CHAPTER
15
The nature of the
supreme person
(1)
The
fortunate one said: 'He who knows that the tree of
life is an eternal tree with its roots upwards, its
branches downwards and of which the leaves are the
filognostic songs28,
is someone who knows the culture of knowledge. (2)
This tree extending downwards and upwards, developed
to its twigs downward the domain of the senses and to
its roots the karma which binds one to the human
world. (3-4) The form of this tree has no beginning or
end, nor a foundation that can be perceived out here;
persevering with the weapon of detachment must one be
of cessation with this deeply rooted tree. After
having renounced with that tree of life, must one
figure out where that place is one is heading for and
from where one never returns, and surrender to Him,
the original personal integrity and animating
principle29,
from whom, and from which, everything extended since
the earliest days of the universe. (5) That
everlasting refuge is attained when one, not being
bewildered, is free from self-importance and illusion,
has defeated bad association, understands what lasts
forever, and when one has dissociated oneself from the
lust and has freed oneself from the dualities under
the heading of happiness and distress. (6) Going for
that superior place of mine, which is not lit by the
sun, the moon or by lamps, one never returns. (7)
Living a conditioned life, with the mind as the sixth
sense, is the individual living being, struggling hard
in its material position, an eternal part of me. (8)
It is as the controller of the body it obtained and
also has to give up, in all of that carried along like
a fragrance by the wind is from its source. (9) With
its hearing, seeing, touching, tasting, smelling and
also minding is it ruled by the objects of the senses.
(10) The notion of having a body, quitting a body and,
under the spell of the modes, enjoying a body is
something the foolish don't understand, but those who
share the filognostic vision do understand this. (11)
Those who endeavor and unify in the consciousness,
realize it from within their soul, but those
endeavoring who do not act in favor of the soul, do
not have this vision, however developed their minds
are.
(12) The
splendor you see in the light of the sun which
illumines the entire world, as also in the light of
the moon and the fire, you should understand to be
from me. (13) With my ethereal energy I permeate this
earth and sustain these living beings, and as their
life-juice do I, by my appearance in the form of the
moon, nourish all the plants. (14) As the fire of
digestion within the bodies of all living beings, I
maintain the balance between the in- and outgoing
breath, while I digest the four types of
foodstuff.30
(15) Residing in the heart of all beings have they
from me their remembrance, knowledge and reason. It is
by the sacred scriptures that I am known; I'm their
doctrine and the knowledge of their meaning.
(16) There
are these integrities of service in this world: the
perishable and the imperishable one; the service of
all the living beings is perishable but the service of
the stationary and constant integrity of the multitude
of the natural order is known to be imperishable. (17)
The highest integrity of service is another service,
viz. the service of the supreme self of the Lord of
whom one says that He, pervading the three departments
of the world18,
is the inexhaustible maintainer. (18) Because I,
relative to the perishable, am transcendental and,
relative to the imperishable, am the best, am I in the
world and in the sacred literatures celebrated as the
Supreme Personality. (19) Anyone who, free from doubt,
knows about me as being that Supreme Personality,
knows all there is to know, and will serve me any way
he can, o son of the Many dynasty. (20) Understanding
this most confidential part of the revealed scripture
I now disclosed, o sinless one, becomes one
intelligent and will one find perfection in one's line
of work, o son of the Many line.'
