On Prahlada's deliberation about self
Sri Bhagawan
O Prahlada, O man of great virtue, O gem of the dynasty of danavas, choose a boon of your choice to quell the sorrow of another birth.
Prahlada
O Lord, you are the one who makes all mental wills and desires fruitful. Whatever you think in your generosity as the best, please give me that.
Sri Bhagawan
O sinless one, to pacify all bewilderments and perplexions and to gain the perfect fruit, you engage yourself in (Self) inquiry till you achieve repose in Brahman.
Sri Vasista
Saying thus, Lord Vishnu disappeared making loud noise like a tide breaking into ocean - waters.
After the vanishing of Lord Vishnu, Prahlada made his last flower offering with cupped palms.
Then he sat in the lotus pose on a good seat and started contemplating thus.
'The reliever of worldly grief told me. 'Become an inquirer (into Self). I shall become one. I shall now inquire into Self.
'Who am I who is participating in this pompous show called world by talking, walking and moving?'
'I am not all this world of trees, grass and hills. How can I be what is outside of me?'
'I am not this dumb, stupid body, which is transient and kept alive by vital airs.'
'I am not the inanimate sound created in the ear channel. It is transient, without form and is born out of nothing (void).
'I am not the insensitive skin - born touch, which is a mere grace of that consciousness. It (this touch sense) is transient and is never constant.'
'I am not the taste, that is an attribute of physical things. It can be known only by tongue. It is repulsive and is inconstant.'
'I am not the form, which resides only in a seer. It is totally bound inside a vision, a sight. It vanishes with the seer.'
'I am not the smell which is without any clear shape or form. It is a mere creation of the nose.'
'I am the pure consciousness, without any attachments, any thinking. This consciousness is tranquil without any perplexities of the five senses. It is free of all mental wills and volitions.
'I am the objectless transcendence. I am the transcendent which is all pervading both inside and outside (of things). I am the pure existence'.
'All things gleam and remain luminous because of this consciousness. It is like a great light.'
'Oh, I contemplate on that truth that is everything. I am that all immanent consciousness -light'.
-21 . 'All my senses pulsate because of its power and they are activated by its internal light.'
'Because of this consciousness all materials get their attribute and essence of materiality. It is like the whiteness of a cloth being revealed by a lighted lamp.'
'All beings are awakened by this consciousness alone. All experiences abide like birds in it.'
'The heat of sun, the coolness of moon, the solidity of mountains are due to the grace of this consciousness -light. They are its modifications.
'This world is abiding the way that consciousness expreiences it. That is the primordial cause. No other cause is evident'.
'All material existence is as experienced by that. Materality arises out of that like heat out of the sun.'
'All this manifest world is born out of the formless (That) which is the cause of all causes, like coldness out of snow'
'The cause of Brahma, Vishnu and Rudra and the causes for the existence and survival of this world is That. It is the primordial cause. No other reason for their existence is evident'.
I bow to this Self of mine which is self luminous which repulses all names like object, mind, seer, seen and such.'
'All beings, qualities enter and abide in the changeless Self of consciousness.'
'Whatever is conceived inside of that soul arises everywhere and nothing else can exist.'
'Whatever is contemplated/willed by that consciousness will happen and come into existence. Whatever is not conceived by it will not last.'
'Many things (in thousands) of pot and cloth shapes are existing as reflections in the vast mirror of consciousness - sky.
'The growth and decay of things, whether true or illusory, abide like reflections in sun.
'This consciousness - Self which is to be gained, is invisible to fallen minds. Only jnanis can gain it. The perfect consciousness -ether is extermely pure.'
'All manifestation grows out of the tree of primordial cause (the consciousness- ether)
'All creation is architectured out of the Supreme Self. It is like the multicoloured and interesting variety of trees growing out of a mountain.'
'All that is active in the womb of the universe, starting from Brahma to a tender leaf of grass is illumined by the consciousness -self.
-40 . I am one who has no begining and end. I am the form of all mobile and immobile creation. All beings stay in me as my expereince. Innumerable forms of these are in such of me.
