Tripura Rahasya - The Mystery Beyond the Trinity

Points by Avadhutha Dattatreya to Parasurama 

• The man without discrimination is like a frog in the well; just as the frog in the well does not know anything either of good or of bad and so dies in his ignorance in the well-itself, in the same way men, vainly born in Brahmanda, (Egg of Brahma (i.e., the Universe)) do not know either good or bad regarding themselves and are born only to die in ignorance.
• Similar is the fate of the people who, deluded with the quest of happiness, have fallen into the snares of the task-master of action. They are bewildered in their frenzy and destruction awaits them.
• Indeliberation is the ever-present weakness of the Daityas and Yatudhanas (Asuras and Rakshasas); deliberation is the characteristic of the Devas (Gods), and therefore they are always happy.
• Investigation is the Sun for chasing away the dense darkness of indolence. It is generated by the worship of God with devotion.
• Listen, Rama! I shall now tell you the fundamental cause of salvation. Association with the wise is the root cause for obliterating all misery.
• Misery is of two kinds, external and internal. The former pertain to the body and is caused by the nerves, etc., the latter pertains to the mind and is caused by desire.
• Mental distraction is worse than physical pain and the whole world has fallen a victim to it. Desire is the seed of the tree of misery and never fails in its fruits.
• Overpowered by it, Indra and the Devas, though living in celestial regions of enjoyment and fed by nectar, are still slaves to it and work day and night according to its dictates.
• So whoever finds pleasure in anything, the beauty therein is only mental imagery.
• You find, my dear, that aimless discussions are fruitless and that earnest efforts are fruitful in the world.
• Yogis who practise control of breath conquer fate. Even fate cannot impose its fruits on yogis.
• As long as you contaminated with notions of me or mine (e.g., my home, my body, my mind, my intellect), the Self will not be found, for it lies beyond cognition and cannot be realised as 'my Self'.
• Realise with a still mind the state between sleep and wakefulness, the interval between the recognition of one object after another or gap between two perceptions.
• This is the real Self, inhering in which one is no longer deluded. Unaware of this Truth, people have become inheritors of sorrow.
• Since the Universe is only a projection from and in the mirror of consciousness, its unreal nature can become clear only on investigation, and not otherwise
• Just as the dreamer awakened from his fearful dream or the man attending the magic performance informed of the unreal nature of the magic creations, no longer fears them but ridicules another who does, so also one aware of the Self not only does not grieve but also laughs at another's grief. Therefore, O valiant hero, batter down this impregnable fortress of illusion and conquer your misery by realisation of the Self. In the meantime be discriminating and not so foolish.
• Just as a mirror, though, dense and impenetrable, contains the image, so also pure consciousness is dense and impenetrable and yet displays the universe by virtue of its self-sufficiency.
• Just as the mirror remains unaffected by the passage of different images and yet continues to reflect as clearly as before, so also the one consciousness illumines the waking and dream states which can be verified by proper meditation.
• Time, space, gross creations, etc., appear in it according to the imagery of the agent. "Therefore I say that this world is a mere figment of imagination.
• Consciousness is thus the screen and the image, and so yogis are enabled to see long distances of space and realise long intervals of time.
• They can traverse all distance in a moment and can perceive everything as readily as a gooseberry in the hollow of one's palm.
• Therefore recognise the fact that the world is simply an image on the mirror of consciousness and cultivate the contemplation of 'I am', abide as pure being and thus give up this delusion of the reality of the world.
• "Then you will become like myself one in being self-sufficient."
• "I understand that intelligence alone is real and single, and that objects are only unreal images like a city reflected in a mirror.
• Realisation of Self requires absolute purity only and no concentration of mind. For this reason, the Self is said to be unknowable (meaning not objectively knowable).
• Therefore it was also said that the sole necessity for Self-realisation is purity of mind. The only impurity of the mind is thought. To make it thought-free is to keep it pure.
• Absolute Reality is manifest in samadhi; a void or unmanifest condition distinguishes sleep and diversity is the characteristic of cognition in wakefulness.
• Samadhi is simply absence of thoughts. Such a state prevails in sleep and at odd moments of wakefulness.
• Ignorance cannot be eradicated by mere theory or by the casual samadhi of an ignorant man.
• The best among Sages can, without hesitation, give complete answers on matters relating to Realisation and the sublimest truths.

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