A Rendition of Advaita Makaranda by Maury Lee

A Rendition of Advaita Makaranda by Maury Lee Sri Laksmidhara Kavi wrote 28 verses on the essence of Advaita Vedanta. Using reasoning and logic, the verses establish non-dual Brahman, One without a second. Note: I couldn't find a modern English version of "Advaita Makaranda." Archaic wording made the versions I found difficult to digest. I wrote a version I could understand. It is below. Hopefully I have retained the meaning. Just thought I would share it. Verse 1 Salutations to Brahman who is infinite bliss, whose essence is auspicious to the whole world, and who, by a revealed means of knowledge, removes all ignorance. Verse 2 I awareness, exist without beginning or end. I shine the light of awareness on everything. Therefore, every form of consciousness is nothing other than myself. There is nothing about myself that I dislike. I am Brahman, Existence-Consciousness-Bliss. Verse 3 In Me, awareness, does the whole of Space appear, and all things in it. A bodymind appearance therefore, is nothing but the presence of Brahman, the all-knower and the cause of all. Verse 4 I awareness, never perish, though forms come and go. I continue always. Though forms are destroyed, I remain. I am partless, though I appear as many. This is my creation and needs no other support. The destruction of any form is not my destruction. Verse 5 The element of space cannot be altered. Whatever appears to divide, does not affect space. When any form in space changes, space remains. How then can I, the pure Consciousness, be destroyed by things superimposed on Me? Verse 6 The universe is inert. Nothing can be known or experienced without my presence. I, Awareness/Consciousness, am present everywhere. Verse 7 The world cannot be known without Consciousness. It is I which shines the light by which experience is known. No experience of the world lights up without my presence. Every name and form is a superimposition. I Awareness, am one without a second. Verse 8 I am not the body, nor the sense-organs, nor the pranas, nor the mind, nor the intellect, because these are all objects known to me. Verse 9 I am the witness, all-pervading and ineffable. I am not the ego, feeling limited and separate. I am everywhere, and not confined. All modifications appearing and disappearing are only appearances. I know their appearance and their absence. Verse 10 Sorrow and other travails of samsara are known to me, but not experienced by me. The world of name and form belongs to appearances which change. But I do not change. I am the witness only. Verse 11 The person that sleeps does not know sleep. I Awareness, do not sleep. I witness the dreamless sleep, the dreaming sleep, and waking state. I know the three states, therefore I am beyond them. Verse 12 The presence or cessation of any state is known to me, an object in Awareness. Waking and dreaming and the absence of either is known to me. But I am not affected. How can these belong to Me, their witness? I am ever the knower, not the state or object. Verse 13 Being Awareness, the knower of all modifications, who could give me attributes? Who could provide my description? Verse 14 If appearances are born and then disappear, how can such a changing thing remember the changes? It is I, Awareness/Consciousness that remembers. Verse 15 Only Awareness sees one’s birth and death. The moment of appearance is birth, and the moment of death is the beginning of absence. I am the knower of both. I was present at your birth, and present at your death. I will know your absence. Verse 16 I am not touched by ignorance. "I know" and "I don't know” are illumined by me, the light, Awareness. Knowing youth and old age, presence and absence, how can the Self be ignorant or time-bound? Verse 17 Without inquiry, ignorance of the Self remains. We are born aware, but consciousness of our surroundings takes up all our space. The mind misinterprets and ignorance remains. In the absence of inquiry, samsara repeats. Freedom is born of inquiry, applied with a means of knowledge. Verse 18 This projected appearance of a universe provides a place for apparent selves. But separate selves never feel at home until the light of realization dawns. Liberation springs from knowledge and understanding. Then we are Brahman, eternally in the home we never left. Verse 19 This division of objects, including sentient beings (jivas) are imagined in Me, Awareness, just as in a dream. Yet all is One, just like objects in a painting are nothing but paint. Verse 20 Every apparent witness has borrowed my Awareness, but forgotten, and claims it as his own. The individual witness is only an assumption in the ocean of Consciousness. Verse 21 There is no adding or subtracting from Awareness. I am not affected. No wave of appearance detracts from the ocean. No ripple on a pond is separate from the water. Ignorance does not bother me. I am the light. Verse 22 Existence is my very nature. It is not one of my qualities. Existence is all there is. What is separate from that? Verse 23 Consciousness is my nature, and not a quality. All of existence is Consciousness only. I am eternal. Non-existence is not possible. Verse 24 I am bliss. If one does not know this bliss, one is ignorant. This is no sin. It is only a mistake. A means of knowledge is provided because I am dear to myself. Verse 25 Reality is that which does not change. Though I appear as many with various natures, I do not change. The nature of form can be dismissed, as the differences belong to the world, not to me. I remain undivided, the existence only, of each and every form. Verse 26 I am the light. All is light. That light is Awareness. When I take form, Consciousness appears with many attributes. But every attribute is one essence. Existence itself. That existence, I am. Therefore, “That thou art” is true. To know this, apply the means of knowledge, Advaita Vedanta. Verse 27 I am the eternal Awareness/Consciousness. I am all existence. I am that Self which you are. I am complete, without beginning or end. All appearances are projections only, all resolve back into me. Verse 28 May this nectar of non-dual Brahman be revealed as your very self. May these verses, like lotus flowers full of nectar, be joyfully drunk by all wise persons.