Avadhuta Gita: Song of the Free Soul

Table of Contents

CHAPTER I

Avadhuta said:

It is God’s grace alone which gives wise men the desire to realize non-dual Brahman; thus they are set free from great fear.
Indeed, everything in this universe is filled with the Atman. And, since the Atman is covered by Itself, how can I worship that formless, indivisible, immutable Supreme Beatitude?
The universe, consisting of the five elements [space, air, fire, water, and earth], is like water in a mirage. Ah, being that one, stainless Atman, to whom shall I bow down?
Truly the Atman alone is all, and in It there is neither division nor nondivision. It appears to me perplexing to say, “The Atman exists” or “The Atman does not exist.”
The quintessence of the whole Vedanta is the knowledge and the realization of the Atman. By nature I am that formless, all-pervading Atman.
Undoubtedly I am that Atman, which is omnipresent, luminous, undivided like space, intrinsically pure, and unclouded by maya.
Truly, I am imperishable, infinite, and the embodiment of pure consciousness. I do not know how happiness and misery are experienced or who it is that experiences them.
For me there is no mental action—good or bad:
For me there is no physical action—good or bad;
For me there is no verbal action—good or bad.
I am undying consciousness, pure, and transcendental.
Truly the mind is like space; it seems to face in all directions; it seems to transcend everything; it seems to be everything. But in reality, the mind does not exist.
I am one and in everythings. I am unbounded and beyond space. How can I see my own Self appearing or disappearing?
Why do you not understand you are truly that absolute One? You are that eternal Atman reflecting all equally. You are the unrefuted Lord and ever shining. Then how can you think of day [light] or night [darkness]?
Be aware of the Atman always. It is continuous and everywhere the same. You say “I am he who meditates,” and “The Supreme One is the object of meditation.” Why do you thus divide the indivisible?
You were never born and you will never die. You have never had a body. The Upanishads declare in many different ways this avowed truth: “All is Brahman.”
You are always present within as well as without. You are that Supreme Beatitude always and everywhere. Why then do you run hither and thither like a confused ghost?
For you and me there can be neither union nor separation. In reality, neither you nor I nor this world exists. The Atman alone abides.
You do not belong to the five objects of senses, such as sound, touch, form, taste, and smell; nor do they, again, belong to you. Indeed, you are that Supreme Reality. What reason then have you to grieve?
You have no birth or death, no memory, no bondage or liberation, nor have you good or evil. Why do you weep, O my dear? Name and form belong neither to you nor to me.
O mind, why are you wandering about like a restless ghost? Realize that undifferentiated Atman. Give up all craving and be happy.
Truly, you are that unchanging Reality, which is motionless, one, and freedom itself. You do not experience passion or dispassion. Why then do you torment yourself by desiring objects of lust?
All the Upanishads declare that Brahman, the Supreme Reality, is without attributes, pure, immutable, bodiless, and pervading everything equally. Know that I am that Brahman. Do not doubt this.
Know this: That which has form is unreal [because it is limited by its form]; that which is formless is eternal. He who exemplifies this truth in his own life will no longer be subject to rebirth.
The sages say that the Reality is one and unchanging. When craving is renounced, unity and diversity cease to exist in the mind.
How can a man attain samadhi as long as he thinks of himself as something other than the Atman? But, on the other hand, samadhi is not possible for a man who thinks of himself as the Atman. How can samadhi be attained as long as a man thinks that the Atman exists and yet does not exist? And what need is there to attain samadhi if all are one and by nature free?
You are the ever-pure and unchanging Reality. You are bodiless, birthless, and imperishable. “I know the Atman,” or “I do not know”—why do you think in such terms?
The Atman, the true nature of being, has been established by the great Vedic dictums, such as “Thou art That” and “I am Brahman.” The body, consisting of five elements, is unreal—this has been declared by the Upanishads, saying, “Not this, not this.”
Truly, everything in this universe is filled through and through by your Atman alone. Thus, there is no meditator or meditation in your mind. How is it that you are meditating without any sense of shame?
How can I speak of or worship that Supreme Beatitude, which I do not know as an object of knowledge? For I myself am that Supreme Beatitude—the Ultimate Reality, which is full by nature and all-pervading like space.
I am not the cosmic principles. I am that selfsame Reality, which is devoid of inference and reason, and free from subject and object. How can I know my Self?
An object cannot be infinite by nature. Matter cannot be Reality Itself. Truly, the Atman alone is the Supreme Reality. It is neither injurious nor nonviolent.
You are that pure, bodiless, unborn, imperishable, unchanging Reality. How can there be any confusion relating to the Atman? And again, how can you say, “I am confused”?
When the jar is broken, the jar-space [that is, the space contained in the jar] becomes completely unified with the undifferentiated space. So also, when the mind becomes purified, it is united with the Supreme Beatitude. Thus, no diversity is perceived by me.
Distinctions such as jar and jar-space, individual body and individual soul, do not exist in Brahman. Realize that Absolute Brahman, which neither is knowable nor can be made known.
The Atman exists always, everywhere, and in everything. It is eternal and unchanging. Everything in this world is void, and again, it is filled with the Atman. Realize: I am that Atman. Do not doubt this.
In Brahman there are neither the Vedas nor worlds nor gods nor sacrifices; there are neither stages of life nor castes nor race nor lineage; there is neither the path of smoke nor the path of light. Only the selfsame Brahman, the Supreme Reality, exists.
If you have realized that Absolute One, which is free from the pervader and the pervaded, how can you think of the Atman as perceptible or imperceptible?
Some prefer to be non-dualists while others prefer to be dualists; but none of them truly knows the selfsame Brahman, which is devoid of duality and non-duality.
Brahman is free from colours, such as white, blue, and yellow; It is devoid of qualities, such as sound, touch, and smell. How do people describe Brahman, which is beyond mind and speech?
