Dasbodh

Chapter: 6, Sub-Chapter: 5

Narration About Illusion (Maya) and Brahman

ShriRam


1. The listener asks, " What is this Illusion (Maya) and what is Reality, or Brahman?" The speaker responds, "For the sake of this dialogue between the listeners and the speaker, please listen to the explanation."


2. Brahman is without attributes and is formless. Illusion has attributes and form. Brahman has no boundaries or limits, Illusion does.


3. Brahman is pure and changeless. Illusion is active and restless. Brahman alone is untainted by any color or form, while Illusion is color and form.


4. Illusion is seen, Brahman cannot be seen. Illusion is perceptible, Brahman cannot be perceived. Illusion gets destroyed, Brahman is indestructible, even at the final dissolution of all creation.


5. Illusion is created, Brahman cannot be created. Illusion can deteriorate, Brahman cannot. Illusion can be accumulated by the ignorant, Brahman cannot.


6. Illusion is born, Brahman is not born. Illusion dies, Brahman does not die. Illusion can be conceived, Brahman cannot be comprehended by the intellect.


7. Illusion breaks, Brahman cannot break. Illusion can be cut off, Brahman cannot be cut off. Illusion gets old and tattered, Brahman does not get old and tattered, as it is indestructible.


8. Illusion is subject to modification, Brahman is changeless. Illusion does everything, Brahman does nothing. Illusion assumes many forms, Brahman is formless.


9. Illusion is of the nature of the temporary Five Elements and is many, Brahman is eternal and is one. The difference between Illusion and Brahman is understood by those who utilize the power of discrimination.


10. Illusion is inferior, Brahman is superior. Illusion is the non-essential, Brahman is the essence. Illusion is on the side of the world, Brahman does not have sides.


11. Illusion is spread out covering Brahman. However, the sages have sifted out Brahman with discrimination.


12. Clearing away the moss on the surface, one should take the water. Throwing away the water from the mixture of milk and water, one should take the milk. Similarly, giving up Illusion, one's experience should be of Brahman.


13. Brahman is spotless like the sky, Illusion is muddied like the earth. Brahman alone is subtle, while the Illusion is gross form.


14. Brahman is not visible, while Illusion is visible and seen. Brahman is uniform and unvarying, Illusion is by nature varying forms.


15. Illusion is a visible object, Brahman is not. Illusion is witnessed, Brahman cannot be witnessed. In Illusion there are two sides (duality), Brahman has no sides.


16. Illusion is the assertion of an argument, Brahman is the final statement. Illusion is ephemeral, Brahman is eternal. Brahman does not have a cause or purpose for its existence, Illusion does.


17. Brahman is homogenous and solid, Illusion is made up of the Five Elements and hollow. Brahman is always flawless, Illusion is old and tattered.


18. Illusion becomes, Brahman does become. Illusion falls, Brahman cannot fall. Illusion gets spoiled, Brahman cannot get spoiled, it is just as it is.


19. Brahman always exists, Illusion disappears upon dissolution. There is no end to Brahman even after the final dissolution, while Illusion ends.


20. Illusion is hard, Brahman is subtle. Illusion is very small, Brahman is vast. Illusion can be destroyed, Brahman remains always.


21. Brahman cannot really be described, or said to be like anything. Illusion appears to be how it is spoken about. Time cannot consume Brahman, while it does consume Illusion.


22. A multitude of forms and colors are the occurrence of Illusion. Illusion breaks, but Brahman is unbreakable, always just as it is.


23. Now enough of this expanded narration. The entire animate and inanimate creation is all Illusion. The one Supreme God (Parameshwara) pervades everything inside and out.


24. That Supreme Self, Paramatman, is different from all labels and attributes. Just as the reflection of the sky is in the water, yet the sky itself is not found in the water, such is Parabrahman.


25. By way of explanation, and the inquiry into Illusion and Brahman, one can escape birth and death. When one surrenders to the saints, one can attain liberation.


26. There is no limit to talking about the greatness of the saints. Because of them, one realizes the "Universal Self."