THE NON-ENTITY OF THE MIND.
Argument. The means of repressing the force of the senses, and of
curbing the sensual desires of men.
Vasishtha continued:—The vast domain of death, in region of hell,
is full of the furious elephants of our sins; and the ungovernable
enemies of the senses with the arrows of desires. (_i.e._ Hell is the
abode of sinners, sensualists and the greedy).
2. Our senses are our invincible enemies, being the sources of all
misdeeds and wicked actions. They are the ungrateful miscreants against
the body, in which they have found their refuge.
3. The roving senses like flying birds, have found their nest in the
body; whence with their outstretched wings of right and wrong, they
pounce on their prey like vultures.
4. He who can entrap these greedy birds of the senses, under the snare
of his right reason, is never ensnared in his person in the trap of
sin, but breaks its bonds as the elephant does his fetters.
5. He who indulges himself in sensual pleasures which are pleasant at
first, will have to be cloyed in them in process of time. (Pleasure is
followed by pain. Or: Rills of pleasure not sincere.)
6. He who is fraught with the treasure of knowledge in his frail body,
is not to be overcome by his inward enemies of sensual appetites.
7. The kings of earth are not so happy in their earthly citadels, as
the lords of the cities of the own bodies, and the masters of their own
minds. (Mastery over one’s self, is better than over a realm).
8. He who has brought the senses under his slavery, and reduced the
enemy of his mind to subjection; has the blossoms of his understanding
ever blooming within him as in the vernal meadow.
9. He who has weakened the pride of his mind, and subdued the enemies
of his senses; has his desires all shrunken as the lotuses in the cold
weather.
10. So long do the demons of our desires, infest the region of our
hearts, as we are unable to bring the mind under the subjection of our
knowledge of the True one.
11. He is the faithful servant, who acts according to the will of his
master, and he is the true minister who does good services to his
prince. He is the best general who has command over the force of his
own body, and that is the best understanding which is guided by reason.
12. The wife is loved for her endearments, and the father is revered
for his protection of the child. A friend is valued by his confidence,
and the mind for its wisdom.
13. The mind is called our father, for its enlightening our
understanding with the light of the sástras derived by itself, and for
its leading us to perfection by losing itself in the Supreme spirit.
(The mind like the father, is the instructor and bequeather of its all
to man, ere it is extinct in the universal soul).
14. The mind that has well observed and considered all things, that is
enlightened and firm in its belief, and is employed in laudable
pursuits, is verily a valuable gem within the body.
15. The mind as a counsellor of our good, teaches us how to fell down
the tree of our transmigration, and produce the arbour of our future
bliss.
16. Such is the gem of the mind, O Ráma! unless it is soiled by the
dirt and filth of sin and vice; when it requires to be washed and
cleansed with the water of reason, in order to throw its light on thee.
17. Be not dormant to cultivate reason as long as you abide in the
darksome abode of this world; nor thrust yourself to every accident,
which awaits upon the ignorant and unreasonable men.
18. Do not overlook the mist of error which overspreads this world of
illusion, abounding with multitudes of mishaps and mischiefs. (Harm
watch, harm catch. Hold arms, against harms).
19. Try to cross over the wide ocean of the world, by riding on the
strong barque of your reason, espying the right course by your
discretion, against the currents of your sensual desires.
20. Know your body to be a frail flower, and all its pleasure and pain
to be unreal; so never take them for realities, as in the instance of
the snare, snake and the matting; but remain above sorrowing for any
thing as in the instance of Bhíma and Bhása (which will be shortly
related to you).
21. Give up, O high minded Ráma! your misjudgments of the reality of
yourself, and of this and that thing; but direct your understanding to
the knowledge of the Reality which is beyond all these; and by
forsaking your belief and reliance in the mind, continue in your course
of eating and drinking as before.