TEJOBINDU UPANIṢAD
May He protect us both together. May He profit us both together. May we gain strength together. May what we learned be noble. May there be no enmity between us.
Oṁ. Peace; peace; peace.
Oṁ. Peace; peace; peace.
Chapter I
1. The highest meditation is on the Tejobindu,* the Self of all, abiding in the heart, subatomic, the provider of joy, peaceful, and that which transcends the gross and the subtle.
* Tejobindu can be translated as Point of Light or Source of Light.
2. That practice is difficult, full of pain, hard to see, liberating, enduring, and difficult to achieve. That is meditation on one’s own Self and that is the meditation of the sages.
3. That is for one who does not steal, who has conquered anger, who has given up society, and who controls his senses. That is for the one who is free from the pairs of opposites (hot and cold, happiness and sorrow, etc.) who is free of ego, and who is free of desire and greed.
4. He is the one who approaches the inaccessible, but avoids the conceivable. It is said that the Self has three abodes and seekers find the three in the Vedas.
Comment: The three abodes are the three states of consciousness: wakeful, dream, and deep sleep (see Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad).
5. Cast off laziness and know that most supreme secret, which is without support, the nature of bliss, and subtle. That is the highest abode of God.
6. Appearing with three faces, three qualities, and three bodies, That is without form, unchanging, without distinction, shapeless, and baseless.
Comment: The Self appears as an individual soul in the three states of consciousness: wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep; with three qualities of nature: purity, passion, and dullness; and three bodies: gross, subtle, and causal.
7. One’s true nature is beyond the sphere of speech and mind and harmful to the illusion of being a limited adjunct. That state is understood and obtained from the path of unity.
8. That state is never-ending bliss, inconceivable, liberated, and unchanging. The Self should be contemplated as completely free, everlasting, immovable, and infallible.
9. That is Brahman. That is the Supreme Self. That is God, the Highest Refuge. That is the Self, beyond thought, the nature of pure consciousness, and the highest heaven.
10. Residing in the heart, That is both void and non-void, as well as beyond void. Not thought, nor thinker, nor object of thought, but what should be contemplated.
11. The Supreme Void is not all this. It is not the highest nor the lowest. The Unreal cannot be thought of or known, but is not beyond the intellect.
12. The sages are one with That, but not the celestial beings. Greed, delusion, fear, pride, lust, anger, and sin;
13. Feelings of hot and cold or hunger and thirst, thoughts and fancies, arrogance of one’s social position, and the bond of greed are not in the liberated.
14. There is no fear in emancipation; likewise, there is neither pleasure and pain nor honor and disgrace. That which should be known is supreme and that is Brahman.
15. The restraints, observances, renunciation, silence, place, timeliness, and posture; the root-lock (mula-bandha) equilibrium of body, and steady gaze;
16. Breath-control, sense-control, concentration, self-contemplation, and absorption; these are called the steps of Yoga practice.
17. Controlling the senses due to the realization that Brahman is all is called the true restraint (yama) and that should be practiced continually.
18. Observance (niyama) is the highest bliss due to the regular practice, by the wise, of oneness and rejection of the opposite (duality).
19. Renunciation comes from recognizing that the manifold universe is consciousness in nature. This is the renunciation of the most honored sages, since it brings immediate liberation.
20. Where speech and thought are turned back without reaching That, that is the silence attained by the yogis and that should always be practiced by the wise.
21. How can one describe That from which words return when even this phenomenal universe is beyond description?
22. However, that Inherent Silence should be known, so the teachers of Brahman guided the unenlightened with speech.
23. Place is considered to be that solitude, which always pervades this universe and where there is no one to be found in the beginning, the middle, or the end.
24. The Non-dual, Undivided Bliss that produces all beings, from Brahmā, the Creator on down, in the blink of an eye is indicated by the word “time.”
25. Posture (āsana) is ease in the constant meditation of Brahman. What is different from that, destroys happiness.
26. Posture is for attaining the Origin of All Beings, the Non-dual, Support of the Universe. What is called the perfect posture (siddhāsana) is where the accomplished (siddhās) achieve perfection.
27. Restraint of the mind is the root of all the worlds. That is the root-restraint (mula-bandha) that is fit for Yoga and always practiced by the knowers of Brahman.
28. Equanimity of limbs should be known as being absorbed in the Equable Brahman; otherwise, merely straightening the body is like being a dried-up tree.
29. Seeing that the world is pervaded by Brahman is the vision that is full of knowledge. That vision is the most noble and not just gazing at the tip of one’s nose.
30. Or it is when vision is directed to the cessation of the seer, the seen, and seeing (subject, object, and perception) and not merely looking at the tip of one’s nose.
31. Controlling mental fluctuations and perceiving that only Brahman exists in all the states of consciousness is said to be real breath control.
32. Warding off the idea of a manifold universe is called exhalation and the thought “I am Brahman” is called inhalation.
33. Likewise, the steadiness of that thought is the retaining of vital air. This is the breath control (prāṇāyāma) of the awakened, whereas the ignorant only hold their noses.
34. Delighting the mind in consciousness by seeing the Self in sense objects is the sense-control that should be realized and continually practiced.
35. Steadiness of mind from perceiving Brahman wherever the mind wanders is regarded as the highest concentration.
36. From the pure thought, “I am Brahman” being without support and by meditation on the well-known word (Oṁ) one gains the highest bliss.
37. The continual, unchanging state of self-identification with Brahman, leading to the forgetfulness of all mental modifications, is considered absorption (samādhi).
38. And this should be practiced properly and often, until the goal, natural bliss, spontaneously arises from within one’s own Self.
39. From that, the perfected, noble yogi becomes free from practices and his True Self becomes the subject-matter of mind and speech.
Comment: Verses 15 – 37 define fifteen “steps of Yoga practice,” which include the eight “limbs” or aspects of Yoga described in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali (II. 29-III.3). But, rather than focus on the technical aspects of these techniques, the focus here is on the purpose of the techniques, and on Yoga itself, which is union with the Supreme. While these verses seem to indicate a difference in the practice of Yoga and Vedānta, they do not. Vedānta advocates a steady focus of the mind on Brahman. But how does one focus the mind on Brahman, Who is transcendental and beyond conception? The ancient sages developed a system that solves that dilemma. The yogi trains his mind by focusing on a single object. Then, when the mind is completely focused and becomes still, the yogi becomes aware of his true nature. That state, samādhi is the state of Brahman awareness described in these verses. Continued practice of Yoga Meditation leads to awakening, the goal of both Yoga and Vedānta. So, the purpose of these verses is not to contradict or demean Yoga practice, but to emphasize the essence of those practices.
40. But obstacles to meditation practice may, unwillingly, arise; these are: lack of curiosity, laziness, and attachment to pleasure,
41. Lethargy, dullness, distraction, impatience, perspiration, and absent-mindedness. All these obstacles should be avoided by the skilled seekers of Brahman.
42. Just as worldly thoughts bring worldliness and empty thoughts bring emptiness, so do thoughts of Brahman bring fullness. Therefore, practice fullness.
43. As for those who disregard this highly purifying practice that reveals Brahman, they are people who live in vain, just like animals.
44. But those whose knowledge increases and who realize that state (of Brahman) surely, those virtuous people are blessed and respected in the three worlds.
45. Those whose continual practice develops and ripens, surely reach the true state of Brahman, but not those who merely recite words.
46. Those clever peddlers of Brahman, who are entrenched in the world and without spiritual practice, repeatedly come and go, due to their ignorance.
47. Do not remain for half an instant without the thought of Brahman, just as Brahmā and other celestial beings maintain that thought.
48. If the cause for which there is an effect is itself a product, then, by reason, if the (first) cause is absent, then the effect does not really exist.
Comment: If something is dependent on a cause that is itself an effect, then that cannot be considered the primal cause. Therefore, the Primal Cause of the universe must, by reason, be eternal and unchanging.
49. The Real is pure and beyond the range of words; therefore, the state of awareness arises in purified minds.
50. What is contemplated with intense energy becomes an object of firm conviction. Reducing the seen to the unseen, the wise should realize Brahman as one with the universe, then abide with a mind full of the bliss of consciousness.
Comment: Chapter I begins by stating that one should meditate on the Self, which is the highest practice, but difficult to achieve. The Self is the nature of bliss, the highest refuge, and beyond mind and speech. The liberated are free from anger, lust, and ego and are not effected by the pairs of opposites. The upaniṣad goes on to describe fifteen Yoga practices in terms of Self-knowledge and lists the obstacles to meditation to be avoided. Those who attain Brahman through this practice are respected, but not those who are attached to the world and only offer lip-service about the Supreme. They will continue to suffer in transmigratory existence. Brahman is pure consciousness, the Unseen Cause of this universe; therefore, one should meditate on being That with intense conviction to attain Self-realization.
* Tejobindu can be translated as Point of Light or Source of Light.
2. That practice is difficult, full of pain, hard to see, liberating, enduring, and difficult to achieve. That is meditation on one’s own Self and that is the meditation of the sages.
3. That is for one who does not steal, who has conquered anger, who has given up society, and who controls his senses. That is for the one who is free from the pairs of opposites (hot and cold, happiness and sorrow, etc.) who is free of ego, and who is free of desire and greed.
4. He is the one who approaches the inaccessible, but avoids the conceivable. It is said that the Self has three abodes and seekers find the three in the Vedas.
Comment: The three abodes are the three states of consciousness: wakeful, dream, and deep sleep (see Māṇḍūkya Upaniṣad).
5. Cast off laziness and know that most supreme secret, which is without support, the nature of bliss, and subtle. That is the highest abode of God.
6. Appearing with three faces, three qualities, and three bodies, That is without form, unchanging, without distinction, shapeless, and baseless.
Comment: The Self appears as an individual soul in the three states of consciousness: wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep; with three qualities of nature: purity, passion, and dullness; and three bodies: gross, subtle, and causal.
7. One’s true nature is beyond the sphere of speech and mind and harmful to the illusion of being a limited adjunct. That state is understood and obtained from the path of unity.
8. That state is never-ending bliss, inconceivable, liberated, and unchanging. The Self should be contemplated as completely free, everlasting, immovable, and infallible.
9. That is Brahman. That is the Supreme Self. That is God, the Highest Refuge. That is the Self, beyond thought, the nature of pure consciousness, and the highest heaven.
10. Residing in the heart, That is both void and non-void, as well as beyond void. Not thought, nor thinker, nor object of thought, but what should be contemplated.
11. The Supreme Void is not all this. It is not the highest nor the lowest. The Unreal cannot be thought of or known, but is not beyond the intellect.
12. The sages are one with That, but not the celestial beings. Greed, delusion, fear, pride, lust, anger, and sin;
13. Feelings of hot and cold or hunger and thirst, thoughts and fancies, arrogance of one’s social position, and the bond of greed are not in the liberated.
14. There is no fear in emancipation; likewise, there is neither pleasure and pain nor honor and disgrace. That which should be known is supreme and that is Brahman.
15. The restraints, observances, renunciation, silence, place, timeliness, and posture; the root-lock (mula-bandha) equilibrium of body, and steady gaze;
16. Breath-control, sense-control, concentration, self-contemplation, and absorption; these are called the steps of Yoga practice.
17. Controlling the senses due to the realization that Brahman is all is called the true restraint (yama) and that should be practiced continually.
18. Observance (niyama) is the highest bliss due to the regular practice, by the wise, of oneness and rejection of the opposite (duality).
19. Renunciation comes from recognizing that the manifold universe is consciousness in nature. This is the renunciation of the most honored sages, since it brings immediate liberation.
20. Where speech and thought are turned back without reaching That, that is the silence attained by the yogis and that should always be practiced by the wise.
21. How can one describe That from which words return when even this phenomenal universe is beyond description?
22. However, that Inherent Silence should be known, so the teachers of Brahman guided the unenlightened with speech.
23. Place is considered to be that solitude, which always pervades this universe and where there is no one to be found in the beginning, the middle, or the end.
24. The Non-dual, Undivided Bliss that produces all beings, from Brahmā, the Creator on down, in the blink of an eye is indicated by the word “time.”
25. Posture (āsana) is ease in the constant meditation of Brahman. What is different from that, destroys happiness.
26. Posture is for attaining the Origin of All Beings, the Non-dual, Support of the Universe. What is called the perfect posture (siddhāsana) is where the accomplished (siddhās) achieve perfection.
27. Restraint of the mind is the root of all the worlds. That is the root-restraint (mula-bandha) that is fit for Yoga and always practiced by the knowers of Brahman.
28. Equanimity of limbs should be known as being absorbed in the Equable Brahman; otherwise, merely straightening the body is like being a dried-up tree.
29. Seeing that the world is pervaded by Brahman is the vision that is full of knowledge. That vision is the most noble and not just gazing at the tip of one’s nose.
30. Or it is when vision is directed to the cessation of the seer, the seen, and seeing (subject, object, and perception) and not merely looking at the tip of one’s nose.
31. Controlling mental fluctuations and perceiving that only Brahman exists in all the states of consciousness is said to be real breath control.
32. Warding off the idea of a manifold universe is called exhalation and the thought “I am Brahman” is called inhalation.
33. Likewise, the steadiness of that thought is the retaining of vital air. This is the breath control (prāṇāyāma) of the awakened, whereas the ignorant only hold their noses.
34. Delighting the mind in consciousness by seeing the Self in sense objects is the sense-control that should be realized and continually practiced.
35. Steadiness of mind from perceiving Brahman wherever the mind wanders is regarded as the highest concentration.
36. From the pure thought, “I am Brahman” being without support and by meditation on the well-known word (Oṁ) one gains the highest bliss.
37. The continual, unchanging state of self-identification with Brahman, leading to the forgetfulness of all mental modifications, is considered absorption (samādhi).
38. And this should be practiced properly and often, until the goal, natural bliss, spontaneously arises from within one’s own Self.
39. From that, the perfected, noble yogi becomes free from practices and his True Self becomes the subject-matter of mind and speech.
Comment: Verses 15 – 37 define fifteen “steps of Yoga practice,” which include the eight “limbs” or aspects of Yoga described in the Yoga Sūtras of Patañjali (II. 29-III.3). But, rather than focus on the technical aspects of these techniques, the focus here is on the purpose of the techniques, and on Yoga itself, which is union with the Supreme. While these verses seem to indicate a difference in the practice of Yoga and Vedānta, they do not. Vedānta advocates a steady focus of the mind on Brahman. But how does one focus the mind on Brahman, Who is transcendental and beyond conception? The ancient sages developed a system that solves that dilemma. The yogi trains his mind by focusing on a single object. Then, when the mind is completely focused and becomes still, the yogi becomes aware of his true nature. That state, samādhi is the state of Brahman awareness described in these verses. Continued practice of Yoga Meditation leads to awakening, the goal of both Yoga and Vedānta. So, the purpose of these verses is not to contradict or demean Yoga practice, but to emphasize the essence of those practices.
