Great Throughts Treasury

"Even as fire without fuel finds peace in its resting-place, when thoughts become silence the soul finds peace in its own source."

"Mind is indeed the source of bondage and also the source of liberation. To be bound in things of this world: this is bondage. To be free from them: this is liberation."

"The mind should be kept in the heart as long as it has not reached the Highest End. This is wisdom, and this is liberation. Everything else is only words."

"As one acts and conducts himself, so does he become. The doer of good becomes good. The doer of evil becomes evil. One becomes virtuous by virtuous action, bad by bad action."

"As the same fire assumes different shapes When it consumes objects differing in shape, So does the one Self take the shape Of every creature in whom he is present."

"Let a man strive to purify his thoughts. What a man thinketh, that is he this is the eternal mystery. Dwelling within himself with thoughts serene, he will obtain imperishable happiness."

"Where there is joy there is creation. Where there is no joy there is no creation. Know the nature of joy."

"One's own thought is one's world. What a person thinks is what he becomes. "

"The wise should surrender speech in mind, mind in the knowing self, the knowing self in the Spirit of the universe, and the Spirit of the universe in the Spirit of peace."

"As breath and fire, the highest Soul (?tman) has entered in with the five winds. May He, when pleased himself, please all?the all-enjoyer! Thou?rt all, the Universal art! By thee is everything that?s born supported; and into thee let all oblations enter! There creatures live, where thou art, All-immortal!"

"?Tis goodness (sattva) from austerity (tapas), and mind from goodness, that is won; and from the mind the Soul is won; on winning whom, no one returns."

"After having first caused to stand still the breath that has been restrained, then, having crossed beyond the limited, with the unlimited one may at last have union in the head."

"As fire, of fuel destitute, becomes extinct in its own source, so thought by loss of activeness becomes extinct in its own source. Becomes extinct in its own source, because the mind the Real seeks! For one confused by things of sense, there follow action?s false controls. Sa?s?ra is just one?s own thought; with effort he should cleanse it then. What is one?s thought, that he becomes; this is the eternal mystery. For by tranquility (pras?da) of thought, deeds (karman), good and evil, one destroys. With soul serene, stayed on the Soul, delight eternal one enjoys! As firmly as the thought of man is fixed within the realm of sense?if thus on Brahma it were fixed, who would not be released from bond? The mind is said to be twofold: The pure and also the impure; Impure?by union with desire; Pure?from desire completely free! By making mind all motionless, from sloth and from distraction freed, when unto mindlessness one comes, then that is the supreme estate! So long the mind should be confined, till in the heart it meets its end. That is both knowledge and release! All else is but a string of words! With mind?s stains washed away by concentration, what may his joy be who has entered ?tman? Impossible to picture then in language! Oneself must grasp it with the inner organ. In water, water; fire in fire; in air, air one could not discern. So he whose mind has entered in?released is he from everything! The mind, in truth, is for mankind the means of bondage and release: for bondage, if to objects bound; from objects free?that?s called release!"

"As to a mountain that?s enflamed deer and birds do not resort?so, with the Brahma-knowers, faults do never any shelter find."

"By the jugglery of a doctrine that denies the Soul,by false comparisons and proofs disturbed, the world does not discern what is the difference between knowledge and ignorance."

"As the existence of a lamp is because of combination of wick, support, and oil, so these two, the self and the bright (sun), exist because of the combination of the Inner One and the world-egg."

"E?en as a lamp stirred by a gentle zephyr, so flares up he who moves among the celestial gods. But he who knows this?he is a knower of unity, he is a knower of duality! He will go to the Sole Abode and become partaker of its nature! They who rise forth perpetually like the spray-drops, like the lightning that is hid in the highest heaven?they, verily, by force of their source of glorious light correspond unto the fire [only] like its twisting flames."

"Assuredly, the Soul (?tman) of one?s soul is called the Immortal Leader. As perceiver, thinker, goer, evacuator, begetter, doer, speaker, taster, smeller, seer, hearer?and he touches?the All-pervader has entered the body."

"By tranquility of thought deeds, good and evil, one destroys! With soul serene, stayed on the Soul, delight eternal one enjoys!"

