Tripura Rahasya

Sage Dattatreya

Proportionately slight effort is enough for erasing slight vasanas. He whose mind has been made pure by good deeds in successive past incarnations, gains supreme results quite out of proportion to the little effort he may make (as with Janaka). The glimpse of jnana (realization) gained by one whose mind is crowded with dense vasanas accumulated in past incarnations, does not suffice to override one's deep rooted ignorance. Such a one is obliged to practise samadhi (nidhidhyasana or control of mind and contemplation) in successive births for effective and final realization. Thus there are seen to be different classes of Sages.

O scion of Bhrighu's lineage! There are apparent differences in the characteristics of jnanis, caused by the aspects and attitudes of intellect and the varieties in its activities. Such differences are quite obvious in Brahma (the creator), Vishnu (the preserver) and Shiva (the destroyer) who are jnanis by nature. That does not mean that jnana admits of variety. These attitudes depend on their vasanas and environments. They are Lords of the universe and all-knowing. Their jnana is pure and uncontaminated by what they do. Whether a jnani is fair or dark in complexion, his jnana neither shares these qualities nor the qualities of the mind. 

See the difference in the three sons of Atri, namely, Durvasa (said to be of the aspect of Siva  and reputed to be exceedingly irritable), Chandra (the moon, of the aspect of Brahma and reputed to be the husband of the twenty seven constellations who are in their turn daughters of Daksha), and myself (Dattatreya, of the aspect of Vishnu, reputed to be the ideal of saints, roaming nude in the forests etc.). Vasishtha never fails in the strictest adherence to duty as prescribed by the scriptures; whereas sanaka, sananda, sanatsujata and sanatkumara are types of ascetics totally indifferent to any action including religious rites; Narada is the ideal of bhakti; Bhargava (Shukra, the well-known preceptors of asuras, who incessantly fights against the gods) supports the enemies of the gods, whereas the Sage Brhaspati supports the gods against their enemies; Vyasa is ever busy codifying the Vedas, and in propagating their truth in the shape of the Mahabharata, the puranas and the upapuranas; Janaka famous as the ascetic-king; Jadabharata looking like an idiot; and many others.

There are so many others with individual characteristics such as Chyavana, Yagnavalkya, Vishwamitra etc. The secret is this.

(To be continued)