Gyaneshwari -Sant Gyaneshwar
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Chapter-16
The Divine and Demoniacal Natures
1. Fearlessness, purity of mind, steadiness in Yoga and knowledge, charity, self-restraint, sacrifice, Vedic study, austerity, uprightness, Now that virtue which is foremost in this Divine endowment, is known as fearlessness. Just as a person, who does not leap into a great flood, is not afraid of being drowned, or one who follows the prescribed diet, does not feel concern about being ill, so he who has no egoistic feeling, while performing actions or not performing them, has no fear of worldly existence (66-70). When his mind is filled with the notion of non-dualism, he knows that the whole world is pervaded by Brahman and discards fear. Just as when the water starts to dissolve salt, the salt itself becomes fluid, so the non-dual state destroys fear. O Arjuna, this is the characteristic of what is known as fearlessness and it is followed by true knowledge. Now, that which goes by the name of purification of the mind, should be known by the following signs. Just as the ashes do not burn nor are extinguished, or as the moon has the subtlest phase when the new moon night is gone, but the first day of the lunar month is yet to dawn (71-75) or the river Ganga is in its natural state, when its flood of the rainy season has subdued but before the summer has begun, so the intellect, after discarding desires and doubts, and dropping the burden of rajas and tamas qualities, develops a liking for meditation on the Self and so it is not disturbed the least, if the senses present to it desirable and undesirable sense-objects. Just as the mind of a chaste wife, pining for her husband who has gone to a distant place, is not deflected by any consideration of loss or gain, so the intellect becomes fond of the Self and solely devoted to it. This state is known as the purity of the inward disposition, so said Lord Krishna, the killer of demon Keshi (76-80). |
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