"For thus has it been said:?However many parts of time?Through all of them runs yonder [sun]!Whoever reverences Time as Brahma, from him time withdraws afar. For thus has it been said:?From Time flow forth created things. From Time, too, they advance to growth. In Time, too, they do disappear. Time is a form and formless too. There are, assuredly, two forms of Brahma: Time and the Timeless. That which is prior to the sun is the Timeless (a-k?la), without parts (a-kala). But that which begins with the sun is Time, which has parts. Verily, the form of that which has parts is the year. From the year, in truth, are these creatures produced. Through the year, verily, after having been produced, do they grow. In the year they disappear. Therefore, the year, verily, is Praj?pati, is Time, is food, is the Brahma-abode, and is ?tman. For thus has it been said:? ?Tis Time that cooks created things, all things, indeed, in the Great Soul (mah?tman). In what, however, Time is cooked?Who knows that, he the Veda knows!"

"Having bidden peace to all creatures, and having gone to the forest, then having put aside objects of sense, from out of one?s own body one should perceive Him, who has all forms, the golden one, all-knowing, the final goal, the only light, heat-giving. The thousand-rayed, the hundredfold revolving, yon sun arises as the life of creatures."

"For thus has it been said: ?The three-quartered Brahma has its root above. Its branches are space, wind, fire, water, earth, and the like. This Brahma has the name of ?the Lone Fig-tree.? Belonging to It is the splendor which is you sun, and the splendor too of the syllable Om. Therefore one should worship it with Om continually. He is the only enlightener of a man.? For thus has it been said:? That syllable, indeed, is holy (pu?ya). That syllable indeed is supreme. By knowing that syllable, indeed, whatever one desires, is his!"

"He [i.e., the Soul, ?tman] bears himself (?tm?nam) twofold: as the breathing spirit (pr??a) here, and as you sun (?ditya). Likewise, two in number, verily, are these his paths: an inner and an outer. Both these return upon themselves with a day and a night. Yon sun, verily, is the outer Soul (?tman). The inner Soul (?tman) is the breathing spirit. Hence the course of the inner Soul (?tman) is measured by the course of the outer Soul (?tman). For thus has it been said: ?Now, whoever is a knower, freed from evil, an overseer of his senses, pure-minded, established on That, introspective, is even He [i.e., the Soul, the ?tman].?"

"He who sees with the eye, and he who moves in dreams, he who is deep asleep, and he who is beyond the deep sleeper?These are a person?s four distinct conditions. Of these the fourth (turya) is greater [than the rest]. In the three a quarter Brahma moves; a three-quarter, in the last. For the sake of experiencing the true and the false, the Great ?tman (Soul, Self) has a dual nature! ?Yea, the Great ?tman has a dual nature!"

"He is unthinkable, formless, unfathomable, concealed, unimpeachable, compact, inpenetrable, devoid of Qualities, pure, brilliant, enjoying Qualities (gu?a), fearful, unproduced, a master Yog?, omniscient, munificent, immeasurable, without beginning or end, illustrious, unborn, intelligent, indescribable, the creator of all, the soul (?tman) of all, the enjoyer of all, the lord of all, the inmost being of everything."

"He, truly, indeed, is the Self (?tman) within the heart, very subtile, kindled like fire, assuming all forms. This whole world is his food. On Him creatures here are woven. He is the Self which is free from evil, ageless, deathless, sorrowless, free from uncertainty, free from fetters, whose conception is the Real, whose desire is the Real. He is the supreme Lord. He is the ruler of beings. He is the protector of beings. He is the separating bridge [or dam, setu]. This Soul (?tman), assuredly, indeed, is ???na (Lord), ?ambhu (the Beneficent), Bhava (the Existent), Rudra (the Terrible), Praj?pati (Lord of Creation), Vi?vas?ij (Creator of All), Hira?yagarbha (Golden Germ), Truth (satya), Life (pr??a), Spirit (ha?sa), ??st?i (Punisher, or Commander, or Teacher), the Unshaken, Vish?u (Pervader), N?r?ya?a (Son of Man). He who is in the fire, and he who is here in the heart, and he who is yonder in the sun?he is one. To Thee who art this, the all-formed, hidden in the real ether, be adoration!"

