nothing can be achieved without it. Study of philosophy and discussion on the subject with others are thoroughly useless, being no better than the study of arts. For the matter of that, one might as well hope for salvation by a study of sculpture and the practice of that art. The study of philosophy in the absence of a longing for salvation, is like dressing up a corpse.
38-40. “Again, Rama, a casual desire for emancipation is also vain. Such desire often manifests on learning of the magnificence of the emancipated state. It is common to all but never brings about any abiding results. Therefore a passing desire is worthless.
“The desire must be strong and abiding, in order that it may bear fruit. The effects are in proportion to the intensity and duration of the desire.
41-43. “The desire must be accompanied by efforts for the accomplishment of the purpose. Then only will there be concerted effort. Just as a man scalded by fire runs immediately in search of soothing unguents and does not waste his time in other pursuits, so also must the aspirant run after emancipation to the exclusion of all other pursuits. Such an effort is fruitful and is preceded by indifference to all other attainments.
44-46. “Starting by discarding pleasures as being impediments to progress he develops dispassion and then the desire for emancipation, which grows in strength. This makes a man engage in the right efforts in wh
ich he becomes thoroughly engrossed. After these stages are passed, the most unique consummation takes place.”
When Dattatreya finished, Parasurâma was completely bewildered and asked him further:
47-49. “Lord, You said earlier that association with the wise, divine grace and dispassion are the prime factors for attaining the highest aim of life. Please tell me which is the most essential and how it can be accomplished. For nothing happens without an antecedent cause. This is certain. What is the root cause of the fundamental requisite? Or is it only accidental?”
50. Thus asked, Dattatreya answered him as follows:
“I shall tell you the root-cause of it all. Listen!
51-61. “Her transcendental Majesty, the absoluteConsciousness, being self-contained, originally pictured the whole universe in Her being, like images in a mirror. She took on the individuality, named Hiranyagarbha (the Creator), and considering the predispositions of the egos enclosed in that egg (Hiranyagarbha), She unfolded the Scriptures—the reservoir of sublime truths—for the fulfilment of desires. Since the embryonic individuals were full of unfulfilled desires Hiranyagarbha began to think out the means of their fulfilment. He elaborated a scheme of cause and effect, of actions and fruits, and consequently the individuals born later on to revolve in that wheel of cause and effect. They take different shapes and are placed in different environments consistent with their predispositions. After passing through innumerable species, the individual evolves as a human being owing to the merit he has accumulated. At first he will take to selfish pursuits. With growing desire, he will seek the unobstructed fulfilment of mighty ambitions. But in due course the methods advocated in holy books will be adopted. Failures are inevitable everywhere. Disappointments result. Expert advice is sought. Such advice will be forthcoming only from a man living in unbroken beatitude. Such a sage will, in due course, initiate the seeker in divine magnificence. The initiate’s accumulated merits, reinforced by association with the wise and by divine grace, make him persist in the course, and gradually take him step by step to the highest pinnacle of happiness.
62-64. “Now you see how association with the wise is said to be the root-cause of all that is good. This happens partly through the accumulated merits of the person and partly through his unselfish devotion to God, but always as if by accident like a fruit which has suddenly fallen from the void. Therefore the goal of life being dependent on so many causes, there is variety in its attainment, either according to the intellect or the predispositions of the person. The state of the jnani also differs, according as his efforts have been great or less.
65-66. “Proportionately slight effort is enough for erasing slight vasanas. He whose mind has been made pure by good deeds in successive past incarnations, gains supreme results quite out of proportion to the little effort he may make (as with Janaka).
67-68. “The glimpse of jnana (realization) gained by one whose mind is crowded with dense vasanas accumulated in past incarnations, does not suffice to over-ride one’s deep-rooted ignorance. Such a one is obliged to practise samâdhi (nidhid- hyasana or control of mind and contemplation) in successive births for effective and final realization.
“Thus there are seen to be different classes of sages.
69. “O Scion of Bhrgu’s lineage! there are differences in states of jnana characterised by the aspects and attitudes of intellect and the varieties in its activities.
70-77. “Such differences are quite obvious in Brahmâ (the Creator), Vishnu (the Preserver) and Siva (the Destroyer) who are jnanis by nature. That does not mean that jnana (realization) admits of variety. These attitudes depend on their vasanas (dispositions) and environments. They are Lords of the universe and all-knowing. Their jnana is pure and uncontaminated by what they do. Whether a jnani is fair or dark in complexion, his jnana neither shares these qualities nor the qualities of the mind. See the difference in the three sons of Atri, namely, Durvasa (said to be of the aspect of Siva, and reputed to be exceedingly irritable), Chandra (the moon, of the aspect of Brahmâ and reputed to be the husband of the twenty-seven constellations who are in their turn daughters of Daksha) and myself (Dattatreya, of the aspect of Sriman Narayana or Visnu, reputed to be the ideal of saints, roaming nude in the forests, etc.). Vasishta (one of the greatest rishis, well-known as the family preceptor of the Solar line of kings) never fails in the strictest adherence to duty as prescribed by the Scriptures; whereas, Sanaka, Sanandana, Sanatsujata and Sanatkumara (four sons born of Brahmâ’s volition and instructed by Narada) are types of ascetics totally indifferent to any action including religious rites; Narada is the ideal of bhakti (devotion to God); Bhargava (Sukra, the well-known preceptor of Asuras, who incessantly fight against the gods) supports the enemies of the gods whereas the equally great sage Brihaspati (Jupiter, the preceptor of gods) supports the gods against their enemies; Vyasa is ever busy codifying the Vedas, and is propagating their truth in the shape of the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the Upapuranas; Janaka famous as the ascetic-king; Bharata looking like an idiot; and many others.
