The Ribhu Gita -Dr.Lingeswara Rao and Anil Sharma translations:

[Subramanian.R]

(This is a translation by Dr.Lingeswara Rao and Anil Sharma.  This is different from Nome and another's
translation.  Bhagavan approved only the Tamizh version done by Ulaganatha Swamigal. The English
version of Nome and another follows this Tamizh version.)

*

Bhagavan has said: These readings from Ribhu Gita are as good as Samadhi. It does not matter if one
understands the meanings or not.  Yet the result can be experienced.  It appears from Sri Bhagavan's
words that if there is a book the reading of which attune one's mind to the transcendental state, that is
Ribhu Gita.  What more is there to say? 

*

Chapter I:

1. May the Lord Sri Mahaganapati -- who joyously holds the Mount Meru as if it were a madi berry,
who then being pleaded to by the frightened celestial beings lets go of it, only to capture the blue
expanse of the sky taking it to be a jambu fruit  -- may that Lord with huge belly protect me.

2. May Siva the Lord Suoreme -- whose left half is the Mother and right half the father of cosmos
(ardhanarisvara); the tinkling sounds of whose anklets on the lotus feet are the syllables and their
imports -- the basis of language; whose three eyes viz., the sun, the moon and the fire (of knowledge)
are ever the cause of the vision of all - may that sovereign Lord over celestial beings who shines like an
ornament to the divine Mother Parvati protect me.         

3. Suta:  Once the joyous Jaigishvaya in the company of sages, having saluted the six faced Shanmukha,
son of Siva asked him thus:

4,5:  Jaigishavaya:

O repository of compassion,  all knowing one, protector of those who seek refuge, the one ever
contemplating the lotus feet and the three eyes of Siva -- the Lord of Aruna (Parvati), ocean of
mercy and the one resplendent like the Sun, I have heard the glories of the twelve effulgent
Jyotir Lingas.

6.  I am presently eager to hear another account of eminence relating to Siva.  Pray purify me with
the words of nectar flowing from Thy lotus face.

7. Suta:

Pleased with the muni's words of supplication Shanmukha replied to him thus.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.     

[Subramanian.R]

8.  Sri Shanmukha:

Hearken to the ocean of knowledge imparted in Kailasa to sage Ribhu by Sankara Himself, the consort
of Parvati.

9.  Once the brahmana sage Ribhu, son of Brahma, saluted Siva who is omnipresent, bestower of
auspiciousness and the great Lord;  and then extolled His virtues in a state of ecstasy:

10.  Ribhu:

Salutations to Siva glowing with the sun, the moon and the fire (as the three eyes), with a forehead
aglow with the triple stripes of sacred ash;  serpent decked;  with the matted locks tied up as jatajuta
shining with the crescent moon and the one who wraps the elephant hide around his waist as garment.

11.  Protect me O Lord, with eye on the forehead; who punished Daksha in the fire sacrifice;  who has
the great bull gleaming white for mount;  who grants the imperishable fruit of knowledge;  who is with
sacred ashes smeared all over the body and wearing rudraksha (sacred bead) garlands and venomous
snakes on the spacious chest;  who has the dire poison for food; whose lotus feet are worshipped
by the holy mendicants.

12.  O wearer of the Ganga and the moon on the crest; consort of Parvati who is the daughter of the
Himalayas that support the earth!  Grant me the impeccable love for Your lotus feet that removes
pain.  Blessed with the bliss obtained by pleasing Siva, I care not for the celestial beings like Brahma,
Vishnu, Indra and those in the heaven who are all subject to the downfall. Such is my conviction!

13.  I shall have the holy sight of the Lord in the company of mother Uma, whose dance of transcendence
keeps in sway the matted locks and the ornamental half moon encircled by the stars thereof, whose lotus
feet are antagonistic to the wheel of transmigratory existence, which are insuperable and which elevate
the worlds;  which are fatal to the vicious and bestow boons upon the pious.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.             

[Subramanian.R]

14.  O compassionate Lord with forehead-eye!  Protect my forehead (vision) which is adorned with
the three stripes of ashes and which bends low to touch Thy lotus feet.  O wearer of rudraksha garlands,
protect my throat (speech).  O wearer of snake ear rings. protect my ears (hearing) which revel in the
hissing sounds of snakes Thou adorn.

15.  Sankara, grant me taste for Thy ennobling accounts and the five syllabled Panchakshari  - the
Namah Sivaya Mahamantra.  Train my arms in the unintermittent worship of Thy grand Lingam.
O moon adorned one!  Do protect me with Thy glance of melting love.

