DO GOOD ● DO WELL

Of course, do GOOD.

Do WELL, go ahead. 

But ... never at the expense of doing good.

The Syllable by Syllable Commentary

Explaining the Benefits and Advantages 

of the Vajra Guru Mantra

By the great tertön Karma Lingpa (14th century)

The Vajra Guru Mantra is the mantra associated with Guru Rinpoche, also known as Padmasambhava. This is a draft translation of a treasure text which explains the Vajra Guru Mantra. It was originally concealed during the time of Padmasambhava in Tibet and later rediscovered by Karma Lingpa (14th century) who brought it forth from its place of concealment and copied it down on reams of gold. It is simply known as "The Syllable by Syllable Commentary Explaining the Benefits of the Vajra Guru Mantra." It begins with an invocation and then goes into a dialogue between Yeshe Tsogyal, thespiritual consort of Padmasambhava, and Padmasambhava himself.
And so, Yeshe Tsogyal begins:

I, the woman Yeshe Tsogyal, having offered to you the inner and outer mandala on a vast scale, have the following request. Oh great teacher, Pema Jungne, you have been extremely kind to us, the Tibetan people, leaving for us alegacy that will benefit us now and in future lives. Your kindness is so great that we have never experienced anything like this before, nor will we ever experience anything like this in the future. In particular, so that now even though I am a humble person, I have no doubt that I will attainenlightenment.

In the future, sentient beings will have very short attention spans and a great many things will clutter and occupy their minds. Their characters will be rough and difficult to tame. They will develop many wrong views towards the sacred Dharma. In particular, a time will come when people will cast dispersions on the Secret Mantra teaching of the unsurpassable levels of tantra. At that time, all sentient beings will suffer heavily from disease, famine, and war. Because of the spread of these three calamities, in particular, China, Tibet and Mongolia will experience the same kind of turmoil as an ant's nest when it is destroyed, and the time will come for the people of Tibet to suffer greatly. Though you have spoken at length of many skillful means to salvage what is possible from that situation, sentient beings in the future will not have the time to practice. Even though they may have some slight inclination to practice, they will encounter many great obstacles. Sentient beings will experience a great deal of disharmony. They won't be able to get along or reach any kind of accord, and in the wake of this, their behavior will become very impure. Bad times such as this will be very difficult to avert. That being the case, what kinds of benefits and advantages would there be for those beings in the future were they to rely solely upon the Vajra Guru Mantra as their practice? I ask you to relate this for the benefit of individuals in the future who are not able to perceive this and therefore have to have it explained to them.

Then the great master, Pema Jungne replied:

Oh faithful lady, what you have said is so very true. In the future, such times will befall sentient beings and both in a temporary and in a long term sense, the benefits of the Vajra Guru mantra can be definitely be felt. Since my spiritual instructions and the methods of practice that I offer are immeasurable, I have hidden a great number of treasure teachings in the water, rocks, the sky and so forth. In these evil times, even individuals with fortunate karma will find it difficult to encounter these teachings. It will be difficult to bring together the necessary circumstances for these teachings to be revealed. This is a sign that the collective merit of beings is on the wane.
However, at such times, if this essence mantra, the Vajra Guru mantra, is repeated as much as possible, a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times, a hundred thousand times, a million, ten million, a hundred million times and so forth, if it is repeated in holy places, in temples, next to great rivers, in areas where gods and demons abound, if it is recited in these places by tantric practitioners with pure samaya, by people with monastic ordination who maintain their vows purely, by men and women who
possess faith in the teachings, if they give rise to bodhicitta on a grand scale and recite this mantra, then the benefits and advantages and energy of such practice are truly inconceivable. This will avert all of the negative forces of disease, famine, unrest, bad harvests and all bad omens and indications in all the countries of the world, such that the rain will fall in a timely manner for the crops so there will always be a plentiful supply of water for agriculture and for human and animal life, and all regions and areas will experience prosperity and auspicious conditions.
In this life, in future lives, and in the intermediate state between death and rebirth, these individuals who practice in this way will meet with me again and again. The very best of these individuals will actually meet me in their waking consciousness. Those of middling degree of attainment will meet with me again and again in their dreams. Gradually perfecting the different paths and levels of their practice, they will attain to the ranks of the masculine and feminine holders of intrinsic awareness in my pure land in thecontinent of Ngayab. Have no doubt of this.
If this mantra is recited a hundred times a day, merely a hundred times a day without interruption, one will become attractive to others and will effortlessly come by food and wealth and the necessities of life.

If one recites it a thousand or ten thousand times on a daily basis, one is able to literally overwhelm others with one's brilliance, in the sense of becoming very charismatic and influential in exerting a positive influence over others, and one will gain unhindered force of blessings and spiritual power.
If one repeats it a hundred thousand or a million times on a regular basis one will become capable of effecting an immeasurably great benefit for beings, exactly as one would wish to.
If one recites the mantra three or seven million times, one is never separate from the buddhas of the three times and one becomes inseparable from me. All the gods and demons of existence will attend to one and offer their praises.

In the most excellent cases, individuals will attain the rainbow body, and the final level of attainment in this lifetime. On a more middling level, at the moment of death, the mother and child aspects of radiant luminosity will meet. At the very least, individuals will behold my face in the bardo state and all the appearances of the bardo state will be free in their own ground such that these individuals will be reborn on the continent of Ngayab and from that vantage point, be able to accomplish an immeasurable amount of benefit to beings. 

Thus the Guru replied to Yeshe Tsogyal.

She responded by saying:

Oh great master, it is extremely kind of you to have spoken of these vast and immeasurable advantages of the spiritual energy of this mantra. For the benefit of sentient beings in the future however, a detailed explanation would be of enormous benefit, and so I would ask you to speak in a brief way about the different syllables of this mantra.

To which the great master replied:

O daughter of good family, the Vajra Guru mantra is not just my single essence mantra, it is the very essence or life force of all the deities of the four classes of tantra, of all the nine yanas, and all of the 84,000 collections of dharma teachings. The essence of all of the buddhas of the three times, all of the gurus, yidams, dakas, and dakinis, dharma protectors, etc., the essence of all of these is contained and is complete within this mantra. How, you may ask, does this work? What is the reason for all these being complete with this mantra? Listen well and hold this in mind. Read it again and again. 

Write it out for the benefit of sentient beings, and teach it or demonstrate it to beings in the future.

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM AH HUNG are the sublime, essence of the principles of enlightened body, speech, and mind
VAJRA is the sublime essence of the indestructible family
GURU is the sublime essence of the jewel family
PEMA is the sublime essence of the lotus family
SIDDHI is the sublime essence of the activity family
HUNG is the sublime essence of the transcendent family

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG 

OM is the perfect splendor and richness of sambhoghakaya
AH is the total unchanging perfection of dharmakaya, the manifest body of absolute reality
HUNG perfects the presence of Guru Padmasambhava as the nirmanakaya, the manifest body of emanation
VAJRA perfects all the heruka deities of the mandalas
GURU refers to the root and transmission gurus and the holders of intrinsic awareness
PEMA perfects the assembly of dakas and dakinis
SIDDHI is the life force of all the wealth deities and the guardians of the treasure teachings
HUNG is the life force of the dharmapalas, the protective deities

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM AH HUNG are the life force of the three classes of tantra
VAJRA is the life force of the monastic discipline and the sutra class of teachings
GURU is the life force of abhidharma and kriya (action) yoga, the first level of tantra
PEMA is the life force of the charya (conduct) yoga, the second class of tantra, and yoga (joining) tantra, the third class of tantra
SIDDHI is the life force of the mahayoga and anuyoga classes of teachings
HUNG is the life force of the ati yoga, the Natural Great Perfection (Dzogchen)

