The Signs of an Aspirant

1. Previously, I have given the explanation of the signs of a seeker. Now listen with alertness to the signs of an aspirant.
2. One who is renouncing his vices, and begins keeping the company of saints is then called an aspirant. Listen attentively.
3. In other spiritual texts as well, it is said that one who surrenders to the saints and has developed faith in what they say, has come to be called an aspirant.
4. Once having received instruction in Self-Knowledge, the bondage of the worldly life breaks off. One who does spiritual practice in order to remain firm in that Knowledge is called an aspirant.
5. When one has a great liking for listening to the explanation of non-duality, and with reflection finds out the inner meaning, he is called an aspirant.
6. One is an aspirant when he begins thinking deeply and inquiring into what is True and what is false, and when he is becoming eager for firmness in Self-Knowledge while destroying doubts.
7. In developing the attitude of clearing many doubts, the aspirant keeps to the company of the virtuous and utilizes the threefold verification. This verification is the realization that the experience of the Self, and the statements of the scriptures and the Guru are one.
8. One who disregards the bodily focused intellect with discrimination and holds the focus of the intellect strongly on the Self, and who is always listening (shravana) and reflecting on what has been heard (manana), is called an aspirant.
9. One who is doing away with the perception of the visible world and firmly holding to Self-Knowledge with correct thinking, and who is remaining content, is called an aspirant.
10. One who is breaking conceptual duality, whose practice is itself the non-dual Reality, and who attains the state of absorption in undivided Oneness (samadhi) is called an aspirant.
11. When Self-Knowledge becomes old and decays in one generation, one who rejuvenates and restores it and crosses over the worldly existence is called an aspirant.
12. One who adopts the best attributes of the sages as well as their explanations, and with some effort realizes one's "Self Nature," is a called an aspirant.
13. One who gives up wrongful and harmful activities and increases virtuous activity, and who becomes strong in one's Self Nature is called an aspirant.
14. One who gives up negative qualities day by day and adopts the best qualities, and who is constantly verifying one’s Self Nature inwardly is called an aspirant.
15. One who by the force of strong conviction nullifies the existence of the visible world, and who is constantly dissolving himself into his Self Nature, is called an aspirant.
16. One who ignores the appearance of Illusion, and who instead turns his attention inwardly to the unseen and holds his concentration in the Self, is called an aspirant.
17. The one who holds firmly to that which is hidden from common people, and which cannot be conceived of or imagined by the mind, is called an aspirant.
18. One who makes efforts to realize That which upon speaking about it leaves one speechless, and upon trying to see it makes one as if blind, is called an aspirant.
19. One who acquires That which cannot be acquired and which cannot be seen when one tries to see it, is called an aspirant.
20. One who through correct effort brings about the experience of rendering logic useless, and the dissolution of the mind, is called an aspirant.
21. The one who through the strength of "Self-Experience" attains immediate identification with Reality is called an aspirant.
22. One who knows the various aspects of experience and acquires the attributes of a yogi (one abiding as Oneness) while not becoming anything, but is just "being" is called an aspirant.
23. One who gives up attachments and with correct spiritual practice realizes That which is the unattainable Absolute Reality, and whose intellect remains fixed in one’s Self Nature, is called an aspirant.
24. The one who searches everything and finds the root of God and the devotee, and who succeeds in the immediate attainment of it, is called an aspirant.
25. The aspirant is one who through the power of discrimination effortlessly dissolves himself and becomes invisible. Even though he seems to be visible, he really cannot be seen by anybody.
26. The one who has left the sense of "I" behind, who has discovered one’s Self by oneself, and who has crossed over the fourth body (Turya), is called an aspirant.
27. The one who afterwards, in the state of no mind (unmana), meets permanently with one’s own Self, and who is the One who sees continuous Self-experience is called an aspirant.
28. The one who breaks through duality, who destroys the appearance of appearances, and who while still having a bodily form is bodiless (videha), is called an aspirant.
29. One who is permanently in the state of being one's Self Nature, who has no ego of bodily activity, and is free from all doubt, is called an aspirant.
30. One who feels the expanse of the five elements to be like a dream, and who is firm in That which is which is without attributes, is called an aspirant.
31. The one who has seen that what was previously felt as fearful in the dream is no longer seen once awakened, and has thereby concluded that everything is false, is called an aspirant.
