THE INCARNATION OF THE LIVING SPIRIT
Argument. The Impure state of the soul; and its Purity leading to the
knowledge of the only One.
Vasishtha continued:—The living souls (Jivátman), residing in the seeds
of material bodies (bhúta-víja) in all parts of the world, differ from
one another; and there according to the difference in their knowledge
of themselves (_tanmátra_), or self identity with the _Unity_.
2. As long as there is no volition nor nolition, connected with the
identity of the living soul; so long it reposes in a state of rest, not
unlike that of sound sleep (susupti).
3. But living souls addicted to their wishes, view their identity with
the same; and find themselves born in their desired shapes here below.
4. The _tanmátras_ of the living soul and its proclivities, run in one
channel to the reservoir of life, and are thickened into one living
being by their mutual coalition.
5. Some of them are situated apart from one another, and are dissolved
also separately; and some are joined together, and are born as two
_gunja_ fruits growing together.
6. The world consisting of thousands of orbs like _gunja_ fruits,
contains the assemblage of atoms on atoms; and these unconnected with
one another, form the great garden of God.
7. These being joined also with one another, became dense and thick;
and remain in the same place, where it has grown.
8. The different states of the mind, ensuing upon the absence of its
present objects under its province, brings on a change in its
constitution, which is called its regeneration (in a new life).
(Thus the change of the mind under the change of circumstances, is
reckoned its transformation to a different being).
9. Thus every regeneration of the mind in a new life, is accompanied
with its concomitant desires, and their results. The new life is
attended with its proper body, unless the mind has lost its
reminiscence.
10. As the pure Spirit taking the form of the vital breath, performs
the functions of the body; so the mind being reborn in a new body, is
employed in all the functions of the same body.
11. The souls of all living beings are subject to the three states of
waking, dreaming, and sound sleep, which are caused by the mind and not
by the body.
12. Thus the soul passing under the triple condition in its living
state, does not give rise to the body, as the sea-water gives rise to
the waves. (The body is caused by the mind, and not by the soul which
has no connection with it).
13. The living soul having attained its intellectual state, and the
rest of the conditions of sound sleep (susupti), is awakened to the
knowledge of itself, and is released from its rebirth; while the
ignorant soul is subjected to be born again.
14. And though the knowing and unknowing souls attain the state of
_susupti_, and resemble each other in kind; yet the unknowing _susupta_
soul, which is not awakened to the knowledge of its spirituality, is
doomed to be reborn in the mortal world.
15. The ubiquity of the intellect, makes it pass into the mind in its
next birth; and exhibit itself in different forms in all its succeeding
and subordinate regenerations (stages of life).
16. Among these repeated births, the subordinate regenerations resemble
the many folded coatings of a plantain tree; and the spirit of Brahmá
is contiguous to, and pervades the whole, like the lofty leaves of the
same tree.
17. The influence of the Divine spirit, is as cool as the cooling shade
of a plantain arbour. It is of its own nature; and is as unchangeable
as the pith of the plantain tree, notwithstanding the changes in all
its outer coats and coverings.
18. There is no difference or diversity in the nature of Brahmá the
creator, in his repeated and manifold creations of worlds; for he being
the seed of the world, shoots forth by his moisture into the form of
the expanded tree of the world, and becomes the same seed again.
19. So Brahmá taking the form of the mind, becomes the same Brahmá by
reminiscence of his mind; as the sap of the soil makes the seed to
bring forth the fruit, which reproduces the like seed.
20. So the productive seed proceeding from Brahmá, displays itself in
the form of the world. But as no body can say what is the cause of the
sap in the seed, so no one can tell why the spirit of God, teems with
productive seed (of Brahmá) in it.
21. So no one should inquire into the cause of Brahmá; because his
nature being inscrutable and undefinable, it is improper to say him
this or the other.
22. He must not attribute causality to what is not the cause, nor
impute the causation of material bodies to the immaterial spirit of
God, that is the prime and supreme cause of all (as the Prototype). We
must reason rightly regarding what is certain truth, and not argue
falsely about what transcends our knowledge.
23. The seed casts off its seedy form, and assumes the shape of the
fruit; but Brahmá (the seed of all) contains the fruit (of the
universe) in his bosom, without laying aside the seed.
24. The seed of the fruit bears a material form, but Brahmá—the
universal seed, has no form at all; therefore it is improper to compare
the visible seed, with the invisible Brahmá; who is beyond all
comparison.