40. But obstacles to meditation practice may, unwillingly, arise; these are: lack of curiosity, laziness, and attachment to pleasure,
41. Lethargy, dullness, distraction, impatience, perspiration, and absent-mindedness. All these obstacles should be avoided by the skilled seekers of Brahman.
42. Just as worldly thoughts bring worldliness and empty thoughts bring emptiness, so do thoughts of Brahman bring fullness. Therefore, practice fullness.
43. As for those who disregard this highly purifying practice that reveals Brahman, they are people who live in vain, just like animals.
44. But those whose knowledge increases and who realize that state (of Brahman) surely, those virtuous people are blessed and respected in the three worlds.
45. Those whose continual practice develops and ripens, surely reach the true state of Brahman, but not those who merely recite words.
46. Those clever peddlers of Brahman, who are entrenched in the world and without spiritual practice, repeatedly come and go, due to their ignorance.
47. Do not remain for half an instant without the thought of Brahman, just as Brahmā and other celestial beings maintain that thought.
48. If the cause for which there is an effect is itself a product, then, by reason, if the (first) cause is absent, then the effect does not really exist.
Comment: If something is dependent on a cause that is itself an effect, then that cannot be considered the primal cause. Therefore, the Primal Cause of the universe must, by reason, be eternal and unchanging.
49. The Real is pure and beyond the range of words; therefore, the state of awareness arises in purified minds.
50. What is contemplated with intense energy becomes an object of firm conviction. Reducing the seen to the unseen, the wise should realize Brahman as one with the universe, then abide with a mind full of the bliss of consciousness.
Comment: Chapter I begins by stating that one should meditate on the Self, which is the highest practice, but difficult to achieve. The Self is the nature of bliss, the highest refuge, and beyond mind and speech. The liberated are free from anger, lust, and ego and are not effected by the pairs of opposites. The upaniṣad goes on to describe fifteen Yoga practices in terms of Self-knowledge and lists the obstacles to meditation to be avoided. Those who attain Brahman through this practice are respected, but not those who are attached to the world and only offer lip-service about the Supreme. They will continue to suffer in transmigratory existence. Brahman is pure consciousness, the Unseen Cause of this universe; therefore, one should meditate on being That with intense conviction to attain Self-realization.
Chapter II
1. Kumāra said to Śiva: Tell me about the One Complete Essence, Absolute Consciousness, the True Self. Śiva, the Supreme replied: The One Complete Essence is the seen, It is creation, It is one’s own Self.
2. The One Complete Essence is mantra, It is practice, It is knowledge, and It is fluid.
3. The One Complete Essence is earth, It is sky, It is scripture, and It is the Vedas.
4. The One Complete Essence is Brahman, It is a vow, It is the soul, and It is the Unborn.
5. The One Complete Essence is Brahmā, It is Viṣṇu, It is Rudra, and It is I.
6. The One Complete Essence is the Self, It is the guru, It is the goal, and It is great.
7. The One Complete Essence is the body, It is the mind, It is consciousness, and It is joy.
8. The One Complete Essence is knowing, It is imperishable, It is eternal, and It is supreme.
9. The One Complete Essence is everything and It is beyond. Kumāra, there is nothing other than the One Complete Essence.
10. There is nothing, clearly nothing, but the One Complete Essence. Everything comes from the One Complete Essence and I also come from That.
11. The One Complete Essence is gross and subtle, It is the complete manifestation, It is to be known, and It is.
12. The One Complete Essence is mysterious, It is the beginning, It is the knower, and It is existence.
13. The One Complete Essence is mother, It is father, It is brother, and It is husband.
14. The One Complete Essence is canon, It is the universe (virāt) It is the limbs, and It is the head.
15. The One Complete Essence is internal, It is external, It is full, and It is immortal.
16. The One Complete Essence is family, It is the house, It is protected, and It is the moon.
17. The One Complete Essence is the stars, It is the sun, It is the field, and It is forbearance.
18. The One Complete Essence is peace, It is without qualities, It is the witness, and It is the benefactor.
19. The One Complete Essence is a relative, It is a friend, It is the king, and It is the city.
20. The One Complete Essence is kingdom, It is offspring, It is Oṁ, and It is recitation.
21. The One Complete Essence is meditation, It is the path, It is to be grasped, and It is abundant.
22. The One Complete Essence is light, It is wealth, It is to be enjoyed, and It is the oblation.
23. The One Complete Essence is sacrifice, It is prayer, It is heaven, and It is the Self.
24. The One Complete Essence is absolute consciousness, which is everything. Absolute consciousness alone is; and It is supreme.
25. Since there is only absolute consciousness, nothing exists without absolute consciousness. And as everything is composed of consciousness, this universe is also composed of absolute consciousness.
Comment: Since nothing exists outside of consciousness, everything that exists is, by nature, absolute consciousness.
26. The Self-existing, One Complete Essence is realized as absolute consciousness; all beings are absolute consciousness and, like them, I am also consciousness by nature.
27. Ether, earth, water, air, and fire; Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva; everything that is and whatever is not are, clearly, only absolute consciousness.
28. The One Complete Essence and everything whatsoever is, clearly, only absolute consciousness; past, present, and future are all, clearly, only absolute consciousness.
29. Matter and time are absolute consciousness. Knowledge and the known are only absolute consciousness. The knower is absolute consciousness by nature and everything is solely the nature of absolute consciousness.
30. Speech and everything else is only absolute consciousness. The real and unreal are absolute consciousness. The beginning and the end are always in the form of consciousness.
31. The beginning and end are absolute consciousness; the seer and the seen are absolute consciousness or rather always in the form of consciousness.
32. All wonderful things are absolute consciousness; the gross, subtle, and causal bodies are absolute consciousness, since, apart from absolute consciousness, nothing is found.
33. I and you, shape and shapelessness, virtue and vice are absolute consciousness. The individual soul is an extension of absolute consciousness.
34. Apart from absolute consciousness, there is no thought, no perception, no mantra, and no divinity.
35. Apart from absolute consciousness, there is no sky-god and no worldly existence. The Supreme Brahman is absolute consciousness and apart from absolute consciousness is nothing.
36. Apart from absolute consciousness, there is no illusion, no worship, nothing to be worshipped, and no truthfulness.
37. Apart from absolute consciousness, there are no bodies, no spirits, no silence, and no noise.
38. Apart from absolute consciousness, there is no renunciation and everything that is seen, far and wide, is only absolute consciousness.
39. Certainly, whatever existed, whatever will be, and whatever is perceived are all only absolute consciousness.
40. Whatever is in the Vedānta is all absolute consciousness and apart from absolute consciousness, there is no understanding nor liberation.
41. Everything is only absolute consciousness and apart from absolute consciousness, there is no goal. The One Complete Essence is Brahman; indeed, nothing is found apart from absolute consciousness.
42. The One Complete Essences is in scripture, in me, in you, and in the Lord. That being so, one can perceive that non-dual nature as “I”.
43. Through that perception, the liberated realizes his True Self, the Real Guru.
Comment: Chapter II begins the conversation between Śiva and His son Kumāra. Kumāra asks his father to describe Brahman, the Non-dual Essence. Śiva describes, in length, Brahman, Who is the Non-dual Self and explains that absolute consciousness is everything. The chapter concludes with the statement that the Self can be realized through one’s I-consciousness. (See Vijñāna Bhairava 14-15.)
2. The One Complete Essence is mantra, It is practice, It is knowledge, and It is fluid.
3. The One Complete Essence is earth, It is sky, It is scripture, and It is the Vedas.
4. The One Complete Essence is Brahman, It is a vow, It is the soul, and It is the Unborn.
5. The One Complete Essence is Brahmā, It is Viṣṇu, It is Rudra, and It is I.
6. The One Complete Essence is the Self, It is the guru, It is the goal, and It is great.
7. The One Complete Essence is the body, It is the mind, It is consciousness, and It is joy.
8. The One Complete Essence is knowing, It is imperishable, It is eternal, and It is supreme.
9. The One Complete Essence is everything and It is beyond. Kumāra, there is nothing other than the One Complete Essence.
10. There is nothing, clearly nothing, but the One Complete Essence. Everything comes from the One Complete Essence and I also come from That.
11. The One Complete Essence is gross and subtle, It is the complete manifestation, It is to be known, and It is.
12. The One Complete Essence is mysterious, It is the beginning, It is the knower, and It is existence.
13. The One Complete Essence is mother, It is father, It is brother, and It is husband.
14. The One Complete Essence is canon, It is the universe (virāt) It is the limbs, and It is the head.
15. The One Complete Essence is internal, It is external, It is full, and It is immortal.
16. The One Complete Essence is family, It is the house, It is protected, and It is the moon.
17. The One Complete Essence is the stars, It is the sun, It is the field, and It is forbearance.
18. The One Complete Essence is peace, It is without qualities, It is the witness, and It is the benefactor.
19. The One Complete Essence is a relative, It is a friend, It is the king, and It is the city.
20. The One Complete Essence is kingdom, It is offspring, It is Oṁ, and It is recitation.
21. The One Complete Essence is meditation, It is the path, It is to be grasped, and It is abundant.
22. The One Complete Essence is light, It is wealth, It is to be enjoyed, and It is the oblation.
23. The One Complete Essence is sacrifice, It is prayer, It is heaven, and It is the Self.
24. The One Complete Essence is absolute consciousness, which is everything. Absolute consciousness alone is; and It is supreme.
25. Since there is only absolute consciousness, nothing exists without absolute consciousness. And as everything is composed of consciousness, this universe is also composed of absolute consciousness.
Comment: Since nothing exists outside of consciousness, everything that exists is, by nature, absolute consciousness.
26. The Self-existing, One Complete Essence is realized as absolute consciousness; all beings are absolute consciousness and, like them, I am also consciousness by nature.
27. Ether, earth, water, air, and fire; Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva; everything that is and whatever is not are, clearly, only absolute consciousness.
28. The One Complete Essence and everything whatsoever is, clearly, only absolute consciousness; past, present, and future are all, clearly, only absolute consciousness.
29. Matter and time are absolute consciousness. Knowledge and the known are only absolute consciousness. The knower is absolute consciousness by nature and everything is solely the nature of absolute consciousness.
30. Speech and everything else is only absolute consciousness. The real and unreal are absolute consciousness. The beginning and the end are always in the form of consciousness.
31. The beginning and end are absolute consciousness; the seer and the seen are absolute consciousness or rather always in the form of consciousness.
32. All wonderful things are absolute consciousness; the gross, subtle, and causal bodies are absolute consciousness, since, apart from absolute consciousness, nothing is found.
33. I and you, shape and shapelessness, virtue and vice are absolute consciousness. The individual soul is an extension of absolute consciousness.
34. Apart from absolute consciousness, there is no thought, no perception, no mantra, and no divinity.
35. Apart from absolute consciousness, there is no sky-god and no worldly existence. The Supreme Brahman is absolute consciousness and apart from absolute consciousness is nothing.
36. Apart from absolute consciousness, there is no illusion, no worship, nothing to be worshipped, and no truthfulness.
37. Apart from absolute consciousness, there are no bodies, no spirits, no silence, and no noise.
38. Apart from absolute consciousness, there is no renunciation and everything that is seen, far and wide, is only absolute consciousness.
39. Certainly, whatever existed, whatever will be, and whatever is perceived are all only absolute consciousness.
40. Whatever is in the Vedānta is all absolute consciousness and apart from absolute consciousness, there is no understanding nor liberation.
41. Everything is only absolute consciousness and apart from absolute consciousness, there is no goal. The One Complete Essence is Brahman; indeed, nothing is found apart from absolute consciousness.
42. The One Complete Essences is in scripture, in me, in you, and in the Lord. That being so, one can perceive that non-dual nature as “I”.
43. Through that perception, the liberated realizes his True Self, the Real Guru.
Comment: Chapter II begins the conversation between Śiva and His son Kumāra. Kumāra asks his father to describe Brahman, the Non-dual Essence. Śiva describes, in length, Brahman, Who is the Non-dual Self and explains that absolute consciousness is everything. The chapter concludes with the statement that the Self can be realized through one’s I-consciousness. (See Vijñāna Bhairava 14-15.)
Chapter III
1. Kumāra said to his father: Please explain Self-realization. Śiva, the Supreme said: I am the nature of the Supreme Brahman. I am the highest bliss. I am pure knowledge by nature. And I am solely the Supreme.
2. I am pure peace by nature; I am pure consciousness by nature; I am wholly eternal by nature; and I am permanent.
3. I am pure by nature and, having renounced “I”, I am. I am free of everything by nature, and full of the space of consciousness.
4. I am fully the fourth state of consciousness and completely beyond the fourth state. I am continual awareness by nature and full of the bliss of consciousness.
5. I am the nature of complete inactivity, eternal purity, absolute knowledge, and pure love.
6. I am without difference, free of desire, and untainted. I am always detached, unchanging, and indestructible by nature.
7. I am always one essence by nature and always the nature of absolute consciousness. I am endless, by nature, having the form of complete bliss.
8. I am the highest bliss of being and the nature of the highest bliss of awareness. I am the nearest of the near, beyond the sphere of mind and speech.
9. I am the bliss of Self and the bliss of Reality. I am the nature of self-delight, since this Self is always beneficent.
10. I am self-revealing by nature, as I am the essence of self-radiance. Like space, I am without beginning, middle, or end.
11. I am the nature of unlimited being, the bliss of consciousness, and eternally pure. I am Being-Awareness-Bliss, eternally wise, virtuous, and one.
12. I am the eternal support of the world. I am the nature of supreme space, beyond form, and transcendental.
13. I am the nature of earthly bliss, beyond description, the abode of all, and rich in consciousness.
14. I have completely abandoned being a body and, being completely free of mental fluctuations, I am always without thought. I am the One Essential Conscious Self.
15. I have completely abandoned everything visible, since I alone am the nature of sight. Being the nature of eternal fullness, I am always content.
16. I am Brahman alone and everything is clearly only consciousness. I am only “I” and full of the nature of absolute space.
17. I am surely the Great Self, the greatest of the great, yet I appear unlike Myself, such as having a body.
18. I also appear like a pupil, dependent on these three worlds, yet I am beyond the three time periods and am venerated in the Vedas.
19. I am ascertained in the scriptures and established in the mind. There is nothing outside of me, and if anything were outside of me, it would be outside the whole world as well.
20. You will not find anything that is apart from me. I am Brahman; I am the perfected; and I am eternally pure.
21. I am solely the Self, without qualities and always without form. I am solely the Absolute Brahman, ageless and immortal.
22. I exist as my own True Self, which is always the nature of Self. I am self-sufficient in my True Nature, attaining the Supreme in myself.
23. Surely, I shine in my own True Self. I delight in my own True Self. My own True Self is the light and It is great.
24. I will abide in my True Self. I will observe in True Self. I am well seated in True Self and True Self is all that remains.
25. I will remain in Self awareness, delighting in the kingdom of True Self, established on the throne of True Self, I think of nothing but being in True Self.
26. I am surely Brahman, the nature of absolute consciousness, non-dual, Being-Awareness-Bliss. I am solely Brahman, full of bliss and pure I-consciousness.
