Vedic Literature | Ekamsat | Uddhava-Gita | Bondage and Freedom
2. Grief, infatuation, pleasure, pain, birth, and other experiences of the individual life are the projections of My Maya, just like the illusory projections of the Jiva in the dream state. They are not ultimately factual in respect of the Atman.
3. Oh Uddhava! Vidya (knowledge) and avidya (ignorance), causing liberation and bondage respectively to the Jiva from the beginning of creation are aspects of My Maya. They are My attributes.
4. Oh wise one! It is to the Jiva which is one with Me and also a part of Me, that beginning-less avidya causes bondage, and vidya liberation.
Jiva is not a particle emerging from or a piece cut out of the Brahman to be ultimately united with IT, as the Brahman is all-pervading like Akasa with no form or parts. As the chaitanya of the so-called Jiva is nothing but the Brahman, it is declared that Jivo Brahmaiva naparah (Jiva is the Brahman only, not different from IT) – the essence of the philosophy of Advaita (Non-dualism).
5. I shall first tell you about the difference between the Jiva and Iswara, the former bound and the latter free, occupying the same habitat, the body, but having conflicting attributes like sorrow and bliss.
6. Two birds, namely, Iswara and the Jiva, both friends through eternity, reside by chance as it were in the same nest on the same tree of the body. Of these, one bird, the Jiva, eats the fruits of that tree, while the other, Iswara, though not eating the fruits, thrives splendidly on the same tree.
7. Iswara, who entertains no desire to eat the fruits of action, knows His own nature, and that of the other, the world of objects as sat-chit-ananda. But the Jiva, who claims and enjoys the fruits of actions, knows nothing. Being engulfed in beginning-less avidya (ignorance), it is ever bound while Iswara, who is of the nature of vidya (knowledge), is ever liberated.
8. Just as a man who has awakened from sleep will have no identification with the dream body, so the illumined man, though still tenanting his body, will have no identification with it. So, though he is in the body, he is not of it. But the ignorant man, though, in truth, he has no connection with the body, considers himself as one with it, just as the dreaming man does in regard to the dream body.
9. When his senses which are the products of Prakrti grasp their objects, which too are products of Prakrti, the illumined man does not feel identified with those contacts, as he understands that the gunas of Prakrti as senses are only contacting the very gunas as objects. He remains unperturbed.
10. But the ignorant man residing in the body which is a product of one’s past action gets bound, thinking that what his senses are doing is being done by him.
11-12. But the man of dispassion is not bound or affected like the ignorant man, even while lying, sitting, waking, bathing, seeing, touching, smelling, eating and hearing. Though his senses are functioning, he remains a mere witness. Though he is seen in a body which is the product of Prakrti, he is unaffected by the body contacts just like the sky, the sun and the air. The sky, though all-pervading, is not affected by the objects it pervades. The sun, though reflecting in water, is not affected by the ripples of water. The wind, though moving everywhere, remains intact and unaffected.
13. With the powerful sword of insight sharpened by intense dispassion, the sage slashes away all doubts, and rejects all concern as to manifoldness, as an awakened man does with dream experiences.
14. He, whose vital power, senses, mind and intellect assume modes devoid of purposive motivation, is free. Though having a body, he is free from the domination of bodily qualities and urges.
15. A man of knowledge is impassive even when his body is persecuted by wicked men or, by chance, adored by others.
16. The sage will not lavish praise on persons who favour him by word or deed; nor will he be offended with others who do the contrary to him. A liberated sage is one who does not view experiences as favourable or un-favourable to himself, but remains even-sighted always.
17. Doing nothing, speaking little and devoid of reflection on worldly topics, good or bad, he goes about absorbed in the bliss of the Atman, but looking like a mad man to worldly-minded people.
18. A person may be learned in the scriptures; but if his mind is not absorbed in the Supreme Brahman through spiritual disciplines, his efforts are futile like those of a person who maintains a sterile cow.
19. Being steeped in sorrow is the fate of a man who keeps a cow that has ceased calving, maintains a wife who is unfaithful, keeps up a body that is enslaved to another, has a son who is useless and unworthy, accumulates wealth that is not purified by liberal gifts, and is endowed with learning and arts which are never used in the service of the Lord.
20. Oh friend! A wise man should never concern with barren literary gifts that are devoid of reference to, or not descriptive of, My glory expressed through creation, preservation and dissolution, and through My various sportive incarnations.
21. On the other hand, after eradicating the wrong perception of manifoldness in the Atman through proper investigation, an aspirant should withdraw himself from all other concerns and dissolve his purified mind in Me, the all-pervading Self.
22. If you are not able to make your mind absorbed in the Brahman in the manner described, then perform all your actions in dedication to Me, without any selfish motive.