25. Brahmá evolves himself in his creation and does not produce the
world like the fruit from the seed; therefore know the world as the
vacuous heart of Brahmá, and is neither born nor unborn of itself.
26. The viewer viewing the view, is unable to see himself (his inward
soul) because his consciousness being engrossed by external objects, is
disabled from looking into itself.
27. Of what avail is sagacity to one, whose mind labours under the
error of water in a mirage; and what power has the mirage over a mind,
which is possessed of its sagacity?
28. As the looker on the clear sky does not see every part of it, and
as the eye that looks on all others does not see itself; so we see
everything about us besides ourselves.
29. As the looker on the clear sky, does not see what is above the
skies; so we see ourselves and others as material beings; but cannot
see the inward part of the immaterial soul, as the wise men do.
30. Brahmá who is as clear as the firmament, cannot be perceived by all
our endeavours; because the sight of the sky as a visible thing, cannot
give us an insight into the invisible Brahmá; (which fills all space
with his presence).
31. Such a sight cannot present itself to us, unless we can see the
true form of God; but it is far from being visible to the beholder, as
the sight of subtilest things.
32. We see the outward sight because we cannot see the beholder of the
sight (_i.e._ God himself who beholds his works). The beholder (God) is
only the existent being, and the visibles are all nothing.
33. But the all seeing God, being permeated in the visibles; there can
be no beholding of him as a personal God, nor of them as distinct
things. Because whatever the Almighty King proposes to do, he instantly
forms their notions, and becomes the same himself.
34. As the sweet saccharine juice of the sugarcane, thickens itself
into the form of the sugarcandy; so the will of God, becomes compact in
the solid body of the universe.
35. As the moisture of the ground and of the vernal season, becomes
incorporated in vegetable life, bringing forth the fruits and flowers;
so the energy of the Divine Intellect, turns itself into the living
spirit; which shortly appears in a corporeal form (of the body and its
limbs).
36. As every thing is beheld in our sight, without being separated from
its idea in the mind; so the inward notion, shows itself in the shape
of the visible object, like the vision in a dream, which is but a
representation of the thoughts entertained in our minds. (_i.e._ The
thought is the archetype of the appearance).
37. The ideas of self and others, are as granules in the mind, and are
like the grains of salt, which are produced in the briny grounds from
moisture of the earth (_i.e._ saline particles, produced of terrene and
marine serosity). So the multitudes of thoughts in the mind, are
exactly as the globules of salt or sand on the seashore: (almost
infinite in their number).
38. As the serum of the earth appears in various shapes (of minerals
and vegetables); so the sap of the intellect, produces the infinity of
ideas and thoughts, growing as trees in the wilderness of the mind.
39. These trees again shoot forth in branches and leaves, of which
there is no end; and so is every other world like a forest, supplying
its sap to innumerable plants, like the thoughts in the mind.
40. The intellect perceives in itself the existence of everything, as
distinctly as the inherent power of the living soul exhibits itself in
creation. (The power of the soul is its reminiscence (sanskára) of the
past, which reproduces and presents the former impressions in its
subsequent states of birth).
41. Every one’s intellect, perceives the existence of the world, in the
same manner as his living soul, happens to meet with every thing, as
present before it, by virtue of its former acts, and their reminiscence
stampt in it.[2]
42. There are some living souls, which meet and join with others and
propagate their species; and then cease to exist after having lived a
long time together.
43. You must observe with your keensightedness and well discerning
mind, in order to look into the different states and thoughts of
others. (Read the minds in their outward look and indications).
44. There are thousands of worlds like atoms of earth, contained in the
mind; as in the ample space of the sky and in the particles of water;
and these reside in those atoms like oil in the mustard seeds.
45. When the mind becomes perfect, it comes to be the living being; and
the intellect being purified, becomes all pervasive. Hence is the union
of the intellect with the living spirit.
46. The self-entity of the lotus-born Brahmá and all other living
beings, is only their self-deception; and the sense of the existence of
the world, is as a protracted dream rising and setting in the mind.
47. Some beings pass into successive states of existence, as a man
passes from one dream to another; and they think themselves to be
firmly established in them, as one supposes to be settled in some
house, appearing to him in his dream.
48. Whatever the intellect dwells upon at any time or place, it
immediately sees the same appearing therein before it; as anything
which is seen in dream, appears to be true to the dreamer all that time.