27. I am the full bliss of Self, eternally devoid of all things. I am clothed in the full bliss of Self, the nature of everlasting bliss.
28. I am the space in the heart, possessing the nature of limitless consciousness. I am formless and unchanging, the nature of self-content.
29. I am the nature of eternal freedom and am more subtle than space. I cannot be calculated or summed and my existence has no beginning or end.
30. I am the highest and lowest good and all illuminating by nature. I am the nature of absolute being and pure liberation.
31. The bliss of being by nature, I am rich in the bliss of knowledge. I am the nature of absolute realization, characterized by being, awareness, and bliss.
32. All this is only Brahman, there is nothing other than Brahman. I am that Being-Awareness-Bliss; I am that Eternal Brahman.
33. The words “you” and “that” (from the famous verse, “You are That”) refer to me. Nothing is different from me. I am the Supreme Śiva, conscious-awareness by nature.
34. I am the quality of happiness. I am beyond conception and, being beyond sight, I am never seen.
35. Being solely Brahman, I am the Everlasting Self. I am the principal support (of all) and the only support of the world.
36. I am the nature of bliss, free from name and form. I am the nature of absolute being and imperceptible by sense organs.
37. I am completely free from bondage, the nature of perpetual bliss. I am the primal, absolute consciousness; the one, complete essence.
38. I am beyond the sphere of mind and speech, complete fullness by nature, and full of the bliss of being.
39. I am always the nature of contentment, the Supreme Eternal Essence. I am Brahman, one without a second, the Real, of that there is no doubt.
40. I am devoid of everything, by nature and beyond the range of all the senses. I am liberated and the nature of liberation. I am the joy of nirvāṇa by nature.
41. I am full of the bliss of absolute being and the realization of absolute reality. I am beyond the fourth state, by nature, possessing the nature of non-difference.
42. I am forever unborn, impassionate, faultless, and pure, by nature. I am eternal and I am awake.
43. I am the meaning of the word Oṁ. I am spotless, the form of consciousness by nature. I both am and am not.
44. I am not anything and am without division or occupation by nature. I have no likeness and am not the mind or the sense functions.
45. I am not the intellect, nor thoughts; I am not the three bodies and do not possess the nature of wakefulness, dream, or deep sleep.
46. I am not affected by the three afflictions, nor do I have the three desires. There is no hearing and reflection for me, having attained perfection in the Conscious Self.
47. There is nothing like me or unlike me. I am not in the three bodies and there is nothing within me.
48. The nature of mind, intellect, and ego is unreal and, therefore, imperfect; however, I am unborn, eternal, and unchanging.
49. Know that the three bodies and the three times are always unreal and know that the three qualities of nature are also unreal, but this Self, pure by nature, is reality.
50. Know that everything heard and all the Vedas are always unreal and know that all the scriptures are also unreal, but I, awareness by nature, am reality.
51. Know that the three deities and all living beings are unreal and know that all the elemental principles are also unreal, but this Self is the Great, Eternal God.
52. Know that the guru and disciple are unreal and, therefore, the guru’s mantra is also unreal. Know that what is seen is unreal, but that I am real.
53. Know what is conceived is unreal and know that what is lawful and established is also unreal, but know that I am real.
54. Know that all the vital airs are unreal and so are all the pleasures. Know that what is seen and heard is unreal and what is bound in all directions is unreal by nature.
55. Know that right and wrong, pain and pleasure, lost and found, and all and nothing are unreal.
56. Know that full and empty, profit and loss, virtue and vice, victory and defeat are all unreal by nature.
57. Know that all sound and all touch and all form and all taste are unreal by nature.
58. Know that all odors are unreal and that all ignorance is unreal by nature. Clearly all of mundane existence is completely unreal.
59. All the physical qualities are unreal and, surely, I am absolute being. One should always seek the mantra of True Self and always practice that.
60. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all visible evil. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all other mantras.
61. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the body affliction. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the evil of birth.
Comment: The conviction that one is truly Brahman counters the identification with the body that leads to rebirth.
62. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the grip of death. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the problem of duality.
63. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the idea of difference. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the troubled mind.
64. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the sickness of conception. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the bondage of the mind.
65. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all afflictions. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all sorrows.
66. This mantra, “I am Brahman” fully destroys excited desire. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the power of anger.
67. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys mental fluctuations. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all notions.
68. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys ten-million faults. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all doctrines.
69. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys ignorance of Self. This mantra, “I am Brahman” conquers the worldly mind.
70. This mantra, “I am Brahman” bestows incomprehensible joy. This mantra, “I am Brahman” bestows brilliance.
71. This mantra, “I am Brahman” crushes the demon of non-self. This weapon, “I am Brahman” removes the mountain named “non-self.”
72. This mantra, “I am Brahman” removes the demons of non-self. This mantra, “I am Brahman” will liberate everyone.
73. This mantra, “I am Brahman” bestows the bliss of knowledge. There are seventy-million mantras that cause one-hundred million births.
74. Leaving behind all those mantras, one should practice the mantra, “I am Brahman” and quickly reach liberation; of that, there is not even the slightest doubt.
Comment: In chapter III, Śiva describes Self-realization as awakening to one’s True Nature, which is Being-Awareness-Bliss: pure, eternal, and free. He explains that the Self is beyond the body, mind, intellect, and sense organs. Śiva tells Kumāra that all phenomena are unreal and that only the Self is real. He then states that the mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all the problems of the human condition and bestows eternal bliss, while all other mantras lead to rebirth.
2. I am pure peace by nature; I am pure consciousness by nature; I am wholly eternal by nature; and I am permanent.
3. I am pure by nature and, having renounced “I”, I am. I am free of everything by nature, and full of the space of consciousness.
4. I am fully the fourth state of consciousness and completely beyond the fourth state. I am continual awareness by nature and full of the bliss of consciousness.
5. I am the nature of complete inactivity, eternal purity, absolute knowledge, and pure love.
6. I am without difference, free of desire, and untainted. I am always detached, unchanging, and indestructible by nature.
7. I am always one essence by nature and always the nature of absolute consciousness. I am endless, by nature, having the form of complete bliss.
8. I am the highest bliss of being and the nature of the highest bliss of awareness. I am the nearest of the near, beyond the sphere of mind and speech.
9. I am the bliss of Self and the bliss of Reality. I am the nature of self-delight, since this Self is always beneficent.
10. I am self-revealing by nature, as I am the essence of self-radiance. Like space, I am without beginning, middle, or end.
11. I am the nature of unlimited being, the bliss of consciousness, and eternally pure. I am Being-Awareness-Bliss, eternally wise, virtuous, and one.
12. I am the eternal support of the world. I am the nature of supreme space, beyond form, and transcendental.
13. I am the nature of earthly bliss, beyond description, the abode of all, and rich in consciousness.
14. I have completely abandoned being a body and, being completely free of mental fluctuations, I am always without thought. I am the One Essential Conscious Self.
15. I have completely abandoned everything visible, since I alone am the nature of sight. Being the nature of eternal fullness, I am always content.
16. I am Brahman alone and everything is clearly only consciousness. I am only “I” and full of the nature of absolute space.
17. I am surely the Great Self, the greatest of the great, yet I appear unlike Myself, such as having a body.
18. I also appear like a pupil, dependent on these three worlds, yet I am beyond the three time periods and am venerated in the Vedas.
19. I am ascertained in the scriptures and established in the mind. There is nothing outside of me, and if anything were outside of me, it would be outside the whole world as well.
20. You will not find anything that is apart from me. I am Brahman; I am the perfected; and I am eternally pure.
21. I am solely the Self, without qualities and always without form. I am solely the Absolute Brahman, ageless and immortal.
22. I exist as my own True Self, which is always the nature of Self. I am self-sufficient in my True Nature, attaining the Supreme in myself.
23. Surely, I shine in my own True Self. I delight in my own True Self. My own True Self is the light and It is great.
24. I will abide in my True Self. I will observe in True Self. I am well seated in True Self and True Self is all that remains.
25. I will remain in Self awareness, delighting in the kingdom of True Self, established on the throne of True Self, I think of nothing but being in True Self.
26. I am surely Brahman, the nature of absolute consciousness, non-dual, Being-Awareness-Bliss. I am solely Brahman, full of bliss and pure I-consciousness.
27. I am the full bliss of Self, eternally devoid of all things. I am clothed in the full bliss of Self, the nature of everlasting bliss.
28. I am the space in the heart, possessing the nature of limitless consciousness. I am formless and unchanging, the nature of self-content.
29. I am the nature of eternal freedom and am more subtle than space. I cannot be calculated or summed and my existence has no beginning or end.
30. I am the highest and lowest good and all illuminating by nature. I am the nature of absolute being and pure liberation.
31. The bliss of being by nature, I am rich in the bliss of knowledge. I am the nature of absolute realization, characterized by being, awareness, and bliss.
32. All this is only Brahman, there is nothing other than Brahman. I am that Being-Awareness-Bliss; I am that Eternal Brahman.
33. The words “you” and “that” (from the famous verse, “You are That”) refer to me. Nothing is different from me. I am the Supreme Śiva, conscious-awareness by nature.
34. I am the quality of happiness. I am beyond conception and, being beyond sight, I am never seen.
35. Being solely Brahman, I am the Everlasting Self. I am the principal support (of all) and the only support of the world.
36. I am the nature of bliss, free from name and form. I am the nature of absolute being and imperceptible by sense organs.
37. I am completely free from bondage, the nature of perpetual bliss. I am the primal, absolute consciousness; the one, complete essence.
38. I am beyond the sphere of mind and speech, complete fullness by nature, and full of the bliss of being.
39. I am always the nature of contentment, the Supreme Eternal Essence. I am Brahman, one without a second, the Real, of that there is no doubt.
40. I am devoid of everything, by nature and beyond the range of all the senses. I am liberated and the nature of liberation. I am the joy of nirvāṇa by nature.
41. I am full of the bliss of absolute being and the realization of absolute reality. I am beyond the fourth state, by nature, possessing the nature of non-difference.
42. I am forever unborn, impassionate, faultless, and pure, by nature. I am eternal and I am awake.
43. I am the meaning of the word Oṁ. I am spotless, the form of consciousness by nature. I both am and am not.
44. I am not anything and am without division or occupation by nature. I have no likeness and am not the mind or the sense functions.
45. I am not the intellect, nor thoughts; I am not the three bodies and do not possess the nature of wakefulness, dream, or deep sleep.
46. I am not affected by the three afflictions, nor do I have the three desires. There is no hearing and reflection for me, having attained perfection in the Conscious Self.
47. There is nothing like me or unlike me. I am not in the three bodies and there is nothing within me.
48. The nature of mind, intellect, and ego is unreal and, therefore, imperfect; however, I am unborn, eternal, and unchanging.
49. Know that the three bodies and the three times are always unreal and know that the three qualities of nature are also unreal, but this Self, pure by nature, is reality.
50. Know that everything heard and all the Vedas are always unreal and know that all the scriptures are also unreal, but I, awareness by nature, am reality.
51. Know that the three deities and all living beings are unreal and know that all the elemental principles are also unreal, but this Self is the Great, Eternal God.
52. Know that the guru and disciple are unreal and, therefore, the guru’s mantra is also unreal. Know that what is seen is unreal, but that I am real.
53. Know what is conceived is unreal and know that what is lawful and established is also unreal, but know that I am real.
54. Know that all the vital airs are unreal and so are all the pleasures. Know that what is seen and heard is unreal and what is bound in all directions is unreal by nature.
55. Know that right and wrong, pain and pleasure, lost and found, and all and nothing are unreal.
56. Know that full and empty, profit and loss, virtue and vice, victory and defeat are all unreal by nature.
57. Know that all sound and all touch and all form and all taste are unreal by nature.
58. Know that all odors are unreal and that all ignorance is unreal by nature. Clearly all of mundane existence is completely unreal.
59. All the physical qualities are unreal and, surely, I am absolute being. One should always seek the mantra of True Self and always practice that.
60. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all visible evil. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all other mantras.
61. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the body affliction. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the evil of birth.
Comment: The conviction that one is truly Brahman counters the identification with the body that leads to rebirth.
62. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the grip of death. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the problem of duality.
63. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the idea of difference. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the troubled mind.
64. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the sickness of conception. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the bondage of the mind.
65. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all afflictions. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all sorrows.
66. This mantra, “I am Brahman” fully destroys excited desire. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys the power of anger.
67. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys mental fluctuations. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all notions.
68. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys ten-million faults. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all doctrines.
69. This mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys ignorance of Self. This mantra, “I am Brahman” conquers the worldly mind.
70. This mantra, “I am Brahman” bestows incomprehensible joy. This mantra, “I am Brahman” bestows brilliance.
71. This mantra, “I am Brahman” crushes the demon of non-self. This weapon, “I am Brahman” removes the mountain named “non-self.”
72. This mantra, “I am Brahman” removes the demons of non-self. This mantra, “I am Brahman” will liberate everyone.
73. This mantra, “I am Brahman” bestows the bliss of knowledge. There are seventy-million mantras that cause one-hundred million births.
74. Leaving behind all those mantras, one should practice the mantra, “I am Brahman” and quickly reach liberation; of that, there is not even the slightest doubt.
Comment: In chapter III, Śiva describes Self-realization as awakening to one’s True Nature, which is Being-Awareness-Bliss: pure, eternal, and free. He explains that the Self is beyond the body, mind, intellect, and sense organs. Śiva tells Kumāra that all phenomena are unreal and that only the Self is real. He then states that the mantra, “I am Brahman” destroys all the problems of the human condition and bestows eternal bliss, while all other mantras lead to rebirth.
Chapter IV
1. Kumāra addressed the Supreme Lord: Please tell me about liberation in life (jīvan-mukta) and liberation in death (videha-mukta). Śiva, the Supreme said: I am the Conscious Self, the Supreme Self, without attributes, and greater than the great. One who abides only in Self is called liberated in life.
2. One who knows within that: “I am Brahman, I am pure consciousness, and not these three bodies,” he is called liberated in life.
3. One who is certain that: “I am Brahman, the nature of solid bliss, full of the highest bliss, and I am not the body, etc.” is called liberated in life.
4. One who knows, “I am not anything” and who is fixed in absolute consciousness, who is absolute awareness inside, and having the nature of one, absolute consciousness;
5. Who is always full of True Self and always absorbed in the Self, who enjoys the bliss of the Non-manifest, and who is completely full of the nature of consciousness;
6. Whose self is the nature of pure awareness, who has shunned all worldly attachments, and abandoned any thought other than the everlasting bliss of True Self;
7. And who is free of being anything is called liberated in life. “I am not my mind, nor my intellect, nor the ego, and not the sense functions.
8. At no time am I my body, nor my life-force, nor my illusion, nor my desire, and not my anger. I am transcendental.
9. I am not anything in this world, nor anything somewhere else. I am not my sins, nor my character, nor my sight, and not my thoughts.
10. I am not my ears, nor my nose, nor my tongue, and not my hands. I am not my wakeful state, nor my dream state, and not my causal state (sleep) not in the least.
