born of Passion begin to fade. A yogin subsisting
upon such food finds his senses gradually withdrawn
from their objects. Hence, he should take only
that measure of food which is strictly necessary for
the support of his body. (Another advice that may
be offered is that) that knowledge which one obtains
gradually by mind devoted to yoga should cheerfully
be made one’s own during one’s last moments
by a forcible stretch of power.[784] The embodied Soul,
when divested of Rajas (does not immediately attain
to Emancipation but) assumes a subtile form with all
the senses of perception and moves about in space.
When his mind becomes unaffected by acts, he, in consequence
of such renunciation (loses that subtile form and)
becomes merged in Prakriti (without however, yet attaining
to Brahma or Emancipation which transcends Prakriti).[785]
After the destruction of this gross body, one who
through absence of heedlessness escapes from all the
three bodies (viz., the gross, the subtile and the
karana) succeeds in attaining to Emancipation.[786]
The birth and death of creatures always depend upon
the cause constituted by original Ignorance (or Avidya).
When knowledge of Brahma arises, necessity no longer
pursues the person. Those, however, that accept
what is the reverse of truth (by believing that to
be Self which is really not-Self) are men whose understandings
are always taken up with the birth and death of all
existent things. (Such people never dream even of
Emancipation).[787] Supporting their bodies by aid
of patience, withdrawing their hearts from all external
objects by the aid of their understanding, and withdrawing
themselves from the world of senses, some yogins adore
the senses in consequence of their subtility.[788]
Some amongst them, with mind cleansed by yoga, proceeding
according to (the stages indicated in) the scriptures
and reaching the highest, succeed in knowing it by
the aid of the understanding and dwell in that which
is the highest and which without resting on any other
thing rests on itself.[789] Some worship Brahma in
images. Some worship Him as existing with attributes.
Some repeatedly realise the highest Divinity which
has been described to be like a flash of lightning
and which is again indestructible.[790] Others who
have burnt their sins by penances, attain to Brahma
in the end. All those high-souled persons attain
to the highest end. With the eye of scripture
one should observe the subtile attributes of these
several forms, as distinguished by attributes, of
Brahma that are (thus) worshipped by men. The
yogin who has transcended the necessity of depending
on the body, who has cast off all attachments, and
whose mind is devoted to yoga abstraction, should be
known as another instance of Infinity, as the Supreme
Divinity, or as that which it Unmanifest.[791] They
whose hearts are devoted to the acquisition of knowledge
succeed first in freeing themselves from the world
of mortals. Subsequently, by casting off attachments
they partake of the nature of Brahma and at last attain
to the highest end.