ed, is the eternal tree of Brahman which forms the support of all
creatures. Cutting and piercing that tree with knowledge of truth as the
sword, the man of wisdom, abandoning the bonds which are made of
attachment and which cause birth, decrepitude and death, and freeing
himself from mineness and egoism, without doubt, becomes emancipated.
These are the two birds, which are immutable, which are friends, and
which should be known as unintelligent. That other who is different from
these two is called the Intelligent. When the inner self, which is
destitute of knowledge of nature, which is (as it were) unintelligent,
becomes conversant with that which is above nature, then, understanding
the Kshetra, and endued with an intelligence that transcends all
qualities and apprehends everything, one becomes released from all
sins."'"'"

SECTION XLVIII

"'"'Brahma said, "Some regard Brahman as a tree. Some regard Brahman as a
great forest. Some regard Brahman as unmanifest. Some regard it as
transcendant and freed from every distress. They think that all this is
produced from and absorbed into the unmanifest. He who, even for the
short space of time that is taken by a single breath, when his end comes,
becomes equable, attaining to the self, fits himself for immortality.
Restraining the self in the self, even for the space of a wink, one goes,
through the tranquillity of the self, to that which constitutes the
inexhaustible acquisition of those that are endued with knowledge.
Restraining the life-breaths again and again by controlling them
according to the method called Pranayama, by the ten or the twelve, he
attains to that which is beyond the four and twenty. Thus having first
acquired a tranquil soul, one attains to the fruition of all one's
wishes.[144] When the quality of Goodness predominates in that which
arises from the Unmanifest, it becomes fit for immortality. They who are
conversant with Goodness applaud it highly, saying that there is nothing
higher than Goodness. By inference we know that Purusha is dependent on
Goodness. Ye best of regenerate ones, it is impossible to attain to
Purusha by any other means. Forgiveness, courage, abstention from harm,
equability, truth, sincerity, knowledge, gift, and renunciation, are said
to be the characteristics of that course of conduct which arises out of
Goodness. It is by this inference that the wise believe in the identity
of Purusha and Goodness, There is no doubt in thi