GLEANINGS FROM BODHASAARA
ॐ नमो भगवते परिज्ञानाश्रमाय ॐ (Let Bodhasaara remind us daily of our Parama Guru. )
ॐ सद्योजातं प्रपद्यामि सद्योजाताय वै नमो नमः ॐ
JAI SHANKAR
Not much is known about Acharya Narahari. It is believed he hailed from Varanasi and had a Guru
called Shri Anandabodha. Scholars place him between 1725 and 1825 A.D. BODHASAARA
has 1350 verses. It has a Sanskrit gloss, अर्थदीप, by his disciple called Divakara Pandit.
I will try to compile simple verses which are straightforward in meaning. Serial numbers are mine.
GLEANINGS FROM BODHASAARA
GLEANINGS FROM BODHASAARA-1
ॐ नमो भगवते परिज्ञानाश्रमाय ॐ
ॐ सद्योजातं प्रपद्यामि सद्योजाताय वै नमो नमः ॐ
JAI SHANKAR
Today is an auspicious day. It is the Janma Tithi of our Sadguru Shrimat Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji. He is entering the sixtieth year and it gives me great pleasure to start a new series – GLEANINGS FROM BODHASAARA. This launch serves two ends:
1. It is my homage to our Parama Guru, who gave me an opportunity to be of some service to Him on the pretext of getting this book.
2. This bouquet of Gleanings is my way of celebrating the entry into sixtieth year by our reigning Gurudev Shrimat Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji.
Sometime in 1970s I received a call in my office from late Shri Nalkur Shripadmam, the then President of the Standing Committee. He said: “Swamiji wants a book called बोधसार and He has told me to speak to you.”. I told him I will try to borrow the book from Bhavan’s Library, if it is there, since I am a member. Posthaste, I rushed to the library at Chowpaty. Luckily, a copy was there. I borrowed it for a month and hastened to Khar Anandashram. After customary salutations, I handed over the book to our beloved Parama Guru. . I can never forget His joyous reaction. It was as though I had accomplished a Herculean task and brought a rare treasure for Him! Later, while in Varanasi, HE secured the book from Chowkhamba Vidya Bhavan, the renowned booksellers there. Much later, my curiosity about the book made me to order a copy from Varanasi.
This book, बोधसार, by Acharya Narahari
was a favourite of our P.P. Swami Shrimat PARIJNANASHRAM-III. In Shree Chitrapura Guruparampara Charitra we read:
बोधसार नरहरि आचार्य लिखित। उपदेशिलें भक्तांसी बेंगळूरात।
आनन्द जाहला भक्तां अमित। श्रवण करितां गुरुवाणी।।२५।।
(Ch.६२). Again,चातुर्मासामाजी नित्य। नरहरिकृत बोधसार
स्तुत्य। कोंकणी व संस्कृतातूनी नित्य। उपदेशिती भक्तांसी।।७०।।
BODHASAARA was the theme of His discourses
at Bangalore, Khar Anandashram and in Canada.
Devotees who do पारायण of Shree CGPC may be
wondering what बोधसार is all about. So, I will try
to give the readers just a nodding acquaintance of it. In doing so, my strength and inspiration will be our P.P.Parama Guru whose favourite it was.
JAI SHANKAR
V. RAJAGOPAL BHAT 21-11-2023
VERSES 601 Onwards
601. जाग्रत् स्वप्न सुषुप्तानि पुनस्तानि त्वमीक्षसे।
तुरीयं तव धामैव न तत्किमिति पश्यसि।।
601. Again and again, you are seeing the coming and going of the three states of जाग्रत् स्वप्न and
सुषुप्ति. Your real home is the तुरीय (beyond and
behind the triad of states of consciousness
(अवस्था त्रय). Why don’t you see it?
NOTE: The above is an echo of Kaivalya Upanishad(verse 18): त्रिषु धामसु यत् भोज्यं भोक्ता भोगश्च यद्भवेत्। तेभ्यो विलक्षणः साक्षी चिन्मात्रोऽहं सदाशिवः।। (“I am the unsullied Consciousness; I am the ever peaceful Sadaashiva. I am distinct from and witness of what is to be experienced (भोज्यम्), the experiencing ego(भोक्ता) and the experience in the three stations(धाम)”). Tureeya is our real identity. In the outer world we wish to perform Chaar Dhaam Yaatraa(चार धाम यात्रा); but, in the spiritual kingdom within, we shy away from the fourth Dhaam, the Tureeya, our Self, the underlying screen for the triad of अवस्था-s(states of consciousness).
602. मा धाव सुखहेतोस्त्वं धावतां न सुखं सखे।
सुखरूपे निजे रूपे सुखं तिष्ठ सुखी भव।।
602. My friend, for the sake of happiness, please don’t run. Being on the run, gives no happiness. Abide in your true blissfull native state. Be happy!
NOTE: The साधक laments in a करुणाष्टक of Shri Samarth Ramadas – अचपळ मनमाझें नावरे आवरीतां। तुजविण शिणहोतो धावरे धाव आतां। During waking and dream states, we keep running to grab ‘happiness’.
Too late in the day we realise that it has been a wild goose chase.
सुख सुख म्हणतां हे द:ख ठाकूनि आले।
Happiness consists not(मा) in running(धाव), but, in seeking asylum in the Lotus Feet of माधव. माधव is the speed breaker for our धांव्डबलि (KonkaNi word for runathon). माधव tells us “don’t (मा) run (धाव), but, come to Me; throw away all your makeshift props and crutches… don’t grieve”
(सर्वधर्मान् परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज।
अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः।।)
(गीता 18-66).
In his Abhang
आम्हीं सर्वकाळ कैंची समाधान।
व्यवसायें मन अभ्यासलें।।
Tukaram concludes: तुका म्हणे निद्रा जागृति
सुषुप्ति। तुम्हीं हो श्रीपती साक्षी येथें।। This sort of surrender and समर्पणभाव slows down the frenetic pace of our life. Yes, It is the ultimate speed breaker.
603. वर योग्यासि कल्याणि न स्थास्यसि वरं विना।
वरणीयो वरः तादृग् यो भवेद् अजरामर:।।
603. O Auspicious Maiden, you have attained
marriageable age; you cannot remain without a groom. Marry such a groom who is ever youthful and immortal.
NOTE: AN is addressing the soul as an eligible maiden and Brahman as the worthy groom. He is fond of imparting a poetic flavour now and then.
604. न शृणोषि वरं यावत् तावत् ते कम्पते मनः।
पश्चात् महोत्सवै भद्रे स्वामिनं त्वं वरिष्यसि।।
604. Until you hear about the groom, your mind will be restless. Later, O Auspicious One, you will wed your groom in a grand celebration!
NOTE: Self-Realization is a spiritual wedding.
Groom is called वर because he is sought after
(व्रियते). Yama tells Nachiketa in Kathopanishad
(1-2-23) that it is God who seeks out the aspiring soul. यमैवेष वृणुते तेन लभ्य:। God is realised by him, whom God seeks out and chooses. Just as we say:
When the disciple is ready, the Master
arrives it is equally true when the devotee is ready, God arrives. Self-Realization is a spiritual Svayamvara!
605. O Sakhi(girl friend)! heed my word and make merry now with that other Purusha. You will enjoy his company more and later, on your own, you will seek his company.
NOTE: AN is not a dry-as-dust philosopher. He
wants to clothe his words aesthetically in such a way as to make us raise our brow. He is fond of such gimmics. In this verse, there is a touch of शृङ्गार(erotic sentiment). He is addressing his disciple as a Sakhi. Superficially it appears
he is urging ‘her’ to elope with a stranger (पर पुरुष). But, no, he is pulling our leg with such deceptive phraseology. The पर पुरुष here is not a person, but, पुरुषोत्तम. पर here does not mean alien or stranger, but, higher, transcendental. यो बुद्धेः परतस्तु सः (गीता 3-42). He, who is beyond Buddhi, is पर. He is पर पुरुष! He is the उत्तम पुरुष refered to in गीता in the 15th chapter
(उत्तम: पुरुषस्त्वन्यः परमात्मे्युदाहृतः।)(verse 17).
AN wants us to commune more and more with
God, who is beyond the reach of our speech, mind and intellect. He is पर, He is beyond them, He surpasses them. AN is so confident that once savoured, we will never again barter this
ज्ञानानन्द, this आत्मानन्द, this ब्रह्मानन्द for the paltry
विषयानन्द, for the titillation of the senses.
606. यातं दिनं न पुनरेति नवं वयस्ते।
लज्जां विहाय भज तं रमणीय रूपम्।।
बाले परः पुरुष एष यदा समेतः।
स्वर्गेण किं किमु तदा नृसुखेन वा ते।।
NOTE: In this concluding verse also, AN employs the पर पुरुष phraseology. The पर पुरुष is God Himself.
606. The day that is past doesn’t come back.
You are youthful. Give up your shyness and
serve that handsome suitor. My little girl!
When you will be cosy in the company of that
पर पुरुष, even the joys of heaven will count for
nothing, what to say of mere mortal joy!
NOTE: By the words ‘you are youthful'(नवं वयः),
AN is counselling us that one should move Godward when one is young rather than in the evening of life. Sri RamakrishNa also laid great stress on this. Says Prahlada: कौमार आचरेत् प्राज्ञः धर्मान् भागवतान् इह। दुर्लभं मानुषं जन्म तदप्याध्रुवमर्थदम् ।।
(“The wise one should cultivate devotion from early years. Human birth is rare, transient and fruitful.”)(7-6-1 Bhagavatam). Dhruva and Prahlada were boys. Nachiketa, Satyakama, Shvetaketu of the Upanishadic fame
were youngsters. So, too, the six who posed
questions to Sage Pippalada in Prashna Upanishad were all youngsters.
Shri Samartha Ramdas says: जगी शहाणे तेची तारुण्यकाळीं। करीना कधी विषयांची धुमाळी।।(करुणाष्टक).
Our प्रार्थनावर्ग and युवधारा and बालविकास classes of other spiritual Missions are all inspired by this lofty aim – ‘catch them young’ – to instill moral and spiritual values in them.
उपदेश षोडशी CONCLUDED.
TWENTY VERSES ON BRAHMA CHARCHAA
(DISCUSSION ON BRAHMAN)(ब्रह्मचर्चा विंशतिः)
607. अर्चा लक्षाधिका प्रोक्ता चर्चैव परमात्मनः।
अतः शिष्य प्रबोधाय ब्रह्मचर्चा निरूप्यते।।
607. Discussion(चर्चा) about God is said to equal His ritual worship(अर्चा ) more than a lakh times. Hence, for awakening the disciple spiritually, I launch into Brahma Charchaa.
608. आधारः सर्वभूतानां तस्याधारो न कश्चन।
निराधार स्वरूपं हि कथं ब्रह्म न कुत्रचित्।।
608. HE is the support for all creation; There is no support for Him. His nature(स्वरूप) is being supportless. How can we say He is nowhere?
NOTE: The above verse reminds us of a verse in Shiva Poojan during Mantra Pushpanjali:
हर विश्वाखिलाधार निराधार निराश्रय।
पुष्पाञ्जलिं गृहाणेश सोमेश्वर नमोऽस्तु ते।।
609. अधिष्ठानं विना कार्यं न तिष्ठति कदाचन।
सर्वाधिष्ठानरूपं हि कथं ब्रह्म न कुत्रचित्।।
609. No effect (produced by a cause) can remain without a supporting base. Brahman is the basis for all and everything. How can we say He is nowhere?
NOTE: The word चर्चा reminds me of the following verse from भज गोविन्दम् of AS: भगवद्गीता किञ्चिदधीता
गङ्गाजललवकणिका पीता। सकृदपि यस्य मुरारिसमर्चा तस्य यमः किं कुरुते चर्चाम्।। (If one has studied Gita even a little, sipped at least a drop of Ganga water, and worshipped the Lord even once – why will Yama(the god of death) bother to discuss about him?).
610. सर्वस्मात् तत् पृथग् ब्रह्म त्विति वक्तुं न शक्यते।
यदात्मकमिदं सर्वं सर्वस्मात् तत् पृथक् कथम्।।
610. “Brahman is distinct(पृथक्) from everything”
– you can’t say like this. He is everything; so,
how can He be separate from all this?
611. सर्वस्मात् अपृथग् ब्रह्म वक्तुमित्यपि नार्हसि।
सर्वस्मात् पृथगेवेदम् अनुभूतं महर्षिभिः।।
611. It is not also proper for you to say that Brahman is not separate from everything. Great sages have experienced Him separately from the world.
NOTE: God is not only immanent in His creation, but also transcendent. God minus creation is not Zero, but God only. As पुरुष सूक्त says: the creation is only a quarter of His being, three quarters remain above (पादोऽस्य विश्वा भूतानि, त्रिपादूर्ध्वमूदैत् पुरुषः।). Don’t we say
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते
(after substracting the full from the full, what remains is full only)?
AN says that the great sages experienced not only His immanence(सर्वत्मकत्व), but, also His transcendence(पृथक्त्व).
612. आत्मरूपमिदं वाच्यम् इति तर्कस्त्वया कृतः।
अनात्मरूपं किन्वस्ति स्वात्मरूपं यतस्त्विदम्।।
612. If you were to argue that Brahman is to be said as one’s own Self, I ask you: What is there that is not Self since everything is of the form of Atman only.
NOTE: In this and the following verses under ब्रह्मचर्चा, the purpose of AN is to point out that Brahman is indescribable and is not amenable to mere logic.. Did not Yama tell Nachiketa long long ago नैषा तर्केण मतिरापनीया?(This conviction or understanding is not attainable by mere logic-chopping).
In His Upadesha Panchakam AS says: Refrain from fallacious reasoning. Resort to reasoning employed in Upanishads.(दुस्तर्कात् सुविरम्यतां श्रुतिमतस्तर्कोऽनुसन्धीयताम्।)
Taittiriya Upanishad says: From Atman came आकाश, from आकाश came वायु, thence Agni, thence water and thence the earth(आत्मनः आकाशः संभूतः आकाशाद्वायुः वायोरग्निः अग्नेरापः अद्भ्यः पृथिवी।).
Hence the last sentence: Everything is of the form of Atman only.
613. ज्ञानस्य ब्रह्म विषय इति वक्तुं न शक्यते।
ज्ञानस्वरूपं तद् ब्रह्म ज्ञानस्य विषयः कथम्।।
613. It is not possible to say Brahman is the
Object(विषय) of knowledge. The very nature
(स्वरूप) of Brahman is knowledge itself; if so, how can it be an object of knowledge?
614. ज्ञानस्वरूपमेवास्तु ब्रह्मेति यदि मन्यसे।
ज्ञेयमेव न यत्रास्ति ज्ञानत्वं तस्य कीदृशम्।।
614. If you consider Brahman as of the nature (स्वरूप) of ज्ञान only, I ask you: There being no knowable (ज्ञेय), of what is that Knowledge?
NOTE: Everything is Brahman; So, how can there be the triad (त्रिपुटी) of knower, knowable and knowledge?
15. ज्ञातृ स्वरूपमेवास्तु ब्रह्मेति यदि कल्प्यते।
स्वयं प्रकाशरूपे हि ज्ञानस्याश्रयता कथम्।।
615. If it is conceived: Let Brahman be the
Knower(ज्ञाता), I say He is self-luminous. How can He be the locus(आश्रय) of the act(क्रिया ) of ज्ञान?
616. सर्वरूपमिदं ब्रह्म वक्तुं कः शक्नुयादिति।
सदैकरूपमेवेदं यतः शाश्वतमुच्यते।।
616. Who can say Brahman is all these forms?
He is said to be eternal and hence His form is always one alone.
NOTE: Trying to sum up Brahman in words and concepts is hazardous. Intellect will play weird games and upset settled conclusions. Silence is the best policy here. Gautama Buddha parried away all queries about Brahman, dismissing them as अतिप्रश्न(questions trying to over-reach).
Here is a snippet from The Gospel of Sri RamakrishNa:
NARENDRA to his Master Sri RamakrishNa:
Buddha could not express in words what he had realised by his तपस्या, so people say he is an Atheist(नास्तिक).
SRI RAMAKRISHNA: Why Atheist? He was not an Atheist. He simply could not express his inner experience in words. Do you know what Buddha means? It is to become one with Bodha, PureIntelligence. It is to become Pure Intelligence itself.
617. एकरूपमिदं ब्रह्म न वक्तुमिति शक्यते।
निर्गुणं तत्परं ब्रह्मस्यादेकत्वं यतो गुणः।।
617. It is not even possible to say that Brahman is homogeneous (having one form, एक रूप) since the numeral one is an attribute(गुण) and Brahman is said to be attributeless (निर्गुण).
618. निर्गुणं तत्परं ब्रह्म नूनमेतदसाम्प्रतम्।
अनन्तेनैव गीयन्ते ह्यनन्ता एव तद्गुणाः।।
618. (Let us say then that) the Supreme Brahman is attributeless. This, too, is not in order since His infinite attributes have been sung by Ananta
(Adishesha with his thousand tongues)!
619. ब्रह्म नास्तीति को ब्रूयात् भातीदम् यस्य सत्वतः।
तर्ह्यस्ति ब्रह्मेत्यपि नो नातः सत्ता पृथग्यतः।।
619. By His being(सत्ता,existence) has this universe come to be. So, who can say Brahman is not. We can’t even say Brahman IS, because His being, सत्ता, is not distinct from Him.
NOTE: What AN calls Brahma Charchaa, Shri Samartha Ramdas calls it Advaita Charchaa and is all praise for it. To quote:
अद्वैतचर्चा द्वैतास मोडी।
अद्वैत चर्चा वादास तोडी।।
अद्वैत चर्चा माया विभांडी।
अद्वैत चर्चा जाणीव फेडी।।
अद्वैत चर्चा जव हे कळेना।
विकल्प भ्रांती तंव हे टळेना।।
अद्वैत चर्चा गुरुगम्य आहे।
सांडूनका रे वदली पुराणी।।
(करुणाष्टक).
620. अस्वरूपमिदं ब्रह्म विद्वानिति कथं वदेत्।
स्वस्वरूपमिदं ब्रह्म प्रत्यक्षमनुभूयते।।
620. How can a learned person say that Brahman has no identity (अस्वरूप) whatsoever?
He, the learned, experiences Him directly as his own स्वरूप (अहं ब्रह्मास्मि).
621. स्वस्वरूपमिदं ब्रह्म चेदित्यप्ययथाथम्।
तत्र को नु स्वशब्दार्थो यत्स्वरूपमिदं भवेत्।।
621. Brahman has his own(स्व) identity(स्वरूप) – if one were to say this, it will be untrue too. (It can be asked) What is meant exactly by this word स्व that is applied to His स्वरूप?
622. परव्यावर्तकं स्वत्वमिति चेत् तर्हि तद्वद।
यत्र स्वपर भावो न ब्रह्म किं तत्र नास्ति हि।।
622. If it is said the word स्व (own) distinguishes Brahman from others(पर), then tell me: is not Brahman that entity where the notions of स्व and पर are absent?
NOTE: This artificial division between स्व and पर – oneself and the Other – lasts only till सायुज्य, the ultimate merger. This is our goal. As AS says, we become fulfilled, कृतार्थ, only in सायुज्य.(सायुज्यं मम सिद्धमत्र भवति, स्वामिन्, कृतार्थोऽस्म्यहम्।)
(vide His Shivaanandalahari).
Revered Jnaneshwar Mavuli illustrates this merger of the soul into Oversoul in His
AMRITAANUBHAVA –
सांडूनि मीपणाचा लोभू।
मिठें सिन्धुत्वाचा घेतला लाभु।
तेवीं अहं देऊनी शंभु। शांभवी झालो।।
(By giving up its desire to keep up its separate Identity as a lump of salt, it gains by becoming oceanic (by dissolving). Likewise, I gave my I, अहम् , to Shambhu and became one with His being). Let us, too, aspire for this शाम्भवी अवस्था
in this Year of Grace
(अवस्था शाम्भवी मेऽस्तु, प्रसन्नोऽस्तु गुरुः सदा।) ॐ
623. अहमेव परं ब्रह्म ब्रह्माहमिति च श्रुतेः।
कथं भवेदहं ब्रह्म अहन्ता यत्र न विद्यते।।
623. The Upanishadic text says: “I myself am the Supreme Brahman” and “Brahman is myself”. But, how can I be Brahman when there is no I-ness(अहन्ता)(and thou-ness) in It? (Brahman is beyond I-thou polarity).
Note: This is a reference to the महावाक्य: अहम् ब्रह्मास्मि।
624. त्वमेव तत् परं ब्रह्म त्वं ब्रह्मेति श्रुतिर्जगौ।
त्वमेव तत्कथं ब्रह्म त्वन्ता यत्र न वर्तते।।
624. The Shruti(Upanishad) proclaims: You yourself are Brahman, You are Brahman. How can you be Brahman wherein there is no Thou-ness (and I-ness)?
Note: This is a reference to the
महावाक्य: तत् त्वमसि।
625. तद्ब्रह्मेति श्रुतेर्वक्तुं तद्ब्रह्मेति न शक्यते।
अत्यन्ताव्यवधाने हि परोक्षमिव तत्कथम्।।
625. The Shruti says: That is Brahman. But, Shruti cannot say so because there is no gap or distance, Brahman being everywhere. So, how can there be the indirect(परोक्ष) expression: तत् (that)?
NOTE: Kenopanishad repeats
तद् ब्रह्म तत् तु त्वं विद्धि नेदं इह उपासते।
(That is Brahman, Know That…).
But, God is near as well as afar
(नमो नेदिष्ठाय प्रियदव दविष्ठाय च नमः
as Acharya Pushpadanta says in Shivamahimna Stotra).So, this-that usage (व्यवहार) is truly pointless, says AN.
The Formless Brahman is everywhere. He is a homogeneous continuum of सत् चित् and आनन्द. So, the usage ‘this-that’ is truly inapplicable. When we are convinced like this, fear and its kindred emotions take to their heels. Says Shri Samartha Ramdas:
निराकार आकार नाहीं जयाला।
विवेके विवंचूनि पाहे तयाला।
तया पाहतां उरि नाहीं भयाला।
जयावीण कोठें रिता ठाव नाहीं।
तया शोधिता तो चि होवूनि राही।
म्हणें दास विश्वास भावे धरावा ।
खरा देव तो आदरे वोळखावा।
(करुणाष्टक).
