The Avadhuta said:
1. The distinction into the material and the nonmaterial does not at all exist. How can I worship Shiva who is of the nature of etherial space, who is devoid of both attachment and non-attachment, who is spotless, who is devoid of extension, who is devoid of the distinction into the material and then non-material and who is all-pervading and omniformed?
2. He who is devoid of white and such other colours is indeed Shiva. He who is both this created universe and its cause is also the Supreme Shiva. I who am thus free from uncertainty is sufficiently Shiva. How then, my beloved friend, can I worship the Atman within mine own Self?
3. Though entirely devoid of root I keep constantly growing; though completely devoid of smoke I keep constantly rising; though thoroughly devoid of light like a lightless lamp I keep continuously shining; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar, of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
4. How shall I speak here of unselfish desire? How shall I speak here of unattached attachment? how shall I speak of Him who is devoid of insubstantial substance? I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
5. How can I speak of the all that is of the nature of non-duality? How can I speak of the all that is of the form of duality? How can I speak of the all that is eternal and at the same time non-eternal? I am that all pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
6. I am neither gross nor subtle; I am not a frequent visitor; I am not the highest and the lowest that is devoid of the beginning, middle and the end; I shall speak the bare truth, I am the Supreme Spirit, that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
7. All the internal organs of sensation and action which resemble ether are indeed consciousness; all the objects of perception which resemble ether are indeed consciousness; consciousness is indeed the one, pure existence which is neither bound nor free; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
8. I am not, my child, inconceivable even by the profoundest of intellects; I am not undefinable even as the hardly definable object of definition; I am not indescribable even as immanent nature; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
9. I am the fire that reduces action to inaction, I am the fire that consumes misery so as to produce painlessness; I am the fire that burns the body so as to engender the state of bodilessness; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
10. I am the fire that consumes sins to their root; I am the fire that destroys duties so as to be placed beyond duties; I am the fire that breaks down bondage so as to restore freedom; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
11. I am not, my dear child, devoid of concept so as to be inconceivable; I am not, my dear child, without concentration so as to be devoid of mental activity; I am not, my dear child, devoid of intellect so as to be dissolved in peace; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
12. I have no doubt that mine is the condition of delusion where there is no delusion; I have no doubt that mine is the condition of sorrow where there is no misery; I have no doubt that mine is the condition of desire where there are no desires; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
13. At no time have I the creeper of ever-flowing Samsara; at no time have I the joy of unbroken happiness; at no time have I this bondage of ignorance; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
14. There is no change in me caused by the dirt (Rajas) of unending Samsara; there is no change in me caused by the darkness Tamas of unceasing misery; there is no change in me arising from purity (Sattvam) which gives rise to one's own duties; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
15. I am never all action which produces torment and misery; I am never all the mind which is the product of the experience of misery; this organ of egotism never at all existed to me; I am therefore that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
16. I am death to mental agitation which restores calmness, and am no indecisive suggestion; I am the end of dream and wakeful states of consciousness and am subject to neither good nor bad; I am the grave of transient and worthless substances and am neither the moveable nor the immoveable; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
17. This self of mine is neither the knowable nor the instrument of knowledge, is neither the logical reason nor the inferable; this self which is beyond the range of speech is neither the internal organ of perception nor intellect. How then can I describe it to you? I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
18. I am the supreme reality which is indivisible being devoid of divisions; there are no interior and exterior and yet I am indeed the supreme reality; neither am I previous to birth, nor am I engaged in what is born, nor am I any of the substances; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar or knowledge resembling ethereal space.