23-24. Oh Uddhava! Listen with full faith to the glorious accounts of My deeds and sing about them in devotional hymns. Again and again remember and ruminate in your mind over My deeds and Me as the Divine Incarnate, and imitate them in high emotional identification. Depending completely on Me, convert all your worldly efforts – your pursuit of dharma, artha and kama – to serving Me as their goal. Following this way, you will gain firm and unwavering devotion to Me, the eternal Being.
25. Those who adore Me with devotion, generated by association with holy men,
will easily attain to that spiritual goal revealed by wise men.
Uddhava said:
26. Oh Lord of holy fame! What kind of holy man (sadhu) dost Thou approve of, for association? And what kind of devotion has the approval of saints, and is pleasing to Thee?
27. Oh Thou master of all divinities! Oh Thou Lord of all spheres! Oh Thou Lord of the universe! Deign to explain these matters to me, Thy prostrating and deeply devout refugee.
28. Thou art the Supreme Brahman! Like ether, Thou art unaffected by anything;
Thou art the Purusa transcending Prakrti; Thou art now incarnate in a body,
divine and auspicious, out of Thy own choice without any extraneous compulsion.
Sri Bhagawan said:
29. A holy man is one who is kind, who does no one wrong, forbearing, fortified in truth, free from impurities of the mind, unperturbed in happiness and suffering, and ever-helpful to all to the best of his ability.
30. He is free from passions; he has mastery of the senses; he is pure, without possessions, non-attached, calm, firm, free from self-centred action, sparingly eating, dutiful and ever resigned to Me.
31. A holy man is ever awake, vigilant and self-possessed. He is courageous in all situations. He has conquered all the six weaknesses of the body. He expects no respect from others, but shows respect to all. He has inherent strength. He is friendly and kind to all. He is the truly learned.
The six weaknesses of the body are the emotions, namely, lust, anger, avarice, delusion, pride and envy.
32. He who, knowing fully well the merit of performing and the demerit of neglecting one’s swadharma (duties) ordained by Me in the Vedas, still abandons them for the practice of whole-hearted devotion to Me is the best of holy men.
33. Irrespective of whether one has knowledge of My infinity, My majesty and My attributes or not, if one worships Me whole-heatedly with the feeling that I am one’s ‘own’ and that one has no other support except Me, one is the greatest of My devotees.
34. The ways of devotion and worship are seeing, touching and worshipping My images and My devotees; praising, honouring and extolling My deeds and qualities;
35. steadfastness in listening to accounts of My deeds; meditating on Me always; offering to Me everything one gets; dedicating to Me, oneself, one’s kith and kin, and all one’s possessions in the attitude of a servant of Mine;
36. extolling Me and My deeds as the Incarnate; observing days holy to Me; holding celebrations in My temples to the accompaniment of songs, dance, instrumental music, and devotional gatherings;
37. organizing processions and making great offerings on the occasion of the annual temple celebrations; being initiated in My worship according to the Veda and the Tantra; observing the disciplines connected with days holy to Me like Ekadasi;
38. evincing zeal in consecrating temples, and in installing My images and providing them with proper flower gardens, groves of trees, recreation grounds, sheds, shelters, etc jointly with others or alone;
39. sweeping, cleaning, plastering and decorating My temples in an attitude of humility and sincerity as a servant; and
40. abjuring pride, hypocrisy and the tendency to advertise one’s own pious acts. The entire mentioned above are aids to the development of devotion. The objects once offered should not be offered again to Me, be it even the incense used in the ‘light-waving ritual’.
41. Whatever is considered precious and desirable by men in general and whatever are the dearest and the most precious to oneself alone should be offered to Me. By such offering, one will derive infinite good.
42. There are eleven centres in which My worship can be done. These are the sun, fire, holy man, cow, devotee, sky, air, water, earth, one’s own atman, and the collectivity of all living beings.
43. In the sun, I am worshipped through the chanting of Vedic mantras; in the fire, with sacrificial offerings; in a holy man, through hospitality; in a cow, by feeding it.
44. In a devotee, I am worshipped by honouring him as one’s dearest friend; in the sky of the heart, by meditation; in the air, by meditating on it as the life-breath; and in water, through libation with prescribed materials and water.
45. In the earth, I am to be adored by nyasa (ceremonial chanting of mantras); in one’s own body, by legitimate enjoyment as offering to Me residing in oneself; and in all beings, by seeing Me as the Spirit residing in them all.
46. In all these centres, one should meditate on My Form radiating peace, and having four arms sporting conch, discus, mace and lotus; and should worship with a controlled mind.
47. Whoever worships Me in these centres with a concentrated mind through ritual and whole-heartedly will get firm devotion to Me. The association with and service of holy men is, however, the most potent cause of intense devotion resulting in constant remembrance.
48. There is no easier way to eternal bliss than the practice of devotion generated by association with holy men. For, I am the sole support of the holy ones.
49. This is a highly profound and esoteric subject. Listen to this attentively. I shall expound it, as you are my dear and faithful servant and beloved friend.