Dashak 9 · Samāsa 1

29 ovis

निराकार म्हणिजे काये । निराधार म्हणिजे काये । निर्विकल्प म्हणिजे काये । निरोपावें

nirākāra mhaṇije kāye | nirādhāra mhaṇije kāye | nirvikalpa mhaṇije kāye | niropāvem

'Nirākāra' means what? 'Nirādhāra' means what? / 'Nirvikalpa' means what? — explain.

The samāsa opens with the disciple's questions: what do nirākāra (formless), nirādhāra (supportless), and nirvikalpa (free of mental construction) actually mean when applied to parabrahma? These are not idle vocabulary questions — they ask how the Absolute can be described at all when every ordinary word implies form, ground, or a determinate concept.

Before accepting a spiritual term, ask what it is actually pointing to — do not let vocabulary substitute for understanding.

निराकार म्हणिजे आकार नाहीं । निराधार म्हणिजे आधार नाहीं । निर्विकल्प म्हणिजे कल्पना नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

nirākāra mhaṇije ākāra nāhīm | nirādhāra mhaṇije ādhāra nāhīm | nirvikalpa mhaṇije kalpanā nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Nirākāra means: ākāra (form) is not; nirādhāra means: ādhāra (support) is not; / nirvikalpa means: kalpanā is not — for parabrahma.

Rāmdās answers each term as a pure negation: nirākāra — form (ākāra) is absent; nirādhāra — a supporting base (ādhāra) is absent; nirvikalpa — mental construction (kalpanā) is absent. None of this describes parabrahma positively; each simply removes a limitation that ordinary things have.

Practice describing something important to you by what it is not — stripping away false attributes clarifies more than piling on adjectives.

निरामय म्हणिजे काये । निराभास म्हणिजे काये । निरावेव म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

nirāmaya mhaṇije kāye | nirābhāsa mhaṇije kāye | nirāveva mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Nirāmaya' means what? 'Nirābhāsa' means what? / 'Nirāvayava' means what? — explain to me.

A second triad of questions follows the same pattern: nirāmaya (untainted, literally 'not water-like' — free of any staining influence), nirābhāsa (without even the appearance of a thing), and nirāvayava (without parts or limbs). The disciple keeps pressing for the meaning behind each negative prefix.

Break a big unfamiliar concept into its component terms one at a time rather than accepting the whole phrase unexamined.

निरामय म्हणिजे जळमये नाहीं । निराभास म्हणिजे भासचि नाहीं । निरावेव म्हणिजे अवेव नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

nirāmaya mhaṇije jaḷamaye nāhīm | nirābhāsa mhaṇije bhāsaci nāhīm | nirāveva mhaṇije aveva nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Nirāmaya means: water-like [taint] is not; nirābhāsa means: appearance itself is not; / nirāvayava means: avayava (limbs/parts) is not — for parabrahma.

Answer: nirāmaya means no taint touches it; nirābhāsa means not even a semblance or reflection of it appears; nirāvayava means it has no constituent parts — all for parabrahma. Formlessness here is total: no stain, no image, no anatomy.

When judging your own conduct, look for the subtlest trace of a fault — even a mere 'appearance' of wrongdoing is worth noticing and clearing.

निःप्रपंच म्हणिजे काये । निःकळंक म्हणिजे काये । निरोपाधी म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

niḥprapamca mhaṇije kāye | niḥkaḷamka mhaṇije kāye | niropādhī mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Niṣprapañca' means what? 'Niṣkalanka' means what? / 'Nirupādhi' means what? — explain to me.

Third triad: niḥprapañca (without the elaborated phenomenal world), niḥkalaṅka (without stain), and nirupādhi (without any limiting adjunct or disguise that would make the formless appear as something particular).

Notice the 'adjuncts' you wear — job title, role, mood — and remember they are add-ons, not your essential self.

निःप्रपंच म्हणिजे प्रपंच नाहीं । निःकळंक म्हणिजे कळंक नाहीं । निरोपाधी म्हणिजे उपाधी नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

niḥprapamca mhaṇije prapamca nāhīm | niḥkaḷamka mhaṇije kaḷamka nāhīm | niropādhī mhaṇije upādhī nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Niṣprapañca means: prapañca is not; niṣkalanka means: kalanka (stain) is not; / nirupādhi means: upādhi is not — for parabrahma.

