CHAPTER LIII. THE RATIONAL RAPTURE OF UDDÁLAKA.
Project Gutenberg EPUB edition
Valmiki and Mitra, Viharilala
40. So the heart also is as quiet as the intellect, both at first and in the end; and remains immerged in itself, both when it exists in the body or not. What then if it heaves for a little while in the midst? (i.e., the palpitation of the heart between its prior and latter states of inaction).
41. As it comes to pass in our dreams, and in our deluded sights, of marvellous things; and as it happens in the giddiness of ebriety, and in our journeying in boats:—
42. And as it turns out in cases of our vitiated humours, and delusion of senses, and also in cases of extreme joy and grief, and under some defect of the mind or body:—
43. That some objects come to sight, and others disappear from it; and that some appear to be smaller or larger than they are and others to be moving; so do all these objects of our vision, appear and disappear from our sight in the course of time.
44. O my heart! all thy conduct is of the same nature, at the different times, of thy joy and grief; that it makes the long of short and the short of long; as the short space of a single night, becomes as tedious to separated lovers as an age; and an age of joyous affluence as short as a moment.
45. Or it is my long habit of thinking that makes the untruth appear as truth to me; and like the mirage of the desert, our mirage of life, presents its falsehoods as realities unto us.
46. All things that we see in the phenomenal world are unrealities in their nature; and as the mind comes to know the nothingness of things, it feels in itself its nothingness also.
47. As the mind becomes impressed with certainty, of the unsubstantiality of external objects; its desire of worldly enjoyments fade away, like the fading verdure of autumn.
48. When the mind comes to see the pure soul by means of its intellectual light, it gets itself ridden of its temporal exertions; and being thereby freed from its passions and affections, it rests with its calm composure in itself.
49. And the heart attains its perfect purity, when, by compressing its members of sensational organs, it casts itself into the flame of the supreme soul, where all its dross is burnt away.
50. As the hero boldly faces his death, with the thought of his ascending to heaven, by fighting bravely in battle, so the mind conquers all impediments by casting off all its worldly desires and attachments.
51. The mind is the enemy of the body, and so is the latter an enemy of the former (because the growth of the one puts down the vigour of the other); but they both die away without the half of each other, and for want of desire which supports them both.
52. Owing to their mutual hostilities, and their passions and affections towards each other, it is better to eradicate and destroy both of them, for our attainment of supreme bliss. (As the control of the body and mind leads to temporal happiness, so the utter extinction of both, is the means to spiritual bliss).
53. The existence of either of these (i.e. of the body or mind) after death is as incapable of heavenly felicity, as it is for an aerial fairy to fare on earth. (i.e., neither the body nor mind survives one’s death, as it is believed by many; and even if it does, its gross nature would not permit it to enjoy the pure spiritual felicity of heaven).
54. When these things (the body and mind), that are naturally repugnant and opposed to one another, meet together in any place or person, there is a continued clashing of their mutual mischiefs, like the crashing of conflicting arms.
55. The base man that has a liking for this world of conflicts is like one left to burn in a conflagration of showering flames.
56. The mind stout with its avaricious desires loads the body with labour, and feeds upon its precious life, as a ghost-yaksha preys upon the body of a boy.
57. The body being harassed and oppressed with toil, attempts to stop and stay the mind; as an impious son intends to kill his father, when he finds him to stand an open foe to his life. (It is lawful to kill an enemy of one’s life for self-defence). जघांशन्तं जिघांशियात ।
58. There is no one who of his nature is a foe or friend to another; but becomes a friend to one that is friendly to him, and a foe to him that deals inimically unto him.
स्वभावान्नकश्चित्कस्यचिन्मित्रं नकश्चित कस्यचिद्रिपुः ।
ब्यवहारोणजानन्तिमित्राणि रिपवस्तथा ॥
59. The body being put to pain attempts to kill the mind; and the mind is ever intent to make the body the receptacle of its afflictions. (The intimate connection of the body and mind causes them to participate in one another’s pains).
60. What good then can possibly accrue to us from the union of the body and mind, which are repugnant to one another, and which of their own nature can never be reconciled together.
61. The mind being weakened, the body has no pain to undergo; wherefore the body is always striving to weaken the mind.
62. The body, whether it is alive or dead, is subjected to all sorts of evils by its hostile mind, unless it is brought under the subjection of reason. (i.e. The unreasonable mind is an enemy of the body).
63. When both the body and mind become stout and strong, they join together to break all bonds, as the lake and rainwater join together to overflow on the banks.
64. Though both of them are troublesome to us in their different natures, yet their union to one end is beneficial to us, as the co-operation of fire and water is for the purpose of cooking.
65. When the weak mind is wasted and worn out, the body also becomes weakened and languid; but the mind being full, the body is flushed like a flourishing arbor, shooting forth with verdure.
66. The body pines away with its weakened desires, and at the weakness of the mind; but the mind never grows weak at the weakness of the body; therefore the mind requires to be curbed and weakened by all means.
67. I must therefore cut down the weed wood of my mind, with the trees of my desires and the plants of my thirstiness; and, having reclaimed thereby a large tract of land, rove about at my pleasure.
68. After my egoism is lost, and the net of my desires is removed, my mind will regain its calm and clearness, like the sky after dispersion of the clouds at the end of the rainy weather.
69. It is of no matter to me whether this body of mine, which is a congeries of my humours, and a great enemy of mine, should waste away or last, after the dissolution of my mind.
70. That for which this body of mine craves its enjoyments is not mine, nor do I belong to it; what is the good therefore of bodily pleasure to me? (When I have to leave this body and that pleasure also for ever).
71. It is certain that I am not myself the body, nor is the body mine in any way; just as a corpse with all its parts entire, is no body at all. (The personality of man, belongs to his mind and not to his person).
72. Therefore I am something beside this body of mine, and that is everlasting and never setting in its glory; it is by means of this that I have that light in me, whereby I perceive the luminous sun in the sky.
73. I am neither ignorant of myself, nor subject to misery, nor am I the dull unintelligent body, which is subject to misery. My body may last or not, I am beyond all bodily accidents.
74. Where there is the soul or self, there is neither the mind, nor senses nor desire of any kind; as the vile Pamaras never reside in the contiguity of princes. (Mahibhretas mean mountains also).
75. I have attained to that state in which I have surpassed all things; and it is the state of my solity, my extinction, my indivisibility, and my want of desires.
76. I am now loosened from the bonds of my mind, body and the senses, as the oil which is extracted from the seeds of sesamum, and separated from the sediments.
77. I walk about freely in this state of my transcendentalism, and my mind which is disjoined from the bonds of the body considers its members as its dependent instruments and accompaniments.