When everything in this world, including the body, becomes unreal and void like space, then truly one knows Brahman. Then there is no longer any parade of dualities for him.
It appears to me that my innate self and the Supreme Self are truly identical and exactly like one continuous space. How can there be a meditator and meditation?
Whatever I do, whatever I eat, whatever I offer in sacrifice, and whatever I give away— none of these belong to me. I am ever pure, unborn, and immutable.
Know all this universe to be formless. Know all this universe to be devoid of transformation. Know all this universe to be pure existence itself. Know all this universe to be of the nature of the Supreme Beatitude.
Undoubtedly you are that Supreme Reality. Why then do you think thus: “Do I know the Atman, or do I not?” Or, “Is It a matter of experience, or is It incomprehensible?”
O my dear, as darkness and light cannot remain together, so how can ignorance and knowledge be in Brahman? All this is that one, spotless, formless Reality.
I am without beginning, middle, and end. I am never bound. By nature I am pure and perfect—this is my firm conviction.
Nothing is perceived by me—from the cosmic intelligence down to the manifested universe. Truly, all this is Brahman. How can there be any continuance of caste and stages of life?
I know in every way that I am the sole Reality, all-pervasive, independent, and ever existent. The five elements—space, air, fire, water, and earth—are all unreal.
The Atman is neither male nor female nor neuter. It is not a matter of perception or inference. Why then do you ponder over whether the Atman is blissful or devoid of bliss?
The Atman cannot be purified through the practice of the six limbs of yoga, or through the annihilation of the mind, or through the instruction of a teacher. The Atman is the Reality Itself and It is Purity Itself.
The Atman neither has a body of five elements, nor is It without a body. Truly, everything is the Atman. How can the three states, and the Fourth, be ascribed to the Atman?
Truly, I am neither bound nor free nor separated from Brahman. I am neither the doer nor the enjoyer, neither the pervader nor the pervaded.
As water mixed with water remains the same undifferentiated water, so prakriti [matter] and Purusha [Spirit] both appear identical to me.
If you are not free, indeed, then neither are you ever bound. How then can you think of yourself as with form [when bound] or as formless [when liberated]?
I know your supreme form, which is ever present and all-pervading like space. Similarly,
I know your inferior form, which is indeed like water in a mirage.
I have neither guru nor instruction, neither attributes nor action. Know for certain I am incorporeal like space and absolutely pure by nature.
You are absolutely pure. You are without any body and mind, and beyond maya. Do not be ashamed to say, “I am the Atman—the Supreme Reality.”
O mind, why do you weep? You are truly the Atman. Be one with It. Drink, O my dear, the supreme nectar of the boundless ocean of non-dual Brahman.
In the Atman there is neither knowledge nor ignorance nor the combination of the two. He who always has this knowledge becomes knowledge Itself and nothing else.
Self-knowledge does not depend upon reasoning or the practice of meditation or the instruction of a guru or anything in space and time. I am by nature that absolute Knowledge, the Reality which is innate, eternal, and boundless as space.
I was never born and I will never die. Neither do I perform any action—good or bad. I am that pure, attributeless Brahman. How can there be bondage or liberation for me?
When Brahman is omnipresent, luminous, motionless, full, and continuous, I do not see any diversity. How can It be inside or outside?
The whole universe appears to me as an indivisible, uninterrupted entity. Ah, what a terrible delusion of maya has created the distinction between duality and non-duality!
The object, either with form or without form, is always negated by saying, “Not this, not this.” Only the Supreme Beatitude, which is free from difference and sameness, exists.
You have neither mother nor father nor relative nor wife nor child nor friend. Neither have you any partiality or impartiality. Why then is there so much suffering in your mind?
O mind, there is no day or night for you, nor rise nor fall. How can the wise imagine a bodiless being to have a body?
Realize the immutable Atman, which is neither the whole nor the part, neither undivided nor divided. It is beyond happiness and misery.
I am neither the doer nor the enjoyer. There is no past or present action in me. Since I have no idea of body or of bodilessness, how can I say that it is mine or not mine?
I am free from such weaknesses as passion, anger, and so on. I am free from misery pertaining to the body, the mind, and so on. Know that I am that Atman, which is one and vast as space.
My friend mind, what is the use of so much idle talk? My friend mind, all this is a matter of conjecture. I have told you what is the quintessence: You are indeed the Reality— boundless as space.
In whatever way and in whatever place the yogis die, they merge into Brahman, as the jar-space is united with the limitless space when the jar is broken.
A yogi may die in a holy place or in the house of an untouchable, or he may even die in a coma; but no sooner does he give up the body than he becomes one with the Absolute Brahman.
The yogis consider everything—duty, wealth, objects of enjoyment, liberation, and all movable and immovable things, such as men, trees, and so on—as water in a mirage.
I did not perform actions in the past, nor do I perform actions in the present, nor shall I perform actions in the future. Neither did I, nor do I, nor shall I enjoy their respective fruits. This is my firm conviction.
The Avadhuta lives happily alone in a secluded place, purified by the uninterrupted bliss of Brahman. Renouncing the ego, the mendicant Avadhuta moves about and finds everything within his own Self.
Where there is no threefold state, nor even the Fourth [Transcendental], there one attains the Absolute Atman. Where there is neither virtue nor vice, how can there be bondage or liberation?
One cannot attain Brahman through the repetition of mantras or the recitation of the Vedas or the practice of tantric rites. The great Avadhuta, after purifying himself through meditation and becoming absorbed in the uninterrupted bliss of Brahman, has sung this Gita spontaneously.
Everything is void and at the same time full. There is neither truth nor falsehood in Brahman. This is narrated by the Avadhuta from his own experience, and also according to his knowledge of the scriptures.

