Vrhaspatitattva

May there be no obstacles.

On the beautiful peak of Mount Kailāśa, Maheśvara was seated, and to Vṛhaspati he spoke of the unsurpassed truth of Śiva. || 1

Lord Īśvara was on the summit of Mount Kailāśa, engaged in teaching the sacred knowledge to the entire host of gods. He had just bestowed the scripture of His worship, which concerns His own being as the ultimate cause. At that time, there was a sage in heaven named the venerable Vṛhaspati. He approached to offer worship to the Lord with the five-fold offerings. After his worship was complete, he made his obeisance. After his obeisance, he sat down and inquired into the essence of all the sacred teachings. His words were:

O venerable one, O God of gods, O beginningless supreme Lord, explain fully the whole tattva (reality) that delights all things moving and unmoving. || 2

“By the Lord’s grace, have compassion on this child of the Lord and teach me of all the sacred teachings. Why has the Lord given so many different versions in His teachings to the host of gods? There is one called Śaiva, one called Pāśupata, one called Alepaka. Are all of these not the Lord’s own individual teachings? And the scriptures, too, are of so many kinds. What is the meaning of this? Why have so many paths and teachings been given by the Lord?” Thus were the words of the venerable Vṛhaspati.

The Lord answered, saying:

Well said, well said, O great being! The truth of the fruit of karma is indeed endowed with existence, both here and in the hereafter. || 3

“How exceedingly divine is your question, my son, venerable Vṛhaspati. The reason I have given many teachings to the host of gods is because the wombs (yoni) from which beings are born are many. And why are they so many? Because the vāsanā are many. Vāsanā (karmic latency) is the karma performed by a person in this world, the fruit of which is experienced in the next world and in future births. Whether it is evil or good, whatever kind of karma is performed, its fruit will never be lost. It is like a pot that was a container for asafoetida (hiṅgu). After the asafoetida is gone, the pot is washed and scrubbed to remove it, yet its scent remains, the fragrance clings to the pot. That is what is called vāsanā. In the same way, what is called karmavāsanā exists in the soul (ātmā); this karmavāsanā clings to it. It is this that adorns the soul. When the soul is so adorned, that is called rāga (passion). It is the vāsanā that gives rise to rāga, and that is why there is a desire for action, a delight in every kind of karmavāsanā. This vāsanā is skilled at adorning the soul, and it gives rise to both karmavāsanā and karma. This, in turn, gives rise to different kinds of birth. There is the birth-state of a god, the birth-state of a celestial musician, the birth-state of a demon, the birth-state of a titan, the birth-state of a serpent—many are the kinds of birth-states from which one can be born. That is why their forms are all different. Whatever the inclination of the mind of their former birth-state was, that becomes their desire. That desire gives rise to karma, which they perform continuously. If the karma they perform is evil, that is the cause of their fall into hell, where they experience every kind of suffering. When the fruit of their evil deeds is exhausted, they are allowed to be born as an animal (tiryak). But if the karma they perform is good, that is the cause of their being born in heaven, where they experience every kind of pleasure. When the fruit of their good deeds is exhausted, they are allowed to be born as a powerful and wealthy ruler. Along with this comes good knowledge (jñāna), and all things become visible to them. From this arises prosperity, compassion, merit, and devotion. All things become possible for them. This is the connection of the Lord’s grace to them. The Lord has compassion on them, and their own birth-latency becomes visible to them, along with the suffering, heat, cold, sin, and defilements of being born. Seeing all this, they say: ‘Alas, how extreme is the suffering of birth! All that is experienced is but the body. What, alas, is the use of my existence?’ Then they go to a wise teacher (paṇḍita) to ask about the meaning of existence. They are taught by the sage. But if they are not yet capable, the nature of the ultimate reality (viśeṣa) is difficult to grasp. That is why they are graced with many teachings, so that whatever they are capable of in their devotion to the Lord, that they may take as their knowledge for realizing the Lord’s being. This is the reason why the teachings are many.” Thus spoke the Lord.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied, saying: “Which of the sacred knowledges is the highest? By the Lord’s grace, is it the Śaiva? Is it the Pāśupata? Is it the Alepaka?”

The Lord answered, saying: “There is no lower and no higher among them, my son, if they are compared by one who follows the path. For all three paths were laid out by me with equal perfection and beauty. But if one grasps the knowledge incorrectly, then one becomes inferior to another. That is why one who has confused knowledge (bhrānta jñāna) is inclined to find fault.” Thus spoke the Lord.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied: “What is this confusion (bhrānta) of which the Lord speaks? For it is the word of the sacred scriptures that the wise follow to perform meritorious and devotional acts. What causes this confusion, as the Lord says? Have compassion on this child of the Lord and teach me truly.” Thus were the words of the venerable Vṛhaspati.

The Lord replied, saying:

Blind men, accompanied by other blind men, in order to grasp the body of an elephant, not having perceived its true form with their eyes, are led into delusion by one another. || 4

“There was a group of blind men who asked to be taught about the elephant. Because they were determined to know, they asked a man who could see elephants to let them touch one. But each of them touched a different part. One touched the head and said, ‘An elephant is like a water jar.’ Another touched the ear and said, ‘An elephant is like a winnowing fan.’ Another touched the trunk and said, ‘An elephant is like a snake.’ Another touched the belly and said, ‘An elephant is like a granary.’ Another touched the tail and said, ‘An elephant is like an eel.’ Another touched a leg and said, ‘An elephant is like a pillar.’ Whatever single part they touched, they did not know the true form of the elephant—its stance, its shape, its nature, its way of being. They did not know because they were blind. Their knowledge was only of what they had touched. This is indeed like the principle of the blind men (andhatattva), who do not know the true form of the elephant. So it is with a person in a state of delusion (vyāmoha). This is their darkness; it means they are blind. The heart of tattva is called the limbs of the elephant—what they took for a head, tusk, trunk, belly, leg, and tail. The scriptures and teachings are many because the pervasiveness of the ultimate reality is vast. That is what causes confusion; they are bewildered. They stumble about, not knowing north from south, not knowing the noble from the special, not knowing low from high, not knowing less from more, not knowing going from coming. Knowledge like that is what is called bhrānta. It does not accomplish its purpose.” Thus spoke the Lord.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied, saying:

O venerable one, knower of all tattva, O beginningless supreme Lord, from you I wish to hear this, O venerable one, the entirety of tattva. || 5

“By the Lord’s grace, this child of the Lord is in extreme doubt because of the principle of the blind men. Is there a true form of the knowledge of reality (tattvajñāna) that all the scriptures point to? Have compassion on this child of the Lord and teach me truly, so that the ignorance of this child of the Lord may be dispelled.” Thus were the words of the venerable Vṛhaspati.

The Lord replied, saying: “Exceedingly divine are your words, my son, venerable Vṛhaspati. It is right that you should ask about the sacred knowledge of reality. But be attentive to the sacred scripture, for you alone shall I instruct here. I shall teach you the sacred knowledge, for you have been appointed as the teacher of the world in heaven, and your disciples will teach it to humanity in the future.

The supreme tattva is twofold: cetana and acetana. It pervades all tattvas, is subtle, and must be discerned with effort. || 6

Now, the kinds of tattva you must know are cetana (Conscious Principle) and acetana (Unconscious Principle). Cetana is that which has the nature of knowledge, which knows and is never subject to forgetting, which is eternally aware at all times, and which is unobscured. That is called cetana. Acetana is that which is without knowledge, like a stone. That is called acetana. When cetana and acetana meet, they give rise to all the tattvas. They are: pradhānatattva, triguṇatattva, buddhitattva, ahaṅkāratattva, bāhyendriyatattva, karmendriyatattva, and pañcamahābhūtatattva. These are called the sarvatattva (all principles). You must know them truly. Here are their characteristics, which I will explain to you. There are three distinct types of cetana. They are: Paramaśivatattva, Sadāśivatattva, and Śivatattva. These are the three different kinds of cetana.

Paramaśivatattva is:

Immeasurable, indescribable, incomparable, imperishable, subtle, all-pervading, eternal, steadfast, immutable, sovereign. || 7

Immeasurable due to infinity, indescribable due to being without attributes. Incomparable due to being without likeness, imperishable due to being stainless. || 8

Subtle due to being imperceptible, and all-pervading due to being omnipresent. By its eternal nature it is void, and due to its immobility it is steadfast. || 9

Immutable due to its completeness, and likewise of a tranquil nature. This is called Śivatattva, all-pervading and established everywhere. || 10

The Lord is aprameya (immeasurable), beyond conception. Why? Because He is infinite, without limit. He is anirdeśyam (indescribable), unable to be pointed out, because He is without attributes. He is anaupamyam (incomparable), without equal, because there is nothing that is His equal. He is anāmayam (imperishable), not subject to illness, because He is pure. He is sūkṣma (subtle), because He cannot be perceived. He is vyāpaka (pervasive) and sarvagata (all-present); the world is filled by Him, all that exists. He is nitya (eternally) aware at all times, because He is without origin. He is dhruvam (steadfast), ever-mindful, because He is motionless, aware at all times. He is avyayam (immutable), without opening or gap, because He is complete. He is īśvara (sovereign); īśvara means that He is the ruler. He is the measure that cannot be measured. That is what is called Paramaśivatattva.

