Dashak 8 · Samāsa 8

Earlier the exposition was done — 'that Paramātmā is yourself, know.' / Of that Paramātmā, the characteristics — these are so.

No birth, no death; no coming, no going; / neither baddha nor mokṣa — the two are not for Paramātmā.

Paramātmā is nirguṇa, nirākāra; Paramātmā is ananta, apāra; / Paramātmā is nitya, nirantara — just as-it-is.

Paramātmā pervades all; Paramātmā is the one in many. / The discernment of Paramātmā — it is inexplicable (atarkya).

Such is the state of Paramātmā — so the Vedas and Śrutis speak. / Paramātmā is attained through bhakti — in this there is no doubt.

Of that bhakti the mark — nine-fold bhajana (nava-vidhā bhakti); / by nine-fold bhajana, many bhaktas have become pāvana (purified).

Among those nine, the essence is ātma-nivedana — the great. / Its consideration is to be made by one's own svānubhava.

By one's own svānubhava, oneself must offer oneself. / Know ātma-nivedana — it is thus.

At the end of the great pūjā, the head is offered to the Deva. / Such is the close intimate bhakti — that of ātma-nivedana.

Those who offer themselves — such bhaktas are few. / To them Paramātmā gives mukti instantly.

'How should oneself be offered? Should one go somewhere and fall down? / Or should one sever one's own head before the Deva?'

Hearing such speech, the vaktā (speaker) speaks with omniscience: / 'Listeners, be alert with one-pointed attention.'

The mark of ātma-nivedana — first look, 'Who am I?' / Then recognize the nirguṇa Paramātmā.

On inquiring into deva-and-bhakta, ātma-nivedana occurs. / 'Deva is primordial; bhakta is the [later] seeker.'

On going to recognize Deva, there tadrūpatā (identity) occurs. / Deva-bhakta-dividedness — from the root it does not exist.

Since not-divided, there is no bhakta; since not-bound, [one is] mukta. / Speech 'unfit' becomes fit, according to śāstra-authority.

Looking at the root of Deva-bhakta, division is uprooted. / One Paramātmā — the whole, apart from the dṛśya.

On union with It, there is no remainder of duality. / Deva-bhakta — that fence was erased and gone.

At the end of ātma-nivedana, what abhedā-bhakti arises — / that is called sāyujya-mukti; know it as truth.

He who took refuge in the saints, was enlightened by advaita-teaching, / thereafter, even if made separate, will not become so.

A river having merged in the ocean — how should it be separated? / When iron becomes gold, blackness returns no more.

Likewise one merged in Bhagavant — he will not be separated. / Deva, bhakta, and self-become-one — it is not to be divided.

Deva and bhakta — both one — whoever has grasped this vivek, / by the saint-folk he is known as mokṣa-dāyaka (giver of liberation) — him alone, know.

Now let this talk be; look at Deva with bhakta-ness. / By that, His aiśvarya (majesty) is impressed instantly on the body.

If one remains as body only, one bears body-suffering; / by becoming dehātīta (beyond-body), parabrahma is attained.

'How is one to become dehātīta? How is parabrahma to be attained? / The marks of aiśvarya — who will tell?'

Such was the listener's objection; to this the answer spoken — / that is now being expounded. Attentively hear.

A dehātīta vastu exists — that see, you, as parabrahma. / Body-association does not endure for you, the videha.

He whose buddhi is such — the Vedas praise him. / Searching through various śāstras, he is not located.

Aiśvarya thus truly is impressed when deha-buddhi is dropped. / Imagining 'I am body' leads to adhogati (downward course).

For this reason, saint-speech should not be deemed as non-authority. / Taking it as false, blemish looks to attach [to oneself].

'How is saint-speech? What should be held with faith? / One time, Svāmī, explain it thus to me.'

'So'ham-ātman is svānanda-ghana (mass of self-bliss); the Unborn — that is you, know.' / This itself is the saint-speech; hold it firmly.

The essence of the Mahāvākya — 'You alone are Brahman, continuously.' / Such speech must never be forgotten.