626.. नष्टायां मोहनिद्रायां गलिते मानसे मुनेः।
यत् शिष्टं तत् परं ब्रह्म मनो वाचाम् अगोचरम्।।
626. When the sleep of delusion of the sage(here साधक ) is over and his mind has melted away(in Brahman), what remains is Brahman, beyond the reach of mind and speech.
627. चर्चितुं योग्यया भूयस्त्वनया चर्चया बुधाः।
चर्चयन्तु परं ब्रह्म तुष्यन्तु च रमन्तु च।।
627. Let the intelligent while away their time mutually with this Brahma Charchaa, fit for discussion, and discuss about the Supreme Brahman and be happy and rejoice!
NOTE: This ब्रह्म चर्चा is a sort of brain-teaser, the whole and sole purpose of which is to highlight that argument is not the way to realise God. Logic is a double-edged tool and can prove or disprove anything. That’s why Dharmaraja said to Yaksha (vide यक्षप्रश्न in Mahabharat) in reply to a question:
तर्को अप्रतिष्ठ:
Logic is devoid of foundation. In
Brahma Sootra, BadarayaNa has a Sootra:
तर्काप्रतिष्ठानात्(2-1-11).
Says Santa Tukaram: ठेव जाणीव गुंडृन, येथें भावचि प्रमाण। तर्क वितर्कासी डाव, न लगे सायासीं।।(Don’t tire yourself in futile argumentation. Here, one’s own realisation is the valid proof. Tie up and keep aside your socalled knowledge).
Sri RamakrishNa used to say: बृथा तर्क-विचार करले वस्तुलाभ हय ना।(Truth cannot be realised by futile arguments and reasoning).
It does not mean Tarka is totally useless. AS says: मन्तव्यः तर्कतः.(After श्रवण we should do मनन by reasoning).It is said वादे वादे जायते तत्वबोध: We should , however, resort to Tarka favoured by Shruti(श्रुत्यनुग्रहीत तर्क). The examples proffered by Shruti – sparks and the fire, waves and the ocean, pottery and clay, ornaments and gold etc – should be used to drive home the Truth that Brahman is all in all
BRAHMA CHARCHAS CONCLUDED
628. भित्तिचित्रकृतं सर्पं दृष्ट्वा बालः पलायते।
केनचिद् बालकेनोक्तं चित्रसर्पोऽयमित्युत।।
629. ततः प्रभृत्यसौ विद्वान् तेनैव सह खेलति।
तथात्मस्थम् अहङ्कारं दृष्ट्वा मूढः पलायते।।
630. तत्र सद्गुरुणा प्रोक्तं चिदेवास्तीह नेतरत्।
ततः प्रभृत्यासौ विद्वान् तेनैव सह खेलति।।
628-630. On seeing a serpent drawn on a wall, a child(thinking it to be real) takes to his heels. On being awakened by another boy that this is just a pictorial (and not real) serpent, he, now knowledgeable(विद्वान्), begins to play with it. Likewise, seeing the ego in his Self, the ignorant (takes fright) and runs away. Awakened by the Sadguru that ego or अहङ्कार is consciousness
only and not some intruder from outside (sheds his phobia) and sports with it.
NOTE: This needs clarification because ego is the fall guy always. Be egoless, we are told. Who is he? A phantom to be afraid of? AN sheds light on this tricky subject.What we call the अन्तःकरण – the quartet of mind, intellect, ego and storehouse of memory and cravings (मनस् बुद्धि अहंकार चित्त) – is a form of consciousness (चित्) only.
The differentiation is functional as sage Vasishtha tells Shri Rama in Yoga Vaasishtha. Swinging between Sankalpa and Vikalpa – yes and no, affirmation and negation – चित् (consciousness) is मनस्. When the चित् becomes decisive (निर्धार, अध्यवसाय), it is called बुद्धि. Assuming doership (कर्तृत्व) and enjoyership
(भोक्तृत्व), चित् becomes अहङ्कार. So, it is like a भित्ति चित्र, a fresco on the wall. The विद्वान् dons and doffs – assumes and keeps away – the अहङ्कार as he likes to suit the context and the occasion.
When Hanuman was asked by RavaNa : Who the hell you are, the former thundered with supreme confidence: I am the servant of the King of Kosala, for whom no act is difficult (दासोऽहं कोसलेन्द्रस्य रामस्य अक्लिष्ट कर्मणः…), implying thereby that getting rid of him (RavaNa) is child’s play for Rama. This, too, is ego, but, utterly lovable and adorable. When Shri Samartha Ramdasa asks challengingly:
समर्थाचिया सेवका वक्र पाहे।
असा सर्व भूमण्डळीं कोण आहे?
(Is there anyone in the entire universe who can dare to look askance at the servant of the omnipotent Rama?), is it ego? Oh,
how we wish we have this ego!
Sri RamakrishNa used to talk about the ripe ego (पाक्का आमि )and unripe ego(काच्चा आमि). The ego that kneels before God and says: O NarayaNa, I am Thy servant (नारायण,तव दासोऽहम्) is also अहङ्कार, but the ripe one. Hanuman is a glowing symbol of this ripe ego. Sri RamakrishNa says the ripe ego is like the burnt rope, which retains the shape of the rope, but does not bind. It is सात्विक and is an asset for a साधक. With this chaste ego, the साधक plunges into सेवा and transforms सेवा into सेवन – imbibe, relish – the joy of service.
PRASHNOTTARA CHAMATKAARA TRAYEE (THREE CLEVER VERSES IN QUESTION AND ANSWER)
631. यथा पूर्वं न खेलन्ति यथा पूर्वं हसन्ति न।
कैश्चित् कामादयः पृष्टाः भवन्तः किं हतप्रभाः।।
631. “You are not playing as before; You are not laughing as before. How is it you have all become pale and lacklustre” – lust, anger etc were once asked these questions.
632. कामादयः ऊचुः – अस्मान् पुष्णाति या नित्यं साऽस्माकं
जननी मृता। सुखलुब्धेन पित्रा नः काचिदन्या कृता वधूः।।
632. Replied lust etc: Our mother(अविद्या)who was nourishing us so long is now dead! Our father (साधक), greedy for happiness, married another bride(विद्या).
633. अस्मान् द्विष्यति सा नित्यं न पुष्णाति कदाचन।
दिनैः कतिपयैरेव गृहत्यागो भविष्यति।।
633. She(विद्या, Spiritual Knowledge, the new bride) is inimical to us. She does not nourish and nurture us at all. We are sure we may have to leave this home and go away.
NOTE: AN is dramatising here the positive effect of साधना on the mind of a spiritual aspirant. When अविद्या (ignorance), first ‘wife’ was holding him captive, the six enemies – काम क्रोध etc – were making merry. Now this ‘wife’ has been divorced and a new bride, विद्या, has entered the household. So, day by day, the six ‘enemies’ are languishing and soon will make their total exit.
As the Lord assures in गीता, our transformation will be very fast, once we turn to Him(क्षि
प्रं भवति धर्मात्मा शश्वच्छान्तिं निगच्छति।
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति।। 9-31).
STANAPAANA LEELAASHTAKAM
(स्तनपान लीलाष्टकम्)
(VARIETY IN SUCKLING IN EIGHT VERSES)
NOTE: AN continues to be dramatic in this composition too. The wet nurse is अविद्या and the real mother is विद्या।
634. उपमाता च माता च बालमातृ द्वयं हि ते।
उपमातुः स्तनरसः कट्वम्ल मधु तिक्तकः। जरा मरण संसर्गी चित्र द्वैतरसात्मकः।।
634. My child, you have two mothers – one, a wet nurse and two, your real mother. The breast-milk of the wet nurse is bitter, sour, sweet and hot (astringent). It leads to old age, senility, death and a life steeped in duality, द्वैत, of all sorts.
635. निजमाता तव तु या तन्माहात्म्यम् वदाम्यहम्। सैव माता पिता सैव जगताम् ईश्वरी च सा। सा गतिः सा परं तत्त्वं तत्परं नास्ति किञ्चन।।
635. I will tell you about the glory of your real mother. She alone is your mother, father and the ruler of all the worlds. She is the goal; She is the Supreme Truth beyond which there is nothing higher.
635. निजमाता तव तु या तन्माहात्म्यम् वदाम्यहम्। सैव माता पिता सैव जगताम् ईश्वरी च सा। सा गतिः सा परं तत्त्वं तत्परं नास्ति किञ्चन।।
635. I will tell you about the glory of your real mother. She alone is your mother, father and the ruler of all the worlds. She is the goal; She is the Supreme Truth beyond which there is nothing higher.
636. उपमाता कुजातिस्ते माता तव सुजातिका। तां कुजातिं
परित्यज्य सुजातिं मातरं भज।।
636. Your wetnurse is lowborn; Your real mother is highborn. Give up the lowly wetnurse and serve the highborn mother.
NOTE: As stated at the very beginning, the wetnurse (उपमाता) is Ignorance, the Mother of all our afflictions(अनर्थ हेतु in the words of AS). The real mother (निज माता) is विद्या, the Upanishadic wisdom that leads to liberation(सा विद्या या विमुक्तये।). Vedanta confers विद्या (अस्य अनर्थहेतोः प्रहाणाय आत्मैकत्वविद्या प्रतिपत्तये सर्वे वेदान्ता
आरभ्यन्ते। AS in His अध्यास भाष्य). Gita, the fount of Vedantic wisdom, is, therefore ,invoked as our Mother: अम्ब त्वाम् अनुसन्धदामि भगवद्गीते भवद्वेषिणीम्।
during invocation.
637. निजमातुः स्तनरसस्त्वद्वैतामृतवर्षणः।
जन्मरोगजराध्वंसी सकृत्पीतोऽपि मृत्युजित्।।
637. The breast-milk of your real mother (विद्या) showers the nectar of Advaita. Imbibed even just once, it wards off birth, disease, senility and death.
638. न ज्ञातं मूढ भावेन पूर्वमन्तरमेतयोः।
इदानीम् अन्तरं ज्ञात्वा निजमातुः स्तनं पिब।।
638. Being a simpleton, till now you could not distinguish between these two ‘mothers’. Now that you know how they differ from each other, please imbibe the milk of your true mother(विद्या).
639. त्वया स्तने परित्यक्ते सा विदीर्य म्रियेत चेत्।
नश्येत्कुजातिसंसर्गो हितमेव तदा भवेत्।।
639. If you stop suckling the fake mother
(अविद्या), she may wither away and die. It will then be good for you since your association with a lowborn(I.e. अविद्या ) will come to an end.
640. मायाब्रह्ममयस्तात किमर्थं वर्णसङ्करः।
मायामेव परित्यज्य शुद्धब्रह्ममयो भव।।।
640. Why do you wish to mix up the castes –
माया and ब्रह्मन्? Give up माया and abide as the pure ब्रह्मन्.
NOTE: Readers of गीता (1-41,42,43) will remember Arjuna talking about the perils of VarNa-Sankara as a consequence of the war. VarNasankara means intermingling of two castes. Such union results in the birth of hybrids. To make his verses lively, AN is using this word here. माया is a compound of three गुण-s (सत्व रजस् तमस्) while Brahman is abovethe गुणs(गुणातीत). He is devoid of three guna-s(त्रिगुणरहित). Thus, AN says jokingly that their castes are different. Our pristine nature as His tiny fragment(ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः) is also गुणातीत. Being essentially गुणातीत, if we dabble in माया which is त्रिगुणात्मिका, we will be guilty of वर्णसंकर, says AN. AN wants us to be afar from माया and remain established in our own स्वरूप as Brahman.
हेतुमाला हीरावली
(A DIAMOND NECKLACE OF REASONS)
641. श्रुतिप्रामाण्यसिद्धेर्थे हेतुभिः किं, तथापि हि।
अपूर्वरचनात्मत्वादालङ्कारो महान् यतः।।
641. Certain Vedaantic principles are already established on the strength of proofs offered by Shruti(वेद). Then, why again seek reasons for their truth? Even then, what I am going to present is a unique composition and it will be an impressive ornament (for this book).
642. जन्म नामासतः सत्ता जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
सद्रूपतामेव गतस्तेन जन्म न विद्यते।।
642. Birth means coming into being of an entity which was not there earlier. The sage(realized soul) is always in a state of being (सत्ता) only. So, there is no birth for him.
NOTE: Atman is eternal and, as taught in
गीता, he is neither born nor does he die
(न जायते म्रियते वा कदाचिन्नायं भूत्वा भविता वा न भूयः। गीता 2-20).
The body-mind assemblage comes into being and the soul accompanying it is said to have जन्म, birth. For Atman, it is always भाव only and never अभाव, non-being.
(नाभावो विद्यते सतः। गीता (2-16).
643. प्राप्तवान् अमृतं ब्रह्म जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
अमृतं येन सम्प्राप्तं स मृतत्वं कथं वृजेत्।।
643. The realised sage has already attained – is already one – with the immortal Brahman. How can he, who is immortal, ever die?
NOTE: The phrase जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः recurs in every verse in this ‘diamond necklace’ (हीरावली).
हेतुमाला हीरावली
(A DIAMOND NECKLACE OF REASONS)
644. मृतिः शरीरसंत्यागो जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
शरीरं त्यक्तवान् पूर्वं मृतस्य मरणं किमु।।
644. Death is giving up the body. The realized sage has already given up (mentally) the body earlier. How can the dead die again?
NOTE: A sage swears by
नाहं देहं कोऽहं सोऽहम्
(I am not the body. Who am I? I am He). Thus, he has shed his body-consciousness. He has already died as it were. He needs no death to give up the body. Here and now(इहैव अधुनैव) he has disengaged himself from his body psychologically. Says AS in His Brahma Sootra Bhaashya:
तस्मात् मिथ्याप्रत्ययनिमित्तत्वात् सशरीरत्वस्य,
सिद्धं जीवतोऽपि विदुषः अशरीरत्वम्। (The notion of being embodied is due to incorrect understanding. For the learned, even when he is alive, he feels disembodied)(1-1-4).
Samarth Ramdas says in His
मनाचे श्लोक (12):
विवेकें देहेबुद्धि सोडूनि द्यावी।
विदेहीपणें मुक्ति भोगीत जावी।।
Mark the words विदेहीपणें। He tells us again and again to give up our identity with body: देहेबुद्धि नीरूपणीं वीसरावी।(103),
देहेभावना रामबोधें उडाली।(127).
देहेबुद्धिचें कर्म खोटें टळेना।
जुनें ठेवणें मीपणें आकळेना ।। (137).
देहेबुद्धिचा निश्चयो ज्या कळेना।
जुनें ठेवणें मीपणें आकळेना।(138)
देहेबुद्धि ते आत्मबुद्धी करावी।(163)
देहेबुद्धि हे ज्ञानबोधें त्यजावी।(170).
देहेभान तें ज्ञानशस्त्रें खुडावें।
विदेहीपणें भक्तिमार्गेचि जावें।(188).
Knowledge of Self(आत्मज्ञान) will ever elude him, even till the end of the world, him, who has not shed his body-.consciousness. देहेबुद्धिचा निश्चयो ज्या ढळेना।
तया ज्ञान कल्पांतकाळीं कळेना। (191).
SR says: Be God-conscious everywhere and the mistaken identity with body will cease to be there.तया पाहतां देहबुद्धी उरेना।(197).
I have given many quotations from Manaache Shloka deliberately to highlight the profound value of this little treasure from SR.
हेतुमाला हीरावली
(A DIAMOND NECKLACE OF REASONS)
645. अहन्तया सहैवायं जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
कर्त्रृत्वमत्यजत् तस्मात् कर्मभिर्न स लिप्यते।।
645. The realized sage has shed his egoism and, along with it, his sense of doership. Therefore, he is untouched by actions.
NOTE: गीता says: The fool, blinded by ego, thinks “I am the doer”.
(अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते)
(3-27). All his faculties and powers emanate from Him. So, the gospel of गीता is यज्ञायाचरत:कर्म (act as an offering to Him) (4-23). यत् करोषि….तत् कुरुष्व मदर्पणम्।(9-27).
Sri RamakrishNa says: Water appears to be divided into two parts if one puts a stick across it. But, in reality, there is only one expanse of water. It appears as two on account of the stick. This ‘I’, ego, is the stick. Remove this stick and there remains only one expanse of Sacchidananda. (vide Gospel of Sri RamakrishNa).
Samarth Ramadas, in His Manaache Shloka, counsels us again and again to give up अहन्ता (I-ness,ego). Even a cursory glance shows He is denouncing अहन्ता about thirteen times. Here are a few gems:
1. अहन्ता मनीं पापिणी ते नसों दे।(24).
2. मुखीं नाम नाहीं तया मुक्ति कैंची।
अहंतागुणे यातना ते फुकाची (97).
3. अहन्तागुणें वाद नाना विकारी।(110)
4. मनीं हीत पंडीत सांडीत गेले।
अहन्तागुणें ब्रह्मराक्षस जाले। (113)
5. गळेना गळेना अहन्ता गळेना।
बळें आकळेना मिळेना।(142)
6. अहंभाव ज्या मानसींचा विरेना।
तया ज्ञान हें अन्न पोटीं जिरेना। (159)
7. अहन्तागुणें सर्वही दु:ख होतें। (161)
8. अहन्तागुणें नीति सांडी विवेकी। (162)
In short, we must learn to say: Not I, but, Thou,O God!
तूच कर्ता आणी करविता, शरण तुला भगवन्ता।
Sri RamakrishNa also says jokingly: If the rascal (ego) wants to remain, let him be the servant of God and then there will be no harm. Look at this beautiful prayer by SR to Devi Tulaja Bhavani:
मी काय फेडू उपकार तूझा।
तुझिये दयेचा संसार माझा।
तुजवीण माझे काहीच नाहीं।
यथार्थ आहे समजोन पाही।।
येह लोक तू तू परत्र तू तू।
अगणीत तू तू सायोज्यता तू।
जगदन्तरी तू मदन्तरी तू।
जगत्रयी तू तू तूचि मी तू।।(करुणाष्टक).
See how the words तू तू captivate us! Tulaja Bhavani was the कुलदेव of SR as well as of
Shivaji,.
646. स्वयमेव पवित्रात्मा जात साक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
न च पुण्यैः पवित्रोऽसौ तेन पुण्यैः न लिप्यते।।
646. The Self is by himself ever holy. It is not that the realized sage has now become holy due to holy merit(पुण्य). Even पुण्य does not cling to him.
647. अत्यन्त शुद्धरूपोऽसौ जातः साक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
नैव पापं करोत्येषः तेन पापैः न लिप्यते।।
647. The realized sage abides as the ever pure and unsullied Atman. Sin can never occur at his hands. Therefore, sins don’t cling to him.
NOTE: Atman is always refered to as नित्य शुद्ध बुद्ध and मुक्त (eternal, pure, awakened and free). This is his स्वभाव. It is not an artificially produced effect. If it were so, says AS, it will be transient,
यत् कृतकं तदनित्यम्।
Says Yama, too, to Nachiketa
likewise: नास्ति अकृतः कृतेन in Kathopanishad. Like a mirror overlaid by dust or fire by smoke or the lake by a sheet of moss, our Self is veiled by Ignorance, अविद्या. When it is got rid of, we recover our own Self as it were.
648. सहजानन्दरूपत्वात् जात साक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
येन हृष्यति तन्नास्ति तस्मादेष न हृष्यति।।
648. The realized sage is the very embodiment of bliss, which is his very nature. There is nothing that he needs to make him happy. So, he is above delight. (हर्ष and its opposite come and go).
NOTE: Bliss or आनन्द is quite unlike the opposites of pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow etc. They come and go and are transient (आगमापायिनोऽनित्याः). They are fitful and unpredictable.. They are conditional. आनन्द is not so. It is unconditional . It is not conditioned by
circumstances, individuals or things outside.. It is perpetual प्रसन्नता spoken of by Tukaram: मन करारे प्रसन्न, सर्व सिद्धींचें कारणं. It is like the drone of a Tanpura. Against its constant hum as the background, the singer plays with the notes. The notes rise and fall, but, the drone remains an unaffected witness. आनन्द is like this Shruti, the hum of the Tanpura. It is a perpetual,
unwavering joy; it is the JOY of joy, सुखाचें हें सुख of Tukaram.
649. नापकर्तुं क्षमः कश्चिद् जातसाक्षात्कृतेर्भवेत्।
अपकर्तुरभावेन स न तु द्वेष्टि कञ्चन।।
649. Nobody will be able to offend, do wrong or act improperly with a realized sage; Since there is none who acts as above(in his eyes), he has no enmity towards anyone.
NOTE: The realized sage is egoless and, in his eyes, there is only One Atman everywhere and in everyone. There is no ‘other’ for him. His vision is समं पश्यति सर्वत्र – Samadarshana – vision of equality. So, if anyone is foolhardy enough to do an evil act towards him, it will just recoil and boomerang on the offender himself. An unaccepted registered article comes back to the sender. Is it not?
He has only goodwill towards all and malice towards none. Since he does not view anyone as an अपकर्ता – evil-doer – the question of his having द्वेष, feeling of enmity, does not arise. He is an अजातशत्रु, he views none as an enemy.
To Duryodhana, everyone looked like a शत्रु, an enemy bent on harming him. On the contrary, to Dharmaraja, it was quite the opposite. Hence his epithet अजातशत्रु.
Lord KrishNa says in गीता – निर्वैरः सर्वभूतेषु यः स मामेति पाण्डव। HE assures that one who is inimical to none attains Him. This verse with its simple(and yet, difficult) counsel was dear to our Parameshti Guru, P.P.Swami Anandashram, and often accompanied His autograph of blessings.
650. अप्राप्यमवशिष्टं किं जातसाक्षात्कृतेर्मुनेः।
हानिर्नास्ति ततो हेतोर्न शोचति कदाचन।।
650. To the realized sage there is nothing that remains to be attained. Therefore, he has no sense of loss and he never grieves.
NOTE: Being one with the universal spirit, Brahman, he is पूर्ण and is आप्तकाम(totally fulfilled). What is the psychology of desire? Desire sprouts when one feels incomplete and inadequate. A gnawing sense of want and insufficiency is at the root of desire. A devotee is anchored in the divine so indissolubly that काम or desire dares not to rear its ugly head. “I don’t want anything” said our beloved saint Tukaram:
(तुका म्हणें आतां न मागे आणिक).
