CHAPTER CLXXXVI. Demonstration of all nature (and thing) as Brahma himself.
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Valmiki and Mitra, Viharilala
40. The intellect alone is assimilated into all these substances, which have substantiality of their own; whatever is seen without it, is like its visionary dream, or as the forms of jewelleries made of the substance of gold. (i.e. The intellect is the intrinsic essence of all external substances).
41. As the same water of the one universal ocean, appears different in different places; and in its multifarious forms of waves and billows; so doth the divine intellect exhibit the various forms of visibles in itself. (i.e. Nothing is without or different from the divine essence).
42. As the fluid body of waters, rolls on incessantly in sundry shapes within the basin of the great deep; so do these multitudes of visible things, which are inherent in and identic with the divine intellect, glide on forever in its fathomless bosom.
43. All these worlds are situated as statues, or they are engraved as sculptures in the aerial column of the divine intellect; and are alike immovable and without any motion of theirs through all eternity.
44. We see the situation of the world, in the vacuous space of our consciousness; as we see the appearances of things in our airy dreams. We find moreover everything transfixed in its own sphere and place, and continuing in its own state, without any change of its position or any alteration in its nature. (The invariable course of nature, is not the fortuitous production of blind chance).
45. The exact conformity of everything in this world, with its conception in the mind of man, with respect to their invariable equality in form and property, proves their identity with one another, or the relation of one being the container of the other. (i.e. The mind is either same with or container of the world).
46. There is no difference between the phenomenal and noumenal worlds, as there ＜is＞ none between those in our dream and imagination. They are in fact, the one and same thing, as the identity of the waters, contained in tanks, rivers and seas, and between the curse and blessing of gods.
47. Ráma said:—Tell me sir, whether a curse or blessing, is the effect of any prior cause or the causation of subsequent consequences; and whether it ＜is＞ possible for any effect to take place without its adequate causality. (Here is a long legend of the transformation of Nundi and Nahusha given in illustration of this passage in the commentary).
48. Vasishtha replied:—It is the manifestation of the clear firmament of the divine intellect in itself, that is styled as the world; just as the appearance and motion of waters in the great deep, is termed the ocean and its current.
49. The revolution of the eternal thoughts of the divine mind, resembles the rolling waves of the deep; and these are termed by sages, as the will or volitions of the ever wilful mind of God.
50. The clear minded soul comes in course of time, to regard this manifestation of the divine will, in its true spiritual light; by means of its habitual meditation and reasoning, as well as by cause of its natural good disposition and evenness of mind.
51. The wise man possest of consummate wisdom and learning, becomes acquainted with the true knowledge of things; his understanding becomes wholly intellectual, and sees all things in their abstract and spiritual light; and is freed from the false view of duality (or materiality).
52. The philosophic intellect, which is unclouded by prejudice, is the true form of the Great Brahma himself; who shines perspicuous in our consciousness, and has no other body besides.
53. The enlightened soul sees this whole plenitude of creation, as the display of the Divine Will alone; and as the exhibition of the tranquil and transparent soul of the Divinity, and naught otherwise.
54. This manifestation of the Divine Will, in the boundless space of the universe; likens to the aerial castle of our imagination, or the city of palaces seen in our dream.
55. This all productive will, is selfsame with the Divine Soul; and produces whatever it likes to do any place or time. (Lit. Whatever it wills, the same takes place even then and there).
56. As a boy thinks of his flinging stones, at the aerial castle of his imagination; so the Divine will is at liberty to scatter, myriads of globular balls, in the open and empty space of boundless vacuity.
57. Thus everything being the manifestation of the Divine will, in all these three worlds; there is nothing as a blessing or curse (i.e. good or evil) herein, which is distinct from the Divine Soul.
58. As we can see in our fancy, the gushing out of oil from a sandy desert; so can we imagine the coming out of the creation, from the simple will of the Divine Soul.
