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An explanation of the Highest Reality


Introduction to Svātantryasūtram

(Explanation of the Highest Reality)



These two, the Self and Its Power - which are inconceivable - constitute the Highest Reality ||1||


The Self is the Core of everything, and His Power has become Everything. I call the Core "the Self" to bring more light instead of more darkness. If I had called Him "Śiva," some people might consider Him to be like the well-known Puranic Śiva who is a great ascetic living in a cave and whose main task is to destroy the universe, etc. Other people might think that since Viṣṇu is greater than Śiva, He should be the Core of everything and not Śiva. Again, there is also a tendency to consider Śiva as impersonal whereas Viṣṇu is personal. There is no end to spiritual nonsense indeed, because there is no difference between Śiva and Viṣṇu really. Still, other people might suggest that a better name would be Brahman, etc. In order not to fall into all this ignorant mess of names and viewpoints, I chose to assign the name "Being" to the Core of everything. In the end, when spiritual enlightenment sets in, one's own mind withdraws (as I will say by an aphorism later on), and consequently, there is no one to think about whether "This Core of everything" is personal, impersonal, Śiva, Viṣṇu, Brahman, etc. The ego just collapses and That which remains is only Being as it essentially Is.


He and His Power are totally inconceivable, that is, they are beyond the mental sphere. The Play of names, viewpoints and all that is done by His Power, which is ever so playful. Ultimately, the constant question is always: "Is oneself completely free as the Self?" If the answer is "Yes", one has fulfilled the goal of life. And if the answer is "No", one must somehow get rid of one's own bondage then. This scripture is therefore like a little manual for your process of Liberation from bondage. I do not seek to confuse you with names and complex philosophical viewpoints. My goal is always your Liberation and nothing but your Liberation. The Self and His Power constitute the Highest Reality. Once you can reach Them, so to speak, you are completely free as Them Two. The Self and His Power are "two" only in the sphere of words, for in reality they form one compact mass of Absolute Freedom and Bliss. Just as the sun can be divided into "sun core, sun surface, corona" etc., so I divide the Highest Reality into two in the world of words to explain it to you. The next aphorism will speak about that topic.



Even though the essential nature of Them two is a compact mass composed of Absolute Freedom and Bliss, it is divided into two - only in the sphere of words - for its detailed study ||2||


The Self is Absolute Freedom and His Power is Bliss. Both form one compact mass (i.e. omnipresent). In other words, the Highest Reality is always "One without a second," but in the world of words it is divided into two for detailed study. When this division occurs, the act of coming to recognize or realize the Highest Reality becomes easier. Thus, the Highest Reality itself brings about this division in the sphere of words as an aid to the spiritual aspirants to realize It more quickly.



Although the Self is pure Consciousness consisting of Prakāśa or Light, He is called "I" in the sphere of words ||3||


The Self is pure Consciousness, namely, the Supreme Subject is never an object. Therefore, He cannot be perceived in the form of "this" or "that." He cannot even be delineated in thought by any means. However, in the world of words, He is called "I" or also the real "I" to show that He is superior to the false "I" or ego.



His Power, which constitutes the first Vibration, is the consciousness of the truly Self ||4||


In the unchanging nature of Being, a slight tension suddenly occurs in the form of a subtle vibration. This is His Power appearing as I-consciousness, that is, as That which makes the "I" (Being) conscious of Its own existence. Both Being and His Power then form: "I Am." Without His Power, Being cannot know about Its own existence, let alone the existence of the universe. This is one of the reasons why I will say that Being is alone in a next aphorism.



After that first Vibration in the form of the consciousness of the Self, His Power becomes threefold ||5||


His Power, after making Him conscious of His own existence, is divided into three powers: Power of Will, Power of Knowledge and Power of Action.



Having become triple, It -His Power- manifests to the universe ||6||


Through these three Powers of Will, Knowledge and Action, the Power of Being is able to manifest the entire universe, step by step.



This universe is generated by His Power and not by the Being Himself directly ||7||


It is His Power (the slight tension in the Body of the unchanging Being) that produces the universe and not He Himself. This is very important. If one were to ask the Being about the existence of the universe and the like, He would reply, "What universe are you talking about?" He is always alone and without a second. He becomes aware of His own existence and the existence of the universe through His Power and not otherwise. Yet He is always in the same State. He never moves even a millimetre. That is why He is known as the Core of everything.



The Power of Being remains as the consciousness of the Self or in the form of the universe which is an expansion of that -of the consciousness of the Self- ||8||


The Power of Being, the slight tension in the unchanging cosmic Body of Being, appears in two ways: as "I Am" (all-pervading I-consciousness, e.g. "I am Gabriel," "I am John," "I am Michel," etc.) or as the universe made up of minds, bodies, external objects, etc. The universe is only an expansion of "I Am" just as "I am Gabriel" is an expansion of "I Am" in myself.



The Being always remains alone ||9||


The Self has nothing to do with what His Power does. His State is never disturbed by all that either. He remains in absolute solitude, that is, He is the One without a second, the impartial Witness in the midst of all these thoughts, objects, people and so on. He never changes, never perishes, never loses or gains, etc. He always remains as what He essentially is. All other processes: thoughts, objects, people, changes, death, bondage, Liberation, etc. are only the result of the Play of His own Power and not "really" His own doing. Yes, there is no way to describe all this without appearing contradictory. This is so because words are always in the field of limitation.