Next is what is called Sadāśivatattva, which is below Paramaśivatattva.

Active, Śiva is the sun, the tattva of consciousness is Sadāśiva. He has a seat, has qualities, is pervasive, and is described as formless. || 11

He is a creator, not an instrument; He is devoted to bestowing grace. He is ever-illuminating, all-knowing, all-doing, the omnipresent Lord. || 12

For the shelterless, He is a brother; He is considered mother and father. He is the liberator from all sorrows, in every single birth. || 13

He is savyāpāraḥ (with activity). Lord Sadāśiva has a lotus throne as His seat. What is this lotus throne? It is His śakti (power). This śakti is fourfold: vibhuśakti (pervasive power), prabhuśakti (sovereign power), jñānaśakti (power of knowledge), and kriyāśakti (power of action). These are the four powers.

This is what is called vibhuśakti:

This world is woven as warp and woof by Śiva, the supreme ruler. Ūta means pervaded, and prota is like jewels on a string. || 14

He has woven all the tattvas as ūta. Ūta means He pervades them, like oil within milk. The oil is there in the milk, but it is not seen. That is called ūta. Prota means ‘like jewels on a string,’ like gems whose nature is to be united in one place. This ūtaprota is what is called vibhuśakti. It is He who creates all the worlds. Prabhuśakti means that He is not obstructed by anything in all the worlds. Such are the four powers, in the form of a lotus. In its center is the seat of the Lord when He takes a body. He is of the nature of mantra; mantra is His body. Īśāna is the head, Tatpuruṣa is the face, Aghora is the heart, Vāmadeva is the secret part, Sadyojāta is the form. AUM. That is the body of the Lord. He is brilliant, the color of crystal. Such are His qualities. He possesses distant hearing, distant all-knowing, and distant seeing. Distant hearing means hearing sounds both far and near. Distant all-knowing means knowing the minds of those far and near. Distant seeing means seeing things far and near. Each of these is a quality. Aṇimā, Laghimā, Mahimā, Prāpti, Prākāmya, Īśitva, Vaśitva, Yatrakāmāvasāyitva—these are called the aṣṭaiśvarya (eight lordly powers), which are the Lord’s nature. That is what is called Sadāśivatattva.

Below Sadāśivatattva is what is called Māyāśirastattva, the abode of the holy Aṣṭavidyāsana: Ananta, Sūkṣma, Śivatama, Ekarudra, Ekanetra, Trimūrti, Śrīkaṇṭha, and Śikhaṇḍī. The holy Ananta was commanded by the Lord to pervade the universe and the world, and also to liberate souls as another activity. When the activity commanded by the Lord is finished, then the holy Ananta attains mokṣa (liberation). The holy Sūkṣma replaces Ananta, Śivatama replaces Sūkṣma, Ekarudra replaces Śivatama, Ekanetra replaces Ekarudra, Trimūrti replaces Ekanetra, Śrīkaṇṭha replaces Trimūrti, and Śikhaṇḍī replaces Śrīkaṇṭha. I am that Śrīkaṇṭha. My name is Śrīkaṇṭha, and I was commanded to give teachings in the universe. But I was shot with passion by Lord Kāma. I gazed upon the holy Kāma, and because he was gazed upon with my poison-sight, the body of the holy Kāmadeva was shattered, incinerated, and turned to ash. But the passion (rāga) remained in me. That is why I took your mother, the Lady Umā, as my wife, and we had a son, the holy Sanatkumāra. That is their tattva, my son, Vṛhaspati. The Rudra who was below, I took and elevated him. He replaced Śikhaṇḍī. That is what is called Māyāśirastattva.

Below Māyāśirastattva is what is called Māyātattva. Māyātattva is void and its nature is acetana, similar to Śivatattva, but its nature is unconscious. That is why it is lower than Śivatattva. It is pervaded by Śivatattva, whose nature is conscious. It is woven through as ūtaprota by Śivatattva. The ūta pervades the body of māyā as vibhu (immanent), while the prota unites it as one. The Śivatattva, whose nature is prota (transcendent) in māyā, becomes stained by mala (impurity). Mala is the name for the unconscious. For Śivatattva is the color of crystal, stainless, pure, clear, and serene; its nature is conscious. But being stained by the unconscious, its power is lost. Power means being all-knowing and all-doing. Thus Śivatattva ceases to be all-knowing and all-doing. It is then called ātmā (soul), which means ‘dazed consciousness.’ These ātmatattvas are many, and so māyātattva is crowded, like a honeycomb, layered and stacked. Māyā is like the honeycomb, and the ātmā is like the young bees. They are face-down, which means they are bent over; the ātmā looks only downward, unaware of the tattva above it. Then māyātattva is acted upon by the Lord’s power, and pradhānatattva emerges. It is the gross form of māyā, void and unconscious in nature. The ātmatattva is then joined with the pradhānatattva by the Lord. The ātmā becomes lost and forgetful, unconscious, because it is without knowledge, pervading pradhānatattva. It is this that brings forgetfulness to the ātmā. That is what is called pradhānatattva. Then pradhānatattva is acted upon by the Lord’s power of action (kriyāśakti), and it gives birth to the triguṇatattva. The triguṇatattva is sattva, rajas, and tamas.

Sattva is light and illuminating, rajas is established as restless, and tamas is heavy and obscuring; this is the mark of the mind-stuff. || 15

That which is in the mind, light and bright, that is called sattva. That which is swift and moving, that is called rajas. That which is heavy and dark, that is called tamas.

Mokṣa, heaven, and hell, the state of animals and of humans, are born from the defilements of the mind-stuff, from the power of the mind-stuff. || 16

The citta (mind-stuff) is the cause of the soul experiencing heaven. The citta is the cause of the soul falling into hell. The citta is the cause of its being born as an animal. The citta is the cause of its being born as a human. The citta is the cause of its attaining mokṣa and liberation. The reasons are as follows.

Uprightness, non-attachment, gentleness, generosity, lordliness, skillfulness, sweetness, and a beautiful appearance. || 17

The mind that is upright and firm, it advances and knows the distinctions between things and proper conduct. It knows the īśvaratattva. It is skilled. It is sweet in the words it produces. The form of its body is beautiful. That is the mark of a sāttvika citta.

Next is what is called rajas:

Cruelty, arrogance, recklessness, ferocity, greed, fickleness, mercilessness, and heedlessness. || 18

The mind that is cruel, and the behavior that is wrathful and terrifying. It is arrogant and reckless, hot-tempered and greedy. Its hands are restless, its feet are restless, its speech is restless. It has no compassion. It is hasty and impetuous. That is the mark of the mind-stuff called rajas.

Next is what is called tamas:

Laziness, fearfulness, lethargy, sleep, violence, heedlessness, sorrow, gluttony, gloominess, and constant bondage. || 19

The mind that is fearful, lazy, gluttonous, and sleepy. It is heavy, sluggish, and destructive. It is confused, its heart is troubled, its face is heavy. That is the mind-stuff called tamas.

The citta of sattva, rajas, and tamas is what binds the holy ātmā. Here are its results:

The extremely sāttvika citta, stainless and internally supreme, made of the nature of space, is pledged to all mokṣa. || 20

If the citta is sāttvika, that is the cause of the ātmā attaining mokṣa, because it is stainless. It causes one to realize the essence of religious teachings and the words of the guru.

The equilibrium of rajas is said to be for dharma, through which it desires good. Why is it conjoined with sattva? That indeed is the path to heaven. || 21

If sattva and rajas are of equal strength, that is why one desires to perform dharma (righteous duty). When dharma is accomplished by both, that is why one returns to heaven. For sattva desires good deeds, and rajas performs them.

The mind-stuff deluded by the triguṇa, from the beginning a blinding agent, its nature being why it is impure, its desired fruit is the human state. || 22

If the three—sattva, rajas, and tamas—are of equal strength, that is the cause of human birth, because each of their desires is given equal play. Rajas says, ‘Do evil!’ Sattva objects. Tamas says, ‘Be lazy and weak!’ Rajas acts. Sattva and rajas say, ‘Do good!’ But they are weighed down by tamas. Thus the triguṇa alternate. That is why nothing is fully accomplished by the ātmā in doing good or evil. When good and evil deeds are accomplished by the ātmā in this mixed way, that is the cause of human birth. This is remembered by Lord Vidhi in the space between heaven and hell. That is the place of purification for the ātmā. Whatever it does when born as a human is remembered by Lord Vidhi, for he is the Lord’s witness over the good and bad karma of humanity.

The extremely rājasa citta is attached only to wrath and the like. It is born from fire; who indeed is the sevenfold one made of fire? || 23

If the citta is predominantly rajas, it is nothing but wrath, and powerful in doing evil deeds. That is the cause of the ātmā falling into hell, where it experiences every kind of suffering.

