12.199
Manu said.
When your five senses, along with the mind, are liberated by the five means, then you will perceive Brahman, present like a thread running through a gem.
Just as the same thread exists in gold, again in pearls, then in coral, in clay, so it shines. (12-199-2)
Just as among cows, humans, elephants, deer, and other animals, as well as among insects and moths, one whose mind is attached is bound by their own actions.
Whatever actions a person performs with whichever body, with that very body he experiences the corresponding results.
Just as the earth, though of one essence, adapts according to the nature of plants, so too the intellect, following actions, reveals the inner self.
The desire to obtain arises from prior knowledge, and the desire to obtain is accompanied by prior intention. Action is preceded by intention; action is the root, and from that comes the result.
One should understand that the result arises from action, action is characterized by what is to be known, what is to be known is characterized by knowledge, and knowledge itself is of the nature of both existence and non-existence.
At the end, the ultimate fruit of all knowledge, all results, all things to be known, and all actions is the divine knowledge established in the knowable.
The yogis, united with the supreme, perceive the great supreme being; but the ignorant, whose intellect is fixed in qualities, do not see that at all.
The form of earth is surpassed by that of water here; fire is greater than water, and wind is greater than fire.
From wind comes the great sky; higher than that is the mind; greater than the mind is the intellect; and greater than the intellect is time, which is considered supreme.
From time, the illustrious Viṣṇu, of whom this entire universe (is), has neither beginning, nor middle, nor indeed end; such is the nature of that god.
Because he is without beginning, middle, or end, and is imperishable, he transcends all sufferings; suffering is said to have an end.
That Brahman is said to be the highest, and that abode is remembered as the supreme; those who reach there, freed from the realm of time, attain liberation.
It is by these qualities that things become manifest; but what is beyond is due to absence of qualities. Dharma characterized by withdrawal is thus suited for the infinite.
The Rigvedic hymns, Yajurvedic formulas, and Samavedic chants, having bodies, are resorted to and set in motion on the tips of tongues; they are accomplished by effort and are perishable.
It is not thus considered that Brahman has its origin dependent on the body. That Brahman is not accomplished by effort, nor does it have a beginning, middle, or end.
The beginning of the Ṛgvedic hymns, as well as of the Sāmans and Yajus, is spoken of. The end and beginning are observed in things that have a beginning, but the beginning of Brahman is not known.
Because it is eternal and infinite, it is infinite and imperishable; being imperishable and free from duality, due to the absence of duality, therefore it is supreme.
Because of the unseen, lack of means, and intention in action, mortals do not perceive that by which they reach the supreme.
Because of association with sense objects and the perception of permanence, and as the mind desires something else, the highest is not attained.
People here see and desire qualities, but others do not aspire for the highest, because those who desire qualities do not seek what is beyond qualities.
How can one who is endowed with inferior qualities know these qualities? Indeed, one should ascertain (them) by inference, together with their qualities and components.
We know by the subtle mind, but we are not able to express it by speech; the mind is to be comprehended by the mind itself, and perception by perception.
By purifying the intellect with knowledge, then the mind with the intellect, and then the senses with the mind, one ultimately attains the infinite.
One who is deprived of intellect but prosperous in mind, thus hopeless, attains virtue. But abandoning the supreme here, being enticed, is like the wind leaving the fire that is situated in fuel.
When qualities are given or separated, their mind is always governed by both higher and lower intellect. By this very method, being thus engaged, one attains the body of Brahman.
The person whose self and actions are unmanifested reaches the unmanifested state at the end. Through those very senses, whether they are increasing or decaying, he continues to exist in the form of action.
This body, united with all the senses and supported by the five elements, may exist. But here, due to incapacity, one who is deprived of that supreme imperishable does not engage in action.
A man cannot see the end of the earth; know that her end will come. Those who are enticed are led further and further, just as a raft on the ocean is driven by the wind.
Just as the sun, after manifesting its qualities, becomes devoid of them when its rays are gone, so too does this sage, having transcended all distinctions, enter the attributeless and imperishable Brahman.
By contemplating that supreme, imperishable, eternal, self-existent state—the immortal and imperishable abode which is the origin and dissolution—one attains tranquility and immortality.
