by Bibek Debroy
Chapter 35
‘The dumb one said, “The king bowed down before the brahmana Dattatreya and addressed the great-souled one in these humble words. ‘O brahmana! Having perceived correctly, I no longer have any misery. Those who do not perceive correctly are always immersed in an ocean of grief. When a man’s intelligence has a sense of ownership in something, it is that very thing that brings him misery. When a cat eats a domesticated cow, there is sorrow because of ownership. But there is none when it eats a sparrow or a rat. Since I am beyond Prakriti, I am neither happy, nor unhappy. Anything created is subject to the principles of creation and therefore feels joy or misery.’ Dattatreya replied, ‘O tiger among men! It is exactly as you have described. The sense of “mine” is the root cause of misery. When there is no sense of “mine”, there is withdrawal from misery. Because of my question, this excellent knowledge has been generated in you. Like wisps of cotton from the shalmali tree, it has blown away your sense of “mine”. “I” and “mine” are the seeds from which has germinated this tree with the giant trunk. 471 The house and land are its branches, the wife and son are its twigs. Wealth and grain are its large leaves. The tree grows over time. Its main flowers are good and bad deeds, happiness and unhappiness are the main fruits. Relationships are the outcome of confusion, and sprinkle it, acting as impediments along the path of liberation. The desire to act is like bees that surround this gigantic tree of ignorance. Exhausted by samsara, people seek refuge under the shade of this tree, and thus subject themselves to the misery of confusion and ignorance. How can they find happiness? People who sever this tree of “I” and “mine” with the axe of learning and the sharp flint of association with the virtuous are those who proceed along the right path. They reach the cool grove of the brahman, bereft of dust and thorns. They attain the supreme wisdom of nivritti and refrain from action. O king! The aggregation of the elements and the senses is gross. I am not that and nor are you. Neither of us is the tanmatras. Neither of us is the mind. O Indra among kings! Nor do I see either of us as being Pradhana. 472 The atman that is in the body is beyond this combination of the gunas. The gnat is distinct from the udumbura tree it sits on. A blade of grass is distinct from a clump of munja grass. A fish is distinct from the water it inhabits. O king! Despite appearing as one, the atman is distinct from the body it occupies.’ Alarka said, ‘O illustrious one! Through your favours, I have obtained this supreme knowledge and I am thus able to distinguish between Pradhana and the power of consciousness. However, since I am still attracted to material objects, there is no stability in my mind. Nor do I know how to free myself from this bondage of Prakriti. How does one avoid being born repeatedly? How does one free oneself from the gunas? O brahmana! How does one proceed so that one can attain union with the eternal? O brahmana! O immensely wise one! I am prostrating myself before you and asking you about that yoga. Please tell me about that completely. Association with the virtuous always brings benefit to men.’”’
Chapter 36
‘“Dattatreya said, ‘A yogi uses knowledge to separate himself from ignorance. That union with the brahman and separation from Prakriti’s gunas is liberation. Knowledge furnishes the strength through which one uses yoga to attain that supreme objective. O lord of the earth. Liberation results from yoga and yoga comes from proper knowledge. Misery results from the taint of attachment and because the mind is attached to notions of “I” and “mine”. Therefore, a man who desires liberation must endeavour to cast aside attachment. The absence of attachments lead to the destruction of “I” and “mine”. When there is no “I” and “mine”, there is happiness. When one has non-attachment, one has insight about the taints. Knowledge leads to non-attachment and non-attachment leads to knowledge. The place where a person resides is the house. Anything used for subsistence is food. Anything that leads to liberation is said to be knowledge. Anything contrary is ignorance. O king! If one reaps the fruits of good and bad deeds, performs the nitya rites without being motivated by desire, destroys the store of past karma and does not accumulate any new karma, then the body is freed from this repeated cycle of birth. This liberation from karma is moksha and anything else is the reverse. This is said to be jnana. Now hear about yoga from me. By attaining this, a yogi goes to the eternal brahman and nowhere else. The yogi must first use his atman to conquer the atman and this is extremely difficult to accomplish. One must endeavour to ensure this conquest. Hear from me about the means. 