ENLIGHTENMENT OF SIKHIDHWAJA.
Argument:--On the abandonment of the affections of the mind.
Vasishtha continued:--As the disguised boy was admonishing in this
manner on the relinquishment of mind (_i.e._ the mental passions and
affections); the prince ruminated inwardly on its sense, and then spoke
as follows.
2. Sikhidhwaja said:--I find my mind fluttering always, as a bird in
the open sky of my bosom; and lurking incessantly as an ape, in the
wilderness of my heart.
3. I know how to restrain my mind, as they do the fishes in the net;
but know not how to get rid of it, when it is so much engaged with the
objects of sense.
4. Please sir acquaint me first with the nature of the mind, and then
teach me the method of relinquishing it for ever from me.
5. Kumbha replied:--Know great prince, cupidity to be the intrinsic
nature of the mind; and know the word desire to be used as a synonym
for the mind. (The mind and will are synonymous terms).
6. The abandonment of the mind is very easy, and more facile than
the stirring of it; it is attended with a greater delight, than the
possession of a kingdom can afford, and is more pleasant than the scent
of fragrant flowers.
7. But it is very difficult for the ignorant, to get rid of or forsake
the desires of their minds; it is as hard to them as it is for a boor
to wield the reins of a kingdom, and for a heap of grass to be as high
as a mountain.
8. Sikhidhwaja said:--I understand the nature of the mind, to be
replete with its desires; but I find my riddance from it, to be as
impossible as the swallowing of an iron-bolt by anybody.
9. I find the mind as the fragrant flower in the great garden of the
world, and the crater of the fire of all our woes; it is the stalk of
the lotus of the world, and it is the bag that bears and blows the
gusts of delusion all over the world. Now tell me how this thing may be
easily removed from us.
10. The mind is the locomotive engine of the body, it is the bee that
flutters about the lotus of the heart; now tell me how I may with ease
get rid of this mind.
11. Kumbha answered:--The total extirpation of the mind, consists in
the entire extinction of the world from it; the learned and the men of
long foresight, call this to be the abandonment of the mind (_i.e._
when it is cast out with all its thoughts and cares).
12. Sikhidhwaja rejoined:--I think the extinction of the mind, is
better than our abandonment of it, on account of securing the success
of our purposes; but how can we know the gradual expurgation of the
mind, from the hundreds of diseases to which it is subject.
13. Kumbha replied:--Egoism is the root (seed) of the arbour of
the mind, with all its branches and leaves and fruits and flowers;
therefore root out the mind with its very root of egoism, and have thy
breast as clear as the empty and lurid sky.
14. Sikhidhwaja rejoined:--Tell me, O sage, what is the root of the
mind, what are its sprouts and fruits; tell me also how many stems and
branches it has, and how is it possible to root it out at once.
15. Kumbha replied:--Know prince that egoism and all the words
expressive of the self as meity &c., and indicative of the mind, are
the seeds of the tree of the mind.
16. The field of its growth is the supreme soul, which is the common
source of all entities; but that field being filled with illusion, the
mind is deluded to believe itself as the first born sprout springing
out of this field. (The first born germ of the Divine spirit being the
living soul, which originates in the mind).
17. The certain knowledge of the mind in its discrete state, is called
its understanding (which in its concrete state is known as sensation);
the _buddhi_ or understanding is the state of maturity of the germ or
sprout of the mind. (The infant mind is ripens into the understanding).
18. The understanding or _buddhi_, being subject to various desires,
takes the name of chitta or wasteful mind; and this mind makes the
living being, which is as hollow within it, as a carved image of stone
(or moulded metal), and a mere false conception.
19. The body is the stem of this tree of the mind, and is composed of
the skin and bones and juicy matters.
20. The branches of the tree of the mind, extend to a great distance
all about it; and so the sensible organs of the body, protruding wide
about it, perish at last in seeking for its enjoyment.
21. Now try to lop off the branches of the tree of thy mind, and try
also to root out the noxious tree at once.
22. Sikhidhwaja said:--I can some how or other lop off the branches of
the tree of mind, but tell me, O my sagely monitor, how I may be able
to pull it out by its very root at once.
23. Kumbha replied:--All our desires are the several branches of this
tree, which are hanging with loads of fruits; and are lopped off by the
axe of our reason.