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM AH HUNG purify obscurations arising from the three mental poisons: desire/attachment, aversion, and ignorance
VAJRA purifies obscurations which stem from anger
GURU purifies obscurations which stem from pride
PEMA purifies obscurations which stem from desire/attachment
SIDDHI purifies obscurations which stem from envy/jealousy
HUNG in a general way purifies obscurations which stem from all emotional afflictions

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

Through OM AH HUNG one attains the three kayas
Through VAJRA one realizes mirror-like pristine awareness
Through GURU one realizes the pristine awareness of equalness
Through PEMA one realizes the pristine awareness of discernment
Through SIDDHI one realizes the all-accomplishing pristine awareness
Through HUNG one realizes the pristine awareness of basic space

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

Through OM AH HUNG gods, demons, and humans are subdued 
Through VAJRA one gains power over malevolent forces of certain gods and demons
Through GURU one gains control over the malevolent forces of the Lord of Death and the cannibal demons
Through PEMA one gains control over the malevolent influences of the water and wind elements
Through SIDDHI one gains control over the malevolent influences of non-human forces and spirits bringing harm and exerting negative control over one's life
Through HUNG one gains control of the malevolent influences of planetary configurations and earth spirits

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM AH HUNG accomplishes the six spiritual virtues
VAJRA accomplishes pacifying activity
GURU accomplishes enriching activity
PEMA accomplishes magnetizing activity
SIDDHI accomplishes enlightened activity in general
HUNG accomplishes wrathful enlightened activity

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM AH HUNG avert all imprecations and curses
VAJRA averts the negative consequences of breaking one's samaya with the deities of pristine awareness
GURU averts the negative influences of the eight classes of gods and demons in samsara
PEMA averts the negative influences of nagas and earth spirits
HUNG averts the negative influences of gods, demons, humans, samsaric gods

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM AH HUNG defeats the army of the five mental poisons
VAJRA defeats anger
GURU defeats pride
PEMA defeats desire/attachment
SIDDHI defeats envy and jealousy
HUNG defeats the armies of gods, demons and humans

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM AH HUNG brings about the spiritual accomplishments or siddhis
VAJRA brings about the siddhi of peaceful and wrathful deities
GURU brings about the siddhi of the awareness-holders and the lineage gurus
PEMA brings about the siddhi of the dakas and dakinis and dharma protectors
SIDDHI brings about the mundane and supreme siddhis
HUNG brings about the siddhi of accomplishing whatever one wishes

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM AH HUNG transfers consciousness to the pure realms of experience
VAJRA transfers consciousness to the eastern pure realm of Manifest Joy
GURU transfers consciousness to the southern pure realm of Glory & Splendor
PEMA transfers consciousness to the western pure realm of  Great Bliss
SIDDHI transfers consciousness to the northern pure realm of Excellent Activity
HUNG transfers consciousness to the central pure realm of Unwavering

If a physical form could demonstrate the benefit of even one recitation of OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG, the entire earth would not be sufficient to contain the merit. All sentient beings who see, hear, or remember this mantra will definitely be established in the ranks of the masculine and feminine awareness-holders. If it is the case that these words of truth of
the Vajra Guru mantra do not accomplish for sentient beings what they wish to accomplish just as I have promised, then I Pema Jungne, am truly deceiving sentient beings. But I have not deceived you, so you should practice according to my instructions.

Even if you are not able to recite the mantra for whatever reasons, you should mount it on the top of a victory banner, even when the wind touches it, and that wind touches sentient beings, it will free them without a doubt. Alternately, you may inscribe it in clay or carve it in stone. This will also guard the path upon which these syllables are placed and guard that region from malevolent effects. You may also write this mantra out in gold ink on dark blue paper and wear it as an amulet. When you die, if this amulet is burned with your corpse, rainbows will be seen and your consciousness will be transferred to the realms of Supreme Bliss. The benefits of writing out, reading or reciting this mantra defy any accurate measure and defy any standard measurement that could be applied. Having established this for the benefit of beings in the future, I am hiding this treasure. May it meet with a fortunate child of mine in the future who has good karma.

Samaya. Sealed. Sealed. Sealed

Source: http://www.rinpoche.com/gurumantra.html

Atma Bodha

By Sri Adi Shankaracharya

1. I am composing the Atma-Bodha, this treatise of the Knowledge of the Self, for those who have purified themselves by austerities and are peaceful in heart and calm, who are free from cravings and are desirous of liberation.

2. Just as the fire is the direct cause for cooking, so without Knowledge no emancipation can be had. Compared with all other forms of discipline Knowledge of the Self is the one direct means for liberation.

3. Action cannot destroy ignorance, for it is not in conflict with or opposed to ignorance.
Knowledge does verily destroy ignorance as light destroys deep darkness.

4. The Soul appears to be finite because of ignorance. When ignorance is destroyed the Self which does not admit of any multiplicity truly reveals itself by itself: like the Sun when the clouds pass away.

5. Constant practice of knowledge purifies the Self (‘Jivatman’), stained by ignorance and then disappears itself – as the powder of the ‘Kataka-nut’ settles down after it has cleansed the muddy water.

6. The world, which is full of attachments, aversions, etc., is like a dream. It appears to be real, as long as it continues but appears to be unreal when one is awake (i.e., when true wisdom dawns).

7. The Jagat appears to be true (Satyam) so long as Brahman, the substratum, the basis of all this creation, is not realized. It is like the illusion of silver in the mother-of pearl.

8. Like bubbles in the water, the worlds rise, exist and dissolve in the Supreme Self, which is the material cause and the prop of everything.

9. All the manifested world of things and beings are projected by imagination upon the substratum which is the Eternal All-pervading Vishnu, whose nature is Existence- Intelligence; just as the different ornaments are all made out of the same gold.

10. The All-pervading Akasa appears to be diverse on account of its association with various conditionings (Upadhis) which are different from each other. Space becomes one on the destruction of these limiting adjuncts: So also the Omnipresent Truth appears to be diverse on account of Its association with the various Upadhis and becomes one on the destruction of these Upadhis.

11. Because of Its association with different conditionings (Upadhis) such ideas as caste, colour and position are super-imposed upon the Atman, as flavour, colour, etc., are superimposed on water.

12. Determined for each individual by his own past actions and made up of the Five elements – that have gone through the process of “five-fold self-division and mutual combination” (Pancheekarana) – are born the gross-body, the medium through which pleasure and pain are experienced, the tent-of-experiences.

13. The five Pranas, the ten organs and the Manas and the Buddhi, formed from the rudimentary elements (Tanmatras) before their “five-fold division and mutual combination with one another” (Pancheekarana) and this is the subtle body, the instruments-ofexperience (of the individual).

14. Avidya, which is indescribable and beginningless is the Causal Body. Know for certain that the Atman is other than these three conditioning bodies (Upadhis).

15. In its identification with the five-sheaths the Immaculate Atman appears to have borrowed their qualities upon itself; as in the case of a crystal which appears to gather unto itself colour of its vicinity (blue cloth, etc.,)

16. Through discriminative self-analysis and logical thinking one should separate the Pure self within from the sheaths as one separates the rice from the husk, bran, etc., that are covering it.

17. The Atman does not shine in everything although He is All-pervading. He is manifest only in the inner equipment, the intellect (Buddhi): just as the reflection in a clean mirror.

18. One should understand that the Atman is always like the King, distinct from the body, senses, mind and intellect, all of which constitute the matter (Prakriti); and is the witness of
their functions.

19. The moon appears to be running when the clouds move in the sky. Likewise to the non-discriminating person the Atman appears to be active when It is observed through the functions of the sense-organs.

20. Depending upon the energy of vitality of Consciousness (Atma Chaitanya) the body, senses, mind and intellect engage themselves in their respective activities, just as men work depending upon the light of the Sun.

