Shiva Appears to Rama and Sita

* Shiva Appears to Rama and Sita *

“The one never became many, O Rama. When many candles are kindled from another, it is the same flame that burns in all candles; even so, the one Brahman appears to be many. When one contemplates the unreality of this diversity, he is freed from sorrow.

Jiva is nothing more than the limitation of consciousness; when the limitation goes, there is peace—even as for one who wears shoes the whole world is paved with leather. What is this world? Nothing but an appearance, even as a plantain stem is nothing but leaves. Even as liquor is able to make one see all sorts of phantoms in the empty sky, mind is able to make one see diversity in unity. Even as a drunkard sees a tree moving, the ignorant sees movement in this world.

When the mind perceives duality then there is both duality and its counterpart, which is unity. When then mind drops the perception of duality there is neither duality nor unity. When one is firmly established in the oneness of the infinite consciousness, whether he is quiet or actively engaged in work, then he is considered to be at peace with himself. When one is thus established in the supreme state, that is also known as the state of non-self, or the state of knowledge of the void or emptiness.

On account of the agitation of the mind, consciousness appears to become the object of knowledge! Then there arise in the mind all sorts of false notions like 'I am born' etc. Such knowledge is not different from the mind. Hence it is known as ignorance or delusion.

To rid oneself of the disease of this samsara or world-appearance, there is no remedy other than wisdom or self-knowledge. Knowledge alone is the cure for the wrong perception of a snake in the rope. When there is such knowledge, then there is no craving in the mind for sense-pleasure which aggravates the ignorance. Hence, if there is craving, do not fulfill it: what difficulty is there in this?

When the mind entertains notions of objects, there is agitation or movement in the mind; and when there are no objects or ideas, then there is no movement of thought in the mind. When there is movement, the world appears to be; when there is no movement, there is cessation of world-appearance. The movement of thought itself is called jiva, cause and action; that is the seed for world-appearance. Then follows the creation of the body.

On account of various causes, there is this movement of thought. Someone is freed from this in one lifetime, and someone else is freed in a thousand births. When there is movement of thought, one does not see the truth, and then there is the feeling of 'I am'. 'This is mine' etc.

The world-appearance is the waking state of consciousness; egotism is the dreaming state; the mind-stuff is the deep sleep state, and pure consciousness is the fourth state or uncontradicted truth. Beyond even this fourth state there is absolute purity of consciousness. One who is established in it goes beyond all sorrow.

The world-appearance is said to have the absolute Brahman as its cause, in just the same way as the sky (space) is the cause of the growth of a tree (since the sky does not obstruct its growth, it promotes or cause it). In fact, Brahman is not an active causative factor, and this is revealed by inquiry, Even as one digging the solid earth finds empty space as he continues to dig, when the inquiry is continued, you will find the truth that all this is none other than infinite consciousness.”