All this world, together with its changes, is certainly only a Play of the Power of the Self. The Self, who is a compact mass of Absolute Freedom and Joy, is not even slightly affected by the world ever. Before the birth of the atomic self—the limited individual—as well as after his death, the Self remains as Consciousness.
Additionally, the Self remains as Consciousness even in the middle stage, whose form is the life of the atomic self invented by His Supreme Power. The One without a second does not deviate even a bit from the Supreme State ever. Absolutely immutable and constantly replete with infinite Bliss and unimpeded Will, the Self always stays in solitude; to wit, He remains as the only uninterrupted Core of all. Accordingly, the person who has realized the State of the Self is always and everywhere solitary like the Self. Whether the body of that person is surrounded by crowds or it is completely isolated, he remains continuously in solitude. His Dwelling-place is truly Kailāsa, the Abode of Bliss in the Sahasrāra.
As that sage considers body and mind as the not-Self and on that account he does not associate the Self with those two —with body and mind— therefore he is Free like the Self and beyond the fate of body and mind. Besides, such a wise person, by realizing that the Self is one with all, is not afflicted by anyone. The Self cannot be known by the mind since He is the Knower of it (of the mind). For this reason, the acquisition of the State of the Self is always connected with an actual recognition (pratyabhijñā) of one's own Self, without a doubt.
When Sahasrāra becomes fully active, that is a sign of a soon Liberation. At first, Sahasrāra gets fully active for short periods of time, but afterward, those periods of time become very gradually longer until the Liberation of that spiritual aspirant indeed. If Sahasrāra were to be immediately active in a full way all the time from the very beginning of the spiritual path (sādhanā), the body of the aspirant would be forcibly led to death. That would be Videhamukti, i.e. Liberation (mokṣaḥ) coupled with leaving the body.
Nonetheless, if the body is not left at the moment of Liberation, that would be Jīvanmukti, liberation coupled with keeping the body. A Jīvanmukta—someone who is liberated while living—is uninterruptedly engrossed in trance until his body falls. After that, by entering into his great trance, this high-souled one stays here as the Highest Reality or Paramārtha, there is no doubt about it.
However, at the beginning, even such a sage had to be a spiritual aspirant, and this is not otherwise; i.e. this process occurs obligatorily like that. Broadly speaking, these are the three categories of spiritual aspirant (sādhaka): beginner, middle and advanced. Of course, each of the categories of spiritual aspirant has intrinsically special characteristics.
The aspirant who is a beginner speaks frequently like this: "Since I was taught by my spiritual teacher that I am the Self, therefore, there is nothing for me to do most assuredly except abiding in the Self."
Still, he cannot do all that because of his complete identification with the state of the atomic self (limited individual). "I am the Self," this statement of his, although true, is merely theoretical, because he lacks an actual recognition of his own Self.
Like a eunuch proudly announcing thus: "My wife is the most beautiful woman", the beginner aspirant certainly acts in the same way, since just as the wife is not enjoyed by the former, in the same manner, the State of the Self, whose nature is Absolute Freedom and Bliss, is not even slightly enjoyed or experienced by the latter due to his incapacity.
Though the beginner is the Self, being incapacitated by his own impurity consisting of Āṇavamala —which will be spoken about later—, such a spiritual aspirant is always dependent on another and not at all Free like the divine Self really.
The middle aspirant says this: "Although I am the Self, even then I do not recognize —do not realize— the state of the Self; therefore, I must meditate every day on the Self in order to realize the Self."
The middle aspirant also says: "In the end, when the Self is realized, I enter into a state of void devoid of Bliss… nevertheless, since the Self is indicated by the spiritual teacher and by the scriptures as replete with Bliss, therefore, what am I to do to realize the State of the Self which is full of Joy?"
This category of spiritual aspirant is characterized by karma or action as those middle aspirants are always engaged in actions in order to attain the State of the Self. By the sixty-seventh aphorism in venerable Śivasūtra-s, it is taught: "However, one who is a compact mass of delusion is merely involved in actions (karma)." Thus, the middle spiritual aspirant is also deluded by ignorance due to his incapacity. In this way, he is not able to completely enjoy or experience his own Self because of ignorance appeared in the form of the void of Māyā.