Because of such experience (in me) because of such, all such seeing, seer and seen in me, I am one with infinite hands, feet and eyes.
I move about in sky-space as sun with a beautiful body. I move about as 'Vayu' (air) everywhere else.
My blue-haloed body, holding conch, mace and disc, gallops around the world in all splendour.
Born myself in this world, I remain in 'Nirvikalpa' 'samadhi' always seated in a lotus posture. I thus abide in supreme peace and quiet.
I am the three-eyed. In that form I am the bee in the lotus -like face of Gauri. As Siva I withdraw all creation (into me) at the end like a tortoise which draws all its limbs inside.
I protect all the three worlds in the form of Indra. Then I am like a hermit who protects his hermitage.
I am the male and female and their offspring. When embodied, I decay over time. I am all pervading (with infinite faces)
Abiding as (life giving) essence, I generate all the vegetation from the consciousness - soil, like creepers sprouting in a well.
Like children who play ball, I have created all this pomposity of world for my own gameful entertainment.
All this world comes into existence because of me. When this existence loses me it also gets destroyed.
Whatever gets reflected in my consciousness - mirror that alone exists, nothing else.
I am the fragrance of flowers. I am the brilliant colourful lustre of leaves and flowers. I am the luminous light of the graces in form. I am also the enjoyer of all those graces.
Whatever is manifest as world of nature, all is I, the Supreme who has no wills or volitions.
What was orginally the power of called 'liquidity' has expanded into several multitudes and varieties of liquids. Similarly wood has become things like walls. In the same way, I have expanded as many objects.
Immanent and active within objects and things, I, the Supreme, am assuming the relative consciousness condition and am becoming into several variety of forms, by my self-will.
I am inside everything like ghee in milk, liquidity in water and consciousness - energy in all thoughts and states (of existence).
Like all objects which are existing on the earth without any sense of consciousness, this world is abiding in the supreme consciousness in all the three times.
I am abiding as the all -doer and inside of all in the womb of the quarters without any bewilderment or hesitation.
This empire of world accrued to me without any prayer from me and without any need to vanquish Indra.
Oh, what a vast Self and I am not able to contain my self within myself. It is unlike the oceans which are contained in one agitated ocean at the time of deluge.
A lame serpent cannot reach the shores of the milk-ocean. Similarly I am not able to reach my Self and enjoy the supreme felicity of Self.
An elephant cannot fit into a small 'bilwa' fruit. Similarly my vast body is unable to fit into the small heritage, called world, built by Brahma.
My form is crossing the precincts of this Brahma-created vast world. It has crossed the limitations of all 'tatwas' Yet I am not able to reverse the flow of form.
How did this feeling that 'I am this body arise in me? When I am the boundaryless Infinite, how did this smallness arise in me?
You and I are mere illusory myths. Who is this body? Who is one without body? Who is dead? Who is alive?
My ancestors were men of lowest mind. Throwing away this empire (of Self), they romanced in the earthly fiedls.
Where is the mighty exuberance of Brahman - perception and where is the kingdom of terible serpent - like desires?
The transcendental perception, which is blissful and full of perfect peace, is the greatest of all perceptions. It is best of all.
I am that objectless consciousness - Self; I am that One who is immanent in all. I am the very embodiment of all consciousness. Salutations to me.
I have achieved what I should get and attain. I have conquered the decaying world into which I was born and lived. I have become birthless. I have become a great soul.
Casting aside the great empire of knowledge, I shall not indulge in the worrisome pleasures of the kingdom.
Fie unto the inseets, called danavas, who indulge is untruth and ignorance, swayed by the material world of this earth.
Feeding his limbs (and senses) in an ignorant fashion what has my father achieved?
Acquiring lordship over this world for years, what did my father, king Hiranyakasipu achieve?
By tasting a little of the bliss (of Brahman), all enjoyments are expereinced. Such a joy can not be experienced by even lordship over hundreds of empires.
Even if many pleasures are not obtained, if one becomes a man of perfetion, it is as if he got everything.
Only fools will go after things other than the perfect state, not jnanis. It is like a camel which goes after thorny bushes leaving the grape bunches (which are within reach).
