23. The man afterwards learns to choose something for himself, and reject others by the clearsightedness of his internal faculties.
24. The man that is possessed of such right discrimination of good and evil, and of right and wrong, and who is confident of the purity of his own nature, and of his belonging to the best caste (of a Brahmán); attains by degrees the supernatural powers for his own good, as also for the enlightenment of his mind, by means of his knowledge of the seven essential grounds of Yoga meditation.
CHAPTER CXVII.
Different States of Knowledge and Ignorance.[[12]]
Argument. The septuple grounds of true and false Knowledge and their mixed modes. And firstly, of self-abstraction or abstract knowledge of one or swarúpa; and then of the different grounds of Ignorance.
Ráma said:—Please sir, tell me in brief, what are the grounds of yoga meditation, which produce the seven kinds of consummation, which are aimed at by the yogi adepts. You sir, who are best acquainted with all recondite truths, must know it better than all others.
2. Vasishtha replied:—They consist of the seven states of ignorance (ajnána-bhúmi), and as many of knowledge also; and these again diverge into many others, by their mutual intermixture. (Participating the natures of one another, and forming the mixed modes of states of truth and error).
3. All these states (both of right and wrong cognitions), being deep rooted in the nature of man (mahá-satta), either by his habit or of training, made produce their respective fruits or results (tending to his elevation or degradation in this world and the next).
Note. Habit or natural disposition (pravritti) is the cause of leading to ignorance and its resulting error; but good training—sádhana and better endeavours—prayatna, are the causes of right knowledge and elevation.
4. Attend now to the nature of the sevenfold states or grounds of ignorance; and you will come to know thereby, the nature of the septuple grounds of knowledge also.
5. Know this as the shortest lesson, that I will give thee of the definitions of true knowledge and ignorance; that, it is the remaining in one’s own true nature (swarúpa or suiform state), that constitutes his highest knowledge and liberation; and his divergence from it to the knowledge of his ego (egoism—ahanta), is the cause of his ignorance, and leads him to the error and bondage of this world.