1. Previously, the listeners asked, "How many days does it take for one to become liberated?" The listeners are now asked to listen to the reply while remaining alert.
2. What is meant by liberation? Who should be called liberated? How does one become liberated in the company of saints?
3. Alright then, bondage means that one is tied down, and liberation means that one is free. Listen now to the explanation about how one becomes liberated in the company of saints.
4. Living beings are only bound by desires and the concept that one is a limited individual being (jiva). One becomes liberated by the sages by means of the power of discrimination.
5. Holding firm to the determination that one is a separate individual over a long time, the living being has become small because of body-consciousness (misidentification with the body).
6. One thinks, "I am a separate individual. For me there is bondage. I have a birth and death. I shall suffer the fruits of actions that I have done.
7. The fruits of wrongful deeds are sorrowful, and the fruits of good deeds are pleasurable. I must certainly experience the fruits of my sins and merits."
8. Like this one's concepts become so fixed that the sufferings of sins and merits cannot be escaped, and that a return to the womb is inevitable.
9. This is what is termed as bondage. The idea of being an individual makes one feel bound. It is like the silkworm that dies in its own cocoon.
10. Like this, the living being is ignorant and does not have the knowledge of God, and does not become liberated from birth and death.
11. One thinks, "Now I shall do some charity that will be beneficial for the next life. With that charity my worldly life will be better.
12. Before I did not do any charity and therefore got poverty. Now, at least I will do something charitable.
13. I will give away the old clothing and one copper coin, and then I shall receive back a thousandfold later."
14. Having heard about the greatness of giving in charity at great pilgrimage places, one goes there thinking of a thousandfold returns.
15. By giving a donation of a coin or two, and by feeding a pilgrim a piece of bread, one thinks that some great amount of food provisions will be received in return many times over.
16. Like this, one imagines about future returns. In this way, the living being becomes entangled in the desire to be born again.
17. Understand that one who imagines that, "Whatever I give now, I will reap in the next life," is bound in ignorance.
18. Only after many lives does one acquire a human body. If one does not gain Self-Knowledge on the true path in this life, the return to the womb cannot be avoided.
19. To return to the womb of the human body is not always possible, and it may happen suddenly that one has to suffer life in a lower species again.
20. Thus, the conviction that has been told in many scriptures and by many people is that to get a human body in this world appearance is very rare.
21. Only if there is a balance of virtuous and non-virtuous deeds does one acquire a human body, otherwise human birth is not possible. This is the statement of Vyasa muni in the Srimad Bhagavatam (an ancient Hindu scripture, one of the Puranas).
22. The human body is rare, and is obtained by some desire. If the Sadguru is the captain of the ship it becomes possible for one to be content.
23. God does not favor one who us not virtuous. Such a human being cannot go beyond the worldly life. He is considered to be committing suicide.
24. Without Self-Knowledge human beings remain in the cycle of birth and death in the 8.4 million species. He must die many times, therefore he is said to be one who is committing suicide.
25. Without gaining Self-Knowledge in the human body one cannot escape the cycle of birth and death, and one must endure miserable suffering being born into many lower species.
26. Bear, monkey, dog, pig, horse, bull, buffalo, donkey, crow, cock, fox, cat, chameleon, frog and fly are some of the species.
27. Not having Self-Knowledge, one has to suffer through all of these lowly births. Only a foolish person holds on to hopes for the next life.
28. Such a one shamelessly hopes that once this human body falls dead that he will get a human birth again.
29. Who can be sure that he has so much accumulation of virtue that he will once again obtain a human body? Such a one is seen to be holding to false hopes for the next life.
30. Like this, the ignorant foolish people create their own bondage by desire. They become their own enemy in this life.
31. Such is the bondage of desires. Understand that it breaks in the company of saints. Listen, and I shall tell the signs of keeping good company.
32. The body along with the entirety of the animate and inanimate creation is made up of the five elements which act according to their various natures in this world appearance.
33. The bodies, the states of mind, the states of ego, along with the organs, the enjoyments, the degrees of AUM, the attributes (gunas), and the powers, are all categorized into four main categories.
The four bodies: Gross body, subtle body, causal body, and great causal body.
The four states of mind: Waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and Turya.
The four states of Ego: Physical body, subtle body, casual body, and great casual body.
The four places: eyes, throat, heart and head.
Four senses of enjoyment: Physical, selective, desire for joy, and the subtle semblance of joy.
The four degrees: Aum: The generator, the sustainer, the destroyer, the all pervasive.
The four attributes: Sattva, Rajas, Tamas, and Pure Sattva.
The four powers: Action, matter, will, and wisdom.
Together, these make 32 in all. This is described again in detail in Chapter 17, Sub-chapter 9 of this book.
