The Perception of Self

1. Understand the explanation given previously that you yourself are the Supreme Self, Paramatman. The signs of Paramatman will now be given.
2. These is no birth, no death, no coming, no going, no bondage, and no liberation for the Self.
3. The Self is attributeless, formless, limitless, and endless. It is Eternal and continuous. It is as it is.
4. Paramatman pervades all. It is One in many. The recognition of the Self is beyond logic.
5. Like this, are the signs of the Self, as stated in the Vedas and Upanishads. The Self can be only be realized with devotion. There is no doubt about this.
6. The signs of devotion are the nine-faceted devotion. With the nine-faceted devotion many devotees have become pure.
7. Within that nine-faceted devotion, the greatest is self-surrender, or identification with the Self. One should inquire into the Self and realize it for oneself.
8. It must be in one’s own experience that one identifies with the Self. The devotion of self-surrender is of this quality.
9. In the end, the greatest worship is when one offers one's head to God completely. Such closeness with God is the devotion of self-surrender.
10. There are very few devotees who surrender themselves completely. To them the Self gives liberation immediately.
11. The listener asks, "How should one surrender oneself? Where should one go to bow down? Should one cut one's head off before an image of God?"
12. Hearing such talk, the knowledgeable speaker says "Please remain alert with an attentive mind."
13. The sign of self-surrender is to first find out "Who am I?" and with that comes the recognition of the attributeless Self.
14. By searching out who God is and who the devotee is, self-surrender naturally takes place, and the devotee sees that God is eternal.
15. In the recognition of God there is oneness with God. There is no existence of separation between God and the devotee at all.
16. Because there is no separateness, God is the devotee, and as there is no bondage, there is freedom, or liberation. This talk is not incorrect, it is in accordance with reference to the scriptures.
17. In seeking the root of God and the devotee the sense of separation completely disappears, leaving only the Self, Paramatman, which is different from visible appearances.
18. Being one with it, there is nothing remaining as a second thing. The feeling of there being a difference between God and devotee gets dissolved.
19. With self-surrender there is devotion without any separation. Understand that this is the true total liberation (sayujya).
20. The one who surrenders to the saints, and receives the explanation of non-duality cannot be made separate even if he tries.
21. When the river meets with the sea, how can it be separated? And if iron is turned into gold, it cannot be turned back into iron again.
22. Similarly, once one is merged with God, it never will happen that he can become separate again. The devotee becomes God, never to be made separate.
23. One who has understood with discrimination that God and devotee are one is worthy among sages of offering the promise of liberation.
24. Now enough with this talk. See God through the eyes of a devotee, and immediately enjoy the glory of God.
25. Living only as the body one experiences the sorrows of the human body, and when living beyond the body, one realizes Parabrahman, the Absolute Reality.
26. The listener asks, "How can one go beyond body-identification, how does one realize Parabrahman, and what do you mean by God's glory? Please explain."
27. These were the questions that the listener put forth. Please listen attentively to the explanation regarding the doubts that have been expressed.
28. Reality is beyond the body, and that Absolute Reality is oneself. When you go beyond the identification with the body, you will not be able to tolerate any attachment to the body.
29. The Vedas praise one whose intellect is like this. This Knowledge is not readily gained even after searching through many scriptures.
30. In principle, glory is acquired only by giving up body-consciousness. If one thinks, "I am the body," there is downfall.
31. For this reason, do not consider the statements of the sages as unacceptable. If one considers what the sages say to be false, then who is to blame?
32. The listener asks, "What is the statement of the sages, and why should one have faith in them? Please, explain this to me."
33. The statement of the sages is that "I am the Self, full of bliss and unborn. Understand that you yourself are unborn and full of bliss." Hold firmly to it.
34. The meaning of this great statement is that you are always Brahman. Statements such as this must not be forgotten.
35. If one says "When the body comes to an end, then I will become endless," you should not consider this type of talk to be true.
36. Another fool says, "Only when Illusion is destroyed at the time of the final destruction, will there be attainment of Brahman.
37. Illusion must come to an end, either at the time of the final destruction, or when the body comes to an end. I will peacefully attain Parabrahman then."
38. This type of talk is not correct. One does not become satisfied in this way. The true quality of contentment is quite different.
