Sri Vasista
O Rama, I shall illustrate (the above statement) with the ancient story of Suraghu, the king of 'kiratas'. It is most wonderful and baffling.
-8 On the northern side, there was the Himalayan range which looks like a mass of camphor and laughter of the Lord. On this range, existed a peak called Kailasa. It was the best among the peaks. It was the abode of Lord Sankara. It was splendorous with the 'apsaras' swinging on the swings formed by the branches of 'Rudraksa' trees. Amorous men were enjoying when struck by the feet of beautiful 'pramatha' women intoxicated with the promptings of cupid for romantic dalliances. Whenever Bhagawan Sankara roamed around there, the cascades rushed down glowing with liquid flows from 'Chandrakanta' stones (of precious kind). In one of the corners of that Kailasa, there lived a 'Kirata' called 'Hemajata'.
-14 . Kiratas living on the slopes of the peak subsisted on the fruits and Rudrakshas available in the forests. Suraghu was the king of those kiratas. He was of generous disposition. He was skilled in the art of governance and looked after his people well. He was a man of sun-like valour, and possesed wealth equal to the great Kubera. He was wise like Brihaspati. He was like Sukra in his interest in literature. He was ruling over his kingdom with compassion and restraint in a highly disciplined manner like sun (who keeps time with extreme precision).
-20 . In course of time, he felt very much bound by the joys and sorrows generated by his disciplined rule. He felt literally entrapped as if in a net. Then he started thinking thus. 'I am causing immense grief to people by my might. They are like oilseeds in an oilmill. The sorrow of any person is like mine. To relieve their sorrow, I shall give them some money. With that all my people will be happy. What is the use of rigorous punishment. I shall, of course punish them appropriately. Otherwise there will be no law and order in society. Oh! what a problem! one day I am happy and another day I am unhappy will all this maintenance of law and order'. With such thoughts his mind was shaken and became restless.
-22 . At such time sage Mandavya reached his place like Narada reaching Indra. The king worshipped the sage ad and asked him :
-28 . 'O Lord, people in this world are happy with the advent of spring. Similarly I feel delighted with your arrival. A lotus blossoms when sunrays fall on it. In the same way I feel fulfilled with your spiritual light falling on me. You are compassionate. O knower of all knowledge! if you please, kindly relieve me of my doubts. O Lord, people say that having doubts itself is cause of unhappiness. My deeds of compassion and punishment and the consequent thoughts arising in my mind are harassing me like an elephant being harassed by a lion. Please grant that I achieve a sense of equilibrium without all this uneven, vicious state of mind.
Mandavya
-34 . O king, by self-effort in an appropriate manner such tenderness of mind can be overcome. It will vanish like fog. Only by Self inquiry will the mental fever subside, like fog which disappears on the arrival of autumn. You inquire with you mind into your senses and other personal relationships as to 'why they are as they are.' And also inquire as 'Who am I? What is this birth and death?' Then you will attain the supreme greatness. When you clearly understand your nature and existence through that inquiry your mind will then stand stable like a rock against the rockings by joys and sorrows. Then your mind will shake off its fickle form and will be quiet. It will acquire its original form (as consciousness-Self). It will be like waves merging into their original waters.
O sinlessone, with such abandonment of its form, mind will abide pure. It will be like the times that get purified when reign of one Manu passes into the hands of another.
Even wealthy and pompous people will become fit for your compassion when you have realized the essential nature and principle of self. It will be like people who are happy with their king (who rules well).
O king, One who has realized Self with the help of the lamp of discrimination (viveka), makes even Meru and oceans less in majesty and wideness. Such realization is the best of all human purposes.
Having attained such heights, your mind does not dwell or sink into worldly affairs. An elephant can not fit into the foot print space of a cow.
A lowly and vily mind drowns itself in ordinary and simple things like a mosquito falling into slimy waters.
A vasana-ridden mind wallows in mud like an insect due to its engagement with phenomena and consequent distress and wretched state.
O mighty one, till nothing but Self remains, one should continue giving up everything.
A metal is as pure as the extent of its dressing. Similarly till all is inquired into, Self is not attained.
One should abandon and discard everything, everywhere and at all times then only Self is obtained.
Till all is given up, Self is not obtained. That state which remains when all states are given up, is called the Self.
When even ordinary things are not obtained if the other (irrelevant) things are not given up, what to talk of attaining Self?
O king, when a person tries hard for Self abandoning everything else, then Self only will be gained, nothing else.
And so to realize Self everything else has to be given up. When there is nothing else to give up, that which remains is the Supreme State.
The things in this world are swelling with cause-effect logics and algorithms. When the mind (involved in these) gives up its nature and form, what remains is that Absolute.