The extremely tāmasa citta, given to sleep, utterly deluded, swiftly enters the immobile state; this is certainly the work of the citta. || 24

If tamas is predominant in the citta, that is the cause of the ātmā becoming an animal (tiryak). There are five kinds of tiryak: paśu (domestic animals), mṛga (wild animals), pakṣī (birds), sarīsṛpa (crawling creatures), and mīna (fish). The sixth is sthāvara (immobile beings). Paśu means animals in the village: cows, buffalo, dogs, pigs, and so on. Mṛga means animals in the forest: lions, tigers, deer, and all kinds in the woods. Pakṣī means all kinds of flying birds: chickens, ducks, and so on. Sarīsṛpa means all things that crawl on their bellies: centipedes, leeches, snakes, eels, and so on. Mīna means all things in the water: fish of the river and sea, and so on, large and small of all kinds. Whatever moves is called jaṅgama. Such is the fate of the ātmā if its tamas is predominant. It cannot accomplish the means of dharma when it is born as a jaṅgama. That is why, as its sixth birth, it becomes a tree. That is why it becomes sthāvara: trees, leaves, grass, all kinds of things that do not move, that are not mobile but stay in one place. That is what is called sthāvara. That which moves is called jaṅgama. Such is the fate of the ātmā if the tāmasa citta is predominant.

From the triguṇa emerges buddhi (intellect). The kinds of buddhi are many. Here they are: dharma (virtue), jñāna (knowledge), vairāgya (dispassion), aiśvārya (lordship). But they have their opposites: adharma (vice), ajñāna (ignorance), avairāgya (passion), anaiśvārya (powerlessness). Then there are what is called the pañcaviparyaya (five errors), what is called tuṣṭi (contentments), and what is called aṣṭasiddhi (eight perfections). Such are the functions of buddhi.

Dharma is:

Good conduct, sacrifice, austerity, charity, renunciation, and the life of a mendicant.

And yoga, in brief, is the one determination of dharma. || 25

Śīla is the name for maintaining good conduct. Yajña is the name for performing a homa (fire sacrifice). Tapa is the name for mortifying one’s senses, not giving them over to their objects. Dāna is the name for giving. Pravrajyā is the name for the life of a mendicant who has renounced. Bhikṣu is the name for an initiated person (dīkṣita). Yoga is the name for performing samādhi (meditative absorption). Such are the specific components of what is called dharma.

Now, this is what is called jñāna (knowledge):

Pratyakṣa, anumāna, and the word of scripture from the final authority, are declared the threefold pramāṇa; that is the supreme, correct knowledge. || 26

One who is possessed of the three pramāṇa (valid means of knowledge) is so named. They are pratyakṣa, anumāna, and āgama.

• Pratyakṣa (direct perception) is what is seen and held.
• Anumāna (inference) is like seeing smoke in the distance; from that, one infers the existence of fire. That is called anumāna.
• Āgama (authoritative testimony) is the sacred teaching that has been verified by a guru. That is called āgama. One who is possessed of these three pramāṇa—pratyakṣa, anumāna, and āgama—is said to have samyagjñāna (correct knowledge).

Now, this is what is called vairāgya (dispassion):

Towards pleasures seen and heard, towards the joys of the body, there is dispassion. That is known as vairāgya; the yogī is without desire for enjoyment. || 27

There are pleasures that are seen, such as those of a king or ruler. There are pleasures that are heard of, such as those of the celestial realms, heaven, and the abode of the gods. Towards these pleasures, both seen and heard, one has no desire at all. Because one does not even desire to be a king, that is what is called vairāgya.

Now, this is what is called aiśvarya (lordship):

In enjoyments, secondary enjoyments, and tertiary enjoyments as well, a commonality in all three is to be known by the wise as aiśvarya. || 28

Bhoga is the name for all that is eaten and drunk. Upabhoga is the name for all that is worn as adornment. Paribhoga is the name for having a spouse and servants. One who is possessed of all these is said to have aiśvarya.

These four—dharma, jñāna, vairāgya, and aiśvarya—are the reason for the Lord’s grace upon the ātmā.

Now, here are their opposites: adharma (vice), ajñāna (ignorance), avairāgya (passion), and anaiśvarya (powerlessness).

Adharma is the intellect that is overcome by a lack of dharma. Its thinking is: “Who really knows what this ‘heaven’ is? Where does it come from? Where does hell come from? Sin brings evil, they say, and heaven brings good. Oh, that is just the talk of thieves! People want merit, so a mendicant tells them these things. It is because they are afraid of being measured and weighed that they become mendicants. The words of the scriptures are not clear, because what they teach cannot be seen.” Such is the thinking of the intellect that is adharma.

Ajñāna is the intellect that is overcome by a lack of anumāna, āgama, and pratyakṣa. Not being possessed of these, it is possessed by vikalpa, saṅśaya, and bhrānta. Vikalpa is imagining things one has not seen. Saṅśaya is a mind full of doubt. Bhrānta is a mind of mistaken apprehension. A mind of vikalpa, saṅśaya, and bhrānta is what is called ajñāna.

Avairāgya is the intellect that is constantly attached to things, whether low, middling, or high. Its thinking is: “This is valuable now, this is what is best.” That is called avairāgya.

Anaiśvarya is the intellect that is overcome by a lack of bhoga, upabhoga, and paribhoga. That is what is called anaiśvarya. Such are the opposites of what is called the fourfold lordship.

Why is the intellect of dharma said to be graced by the Lord? Here are its fruits:

Through dharma, one goes to heaven; one is born into the womb of a god. Endowed with the powers of Aṇimā and the rest, one is satisfied in all enjoyments. || 29

If dharma is produced by the intellect, that is the cause of returning to heaven. After enjoying heaven for a long time, one is born as a deity, and the powers of Aṇimā and the rest are attained.

Now, here are the fruits of jñāna:

From correct knowledge, indeed, at will, the wise one has the four powers. Having attained the state of mokṣa, he does not enter existence again. || 30

One who is possessed of samyagjñāna is truly superior, for they attain mokṣa and are not born again. Possessed of the four powers, they are said to have reached the end of births. They return to the state of Śiva; their consciousness becomes one with the Lord.

Now, here are the fruits of vairāgya:

Through vairāgya, one is absorbed in prakṛti; one obtains happiness as if asleep. And after a long time, one is born into the womb of a god. || 31

One who has vairāgya returns to the world of prakṛti. Like the pleasure of a dreamless sleep, such is the pleasure and happiness they attain. In the end, they are born as a deity. Such are the fruits of vairāgya.

Now, here are the fruits of aiśvarya:

Through aiśvarya, one is unobstructed and satisfied by every enjoyment. Endowed with the powers of Aṇimā and the rest, one is born into the womb of a god. || 32

One is not hindered wherever one goes, and whatever one does is happiness. In the end, one is born as a deity, and the powers of Aṇimā and the rest are attained. Such are the fruits of aiśvarya.

Now, here are the fruits of their opposites. The intellect that has adharma as its seed—that is what becomes an animal (tiryak), because it denies dharma. The fruit of ajñāna is to be deluded by the pleasures of karma, because one is ignorant of the knowledge of reality (tattvajñāna). One is confused about good and evil deeds. This is the reason for being spun around in human birth, with hell and animal birth as one’s other destinations. Few indeed are the humans who do good; that is why many become animals, the heap of those who do evil. As for avairāgya and anaiśvarya, that is why the ātmā that has adharma, ajñāna, avairāgya, and anaiśvarya as its seed is forsaken by the Lord.

Now, this is what is called the pañcaviparyaya (five errors/misconceptions). They are as follows:

1. Tamah is the desire of the intellect to attain worldly pleasure.
2. Moha is the desire to attain the aṣṭaiśvarya (eight lordly powers).
3. Mahāmoha is the desire to attain pleasure in the formless realm along with the lordly powers.
4. Tāmisra is clinging to pleasures that have already been attained.
5. Andhatāmisra is weeping for things that are already lost. Such are the pañcaviparyaya. All of these are the cause of the ātmā’s suffering (saṅsāra).

Now, this is what is called tuṣṭi (contentment). They are: arjana, rakṣaṇa, kṣaya, saṅga, hiṅsā, bhāgya, kāla, and ātmā.

The Bāhya-tuṣṭi (External Contentments) are as follows:

• Arjana: One gathers all kinds of wealth and protects it. This is called tuṣṭi.
• Rakṣaṇa: One has already gathered wealth and protects it. Being skilled at protecting wealth is also called tuṣṭi.
• Kṣaya: A person considers their illness. Their illness is long-lasting. When they finally recover, that is called tuṣṭi.
• Saṅga: One is united with a loved one. That is called tuṣṭi.
• Hiṅsā: One kills for the purpose of eating. That is called tuṣṭi.

Now, the Ādhyātmika-tuṣṭi (Internal Contentments) are as follows:

• Bhāgya (fate): The intellect is at ease even when it does not attain happiness. It thinks: “Alas, I must not have done any good deeds in the past, which is why I do not find happiness now. Therefore, O self, strive to do good, so that it will not be like this in a future birth.” This is called tuṣṭi.
• Kāla (time): “It will take a long time for me to attain what I desire. What of it? Even if it is not a long time, may you come to me now or in the future.” This is called tuṣṭi.
• Ātmā (self): There is a knowledge that discerns the ātmā, but only up to the limit of the guru’s teachings. That is the limit of one’s knowledge. There is no independent effort; one does not develop the knowledge taught, because one does not perform samādhi. One simply remains still, with a mind at ease. Such are the kinds of tuṣṭi. They are the reason knowledge is hindered when a person is merely content.