21. Fools, because they lack in their powers of discrimination superimpose on the Atman, the Absolute-Existence-Knowledge (Sat-Chit), all the varied functions of the body and the senses, just as they attribute blue colour and the like to the sky.

22. The tremblings that belong to the waters are attributed through ignorance to the reflected moon dancing on it: likewise agency of action, of enjoyment and of other limitations (which really belong to the mind) are delusively understood as the nature of the Self (Atman).

23. Attachment, desire, pleasure, pain, etc., are perceived to exist so long as Buddhi or mind functions. They are not perceived in deep sleep when the mind ceases to exist. Therefore they belong to the mind alone and not to the Atman.

24. Just as luminosity is the nature of the Sun, coolness of water and heat of fire, so too the nature of the Atman is Eternity, Purity, Reality, Consciousness and Bliss.

25. By the indiscriminate blending of the two – the Existence-Knowledge-aspect of the Self and the thought-wave of the intellect – there arises the notion of “I know”.

26. Atman never does anything and the intellect of its own accord has no capacity to experience ‘I know’. But the individuality in us delusorily thinks he is himself the seer and the knower.

27. Just as the person who regards a rope as a snake is overcome by fear, so also one considering oneself as the ego (Jiva) is overcome by fear. The ego-centric individuality in us regains fearlessness by realising that It is not a Jiva but is Itself the Supreme Soul.

28. Just as a lamp illumines a jar or a pot, so also the Atman illumines the mind and the sense organs, etc. These material-objects by themselves cannot illumine themselves because they are inert.

29. A lighted-lamp does not need another lamp to illumine its light. So too, Atman which is Knowledge itself needs no other knowledge to know it.

30. By a process of negation of the conditionings (Upadhis) through the help of the scriptural statement ‘It is not this, It is not this’, the oneness of the individual soul and the Supreme Soul, as indicated by the great Mahavakyas, has to be realised.

31. The body, etc., up to the “Causal Body” – Ignorance – which are objects perceived, are as perishable as bubbles. Realize through discrimination that I am the ‘Pure Brahman’ ever completely separate from all these.

32. I am other than the body and so I am free from changes such as birth, wrinkling, senility, death, etc. I have nothing to do with the sense objects such as sound and taste, for I am without the sense-organs.

33. I am other than the mind and hence, I am free from sorrow, attachment, malice and fear, for “HE is without breath and without mind, Pure, etc.”, is the Commandment of the great scripture, the Upanishads.

34. I am without attributes and actions; Eternal (Nitya) without any desire and thought (Nirvikalpa), without any dirt (Niranjana), without any change (Nirvikara), without form (Nirakara), ever-liberated (Nitya Mukta) ever-pure (Nirmala).

35. Like the space I fill all things within and without. Changeless and the same in all, at all times I am pure, unattached, stainless and motionless.

36. I am verily that Supreme Brahman alone which is Eternal, Pure and Free, One,indivisible and non-dual and of the nature of Changeless-Knowledge-Infinite.

37. The impression “I am Brahman” thus created by constant practice destroys ignorance and the agitation caused by it, just as medicine or Rasayana destroys disease.

38. Sitting in a solitary place, freeing the mind from desires and controlling the senses, meditate with unswerving attention on the Atman which is One without-a-second.

39. The wise one should intelligently merge the entire world-of-objects in the Atman alone and constantly think of the Self ever as contaminated by anything as the sky.

40. He who has realised the Supreme, discards all his identification with the objects of names and forms. (Thereafter) he dwells as an embodiment of the Infinite Consciousness and Bliss. He becomes the Self.

41. There are no distinctions such as “Knower”, the “Knowledge” and the “Object of Knowledge” in the Supreme Self. On account of Its being of the nature of endless Bliss, It does not admit of such distinctions within Itself. It alone shines by Itself.

42. When this, the lower and the higher aspects of the Self are well churned together, the fire of knowledge is born from it, which in its mighty conflagration shall burn down all the fuel of ignorance in us.

43. The Lord of the early dawn (Aruna) himself has already looted away the thick darkness, when soon the sun rises. The Divine Consciousness of the Self rises when the right knowledge has already killed the darkness in the bosom.

44. Atman is an ever-present Reality. Yet, because of ignorance it is not realised. On the destruction of ignorance Atman is realised. It is like the missing ornament of one’s neck.

45. Brahman appears to be a ‘Jiva’ because of ignorance, just as a post appears to be a ghost. The ego-centric-individuality is destroyed when the real nature of the ‘Jiva’ is realised as the Self.

46. The ignorance characterised by the notions ‘I’ and ‘Mine’ is destroyed by the knowledge produced by the realisation of the true nature of the Self, just as right information removes the wrong notion about the directions.

47. The Yogi of perfect realisation and enlightenment sees through his “eye of wisdom” (Gyana Chakshush) the entire universe in his own Self and regards everything else as his own Self and nothing else.

48. Nothing whatever exists other than the Atman: the tangible universe is verily Atman. As pots and jars are verily made of clay and cannot be said to be anything but clay, so too, to the enlightened soul and that is perceived is the Self.

49. A liberated one, endowed with Self-knowledge, gives up the traits of his previously explained equipments (Upadhis) and because of his nature of Sat-chit-ananda, he verily becomes Brahman like (the worm that grows to be) a wasp.

50. After crossing the ocean of delusion and killing the monsters of likes and dislikes, the Yogi who is united with peace dwells in the glory of his own realised Self – as an Atmaram.

51. The self-abiding Jivan Mukta, relinquishing all his attachments to the illusory external happiness and satisfied with the bliss derived from the Atman, shines inwardly like a lamp placed inside a jar.

52. Though he lives in the conditionings (Upadhis), he, the contemplative one, remains ever unconcerned with anything or he may move about like the wind, perfectly unattached.

53. On the destruction of the Upadhis, the contemplative one is totally absorbed in ‘Vishnu’, the All-pervading Spirit, like water into water, space into space and light into light.

54. Realise That to be Brahman, the attainment of which leaves nothing more to be attained, the blessedness of which leaves no other blessing to be desired and the knowledge of which leaves nothing more to be known.

55. Realise that to be Brahman which, when seen, leaves nothing more to be seen, which having become one is not born again in this world and which, when knowing leaves nothing else to be known.

56. Realise that to be Brahman, which is Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-Absolute, which is Non-dual, Infinite, Eternal and One and which fills all the quarters – above and below and all that exists between.

57. Realise that to be Brahman which is Non-dual, Indivisible, One and Blissful and which is indicated in Vedanta as the Immutable Substratum, realised after the negation of all tangible objects.

58. Deities like Brahma and others taste only a particle, of the unlimited Bliss of Brahman and enjoy in proportion their share of that particle.

59. All objects are pervaded by Brahman. All actions are possible because of Brahman: therefore Brahman permeates everything as butter permeates milk.

60. Realise that to be Brahman which is neither subtle nor gross: neither short nor long: without birth or change: without form, qualities, colour and name.

61. That by the light of which the luminous, orbs like the Sun and the Moon are illuminated,but which is not illumined by their light, realise that to be Brahman.

62. Pervading the entire universe outwardly and inwardly the Supreme Brahman shines of Itself like the fire that permeates a red-hot iron-ball and glows by itself.

63. Brahman is other than this, the universe. There exists nothing that is not Brahman. If any object other than Brahman appears to exist, it is unreal like the mirage.

64. All that is perceived, or heard, is Brahman and nothing else. Attaining the knowledge of the Reality, one sees the Universe as the non-dual Brahman, Existence-Knowledge-Bliss-Absolute.

65. Though Atman is Pure Consciousness and ever present everywhere, yet It is perceived by the eye-of-wisdom alone: but one whose vision is obscured by ignorance he does not see It; as the blind do not see the resplendent Sun.

