Chapter 4, Verses 46-52
Commentary by Nome
Boundless Wisdom, March 9, 2012
Ribhu-Nidagha Dialogue
(Please Note: Chapter 4, Verses 42-45 appear in the
July, August, September 2012 issue of Reflections.)
Om Om Om
46. I am of the nature of the undivided; I am the undivided nature. I am the mind of the world of beings; I am without any world of beings.
Existence – pure Existence, absolute Existence – is forever undifferentiated. There are no divisions in it, such as “you” and ‘it,” “I,” and “another,” etc. Existence, forever undivided, is the real nature of the “I.” If you would know yourself truly, you would find that you are of the nature of the undivided. What has parts, what has differences, is not yourself. Abandon the tendency to misidentify with such, and know the undivided nature of “I,” Not only are you of an undivided nature, but that nature is indeed your identity. It is what you are. You are undivided, and that very Existence, which is the indivisible reality in itself, is your Being, That is your Existence. Know it as such and you are at peace. Of course, from the position of misidentification with the body, how you could be of an undivided nature would seem enigmatic at the least, but we are not bodies, and we are not individuals. We are supreme Existence. You can imagine distinctions among things and among thoughts, but can there be a distinction in Existence itself? Hence, Ribhu says, “undivided nature.” What is your nature is your existence. Nothing else is your nature, and Existence knows no divisions.
“I am of the nature of the undivided; I am the undivided nature. I am the mind of the world of beings;” “I am without any world of beings.” The word for world’ or “world of beings” literally means fivefold, referring to the fivefold elements combined for the manifested, objective world. The mind of this “world of beings” is the mind of this universe. What is aware in every living being? What is it that is aware and, therefore, contains the experience of the manifested universe? There appears to be the great variety of objects and experiences, sensations, and such, yet there is some mind or intelligence, the ultimate nature of which is pure Consciousness, that shines in this manifested universe as the mind of all beings. That which so shines, pure Consciousness, should be known as the Self. Consciousness is of the nature of undifferentiated Existence and has no world. There is nothing objective to it. Nothing has been created for it. Is it not wonderful that this which shines as the innermost Consciousness of all beings is devoid of the definition or limitations of all beings, that this which shines as the Consciousness for this entire universe, is Itself world-less, nonobjective and without anything else whatsoever? Meditate on Consciousness, the undivided Existence, being your real nature. Let there be no mistaking yourself to be anything less, anything other.
Nothing occurs outside of the Self, or apart from the Self. So, in this sense we may say that the Self contains all. Yet, there is nothing else contained in it. In its infinite nature, there are no parts and nothing else. If you think there is all this, in what does all this appear? If you think it is in your awareness of it, then in what does that awareness appear? If you continue like this, you find that which is timeless and spaceless, eternal and infinite, of the nature of pure Consciousness. It has all yet has nothing.
The experience is dependent on the one who experiences it, apart from which there is no experience of it. So then, seek the nature of the experiencer. If he is an object, or a body, there is a world and objects. If he is not the body, what can we say of the world or of objects?
There is a continuity of Existence; but if we know the Existence as it is, it is utterly devoid of “I” and “this.” Without an “I” and without the “this” aspect of the experience, what remains? Without the “this” aspect of your experience, all that is objective, from subtle thought to the forms of the world. and without the notion of “I,” the perceiver, the conceiver, what remains, what actually exists? The notion “I” is delusion; this is illusion, based on that delusion. Without illusion – without delusion – come to know the Existence as it is. If illusion creates illusion, has anything really happened?
47. I am of the nature of all manner of forms. I am not without the nature of Existence. I am devoid of the triad of time (meaning past, present and future). I am without desire and other such undesirable qualities.
“I am of the nature of all manner of forms”. A form cannot stand on its own; it rests solidly on Existence – the Substrate. Just like the form of a ring cannot exist apart from the gold of which it is made and just like a wave cannot exist without the water, there is no form without the Existence. As there is nothing in the ring but gold and nothing but water in the wave, so it is with all the forms; there is actually nothing there except pure Existence. Subtract – if it were possible – the existence from the form – any form experienced – and there is nothing to it. The only substance is this undivided Existence, the very thing that should be realized as your Self. All the forms of experience ever are only the nature of “I;” the one Self appears as all this. It is not that it undergoes creation, or birth, or any kind of modification to become all this. If you think there is all this – if you think you see forms – understand that it is just the same undivided Existence perceived as such. There is, therefore, nothing at any time other than the Self. If you know the universe is not – not created at all – the Self alone exists. If you think you experience a universe full of forms, still only the Self alone exists. Realize this unwavering Existence – this singular Existence – by the profound inquiry, “Who am I?”