16. O Lord with radiant four hands and three eyes of effulgent vision!  Protect my eyes, which are
blessed by the sight of Thy supreme Lingam.  Protect also, O Lord, whose feet twain are worshipped
by Vishnu's eyes as flowers, my own feet that are blessed by going to the temple of Thy Lingam!

17. Though a person may be a victim of the love god Manmatha, if he could gradually cultivate association
with Thy Lingam by having its holy sight and thereafter acquiring self restraint through yoga practices,
worships it with the sacred trilobate Bhilva leaf, choicest lotuses or water, he shall  reach Thy feet
which bestow liberation, O Uma's Lord!

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.   

[Subramanian.R]

18.  O Lord of Parvati, eulogized by the celestial beings and extolled by the Vedas  Thy thought alone grants
me freedom.   Thy feet alone can be the sole asylum for those wallowing in the quagmire of worldliness.
What other duty can one have than contemplating on them?

19.  O Bharga, dispenser of light!  For those whose feet are locked in the clutches of relative existence
Thy world expunging feet are the sole means of release.  Recitation of Thy name wards off hosts of sin
and evil.  Thy glance of grace is an expert dispeller of misery.

20.  O Viswanatha, Lord of the Universe, sporting Brahma's skull in Thy hand!  In the campaign against
the demonic Tripurasuras Thou hast used the Mount Meru as the bow and the eagle mounted Vishnu
as the arrow, and regaled openly as the Vedas that transformed into horses neighed aloud while
pulling the earth chariot.

21.  O Parvati's better half!  There is no end to Thy glories.  It is by a great fortune that one acquires
the love for union with Thee.  Not to be capable of contemplating Thee is foolishness.  By meditating
within on Thy feet which bestow protection, one transcends the deadly life cycle by the annihilation of
ignorance.

22.  Fount of auspiciousness, O Sambhu!  Let my mind rejoice in identifying with Thee. Let this dusty
Universe be filled with the holy dust of Thy feet.  Glory be to the acts of wearing of sacred bead rudrakshas
and sacred ash - bhasma - which are praised by the Vedas.  Constant mental association with Thy
holy feet reaps a rich harvest of bliss.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva. 

[Subramanian.R]

23.  Sambhu, my Lord with matted locks!  Wearer of moon, and elephant-hide!  The Upanishads, which
are the crest jewel of the Vedas, invoke Thy holy feet.  Protect me from the multitude of pains, O Lord
sharing half body with Parvati.

24. Sacred ashes are cosmetic powder for Thee and serpents Thy jewllery.  The great bull is Thy mount
and your locks are ever wetted by the Ganga waters.  Linga is verily Thy form.  Thou hast burnt the god
of love Manamatha to ashes (and rendered him body-less thence forth).  Thou art worshipped by the eagle
mounted Vishnu.  Unattachment is Thy true form.  The inner being of the creatures is verily Thee.

25. (Hear the audacity of mine) O Lord of Gods wearing half moon!m  (Considering me ill qualified to
receive Thy grace) You may grant me only limited benediction or cast me aside or even denounce me.
But I dare say unto Thee O Lord, that I am blessed all the same to be considered thus someway or
other.  Do not salty waters, 'forsaken'  by the ocean, transform me into the dark cumulus clouds which
ultimately pour down as sweet and potable waters.

26.  (In Thy abode of Kailash) snakes by shunning violence have become painless at heart.  Therefore,
render me also free from the wrong knowledge of division and multiplicity by your grace.  On  this day,
bestow me with the knowledge emanating as the pellucid spring from Thy face, which obliterates the
pain generating world sense, so that the world may be saved!

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.                 

[Subramanian.R]

27.  (By your grace) Even animals, which are mutually inimical by birth overcome their nature and
begin to shed love.  The deer caresses a lion cub.  The young cow licks a tiger cub. While the cat nurses
a baby swan, the peahen dances to the snake's tune.  If animal passions are sublimated thus what to
speak of humans delighting in the love of Thy feet?  Surely they shall attain the summum bonum of life.

28. Skanda:

Pleased by the above invocation pregnant with sublime wisdom, Siva the great Lord decided to impart
to Ribhu that rare knowledge which erases rebirth and effects union with the Self.  That I will relate
to you Jaigishvaya.  Listen, as you will be released from bondage.

Chapter 2:

1. Isvara:

Son of Brahma O Ribhu!  Hearken to the knowledge bestowing aphorisms succinct with the cream
of the Vedas.

