Chapter 91 - Portentous phenomena (ariṣṭa)

1. Henceforth, I shall mention the Ariṣṭas (the phenomena that indicate misfortune and even death); understand them. It is by means of this special knowledge that the yogins visualise death.

2. He who is not able to see Arundhati (a constellation among the Pleiades) Dhruva (Pole star), the shadow of the moon and the Mahāpatha (Milky Way) shall not live more than a year.

3. He who sees the sun without rays and the fire with rays will not live beyond the eleventh month.

4. He who dreams that he vomits, passes urine and evacuates stools in the form of gold and silver shall not live full ten months thereafter.

5. He who sees a gold-coloured tree, the Gandharva city, (i.e. the hallucination of an imaginary city), ghosts and spirits shall live only for nine months.

6. He who becomes stout or lean all of a sudden, i.e., he who thus moves away from his nature shall live only for eight months.

7. He whose footprint appears split in front or behind in the dust or in mud lives only up to seven months.

8. If a crow, or a dove, or a vulture or any other bird of prey perches on one’s head, one shall not survive six months.

9. He who goes in the company of rows of crows or of a dust storm, he who sees his own shadow in a deformed state shall live only for four or five months.

10. He who sees lightning in a spot that is not the sky and the lightning in the southern direction or he who sees the rainbow in the water shall live for only one or two months.

11. If one is not able to see oneself either in water or in the mirror or if he sees it devoid of the head he will not live beyond a month.

12. If the body emits the odour of a dead body or of fat, his death is imminent. He will not live beyond a fortnight.

13. If immediately after the bath the heart appears to dry up or smoke is seen coming out of the head, he will not live even for ten days.

14. If the bursting wind pierces the vital parts, if the hairs do not stand on their ends on being sprinkled with water, his death is imminent.

15. If one dreams of going towards the southern direction in a chariot to which monkeys and bears are yoked, and sings and dances in the meantime, it should be known that death is imminent.

16. If in the dream, a singing dark-complexioned woman who wears black clothes leads a person to the southern direction he will not live long.

17. If a man sees a slit in his own. neck in the dream, or dreams of a naked śramaṇa (Buddhist recluse), know that death is imminent.

18. ‘The person sinks into the ocean of mire upto the head’. On. seeing a dream like this, he ceases to live immediately.

19. A person who sees ashes, burning coal, hairs, dry river, and serpents in dream does not live for ten days thereafter.

20. He who is beaten in dream by dark-complexioned hideous persons with arms lifted up or hit by stones, ceases to live immediately.

21. If jackals howl directly at a person early in the morning, at sunrise, that person’s days are numbered.

22. If the heart is excessively pained immediately after the bath and there is a morbid sensitiveness in the teeth one can say that he is sure to die.

23. If a person is extremely frightened whether at night or during daytime and he is unable to perceive the smell of the lamp one shall know that death is imminent.

24. If one sees the rainbow at night or the cluster of stars during the day and is unable to see himself in the eyes of others, he ceases to live.

25. If one of the eyes begins to water, if the ears are dislodged and if the nose becomes bent in dream the man is sure to die soon.

26. If the tongue becomes black and rough, if the face becomes red like lotus, and if the cheeks develop red fleshy swelling, his death is imminent.

27. If a man with dishevelled hair were to come face lo face in the southern direction, singing, laughing and dancing, his life ends with that,

28. If the body is frequently pale, white in colour with the lustre of white clouds or like white mustard his death is imminent.

29. If one dreams that camels and donkeys are yoked to chariots they are inauspicious. If the chariot is seen going towards the southern direction he will cease to live.

30-31. The following dreams indicate that death is imminent:—Any two of the previous portents occurring simultaneously, not hearing noise in the ear, not seeing lustre in the eye, falling into a pit, inability to rise up from the pit and closing of a door.

32. These are signs of imminent death: The eyes arc turned upwards, they are not steady, they are red, they revolve, there is dryness in the mouth, there is a hole in the umbilicus and the urine is excessively hot. The person is indeed in difficulties.

33. Whether during day or night if a person is directly killed but he does not see the murderer his life is extinct. He will cease to live.

34. If at the end of a dream, a man sees that he enters fire and does not remember it at all, his life ends with that.

35. If a man sees his own white blanket as a black one, in the course of the dream or as a red one, his death is imminent.

36. If the portents are indicated in the body and that time of death has arrived, the intelligent man shall eschew sorrow and dejection and treat it with indifference.

37-39. With cleanliness and purity he shall set off in the direction of east or north. He shall sit in a steady level ground in a secluded spot devoid of creatures. He shall sit facing the east or the north and perform the rite of ācamana. He shall sit in the posture of Svastika and bow to Maheśvara. The body, the head and the neck shall be erect like a lamp in a windless spot. He shall be steady without flickering. He shall not look at anything else while practising Dhāraṇā (Retention).

40-43. The knower of scriptures shall practise yoga in the spot facing the north-east. He shall restrain lust, doubt, pleasure, happiness and misery mentally and only concentrate on clean, meditation. He shall meditate on the nose, tongue, eyes, skin, ears and mind. He shall retain them in the intellect and chest. After realising the time and actions he shall retain these parts of the body in the groups perpetually. This retention of the twelve parts of the body is called yogadhāraṇā. The man shall perform hundred or fifty such Dhāraṇās on the head.

