There is nothing higher than dharma. Verily, that which is dharma is truth. §
Śukla Yajur Veda, Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upanishad 1.4.14. BO UPH, P. 84§
There is One Real. Call it Śiva. This Parabrahman is formless, stainless, one without a second, changeless, beyond the highest. This Maheśvara is all-knowing, all-doing, sovereign of all, self-luminous, without beginning or end. All embodied souls, jīvas, all the born creatures, are portions of Me, like sparks of the fire. But human birth is the most important, for it is then that one becomes awake, aware of his state of bondage and the necessity of release. It is then that one is in a position to take steps for his liberation from bondage’s hold. Humans have a self-will and are not totally subject to the impulses and drives of nature as are other creatures. It is only on this Earth—and that, too, in a human body endowed with a soul—that one can choose one’s path for spiritual progress. But not all are aware of the precious opportunity afforded by human birth, which is truly the ladder to liberation.§
Kulārṇava Tantra 1. BO KT, P. 18§
Borne along and defiled by the stream of qualities, unsteady, wavering, bewildered, full of desire, distracted, one goes on into the state of self-conceit. In thinking “This is I” and “That is mine” one binds himself with himself, as does a bird with a snare.§
Kṛishṇa Yajur Veda, Maitrī Upanishad 3.2. UPH, P. 418§
By means of the hymns one attains this world, by the sacrificial formulas the space in-between, by holy chant the world revealed by the sages. With the syllable Aum as his sole support, the wise man attains that which is peaceful, unageing, deathless, fearless—the Supreme.§
Atharva Veda, Praśna Upanishad 5.7. VE, P. 775§
The resplendent Self, through the ecstasy of spiritual joy, inspires all virtuous thoughts among men of divine nature.§
Ṛig Veda 8.32.28. RS V. 9, P. 3,025§
Vāsanā is divided into two, the pure and the impure. If thou art led by the pure vāsanās, thou shalt thereby soon reach by degrees My Seat. But should the old, impure vāsanās land thee in danger, they should be overcome through efforts. §
Śukla Yajur Veda, Mukti Upanishad 2. UPA, P. 7§
The spirit of man has two dwellings: this world and the world beyond. There is also a third dwelling place: the land of sleep and dreams. Resting in this borderland, the Spirit of man can behold his dwelling in this world and in the other world afar, and wandering in this borderland he beholds behind him the sorrows of this world and in front of him he sees the joys of the beyond.§
Śukla Yajur Veda, Bṛihadāraṇyaka Upanishad 4.3.9. UPM, P. 134§
Japa is the happy giver of enjoyment, salvation, self-fulfilling wish. Therefore, practice the yoga of japa and dhyāna. All blemishes due to transgressions of rule, from the jīva up to the Brahman, done knowingly or unknowingly, are wiped away by japa. §
Kulārṇava Tantra 11.1. KT, P. 111§
Just as fire without fuel is extinguished in its own source, so is the mind extinguished in its own source when thoughts have ceased. When the mind of a seeker after truth has become extinguished in its own source, he is no longer deluded by the sense objects, which are deceptive and are subservient to karma. The mind indeed is this fleeting world; therefore it should be purified with great effort. One becomes like that which is in one’s mind—this is the everlasting secret. Only by a tranquil mind does one destroy all action, good or bad. Once the self is pacified, one abides in the Self and attains everlasting bliss. If the mind becomes as firmly established in Brahman as it is usually attached to the sense objects, who, then, will not be released from bondage? The mind is said to be two kinds: pure and impure. It becomes impure when it is touched by desire, and pure when freed from desire. When a man, having made his mind perfectly stable, free from attachment and confusion, enters upon the mindless state, then he attains the supreme abode. The bliss that arises in the state of highest absorption, when the pure mind has come to rest in the Self, can never be expressed by words! One must experience it directly, one’s own self, in one’s inner being. If a man’s mind is merged in the Self, then he is completely released, just as water is not distinguishable in water, or fire in fire, or air in air. The mind alone is man’s cause of bondage or release: it leads to bondage when attached to the sense objects, and to release when freed from them. Thus it is taught. §
Kṛishṇa Yajur Veda, Maitrī Upanishad 6.34.1-7; 8-11 VE, P. 422§