66. The ‘Jiva’ free from impurities, being heated in the fire of knowledge kindled by hearing and so on, shines of itself like gold.

67. The Atman, the Sun of Knowledge that rises in the sky of the heart, destroys the darkness of the ignorance, pervades and sustains all and shines and makes everything to shine.

68. He who renouncing all activities, who is free of all the limitations of time, space and direction, worships his own Atman which is present everywhere, which is the destroyer of heat and cold, which is Bliss-Eternal and stainless, becomes All-knowing and All-pervading and attains thereafter Immortality.

Wronski Update:

The more I have to say ...

 the less inclined I am to say it.

The Avadhoota Gita 

 By Lord Dattatreya

 

The Avadhoota Gita is writen by Sage Dattatreya.The Avadhoota Gita is regarded by almost all sages as the greatest treatise on Advaita Vedanta.

Chapter One

1) Truly, it is by the grace of God
That the knowledge of Unity arises within.
Then a man is released at last
From the great fear of life and death.

2) All that exists in this world of forms
Is nothing but the Self, and the Self alone.
How, then, shall the Infinite worship Itself?
Shiva is one undivided Whole!

3) The five subtle elements that combine to compose this world
Are as illusory as the water in a desert mirage;
To whom, then, shall I bow my head?
I, myself, am the stainless One!

4) Truly, all this universe is only my Self;
It is neither divided nor undivided.
How can I even assert that it exists?
I can only view it with wonder and awe!

5) What, then, is the heart of the highest truth,
The core of knowledge, the wisdom supreme?
It is, “I am the Self, the formless One;
By my very nature, I am pervading all.”

6) That one God who shines within everything,
Who is formless like the cloudless sky,
Is the pure, stainless, Self of all.
Without any doubt, that is who I am.

7) I’m the infinite and immutable One;
I’m pure Consciousness, without any form.
I don’t know how, or to whom,
Joy and sorrow appear in this world.

8) I have no mental karma, either good or bad;
I have no physical karma, either good or bad.
I have no verbal karma, either good or bad. 1
I’m beyond the senses; I’m the pure nectar of
the knowledge of the Self.

9) The mind is formless like the sky,
Yet it wears a million faces.
It appears as images from the past, or as worldly forms;
But it is not the supreme Self.

10) I’m One; I’m all of this!
Yet I’m undifferentiated, beyond all forms.
How, then, do I regard the Self?
As both the Unmanifest and the manifest world.

11) You, also, are the One! Why don’t you understand?
You’re the unchanging Self, the same within everyone.
You’re truly illimitable; you’re the all-pervading Light.
For you, how can there be any distinction between the day and the night? 2

12) Understand that the Self is continuous Being,
The One within all, without any division.
The “I” is both the subject and the supreme object of meditation;
How can you see two in That which is One?

13) Neither birth nor death pertain to you;
You have never been a body.
It is well known that “All is Brahman”;
The scriptures have stated this in various ways.

14) You are That which is both inside and out;
You’re Shiva; you’re everything everywhere.
Why, then, are you so deluded?
Why do you run about like a frightened ghost?

15) There’s no such thing as union or separation for me or for you.
There is no me, no you, no manifold world;
All is the Self, and the Self alone.

16) You can’t be heard, or smelled, or tasted;
You can’t be seen, or sensed by touch.
Truly, you’re the ultimate Reality;
Why, then, should you be troubled so?

17) Neither birth, nor death, nor the active mind,
Nor bondage, nor liberation, affects you at all.
Why then, my dear, do you grieve in this way?
You and I have no name or form.

18) mind, why are you so deluded?
Why do you run about like a frightened ghost?
Become aware of the indivisible Self!
Be rid of attachment; be happy and free!

19) Truly, you’re the unchanging Essence of everything;
You’re the unmoving Unity; you’re boundless Freedom.
You have neither attachment nor aversion;
Why, then, do you worry and succumb to desire?

20) All the scriptures unanimously declare
That the pure, formless, undifferentiated Reality
Is the Essence of all forms.
There is absolutely no doubt about this.

21) All forms, understand, are only temporary manifestations;
Only the formless Essence eternally exists.
Once this truth is realized,
There’s no more necessity to be reborn.

22) The one Reality is ever the same;
This is what all the wise men say.
Whether you embrace or renounce desires,
The one Consciousness remains unaffected.

23) If you see the world as other than the Self,
can that be the experience of Unity?
If you see it as the Self, can that be the experience of Unity?
If it’s seen as both the Self and not the Self,
can that be the experience of Unity?
The true state of freedom is to see everything as One.

24) You are the pure Reality, always the same;
You have no body, no birth and no death.
How, then, can you say, “I know the Self”?
Or how can you say, “I don’t know the Self”?

25) The saying, “That thou art,”
Affirms the reality of your own true Self.
The saying, “Not this, not this,”
Denies the reality of the five composite elements. 3

26) The Self is the identity of everyone;
You are everything, the unbroken Whole.
The thinker and the thought do not even exist!
mind, how can you go on thinking so shamelessly!

27) I do not know Shiva; how can I speak of Him?
I do not know Shiva; how can I worship Him?
I, myself, am Shiva, the primal Essence of all;
My nature, like the sky, remains ever the same.

28) I am the Essence, the all-pervading Essence;
I have no form of my own.
I’m beyond the division of subject and object;
How could I possibly be an object to myself?

29) There’s no such thing as an infinite form;
The infinite Reality has no form of its own.
The one Self, the supreme Reality,
Neither creates, nor sustains, nor destroys anything.

30) You are that pure and unchanging Essence;
You have no body, no birth, and no death.
For you, how could such a thing as delusion be?
How could delusion exist for the Self?

31) When a jar is broken, the space that was inside
Merges into the space outside.
In the same way, my mind has merged in God;
To me, there appears no duality.

32) Truly, there’s no jar, no space within;
There’s no body and no soul encased.
Please understand; everything is Brahman.
There’s no subject, no object, no separate parts.

33) Everywhere, always, and in everything,
Know this: the Self alone exists.
Everything, both the Void and the manifested world,
Is nothing but my Self; of this I am certain.

34) There are no divine scriptures, no world, no imperative religious practices;
There are no gods, no classes or races of men,
No stages of life, no superior or inferior;
There’s nothing but Brahman, the supreme Reality.

35) The subject and object are unseparated and inseparable;
That undivided One is you.
When this is so, when no “other” exists,
How could the Self be objectively perceived?

36) Non-duality is taught by some;
Some others teach duality.
They don’t understand that the all-pervading Reality
Is beyond both duality and non-duality.

37) There is no color or sound to the one Reality;
It has no qualities at all.
How can one even think or speak of That
Which is far beyond both mind and speech?

38) When you know all this universe of forms
To be as vacant as the sky,
Then you’ll know Brahman;
Duality will forevermore cease to be.

39) To some, the Self appears as other;
To me, the Self is I.
Like undivided space, One alone exists.
How, then, could the subject and object of meditation be two?

40) Nothing of what I do or eat,
Or give or take,
Exists for me;
I’m Purity itself, beyond birth and death.

41) Know that the whole of the universe is without any form.
Know that the whole of the universe is forever unchanging.
Know that the whole of the universe is unstained by its contents.
Know that the whole of the universe is of the nature of God.

42) You are the ultimate Reality; have no doubt.
The Self is not something known by the mind;
The Self is the very one who knows!
How, then, could you think to know the Self?

43) Maya? Maya? How could that be?
A shadow? A shadow? It doesn’t exist.
The Reality is One; it’s everything.
It’s all-pervasive; nothing else exists. 4

44) I have no beginning, middle, or end;
I have never been, nor will ever be, bound.
My nature is stainless; I’m Purity itself.
This I know as a certainty.