"In the midst of the sun stands the moon (Soma); in the midst of the moon, fire. In the midst of fire stands Pure Being (sattva). In the midst of Pure Being stands the Unshaken One."

"Now, it has elsewhere been said: ?Food, verily, is the source of this whole world; and time, of food. The sun is the source of time.? The form thereof is the year, which is composed of the moments and other durations of time, and which consists of twelve [months]. Half of it is sacred to Agni: half, to Varu?a. From the asterism Magh? (the Sickle) to half of ?ravish?h? (the Drum) in the [sun?s southward] course is sacred to Agni. In its northward course, from Sarpa (the Serpent) to half of ?ravish?h? is sacred to Soma. Among these [asterisms] each month of ?tman [viewed as the year] includes nine quarters3 according to the corresponding course [of the sun through the asterisms]. On account of the subtilty [of time] this [course of the sun] is the proof, for only in this way is time proved. Apart from proof there is no ascertaining of the thing to be proved. However, the thing to be proved [e.g. time] may come to be proved from the fact of its containing parts [e.g. moments, etc.], to the cognizance of the thing itself."

"He, verily, having divided himself fivefold, is hidden away in secret?He who consists of mind, whose body is life (pr??a), whose form is light, whose conception is truth, whose soul is space.? Verily, not having attained his purpose, He thought to himself from within the heart here: ?Let me enjoy objects.? Thence, having pierced these openings, He goes forth and ?enjoys objects with five reins.? These reins of his are the organs of perception. His steeds are the organs of action. The body is the chariot. The charioteer is the mind. The whip is made of one?s character (prak?ti-maya). By Him forsooth driven, this body goes around and around, like the wheel [driven] by the potter. So, this body is set up in possession of consciousness; or, in other words, this very one is its driver."

"Now, it has elsewhere been said: ?Like the waves in great rivers, there is no turning back of that which has previously been done. Like the ocean tide, hard to keep back is the approach of one?s death. Like a lame man?bound with the fetters made of the fruit of good and evil (sad-asad); like the condition of one in prison?lacking independence; like the condition of one in the realm of death?in a condition of great fear; like one intoxicated with liquor?intoxicated with delusion (moha); like one seized by an evil being?rushing hither and thither; like one bitten by a great snake?bitten by objects of sense; like gross darkness?the darkness of passion; like jugglery (indraj?la)?consisting of illusion (m?y?-maya), like a dream?falsely apparent; like the pith of a bananatree?unsubstantial; like an actor?in temporary dress; like a painted scene?falsely delighting the mind."

"Objects of sound and touch and sense are worthless objects in a man. Yet the elemental soul through attachment to them remembers not the highest place."

"Now, it has elsewhere been said: ?The sound-Brahma is the syllable Om. That which is its acme is tranquil, soundless, fearless, sorrowless, blissful, satisfied, steadfast, immovable, immortal, unshaken, enduring, named Vish?u (the Pervader). So for paramountcy one should reverence both these. For thus has it been said:?Who is both higher and lower, that god, known by the name of Om, soundless and void of being, too?thereon concentrate in the head!"

"Now, it has elsewhere been said: ?He who, with senses indrawn as in sleep, with thoughts perfectly pure as in slumber, being in the pit of senses yet not under their control, perceives Him who is called Om, a leader, brilliant, sleepless, ageless, deathless, sorrowless?he himself becomes called Om, a leader, brilliant, sleepless, ageless, deathless, sorrowless.? For thus has it been said:?Whereas one thus joins breath and the syllable Om and all the manifold world?or perhaps they are joined!?therefore it has been declared (sm?ta) to be Yoga (?Joining?). The oneness of the breath and mind, and likewise of the senses, and the relinquishment of all conditions of existence? this is designated as Yoga."

"Now, it has elsewhere been said: ?One may have a higher concentration than this. By pressing the tip of his tongue against the palate, by restraining voice, mind, and breath, one sees Brahma through contemplation.? When through self, by the suppressing of the mind, one sees the brilliant Self which is more subtile than the subtile, then having seen the Self through one?s self, one becomes self-less (nir-?tman). Because of being selfless, he is to be regarded as incalculable (a-sa?khya), without origin?the mark of liberation (mok?a). This is the supreme secret doctrine (rahasya). For thus has it been said:?For by tranquility (pras?da) of thought, deeds (karman), good and evil, one destroys! With soul (?tman) serene, stayed on the So?l (?tman), delight eternal one enjoys!"

