Essence of the Ribhu Gita

tr. Prof.N.R.Krishnamoorthy Aiyer

Benedictory Verses

To Siva

1. Salutations to the Supreme Lord Siva, the pure Awareness in the sky of consciousness in the Heart, by meditation on whom, Ganesa, Guha, Mother-Sakti who is the embodiment of Siva’s Grace, and myriads of Devas, saints and devotees have attained their cherished goals.

To Nataraja

2. From the sky of consciousness of the Heart springs forth the dancer Nataraja with his blissful consort Freedom, to the delectation of his devotees who are thus liberated forever. Unto that Ananda Natesa do we render our devout salutations.

To Ardhanareeswara

3. Unto that Form whose left half is the Mother of all manifestation and whose right half is the Father of the same, the jingle of the gems enclosed within the hollow golden anklet of whose foot is the source of all scriptures, and whose three eyes (Fire, Sun and Moon) are the illuminants of the universe, to that Form be our devout salutations. May that divine Form ever be our protection.

To Siva, Sakti, Vinayaka and Shanmukha

4. Salutations to Siva, the Lord of the universe of infinite power, to Sat-Chit-Ananda-Sakti, the Mother of the universe, to Vinayaka the dispeller of all impediments to freedom, and to Shanmukha the Sat-Guru, who dispenses to his worthy devotees the divine wisdom of Siva-Self leading to salvation.

5. The universe was neither born, nor maintained, nor dissolved; this is the plain truth. The basic screen of pure Being-Awareness-Stillness devoid of all the moving shadow pictures of name and form of the universe is the sole, eternal Existence.

6. Some may argue that this universe of duality (multiple existences) is a factual second reality clearly seen by the senses operated by the mind. But then, are the senses anything apart from the mind? Can they function without the support of the mind in which they are embedded? What is this mind except a bundle of thoughts? What are thoughts except evanescent ripples in the still, limitless ocean of pure Being-Awareness-Self which is the sole Existence without a second?

7. The existence of the illusion of silver in the mother of pearl is not a reality apart from the reality of the mother of pearl which is the basic reality. The illusion of the universe is based on the mind, which again is an illusion based on the still Awareness-Being Self.

10 The state of firm abidance in that thought-free, alert Awareness-Self, constitutes integral perfection, yoga, wisdom, moksha, sahaja-samadhi, the state of Siva, and the state of Atman-Self, which scriptures proclaim by the title of Brahman.

11 There never was a mind nor any of its countless forms like world, jivas etc. There isn't the least doubt that all these are the form of the eternally undifferentiable Supreme Brahman Self. This is the Truth. The one who hears this great secret diligently and understands completely, abides as Brahman-Self

31. Abidance in sahaja-samadhi is the hallmark of jivan mukti. With the progressive development of this state, the intensity of blissful peace is attained, leading on to the four successive stages of perfection in mukti. Nothing short of this technique of Self-Enquiry will be of any avail in destroying the fearsome cycle of births and deaths.

32. The realised person who abides in the Brahman-Self and has lost all feelings of differentiation of Self and non-self is the jnani or mukta-purusha. Such a jnani is rare to find by searching among millions of people. If one has the lucky opportunity of getting his darshan (personal view and contact) one attains purification from all sins, and what is more, such a person's ego gets well set on the road to its liquidation.

40. Abidance in the state of thought-free alert awareness is the state of mukti beyond thought and expression. The emergence of thought is the bondage of untold suffering. Abidance in the Self is the true non-dual samadhi, and that alone could lead one to the eternal bliss of mukti.

41. The great illusions: maya (associated with God Iswara), avidya (associated with individual souls), mind and jivas (souls), world and its creator, all names and forms, and all mental conceptions are nothing but the Self. One should ever abide in this conviction.

42. All worlds and creatures are only thought forms. They are nothing but the mind which is a bundle of thoughts, which again are nothing more than ripples on the still ocean of Awareness-Self, and certainly nothing apart from that Self. Therefore, one should abide in the firm conviction that all objects are only I am Self-Brahman.