CHAPTER II

Avadhuta said:

A guru may be young or an enjoyer of worldly pleasures; he may be illiterate or a servant or a householder; but none of these should be taken into consideration. Does one give up a gem dropped in the dirt?
The teachings of a guru should not be judged from the standpoint of literary merit. Indeed, intelligent people accept the quintessence. Is not a boat, though unpainted and ugly, capable of carrying passengers across the ocean?
The motionless Brahman possesses all that is movable and immovable without any effort. It is by nature calm, conscious, and all-pervading like space.
Truly, that omnipresent Brahman alone guides effortlessly all that is mobile and immobile. Then how can that non-dual Brahman be different from me?
Since I am that Supreme Beatitude, I am beyond the essential and the nonessential. I am free from birth and death, doubt and confusion.
I am without constituent parts, so I am worshipped by the gods. Since I am that integral Being, I do not acknowledge differences between gods [such as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva).
Ignorance cannot create any doubt in me. Why should I care about the waves of the mind? They appear and disappear like bubbles in water.
As softness, hardness, sweetness, and bitterness are ever connected with their respective objects, so cosmic intelligence and other elements are always pervaded by Brahman.
As water can be hot or cold or warm, and still be the same water, so also prakriti [matter] and Purusha [Spirit], it seems to me, are identical.
Since Brahman is subtler than the subtlest, It is devoid of appellation. It is beyond the senses, the mind, and the intellect. It is the ever-shining Lord of the universe.
When Brahman is such a natural entity, how can there be ‘I’ or ‘you’, or this movable or immovable universe?
Brahman has been described as being like space, and truly, like space, It is all-pervading. Brahman is pure consciousness, omniscient, and full.
Truly, Brahman neither moves about on the earth nor is It carried by air; neither is It submerged in water nor does It dwell in fire.
Space is fully pervaded by Brahman, but Brahman is not pervaded by anything. It resides inside and outside, and is undivided and uninterrupted.
Because Brahman is subtle, invisible, and without qualities, whatever methods have been prescribed by the yogis to realize It should be followed, one after another.
It is through constant practice of yoga that the mind no longer clings to any object; and when objects cease to exist the mind vanishes into the Final Cause, shunning good and evil.
There is only one infallible antidote for the terrible poison of worldliness which produces the coma of delusion—and that is the innate ambrosia of Brahman.
One can think of the formless, and a form can be visualized. But Brahman is neither being nor non-being. It can be termed the Innermost One.
The outer manifestation is this universe, and the inner manifestation is called prakriti, or maya. Realize Brahman, which is said to be the innermost of the inner—like water [milk] within the kernel of the coconut.
Knowledge related to the outer world is false. True knowledge dawns within [in the pure mind]. Realize Brahman, which is the innermost of the inner self. It is like water [milk] within the kernel of the coconut.
As one sees the moon as only one and very bright on the full moon night, so one should perceive Brahman as one and luminous. Dualistic vision comes from false perception.
[As dualistic vision comes from false perception], so a man of diversified intellect cannot realize the omnipresent Brahman. Only he who is pure attains the serene state of Brahman, and his name is praised by many.
No matter whether one is learned or illiterate, if he but realizes that Truth through the grace of the guru and through the grace of his own intellect, he is released from the turbulent ocean of maya.
He who attains the Supreme Reality is free from attachment and aversion, is devoted to the welfare of all beings, is serene, and possesses a steady intellect.
As the jar-space becomes one with the cosmic space on the destruction of the jar, so the yogi, after death, merges into his real nature—the Supreme Self.
It has been said about the followers of action that whatever state they desire at the time of death, they attain. But this has not been said about the followers of yoga.
The destiny of the followers of action can be described by the organ of speech; but the goal of the yogis is inexpressible, because it is not an object to be acquired.
Knowing this, one should not imagine any particular path for the yogis. They give up desire and doubt, and therefore their perfection takes place spontaneously.
No matter where a yogi may die—whether it be in a holy place or in the house of an untouchable—he never again enters into a mother’s womb. He merges into Supreme Brahman.
He who has realized the Self, which is innate, unborn, and inconceivable, is not contaminated by any evil, even if he acts in whatever way he likes. And once he is free from ignorance, he cannot perform any action. For that reason the self-controlled mendicant is never bound. (Bhagavad Gita 5.10)
The yogi attains that eternal Supreme Atman, which is pure, unparalleled, formless, supportless, incorporeal, desireless, beyond the pairs of opposites, devoid of delusion, and of undiminished power.
The yogi attains that eternal Supreme Atman, which neither the Vedas nor initiation nor tonsure nor guru nor disciple nor symbolic diagrams nor mudras [hand-postures] can manifest.
The yogi attains that eternal Supreme Atman, which has originated from neither Shiva nor Shakti nor Manu. It is not a lump of flesh, nor has It a form nor limbs such as feet or hands. It is not an entity like a jar, which can be designed and finished.
The yogi attains that eternal Supreme Atman, from the essence of which both the moving and the unmoving worlds emanate, in which they rest, and again into which they dissolve, as foam and bubbles arise from the modification of water and then again subside in it.
The yogi attains that eternal Supreme Atman, which is beyond knowledge and ignorance, and which is not manifested by any such disciplines as controlling the breath, fixing the gaze, practising postures, or exercising the nerve-current [that is, the movement of the ida, pingala, and sushumna].
The yogi attains that eternal Supreme Atman, which is neither many nor one nor both nor another. It is free from minuteness, largeness, vastness, and emptiness. It is devoid of measurement, dimension, and sameness.
The yogi attains that eternal Supreme Atman, whether he is a self-restrained ascetic or not, whether he possesses much wealth or not, whether he is active or inactive.
The yogi attains that eternal Supreme Atman, which is not the body, senses, mind, intellect,or ego. Neither is it the five uncompounded elements, nor the five gross elements, nor of the nature of space.
When the yogi attains that Supreme Atman, he transcends the injunctions and prohibitions of the scriptures. There is no idea of purity or impurity, nor can any evil thought arise in the undifferentiated mind of the yogi. Anything forbidden to others is permissible to him because he is beyond all rules.
The mind is unable to grasp Brahman, and speech is unable to express It—what to speak of the instruction of the guru. Indeed. Brahman is entirely revealed unto him who has assimilated the instruction of the guru who declared that Truth.