Now, this is what is called the aṣṭasiddhi (eight perfections/attainments):

Charity, study, the word, reasoning, and friendship, and the three destructions of suffering, are declared the eight perfections. || 33

• Dāna (charity) is being able to give.
• Adhyayana (study) is being able to study the scriptures.
• There is a practitioner (sādhaka) who, due to the intensity of their practice, hears a subtle sound (śabda).
• Or there is one who is able to reason (tarka) about things both manifest and subtle. Tarka is the knowledge of investigation, and one is not mistaken in one’s investigation. These are what are called the bāhyasiddhi (external perfections).

Now, these are the ādhyātmikasiddhi (internal perfections): This is one who is able to eliminate the three duḥkha (sufferings). What are the three duḥkha?

1. Ādhyātmika-duḥkha (internal suffering): This is suffering that comes from the mind. Its forms are: passion, hatred, delusion, fever, chills, boils, rashes, and imbalances of wind (vāta), bile (pitta), and phlegm (śleṣma), colic, and heartache. Such is ādhyātmika-duḥkha.
2. Ādhidaivika-duḥkha (suffering from divine/supernatural sources): This is being struck by lightning, madness, epilepsy, possession by spirits (graha), and all kinds of suffering that come from the gods. That is ādhidaivika-duḥkha.
3. Ādhibhautika-duḥkha (suffering from external beings): This is being attacked, poisoned, drowned, struck by venom, bitten, cursed, bewitched, or harmed by villains, snakes, or stinging nettles. All kinds of pain and suffering that come from other beings (bhūta). Bhūta means all embodied things. That is ādhibhautika-duḥkha.

One who is able to eliminate so much suffering is said to have ādhyātmikasiddhi. However, the person who is said to have the highest perfection (uttamasiddhi) is the yogīśvara, the one who attains the powers of Aṇimā and the rest.

Such are the functions of buddhi that you must know.

From buddhi emerges ahaṅkāra (I-maker/ego). It is of three kinds: sāttvika, rājasa, and tāmasa. These are its distinctions: Vaikṛta is sāttvika, Taijasa is rajas, and Bhūtādi is tamas. From the ahaṅkāra [called Vaikṛta] emerge the mind and the ten indriyas (sense faculties). They are: hearing, touch, sight, taste, smell, speech, hands, feet, the anus, and the genitals. From the ahaṅkāra called Bhūtādi emerge the pañcatanmātra (five subtle elements). The ahaṅkāra called Taijasa participates in producing the effects of both the Vaikṛta and Bhūtādi ahaṅkāras, for its nature is to activate.

What is meant by the pañcatanmātra? “Why is it so?” you might ask. Here they are: sound, touch, form, taste, and smell. To make it clear: cover your ears. There is a sound, and it is heard. The subtle essence of the sound that is heard—that is what is called śabdatanmātra (the subtle element of sound). There is a strong wind. The subtle essence of it penetrating the skin that is felt—that is what is called sparśatanmātra (the subtle element of touch). There is the time of twilight. The sun has already set. There is a remaining afterglow of its light. The subtle afterglow of the light that is seen—that is what is called rūpatanmātra (the subtle element of form). Rasatanmātra (the subtle element of taste) is when something eaten is bitter or sweet. The subtle essence of the taste that remains on the tongue, not yet gone, a remainder is still there—that is what is called rasatanmātra. Gandhatanmātra (the subtle element of smell) is when sandalwood is burned. The subtle essence of its fragrance that is smelled—that is what is called gandhatanmātra. Such are the pañcatanmātra.

From the pañcatanmātra emerge the pañcamahābhūta (five gross elements). Ākāśa (space/ether) emerges from śabdatanmātra. Vāyu (air) emerges from sparśatanmātra. Teja (fire/light) emerges from rūpatanmātra. Āpah (water) emerges from rasatanmātra. Pṛthivī (earth) emerges from gandhatanmātra. Such are the pañcamahābhūta. They are manifest, directly perceived, seen, and held. This is the limit of the lower tattvas. Such is the nature of all the tattvas: each pervades the tattva below it. A lower tattva cannot pervade the tattva above it. The pṛthivītattva is the repository of all the tattvas. Sound is the quality of ākāśa. Touch is the quality of vāyu. Form is the quality of teja. Taste is the quality of āpah. Smell is the quality of pṛthivī.

As for taste, it is of six kinds. They are: lavaṇa (salty), amla (sour), kaṭuka (pungent), tikta (bitter), kaṣāya (astringent), and madhura (sweet). Lavaṇa is salty. Amla is sour. Kaṭuka is pungent/spicy. Kaṣāya is astringent. Madhura is sweet. Tikta is bitter. Such are the ṣaḍrasa (six tastes).

The quality of pṛthivī is smell. Smell is of two kinds: foul and fragrant.

The six tastes are what is eaten and drunk by men and women. They produce life and the body. The essence of the body becomes kāma (desire/seed) in a man, also called śukla (male essence), and śvanita (female essence) in a woman. When the śukla and śvanita meet there in the lotus nāḍī in the middle of the ṣaṭkoṣa (six sheaths), that is what is possessed by life. All things that have śukla and śvanita, whether human or animal, follow the form of their origin. If the śukla is more than the śvanita, the result is male. If the śvanita is more than the śukla, the result is female. But if the śukla and śvanita are equal in amount, that is called janmāntara puruṣa; the result is a hermaphrodite. The śukla becomes bone, marrow, and brain. The śvanita becomes flesh, blood, and skin. Three from the man, three from the woman—that is what is called the ṣaṭkoṣa.

The śabdatanmātra becomes the ears; their function is to hear. The sparśatanmātra becomes the skin; its function is to feel heat and cold. The rūpatanmātra becomes the eyes; their function is to see. The rasatanmātra becomes the tongue; its function is to taste when one enjoys the six tastes. The gandhatanmātra becomes the nose; its function is to smell fragrances foul and sweet. These are called the pañcabuddhīndriya (five cognitive senses), for they are the physical organs (golaka) of the indriyas that have already been mentioned.

• The śrotrendriya (faculty of hearing) is located in the ears; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for hearing sound.
• The tvagindriya (faculty of touch) is located in the skin; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for feeling heat and cold.
• The cakṣurindriya (faculty of sight) is located in the eyes; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for seeing form and color.
• The jihvendriya (faculty of taste) is located in the tongue; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for tasting the six tastes.
• The ghrāṇendriya (faculty of smell) is located in the nose; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for smelling fragrances foul and sweet.
• The vāgindriya (faculty of speech) is located in the mouth; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for producing sound.
• The pāṇīndriya (faculty of grasping) is located in the hands; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for grasping.
• The pādendriya (faculty of locomotion) is located in the feet; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for walking.
• The pāyvindriya (faculty of excretion) is located in the anus; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for defecating and passing gas.
• The upasthendriya (faculty of procreation) is located in the penis and vagina; its function is to be the instrument of the ātmā for urinating and for emitting śukla and śvanita. Such is the order of the ten indriyas in the body.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied, saying: “Why does the Lord speak of the indriya in two ways, as the located and the location? For it is the existence of the physical organ (golaka) that is the cause of the ātmā grasping its object.”

The Lord answered, saying: “It is right that you should ask this, Vṛhaspati. It seems as if the physical organ is the instrument of the ātmā. But the ear cannot hear a sound if the śrotrendriya (faculty of hearing) is not present. The proof of this is a deaf person: they have ears and ear canals, but they cannot hear a sound at all if the śrotrendriya is absent. It is the same with an eye that is deprived of sight; if it is covered by a white film, or even more so if it is not pierced, how can it not see? It is the same with a lame or crippled person; in what way are they unable to engage with their objects if their indriya is not absent? You can see all this, Vṛhaspati. That is why the indriya (sense faculty) is different from the golaka (physical organ). The mind is the king of the indriyas, which conceives of the sense objects, for it is the root of the indriyas. ‘To conceive’ means to ascertain the object that is grasped by the indriya. That is the work of the mind. All the indriyas would not act if they were not given their objects, for there is pleasure in wearing clothes, in eating and drinking, pleasure in having a spouse, pleasure in hearing music, songs, and poetry. That is what causes the holy ātmā to be attached to the body, for it enjoys all of these things.

