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THE
EXPLANATION OF ILLUSION (MAYA) AND BRAHMAN
Dasbodh -
Chapter: 06 Subchapter: 05
1. The
listeners ask like this: What is Illusion and what is Brahman?
Under the pretext of a dialogue between the listener and
speaker, listen to the explanation.
2. Brahman is
without attributes and formless, whereas the Illusion is with
attributes and form. There is no end, or limit to Brahman, while
Illusion has and end.
3. Brahman is
pure, and immovable, while Illusion is unsteady and constantly
changing. Brahman alone is without name, while Illusion appears
in form, with name.
4. Illusion
is seen, Brahman cannot be seen. Illusion is felt, Brahman
cannot be felt, and Illusion gets destroyed, while Brahman
cannot be destroyed, even at the final destruction of the world.
5. Illusion
is created, Brahman cannot be created. Illusion can be
demolished, Brahman cannot be demolished. Illusion attracts the
ignorant, Brahman does not.
6. Illusion
is born, Brahman cannot be born. Illusion dies, Brahman cannot
die. Illusion can be grasped with the intellect, Brahman cannot
be grasped.
7. Illusion
breaks, Brahman cannot break. Illusion tears apart, Brahman does
not. Illusion gets old and fades away, Brahman never perishes,
it is indestructible.
8. Illusion
gets modified and is subject to change, Brahman does not change.
Illusion does everything, Brahman does not do anything. Illusion
takes on many forms, Brahman is formless.
9. Illusion
is comprised of the five elements and assumes many forms.
Brahman is eternal and only one. The difference between Illusion
and Brahman is known by using discrimination. Understand this
with discriminative intellect.
10. Illusion
is small and inferior, Brahman is great and superior. Illusion
is without essence, Brahman is the essence. Illusion has
boundaries, Brahman is boundless.
11. All
Illusion is spread out in its entirety, and covers Brahman. The
sages have singled out Brahman and cleared away the Illusion.
12. Just as
you would take only the water after clearing away the moss, or
you would separate milk from water and throw away the water, and
keep the milk, similarly, cast off the Illusion, and experience
Brahman.
13. Brahman
is pure like the sky, Illusion is impure like the earth, Brahman
alone is purely subtle, while Illusion takes on gross form.
14. Brahman
cannot be perceived. Illusion is that which is seen. Brahman is
uniform and unvarying, Illusion is by nature varying form.
15. Illusion
is conceived as a visible object, Brahman is the inconceivable
invisible Reality. Illusion can be proved with evidence, Brahman
cannot be proved with evidence. Within the Illusion are seen
both sides of an argument, Brahman has no sides and is beyond
logic.
16. Illusion
is the initial argument, Brahman is the final statement.
Illusion is unreal, Brahman is real. Brahman has no purpose or
cause to its existence, Illusion does.
17. Brahman
is continuous and dense, Illusion is made up of five elements
and is hollow. Brahman is always flawless, Illusion is old and
tattered.
18. Illusion
is created, Brahman is not. Illusion falls, Brahman does not.
Illusion gets spoiled, Brahman can never be spoiled, it is just
as it is.
19. Brahman
exists always, Illusion disappears. There is no end to Brahman
after the final destruction of the world, while Illusion
vanishes.
20. Illusion
is hard, Brahman is soft. Illusion is very little, Brahman is
huge. Illusion can be destroyed, Brahman remains always.
21. That
thing, called Reality, cannot be described, while Illusion can
be. Time cannot consume the Reality, but does consume the
Illusion.
22. A
multitude of forms with many colors, are all acts of Illusion.
Illusion breaks, Brahman is never broken. It remains just as it
is.
23. Now
enough of this expanding description. The animate and the
inanimate are all Illusion. The Supreme God, Parameshwara,
pervades everywhere, inside and out.
24. The
Supreme Self, Paramatman, is different from all labels and
attributes. It is like the reflection of the sky, which is seen
in the water. The sky is not found inside the water, and remains
unaffected by it.
25. Through
analysis of the inquiry about Illusion and Brahman, one can
escape birth and death.
●
From Dasbodh by Samartha Ramdas
