THE SELF IS THE FOURTH-ONE
TUREEYAM
25.Q:Then, the deep-sleep is not a state, isn’t it?
A: Yes. Therefore, the dream in sleep and wakefulness after sleep are not states.
Q: What is the opinion of your statement that by the deliberation upon the three states the Self can be experienced by separating it from the mind? When the states themselves don’t exist, where is the deliberation upon them?
A: People believe that they obtain wakeful, dream and deep-sleep states, always. They also believe that the mind itself is of the form of awareness and the Self doesn’t exist apart from the mind. If we deliberate upon the three states believed by them, we can decide the Real Form of the Self. And we understand that really the states don’t exist. This itself is the opinion of our statements.
Q: Then, in the verse, it is stated that the Self is the Fourth One ( Tureyam ) ! When the three states don’t exist, how does the Self become the fourth one?
A: People have super-imposed the states on the Self. The self is the fourth one means that He is different from the three super-imposed states and not that he is really the fourth one. Really speaking, when the wakeful , the dream and the deep-sleep appear to exist, this Self of the fourth nature alone exists. There is no time when this nature of the Self doesn’t exist and it exists even in the absence of time. Therefore, the Fourth One’s Nature is not a time-bound state. A state is a time-bound change.
THE SELF IS OBTAINED BY THE SUPREME SWANS
(PARAMA-HAMSA GATIM)
26.Q: As you have told that if the Fourth State of the Self exists always, why don’t we know this easily?
A: Normally, the nature of the mind is to imagine non-existing things. And, the mind is egoistically attached to those imagined things. Therefore, leaving all these imaginations and selecting the Real Principle of the Self is not possible for many people. Only the Supreme Swans who are free from worldly affections or passions select the Self successfully.
Q: Who are the Supreme Swans?
A: In the Indian poetical compositions a bird by name Raaja Hamsa has become famous. If the mixture of milk and water is kept before the bird, this bird has the capacity ( ability ) to separate water from the mixture and to taste only the milk. Similarly, the eminent personages who are free from passions acquire spiritual materials and means like: appeasing the mind
( Shama ), self-restraint ( Dama ), etc. they have the ability to establish themselves in the Form of Existence-Awareness-Bliss. Such eminent personages are called the Parama Hamsas, the Supreme-Swans
Q: What is Virakti, the indifference?
A: Rakti means worldly affections or passions. It is a pride to have a strong feeling of love, hate, anger, etc. in the mind. Virakti means absence of affections or passions. Those who are indifferent towards the non-self-objects, they accept Sanyaasa, the ascetism, the famous order called of the Supreme Swans. These ascetics deliberate upon the thoughts of the Vedaanta.
Q: Then, the Vedaanta cannot be understood by the common people like us who are not ascetics, isn’t it?
A: It is not that. Our opinion is that those who have special attachment towards the non-self-objects, the Spiritual Science is difficult to comprehend for them. The renunciation is the symbol of giving-up of the egoistic attachment.
I AM BRAHMAN; AND NOT THE GROUP OF FIVE-ELIMENTS
TAD-BRAHMA NISHKALAM-AHAM NA CHA BHOOTA-SANGHAH
27. Q: Well. How is the experience of those who have renounced the egoistic attachment and completely understand the principle of the Self?
A: They know, “I’ m that limbless Brahman “
Q: What is Brahman?
A: The Brahman is described in the Upanishads. The word ‘Brahma ‘means big. The Brahman is always of the form of Purity and that of Awareness. It is always free from all bindings. It always remains the in the same Form (Nitya-Shuddha-Buddha-Mukta). Therefore, the Brahman is the Supreme One. The Self-Principle known by the wise ones is this Brahman.
Q: What do ignorants know?
A: We have already told this. The ignorant identify themselves with body, organs of sense, mind, etc. and these are composed by the elements like: earth, water, fire, air and sky. They also believe that they get always wakefulness, dream and deep-sleep states.
Q: What are the features of the elements?
A: Organs of perception are situated at the spots like: ear, skin, eye, tongue and nose . By their touch in the world five objects of sense like: sound, touch, form, taste and smell – appear. These objects of sense take shelter in the five elements like: sky, air, fire, water and earth- respectively. Body, organs of sense, mind, etc. All of these are composed of five elements.
Q: Do these five elements and the Self have any relation?
A: We have already mentioned that there is not even an iota of relation between them. Not even an element exists in the deep-sleep anywhere; and in any one of the states, other two states never exist anywhere. Therefore, the Self doesn’t have any relation with respect to either five elements or that of states.
A MEANS TO THE WISDOM
Q: Those who aspire for the wisdom, what type of means should they practice?
A: In the morning as they get up, they should give up the bad practice of thinking that they are body, organs of sense and mind – that are composed of the elements; and they should stop worrying about to those non-self-objects. And they should think the great Principle: “ I am the Supreme Brahman of the Form of Existence-Awareness-Bliss. “ Those who practice this constantly are the seekers of Liberation. They have strong desire of liberating themselves from the false- bondage that they are the group of elements. This false-bondage should be removed through the Wisdom.
THE AATMAN IS THE SELF-LUMINANT
Pratar-bhajaami Manaso Vachasaamagamyam
Vaacho Vibhaanti Nikhilaa Yad-anugrahena I
Yam neti-neti Vachanei-nigamaa Avochuh
Tam Deva-devam –ajam –achyutam-aahuragryam II
Meanings:- Yad-anugrahena: by whose grace, vaachah: words, vibhaanti: shine, yam: whom, nigamaah: the Vedas, neti-neti vachaneihi: by the words- not this, not this; avochuhu: they tell, manasaha: to the mind, vachasaam: to the words, agamyam: not to be had, ( Him ) , praataha: in the morning, bhajaami: ( I ) worship , tam: Him, deva-devam: God among gods, ajam: birth less, achyutam: distructionless, agryam: the first and the fore-most, aahuhu: ( they ) tell.
2. By whose grace all words are illumined, whom the Vedas tell by the words like : ‘ not this, not this ‘; in the morning I worship that the Brahman-Principle which is beyond the reach of words and mind. He, himself, is the God of gods, birth less, deathless, the first and the foremost. Thus the wise tell.