39. This is like ruling a kingdom when the army is all dead. What is the use of such a kingdom? The fool does not understand that one should be ruling as king when the army is still in existence.
40. Understand that Illusion is not real even though it has an appearance. Similarly, even though one has a body, one is already beyond the body. Recognize this and know the contentment that comes with this understanding.
41. When a kingdom suddenly falls into your hands, the administration of the kingdom continues to function just fine as you see everything going on. The kingdom does not become lost because the administrators are seen to be functioning.
42. Similarly, upon gaining Self-Knowledge, the awareness of the body does not disappear. Seeing the body function does not take away one's contentment.
43. If a long root is mistaken for a snake one becomes very frightened, but when giving some thought as to the truth of its nature, there is no need to kill the root.
44. Similarly, Illusion is scary, but when one inquires into its true nature, there is no reason why one should hold on to any fear about it.
45. When seeing a mirage, it looks like a flood and one asks about how to get across the water. However, when the truth is known, there is no worry.
46. When seeing a terrible dream, one feels very scared in the dream. However, upon waking up, there is no reason why one should have any doubt that the events in the dream where not real.
47. Illusion occurs in concepts while the Self is beyond all concepts. How can there be any despair when there are no concepts?
48. It is said that whatever mental state that one has at the time of the end of the body determines what comes after death. It is told like this in all of the scriptures. Therefore, naturally you will also experience according to your own mental state.
49. You are the Self that is different from the four bodies and their birthplace, which is in ignorance and Illusion.
50. One whose state of mind is like this is knowledgeable and is on the path of the Self. For such a one, elevation and downfall do not apply.
51. Where even the intellect of the Vedas became incapable of further explanation about the Self, how can there be any question about upliftment or downfall? The verification of oneness comes from oneself, the scriptures, and the teaching of the Sadguru.
52. When the delusion of being an individual is discarded, Reality is realized in one's Self-experience. It is by the teachings of the Sadguru that living beings land on the best path to liberation.
53. When one receives knowledge from the Sadguru he comes to the end of the four bodies, which gives rise to constant contemplation of one's True Form.
54. With that constant contemplation the living being becomes rich in the liberation of identification with Reality.
55. When the visible objects disappear, what remains is only the Self. With careful inquiry, one can see that visible appearances do not really exist.
56. The false is seen to be false and is experienced as unreal. The listeners should listen carefully to this principle which is called liberation.
57. One who holds the teaching of the Sadguru in the heart is entitled to liberation. Such a one listens and reflects upon what has been heard again and again, with great respect.
58. Where both the primary premise and the final statement of the Vedas disappear, and where there is neither seeker nor goal, understand that this is the state of the Self which is liberation.
59. Where meditation and concentration end and concepts disappear in That which is without any concepts, there remains only Knowledge which is the most subtle form of Brahman.
60. When the mirage of worldly life dries up, one is released from the false bondage, and That which has no birth is freed from the sorrows of birth.
61. The illness of attachment that has afflicted the one who is innately detached, the body-consciousness which has affected the one who is beyond the body, and the identification as being a limited being in the world, are all destroyed by the power of discrimination.
62. The sense of duality in the non-dual is broken, solitude is given to the one who is alone, and the endless is granted the realization of endlessness.
63. The wakefulness is itself awakened, the awakened is made alert, and that which is knowledgeable is given Self-Knowledge.
64. The immortal nectar is made immortal, liberation is given to the house of liberation, and the individual self and the Supreme Self are forever merged.
65. The attributeless has become attributeless, the meaningful has become meaningful, and one has met oneself after a long time.
66. The partition curtain of duality is snapped, non-distinction has broken distinctions, and the afflictions of the five elements are removed.
67. Spiritual practice has born fruit, the unmoving remains immovable, and by the power of discrimination, That which is stainless and untainted by any appearances remains pure.
68. That which was very near was missed and was then acquired by the one to whom it belonged. Upon seeing oneself, the miseries of birth are removed.
69. A brahmin priest became horrified when he saw himself born into a lower caste in a dream, but upon awakening he realized his real identity.
70. It is similar to this for one with Self-Knowledge. The signs of such a person are explained in the next sub-chapter.