34. The organization of the body and universe is like this. Its expanse is increased by imagination. Asserting knowledge of these principles, many have become confused by various opinions.
35. There are many differences of opinion which only increase arguments. Only the sages truly understand how to discuss all of this as non-duality.
36. The primary indication of this dialogue is that the body is made up of the five elements. Understand that the Self is the cause of the body.
37. In the end, the body is destroyed, so it cannot be called the Self. It is a combination of the principle elements which are found to be present in the form of the body.
38. The scriptures state that the subtle body is composed of intellect, mind, thoughts, ego, and inner-mind (antahkarana), the five life energies or pranas, the five action organs, and the five sense organs along with the five objects of the senses. This should be understood with subtle discrimination.
39. With subtle investigation and clear seeing, the subtle body becomes purified and one can know that the inner-mind, mind, and intellect are its principle elements, while the Self is altogether different.
40. For the human being, there are four bodies; gross, subtle, casual, and great casual, and at the level of the universe there are four corresponding bodies called the 1) the gross physical universe, or Virat body (2) the universal life energy, or Hiranya body, (3) the unmanifest causal, or Avyakruta body, and (4) and the Primal Illusion, or Moola Prakriti body. Understand these to be the eight bodies.
41. There are four bodies associated the human body, and four bodies of the universe, which are the well known eight bodies. Together with the original unmanifest and manifest male and female principles (Purusha and Prakriti) these make ten bodies in all.
42. The signs of the various principle elements are described like this. The Self is the extraordinary witness, the doer of all activity, and the cause of the visible.
43. The individual (jiva) and God (Shiva), as well as the physical body and the universe, are all the commotion of Illusion and ignorance. There is a great deal that can be said about this, however, it should be known that the Self is different from all this.
44. If we investigate, we can find what are called the four categories of Self. Listen to their signs and retain what has been heard.
45. The first is the Individual Self (Jivatma), the second is the God Self (Shivatma), the third is the Self that is beyond the universe (Paramatma), and fourth is the Self that is unrelated to anything (Nirmalatma). These are the four categories of Self.
46. These appear to be different, and superior or inferior, but really all four are only one Self. I shall explain this with a simile. Listen with alertness.
47. There is the space in a pot, the space in the room, the space outside the room, and space that is Brahman which is beyond the appearance of the universe. However, all of these together comprise only one space.
48. In the same way, the individual Self, the God Self, the Self beyond, and the unalloyed Self all together make up only one Self.
49. There is space that is occupying the pot (Ghatakasha), and similarly there is that aspect of Brahman which is occupying the physical body called the individual Self (Jivatma).
50. There is space that is occupying the room (Mathakasha), and similarly the aspect of Brahman that is occupying the universe is called the Self as God (Shivatma).
51. There is space that is outside of the room (Mahakasha) and similarly, there is that aspect of Brahman which is beyond the universal appearance which is called the Self that is beyond (Paramatma).
52. Lastly, there is the space that is unalloyed with anything (Chidakasha), and similarly, the pure unalloyed Self without any attributes (Nirmalatma), is the Supreme God, and is nameless.
53. Because of the different names, the space appears to be different, however it is really undifferentiated. Similarly, the Self is One, full with bliss.
54. Inside and outside of all visible things is the subtle Self which is always present. Event the great serpent Shesha was not able to describe its greatness with a thousand mouths.
55. When the Self is understood in this way, it is seen that there is no separately existing individual, and one's identity is known to be undifferentiated being, free of all labels and attributes.
56. Believing oneself to be an individual, one feels separate. With this sense of individuality or ego, one suffers birth. How can there be any birth for the one who sees clearly using the power of discrimination?
57. Understand that escaping from the birth and death cycle is what is called liberation. Through investigation and analysis of the principle elements, the Reality is realized.
58. One's Self is Reality itself. This is the meaning of the great statement, "I Am That" from the Vedas. The saints give clear explanations from their own experience.
59. The very moment that one receives initiation and instruction, at that same moment, liberation takes place. One cannot speak of any bondage for the Self.
60. Now the doubt has been cleared, and the skeptical attitude has been discarded. In the company of saints, one becomes liberated immediately.
61. The one who was bound in the dream is made free by waking up, and it is with knowledge and discrimination that human beings become liberated.
62. When the night of ignorance comes to an end, the sorrow arising from desires is destroyed, and one immediately becomes liberated.
63. To break the bondage of the dream, no additional spiritual practice is required other than to wake-up.
64. Similarly, for one who has the concept of being an individual, there is no other remedy than clear seeing. By using the power of discrimination, bondage disappears.
65. Without using discrimination, all efforts that are made only become tiresome. Using the power of discrimination, one sees clearly that oneself is the Self alone.
66. In the Self, there is no bondage or liberation, and there is no birth and no death taking place.