Dattatreya’s Avadhuta Gita — Translation and Commentary by Rory Mackay
See also: Introduction and Chapter 1 | Chapter 2
1. How shall I worship the Eternal Self which is devoid of the qualities constituting the material universe? Beyond both attachment and non-attachment, formless and yet the substance of all forms, having no attribute and yet that which enables all attributes, Shiva is the eternal, all-pervading totality.
The subtlest of the subtle, the Self, here referred to as Shiva, is that which underlies and pervades all forms and objects as their innermost essence; at once both immanent and transcendent. It is the sum total of all that exists—the very essence of Existence itself; that which lends existence to the world of form much as the ocean lends existence to the rolling waves upon its surface.
2. Shiva, the Eternal Self, has no colour, whether white or yellow, and is at once both the cause and effect. Beyond all doubt, I know that I am Shiva, the Universal Consciousness. Tell me, my friend, how can I bow down to my own Self?
Whereas the first verse provides Indirect Knowledge (knowledge of the Self as an object), this second verse converts that Knowledge to Direct Knowledge by affirming that the Self not only exists, but that I am that Self. Indirect Knowledge is the necessary first step, but without Direct Knowledge—without knowing that we are pure Consciousness or Awareness; the One without a second—we will never taste the fruits of liberation.
3. Neither with root nor rootless, I am like a sun eternally shining. Neither hidden nor unhidden, I am like a sun eternally shining. Neither illumined or unillumined, I am like a sun eternally shining. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
The nature of the Self may seem paradoxical to the mind; being neither “this” nor “that”, but the sum total and inherent essence of all things. Light is an apt metaphor; the Self being a beginningless, endless and causeless Light forever shining; one which reveals and enlivens all form and experience. The final sentence in this verse is a refrain repeated throughout the rest of this chapter; an exhortation that, as the Self, we are endless and all-pervading like the vast and boundless sky.
4. How can desirelessness or desire pertain to me? How can I possess either non-attachment or attachment? How can I speak of either formlessness or form? I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
5. How can I speak of non-duality, when it encompasses the world of apparent duality? How can I speak of the whole, when it contains all seeming division? How can I speak of the eternal, when within it exists the non-eternal? I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
6. My nature is neither gross nor subtle. I neither come nor go. I am without beginning, middle or end. I am neither large nor small. With my words I share the secrets of the true nature of Reality. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
Through a process of negation, these verses reveal our true nature to be independent of the world of ephemeral forms and beyond all division and duality. The Upanishads offer many seemingly contradictory statements about the Self, proclaiming it to be at once greater than the greatest of all things imaginable and yet “smaller than a mustard seed”. These words reveal the Self to be neither contained nor constrained by the phenomenal world. As the substratum and support of the universe, It pervades the universe both within and without. Subtler than the mind and senses, it cannot be directly apprehended, but is that by which apprehension is made possible. Indeed, the Kena Upanishad declares the Self to be “the eye of the eye, the ear of the ear and the mind of the mind”—in other words, the Intelligence and Sentience that reveals all sight, all sound, all thought, perception and experience. It cannot be contained, for it is, as these verses repeatedly state, “all-pervading like the sky”.
7. Know that the sense organs are as insubstantial as space. Know that the sense objects are also as insubstantial as space. Know that, as the Self, the Eternal One, I am taintless and neither bound nor free. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
Vedantic inquiry negates anything objectifiable by the mind and senses as being mithya, or only apparently real. Like a mirage appearing in the mind of the thirsty desert traveller, mithya is an appearance in Awareness that relies upon Awareness for its borrowed and temporary existence. Modern physics verifies Dattatreya’s words of millennia ago by revealing physical matter to be, at the subatomic level, as “insubstantial as space”. Unfortunately, the physical sciences have no way to understand the Eternal Self; the boundless Awareness in which the universe arises like the desert mirage. For that, we must rely upon the Upanishads and the elucidations of sages such as Dattatreya.
8. I am beyond the intellect and imperceptible as an object of cognition. Although I am not hidden, the mind cannot reach me. I am beyond the senses and imperceptible as an object of perception. Although I am not hidden, the senses cannot reach me. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
Seek the Self and you will never find it, for it is always the subject and never the object. Again, it bears repeating that the mind cannot perceive that which is subtler than it—and, indeed, of a different order of reality. What hope does the dreamer have of perceiving the waker? And yet, although the two inhabit different orders of reality (the dream state and the waking state respectively) the two are not separate, for they both belong to the one and same Consciousness.
9. Free of karma, I am the fire that burns all karmas. Free of sorrow, I am the fire that removes all sorrow. Free of form, I am the fire that releases all forms. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
Self-Knowledge is the fire that burns away karma and sorrow by neutralising the ego’s erroneous sense of doership and ownership. Freedom from form is the Knowledge that, as the Self, you are beyond form. You are the light by which all objects, actions and experiences are witnessed; ever shining, ever the same, and, thus, ever free.