CHAPTER III

Avadhuta said:

The division of merit and demerit is completely absent in Brahman. Brahman is pure, unmanifested, and devoid of passion and dispassion. How can I worship that infinite Supreme Beatitude, which is neither with attributes nor without attributes, and is all-pervading and omnipresent?
The Supreme Beatitude is eternal and devoid of colours, such as white, red, and black. Truly It is both cause and effect. I am indeed that Brahman which is free from diversity. O dear friend, how can I, the Self, salute the Self?
I am uncreated and separate from creation, for I am ever present. I am unclouded and free from the cloud of maya, for I am always manifest. I do not borrow light from another light, and I am also separate from the luminous objects, for I am Self-luminous. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Truly, how can I say that Brahman has desire, or that It is desireless? How can I say whether It is attached or unattached? How can I say that It is unreal, or that It is devoid of substance? I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
How can I say whether Brahman is non-dual or dual in Its nature? How can I say whether It is eternal or non-eternal? I am Existence- Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Brahman is neither gross nor subtle. Neither does It appear nor disappear. It is without beginning, middle, and end. There is no higher or lower in Brahman. Indeed, I am proclaiming the Truth—the Ultimate Reality. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Know it for certain that the sense organs and the sense objects are like clouds in the sky. Realize the Shining One as neither bound nor free. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
O dear one, I am neither inscrutable nor inaccessible to the intellect. I am neither imperceptible nor inaccessible to perception. I am neither near nor impenetrable to sight. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
I am that fire of knowledge which consumes all actions of the actionless Atman. I am that fire of knowledge which destroys all sorrows of the sorrowless Atman. I am that fire of knowledge which burns up all bodies of the bodiless Atman. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
I am that fire of knowledge which wipes out all sins of the sinless Atman. I am that fire of knowledge which destroys all attributes of the attributeless Atman. I am that fire of knowledge which annihilates all bonds of the unbound Atman. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
O my dear, I am neither free from thought nor am I with thought. I am neither separated nor am I united. I am neither without mind nor do I have a mind. I am Existence-Knowledge- Bliss and boundless as space.
In my Self there are no such alternatives as delusion or lack of delusion, grief or lack of grief, greed or lack of greed. I am Existence- Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
I am never bound by the creeper of continuous birth and death. Neither the immense joy of contentment nor the bondage of ignorance are in me. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
The perpetuation of the world is the modification of rajas and not of me. The series of suffering is the modification of tamas and not of me. Happiness is the modification of sattva and not of me. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
I never performed any action which could generate anguish and misery. I never had a mind which could function by the contact of pain and pleasure. I have no source of ego in me. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Both stillness and vibration, doubt and determination, end in Brahman. Both waking and dreaming states, good and evil, terminate in Brahman. Both strength and weakness, mobility and immobility, dissolve in Brahman. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Brahman is neither the knower nor the knowable. It is beyond speculation and logical reasoning. It is beyond the cognizance of speech, mind, and intellect. Then how can 1 tell you about Brahman—the Ultimate Reality? I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Brahman is neither undivided nor divided. Indeed, It has no inside or outside. Brahman is not something which originated in the past and subsequently will cease to exist. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Truly I am Brahman, free from passion, jealousy, hatred, and the rest. I am that Reality devoid of’ sufferings caused by physical, terrestrial, and supernatural agencies. I am that Truth untouched by grief and misery of the world. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
How can there be the Fourth [Transcendental state] when there are not three states [waking, dreaming, and sleeping] in Brahman? How- can the four cardinal points of space exist without the threefold division of time? Truly, Brahman is the supreme abode of peace. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
In my Self, again, there are no such divisions as long or short, broad or narrow, circular or angular. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
I have neither mother nor father nor children. I have neither birth nor death nor desire. Truly, the Supreme Reality is unshakable and tranquil. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Brahman is effulgent, absolutely pure, infinite, and beyond the intellect. It is unwise to think of the infinite Brahman as unpolluted or polluted, undivided or divided. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
If the Supreme Reality is selfsame and absolutely pure, how can there be so many gods— such as Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva—or so many abodes—such as Brahmaloka, heaven, and earth? I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
How can I say that the Supreme Reality is not this or not that, that It is endless or has an end, or that It is bodiless or has a body? I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Though actionless, I am ever engaged in the highest activity. Being unattached, I enjoy the bliss of non-attachment. Being bodiless, I enjoy the happiness of bodilessness. I am Existence- Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
The beautiful creation of maya does not cause any change in my Self. Neither crookedness and deceit nor truth and untruth can produce any effect on me. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Although I am beyond such time divisions as evening and morning, still I am never absent. Although I am without differentiated knowledge, yet I am not deaf or dumb. As I am free from ignorance, I do not need purification of the mind. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
I have no master nor am I a master; therefore I am free from perplexity. I have transcended the mind; it has ceased to function, and therefore I have no perplexity. Know it for certain that all dualities have ceased for me; therefore I have no perplexity. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
How can I say that Brahman is like a forest or a temple? How can I declare that Brahman is proven or doubtful? Truly, It is all-pervading, unaffected, and motionless. I am Existence- Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Being devoid of matter and life, Brahman shines forever. Being without origin and seed, It exists forever. Being neither free nor bound, Brahman shines forever. I am Existence- Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Without origin, Brahman shines forever.
Without phenomenal existence, It radiates forever.
Without being destroyed, It exists forever.
I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and bound- less as space.
[O Self,] You do not have any name or form, even to the extent of mere allusion. There is no substance which is different or nondifferent from You. Why then, O shameless mind, are you grieving? I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Why do you weep, my friend?
For you there is neither decrepitude nor death;
For you there is neither birth nor misery.
Why do you weep, my friend?
For you there is no disease or modification.
I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Why do you weep, my friend?
You have no form nor are you deformed.
Why do you weep, my friend?
There is no aging for you.
I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Why do you weep, my friend?
You have no physical or mental organism.
Why do you weep, my friend?
You do not have any sense organs.
I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Why do you weep, my friend?
You have no lust or greed.
Why do you weep, my friend?
You have no delusion.
I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
How can you desire sovereignty when you have no wealth? Why are you seeking wealth when you have no wife? As you have no sense of ownership, what will you do with the wealth? I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
The creation of the subtle and gross universe is neither for you nor for me. The shameless mind created the idea of diversity. There is neither unity nor diversity for you and for me. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Indeed, there is not an iota of attachment or detachment in your real nature. Truly, you have not the slightest form of desire. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
Truly, there is no one who meditates within your heart; therefore you have no samadhi. There is no meditation within your heart because there is no space without. Indeed, there is no object of meditation within your heart as there is no object or time. I am Existence- Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
I have told you the quintessence of the Supreme Reality. There is neither you nor I nor superior nor teacher nor disciple. The Ultimate Reality is simple and spontaneous. I am Existence-Knowledge-Bliss and boundless as space.
If I, the Supreme One, alone exist like space, how can I say that the Supreme Reality is blissful or not blissful? How can I say that It can be attained by knowledge or by realization?
Realize that non-dual Consciousness, which is devoid of fire and air, earth and water. Realize that non-dual Consciousness, which is neither mobile nor immobile. Realize that non-dual Consciousness, which is vast as space.
I am neither formless nor with form. My nature is neither pure nor impure. I am neither beautiful nor ugly. I am that Supreme Reality which shines in Its own nature.
Renounce, renounce the mundane existence and then renounce completely even that renunciation. Give up as poison the egoistic idea of shunning or accepting the world. You are pure, simple, firm, and immortal.

CHAPTER IV

Avadhuta said:

Brahman cannot be invoked or abandoned, because It is formless. Therefore, what is the use of offering flowers and leaves or practising meditation and repeating the mantra? How can one worship that Supreme Beatitude in which both unity and diversity are merged?
Brahman is not only free from bondage and liberation, purity and impurity, union and separation, but truly It is ever free. And I am that Brahman—infinite as space.
Whether the manifested world is real or unreal—this kind of doubt does not arise in my mind at all. I am by nature blissful and free.
Neither darkness nor light, neither inside nor outside nor any other diversity appears in my Self. I am by nature blissful and free.
Ignorance and knowledge do not originate in me. The knowledge of the Self also does not arise in me. How can I say that I have ignorance or knowledge? I am by nature blissful and free.
Brahman is not associated with virtue and vice or bondage and freedom. Nothing appears to me as united or separated. I am by nature blissful and free.
No one is my superior or inferior. I have no idea of neutrality, nor do I have any enemy or friend. How can I speak of good and evil? I am by nature blissful and free.
I am neither the worshipper nor the object of worship. Instructions and rituals are not meant for me. How can I describe the nature of absolute Consciousness? I am by nature blissful and free.
Nothing pervades Brahman nor is anything pervaded by Brahman. Neither has It an abode nor is It abodeless. How can I describe It as full or empty? I am by nature blissful and free.
My Self is not the perceiver nor the object of perception. It has no cause or effect. How can I say that It is conceivable or inconceivable? I am by nature blissful and free.
My Self neither destroys anything nor is It destroyed by anything. Neither is It a knower nor is It knowable. O dear one, how can I describe It as coming or going? I am by nature blissful and free.
I have no body nor am I bodiless. I have no senses, mind, or intellect. How can I say that I have attachment or detachment? I am by nature blissful and free.
Forceful assertions cannot change Brahman, nor does denial of Brahman make It disappear. How can I say, O friend, whether Brahman is always the same or not? I am by nature blissful and free.
I have subdued the senses, and again, I have not subdued them. I have never cultivated self-restraint or religious austerities. O friend, how can I speak of success and defeat? I am by nature blissful and free.
I do not have a form nor am I formless.
I have no beginning, middle, or end.
Friend, how can I say that I am strong or weak?
I am by nature blissful and free.
O my dear, death and immortality, poison and nectar, have never emanated from me. How can I say that I am pure or impure? I am by nature blissful and free.
For me there is no waking or dreaming, nor any posture of yoga, nor is there any day or night. How can I say that I am in the third state [sleeping] or in the Fourth [Transcendental]?
I am by nature blissful and free.
Know that I am free from everything, and again, not free from anything. I have no maya [illusion] nor its multiple forms. How can I say that I shall have to practise daily obligatory religious disciplines? I am by nature blissful and free.
Know that I am completely absorbed in Brahman.
Know that I am free from aim and aimlessness.
How can I speak of union or separation?
I am by nature blissful and free.
I am neither a fool nor a scholar.
I am neither taciturn nor talkative.
How can I describe Brahman through argument or counter-argument?
I am by nature blissful and free.
I have no father, no mother, no family; I belong to no race. Never was I born and never shall I die. How can I say that I have affection or delusion? I am by nature blissful and free.
I never disappear; I am ever present. There is no light or darkness in me. How can I say that ritualistic injunctions are meant for me? I am by nature blissful and free.
Know for certain that I am free from per plexity.
Know for certain that I am eternal.
Know for certain that I am immaculate.
I am by nature blissful and free.
O my dear, the wise men give up all types of meditation as well as all types of action—good or bad. They drink the nectar of renunciation. I am by nature blissful and free.
Where the intellect cannot reach, how can there be any form of composition? The great Avadhuta, after purifying himself through meditation and becoming absorbed in Infinite Bliss, has sung spontaneously about Brahman.

Here ends the fourth chapter of the Avadhuta Gita of Dattatreya—the Swami’s instructions to Kartika entitled “Determination of True Nature.”

CHAPTER V

The all-pervading Brahman has been expressed by the syllable OM. But Its essence cannot be ascertained by either higher or lower knowledge. Both noumenon and phenomenon have been repudiated in the context of Brahman. Hence, how can the syllable OM express It?
The Upanishads—through their great dictums, such as “Thou art That” and “I am Brahman”—have declared that your inmost Atman is the Reality. You are the all-embracing Sameness, devoid of all attributes. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
The all-encompassing Brahman is devoid of below and above, interior and exterior. Moreover, It cannot be described as numerically one. Being the selfsame Brahman. O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman cannot be discerned by following prescribed rules and rituals. It cannot be examined through cause and effect. It is bereft of inflected words and euphoric combinations. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman is not the union of consciousness and unconsciousness. It is not the meeting point of space and outer space. It is not the merging point of time and timelessness. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman is neither the jar-space nor the jar. I is neither the body of the individual soul nor the individual soul itself. It is beyond the relationship of cause and effect. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