2. Upon the advent of a manvantara cycle in each Yuga (celestial time scales), Vyasa manifest in the
multitudes for the attainment and propagation of the knowledge of Sambhu.  Attaining the state of
Kailash these illustrious ones decorate their bodies with lustrous Vibhuti and dense Rudraksha garlands,
by the simple act of which they plunder my heart.  Surrendering heart and soul to my feet, they
acquire the precious teaching by which dawns in them the light of paramount wisdom.  Using their
rationale nurtured by acute self discipline and guileless love to Me, the sole refuge, they expound this
knowledge thus obtained, and never contradict with the Vedic principles or precepts.

3.  The very first word 'atha' of Brahma Sutras implies that the only 'subject' worth knowing is Brahman.
This knowledge is to be attained through means of Yoga, Jnana, Samkhya and the Upanishads expounding
the codes of self restraint, discrimination (between the real and the unreal), Pranayama, self analysis
and atma vichara (self inquiry) but not by means comprising adjuncts and qualities attributed to the Reality
such as the name and form and His sportive deeds.  Such knowledge of the Self transcending name and form
is to be lived every moment of one's life.  This fructifies as the supreme beatitude of effortless, natural
and permanent experience of the knowledge as one's Being.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.         
 
       

[Subramanian.R]

4.  One must understand that the world is unreal by way of inquiring into the principles proclaimed by the
Brahma Sutras viz.., 'janmadyasa'.  The supreme Brahman alone has spread out to appear as the
universe by vivarta (manifestation as against parinama - evolution).  With the aid of the scriptural utterances
such as 'yato va' and one's own intellect the truth will shine that Siva alone is the cause behind manifestation.

5.  For all other sacred lore such as Sastras, the Vedas are the basis.  Hence they are in harmony with the latter. The Vedas, which are the exhalation of the Omniscient Siva, were received by the inhalation of the four
faced creator Brahma.  Hence there can be no room for dialogue, argument and controversy and dispute.
Unflinching conviction in the authority of the Vedas is mandatory. The supreme causeless cause is Maheswara
-- the Over Lord.

6.  Clearly, it is by Visvesvara Siva's grace alone parity, unequivocality and harmony are perceived in the
Vedic commandments and thereby inspiration is obtained to follow them. As Brahman is beyond ken of
speech, utterances, however much sacred they be, cannot reveal or explain That.  They lead the aspirant
only to some extent, as the realm of Brahman transcends all guides and pointers in the ultimate sense.
Hence its appellation 'inscrutable'.  The sacred dictum 'atmaivesha iteeva'  (The Self alone is all this)
pronounces that the non dual Brahman has appeared as Isvara -- the sum totality of animate and inanimate.
The crown of the Vedas, the Upanishads, declare that Maheswara is the sole and sovereign Lord.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.       

 
   

[Subramanian.R]

7.  Brahman, though devoid of all senses, witnesses Its creation with absolute intelligence.  Without
the aid of senses It can see, hear, taste, smell and feel.  Endowed with such impossible powers, Its nature
is undoubtedly remains a 'subject' for endless attention and discussion.  If the truth 'Brahman appears all
this' is impalpable, it can be understood that Isvara the All and the cause of Liberation of beings, has entered
every being, thereby rendering them conscious, because of the well known fact that creation does have
a beginning and that as a vibration.

8.  Non discord to the authority of the Vedas under all circumstances must be honored. The appearance
of the formless Reality as one with form is only a phenomenon and does not involve transformation
(evolution). By the negation of the manifestation, realization of its ground and the attainment of bliss
are achieved even as one is apparently a part and parcel of the appearance.

9.  The Upanishads reveal that Parama Siva, the consort of Uma Devi, is the Lord of gods.  His Being
is the basis of existence of one and all.  He is the One acclaimed by the Vedas, as the state of non dual
bliss transcending the pentad of sheaths, viz., annamaya kosa, pranamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya
and anandamaya.  However dominantly substantial the world phenomenon might appear, being only the
effect, it cannot in any way generate (even the knowledge of) the cause, which is Brahman.

10.  It is clear from the above that Siva alone is the bestower of joy. The Vedic utterances glorify the
Lord as Truth and Infinite.  Ignorant of this, men wallow in the world of illusory happiness.  Lack of
knowledge results in one's imagination of joy in the phatasmagoria that lack even an iota of substance.
Absence of inquiry leads to desire, the consequence of which is the vicious cycle of the miserable
transmigration of the soul.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva. 
             

[Subramanian.R]

11.  'Brahma puchcham pratistha'  - so goes Taittiriya revelation.  Brahman is the 'stablizing' tail of the
world body.  Maheswara, the great God, is that which remains over after everything is annihilated. 
But He is inexhaustible.  Brahman, the space transcendence,  is seated in the body as Heart Space,
in which the Universe is lodged.  At the time of universal dissolution everything is resolved into the Primal
Source in a retrogressive  fashion.