11. I am not even the fourth state.” One is called liberated in life who knows: “nothing in this world is me; and nothing anywhere is me.
12. I have no time, space, or substance. I am not my intention, nor my ablution, nor my worship, nor my deities, and not my situation.
13. I am not my path, nor my service, nor my knowledge, nor my rank. I have no bondage, nor birth, nor speech, and no sun god.
14. I am not my vice, nor my virtue, and not my right conduct or piety. The individual soul is not my true self and I am not anything of the three worlds.
15. I have no liberation or duality. I am not my Vedas nor my precepts. I am not near or far and I am not my awakening nor my secret.
16. I am not my guru, nor my student. I am not deficient or excessive. I am not my Brahmā, nor my Viṣṇu, nor my Rudra, and not the moon.
17. I am not my earth, nor my water, nor my air, and not my fire. I am not my goal, nor my origin.
18. I am not a meditator, nor an object of meditation, nor my meditation. I am not my cold, nor my hot, and not my hunger or thirst.
19. I am not my friend, nor my foe, nor my delusion, nor my victory. I am not east, nor west, nor above, or in any region.
20. I am not heard or spoken, not in the least. I am not understood or contemplated, not even minutely.
21. I am not to be enjoyed, nor remembered, not in the slightest. I am not my enjoyment, nor my desire, nor my sacrifice, nor my play.
22. I am not my stupidity, nor my peace, nor my bondage, nor my affection. I am not my pleasure, nor my joy and I am not fat or thin.
23. I am not long or short. I am not my growth, nor my decay, nor my superimposition or the rejection of that. I am not one, nor many.
24. I am not my blindness, nor my weakness, nor my skillfulness, not in the least. I am not my flesh, nor my blood, and not my fat.
25. I am not my bone, nor my marrow, nor my skin, and not my seven humours. I am not white, nor red, nor black, and not anything else.
26. I am not my loss, nor my gain. I am not foremost, nor secondary, nor anywhere. I am not my reeling, nor my steadiness, and I am not my solitude, nor my companionship.
27. I am not what I abandon, nor what I receive. I am not my laughter, nor my doctrine, nor my action, nor my fatigue, and not my happiness.
28. I am not my knower, nor my knowledge, nor what I should know, nor myself. I am not for you, nor for me, and not you and I.
29. I am not my old age, nor my childhood, nor my adolescence, not in the least. I am Brahman. I am Brahman. I am Brahman. This is
assured.
30. I am awareness. I am awareness.” That is called liberated in life. “I am pure awareness. I am Brahman, the Supreme, without a doubt.
31. I am Self alone. I abide in Self alone. I perceive Self alone. I dwell in the bliss of the kingdom of True Self.”
32. One is called liberated in life, whose self enjoys the bliss of True Self and whose self is considered strong and the foremost champion.
33. One who, being extinguished in the Self, becomes Brahman; who is the bliss of Brahman; joyful, pure by nature, and immersed in the Great Silence; he is liberated in death.
34. When the Absolute Self is the same as one’s individual self or when the “I” has become Pure Self, one is freed and his own nature is simply the same as the Absolute Self.
35. “I am the Unborn and Eternal Self, my own imperishable nature. I am the goal, the state of the Cherished Silent Self.
36. I am the blissful, beloved, liberated Self, free from bondage, and Brahman alone,” without even thinking it.
Comment: The distinction between being liberated in life (jīvan-mukta) and being liberated in death (videhan-mukta - literally, disembodied liberation) is that the jīvanmukti knows that he is one with Brahman and not a body/mind aggregate, while the videhanmukti, has lost all thought of separation and simply is Brahman.
37. He is clearly liberated in death, who abides only in absolute consciousness.
38. Having left the conviction that “I am Brahman” and being full of bliss in death, one is clearly liberated in death.
39. Having abandoned, with certainty, whether “He is everything or not,” one abides in Brahman. There is no “I am Brahman” or “I am not,” only Being-Awareness-Bliss.
40. No thing, space, or time touches the Self. Abiding in silence alone, the silent, silence of Being and nothing else.
41. The Supreme Self, beyond the qualities of nature. The Universal Self; Creator of all beings; and different from time, place, and self.
42. It is different from what is known or even from what is unknown. I, you, he, this, and that are the nature of time, yet It is beyond time.
43. The Self is void and subtle by nature, the essence of the universe, yet beyond the universe. The Self is the essence of the gods, yet beyond the gods; the essence of calculation, yet incalculable.
44. Never inert, the essence within everything, the Self is beyond distinction. “I am always absolute consciousness.
45. I am wholly the Supreme Self in the shape of pure knowledge; absolute being, the nature of the Self, I have no fear of anything in the world.
46. Where is the individual soul, God, speech, Vedas, scriptures, I, you, etc.? All this is only consciousness and I am also only consciousness.”
47. The liberated in death is beyond conviction. He is absolute consciousness, fully perfected, delighting in True Self, and seated in joy.
48. True Self is everlasting, free of subtle, gross, and the like. It is the fourth state of the fourth state, supreme bliss. That is liberated in death.
49. Beyond name and form or purity and impurity, the Self is the nature of bliss, incomprehensible, and beyond the fourth state of consciousness.
50. Leaving bondage and liberation and with or without qualities, be united in oneness of Self. The nature of oneness, the Self is without place, time, and the like.
51. The Self is beyond witness and witnessed, anything and nothing, and not anyone. Even Brahman’s expression (the universe) is not manifested here.
52. He delights in the radiance of his own true nature, which is indescribable bliss, beyond the range of speech and mind.
53. He is clearly liberated in death who is beyond the beyond, who is beyond mental fluctuations, and who illuminates mental fluctuations.
54. Having been disembodied and having left all activities of the mind, over time, he abandons all memories of the body.
55. Even the slightest thought of the body brings a connection to the universe. Unseen by those outside, the Self is the supreme bliss of full consciousness.
56. Unseen by those outside, the Self is the end of the Vedas. He drinks the nectar of the Immortal Brahman, he is the elixir of the Immortal Brahman.
57. Absorbed in the nectar of the Immortal Brahman, he is the nectar of the Immortal Brahman. Immersed in the nectar of the Immortal Brahman, praising the Auspicious is the bliss of Brahman.
58. Satisfied in the nectar of the Immortal Brahman, he realizes the bliss of Brahman, which is the bliss of the Auspicious and the splendor of that nectar.
59. The supreme light of the bliss of Brahman, he is the enjoyer of the essence and the family of that everlasting bliss.
60. He manifests the essence of Brahman’s bliss, which is one, rich consciousness. He supports the nectar of Brahman’s Bliss, bestowing that bliss.
61. Abiding in Self, he is united with all beings in the bliss of Brahman; this True Self is everything and there is nothing other than Self.
62. “Everything is Self. I am the Absolute Self, supreme in nature, eternal bliss, and the nature of True Self." That is clearly one who is liberated in death.
63. "Full by nature, the Great Soul, self-contented, everlasting, the Soul of all, True Self, Perfect Self, without characteristics.
64. True Self, unchanging in nature; Pure Self, the nature of peace; pacified and tranquil, the nature of True Self; without equal and without qualities.
65. I am the Living Self, the Supreme Self,” all this without thinking. The True Self is liberated and not liberated, without being liberated or not liberated.
66. True Self is bondage and freedom, without being in bondage or freedom. True Self is duality and non-duality, without being duality or non-duality.
67. True Self is all and nothing, without being all or nothing. True Self is joy and jubilation, without being joy or that.
68. The Self is free of all distinctions, undivided, and perfect. The Self is enlightened and the nature of the Supreme Spirit. That is clearly being liberated in death.
69. True Self is bliss, without being bliss and the three times, without being the three times. The Self is immortal and immortal by nature.
70. The Self is surely complete. It is proof, without being proof. True Self is eternal and complete, the determination of eternal and complete.
71. Being without difference, the natural state of Self is without difference. The Self is the measure of knowledge and ignorance, without being knowledge or ignorance.
72. The Self is without mortal and immortal and free of here and there. The six virtues, beginning with tranquilly, are empty of Self and the Self is free of the desire for liberation.
73. The Self is without the gross, subtle, and causal bodies; It is also without the fourth state.
74. The Self is without the sheaths of food, energy, mind, and knowledge.
75. The Self is also without the bliss sheath, being free of all five sheaths. True Self is beyond being with or without distinction.
Comment: In both Yoga and Vedānta philosophies, the human being is described as having three bodies and five sheaths (koṣa). The bodies are, the physical body, which is made of the five elements; the subtle body, made of the sense functions, vital-airs, mind, and intellect; and the causal body, which is the product of ignorance and is the seat of the karmic impressions formed over many lifetimes. Then there are the five sheaths, which envelop the True Self. The outermost is the food sheath, which conforms to the physical body; next is the prāṇa sheath composed of the vital-airs; then is the mental sheath composed of thoughts and emotions; then is the knowledge sheath made of intellect and ego; and last is the bliss sheath, which is the most subtle and closest to the Self. The sheaths can be thought of as lampshades; each shade dims and adds its own hue to the light of Self.
76. The Self is not attached to what is seen or heard, but always fixed in the void. The Self is without a beginning, middle, or end.
77. The Self is without the word "realization" or the ideas, “I am Brahman,” “You are That,” and “This is Self.”
78. The Self is not expressed in the word Oṁ and is free of all expression. The Conscious Self is imperishable and free of the three states.
79. The Self is both visible and invisible. The nature of the Self is not something that can be comprehended by the mind. Clearly, that is liberated in death.
80. Look only to your Self, Kumāra. Know your own Self. Enjoy being in your natural state, your True Self.
81. Moving to your Self, be delighted in your True Self, for one whose joy is only in his True Self, becomes liberated in death.
Comment: In chapter IV, Śiva explains the difference between being liberated in life and liberated in death. One who is liberated in life has the full conviction of being Brahman and not a body, mind, or intellect, while one who is liberated in death is beyond all thought and is completely absorbed in Brahman. Śiva then goes on to describe the Self as free of all distinctions, perfect, and transcendental.
2. One who knows within that: “I am Brahman, I am pure consciousness, and not these three bodies,” he is called liberated in life.
3. One who is certain that: “I am Brahman, the nature of solid bliss, full of the highest bliss, and I am not the body, etc.” is called liberated in life.
4. One who knows, “I am not anything” and who is fixed in absolute consciousness, who is absolute awareness inside, and having the nature of one, absolute consciousness;
5. Who is always full of True Self and always absorbed in the Self, who enjoys the bliss of the Non-manifest, and who is completely full of the nature of consciousness;
6. Whose self is the nature of pure awareness, who has shunned all worldly attachments, and abandoned any thought other than the everlasting bliss of True Self;
7. And who is free of being anything is called liberated in life. “I am not my mind, nor my intellect, nor the ego, and not the sense functions.
8. At no time am I my body, nor my life-force, nor my illusion, nor my desire, and not my anger. I am transcendental.
9. I am not anything in this world, nor anything somewhere else. I am not my sins, nor my character, nor my sight, and not my thoughts.
10. I am not my ears, nor my nose, nor my tongue, and not my hands. I am not my wakeful state, nor my dream state, and not my causal state (sleep) not in the least.
11. I am not even the fourth state.” One is called liberated in life who knows: “nothing in this world is me; and nothing anywhere is me.
12. I have no time, space, or substance. I am not my intention, nor my ablution, nor my worship, nor my deities, and not my situation.
13. I am not my path, nor my service, nor my knowledge, nor my rank. I have no bondage, nor birth, nor speech, and no sun god.
14. I am not my vice, nor my virtue, and not my right conduct or piety. The individual soul is not my true self and I am not anything of the three worlds.
15. I have no liberation or duality. I am not my Vedas nor my precepts. I am not near or far and I am not my awakening nor my secret.
16. I am not my guru, nor my student. I am not deficient or excessive. I am not my Brahmā, nor my Viṣṇu, nor my Rudra, and not the moon.
17. I am not my earth, nor my water, nor my air, and not my fire. I am not my goal, nor my origin.
18. I am not a meditator, nor an object of meditation, nor my meditation. I am not my cold, nor my hot, and not my hunger or thirst.
19. I am not my friend, nor my foe, nor my delusion, nor my victory. I am not east, nor west, nor above, or in any region.
20. I am not heard or spoken, not in the least. I am not understood or contemplated, not even minutely.
21. I am not to be enjoyed, nor remembered, not in the slightest. I am not my enjoyment, nor my desire, nor my sacrifice, nor my play.
22. I am not my stupidity, nor my peace, nor my bondage, nor my affection. I am not my pleasure, nor my joy and I am not fat or thin.
23. I am not long or short. I am not my growth, nor my decay, nor my superimposition or the rejection of that. I am not one, nor many.
24. I am not my blindness, nor my weakness, nor my skillfulness, not in the least. I am not my flesh, nor my blood, and not my fat.
25. I am not my bone, nor my marrow, nor my skin, and not my seven humours. I am not white, nor red, nor black, and not anything else.
26. I am not my loss, nor my gain. I am not foremost, nor secondary, nor anywhere. I am not my reeling, nor my steadiness, and I am not my solitude, nor my companionship.
27. I am not what I abandon, nor what I receive. I am not my laughter, nor my doctrine, nor my action, nor my fatigue, and not my happiness.
28. I am not my knower, nor my knowledge, nor what I should know, nor myself. I am not for you, nor for me, and not you and I.
29. I am not my old age, nor my childhood, nor my adolescence, not in the least. I am Brahman. I am Brahman. I am Brahman. This is
assured.
30. I am awareness. I am awareness.” That is called liberated in life. “I am pure awareness. I am Brahman, the Supreme, without a doubt.
31. I am Self alone. I abide in Self alone. I perceive Self alone. I dwell in the bliss of the kingdom of True Self.”
32. One is called liberated in life, whose self enjoys the bliss of True Self and whose self is considered strong and the foremost champion.
33. One who, being extinguished in the Self, becomes Brahman; who is the bliss of Brahman; joyful, pure by nature, and immersed in the Great Silence; he is liberated in death.
34. When the Absolute Self is the same as one’s individual self or when the “I” has become Pure Self, one is freed and his own nature is simply the same as the Absolute Self.
35. “I am the Unborn and Eternal Self, my own imperishable nature. I am the goal, the state of the Cherished Silent Self.
36. I am the blissful, beloved, liberated Self, free from bondage, and Brahman alone,” without even thinking it.
Comment: The distinction between being liberated in life (jīvan-mukta) and being liberated in death (videhan-mukta - literally, disembodied liberation) is that the jīvanmukti knows that he is one with Brahman and not a body/mind aggregate, while the videhanmukti, has lost all thought of separation and simply is Brahman.
37. He is clearly liberated in death, who abides only in absolute consciousness.
38. Having left the conviction that “I am Brahman” and being full of bliss in death, one is clearly liberated in death.
39. Having abandoned, with certainty, whether “He is everything or not,” one abides in Brahman. There is no “I am Brahman” or “I am not,” only Being-Awareness-Bliss.
