The Song of the Goddess: The Devi Gita: Spiritual Counsel of the Great Goddess

4. Instruction in the Yoga of Knowledge

71 Chapter 4 Instruction in the Yoga of Knowledge The Goddess spoke: 4.1. How distant you are, so humble, from this form of mine, so magnificent! Yet out of affection for my devotees, I have displayed such a form. 4.2. Not by study of the Vedas, nor by yoga, charity, austerity, or sacrifice Can you see this form in any way, without my favor. 4.3. Listen, O King, let us return to the original subject regarding the supreme Self and how it becomes the individual soul. By combining with apparent limitations, the Self seemingly assumes the role of an active agent and so on. 4.4. The soul performs diverse acts, the single cause of virtue and vice. Thereby it attains birth in various wombs and experiences happiness and sorrow. 4.5. Again, under their determining influence, ever intent on new actions of various sorts, It attains new bodies of various kinds and experiences further happiness and sorrow. 72 The Song of the Goddess 4.6. Like a water wheel, this cycling never ceases. Ignorance alone is its root; from that springs desire, from that actions. 4.7. Therefore a person should ever strive for the destruction of ignorance, For one’s birth is fruitful when ignorance is destroyed. 4.8. One thereby attains the ends of human existence and the state of being liberated while living. Wisdom alone is competent for the destruction of ignorance. 4.9. Action, born of ignorance, is incompetent to destroy ignorance, since the two are not opposed, O Mountain. Rather, the hope that ignorance can be destroyed by action is futile. 4.10. Useless are actions with their fruits, which humans crave again and again. From that arises passion, from that evil, from that great calamity. 4.11. Therefore a person should acquire knowledge with all-out effort. Yet scripture itself seems to enjoin the necessity of action, as when it mentions: “Ever performing actions here . . .” 4.12. But scripture also states: “From knowledge indeed comes emancipation.” Thus some conclude that the two should be conjoined: Action should be a complement of knowledge , as its benefactor. 73 Instruction in the Yoga of Knowledge 4.13. Others say that this is impossible, due to their opposition. The knot of the heart is loosened through knowledge; when the knot is tight, action arises. 4.14. Coexistence of the two together is thus impossible , due to their opposition, Just as darkness and light cannot appear simultaneously. 4.15. Therefore, high-minded one, all Vedic actions Reach their end when the heart is purified; perform them with diligence 4.16. Until tranquillity, restraint, patience, dispassion , and goodness arise. Up to this point actions are fitting, but no further. 4.17. And then renouncing worldly attachments, being self-restrained, one should resort to a guru Well-versed in the Veda and absorbed in Brahman, approaching with true devotion. 4.18. One should listen to the Upanishads daily and with attention, Reflecting constantly on the meaning of such great sayings as “You are That.” 4.19. The great saying, “You are That,” indicates the oneness of the soul and Brahman. When the identity is realized, one goes beyond fear and assumes my essential nature. 4.20. First one should comprehend the meaning of the individual words, then the meaning of the sentence as a whole. 74 The Song of the Goddess Now the word That refers to I myself, O Mountain; this is well proclaimed, 4.21. While the word You refers certainly to the individual soul. The identity of the two is indicated by the word are, so say the wise. 4.22. Due to the opposed nature of the two expressed referents, their identity may not seem possible. Thus one must adopt the secondary meaning of the terms That and You, as fixed in scripture. 4.23. Just pure consciousness is the secondary meaning implied by both terms: their essential oneness is thereby established. Realizing their oneness by disregarding their nonessential differences, one transcends duality. 4.24. In the same manner, the sentence “This is that Devadatta” uses the secondary meanings , so it is taught. When freed from the three bodies beginning with the Gross, a person becomes absorbed in Brahman. 4.25. The Gross Body arises from the fivefold compounded gross elements. It experiences the fruit of all its actions and is subject to old age and...