“I am not without the nature of Existence”. There never is a time when you cease to be. Always you exist; always you are Existence. Can you separate yourself from your Existence in order to consider it like an object? Can you say, “Here, I have it in my hand”? Such cannot be done. Self-Knowledge reveals it, but not in an objective manner. You exist and you will never cease to exist. Existence cannot become nonexistent. Even if nonexistence would be imagined, the existence of that imagination would be just another proof of your own Existence.
By profound inquiry to know who you are, realize yourself to be just this nature of Existence. You are not another; you cannot become another. You do not begin; you do not end, for you are Existence,which is utterly silent and formless.
“I am devoid of the triad of time” – past, present, and future. Time is imagined in the mind. Are you the mind? Are you in the mind? Past, present, and future are for the body, for the senses, for the mind, but not for you – you who are pure Existence, pure Consciousness. Existence is beginingless and cannot be spoken of as having a past, for it is, even when time is not. Existence is endless and cannot be spoken of as having a future, for it is, even when time is not. Likewise, regarding the illusory present. Existence is timeless. The Existence is of the nature of the supreme Consciousness. A thing, or an occurrence, you can conceive of as being in the past, or the present, or the future, but the Reality, and the nature of Self Realization, is neither a thing nor an occurrence. It lies beyond the domain of time. In this is found its imperishability.
“I am without desire and other such undesirable qualities”. The text simply says, “I am without desire and other such qualities”; “undesirable” is to be inferred. It is not desirable to have desire. Why? It is because it gives rise to the illusion of bondage and causes suffering? It is based on the pretense, the misconception, that happiness lies elsewhere, rather than in the Self. To be caught up in desire is not desirable. To be free of desire is desirable. If you desire to be free of desire and thereby find the happiness within your Self, all question of desire is resolved.
“I am without desire and other such undesirable qualities”. The other qualities are everything else that follows from desire, all of which make up the samsara – delusion, frustration, etc; but the Self, that which you are, is quite beyond such. The Self has no desire; it is perfectly full and naturally desireless. One who realizes the Self as the Self rests in desirelessness, happy at heart with a Bliss that is uncaused and unconditioned.
48. I am liberated from the body and from being the possessor of the body. I am attributeless. I am without “liberation”; I am liberated; I am without [a concept of] liberation forever.
The first phrase is, “I am liberated from the body and from being the possessor of the body”. It is so important to realize conclusively, by inner inquiry, that you are not the body. Recognize how much of illusion is set up on the idea that one is a body and that the attributes of the body – be they the form of the body, the condition of the body, the activities of the body – are one’s own. To think of the body as the Self is ignorance; to think of the body as mine is also ignorance. Without a body being regarded as your identity and without considering the body your possession, what trouble could you have? Dive deep in Knowledge – true Knowledge – and understand that the body is just not I, and then understand that you are not a possessor of the body. It is not you, and you do not have it. You do not go into it. You do not come out of it. The body is simply in no way a definition for your Self, which is of the nature of undivided Existence and undivided Consciousness. Is this understanding conclusive for you – that you are not the body, not the possessor of the body? Just as the misconception of being the body is pivotal for the rest of illusion to continue, just so, the cessation of the misidentification with the body is pivotal for spiritual liberation.
This is freedom, indeed. If none of the states, conditions, activities, attributes and so forth and so on of the body are yours, you are free; you are very, very free.
“I am liberated from the body and from being the possessor of the body. I am attributeless. I am without “liberation”. Not a single attribute conceived actually defines the Existence, your very Being. No matter what the attribute is, it falls short of a definition of your Self. As for the Self, it has never been bound; so we cannot really speak of it as being liberated, though it is, indeed, completely free. One who is liberated from the body and the ego notion, finds the Reality – his freedom – to have been ever-existent. So, in this sense, he is not liberated, even though he, indeed, is liberated. He has not become free, for he was not really bound. Nonetheless, he is still very free indeed.
I am without liberation; I am liberated.” Do you understand? “I am without [a concept of] liberation forever”. How can he say this? It is because he is without a concept or imagination of bondage forever. Where bondage is realized to be eternally impossible, there is liberation. However, such liberation is not a state belonging to an individual in any manner whatsoever; it is the very nature of Existence, which has no alternative state. So, can we call such liberation? Not anymore. Rise above the body and the ego notion and strive intensely for liberation. By doing such, you attain; but when you attain this liberation, you find it has forever been the case. The one Self exists alone, without an alternative. That one Self, from the position of being bound, is called liberation. When you know your Self, you your Self are the liberation, and it is no longer a state.
49. I am devoid of [the concepts of] reality and unreality. I am ever Reality alone. I am without any place to which to go. I am without movement.