24. He alone is able to lop off the plant of his mind, who is
unattached to the world, who hold his taciturnity and inward
tranquillity, who is judicious in all discussions, and does whatever
offers of itself to him at any time.
25. He who lops off the branches and brambles of the arbour of his
mind, by his manliness of reason and discretion; is able also to root
out this tree at once from his heart.
26. The first thing to be done with the mind, is to root it out at
once from the heart and the next process is to lop off its branches;
therefore employ thyself more to its eradication, than to the severing
of its boughs and branches.
27. You may also burn it as the first step, instead of lopping the
branches; and thus the great trunk of the tree of mind being reduced to
ashes, there remains an entire mindlessness at last.
28. Sikhidhwaja said:--Tell me O my sagely guide, what is that fire
which is able to burn away the seed of the tree of mind, which is
covered all over with the cuticle of egoism.
29. Kumbha replied:--Prince, the fire which is able to consume the seed
of the noxious plant of the mind, is the expostulation of the question,
"what am I that bear this corporeal form upon me."
30. Sikhidhwaja said:--O sage! I have repeatedly considered the
questions in my own understanding, and found that my egoism does not
consist in aught of this world, or this earth, or the woods which form
its garniture.
31. That my ego lay no where in the hills and forests where I resided,
nor in the shaking of the leaves before me; nor did it lie in any part
of my gross body, or in its flesh, bones or blood.
32. It does not lie in any of the organs of action, nor in the organs
of sensation; it does not consist in the mind or in the understanding,
or in any part of the gross body.
33. As we see the form of the bracelet in gold, so do I conceive my
egoism to consist in the intelligent soul; because it is impossible for
any material substance, to have anything as intelligence (as I perceive
my egoism to be possest of).
34. All real existence depends on the supreme soul for its subsistence,
so all real entities subsist in the supreme essence; or else it
is impossible for any thing to exist in a nullity, as there is no
possibility for a forest to subsist in a vacuity (without a firm
ground).
35. Thus sir, knowing it full well, that my egoism is an aspect or
shadow of my internal soul and worthy to be wiped off from it; yet I
regret at my ignorance of the intrinsic spirit from which it is to be
wiped off, and the internal soul be set in full light.
36. Kumbha replied:--If you are none of these material objects as you
say, nor doth your egoism consist in materiality; then tell me prince,
what you think yourself to be in reality.
37. Sikhidhwaja answered:--I feel myself O most learned sir, to be that
intelligent and pure soul, which is of the form of intelligence, which
acquaints me of all existence, and which discriminates their different
natures.
38. I perceive thus my egoism to be attached to my body, but whether it
is a caused or causeless principle, is what I am perfectly ignorant of.
39. I am unable O sage, to rub out this sense of my egoism as an
unreality and unessentiality; and it is on that I greatly regret in
myself (for my inability to get rid of my egoism as you led).
40. Kumbha said:--Tell me O prince, what is that great foulness, which
thou feelest to be attached to thee, which makes thee act as a man of
the world, and whether thou thinkest it as something or a mere delusion.
41. Sikhidhwaja replied:--The sense of my egoism, which is the root of
the tree of my mind, is the great foulness that attaches to me; I know
not how to get rid of it, for however I try to shun it, the more it
clings about me.
42. Kumbha said:--Every effect is produced from some cause or other,
and this is the general law of nature everywhere; anything otherwise is
as false as the sight of a second moon in the sky, which is nothing but
a reflexion of the true moon.
43. It is the cause which produces the effect, whether it be a big one
or the small rudiment of it; therefore explore into the cause of your
egoism, and tell me what it is.
44. Sikhidhwaja replied:--I know my sagely guide, that it is mere
illusion--_máyá_, which is the cause of the fallacy of my egoism; but
tell me sir, how this error of mine is to subside and vanish away from
one.
45. It is from the proclivity of the mind towards the thinkables, that
I am suffering all these pains and pangs within myself; now tell me O
muni, about the means of suppressing my thoughts, in regard to external
objects.
46. Kumbha said:--Tell me whether your thinking and knowing, are the
causes of your thinkables and knowables, or these latter actuate your
thinking and knowing powers. If you can tell me this, then shall I be
able to explain to you the process of the cause and effect.
47. Now tell me which do you think to be the cause and not the cause,
of knowing and knowable, and of thinking and the thinkable, which are
the subjects of my question to you.