The body is like a cart, the soul is like an ox. Joined with Īśa as the charioteer, the world revolves like a wheel. || 34

The body is likened to the frame of a cart. Good and evil karma is called the world (jagat); it revolves through heaven and hell and is called the wheel of the cart. The holy ātmā is called the ox that pulls the cart. Lord Īśvara is called the charioteer, who commands the ox to pull the cart. It would not act if it were not commanded. That is why it is like a single servant being driven on. That is the likeness of the ātmā. It is attached to seeking the enjoyments of the senses because of the difficulty of attaining the enjoyments it seeks. That is why passion (rāga), delusion (moha), pride (drembha), greed (lobha), envy (mātsarya), sorrow (prihati), hunger (lapa), thirst (velĕkaṅ), and feverishness (panasbhāran) arise. Such is the nature of all human beings. The ātmā in such a state is called ātmā viparīta, inverted. It is made a slave by its slave, made a servant by its servant. When this goes on for a long time, the ātmā is finished. Its form becomes nothing but passion, for passion never ceases in human birth. Eating and sleeping are what it prioritizes. When it prioritizes eating and sleeping for a long time, its consciousness is destroyed, crushed by tamas. For the nature of one who eats is to sleep well. Sleep causes the ātmā to forget. What it has practiced is forgotten, because of the habit of sleeping. That is why it becomes an animal: a cow, a buffalo, a dog, a pig, an ant, of all kinds. Tamas is great in it when it becomes an animal. That is why it then becomes a tree, leaves, grass, of all kinds. Such is the destination of the ātmā that is attached to following the word of passion.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied, saying: “How extremely pitiable is the ātmā, by the Lord’s command. How can it escape from sin, so that it may be released from the sin of hell?” Thus spoke the venerable Vṛhaspati.

The Lord answered, saying: “If the ātmā remembers its true nature, then it becomes pure. The holy ātmā alone feels all the happiness and suffering of the body, for it is the guardian in the body, the overseer of all the tattvas. In the reality of consciousness, it is interspersed among all the tattvas of the body. It is the one who enjoys them. The likeness is this:

The body is called a palace, the three inner faculties are declared the ministers. The senses are called the servants, and the sense objects are like the pleasure of enjoyment. || 35

The body is called the kingdom. The three inner faculties (tryantahkaraṇa)—buddhi, mind, and ahaṅkāra—are called the ministers. The indriyas are called the attendants and servants. The sense objects, called śabdādi—sound, touch, form, taste, and smell—are likened to the enjoyments eaten and drunk at all times. The holy ātmā is likened to the king, who enjoys all of this. The holy ātmā is attached to enjoying these things there in the body. That is why it does not know its own self, does not remember its true nature. The reason is this: remember it well, so that the ātmā may know itself and be made to give up the pleasures of the body. That is why some strive to have many children, some to have many wives, to farm, to be a blacksmith, a carpenter, whatever kind of activity will produce happiness, that is what they do constantly. But that happiness is not found. That is the cause of their suffering: the weariness of carrying loads, of being exposed to the sun, of being caught in the rain. They are all hungry, thirsty, hot and cold. Their goal is to produce happiness to give to the ten indriyas. It is like a single servant who has ten masters, all giving orders to that one servant. He cannot but carry out each of their orders. That is why the single servant suffers.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied, saying: “That is truly a clear image you have shown to this child of the Lord, the nature of the ātmā in the body. For the difference between the citta and the ātmā is difficult to grasp. Please explain it to this child of the Lord.”

The Lord answered, saying: “Here is its nature, which you must remember. The Lord’s power of action (kriyāśakti) possesses the ahaṅkāra. The ahaṅkāra possesses the vital air (vāyu). The vital air is what connects the ātmā and the body. Here is its process:

Now I shall declare the nāḍīs; listen, they are three more than ten. In the navel, below the navel, in a bulb, they emerge, named from ahaṅkāra. || 36

There are what are called nāḍī (subtle channels) in the body, large and small vessels. Their root is located in a bulb below the navel. They rise up to the navel. There they branch out, spreading upwards. They are the root of all the channels. They are of three kinds.

Iḍā and Piṅgalā, and then Suṣumnā there shall be. Gāndhārī and Hastijihvā, and Pūṣā and also Yaśā. || 37

Alambuṣā and Kuhū, and Śaṅkhinī is remembered as the tenth. I shall now declare, O hero, the scriptural traditions of the nāḍīs. || 38

The ten great nāḍī (subtle channels) are as follows: Iḍā, Piṅgalā, Suṣumnā, Gāndhārī, Hastijihvā, Pūṣā, Alambuṣā, Kuhū, and Śaṅkhinī. These are the great nāḍī. Iḍā is the name for the channel on the right. Piṅgalā is the name for the channel on the left. Suṣumnā is the name for the channel in the middle. There is a branch that goes upward to the nose; the three openings of the nose. But the one in the middle is closed, which is why there are ultimately two openings of the nose. Another branch goes to the crown of the head, which is why the crown of the head is also called the śivadvāra (gate of Śiva). Others go to the hands, feet, and fingers, branching and piercing, crossing and standing, reaching to the feet. Their branches branch out in turn, pervading all the flesh. They emerge at the skin, becoming what are called hair follicles. The nāḍī are within. Such are all the nāḍī.

These ten principal nāḍīs are remembered as the carriers of the vital airs. Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna, and Udāna and Vyāna as well, || 39

Nāga, Kūrma, and then Kṛkara, Devadatta, Dhanañjaya. These ten vital airs are thus declared and defined by Śiva. || 40

All of these nāḍī are filled with vital air (vāyu). It is of ten kinds. They are: Prāṇa, Apāna, Samāna, Udāna, Vyāna, Nāga, Kūrma, Kṛkara, Devadatta, and Dhanañjaya. Such are the kinds of vital air. The reason they are many is that their functions are all different from one another, and their appearances are different.

Prāṇa is in the mouth, Apāna is below, Samāna is established in the heart. Udāna is known to be in the head, and Vyāna is in all the joints of the body. || 41

The vital air called Prāṇa is in the mouth and in the nose; its function is breathing. Its lower limit is the chest. It moves all the other vital airs.

The downward-moving air, Apāna, is established by which in the semen and urine. || 42

The vital air called Apāna is in the anus and genitals. Its function is to produce male and female essence (śukla and śvanita), and also to defecate, urinate, and pass gas.

It makes the eaten and drunk into bile, blood, and also phlegm. The movement in the limbs is equal; it is the air named Samāna. || 43

The vital air called Samāna is in the heart. Its function there is to take the essence of what is eaten and give it to become bile, to take the essence of what is drunk and give it to become blood, and to take the essence of what is smelled and give it to become phlegm, mucus, and saliva. Such is the work of the vital air Samāna in the heart.

It agitates the vital spots; it is the air named Udāna. || 44

As for the Udāna air, it is in the crown of the head. Its function there is to cause the eyes to flash, the brow to furrow, and the hair to grow.

Vyāna is declared to be distinct; Vyāna is the agitator of disease. It is the agent of activity and agitation; old age comes from this air. || 45

The vital air called Vyāna is in all the joints of the body. Its function there is to walk, to move, to grasp, and all kinds of actions involving the joints of the body, and also to cause forgetting, anger, and old age.

Nāga is said to be in belching, Kūrma is established in blinking. Kṛkara is in sneezing, and Devadatta is in yawning. || 46

The vital air Nāga causes stretching. The vital air Kūrma causes trembling. The vital air Kṛkara causes sneezing. The vital air Devadatta causes yawning. The vital air Dhanañjaya is what causes sound; at the time of death, the Dhanañjaya air does not move from the corpse. All these vital airs are one, yet they have many different functions. They have many distinctions. That is why they have many names for each of the vital airs. They are what connect the soul with the body. The knot that binds them is firm. That is why the holy soul cannot depart to another world. What is this other world? There is what is called the pañcapada (five states/abodes), which you must know as the place of the soul when it has a body.

The gross waking state is variously composed and seen by direct perception. The dream state is like foam, waves, and bubbles, like an illusion, and fickle. The deep sleep state is a thicket of gloom and darkness, unmanifest and absolute. The fourth state is subtle, unthinkable, immutable; this the wise call nirvāṇa. || 47

There is what is called the jāgrat-pada (waking state). There is what is called the svapna-pada (dream state). There is what is called the suṣupti-pada (deep sleep state). There is what is called the tūrya-pada (the fourth state). There is what is called the tūryānta-pada (the state beyond the fourth). Pada means the abode of the holy soul; there are five of them. That is why they are called the pañcapada. The jāgrat-pada is the waking state, when one is awake. When one is awake, the holy soul is directly perceived and can be grasped. He is called Lord Viśva in that state. As for the svapna-pada, it is unclear, like a reflection on water. When the water is still, the reflection is seen, but when the water moves, the reflection is indistinct. Such is the nature of the soul, unclear. For the nature of the soul is like the nature of the state. He is called Lord Taijasa in that state. As for the suṣupti-pada, it is the time of deep sleep. It is like a void, unconscious, a state of nothingness, without desire, not seen or perceived. Such is the deep sleep state. In that state, the holy soul loses its memory, follows the unconscious, and has forgetting (lupa) as its nature. He is called Lord Śrīpada in that state. These three—the jāgrat-pada, svapna-pada, and suṣupti-pada—are the foundation of the soul. This is what is called ātmasaṃsāra, the soul in the cycle of rebirth, its memory spinning through the states of god, human, and animal, its body in heaven and hell. As for the tūrya-pada, that is what is called ātmasiddhi (self-realization). This, along with the tūryānta-pada, will be spoken of later in the section on the practice of yoga. But the waking, dream, and deep sleep states are what alternate and return in the soul. As it is in the waking state, so it is in the dream and deep sleep states. In short: waking, sleeping, dreaming. Such is the experience of the whole world.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied, saying: “The soul is in the waking state. Then it sleeps, and it is gone, forgetting the whole world. The sleeper is like one who is dead. Why is this inverted? It would be extremely fitting for it to simply die, to disappear and not wake again, for then the soul would cease to be conscious again. The meaning of this child of the Lord’s words is this: for whatever is conscious, that the Lord calls cetana. In that case, the soul having the nature of cetana is not fitting, for the sleeper lives again. What is the meaning of this?”