10. Free of sin, I am the fire that burns all sins. Free of prescribed duty, I am the fire that purifies all duties. Unbound, I am the fire that breaks all bondage. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
11. I am beyond both existence and non-existence; neither pertain to me. I am beyond both union and separation; neither pertain to me. I am beyond both thought and the absence of thought; neither pertain to me. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
The question of duality and Non-duality never arises for the Self, which, as the unbroken totality of Existence itself, simply is. In spite of all appearances to the contrary (courtesy of maya), there is nothing other than it, rendering any notions of duality and differentiation inapplicable. The following verses highlight this by emphasising that, as the Absolute, the Self remains untouched and unaffected by anything in the world of form, including the very qualities that comprise it (ie., the gunas).
12. I am unswayed by either delusion or non-delusion; neither such thought affects me. I am unswayed by either happiness or sorrow; neither such thought affects me. I am unswayed by either desire or desirelessness; neither such thought affects me. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
13. The creeping vine of samsara does not affect me at all. Even the greatest pleasure and contentment does not affect me at all. Ignorance and worldly bondage does not affect me at all. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
14. The suffering of agitation caused by rajo-guna does not affect me at all. The lethargy and grief caused by tamo-guna does not affect me at all. The pleasure of righteousness caused by sattva-guna does not affect me at all. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
15. Neither grief, sorrows nor pleasures have any affect on Me, for I am other than the intellect. None of the difficulties inherent in the pursuit of yoga have any affect on Me, for I am other than the mind. None of the challenges life presents have any affect on Me, for I am other than the ego. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
16. In Me, both decision and indecision resolve, for I am beyond thought. In Me, both dreaming and waking resolve, for I neither sleep nor wake. In Me, both the animate and inanimate resolve, for I am neither in motion or motionless. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
17. I am not the knower, the known, nor the instrument of knowledge. I am beyond the reach of words, mind and intellect, for how can the One Reality ever be described by words? I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
18. I am neither divided nor undivided, for I am the One Reality. I am neither within nor without, for I am the One Reality. I was never created, therefore I have no substance of creation. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
19. I am free of the grief of attachment, for I am the One Reality. I am free of the sorrows of fate, for I am the One Reality. I am free of the pain of worldly existence, for I am the One Reality. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
These and subsequent verses are excellent koans for meditation and deep contemplation. Through a process sometimes called neti neti (“not this, not this”), they aim to strip away all sense of limitation and duality, revealing the pure and stainless Self to be that which is One without a second; utterly undivided in any way, subtler than the grasp of the mind and intellect—and uncreated, thus not subject to the laws of creation.
20. Since I am beyond the three states of consciousness, how could I be the fourth? Since I am beyond the three types of time, how could I be the fourth? I am the eternal abode of serenity; the absolute Reality. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
This verse refutes the common misunderstanding that the Self is what we call turiya, or the “fourth” state of consciousness (the other three being the waking, dreaming and deep sleep states). The dictionary defines “state” as a “mode, or condition of mind and temperament”. Such states are by definition variable, changeable and dependent upon external factors. Clearly the Self cannot therefore be defined as a “state”. Even the often-used term “natural state” is problematic. The Self is the causeless Cause by which all states exist, while Itself unaffected by any such conditions.
21. Descriptions such as “long” or “short” do not pertain to Me, nor do the terms “broad” or “narrow”, “angular” or “circular”. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
22. I have neither mother or father, nor son or daughter. I was never born, nor shall I ever die. I am without mind. Unwavering and steady, I am the absolute Reality. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
23. I am, by nature, boundless and beyond such distinctions as pure and impure. I am, by nature, boundless and beyond such distinctions as attachment and non-attachment. I am, by nature, boundless and beyond such distinctions as divided and undivided. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
24. As the supreme Reality, I am stainless and non-dual; how can Brahma and all the gods and beings of heaven have their place in Me? I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
25. How shall I, the taintless One, speak when I am both “this” and “not this”? How shall I, the taintless One, speak when I am the unsupported support of all? How shall I, the taintless One, speak when I am both attribute and attribute-less? I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
26. I am the Supreme; beyond both action and actionlessness. I am the greatest bliss; beyond both attachment and non-attachment. I am the everlasting bliss; beyond both form and formlessness. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
27. This dreamworld of maya affects me not. The deceitfulness and arrogance of man affects me not. The truth or falsehood of speech affects me not. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
As the Self, this waking world of transient forms and experiences affects you no more than the world of your dreams at night. As the Self, you pervade and sustain the relative world of form, both gross and subtle, but remain unaffected by its dreamlike kaleidoscope of modifications.