45) To me, neither the elemental particles
Nor the entire universe exists;
Brahman alone is everything.
Where, then, are the castes or the stages of life?

46) I always recognize everything
As the one indivisible Reality.
That undivided One constitutes the world,
The Void, all space, and the five elements.

47) It’s neither neuter, nor masculine, nor feminine.
It possesses neither intellect nor the power of thought.
How, then, can you imagine that the Self
Is either blissful or not blissful?

48) The practice of yoga will not lead you to purity;
Silencing the mind will not lead you to purity;
The Guru’s instructions will not lead you to purity;
That purity is your Essence. It’s your very own Consciousness!

49) Neither the gross body, consisting of five elements,
Nor the subtle body exists;
Everything is the Self alone.
How, then, could the fourth state or the other three states exist? 5

50) I am not bound, nor am I liberated;
I’m Brahman, and nothing else.
I’m not the doer, nor am I the enjoyer;
I do not pervade anything, nor am I pervaded.

51) If ice and water are mixed together,
There is no difference between one and the other.
It is the same with matter and spirit; 6
This is very clear to me.

52) If I’ve never been bound,
I can never be liberated.
How could you think that the Self —
With form or without — could be bound?

53) I know the nature of the one supreme Being;
Like space, It extends everywhere.
And all the forms that appear within It
Are like the (illusory) water of a desert mirage.

54) I have neither Guru nor initiation;
I have no discipline, and no duty to perform.
Understand that I’m the formless sky;
I’m the self-existent Purity.

55) You are the one Purity! You have no body.
You are not the mind; you’re the supreme Reality.
“I’m the Self, the supreme Reality!”
Say this without any hesitancy.

56) Why do you weep, O mind? Why do you cry?
Take the attitude: “I am the Self!”
dear one, go beyond the many!
Drink the supreme nectar of Unity!

57) You do not possess intelligence,
nor do you possess ignorance;
Nor do you possess a mixture of these two.
You are, yourself, Intelligence —
An Intelligence that never ceases, never strays.

58) I’m not attained by knowledge, or samadhi, or yoga,
Or by the passage of time, or the Guru’s instructions;
I’m Consciousness Itself, the ultimate Reality.
Like the sky, though I change, I am ever the same.

59) I have no birth, no death, and no duties;
I’ve never done anything, either good or bad.
I’m purely Brahman, beyond all qualities; 7
How could either bondage or liberation exist for me?

60) If God is all-pervading,
Immovable, whole, without any parts,
Then there is no division in Him at all.
How, then, could He be regarded as “within” or “without”?

61) The whole universe is shining as One,
Without any split or break, or separate parts.
The idea of “Maya” is itself the great delusion;
Duality and Non-duality are merely concepts of the mind.

62) The world of form and the formless Void:
Neither of these exists independently.
In the One, there is neither separation nor union;
Truly, there is nothing but Shiva alone.

63) You have no mother, or father, or brother;
You have no wife, or son, or friend.
You have no attachments or non-attachments;
How, then, do you justify this anxiety of mind?

64) mind, there is neither the day (of manifestation)
nor the night (of dissolution);
My continuous Light neither rises nor sets.
How could a wise man sincerely believe
That the formless Existence is affected by forms?

65) It is not undivided, nor is It divided;
It experiences neither sorrow nor joy.
It is not the universe, nor is It not the universe;
Understand that the Self is eternally One.

66) I’m not the doer, nor am I the enjoyer;
I have no karma, either present or past. 8
I have no body, nor are all these bodies mine.
What could be “mine” or “not-mine” to me?

67) In me, there is no impurity such as attachment;
There is no bodily pain for me.
Understand that I’m the Self; I’m Unity.
I’m vast as space, like the sky above.

68) mind, my friend, what’s the good of so much speaking?
mind, my friend, all of this has been made quite clear.
I’ve told you what I know to be true;
You’re the ultimate Reality. You’re unbounded, like space.

69) It doesn’t matter where a yogi may die;
It doesn’t matter how he may die.
He becomes absorbed in the Absolute,
As the space within a jar becomes absorbed
(in the outer space when the jar is destroyed).

70) Whether he dies near a holy river,
Or in an outcaste’s hut,
Whether he is conscious or unconscious at his death,
He merges into Freedom, into Unity, alone.

71) All duties, wealth, enjoyments, liberation —
All people and objects in the world as well —
Everything, in the eyes of a yogi,
Is like the (illusory) water in a desert mirage.

72) There is no action,
Either present, future, or past,
Which has been performed or enjoyed by me.
This I know, without any doubt.

73) The Avadhut lives alone in an empty hut;
With a pure, even mind, he is always content.
He moves about, naked and free,
Aware that all this is only the Self.

74) Where neither the third state (deep sleep) nor the
fourth state (samadhi) exists,
Where everything is experienced as the Self alone,
Where neither righteousness nor unrighteousness exists,
Could bondage or liberation be living there?

75) In that state where one knows nothing at all,
This versified knowledge does not even exist.
So, now, while I’m in the state of samarasa, 9
I, the Avadhut, have spoken of the Truth.

76) It is meaningless to differentiate between the Void and the world-appearance;
It’s pointless to speak of “the Real” and “the unreal”;
One Self, unchanging, exists alone.
This is what all the scriptures declare.

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Chapter Two

1) You may be young, unlearned, and addicted to pleasures;
You may be a servant or a householder; it doesn’t matter.
Does a jewel require a Guru in order to be valuable?
Or is it worthless simply because it’s covered with mud?

2) You may lack learning or literary skill;
You don’t require such qualities as these.
Hold fast to the Truth, and let go of all else;
Even an unpainted boat will take you across.

3) The animate and the inanimate world;
Yet It always remains in Its own peaceful state;
It is always pure Consciousness, as calm as the sky.

4) Though appearing as the animate and inanimate world,
The Self remains forever One.
Where, then, is the division?
There is no duality, it is clear to me.

5) Indeed, I am the highest Truth! I’m Shiva!
I contain the world, both subtle and gross.
I do not come, nor do I go.
I have no movement; I have no form.

6) I’m unaffected by my component parts;
Therefore, though the gods may worship me,
In my perfect wholeness,
I recognize no distinctions such as gods.

7) Neither doubt nor ignorance
Can cause the slightest ripple in me.
Let the modifications of the mind continue to occur;
They’re merely bubbles rising to the surface of a pond.

8) The ephemeral elements that form all things
Manifest in many different ways:
Some things appear soft, others hard;
Some things appear sweet, and others sour.

9) The qualities of clearness, coldness, and softness
Are but qualities of water.
Likewise, matter and spirit (prakriti and purusha)
Are but qualities of the one Existence.

10) Beyond all speech, beyond all names,
Beyond the subtlest of all subtle things;
Beyond mind, intellect, and the five senses,
The stainless Lord of the universe remains ever One.

11) If the universal Self becomes known,
How could “I” continue to be?
How could “you”
Or the sentient and insentient world still be?

12) The Self is said to be like the sky.
Indeed, It is like the sky;
It’s pure Consciousness, without any stain.
It is truly the all-embracing Whole.

13) It remains unaffected,
Though It takes the form of earth, air, water and fire.
Though It takes all these forms,
It remains always the same.

14) All infinite space is pervaded by the Self,
But nothing else pervades the Self.
It is simultaneously within and without;
It cannot be limited or divided in parts.

15) It’s extremely subtle and cannot be seen;
It’s primary to all qualities, the yogis say.
It is the state that underlies
All other temporary states of the mind.

16) By practicing yoga unceasingly,
Without attachment to anything,
Little by little, a yogi is freed
From all effects of the qualities (gunas).

17) Against the dreadful poison of worldly lust,
Which deludes men’s minds,
There is only one antidote:
The nectarean awareness of the independent Self.