The Lord answered, saying: “That is why all the tattvas have been shown to you. The pradhānatattva is unconscious (acetana) and has forgetting (lupa) as its nature. The soul pervades the pradhānatattva, and so it forgets. For it is pradhāna that causes the soul to forget. The soul is in the pradhānatattva when it sleeps. This is the inversion.”

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied, saying: “That is the deepest doubt of this child of the Lord. In its being enveloped by the pradhānatattva, this state of forgetting (lupa) is the formless state of the soul, in the opinion of this child of the Lord. For it is from forgetting that memory arises. Memory is what experiences pleasure and pain. Pleasure and pain are saṃsāra. Since saṃsāra is consciousness, it is not right to call consciousness the ultimate (viśeṣa). Rather, forgetting (lupa) is what is called viśeṣa, because it does not experience pleasure and pain.” Thus were the words of the venerable Vṛhaspati.

The Lord refuted this, explaining: “My son, I will answer your position, Vṛhaspati. You say that forgetting (lupa) is the ultimate (viśeṣa). What is called forgetting is unconscious (acetana). What is called unconscious is willed into being by the conscious (cetana). It is like clay being made into a pot. The one who makes the pot is the one who wills it. The clay is the Unconscious Principle (acetana), for it has no awareness. The person is the Conscious Principle (cetana). The unconscious is what is worked upon by him, becoming a pot, a basin, or a water jar of any kind, according to the will of the Conscious Principle, which desires to create. Just like the potter, so too is the Lord. He shapes the unconscious according to His will. Since forgetting has the nature of the unconscious, it is not right for you to call it the paramārtha (the supreme truth), the viśeṣa.” Thus spoke the Lord.

The Lord continued: “My son, I will answer your position, Vṛhaspati. Why do you keep repeating this argument? If the consciousness of a sleeper is gone, then they are liberated (mokṣa), and should never become conscious again, since that, you say, is the viśeṣa. But is the nature of the viśeṣa non-existence? How can what exists come from non-existence? After existing, does it return to non-existence? After being non-existent, does it return to existence? Is that what is called viśeṣa? Is that what is called paramārtha? That is what is called inverted knowledge (jñāna viparīta), a madness that points in all directions. That is what the wise strive to overcome.”

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied: “What then is called paramārtha? By the Lord’s command, have compassion and teach this child of the Lord.” Thus were the words of the venerable Vṛhaspati.

The Lord answered, saying:

Freed from the state of being, and devoid of the state of non-being, beyond both being and non-being, formless, endless, and without characteristics. || 48

The holy viśeṣa is not non-existent, yet He is also existence itself. “How can this be?” you might ask. For both existence and non-existence are His nature. He is not non-existent, nor does He have a body. It is not right to say this of the Lord, for there is no valid means of knowledge (pramāṇa) to establish it. “How can this be?” you might ask. Here is the pramāṇa to establish it.

As ghee is in milk, and Hari is in wood, water is in the sky, and the all-pervading wind, as rajas and tamas are unseen in the mind of a man, so He is neither being nor non-being; in the external world, He is not found. || 49

What is your opinion of fire when it is in wood? How can it not be seen, yet be said to exist? If it exists, why does the wood not burn? If you say it does not exist, then it emerges from the wood. What is your opinion then? How can you affirm this? So it is with oil from milk. Do you say it exists? The milk just looks like water. Do you say it does not exist? It exists, yet is as if non-existent. Why is it so? These are external objects, and even they are difficult to define, they cannot be grasped. And yet your position, which you call viśeṣa, is inferior to these external objects. Just as it is with the fire and the oil, so it is with the holy viśeṣa. He cannot be defined, He is difficult to grasp. What then is your opinion of Him? He is simply subtle, without characteristics, the ultimate, most difficult to grasp. That is what is called viśeṣa. For if the Lord existed in a graspable way, He could be held, and He would be subject to saṃsāra. If He were said to be non-existent, as in your position, how could this whole world exist? Here you are, alive. How could this exist if there were no Lord? That is why your position is wrong. As for the soul disappearing when it sleeps, it enters into pradhānatattva. For pradhānatattva causes the soul to forget. Why then does the sleeper not simply die, since they have forgotten their body? “How can this be?” you might ask. That is the purpose of the five vital airs taught earlier. They are the binding ropes of the soul. They are the reason the sleeper does not simply die.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied: “That is what the Lord said when teaching of the five vital airs. But it is not yet established in the mind of this child of the Lord how the airs are united in the body as the binding ropes of the soul. What is their form? Where are they held in the body, so that the mind of this child of the Lord may be firm?”

The Lord answered, saying:

This son is greatly skilled, and also a knower of the science of tattva. Vṛhaspati is spoken of here, the wise mendicant of heaven. || 50

“My son, Vṛhaspati, you are indeed fit to be the teacher of the world in heaven, for now your wisdom is great, knowing all the tattvas. And the essence of your words, that is what you have grasped. But because this is a great secret, I will not teach you here in the assembly. Later, in a private place, I will teach you. For this is what is called prayogasadhi (the union of application), which is kept secret by the masters of yoga (yogīśvara).” Thus spoke the Lord.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied: “Here is another doubt of this child of the Lord. What is called cetana (Conscious Principle), the Lord has said, has the nature of knowledge, of knowing. This is perceived by me as twofold. ‘Twofold’ means the knower and the known. As long as there is a knower, there is something to be known. This is what is seen by this child of the Lord. But the viśeṣa, the Lord said, is without characteristics (alakṣaṇa). In my mind, it ceases to be without characteristics. Please sever this doubt of this child of the Lord.” Thus were the words of the venerable Vṛhaspati.

The Lord answered, saying: “The Conscious Principle does not stand in the ‘without characteristics’ state, if it is the supreme Conscious Principle (paramārthacetana). That is why there are three kinds of cetana, as was spoken of before. That is the core, the root of all the tattvas: Paramaśivatattva, Sadāśivatattva, and Śivatattva. Śivatattva is happiness without a return to suffering. Sadāśivatattva is happiness without beginning or end. Paramaśivatattva is formless happiness that cannot be grasped, that is wrongly defined. But I am like a madman speaking of this, my son, for it is not clear to the mind of a human. For their nature is to have little knowledge (kiñcidjñāna); their knowledge is small, their vision is narrow, their life is short, their delusion and defilements are great. Yet they are clever in their own minds, and they debate the tattva up to the limit of their knowledge. Because of their cleverness, their conviction about the knowledge of reality is pleasing to them. They claim it as their own. That is why their knowledge is obstructed. Such is the nature of what is called a human being, their inferiority to the gods. But you, my son Vṛhaspati, because you are a mendicant in heaven, do not be hasty, do not disparage this knowledge. For it is unthinkable, supremely profound, and difficult to attain, this goal of the mendicant’s life. As for your tattva, it is called ātmatattva. The cetana is what is conscious; the māyātattva is what it is conscious of. For the māyātattva is empty, void, transparent, and ungraspable. That is why it is called māyā. What you called viśeṣa earlier, that is why it is called māyātattva. ‘How so?’ you ask. Māyā is the name for a heavy mind, because it veils the power of the holy puruṣa. What is this power? It is being all-knowing and all-doing. The power of the puruṣa is lost because it pervades māyā. That is the mark of māyātattva in the end. However, what is called māyātattva becomes clear. The child of māyātattva is what is called pradhānatattva. It is the gross form of māyātattva. Its manifestation is what causes the holy puruṣa to forget. Because it is made to forget by pradhānatattva, that is why the soul is called puruṣa. Why? Because puru śete. Puru means fortress; the pradhānatattva is the fortress of the soul. Śete means the soul sleeps therein. That is why the soul is puruṣa. That is what you called ‘conscious’. It is called cetana-saṃsāra (consciousness in the cycle of rebirth). But what you called viśeṣa is free from māyātattva, and even more so from pradhānatattva. That is why it is without characteristics, unable to be grasped. Therefore, be careful. Do not be hasty. He is the essence of your life, not far from your own knowledge. That is your means of finding Him.” Thus spoke the Lord.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied:

What is the path, the means, the knowledge? What is the supreme austerity and vow? O Śiva, having revered the supreme, you must explain this to me in truth. || 51

“By the Lord’s command, what then is the correct path of knowledge, the means for finding what is called the holy viśeṣa, so that He may be attained? What is the nature of the austerity and vows? Have compassion on this child of the Lord, teach me truly the path of austerity and vows.” Thus were the words of the venerable Vṛhaspati.

The Lord answered, saying: “How exceedingly divine is your question, my son. Here are the means for finding the holy viśeṣa, the paramārtha.