44-45. If he becomes exhausted due to the practice of Dhāraṇā, the wind begins to function upwards. He shall fill the body with the wind along with the Oṃkāra. The yogin identifying himself with Oṃkāra shall merge himself in imperishable being. He shall become imperishable thus.

Henceforth, I shall mention the characteristics of the attainment of Oṃkāra.

46. This should be known as having three Mātrās (units), the consonant in it is the deity. The first Mātrā is Vidyutī (pertaining to lightning). The second is Tāmasī [having Tamo-Guṇa].

47. The third is Nirguṇā (devoid of attributes). It covers up the imperishable Being. It should be known as Gāndhārī too, because it originates from the Gāndhāra note (the third of the seven primary notes of Indian Gamut).

48. When the Oṃkāra that is uttered recedes to the head the devotee feels the touch of the moving ant.

49-52. The yogin identical with the Oṃkāra becomes identical with the imperishable Being. Praṇava is the bow, Ātman is the arrow and Brahman is the target. It should be pierced by one who does not err. He shall be concentrated therein as in regard to the arrow. The single-syllabled word Om is hidden in the cavity. The Oṃkāra is identical with the three worlds, the three Vedas, the three sacrificial fires, the three steps of Viṣṇu, the three scriptures, viz.—Ṛk, Sāmans and Yajurmantras. It should be known that they are really the three and a half Mātrās. The yogin who utters it attains identity with the deity.

53. The letter “A” should be known as Akṣara (Imperishable); the letter “U” is then along with it. Including the letter “M”, Oṃkāra becomes one with three Mātrās.

54. The letter “A” is the Bhūrloka; the letter “U” is Bhuvarloka, the letter “M” is Svarloka.

55. The Oṃ represents the three worlds. Its head is the Heaven. All the worlds constitute its limbs (body). Its feet are constituted by Brahmaloka.

56. Rudra’s world is the foot of the Mātrā, Śiva’s region is devoid of Mātrās (i.e. above them). It is with this special knowledge that, that region is worshipped.

57. Hence, the devotee shall be interested in meditation. Indeed that imperishable Being devoid of Mātrās, should be assiduously worshipped by one who wishes for permanent happiness.

58-59. The first Mātrā is a short, the next one is long; the third Mātrā is Pluta (predated vowel). These Mātrās should be known in their proper order. They are to be retained only as long as it is possible.

60. He who always meditates on the sense-organs, mind and intellect in the Atman and listens to even half a Mātrā shall attain its benefit.

61. Thanks to that Mātrā, one attains the merit which a person attains by a horse-sacrifice every month, continuing it for a hundred years.

62. Neither by a severe penance nor by sacrifices with plenty of gifts can that merit be obtained which is perfectly obtained by means of the Mātrā.

63. The householder yogins shall practise only that Mātrā which is taught as Plutā (Prolated Vowel).

64. This Mātrā alone comprises the eightfold Aiśvarya beginning with Aṇimā.^[1] Hence, O brahmins, be in communion with it.

65. O brahmins, he who knows and realises the Ātman obtains everything. He shall be endowed with yoga.^[2] He shall be pure. He shall subdue the sense-organs. He shall control them.

66. Hence, the learned man shall contemplate the Ātman by means of the yoga pertaining to Paśupati. Those who know the Ātman are certainly pure beings.

67. It is through the knowledge of yoga that the brahmin, thinker on spiritual topics, attains the Ṛk, Sāman, Yajur mantras, in fact all the Vedas and the Upaniṣads.

68. He becomes identical with all Devas and devoid of all elements. He gets rid of the necessity of passing through wombs and attains the perpetual region.

69. Just as the ripe fruit falls off the tree on being tossed about by the wind, so also sin perishes by the grace of Rudra.

70. Where the obeisance to Rudra yields the benefits of all Karmans, one shall not attain those benefits through the obeisance to the other deities.

71-72. Hence, the yogin shall worship Maheśvara repeating the Praṇava twice. He who enlarges the scope of the Vedas ten times more by elaborating the Vedic texts shall meditate and then forsake the body. He uplifts three generations and attains Sāyujja [Sāyujya?] salvation with Śiva.

73-76. Or after seeing any evil portent [ariṣṭa] and when the time of death has arrived the man shall go to Avimukteśvara in Vārāṇasī and perform the expiatory rite. Somehow the man shall abandon his body there when, O leading brahmins, he is liberated. The man may abandon his body on the mountain, Śrīparvata.^[3] He attains identity with Śiva. No doubt need be entertained in this regard. Avimukta is a greatest shrine always bestowing salvation on the creatures. The intelligent man shall resort to it always especially when death is imminent.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Aṇimā, etc. Cf. p. 134 note 241.

[2]:

Śivatoṣiṇī. defines yogajñāna [yoga-jñānam] as [yoga-yuktaṃ jñānam] i.e., knowledge joined with meditation. Yoga is the means for the attainment of right

[3]:

or perfect knowledge [yogo hi jñāna-sādhanam].