Tripura Rahasya

Sage Dattatreya

KING JANAKA said:

The causal ignorance is said to be of the nature of absence of knowledge of the wholeness of one's own Self. The Self that is Consciousness should only be whole on account of the exclusion of limitation. For, it it that which brings about time and the rest which are the causes of limitation. That kind of knowledge of the Self which exists as the non-wholeness (of the Self) can alone be the causal ignorance of the nature of 'I exist here at this time'. That is the embryonic seed from which shoots forth the sprout of the body as the individualized self (growing up into the gigantic tree of the cycle of births and deaths). The cycle of births and deaths does not end unless ignorance is put to an end. This can happen only with a perfect knowledge of the Self, not otherwise.

Such wisdom which can destroy ignorance is clearly of two sorts; indirect and direct. Knowledge is first acquired from a Master and through him from the scriptures. Such indirect knowledge cannot fulfil the object in view. Because theoretical knowledge alone does not bear fruit, practical knowledge is necessary which comes through samadhi alone. Knowledge born of nirvikalpa samadhi generates wisdom by the eradication of ignorance and objective knowledge.

(To be continued)