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Upadesa Sahasri by Adi Shankara -
Part 7
CHAPTER III - REITERATION AND REFLECTION
112. This method of repetition is described for
those who aspire after supreme tranquillity of the mind by destroying
accumulated sins and virtues and refraining from accumulating new ones.
Ignorance causes defects. Defects produce efforts of the body, mind and
speech. And through these efforts are accumulated actions having
desirable, undesirable, and mixed results. (This method is described
here) so that there may be a cessation of all these.
113. As they are perceived by the ear and the other senses the
objects called sound, touch, sight, taste and smell have no knowledge of
themselves or of other things. Transformed (into the body and other
things) they, like brick-bats, are (known to lack in the said
knowledge). Moreover, they are known through the ear etc. Being the
knower, that by which they are known is of a quite different nature.
For, connected with one another those sound and other objects aye
possessed of various properties such as birth, growth, change of
condition, decline, death, contact, separation, appearance,
disappearance, cause, effect and sex. All of them produce various
effects like pleasure, pain and so on. The knower of sound and the like
is of a nature different from theirs as It is the knower.
114, 115. Distressed by sound and other things experienced, the knower
of Brahman will thus practise repetition:
"I who am of the nature of Consciousness, not attached. to anything,
changeless, immovable, imperishable, free from fear, extremely subtle
and not an object, cannot, for the very fact of my being not attached,
be made an object and touched by sound in general or by its special
forms such as the notes of the gamut, praise, etc. which are pleasant
and. desirable, and also false, terrible, insulting and abusive words
which are undesirable. So there is no loss or gain due to sound.
Therefore what can sound, pleasant or unpleasant, consisting of praise
or blame do to me?
Pleasant or unpleasant sound regarded as belonging to the Self
glorifies or injures the ignorant man of account of indiscrimination.
But it cannot do even the slightest good or evil to me who am a man of
knowledge. (These ideas should thus be repeated.) Similarly, no change
consisting of gain or loss can be produced in me by touch in general or
by its special forms such as fever, colic, pain etc, coldness, hotness,
softness or roughness which are unpleasant. Again, pleasant touches
connected with the body or brought into existence by external and
adventitious causes can likewise produce no change in me inasmuch as I
am beyond touch like the ether which when struck with one's fist, does
not meet with any change whatever.
Likewise, as I am entirely unconnected with sight no good or harm is
done to me by it either in its general form or in its special forms
pleasant or unpleasant, such as ugly sights.
Similarly, independent of taste I am not harmed or benefited by it
either in its general form or in its special forms such as sweetness,
sourness, saltiness, pungency, bitterness and astringency, though
accepted as pleasant or unpleasant by the ignorant. Thus I who do not
consist of smell cannot be harmed or benefited by it either in its
general form or in its special forms such as flowers, fragrant pastes
etc. considered to be pleasant or unpleasant. For the shruti says (Kath.
Up. 3.15) that I am one who am 'eternally devoid of sound, touch, sight,
taste and smell."
116. "Moreover, sound and the other external objects transformed into
the forms of the body, the ear and the other senses through which they
are perceived, are transformed into the forms of the two internal organs
( the intellect and the mind), and also into those of their objects. For
they are connected and combined with one another in all actions. When
this is so, I who am a man of Knowledge have no one belonging to me as a
friend or a foe nor have I any one indifferent belonging to me. Anybody,
therefore, who wishes to connect me with pleasure and pain, the results
of his action, through a false egoism, makes a vain effort. For I am not
within the reach of pain or pleasure as the smriti says, 'It is
unmanifested and inscrutable'. (Bh.Gita 2.25) Similarly, I am not
changeable by the action of any of the five elements as I am not of an
objective nature. Therefore the smriti says, 'It cannot be cut or
burnt.' (Bh. Gita 2.24) The merit or demerit arising out of good or evil
done to this combination of the body and the senses on the part of those
devotional or adverse to me will be theirs, but will not touch me who am
devoid of old age, fear and death as the smritis and the shrutis say, '
It is not pained by omission or commission',(Br.Up. 4.4.22) 'It is not
harmed or benefited by any action,'(Br.Up. 4.4.23) 'Unborn, comprising
the interior and the exterior,' ( Mu.Up. 2.1.2 ) ' It is beyond the pain
felt by people and unattached.' (Kath. Up. 5.11) The supreme reason (
why I am unattached) is that nothing really exists except the Self."
As duality does not exist, the portions of the Upanishads regarding
the oneness of the Self should be studied to a great extent.
Here ends the prose portion of A Thousand Teachings written by the
all-knowing Shankara.
Adi Shankara
Upadesa Sahasri
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