The all-pervading Brahman is freedom Itself. The divisions of short and long, circular and angular, are absent in It. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman is neither void nor nonvoid. It is neither pure nor impure. It is neither all nor none. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman cannot be discerned as divided or undivided. Moreover, It has no outside or inside or junction of the two. It is equal to all and bereft of enemy and friend. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
In Brahman there is no differentiation between one who is a disciple and one who is not. In Brahman there is no differentiation between the movable and the immovable. The all-pervading Reality is liberation Itself. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Indeed, Brahman is bereft of form and formlessness. It is truly neither divided nor undivided. Moreover, It is free from creation and destruction. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Since I am not bound by the fetters of good and evil qualities, how can I be involved in the actions of the living and the dying? Truly, I am the pure, unclouded, all-pervading Reality. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman is free from emotion and excitement, desire and desirelessness. Indeed, this highest Consciousness is identical with liberation. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
The true nature of Brahman is eternal Reality Itself. It has neither union nor separation. Though It stands aloof from all, yet It pervades all equally. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman pervades equally the open space, the home, and the family. The Supreme Reality has neither attachment nor detachment, neither knowledge nor ignorance. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
This universe, which is the transformation of the immutable Brahman, is unreal; and all phenomena of the invisible Brahman are unreal. Indeed, the Atman alone is the Reality. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Truly, Brahman is identical with the individual soul. It pervades equally all living beings and all immovable things. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
It is senseless to discriminate about Brahman, which is beyond thought. It is sheer ignorance to see variety in unity. Brahman truly is uninterrupted consciousness. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman is not a state of freedom or bondage, not a state of virtue or vice, not a state of fullness or emptiness. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Indeed, the omnipresent Brahman is devoid of caste and outcaste. It is free from cause and effect, unity and diversity. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman, the absolute Consciousness, pervades all living beings as well as motionless objects of the world. And again, It shines of Itself, devoid of men and other beings. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
The omnipresent Brahman is beyond all, and again, It pervades all equally. It is exceedingly pure and tranquil. It exists without day and night. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Bondage and freedom, union and separation, reasoning and inference, and such pairs of opposites, do not converge in Brahman. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
In Brahman, time and its divisions, such as morning and evening, have all been denied. The atom and the primordial elements, such as fire and air, have also been negated. But the Ultimate Reality cannot be denied. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman does not have a body nor is It disembodied. Indeed, It has no such states as waking, dreaming, and sleeping. It is beyond name and rules. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
The all-pervading Brahman is spotless and vast like space. It transcends all and It permeates all. It is present in the essential and the non-essential as well as in the modification. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman is unconcerned about virtue and vice. It is indifferent to wealth and poverty, and free from passion and dispassion. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
The all-pervading Brahman is free from pleasure and pain, grief and joy. In that Supreme Reality there is no guru and no disciple. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
In Brahman there is no amorous play or offspring, no strength or weakness. It has neither mobility nor immobility, neither equality nor inequality. It is devoid of discrimination and indiscrimination. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Brahman is the quintessence of all essences, and Its nature [attributes] has been stated as being separate from Itself. Any action in the sensible phenomenon is unreal. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
In various ways the Upanishads declare that the manifested space, earth, and so on, are like water in a mirage. Truly, Brahman alone exists equally in all. Being the selfsame Brahman, O mind, why do you weep?
Where the intellect cannot reach, how can there be any form of composition? The great Avadhuta, after purifying himself through meditation and becoming absorbed in Infinite Bliss, has sung spontaneously about Brahman.

