Removal of doubts about illusion

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Any object that appears to exist, but vanishes with the application of "right thought," (discrimination between the true and untrue), is untrue. All visible objects possessing names and forms are untrue. All that is visible and conceivable is perishable. All that is perceivable through the senses is perishable.

When the cause is perishable, its effect is also perishable. As the sensory organs themselves are untrue, the experiences derived through them accordingly are untrue. This magnificent spectacle called illusion, is the magic of the eye. It is plain trickery. All of this illusion is the product of the combination of the sensory organs and thoughts.

The wonders of thought are many. When we see a shapely idol or a beautiful picture, our thoughts are pleased, yet animals are unable to recognize or appreciate the significance of it, and perhaps may even trample on it. It is told of how one man broke and desecrated many idols of God without so much as the slightest bit of remorse. Was he punished by God for that? No, yet it is common to see people refrain from even stretching out their feet in the direction of an idol . Many would flinch if such a thought even occurred to them.

Why is this? It is only thoughts, which are responsible for this. For example, with love, the husband’s love for his wife, is entirely different from the father’s love for his daughter, or the wife’s love towards her husband. All of this is just the mire of thoughts. Know for certain that this untrue world undergoes continuous destruction just as a camphor pellet undergoes continuous burning until it disappears.

One may ask, "How can the illusion be called untrue, when it is openly seen, and readily apparent?" Understand that all perceivable objects are perishable. By nature, the inherent, characteristic feature of delusion is to be "visible." It's similar to how an image in the mirror is visible, although it is changeful by nature, and bound to disappear. Or, like how a mirage is clearly seen, yet is really untrue, and sure to perish. In the same way, the entire world appearance is based only on delusion. By the application of "right thought" this entire universe gets destroyed.

Ignorance brings the world to the forefront. However, just as a dream vanishes upon awakening, so does this world vanish, with "right thinking." Know that the body is your archenemy, and that it always only troubles you with disease, discomfort, harrassment from others, etc. If this body had truly ever been who we are, or belonged to us, it would never give us any trouble. Take it for granted that the body, and the mistaken identification with it as "I," which everyone so lovingly calls it, is your enemy. In this illusion, relatives coax and cajole you before beginning in with their harassment. In spite of the fact that our body torments us, and even though our relatives harass us, we continue to harbor a deep love for the illusion. This is due to ignorance. Upon awakening, after attaining Self-Knowledge, a Dnyani sincerely repents for calling the body as "I," and from then on, begins to consider the body as an enemy, or as a dead body.

Although one may be awakened by Knowledge, one must still get over the waves of dreams (desires and imaginings). Thoughts are constantly changing, and illusory. They are so fickle that they can turn your best friends into sworn enemies, or can turn your enemies into friends. The Self, however, is neither seen, nor is it illusory. Thought can bring the Self to life, and also lends to it the quality of "Truth." Not only this, but proper use of thought can bring one to the experience that "I Am He."

- Shri Siddharameshwar Maharaj from a talk given October 3, 1933 on the Yoga Vasishtha