The Highest Reality, which is a compact mass whose nature consists of Freedom and Bliss, is never nonexistence, that is, absolute emptiness ||10||


Both the Self and Its Power are always existent and never non-existent. If the Highest Reality were absolute emptiness, no one would have perceived it in the first place, and consequently no one would realize that it is the Highest Reality. Since there is always "Someone" who is constantly aware of the presence of the Highest Reality (i.e., the Highest Reality Itself appearing as "I Am"), there is never non-existence, namely, absolute emptiness. This subject is extremely subtle.



The nonexistence of this Highest Reality can never be proven ||11||


The nonexistence of Being and His Power can never be proven because the one who proves it "must exist first." If the denier of His existence does not exist, then how could he even attempt to deny it? And if the denier exists, then there is existence and not absolute emptiness. For this reason, atheism which appears in the form of deniers of the Highest Reality only reaffirms His existence. While there is some argument for the existence of an atheist in the form of someone who does not believe in a "personal God endowed with human characteristics and all that," or who does not believe in an "impersonal God," there is never any argument for the appearance of an atheist who conceives of the Highest Reality as absolute emptiness. If the Highest Reality were absolute emptiness (absolute nothingness), the atheist himself would not exist in the first place. Even if such a person insists on calling himself an "atheist" out of sheer obstinacy, he is only proving the existence of the Highest Reality by his claims. In short, nonexistence or absolute emptiness never occurs and as a consequence can never be proven. This topic has been elucidated at length by the sage Kṣemarāja while commenting in his Spandanirṇaya on aphorisms 12-13 of the Spandakārikā-s.



The Highest Reality, the Supreme State, acts as the background or substratum of the entire universe and also of its absence - of the absence of the universe - ||12||


The Self and Its Power in the form of the "I consciousness" (I Am) are the constant support of all that exists. One might think of Them both as the earth and mother nature. While the earth provides the basis for Life, mother nature unfolds it. In the same way, the Self is always in the same State of Absolute Freedom. Above It, the Power of the Self unfolds the Play called the universe or the absence of the universe. When the universe is manifested, the Highest Reality is the substratum, and when the universe is dissolved, the Highest Reality remains the substratum of that dissolution. Then, when the universe is manifested again, the Highest Reality is here again, as the foundation of all that is manifest. This cycle of universe appearing and disappearing goes on and on until one perceives the Truth, that is, until one attains Liberation.


The Supreme State is This which certainly has a taste in all beings ||13||


The Supreme State, the Highest Reality, is always experienced as the same "I Am" by all beings. It never changes even a little. That is why the aphorism states that the Supreme State always has one flavor.



This Supreme State is always free from obstruction ||14||


Since it is a compact mass of Freedom and Bliss, it occupies everything. For example, during the various states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, the Self remains the Witness of these three states. It is a compact mass that pervades all of them. If it were not a compact mass, one would not detect the transition from one state to the next (e.g. from waking to dreaming). Furthermore, there would be problems in explaining the processes of memory, because with each change of state, one would forget everything that was experienced in a previous state. Since this is not so, i.e., one detects the transitions from one state to the next, and the memory remains secure, all this indicates the presence of "Something or Someone" that does not change across states and is omnipresent. Since the Highest Reality is like this, it is never obstructed by anything, because "everything that happens" is always happening "in the states" and never "in Itself."


If the Highest Reality could be obstructed by anything, there would be a disruption in the existence of the universe. Since no one has ever experienced total nonexistence (since there is always someone existing even in the midst of emptiness), it is proven that the Highest Reality is never obstructed by anything at all. There is never total annihilation of the Highest Reality since there is always someone watching the rest of beings die, etc. In the end, This One Who always survives and exists even after the greatest universal annihilation is always the Highest Reality. If there had ever been a total annihilation, no one would exist now. Also, no one could remember it. Since all annihilations are always remembered, there had to be "someone" always surviving. This, as I said previously, is the Highest Reality. Thus the absence of total death, total non-existence, total unconsciousness, total "everything" is fully proven by the very process of detecting the presence of "someone" who constantly perceives death, emptiness, unconsciousness, etc. Yes, one can insist that all of that (i.e. total non-existence, total death, etc.) is "solid reality," but it is only mere "solid" obstinacy and never something that can be proven by "solid" arguments. Existence itself proves the existence, consciousness, eternity, etc. of the Highest Reality. Hence, It is always "unobstructed."



The Highest Reality is said to be a "compact mass" due to Its omnipresence ||15||


It pervades all states of consciousness as their unchanging Witness: waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. The expression "svasarvavyāpakatvāt" can also be translated as "because it pervades everything," that is, "because it pervades everything." If the Highest Reality were not unchanging and a compact mass, one would not be able to detect changes and transitions through the states of consciousness. What is constantly changing is only a manifestation of the Power of Being and never the Highest Reality as it essentially is.



There is nothing at all apart from the Highest Reality||16||


Since everything that exists is an expansion of the Power of Being, nothing ever exists that is not the Highest Reality. If anything exists, it is the manifestation of Its Power. And since the Power of Being is always in unity with Being, in the end, everything that exists constantly shines with the Light of the Highest Reality.









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