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BOOK I: THE PRINCIPLE OF KNOWLEDGE
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the experience of belief in the reality of soul as having for its innate nature pure vision and knowledge, and so being in possession of right vision and knowledge, and having left far behind, although it takes place by degrees, the conduct influenced by attachment (raga) cause of the attainment of bondage through merits, since the soul is still blind through its passions (kashaya) - I now rely upon the tranquillity called the conduct free from attachment, cause of the attainment of nirvana, since the soul is freed from all the filth of the contest of passions.
Thus I have obtained the mental-concentration which consists in the oneness of right vision, right knowledge and right conduct; this is what I profess; thus I here am surely following the clear path of liberation.
The author now explains how conduct free from attachment and conduct based on attachment have desirable and undesirable results and therefore are to be sought and to be avoided:
SELF AND ITS STATES-OF-EVOLUTION (VERSES 6-12) 6. The nirvana of the soul, together with the powers or the splendour (vibhava) of kings (i.e. the best) of gods, demons and men, is reached by means of a conduct based on vision and knowledge.
Liberation is reached by a conduct which is based on enlightened world-view and knowledge and free from attachment (raga). For the same reason bondage, which troubles the kingly powers of gods, demons and men, results from conduct based on attachment. Hence, he who desires liberation should follow a conduct without attachment, as having a desired fruit, and conduct with attachment, as having undesired fruit, he should forgo.
Now he explains the characteristic nature of conduct:
7. Conduct is dharma. Dharma is defined as equanimity (sama); and equanimity is said to be a state-of-evolution (parinama) of the soul, in which it is free from infatuation (moha) and disturbance (keshobha).
Conduct is behaving according to one's own nature; activity obeying one's (innate) laws. And this being the nature of things is dharma, it means the manifestation of pure consciousness (pure in the sense that it is different from other substance(s) and not different from its own properties (PS 192, AC)]. And this is equanimity; for