Answer: niḥprapañca — the entire elaborated world-process is absent; niḥkalaṅka — stain itself is absent; nirupādhi — no limiting condition (upādhi) applies, for parabrahma. Each 'lack' points to something ordinary experience always carries, which the Absolute is free of.

Identify one limiting condition you have wrongly taken as permanent — a label, a grudge, a fixed self-image — and question whether it truly defines you.

निरोपम्य म्हणिजे काये । निरालंब म्हणिजे काये । निरापेक्षा म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

niropamya mhaṇije kāye | nirālamba mhaṇije kāye | nirāpekṣā mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Nirupamya' means what? 'Nirālamba' means what? / 'Nirapekṣā' means what? — explain to me.

Fourth triad: nirupamya (beyond comparison — nothing resembles it), nirālamba (without a prop to lean on), and nirapekṣā (without expectation or need of anything else).

Practice one action today done without expectation of return — notice how differently it feels from action performed for a payoff.

निरोपम्य म्हणिजे उपमा नाहीं । निरालंब म्हणिजे अवलंबन नाहीं । निरापेक्षा म्हणिजे अपेक्षा नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

niropamya mhaṇije upamā nāhīm | nirālamba mhaṇije avalambana nāhīm | nirāpekṣā mhaṇije apekṣā nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Nirupamya means: upamā (comparison) is not; nirālamba means: avalambana (support) is not; / nirapekṣā means: apekṣā (expectation) is not — for parabrahma.

Answer: nirupamya — no comparison (upamā) applies to it; nirālamba — it needs no support (avalambana); nirapekṣā — it has no expectation (apekṣā) of anything, for parabrahma. It stands utterly self-sufficient, unlike everything else which leans on something or wants something.

Reduce your dependence on external props for a single decision today — choose based on your own judgment rather than needing outside validation.

निरंजन म्हणिजे काये । निरंतर म्हणिजे काये । निर्गुण म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

niramjana mhaṇije kāye | niramtara mhaṇije kāye | nirguṇa mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Nirañjana' means what? 'Nirantara' means what? / 'Nirguṇa' means what? — explain to me.

Fifth triad: nirañjana (unsullied by the world — literally 'no jana,' no people or worldliness clinging to it), nirantara (without gap or interior division — seamlessly continuous), and nirguṇa (without qualities).

Look at where the crowd's opinion has quietly colored your own judgment, and separate what you actually think from what merely rubbed off on you.

निरंजन म्हणिजे जनचि नाहीं । निरंतर म्हणिजे अंतर नाहीं । निर्गुण म्हणिजे गुणचि नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

niramjana mhaṇije janaci nāhīm | niramtara mhaṇije amtara nāhīm | nirguṇa mhaṇije guṇaci nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Nirañjana means: jana (people) is not at all; nirantara means: antara (interval/interior) is not; / nirguṇa means: guṇa is not — for parabrahma.

Answer: nirañjana — worldliness (jana) does not touch it at all; nirantara — no interval or gap (antara) exists in it; nirguṇa — quality (guṇa) itself is absent, for parabrahma. It is unbroken and unqualified, neither divided into parts nor colored by any attribute.

Where you feel fragmented — one self at work, another at home — practice bringing a single, unbroken attention across the day instead of switching masks.

निःसंग म्हणिजे काये । निर्मळ म्हणिजे काये । निश्चळ म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

niḥsamga mhaṇije kāye | nirmaḷa mhaṇije kāye | niścaḷa mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Niḥsanga' means what? 'Nirmala' means what? / 'Niścala' means what? — explain to me.

Sixth triad: niḥsaṅga (unattached, without any bond of association), nirmala (stainless, without impurity), and niścala (motionless, unmoving).

Loosen one attachment this week that you cling to out of habit rather than real need, and observe what steadiness remains underneath.

निःसंग म्हणिजे संगचि नाहीं । निर्मळ म्हणिजे मळचि नाहीं । निश्चळ म्हणिजे चळण नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

niḥsamga mhaṇije samgaci nāhīm | nirmaḷa mhaṇije maḷaci nāhīm | niścaḷa mhaṇije caḷaṇa nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Niḥsanga means: sanga is not; nirmala means: mala (impurity) is not; / niścala means: motion is not — for parabrahma.