28. I have neither night nor day, for I am subject to no duality. I never awaken, for I was never not awake. I need not strive for purity, for I am unaffected by thought or mood. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
The term “awakening” has become synonymous with “enlightenment” in modern spiritual circles. But, as Dattatreya reveals here, the Self is never not awake. “Awakening”, therefore, can only apply to the mind, and since enlightenment is the knowledge that you are not the mind, this immediately renders the term invalid.
29. Neither am I the Lord, nor am I not the Lord, for I am the formless Self. I transcend both the presence and absence of mind, for I am the formless Self. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
30. I am the abode of forest and temple; what more can I say? I do nothing, yet by Me everything is done; what more can I say? I ever abide in the equilibrium of evenness, for I am the formless Self. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
31. I am neither jiva [individual] nor am I not jiva; I endlessly shine. I am neither the seed nor am I not the seed; I endlessly shine. I am neither liberation nor am I bondage; I endlessly shine. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
32. I am without beginning or birth; I endlessly shine. I am unaffected by the worldly sorrow of samsara; I endlessly shine. I am unaffected by death; I endlessly shine. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
33. Although You may be spoken of, You have neither name nor form. Whether divided or undivided, You are all that is. Why then, O mind, do you shamelessly grieve? I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
Verse thirty-three sees a shift of perspective. Dattrateya moves from speaking of himself from the perspective of the Self to addressing the listener as the Self. That is the difference between Indirect Knowledge and Direct Knowledge. The conflict here is between the mind’s “shameless grief” which, being the product of Self-ignorance, is quite at odds with our true nature as the eternal and untouchable shining Self. The next few verses develop this theme, aiming to strip away worldly sorrow by revealing it to be an illegitimate sorrow based on self-misidentification.
34. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? There is no old age or death for you. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? There is no pain of birth for you. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You are untouchable by anything in this world. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
35. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You have no natural form. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You are not subject to limitation or deformity. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You can never grow old. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
36. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You are not subject to ageing. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You are not subject to mind and thought. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You beyond the senses. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
37. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You are impervious to lust. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You are untouched by greed. Why do you weep and fret, my friend? You are unmoved by infatuation. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
38. Why spend your life chasing wealth? You have no property to your name. Why spend your life chasing wealth? You have no spouse to feed. Why spend your life chasing wealth? Nothing here belongs to you. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
39. Neither you nor I are attached to this world of ephemeral forms. It is only the shameless mind that divides the One into a realm of false duality. You and I are beyond both division and non-division. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
40. In essence, your nature has not the slightest dispassion. Nor, in essence, does it have even the slightest attachment or desire. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
41. Your nature is free of all objects, whether the mind is absorbed in deep meditation or directed to the world of external forms. There is nothing outside of you, for you are beyond both space and time. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
42. I have shared with you the Highest Truth; there is no “you”, no “me”, no teacher or student. The Supreme Reality is both self-existent, self-evident and ever shining. I am the liberating nectar of Self-Knowledge; I am all-pervading like the sky.
The Highest Truth is one of non-division. Everything is the one, immortal, undivided Self; the one Awareness in which all seeming form and differentiation is experienced. Self-existent, self-evident and ever shining, it needs nothing to illumine it. It is an all-pervading light, without a source and without beginning or end.
43. As the Supreme Reality, how could my nature be of bliss? As the Supreme Reality, how could my nature be devoid of bliss? As the Supreme Reality, how does either knowledge or ignorance pertain to me? As the Supreme Reality, I am One—existing everywhere like space.
44. Knowing It to be neither fire nor air, Realise the One! Knowing It to be neither earth nor water, Realise the One! Knowing that It neither comes nor goes, Realise the One! Knowing that, like space, It pervades all, Realise the One!
45. My nature is neither emptiness nor fullness. My nature is neither pure nor impure. My nature is neither form nor formlessness. My nature is unfathomable, for I am the Supreme Reality!
We often assign words to describe the Self, such as bliss or fullness, but ultimately it must be understood that the Self is beyond description, beyond label and categorisation, and thoroughly devoid of duality of any kind. It can only be known as That which knows; as the Sentience illumining the instruments of body and mind.
46. Renounce, renounce the world of attachment and suffering. Then renounce the renouncing as well. Enjoy the nectar of your true Self; pure, immortal and free.
A certain degree of effort is required to tame the mind and render it a fit receptacle for Self-Knowledge. Yet, because effort tends to reinforce the sense of doership, there comes a time when even that should be abandoned. This renunciation of which Dattatreya speaks, however, isn’t so much the renunciation of action itself (because, let’s face it, there’s never a time when action isn’t required in life). It is the renunciation of the notion of doership; of being an author and agent of action. The Bhagavad Gita unfolds the specifics of this teaching in great depth throughout its eighteen chapters.