40. No thing, space, or time touches the Self. Abiding in silence alone, the silent, silence of Being and nothing else.
41. The Supreme Self, beyond the qualities of nature. The Universal Self; Creator of all beings; and different from time, place, and self.
42. It is different from what is known or even from what is unknown. I, you, he, this, and that are the nature of time, yet It is beyond time.
43. The Self is void and subtle by nature, the essence of the universe, yet beyond the universe. The Self is the essence of the gods, yet beyond the gods; the essence of calculation, yet incalculable.
44. Never inert, the essence within everything, the Self is beyond distinction. “I am always absolute consciousness.
45. I am wholly the Supreme Self in the shape of pure knowledge; absolute being, the nature of the Self, I have no fear of anything in the world.
46. Where is the individual soul, God, speech, Vedas, scriptures, I, you, etc.? All this is only consciousness and I am also only consciousness.”
47. The liberated in death is beyond conviction. He is absolute consciousness, fully perfected, delighting in True Self, and seated in joy.
48. True Self is everlasting, free of subtle, gross, and the like. It is the fourth state of the fourth state, supreme bliss. That is liberated in death.
49. Beyond name and form or purity and impurity, the Self is the nature of bliss, incomprehensible, and beyond the fourth state of consciousness.
50. Leaving bondage and liberation and with or without qualities, be united in oneness of Self. The nature of oneness, the Self is without place, time, and the like.
51. The Self is beyond witness and witnessed, anything and nothing, and not anyone. Even Brahman’s expression (the universe) is not manifested here.
52. He delights in the radiance of his own true nature, which is indescribable bliss, beyond the range of speech and mind.
53. He is clearly liberated in death who is beyond the beyond, who is beyond mental fluctuations, and who illuminates mental fluctuations.
54. Having been disembodied and having left all activities of the mind, over time, he abandons all memories of the body.
55. Even the slightest thought of the body brings a connection to the universe. Unseen by those outside, the Self is the supreme bliss of full consciousness.
56. Unseen by those outside, the Self is the end of the Vedas. He drinks the nectar of the Immortal Brahman, he is the elixir of the Immortal Brahman.
57. Absorbed in the nectar of the Immortal Brahman, he is the nectar of the Immortal Brahman. Immersed in the nectar of the Immortal Brahman, praising the Auspicious is the bliss of Brahman.
58. Satisfied in the nectar of the Immortal Brahman, he realizes the bliss of Brahman, which is the bliss of the Auspicious and the splendor of that nectar.
59. The supreme light of the bliss of Brahman, he is the enjoyer of the essence and the family of that everlasting bliss.
60. He manifests the essence of Brahman’s bliss, which is one, rich consciousness. He supports the nectar of Brahman’s Bliss, bestowing that bliss.
61. Abiding in Self, he is united with all beings in the bliss of Brahman; this True Self is everything and there is nothing other than Self.
62. “Everything is Self. I am the Absolute Self, supreme in nature, eternal bliss, and the nature of True Self." That is clearly one who is liberated in death.
63. "Full by nature, the Great Soul, self-contented, everlasting, the Soul of all, True Self, Perfect Self, without characteristics.
64. True Self, unchanging in nature; Pure Self, the nature of peace; pacified and tranquil, the nature of True Self; without equal and without qualities.
65. I am the Living Self, the Supreme Self,” all this without thinking. The True Self is liberated and not liberated, without being liberated or not liberated.
66. True Self is bondage and freedom, without being in bondage or freedom. True Self is duality and non-duality, without being duality or non-duality.
67. True Self is all and nothing, without being all or nothing. True Self is joy and jubilation, without being joy or that.
68. The Self is free of all distinctions, undivided, and perfect. The Self is enlightened and the nature of the Supreme Spirit. That is clearly being liberated in death.
69. True Self is bliss, without being bliss and the three times, without being the three times. The Self is immortal and immortal by nature.
70. The Self is surely complete. It is proof, without being proof. True Self is eternal and complete, the determination of eternal and complete.
71. Being without difference, the natural state of Self is without difference. The Self is the measure of knowledge and ignorance, without being knowledge or ignorance.
72. The Self is without mortal and immortal and free of here and there. The six virtues, beginning with tranquilly, are empty of Self and the Self is free of the desire for liberation.
73. The Self is without the gross, subtle, and causal bodies; It is also without the fourth state.
74. The Self is without the sheaths of food, energy, mind, and knowledge.
75. The Self is also without the bliss sheath, being free of all five sheaths. True Self is beyond being with or without distinction.
Comment: In both Yoga and Vedānta philosophies, the human being is described as having three bodies and five sheaths (koṣa). The bodies are, the physical body, which is made of the five elements; the subtle body, made of the sense functions, vital-airs, mind, and intellect; and the causal body, which is the product of ignorance and is the seat of the karmic impressions formed over many lifetimes. Then there are the five sheaths, which envelop the True Self. The outermost is the food sheath, which conforms to the physical body; next is the prāṇa sheath composed of the vital-airs; then is the mental sheath composed of thoughts and emotions; then is the knowledge sheath made of intellect and ego; and last is the bliss sheath, which is the most subtle and closest to the Self. The sheaths can be thought of as lampshades; each shade dims and adds its own hue to the light of Self.
76. The Self is not attached to what is seen or heard, but always fixed in the void. The Self is without a beginning, middle, or end.
77. The Self is without the word "realization" or the ideas, “I am Brahman,” “You are That,” and “This is Self.”
78. The Self is not expressed in the word Oṁ and is free of all expression. The Conscious Self is imperishable and free of the three states.
79. The Self is both visible and invisible. The nature of the Self is not something that can be comprehended by the mind. Clearly, that is liberated in death.
80. Look only to your Self, Kumāra. Know your own Self. Enjoy being in your natural state, your True Self.
81. Moving to your Self, be delighted in your True Self, for one whose joy is only in his True Self, becomes liberated in death.
Comment: In chapter IV, Śiva explains the difference between being liberated in life and liberated in death. One who is liberated in life has the full conviction of being Brahman and not a body, mind, or intellect, while one who is liberated in death is beyond all thought and is completely absorbed in Brahman. Śiva then goes on to describe the Self as free of all distinctions, perfect, and transcendental.
Chapter V
1. The sage named Nidāgha asked of Ṛbhu: Dear Sir, please tell me of the discrimination between Self and non-self. Ṛbhu said: Brahman is the goal of all speech and guru is the goal of thought. The Self is all causes and effects, without being the effect of a cause.
2. The Auspicious is free of distinctions, full of all mystic sound, free of everything, absolute consciousness, supreme, and full of bliss.
3. The Self makes all lights shine, is full of the bliss of divine sound by nature, and free of all impressions and contemplations.
4. Beyond all divine sounds and tones, this Self is without “I”. The discrimination of Self and non-self is not about flesh or not-flesh.
5. The Self is not peace or discord, but is the natural light within divine sound (nāda). To recite, “I am Brahman” far removed from Self is not the purpose of the Great Declarations.
Comment: The Great Declarations (mahāvākyas) are fundamental statements taken from the Upaniṣads, such as “I am Brahman,” “You are That,” “This Self is Brahman,” etc.
6. The Self is free of words and speech that has no meaning. The Self is not perishable or imperishable, but the radiance that is within divine sound.
7. Without saying, “I am the One Complete Essence,” or “I am bliss,” the Self is beyond all conditions, the radiance within divine sound.
8. That is the everlasting Self, not merely words like “self” or “being-awareness-bliss” that have no meaning.
9. That is impossible to define or be reached by the words of the Vedas and It is not anything external or internal.
10. The indication of the Self is the manifest universe or Brahman, of this there is no doubt. It (the Self) is not the body, nor the individual soul, nor what is made of the five elements.
11. It is not name and form, nor the enjoyer, the enjoyment, or the enjoyed. It is not real or unreal, nor even the continuance of what is perishable or imperishable.
12. The Self is not with qualities or without qualities, nor anything similar, of that there is no doubt. It is not what is expressed or the expressing, nor hearing and reflecting.
13. Nor the difference between guru and disciple; nor the world of gods, angels, and demons; nor even the slightest virtue or vice; and neither purity nor impurity.
14. Nor time or timeless, nor certainty or doubt. It is not realized in mantra or non-mantra, nor in knowledge or ignorance.
15. Nor is It the seer, the seeing, and the seen, which are insignificant by nature, and It is not attachment to “non-self” nor even the thought “non-self.”
16. Moreover, the world is not “non-self.” It is not; determine this for yourself. If there are no distinctions, then there are no effects.
Comment: All effects must have a cause. Since, in reality, there is only Self, there are no separate causes and effects. Since only Self exists, non-self cannot; therefore, what appears to be non-self is illusion superimposed on the reality of the Self.
17. There is only Brahman, no more or less. There is no “non-self;” determine this for yourself. Without the three bodies, the three time phases do not exist.
18. Due to the non-existence of the three qualities of nature in the individual, the three afflictions are negated. Due to the non-existence of the three worlds, the punishment of souls is negated.
19. Without legs, there is no walking and without hands, there is no work. Due to the non-existence of a mind, there is no thinking and due to the absence of a body, there is no old-age.
20. Without beings, there is no death and without intellect, there is no happiness, virtue, purity, truth, or fear.
21. There is no mantra, nor even a teacher or student. In the absence of one, there is no second, and with no second, no unity.
22. If there is only reality, how can unreality exist? If unreality exists, there is no reality.
23. If there is the auspicious and the inauspicious, then the inauspicious is sought in the auspicious. When there is no fear, then fear is obtained from courage.
24. If there is freedom and bondage, then in the absence of bondage, who is freed? If there is birth and death, then in the absence of birth, there is no death.
25. If “you” implies “you and I,” then, without you, there is no I. If there is this and that, there is no this without that.
26. If “it is” is not, then “is not” always is. If every effect has a cause, then, in the absence of an effect, there is no cause.
27. If there is duality and non-duality, then, in the absence of duality, there is non-duality. If there is object and subject, then, without the object, there is no subject.
28. If both interior and exterior are real, inside does not exist outside. Only if there is fullness, is non-fullness possible.
29. From that to this, where is the perception? There is no you and I, nor both, nor him. Nothing is seen in the presence of Reality. Nothing is seen in the presence of the Unborn.
30. “I am the Supreme Brahman” is not a thought of the mind. This world is the Unlimited Brahman. You and I are also the Unlimited Brahman.
31. I am solely absolute consciousness and there is no “non-self;” determine this for yourself. This manifest universe does not exist. It has not arisen, nor does it abide anywhere.
32. They say, “the manifest universe is the mind.” It is not. It clearly does not exist. There is no universe, no mind, no ego, and no living beings.
33. Māyā, and the like, have no cause. There is no illusion, no fear, no actor, and no action, and, certainly, no hearing and reflecting.
34. There is no twofold samādhi; there is no measurer nor the measured; and there is neither ignorance nor non-discrimination.
35. There are not four types of attachment, nor three relationships. There is no Ganges, nor Gayā, nor religious rites as bridges to the afterlife, and there is no distinction.
36. There is no earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air, and no ether anywhere. There are no gods, nor quarters, nor scriptures, and no guru anywhere.
37. There is no far or near, nor anything in between, and no duality or non-duality, nor truth or falsehood.
38. There is no bondage or liberation, no being or non-being, and no pleasure or pain. There is no birth or death, no caste, and no worldly existence.
39. There is no “All is Brahman,” nor “Brahman alone is,” nor “Consciousness alone is,” nor “I am consciousness.” These are just words.
40. There is no “I am Brahman,” nor “I am eternally pure" anywhere. Whatever words that are spoken and whatever is conceived by the mind,
41. Whatever is reasoned by the intellect, or perceived by the heart does not exist. It never was and it never will be.
Comment: The statements in verses 39 and 40 are true; however, the point being made is that a concept, even a true concept, is just a thought and, therefore, insignificant.
42. There is no day or night, nor chaos or composure, nor ablution, nor meditation, and no “non-self.” Determine this for yourself.
43. The Vedas, scriptures, and Purāṇas; cause and effect; God; the physical world; and all humanity are a lie; without a doubt.
44. Bondage, liberation, pleasure, pain, meditation, mind, gods, demons, material qualities, first, last, and everything else are lies; of this there is no doubt.
45. Whatever words are spoken, whatever concepts are considered, and whatever is contemplated by the mind are all unreal; of this there is no doubt.
46. Whatever is reasoned with the intellect, whatever is determined with the mind, whatever is described in the scriptures, whatever is seen by the eyes,
47. And whatever is heard with the ears; the eyes, ears, legs, and whatever else that is considered “real” is false; of this there is no doubt.
48. All that is said and all that is thought; you and I, this and that, he and I existing separately;
49. Whatever arises in the world, all false concepts, all false suppositions, all seducing enjoyments,
50. And all the sins of separation. There is no “non-self;” determine this for yourself. Mine, yours, of me, of you,
51. For me, for you, by me, etc., all that is false. Viṣṇu is the guardian, Brahmā is the creator,
52. Rudra is the destroyer, it is all surely false; determine this yourself. Ablution, recitation, austerity, sacrifice, scriptural study, worship of gods,
53. Mantra, mysticism, and association with the wise are the expansion of the defective qualities of nature. The existence of the inner-actor (mind, ego, and intellect) is due to ignorance and birth.
54. The tens of millions of Brahmā’s eggs (universes) are all false; determine this for yourself. And so are all the words expressed by the teachers, that is a fact.
55. Whatever is seen in the world, absolutely everything that appears in the world, it is all false. Determine this for yourself.
56. Whatever words are spoken, whatever is determined, whatever else is explained, whatever is enjoyed,
57. And whatever is given, and whatever is done, whether auspicious or sin,
58. Whatever you think is real, it is all false; determine this for yourself. You are clearly the Supreme Self. You are clearly the Supreme Guru.
59. You are clearly the nature of space and eternally unseen. You are clearly Brahman, absolute being, without a doubt.
60. You are eternal time and you are without time. You are Brahman, rich in awareness, omnipresent, of your own true nature, a solid mass of consciousness.
61. You are the Truth, the Perfected, and the Permanent. You are the Liberated, liberation, and never ending joy. You are divine, tranquil, and untainted. You are Brahman, the Complete, and the Highest of the high.
62. You are one, eternal being, awakened, and known by such words as “Reality.”
63. You are all-pervasive, free from error, within all living beings, and resplendent. You are everywhere, free from distinction, and the realization of You is the purpose of all scriptures.
64. You are always satisfied, the seat of happiness, free from perpetual movement and all characteristics. The sages constantly meditate on you as Viṣṇu and others.
65. You are the nature of awareness, absolute consciousness, and independent. You are situated only in Self, the complete void, free of material qualities.
66. You are bliss, the Supreme, and, clearly, one without a second. You are rich in the bliss of awareness and the nature complete fullness.
67. You are truth. You are the knowing, the known, and the Seer. Your nature is Being-Awareness-Bliss and You are the Lord, the Divine Soul.
68. You are immortal and all-pervading, the moving and the fixed, all and nothing, and You are free from passion and indifference.
