October 29, 2026
nehā ‘‘kṛtirna ca bhavābhavajanmanāśaḥ
sattā na caiva na ca nāma tathā ‘styasattā
śāntaṁ paraṁ kacati kevalamātmanītthaṁ
brahmā ‘thavā kacanamapyalamatra nāsti (62)
VASIṢṬHA continued:
There once lived a brāhmaṇa named Indu. He had ten sons. In course of time, Indu passed away and his wife too followed him to the other world. The sons performed the funeral. They were not interested in the affairs of the world. They began to consider what might be the best form of contemplation that would enable them to live like gods.
In pursuit of their aspiration, they went away to the forest and they engaged themselves in intense contemplation and penance. They remained like statues or painted pictures. Their bodies withered away and what remained was consumed by carnivores. They were immersed in contemplation, “I am Brahmā the creator”, “I am the world” and “I am the entire creation”. Now that the minds of these ten were devoid of embodiment but were saturated with such contemplation, those very minds became what they contemplated. Thus it is their thought that exists as this creation.
This universe is pure consciousness. Even the earth, the mountains, etc., are pure consciousness. What else is it? Just as the minds of the sons of Indu manifested here as the universe even so, the notion of the universe or creation that arises in Brahmā the creator itself appears as this creation. Hence, all these elements, the earth and the mountains are all nothing but pure consciousness.
The potter known as consciousness with the help of the wheel of his own body (consciousness) and of clay which is also his own body, fashions this creation. If all these creatures and substances are not consciousness, what else are they? This creation stands in the same relation to consciousness that radiance has to a jewel. All this is indeed Brahman: this is certain and indisputable.
As and when this truth is clearly seen, immediately there is an end to sorrow. If this truth is not seen, then sorrow becomes firmly and solidly established. The wicked and the ignorant do not see this truth. In their eyes this saṁsāra is a solid reality and they do not perceive this truth at all. There are no forms. There is no existence nor non-existence, no birth and no death. There is nothing known as reality nor something which can be called unreal. The supreme which is absolute peace perceives this creation within itself – it is not independent of Brahman the infinite consciousness, so why create the false notion of an independent manifestation? In its unliberated form it has thousands of eyes and other limbs; in its liberated state it is all, peace, tranquillity – enough of such descriptions.