18) The subtle images are seen within,
And the manifold forms are seen without;
But the independent Experiencer of both
Is known by all seers as the inner Self.

19) Experienced without, It’s the universe;
Experienced within, It’s the power of life.
And deep within that inner life
The real milk-of-the-coconut resides.

20) The outer knowledge is of the coconut’s husk;
The subtler knowledge is of the meat within.
And concealed within that subtle core
Is the coconut-milk of Consciousness — the Self.

21) On a full-moon night, the moon is seen
By unhazed eyes as one, alone.
The Reality should also be seen this way;
Where two are seen, that sight’s impaired.

22) Because there is one, and only one,
The mind which perceives two is false.
He who teaches this is truly great;
He deserves a thousand accolades.

23) A Guru gives the gift of wisdom
To both the wise and the foolish man;
But only he crosses over this ocean (of life)
Who attains the knowledge of Truth for himself.

24) He who is free from attachment, free from hate —
Engaged in securing the good of all,
Firm in knowledge and steady of mind —
Will reach at last to the highest state.

25) The space inside a jar merges in the space outside
When the jar is destroyed;
The yogi, when the body’s destroyed,
Merges into the universal Consciousness — his own true Self.

26) The destiny of those devoted to action
Is the result of their thought at the end of their life;
But the destiny of a yogi established in Unity
Is not determined by his thought at the end.

27) One may express in speech
The destiny of those devoted to actions,
But the destiny of those established in yoga
Cannot be told; they go beyond speech.

28) A yogi has no particular path;
He simply renounces imagining things.
His mind then ceases of its own accord,
And the perfect state just naturally occurs.

29) Wherever a yogi may meet his end —
Whether beside a holy river or in an outcaste’s hut —
His births are through;
He merges in Brahman.

30) He who has realized the innate, unborn,
in comprehensible Self
Never becomes stained while enjoying the fruits of his desires;
He remains always free of stain, free of karma.
The ascetic, concentrated on the Self, is never bound.

31) He goes beyond illusion, beyond comparison, beyond form,
Beyond any support, beyond the body and its nourishment;
Beyond duality, fear, desire, and powers,
It’s the Lord, the Self, the Eternal, he attains.

32) His attainment is not the Vedas,
nor initiation, nor a clean-shaven head;
It is not a Guru, or disciples, or bountiful treasures,
Or the practice of postures, or wearing of ashes;
It’s the Lord, the Self, the Eternal, he attains.

33) He does not envision the form of the great Shiva,
or Shakti, or any other gods;
He does not see kundalini, or light-forms, or the feet of God;
Nor does he perceive his own soul, like a jar with its contents;
It’s the Lord, the Self, the Eternal, he attains.

34) That is the Essence from which the sentient
and insentient universe is born;
It is like the ocean which gives birth to the foam on its surface.
It is That by which everything is maintained and dissolved;
It’s the Lord, the Self, the Eternal, he attains.

35) His attainment is not breath-control,
or fixed-stares, or yogic-postures;
Nothing becomes learned or unlearned at all.
His attainment is not the purification of the nerves;
It’s the Lord, the Self, the Eternal, he attains.

36) He does not attain a “many” or a
“One” that is separate from himself;
It is not something other, like an object with length and breadth.
It cannot be objectively proven, or compared with anything;
It’s the Lord, the Self, the Eternal, he attains.

37) He may or may not attain concentration;
He may or may not attain freedom from the senses;
He may or may not abandon all actions;
It’s the Lord, the Self, the Eternal, he attains.

38) Beyond mind, intellect, body, and sense-organs;
Beyond the subtle elements, and the five gross elements;
Beyond the sense of ego, and even the ethereal body;
It’s the Lord, the Self, the Eternal, he attains.

39) Transcending all dictates, he abides in the Self;
His mind becomes free of the thought of duality.
Neither purity, nor impurity, nor distinctions of sex,
Nor fortune, nor misfortune, has any meaning for him.

40) If the mind and speech can’t reveal the Self,
How could the Guru’s teachings reveal the Self?
How could a Guru reveal with words
That Essence of existence which is self-illuminating?

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Chapter Three

1) The distinction between “with qualities” and
“without qualities” does not exist in Him;
He’s beyond both attachment and non-attachment;
Stainless, He’s beyond all forms.
He’s beyond both qualities and the absence of qualities;
Though formless, He’s the substance of all forms.
So how can I worship that Shiva, who exists everywhere, like space!

2) Shiva is not white or yellow; He has no color at all.
That supreme Shiva is both the cause and the effect.
Truly, I am beyond the process of thought; I’m Shiva.
Tell me, friend, how can I bow the Self unto the Self?

3) I’m neither beginningless nor with beginning; I’m a Sun that never sets.
I’m neither concealed nor unconcealed; I’m a Sun that never sets.
I’m neither illumined nor unillumined; I’m a Sun that never sets.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

4) I’m desireless, with desire; how shall I speak of that?
I’m unattached, with attachment; how shall I speak of that?
I have no substance, and yet I have; what shall I say of that?
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

5) I’m undivided, yet I’m every separate form;
what shall I say of that?
I’m divided, yet I’m in everything; what shall I say of that?
I’m both eternal and non-eternal; what shall I say of that?
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

6) I’m neither gross nor subtle; I neither come nor go.
I have no beginning, end, or middle; I’m neither great nor small.
I’m telling all the secrets of the supreme Reality:
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

7) Know well that all sense organs are made of emptiness;
Know well that all sense-objects are, likewise, emptiness.
Know well that I’m the stainless One; I’m neither bound nor free.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

8) I’m beyond the intellect and inaccessible to the intellect;
it cannot reach to me.
I’m beyond vision, and inaccessible to vision; it cannot reach to me.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

9) I have no karma; I’m the sacrificial fire
in which all karma’s consumed.
I have no sorrow; I’m the sacrificial fire
in which all sorrow’s consumed.
I have no craving; I’m the sacrificial fire
in which all craving’s consumed.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

10) Sinless, I consume all sins; I’m the sacrificial fire.
Dutiless, I consume all duties; I’m the sacrificial fire.
Boundless, I consume all bondage; I’m the sacrificial fire.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

11) I’m beyond non-existence and beyond existence;
these don’t pertain to me.
I’m beyond both union and separation; these don’t pertain to me.
I’m beyond both unconsciousness and consciousness;
these don’t pertain to me.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

12) I’m never swayed by attraction or repulsion; I never imagine these.
I’m never swayed by happiness or grief; I never imagine these.
I’m never swayed by passion or dispassion; I never imagine these.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

13) The clinging-vine of worldly existence cannot affect me at all.
Contentment and pleasures, however many,
cannot affect me at all.
The bondage of ignorance —this world of appearance —
cannot affect me at all.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

14) The worldly turmoil produced by rajo-guna
has no affect on me.
The suffering produced by tamo-guna has no affect on me.
The pleasure of righteousness produced
by sattva-guna has no affect on me.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

15) Neither troubles, nor sorrows, n
or pleasures have any affect on my intellect;
Nor can the difficulties attending yoga have any affect on my mind.
Whatever may happen to stir up the ego cannot affect me at all.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

16) I’ve put an end to both wavering and unwavering;
I don’t even imagine thought.
I’ve put an end to both dreaming and waking;
I neither sleep nor wake.
I’ve put an end to animate and inanimate;
I’m neither moving nor still.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

17) I’m not the knower, nor something to be known;
nor am I the cause of knowledge.
I’m beyond the realm of speech, the mind and the intellect;
How could the ultimate Reality ever be described by words?
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

18) I’m beyond both division and non-division;
I’m the absolute Reality.
Within? Without? How could I be? I’m the absolute Reality.
I was never created; I’m not an object with substance.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