69. You shine as unlimited, particular being, eternal perfection, without any attainments.
70. You are completely free of the smallest measure, not even the size of an atom. You are beyond existence and nonexistence.
71. You are constant, beyond all characteristics, all sound, and measures of time.
72. You are beyond Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva. You know their true nature and are the balance of their true nature. You plunge into the ocean of Self-Bliss.
73. You are in the kingdom of your own True Self, yet free from the perception of self. You are filled to overflow by nature, yet see nothing of yourself.
74. You do not move from your own True Nature; you increase by your own True Nature; you are identical to your own True Nature; you are clearly I. Determine this for yourself.
75. This universe and everything in the world, objects and subjects, are like horns on a rabbit.
76. Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and ego; light, world, the orbit of the planets;
77. Death, birth, truth, virtue, vice, victory, passion, desire, anger, greed, meditation, charity, qualities, and beyond;
78. Guru, disciple, instruction, the beginning, the end, tranquility, good, past, present, future, goal, and single aim;
79. Self-control, inquiry, contentment, the nature of the enjoyer and enjoyment, the eightfold Yoga, and the nature of coming and going;
80. The beginning, middle, and end; what is taken and what is left behind; Hari, Śiva, the sense organs, mind, and the three conscious states;
81. The twenty-four essential elements and the four practices; the similar and the dissimilar; the earth and all the worlds in succession;
82. The duties in all the stages of life, mantra, science, etc.;
83. The distinction between bondage and freedom, the nature of knowledge and realization, understanding and ignorance of True Self, duality and non-duality; these are just words.
84. The conclusion of all the Vedas and sages, the meaning of all the scriptures, the theory of the existence of one soul or many;
85. Whatever one ponders with the mind, whatever one imagines sometime, whatever is discerned with the intellect, and whatever is heard from the teacher;
86. Whatever words one expounds, whatever instructions are spoken, whatever sounds are perceived by the senses, and whatever is considered to be separate;
87. Whatever is ascertained through logic and by the great ones with full knowledge of the Vedas: that Śiva dissolves the world, that Viṣṇu protects the three worlds,
88. That Brahmā creates the world starting with activity, and so forth; whatever is found in the Vedas, Purāṇas,
89. And all the Upaniṣads are all like horns on a rabbit. The “I am the body” concept is called the inner-organ.
90. The “I am the body” concept is said to be this whole mundane existence.
91. The “I am the body” concept is called suffering. The “I am the body” concept is known as hell.
92. The “I am the body” concept is called the whole world; the “I am the body” concept is known as the heart-knot.
93. The thought, “I am the body” is called ignorance; the thought, “I am the body” is existence.
94. The belief that “I am the body” is described as foolishness; the thought, “I am the body” is called duality.
95. The “I am the body” concept is the only cause for being an individual soul; the thought, “I am the body” is called separation.
96. The thought, “I am the body” is clearly a great sin; the belief that, “I am the body” is known as the affliction of desire.
97. Know that whatever else is conceived; the three afflictions called desire, anger, and bondage; all suffering; the defects of the universe; the three forms of time; is imagined and everything is produced in this web of mind.
98. The whole world is only mind; the Great Deceiver is only mind; mundane existence is only mind; and the three worlds are only mind.
99. The great pain is only mind; old age is only mind; time is only mind; and impurity is only mind.
100. Distinction and the individual self are only mind; intellect, mind, and ego are only mind.
101. The great bondage and the inner organ are only mind; earth and water are only mind.
102. Fire, air, and space are only mind; sound is only mind.
103. Feeling, form, taste, odor, and the five sheaths are only mind. Wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep are called “mind-made.”
104. Guardians of the sky, gods, demigods, and celestial beings are all mind-made. The visible, inanimate, pairs born of ignorance are called “mind-made.”
105. All that is conceived does not exist; determine this for yourself. The whole world, the guru, the disciple, etc., they do not exist. This is the teaching.
Comment: Chapter V starts the conversation between Nidāgha and his teacher, the sage Ṛbhu. Ṛbhu explains that since there is no distinction in the Self, there is no “non-self.” He examines pairs of opposites, stating that one cannot exist without the other; for example, there is no freedom without bondage. He goes on to explain that all phenomena, physical and mental, are insignificant, empty, and, therefore, unreal. Ṛbhu explains that the “I am a body” concept is the cause of all illusion and suffering. He concludes the chapter by stating that all phenomena are mind-make and tells Nidāgha to verify that for himself.
2. The Auspicious is free of distinctions, full of all mystic sound, free of everything, absolute consciousness, supreme, and full of bliss.
3. The Self makes all lights shine, is full of the bliss of divine sound by nature, and free of all impressions and contemplations.
4. Beyond all divine sounds and tones, this Self is without “I”. The discrimination of Self and non-self is not about flesh or not-flesh.
5. The Self is not peace or discord, but is the natural light within divine sound (nāda). To recite, “I am Brahman” far removed from Self is not the purpose of the Great Declarations.
Comment: The Great Declarations (mahāvākyas) are fundamental statements taken from the Upaniṣads, such as “I am Brahman,” “You are That,” “This Self is Brahman,” etc.
6. The Self is free of words and speech that has no meaning. The Self is not perishable or imperishable, but the radiance that is within divine sound.
7. Without saying, “I am the One Complete Essence,” or “I am bliss,” the Self is beyond all conditions, the radiance within divine sound.
8. That is the everlasting Self, not merely words like “self” or “being-awareness-bliss” that have no meaning.
9. That is impossible to define or be reached by the words of the Vedas and It is not anything external or internal.
10. The indication of the Self is the manifest universe or Brahman, of this there is no doubt. It (the Self) is not the body, nor the individual soul, nor what is made of the five elements.
11. It is not name and form, nor the enjoyer, the enjoyment, or the enjoyed. It is not real or unreal, nor even the continuance of what is perishable or imperishable.
12. The Self is not with qualities or without qualities, nor anything similar, of that there is no doubt. It is not what is expressed or the expressing, nor hearing and reflecting.
13. Nor the difference between guru and disciple; nor the world of gods, angels, and demons; nor even the slightest virtue or vice; and neither purity nor impurity.
14. Nor time or timeless, nor certainty or doubt. It is not realized in mantra or non-mantra, nor in knowledge or ignorance.
15. Nor is It the seer, the seeing, and the seen, which are insignificant by nature, and It is not attachment to “non-self” nor even the thought “non-self.”
16. Moreover, the world is not “non-self.” It is not; determine this for yourself. If there are no distinctions, then there are no effects.
Comment: All effects must have a cause. Since, in reality, there is only Self, there are no separate causes and effects. Since only Self exists, non-self cannot; therefore, what appears to be non-self is illusion superimposed on the reality of the Self.
17. There is only Brahman, no more or less. There is no “non-self;” determine this for yourself. Without the three bodies, the three time phases do not exist.
18. Due to the non-existence of the three qualities of nature in the individual, the three afflictions are negated. Due to the non-existence of the three worlds, the punishment of souls is negated.
19. Without legs, there is no walking and without hands, there is no work. Due to the non-existence of a mind, there is no thinking and due to the absence of a body, there is no old-age.
20. Without beings, there is no death and without intellect, there is no happiness, virtue, purity, truth, or fear.
21. There is no mantra, nor even a teacher or student. In the absence of one, there is no second, and with no second, no unity.
22. If there is only reality, how can unreality exist? If unreality exists, there is no reality.
23. If there is the auspicious and the inauspicious, then the inauspicious is sought in the auspicious. When there is no fear, then fear is obtained from courage.
24. If there is freedom and bondage, then in the absence of bondage, who is freed? If there is birth and death, then in the absence of birth, there is no death.
25. If “you” implies “you and I,” then, without you, there is no I. If there is this and that, there is no this without that.
26. If “it is” is not, then “is not” always is. If every effect has a cause, then, in the absence of an effect, there is no cause.
27. If there is duality and non-duality, then, in the absence of duality, there is non-duality. If there is object and subject, then, without the object, there is no subject.
28. If both interior and exterior are real, inside does not exist outside. Only if there is fullness, is non-fullness possible.
29. From that to this, where is the perception? There is no you and I, nor both, nor him. Nothing is seen in the presence of Reality. Nothing is seen in the presence of the Unborn.
30. “I am the Supreme Brahman” is not a thought of the mind. This world is the Unlimited Brahman. You and I are also the Unlimited Brahman.
31. I am solely absolute consciousness and there is no “non-self;” determine this for yourself. This manifest universe does not exist. It has not arisen, nor does it abide anywhere.
32. They say, “the manifest universe is the mind.” It is not. It clearly does not exist. There is no universe, no mind, no ego, and no living beings.
33. Māyā, and the like, have no cause. There is no illusion, no fear, no actor, and no action, and, certainly, no hearing and reflecting.
34. There is no twofold samādhi; there is no measurer nor the measured; and there is neither ignorance nor non-discrimination.
35. There are not four types of attachment, nor three relationships. There is no Ganges, nor Gayā, nor religious rites as bridges to the afterlife, and there is no distinction.
36. There is no earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air, and no ether anywhere. There are no gods, nor quarters, nor scriptures, and no guru anywhere.
37. There is no far or near, nor anything in between, and no duality or non-duality, nor truth or falsehood.
38. There is no bondage or liberation, no being or non-being, and no pleasure or pain. There is no birth or death, no caste, and no worldly existence.
39. There is no “All is Brahman,” nor “Brahman alone is,” nor “Consciousness alone is,” nor “I am consciousness.” These are just words.
40. There is no “I am Brahman,” nor “I am eternally pure" anywhere. Whatever words that are spoken and whatever is conceived by the mind,
41. Whatever is reasoned by the intellect, or perceived by the heart does not exist. It never was and it never will be.
Comment: The statements in verses 39 and 40 are true; however, the point being made is that a concept, even a true concept, is just a thought and, therefore, insignificant.
42. There is no day or night, nor chaos or composure, nor ablution, nor meditation, and no “non-self.” Determine this for yourself.
43. The Vedas, scriptures, and Purāṇas; cause and effect; God; the physical world; and all humanity are a lie; without a doubt.
44. Bondage, liberation, pleasure, pain, meditation, mind, gods, demons, material qualities, first, last, and everything else are lies; of this there is no doubt.
45. Whatever words are spoken, whatever concepts are considered, and whatever is contemplated by the mind are all unreal; of this there is no doubt.
46. Whatever is reasoned with the intellect, whatever is determined with the mind, whatever is described in the scriptures, whatever is seen by the eyes,
47. And whatever is heard with the ears; the eyes, ears, legs, and whatever else that is considered “real” is false; of this there is no doubt.
48. All that is said and all that is thought; you and I, this and that, he and I existing separately;
49. Whatever arises in the world, all false concepts, all false suppositions, all seducing enjoyments,
50. And all the sins of separation. There is no “non-self;” determine this for yourself. Mine, yours, of me, of you,
51. For me, for you, by me, etc., all that is false. Viṣṇu is the guardian, Brahmā is the creator,
52. Rudra is the destroyer, it is all surely false; determine this yourself. Ablution, recitation, austerity, sacrifice, scriptural study, worship of gods,
53. Mantra, mysticism, and association with the wise are the expansion of the defective qualities of nature. The existence of the inner-actor (mind, ego, and intellect) is due to ignorance and birth.
54. The tens of millions of Brahmā’s eggs (universes) are all false; determine this for yourself. And so are all the words expressed by the teachers, that is a fact.
55. Whatever is seen in the world, absolutely everything that appears in the world, it is all false. Determine this for yourself.
56. Whatever words are spoken, whatever is determined, whatever else is explained, whatever is enjoyed,
57. And whatever is given, and whatever is done, whether auspicious or sin,
58. Whatever you think is real, it is all false; determine this for yourself. You are clearly the Supreme Self. You are clearly the Supreme Guru.
59. You are clearly the nature of space and eternally unseen. You are clearly Brahman, absolute being, without a doubt.
60. You are eternal time and you are without time. You are Brahman, rich in awareness, omnipresent, of your own true nature, a solid mass of consciousness.
61. You are the Truth, the Perfected, and the Permanent. You are the Liberated, liberation, and never ending joy. You are divine, tranquil, and untainted. You are Brahman, the Complete, and the Highest of the high.
62. You are one, eternal being, awakened, and known by such words as “Reality.”
63. You are all-pervasive, free from error, within all living beings, and resplendent. You are everywhere, free from distinction, and the realization of You is the purpose of all scriptures.
64. You are always satisfied, the seat of happiness, free from perpetual movement and all characteristics. The sages constantly meditate on you as Viṣṇu and others.
65. You are the nature of awareness, absolute consciousness, and independent. You are situated only in Self, the complete void, free of material qualities.
66. You are bliss, the Supreme, and, clearly, one without a second. You are rich in the bliss of awareness and the nature complete fullness.
67. You are truth. You are the knowing, the known, and the Seer. Your nature is Being-Awareness-Bliss and You are the Lord, the Divine Soul.
68. You are immortal and all-pervading, the moving and the fixed, all and nothing, and You are free from passion and indifference.
69. You shine as unlimited, particular being, eternal perfection, without any attainments.
70. You are completely free of the smallest measure, not even the size of an atom. You are beyond existence and nonexistence.
71. You are constant, beyond all characteristics, all sound, and measures of time.
72. You are beyond Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva. You know their true nature and are the balance of their true nature. You plunge into the ocean of Self-Bliss.
73. You are in the kingdom of your own True Self, yet free from the perception of self. You are filled to overflow by nature, yet see nothing of yourself.
74. You do not move from your own True Nature; you increase by your own True Nature; you are identical to your own True Nature; you are clearly I. Determine this for yourself.
75. This universe and everything in the world, objects and subjects, are like horns on a rabbit.
76. Earth, water, fire, air, space, mind, intellect, and ego; light, world, the orbit of the planets;
77. Death, birth, truth, virtue, vice, victory, passion, desire, anger, greed, meditation, charity, qualities, and beyond;
78. Guru, disciple, instruction, the beginning, the end, tranquility, good, past, present, future, goal, and single aim;
79. Self-control, inquiry, contentment, the nature of the enjoyer and enjoyment, the eightfold Yoga, and the nature of coming and going;
80. The beginning, middle, and end; what is taken and what is left behind; Hari, Śiva, the sense organs, mind, and the three conscious states;
81. The twenty-four essential elements and the four practices; the similar and the dissimilar; the earth and all the worlds in succession;
82. The duties in all the stages of life, mantra, science, etc.;
83. The distinction between bondage and freedom, the nature of knowledge and realization, understanding and ignorance of True Self, duality and non-duality; these are just words.
