129 - Review of Samkhya and Yoga

The sages said: 

1. Should the Vedic injunction be “Perform rites and renounce them"? Whither do they go by means of Vidya (learning), and what do they attain by means of holy rites? 

2. We wish to hear this. Your Holiness may be pleased to explain it to us. There is a mutual inconsistency in this (injunction) because both are opposed to each other.

Vyāsa said: 

3. Listen, O leading sages, I shall briefly explain the Ksara (perishable) and Akşhara (imperishable) in the form of holy rites and knowledge) about which you have asked me. 

4. Listen now, O brahmins, to the quarter whither they go by means of learning and what they attain by means of holy rites. The reply to this question) is intricate and complex. 

5. It is but proper to say that Dharma (virtue) exists. In the same context if anyone were to say that it does not exist, then this shall be tantamount to saying that this resembles a Yakşha and that there is no Yakşha.

6. There are the two paths wherein the Vedas are well founded. Dharma is characterised by Pravrutti (Activity, taking active part in worldly life). The other alternative is Nivrutti (cessation of active participation). 

7. A creature is bound by activity. He is liberated by means of Vidya. Hence ascetics, the wise ones, do not engage themselves in activity.

8. On account of activity i.e. by performing various rites) one is reborn after death into an embodied form consisting of sixteen constituents, i.e. sense-organs etc. On account of learning one is transformed into the eternal unmanifest Brah man, the Aksara or Imperishable one. 

9. Those possessed of inferior intellect praise Karman (performance of holy rites). Thereby they attain a series of bodies to indulge themsclves in. They then perform worship, 

10. Those who have acquired the highest intellcct, those who perceive the efficiency of Dharma do not praise Karman, like one who drinks the river water and so does not praise the well. 

11. One attains happiness and misery, birth and non-birth as a result of Karmans. By learning one attains that after reaching which one never feels sorry. 

12. After going there one does not die; after going there one is not reborn, after going there one does not become old; after going there one does not increase. 

13. It is the place where the supreme Brahman is. It is unmanifest, unmoving and fixed. It is not split and analysed. It has no extension. It is immortal. The devotee who understands the esoteric doctrine the Yoga, (attains it). 

14. Those who are impartial to all, those who are friendly to all, those who are engaged in everything conducive to the welfare of all living beings are not affected bymutually opposed pairs nor by mental activities. 

15. The Puruşa possessed of learning is different, Brahmins, from the Purusa possessed of Karman. O brahmins, the moon that stands with its full complement of subtle digits is different from the sense of touch it has. 

16. This has been mentioned by the sage and it is sung in detail. It cannot be seen or recounted like a piece of thread in a wheel in the sky. 

17. The embodied form has the full complement of all digits. It has eleven created things within itself. O brahmins, understand it to be of the nature of Karmans and Gunas. 

18. The splendid åtman that has resorted to the body like the moon in the sky should be known as Kşhetrajña. It is eternal. It has realized Brahman by means of Yoga. 

19. Tamas, Rajas and Sattva should be known as the qualities of Jiva (Individual Soul). The Jiva has all the qualities of the supreme soul. 

20. They say that consciousness is a quality of the Jiva. It activates the qualities of the Jiva. Thereafter those who allow importance to the physical body say they can create seven worlds. 

Vyāsa snid: 

21. The creatures of Prakruti are known as (individual soul). They do not comprehend him nor does he know them. 

22. The individual soul performs his activities through the sense organs, with the mind as the sixth among them, just as the sober charioteer manages his chariot by means of superb well- controlled horses. 

23-24. The sense-objects are greater than the sense-organs; the mind is greater than the sense-objects; the intellect is greater than the mind; the Great principle known as Ātman is greater than intellect; the unmanifest one is greater than all these. The Immortal one is greater than the unmanifest. There is nothing greater than the Immortal. That is the climax. That is the supreme goal. 

25. Thus the Ātman that is hidden in all living beings is not easily revealed. It is perceived by persons of subtle vision by means of perfect, subtle intellect. 

26-27. (Defective) The Yogin shall cause his sense-organs including the mind to dissolve in the inner soul by means of his intellect. He shall not ponder over the sense-objects through (the activities of) the sense-organs. He shall not think much by means of his mind. He shall train it by means of Vidya, and make it perfect in meditation. He shall attain tranquility of the soul. He shall not have anyone else to rule over him. He shall go to the supreme region. 

