Chapter-VI
This banyan tree, which has got roots above the soil and branches underneath, is quite ancient. That (its root) is pure, that is Brahman, that is the eternal and immortal. On it rest all the worlds. No one goes beyond that. This is that (thing that we are contemplating about).
All these in the world arise from the Brahman, which is of the form of Praana or the life breath and revolves around it in discipline. It functions in clarity and discipline because of the great fear and awe about the strict rule of the Brahman, which is like the upraised vajraayuta – the acclaimed powerful weapon of Lord Indra. Whoever knows it to be so attains immortality.
From fear of it the fire burns; from fear of it the sun produces heat; from fear of it does Indra sends the rains and the wind blows; and it is because of the same that as the fifth, Lord Yama does his duty of snatching the lives of people.
If, before death, one is unable to understand the true Self, he is born again on the earth with a body (either as a plant or other stationary object or as a human based on the actions and thoughts he had during his life time).
The Atma can be seen, felt and understood like the reflection on a glass within everyone’s heart; like a dream in the world of the parents (pitru-loka); like the reflection on water in the world of the Devas (the Gandharva-loka) and like the light and shade in the world of God (the Brahma-loka).
Recognizing the distinct nature of each of the sense organs (which are unrelated to each other) from the Atma, the wise one who thinks about and understands the reason for the presence of such distinction during the state of awakening and the absence of such distinction during the state of sleep – he remains unaffected by sorrows.
Beyond the senses is the mind. Beyond it is the brain or intuition. Beyond that is the great soul (one of the aspects of the Atma). Beyond that great soul is the non-manifested or the invisible (or the Supreme Divine called as the avyakta).
Above that non-manifested is the Purusha (the all knowing and all pervading Atma). He is all pervading and is devoid of any particular mark or characteristic. On knowing Him to be so, the Jiva is liberated and attains immortality.
The form of the Purusha does not remain before the eyes. No one ever sees it with the eyes also. It can be seen only through a fully controlled mind and strong will power and intellect. Those who have known it to be so attain immortality.
That state in which the five sense organs (the action organs are referred to as karma-indriya and the sense organs are referred to as gnaana-indriya) remain united with the mind, and where the intuition or the brain remains idle or blank without any thought is the ineffable, supreme state of bliss.
That state at which the sense organs are devoid of any activity (constant practice of inactivity of the sense organs) is the Yoga state. The wise one who has attained that state is undistracted and remains free from the clutches of the sense organs and their compelling desires – since yoga is essentially of the nature of arising and fading away.
The Atma cannot be reached through speech, mind and the (naked) eyes. How else can it be comprehended except from the words of the wise sages who have experienced it and affirm that ‘it exists’?
Out of the two thoughts viz., ‘it can be seen’ and ‘it cannot be seen’, one who firmly believes in the former with concrete will power (and with the idea of it being in a definite form), will be able to realize the ultimate truth (of its no-form nature) which is beyond any sort of forms and speech and thought.
As soon as all the desires hidden in one’s heart are destroyed, he transcends from mortality to immortality. He enjoys the Supreme Bliss.
As soon as all the knots in one’s heart are untied while being here in this world, he transcends from mortality to immortality. This is the decision of the teaching.
There are a hundred and one nerves attached unto the heart. Out of those, one runs upward to the head. The Jiva attains immortality by going up through that nerve. All other nerves take him back only to the cycle of births and deaths.
(It is said that the Jiva of sages and other wise men goes out of the body through the head – called as the kapaala moksha and also that after their death, a hole can be felt in their skull at the top most center. Probably, this is what is indicated in the teaching).
The Atma, of the size of one’s thumb, residing in the body is present always and at all times in the heart of the people. As the minute weeds are removed from the grass, so should the Atma be distinguished and segregated from the body by the use of clear intelligence and steady mind. He is the pure one and the immortal, eternal one.
Naciketas, having gained this knowledge (of the Self) and the other rules of Yoga discipline directly from Yama, attained Brahman or salvation by removing himself of all emotions and desires and attained immortality. Anyone else who thus understands these principles about the Self shall also attain immortality in as much the same way.
OM! May Brahman protect us (the Guru and Sishya) both! May he give us both (enough) to enjoy! Efficiency may we both attain! Effective may our study prove! May we not hate (each other) at all!
Om Shanti ! Shanti ! Shanti !