Answer: niḥsaṅga — association (saṅga) is absent; nirmala — impurity (mala) is absent; niścala — motion is absent, for parabrahma. Stillness here is not passivity but the total absence of anything to be stirred.

Before reacting to provocation, pause long enough to find the still point in yourself that the provocation cannot actually move.

निशब्द म्हणिजे काये । निर्दोष म्हणिजे काये । निवृत्ती म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

niśabda mhaṇije kāye | nirdoṣa mhaṇije kāye | nivṛttī mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Niḥśabda' means what? 'Nirdoṣa' means what? / 'Nivṛtti' means what? — explain to me.

Seventh triad: niḥśabda (soundless, beyond word), nirdoṣa (faultless), and nivṛtti (beyond the mind's habitual turnings, i.e. cessation of mental modification).

Spend a few minutes in real silence — not just absence of talk but a rest from your mind's constant churn — and notice what remains.

निशब्द म्हणिजे शब्दचि नाही । निर्दोष म्हणिजे दोषचि नाही । निवृत्ति म्हणिजे वृत्तिच नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

niśabda mhaṇije śabdaci nāhī | nirdoṣa mhaṇije doṣaci nāhī | nivṛtti mhaṇije vṛttica nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Niḥśabda means: śabda itself is not; nirdoṣa means: doṣa itself is not; / nivṛtti means: vṛtti itself is not — for parabrahma.

Answer: niḥśabda — word (śabda) itself is absent; nirdoṣa — fault (doṣa) itself is absent; nivṛtti — mental activity (vṛtti) itself is absent, for parabrahma. Even the finest instruments of ordinary knowing — sound, judgment, mental movement — do not reach it.

When you catch yourself narrating your day in your head, let one stretch of the day pass without that inner commentary.

निःकाम म्हणिजे काये । निर्लेप म्हणिजे काये । निःकर्म म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

niḥkāma mhaṇije kāye | nirlepa mhaṇije kāye | niḥkarma mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Niḥkāma' means what? 'Nirlepa' means what? / 'Niṣkarma' means what? — explain to me.

Eighth triad: niḥkāma (desireless), nirlepa (untainted, unsmeared by anything it touches), and niḥkarma (actionless).

Do one routine task today purely for its own sake, watching whether a hidden desire for credit or comfort was driving it.

निःकाम म्हणिजे कामचि नाहीं । निर्लेप म्हणिजे लेपचि नाहीं । निःकर्म म्हणिजे कर्मचि नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

niḥkāma mhaṇije kāmaci nāhīm | nirlepa mhaṇije lepaci nāhīm | niḥkarma mhaṇije karmaci nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Niḥkāma means: kāma is not; nirlepa means: lepa (smear) is not; / niṣkarma means: karma itself is not — for parabrahma.

Answer: niḥkāma — desire (kāma) is absent; nirlepa — smear or taint (lepa) is absent; niḥkarma — action (karma) itself is absent, for parabrahma. It is untouched even by the residue that action normally leaves behind.

After finishing a task, deliberately let go of it rather than carrying its residue — praise, worry, or credit — into what comes next.

अनाम्य म्हणिजे काये । अजन्मा म्हणिजे काये । अप्रत्यक्ष म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

anāmya mhaṇije kāye | ajanmā mhaṇije kāye | apratyakṣa mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Anāmya' means what? 'Ajanmā' means what? / 'Apratyakṣa' means what? — explain to me.

Ninth triad shifts from nir- to a- prefixed terms: anāmya (nameless), ajanmā (unborn), and apratyakṣa (not directly perceptible to the senses).

Notice how quickly you reach for a label to feel you 'understand' something, and sit for a moment with what resists being named.

अनाम्य म्हणिजे नामचि नाहीं । अजन्मा म्हणिजे जन्मचि नाहीं । अप्रत्यक्ष म्हणिजे प्रत्यक्ष नाहीं । परब्रह्म तें

anāmya mhaṇije nāmaci nāhīm | ajanmā mhaṇije janmaci nāhīm | apratyakṣa mhaṇije pratyakṣa nāhīm | parabrahma tem

Anāmya means: nāma is not; ajanmā means: janma itself is not; / apratyakṣa means: pratyakṣa (visibility) is not — that parabrahma.