28-29. One who slavishly submits to his sense organs, one whose faculty of memory is shaken, becomes a victim of death by yielding himself. But one should subdue all (wishful) thoughts and direct the mind towards Sattva. After stabilising the mind in the Sattva one shall become victorious over death. 

30. By means of clcarness of his mind the ascetic eschews the auspicious and inauspicious. Onc whose soul is pleased abides in the Atman and attains everlasting bliss, 

31-32. The clearness of the mind has the following charac- teristics: It is like happiness during slumber. It is like the lamp that shines unflickeringly in a windless place. Similarly one who practises Yoga early in the night or early in the morning by uniting the Ātman (Individual Soul) with the Atman (Supreme Soul) sees the Ātman in the Ātman. He shall limit his diet and purify his senses. 

33-35. This is the secret of the Vedas: it is unparalleled, it is free from ailments: it convinces one about the existence of the Ātman. This sacred doctrine shall be imparted to one's son, The wealth of all virtuous discourses and truthful narratives has been churned for ten thousand years and this nectar has been taken out. 

Just as butter is produced out of the curds or fire is produced from the sacrificial twig, so also this knowledge has been acquired for the salvation of wise scholars. 

36-39. This knowledge should be imparted to souls who have concluded their religious student-stage. This should never be mentioned to one who is not tranquil, who has no control over his sense-organs, who does not perform austerities, who has not mastered the Vedas, who is not obedient, who is not straightforward, who is jealous, who docs not act according to directions, who is given to argumentation or who is a backbiter. 

This secret knowledge should be imparted of one who is praiseworthy, who is tranquil, who is austere and who is obedient. It should by no means be imparted to anyone else. 

40. Even if the whole of the earth filled with all jewels were offered against this, a man who knows reality shall consider this (knowledge) better than that. 

41-42. The Adhyatma (spiritual) doctrine that is superhuman contains greater secrets than the Yogic knowledge. It has been perceived by great sages. It is sung about in the Vedantas. 

O good and noble ones, I shall give unto you what you ask me, whatever is in my mind. Whatever doubt you have in your heart has beer cleared by what has been heard by you all. What else shall I tell you? 

The sages said: 

43. Describe once again to us the Adhyātma doctrine in detail, O holy one, the most excellent of all sages, so that we can fully understand it. 

Vyāsa said: 

44. What is recounted as Adhyatma in regard to a person I shall explain to you all. Let its explanation be understood properly. 

45. The great elements are the Earth, Water, Fire (light) Air and Ether. He who is the creator of these elements is with in all the living beings. 

The sages said: 

46-47. The Ether etc. have no shape. No one sees anybody in them. How can one then explain their presence in the physical bodies? There are certain qualities in the sense-organs. How. can one comprehend them? 

Vyasa said: 

I shall explain this precisely in accordance with what is seen (in the scriptures). Listen attentively and comprehend them according to reality. 

48. Sound, ear, void space—these there are the traits of Ether. Vital airs, movement and touch are the qualities of Väyu (Air). 

49. Colour, eye and gastric action (digestion)--the fiery element is threefold thus. Taste, tongue, sweet-are the qualities of Water, 

50. What is smelt, nose and the physical body-are the qualities of Earth. This is the group of sense organs evolved out of the five elements. 

51. The quality of touch belongs to the Wind ; the quality of taste to Water; the quality of colour to Fiery element ; the quality of sound to Ether and the quality of smell is that of the Earth. 

52. The mind, intellect and intrinsic nature-are born of their origins. They transcend Guņas; they are greater than Gunas. 

53. Just as the turtle stretches and withdraws the limbs, so also he who has excellent intellect controls his set of sense-organs. 

54. The fact that one sees upwards, sideways as well as below the soles of feet indicates that the excellent intellcct abides by this duty alone. 

55. The intellect is led by the Guņas. It is the intellect that leads the sense-organs. Should the intellect be absent whence can there be the Guņas? 