How could he say so? Because, he found all happiness in the Lotus Feet of his beloved PaNDuranga (तुझें पायीं सर्व सुख आहे, देवा). Oh, When will these words be ours too?
In the गीता, the Lord says: Does it make sense for one to look for a well when it is flood all around?
(यावानर्थ उदपाने सर्वतः सम्प्लुतोदके. 2-46).
AN says the sage of realization grieves not.
Grief is the offshoot of loss. He is embedded in पूर्ण – the full. How can he ever suffer a loss?
651. केनाप्येष प्रकारेण जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्मूनिः।
ब्रह्म सर्वात्मकं प्राप्य न काङ्क्षति किमप्युत।।
651. Having attained Realization that “All this is Brahman” by whatever means(any type of Yoga – कर्म भक्ति ज्ञान), the sage desires nothing whatsoever.
NOTE: In these verses AN shows that the realized soul is not a prey to the common
weaknesses of mankind like desire, enmity,fear, sorrow etc. All this spectacular transformation in him is the natural outcome of his God-Consciousness. Samarth Ramdas tells us: सदा राम निष्काम चिन्तीत जावा(no.58 मनाचे श्लोक). राम and काम cannot co-exist. राम makes us निष्काम – desire free. A true devotee leaves it to God to cater to his needs. Says Tukaram सत्यसङ्कल्पाचा दाता भगवान।
सर्वकरी पूर्ण मनोरथ।।
The words केनाप्येष प्रकारेण in the above verse are significant. By whatever means – be it कर्मयोग, भक्तियोग, राजयोग or ज्ञानयोग – one has to attain ब्रह्मदृष्टि. Sri RamakrishNa used to say: there are as many paths as are men(जतो मत ततो पथ). The adage goes: लोको भिन्नरुचिः। Human ‘tastes’ are different. That’s why Pushpadanta said in his शिवमहिम्न स्तोत्र – रुचीनां वैचित्र्याृजुकुटिल नानापथजुषाम्
नृणाम् एको गम्य: त्वमसि पयसाम् अर्णव इव।।
(All streams go to meet the ocean. Likewise, O Shiva, Thou art the destination for all, who, according to their ‘taste’, resort to various simple or complicated paths). To the Bhakta, Name of God is self-sufficient. एक तत्व नाम दृढ धरीं मना। हरिसी करुणा येईल तुझी।। says Shri Jnanadeva while “is not Govinda’s single name enough?”(ನಾಮ ಒಂದೇ ಸಾಲದೇ ಗೋವಿಂದನ), asks saint Purandaradaasa.
652. न ह्यन्यो बलवान् कश्चिद् जातसाक्षात्कृतेर्भवेत्।
यस्माद् बिभेति तन्नास्ति तस्मादेष बिभेति न।।
652. There is none stronger than the sage of Realization. For him there is none to be afraid of. Hence, he fears none.
NOTE: According to Swami Vivekananda,the thrust of all the Upanishads is to teach us fearlessness. Vedaanta says: desire, fear etc arise when one perceives another(an other), a second entity beside Brahman, which is one’s true nature. द्वितीयाद् वै भयं भवति, द्वितीयाद् वै कामो भवति(बृहदारण्यक उपनिषद् 1-4-2)When one feels that God is the only entity and his true identity is also as a spark of God(ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः),
where is the room for aberrations like fear,
desire etc? A child is fearless when its mother is beside it, holding its hand. It can dare to go even in pitch darkness if mother’s hand is in hers. Hence, a ज्ञानी or भक्त is बलवान्. As AN says,
there is none stronger than him.
Says Swami Vivekananda: “Strength, strength is what the Upanishads preach to me from every page.Stand up and be strong, say the Upanishads. It is the only literature in the world where you find the word अभिः(ABHI), “fearless”
used again and again. In no other scripture in the world is this adjective applied either to God or to man. Abhi, fearless!”(Complete Works, Vol.3, page 237).
653. यदस्य कार्यं परमं जातसाक्षात्कृतेर्भवेत्।
तत् सर्वमेव संसिद्धं न तस्मात् स विषीदति।।
653. The most supreme obligation – Self Realization – has been accomplished by him. So, for him, everything has been attained . Therefore, there is no cause for him to be despondent.
NOTE: Yogi Yajnavalkya says: “By Yoga, one should attain Self-Realization. This is the
highest Dharma”
(अयं तु परमो धर्मो यद्योगेनात्मदर्शनम्।).
This is our ‘parama kaarya, top priority,’ says AN. If this expectation from us is fulfilled, then, we are truly धन्य and कृतार्थ .. There is no residue, no remainder, to be attended to. Says Tukaram:
काय उरलें त्या वेगळें आणिक।
वैकुंठनायक जया कंठीं ।।
(What else remains, something more, for him whose throat is the abode of the Lord of VaikuNtha?) (who sings His name).
654. मान्यस्तु पद्मजादीनां जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्भवेत्।
मानितो यदि लोकेन स तु मानं न विन्दति।।
654. The sage of realization is adored by even Brahmaa (lotus-born) and other gods. So, if he is revered and respected here in this world, it makes no difference to him (मानापमानयोः तुल्यः says गीता).
NOTE: Does the sun feel flattered if I light a candle before him? The Realization of such a worthy will be a fake if he is still a captive of मान and अपमान, respect and disrespect. He ought to rise above all opposites. If he is still swayed by them, then, it means he is yet to mature into साक्षात्कार!
655. मान्य एव सुरेन्द्राणां जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
न मानितॊ यदि जनैः अपमानं न विन्दति।।
655. If the sage of realization, revered by even Chieftains of gods, is not given respect by the populace, he does not mind at all.
NOTE: This reminds us of the गुणातीत (risen above the three गुण-s) described in गीता. मानापमानयो तुल्यः तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः। सर्वारम्भपरित्यागी गुणातीत: स उच्यते।।
(14-25).
656. उपकारापकारौ हि जात साक्षात्कृतेर्मुनेः।
शक्यौ न केनचित्कर्तुं तुल्यो मित्रारिपक्षयोः।।
656. None can do a favour or disfavour to the sage of realization who is equally disposed towards the friend and the foe.
NOTE: This again reminds us of above verse from गीता. He does not regard anyone as foe. He is a universal friend.
657. गुणदोषदशातीतं जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
प्राप्तवान् परमं धाम तुल्यनिन्दास्तुतिर्हि सः।।
657. The sage of realization, to whom praise and slander are alike, has attained the supreme abode that is above virtue and vice.
NOTE: In the 12th chapter of गीता, the dear devotee of God is described
(यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः)
with his excellences. Being indifferent to both slander and praise is one such attribute.(see गीता 12-19 and 14-24). The highest abode(परमं धाम) in the above verse is our own आत्म स्वरूप. It is the same as तत् धाम परमं मम of गीता (15-6).
658. गेहादि ममता नास्ति जातसाक्षात्कृतेर्मुनेः।
तेनानिकेत इत्युक्तो यत्र सायं गृहो मुनिः।।
658. The sage of realization has no attachment for home etc. Therefore, he is known as ‘homeless'(अनिकेत). Wherever he is, that’s home
for him. He is at home everywhere.
NOTE: Among those qualities that qualify us to be ‘dear to God’, listed in the 12th chapter of गीता, one is अनिकेत (12-19 अनिकेतः स्थिरमतिः…..).
AS says: निकेत आश्रयो निवासो नियतो न विद्यते यस्य सः अनिकेत:। (He, who has no fixed place of residence is अनिकेत). It also means a householder who is not over-attached( ममत्व) to his home. He will say ‘this is God’s home(भगवान का घर) and HE has permitted me to stay here’
rather than say: This is my home and there is in it a small altar for God (सान देवाकूड in KonkaNi) in it.
P.P.Swami Parijnaanashram-I tells His Shishya Swami Shankarashram-I: “We do not belong to any village or a Math exclusively. We shall dwell
happily wherever We happen to be. To a sanyaasi like Us, the vast universe is itself a Math par excellence. Know this for certain.’
(कैंचा ग्राम कैंचा मठ। जेथें जाऊं तेथें राहूं स्पष्ट। ब्रम्हांड हाचि आमुचा श्रेष्ठ। संन्याशाचा मठ पहा हो।।)(श्री चित्रपुर गुरुपरम्परा चरित्र Chapter 7- 73).
659. अप्राप्तं प्राप्तवान् बोधं जात साक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
स तु न क्षीयते तेन निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान्।।
659. He has gained true Knowledge(बोध) and it is not at all likely to be lost. Thus, the sage of realization, self-possessed, is free from the worry of Yoga and Kshema.
NOTE: We have in गीता (2-45) the words: निर्योगक्षेम आत्मवान्। AS comments: अनुपात्तस्य उपादानं योग उपात्तस्य रक्षणं क्षेम:(acquiring what one doesn’t have is योग and safeguarding it is क्षेम). AN says in above verse that the sage of realization has ACQUIRED the Knowledge(of the Self – बोध from his Sadguru) which was till then not his(अप्राप्तम्). So, योग has been taken care of. Once awakened, this बोध is not going to wither away(क्षीयते), so Kshema (SAFEGUARDING) is also taken care of. Hence, he is free(निर्) from these twin anxieties of ACQUISITION and SAFEGUARDING(योगक्षेम).
660. समो यद्यपि सर्वत्र जातसाक्षात्कृतिर्मुनिः।
तथापि तत्स्तावकस्य मम स्तुतिफलं महत्।।
660. Though the sage of realization is indifferent to praise and blame, yet, I praise him and the merit of this praise accruing to me will be immense.
NOTE: God is indifferent to our praise or blame. Yet, we sing numerous स्तुति-s and स्तोत्र-s and praise his glory. Thereby, we get chastened. Dwelling on His noble qualities purges our mind of demeaning qualities in us. यद् भावः तद् भवति is the law of psychology. Flood the mind with सात्विक imagery and our mind will turn सात्विक too.
What the Lord expects from us, however, is not praise, but, scrupulous obediance to His command to perform our duties and obligations. Says the illustrious P.P. Shri Chandrashekhara Bharati(the Parama Guru of the present senior Swami at Sringeri): “Will a master be ever pleased with a servant who does not perform the duties entrusted to him, but prefers to be always standing before him, singing his praises? A servant who neglects, is indifferent to, or is not prepared to obey the master’s behests, can never claim to be devoted to him.”(Page 39 of OUR DUTY).
661. हेतु मालावली धार्या कण्ठे हीरावली बुधैः।
अपूर्व रचनात्मत्वाद् अलङ्कारो महान्यतः।।
661. This garland of reasons should be worn by the enlightened around their neck like a diamond necklace. It is a unique composition and is truly an imposing adornment.
NOTE: The portrait of the ‘sage of realization” here has parallels in गीता – Sthitaprajna(chapter 2), the dear devotee of God(यो मद्भक्तः स मे प्रियः) in ch.12 and गुणातीत in ch.14.
KEY TO LIBERATION
KAIVALYA KUNCHIKAA)
662. कैवल्यकुञ्चिकां तात त्वं सम्यगवधारय।
उद्घाटय कपाटं च बोधरत्नं करे कुरु।।
662. My child, listen properly to this composition called Key to Liberation. Throw open the door and get hold of the gem called Knowledge (बोध).
663. दृष्ट्या श्रुत्यानुभूत्या वा यो यो भावः परिस्फुरेत्।
तं भावमविलम्बेन पञ्चधा शकलीकुरु।।
663. By sight(eyes), sound (ears) or mentally (recall, reminiscence) whenever an image springs up in your consciousness, immediately
analyse it into five ‘pieces'(aspects).
664. अस्ति भाति प्रियं रूपं नाम चेत्यंश पञ्चकम्।
आद्य त्रयं ब्रह्मरूपं मायारूपं ततो द्वयम्।।
664. It IS(अस्तित्व), It shines, it is knowable and I am AWARE(भान) of it, it is pleasing, desirable and I like (प्रिय) it, it has a form(रूप) and a name (नाम) – of these five aspects, the first three relate to Brahman (the ground Reality) and the last two constitute माया (the creative, delusive power of Brahman).
NOTE: This is a famous verse and is in AS’ •Drik-Drishya Viveka(verse 20) and also in Vedanta DinDima(The Drumbeat of Vedanta). As Bahvricha Upanishad says: यदस्ति सन्मात्रम्, यद्विभाति चिन्मात्रम्, यत् प्रियम् आनन्दम् (अस्ति is सत्, भाति is चित् and प्रियम् is आनन्द – सचिदानंद). The first three – Brahman – is the enduring canvas on which the tantalising magic show of माया – name and form – comes and goes. If we strive to be anchored in the imperishable Brahman(God), we will harvest happiness. On the other hand, if we cast our lot with the elusive माया, we will reap disappointment and sorrow. That’s why AN counsels us to break up, analyse, every perception, every experience, into the above five constituents. Revered Santa Umabai Arur has explained all this in Chapter 53 of Shree CGPCharitra.
•Drik-Drishya Viveka is also called वाक्य सुधा and some scholars ascribe its authorship to Swami VidyaraNya.
665. नाम रूपे तु नैव स्तः तत्र हेतुं वदाम्यहम्।
नाम तु व्यवहारार्थं कल्पितं न तु वास्तवम्।।
665. Name and form have no absolute reality. I will tell you why. Name is attributed to conduct our mundane activities. It is not really real.
NOTE: Each one of us has a name and form. We did not come into the world with a name at the time of birth. We were given a name at the time of naming ceremony (नामकरण). When we are reborn( पुनर्जन्म), we will get a lew name. Thus, there is no absolute reality or finality in the name. It is a provisional device. Should one embrace another faith by conversion, the old name will be replaced. Sometimes, after marriage the bride gets a new name. We mutilate the name sometimes out of love! Thus, KrishNa becomes Kittu, Bhaskar becomes Baakkut, Bhavanishankar becomes Bonchaa Nalini becomes Nannaa and Shashikala is transformed into Chaccham!
Same lack of absolute identity applies to form(रूप ) too. Our photo of KG class does not hold good for all time. As we age, our facial form changes too. When a couple announce their Golden Wedding in a magazine, they are very keen to let us see how they looked fifty years ago. There is a mismatch in the form (रूप) then and now. Looking at our रूप now, will anyone be inspired to exclaim:
आवडे हें रूपं गोजिरे सगुण।
पाहतां लोचन सुखावले।।
आतां दृष्टीपुढें ऐसाचि तूं राहे।
जो मी तुज पाहे वेऴोवेळां।। !!!!
KEY TO LIBERATION KAIVALYA KUNCHIKAA
666. एवं नामानि सर्वाणि रूपमङ्ग विचारय।
घटस्तु पृथिवीरूपं सा जडा जलरूपिणी।।
666. In the manner to be explained now, my dear, please analyse every perception into its constituents.. For example, the pot is a form of earth(clay). The earth has evolved from water and is inert( जड).
667. तेजसो जलमुत्पन्नं तद्वायोः स च खोद्भवः।
खादि सर्वमहङ्कारात्स च प्रकृतिसंभवः।।
667. The water is an evolute of fire and fire has evolved from the air and air has emanated from the sky(ether). The sky has evolved from अहङ्कार which, in turn, is an offshoot of Prakriti.
668. गुणात्मा प्रकृतिर्माया माया मय्येव नास्ति सा।
नामरूपे ततो न स्तः अथास्तीत्यादि विचारय।।
668. Prakriti is composed of the three गुण-s
(सत्व रजस् तमस्). She is माया and माया is not in me. Thus Name and Form are not there( I.e.they are evolutes and not existing independently. They have no स्वतन्त्र सत्ता). Now, reflect on the remaining three –
अस्ति भाति and प्रिय.
KEY TO LIBERATION(कैवल्य कुञ्चिका)
669. अस्ति सत्ता भाति चित् च प्रियमानन्दलक्षणम्।
सच्चिदानन्दरूपं तत् कैवल्यमवशिष्यते। समाधिस्तत्र कर्तव्यो ह्ययमर्थानुवेधितः।।
669. अस्ति(is) means being or existence; भाति means चित् or consciousness; प्रिय signifies आनन्द। When, as explained in earlier verses, the truth of नाम रूप – name and form – is understood by
thorough analysis, what remains – the residue or precipitate as it were – is Sacchidananda, Brahman. He is the ground or basis(आधार, अधिष्ठान) on which the passing show of नाम रूप goes on. To abide in this Brahman is कैवल्यम् or Liberation. One must cultivate this unitive experience wherin the धी (बुद्धि) is absorbed in समदर्शन. This is known as ARTHAANUVIDDHA SAMAADHI.
NOTE: It is called ARTHAANUVIDDHA because we arrive at the vision of equality(समाधि, समदर्शन) by exploring analytically the meaning, अर्थ, of every name and form.
670. अथ शब्दानुविद्धं तु समाधिं कथयामि ते।
नित्य एवास्मि शुद्धोस्मि चिद्रूपोस्मि निरन्तर:।
सहजानन्दरूपोऽस्मि न मे माया न मे मलः।।
670. Now I will tell you about SHABDAANUVIDDHA SAMAADHI. I am eternal, ever pure, consciousness is my essence, my being is without a break, natural bliss is my form. I am beyond delusion and any kind of blemish or impurity.
671. अस्मिन् असति सत्ता हि चिद्रूपेण मयार्पिता।
उपसंहृत्य सत्तां तां स्व सत्तायाम् अहं स्थितः।।
671. To this unreal(transient) world, I, who am conscious, lend a status of existence. I have now withdrawn this lease and I am now established in my own being.
NOTE: We say: The world is and I am. Superficially it looks as if both partake of सत्ता, existence, in equal measure. But, no. While my existence is timeless (as Atman), the world is only provisionally real. It is ‘here today, gone tomorrow ‘. AN says: Who invested the world with this air of permanent सत्ता? I did it. I have now opened my eyes.
672. विकृत्या विकृतिर्नाहं प्रकृत्या प्रकृतिर्न च।
तथापि जातं मयि चेत् तर्हि जातमजातवत्।।
672. Prakriti is Nature. The modifications that go on unceasingly in Nature are Vikriti-s. I am beyond both. Even then, the modifications are identified with me. (I have opened my eyes now and realise that this has never truly happened.
NOTE: The above verse refers to the natural tendency of the human mind to super-impose the विकार (modifications) of the Not-Self on Self. AS calls this अध्यास. It is अतस्मिन् तद् बुद्धिः – to mistake one for another. For example, Blindness, deafness etc pertain to senses(इन्द्रिय), but, we say: I am blind, I am deaf(अन्धोऽहं बधिरोऽहम्). I am obese, I am slim (स्थूलोऽहं, कृशोऽहम्) etc.
AN, representing an understanding साधक, discovers how this अध्यास plays havoc with our true स्वरूप as Atman,.
KEY TO LIBERATION
(KAIVALYA KUNCHIKAA)
673. उपसंहर विश्वात्मन् इति यावद्वदाम्यहम्।
उपसंहृतमेवेदं दृश्यते नैव तिष्ठति।।
673. “O Universal Self, Wind up!” – No sooner I uttered this than all this world(of name and form) has been wound up. It is seen, but, is not standing(is not real).
NOTE: AN is a bit dramatic. The enlightened person brushes aside the veil of नाम रूप and gets anchored in their base, that is Brahman. To him, the underlying ground, eternal and blissfull, is important. To the unenlightened, it is the reverse. He is enamoured of name and form. Their ground, their basis, does not matter to him
at all, nay, he hardly has any inkling that such a ase is there. This intelligent setting aside of नाम रूप is the ‘winding up’ alluded to above. This does not mean he does not see name and form. Name and form don’t vanish for him. He sees them alright, but, how? The way one looks at a burnt rope, says AS. It looks like rope, but, touch it and all you have is a fistful of ash. Let us say, we are watching a play wherein Bheema and Duryodhana are wrestling with each other. We thoroughly enjoy the play, but, at the same time, we are aware that both Bheema and Duryodhana are our next door neighbours! The Vedantic word for this is बाधितानुवृत्ति(Conditioned Vision). अनुवृत्ति means continuance. As in the case of the worldly, the entire व्यवहार – mundane
transaction – the little play we call life, is same for the ज्ञानी too. But, it is बाधित (sublated) because he knows the truth of name and form. He knows that they are just masks. He is utterly convinced that they have no स्वतन्त्र सत्ता, स्वतन्त्र अस्तित्व, independent existence, apart from Brahman just as a wave and a ring have no स्वतन्त्र सत्ता apart from the ocean and the gold respectively.
674. निर्विकल्प समाधाने निष्ठा सा बोधयोगिनः।
कपाटोद्घाटने हेतुरियं कैवल्यकुञ्चिका।।
674. AN concludes his Key to Liberation with its praise in four verses. To the follower of ज्ञानयोग – here called बोध योग, बोध being equivalent of ज्ञान – this Key will throw open the door and make him abide in ‘Thoughtfree Equanimity'(निर्विकल्प समाधि).
NOTE: In this Key, AN has not prescribed any esoteric Taantrik disciplines or complicated
हठयोग exercises. Reason has been his ally. First, he spoke of अर्थानुविद्ध समाधि. By a sharp analysis of every name and form, we were led to discover the meaning, अर्थ, of everything as God, Brahman – अस्ति भाति and प्रियम् – and माया comprising of नाम रूप. This led us to Same-Sightedness and Equanimity(समाधि) since everything is Brahman and there is no ‘other’ at all.
Then, AN spoke of शब्दानुविद्ध समाधि. We were taught to contemplate on ourselves in terms of the words(शब्द) which the Upanishads employ to define आत्मन् as नित्य शुद्ध बुद्ध मुक्त etc. By constant musing over these words(शब्द), we were led to cultivate an outlook of Same-Sightedness and Equanimity(समाधि).
AN has used the word Nirvikalpa Samaadhi.
It is a state of Same-Sightedness and Equanimity(Samadarshana) unruffled by any distracting thoughts (Nirvikalpa). सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म – like the drone of a Tanpura, this is the only भाव resonating in one’s consciousness. Once attained, it does not wither away. It is not to be mistaken for trance.
675. रहस्यं हि रहस्यानां निधीनां परमो निधिः।
युक्तीनां परमा युक्तिः इयं कैवल्यकुञ्चिका।।
675. This key to liberation is the secret of secrets, it is the treasure of treasures and the most expedient means(to liberation).