Whoever will direct his gaze at worrisome kingdoms turning away from that great sight towards the Truth. Which intelligent person will prefer neem juice to sugarcane juice?
My ancestors are indeed ignorant and foolish people. They turned all their attention to indulgence in the worries of empire, abandoing the perception of Self.
Where are gardens in full bloom? And where are the sunburnt deserts? Where is the camparison between sensuous pleasures and knowledge of Self?
There is nothing in these three worlds that is to be desired. All is in that consciousness-stuff. Why not experience that?
All goods things are possible and can be obtained, from the all pervading, all-immanent, deformationless Consciousness at all times and everywhere.
-90 . All things originate and emerge from that perfect, the Best of all deformationless changeless consciousness - the luminosity of light, the ambrosia of moon, the vast cosmic nature of Brahma, the lordship of Indra over the three worlds, the Divine perfection of Lord Siva, the winsome glory of Lord Vishnu, the stupendous movement of wind, the burning nature of Fire, fluidity of water, the askesis and accomplishments of great sages, the spiritual knowledge of Bruhaspati, the ability of aeroplanes to move across the skies, the solidity and stability of mountains, the awesome appearance of oceans, the heights of Meru, the magnificience of divine peace, the fickleness and intoxicating power of alcohol, the flowering nature of spring, the cloud - threatining nature of rainy season, the deceitful nature and magical powers of Yaksas, the purity of sky, the coolness of snow, the heat of the summer season - all these and many other things bound by space, time and action are born out of the One who lives within himself.
The changeless consciousness devolves on all physical/material things in an equitable meausre. It is like light which illumines (every thing that it falls on).
-95 . The time and space bound physical /material things are experienced by the consciousness at the same time/simultaneously. Thus this entire vast complex of phenomena is activiated by consciousness in all the three times. And yet it is complete and pure within itself. It remains equal and retains its infinitude.
-98 . Both sweet and pungent are same in comparable times. They are like the experiences of honey and neem. This is because of the consciousness immanent in the variety of material objects which envelop and surround each other mutually. This consciousness is subtle, has no wills or mental determinations. It is etheric in nature and is spread in all moods and states of existence. It is one and nondual.
Supported by the conclusion that nothing exists, mind throws away all grief. In the absence of anything deserving notice or observation, mind rejects all evil and depravity.
. When one does not recognise the three times (past, present and future) objects will not be any bondage (to them). When objects are disregarded, only equality remains in consciousness.
. The eternal appears to be nonexistent because of its being beyond description. This leads to the thesis of non existence of Self.
. And so Self becomes (creator) Brahma - which is not the infinite - Because of perfect tranquility, the state of absorption is called 'Moksha' (liberation).
. When possessed by 'Willing', consciousness -perception cannot see the dull coloured world.
. When consciousness is muddied by likes and dislikes, it cannot pervade the space like a bound -bird which can not fly.
-108 08. Men fall into the net of delusions because of the tendency for mental resolutions and volitions. They are like birds flying into the hunters net. My acncestors could ot recognize Self, slipping into the chasm of griefs created by their mental resolutions and volitions, which enveloped them. And so, they got destroyed like insects living for a short while on this earth. If they could only understand this, they would not have slipped into the dark wells of ignorance.
. Because of jealousies and volitional endeavours men are becoming like insects in holes.
. When the cloud of knowledge erases the message of likes and dislikes, such a person is one who is really alive.
. How can there be the stain of comprehensions and designs (kalana) in the pure, undifferentiated consciousness? It is like moon being hot.
. Salutations to that Self of mine, the undifferentiated one. the jewel that illumines the whole creation. Oh, after a long time I have arrived at you.
. I have thought and inquired fully and well, I have accomplished (mygoal) You are now with me after a long time. you are now lifted from all modifications (in my mind). You are what you are. Salutations to you (O, Self)
. Salutations to you O infinite; salutations to you O auspicious one; salutations O Lord of lords, the Perfect, the Supreme Self
. Salutations to my Self which is like the full moon, which is 'ananda', which is beyond all supports, which is self luminous.