'The body will end, then I will attain the Infinite' — / such speech unequivocally should not be accepted.

Some fools say: 'māyā will perish at the end of the kalpa; / only then will we get brahma-attainment, not otherwise.'

'Māyā will have its kalpānta, or body will have its end; / then, at rest, I shall attain parabrahma.'

This speech is non-authority; such is not samādhāna (peace-in-resolution). / The characteristic of samādhāna is something else.

'If the whole army dies, then rājya-pada (kingship) is obtained — / while the army yet exists, [then] rule the kingdom' — that is not grasped.

Māyā being, yet not-being; body being, yet videhī — / such samādhāna is to be recognized.

Once rājya-pada is attained, then what is done with the retinue? / 'Seeing the retinue, kingship is lost' — this does not happen.

When ātma-jñāna is attained, such is the dṛśya and body-awareness; / though they fall on sight, samādhāna does not go.

On a path a root-form appearing as serpent — seeing it, great fear comes; / knowing the matter there, then why kill it?

Likewise māyā is fearsome; on looking with vicāra, it is māyika (illusory). / Then of that, why hold fear?

Seeing the flood of mirage-water, 'how shall I reach the far shore?' / Knowing the matter there, where is the difficulty?

Seeing a fearsome dream — in the dream, great terror seems; / on waking, why be apprehensive?

Nevertheless, māyā is seen to kalpanā (imagination); oneself is beyond kalpanā. / There, what turmoil could there be for the nirvikalpa?

'End-thought is the [next] gati' — so all say. / Your end is your attainment — spontaneously done.

The end of the four bodies, and the beginning/end of root-birth — / apart from ends and beginnings — that you are, the Ātman.

He whose buddhi is such — for him, by jñāna, ātma-gati. / Gati and avagati — he is separate from [both].

Where the Vedas' buddhi stopped, there how are gati and avagati? / Ātma-śāstra-guru-pratīti — unity has come.

The delusion of jīva-hood is erased; vastu has come into ātma-pratīti. / The creature has attained the highest gati by sadguru-bodha.

When sadguru-bodha occurred, the four bodies came to end. / By that, nijadhyās (self-contemplation) clung to the Self.

By that nijadhyās, the creature itself became the Object in its finality. / He has sat down as lord of sāyujya-mukti.

When the dṛśya pādārtha recedes, all is truly Ātman. / Looking fixedly with vicāra, dṛśya has no basis.

The false was seen as false; false-ness came into experience. / Listeners must hear — this is called mokṣa.

He who holds sadguru-speech in the heart — he alone is fit for mokṣa. / He does śravaṇa-manana again, with deep reverence.

Where both sides are melted, there is neither target nor non-target. / This is known as mokṣa — the determined Ātman.

Where dhyāna, dhāraṇā end; kalpanā matures into nirvikalpa; / mere jñapti (awareness) remains — the subtle Brahman.

The bhava-mirage dried up; false bondage is released. / The Unborn is made free of birth-sorrow.

The attachment-disease of the unattached; the body-awareness of the videha; / by vivek the upādhi (of niṣprapañca) is cut.

Advaita cut the duality; to ekānta (solitude) was given the oneness. / To Ananta was given the end — of Ananta's [limiting].

Jāgṛti was awakened; the waker was made alert. / Nija-bodha was prabodhit — by ātma-jñāna.

To amṛta itself was made amara; to mokṣa, the home of mukti; / to samyoga, continuous — yoga was done. / To Nirguṇa was made nirguṇa; the accomplishment of accomplishment arose; / after many days, oneself met oneself.

The curtain of dvaita snapped; by abheda, bheda was severed. / The affliction of the five-elements — dissolved and went.

Sādhana's fruit was received; the niścala was made niścala. / The mala of the nirmala was gone — by the power of vivek.

What was close but missed — has been attained by him whose it was. / On looking at oneself, birth-sorrow dissolved.

Vexed by a bad dream, a Brahmin attained low birth [in dream]; / oneself to oneself was found — in wakefulness.

He to whom such jñāna has occurred — the characteristics of that puruṣa / will be expounded in the next samāsa; so is declared.