12.  The state of consciousness called Prajnanam of the Sushupti (deep sleep)  state is no other than Siva.
The duality prevalent in the state of relativity in the form of "Isvara and Jiva" does not hold good in the
unitary state.  At the time of final dissolution the gross body, with the withdrawal of the gross senses,
precipitates into a subtle form to rest in Isvara, the Immutable.

13. In the succeeding generative style, by the gracious glance of Siva, the subtle Jiva (individual) 'awakes'
to see (enjoy) an apparently new round of gross world of materials.  That grace of the Lord operates at
His will and remains unquestionable.  Neither karma and other subtle material causes, nor their effect which
is the world, can influence Him.

14.  Bliss has its origin in Siva, the Self, whether one is aware or not of the dictum  - 'Self alone is worth
knowing'.  But unalloyed and unlimited bliss is the fruit of penance and no other. When the mystery of the
triads proves evasive even Prajnanam, the pure consciousness, appears not to be the primal cause (which
in fact, it is).  Until a well guided effort is embarked upon, Jnana does not dawn even in hundred lives.
That is,  Jnana of a conscious, meaningful and systematically directed practice and defined period of time.
IN short, it is the result of 'active' endeavor and not a time bound passive programme. Intensity of effort
alone determines the speed with which the outcome is attained.  And, the killer of death, upon the subsidence
of all that is perceivable as a result of practice. Aha!

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.                               
 

[Subramanian.R]

15. The Light that lights the world is subtler still than the subtle mahat, the expanded consciousness.
And, who can count it or reckon it which eludes numbers, computing and the allied sciences.  It is
called 'Svabhava' -- the purport of oneself.  This is the one which, by way of expressing itself in a myriad
ways, projects ever and anon the countless worlds of joy.

16.  Anything conceived by the mind, ears, etc., supported by triad or pentad of pranas, cannot
be the Light.  That which is to say, the effort -- though mediated by resources,  which after all are
the products of he Goal -- involves the freedom of oneself from all the media.  In the realm of the knowledge
relating to the Light, sattva or sat is appreciated as it is experienced as 'Being' (I-ness).  In expression it
takes the form of Thou!  "Thou alone art, O Lord!"  This is para bhakti or devotion transcending duality.

17.  Without being rooted  in the spirit of the tetrad of he Mahavakyas (great aphorisms) how is it
possible to explain Jiva and the world?  Even the subtle body, which has its welfare in the pranas,
is not even remotely comparable to Isvara, the Light of transcendence.  Those who imagine truth,
life, bliss, glory and hope in the transient body and the world as opposed to Isvara, the sole source,
even if equipped with the subtlest of intellects cannot appreciate the imports of Mahavakyas.  The scope
of intellect is limited to the world and its components but its origin and originator are beyond it.


contd.,


Arunachala Siva.         

[Subramanian.R]

18.  All forms of joy except that of Brahman are attainable in the world.  Though apparent, the distinction
between the Jiva and Isvara cannot be overcome without reconciliation with the mandates of the holy texts
such as the Vedas, the Agamas, and the Puranas.  Even though it is sometimes said that the Self is the real
doer of all actions, Jnanis reiterate that in the Self there is no action to begin with.  However, all actions take
place in the universal presence of Siva, the Lord with attributes.  It is He who causes the establishment of the
material ground, the universe, and the multifarious actions and actors thereof.  Impregnating each and every
atom in every nook and corner, this Lord 'plays' the role of the Guru guiding the three worlds (earth, heaven,
and nether world.) toward salvation.

19.  Unlike in the case of he illumined, for the ordinary mortals distinction between Jiva and Deva (Lord)
are not too real to overcome.  Though originated from the Source, one refuses to accept it as stated in the
scriptures.  But a sympathetic attitude to them as a humble beginning leads a long way to the unifying
state of the two.  For all the evolving worlds, the unmanifest and pure Self is the background.  (Isvara
assumes the role of the potter, in the shaping and animation of the diverse forms of the world.)     

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.

[Subramanian.R]

20.  To the one who can 'see', even the trivial worldly happiness appears as the joy of Brahman.  For
such there is no prop or standard other than Siva the Self, the cause of the lofty and the petty alike.
The sun, the illuminator and energizer of the worlds, appears dawning beyond the yonder horizon,
when in reality it is in the eye (the figurative I) of the Knower.

