1. The listener requested of the speaker, "Please explain the importance of keeping the company of saints. How does one attain liberation and in how many days?
2. By keeping the company of sages, how long does it take for liberation? Please, give the understanding by which a poor person like me may gain conviction."
3. The speaker said, "One becomes liberated at the very moment that one has full faith in the explanation. If the mind is restless and skeptical, one is at a loss."
4. The listener asked; "When there is attentiveness, and then suddenly the mind becomes restless, how does one make it quiet?"
5. The speaker responded, "The mind should be cut off from the many distractions and one should sit attentively listening to explanations with interest and alertness making the time worthwhile from one moment to the next."
6. The meanings of important principles from various texts should be sought out, understood, and retained within oneself. If the restlessness or confusion returns, then listen to the explanations again and again.
7. One who listens but does not see the meaning, is not really a listener, but is a stone, disguised as a human being.
8. Here the listeners may feel disturbed because they are being called stones. So the speaker said, "Be alert, and listen to the attributes of stones."
9. If a stone is broken somehow and then is chiseled out to be made proper, it will remain in its proper condition thereafter.
10. When a slice is cut off of the stone with a chisel it cannot be reattached again afterwards. However, if a person rids oneself of wrongful intellect, that way of thinking can come back again.
11. Negative qualities may be discarded by way of explanation if they are pointed out, but afterwards they return. For this reason a stone is much better than a man.
12. One whose negative attributes cannot be shed is inferior to the stone. Understand that a stone is thousands of times superior to such a person.
13. How can a stone be thousands of times superior to a person? The listeners are asked to remain alert and listen to the qualities of stone.
14. All of the jewels such as rubies, pearls, corals, emeralds, sapphires, turquoise, topaz, and others such as wish fulfilling stones are all essentially only stones.
15. In addition to these, there are sun influenced stones, moon influenced stones, and many others that are well known for their medicinal qualities.
16. Besides these there are many other types of stones. There are stones that are found at many pilgrimage places, some that are utilized for constructing wells and ponds, and some stones that are used for making idols of Vishnu and Shiva.
17. If you consider all of this, you will find that there is nothing more valuable than stones. Human beings are of little value in comparison to stones.
18. Understand that the body of the confused non-devotional person is comparable to a dirty useless type of stone.
19. Now enough of this type of talk. With a restless doubting mind one suffers a loss. With a restless mind one neither enjoys the worldly life nor spiritual life.
20. With restlessness one's work does not get accomplished. With restlessness and doubt, worries get lodged in the mind. With restlessness there is forgetfulness of important things.
21. With the restless and doubtful mind, life is like an enemy, and one is bound in the cycle of birth and death. Restlessness only results in harm to oneself.
22. With restlessness, there is no spiritual practice, worship does not happen, and the aspirant does not gain Self-Knowledge.
23. With restlessness, there is no firm resolution, success is not possible, and there is deterioration of one’s own welfare.
24. With restlessness listening and analysis are not possible, and the meaning of the explanations is lost.
25. The person with a restless mind appears to be seated in one place, but really he is not there, as his mind is ensnared in a whirlpool of restlessness.
26. Understand that the life of a human being with a restless mind is like one who is deaf, dumb and blind, or one who is possessed by a ghost.
27. Even though he is awake, he does not comprehend, and although he is listening, he does not hear. He has knowledge, but he is not able to understand the thought regarding the Eternal and the ephemeral.
28. How can one who is restless and lazy, in whose life laziness resides day and night attain that which is beyond this world?
29. Even if the restlessness may disappear, there is still some laziness remaining. Because of laziness, the lazy person never seems to have any time.
30. Laziness obstructs the power of inquiry. With laziness the appropriate behavior gets drowned, and with laziness nothing that is heard is retained.
31. Because of laziness listening is not possible, and there is no understanding of the explanation. With laziness the ability to recognize the signs of spiritual life becomes blurred.
32. With laziness the daily discipline is not followed, one's study gets washed away, and laziness itself increases beyond imagination.
33. With laziness mental focus and patience is lost. With laziness one's mental attitude becomes tainted and the power of discrimination becomes dull.
34. With laziness sleep increases, and one's mental tendencies proliferate. With laziness virtuous intellect becomes void, lacking conviction.
35. Restlessness of mind is associated with laziness and excessive enjoyment of sleep. With excessive enjoyment of sleep, one ruins his own’s life.
36. Sleep, laziness, and restlessness of mind are signs of a foolish person. Such a person cannot understand the explanations that are given.
37. Where these three signs are present, how can there be any power of discrimination? The ignorant one does not find any other happiness.
38. Feeling hungry, such a person has his meals. After eating he feels lazy. Feeling lazy, he goes off to sleep very comfortably.
39. After waking from sleep, the mind becomes restless again and unable to concentrate. How can there be any self benefit listening to explanations with such a restless mind?
40. Giving explanations to one with a restless mind is like giving a jewel to a monkey, or putting treasure in the hands of a ghost.
41. Let this be enough of this explanation about restlessness. The original question was, "In how many days does one become liberated in the company of saints?"
42. Now, listen to the reply, and with the explanation become cleared of doubts. The effect of keeping the company of saints is like this.
43. Iron that has been touched by the philosopher’s stone becomes gold. A drop of water merges into the sea. The river meeting the Ganges becomes the Ganges. All of these things happen in the moment.
44. For the one who is attentive, observant and thoughtful, liberation is immediate. For others it is out of sight, and there cannot even be any talk of liberation.
45. Here, the intelligence of the disciple alone is important. The one who is intelligent does not require any time. Being one with the Self, liberation is immediate.
46. Those with understanding who are one-pointed don’t require even a single moment. However, having the thought of being one with the Self in the intellect without having devotion, is of no use.
47. Without intelligence, the meaning is not understood, and without faith Reality is not understood. With faith and intelligence together, one is able to discard the misidentification with the body.
48. With the ending of the misidentification with the body, there is effortless realization of Reality. In the company of saints, there is no delay in realization.
49. For one who is especially alert, observant, intelligent, and who has faith, great effort in spiritual practice is not required.
50. Other devotees who are simple-minded can become liberated as well by means of spiritual practice, and by keeping the company of sages, which enables clear seeing with the power of discrimination.
51. However, spiritual practice and spiritual discourse should not be abandoned. Spiritual discourse is beneficial for everyone.
52. Now, I will explain the nature of liberation, the nature of one’s Self Nature, as well as how one gains certainty by keeping the company of saints.
53. Clear explanation of all of this will be given in the next sub-chapter. The listeners are requested to listen with a still and attentive mind.
54. In order to ensure the abandoning of negative qualities it was necessary to use harsh but just words. The listeners are asked not to hold on to any anger about such statements.