49. The atom of the intellect, contains the particles of all our
notions; as the seed-vessel contains the farinaceous atoms of the
future fruits and flowers, and branches and leaves (of very large
trees).
50. I consider the atoms of the intellect and the mind, contained
within the particles, of the material body, to be both vacuous, and
joined in one without causing a duality in their nature.
51. So the intellect conceives within itself and of its own particles,
many other atomic germs, under the influence of particular times and
places and actions and circumstances; which cannot be extraneous from
itself. (_i.e._ All notions are the making of the mind, and not
impressions from without).
52. It is this particle of the intellect which displays the creation,
like the vision of a dream before it; and it is this conception, that
led the gods Brahmá and others to the idea of their visible bodies, as
it makes the little insects to think of their own bodies. (_i.e._ The
minds of all display the outer world subjectively to all beings).
53. All that is displayed in this (outer) world, is in reality nothing
at all; and yet do these living beings, though possessing the particles
of intellect in them, erroneously conceive the duality of an extraneous
existence.
54. Some intellects (of particular persons), display themselves in
their bodies, and derive the pleasure of their consciousness, through
the medium of their eyes and external organs. (_i.e._ Some men believe
their bodily senses as the intellect, and no mind besides).
55. Others look on outward objects as receptacles of the intellect,
from the belief that the all pervasive, inseparable and imperishable
intellect (soul), must abide in all and every one of them. (It is the
intellect which contains the material world, and not this the other, as
many think omnipresence to mean).
56. Some men view the whole gross world within the body, instead of the
all pervading intellect of Brahmá; as Viswarúpa, and these being
hardened by long habit of thinking so, are plunged in the gulph of
error. (These are the materialists and the Tántrika microcosmists).
57. These rove from one error to another, as a man sees one dream after
another; and roll about in the pit of their delusion, as a stone when
hurled from a hill downward.
58. Some persons rely on the union of the body and soul, and others
relying in the soul alone, are placed beyond the reach of error; while
there are many, who rely on their consciousness alone, and shine
thereby as rational beings. (_The Cartesians and conscientionalists_).
59. They that perceive in themselves the errors of other people, are to
be considered as under the influence of false dreams in their sleep
(but mind not themselves, that labour under the error as the dreamer).
60. God being the all pervading spirit of nature, is verily seen in the
spirit of every body; and as he is ubiquitous, his omnipresence is
present in every thing in all places. (This doctrine is the source of
pantheism, and gives rise to universal idolatry, which adores the
presiding spirit of the idol, and not the idol itself).
61. God that shines is the living soul of every body, resides also in
the soul of that soul, as also in all the living souls and mind which
are contained within the body of another. (Such as in living beings
born inside the body of another).
62. One living being in born in another, and that again within another,
like the coatings of plantain trees, which grow one under the other
over the inmost pith. (So God is the inmost marrow of all external
lives and souls, which are as crusts of the same).
63. By reverting the cognition of visibles, to the recognition of their
essence (tanmátra) in the invisible plenum, we get rid of our error of
the reality of the formal world, as we do of the ornament in the
material gold. (_i.e._ The substances of gold is the material cause of
the formal and changeable jewels). Gloss. The knowledge of the
consequent (parák) and antecedent (pratyak), must blend in that of the
sameness (samáni) of both (yugupat), the internal (antar) and external
(báhya) (existences).
64. He who does not inquire into the question “who he is” and “what is
the world” beside himself; is not liberated in his inward soul, and
suffers under the continuous fever of an erroneous life.
65. He is successful in his inquiry, who by his good understanding,
comes to know how to curb his worldly avarice day by day.
66. As proper regimen is the best medicine to secure the health of the
body; so is the habit of keeping the organs of sense under control, the
only means of edifying the understanding.
67. He who is discoursive in his words, and not discerning in his mind,
is like a blazing fire in a picture (which lightens no body). No one
can be wise until he gets rid of his false wit.
68. As the perception of air, comes by the feeling and not by words of
the mouth; so wisdom proceeds from the curtailing of desires (and not
by lengthy or loud vociferation).
69. As the ambrosia in the painting is no ambrosial food, nor the fire
in a picture is burning flame; so a beauty in a drawing is no beauteous
maid, and wisdom in words is want of wisdom only.
70. Wisdom serves at first to weaken our passions and enmity, and then
uproot them at once, and at last it lessens our desires and endeavours,
and gives an appearance of holiness to its possessor.