19) I’m beyond the sorrows of attachment; I’m the one Reality.
I’m beyond the sorrows of destiny; I’m the one Reality.
I’m beyond the sorrows of worldly existence; I’m the one Reality.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

20) Since I am not the first three states of mind,
how could I be the fourth (samadhi)?
Since I am not any of the three kinds of time,
how could I be a fourth?
I’m the root of serenity, the primal serenity;
I’m the absolute Reality.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

21) Terms such as “long” or “short” do not apply to me.
Terms such as “broad” or “thin” do not apply to me.
Descriptions such as “angular” or “rotund” do not apply to me.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

22) No mother, father, daughter, or son ever belonged to me.
Neither birth, death, nor the mind ever belonged to me.
I’m always unwavering, always steady; I’m the absolute Reality.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

23) My nature is boundless, be
yond such distinctions as pure and impure.
My nature is boundless,
beyond such distinctions as attached or unattached.
My nature is boundless,
beyond such distinctions as divided or undivided.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

24) How could the god, Brahma, and all his attendants live there?
How could the city of heaven, with all its people, live there?
My only form is stainlessness; I’m the absolute Reality.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

25) How may I speak of that stainless
One who is both “this” and “not this”?
How may I speak of that stainless
One who is the unsupported Support of all?
How may I speak of that stainless
One who has no gender and yet has gender?
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

26) I’m always the Supreme, whether I’m active or inactive.
I’m the highest bliss, beyond attachment and non-attachment.
I’m everlasting bliss, beyond both forms and formlessness.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

27) This Maya-dream of a world has no affect on me.
The crookedness and deceit of men has no affect on me.
The truth or falsehood of men’s speech has no affect on me.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

28) I’m beyond the distinctions of night and day;
I can’t be split in parts.
I never wake from within myself; I’m never not-awake.
I’m never moved by thought at all; I never try to be pure.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

29) I’m neither “the Lord,” nor am I “not the Lord”;
I’m the formless Self.
I’m beyond the presence or absence of the mind;
I’m the formless Self.
Know well that I’m free of everything; I’m the formless Self.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

30) I am a house that’s empty; what may I say of that?
I do everything, and yet I do nothing; what may I say of that?
I’m always in the even state; I’m the formless Self.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

31) I’m beyond being a soul or not a soul;
I’m forever shining forth.
I’m beyond being a cause or not a cause; I’m forever shining forth.
I’m beyond both nirvana and bondage; I’m forever shining forth.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

32) Unlimited by a beginning, I’m forever shining forth.
Unlimited by the continuing play, I’m forever shining forth.
Unlimited by the destruction of all, I’m forever shining forth.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss; I’m everywhere, like space.

33) Though you may be spoken of,
you have neither name nor form.
Whether you are divided or undivided, there’s nothing here but you.
mind, O shameless, wandering mind!
Why do you weary yourself so?
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

34) Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
There’s no old age or death for you.
Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
There’s no pain of birth for you.
Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You can’t be touched at all.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

35) Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You have no form of your own.
Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You cannot be deformed.
Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You can never become old.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

36) Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You can never lose your youth.
Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You can never lose your mind.
Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You have no organs of sense.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

37) Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You can’t be touched by lust.
Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You can’t be touched by greed.
Why do you weep and moan, my friend?
You can’t be touched by infatuation.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

38) How can you hanker after wealth?
You have no property to support.
How can you hanker after wealth? You have no wife to feed.
How can you hanker after wealth? Nothing can be your own.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

39) You and I are not attached to this world of ephemeral forms;
It is only the shameless mind which divides the One in parts.
Division and non-division are the same to you and me;
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

40) Your nature does not contain even a little of dispassion;
Your nature does not contain even a little of passions either.
Your nature does not contain even a little of desire;
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

41) There’s no object of worship in your heart or
in the state of samadhi;
There’s no object of worship in your heart or
in the objective world.
There’s no object of worship in your heart;
I’m beyond both place and time.
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

42) I’ve told you all that constitutes the very core of Truth;
There’s no you, no me, no superior being, no disciple, and no Guru.
The nature of the supreme Reality is self-evident and simple;
I’m nectarean knowledge, unchanging bliss;
I’m everywhere, like space.

43) How could the supreme Reality be of the nature of bliss?
How could the supreme Reality be devoid of bliss?
How could the supreme Reality possess
either knowledge or ignorance?
If the supreme I am is the one Existence,
It’s everywhere, like space.

44) Understand that It’s neither fire nor air; Realize the One!
Understand that It’s neither earth nor water; Realize the One!
Understand that It neither comes nor goes; Realize the One!
Understand that It’s like space, pervading everywhere;
Realize the One!

45) My nature is neither emptiness nor fullness.
My nature is neither pure nor impure.
I’m neither with form nor without form.
I’m the supreme Reality; my nature is uniquely my own.

46) Renounce, renounce the world of appearance;
Then renounce renunciation as well.
But, whether you renounce or do not renounce,
Enjoy the nectar of your natural state.

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Chapter Four

1) Where is the need to make offerings or prostrations?
Or to practice worship with flowers and leaves?
Why practice meditation and the repetition of mantras?
The worshipper and Shiva are one and the same.

2) I’m not only free of bondage and liberation;
I’m not only free of purity and impurity;
I’m not only free of union and separation;
I’m Freedom itself; I’m everywhere, like space.

3) Some say, “The phenomenal world is real”;
Others say, “The world is unreal.”
Such arguments as these have no meaning to me;
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

4) I have no faults, nor am I faultless.
I have no beginning, nor am I beginningless.
I’m not undivided, nor am I divided.
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

5) In me, ignorance and knowledge never arise;
I never allow myself to experience those states.
How, then, could I speak of not knowing or knowing?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

6) I’m not bound to righteousness; I’m not bound to sin.
I’m not bound to bondage, nor to liberation;
Neither of these affects me at all.
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

7) “Inferior” and “superior” have no meaning to me.
I have no enemies, nor have I any friends;
How, then, could I speak of “the good” or “the evil”?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

8) I’m not the worshipper nor the object of worship.
I give no words of instruction, nor do I perform any actions.
My nature is Consciousness; how, then, could I speak?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

9) There’s nothing that pervades, and nothing that’s pervaded;
There is neither manifestation nor de-manifestation.
How, then, could I speak of “the Void” or its opposite?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

10) Truly, I am neither a perceiver nor an object of perception;
I am not a cause, nor am I an effect.
How, then, shall I say that I’m “the knower” or “the known”?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

11) There’s no superimposer and nothing superimposed;
I am neither “the knower” nor “the object of knowledge.”
How, then, could I speak of creation or dissolution?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

12) I have no body, nor am I without bodies;
I have neither intellect, nor mind, nor senses.
How, then, could I speak of attraction or repulsion?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

13) One can’t even speak of something separate from the Self;
One cannot speak of what doesn’t exist.
How, then, can I speak, friend, of “similar” or “dissimilar”?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

14) I’m neither free of, nor bound by, the senses;
I follow no rules of “should” or “shouldn’t.”
How, then, can I speak, friend, of “success” or of “failure”?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

15) I’ve never been either formless or with form;
I’ve never had a beginning, middle, or end.
How, then, can I speak, friend, of “youth” or of “old-age”?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

16) I’ve never experienced death or deathlessness,
nor evil or good;
None of these opposites exist in me, my child.
How, then, can I speak of “impurity” or “purity”?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

17) I never experience sleeping, waking,
or the deep yogic trance;
To me, there is neither night-time nor day.
How, then, can I speak of the four states of the mind?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

18) Know well that I’m unaffected by the appearance or
non-appearance of the world;
To me, there is neither maya nor its absence.
How, then, can I speak of the performance of right actions?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

19) Know well that, in samadhi, all things are One;
Know also that I’m unaffected by the attainment or
non-attainment of samadhi.
How, then, can I speak of union or separation?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

20) I’m not unlearned, nor am I learned;
I don’t remain silent, nor do I say anything.
How, then, can I speak of true or false doctrines?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

21) I have no father or mother; I have no family or caste;
I’ve never known birth, and I’ve never known death.
How, then, can I speak of affection or attachment?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

22) My awareness of the Self is constant; I never abandon it;
So I’m never affected by darkness or light.
How, then, can I speak of my morning or evening prayers?
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

23) Know, without any doubt, that I’m limitless.
Know, without any doubt, that I’m changeless.
Know, without any doubt, that no stains can touch me.
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

24) Those who possess strong determination renounce meditation;
They renounce all their good works as well as their bad.
The nectar of renunciation they drink to their fill.
My nature is Freedom; there’s no maya to me.