48. Sikhidhwaja answered:--I think, O sage, that the sensible objects
of the body &c., are the causes of the thinking and thinkable
(thoughts), and of knowing and the knowables or knowledge. (Because
unless there be things in actual existence, we can neither think of or
know anything, nor have any idea or knowledge of it at all).
49. Our knowledge of the entity of things, appears only in the sensible
forms of bodies; or else the mere abstract thought of a thing, is as
empty as an airy nothing.
50. As I can not conceive the non-entity of a positive entity, nor the
abstract nature of a concrete body; so I know not how my egoism, which
is the seed of my mind, can be at once ignored by me.
51. Kumbha said:--If thou rely on thy material body as a real
existence, then tell me, on what does your knowledge depend, when your
soul is separated from the body.
52. Sikhidhwaja replied:--The body which is evident to view, and a real
entity, cannot be taken for an unreality by any body; as the palpable
sun light, cannot be called darkness by any man of common sense.
53. Who can ignore the body, which is replete with its hands and feet
and other members; which is full of activity and vivacity, and whose
actions are so palpable to sight; and which is so evident to our
perception and conception.
54. Kumbha said:--Know prince, that nothing can be said to exist, which
is not produced by some cause; and the knowledge or consciousness that
we have of it, cannot be but the product of mistake and error.
55. There can be no product without a similar cause, and no material
form can come out from a formless and immaterial agent. How can any
thing come to existence, without having its seed of the like nature?
56. Whatever product appears to present itself to anyone without its
true cause, is as false an appearance as the mirage in the sand, before
its deluded observer.
57. Know thyself to be no real existence, but a false shape of your
error only; and with whatever earnestness you took to it, you will
never get any water from this delusive mirage.
58. Sikhidhwaja said:--It is as useless to inquire the cause of a
nonentity, as it is fruitless to look into the origin of the secondary
moon which is but false reflex of the true one. Believing in a nullity,
is as decorating the person of a barren woman's son.
59. Kumbha replied:--The body with its bones and ribs, are products
of no assignable cause; therefore know it as no entity, because it is
impossible for the frail body to be the work of an Everlasting Maker.
60. Sikhidhwaja said:--Now tell me sir, why we should not reckon our
fathers the causes and producers of our bodies, with all their members
and parts, since they are known as the immediate causes of these.
61. Kumbha replied:--The father can be nothing and no cause, without
his having another cause for himself; because whatever is without a
cause is nothing in itself.
62. The causes of all things and effects are called as their seeds, and
when there is no seed in existence, it is impossible for a germ to be
produced in the earth from nothing. (Ex nihilo nihil fit).
63. So when you cannot trace out the cause of an event, account the
event as no event at all; because there can be no thing without its
seed, and the knowledge of a causeless effect or eventuality, is an
utter impossibility and fallacy of the understanding.
64. It is an egregious error to suppose the existence of a thing
without its cause or seed, such as to suppose the existence of two
moons in the sky, of water in the mirage and of the son of a barren
woman.
65. Sikhidhwaja said:--Now tell me sir, why should not our parents be
taken as the causes of our production, who had our grandfathers and
grandmothers for the causes or seeds of their birth likewise; and why
should we not reckon our first great grandfather (Brahmá), as the prime
progenitor of the human race?
66. Kumbha replied:--The prime great grandfather, O prince, cannot be
the original cause, since he also requires a cause for his birth, or
else he could not come into existence.
67. The great grandfather of creation even Brahmá himself, is the
cause of production by means of the seeds of the supreme spirit which
produced him; or else the visible form in which he appeared, was no
more than a mere delusion.
68. Know the form of the visible world, to be as great a fallacy as the
appearance of water in the mirage; and so the creativeness of the great
grandfather Brahmá, is no more than an erroneous misconception.
69. I will now wipe off the dark cloud of your error, that our great
grandfather Brahmá was conceived in the womb of the supreme spirit
(whereby he is styled the _padma_-yoni or born of the lotus like navel
string of God); and this will be the salvation of your soul. (And
Adam's ancestors without end. Young).
70. Now therefore know, O prince, that the lord God shines forever with
his intelligent soul and mind in Himself; it is from him that the lotus
born Brahmá and the whole universe, are manifest to our view, and that
there is nothing which exhibits itself without Him.