From the pre-eminence of knowledge, mokṣa is attained; from the path of non-contact with the senses, and from the destruction of the fault of craving—it is obtained from these three causes. || 52

The means are of three kinds, which must be accomplished by one who desires liberation. Jñānābhyudreka is the name for knowing all the tattvas. Indriyāyogamārga is the name for not lingering on the objects of the senses. Tṛṣṇadoṣākṣaya is the name for eliminating the fruit of good and evil karma. These three must be accomplished. The way to accomplish them is this: Grasp its center! It is like a net: when the center is pulled, all its meshes and lead weights follow. So it is with knowledge; if you grasp its core, all else is gathered in. If you ask what this is, it is the Conscious Principle that must be made manifest in knowledge. ‘Manifest’ means it is never extinguished, not blind in the darkness, not obscured by the means of knowledge, eternally aware, and unobscured. For that is the body of the Lord, directly perceived within your own body. That is what you must magnify through constant practice, for it is its nature that when it is practiced, the Conscious Principle that is practiced will certainly bear the fruit of Śivatattva.

The venerable Vṛhaspati replied, saying: “There is another position that this child of the Lord has heard. Life exists because of the assembly of the body; it is this that brings existence into being. The proof is this: when a person is ill, or even attacked or poisoned, the pain they feel is different from their body, yet it is their body’s pain. This is what causes what is called death. What is called death is simply disappearance, without a remainder. This is the proof that the body is able to bring life into being. The ultimate truth is this: the one who is living is the one who suffers in the cycle of rebirth. The one who is dead is liberated, because they are truly gone and feel no more pain. Such is the statement of this other position. By the Lord’s command.”

The Lord answered: “Do not speak of this in the assembly. Such a position is shameful. How much can the eye see, if only what is seen is presented as evidence? What then is this ‘death’ if there is no rebirth? What of the good and evil karma they have performed? Is it all without consequence, as you say? Here is the holy sun, which is directly perceived. You know its origin and its setting. It rises in the east and sets in the west. But if you were to say, ‘The one that rose last night is the one that rises now,’ and if you were to say, ‘It returns on its path,’ if you see it going east, do you also see it returning? Is it directly perceived by you? Or if you were to say, ‘No, the one that rose last night is not the one that rises now,’ then why is its appearance the same? It is unchanged, it is the same. Where do you see the assembly of suns? Where do you know their number? That is why you are of two minds, saying it is not the same. But you do not truly know all of this. That is why the means of knowledge—what is seen and the one who sees—is not sufficient. That is the position of a human being, and its inversion is extreme. It is a delusion, a darkness without a guiding light. Moreover, in the light of day, they speak whatever is pleasing to their mouths. This is the reason for the analogy of the means of knowledge, if it is belittled in relation to the sacred teachings. For the teachings are the measure of speech, so that one does not doubt this knowledge. Therefore, my son Vṛhaspati, be careful. Do not be agitated by words that question the means of knowledge, for the nature of these sacred teachings is to be layered upon the means of knowledge.

At the time of what is called death, my son, the soul is only separated from the five gross elements in the body. Only what is gross disappears. The soul is eternal and does not move, for the entire world is filled by the soul. That is why the soul has a destination. The five subtle elements (pañcatanmātra) become its body, along with the ten sense faculties (daśendriya), the intellect (buddhi), mind (manah), I-maker (ahaṅkāra), and the qualities of sattva, rajas, and tamas. And before that, passion (rāga), hatred (dveṣa), delusion (moha), and all the karmic latencies (karmavāsanā)—all of these cling to the soul. The five subtle elements become its body. Such is the body of the soul at the time of death. Why is it born again? Because its mind-stuff (citta) has already clung to its body. The proof is that there is no living person who is not attached to the objects of the senses. The four animal instincts are: eating, sleeping, fear, and sex (āhārānidrābhayamaithuna). They desire to have a wife, to have a husband. They are all afraid of death and of suffering. They desire to eat and drink. They are attached to pleasure. Such is the nature of humanity. That mind-stuff in the body, being of such a nature, bears no fruit in its consciousness, for all the latencies are pressed into the soul. In the end, it is not born again. However, the mendicant is able to abandon the sense objects, as does the master of yoga (yogīśvara). They will certainly find liberation. But because the five subtle elements that form the body of the soul are small, it is called the sūkṣmaśarīra (subtle body). That is the body of the soul. It has this body in the world of hell, and there it experiences suffering, if its deeds as a human were evil. That is the reason it falls into hell. If its deeds as a human were good, that is the reason it has a body in heaven, and it experiences pleasure. If its deeds as a human were neither evil nor good, that is the reason it is born as a human again. If it is free from the evil and good deeds it performed as a human, it finds the life of a mendicant. It is able to perform the vows of the Lord. But if it does not know the state of a master of yoga during its life, and it dies, it is born again. It is then that it finds the state of a master of yoga. This one is superior among mendicants.

There are three kinds of mendicants. They are: the Karma practitioner, the Jñāna practitioner, and the Yogī.

The Karma Practitioner This is one whose vow is in action. He performs worship, fire sacrifices, and chanting for a very long time. If he is in a hermitage, his work is to plant things. The fruit of his planting is what he offers to the Lord and to guests. That is what is called the Karma practitioner.

The Jñāna Practitioner He knows that he is the body of the deity, and that he is the body of the reality of the universe. He knows the knowledge that is clear and pure, which is the seat of the Lord within the body. Therefore, he remains still, performing no worship, no fire sacrifices, no offerings, and no bustling activity. He is content in his knowledge. He does not do many things. He is focused only on the Conscious Principle at all times, for he is content in his knowledge that the ultimate is special, cannot be defined, and is wrongly explained. That is why there are three means of knowledge. They are: from the guru (gurutah), from the scriptures (śāstratah), and from oneself (svatah). Gurutah means the teachings of the guru. Śāstratah means the teachings that have the scriptures as their means. Svatah means that it is in one’s own body that one finds the holy ultimate. That is the method of the master of yoga. This is what is called the center of the net, which I taught you before.

The Yogī Now, this is what is called yoga. There are six kinds of yoga, which are called ṣaḍaṅgayoga (six-limbed yoga).

Pratyāhāra and also dhyāna, prāṇāyāma and dhāraṇa, and tarka as well as samādhi—this is called the six-limbed yoga. || 53

Such is what is called ṣaḍaṅgayoga. It is the means for one who desires to find the holy ultimate. Steady your mind. Do not be confused as you listen to this sacred teaching. There is pratyāhārayoga, dhyānayoga, prāṇāyāmayoga, dhāraṇayoga, tarkayoga, and samādhiyoga. Such is what is called ṣaḍaṅgayoga.

Now, this is what is called pratyāhārayoga:

Withdrawing the senses from their objects, from the objects of the senses, with effort, by means of a tranquil mind, is called pratyāhāra. || 54

All the senses are withdrawn from their objects. The mind-stuff (citta), intellect (buddhi), and mind (manah) are not allowed to wander. They are guarded by a clear mind-stuff. That is what is called pratyāhārayoga.

Without duality, without modification, tranquil, and also unmoving, that form which one meditates on constantly, that is said to be dhyāna. || 55

The knowledge is without duality, without modification. Its nature is a content stillness. It is aware at all times, unobscured. That is what is called dhyānayoga.

Having closed all the gates, the vital air is restrained within. Piercing the crown of the head with the vital air, it is called prāṇāyāma. || 56

All the gates must be closed: the eyes, nose, mouth, and ears. The vital air that was previously inhaled is then released through the crown of the head. However, if one is not practiced in the vital air going there, it may be released through the nose. But release the vital air little by little. That is what is called prāṇāyāmayoga.

Placing the OṀ in the heart, absorbed in the tattva, of the nature of Śiva, because the OṀ is held, it is indeed called dhāraṇa. || 57

There is the sound of OṀ situated in the heart. That is what must be held. If it disappears and is no longer heard at the time of yoga, that is what is called śivātmā (the soul of Śiva). The body of Lord Śiva is void in that state. That is what is called dhāraṇayoga.

Like space is that form, space is continuous and steadfast. One should constantly investigate that which is soundless; that is said to be tarka. || 58

The holy ultimate reality is said to be like space (ākāśa). But it is different from space, for there is no sound in Him. That is the meaning of the ultimate reality. He is like a clear emptiness. That is what is called tarkayoga.

Without expectation, without conception, without craving, tranquil, immutable, one should constantly contemplate the uncharacterizable; by that it is called samādhi. || 59

The knowledge is without expectation, without conception. It has no desire, it has no goal. It is just clear and unobscured, without cessation. The Conscious Principle has no substance, for it has ceased to be conscious of the body, freed from the caturkalpanā (the fourfold conception). The fourfold conception is: the knower and the known, the means of knowing and the one who knows. All of this is absent for the master of yoga. That is what is called samādhiyoga.

Such is what is called ṣaḍaṅgayoga, which is the knowledge of the wise. That is why the holy ultimate is found. This state of a master of yoga is protected by the daśaśīla (the ten virtues).