Here ends the fifth chapter of the Avadhuta Gita of Dattatreya—the Swami’s instructions to Kartika entitled “Same-sightedness.”

CHAPTER VI

Avadhuta said:

The Upanishads tell us in various ways that space, earth, and so on, are like water in a mirage. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can It be a subject of comparison or have any peer?
Brahman is neither divided nor undivided. Indeed, It is free from action and modification. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, where is the possibility of performing worship and austerity?
Truly, that Intelligence is eternal and omnipresent, and devoid of vastness and minuteness. If that Intelligence is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can one grasp It with the mind or express It through speech?
There is no division of day and night or sunrise and sunset in the self-luminous Brahman. If It alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can the sun, the moon, or fire illumine It?
The distinctions of desire and desirelessness, action and inaction, are completely lacking in Brahman. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can there be any conception of exterior and interior?
Brahman is devoid of expansion and contraction, fullness and emptiness. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, where can one posit a first or a last?
With regard to Brahman, the ideas of difference and sameness, knower and knowable, are repudiated. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can there be the third state [sleep] or the Fourth [Transcendental]?
It is mere fancy to think of Brahman as expressible or inexpressible, knowable or unknowable. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can there be the objects, senses, mind, and intellect?
Space and air are not real. Fire and earth are not real. Water and clouds are not real. The indivisible Supreme Beatitude is the only Reality.
Since the different worlds [earth, heaven, etc.] and the gods [Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, etc.] are merely imagination, their existences have been denied. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can there be any merit or demerit, reasoning or intellect?
In Brahman there is no death or immortality, no action or inaction. If Brahman alone is the all-pervading Supreme Beatitude, how can one speak of Its coming or going?
In Brahman there is no distinction between Purusha [Spirit] and prakriti [matter], and there is no cause and effect. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can one say It is male or female?
Brahman has no association with either the sufferings of old age or the happiness of youth. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can there be infancy, youth, or old age?
Indeed, Brahman is devoid of the four stages of life and the four castes. Moreover, It has no cause and It is not an agent. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can one think of It as being destroyed or as indestructible?
It is mere fancy to think that Brahman is bound or released, that Brahman is created or uncreated. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can It be either mortal or immortal?
The conceptions of man and woman, wife and husband, are absent in Brahman. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can one sense pain and pleasure?
Indeed, Brahman is free from delusion and depression, doubt and distress. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can there be ‘I’ and ‘mine’?
Truly, the distinctions of merit and demerit, bondage and freedom, are annulled in Brahman. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can there be feelings of misery and happiness?
In Brahman there is no distinction between sacrificer and sacrifice, or between sacrificial fire and oblation. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, tell me, how can there be any results of action?
Indeed, Brahman is free from grief and joy, pride and humility. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can there be any thought of passion or dispassion?
Infatuation and temptation, greed and delusion, cannot perturb or change Brahman. If Brahman alone is the indivisible Supreme Beatitude, how can there be any thought of discrimination or absence of discrimination?
Look, ‘you’ and ‘I’ have never existed. It is sheer nonsense to consider oneself as having a family or caste. Truly I am Brahman—the Supreme Reality. How can I make salutations to It?
Discrimination between guru and disciple, and between instruction and reflection are completely absent in Brahman. Truly I am Brahman—the Supreme Reality. How can I make salutations to It?
In Brahman there is no division of physical forms, nor of imaginary worlds. Truly I am Brahman—the Supreme Reality. How can I make salutations to It?
Brahman is completely free from passion and dispassion. Indeed, It is resplendent, immovable, and pure. Truly I am Brahman—the Supreme Reality. How can I make salutations to It?
It is mere fancy to think that Brahman has a body, or that It is bodiless. The apparent actions of life are also unreal. Truly I am Brahman—the Supreme Reality. How can I make salutations to It?
Where the intellect cannot reach, how can there be any form of composition? The great Avadhuta, after purifying himself through meditation and becoming absorbed in Infinite Bliss, has sung spontaneously about Brahman.

