Paramahamsa
Upanishad
Om ! That (Brahman) is infinite, and this
(universe) is infinite.
The infinite proceeds from the infinite.
(Then) taking the infinitude of the infinite (universe),
It remains as the infinite (Brahman) alone.
Om ! Peace ! Peace ! Peace !
1. “What is the path of the Paramahamsa Yogis, and what are their duties
?” – was the question Narada asked on approaching the Lord Brahma (the
Creator). To him the Lord replied: The path of the Paramahamsas that you
ask of is accessible with the greatest difficulty by people; they have
not many exponents, and it is enough if there be one such. Verily, such
a one rests in the ever-pure Brahman; he is verily the Brahman
inculcated in the Vedas – this is what the knowers of Truth hold; he is
the great one, for he rests his whole mind always in Me; and I, too, for
that reason, reside in him. Having renounced his sons, friends, wife,
and relations, etc., and having done away with the Shikha, the holy
thread, the study of the Vedas, and all works, as well as this universe,
he should use the Kaupina, the staff, and just enough clothes, etc., for
the bare maintenance of his body, and for the good of all. And that is
not final. If it is asked what this final is, it is as follows:
2. The Paramahamsa carries neither the staff, nor the hair-tuft, nor the
holy thread nor any covering. He feels neither cold, nor heat, neither
happiness nor misery, neither honour, nor contempt etc. It is meet that
he should be beyond the reach of the six billows of this world-ocean.
Having given up all thought of calumny, conceit, jealousy, ostentation,
arrogance, attachment or antipathy to objects, joy and sorrow, lust,
anger, covetousness, self-delusion, elation, envy, egoism, and the like,
he regards his body as a corpse, as he has thoroughly destroyed the
body-idea. Being eternally free from the cause of doubt, and of
misconceived and false knowledge, realising the Eternal Brahman, he
lives in that himself, with the consciousness “I myself am He, I am That
which is ever calm, immutable, undivided, of the essence of
knowledge-bliss, That alone is my real nature.” That (Jnana) alone is
his Shikha. That (Jnana) alone is his holy thread. Through the knowledge
of the unity of the Jivatman with the Paramatman, the distinction
between them is wholly gone too. This (unification) is his Sandhya
ceremony.
3. He who relinquishing all desires has his supreme rest in the One
without a second, and who holds the staff of knowledge, is the true
Ekadandi. He who carries a mere wooden staff, who takes to all sorts of
sense-objects, and is devoid of Jnana, goes to horrible hells known as
the Maharauravas. Knowing the distinction between these two, he becomes
a Paramahamsa.
4. The quarters are his clothing, he prostrates himself before none, he
offers no oblation to the Pitris (manes), blames none, praises none –
the Sannyasin is ever of independent will. For him there is no
invocation to God, no valedictory ceremony to him; no Mantra, no
meditation, no worship; to him is neither the phenomenal world nor That
which is unknowable; he sees neither duality nor does he perceive unity.
He sees neither “I” nor ‘thou”, nor all this. The Sannyasin has no home.
He should not accept anything made of gold or the like, he should not
have a body of disciples, or accept wealth. If it be asked what harm
there is in accepting them, (the reply is) yes, there is harm in doing
so. Because if the Sannyasin looks at gold with longing, he makes
himself a killer of Brahman; because if the Sannyasin touches gold with
longing, he becomes degraded into a Chandala; because if he takes gold
with longing, he makes himself a killer of the Atman. Therefore, the
Sannyasin must neither look at, nor touch nor take gold, with longing.
All desires of the mind cease to exist, (and consequently) he is not
agitated by grief, and has no longing for happiness; renunciation of
attachment to sense-pleasures comes, and he is everywhere unattached in
good or evil, (consequently) he neither hates nor is elated. The
outgoing tendency of all the sense-organs subsides in him who rests in
the Atman alone. Realising “I am that Brahman who is the One Infinite
Knowledge-Bliss” he reaches the end of his desires, verily he reaches
the end of his desires.
Om ! That (Brahman) is infinite, and this (universe) is infinite.
The infinite proceeds from the infinite.
(Then) taking the infinitude of the infinite (universe),
It remains as the infinite (Brahman) alone.
Om ! Peace ! Peace ! Peace !
Here ends the Paramahamsopanishad belonging to the Sukla-Yajur-Veda. |