Ahiṃsā, brahmacarya, and satya, non-worldliness, and non-stealing—these five are the restraints (yama) spoken by Rudra. || 60

Non-anger, service to the guru, purity, lightness of food, and non-heedlessness—these five are declared the observances (niyama). || 61

Ahiṃsā is not killing. Brahmacarya is not desiring to marry. Satya is not speaking falsely. Avyavahārika is not engaging in disputes, not buying and selling, not judging good and bad. Astainya is not stealing, not taking the property of another if it is not given by both sides. Akrodha is not being quick to anger. Guruśuśrūṣā is devotion to the guru. Śauca is constantly chanting and purifying the body. Āhāralāghava is not being heavy in what is eaten. Apramāda is not being negligent. Focus this life as a means to practice yogasamādhi. Do not delay. Accomplish the means. The means is the path of yoga, with the daśaśīla as its foundation. The daśaśīla establishes the yoga. This is what is called the situated and the situation. One who is diligent in accomplishing these two, virtue (śīla) and knowledge (jñāna), is one who is not heedless. Such is what is called the daśaśīla, the protection for the master of yoga in his samādhi.

It is there that the master of yoga finds such a knowledge. That is what is called the tūryapada (the fourth state). The knowledge is found, free from the body, free from the māyātattva. That is what is called the tūryāntapada (the state beyond the fourth). For there is one who is a jīvanmukta (liberated while living), liberated while still alive. For the formless is found by him at the time of samādhi. Why then does his body not disappear? Because the karmic latencies follow, not yet exhausted, while being burned by the fire of yoga (yogavahni). Here is the way to eliminate the impurities. The waking state (jāgratpada) meets with the fourth state (tūryapada). At the meeting of these two, there are the seven limbs, the seven fires, and the seven nectars.

The Saptāṅga (Seven Limbs) are:

Earth, and then water, fire and also air, space, intellect, and mind—listen, this is called the seven limbs. || 62

Earth, water, fire, air, space, intellect, and mind. That is what is called the seven limbs.

Now, the Saptāgni (Seven Fires) are:

The smeller, the taster, the seer, the feeler, and the hearer, the conceiver and the knower as well, listen—this is called the seven fires. || 63

Ghrātā is the one who smells. Rasayitā is the one who tastes the six tastes. Draṣṭā is the one who sees. Spraṣṭā is the one who feels. Śrotā is the one who hears. Mantā is the one who conceives. Boddhā is the one who knows. Such is what is called the seven fires. Such are the kinds of tattva known by the master of yoga, which is the reason he is able to burn the impurities in his body.

Now, the Saptāmṛta (Seven Nectars) are:

Sound, touch, and form, and taste and smell are said to be, conception and what is to be known as well—this is called the seven nectars. || 64

Sound is heard, touch is felt, form is seen, taste is tasted, smell is smelled, conception is conceived, what is to be known is known. That is what is called the seven nectars. All of this is accomplished. This is what is known by the master of yoga, along with the karmic latencies. The meaning is this: he performs saṃyama on whatever object he conceives. Saṃyama is the name for the combined command of dhāraṇa, dhyāna, and samādhi. That is what is called saṃyama. He knows all of this with ease. That is why he is always absorbed in the Lord. Because his absorption in the Lord is continuous, constant, and unbroken, that is why the Lord becomes his body.

This god, this fire, burns the heap of sins well-accumulated. He then fulfills all wishes, for Śiva is like a wish-fulfilling gem. || 65

All the sins of the master of yoga, along with all the latencies, are burned by the Lord in the fire of Śiva (śivāgni). After the karmic latencies have disappeared, his samādhi is motionless and eternal. The Lord is motionless in him in that state. That is why he is a wish-fulfilling gem (cintāmaṇi). Whatever he desires, comes. Whatever he wishes, happens. The proof of this is that the aṣṭaiśvarya (eight lordly powers) are found by him.

Aṇimā and laghimā as well, mahimā and prāpti also, and prākāmya and īśitva, vaśitva and yatrakāmatva. || 66

There is aṇimā, laghimā, mahimā, prāpti, prākāmya, īśitva, vaśitva, and yatrakāmāvasāyitva.

Now, this is what is called aṇimā (the power of minuteness):

As the body becomes extremely subtle, having abandoned the gross at will, he of three bodies, aṇimā, goes forth; by this he is called ‘aṇimā’. || 67

His gross body becomes small. ‘Small’ means he is able to make the ignorant know. He can enter and exit like a child diving in water. So too can the master of yoga enter and exit the earth. His movement is unobscured. If he encounters a mountain or a great stone, he passes through it without leaving a trace, his body disappearing. That is what is called aṇimā.

Now, this is what is called laghimā (the power of lightness):

What was formerly heavy, having abandoned that in an instant, the body becomes light as cotton at will; thus this is laghimā. || 68

His body was heavy at first, but in the end it is as light as cotton. That is why the master of yoga can go wherever he wishes. If he goes to heaven, to the seven continents, to the seven netherworlds, he can circle the entirety of the cosmic egg. He has mastery over whatever destination he wishes. That is what is called laghimā.

Now, this is what is called mahimā (the power of greatness):

Wherever he goes at will, there he is honored according to his will. Because he is worshipped everywhere, by that it is called mahimā. || 69

He travels to other lands, and he is worshipped, revered, and given all enjoyments and food, for he is of great authority. That is what is called mahimā.

Now, this is what is called prāpti (the power of attainment):

As if from a treasury, he obtains the object he has gone to. For the attainment of all things, the name here is prāpti everywhere. || 70

Whatever the master of yoga wishes for, any object, it simply comes, not sought, not asked for. If he desires any object, when the assembly of karmic latencies comes to bear fruit as happiness for him, it is then that he enjoys that happiness. Because of his knowledge of how to stop the fruit of karma, he can manifest a thousand bodies (sahasradeha). His thousand bodies all enjoy heaven at once, every kind of thing he enjoys. Whether it is a beautiful woman, or enjoyments, secondary enjoyments, and tertiary enjoyments. After he has enjoyed them, he is detached, not bound by the fruit of his good deeds. That is what is called prāpti.

Now, this is what is called prākāmya (the power of fulfilling desires):

The form made by the self is obtained by the self. Whatever form is made at will, that is declared prākāmya. || 71

The master of yoga can assume any form at will. Whatever form he wishes for—whether a god, a human, or an animal—all of these he can become, as his manifestation. That is what is called prākāmya.

Now, this is what is called īśitva (the power of lordship):

If he always goes to the realms of Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Indra, and Sūrya, for the sake of devotion favorable to the gods, the name īśitva is spoken. || 72

If he goes on a pleasure trip to the celestial realms, he is able to command Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Indra, and Sūrya in their heavens, and even more so the entire host of gods. For the Lord, the master, is in the master of yoga. That is why he has authority over all the gods. That is what is called īśitva.

Now, this is what is called vaśitva (the power of control):

Wherever there is control, from control comes the ability to go where one wills. || 73

He is able to command all the gods, to send them on errands, for he possesses the entire world. If they do not obey him, [he can compel them]. That is what is called vaśitva.

Now, this is what is called yatrakāmāvasāyitva (the power of irresistible will):

The will to go with the body is yatrakāmāvasāyitva. || 74b

It is then that he, in his own body, can punish the gods, humans, and animals—whoever transgresses against him. That is what is called yatrakāmāvasāyitva.

Such is what is called the aṣṭaiśvarya, which are all the fruits of the state of a master of yoga.

If the samādhi of the master of yoga is intense, the tattvas below the pradhānatattva are burned, up to the triguṇatattva. They are consumed by his samādhi. He then encounters the upasarga (obstacles/disturbances) of the triguṇa. They possess the master of yoga, manifesting to create hindrances. They are as follows: there is one called Vision, one called Hearing, one called Knowing, and one called Smell. The one called Vision is when something like the form of a god is seen at the time of yoga. The one called Hearing is when a subtle sound is heard, which feels like a boon of perfection being granted at the time of yoga. Another is when much knowledge is found by him at the time of yoga; he suddenly becomes wise, knowing the meaning of a scripture without having studied it. That is the one called Knowing. There is something like the fragrant scent of a king that is smelled in the nose at the time of yoga. That is the one called Smell. All of these are called the obstacles of sattva.

Now, these are the obstacles of rajas. There is a feeling as if his body is being swayed, in his perception at the time of yoga. There is a feeling as if his body is being lifted up. There is a feeling as if his body is being snapped in two. There is a feeling as if his body is being thrown. There is a feeling as if his body is being chased. There is a feeling as if he is being tossed up and down. There is a feeling of being as light as cotton. All of these are the obstacles of rajas.

Now, these are the obstacles of tamas. There is a feeling of being seized or held tight in his body at the time of yoga. There is a feeling as if his body is heavy. There is a feeling of cold in his body. There is a feeling as if his body is overcome by weariness. There is a perception of darkness. There is a contrary dizziness, and his consciousness becomes like forgetfulness. All of these are the obstacles of tamas.

If such obstacles are encountered by him at the time of yoga, he must be careful. He must apply external remedies: warming himself by a fire, anointing himself with oil, eating warming foods, applying warm poultices. For this is called the remedy for the obstacles. That is why he must separate his body and his knowledge from the external medicine. When he has recovered, he should return to the practice of yoga. Let the samādhi be free from the body. Do not be conscious of the body. Do not be conscious of the knowledge that is conscious of the body, for that is what is called the cycle of rebirth. That is the path, my son Vṛhaspati. OṀ.

Thus the Vṛhaspatitattva is complete.