Answer: anāmya — name (nāma) itself is absent; ajanmā — birth (janma) itself is absent; apratyakṣa — direct visibility (pratyakṣa) is absent — that is parabrahma. Having no birth, it has no beginning to trace and no name that could ever fully hold it.

Before you fix a permanent label on someone — 'that's just how they are' — remember that what is truly essential in a person resists being pinned down that easily.

अगणित म्हणिजे काये । अकर्तव्य म्हणिजे काये । अक्षै म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

agaṇita mhaṇije kāye | akartavya mhaṇije kāye | akṣai mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Agaṇita' means what? 'Akartavya' means what? / 'Akṣaya' means what? — explain to me.

Tenth triad: agaṇita (uncountable, beyond number), akartavya (with nothing that must be done, no residual duty), and akṣaya (undecaying, imperishable).

Ask whether a duty you feel bound to is a genuine obligation or a compulsion you have wrongly made permanent, and release what is not truly yours to carry.

अगणित म्हणिजे गणित नाहीं । अकर्तव्य म्हणिजे कर्तव्यता नाहीं । अक्षै म्हणिजे क्षयचि नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

agaṇita mhaṇije gaṇita nāhīm | akartavya mhaṇije kartavyatā nāhīm | akṣai mhaṇije kṣayaci nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Agaṇita means: count (gaṇita) is not; akartavya means: duty (kartavyatā) is not; / akṣaya means: decay (kṣaya) itself is not — for parabrahma.

Answer: agaṇita — count (gaṇita) does not apply to it; akartavya — duty (kartavyatā) does not apply to it; akṣaya — decay (kṣaya) itself is absent, for parabrahma. It is beyond measure, beyond obligation, and beyond wearing away.

Distinguish, in your own life, between what genuinely must be done and what habit has merely made feel obligatory — then act only from the former.

अरूप म्हणिजे काये । अलक्ष म्हणिजे काये । अनंत म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

arūpa mhaṇije kāye | alakṣa mhaṇije kāye | anamta mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Arūpa' means what? 'Alakṣya' means what? / 'Ananta' means what? — explain to me.

Eleventh triad: arūpa (formless), alakṣya (untargetable — nothing to aim at or mark), and ananta (endless, infinite).

Stop trying to pin a fixed image on your own deepest sense of self; let it stay open rather than forcing it into a single picture.

अरूप म्हणिजे रूपचि नाहीं । अलक्ष म्हणिजे लक्षत नाहीं । अनंत म्हणिजे अंतचि नाहीं । परब्रह्मासी

arūpa mhaṇije rūpaci nāhīm | alakṣa mhaṇije lakṣata nāhīm | anamta mhaṇije amtaci nāhīm | parabrahmāsī

Arūpa means: rūpa is not; alakṣya means: target (lakṣyata) is not; / ananta means: anta itself is not — for parabrahma.

Answer: arūpa — form (rūpa) is absent; alakṣya — being targeted (lakṣyatā) is absent; ananta — an end (anta) itself is absent, for parabrahma. It cannot be pictured, aimed at, or bounded.

When you feel you have finally arrived at understanding something ultimate, treat that feeling as one more milestone, not the destination.

अपार म्हणिजे काये । अढळ म्हणिजे काये । अतर्क्य म्हणिजे काये । मज निरूपावें

apāra mhaṇije kāye | aḍhaḷa mhaṇije kāye | atarkya mhaṇije kāye | maja nirūpāvem

'Apāra' means what? 'Aḍhala' means what? / 'Atarkya' means what? — explain.

Twelfth triad: apāra (shoreless, without a far bank), aḍhala (unwavering, immovable), and atarkya (beyond the reach of logical inference).

Accept that some truths in your life will never be settled by argument alone — some things must be lived into rather than reasoned to.

अपार म्हणिजे पारचि नाहीं । अढळ म्हणिजे ढळचि नाहीं । अतर्क्ये म्हणिजे तर्कत नाहीं । परब्रह्म तें

apāra mhaṇije pāraci nāhīm | aḍhaḷa mhaṇije ḍhaḷaci nāhīm | atarkye mhaṇije tarkata nāhīm | parabrahma tem

Apāra means: far-shore is not; aḍhala means: deviation is not; / atarkya means: reasoning (tarka) is not — that parabrahma.

