Maitrayopnishad:

Once king Brihadrath felt great vairagya, when the 'understanding' dawned on him that his body is mortal. The great sage Shakanya happened to meet him and on the King's fervent request gave him the knowledge of Brahm. A few of the things Sage Shakanya told the king were as follows,

1.

With tapasya one gets knowledge, with knowledge one gets control over one’s mind, after getting mind control one gets darshan of atma and on having atma darshan, one gets free of this world.

2.

Chit itself is the world, so with greatest effort get free of it.  If to the extent  which our chit is associated with the worldly objects, to that extent it is involved with Brahm, Mukti (ultimate freedom) will be extremely easy.

3.

One who is always living with the support of Anand found in one's Antahkaran; one who has pushed far away the Pishach (a fiendish spirit) of desire; who sees the whole world like the play of a juggler; who roams alone in the world, in such a person pain can never enter.

Once Rishi Maitre met lord Shiva in his abode of Kailash and requested him to provide the knowledge of Brahm. Lord Shiva acceded to his request and explained to him various things:

4.

This body is a dwelling place of the divine and the Jeeva is Pramatama. Knowing this one should leave the dwelling and pray to the Parmatama as ‘I Am’.

5.

To wash off the dust of the mind is the real bath and to keep the senses under control is the real purity.

6.

Cleansing of urine and bad odour etc. is done with the help of soap and water, but the real cleansing takes place, when we get free of ‘me and mine’.

7.

Leaving everything, the ego which is like a son, wealth which is like a mother, attachment which is like a house, wishes which are like one's wife, one gets free instantaneously.    

8.

Those only who are without doubt can be free. Those who are with doubts cannot get free even at the end of many births.

9.

 The understanding of Jeev and Parmatama in Samadhi is called Sanyas.

10.

7

The practice of meditation on Tattva is best, reading of scriptures is medium, mantra sadhana is still lower and roaming around in various sacred places is the lowest spiritual practice.  Just as one cannot enjoy the taste of a fruit on a tree until one puts it in the mouth, in the same way without actually experiencing Brahm, one can't feel its Anand.  

11.

One who desires Moksha should not pray to statues, as it will again cause one's birth. Rather one should always get rid of all kinds of outer poojans and pray to one's own Atma.

12.

I am all effulgence, chaitanya, beyond the three divisions of time, beyond desire and anger, beyond this body, beyond any attribute, I am the only one, beyond truth and untruth, I have nowhere to go and nowhere to arrive, I am always the same and at peace. One who meditates like this becomes Brahm, there is no doubt about it.  ~Om Shantih Shantih Shantih~

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