Chapter 304

“‘Vasishtha said, ‘Thus in consequence of his forgetfulness the Soulfollows ignorance and obtains thousands of bodies one after another. Heattains to thousands of births among the intermediate orders andsometimes among the very gods in consequence of his union with(particular) attributes and the puissance of attributes.[1615] From thestatus of humanity, he goes to heaven and from heaven he comes back tohumanity, and from humanity he sinks into hell for many long years. Asthe worm that fabricates the cocoon shuts itself, completely on everyside by means of the threads it weaves itself, even so the Soul, thoughin reality transcending all attributes, invests himself on every sidewith attributes (and deprives himself of liberty).[1616] Thoughtranscending (in his real nature) both happiness and misery, it is thusthat he subjects himself to happiness and misery. It is thus also that,though transcending all diseases, the Soul regards himself to beafflicted by headache and opthalmia and toothache and affections of thethroat and abdominal dropsy, and burning thirst, and enlargement ofglands, and cholera, and vitiligo, and leprosy, and burns, and asthma andphthisis, and epilepsy, and whatever other diseases of diverse kinds areseen in the bodies of embodied creatures. Regarding himself, througherror, as born among thousands of creatures in the intermediate orders ofbeing, and sometimes among the gods, he endures misery and enjoys thefruits of his good deeds. Invested with Ignorance he regards himself asrobed sometimes in white cloth and sometimes in full dress consisting offour pieces or as lying on floors (instead of on beds or bedsteads) orwith hands and feet contracted like those of frogs or as seated uprightin the attitude of ascetic contemplation, or as’ clad in rags or as lyingor sitting under the canopy of heaven or within mansions built of bricksand stone or on rugged stones or on ashes or bare stones or on the bareearth or on beds or on battlefields or in water or in mire or on woodenplanks or on diverse kinds of beds; or impelled by desire of fruits, heregards himself as clad in a scant piece of cloth made of grass or astotally nude or as robed in silk or in skin of the black antelope or incloth made of flax or in sheep-skin or in tiger-skin or in lion-skin orin fabric of hemp, or in barks of birch or in cloths made of the produceof prickly plants, or in vestures made of threads woven by worms or oftorn rags or in diverse other kinds of cloth too numerous to mention. Thesoul regards himself also as wearing diverse kinds of ornaments and gems,or as eating diverse kinds of food. He regards himself as sometimeseating at intervals of one night, or once at the same hour every day, oras at the fourth, the sixth, and the eighth hour every day, or as once insix or seven or eight nights, or as once in ten or twelve day, or as oncein a month, of as eating only roots, or fruits, or as subsisting upon airor water alone, or on cakes of sesame husk, or curds or cowdung, or theurine of the cow or potherbs or flowers or moss or raw food, or assubsisting on fallen leaves of trees or fruits that have fallen down andlay scattered on the ground, or diverse other kinds of food, impelled bythe desire of winning (ascetic) success. The Soul regards himself asadopting the observance of Chandrayana according to the rites ordained inthe scriptures, or diverse other vows and observance, and the courses ofduty prescribed for the four modes of life, and even derelictions ofduty, and the duties of other subsidiary modes of life included in thefour principal ones, and even diverse kinds of practices that distinguishthe wicked and sinful. The Soul regards himself as enjoying retired spotsand delightful shades of mountains and the cool vicinity of spring andfountain and solitary river banks and secluded forests, and sacred spotsdedicated to the deities, and lakes and waters withdrawn from the busyhunts of men, and lone mountain caves affording the accommodation thathouses and mansions afford. The Soul regards himself as employed in therecitation of different kinds of hidden Mantras or as observing differentvows and rules and diverse kinds of penances, and sacrifices of manykinds, and rites of diverse sorts. The Soul regards himself as adoptingsometimes the way of traders and merchants and the practices of Brahmanasand Kshatriyas and Vaisyas and Sudras, and gifts of diverse kinds untothose that are destitute or blind or help-less. In consequence of hisbeing invested with Ignorance, the Soul adopts different attributes ofSattwa and Rajas and Tamas, and Righteousness and Wealth and pleasure.Under the influence of Prakriti the Soul, undergoing modificationhimself, observes and adopts and practices all these and regards himselfas such. Indeed, the Soul regards himself as employed in the utterance ofthe sacred mantras Swaha and Swadha and Vashat, and in bowing unto thosehe regards as his Superiors; in officiating in the sacrifices of others,in teaching pupils, making gifts and accepting them; in performingsacrifices and studying, the scriptures, and doing all other acts andrites of this kind. The Soul regards himself as concerned with birth anddeath and disputes and slaughter. All these, the learned say, constitutethe path of acts good and bad. It is the goddess Prakriti who