"Now, it has elsewhere been said: ?The body is a bow. The arrow is Om. The mind is its point. Darkness is the mark. Having pierced through the darkness, one goes to what is not enveloped in darkness. Then, having pierced through what is thus enveloped, one sees Him who sparkles like a wheel of fire, of the color of the sun, mightful, the Brahma that is beyond darkness, that shines in yonder sun, also in the moon, in fire, in lightning. Now, assuredly, when one has seen Him, one goes to immortality.? For thus has it been said:?the meditation that is on the highest principle within is also directed upon outer objects. Hence the unqualified understanding comes into qualifiedness. But when the mind has been dissolved, and there is the joy whose only witness is the self?that is Brahma, the immortal, the pure! That is the way! That indeed is the world!"

"Now, it has elsewhere been said: ?The characteristics of the Dark Quality (tamas) are delusion, fear, despondency, sleepiness, weariness, heedlessness, old age, sorrow, hunger, thirst, wretchedness, anger, atheism (n?stikya), ignorance, jealousy, cruelty, stupidity, shamelessness, religious neglect, pride, unequableness. The characteristics of the Passionate Quality (rajas), on the other hand, are inner thirst, affection, emotion, covetousness, maliciousness, lust, hatred, secretiveness, envy, insatiability, unsteadfastness, fickleness, distractedness, ambitiousness, acquisitiveness, favoritism towards friends, dependence upon surroundings, hatred in regard to unpleasant objects of sense, overfondness in regard to pleasant objects, sourness of utterance, gluttonousness. With these this elemental soul (bh?t?tman) is filled full; with these it is ?overcome? (abhibh?ta). Therefore it undergoes different forms?yea, it undergoes different forms!"

"That which is non-thought, [yet] which stands in the midst of thought, the unthinkable, supreme mystery!?Thereon let one concentrate his thought and the subtile body (li?ga), too, without support."

"The seer sees not death, nor sickness, nor any distress. The seer sees only the All, obtains the All entirely."

"Then they said: ?Sir, if thus you describe the greatness of this Soul (?tman), there is still another, different one. Who is he, called soul (?tman), who, being overcome by the bright or the dark fruits of action (karman), enters a good or an evil womb, so that his course is downward or upward and he wanders around, overcome by the pairs of opposites (dvandva)?? [Then he said:] ?There is indeed another, different soul, called ?the elemental soul? (bh?t?tman)?he who, being overcome by the bright or the dark fruits of action, enters a good or an evil womb, so that his course is downward or upward and he wanders around, overcome by the pairs of opposites."

"This embodied Time is the great ocean of creatures. In it abides he who is called Savit?i, from whom, indeed, are begotten moon, stars, planets, the year, and these other things. And from them comes this whole world here, and whatever thing, good or evil, may be seen in the world. Therefore Brahma is the soul (?tman) of the sun. So, one should reverence the sun as a name of Time. Some say: ?Brahma is the sun.? Moreover it has been said:?The offerer, the enjoyer, the oblation, the sacrificial formula (mantra), the sacrifice, Vish?u, Praj?pati?Every one whatsoever is the Lord (prabhu), the Witness, who shines in yonder orb."

"To the unity of the One goes he who knows this [i.e., that all is one]. The precept for effecting this [unity] is this: restraint of the breath, withdrawal of the senses [from objects], meditation, concentration, contemplation, absorption."

"Therefore, one should reverence with Om that unlimited bright power. This has been manifested in threefold wise: in fire, in the sun, and in the breath of life. Now, the channel [which is between them] causes the abundance of food that has been offered in this fire to go unto the sun. The moisture which flows therefrom rains down like a chant (Udg?tha). Thereby living creatures here exist. From living creatures come offspring. On this point they quote: ?The oblation which has been offered in the fire it causes to go unto the sun. The sun rains that down with its rays. Thereby arises food; from food, the production of beings.? or thus has it been said:?The offering fitly cast in fire arises up unto the sun. From out the sun, rain is produced; from rain, food; living creatures thence."

