Source Text
PREFACE “Why do you weep, my friend? In you is all power. Summon up your all-powerful nature, O mighty one, and this whole universe will lie at your feet. It is the Self alone that predominates, and not matter.”
It is the Self alone that predominates, and not matter.”
They remain perfectly calm wherever they are and whatever they do, enjoying the bliss of the Atman.
Brahman is the Supreme Reality. The world is apparent, like water in a mirage. The real nature of the individual soul is divine, but that divinity is covered by ignorance.
They knew that Dattatreya was an incarnation of Vishnu and a great yogi, that he was beyond good and evil, and that his outward behaviour was a mere show. Consequently, nothing could contaminate him. As a lotus leaf cannot be moistened by the water on which it floats, so the mind of a yogi cannot be touched by worldliness.
For those who have controlled their minds and senses and who persevere with great energy, there is nothing unknowable nor is their anything unattainable anywhere.
My children, if you want to practise yoga, you must remove all attachment from your hearts. If you cannot do this, then keep the company of holy men, for holy company is the panacea for the disease of worldliness. Give up all desires. But if you cannot do this then cultivate a desire for liberation. The desire for liberation destroys all other desires. He who forsakes the immortal, indivisible, immutable, ever-free Atman, and becomes involved in sense pleasure is like a vile crow whose attention is always fixed on filth. Shun carnality in thought, word, and deed. If your mind delights in sensual pleasure, you will miss heaven and liberation.
The wise should transcend worldly desires and concentrate on the Supreme Reality. The essential ingredients of the human body are controlled by the moods of the mind. When the mind is troubled and unbalanced, its moods become correspondingly unbalanced and devour it. Therefore the mind should be protected by every possible means. Discrimination is possible only when the mind is calm.
Again, since I am not the mind and since my true nature has neither beginning nor end, I am always the same—serene, peaceful, unmoved by inner events. Let pleasure, and pain, enjoyment and misery, remain in the body or the mind; it matters nothing to me, for I am the Atman—Existence-Knowledge-Bliss Absolute. Why should I care for virtue if I have no body? Of what use to me is wealth if I have no hands or feet or head? Therefore, in reality I have no foe or friend, misery or happiness, home or wealth. And if this is true for me then it is true for all.
If your pet bird is killed by a cat you feel bad. On the other hand, if the same cat kills a mouse it does not bother you at all. So it is attachment that brings misery; in non-attachment lies the only true happiness.
AI Summary
Avadhuta Gita of Dattatreya by Chetanananda Swami presents key insights from the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The 10 passages above capture the essential teachings.
Core Themes:
- [To be expanded]
Key Passages: Highlights 1, 3, and 10 are particularly representative.
This entry was generated from Readwise highlights. Expand with additional context as appropriate.