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**Standing Firm:** The wise, with their discerning knowledge and experience, are like swans who do not get entangled in the mire.
(487)
Thus, the wise and patient, being devoted to Pratyahara, strive to abandon the bondage of Dharma.
(158)
**Commentary:** As stated above, according to the principles of ethics, the wise and steadfast, who are free from wavering, are eager to engage in Pratyahara, as described. Due to the purity arising from their discernment, they strive to abandon the bondage of Dharma, motivated by the ultimate truth.
This is how it happens:
The discerning knowledge mentioned above clearly reveals the distinction between the self and the non-self. It shows that the body, house, and other attachments are external, impermanent, insecure, and impure. They belong to others, not to the self.
On the other hand, the pure knowledge-light is the only thing that is not external, eternal, secure, and pure. It is the self, the father, not belonging to others. It is the ultimate truth, while everything else is like a mirage, a disaster, and a blinding darkness.
Therefore, only this pure knowledge-light is worthy of acceptance, while everything else is worthy of rejection. Just as a child mistakenly brings home a garment belonging to someone else, the honest and discerning, righteous person understands that all external attachments and objects should be abandoned. They realize, "I am bound by attachment to these things, so I must abandon this attachment."
Because the self-consciousness in the body connects the soul to the body, the self-consciousness in the soul separates the soul from the body. This self-consciousness in the body is the root of worldly suffering. Therefore, I should abandon the self-consciousness in the body, which is the focus on the body, and cultivate self-consciousness in the soul. (See page 302).
Thus, through the discernment of the self and the non-self, the knowledge of distinction arises, leading to pure self-knowledge. This grants them the experience of the pure soul. Therefore, "The past, the present, and the future, breaking through the bonds with force, the wise one, if anyone, indeed, contemplates within, dispelling delusion instantly. The glory of the unity of the self and the experience of the self is clearly manifest, this is certain. The eternal one, free from the stain of karma, is himself eternal."
From the Samyasaar Kalash, by Shri Amritchandracharya.