Tripura Rahasya

Sage Dattatreya

KING JANAKA said:

I will tell you the secret. The cycle of births and deaths is from time immemorial caused by ignorance, which displays itself as pleasure and pain, and yet is only a dream and unreal. Being so, the wise say that it can be ended by knowledge. By what kind of knowledge? Wisdom born of realization.

(Commentary: An aspirant for wisdom first turns away from the pleasures of life and absorbs himself in the search for knowledge, which he learns from a Master. This is hearsay knowledge. In order to experience it, he ponders over it and clears his doubts. Then he applies the knowledge to himself and tries to feel his immortal being, transcending the body, mind, etc.; he succeeds in feeling his Self within. Later he remembers the Vedic teaching imparted by his Guru that the Self being unqualified, cannot be differentiated from God and experiences his unity with the Universal Self. This is in short the course of wisdom and liberation.)

Ignorance cannot be expelled by means of knowledge devoid of thoughts, for such knowledge is not opposed to anything whatsoever (including ignorance). Knowledge devoid of thoughts is like the canvas used in painting; the canvas remains the same whatever picture may be painted on it. Unqualified knowledge is simple light; the objects are manifest by and in it.

(Commentary: The mirror is clear and uniform when there are no objects to reflect; the same appears variegated by images reflected in it. So also the Self is pure intelligence and clear when not contaminated by thoughts. This state is called nirvikalpa. When soiled by thoughts, it is savikalpa.)

Ignorance is only that knowledge which is called savikalpa (with thought) and nothing else. That (ignorance) exists in many ways in the form of cause and effect. (For ignorance is only the original contamination, i.e., cause, continuing as effect). 

(Commentary: Pure Intelligence (God) in His insentient aspect functions as maya or the self-contained entity, projecting ignorance as creation.)