25) In that state where one knows nothing at all,
This versified knowledge doesn’t even exist.
So, now, while I’m in the state of samarasa,
I, the Avadhut, have spoken of the supreme Absolute.

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Chapter Five

1) AUM pervades everything, equally, like space;
Within It, there are no distinctions such as “high” and “low.”
The formless Unmanifest manifests as form;
How else could the Imperishable show forth Its Light?

2) “Thou art That,” the scriptures proclaim;
“Thou art That,” one’s own Self affirms.
You are beyond all diversification, the same Self in all.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

3) Beyond “high” and “low,” I’m the same Self in all.
Beyond “inner” and “outer,” I’m the same Self in all.
If there is only the One, I’m the same Self in all;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

4) There’s no real distinction between the Imaginer
and the imagination;
There’s no real distinction between the Cause and Its effect.
A poem and its words are one and the same;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

5) There’s no knowledge and no ignorance in t
he experience of Unity;
There’s no near and no far in the experience of Unity;
There’s no time and no eternity in the experience of Unity;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

6) There’s no space in the jar, or even a jar;
There’s no container of the soul, or even a soul.
There’s no separation between Cause and effect;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

7) Here, in the realm of Unity, everyone is eternally free;
A “short time” and a “long time” have no meaning here.
Here, no distinction such as “fat” or “thin” exists;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

8) Here is neither Emptiness nor fullness;
Here is neither purity nor impurity.
Here is neither the All nor its absence;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

9) There’s no distinction such as “divided” or “undivided”;
There’s no distinction such as “within” or “without”;
Beyond the distinction of “enemy” or “friend,”
I’m the same Self in all.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

10) There’s no disciple or non-disciple in the one Reality;
There’s no one evolving, and no one not-evolving;
Here, in the state of Unity, everyone is eternally free.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

11) The Self is beyond form and formlessness, is It not?
It is beyond division and non-division, is It not?
It is beyond creation and the absence of creation, is It not?
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

12) Neither the gunas nor anything else can bind me;
How could I be bound by actions in this life or in the after-life?
I’m the pure, stainless Self, the same within all;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

13) Here is neither existence nor non-existence;
Here is neither desire nor desirelessness;
Here, the wisdom that’s learned is freedom and equality.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

14) Here, Reality is not divided into sub-realities (tattvas);
Here is neither union nor separation.
Even if everything disappears, I’m the same Self in all.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

15) I’m not a vessel, a temple, a house, or a sheath;
Here, without association or dissociation, I am the supreme Reality.
Here, without knowledge or ignorance, I am the supreme Reality;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

16) Unchanging? Changing? Neither is the truth.
Purposeless? Purposeful? Neither is the truth.
If only the Self is perceived: that is the truth.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

17) Here, everyone is the same conscious Soul;
Here, everyone is the one eternal Soul.
Here, only the one undivided Soul exists;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

18) Indiscrimination? Discrimination? This is ignorance.
Mindlessness? Mindfulness? This is ignorance.
If only the eternal One is seen: that is knowledge.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

19) There’s no state of liberation and no state of bondage;
There’s no state of virtue, and no state of sin.
There’s no state of perfection and no state of imperfection;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

20) If I’m always the same, beyond caste and castelessness;
If I’m always the same, beyond cause and effect;
If I’m always the same, beyond division and non-division;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

21) Here, everything is eternal; everything is Consciousness.
Here, only the Immutable exists; everything is Consciousness.
Without any exception, everything is Consciousness.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

22) If everything is eternal, everything is myself.
If only the Stainless, the Immutable, exists, everything is myself.
Whether daytime or night-time, everything is myself;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

23) I’m neither in bondage nor in freedom; I’m always the same.
I’m neither united nor separated; I’m always the same.
I possess neither knowledge nor ignorance; I’m always the same.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

24) Here, time and timelessness cease to exist.
Here, atoms and particles cease to exist.
Only the absolute Reality never ceases to exist.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

25) Here is no difference between embodied and bodiless;
To the Supreme, the subtle and gross states are the same.
The Supreme is the same whether It’s named or unnamed;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

26) The one Purity, like space, is equally in all;
Transcending all forms, I’m the same Self in all.
Whether there are forms or no forms, the Essence remains the same;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

27) Here, I’m unattracted to either virtue or vice;
Here, I’m unattracted to either form or formlessness.
Here, I’m unattracted to either dispassion or desire;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

28) Beyond pleasure and pain, I’m the same Self in all;
Here, neither sorrow nor gladness exists.
In the supreme Reality, there is neither Guru nor disciple;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

29) The Self is neither substantial nor insubstantial;
It is neither identical, nor not identical, to the world.
It’s beyond both enquiry and abstention from enquiry;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

30) This [Self] is the underlying Essence of every substance;
So how can you find distinctions in the one Existence?
There is no object of perception outside of Itself;
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

31) In many eloquent ways, the scriptures have said,
“This observable world’s like a desert mirage.”
If there’s only the eternal One, I’m the same Self in all.
Why lament, then, O mind? I’m the same Self in all.

32) In that state where one knows nothing at all,
This versified knowledge does not even exist.
So, now, while I’m in the state of samarasa,
I, the Avadhut, have spoken of the supreme Absolute.

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Chapter Six

1) In many eloquent ways the scriptures have said,
“This observable world’s like a desert mirage.”
If there’s only the limitless One, all is Shiva.
How, then, and to what, could the Self be compared?

2) In the Supreme there is neither division nor non-division;
In the Supreme there is neither activity nor inactivity.
If there’s only the limitless One, all is Shiva.
What, then, is the need of austerities and rites?

3) The one Mind is infinite; It pervades everything.
In the Supreme there is neither “without” nor “within.”
The one Mind is, indeed, limitless; all is Shiva.
How, then, could Shiva be defined in thought or in speech?

4) There’s no distinction between day and night;
There’s no distinction between dawn and dusk.
If there’s only the limitless One, all is Shiva.
What’s the difference if the Sun or the Moon shines?

5) It’s beyond the duality of desire and desirelessness;
It’s beyond the duality of action and non-action.
If there’s only the limitless One, all is Shiva.
What, then, may be considered “without” or “within”?

6) If it’s neither with substance nor without substance,
If It’s neither a Void nor a non-Void,
If there’s only the limitless One, all is Shiva.
How, then, could there be a beginning or an end?

7) If there’s no distinction between division and non-division,
If there’s no distinction between the knower and the known,
If there’s only the limitless One, all is Shiva.
What, then, is the third mental state, and what is the fourth?

8) What can be spoken of is not the Reality;
Neither what can be spoken of nor
what cannot be spoken of is the Reality.
If there is only the limitless One, all is Shiva.
How, then, can there be objects, or senses,
the intellect or the mind?

9) Neither space nor air is the Reality;
Neither earth nor fire is the Reality.
If there’s only the limitless One, all is Shiva.
Which, then, is the cloud and which is the rai