Prose-section 5
In plain words
One may study the scriptures, worship the gods, perform the prescribed rites, meditate on the deities, do anything else at all: without the knowledge that Brahman and the Self are one, liberation will not come, not in millions of aeons. The scripture that says, “Through wealth,” meaning through rites paid for with wealth, “there is not even the hope of liberation,” has made it plain that rites are not the cause of liberation. So the steady one who wants liberation must give up entirely the desire for pleasure in outward things, go to a true teacher who is great-souled and at peace, fix the mind on what he teaches, and meditate on it without a break. The settled, directly experienced knowledge that this practice brings is the ship. By it one must lift oneself, by oneself, out of the ocean of samsara where one lies sunk, onto the shore of liberation. So the courageous one must drop the three cravings, for wife, for children and for wealth, push all rites far away, and strive for liberation alone, so that the bondage of birth, death and samsara falls away. Rites exist to purify the mind; they are not for knowing reality. Knowing reality comes by enquiry; ten million rites cannot achieve it. A man who sees a snake in a rope is frightened, and suffers from his fright. What ends both is the knowledge “This is a rope,” and it comes from the word of someone trustworthy who knows, and from looking carefully, and from nothing else. In the same way, knowledge of Brahman has to come from the teacher’s instruction and from enquiry into reality. Ritual bathing, giving gifts, controlling the breath: none of these can ever make that reality known.
Word for word
Even if one studies scriptures, performs divine worship, carries out prescribed actions, meditates upon deities or does anything else, liberation is not attained, however many tens of millions of aeons may pass, without knowledge of the identity of Brahman and the Self. The scripture saying, “Through wealth—through action performed by means of wealth—there is no hope of liberation,” has clearly declared that actions are not the cause of liberation. Therefore the resolute person who desires liberation must completely relinquish the desire for pleasures in external objects, approach a peaceful, great-souled true teacher, and place the mind upon the truth he teaches. By the ship of establishment in directly experienced knowledge, attained through continual meditation, one must oneself bring oneself, sunk in the ocean of becoming, onto the shore of liberation. Therefore the courageous person must remove the three cravings for spouse, children and wealth, put all actions far aside, and strive for liberation, free from the bondage of birth, death and becoming. Actions are prescribed for purification of mind, not for knowing reality. Knowledge of reality comes through enquiry; even tens of millions of actions cannot accomplish it. For one deluded by seeing a snake in a rope, the knowledge “This is indeed a rope” removes the fear of the snake and the suffering arising from that delusion. Just as this knowledge comes through the words of a trustworthy knower and careful enquiry, and through nothing else, knowledge of Brahman must arise through the teacher’s instruction and enquiry into reality. Bathing, charity, breath regulation and the like can never, by themselves, bring recognition of that reality.