Krishjan

Chapter 1 — First Khanda

Jabal Darshan

25 Shloka • Translation Only

Dattātreya, the great yogi, the Blessed Lord and nourisher of all beings, is Mahāviṣṇu Himself in a four-armed form, initiated into and established as the sovereign master of the kingdom of Yoga.

His disciple was a sage named Sāṅkṛti, a devoted and faithful seeker. Approaching his guru in solitude, he stood with folded hands and, filled with humility and reverence, asked a question.

O Lord, teach me the Yoga with all its eight limbs and its complete details, by knowing which alone I may become liberated while still living.

O Sāṅkṛti, listen. I shall explain Yoga together with the exposition of its eight limbs. These are Yama, Niyama, and likewise Āsana.

Thereafter, O Brāhmaṇa, come Prāṇāyāma and then Pratyāhāra. Further, there are Dhāraṇā and Dhyāna, and the eighth limb, O sage, is Samādhi.

Non-violence, truthfulness, non-stealing, celibacy, compassion, straightforwardness, forgiveness, steadfastness, moderation in diet, and purity—these are the ten Yamas.

O treasure of austerity, truthfulness is to speak in accordance with the manner prescribed by the Vedas. Violence is the causing of harm through body, mind, or speech; it is not otherwise.

The conviction that the Ātman is all-pervading, indivisible, and incapable of being harmed or grasped—this is declared by the knowers of Ahimsa (non-violence).

O lord of sages, whatever has been seen by the eyes and other senses, heard, or directly experienced—speaking of it exactly as it is constitutes truthfulness, O Brāhmaṇa; it is not otherwise.

The conviction that all is the Supreme Brahman and nothing else exists apart from It—this is declared by those who have attained the highest knowledge of Vedānta to be the supreme truth.

The wise know non-stealing (Asteya) as the restraint of the mind from desiring anything that belongs to another—whether it be a blade of grass, a jewel, gold, or even a pearl.

O great sage, the knowers of the Ātman declare that Asteya (non-stealing) is the complete absence of dealings based on identifying the Self with the non-Self.

Abstaining from association with women through body, speech, and mind, except with one's own wife at the proper time of her fertile period—this is called Brahmacharya.

O scorcher of foes, the movement of the mind in the awareness of Brahman is the highest Brahmacharya.

Regarding all beings as one's own Self, and showing kindness through body, mind, and speech—this is called compassion (Dayā) by the knowers of Vedānta.

O sage, maintaining the same attitude toward a son, a friend, a spouse, an enemy, and one's own self at all times—this is what I call straightforwardness (Ārjava).

O foremost of sages, when afflicted by enemies through body, mind, or speech, the absence of disturbance or agitation in one's understanding—this is called forgiveness (Kṣamā).

The steadfast conviction, born of true understanding, that liberation from Saṃsāra is attained through the Vedas alone and not otherwise—this is called steadfastness (Dhṛti) by the Vedic sages. Likewise, the unwavering conviction, “I am the Ātman and not anything else,” is also regarded as Dhṛti.

Eating pure and agreeable food in a limited quantity, leaving one-fourth of the stomach empty—such eating, being conducive to Yoga, is called moderation in diet (Mitāhāra).

O great sage, the cleansing of the impurities of one's body through earth and water is known as external purity (Bāhya Śauca). The wise regard contemplation as mental purity (Mānasa Śauca). Furthermore, the knowledge, “I am pure,” is declared by the sages to be the highest purity (Śauca).

The body is utterly impure, while the indwelling Self is utterly pure. Having understood the distinction between the two, for whom and of what is purity to be prescribed?

O noble one, the person who abandons the purity of knowledge and delights only in external purity is deluded; he is like one who discards gold and takes up a clod of earth instead.

For the yogi who is satisfied by the nectar of knowledge and has accomplished all that is to be accomplished, there remains nothing whatsoever to be done. If anything still remains to be done, then he is not a knower of the Truth.

For the knowers of the Ātman, there is nothing whatsoever that remains to be done in all the three worlds.

Therefore, O sage, through every effort and by means of disciplines such as Ahimsa and the other virtues, realize the Ātman, the imperishable Brahman. Through knowledge and direct realization, know That to be your true Self.