Due to a false satisfaction, even some middle aspirants, by thinking that the Self is a state of void, consider themselves as Jīvanmukta-s or liberated ones while living, but as a matter of fact, they are merely confused about the Highest Reality indeed, because Liberation is always the State of the Glorious Self, which is full of Absolute Freedom and Bliss, and never a state of void without Complete Freedom and Joy.
The same has been expressed in the venerable Spandakārikā-s:
“Then, moon --i.e. apāna-- and sun --i.e. prāṇa-- get reabsorbed in that Great Ether. To the partially awakened one, that condition is like the state of deep sleep, and thus he remains stupefied. However, a Yogī who is not covered by the darkness of ignorance remains awakened and enlightened in that very condition.”
Besides, in venerable Spandanirṇaya, it is also told:
"According to the abovementioned precept, the state of void is manifested by only imagining what has not existed ever. The state of void is shown by the Supreme Lord in that way —as a goal to be achieved— to the fools, in order to conceal and protect Knowledge. Such is the purport."
There is an experience of void in the case of a middle aspirant because of his unfitness. Then, instead of being occupied in inventions with reference to the Highest Reality, he should strive indeed to acquire an actual realization —awareness— of his own Self. As all this is always the Supreme Self, consequently, why should He give something to someone?
The advanced spiritual aspirant says: "The Self Is", because he realized that the Self is the star of this universal drama. For this very reason, whether the atomic self is the Self or the atomic self is not the Self, etc., he is not interested in all that now. On that account, the advanced aspirant is always engaged in vigilance for udyama or the emergence of one's own Self whose nature is Absolute Freedom and Bliss, which will be spoken about later. When there is Self-realization at the beginning and at the end of the states of wakefulness, dreaming, and deep sleep of a certain advanced spiritual aspirant, then he is doubtless fit for Liberation consisting of an uninterrupted Self-realization.
That very truth has been taught by illustrious Kṣemarāja in his venerable Spandanirṇaya:
“Since, to the one who is not perfectly awakened, there is perception of That --the Self-- at the beginning and at the end of the three ordinary states of consciousness, for this very reason, he is here fit for being turned into a perfectly awakened one by the teachings dealing with Spanda."
When does this advanced aspirant become a liberated while living or perfectly awakened? When there is for him Self-realization in the middle of those states.
My teaching is confirmed by illustrious Vasugupta in his venerable Spandakārikā-s:
“To the perfectly awakened one, there is always and constantly the perception of That --i.e. the Self-- and this perception of the Self stays throughout the three states of consciousness. However, to the other one --i.e. to the one who is not fully awakened-- there is that --i.e. the perception of the Self-- only at the beginning and end of each state.”
Nonetheless, on one hand, the progress from the condition of advanced aspirant toward the state of perfectly awakened or liberated while living, proceeds gradually according to various intensities of Śaktipāta or descent of Power —Grace—, and on the other hand, the Self-realization in the case of that aspirant, occurs exactly as mentioned by the fifth aphorism of Śiva:
"Bhairava —the Supreme Being— is a sudden flash or elevation of divine Consciousness."
When Bhairava —the Self— emerges, the Power of the Self who has risen up to Brahmarandhra, after penetrating into the śikhā or flame there, gets completely dissolved into Unmanā, at the tip of the śikhā. This Liberation (mokṣa), which will be talked about later on, is certainly the acquisition of the State of the Self. Since a liberated while living is characterized by the absence of Delusion, therefore, he never becomes confused with regard to the Self — Why? Because this perfectly awakened is always possessed of Self-knowledge based on direct perception, and for this very reason, his knowledge never depends on testimony and inference.
The state of a liberated while living is clearly indicated in venerable Spandakārikā-s:
“The all-pervading Self shines forth in the two states of wakefulness and dreaming accompanied by His Supreme --parama-- Power --śakti-- whose nature is knowledge and knowable. Nevertheless, in the other than those two, He appears only as Consciousness.”
True spirituality is not at all based on the knowledge of the conceivable atomic self, who is always intent on conspiring against the Self, but rather it is totally based upon the realization of the solitary and inconceivable Self, achieved by a perfectly awakened one indeed.
Continued: Categories of Spiritual Aspirants (Part 2)
Source of this scripture: Svātantryasūtravṛtti