19. I am solely the principle of "I" which is devoid of attachment and such other limitations; I am solely the principle of "I" which is devoid of godly and such other defects; I am purely the principle of "I" which is devoid of the miseries of Samsara; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
20. When there are no three states of consciousness how can there be a fourth? When there are no three divisions of time how can there be quarters of space? The internal self is indeed the supreme condition of peace. I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
21. I am incapable of classification into long, short or any other; of classification into broad and narrow; of classification into angular and circular; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
22. At no time have I mother, father, son and such other relations; at no time have I birth, death, as also the internal organ of perception; this supreme reality in me is without distraction and steady; I am the equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
23. The Supreme Self who is extremely pure and purified of sins and hence unquestionable and of endless forms; who is smeared only with stainlessness and hence unquestionable and of endless forms, who is in part without being partitioned and hence unquestionable and of endless forms; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
24. How can there be a host of Gods beginning with Brahma? How can there be Swarga and such other worlds of habitation? If the Supreme Reality is of one form only and pure, I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
25. I am indeed pure by being denied of everything until denial is denied, how can I describe me? I am indeed pure as being the last residue beyond which there is no residue, how can I describe me? I am indeed purified of all distinguishing marks so as to be attributeless, how can I describe me? I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
26. I always do the supreme act of inaction; I always indulge in the supreme pleasure of being without attachment which leaves no association; I always indulge in being without body in a state of non-body; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
27. The creation of an illusory universe is not my mode; the manufacture of wickedness and fraud is not my mode; the production of truth and falsehood is not my mode; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
28. Though devoid of twilight and such other periods of time, there is no loss to me; though devoid of internal illumination I am neither deaf nor dumb; though thus devoid of doubt, I am not purely thought; I am that equally pervadingnessence which is the nectar of knowledge, resembling ethereal space.
29. The Supreme Self who is Lordless as there is no Lord at all to serve is serene, who is unperturbed as he has lost the organ of mind and hence calm, who is purely knowledge shorn of everything and hence perspicuous – I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
30. How can I describe Him as the dwelling house of a dreary forest; how can I describe Him as the uncertainty of an established fact? He who is thus continuous and equal in all and unagitated, – I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
31. Devoid of life-principle He always shines without life-activity; devoid of the germ of life He always shines seedless; devoid of bondage, He always shines liberated from existence; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
32. He who is devoid of birth always shines; He who is devoid of Samsara always shines; He who is devoid of destruction always shines; I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
33. Yours is only an inference from an impression but not name and form; though you are an indivisible divided whole you are not anything, you impudent soul! why then do you despond? I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
34. Why do you weep, my friend? There is neither old age nor death. Why do you weep, my friend? There is neither death nor misery. Why do you weep, my friend? There is no change of form for you. I am that all pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
15. Why do you weep, my friend? You have no natural form. Why do you weep, my friend? You have no deformity. Why do you weep, my friend? you have no age. I am the equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
36. Why do you weep, my friend? You have no health. Why do you weep my friend? You have no mental vigor. Why do we weep my friend? You have not the senses. I am the equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
37. Why do you weep, my friend? You have no desire. Why do you weep, my friend? You have no allurements. Why do you weep, my friend? You have no infatuation. I am the equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
38. Why do you desire affluence? Wealth is not yours. Why do you desire affluence? You have no wife. Why do desire affluence? You have nothing to call yours. I am the equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
39. Birth in this universe produced by Prakriti has nothing to do either with you or with me. This shameless soul only appears distinct. Absence of distinction arising from non-duality of existence is neither for you nor for me; I am the equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
40. You have not even a shred of the nature of non-attachment; you have not even a shred of the nature of attachment; you have not a shred of the nature of desire; I am the equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
41. Neither does there exist in your mind the meditator, nor is there for you the hyperconscious state; neither does there exist in your mind meditation nor have you an external region; neither does there exist in your mind the meditated, nor are there substance and time; I am the equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
42. Whatever is essential has been mentioned by me to you. There is neither you nor anything for me nor for the great, neither teacher nor disciple. The Supreme Reality is innate and of the nature independence. I am that equally pervading essence which is the nectar of knowledge resembling ethereal space.
43. How can the Supreme Reality be here of the nature of bliss? How cannot the Supreme Reality be thus of the nature of bliss? How can the Supreme Reality be here of the nature of knowledge and experience, if I only exist as the one supreme, in the form of ethereal space?
44. Know consciousness to be the one thing devoid of fire and air; know the consciousness to be the one thing devoid of earth and water; know consciousness to be the one thing devoid of entrance and exit; know consciousness to be the one thing wide-spread like ether.
45. I am neither of the nature of void nor of the nature of ineliminable existence, neither of the nature, of purity nor of that of the purified. I am not both form and non-form but am the Supreme Reality which is something having the only form of essential nature.
46. Forsake, forsake forever, Samsara, and forsake by all means renunciation also; for the pure, immortal, innate and unchangeable Self is poison to both renunciation and attachment.
Thus ends the third chapter of the Avadhuta Gita taught by Sri Dattatreya named the Teaching of the Knowledge of Atman.