Sri Rāma

1. -2  O Lord of munis, your words are revealing and full of enlightening statements.  However I am oscillating between enlightenment at one moment and darkness at another.  It is like in rainy season when there are clouds at one moment and sun shine at another.

3. How can the finite idea or thought or musing enter into that infinite, immeasurable.  All which is the One only?

Sri Vasista

4. O Rāma, whatever I told you is all meaningful.  There are no contradictions or distortions or false meanings in them.  They are internally very consistent and coherent.

5. When you acquire Truth perception, when enlightenment is generated in you in plenty, you shall appreciate the strengths and weaknesses of my words, pronouncements and statements.

6. These webs of sentences and words are to impart knowledge to a learner or an initiate.  Do not get ecstatic about the words and get under them.

7. Whatever you are going to learn, that truth and knowledge is purest of pure. Get over splitting over words and meanings (understand the limitations of speech).

8. -9. This divisive world of words and statements are created conjured up for the same of teaching.  They are for teaching the ignorant people, not for those who are with knowledge.

10. There is no impurity of ideation or comprehension in Brahman.  Brahman is without any attachment.  This mutable world is Brahman alone.

11. O sinless Rama, I shall elaborate in a variety of ways again and again what is to be known/to be stated when the time of postulation comes.

12. It is not possible to break the darkness of ignorance without the world of words and statements.  It is futile to make any other kind of attempt.

13. O Rama, perfect ignorance which is intent on self-destruction.  However, it seeks knowledge which takes away all its imperfections.

14. Miracle weapons can be confronted only by miracle weapons.  Impurity can be removed by another impurity.  Poison subsides through another poison.  Only enemies hurt each other.

15.  O Rāma, thus all these take pleasure in self-destruction.  They do not understand this because it is their nature.  Only when (real) perception arises, they understand (the self destruction).  All this is ‘maya’.

16. Māya covers/conceals discriminatory intelligence.  And so worlds are born.  Oh!  Look how this fact escapes knowledge.

17. When not perceived, this world sparkles.  When perceived it dies down.  This ‘māya’ thrives on falsehood.

18. Aho, what a wonder is this ‘māya’.  It binds one in this mutable world.  By this, false knowledge is passed off as real knowledge.

19. This ‘māya’ is spreading division in the most indivisible Supreme.  It is thriving as the greatest of beings beyond all through its deceptive mutable spread as world.

20. In the Supreme there is no such thing as you and I.  There is no such deception.  Knowing this you shall appreciate the full meaning of my words.

21. As long as you are not awakened, be steadfast  in your belief that there is no falsehood in my words.

22. Whatever is manifest, it is the great thinking and ideation of mind.  It is false and unreal.  It is purely a swelling of the mind.

23. Whoever is clear in himself that all that is manifest and existent is Brahman alone, he is eligible of liberation.  All this mutable form is merely a limited and bound comprehension/perception.

24. This entire world is like a cage of birds.  This is all illusory as in a dream.  It is truly unreal.

25. When one looks at the world in a detached manner, then he does not drown himself in sorrow.

26. -29. One who does not know his own nature suffers from the problem distortions and deformations and falsehood and ambiguities – not great souls.  There are no distortions in the Self like there is no dust in sea waters.  The medley of thoughts, speech and meanings are merely to delight the things of the world, for the actions in the world – not for self A ‘Siva’ who is carried across in this flow of ignorance cannot rescue himself without knowledge of self.

30. Self knowledge can be gained through understanding scriptures.  No one can cross the stream of ignorance without Self knowledge.

31. O Rāma, gaining the self is called imperishable state.  Wherefrom is this ignorance, which is impure, born?

32. -33. O Rāma, Do not worry about its birth.  Worry about the ways of destroying ignorance.  When the ignorance gets annihilated only, you shall know its true nature.

34. The only you shall know about its birth, its shape and its demise.  This ignorance is really not there.  Since it is not noticed, it persists.

35. How can one know the illusory nature of non-existence and the shape of truth?  This ignorance has gained shape and stability and has spread widely.

36. -37. Quell this ignorance and falsehood with effort.  Then you shall know about it.  There is no one who is not in the grip of ignorance in these three worlds.  Make determined effort to destroy this ignorance.

38. -39. Then you shall be saved from the cycle of births.  This ignorance is at the root of all calamities.  Save yourself from this.  Destroy this ignorance and cross this ocean of ‘Samsāra’.