676. वसिष्ठ व्यास पद्धत्या शङ्कराचार्यमार्गतः।
सा पुनः शङ्कराचार्यैः करुणारसनिर्भरैः।।
677. अर्पिताऽनन्दबोधेभ्यः तत्क्रमेण बुधैर्धृता।
अवधार्या विशेषेण सेयं कैवल्यकुञ्चिका।।
676-677. Following the tradition of Vasishtha and
Vyaasa, this key was handed over to Shri
Anandabodha by the compassionate Shri
Shankaracharya. Gradually this key was passed on to other wise recipients. Hence, it deserves to be attended to.
NOTE: The Shankaracharya, here refered to, is not Adi Shankara, but, the Peethaadhipati of some Math in Advaita tradition. Which Math?
We don’t know.
Through this verse we know the name of AN’s Guru as Swami Anandabodha.
KAIVALYA KUNCHIKAA CONCLUDED
IN PRAISE OF INTELLIGENCE
(अथ बुद्धिप्रशंसा)
678. व्यवहारस्य सर्वस्य बुद्धिर्मूलं यथा भवेत्।
तद्वत्तु परमार्थस्य निदानं बुद्धिरेव च।।
678. Just as intelligence is at the root of all mundane transactions, it is also at the root of spiritual aspiration.
679. यद् बुद्धं मय्यबुद्धं तद् बुद्ध्या बुद्धं न चेत् तदा।
बुद्ध्या बुद्धं तु यद् बुद्धं तन्नाबुद्धं कदापि च।।
679. What I have understood now is as good as not understood if it was unintelligent. If I have understood intelligently, it will never fade out of
my understanding.
680. बुद्ध्या न बुद्धो यॊ बोधो द्वैतबोधबुधैरपि।
बुद्ध्या बुद्धमिमं विद्धि बुद्धिसाक्षितया बुधैः।।
680. This(इमम्,Self, Atman), who is the witness of Buddhi(बुद्धि साक्षि), and who was not understood intelligently by those who were rooted in duality and difference, has (now) been understood by resort to Buddhi.
NOTE: AN says: Buddhi is indispensable to us in coping with both प्रपञ्च and परमार्थ। When the sacred texts posit Brahman as beyond the reach of speech, mind and Buddhi(यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते अप्राप्य मनसा सह), it only means they have their own limitations. It does not mean they are useless. There are Upanishadic texts which stress the role of mind (मनसैवानुद्रष्टव्यं नेह नानास्ति किञ्चन – Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad) as well as Buddhi (दृश्यते त्वग्रया बुद्ध्या सूक्ष्मया सूक्ष्मदर्शिभिः – Kathopanishad). Our Gayatri Mantra is a prayer, not for रोटी कपडा मकान, but, for intelligence. In the Gita, the Lord says: “Seek shelter in Buddhi”(बुद्धौ शरणम् अन्विच्छ. 2-49). One, whose बुद्धि is awakened, is a Buddha. Man is called Manushya because, says Maharshi Yaaska, he ‘stitches’ actions with an intelligent mind(मनसा कर्माणि सीव्यति इति मनुष्यः). Is not man called a RATIONAL animal(homo sapiens)?
IN PRAISE IF BUDDHI(अथ बुद्धि प्रशंसा)
681. न बुद्धमपि यद्बुद्धं यच्च बुद्धमबुद्धवत्।
बुद्धाबुद्धसमं बुद्ध्या बुद्धाबुद्ध विलक्षणम्।।
681. Understood (बुद्धम्), even if not understood (न बुद्धम्) and though understood (बुद्धम्) it is as if
not understood (अबुद्धवत्) – (this Self, Atman) is distinct(विलक्षणम्) from the known as well as the unknown(बुद्धाबुद्ध) and witnesses both impartially (समम्). How do we have an inkling of this puzzle called साक्षि, the witnessing संवित्? The answer is:
with the help of intelligence(बुद्ध्या) only.
NOTE: AN reminds us of two Mantra -s in केन उपनिषद् which show the inscrutable nature of Self. नाहं मन्ये सुवेदेति नो न वेदेति वेद च। यो नस्तद्वेद तद्वेद नो न वेदेति वेद च।। (I do not think I know Brahman well enough. Not that I do not know. I know and I do not know as well. He among us who understands that utterance: “Not that I do not know. I know and I do not know as well”, knows that (Brahman).(Tr. by Pujya Swami Gambhiranandaji of RKM). यस्यामतं तस्य मतं मतं यस्य न वेद सः। अविज्ञातं विजानतां विज्ञातमविजानताम्।।
(“It is known to him to whom it is unknown; he does not know to whom it is known. It is unknown to those who know well, and known to those who do not know”)(Tr.Pujya Swami Gambhiranandaji)(Kena Up 2-2,3).
In गीता(2-29), the Lord Himself says the Self is a wonder(आश्चर्यवत्पश्यति…).(Someone visualises the Self as wonder; someone talks of it as wonder; someone else hears of it as wonder and someone else, indeed, does not realize It even after hearing about It)(Tr by Pujya Swami Gambhiranandaji). Not only the Self is a wonder, but, AS adds: even he who sees, speaks or hears about the Self is a wonder too. He is, indeed, rare among many thousands. The idea is that it is very very difficult to understand Atman(यः आत्मानं पश्यति सः आश्चर्यतुल्यो यो वदति यः च श्रृणोति सः अनेकसहस्रेषु कश्चिद् एव भवति, अतो दुर्बोध आत्मा इति अभिप्रायः।).
How do we know that Atman is inscrutable
(दुर्बोध)? How do we know that even Buddhi falls short in its attempt to objectify it? The answer is: By Buddhi alone. Thus does AN praise Buddhi.
जात साक्षात्कारं शिष्यं प्रति श्री गुरोः प्रश्नामृतम् ।
(Nectarlike sweet questions by Shree Guru to Shishya who has attained Self-Realization)
682. यशोदा गीतमधुरैः मृदु वेदान्त भाषितैः।
लालितः प्रापितो निद्रां मुकुन्द इव मोदसे।।
682. Mukunda(KrishNa) was lulled into sleep by Yashoda with sweet lullabys. Lulled by sweet Vedantic maxims, do you, too, rejoice?
683. नवनीत रसग्रासैः चमत्कारैः स्वसंविदाम्।
अन्तराप्यायितो बालमुकुन्द इव खेलसि।।
683. The child-Mukunda was playful after gulping down morsels of fresh butter. Likewise, satisfied by the wonderful flashes of संवित् inside, are you, too, playful?
684. स्वात्मनि प्रलयं नीत्वा दृश्यमेकाकितां गतः।
किं नृत्यसि निजानन्दे महादेव इवात्मनि।।
684. Mahadeva dissolved the visible creation into Himself and, thus being alone, danced blissfully. Having dissolved all sense of duality, do you, too, dance likewise, joyfully?
जात साक्षात्कारं शिष्यं प्रति श्री गुरोः प्रश्नामृतम् ।
(Nectarlike sweet questions by Shree Guru to Shishya, who has attained Self-Realization)
685. सायङ्काले समाध्याख्ये स्निग्धां सर्वाङ्गसुन्दरीम्।
निजशक्तिमुमां पश्यन् महेश इव नृत्यसि।।
685. In the evening, in the flush of Samaadhi, Lord Mahesha takes to dance, seeing the loving and beautiful(in all Her limbs) Uma, His own native Power. Do you, too, dance like Him?
686. दृश्यं निपीय गरलं पाचयित्वा तदात्मनि।
मृत्युञ्जयपदं प्राप्तः किं हृष्यसि हरो यथा।।
686. Hara(Shiva) gulped down the deadly poison, neutralised it within, attained the coveted title as Mrityunjaya and was full of joy. Do you, too, rejoice like Him?
687. यथा संमुखतां नीत्वा मुकुरे मुखमीक्षितम्।
अखण्डवृत्तौ च तथा स्वरूपं किं विलोकितम्।।
687. By keeping the mirror in front, one looks at his face. Did you ‘see’ yourself likewise by developing the ‘unbroken'(integral) attitude (I am
Brahman, अहं ब्रह्मास्मि)?
जात साक्षात्कारं शिष्यं प्रति श्री गुरोः प्रश्नामृतम् (Nectarlike sweet questions by Shree Guru to his Shishya, who has attained Self-Realization).
688. बहिरन्तर्हरिं पश्यन् मायां पश्यन् जगन्मयीम्।
विस्मयं परमं यासि मार्कण्डेय इवात्मनि।।
688. Seeing Hari within and without and beholding माया sporting as the world, you will be very much astonished like the sage MaarkaNDeya.
NOTE: The story goes that at the time of deluge, MaarkaNDeya was astonished to see the infant Mukunda(बालमुकुन्द) floating on a banyan leaf (वटपत्र शयनं). He opened his mouth in utter amazement and, lo, was sucked into the body of Mukunda and saw Him within and without and everything as a play of His माया).
NOTE: The word विस्मय captures the mystery of God. He is a perpetual wonder. His symbol ॐ reflects this wonder(आश्चर्यवाचकः प्रणवः). As I said in one of the earlier posts, the Lord describes
Him as आश्चर्य (आश्चर्यवत् पश्यति कश्चिदेनम्….)(2-29).
साहित्य दर्पण of Vishwanatha defines विस्मय as follows: विविधेषु पदार्थेषु लोकसीमातिवर्तिषु। विस्फारश्चेतसो यस्तु सः विस्मय उदाहृतः।। (Vismaya is the feeling of amazement when one sees in various objects such features that go beyond accepted norms or boundaries, लोकसीमा). Our Vedic forbears
breathed this sense of अद्भुत and विस्मय at every step. The sunrise, sunset, turn of the seasons, the cycle of day and night – all these and more filled them with awe and wonder. Veda-s pour out this विस्मय felt by them. Their life was poetry. It was an unceasing wonder and AS wants us to relive it. Hence His exhortation: वेदो नित्यमधीयताम् – study daily the Veda-s.
689. श्रीगुरो, सानुभावानां करुणापूर्णंचेतसाम्।
श्रीमतां कृपया नूनम् अस्माकं किमु दुर्लभम्।।
689. Is there anything impossible for us to get, O Shree Guru, (when we are blessed ) with Thy Grace, with Thy heart full of compassion and Thou established in Realization?
NOTE: Our Upanishads declare: ब्रह्म वेद ब्रह्मैव भवति – one who ‘knows’ Brahman abides as Brahman. One of the maxims of उपासना is: देवो भूत्वा देवं यजेत् – One should adore God being himself Godlike. God or Brahman is bliss. In the foregoing verses,
He is refered to as Mukunda, Baala Mukunda, Mahaadeva, Mahesha, Mrityunjaya and Hara.
The Guru asks the Shishya again and again
whether he is rejoicing like the above icons.
This has important implications for us साधक-s. Sri RamakrishNa used to say that a devotee, enjoying the company of his इष्ट देवता, should always be cheerful, humorous and fun-loving. How can he afford to be otherwise? Will it not be belittling God? Will it not be unfair and insulting on our part to affirm our devotion to God, who is आनन्दस्वरूप, शान्ति स्वरूप, प्रेमस्वरूपः and whose particle or spark we profess to be and then betray Him by acting contrarily? While speaking to Bankim Chandra(the great man of letters) Sri RamakrishNa says: What a man eats, he belches out. If he eats radish, his belch will proclaim it.
By the same token, if we had our fill of
Sacchidananda, that must exude through our thought, speech and deed.(vide Gospel of Sri RamakrishNa).
This, then, is the benchmark of a साधक, his litmus test. He should not look morose and dry. He should be always प्रसन्न (मन कारारे प्रसन्न – तुकाराम)
and cheerful. He should be not only brimming with joy, but, make bold to declare : अवघाची संसार सुखाचा करीन। आनन्दें भरीन तिन्हीं लोक।!! Even when Sri RamakrishNa was in unbearable pain due to His throat cancer, his humour did not desert him. Those around Him were in great pain, looking at His suffering, but, the Master cheered them by His example.
अथ ज्ञानगङ्गातरङ्ग षट् सप्ततिः
(SEVENTY SIX VERSES
– WAVES OF JNAANA GANGAA)
690. ज्ञानगंगा तरङ्गो षट् सप्ततिं शृणु साम्प्रतम्।
एकेनाप्यङ्गलग्नेन सर्व पापक्षयो भवेत्।।
690. (Shree Guru to his disciple): Listen to this composition entitled seventy six waves of the Gangaa of Jnaana. The contact of even one wave will destroy all the sins.
691. वाङ्मयं खं हि सर्वत्र वाचो मूकस्य दुर्लभाः।
चिन्मयं ब्रह्म सर्वत्र विद्याहीनस्य दुर्लभम्।।
691. The ether (sky) is replete with sound vibrations, but, they are unavailable to the dumb. Likewise, Brahman, the Universal Consciousness, is everywhere, but, it is beyond the reach of the unenlightened.
692. प्राचीमथ प्रतीचीं वा यत्र क्वचन गच्छतु।
तमसा दृश्यते नैषा ब्रह्म चिद् भास्करो यथा।।
692. Let one go towards east or west or wherever. If he is blind, the sun will not be seen by him. Likewise, blinded by darkness (of ignorance), Brahman, the universal consciousness, will not be realised by him.
693. आकाशमण्डले शून्ये यथा नक्षत्रमण्डलम्।
चिद्ब्रह्ममण्डले शून्ये तथा संसारमण्डलम्।।
693. Just as clusters of stars appear In the empty sky,so do clusters of creation appear in the ’empty’ Brahman, who is pure Consciousness.
NOTE: The sky is the closest approximation to Brahman as a comparison. Hence the usage: चिदाकाश. The sky is infinite, all-inclusive and spacious enough to accommodate everything. So is Brahman. The sky is untouched – अलिप्त and असङ्ग. So is Brahman. We impute colour to the
colourless sky, and say it is blue etc. Likewise, we impute ever so many attributes to the Formless Brahman and imagine Him, clothing Him with a thousand names and forms,. As said in earlier posts, our speech, mind and intellect become शून्य in Him, and beat a hasty retreat, unable to gauge Him. Likewise, our vices and वासना-s wither away in His blaze and become शून्य with deepening devotion. The Veerashaiva/Lingayat SharaNa-s(ಶರಣ)like Basavanna, Allama Prabhu and Akka Mahadevi etc, too, refer to the Formless Shiva as ‘bayalu’ (ಬಯಲು)(Void or Shoonya) in their Kannada sayings called Vachana-s (ವಚನಗಳು). Says Jnaneshwar in an Abhang:
शून्य शोधिलें नाहीं जेणें। काय विवरण केले तेणें।।
694. जाग्रत्स्वरूप एवायं पश्यन् स्वप्नमयं जगत्।
सुषुप्त इव चिद्रूपे मुनेस्तुर्यस्तथाद्भुता।।
694. When he is awake, he beholds the world as a dream. It is as though he is asleep in his essential nature as pure consciousness. This तुर्या state is, indeed, wonderful.
NOTE: We, ordinary mortals, don’t view the world outside as a dream when we are awake. To experience dream, we need to glide from waking to dream state. But, the sage, मुनि, is always conscious of himself as pure चिद्रूप, pure unsullied Consciousness, and the world of नाम रूप – creation – looks insubstantial to him like a dream. This is the अद्भुत feature of the तुर्य state.
This verse is like the गीता श्लोक – या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी। यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः। (2-69). Bhagavan RamaNa Maharshi was a living picture of this अद्भुत state.
695. मुमुक्षा दम्भमात्रं ते न ते तीव्रा मुमुक्षता।
तीव्रा यदि मुमुक्षा स्यात् न विलम्बो भवेदियान्।।
695. (The Guru taunts the Shishya): I think your yearning for मोक्ष is just a pose and hypocrisy. Your yearning is not very fervent and earnest. Otherwise, why so much delay in your abiding in the तुरीय state?
NOTE: MaaNDookya Upanishad is entirely devoted to an exposition of Atman and his(I dislike the usage of the word ‘its’) four feet (सोऽयमात्मा चतुष्पात्).The four feet are जाग्रत्, स्वप्न, सुषुप्ति and तुरीय. The 7th Mantra of this Upanishad describes तुरीय as प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवं अद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः। To abide in Tureeya is the same as abiding as Atman.
696. अभूत् कुहूमयं विश्वं पक्षः स मलिनो गतः।
इदानीं निर्मलः पक्षो जातं राकामयं जगत्।।
696. The world was under the dark fortnight.
That ‘soiled’ fortnight – KrishNa Paksha – is past. Now, the bright fortnight – Shukla Paksha – has dawned. The world is full of moonlight now.
NOTE: When we live in ignorance of the triad of God, world and the soul (तत्वत्रय), it is the dark fortnight (कृष्णपक्ष). When, thanks to the Grace of the Sadguru and Satsang, there is the dawn of Knowledge, it is the bright fortnight(शुक्ल पक्ष) in our life. In the गीता, in chapter 8, the Lord says that there is no return(अनावृत्ति) for those who pass away in Shuklapaksha and UttaraayaNa and there is return(आवर्तन) for those who breathe their last in KrishNapaksha and DakshiNaayana
(Verse 26). The puNyatithi-s of many saints and some of our past Sadguru-s are in the latter time zone. The realized soul is deeply conscious that he is timeless(देश कालातीत). So, these thumbrules don’t apply to him. In his Brahma Sootra (4-2-20), Bhagavan BaadaraayaNa says as much: अतश्चायनेऽपि दक्षिणे। Commenting, AS says: अनियतकालत्वात् च मृत्योः, दक्षिणायनेऽपि म्रियमाणो विद्वान् प्राप्नोत्येव विद्याफलम् ।(Since death is unpredictable, a Knower reaps the benefit of his Knowledge even if he dies in DakshiNayana). This applies to KrishNa Paksha too. Says Pujya Swami Varadaananda Bhaarati:
गति मिळाया कोणतीहि,
महत्व काला विशेष नाहीं।
अवलंबून सारे राही,कर्मज्ञानशक्तीवरी।।
सर्वथाच प्रारब्धाधीन, असे नैसर्गिक मरण।
अमुक वेळ हे बंधन,
मृत्यूप्रति असते ना।।
काळाचे हे महिमान, ध्यानीं न घेतां संतजन।
करिती देह विसर्जन। स्वेच्छया प्रारब्धाने वा।। ॐ
697. न तिष्ठति मनो यत्र गोः शृङ्गे सर्षपो यथा।
शैला इव समाधिस्थास्तत्रैव स्थितिमागताः।।
697. Just as a mustard seed cannot remain on the horn of a cow, the mind( of the worldly ) cannot abide in Atman. In the same Atman, however, the Muni-s(sage, highly evolved साधक) remain firmly like mountains.
NOTE: No sooner the mind nears Atman than it loses its identity, howsoever subtle, like mustard seed, it may be. Can sugar or salt remain as it is, undissolved, when put into water? To recall Sri RamakrishNa, can the salt doll remain undissolved, if it goes to the ocean to measure its depth? When the mind is transcended – this is called अमनीभाव – the Muni is firmly established
like a mountain, in the state of same-sightedness and equanimity
(Samaadhi, Samadarshana).
698. जलप्रवाह इव याऽनवच्छिन्ना स्वभावतः।
चतुर्दशधियां दूरे सा मुनेर्मननस्थितिः।।
698. The state of a Muni is faraway from fourteen distractions and is like the natural
uninterrupted flow of water.
NOTE: It is the nature(स्वभाव) of a stream to flow smoothly unless interrupted by obstacles. Same is true of our consciousness. Its flow in a Muni or a स्थितप्रज्ञ is not interrupted by fourteen distractions – the five sensory and five motor organs(ज्ञानेन्द्रिय, कर्मेंन्द्रिय) and अन्तःकरण (मन बुद्धि अहंकार चित्त). He is at a distance(दूरे) from them.
This reminds us of ‘cultivated intelligence’ (व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धि) spoken of in गीता
(2-41). The Lord says such बुद्धि is one alone, whereas in the case of the wayward (अव्यवसायिनाम्) it is fragmented into many branches – it runs helter skelter.
(व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धि रेकेह कुरुनन्दन।
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम्।।).
699. परमात्मपदभ्रष्टः स पुनः परमात्मताम्।
यया प्राप्नोति विश्वात्मा सा मुनेर्मनन स्थितिः।।
699. Though originally one with God (Paramaatman), he (जीव) slips and falls down. He then regains his original state(ब्राह्मी स्थिति) through श्रवण मनन and निदिध्यासन and becomes one with the Universal Self(विश्वात्मा). This is the
साधना of the Muni.
NOTE: When we identify ourselves with God and affirm अहं ब्रह्मास्मि, that is the ideal मननस्थिति – true attitude. Instead, if we identify with body and all its accessories (उपाधि), that is our fall from our divine eminence. We, then, become पदभ्रष्ट and पतित .Luckily, we meet a Sadguru and have satsang (at least in the form of सत् साहित्य) and learn to say: नाहं देहं कोऽहं सोऽहम्(as taught by Bhagavan RamaNa Maharshi – “I am not the body, I am He”), this is our re-discovery of ourselves – our own पुनः प्राप्ति as said by AN.
700. प्रतिबिम्बं न गृह्णाति निर्मलो निकटस्थितः।
प्रपञ्चवञ्चने युक्तिः सा मुनेरेव नाऽमुनेः ।।
700. A clean mirror reflects things that are near, but, does not hold on to the reflections. The Muni adopts this strategy and, thus, ‘cheats’ ( outwits) the world. A non-Muni does not do so.
NOTE: When the reflected object is moved away, the mirror gives up its reflection. It does not still cling to the प्रतिबिंब. Alas, we are unlike the mirror. We cherish and nourish the reflections, the impression, the imprint. These are वासना-s. The Muni, however, emulates the mirror and this is his युक्ति to ‘cheat’ the world ! He ever remains निर्वासन. Not so an अमुनि, the man sunk in संसार.
Two monks, walking together, had to wade through a stream. They saw a young girl, nervous as to how to cross. One of the monks, on noticing her plight, immediately heaved her up and left her down on the other bank. It was like a reflex action on the spur of the moment. They were still walking. One monk asked the other after some time as to how he could violate the vow of brahmacharya by lifting the girl. The other monk replied: Are you still carrying her? I left her down long back. The second monk was mirrorlike, a Muni; Not the first monk, he was अमुनि(not-Muni).