"Verily, in the beginning Praj?pati stood alone. He had no enjoyment, being alone. He then, by meditating upon himself (?tm?nam), created numerous offspring. He saw them inanimate and lifeless, like a stone, standing like a post. He had no enjoyment. He then thought to himself: ?Let me enter within, in order to animate them.? He made himself like wind and sought to enter within. As one, he was unable. So he divided himself fivefold?he who is spoken of as the Pr??a breath, the Ap?na breath, the Sam?na breath, the Ud?na breath, the Vy?na breath. Now, that breath which passes up?that, assuredly, is the Pr??a breath. Now, that which passes down?that, assuredly, is the Ap?na breath. Now, that, verily, by which these two are supported?that, assuredly, is the Vy?na breath. Now, that which conducts into the Ap?na breath [what is] the coarsest element of food and distributes (sam-?-nayati) in each limb [what is] the most subtile?that, assuredly, is named the Sam?na breath. It is a higher form of the Vy?na breath, and between them is the production of the Ud?na breath. Now, that which ?belches forth and swallows down what has been drunk and eaten??that, assuredly, is the Ud?na breath."

"Verily, in the beginning this world was Brahma, the limitless One?limitless to the east, limitless to the south, limitless to the west, limitless to the north, and above and below, limitless in every direction. Truly, for him east and the other directions exist not, nor across, nor below, nor above. Incomprehensible is that supreme Soul (?tman), unlimited, unborn, not to be reasoned about, unthinkable?He whose soul is space (?k???tman)1! In the dissolution of the world He alone remains awake. From that space He, assuredly, awakes this world, which is a mass of thought. It is thought by Him, and in Him it disappears. His is that shining form which gives heat in yonder sun and which is the brilliant light in a smokeless fire, as also the fire in the stomach which cooks food. For thus has it been said: ?He who is in the fire, and he who is here in the heart, and he who is yonder in the sun?he is one.? To the unity of the One goes he who knows this."

"Thou art All. Yea, thou art the unshaken one! For Nature?s sake and for its own is existence manifold in thee. O Lord of all, hail unto thee! The Soul of all, causing all acts, enjoying all, all life art thou! Lord (prabhu) of all pleasure and delight! Hail unto thee, O Tranquil Soul (??nt?tman)! Yea, hail to thee, most hidden one, unthinkable, unlimited, beginningless and endless, too!"

"Verily, that One became threefold. He developed forth eightfold, elevenfold, twelvefold, into an infinite number of parts. Because of having developed forth, He is a created being (bh?ta); has entered into and moves among created beings; He became the overlord of created beings. That is the Soul (?tman) within and without?yea, within and without!"

"Verily, this Soul (?tman)?poets declare?wanders here on earth from body to body, unovercome, as it seems, by the bright or the dark fruits of action. He who on account of his unmanifestness, subtilty, imperceptibility, incomprehensibility, and selflessness is [apparently] unabiding and a doer in the unreal?he, truly, is not a doer, and he is abiding. Verily, he is pure, steadfast and unswerving, stainless, unagitated, desireless, fixed like a spectator, and self-abiding. As an enjoyer of righteousness, he covers himself (?tm?nam) with a veil made of qualities; [but] he remains fixed?yea, he remains fixed!"

"When cease the five [Sense] knowledges, together with the mind, and the intellect stirs not?that, they say, is the highest course."

"Unending are the rays of him who like a lamp dwells in the heart. They?re white and black and brown and blue; they?re tawny and of pale red hue. Aloft arises one of these, which, piercing through the sun?s round disk, on to the Brahma-world extends. Thereby men go the highest course. What are its other hundred rays, are similarly upwards ranged; thereby unto the various gods? abiding-places one arrives. But by its feebly shining rays which manifoldly downward lead one roams about here helplessly for the consuming of his deeds."

"Widely opposite and asunder are these two: Ignorance (avidy?), and what is known as ?knowledge.? I think Naciketas desirous of obtaining knowledge! Many desires rend thee not. Knowledge and non-knowledge?He who this pair conjointly (saha) knows, with non-knowledge passing over death, with knowledge wins the immortal. Those abiding in the midst of ignorance, self-wise, thinking themselves learned, hard smitten, go around deluded, like blind men led by one who is himself blind."