473 The taints are burnt down through pranayama, the sins through dharana, material objects through pratyahara and all the temporary gunas through dhyana. The impurities of ores from the mountains are burnt down through scorching them. In that way, by controlling prana, the taints created by the senses are burnt down. A person engaged in yoga must first practise pranayama. The control of prana and apana is said to be pranayama. There are three types of pranayama—light, average and heavy. O Alarka! I will tell you how these are measured. Listen. Light pranayama is for twelve matras and average pranayama is for twenty-four. Heavy pranayama is said to be for thirty-six matras. The time between the opening and the closing of the eyelid is said to be one matra. In this way, the duration of light pranayama is said to be for twelve matras. The first type of pranayama is used to conquer perspiration, the second to conquer trembling and the third is progressively used to conquer defects like sorrow. A trainer uses gentleness to control a lion, a tiger or an elephant. The yogi controls prana in that way. Once brought under control, an elephant trainer drives the elephant as he wills. In that way, the yogi easily uses prana to achieve his purpose. A lion that has been trained kills deer, but does not kill humans. Thus, when controlled, prana destroys impurities, but not the human body. Therefore, a yogi always endeavours to engage in pranayama. O lord of the earth! Hear about the four kinds of fruits that result and they lead to liberation. They are dhvasti, prapti, samvit and prasada. I will progressively describe their nature to you. Listen. When the stores of good and bad deeds and the impurities of the mind are destroyed, that is dhvasti. When the yogi is himself in a position to control, for all time, all desire resulting from avarice and delusion, whether they relate to this world or the next world, that is prapti. By virtue of his learning, when the yogi obtains knowledge about the sun, the moon, the nakshatras and the planets and knows about the past and the future, whether imminent or distant, that is known as samvit. When the yogi has the serenity to free himself from the mind, the five kinds of prana, the senses and the objects of the senses, this is said to be prasada. O lord of the earth! Hear about the characteristics of pranayama. If he desires his welfare, this is what the yogi must practise. He must be seated in asanas known as padmasana, ardhasana and svastikasana. 474 In that position, the yogi must meditate on “Oum” in his heart. He must be seated upright in the asana, with the legs drawn in. The mouth must be closed and the thighs must be firmly fixed. He must attempt to sit so that the heels do not touch the genital organs or the anus. The head must be raised up a bit and one set of teeth should not touch the other set of teeth. He must fix his glance on the tip of his nose and not look in any other direction. The person engaged in yoga must use rajas to conquer tamas and sattva to conquer rajas, thereby fixing himself on the unblemished sattva. He will progressively engage in pratyahara to control the aggregate of the senses, the objects of the senses, the breath of life and the mind. Like a tortoise drawing in all its limbs, he will withdraw from desire. Always fixing himself on the atman, he will see the atman in his own atman. A learned person will purify himself inside and outside, from the throat down to the navel. He will inhale and fill his body and engage in pratyahara. Twelve cycles of pranayama are said to amount to one cycle of dharana. Those who have insight about the truth of yoga say that there are two kinds of dharana. If a yogi controls himself and engages in yoga, he destroys all kinds of taints, obtains a state of well-being and perceives the supreme brahman, distinct from the gunas of Prakriti, the sky and other things, paramanus and the unblemished atman. Therefore, controlling his fo
od, a yogi must engage in pranayama. This is like gradually climbing through bits of land to ascend into one’s own house. If one does not climb through those bits of land, one is assailed by taints, disease and delusion and these increase in importance. Thus, one should climb through those bits of land. Pranayama is said to be the control of prana. That which restrains the mind is said to be dharana. When yoga is used to withdraw from sounds and other sensations and control the soul, this is said to be pratyahara. The methods have been spoken about by the supreme rishis, the yogis. Using these, yogis ensure that they do not suffer from disease and other taints. A person desiring water uses a tube to slowly drink water. In that way, without any exertion, a yogi inhales air slowly. Dharana must first be focused on the navel, then the heart, the chest as the third, the throat, the mouth, the