ॐ We have completed 700 verses and this is, therefore, celebration time. Let us listen to this beautiful Gurubhajan “GURU MAHIMAA” sung by
our Gurudev Shrimat Sadyojat Shankarashram Swamiji ॐ
701. अपसर्पन्त्विति प्रोक्ताः क्षणादपसरन्त्यमी।
यदाज्ञया मनोभावाः स वशी कस्य नाद्भुतः।।
701. As soon as he says: “go away”, the moods in the mind at once go away obeying his command. Such is a self-possessed Muni!! Who will not deem him a standing wonder?
NOTE: The Muni is after all a mortal like us. He is of the earth, earthy, not of the air, airy. We are all, like Arjuna, पार्थ, Children of पृथिवी. Failings of the flesh – विकार like काम क्रोध etc – may rear their heads occasionally. Cupid dared to disturb even the meditating Shiva, isn’t it? Maara(another name for कामदेव) tried to disturb Buddha. But, these noble souls score over us in one respect – these vagaries of the mind simply disappear no sooner they command them to go away. This is a true वशीकरण. He is called वशी by AN. Such a Muni is a true conqueror. His triumph is over himself! He is a living wonder, says AN. Hanuman, Bhishma etc are shining examples of such
conquest.
To Tukaram, in his early days as a साधक, साधना was an incessant warfare, both within and without. He had to battle hostile elements outside and lust, anger, greed etc inside. That’s why he said: रात्रंदिन आम्हां युद्धाचा प्रसंग। अंतर्बाह्य जग आनि मन।। To a seasoned Muni, there is no fear of strife within. These socalled hostile elements
have become so docile that his single order: ‘go away’ is enough to make them take to their heels, says AN.
702. जारणात्कालकूटस्य शम्भोराशीविषा वशाः।
मारणान्मनसस्तद्वन्मुनेरिन्द्रियवृत्तयः।।
702. Shambhu neutralised the deadly कालकूट poison and, lo, all serpents came under His control. The Muni, likewise, ‘kills’ his mind and,
as a result, all the flutterings of his senses come under his control.
NOTE: Killing the mind means rising above the undulating, pendulum-like tendency of the mind to swing incessantly between yes and no, like and dislike, affirmation and negation etc.(सङ्कल्प विकल्पात्मकं मनः।)This state of अमनीभाव is the supreme तीर्थ, says AS in His काशी पञ्चकम् – मनोनिवृत्तिः परमोपशान्तिः सा तीर्थवर्या मणिकर्णिका च।
There is a beautiful verse in the Vairagya Shatakam of Bhartrihari: प्रशान्तशास्त्रार्थविचारचापलं,
निवृत्तनानारसकाव्य कौतुकम्। निरस्तनिःशेषविकल्पविस्तरं,
प्रपत्तुम् अन्विछति शङ्करं मनः।।(My mind desires to surrender to Shankara, its restless curiousity in the investigation of scriptural meaning being completely set at rest, its fancy for poetry full of various sentiments having faded away, and all the different wild doubts being totally dispelled).
This verse is a pointer to the profound silence
(महामौन) that is our Lord Bhavanishankar. The incessant chatter of our mind gets stilled once we are one with Him(सायुज्यम्).
703. अहन्ता ममता त्यागः कर्तुं यदि न शक्यते। अहन्ताममताभावः सर्वत्रैव विधीयताम्।।
703. If it is not possible to give up the notions of I and mine, let these be applied universally.
NOTE: Instead of identifying the I, अहम्, with very small entities like body, senses, mind etc (देहात्म बुद्धि), why not expand and say, as the Upanishads teach us, अहं ब्रह्मास्मि – I am the Infinite? Instead of calling only a scattered few as mine(मम, ममता), why not expand our consciousness and say: All are mine, everything is mine(वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्, विश्वचि माझे घर)? This is the Drumbeat of Vedaanta(वेदान्त डिण्डिम).
The great Appayya Dixita says the same in his वैराग्य शतक – त्यक्तव्यो ममकारः, त्यक्तुं यदि शक्यते नासौ। कर्तव्यो ममकारः किन्तु सः सर्वत्र कर्तव्यः।।
“Expansion is life; Contraction is death” said Revered Swami Vivekananda. He had standing ovation on 11-9-1893 at Chicago when He began His address in the Parliament of Religions with His words: Sisters and Brothers of America. He became an instant sensation . Why? This large-heartedness of Hinduism voiced by this Monk was a revelation to them! They were used to the hackneyed phrase: Ladies and Gentlemen. ‘Brothers and Sisters’ took their breath away. At the back of Swamiji’s opening words was the love: : वसुधैव कुटुम्बकम्!
704. वर्णाश्रम वयो वेषाध्ययनाचार सुन्दरः।
विना विचार वैराग्यै: पशुरेव न संशयः।।
704. One may look attractive because he conforms to the external appearance and duties appropriate to the VarNa, Aashrama, age and study. But, if he is lacking in विचार and वैराग्य, he is as good as a beast. There is no doubt about it.
NOTE: This sounds very harsh and is meant to downplay the role of ritualism(कर्माङ्ग), ritual dress and mere scholarship. Our patron deity Lord Bhavanishankar is called Pashupati and we are all पशु -s. Here, this word पशु, stands for one who is bound by पाश, ropes – अहं, मम, काम क्रोध etc. The learned class who harassed the young Santa Jnandeva and his siblings were great Pandits of धर्मशास्त्र and they could quote chapter and verse to justify their brutality. But, they were not spiritual. They woefully lacked विचार and वैराग्य.
Sri RamakrishNa had scant regard for such dry ritualists and scholars. The vulture soars very high indeed, but, its gaze is riveted to the carcass downbelow. Likewise, these traditionalists and scholars, howsoever
high in other respects, their gaze is on
कामिनी and काञ्चन, He would say. Such bound souls are refered to as Pashu by AN.
705. तीक्ष्णे विचार वैराग्ये चित्ते यस्य निरन्तरे।
स पण्डितः किमेतस्य साधनान्तर चिन्तनैः।।
705. If विचार and वैराग्य are sharp and unwavering, he is a PaNDita, indeed. There is no need for him to bother about any other kinds of साधना.
706. वर्धते मूलसेकेन मूलशोषेण शुष्यति।
भस्मसात् क्रियते वन्हि ज्वालयेति तरुस्थितिः।।
707. वर्धते मनसः सेकैः मनः शोषेण शुष्यति।
भस्मसात् क्रियते बोधः ज्वालयेति भवस्थितिः।।
706-707. By watering the root, the plant grows. When the root dries, the plant withers. A flame reduces to ash the tree. This is the Truth. Likewise, the mind grows by catering to its whims and fancies. Starved, the mind withers. The flame of true knowledge reduces to ash Samsara. This is the Truth.
NOTE: What is mind? Sankalpa and Vikalpa – yes and no, affirmation and negation, like and dislike etc – nourish the mind(सङ्कल्प विकल्पात्मकं मनः).
By pampering the mind and catering to all its whims and fancies – it grows. If we don’t do so, it slowly withers and this consummation – मनो निवृत्ति – is supreme peace (मनो निवृत्ति: परामोपशान्तिः
says AS in His काशी पञ्चकम्). This sounds very simple in theory, but, how to do it? By prayng to God: “Thy will be done.” We should learn to handover our sankalpa to God and devoutly say:
I will cherish whatever you give as प्रसाद. शिवसंकल्प becomes my संकल्प. Prasaad, as we all know, is not amenable to rejection, howsoever unattractive it may look. Do we consign to the bin the प्रसाद we get from a Math or a temple, because the sandalpaste is dry or the flower petals, too, have become faded and shrivelled?
708. पर पारस्थितं हंसं द्विधेव प्रतिबिंबितम्।
तथात्मानं विजानाति तटस्थ: सत्यदर्शनः।।
708. An onlooker, who is on one bank, looks at the swan on the other bank, and its reflection (in the river). ,(He does not then say there are two swans). Likewise, standing aside and apart(from उपाधि -s like body) the Knower, the visionary of Truth, knows himself.
NOTE: The word तटस्थ has two meanings here – the bank of the river and being neutral,impartial. Vedaanta urges us to be तटस्थ, unattached and neutral and watch the passing show of Samsaara. The onlooker of the swan stands aside and apart and looks at it. The real swan gives rise to an unreal swan, a प्रतिबिम्ब. The reflection is unreal because it is the river which
gave birth to it. The beginningless माया is the river. Atman, Self, reflected in माया, is the जीव. AN says the Knower knows himself तथा, likewise, on the analogy of the swan and its reflection.
While all the Dualistic(द्वैत) schools of Vedanta posit two entities within us – Paramaatman and जीवात्मन् – Advaita says what is within us is Paramaatman alone (ममैवांशः) and He is in all, like the same sky(space)in different pots (घटाकाश). When, due to ignorance, अविद्या, that spark of God within us identifies itself with the five sheaths, कोष, like gross physical body etc, it is called जीव. AS in His treatise आत्मबोध gives a very telling example of paddy and rice. These are not two entities. Dehusked paddy is rice. Likewise, dehusked जीव is आत्मन् (the husk being the पञ्च कोष). How to accomplish this dehusking? The answer is: आत्म -अनात्म विवेक (Discrimination between the Self and the Not-Self). वपुस्तुषादिभिर्कोषैः युक्तं युक्त्यवघाततः। आत्मानमान्तरं शुद्धं विविच्यात् तण्डुलं यथा।।(Verse 16).
We have to assimilate to our very core the conviction that मनो बुद्ध्यहंकार चित्तानि नाहम् etc – I am not the mind, buddhi etc etc. This is the Drumbeat of Vedanta (वेदान्त डिण्डिम). This is where the Sadguru steps in:
दीक्षितं शिष्यमोक्षार्थे!
709. चित्रमल्पेन कालेन बोधभर्जित चेतसः।
भर्जितस्येव बीजस्य कार्यसाधकता गता।।
709. How wonderful! Just as a roasted seed loses its potency to give effect to a sprout, my mind, roasted by Knowledge (बोध), has lost its (earlier) potency to give effect(कार्य साधकता) (to Sankalpa and Vikalpa – yes, no; like dislike etc.
NOTE: Now I just flow with the current(प्रवाह पतित) . Shiva Sankalpa is my Sankalpa. I no longer swim against the current. Sant Jnaneshwar says: In a garden tended by a gardener, the irrigating water flows quietly as designed by him. Likewise, one should give up the vanity of doership.(माळिये जेऊंत नेले। तेऊंत निवांतचि गेले।तया पाणियां ऐसे केले। होआवे गां) (ज्ञानेश्वरी.)
710. पङ्गवस्तु कृता एव दृगाद्या न चलन्ति यत्।
अन्धानपि करिष्यामि न पश्यन्ति यथा जगत्।
710. My senses, eyes etc, have been rendered lame . I will now make them blind sothat they don’t see the world.
NOTE: It seems AN enjoys to perplex his readers. Taken literally, this doesn’t make much sense. What is the real meaning?
The meaning is: All the senses of the highly evolved devotee perceive only Brahman, God, in their respective objects(विषय). It is not the विषय alone as heretofore, but, God, gleaming and glistening through it. जें जें दृष्टिदिसे तें तें हरिरूप। To the staunch devotee, says Tukaram: विषय तो त्यांचा झाला नारायण। It is in this sense that AN says the senses have been rendered lame. Says Sant Eknath in his Bhaagavat:
भक्तांचे विषयीं नाहीं चित्त।
त्यांचा विषय मी भगवंत।
What makes the devotee rejoice is not the bare विषय, but He, whose स्फुरण, flash, it is. HE becomes the विषय of विषय! This experience surprises him so much that he turns self-forgetful.(इन्द्रियासहित चित्त ठकलें चि ठेलें। मीं माझें विसरलें स्वयें भाव।)(ठकणें means चकित होणें, ठेलें means राहिला). It is this vision we should aspire for as prayed in our Math’s logo: चक्षुर्नो धेहि चक्षुषे
(O God, pray endow our physical eyes with
God-vision!).
710. पङ्गवस्तु कृता एव दृगाद्या न चलन्ति यत्।
अन्धानपि करिष्यामि न पश्यन्ति यथा जगत्।
710. My senses, eyes etc, have been rendered lame . I will now make them blind sothat they don’t see the world.
NOTE: It seems AN enjoys to perplex his readers. Taken literally, this doesn’t make much sense. What is the real meaning?
The meaning is: All the senses of the highly evolved devotee perceive only Brahman, God, in their respective objects(विषय). It is not the विषय alone as heretofore, but, God, gleaming and glistening through it. जें जें दृष्टिदिसे तें तें हरिरूप। To the staunch devotee, says Tukaram: विषय तो त्यांचा झाला नारायण। It is in this sense that AN says the senses have been rendered lame. Says Sant Eknath in his Bhaagavat: भक्तांचे विषयीं नाहीं चित्त। त्यांचा विषय मी भगवंत। What makes the devotee rejoice is not the bare विषय, but He, whose स्फुरण, flash, it is. HE becomes the विषय of विषय! This experience surprises him so much that he turns self-forgetful.(इन्द्रियासहित चित्त ठकलें चि ठेलें। मीं माझें विसरलें स्वयें भाव।)(ठकणें means चकित होणें, ठेलें means राहिला). It is this vision we should aspire for as prayed in our Math’s logo: चक्षुर्नो धेहि चक्षुषे
(O God, pray endow our physical eyes with
God-vision!).
712. ब्रह्मधेनो: स्वभावोऽयं देवधेनो विलक्षणः।
भोक्तैव तद्दुग्धपानात् सद्यस्तद्रूपतां व्रजेत्।।
712. The nature of this Brahman-Cow is radically different from that of the cow of the gods (कामधेनु). The latter gives only enjoyment if her milk is imbibed; but, this Brahman-Cow turns the imbiber into Himself!
NOTE: AN gives the analogy of धेनु or cow. The second line recalls to our mind Tukaram’s eulogy of the Sadguru:आपणा सारीखे करिती तात्काळ। नाहीं काळवेळ मग त्यासी।
713. यदि योगे कृता बुद्धिः सप्तमीं गच्छ भूमिकाम्।
मग्नश्चेद् गच्छ पातालम् इति नीतिविदां वचः।।
713. If your बुद्धि is wedded to Yoga, then strive to reach the plane of consciousness called Tureeya. If you have plunged (into the ocean), then dive down to the very bottom(to pick up the pearls). Such are the words of the wise, well versed in the ways of the world.
NOTE: Half-hearted approach to साधना is not acceptable. An initiate into Yoga should not rest until he abides in his true nature as the
witnessing Tureeya, surpassing the three states of waking, dreaming and sleeping. What is the point in just surfing on the surface of the ocean?
Pearls are at the bottom and the diver must go there to scoop up the pearls.
714. मध्याह्नभास्करं द्रष्टुं साक्षाद् यदि तु न क्षमम्।
पटव्यवहितं पश्येत् जले वा प्रतिबिम्बितम्।।
714. If one cannot look at the mid-day sun directly, one should veil the sun with a cloth and see or look at him(the sun) reflected in water.
NOTE: Our क्षमता, our competence, must be slowly improved, thereby raising our अधिकार,
our eligibility. The sun symbolises our goal.
If we cannot see the sun directly, let us see him through a veil or at a reflection. But, we should not despair and give up our sadhana. This is how the Sadguru motivates the shishya. Our परमेष्टि गुरु, पूज्य Swami Anandashram used to quote a maxim: अकरणात् मन्दकरणं श्रेयः. This means: It is better to do slowly, even imperfectly, than not do at all.
715 . तथा चिन्मात्रचण्डांशुं निर्विकल्पं न चेत् क्षमः।
सर्वव्यापितया पश्येत् अन्तर्यामितयाथवा।।
715. The formless, attributeless Brahman, beyond all concepts(nirvikalpa), is like the blazing sun. If one is unable to ‘see’ such Brahman, please visualise Him as all-pervading or as enshrined
within himself.
716. लक्षं शराः प्रयोक्तव्याः सूक्ष्मे लक्ष्येपि धन्विना।
कदाचिद् दैवसंयोगाद् एकोऽपि तु लगिष्यति।।
717. सदैव चेतसो वृत्तिं ध्यानाभ्यासे विधीयताम्।
कदाचित् कृपया शंभोरखंण्डाकारता भवेत्।।
716-717. The Archer should let go a lakh of arrows(I.e.many arrows) at a minute target. Possibly, by grace of God, maybe one arrow may hit the target. Likewise, one should practise engaging his mind always in meditation on Brahman. Maybe, by grace of Lord Shambhu, he may succeed in making his mind bloom with अखण्डाकार वृत्ति (one with the partless Brahman).
NOTE: One who learns cycling cannot foretell as to when he will acquire perfect balance. So, too,one who learns swimming. “Rome was not built in a day”. In the गीता the Lord says: Aspire to attain Me, O Dhananjaya, by Abhyaasa(अभ्यास योगेन ततो मामिच्छाप्तुं धनञ्जय(12-9).
Santa Tukaram says: असाध्य ते साध्य करितां सायास। कारण अभ्यास तुका म्हणे।।The impossible becomes possible by diligent practice, he says.
Practice makes a man perfect. We should keep up our practice of meditation, says AN, leaving it to Lord Bhavanishankar (Shambhu) to crown our efforts with success when He deems fit.
718.लीलासिन्धोः कियदिव हरेः षोडशस्त्रीसहस्रम्
नि:संख्याता विविध रुचिना येन भुक्ताः स्त्रियस्ताः।
तादृङ्नातः स पुनरनया भामया वश्य भावं
सम्यग्भुक्तो यदुपतिरतः सत्यभामैव धन्या।।
718. Shri KrishNa, the King of Yadu-s(यादव), the ocean of playfulness and a connoisseur of various tastes (विविध रुचि) enjoyed the company of more than 16,000 women; Nevertheless, He was held captive by the fortunate Satyabhaamaa ‘s love. Likewise, though the साधक sports with countless चित्तवृत्ति (in the beginning), finds(at last) ब्रह्माकारवृत्ति – mind assuming the form of Brahman- and this mode of his mind is itself सत्यभामा, the fortunate(धन्या) one.
NOTE: The साधक is initially besieged by countless thought waves agitating his mind and he practises योग which is thought-control(योगः चित्तवृत्ति निरोधः). KrishNa finds सत्यभामा. Likewise, the साधक, too,finds his सत्यभामा – the splendour(भामा ) of truth(सत्य). When he abides as the witnessing संवित्, the साक्षि, the तुरीय – it is as though he has found his सत्यभामा. Truth, सत्य, is self-luminous(भामा). The ब्रह्माकारवृत्ति – अहं ब्रह्मास्मि –
is the legendary सत्यभामा,.
KrishNa is a PoorNa Avataar and has 16 कला (excellences) unlike Shri Raama who has 14. Because RaavaNa had received a boon that no god can kill him, Raama is said to have concealed two कला-s. These 16 कला -s are indicated as 16,000 – the usual tendency of mythology to exaggerate!
719. वर्तते ब्रह्मसर्वत्र ब्राह्मणो लभ्यते क्वचित्।
समर्घाद् ब्रह्मणस्तस्मान्महार्घो ब्राह्मणो भवेत्।।
719. Brahman is everywhere, but, he who knows Brahman – BraahmaNa – is rarely found. Therefore, the knower of Brahman – BraahmaNa – is more valuable(more costly) than Brahman available equally everywhere!
NOTE: A BraahmaNa is defined as one who knows Brahman (ब्रह्म वेत्ति इति ब्राह्मणः). Such
BraahmaNa -s are a dwindling tribe indeed.
So, AN cracks a joke that he is more valuable than Brahman present everywhere. Naturally, we
prize that as most valuable, that which is rarely found. If something is here, there and everywhere, it cannot be so precious! Please note AN is not belittling Brahman, but, wants to highlight dramatically how few are those who truely ‘know’ Brahman and are thus qualified to be real BraahmaNa -s, properly so called.
720. परसङ्गसुखासक्तं योगिनां योषिताम् इव।
विहाय लोकसिद्धान्तं रमते स्वमते मनः।।
720. An woman of easy virtue, addicted to extra- marital relationship, makes merry with her paramour. The mind of Yogi-s likewise makes light of worldly protocols and revels in Brahman,
his real choice,.
NOTE: Such comparisons with an unchaste wife are found in Bhagavatam and even in
Jnaaneshwari. Personally, they make me very uncomfortable.
Can’t a better analogy be found?
721. तोयरन्ध्रनिरोधेन भाति पूर्णं सरोवरम्।
वृत्तिरन्ध्रनिरोधेन पूर्णो बोधः किमद्भुतम्।।
721. A lake looks full when points of leakage are plugged. Likewise, Knowledge is full when mind’s leakage through thoughts is stalled.
NOTE: The word निरोध is important here. Howsoever full a lake looks initially, if water seeps out through several openings, it will turn almost empty slowly but surely. Our mind, too, has tremendous potential. It is a reservoir of infinite powers and talents. However, our vices like lust, anger, greed and restlessness of the senses drain off this lake of the mind – मानस सरोवर. This impoverishes our life. If we have to enrich it once again, we have to seal the
leakages. That is Yoga: योगः चित्तवृत्ति निरोधः
as proclaimed by sage Patanjali(Yoga Sootra 1-2).
722. निर्मूला निष्फला शुष्का कदर्या भोगवासना।
तया तिरोहितः स्वामी तृणेनेव महागिरिः।।
722. Just as a huge hill gets concealed by an overlay of grass, weeds, reeds and shrubs – rootless, barren, dry and worthless- so is the Master within concealed by the cravings for sensory pleasures.
NOTE: When the overlying grass is removed, we get a good view of the hill. Likewise, our स्वामी, Lord, within – for whom our heart is the drawing room as said by Sri RamakrishNa – looms into our view when the concealing curtain of वासना-s is removed. ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति (The Lord dwells in our heart) says गीता. Then, being so near, why is He yet so far? The answer is: the cobwebs of cravings, वासना, veil our vision. As we move nearer and nearer to Him with unwavering
devotion, slowly but surely, these cravings lessen and wither away as testified by saints (मनोवासना रामरूपीं बुडाली – Shri Samartha Ramadasa). Get rid of the unhealthy वासना-s, says SR –
मना कामना दुष्ट कामा नये रे…
म्हणोनी कुडी वासना सांडि वेगीं।….
नको वासना वीषयीं वृत्तिरूपें।
Let there be only one वासना, the वासना for
Vaasudeva, says SR –
मना वासना वासुदेवीं वसों दे।
(Vide Manaache Shloka).
723. न देश कालौ न वयो न युक्तिर्न विदग्धता।
यदैव वासनात्यागः तव मुक्तिस्तदैव हि।।
723. Place, time, age, clever tricks or scholarship – these don’t conduce to liberation. When you have given up the cravings, then and there you
will have liberation.