59. The unenlightened understanding, being never freed from its knowledge of particulars and their mutual differences: It is impossible for it to generalize good and evil, under the head of universal good. (“All partial evil is but universal good”. Pope).
60. Whatever is willed in the beginning, by the omniscience of God; the same remains unaltered at all times, unless it is altered by the same omniscient will.
61. The contraries of unity and duality, dwell together in the same manner in the formless person of Brahma; as the different members of an embodied being, remain side by side in the same person. (The knowledge of all contrarieties, blends together in omniscience. Gloss).
62. Ráma said:—Why some ascetics of limited knowledge, are so very apt to confer their blessings, as also to pour their imprecations on others; and whether they are attended with their good or bad results or not.
63. Vasishtha replied:—Whatever is disposed in the beginning, by the Divine will which subsists in Brahma; the very same comes to pass afterwards, and nothing otherwise. (Lit. there is no other principle besides).
64. Brahmá the Lord of creation, knew the Supreme Soul in himself, and thereby he became the agent of the Divine will; therefore there is no difference between them (i.e. betwixt Brahmá and Brahma); as there is none between the water and its fluidity.
65. Whatsoever the Lord of creatures—Brahmá, proposes to do at first as inspired in him by the Divine will; the same takes place immediately, and the very same is styled this world.
66. It has no support nor receptacle for itself, but appears as vacuous bubble in the great vacuity itself; and resembles the chain of pearls, fleeting before the eyes of purblind men in the open sky.
67. He willed the productions of creatures, and institution of the qualities of justice, charity and religious austerities; He stablished the Vedas and sástras, and the five system of philosophical doctrines. (Namely; the four Vedas and the Smritis, forming the five branches of sacred knowledge, and the five branches of profane learning—consisting of the Sánkhya yoga, Pátanjala, Pásupata, and Vaishnava systems. Gloss).
68. It is also ordained by the same Brahmá, that whatever the devotees-learned in the Vedas, pronounce in their calmness or dispute, the same takes place immediately (from their knowledge of the Divine will).
69. It is he that has formed the chasm of vacuum in the inactive intellect of Brahma, and filled it with the fleeting winds and heating fire; together with the liquid water and solid earth.
70. It is the nature of this intellectual principle, to think of everything in itself; and to conceive the presence of the same within it, whether it be a thought of thee or me or of anything beside (either in general or particular).
71. Whatever the vacuous intellect thinks in itself, the same it sees present before it; as our actual selves come to see, the unreal sights of things in our dreams.
72. As we see the unreal flight of stones, as realities in our imagination; so we see the false appearance of the world, as true by the will of God, and the contrivance of Brahma.
73. Whatever is thought of by the pure intellect, must be likewise of a purely intellectual nature also; and there is nothing that can do it otherwise (or convert it to grossness), as they defile the pure metal with some base alloy.
74. We are apt to have the same conceptions of things in our consciousness, as we are accustomed to consider them, and not of what we are little practiced to think upon; hence we conceive all that we see in our dreams to be true, from our like conceptions of them in our waking state. (It is thus that we conceive this purely ideal world as a gross body, from our habit of thinking so at all times).
75. It is by uniting one’s intellectuality, with the universal and divine intellect, and by the union of the subjective and objective and their perceptibility in one’s self, by means of the tripúti yoga, that we can see the world in its true light.
76. One universal and vacuous intellect, being all pervading and omnipresent, is the all seeing subject and all seen objects by itself; hence whatever is seen or known to be anywhere, is the very verity of the intellect and no other.
77. As oscillation is inherent in air, and fluidity is immanent in water; so is amplitude intrinsical in Brahma, and the plentitude is innate in the Divine mind.
78. Even I am Brahma also in his self manifest form of Virát, which embodies the whole world as its body; hence there is no difference of the world from Brahma, as there is none between air and vacuity.
79. As the drops of water as a cataract, assume many forms and run their several ways; so the endless works of nature take their various forms and courses, at different places and times.