84. The conclusion of all the Vedas and sages, the meaning of all the scriptures, the theory of the existence of one soul or many;
85. Whatever one ponders with the mind, whatever one imagines sometime, whatever is discerned with the intellect, and whatever is heard from the teacher;
86. Whatever words one expounds, whatever instructions are spoken, whatever sounds are perceived by the senses, and whatever is considered to be separate;
87. Whatever is ascertained through logic and by the great ones with full knowledge of the Vedas: that Śiva dissolves the world, that Viṣṇu protects the three worlds,
88. That Brahmā creates the world starting with activity, and so forth; whatever is found in the Vedas, Purāṇas,
89. And all the Upaniṣads are all like horns on a rabbit. The “I am the body” concept is called the inner-organ.
90. The “I am the body” concept is said to be this whole mundane existence.
91. The “I am the body” concept is called suffering. The “I am the body” concept is known as hell.
92. The “I am the body” concept is called the whole world; the “I am the body” concept is known as the heart-knot.
93. The thought, “I am the body” is called ignorance; the thought, “I am the body” is existence.
94. The belief that “I am the body” is described as foolishness; the thought, “I am the body” is called duality.
95. The “I am the body” concept is the only cause for being an individual soul; the thought, “I am the body” is called separation.
96. The thought, “I am the body” is clearly a great sin; the belief that, “I am the body” is known as the affliction of desire.
97. Know that whatever else is conceived; the three afflictions called desire, anger, and bondage; all suffering; the defects of the universe; the three forms of time; is imagined and everything is produced in this web of mind.
98. The whole world is only mind; the Great Deceiver is only mind; mundane existence is only mind; and the three worlds are only mind.
99. The great pain is only mind; old age is only mind; time is only mind; and impurity is only mind.
100. Distinction and the individual self are only mind; intellect, mind, and ego are only mind.
101. The great bondage and the inner organ are only mind; earth and water are only mind.
102. Fire, air, and space are only mind; sound is only mind.
103. Feeling, form, taste, odor, and the five sheaths are only mind. Wakefulness, dream, and deep sleep are called “mind-made.”
104. Guardians of the sky, gods, demigods, and celestial beings are all mind-made. The visible, inanimate, pairs born of ignorance are called “mind-made.”
105. All that is conceived does not exist; determine this for yourself. The whole world, the guru, the disciple, etc., they do not exist. This is the teaching.
Comment: Chapter V starts the conversation between Nidāgha and his teacher, the sage Ṛbhu. Ṛbhu explains that since there is no distinction in the Self, there is no “non-self.” He examines pairs of opposites, stating that one cannot exist without the other; for example, there is no freedom without bondage. He goes on to explain that all phenomena, physical and mental, are insignificant, empty, and, therefore, unreal. Ṛbhu explains that the “I am a body” concept is the cause of all illusion and suffering. He concludes the chapter by stating that all phenomena are mind-make and tells Nidāgha to verify that for himself.
Chapter VI
1. Ṛbhu continues: Everything is composed of Being-Awareness, It pervades everything. Being-Awareness-Bliss is one without a second.
2. Being-Awareness-Bliss is here, It is other, It is form, and It is space.
3. You are Being-Awareness-Bliss and That is what I am. Mind, intellect, ego, thought, none of these exist.
4. No you, no I, and nothing else; Brahman alone is. There is no speech, no Vedic verse, no letters, and no dullness, anywhere.
5. There is no beginning, middle, or end; no truth; no cause of bondage; and no states of pain and pleasure. There is no illusion and, therefore, no physical nature.
6. There is no body; no mouth, nose, tongue, palate, teeth, lips, and no forehead; no inhaling and no exhaling.
7. There is no sweat, bone, flesh, blood, urine; no distance, proximity, limbs, stomach, or crown.
8. There is no movement of hands and feet, no scripture, and no commandments; no knowledge, knower, or known; and no wakefulness, dream, or sleep.
9. And there is no fourth state. There is nothing of me, everything is pervaded by absolute Being-Awareness. There is nothing of the individual soul, nor the world, nor heaven, and there is no illusion.
10. There is no expanse of energy, intellect, universal body, universal mind, and no lord; no coming and going, nothing dear, nor spoiled, and no goal.
11. There is nothing to be left or taken, nothing bad, impure, or holy. There is no fat or thin, no suffering or death, and no country or language.
12. There is nothing; no fear, duality, trees, grass, mountains; no meditation, Yoga, perfection; no priest, warrior, or peasant.
13. There are no birds or beasts, no greed and delusion, no pride, jealousy, desire, anger, and the like.
14. There is no female, laborer, pet; nothing enjoyable or enjoyed; no childhood, faith, livelihood, or past.
15. There is no worldly and no world; no business and no folly; no food, no eater, and nothing eaten; no drink, no drinking, and nothing imbibed.
16. There is no enemy, friend, children; no mother, father, sister; no birth, death, growth; and no “I am the body” misconception.
17. There is no void, nor non-void; no inner organ, transmigration, nor darkness; no day or night; and no Brahmā, Hari, or Śiva;
18. And no Brahmāloka, Vaikuṇṭha, or Mount Kailāsa; no day, fortnight, month, or year; and no wind.
Comment: Brahmāloka, Vaikuṇṭha, and Mount Kailāsa are the domains of the Hindu deities Brahmā, Hari (Viṣṇu) and Śiva, respectively.
19. There is no heaven and no Indra, no hell and no Agni, no Yama and no underworld.
Comment: This verse refers to the Hindu deities of heaven (Indra) fire (Agni) and death (Yama) and their respective domains.
20. There are no three worlds of earth, sky, and space; no hell and no ground; no ignorance, no logic, and no illusion of inert material nature;
21. No permanent, transient, destruction, movement, assault, mediation, meditation object, mantra, nor recitation anywhere;
22. No object, reverence, anointing, nor worship; no flowers, fruit, petals, perfume, incense, etc.;
23. No hymns, devotion, circumambulation, prayer, separateness, offerings, or fire-worship; not in the least.
24. There is no fire sacrifice, religious act, praise or abuse; no Gāyatrī, junction prayer, intent, and no bad state;
25. No evil desires, sinners, outcastes, or lowlifes; no intolerable, abusive, savage, or rogue;
26. No partisanship or partisans, no jewelry or thief, no pride or hypocrisy, and no beginning or end of men.
27. There is no one, two, three, or four; no greatness, minuteness, fullness, or limitation; no Benares and no austere vow;
28. No family, race, verse, sovereignty, or desolation; no woman, wife, lady, daughter, or widow;
29. No original sin, growth, or individual soul; no great utterances of oneness and no superhuman powers.
30. Since everything is absolute consciousness, it is always without defect. Everything is the nature of absolute being, absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss.
31. Everything is Brahman alone; there is nothing else. Therefore, I am That; I am only That; I am clearly that Brahman, solely and eternally.
32. I am Brahman alone and not bound in mundane existence; I am Brahman alone and not my mind, intellect, or sense organs.
33. I am Brahman alone and not the body, sense objects, individual soul, or a separate being.
34. I am Brahman alone and am not inert or vital force; I am Brahman alone and am without death; I am Brahman alone and am the highest of the high.
35. This Brahman is supreme; Brahman is truth; and Brahman is powerful. Brahman is time, matter, joy, and self-radiant.
36. Brahman is one and dual; Brahman is delusion; Brahman is tranquility, sin, the qualities, and mighty.
37. The world is Brahman. Brahman is guru and disciple. Brahman is the Eternal Śiva (Sadāśiva). Everything is Brahman. Brahman is supreme, purity, auspicious, and inauspicious.
38. The individual soul is always Brahman alone. I am Being-Awareness-Bliss. Everything is the nature of Brahman. It is said that the whole universe is the nature of Brahman.
39. Brahman is Itself and there is nothing different from Itself, there is no doubt about it. All-Self, Pure-Self, everything is solely absolute consciousness.
40. The nature of Self is eternal and perfect and there is nothing other than Self. Brilliant by nature, this Self is the size of an atom.
41. Indeed a body the size of an atom, non-being the size of an atom, no-mind the size of an atom; all just the size of an atom.
42. Everything is only Brahman, absolute consciousness. The three worlds are solely Brahman, supreme bliss, and not different from anything, anywhere.
43. Brahman is absolute awareness, the syllable Oṁ, and complete in Itself. I am the whole world, the supreme abode.
44. I am beyond the qualities, greater that the great. I am the Supreme Brahman, the guru’s Guru.
45. I am the complete support, the best of the best. There is nothing other than or better than the Self.
46. There is no movement without the Self; everything in the world is the nature of Self. What else is there, but the Self? There is not even a blade of grass without the Self.
47. There is not a husk of rice without the Self; everything in the world is the nature of Self. All this is the Absolute Brahman; the Absolute Brahman is not unreal.
48. The Absolute Brahman is all that is heard; Brahman is Itself alone. The Absolute Brahman envelops all; the Absolute Brahman is the essence of joy.
49. The Absolute Brahman is the space of consciousness, undecaying Being-Awareness-Bliss. There is nothing other than Brahman and the world is not other than That.
50. There is nothing other than Brahman. There are no fruits, no objects, not even a blade of grass without Brahman.
51. There is no guru, no form, no I-ness, no you-ness, not a thing anywhere other than Brahman.
52. Know that there is nothing other than the nature of Brahman. Whatever is seen in the world and whatever is said by people,
53. And whatever is enjoyed, as everything else is clearly unreal. And the difference in actor, action, qualities, characteristics;
54. The difference in gender, etc. are all unreal and are always due to the desire for pleasure. Difference in time, place, wealth, victory, defeat,
55. And whatever else is all absolutely unreal. The inner organ, the sense organs, etc., are clearly unreal.
56. Vital energy is unreal; in fact, the whole group (of prāṇas) do not exist. The five sheaths and the five deities are not reality.
57. The six changes, the group of enemies, the six seasons, and the six flavors are, therefore, not reality.
58. I am absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss and this world is without beginning. I am Self, alone, and not separate from what appears to be mundane existence.
59. I am the nature of true bliss, the expanding bliss of full consciousness. I am supreme bliss, higher than the highest.
60. All this is the nature of knowledge; I am the bliss of knowledge alone, the nature of complete radiance, and devoid of all characteristics.
61. I always shine forth and, with such a nature, how can I be unreal? Likewise, you are the Supreme Brahman with the nature of the bliss of full consciousness.
62. I am the nature of awareness, the space of consciousness, awareness alone, and the highest joy. I am Self alone and not unreal. I am at the highest level and the best guru.
63. I am absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss and this world is without beginning. There is no time, world, māyā, and no physical nature.
64. Personally, I am God, the Eternal Śiva. I am the state of pure consciousness, the expression of pure being.
65. I am the absolute bliss of non duality, the one essence, rich in consciousness. Everything is Brahman alone. Everything is always, wholly Brahman alone.
66. Everything is always, solely, the Conscious Brahman. I am the nature of all souls and the indicator and witness of all.
67. I am the Supreme Self, the highest light, the highest abode, and the highest path. I am the true conclusion of the Vedas, clearly determined in all the scriptures.
68. My true nature is the bliss of union, the great awakening of primary bliss. I am the light of all knowledge, the expansion of the primary realization.
69. I am the light of the fourth and the non-fourth states, yet beyond them both. I am the knowledge of consciousness, the divine soul, undecaying and immortal.
70. I am Brahman, the space of awareness; eternal Brahman, untainted, pure enlightenment, always free, and without name and form.
71. I am the nature of Being-Awareness-Bliss. This world is without beginning, it is not real or unreal, it is caused by imagination and the like.
72. Brahman is always full of eternal bliss, wholly Itself, endless, imperishable, peaceful, perfect, and one by nature.
73. If it is other than me, it is as unreal as the mirage of water in the desert. Does anyone fear the words of a barren women’s son?
74. If a great elephant is killed by the horns of a rabbit, then the world is. If one is satisfied by drinking the water of a mirage, then the world may be.
75. If someone is killed by a man’s horns, only then may this world be real. The world is forever in that imaginary city in the clouds.
76. When the sky is not blue, then the world will be real and when mother of pearl makes real, silver jewelry, then the world may be.
77. If a man is bitten by a rope mistaken for a snake, then mundane existence may be. If a blazing fire is extinguished by a golden arrow, then the world is.
78. If one can find sweet rice-milk in the forests of the Vindhya mountains or if cooking can be accomplished with fuel from plantain tree stems, then the world exists.
79. When young girls instantly become accomplished cooks or if pictures of lamps dispel the darkness, then the world may be.
80. If someone died last month, but has not yet departed or if butter returns to milk at anytime, then the world exists.
81. When cow dung becomes milk and water becomes earth, then the world is forever real.
82. If an enraged elephant is bound by turtle-hair or Mount Meru is pushed down with a fine lotus-stalk, then the world may exist.
83. If the ocean is bound by the rows of waves or when the flames of fire go down, then the world may exist forever.
84. If a blazing fire is cool or a lotus grows in a ring of fire, then the world may be.
85. If a sapphire is the size of a large mountain or Mount Meru appears standing in a lotus eye, then this world may be.
86. If an agitated bee makes no sound, Mount Meru moves, and a gnat kills a lion, then the world is a reality.
87 . If all the three worlds fit in an atom or a fire fueled by a blade of grass burns forever, then the world may be.
88. If objects from a dream come into the wakeful state or if a rapid river’s current is still, then the world may be.
89. If one eats fire when hungry or if valuables are entrusted to the blind, then this supposed world may be.
90. If the friend of a eunuch’s son is well or a cart is made from the horn of a rabbit, then there is a world.
91. If the woman who just gave birth is a virgin or a barren woman’s child is delivered easily, then this world may exist.
92. If a crow flies like a swan or a great heron fights with a lion, then the world stands firm.
93. If a great heron walks past the elephant or the full moon shines while the sun is dull, then the world may be.
94. If Rāhu (the mythical demon that causes eclipses) abandons the sun and the moon or if burnt seeds produce live plants, then the world may be real.
95. If the poor enjoy the same pleasures as the rich or if a brave dog kills a lion, in that case, there is a world.
96. If fools understand the hearts of the wise or a dog drinks the entire ocean, then the mind may be.
97. If pure space falls on men or the sky falls on the earth or a flower growing in the sky is fragrant, then there is a world.
98. If a forest in pure space begins moving or one sees their reflection without a mirrored surface, then there is a world.
99. There is no world in the womb of the Unborn (hiraṅyagarba) nor the Self. Duality and non-duality, which are always the result of
differentiation, do not exist.
100. There is no difference, it is only the result of illusion. Meditate on Brahman. If “I am the body” is misery, then contemplate “I am Brahman.”
101. The wheel of Brahman destroys the heart-knot. If doubt arises, one should take refuge in the certainty that Brahman is all.
102. And being full of the everlasting bliss of the Non-Dual Brahman in itself guards the Jewel of Self from the thief of non-Self.
103. The nature of Brahman has been clearly established. Brahman is the abode of all and what is called the world is without beginning.
104. Having determined that “I am Brahman,” one abandons being an “I” and everything vanishes, like the flowers that fall from the hand of a sleeping person.
105. Everything is Brahman alone, there is no body or actions. There is no world, nor duty, nor the four stages of life.
106. Everything within the three characteristics of direct knowledge is clearly Brahman alone. Having abandoned all activity, “I am Brahman” is to be contemplated.
107. I am Brahman, of this there is no doubt. I am Brahman, the nature of consciousness; I am absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss. Having ascertained that, leave all else behind.