NOTE: When वासना is denounced, it stands for unhealthy cravings(what Samarth Ramdas calls कुडी वासना or दुष्ट वासना). Craving for holy company, holy books etc is called सद्वासना and is to be cultivated. This should be borne in mind.
Liberation is actually liberation from unhealthy cravings(दुर्वासना). . All saints and sages have repeatedly voiced this truth,. In Yoga Vaasishta the sage tells Raama: वासनातानवं राम मोक्ष इत्युच्यते बुधैः। (The extinction of (unhealthy) cravings is called Moksha by the wise)(2-3-5). बन्धो हि वासनाबद्धो मोक्षः स्याद् वासनाक्षयः।(Bondage means bound by cravings. Moksha is extinction of cravings)(4-57-19).
AS says in Viveka ChooDamaNi: वासनावृद्धितः कार्यं कार्यवृद्ध्या च वासना। वर्धते सर्वंथा पुंसः संसारो न निवर्तते।।
(313)(The increase of (unhealthy ) cravings leads to increased selfish activity; this again leads to a spurt in (unhealthy) cravings. Thus, there is no cessation of संसार।)
सद्वासनास्फूर्ति विजृम्भणे सति, ह्यसौ विलीना त्वहमादि वासना।
अति प्रकृष्टाप्यरुणप्रभायां, विलीयते साधु यथा तमिस्रा।।(318)
(As the gloom of night is completely swept away by the glow of the rising sun, all (unhealthy ) cravings springing from I, अहम्, dissolve when the good वासना (for realizing Brahman) springs up within).
In his Abhang हरीचिया दासा हरि दाही दिशा Santa Eknath says
जन्म घेणे लागे वासनेच्या सङ्गें।
Craving causes rebirth, he says. In the Gospel of Holy Mother, Sri Sarada Devi says that even an unfulfilled craving for a trifle like icecream, at the time of death, can cause rebirth. Shri Samartha Ramdas, too, rails against वासना-s repeatedly in His Manaache Shloka.
724. उपायैः शोधिते क्षेत्रे निर्मलं बीजमर्पितम्।
किं चित्रं धान्यसम्पत्तौ स देवो यदि वर्षति।।
724. Good seed is sown, the field is well prepared (made clean, free from pests, weeds etc ), the rain-god showers rain and, as a result there is abundant crop- what is so wonderful about it?
NOTE: The Lord said in गीता that our body-mind complex is a field
(इदं शरीरं कौन्तेय क्षेत्रमित्यभिधीयते).
It is a field of action(कुरुक्षेत्र) and the purpose of our life is to transform it into धर्मक्षेत्र. If seeds like Viveka(discrimination), Vairaagya (dispassion) and वासना त्याग are sown in this field, is it a matter for wonder if abundant crop of peace, joy, love etc is yielded?
725. कृतवाक्यविचारस्य परमार्थममभीप्सतः।
ज्ञानं गरिष्ठमज्ञानम् अज्ञानं ज्ञानमुत्तमम्।।
725. To him, who ponders over the ‘Great Sayings'(महावाक्य like तत् त्वम् असि etc) and is a seeker of the Highest Good(मोक्ष), the mundane knowledge looks like dense ignorance and ignorance(ignorance of mundane things) is deemed as highest knowledge.
NOTE: This verse reminds us of a Mantra in Kena Upanishad:
यस्यामतं तस्य मतं मतं यस्य न वेद सः।
अविज्ञातं विजानतां विज्ञातमविजानताम्।
(It is known to him to whom It is unknown. He does not know to whom It is known. It is unknown to those who know well and known to those who do not know) (2-3). Our worldly knowledge is relational and is grounded in the triad(त्रिपुटी) of knower (ज्ञाता ) knowledge (ज्ञान) and the known (ज्ञेय). Realization of Brahman is non-relational wherein the त्रिपुटी is transcended. From the lofty standpoint of Realization, the त्रिपुटी smacks of ignorance and that state where त्रिपुटी is absent is prized as the highest knowledge.
726. व्याख्यासि वेदान्तगिरो जयसि द्वैतवादिनः।
नान्तः विशसि तन्मन्ये तत्रास्ति मरणं तव।।
726. You discourse on the texts of Vedaanta and you conquer in debate the exponents of Dualistic systems of philosophy. But, if you have not ‘entered into’ (experienced) the spirit of the Great Sayings – महावाक्य – death is awaiting you,.
NOTE: The Atman is not ‘available’ by discourses, said Yama to Nachiketa (नायमात्मा प्रवचनेन लभ्यो). Some old scholars used to flaunt the title प्रतिवादि भयङ्करः(terror to the rivals in debate).
AS in His Viveka ChooDaamaNi says:
वीणाया रूपसौन्दर्यं तन्त्रीवादनसौष्टवम्। प्रजारञ्जनमात्रं तन्न साम्राज्याय कल्पते।।
वाग्वैखरी शब्दझरी शास्त्रव्याख्यानकौशलम्।
वैदुष्यं विदुषां तद्वद् भुक्तये न तु मुक्तये।।
(The beauty of वीणा and the skill in playing on its strings serves merely to please the gallery. It will not serve to confer sovereignty. Loud and fluent speech, a cascade of words and a mastery in expounding the scriptures – all this
scholarship may confer भुक्ति
(material enjoyment) on the scholar, but not मुक्ति (Liberation)(57, 58).
Again AS says paradoxically: अविज्ञातं परे तत्त्वे शास्त्राधीतिस्तु निष्फला। विज्ञातेऽपि परे तत्त्वे शास्त्राधीतिस्तु निष्फला।। (As long as the Highest Truth is not known(realised), the study of scriptures is useless. It is equally useless if it is known (realised).
By the words “death is awaiting you” AN wants to say that the cycle of birth and death (पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं। पुनरपि जननीजठरे शयनम्।) cannot be averted.
727. मित्रेण कुशलं पृष्टे पूर्वावस्थाम् अनुस्मरन्।
इदानीं कुशलं जातम् इति हृष्यति योगवित्।।
727. The adept in Yoga, when asked by his friend: “Hello, how are you”, says delightfully in reply, remembering his earlier state: It is all very fine now .
NOTE: The पूर्व अवस्था – earlier state – of every
साधक is one of अज्ञान (ignorance), संशय (doubt) and विपर्यय (looking at things not as they are – misconception). This state is far from being कुशल, happy. There is struggle and, like Arjuna, the साधक may slip into depression and dejection (विषाद). But, Arjuna marched on from विषाद to प्रसाद. Let विषाद be at the beginning, but, it should not be at the end. The story of Arjuna is the story of every साधक. Mark the words of Arjuna when the Jagadguru Shri KrishNa asks him:
O Paartha, have you listened attentively? Is your mental confusion, born of ignorance, now over?
(कच्चिदेतत् श्रुतं पार्थ त्वयैकाग्रेण चेतसा। कच्चिद् अज्ञानसम्मोहः प्रनष्टस्ते धनञ्जय ।।)
and Arjuna’s joyous reply is: Yes, my delusive over-attachment is no more;
I have recovered my memory, my identity – all due to Thy Grace, O Achyuta. Now, I stand before Thee with my doubts gone; I will carry out Thy bidding.
(नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत् प्रसादात् मयाच्युत।
स्थितोऽस्मि गतसन्देहः करिष्ये वचनं तव।।)
(18-72, 73).
Let the पूर्व अवस्था be gloomy like Arjuna’s, but, like him we should be the beneficiaries of Divine Grace (प्रसाद).
AN says that the Knower of Yoga (योगवित्) compares and contrasts his earlier days with the present and says with joy that he is now very happy.
728. कर्मठ: काञ्चनालिप्त शून्यताम्रघटोपमः।
विद्वान्स्तु रत्नसंपूर्णहेमकुम्भ इवोत्तमः।।
728. The ritualist is like a gold-plated empty brass vessel . The man of knowledge, however, is like a gem-studded golden vessel.
729. . भूरुहत्वाविशेषेपि द्वयोरन्तरमीदृशम्।
इक्षुकाण्डसमो विद्वान् दण्डकाष्ठस्तु कर्मठ: ।।
729 The sugarcane and the tree from which strong canes(whipping sticks) are formed – both spring from the same earth. However there is this difference – the learned man is like sugarcane and the mere ritualist is like the cane.
730.विशालदृष्टौ रमते न त्वन्यत्र पतिर्मम ।
येन दृष्टिः विशाला स्यात् स मन्त्रो मम दीयताम्।।
730. The disciple to his Guru: My Master(God) rejoices in a vast universal vision and nowhere else(not in a narrow, sectarian vision).. So, please initiate me into a मन्त्र whereby my vision will be expansive.
NOTE: There are as many points of view as are people. “I am the body-mind complex” – this is also a दृष्टि. “I am a spark of Brahman”(अहं ब्रह्मास्मि) – this, too, is a दृष्टि. In between these two polar opposites, there will be innumerable variants like – “O God, I am Thy servant”(नारायण, तव दासोऽहम्).
What pleases the पति, the Lord, is the latter vision(अहं ब्रम्हास्मि).
The global prayer पसायदान of Santa
Jnaaneshwar is the outpouring of universal vision. The same vision marks the CHAMAKA of Rudra Adhyaaya wherein the word ‘to me’ (मे) recurs repeatedly. However, मे, here, stands not for selfish ego, but, for अहम् that has become one with all(विश्वात्मक). So, when I utter शं च मे, मयश्च मे I pray for material welfare(शं) and spiritual welfare(मयस्) for all.
731. चिन्तामणिं कराद् भ्रष्टं माशुचः प्राह मे गुरुः।
दिनैः कतिपयैरेव पुनरेव मिलिष्यति।।
731. When the wish-fulfilling gem slipped off my hand, my Guru told me: Grieve not; Within few days again you will have it.
NOTE: Every Great Saying (महावाक्य) is a wish- fulfilling gem(चिन्तामणि). It confers Realization.
For a variety of reasons, even the sage may stumble. None can claim to be infallible .To err is human. Has it not been said: प्रमादो धीमतामपि (even very wise do blunder)? Even Homer nods, they say in English. Sage Vishvaamitra stumbled at the sight of Menakaa. Sage Paraashara slipped into the arms of Satyavati. So, when a disciple slips spiritually, the Guru consoles him and assures him that all is not lost and he can
reclaim his lost estate by making amends for his lapses. The first psychotherapist in the world, Shri KrishNa, did not lose heart because His first patient, Arjuna, was stubbornly non-receptive to His advice. How cleverly He managed him with infinite patience, and made his inferiority complex (कार्पण्य दोष) melt away!
The disciple who dared to tell the Jagadguru न योत्स्ये – I will not fight – in the beginning, makes a momentous leap from विषाद to प्रसाद and says at the end: I will do as you tell me(करिष्ये वचनं तव). This is the miracle of the Sadguru!
732. करोमि संशयं यावन् मुकुन्दमुखदर्शने।
आश्वासयति मां तावत् परमा देवता मनः।।
732. (Recalling his early days as a साधक, AN says): When I was doubtful whether I would behold the face of Mukunda, my supreme mind-deity would assure me(that I would surely).
NOTE: Bondage and liberation are the handiwork of mind (मन एव मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः). Mind is the measure of man. The English word ‘man’ is related to मन. Reflection(विचार) is मनन after listening(श्रवण). Man is also called मनुष्य and Yaaska Maharshi gives the etymology as:
“thoughtfully he weaves the fabric of actions” (मननात् कर्माणि सीव्यति इति मनुष्यः). So, our mind is the Kingmaker, so to say. Shri Samartha Ramdasa named His little treasure: Psalms for the mind(मनाचे श्लोक). If mind does not co-operate, all our effort will be futile. Hence, in गीता, too, the Lord says again and again: Give thy mind to me, मन्मना भव, place thy mind in me
(मय्येव मन आधत्स्व).
Mind is the eleventh organ(मनमेकादशं स्मृतम्), the others being five ज्ञानेन्द्रिय and five कर्मेंन्द्रिय. These इन्द्रिय-s dance to the tune played by mind. The inner meaning of एकादशी उपवास is: keeping (वास) the eleventh (एकादश) organ mind near(उप ) God.
If the mind- flower is offered to God, there is no return to Samsaara, says Santa Tukaram with supreme confidence
(मन हा मोगरा अर्पूनी ईश्वरा।
पुनरपि संसारा येणें नाहीं।।).
Hence, no wonder AN calls mind as परमा देवता. The Upanishads, too, say: With mind only you should see that there is no plurality (मनसैव अनुद्रष्टव्यं नेह नानास्ति किञ्चन). Here, the mind is not राजसिक or तामसिक, but सात्विक. It is the सुसंस्कृतं मनः
(the cultured, refined mind) of AS.
Have you not heard Asha Bhosle singing: मन ही देवता मन ही ईश्वर मनसे बडा न कोई…तोरा मन दरपण कहलायो?
733. कन्दर्पकोटि लावण्यं सत्यमुक्तं जनार्दने।
कन्दर्प प्रमुखाः सर्वे तत्प्रकाशे पलायिताः।।
733. It has been truly said that the beauty of
Janaardana equals that of crores of Cupids
(कामदेव). When His(God’s, Janaardana’s) light is there(shed in the heart of a devotee), all vagaries led by Cupid(काम, lust etc) take to their heels.
NOTE: As has been said many times in these columns, once we ally with God wholeheartedly,
in devotion, He cleanses us of all that is foul and unholy in us.
क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा शश्वच्छान्तिं निगच्छति।
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति।।(गीता ).
It is not a tardy ‘operation’ by God, but, क्षिप्रम्, at once. Saints have vouched for this – how their cravings have wilted and withered away. वासना and वासुदेव can’t be together just like darkness and light.
734. अश्रु मुक्तं वियोगिन्या राधया मेलनाशया।
तत्रैव मायया गुप्तः प्राप्तः प्रकटतां हरिः।।
734. Yearning for meeting Hari, राधा shed tears due to the pangs of separation viyoga), At once, Hari, who lay hidden by His माया, appeared before her.
NOTE: Sri RamakrishNa uses the word व्याकुल to describe the Gopi’s condition. Her व्याकुलता (restlessness) made her tearful. And lo, Shri Krishna appears. RK urges us to have this व्याकुलता। He says: आन्तरिक व्याकुल हये तार नाम गुणगान कर। (With a longing heart, sing His name and
His glories). People shed jugful of tears for the sake of children, wives(or husband’s) or money. But, who weeps for God?(किन्तु ईश्वरेर जन्य के कान्दछे?”. HE says: Longing is like the rosy dawn. After the dawn, out comes the sun. Longing is followed by the vision of God.(vide Gospel of Sri RamakrishNa).
735. सौरभ्याय भ्रमन्त्येके मधु काङ्क्षन्ति चापरे।
न भ्रमन्ति न काङ्क्षन्ति मधुमत्ता मधुव्रताः।।
735. Some bees roam around attracted by the scent. Some roam to imbibe the honey. But, those bees, intoxicated with honey, neither roam here and there nor crave for anything.
NOTE: Real honey is the
Brahman. The bee symbolises the seeker of joy. The ritualists crave for the pleasures of heaven (स्वर्ग सुख). That pleasure is at best the scent of ब्रह्मसुख. Seeing the futility of these rituals (compared to insecure boats by मुण्डक उपनिषद् – प्लवा ह्येते अदृढाः यज्ञरूपाः), the devotee seeks the
honey (मधु) of सायुज्य with the Supreme. Once this happens, all cravings (काङ्क्षा) wither away. He becomes like the bee that has become मत्त (intoxicated), having had its fill.
736. धनं प्राप्नोति कष्टेन प्रदोषे काष्ठभारिकः।
सुखासनस्थो विपुलं धनं रत्नपरीक्षकः।।
736. The woodcutter toils a lot and earns some money at sunset. The jeweller, connoisseur of gems, sits at ease and earns in plenty.
NOTE: Here again, AN gives another analogy, but, the purport is same as above. The path of ritualists, full of sacrifices, is very cumbersome and is likened to the toil of an woodcutter, who gets a pittance at the end of the day. The pleasures of heaven are like pittance compared to the treasures of सायुज्य. The devotee is like a jeweller. His साधना is sweet at every step. To him,
the name of God is a priceless gem. Did not
Saint Meerabai rejoice over her
राम रतन धन (पायोजी मैंने रामरतन धन पायो)? Says Santa Narahari Sonar:
देवा तुझा मी सोनार। तुझे नामाचा व्यवहार।
देह बागेसरी जाण।
अन्तरात्मा नाम सोने।।(बागेसरी means शेगडी).
737. नर्तकी स्वाङ्गभङ्गेन धनं प्राप्नोति वा न वा।
कुलाङ्गना कटाक्षेण स्वं वशं कुरुते पतिम्।।
737. The danseuse may or may not get rewarded with money for her enticing modulations of her limbs. But, the noble wife makes her husband completely amenable to her just by a side glance.
NOTE: The commentator says : Here is a comparison between the Eight-fold Yoga of Patanjali and the Upanishadic path of enquiry (विचारमार्ग). The former is very difficult and may or may not lead to सायुज्यम् (unitive experience with Brahman). In Yoga Vaasishtha we read: संसार दीर्घरोगस्य विचारो हि महौषधम् (For the chronic illness of संसार, enquiry is the sovereign remedy). The razor- sharp path of enquiry on the Great Sayings (महावाक्य) (if done under the
watchful guidance of the Sadguru) is guaranteed to confer सायुज्यम्। So, too, the sweet path of Devotion. Did not the Lord say: “I dwell not in VaikuNtha nor in the hearts of Yogi-s; O Naarada, I am there where my devotees sing aloud!(नाहं वसामि वैकुण्ठे योगिनां हृदये न च। मद्भक्ता: यत्र गायन्ति तत्र तिष्ठामि नारद।).
738. तव बुद्धिप्रकाशोऽयं निकटां मुक्तिमाह माम्।
नूनं निर्वाणसमये दीपो देदीप्यते भृशम्।।
738. The (sudden surge in) brightness of your (disciple’s) बुद्धि tells me that your liberation is close at hand. Indeed, the lamp glows more brightly when it is about to be extinguished.
NOTE: God is said to be beyond बुद्धि. ( यॊ बुद्धेः परतस्तु सः।). Intellect may turn super-active when the moment has arrived for its transcendence. It is a momentary phase like the earthen lamp’s spurt in its glow just before it goes off.
(निव्चे दिवे प्रकाशु in KonkaNi).
739. एके खनन्ति वसुधां तथा विक्रयिणः परे।
घर्षयन्त्यपरे रत्नं भोगं गृह्णाति भाग्यवान्।।
739. Some dig the earth, some are the vendors, some polish the gems. The fortunate one enjoys
(by sporting the gems on his person).
NOTE: Here, too, by changing his analogy, AN wants to glorify the Realization that dawns upon assimilation of the
महावाक्य, अहं ब्रह्मास्मि।
The commentator says: Those who read the texts on Vedaanta are the gem-diggers. Those who discourse upon them for a living are the vendors. Those who do श्रवण मनन and निदिध्यासन (rapt listening, reflection and reasoning and getting utterly convinced of the Truth) are the gem-polishers. Those, for whom the महावाक्य is no longer a theory, but, a vibrant living experience, are those who have the gems on their person.
740. एके तक्रेण तुष्यन्ति दधि दुग्धेन चापरे।
तत्त्वज्ञा नैव तुष्यन्ति नवनीत घृतं विना।।
740. Some are pleased with buttermilk; some are pleased with curds and milk. Those who know the essence of milk will never be content without butter and ghee.
NOTE: AN has given another analogy. The Ritualists desiring the joys of heaven are the buttermilk-lovers. Those who pursue a variety of उपासना-s are the milk and curds lovers. Those who pursue the direct approach of Vedaantic enquiry are the ones who enjoy butter and ghee.
741. यत्र क्वापि स्वपामीति जाता निद्रालुता मम।
विस्तीर्णं शयनं प्राप्तं कोमलं ब्रह्म निर्मलम्।।
741. Now I am overtaken by such sleepiness that I lay down wherever it may be. I have now a soft, clean and very spacious bed called Brahman.
NOTE: Here the sleep does not mean biological sleep. Sleep represents philosophically a state of consciousness where there is no ego nor its unholy brood, lust, anger etc. It is a state of वीत राग भयः क्रोधः। These positive virtues of sleep are
experienced by us daily, but, alas, without
awareness. Sleep is “unconscious immortality” said Paul Brunton. Spirituality summons us to live out these excellences while we are awake. Bhagavan RamaNa Maharshi called it जाग्रत् सुषुप्ति.
In Yoga Vaasishtha, the sage Vasishtha advises Rama: “O Rama, perform all your duties ‘sleepily’ while you are awake. Renouncing all inwardly, outwardly do as the occasion demands”.
(जाग्रत्येव सुषुप्तस्थः कुरु कर्माणि राघव।
अन्तः सर्वपरित्यागी बहिः कुरु यथागतम्।)(६-१२५-६). Here, the word
‘sleepily’ should be understood aright.
The man of God is at home everywhere. He has God as his bed, cushion and pullover.
742. दृश्यं बोधेन निर्घृष्टं तत् चिदाकारतां गतम्।
यत्र यत्रैव पश्यामि स्वं रूपं तत्र दृश्यते।।
742. The objective world (of name and form), when rubbed over the touchstone of Knowledge, has assumed the form of consciousness. Now, wherever I look, I behold myself there!
NOTE: This is an exalted state where name and form recede to the background and the underlying God looms into vision. It is water that has assumed the आकार, form, of wave. The wave does not strike me as a separate entity. I see it as water only.
743. यदेकोऽपि जनो गीर्णः स्तुवन्त्यजगरं जनाः।
मां न स्तुवन्ति किं येन गीर्णा ब्रम्हाण्डकोटयः।
743. People praise a python if it has swallowed a single victim. Oh, I have gulped down crores of universes and yet, none praise me!
NOTE: As readers may have seen by now, AN is a very literary philosopher. He is fond of being dramatic. Being rhetorical comes easy to him. This makes his book interesting. This is one reason why our revered Parama Guru held it dear.