Answer: apāra — a far shore (pāra) is absent; aḍhala — deviation (ḍhaḷa) is absent; atarkya — reasoning (tarka) does not reach it — that is parabrahma. It has no boundary to cross to, cannot be shaken from its ground, and outruns every argument.

When logic runs out on a question that matters most to you, do not force a conclusion — hold the question with patience instead.

अद्वैत म्हणिजे काये । अदृश्य म्हणिजे काये । अच्युत म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

advaita mhaṇije kāye | adṛśya mhaṇije kāye | acyuta mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Advaita' means what? 'Adṛśya' means what? / 'Acyuta' means what? — explain to me.

Thirteenth triad: advaita (non-dual, without a second), adṛśya (invisible, never becoming an object of sight), and acyuta (unfallen — never declining or slipping from its own nature).

Look for the places where you have quietly split your life into 'me versus everyone else,' and practice acting from a sense of shared ground instead.

अद्वैत म्हणिजे द्वैतचि नाहीं । अदृश्य म्हणिजे दृश्यचि नाहीं । अच्युत म्हणिजे चेवत नाहीं । परब्रह्म तें

advaita mhaṇije dvaitaci nāhīm | adṛśya mhaṇije dṛśyaci nāhīm | acyuta mhaṇije cevata nāhīm | parabrahma tem

Advaita means: dvaita is not; adṛśya means: dṛśya itself is not; / acyuta means: falling-away is not — that parabrahma.

Answer: advaita — duality (dvaita) is absent; adṛśya — the seen (dṛśya) itself is absent; acyuta — falling away (cyavana) is absent — that is parabrahma. It never splits into two, never becomes a mere object, and never declines from itself.

Notice one relationship where you have been treating the other person as wholly separate from your own good, and act instead as though your welfare and theirs were one.

अच्हेद म्हणिजे काये । अदाह्य म्हणिजे काये । अक्लेद म्हणिजे काये । मज निरोपावें

acheda mhaṇije kāye | adāhya mhaṇije kāye | akleda mhaṇije kāye | maja niropāvem

'Accheda' means what? 'Adāhya' means what? / 'Akleda' means what? — explain to me.

Final triad, echoing the classic test from the Gītā (2.23–24) for what is truly imperishable: accheda (uncuttable), adāhya (unburnable), and akleda (unwettable).

Ask what part of your sense of worth could survive losing everything external — that untouchable core is worth cultivating deliberately.

अच्हेद म्हणिजे च्हेदेना । अदाह्य म्हणिजे जळेना । अक्लेद म्हणिजे कालवेना । परब्रह्म तें

acheda mhaṇije chedenā | adāhya mhaṇije jaḷenā | akleda mhaṇije kālavenā | parabrahma tem

Accheda means: it cannot be cut; adāhya means: it cannot be burned; / akleda means: it cannot be moistened — that parabrahma.

Answer: accheda — it cannot be cut; adāhya — it cannot be burned; akleda — it cannot be moistened — that is parabrahma. No weapon, no fire, no water can act on it, exactly as the classic teaching on the imperishable Self describes.

When circumstances feel like they are cutting, burning, or dissolving you, remember that your deepest identity is not actually made of what can be damaged that way.

परब्रह्म म्हणिजे सकळांपरतें । तयास पाहातां आपणचि तें । हें कळे अनुभवमतें । सद्गुरु केलियां

parabrahma mhaṇije sakaḷāmparatem | tayāsa pāhātām āpaṇaci tem | hem kaḷe anubhavamatem | sadguru keliyām

Parabrahma means: beyond all. On looking at it, it is oneself. / This is known by anubhava-doctrine, when the sadguru is made.

The samāsa closes by naming the whole catechism's purpose: parabrahma means 'beyond all' these terms and negations — and on actually looking at it, it turns out to be oneself. This is not learned by more definitions but known through anubhava-mata (the doctrine of direct experience), and that in turn opens only when the sadguru is truly taken as guide — connecting back to every 'niḥ-' and 'a-' term of 9.1.001–028 as pointers, not the destination.

Do not stop at collecting the right words for the highest truth in your life; find a genuine guide or trusted teacher who can turn definitions into direct, lived understanding.