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Introduction
15
nor a woman; he is neither a Buddhist, a Digambara nor a Svetambara; and the soul possesses none of the ascetic characteristics. The soul is neither a teacher nor a pupil; neither a master nor a servant; neither a hero nor a coward; neither high nor low; neither a man, a god, a sub-human being nor a denizen of hell; neither learned nor foolish; neither rich nor poor; neither a youth, an old man nor a child (85-91).
Ātman, besides his essential nature of sentiency or consciousness, is not to be identified with merit, demerit, time, space, principle of motion and principle of rest. Ātman is control (samyama), chastity and austerity; Ātman is faith and knowledge; and Ātman is the seat of eternal liberation, when he is realized. Different from Ātman, there is nothing as faith, knowledge and conduct. Ignoring the pure self one should not search after some holy place, serve some other teacher, and think of some other divinity. Ātman represents absolute Darśana, and all other descriptions are formal, being true from the ordinary point of view only; when the pure Ātman is realized, the highest state of liberation is reached within a moment. Religious treatises, sacred works and austerities do not bring liberation for him whose mind is not occupied with (the reflections on the pure self. When the self is known, the whole world is known; because it becomes reflected in the knowledge of the self. That both physical and super-physical worlds are seen (reflected) nitheir Ātman is a privilege of those who are merged in selfrealization. Undoubtedly it is a natural phenomenon that the Ātman enlightens himself and others like the light of the Sun in the sky. The vision of the world reflected in the self is like that of stars reflected in clear water. The saint by the strength of his knowledge should realize his self whereby he knows himself and others. (92-102)
When Prabhakara requests that he should be instructed in the great knowledge, he is thus addressed. Ātman is knowledge, and he who knows his Ātman pervades the whole space with his knowledge, even though ordinarily he is limited to the body. Whatever is different from the self is not knowledge; so leaving aside everything one should realize the self which is a fit subject for knowledge, As long as a Jñānin does not know the self, which represents knowledge by means of knowledge, he will not, being an Ajñānin, realize the highest. Brahman who is an embodiment of knowledge. By knowing one's self Para-Brahman is visualized and realized whereby the highest realm of liberation is reached (103-108).
When Brahman is seen and realized, the world other than Samsāra (paraloka) is reached. The lofty divinity, the embodiment of knowledge, residing therein is meditated on by saints, Hari and Hara. One reaches that condition on which one's mind is set; one should not, therefore, direct
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