ShriRam

Salutations to Lord Rama

What has been said about Brahman has been experienced, and yet there is still some clinging to the thought of Illusion.

Brahman shines within, while the visible Illusion (Maya) is actually perceived. How can this duality be cleared away?

Be alert now, concentrate the attention of the mind, and understand who knows Brahman and the Illusion.

The determination that Brahman is true, and that the imagination of illusion is false, is all only the duality and confusion of the mind.

That which knows Brahman, and which knows the Illusion, is that Knowledge which is the Turya State (Fourth Body), which "Knows all" and is the "Witness of all."

Listen to the signs of the Turya State where "all" is Knowledge. However, when "all" is not, what is there to know?

The creation of determinations and doubts has taken place within the mind. That mind itself is unreal in the end, so how can there be a witness?

Witness (Sakshat), Life-Energy (Chaitanya), and Power (Saata), are all attributes that are applied to Brahman. Know that these are unnecessary attributes of Illusion.

Space, the space in the house, and the space in the pot, are three types of qualities that are attributed to space (the space is only one). Similarly, when the Illusion is assumed to be true, attributes are applied to Brahman.

As long as the Illusion is taken to be true, the witnessing is attributed to Brahman. When Illusion and Ignorance are discarded, how can there be such duality?

When the mind that is the witness of all, becomes no mind, the Self-Knowledge (Dnyana) in the form of the Fourth Body (Turya), also vanishes.

When the mind to which duality appears, becomes no mind, then the notions of duality and non-duality disappear.

Duality and non-duality are indications of attitudes of the mind. When the attitude of the mind is withdrawn, where is duality?

The Self-Knowledge that is without any mental attitude, is itself full satisfaction, where the notions of Illusion and Brahman disappear.

The mind has projected the imagination of the ideas of Illusion and Brahman. Brahman is without imagination. The knowledgeable understand.

When "That" which is beyond the mind, the intellect, and the imagination is experienced directly, where is duality?

Seeing duality, Brahman is not seen. Seeing Brahman, duality is not seen. Duality and non-duality both appear only in imagination.

Imagination removes the Illusion and puts Brahman in its place. Imagination also both holds doubt, as well as annihilates it.

Imagination brings bondage. Imagination gives satisfaction. Imagination is also what keeps the continuous thought of Brahman.

Imagination is the mother of duality. Knowledge is also imagination. Bondage and Liberation are both imagination.

When the imagination is strong, it shows the hollow creation that is non-existent, and in one moment it can imagine the pure nature of the Self.

For one moment, it gets carried away by danger, in another moment, it remains steady, and in another moment, it sees becoming perplexed.

For one moment, it understands, and in another moment, it is in ignorance. Understand the many modifications that is imagination.

Imagination is the root cause of birth, it is the fruit of devotion, and it is imagination alone, that gives liberation.

Therefore, when the imagination is engaged in spiritual practices, it gives satisfaction, otherwise it becomes the cause of downfall.

Imagination alone is the root cause of everything. When it is removed at the root there is the attainment of Brahman.

Listening (Shravana), reflecting (Manana), and deep thinking bring about satisfaction, and the awareness of false imagination is dispersed.

The pure resolution of Brahman, conquers the imagination, and doubt gets broken down with definite knowledge.

The false imagination cannot remain if front of the truth. It is like the darkness that is destroyed in the presence of sunlight.

Similarly with the light of Self-Knowledge, the false imagination gets destroyed, and the thought of duality breaks automatically.

It is with the imagination that imagination is dispelled, like using an animal for catching another animal, or like one arrow can be broken when it meets with another arrow in the sky.

With the power of pure imagination, the impure imagination is destroyed. Listen alertly as this statement is clarified.

The sign of pure imagination is that it imagines oneself as attributeless. It does not allow for the forgetting of one's true nature.

Always contemplating on the thought of one's own nature, the thought of duality is removed. The definitive knowledge of non-duality alone is pure imagination.

That which imagines non-duality is pure imagination, and that which imagines duality is itself impure imagination. The impure imagination should be understood well.

The meaning of pure imagination is the firm resolve of non-duality, and impure imagination unnecessarily imagines duality.

When the imagination of non-duality is illuminated, at that same moment, duality gets destroyed. With the destruction of duality, impure imagination vanishes.

The clever ones understand that like this, imagination is removed with imagination. When impure imagination has gone, only the pure imagination remains.

The pure form of imagination is that which imagines the True Self-Nature (Swaroopa). On imagining that Self-Nature, one becomes one with it.

When the falseness of the imagination is known, one naturally becomes one with the Self. With the determination of the Self, imagination gets annihilated.

The very moment that the resolve becomes disturbed, at that moment, duality shoots up like the darkness that envelops the sky after the sunset.

Similarly, when knowledge becomes tainted, ignorance proliferates. For this reason, one must listen to spiritual talks continuously.

Now let this be. We have had enough of this talk. In one sentence, doubt shall be cleared. You are not by any means "that" to whom duality appears

Having cleared this doubt, now this topic is ended. The listeners should make their attention alert again for what comes after.

Thus in Dasbodh, a dialogue between guru and disciple, the fifth sub-chapter named 'Removing the Imagination of Duality' ends.