When one is identified with all that is in Advaitic experience and says: I am all this, it is as though he has gulped down countless universes. AS says in His ब्रह्मानुचिन्तनम् – अहं ब्रह्मास्मि यो वेद स सर्वं भवति त्विदम् (He, who has the conviction that he is Brahman, becomes all this). Chhandogya Upanishad says(7-25-1): अहमेव अधस्तात् अहं उपरिष्टात् अहं पश्चात् अहं पुरस्तात् अहं दक्षिणतो अहम् उत्तरतो अहमेवेदं सर्वम्। (I alone am below, I above, I behind, I in front, I at right and I on the left. I alone am all this). AN jokes that this mega-feat of mine has gone unnoticed and people go gaga over a python swallowing just one victim!!!
744. मय्यसूया न कर्तव्या बहु जल्पामि यद्यपि।
ब्रह्मास्मीति वदाम्येव श्रुतिर्मां नाभ्यसूयति।।
744. I should not be mistaken though I talk a lot. After all, what I say is “I am Brahman” only and the Shruti(Veda, Upanishad) will not take me amiss.
NOTE: असूया generally means envy or jealousy. This word occurs in chapter 18 of गीता, verses 67 and 71, when the Lord says who is qualified to study Gita. There असूया means finding fault of self-praise etc (आत्मप्रशंसादि दोषाध्यारोपणम् – AS).
This meaning given by AS applies here. AN
pleads that he is not to be faulted. He is not mouthing some nonsense. He gives utterance to Upanishadic texts alone like अहं ब्रह्मास्मि etc.
745.सिंहासनं समाधिर्मे वेदान्ता मम वन्दिनः।
मारितो मोहनामारि मम राज्यमकण्टकम्।।
745. My throne is same-sightedness and equanimity. Texts of Upanishads are my official sycophants. The enemy called Moha(delusion, over-attachment) has been killed,. Now my kingdom is ‘thornless’ (problem-free).
NOTE: Whenever AN uses the word समाधि, he does not mean a state of consciousness which is fitful, which comes and goes, dealt with by Patanjali. Readers of The Gospel of Sri RamakrishNa know that the Master used to go into and come out of trance several times a day even while conversing with devotees. Any pretext – a song sung by Narendra, a beautiful innocent face etc – could trigger a समाधि for Him.. AN does not mean this समाधि. As told earlier, it is anunwavering Same-Sightedness, an Equanimity born of सम-दर्शन(seeing God as equally present here, there and everywhere (समं पश्यति सर्वत्र समवस्थितमीश्वरम् – Gita)(समा+धी). This is the throne of AN. In fact, it is the throne for all saints. Such a heart imbued with समदर्शन becomes a throne for Mother Lalitaa too(श्रीमत् सिंहासनेश्वरी).
In olden times there used to be courtiers of a king assigned with the duty of flattering him skyhigh. They were called वन्दि-s. AN calls Upanishadic texts as Vandi because they glorify Enlightenment and the Enlightened.
AN celebrates the death of Moha.
What is मोह?
मुह् वैचित्ये says PaaNini. When we view things upside down, विपरीत दृष्टि, it is Moha. If we burn sandalwood like ordinary fuel and exalt some ordinary wood as precious, it is विपरीत दृष्टि. If we glorify a piece of glass and throw away a diamond, it is विपरीत दृष्टि. This Age is called Kali Yuga because this विपरीत दृष्टि has infected all. We disdain the precious gem called Atman which is everlasting and idolise body and the senses, which are ‘here today, gone tomorrow ‘.We disdain the Good(श्रेयस्) and long for the merely Pleasant (प्रेयस्). मोह(मो) क्षय (क्ष) is Moksha. Hence,
AN rejoices that he has killed Moha.
746. दृष्टं चिदम्बरं नाम मया विस्तीर्णमम्बरम्।
इदं जडम्बरं शून्यम् अत्यल्पं यदपेक्षया।।
746. The vast sky of consciousness has been seen by me. Compared to it, this inert sky is very small indeed.
747. इष्टमन्नं क्षुधार्तस्य कृपणस्य धनं प्रियम्।
तृषितस्य जलं त्विष्टं, चैतन्यं मम वल्लभम्।।
747. To the hungry, food is dear. To the miser, wealth is dear. To the thirsty, water is dear. To me, consciousness is dearest.
NOTE: Some of Swami Vivekananda’s famous quotes are:
Expansion is Life, Contraction is Death. Strength is Life, Weakness is Death. Love is Life, Hatred is Death. To be spiritual means to expand, to expand so much that we embrace the whole universe. If God has given the soul, the जीव, the ability to expand his चैतन्य, why should he be miserly(कृपण ) and limit his expansion only to his family when the whole universe is his for the asking? As we evolve spiritually, our circle of expansion keeps on becoming bigger and bigger until we say अहं ब्रह्मास्मि। The word ब्रह्म itself means बृहत्, big. AN rightly says Chaitanya is very dear to him. It implies, चैतन्य is very dear to us.
What do we take with us when we go to the Great Beyond? WE TAKE WITH US ONLY OUR चैतन्य. The purer the चैतन्य, the better for us. Lust, anger, greed etc – these are also चैतन्य, but foul and polluted. Love is the purest form of चैतन्य and all saints sing its glory. Love is God. Such Chaitanya is dear to Mother Lalitaa. She wants us to offer Her the flower of चैतन्य., the अर्ध्य of चैतन्य। She is चैतन्यार्घ्यसमाराध्या (no.918) चैतन्य कुसुमप्रिया (919). She is the essence of चैतन्य (चिदेकरसरूपिणी, no..364) and She is Love(प्रेमरूपा, no.730).(ललिता सहस्रनाम).
748. रसायनप्रसङ्गेन गतं ताम्रम् अताम्रताम्।
तथाऽस्मकमहङ्कारो निरहङ्कारतां गतः।।
748. Copper, with a chemical plating, has lost its coppery colour. Likewise, our ego has shed its egoism(due to the coating of अहं ब्रह्मास्मि identity).
NOTE: AS says in His Laghu Vaakyavritti:
देहात्मधीवत् ब्रह्मात्मधीधार्ड्ये कृतकृत्यता।
यदा तदायं म्रियतां मुक्तोऽसौ नात्र संशयः।।
(When one’s body-consciousness (I am the body) is replaced with the firm Brahman-
consciousness (अहं ब्रह्मास्मि – I am Brahman), he can be said to have attained fulfilment in life. Let him die anywhere(it matters not). He is liberated. Let there be no doubt about it).
By ‘our’, AN refers to him and his Shishya.
749. पूर्वमासीद् अहङ्कारो मम दुःखस्य कारणम्।
रिपुरद्य मृतो दृष्टः परमानन्दकारणम्।।
749. Earlier, the ego was a source of sorrow for me. The enemy(that ego) is now dead and this is now a cause for jubilation.
NOTE: As Sri RamakrishNa repeatedly advises in His Gospel, the unripe(rajasic, taamasic) ego is a problem for the साधक, but not the ripe (saatvic) one, which kneels before God and says: Thou art my Master and I, Thy servant. Hanuman is a
shining example. Sri RamakrishNa cautions time and again that it is spiritually detrimental to an unripe ego to say: I am Brahman. He should swear by दासोऽहम् and not सोऽहम्। “O NarayaNa,
I am Thy servant”(नारायण, तव दासोऽहम्).
750. भोगेप्सूनां सभामध्ये भोक्ता कान्तो यथा युवा।
मुमुक्षूणां तथा मध्ये राजते परमार्थवित्।।
750. In an assembly of pleasure-seekers, a young, handsome youth stands out prominently. Likewise, among the seekers of Moksha, the Knower of Brahman stands out radiantly.
NOTE: God is called परमार्थ for two reasons: He is the supreme(परम) entity(अर्थ) to be sought. Money and what it can buy is अर्थ (second in धर्म अर्थ काम मोक्ष). But, it is not our supreme goal. It is just a means.
Second meaning is: God is the supreme (परम) meaning (अर्थ) of our life. God has playfully alienated us from Him, putting us under the spell of His माया. This is His hide and seek game. He expects us to tear the veil of माया and go back to Him, whence we came. In this effort we are aided by the Sadguru and Satsang. Sri RamakrishNa gives an analogy: The mother spreads a lot of toys before her child and goes behind the screen. She wants to see if the child remembers her or gets lost in its play. If the child plays for a while and then cries for her, she comes rushing. If the child does not do so, she feels a bit disappointed. Divine Mother, says Sri RamakrishNa, has spread before us all sort of playthings to fool around in the form of sense
pleasures. If we while away all our life with these toys and trinkets and don’t remember Her at all, She feels disappointed. साधना imparts meaning to our life. HE/SHE is the meaning of meanings of our life. Otherwise, life becomes just “a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”.
751. गृहकार्यप्रसक्तापि भुक्तभोगेव कामिनी।
मनसैव मनो नूनम् आनन्दयति योगवित्।।
751. A housewife, though diligently devoted to household chores, remembers the pleasures of married life enjoyed by her. Likewise, the Knower of Yoga (outwardly moving about in the world),
delights his worldly (व्यावहारिक) mind with his (superior) mind that has tasted the bliss of Realization.
NOTE: The sage Vasishtha tells Sri Raama:
जागृत्येव सुषुप्तस्थ: कुरु कर्माणि राघव।
अन्तः सर्वपरित्यागी बहिः कुरु यथागतम्।।
(Attend to your duties while awake, ‘sleepily’. Renounce everything inwardly,
but, act outwardly as occasion demands).
When Raama acts as above, He becomes,
according to Vasishtha, a Great Doer, a Great Enjoyer and a Great Renouncer.(महाकर्ता महाभोक्ता महात्यागी भवानघ।). Vedaanta teaches renunciation
IN action, not renunciation OF action.
752. मुनिमानन्दितं दृष्ट्वा ग्रामीणो वक्ति तं मुहुः।
त्वया यस्तु निधिः प्राप्तः तं प्रदर्शय मामपि।।
752. Seeing the sage blissfull, the villager asks him again and again: “Show to me also the treasure you have got”.
NOTE: The villager here stands for a commoner who equates happiness with wealth. The sage has no such wealth to boast of and yet, he is always in bliss. This intrigues the layman as to what could be the secret of his आनन्द.
753. वञ्चकैः विषयैः तात वद के के न वञ्चिताः।
गुरुभिः पुरुषव्याघ्रैः नूनमेतेपि वञ्चिताः।।
753..Oh, my child, who all have not been cheated by the deceitful sense objects? However, they, too, have been cheated by the Guru-s who, verily, are like tigers among men.
NOTE: The विषय-s are sound, touch, form, taste and smell(शब्द स्पर्श रूप रस गन्ध). Imbibed in excess, they are poisonous. Then, their etymology becomes विषं यच्छन्ति इति विषयाः(They emit poison, hence they are called Vishaya). The fault is not theirs, but, ours. Rightly perceived, they proclaim the glory of God. In our Mantra Pushpaanjali we say:
यच्च किञ्चित् जगत्सर्वं दृश्यते श्रूयतेऽपि वा। .
अन्तः बहिश्च तत्सर्वं व्याप्य नारायणः स्थितः।।(Whatsoever in this world is seen or heard, there is नारायण pervading it within and without). This is the true विश्वरूप दर्शन
– world as God.
He, who cultivates this vision, is a Guru. He has two eyes – the ordinary physical and the other, metaphysical(चक्षुर्नो धेहि चक्षुषे – our Math logo). This is how the saint, the man of God, the Guru ‘cheats’ the sense objects. These exceptional
souls are like tigers among men.
754. शीर्षे घट सहस्राम्भः पातयन्तु जडा जनाः।
मौनमेवावलम्बेत शिवलिङ्गमिवात्मवित्।।
754. Let the dull-witted pour thousands of potfuls of water on his head. The Muni, however should remain silent like the stationary शिवलिङ्ग.
NOTE: He should be like the स्थितप्रज्ञ of गीता.
755. दुस्त्यजान् विषयान् मूढोऽजिज्ञासुरपि मुञ्चति।
विदां तद्राग दोषस्य त्यागे किमिव दुष्करम्।।
755. Even a non-seeker of Knowledge gives up sense objects(out of anger, domestic strife, depression etc). So, what difficulty is there in the knowers renouncing them, aware of their ill-effects?
NOTE: We have instances of people running away from home after a domestic fight or on being humiliated etc. It is like a boy declining food out of anger against the parents’ punishment (हांव जेंव्ना, माक्का भूक ना). This is not वैराग्य at all.
Our Parameshti Guru, Swami Anandashram,
used to quote a verse from Bhartrihari’s Vairaagya Shatakam:
अवश्यं यातारः चिरतरमुषित्वापि विषया।
वियोगे को भेदः त्यजति न जनो यत्स्वयममून्।।
व्रजन्तः स्वातन्त्र्याद् अतुलपरितापाय मनसः।
स्वयं त्यक्ता ह्येते शमसुखमनन्तं विदधति।।
(The objects of enjoyment,
even after staying with us for a long time, are sure to leave us sometime; Then, what difference does their privation in this way make to men, that they do not on their own accord discard them? If the enjoyments leave of their own accord, I.e. if they tear themselves away from us, they produce great affliction of the mind. But, if we voluntarily renounce them, they conduce to the eternal bliss of self-possession).(Tr by Swami Madhavananda of RKM).
756. जायेत जातबोधानाम् अपि सांसारिकी कथा।
जागरे समनुप्राप्ते यथा स्वप्नकथा नृणाम्।।
756. A man, on waking up, remembers his tale in the dream. Likewise, after (spiritual) awakening, he recalls his worldly life like a dream-tale.
757. मोहेन विस्मृते दृश्ये सुषुप्तिरनुभूयते।
बोधेन विस्मृते दृश्ये तुरीयमवशिष्यते।।
757. When the visible creation is forgotten due to clouding of the mind, one experiences sleep. When one turns forgetful of the world due to Self-Realization, the remainder is Tureeya(the fourth dimension of consciousness).
758. दृश्यं चेत् स्यात् रविर्नस्यात् तम एकं तदा किल।
रविश्चेत् स्यात् जगच्च स्याद् व्यवहारस्तदा किल।।
758. If the visible creation is there, but, the sun is not, then, it will be darkness alone. If both the sun and the visible world are there, then only mundane transaction takes place.
759. रविरस्ति जगन्नस्यात् ज्योतिरेकं तदा किल।
इति लोकस्थिति: पुत्र परमार्थगतिं शृणु।।
759. If the sun is there and the creation which he lights up is not there, only the Light (Sun) will remain. This is true of the world. Now, my child, listen to what is true on the spiritual plane.
760. नित्यो हि रविरस्माकं तस्य नाशो न विद्यते।
तमोभूतेऽपि सकले तमः साक्षी सदव्ययः।।
760. Our Sun(Brahman) is eternal. There is no destruction for Him. When everything was dark,He, the immutable, was its witness.
761. रविरस्ति जगन्नास्ति समाधानवतो मुनेः।
अनेन हेतुना साधो ज्योतिरेकं तदा किल।।
761. When the Muni is in समाधि (समा+धी), the Sun (Atman) is there, but, the world is not there. O gentle one, only that One Light(his witnessing consciousness) shines there.
NOTE: When one is imbued with same-sightedness and is feeling one with all that is, in this unitive Advaitic experience there
is no notion of an other. World(जगत्) as a
counter-entity disappears. Only the साक्षि, the witnessing संवित्, remains. To the ocean, the wave is not an other(व्यतिरेक भाव). Likewise, to the Muni, the Jagat is not an other.
ORSHIP OF GOD(ईश्वर पूजन)
762. रविरस्ति जगच्चास्ति व्यवहारावलोकिनः।
रविरस्ति जगन्नास्ति तम एकं तदा किल।।
762. During the waking stage, when mundane activity takes place, both the witnessing sun (साक्षि चैतन्य, Atman) and the world are there.
During sleep, the sun(Atman, साक्षि चैतन्य) is
there, but, instead of the objective world, only darkness is there.
NOTE: Sleep is a condition wherein our senses, and the quartet of अन्तःकरण(मनस् बुद्धि अहंकार चित्त) are switched off. This is the darkness(तमस्) AN is refering to. But, the साक्षि चैतन्य, आत्मन्, is there.
763. प्रकाश्यापगमे पुत्र प्रकाशः किं प्रकाशयेत्।
प्रकाश्यत्व विनाशेपि प्रकाशत्वम् अखण्डितम्।।
763. My child, during sleep(sushupti) there is nothing to be lighted up. This being the case, what will the Light illumine? Though there is nothing to be illumined, the property of luminosity is perpetual and unbroken.
NOTE: AN is telling us a very important teaching of Vedaanta. Bhagavaan BaadaraayaNa has given us an aphorism(sootra) in ब्रह्म सूत्र (2-3-18)
which reads: ज्ञोऽत एव। This is an emphatic (एव) assertion that Self(आत्मन्) is intrinsically a Knower. AS explains that the चैतन्य of Self is not आगन्तुक(contrived, hence transient), but, नित्य. Just as we cannot conceive the sun as lightless or fire as heatless, we cannot conceive
Atman as wanting in चित्. AS continues: ज्ञः नित्य चैतन्योऽयमात्मा। The question is raised: During deep sleep, does His light go off? This question was raised by King Janaka with the sage Yaajnavalkya in Brihadaara Nyaka Upanishad (4-3-23 to 30) and the sage tells him that there is no object to be illumined in sleep, but, the light of the Self is intact and hence on waking up a man says: I slept soundly, I did not know
anything. (सुखेन अस्वाप्सम्, न किञ्चिद् अवेदिषम्।). In the words of AS in His भाष्य on above
सूत्र – विषयाभावाद् इयम् अचेतयमानता, न चैतन्याभावाद् ।
प्रकाशस्य प्रकाश्याभावाद् अनभिव्यक्तिः, न स्वरूपाभावाद्, तद्वत्।
If there is no object before, say a lamp, is its luminous nature lost? In deep sleep same is the case. There is no प्रकाश्य(object to be illumined), but, प्रकाश is intact. It is its नित्य स्वरूप।
This is what AN wants to teach us.
764. आयातु यातु वा भानोः प्राकाश्यं निजहेतुभिः।
न मम स्वप्रकाशस्य किञ्चिद् आयाति गच्छति।।
764. Let the effulgence of the sun come and go for whatever reasons! But, the Light of my Self never comes and goes even a wee bit.
NOTE: AN compares the luminous sun with the luminous Self. For whatever reasons, the sun’s lustre may fluctuate(science speaks of solar flares now and then), but, not the Self’s, says AN. From our point of view, there is a sunrise and a sunset. So, his light comes and goes. During eclipse also this happens from our point of view. Not so our Samvit Jyoti. Says Swami VidyaraNya in his Panchadashi: नोदेति नास्तमायाति संवित् ज्योतिः स्व्यंप्रभा। It is like a नन्दादीप – no rising, no setting.
The sun is luminous, courtesy God. “The light of the sun, moon and the fire are Mine” says the Lord in गीता.
(यदादित्यगतं तेजो जगद्भासायतेऽखिलं।
यच्चन्द्रमसि यच्चाग्नौ तत् तेजो विद्धि मामकम्।(15-12).. Thus, these luminaries are not स्वतन्त्र। Their प्रकाश is conditional and contingent. If God so wills –
God forbid such a calamity – He can choose to withdraw the light He imparts. This if and but does not apply to Self who is स्वयंप्रकाशः।
This is the concluding verse of this bouquet of Seventy Six verses. This is the last wave (तरङ्ग) of the Jnaana Gangaa. This is the crowning conviction and realization of the साधक – “I am the self-luminous Light of lights that knows no waxing or waning”.
ॐ JNAANA GANGAA TARANGA SHAT SAPTATI
(SEVENTY SIX VERSES – WAVES OF JNAANA GANGAA) CONCLUDED ॐ
अथ मनोमहिमा। (THE GLORY OF MIND)
AN gives here seven verses on mind and its importance in shaping our spiritual destiny.
765. किं बद्धमसि मुक्तं वा मनः पृच्छ महामुने।
यदि बद्धमिति ब्रूयात् तर्हि बद्धोऽस्यसंशयः।।
766. किञिन्मुक्तमिति ब्रूयात् किञ्चिन्मुक्तोसि मोहतः।
यदि मुक्तमिति ब्रूयात् तर्हि मुक्तोऽसि मोहतः।।
765. O Great Sage! Please ask your mind whether you are bound or free. If the answer is ‘bound’, then you are bound undoubtedly.
766.. If the answer is ‘bound to some extent’, then you are, indeed, free to some extent’ from Moha (delusive over-attachment). If the answer is: ‘completely free’, then, you are, indeed, free from Moha.
767. बद्धेन मनसा बद्धो मुक्तो मुक्तेन चेतसा।
न बद्धो न च मुक्तोऽयमिति वेदान्तनिर्णयः।।
767. Bound is to be bound by mind. Liberated is to be free from mind. The Atman is neither bound nor free – this is the decisive conclusion of Vedaanta.
NOTE: This is a very lofty standpoint of Vedaanta. The Self is everfree. Bondage and liberation – these are mind games. AS says in His TATVOPADESHA:
वस्तुतो निष्प्रपञ्चोऽसि नित्यमुक्तः स्वभावतः।
न ते बन्धविमोक्षौ स्तः कल्पितौ तौ यतस्त्वयि।।80।।
(Thou art not of the world. Thou art everfree. This is Thy nature. Bondage and liberation – these are figments conceived in Thee).
Sage Ashtaavakra also does not mince his words:
मुक्ताभिमानी मुक्तो हि बद्धो बद्धाभिमान्यपि।
किंवदन्तीह सत्येयं या मतिः सा गतिर्भवेत्।।(1-11)(He, who considers himself free, is free indeed. He, who considers himself bound, remains bound. “As one thinks, so one becomes” is a popular saying
and it is, indeed, very true). Revered Swami Vivekananda strove through His lectures to raise us to this lofty standpoint of the Upanishads.
768. स्फुरन्ति महिमानो ये यत्र यत्र जगत्त्रये।
ते सर्वे मनसो धर्मा मनो हि महिमाश्रयम्।।
768. In these three worlds wherever spring up mind-boggling phenomena, know that they are all the properties of mind. Mind is, indeed, the base for all that is glorious.
769. अणिमा महिमा चैव लघिमा गरिमा तथा।
प्राप्तिः प्राकाम्यमीशत्वं वशित्वं मनसो गुणाः।।
769. The eight supernatural powers(siddhi-s) are attributes of the mind.
They are:
1. अणिमा – Becoming atomic (very minute in size).
2. महिमा – Becoming huge, giantlike.
3. लघिमा – Becoming lightweight.