21.  Gross vision calls for distinction resulting in the ideation of an external God.  What of that? 
The tools of this process are derivatives of the five gross elements such as space etc., which are
but forms of the Lord.   Therefore,  there is no manifestation of life independent of the Lord's will.
The fact that Maheswara, the consort of Uma, is the illuminator of the worlds is beyond dispute.
The Upanishads are replete with passages describing His unexcelled and exalted glory.  In the subsequent
sacred lore taking various metrical verse forms, these glories have reached the multitudes.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.           

[Subramanian.R]

22.  Mahadeva Himself sports in the eight forms (Ashtamurti).  Hence even meditation on those aspects
leads ultimately to the abidance in God.  The Vedic utterances endorsing such practices thus establish
the supremacy of Siva and the inseparable union of the Universe and its Lord, Visvanatha.  Even as prana
(life force) is the fundamental principle behind all the activities of Jivas, the Lordship of Paramesvara (who
is the bestower of prana goes without saying.       

23.  There can hardly be a single objective that is not endowed with the puissant glory of the Lord.  Siva
is the Self while universe is the other -non Self.  The whole manifestation being verily a projection of the
Self, there can be no distinction between the two.  The life current traverses the body in a cyclic fashion
i.e. with a distinct beginning and an end, just as it operates in the outer world also. Though elusive to the
gross or extroverted vision, the Self reveals Itself to the discriminative and disciplined mind. Siva is that
Self of all.

24.  The Vedic texts galore with utterances of solidarity of the unitary and non dual state of existence of the
Lord.  And, this state baffles all types of differentiation resulting from the triad of gunas or the varying
subtleties or grossness of matter.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.   

[Subramanian.R]

25. Intercourse appears to be the tool for procreation and multiplication of races.  But, the real causative
force is Siva's Sakti (power) immanent in the field of creation.  The wide expanse in the hearts of all
beings is the fundamental creator.  Being the consciousness of beings, Siva is the sole enjoyer of all
fruits.  The world is mortal.  Siva, the indweller and the vanquisher of death is also the inspirer of souls
toward action and relentlessly proves and establishes Himself in all states of existence.

26.  While the Vedas proclaim Siva as the destroyer of the vicious cycle of transmigration, the Upanishads
explain that it is Siva and none else behind various states of relative existence in the diverse forms of
enjoyer and enjoyment.

27.  The husband of Uma is flourishing everywhere as the One who has spread into the atomic (jiva),
the infinite (Isvara), the stationary and the fierceful (Rudra). In the tenement of the finite body He
is the immanent Pratyagatma.

28.  Sambhu means giver of happiness, yea, verily the embodiment of joy.  The Upanishadic aphorism
'Kam Brahma Kham Brahma' states this fact.  The wise contemplate on these words and their imports,
and assimilate the truth of Siva.

29.  Aye, even if one falls short of appreciating these Vedic utterances, being ill equipped, he cannot
but be the non dual Self.  Even by common sense one can tell the cosmos is held fast by a supreme
power - Isvara. 'Bheeesodeti Suryah'  (Taittariya Upanishad) -  such Vedic utterances reveal that the
most potent powers of Nature such as the sun, and the wind perform their functions by submissive
obedience to the Supreme Lord, Paramesvara.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.                 

[Subramanian.R]

30.  Being the in-dweller of all, there is nothing in the world that is outside the ken of Sarva, the heart throb
of Uma.  But, the Jivas are blind to Him who is the most intimate one in their own hearts.  This is the proof
of their inertness.

31. Beware!  A systematic study of the sacred texts by itself cannot put an end to the doubter.  Doubts
cease only to the recipient of Siva's grace.  The intelligent one resorts not to his intelligence but to
Siva's grace for the comprehension of the sacred utterances. The Lord is of the nature described in the
texts and beyond them.

32. Should mutually conflicting descriptions appear in the texts, they must be understood in their
proper context without giving room for controversy.  The truth of Brahman furnished in them is
of a transcendent nature and does not conform to the worldly standards.  All the descriptive utterances,
be even of enlightened ones, are only signposts of that which eschews the very root of description,
the mind.  So, the man of discrimination deriving guidance, succor and courage from the sacred lore,
strives to transcend his own mind, himself, the designer of all ideas of difference and thereby experiences
Sivam, the true Self.

33.  It is desirable to achieve certitude in the supremacy of Siva through texts.  But it is not sufficient
to be content with that, holding certain attitudes toward Him even if as divine.  He is all transcending.
Mere scholarship does not reveal Him.   Sages have proclaimed that the experience of Sivam is unique
and the scriptural revelation provides at best a distant echo or a hazy outline of that.

contd.,

Arunachala Siva.