tip of the nose, the eyes, the space between the eyebrows, the head and finally on the supreme. These are said to be the ten forms of dharana used to attain the serene and undecaying state. O Indra among kings! A yogi who wishes to achieve his objective must try to practise yoga when he is not proud, hungry or exhausted, nor when his mind is distracted. He should not engage in it when it is too hot or too cold. He must avoid extremes and a place where there are strong winds. At such times and places, one should not practise yoga and dhyana. A person who knows the truth should avoid the practice of yoga in a spot that has sound, fire or water, in cow sheds that are dilapidated, at crossroads, on heaps of dry leaves, in rivers, in cremation grounds, in places where there are a lot of reptiles, in places where there is fear, near wells, in chaityas and on termite mounds. While practising yoga, the sight of anything evil must be avoided. Ignoring the taints, if a foolish person engages in yoga, those taints give rise to impediments. Listen to me. This immediately leads to deafness, stupidity, loss of memory, blindness and fever in these ignorant yogis. If through their inattentiveness, yogis suffer from these taints, there are antidotes. Yogis should attempt to counter these taints. Listen to me. Because of bata, there may be an enlargement of the spleen. To counter this, mild rice gruel must then be heated. When it has cooled down, it must be applied to the navel and the stomach. Rice gruel counters flatulence, rheumatism and enlargement of the spleen. When he is trembling, he must make his mind as steady as a giant mountain. When the power of speech is impaired, he must think of speech. When the power of hearing is impaired, he must think of hearing. Just as a thirsty person concentrates on a mango fruit, he must think of the impaired organ of sense. Whenever any part of the body is suffering, he must think of whatever will counter it. When it is hot, he must think of cold. When it is cold, he must think of heat. When the yogi suffers from loss of memory, he must place a wooden peg on his head and strike it with another piece of wood. He will immediately regain his memory. He must think of the wind and the fire that pervade the region between heaven and earth. The impediments may have superhuman causes, or they may be due to sattva. The superhuman causes or sattva enter the yogi and the counters are accordingly determined. He must burn down what is inside the body by thinking of the wind and the fire. O king! Thus, a person who knows about yoga protects himself in every possible way. Since it is the source of dharma, artha, kama and moksha, the body must be protected. The indications of what he can do and wonder at this can destroy a yogi’s vijnana. Hence, what he can do must be kept a secret. The first signs of being engaged in yoga are steadiness, physical well-being, lack of cruelty, an auspicious fragrance in the body, limited urine and excrement, beauty, contentment and a melodious voice. People are attracted to him and praise his qualities behind his back. Creatures are not frightened of him. These are the excellent signs of obtaining siddhi. Excessive heat and cold no longer cause any impediments. Others are no longer scared of him. These are the signs of siddhi.’”’
Chapter 37
‘“Dattatreya said, ‘When the yogi perceives the atman, there are things that will disturb him. I will describe them briefly. Listen. There will be a desire to engage in many acts, a desire to pursue human objects of enjoyment—women, fruits of donations, learning, the ability to use maya, constructing wells, wealth, heaven, the status of being a god, the status of being a lord of the immortals, chemical works, flying along with the wind, performing sacrifices, residing in the water, entering the fire, performing shraddhas, pursuing the fruits of all kinds of donations, observing rituals, fasting, civic works and worshipping the gods. When the mind desires to be attracted towards such acts, the yogi must carefully control his mind and withdraw. If he fixes his mind on the brahman, he will free himself from these disturbances. When these disturbances are conquered, other disturbances will present themselves before the yogi and these have their origins in sattva, rajas and tamas. For the yogi, there are five kinds of dreadful disturbances that act as impediments along the path of yoga. They are pratibha, shravana, daiva, bhrama and avarta. When the meanings of the Vedas, the meanings of kavya literature, the meanings of the sacred texts and knowledge of texts about artisanship manifest themselves before the yogi, this is known as pratibha. When he understands the meanings of all kinds of sound and can hear sound that is a distance of one thousand yojanas, this is known as shravana. When the yogi becomes like