On Jivanmukti (liberation while in life)
Sri Vasista
O mighty, armed Rama, great people who are united in their hearts with the Ultimate, move in this world with a sense of spirit as their very nature.
A 'Jivanmukta', even though moving in this world, laughs (within himself) at the sapless existence of this world. This world is uninteresting at the beginning, middle and end.
Engaging himself in the works that come to him naturally he is neutral and equal in all his perceiptions. He renounces all the goals and abides in this world.
A Jivanmukta is free from anguish and excitement in all contexts and conditions. He cherishes and nourishes all (accepted) purposes of a being. His perceptions are embellished by discriminatory intelligence. He is stationed in the garden of enlightenment.
He seeks asylum in that Supreme state. His heart is cool like a moon beam. He is neither excited nor contented. And so he does not suffer any sorrow.
He is neutral to even enemies and is full of compassion. This world will not break or destroy such people who are in front to do the works that come to them.
He neither rejoices nor grieves. He neither hates nor desires. Silently he goes about the works that come to him naturally. This world will not fatigue him.
When questioned he gives a proper, right reply. If not questioned, he remains silent. He is liberated from desires and goals. The world will not exhaust him.
He talks what is good and in a pleasing manner. He is soft spoken. He knows the minds and hearts of people. The world will never exhaust him.
Being fully aware of what is right, appropriate and inappropriate, he is fully conscious of the worldly ways, guided by desire-ridden actions.
Stationed in the highest state, he looks at the transient, bubble - like condition of the world with a cool heart which is enlightened. He smiles at the world.
This is the nature of the great souls who have conquered their mind and are Truth - conscious. I have now acquainted you with that.
I do not know what to tell about those fools who are slaves to their senses and are immersed in the mire of pleasures. I do not know what they want.
Such people are like women whose embellishment is sensuousness. These ladies are like golden colour of the flames of Naraka (hell).
Wealth and riches are like a forest of calamities. They are wasteful and meaningless. They throw one into catastrophic initiatives and thus throw him into dangers.
Even the fruit - yielding works of various traditions are full of happiness and sorrows. And so we cannot say very much about them.
O Raghava, adopt an integrated perception and renounce practices and goals with abandon. Achieve thus liberation while in life and move about in the world.
Internally give up all desires and hopes. Be without vasanas and attachments. Externally participate in all worldly activities.
Follow all traditional practices very generously But internally be a renouncer of all and every thing. Thus move around in the world.
O Raghava, reflect thoroughly and clearly on everything from the secular to the spiritual. Depending, then, on that Supreme, act in the world.
O Raghava, be free from desires and hopes internally. Externally appear to be full of desires. Be cool internally. Externally appear to be excited. Thus move about in the world.
O Raghava, externally appear to be full of agitation and hurry. Internally be free of all agitation. Be a doer externally. Internally be a non-doer. Thus move around in the world.
Internally you know, O Rama, all truth about all dispositions and state of existence. Adopt whatever view point you prefer and act in the world.
Externally put on artificial airs of happiness and anguish. Appear to be agitated by activities. Thus, O Rama, move around in the world.
O Raghava, give up all ego. Shine effulgently with a passive and cool heart. Without accepting or acquiring any stain, move around in the world.
Being liberated from many ropes of desires, be equal in all your mental and physical actions and functionings. Externally involve yourself in works that come naturally to you. Thus move around in the world.
From the point of view of supreme truth, there is neither bondage nor liberation. This world is moved by illusion and jugglery.
This world is an error and falsehood. O Rama, it appears to be (what it is) because of delusion / self-delusion (of the viewer). It is a large, concocted belief like water which becomes (steam) due to heat.
How can the Self, the one immanent in all, the unbound one become bound? If bondage is absent, then, where is the question of liberation?
All this arises due to ignorance about the nature of Truth. When the latter is known this falsehood disappears, like the feeling of serpent in a rope.
O Rama, you have now learnt about the nature of Self with your intelligence. You are now without any ego. Settle down as one who is pure like sky.
Now give up all considerations and concerns about friends and relatives. Why think about those who do not exist?
Even so, you can consider yourself as existing. This world happened due to some reasons from the Supreme.
Relational feelings like relatives, ideas of pleasure, and the sense of world and good and bad arising out of actions do not exist in Self. They have nothing to do with Self. Why worry about them?
Only Self is of essence, O Rama. The feeling that 'I am that essence' is a terror created by mind. Why fear such delusion about the world when you have no relationship with it?
Relatives and their joys and sorrows are false, erroneous ideas. Why worry about such falsities with which you have no relationship?
If you are now here, you were there earlier. You will be there in the future. You know this without doubt.
You are then near to many people, other than those ones near to you. There are thus innumerable relatives (over the births). Why are you not grieving for them?
The ancient ones are different from you now. The same is true of the relatives of the present and future. If all this is so, why are you then bewildered about the consciousness - form?
Those who were earlier are not now. Those who are now will not be there in future. Why worry and grieve about such a world which declines (continuously)?
And so it is not proper to worry about something that is natural. It is good to engage pleasantly in works.
O Rama, do not sink into sorrow or chase happiness. Be equal in all states and conditions. The Supreme Self alone is present in everything.
You are that infinite existence. You are all-pervading. You are eternally pure effulgence like a flame illuminating the entire cave.
In the physical matter of this world your immanence is not seen. You are settled in the heart and are like a string in a pearl neeklace. Your subtle presence is all pervading.
What is born continues to be born again and again. This is the condition and state of this mutable world which only an ignorant person suffers. A jnani does not suffer this. O Rama, you are a jnani. Be happy.
O Rama of virtuous mind, this sorrow filled world keeps expanding due to ignorance. Know this and become a jnani.
Delusion respects delusion. Dream respects dream. One form cannot become another.
And so, O Rama, this energy and force of delusion (and error) is part of the All-energy. The phenomenality of this world is only a reflection of the most effulgent One.
In this world no one is either a relative or friend of anyone. All is the will of the Lord of lords, always and ever.
Due to mutuality of dependences, everything in this universe declines and decays.
In this world, what is at a low point moves to the top and vice versa. Like a wheel it rotates continuously.
Beings move from heaven to hell and vice versa. They move from one island to another.
People with courage turn cowards and vice versa. People shake out into hundreds of such high-low-high movements.
This wheel of work will never stay steady in one form or movement which is pure and sorrow-free. It is like a drop of dew falling into a flame.
We are witness to the occurence that many great men and relatives vanish from the world.
O Rama of mighty arms, there is nothing like ours, theirs and of others. There is nothing like yours and mine. All are like seeing the two moons.
O Rama, may the feeling and attitude, 'he is my relative, this is mine, this is yours' subside in you right now.
Move about in this world with a sense of sport and pastime. Let your heart be totally free of thoughts of you and I.
O Rama of good vows, move about in the world like a traveller with out any load of vasanas.
As inquiry that leads to decline of vasanas increases, activities also will become more and more passive.
Only small minds have the feelings of 'my relations, and your people'. Noble and wise people are free from such limitations and boundaries.
'There is nothing where I am not, there is nothing which is not mine' - with such a mental resolve and belief, strong and wise souls remove the limitations on their intellect and discrinination.
A great soul perceives everything as in a good state of existence and in a right condition. It has the conviction that everything is like the pure subtle consciousness ether with neither birth nor death.
All are your relatives O Rama. Due to the relationships during millions of births, there is no species which is not related to you.
To look upon people as relatives and otherwise is an error. All in the three words are your relatives since long, due to the millions of births over the acons. They may not be your relatives in this birth.
