quality:corruption, structural:reformatting, structural:scholar_edition
Chapter Four: The Peace of The Firebrand (Alatasanti)

The last chapter of Gaudapada Karika has a different style than the first three, and it opens by expressing reverence for all "the greatest of men", who are like the cosmic space through their awareness of nonduality, free from self-contradictions and confusion, and who understand Dharma. Karikas 3–10 repeat some content from previous chapters, but with some word substitutions. Karikas 11–13 quote the key duality premise of Samkhya school of Hindu philosophy, cross examines it, then asks how and why is cause eternal? The text states that the Samkhya premise "cause is born as its effect" leads to infinite regress, which is not persuasive.

Gaudapada Karika then acknowledges the theory of Ajativada or non-origination of the Buddhas (Buddhists). Like Samkhya premise, the text praises and cross examines it, in three ways: first, non-origination premises makes sense when neither the point of origin nor the end of something is known, but we know the point of origin of any example of something produced and there Ajativada premise does not follow; secondly, the Ajativada premise commits the Sadhyasama fallacy of reasoning by offering examples of what is yet to be proved. Thirdly, state Karikas 29–41, neither samsara nor mukti has a beginning or end, because if something is born it must have an end, and something that is unborn has no end.

Karikas 45–52 state that only consciousness (Vijnana) is real, explaining it with an example of fire stick before and during the time it burns, and adding that we construct and deconstruct our state of awareness. Karikas 53–56 assert that there is no causation, no effects, and repeats that consciousness is the only real thing. Everything is impermanent, nothing is eternal and everything is also without origination by nature, state Karikas 57–60.

Karikas 61–81 repeat text on four states from earlier chapters to re-emphasize the premises about impermanence and non-origination. Attachment to unreality causes desire, sorrow (dukkha) and fear, while detachment leads to freeing from such states and to samadhi. There are three stages of understanding state Karikas 87–89: Laukika (ordinary. which cognizes object and subject as real), Shuddha laukika (purified ordinary, where perceiving is considered real but not the objects) and Lokottara (supramundane, where neither objects nor perceiving are cognized as real).

Karikas 90–100 presents Agrayana (vehicle) to knowing. The text states, "all dharmas are without beginning, without variety, and are consciousness only". Duality is for the unwise, nonduality and undifferentiated Reality is for the wise and difficult to grasp. The last Karikas of the Chapter Four add, as translated by Karl Potter, "this the Buddhas understand, the Buddha instructs us that consciousness does not reach the dharmas, yet the Buddha said nothing about either consciousness or dharmas!"