a person who is mad and like a god, can see all the eight directions, the learned refer to this as daiva. When the mind is so polluted that, without any support, the yogi violates all norms of conduct and wanders around everywhere, this is known to be bhrama. Like a whirlpool in the water, when the whirlpool of knowledge agitates his mind, this is known as avarta. These disturbances destroyed the yoga of all those who were born in the lineage of the gods. Assailed by these terrible disturbances, they were repeatedly whirled around. Therefore, the yogi must cover himself with his mind, which is like a white blanket. Within the circle of his body, he must hunt out that superior knowledge. The learned know that yoga can only be attained through knowledge. He must fix his mind on the supreme brahman and meditate. A yogi engaged in yoga must always be restrained in diet and must conquer his senses. In his head, he must conceive and hold the seven subtle elements, the earth and the others. 475 If the yogi meditates on the earth, he will comprehend its subtle element. He must think of himself as the earth and cast aside its attribute of smell. Similarly, he must think of the subtle attribute of taste in water, form in fire, touch in the wind and the subtle attribute of sound in space. He must cast aside these subtle attributes. When the mind is used to enter all the elements and they are held in the mind, the mind itself becomes subtle. Thus, a person who knows about yoga uses his intelligence to enter all creatures and having cast them aside, his intelligence becomes subtle and excellent. Thus, a person who knows about yoga abandons the seven subtle elements. O Alarka! A person who understands this perfectly does not have to follow these attributes again. 476 A person who has control over his atman repeatedly perceives the seven subtle elements. Having perceived them, he abandons them, obtaining success and proceeding to what is supreme. O lord of the earth! If he becomes excessively attached to any of the elements, that excessive attachment brings about his destruction. Therefore, if an embodied person knows about these subtle elements and their connections with each other and casts them aside, he obtains the supreme state. O king! Thus, a person who knows about what is good searches out the seven subtle elements and thereafter destroys them, thereby obtaining liberation. However, if he becomes attached to smell and the other senses, he is destroyed. O king! Far from the brahman, he is born as a human and is whirled around in samsara. O lord of men! As he wishes, a yogi can meditate on the seven subtle elements and transcend them. He can enter any of those subtle elements and enter the bodies of gods, asuras, gandharvas, serpents or rakshasas. But since those subtle elements are destroyed, he does not become attached to any of them. O tiger among men! He progressively obtains the eight siddhis—anima, laghima, mahima, prapti, prakamya, ishitvam, vashitvam and kamavasayitvam. 477 These are the signs of attaining nirvana. 478 When one becomes subtler than the most subtle, this is the quality of anima. When one becomes
swifter than the most swift, this is laghima. When one is worshipped by everyone, this is mahima. When everything desired is obtained, this is prapti. When one pervades everything, this is prakamya. When one becomes the lord of everything, this is ishvitam. When one controls everything, this is vashitvam. This is the seventh quality of a yogi. When one can go anywhere and do anything, this is known as kamavasayitvam. These are said to be the eight divine powers of a yogi. O lord of the earth! These are the indications of obtaining emancipation and the atman attaining nirvana. One is no longer born. One is no longer bound down. One is no longer destroyed. There is no longer any increase or decrease, there is no destination. One cannot be severed. One cannot be made wet. One cannot be burnt. One cannot be dried up. One is no longer affected by the earth and the other elements. One is immune to the attributes of the elements, sound and other things. One no longer enjoys sound and the other attributes. Nor is one attached to them. O king! When an impure lump of gold is burnt in the fire, its impurities are destroyed and it can be united with another lump of gold. There is no longer any difference between the two. In that way, when the yogi uses the fire of yoga to burn down his taints, he achieves union with the brahman. When fire is thrown into another fire, it is known as fire and there is no difference between the two. When the sins are cleansed, the yogi thus obtains union with the supreme brahman and no longer has a separate existence. O lord of the earth! When water is flung into water, it becomes one with the water. Thus, the yogi’s atman becomes one with the paramatman.’”’