Here ends the sixth chapter of the Avadhuta Gita of Dattatreya—the Swami’s instructions to Kartika entitled “Liberation.”

CHAPTER VII

The Avadhuta wears a patched garment made of rags cast off by the side of the street. He walks a path which is free from virtue and vice. Absorbed in the pure, unpolluted bliss of Brahman, the carefree mendicant lives in a deserted place.
The signs of the Avadhuta may or may not be visible. Although he is beyond right and wrong, he is absolutely honest. His real nature is perfect, pure, and spotless. How is it possible for such an illumined soul to become involved in arguments and disputations?
The Avadhuta is free from the captivating trap of desire. Shunning physical tidiness and social niceties, he is absorbed in the Supreme Spirit. Thus, renouncing everything, he becomes one with the pure, stainless Brahman.
In this state of realization, how can the Avadhuta consider whether he has a body or not. or whether he has attachment or not? He himself is the immaculate, immovable, innate Reality—infinite as space.
In this state of realization, how and where can one know the Reality? How can there be any form or formlessness? When the Supreme Reality is all-pervading like space, how can one objectify It?
Brahman is all-pervading like space, and Its essential nature is pure and spotless. Therefore, how can there be division and multiplication, bondage and liberation, and various other modifications in It?
The Absolute Brahman pervades all equally. How can one feel union or separation there? Since the Supreme Brahman is identical in all, how can there be any variation of strength or weakness?
The Absolute Brahman shines equally in all. It is clear and all-pervasive like space. Truly, how can there be any friendship or enmity, mirth or misery in It?
The Avadhuta may or may not observe the rules of yoga; still he is a yogi. He may or may not have any possessions; still he is an enjoyer. Indeed, he moves slowly and calmly, and enjoys the natural bliss arising from his own pure mind.
As long as a person has both knowledge and ignorance, and a sense of duality and non-duality, how can he be liberated? Why should one who always enjoys the pure, unadulterated bliss of Brahman, and whose innate nature is free from desire and ignorance, try to be a yogi?
As It is beyond whole and part, there is no division in Brahman. Brahman is not attached to anything because It is beyond attachment and non-attachment. Since It is all-pervading existence, like space, how can there be any contraction or expansion.
Renouncing everything, the Avadhuta is always united with Brahman. Transcending all elements, he is free. How can there be either life or death for him? What does it mater whethe1 he practises meditation or not?
This whole world is an illusion, like a mirage in a desert. The indivisible, formless Supreme Beatitude alone exists.
We, the Avadhutas, never desire righteousness, wealth, enjoyment, or liberation. How then do the scholars imagine that we have attachment or detachment?
Where the intellect cannot reach, how can there be any form of composition? The great Avadhuta, after purifying himself through meditation and becoming absorbed in Infinite Bliss, has sung spontaneously about Brahman.

Here ends the seventh chapter of the Avadhuta Gita of Dattatreya—the Swami’s instructions to Kartika entitled “Self-Knowledge.”

CHAPTER VIII

Avadhuta said:

O Brahman, by going on a pilgrimage to seek you, I have denied your omnipresence; by meditating on you, I have given you form in my mind and thus denied your formless nature; by singing hymns, I have described you and thus denied your indescribable nature. Forgive me for these three offenses.
He whose intellect is not agitated by desires and whose sense organs are controlled; he who is gentle, pure, without possessions, not covetous, not greedy for food, serene, and steadfast; he who has taken refuge in the Self—he alone is a sage.
The sage is vigilant, profound, and steady, and has conquered the mind and the senses. He is humble and gives honour to all. He is well mannered, friendly, compassionate, and farsighted.
The sage is gracious, nonviolent, and forbearing toward all. He is established in truth, impartial, and beneficent to all. He is a blameless soul.
One should learn the characteristics of a supreme A-VA-DHU-TA, syllable by syllable, from the teachers of the Vedas and Vedanta who are adept in understanding the syllables and the meaning of the Vedas.
The syllable A of Avadhuta indicates that he is free from the snare of hopes and expectations. His life is pure from its beginning, through its middle, to its end; and he always dwells in bliss.
The syllable VA of Avadhuta indicates that he has uprooted all desires. His speech is purifying, and he always lives in the ever-present Brahman.
The syllable DHU of Avadhuta indicates that, though his body is besmeared with grey dust from lack of body-consciousness, his mind is pure and healthy. He no longer needs to practise concentration and meditation.
The syllable TA of Avadhuta indicates that he is absorbed in the thought of Brahman, and that he does not suffer from anxiety or feel obliged to exert himself. He is completely free from both egotism and ignorance.
This is the blissful song composed by Dattatreya Avadhuta. Those who read it or hear it become free from rebirth.

Here ends the eighth chapter of the Avadhuta Gita of Dattatreya—the Swami’s instructions to Kartika entitled “Self-Knowledge.”

Om Tat Sat

Here ends the Avadhuta Gita

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CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER VI

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

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