108. This great science of Śiva should not be taught to just anyone. It is not for the unfaithful, the troublemaker, the wrong-doer, or the ill-tempered.
109. But for one who has been carefully examined and found to be a great soul, who is devoted to the teacher, and who has a purified mind, it should be studied for a year and a half.
110. Having lost reverence for them, one should avoid the practice of all other teachings and always practice this Tejobindu Upaniṣad with joy.
111. Then, with just a little practice, one becomes Brahman; one surely becomes Brahman. That ends the Upaniṣad.
2. Being-Awareness-Bliss is here, It is other, It is form, and It is space.
3. You are Being-Awareness-Bliss and That is what I am. Mind, intellect, ego, thought, none of these exist.
4. No you, no I, and nothing else; Brahman alone is. There is no speech, no Vedic verse, no letters, and no dullness, anywhere.
5. There is no beginning, middle, or end; no truth; no cause of bondage; and no states of pain and pleasure. There is no illusion and, therefore, no physical nature.
6. There is no body; no mouth, nose, tongue, palate, teeth, lips, and no forehead; no inhaling and no exhaling.
7. There is no sweat, bone, flesh, blood, urine; no distance, proximity, limbs, stomach, or crown.
8. There is no movement of hands and feet, no scripture, and no commandments; no knowledge, knower, or known; and no wakefulness, dream, or sleep.
9. And there is no fourth state. There is nothing of me, everything is pervaded by absolute Being-Awareness. There is nothing of the individual soul, nor the world, nor heaven, and there is no illusion.
10. There is no expanse of energy, intellect, universal body, universal mind, and no lord; no coming and going, nothing dear, nor spoiled, and no goal.
11. There is nothing to be left or taken, nothing bad, impure, or holy. There is no fat or thin, no suffering or death, and no country or language.
12. There is nothing; no fear, duality, trees, grass, mountains; no meditation, Yoga, perfection; no priest, warrior, or peasant.
13. There are no birds or beasts, no greed and delusion, no pride, jealousy, desire, anger, and the like.
14. There is no female, laborer, pet; nothing enjoyable or enjoyed; no childhood, faith, livelihood, or past.
15. There is no worldly and no world; no business and no folly; no food, no eater, and nothing eaten; no drink, no drinking, and nothing imbibed.
16. There is no enemy, friend, children; no mother, father, sister; no birth, death, growth; and no “I am the body” misconception.
17. There is no void, nor non-void; no inner organ, transmigration, nor darkness; no day or night; and no Brahmā, Hari, or Śiva;
18. And no Brahmāloka, Vaikuṇṭha, or Mount Kailāsa; no day, fortnight, month, or year; and no wind.
Comment: Brahmāloka, Vaikuṇṭha, and Mount Kailāsa are the domains of the Hindu deities Brahmā, Hari (Viṣṇu) and Śiva, respectively.
19. There is no heaven and no Indra, no hell and no Agni, no Yama and no underworld.
Comment: This verse refers to the Hindu deities of heaven (Indra) fire (Agni) and death (Yama) and their respective domains.
20. There are no three worlds of earth, sky, and space; no hell and no ground; no ignorance, no logic, and no illusion of inert material nature;
21. No permanent, transient, destruction, movement, assault, mediation, meditation object, mantra, nor recitation anywhere;
22. No object, reverence, anointing, nor worship; no flowers, fruit, petals, perfume, incense, etc.;
23. No hymns, devotion, circumambulation, prayer, separateness, offerings, or fire-worship; not in the least.
24. There is no fire sacrifice, religious act, praise or abuse; no Gāyatrī, junction prayer, intent, and no bad state;
25. No evil desires, sinners, outcastes, or lowlifes; no intolerable, abusive, savage, or rogue;
26. No partisanship or partisans, no jewelry or thief, no pride or hypocrisy, and no beginning or end of men.
27. There is no one, two, three, or four; no greatness, minuteness, fullness, or limitation; no Benares and no austere vow;
28. No family, race, verse, sovereignty, or desolation; no woman, wife, lady, daughter, or widow;
29. No original sin, growth, or individual soul; no great utterances of oneness and no superhuman powers.
30. Since everything is absolute consciousness, it is always without defect. Everything is the nature of absolute being, absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss.
31. Everything is Brahman alone; there is nothing else. Therefore, I am That; I am only That; I am clearly that Brahman, solely and eternally.
32. I am Brahman alone and not bound in mundane existence; I am Brahman alone and not my mind, intellect, or sense organs.
33. I am Brahman alone and not the body, sense objects, individual soul, or a separate being.
34. I am Brahman alone and am not inert or vital force; I am Brahman alone and am without death; I am Brahman alone and am the highest of the high.
35. This Brahman is supreme; Brahman is truth; and Brahman is powerful. Brahman is time, matter, joy, and self-radiant.
36. Brahman is one and dual; Brahman is delusion; Brahman is tranquility, sin, the qualities, and mighty.
37. The world is Brahman. Brahman is guru and disciple. Brahman is the Eternal Śiva (Sadāśiva). Everything is Brahman. Brahman is supreme, purity, auspicious, and inauspicious.
38. The individual soul is always Brahman alone. I am Being-Awareness-Bliss. Everything is the nature of Brahman. It is said that the whole universe is the nature of Brahman.
39. Brahman is Itself and there is nothing different from Itself, there is no doubt about it. All-Self, Pure-Self, everything is solely absolute consciousness.
40. The nature of Self is eternal and perfect and there is nothing other than Self. Brilliant by nature, this Self is the size of an atom.
41. Indeed a body the size of an atom, non-being the size of an atom, no-mind the size of an atom; all just the size of an atom.
42. Everything is only Brahman, absolute consciousness. The three worlds are solely Brahman, supreme bliss, and not different from anything, anywhere.
43. Brahman is absolute awareness, the syllable Oṁ, and complete in Itself. I am the whole world, the supreme abode.
44. I am beyond the qualities, greater that the great. I am the Supreme Brahman, the guru’s Guru.
45. I am the complete support, the best of the best. There is nothing other than or better than the Self.
46. There is no movement without the Self; everything in the world is the nature of Self. What else is there, but the Self? There is not even a blade of grass without the Self.
47. There is not a husk of rice without the Self; everything in the world is the nature of Self. All this is the Absolute Brahman; the Absolute Brahman is not unreal.
48. The Absolute Brahman is all that is heard; Brahman is Itself alone. The Absolute Brahman envelops all; the Absolute Brahman is the essence of joy.
49. The Absolute Brahman is the space of consciousness, undecaying Being-Awareness-Bliss. There is nothing other than Brahman and the world is not other than That.
50. There is nothing other than Brahman. There are no fruits, no objects, not even a blade of grass without Brahman.
51. There is no guru, no form, no I-ness, no you-ness, not a thing anywhere other than Brahman.
52. Know that there is nothing other than the nature of Brahman. Whatever is seen in the world and whatever is said by people,
53. And whatever is enjoyed, as everything else is clearly unreal. And the difference in actor, action, qualities, characteristics;
54. The difference in gender, etc. are all unreal and are always due to the desire for pleasure. Difference in time, place, wealth, victory, defeat,
55. And whatever else is all absolutely unreal. The inner organ, the sense organs, etc., are clearly unreal.
56. Vital energy is unreal; in fact, the whole group (of prāṇas) do not exist. The five sheaths and the five deities are not reality.
57. The six changes, the group of enemies, the six seasons, and the six flavors are, therefore, not reality.
58. I am absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss and this world is without beginning. I am Self, alone, and not separate from what appears to be mundane existence.
59. I am the nature of true bliss, the expanding bliss of full consciousness. I am supreme bliss, higher than the highest.
60. All this is the nature of knowledge; I am the bliss of knowledge alone, the nature of complete radiance, and devoid of all characteristics.
61. I always shine forth and, with such a nature, how can I be unreal? Likewise, you are the Supreme Brahman with the nature of the bliss of full consciousness.
62. I am the nature of awareness, the space of consciousness, awareness alone, and the highest joy. I am Self alone and not unreal. I am at the highest level and the best guru.
63. I am absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss and this world is without beginning. There is no time, world, māyā, and no physical nature.
64. Personally, I am God, the Eternal Śiva. I am the state of pure consciousness, the expression of pure being.
65. I am the absolute bliss of non duality, the one essence, rich in consciousness. Everything is Brahman alone. Everything is always, wholly Brahman alone.
66. Everything is always, solely, the Conscious Brahman. I am the nature of all souls and the indicator and witness of all.
67. I am the Supreme Self, the highest light, the highest abode, and the highest path. I am the true conclusion of the Vedas, clearly determined in all the scriptures.
68. My true nature is the bliss of union, the great awakening of primary bliss. I am the light of all knowledge, the expansion of the primary realization.
69. I am the light of the fourth and the non-fourth states, yet beyond them both. I am the knowledge of consciousness, the divine soul, undecaying and immortal.
70. I am Brahman, the space of awareness; eternal Brahman, untainted, pure enlightenment, always free, and without name and form.
71. I am the nature of Being-Awareness-Bliss. This world is without beginning, it is not real or unreal, it is caused by imagination and the like.
72. Brahman is always full of eternal bliss, wholly Itself, endless, imperishable, peaceful, perfect, and one by nature.
73. If it is other than me, it is as unreal as the mirage of water in the desert. Does anyone fear the words of a barren women’s son?
74. If a great elephant is killed by the horns of a rabbit, then the world is. If one is satisfied by drinking the water of a mirage, then the world may be.
75. If someone is killed by a man’s horns, only then may this world be real. The world is forever in that imaginary city in the clouds.
76. When the sky is not blue, then the world will be real and when mother of pearl makes real, silver jewelry, then the world may be.
77. If a man is bitten by a rope mistaken for a snake, then mundane existence may be. If a blazing fire is extinguished by a golden arrow, then the world is.
78. If one can find sweet rice-milk in the forests of the Vindhya mountains or if cooking can be accomplished with fuel from plantain tree stems, then the world exists.
79. When young girls instantly become accomplished cooks or if pictures of lamps dispel the darkness, then the world may be.
80. If someone died last month, but has not yet departed or if butter returns to milk at anytime, then the world exists.
81. When cow dung becomes milk and water becomes earth, then the world is forever real.
82. If an enraged elephant is bound by turtle-hair or Mount Meru is pushed down with a fine lotus-stalk, then the world may exist.
83. If the ocean is bound by the rows of waves or when the flames of fire go down, then the world may exist forever.
84. If a blazing fire is cool or a lotus grows in a ring of fire, then the world may be.
85. If a sapphire is the size of a large mountain or Mount Meru appears standing in a lotus eye, then this world may be.
86. If an agitated bee makes no sound, Mount Meru moves, and a gnat kills a lion, then the world is a reality.
87 . If all the three worlds fit in an atom or a fire fueled by a blade of grass burns forever, then the world may be.
88. If objects from a dream come into the wakeful state or if a rapid river’s current is still, then the world may be.
89. If one eats fire when hungry or if valuables are entrusted to the blind, then this supposed world may be.
90. If the friend of a eunuch’s son is well or a cart is made from the horn of a rabbit, then there is a world.
91. If the woman who just gave birth is a virgin or a barren woman’s child is delivered easily, then this world may exist.
92. If a crow flies like a swan or a great heron fights with a lion, then the world stands firm.
93. If a great heron walks past the elephant or the full moon shines while the sun is dull, then the world may be.
94. If Rāhu (the mythical demon that causes eclipses) abandons the sun and the moon or if burnt seeds produce live plants, then the world may be real.
95. If the poor enjoy the same pleasures as the rich or if a brave dog kills a lion, in that case, there is a world.
96. If fools understand the hearts of the wise or a dog drinks the entire ocean, then the mind may be.
97. If pure space falls on men or the sky falls on the earth or a flower growing in the sky is fragrant, then there is a world.
98. If a forest in pure space begins moving or one sees their reflection without a mirrored surface, then there is a world.
99. There is no world in the womb of the Unborn (hiraṅyagarba) nor the Self. Duality and non-duality, which are always the result of
differentiation, do not exist.
100. There is no difference, it is only the result of illusion. Meditate on Brahman. If “I am the body” is misery, then contemplate “I am Brahman.”
101. The wheel of Brahman destroys the heart-knot. If doubt arises, one should take refuge in the certainty that Brahman is all.
102. And being full of the everlasting bliss of the Non-Dual Brahman in itself guards the Jewel of Self from the thief of non-Self.
103. The nature of Brahman has been clearly established. Brahman is the abode of all and what is called the world is without beginning.
104. Having determined that “I am Brahman,” one abandons being an “I” and everything vanishes, like the flowers that fall from the hand of a sleeping person.
105. Everything is Brahman alone, there is no body or actions. There is no world, nor duty, nor the four stages of life.
106. Everything within the three characteristics of direct knowledge is clearly Brahman alone. Having abandoned all activity, “I am Brahman” is to be contemplated.
107. I am Brahman, of this there is no doubt. I am Brahman, the nature of consciousness; I am absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss. Having ascertained that, leave all else behind.
108. This great science of Śiva should not be taught to just anyone. It is not for the unfaithful, the troublemaker, the wrong-doer, or the ill-tempered.
109. But for one who has been carefully examined and found to be a great soul, who is devoted to the teacher, and who has a purified mind, it should be studied for a year and a half.
110. Having lost reverence for them, one should avoid the practice of all other teachings and always practice this Tejobindu Upaniṣad with joy.
111. Then, with just a little practice, one becomes Brahman; one surely becomes Brahman. That ends the Upaniṣad.
Oṁ. May He protect us both; may He profit us both. May we gain strength together; may what we learned be noble. May there be no enmity between us.
Oṁ. Peace; peace; peace.
Oṁ. Peace; peace; peace.
Comment: In Chapter VI, Ṛbhu explains to Nidāgha that everything is Brahman, absolute Being-Awareness-Bliss and absolute consciousness. He states that only Brahman is real and that the world is an illusion. He also says that one should contemplate being Brahman to be free from suffering. The chapter concludes by stating that this teaching is only for pure souls, who, with just a little practice, can awaken to their true identity as Brahman.
The Tejobindu Upaniṣad has two main themes, that true Yoga is to focus on one’s identity as Brahman and that, since there is no duality in Brahman, all phenomena is unreal. The idea that only Brahman exists and that the world is unreal is a higher teaching that is not easily accepted (due to the contradiction with one’s sensual perception). But, whether one considers the world to be real or not, it is clear that all phenomena are subject to decay and destruction. Therefore, this ever-changing, transient world is clearly insignificant when compared to the eternal, Absolute Reality.
The Tejobindu Upaniṣad has two main themes, that true Yoga is to focus on one’s identity as Brahman and that, since there is no duality in Brahman, all phenomena is unreal. The idea that only Brahman exists and that the world is unreal is a higher teaching that is not easily accepted (due to the contradiction with one’s sensual perception). But, whether one considers the world to be real or not, it is clear that all phenomena are subject to decay and destruction. Therefore, this ever-changing, transient world is clearly insignificant when compared to the eternal, Absolute Reality.