“I am devoid of [the concepts of] reality and unreality. I am ever Reality alone”. You can have an idea this is so. You can have an idea this is not so. So, you think certain things are real and certain things are unreal. The Reality lies quite beyond all such considerations. The idea this is real or this is so rests upon you, the one who knows it. The idea, this is not so, this is unreal, rests upon you, the one who knows it. Apart from that knower, neither the real nor the unreal – the this is so, the this is not so, can stand up on their own. Who is this knower; who is this one? Find his nature and you have discovered the Reality, the pure Existence. In and for the Reality, there is no unreal at any time, just as there is, in truth, no nonexistence. Similarly, it is known non-objectively. It is utterly devoid of the idea it is so, it is like such, etc. You cannot say of the Reality I know it as such. Similarly, you cannot say of the Reality, you do not know it, for it is one’s Existence and you can neither be ignorant of it nor can you objectively know It.
If the Self cannot be objectively understood, you must turn inward. To turn inward is to undo the suppositions that constitute the form of your mind. To grasp really means to dive in and experientially understand, where Knowledge and experience are one and the same thing. Otherwise, it cannot be grasped. What do you think leads to a predisposition in an aspirant, so that he experientially understands? One of the prime factors involved is the intense desire for Self-Realization. Likewise with the ability to discriminate, detachment toward all else, and other such qualities, enumerated in the Fourfold Sadhana, or Requisites for Self-Realization. All of these lend themselves to maturity, or ripeness of the mind, of the seeker, so it can turn inward and dissolve its own form, and direct experience, or true Knowledge can rise and shine forth.
“I am ever Reality alone. I am without any place to which to go. I am without movement”. Being the Reality – absolute Existence – one ever is. Place and time utterly lose their significance.. Sri Bhagavan said, “Where could I go?” These are the final words attributed to him. Some say that this is indicative of his special presence at Arunachala. It may may also be understood to mean his identity with the absolute Reality, which is everywhere at all times, omnipresent, all-pervasive, and eternal. Being the one Existence – the bodiless, egoless Existence – for that Existence, how could there be motion and how could there be change? Where would it go? Does there exist another place outside of Existence Itself? That Existence is Brahman. Brahman goes nowhere; It is the Immovable.
50. “I am ever of the nature of remembrance” – remembrance of one’s true nature. That Knowledge is the very nature of the Self
“I am peaceful” – the motionless, the changeless is the very root of peace.
“I am entirely acceptable and good”. That which is dear to all beings – acceptable in the sense of agreeable to all beings in their heart – that is the true nature of the Self. The Self is entirely good – supremely good; there’s not a particle of fault in the Self. There is not a particle of fault in the teaching that reveals the Self. There is not a particle of fault in those who identify themselves as the Self.
“I am peaceful. I am entirely acceptable and good. Thus, my own experience has been explained. This explanation is a superb one” The superb quality, the great quality, of the explanation given by Ribhu can be understood fully only by those who dive deep within to know themselves. If you can grasp even a verse of his instruction, that will suffice. If you grasp the whole of it, all the better. It is entirely good, and it is the message of supreme peace.
51. “Whoever hears this even once becomes himself Brahman”.
Did you hear this? Did you listen? If you hear this even once – truly hear it – you yourself become Brahman. Go on listening to the text, the verses, and the chapters again and again; go on listening until you really hear. Go on listening, the message of it reverberating in your mind. Go on listening until you truly hear and find yourself to be Brahman. Go on listening until you truly hear it, when you hear, so to speak, with your own Existence – with the innermost Consciousness, as it recognizes itself. That is Brahman.
The concluding verses of the chapter; they pertain to Lord Siva:
“Lord! With stout arms rivaling the trunk of an elephant, arisen to destroy the world born out of the microcosm! Wrencher of the head of Brahma! Glory to the Undivided, bearing in his arms the arrows and bow and serpents!”
52. “They reach the Realization of the Self, whose minds are merged in (meaning dissolved in, or merged with) the Self of the universe, the Nondual, the Lord, Consort of Uma, of the nature of Light, of the nature of the formless, of the nature of the infinite. Others, with thoughts of differentiation, wearied by the burden of the idea of castes and asrama-s (stages of life), and other such things mentioned in the scriptures, devoid of peace, and lost in worldly matters, experience sorrow day after day”.
Thereby, he has described the Lord, both with form and in His formless true nature and set forth the direction, by a matter of contrast, as to which way to go. One way leads to sorrow day after day, due to concepts of differences in the mind. The other way leads to the Nondual, the Infinite, the Light. Choose wisely. Om Namah Sivaya.
Om Namah Sivaya
(Silence)
Om Shanti Shanti Shanti Om