Note: Bharata was a great king who, according to the custom of the great Kshatriya emperors, abdicated his throne in favor of his son when he attained his majority and retired into the forest to do penance. On one occasion, hearing the roar of a lion, a deer in an advanced state of pregnancy took fright and leapt across the stream. Her womb was disturbed and she landed on the other shore with her young one in placenta and dropped dead. The royal hermit took pity on the little thing, washed it, took it in his hands and returned to the hermitage. The babydeer was carefully tended and remained always by its master’s side. The hermit and the deer grew fond of each other.
After some time, the hermit knew that he was dying and became anxious about the safety of the deer in the forest after his own death. He died with that thought and consequently reincarnated as a deer. Being a sage with pious disposition, the reincarnated deer was placed in a holy environment, retaining knowledge of its past. So it did not associate with its species but remained close to a hermitage listening to the chant of the Vedas and discussions on philosophy. When it died it was reborn as a boy in a pious Brahmin family.
The parents died while he was still young. The boy was always helping others but never took to any definite work. He was healthy, strong and free from care. The neighborhood put him down as an idiot, and so he appeared as he loafed about.
One night, the ruling chief of Savvira, passed in a palanquin; he was in haste to reach a renowned sage who lived in another province. One of his bearers took ill on the way; so his men looked about for a substitute; on finding this Brahmin boy ‘idiot,’ they impressed him for the work; and he took his place as a bearer of the palanquin.
The chief was irritated at the slow pace of the bearers and reprimanded them. Even after repeated warnings, the pace continued to be slow and the chief was wild with rage. He alighted from the palanquin and found the new recruit to be the culprit who was thrashed and ordered to hasten.
Still there was no improvement and the chief chided him again, but could make no impression on the ‘idiot.’ The chief was exasperated, got down and remonstrated with him. But he received a reply which astonished him and further conversation convinced the chief of the idiot’s greatness. So the chief became the disciple of Bharata, the idiot.
78. “There are so many others with individual characteristics such as Chyavana, Yajnavalkya, Visva-mitra, etc. The secret is this.
Note: Chyavana: A king once went with the royal family and retinue for a pleasure trip into a forest which was famous as the habitation of a remarkable sage, Chyavana by name. The young princess was playing with her companion. She came across what looked like an ant-hill and put a spike into one of its holes. Blood came out. She took fright, and returned to the elder members of the family, but did not disclose her prank to any of them.
When they had all returned home the king and many others fell ill. They suspected some involuntary evil had been perpetrated on Chyavana. When an
envoy arrived in the forest praying for his blessings, the sage was found hurt in the eyes and he sent word to the king as follows:
“Your daughter hurt my eyes by driving a spike into the anthill which had grown over me while I was in samâdhi. I am now old and helpless. Send the mischief maker here to make amends for her mischief by becoming my helpmate.”
When the envoy communicated the message to the king, he spoke to the princess, who readily acceded to the wishes of the saint. So she lived in the forest with her aged consort and carefully attended to his comforts. She used to bring water from a neighboring spring. One day the twin gods, known as Asvins, came there and admiring her loyalty to her aged husband, revealed themselves to her and offered to rejuvenate her ancient husband. She took her husband to the spring and awaited the miracle. They asked the saint to dive into the water. They too dived simultaneously. All three emerged like one another. The girl was asked to pick out her husband. She prayed to God and was enabled to identify him. The saint promised in return to include the twin benefactors among the gods eligible for sacrificial propitiation. He invited his father-in-law to arrange for a sacrifice and called on the names of the Asvins. Indra—the chief of the gods—was angry and threatened to spoil the sacrifice if innovations of the kind contemplated by Chyavana were introduced. Chyavana easily incapacitated Indra by virtue of his penance and kept his promise to his benefactors. In the meantime, Indra apologised, and was pardoned and restored to his former state.
Yagnavalkya is the sage of sages mentioned in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. Visvamitra is too well known to be described here. He was the grand-uncle of Parasurâma.]
79. “Of the three typical vasanas mentioned that one of action is the most potent and is said to be ignorance.
80-83. “Those are the best who are free from all of the vasanas, and particularly from the least trace of that of action. If free from the fault of mistrust of the teachings of the master, the vasana due to desire, which is not a very serious obstruction to realization, is destroyed by the practice of contemplation. Dispassion need not be very marked in this case. Such people need not repeatedly engage in the study of Scriptures or the receiving of instructions from the Master, but straightaway pass into meditation and fall into samâdhi, the consummation of the highest good. They live evermore as Jivanmuktas (emancipated even while alive).
Tripura Rahasya Page 16