32. The Illusion that has the feeling of Reality and is felt to be true by the common people, is realized to be unreal in the experience of the aspirant.
33. Like the one who is relieved of the fear felt in a dream upon becoming awake, the aspirant gives up Illusion and rests in Self Nature.
34. The one who has attained the inner state like this and outwardly lives in a state of desirelessness, and who gives up attachment to worldly life, is called an aspirant.
35. The aspirant is one who has become free of lust and anger, and who has dropped arrogance and jealousy.
36. One who has given up the pride of family name, has put to shame the "public shame" of the public's eye (doesn't care for social status), and who nourishes spirituality by the strength of his detachment, is called an aspirant.
37. The aspirant is one who breaks the connection with ignorance, escapes from the bondage of family entanglements, and quickly slips out of the hands of greed.
38. The aspirant is one who is not concerned about greatness or wealth, and is uninterested in personal importance because of the strength of his detachment.
39. The aspirant is one who has broken duality, given up and thrown away the ego, and smashed the enemy named doubt.
40. The aspirant is one who kills the imagination of alternative arguments, who with a mighty blow destroys the ocean of mundane worldly life, and who cuts off and throws away any opposition from all of the five elements.
41. The aspirant scorches the fear of worldly bonds, breaks the legs of time, and beats and breaks the head off of the cycle of birth and death.
42. The aspirant is one who attacks being haunted by bodily identification, annihilates desires, and quickly kills the deception of imagination.
43. The aspirant beats up all inner fear, wins over the subtle body (mind, intellect, thoughts, etc.), and overpowers heretical talk with the power of discrimination.
44. The aspirant has beaten down pride, destroyed selfishness, and has put to destruction the immoral life and shown it to be meaningless by living a virtuous life and upholding justice and morality.
45. The aspirant tears apart temptations, cuts away pain, and throws away sorrows.
46. The aspirant banishes envy, casts away non-devotional feelings, and makes illogical thoughts and behavior flee.
47. For the one who is an aspirant, Self-Knowledge is strengthened by discrimination, conviction becomes firm, and vices are destroyed with the power of detachment.
48. For the one who is an aspirant, the lack of any true religion is wiped out by one's own "Self Religion," (Swadharma) and one's Self Nature. Wrongful deeds are replaced by good deeds, and thoughtlessness is replaced by right thinking.
49. The aspirant enthusiastically crushes hatred, carves out and discards envy, and always remains happy by smashing down sorrows.
50. The aspirant has thrashed down anger, pounded out the scheming from within, and is considered a friend to all of the people of the world.
51. The aspirant has renounced outwardly oriented activities, given up the association of worldly friends, and achieved "Union through Knowledge" (Jnana Yoga) on the path of turning away from worldly concerns.
52. The aspirant deceives the thieves of sense objects, engulfs and puts an end to the wrong knowledge, and frees oneself from relatives who are like robbers.
53. The aspirant gets angry with dependence, wrathful with attachment to affection, and quickly gives up on and abandons excessive hopes.
54. The aspirant merges the mind in Self Nature, makes pain for life's pains, and has established diligence and right effort.
55. The aspirant holds the companionship of studying, sets out to accomplish that which is not easy, and makes the best efforts on the path of spiritual practice.
56. One who is alert and vigilant is an aspirant. He sees with discrimination the permanent and impermanent, and giving up relationships with everyone holds only to the companionship of the saints.
57. With deliberate effort the aspirant gives up worldly life, with discriminating thought gives up all worry, and with purity of behavior removes bad conduct.
58. The aspirant forgets to forget his Self Nature, becomes lazy about laziness, and is inattentive towards doubts.
59. Now, enough of this talk. The one who gives up vices with the help of this explanation is an aspirant. Recognize the signs of an aspirant to be like this.
60. The one who is strong in his renunciation of everything is called an aspirant. Now, in the next sub-chapter, understand the signs of an "Accomplished One" (Siddha).
61. Here a doubt was raised by the listener, who asked, "If only one who is desireless can become an aspirant, is someone who is unable to renounce the family life not able to become an aspirant?"
62. Like this, a question was asked by the listener. What is the answer to this question? Listen to the reply with full attention in the next sub-chapter.