56. There are five sense-organs in man; the sixth is mind; the seventh is intellect; the soul is the eighth. 

57. The eye perceives; the mind entertains doubt; the intellect determines; the soul is the witness. 

58. Rajas, Tamas and Sattva are born of their respective causes. They are common to all beings. They are Guņas. 

59. That which one sees within the soul-something which is pleasant and delightful is Sattva. It is something quiescent and calm. 

60. That predilection, which is attended by distress either in the body or in the mind is Rajas. One shall see that Rajas has become active. 

61. That predilection which is attended by delusion is Tamas. It is vague, incomprehensible and incapable of being explained. 

62. They call the following Sättvika qualities: Extreme delight, pleasure, bliss, mastery over oneself, and normal restful nature of the mind, with or without reasons thereof. 

63. The following are the symptoms of Rajas: conceit, un-truthfulness, covetousness, delusion and impatience. 

64. Similarly, the following are Tāmasa qualities: Deluded state, blunders, languor, slumber, inability to be awake. (The people under their influence) live somehow. They do not live a full useful life. 

65. The external prompting for action is threefold. The mind indulges in fanciful creations of conceptions. The intellect is the factor of energetic determination. The heart dwells only on what is endearing, 

66. The objects are indeed greater than the sense-organs; the mind is greater than the objects; the intellect is greater than the mind; and the soul is greater than the intellect. 

67. The intellect is indeed the soul; the intellect is the leader of the soul. When the intellect undergoes aberration and change in regard to emotion it becomes the mind. 

68. Inasmuch as the sense-organs are separate it is the in- tellect that undergoes aberration. In the act of hearing it becomes the ear and as the organ that touches it is called the sense of touch. 

69. In the act of seeing it shall be the eye and in the act of tasting, the tongue; in the act of smelling the nose; the intellect undergoes changes. 

70. They call them the sense-organs. The intellect becomes diffused in those forms. Remaining steady in the state of intellect in a man it is called intellect. 

71-72. (?) Sometimes it gets pleasure: sometimes it bewails; sometimes it loses sense. (But really it is) not affected by pleasure and pain. Just as the ocean, lord of the rivers, surges towards the great shore with its billows, so also the intellect that is intrinsically emotional surges towards the three emotions (viz. pleasure, pain and delusion). 

73. When the intellect yearns for and seeks something it becomes the mind. One shall see them intellectually as separate in their basis. 

74. The sense-organs are based on the intellect. They must be collected entirely (?) in the order in which each is evolved. 

75. When the mind is undivided it is the intellect. Emotion exists in the mind. When Rajas begins to function it transcends Sattva also. 

76. Those that abide emotionally in all these three, function after the objects like the spokes in regard to the rim. 

77. (?) One shall make use of the mind for the purpose of illumination even as the sense-organs are perfected by the intellect (either) moving befittingly or remaining indiffernt. 

78. If only one understands this as natural one does not become deluded. He does not bewail and he is delighted. He is always free from hostility. 

79. Indeed the soul cannot be perceived by the sense-organs that are subject to lust, that function in diverse ways, that cannot be controlled and that are ignorant and foolish. 

80. When one holds their reins firmly by means of the mind and controls them, the soul reveals itself like a figure illuminated by a lamp. 

81. When darkness is repelled the living beings are brought to light. This should also be considered in the same manner. 

82. Just as an aquatic bird is not affected by the water even as it moves through water, so also the Yogin of liberated soul is not affected by the faults of Guņas. 

83. Similarly one who has realized the soul is not affected by the defects (of worldly existence) even when he continues to live in the world. He does not cling to anything. He is by no means contaminated.

84-85. Since he abandons the Karmans done previously he is not affected by them. One who has love towards the great Atman, one who has become the soul of all living beings but one who gets stuck up due to the contact of Gunas-in regard to such a one, the soul takes up birth. He gets entangled in the Guņas. The Guņas do not understand the soul. But the soul knows the Guņas. 

86. He shall contemplate the Gunas. He is the seer of everything in the manner it exists. A man shall perceive the difference between Sattva (Guna) and the Kşhetrajña (Individual Soul). 

87-89. One of them creates the Gunas and the other does not create. The two are naturally separated and joined together. Just as gold and pebbles are found existing together (though separate), just as the mosquito and Udumbara are found together though separate, just as the Işhikā (shoot of a grass) exists together with the Muñja grass and is also separate, so also the two remain together and are separate from each other.