causesbirth and death. When the time approaches for universal Destruction, allexistent objects and attributes are withdrawn by the Supreme Soul whichthen exists alone like the Sun withdrawing at evening all his rays; andwhen the time comes for Creation He once more creates and spreads themout like the Sun shedding and spreading out his rays when morning comes.Even thus the Soul, for the sake of sport, repeatedly regards himselfinvested with all these conditions, which are his own forms andattributes, infinite in number, and agreeable to himself. It is this waythat the Soul, though really transcending the three attributes, becomesattached to the path of acts and creates by modification Prakritiinvested with the attributes of birth and death and identical with allacts and conditions which are characterised by the three attributes ofSattwa, Rajas, and Tamas. Arrived at the path of action, the Soul regardsparticular acts to be endued with particular characteristics andproductive of particular ends. O monarch, the whole of this universe hasbeen blinded by Prakriti and all things have been diversely overwhelmed(through Prakriti) by the attributes of Rajas and Tamas. It is inconsequence of the Soul being invested by Prakriti that these pairs ofopposites productive of happiness and woe, repeatedly come. It is inconsequence of this Ignorance that Jiva regards these sorrows to be hisand imagines them as pursuing him. Indeed, O monarch, through thatIgnorance it is that Jiva imagines he should anyhow cross those sorrows,and that he should, going into the regions of the gods, enjoy thefelicity that awaits all his good acts. It is through Ignorance that hethinks he should enjoy and endure these delights and these woes here inthis world Through Ignorance Jiva thinks,–I should secure my happiness.By continually doing good acts, I may have happiness in this life tillits close and I shall be happy in all my future lives. Though, again the(evil) acts I do in this life unending sorrow may become mine. The statusof humanity is fraught with great misery, for from it one sinks intohell. From hell, it will take many long years before I can come back tothe status of humanity. From humanity I shall attain to the status of thegods. From that superior status I shall have to come back again tohumanity and thence to sink into hell once more!–One who always regardsthis combination of the primal elements and the senses, with the Chit’sreflection in it, to be thus invested with the characteristics of theSoul, has repeatedly to wander among gods and human beings and to sinkinto hell. Being always invested with the idea of meum, Jiva has to makea round of such births. Millions upon millions of birth have to be gonethrough by Jiva in the successive forms he assumes, all of which areliable to death. He who does acts in this way, which are all fraught withgood and bad fruits, has in the three worlds to assume successive formand to enjoy and endure fruits corresponding therewith. It is Prakritithat cause acts fraught with good and bad acts; and it is Prakriti thatenjoys and endures the fruits thereof in the three worlds. Indeed,Prakriti follows the course of acts. The status of the intermediatebeings, of humanity, and of the gods as well,–these threefields,–should be known as originating in Prakriti and has been said tobe destitute of all attributes. Her existence is affirmed only inconsequence of her acts (beginning with Mahat). After the same manner,Purusha (or Soul), though without attributes himself, has his existenceaffirmed in consequence of the acts which the body does when it receiveshis reflection. Although the Soul is not subject to modifications of anykind and is the active principle that sets Prakriti in motion, yetentering a body that is united with the senses of knowledge and action,he regards all the acts of those senses as his own. The five senses ofknowledge beginning with the ear, and those of action beginning withspeech, uniting with the attributes of Sattwa and Rajas and Tamas, becomeengaged in numerous object. Jiva imagines that it is he who does the actsof his life and that the senses of knowledge and acts belong to him,although in reality he has no senses. Indeed, though unequipt with body,he imagines that he has a body. Though destitute of attributes, heregards himself as endued therewith, and though transcending Time,imagines himself to be under Time’s control. Though destitute ofunderstanding, he still regards himself as endued therewith, and thoughtranscending the (four and twenty) topics, regards himself as oneincluded among them. Though deathless, he still regards himself as liableto death, and though motionless regards himself to be endued with motion.Though not possessed of a material case, he still regards himself aspossessed of one; and though unborn, he still regards himself asin-vested with birth. Though transcending penances, he still regards asengaged in penances, and though he has no end (after which to strive), hestill regards himself as liable to attain to ends (of diverse kinds).Though not endued with motion and birth, he still regards himself asendued with both, and though transcending fear, still regards himself asliable to fear. Though Indestructible, he still regards himselfDestructible. Invested with Ignorance, the Soul thus thinks of himself.”