4. गरिमा – Becoming very heavy.
5. प्राप्तिः – Materialising objects.
6. प्राकाम्यम्- Wish-fulfilment
7. ईशित्वम् – Power to lord over others.
8. वशित्वम् – Power to control the elements of Nature.
NOTE: During his search for Sita, Hanuman had to exercise many of the above Siddhi-s to outwit the demons of Lankaa and escape from their watchful gaze.
Sri RamakrishNa and all great saints caution against succumbing to the temptation to show off these miracles. Readers of our sacred Shri
Chitrapura Guruparampara Charitra will remember that our Parama Guru was advised by Poojya Swami Anandashram to keep away from the Siddhi-s, some of which He had demonstrated . The highest Siddhi, says Santa Tukaram, is to have a cheerful and pleasant mind always(मन करारे प्रसन्न सर्व सिद्धींचे कारण).This Siddhi
we should aspire for always.
770. मनो धनुः मनो मौर्वी मन एव धनुर्धरः।
मनो लक्ष्यं मनो वेधो मनो विद्ध विमुक्तये।।
770. Mind is the bow, mind the bowstring, mind is the wielder of the bow. Mind is the target, mind the shoot and the mind, thus glued to the target(ब्रह्मन्),conduces to liberation.
771. मन एव मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः।
इतोधिकं तु किं वाच्यम् अद्वये तु स्थितं न तत्।।
771. Mind alone is responsible for both our bondage and liberation. What more can be said in its praise. But, this mind becomes no-mind no sooner it gets anchored in the non-dual Brahman.(dawn of उन्मनी state).
NOTE: The first line of above verse no.772 is the first line of the well-known quote from Brahma Bindu Upanishad. The second line, not quoted here, is: बन्धाय विषयासक्तं मुक्त्यै निर्विषयं मनः। (The mind addicted to sense pleasures leads to bondage. The mind, not so addicted, leads to Mukti).
Before we say so & so let me down, the truth of the matter is I first let me down myself, thereby facilitating others too. The grace of my mind on me is as important as the grace of say God or the Guru. There is a saying in Bengali, which means:
गुरु कृष्ण वैष्णव तीन की दया हुई।
एक की दया बिना जीवकी दुर्गति हुई।।
(The Guru, Lord KrishNa and the saints showered their grace. But, the soul met his doom because the grace of that ‘one’ I.e. his mind was wanting!!).
Mind is omnipotent. The word ‘man’ for human being is akin to मन. Milton, the great English poet, says: “The mind is its own place, And in itself can make, A heaven of hell and, A hell of heaven”. Santa Tukaram says:
मन करारे प्रसन्न।
सर्व सिद्धींचे कारण।
मोक्ष अथवा बन्धन।
सुख समाधान इच्छाते।
मन माऊली सकळांची।
मनें प्रतिमा स्थापिली।
मनें मना पूजा केली।।
मन गुरु आणि शिष्य, करी आपुलेंचि दास्य।
प्रसन्न आप आपणास। गति अथवा अधोगति।।
You must have heard Asha Bhosle singing मन ही देवता मन ही ईश्वर, मनसे बडा न कोई….तोरा मन दरपण कहलायो।
मनोमहिमा CONCLUDED
अथ जीवन्मुक्त्यष्टादशी।(Eighteen Verses on Liberation while alive).
772. सङ्कल्पबद्धं सङ्कल्पाद्विमोच्यात्मानमात्मना।
आत्मनात्मनि सन्तुष्टः स्वात्मारामः स्वयं हरिः।।
772. By liberating himself by right conception from bondage, self-inflicted due to wrong conception about oneself, he is now self-satisfied and is at ease with himself. He is now himself Divine(Hari).
773. स्वरूपमेव कैवल्यं संसारः शुद्ध मूर्खता।
अति चित्रा गतिः पुत्र जीवन्मुक्तस्य या स्थितिः।।
773. To abide in one-s true nature(as Self) is itself liberation. Samsaara is sheer foolishness. My child, the ways of a जीवन्मुक्त are very strange!
774. जीवन्मुक्तिसुखप्राप्त्यै स्वीकृतं जन्म लीलया।
आत्मना नित्यमुक्तेन, न तु संसारकाम्यया।।
774. The Self is ever free. Just to savour the joy of जीवन्मुक्ति, he playfully takes birth. He is not born out of a desire for संसार.
NOTE: An enlightened person has a hearty laugh at himself. He alone bound him, none else. He alone releases him. Vedaanta gives the analogy of a spider that gets trapped in the web of its own making, its own creation.
In His Devi Bhujangama Sotram, AS says:
विनोदाय चैतन्यमेकं विभज्य,
द्विधा देवि जीवः शिवश्चेति नाम्ना।
शिवस्यापि जीवत्वमापादयन्ती,
पुनर्जीवमेनं शिवं वा करोषि।।
(O Devi! This is Your fun! You divide one
Consciousness into two: Jeeva and Shiva.
You demote Shiva to be Jeeva(by plunging Him into संसार) and again promote him, the जीव, to the status of शिव!).
775. यदि न स्याद् अविद्याख्यम् इदं कपटनाटकम्।
कथं लभेत विश्वात्मा जीवन्मुक्तिमहोत्सवम्।।
775. If this deceitful drama called Avidyaa
(Ignorance) were not there, how would have the Universal Self participated in the Grand Festival of Jeevanmukti?
NOTE: The descent of God as Jeeva and his ascent back to Godhood is a कपटनाटक, a deceitful drama, enacted by Avidyaa(primal ignorance). Thanks to it, HE, the Universal Self, can savour the joy of being liberated while alive. During this play, He suffers many trials and tribulations and, guided by the Guru, cultivates the taste for Jeevanmukti.
There is a Subhaashita:
सुखं हि दुःखान्यनुभूय शोभते।
घनान्धकारेष्विव दीपदर्शनम्।।
( Happiness is brighter when it comes after a spell of sorrow like the sight of a lamp in dense darkness). The lamp is lacklustre during day. It is darkness that makes it so valuable. So is the joy of जीवन्मुक्ति so precious to the soul who had known the dark side of Samsaara. Santa Tukaram says:
देव भक्तपण सुखाचा सोहळा।
Bhakti is a Festival of Joy, so is Jeevanmukti.
776. अद्वैतं न सदेहेऽस्ति विदेहे द्वैतमस्ति न।
जीवन्मुक्तस्य नान्यस्य द्वैताद्वैतमहोत्सवः।।
776. For him, who is body-conscious, there is no non-duality. For him, who is not body-conscious, there is no perception of duality. To a जीवन्मुक्त and to none else, life is a festival of both duality and non-duality.
NOTE: Sri RamakrishNa in His Gospel says: So long as the tadpole’s tail does not drop off, it can live only in water. When the tail drops off, it can live both in water and on land. Similarly , he whose tail of ignorance has dropped off, can both dive into the sea of divine bliss and live in the world as he pleases. Says Sant Kabir: दरियासो
न्यारा रहे, दीसे दरिया मांहीं।(He is apart from the flowing river, yet appears to be in it).
Jeevanmukta is a class apart. He is at home everywhere. He is not a ‘touch me not’ variety. AS has composed a beautiful hymn called जीवन्मुक्तानन्दलहरी of eighteen verses giving a pen-portrait of a जीवन्मुक्त.
The essence of साधना is simple, says Tukaram. (See everything as hollow and insubstantial. Give up identity with your body. This, in sum, is the essence of all साधना-s) (अवघ्या साधनांचें सार। न लगे फार शोधावें। तुका म्हणे लटिकें पाहें। सांडीं देह अभिमान।।).
Tukaa’s constant prayer as a साधक to God was: O God, pray do me a favour. May I be forgetful of my body! (देवा आतां ऐसा करीं उपकार। देहाचा विसर पाडीं मज।). His transformation as a Jeevanmukta
(liberated while yet living in a body) was fast. Mahipati, the biographer of Maharashtrian saints, says of Tuka: देहींच विदेहत्व पावोनियां। केली काया ब्रम्हरूप।
Listen to Tukaa’s song as a Jeevanmukta:
जन विजन झालें आम्हा। विठ्ठल नामा प्रमाणें।
पाहे तिकडे मायबाप। विठ्ठल आहे रखुमाई।।
वन पट्टण एकभाव। अवघा ठाव सरता झाला।।
आठव नाहीं सुखदुःखा। नाचे तुका कौतुकें।।
(Even in a crowd, I am in solitude. Wherever I look, Vitthala and Rukmaayi, the universal father and mother, loom in sight. The forest and the town affect me alike. All space is transcended. I don’t have memory of pleasure and pain. Wonderstruck, Tukaa is dancing!).
777. सदेहे न विदेहत्वं विदेहे न सदेहता।
सदेहत्वं विदेहत्वं जीवन्मुक्ते प्रवर्तते।।
777. To one who is identified with his body,
there will be no conviction that he is, indeed,
disembodied. To one who is convinced about his disembodied nature, there will be no scaling down to body-consciousness. But, in the case of the Jeevanmukta, feeling embodied and feeling disembodied, are both applicable.(he can modulate both playfully).
NOTE: AS says in His Adhyaasa Bhaashya
(Introduction to Brahma Sootra Bhaashya) that the feeling that one is embodied is due to wrong understanding and for a truly learned person the Realization of his being disembodied is an established fact (मिथ्याप्रत्ययनिमित्तत्वात् सशरीरत्वस्य,
सिद्धं जीवतोऽपि विदुषः अशरीरत्वम्।).
AS, true to His words, was विदेह and yet, how much did He accomplish in His short life
from a mundane point of view. He could commute between विदेहत्व and सदेहत्व with ease.
He was IN the body, but, He was not OF it.
This is being a Jeevanmukta.
Sage Vasishtha teaches Raama this Art of Living. “Desireless inwardly and as if desirous outwardly, outwardly as if hot, but, inwardly very cool – thus move about in the world, O Raaghava”(अन्तर्नैराश्यमादाय बहिराशोन्मुखेहितः। बहिस्तप्तोऽन्तरा शीतो लोके विहर राघव।). The book Yoga Vaasishtha has many quotable quotes like this.
In His Gospel, Sri RamakrishNa says: As the elephant has two sets of teeth, the external tusks and the inner grinders, so the Godmen, like Krishna, act and behave to all appearance as common men, while their heart and soul are absorbed in the Highest.
On 21-10-1941 our Parameshti Guru Poojya Swami Anandashram had a silent communion(मौन मिलन) with Bhagavan RamaNa Maharshi. A couple of days later, it is said, the Maharshi was asked questions on Jeevanmukti and He said: The Swami who met us – refering to our Swami Anandashram – was a Jeevanmukta.
Poojya Swami Anandashram took care of all the manifold duties and responsibilities as a Mathaadhipati, braving many odds, and yet, kept that air of aloofness and other worldliness – the hallmark of a Jeevanmukta.
अथ जीवनमुक्त्यष्टादशी। (Eighteen Verses on Liberation while alive).
778. सदेहस्य विदेहत्वं यदि न स्यात् तदा वद।
जनकस्य सदेहस्य कथं प्रोक्ता विदेहता।।
778. If one cannot have awareness of his disembodied nature though he is with a body, . then, tell me how is it that King Janaka is credited with disembodiedness though he was with a body?
779-A. विदेहस्य सदेहत्वं यदि न स्यात् तदा वद।
जनकस्य विदेहस्य कथं प्रोक्ता सदेहता।।
779-A. If one, convinced of his disembodied nature, cannot be refered to as having a body, then, tell me how Janaka, convinced of his disembodiedness, was refered to as having a body?
NOTE: Feeling oneself as सदेह(देहयुक्त) or विदेह (देहरहित) is a state of mind. One may look सदेह like all others, but, he may feel his aloofness from the body all the while. Conversely, with death, one is physically disengaged and yet, he may not lose his erstwhile body-consciousness immediately.
There is a beautiful song by Soyarabai, wife and disciple of the saint Chokha. Both were looked upon as untouchables(महार). They were denied entry into the Pandharpur shrine. They could steal a fleeting glance of Vithoba from outside. And yet, to what height they rose!
अवघा रंग एक झाला, रंगि रंगला श्रीरंग।।
मीतूपण गेले वायां, पाहतां पंढरीचा राया।
नाहीं भेदाचें तें काम, पळोनि गेले क्रोध काम।।
देहीं असोनी विदेही, सदा समाधिस्त पाहीं।
पाहतां पाहणा गेले दूरी, म्हणे चोखियाची महारी।।
(All colours have become one and Vithoba is dyed in it. On seeing the King of Pandhari, the notion of I and you have now become obsolete.
Now duality and difference are out of work;
Anger and desire have fled away. THOUGH
ENCASED IN A BODY, I FEEL I AM BODY LESS. I am perpetually establised in same-sightednes and equanimity. The triad(त्रिपुटी) of see-r, sight and the seen has gone afar., Thus says the ‘untouchable’ of Chokha).
This song has been soulfully sung by the great Smt.Kishori Amonkar.
Same is attached.
Avagha Rang Ek Jhala
779-B विमुक्तिर्निश्चिता शास्त्रे जीवन्मुक्तिः सुनिश्चिता।
जीवन्मुक्तत्वमप्राप्य न विदेह विमुक्तता।।
779-B. Liberation is a sure and definite attainment. So, too, very sure and definite is liberation while alive. Without attaining liberation while alive, there can be no liberation in the bodyless(post-death) state.
NOTE: Samarth Ramdas in His मनाचे श्लोक stresses in several verses the need to shed our body-consciousness(देहबुद्धि). Likewise, He also says: विदेहीपणें मुक्ति भोगीत जावी (no.12) and विदेहीपणें भक्तिमार्गेचि जावे।(no.188). Mark the word विदेहीपण.
780. ज्ञानं विना न कैवल्यं न मृतो मुक्तिभाग्भवेत्।
जीवतो ज्ञानलाभ: स्यात् सा जीवन्मुक्तिरक्षता।।
780. There is no liberation without knowledge. Just because one is dead, it does not mean he ill get मोक्ष. He should attain knowledge(आत्मज्ञान)
while he is alive and that ensures his unimpaired (अक्षता) living liberation.
NOTE: कैवल्य is another name for मोक्ष. It means being alone(केवल). All the time we are identified with our body-mind appendage. They are God-given instruments(साधन) to pursue साधना.
We are not they. A musician is not Tanbura or Tabla! How do we attain this alone-ness? By contemplating incessantly on मनो बुद्ध्यहंकार चित्तानि नाहम्।(I am not the mind, intellect, chitta and ego) as taught by AS.(Chitta is the storehouse of our
memories and impulses).
AN rightly impresses on us that death is not liberation. Death severs our connection with body. But, it does not signal an automatic transformation of our consciousness. I carry with me my baggage of सद्गुण and दुर्गुण to the
Great Beyond. Do I change if I move from one room to another or one country to another?
Sadgati is attainable here and now(इहैव अधुनैव) (अत्र ब्रह्म समश्नुते). We pray for the Sadgati of a departed soul, but, let us remember, the preparation for Sadgati is to be done here. What we sow here, we will reap hereafter in the Great Beyond. What is meant by Sadgati? Simply put, it means our move (गति) towards good, godly and God (सत्)Gati also means goal, the destination.
What is our goal in life? To move in the direction of God and the good. There is one सत् , whom the wise call variously(एकं सत् विप्राः बहुधा वदन्ति). सत् means ‘good’, as in Satsang (good company).
When our steps wend towards a temple, Math or a Monastery, it is Sadgati . When our inclination is towards the bad, unholy and vicious, it is Durgati. Sri Satya Sai Baba says: Do good, be good, see good – that is the way to God(Sadgati). Revered Swami Vivekananda said: To do good and to be good -this is the whole of religion. If we don’t live upto this ideal here and now, in this कर्मभूमि, it is futile to hope for Sadgati in the भोगभूमि(परलोक) after we breathe our last!
781. जीवन्मुक्तिसुखं स्वल्पकालं किं तेन तत् श्रृणु।
ब्रम्हलोके विराजन्ते कथं ते जनकादयः।।
781. If you were to say that the joy of Jeevanmukti is for a short while, I say, please listen, how is it King Janaka etc bask in the glory of Brahma Loka?
NOTE: The above doubt has arisen in the disciple’s mind because one is hardly born as a Jeevanmukta. After many many years of diligent साधना, late in life, one may attain that state. Soon thereafter he may pass away. Thus, the joy of Jeevanmukti will be shortlived. This is the doubt. To this, the Guru says: No, the Jeevanmukta-s will continue to be blissful, being in Brahmaloka like King Janaka of Upanishadic fame.
782. तस्माद् ईश्वरलीलेयं काचिदीश्वर रूपिणी।
जीवन्मुक्ति महामुक्तेः सम्प्रदाय प्रवर्तिनी।।
782. Therefore, this जीवन्मुक्ति is a play(लीला) of God. It is His glory. Jeevanmukti paves the way for महामुक्ति, Liberation for ever after death.
783. यस्यां खेलान्ति मुनयो नारदाद्या निरन्तरम्।
ज्ञानिभिर्यानुभूतैव सा जीवन्मुक्तिरक्षता।।
783. This Jeevanmukti is a play or a game beloved of sages like Naarada, who revel in it all the time. This Jeevanmukti has been experienced by the Enlightened uninterruptedly.
NOTE: AN glorifies Jeevanmukti by using such words like लीला and खेल to signify it is a state of relaxation, a state free from tension, a state full of spontaneity. It is not a pose or a posture. It is अक्षत, a word used by AN twice. Akshata commonly(रूढि) means grains of rice as we say : I am offering अक्षत-s (अक्षतान् समर्पयामि). But, its
etymological (यौगिक) meaning is: unhurt,
uninjured, क्षति meaning injury. Jeevanmukti is not a state of deprivation(क्षति) at all. It is a state of fulfilment. It is one’s consciousness in full bloom.
To the privileged soul blessed with it, it is a great fun, every moment joyous like a game to the game-lovers. Sri RamakrishNa, bubbling with joy, cracking jokes, singing away His unbearable pain is a glowing example. Says Poojya Swami Vivekananda: “The first sign of your becoming religious, is that you are becoming cheerful. To the Yogi, everything is bliss, every human face he sees brings cheerfulness to him”(quoted by Swami Prabhavananda in the book Patanjali Yoga Sutras, page 105).
784. चित्तविक्षेपकर्तारं व्यवहारं तु विहाय ये।
स्थिता निर्वाणनिष्ठायां त एव सनकादयः।।
785. अन्तर्बोधमया लोके व्यवहारपरा इव।
ये स्थिता निजनिष्ठायां त एव जनकादयः।।
784-785. Sages like Sanaka gave up distracting mundane activities and abided steadily in the state of Realization. But, Janaka etc, inwardly enlightened, appeared outwardly as if very worldly and yet were anchored in their own Self.
NOTE: AN speaks of two types of Jeevanmukta – त्यागी जीवन्मुक्त and व्यवहारी जीवन्मुक्त. Sages like Sanaka shied away from व्यवहार (mundane transactions). They were exponents of Nivritti Maarga. They were त्यागी जीवन्मुक्त-s. Royal sages
(Rajarshi) like Janaka scored over Sanaka etc because they deftly combined both Pravritti and Nivritti. They were निवृत्त(withdrawn, inactive) inwardly and प्रवृत्त (actively engaged) outwardly.
They strode across both worlds. They were व्यवहारी Jeevanmuktsa-s. Our illustrious Sadguru-s are exemplars of this supreme way of life. Ministering to the spiritual and temporal concerns of the laity day in and day out and, at the same time, being anchored in Lord Bhavanishankar all the time!
786. गृहं वास्तु वनं वास्तु येषां निष्ठा न वर्तते।
सनकादिषु नैवैते न च ते जनकादिषु।।
786. May it be home or the forest, if they have no dedication to abide as Self, they neither count among Sanaka etc nor among Janaka etc.
NOTE: Self-Realization is the key – not mere
renunciation nor mere mundane activities.
Be it home or the forest, being anchored in
oneSelf is the criterion. Self-Realization is the common factor between Sages like Sanaka and Kings like Janaka.
787. अन्तःसारा हि गुरवः स्वल्प वाचाऽमृतप्रदाः।
मन्द्रं मन्द्रं हि गर्जन्ति प्रावृषेण्याः पयोधराः।।
787. The Sadguru-s are inwardly rich, full of substance. They speak little, but, they bestow nectar. The monsoon clouds rumble in a low key(मन्द्रम्), but, unleash a downpour.
NOTE: A Sadguru is full of substance. Silence is his first choice. However, he has to teach the qualified disciple. So, he needs to speak. In minimum words, he will pack-in maximum Upadesh. He is not like the autumn cloud that roars and rumbles, but,hardly rains. He is the giver(प्रद) of अमृत. This means he makes the disciple aware of his true nature as Atman which is immortal(अमृतस्वरूप).
788. सदैवाध्ययनीयेयं भावनीया मुमुक्षुभिः।।
जीवन्मुक्तिपदप्राप्त्यै इयम् अष्टादशी सदा।।
788. This cluster of eighteen verses should be studied always by seekers of Moksha and should be contemplated upon to attain Liberation while still encased in the body.
789. आयान्ति तत्र विलसन्ति वसन्ति च द्राग्,
उड्डीय यान्ति च कुलानि विहङ्गमानाम्।
भावास्तथा मयि समा विषमा विचित्रा,
देवालयाग्रमिव केवलमस्मि नित्यः।।
This is a monologue of a Janani. He describes himself.
789. clusters of birds come and perch on the Gopuram of a temple, make merry, stay for a while and at once fly off. Likewise are the thoughts – similar, dissimilar and strange – that float into me, stay for a while and go away. I, however, abide solitary, in my own स्वरूप, steady like the गोपुरम् of the temple.
NOTE: Birds move about in the sky, perching here and there, to fly away soon thereafter.
Consciousness is likened to the sky. It is called चिदाकाश. Thoughts sneak into the चिदाकाश of a ज्ञानि too. However, he does not, like the layman, identify with them and pursue them. He remains an onlooker, a bystander, watching their entry and exit impartially as a witness, a साक्षि. Watching the breath, watching the thoughts – all this is taught in what is now called Vipassana.
790. उन्मज्ज्य मज्जति जगन्मयि दैवयोगाद्,
उच्चावचा न गणिता अपि ते तरङ्गाः।
निष्ठाङ्गतः स्वमहिम्न्यचल प्रतिष्ठे,
तिष्ठामि सागर इव स्वरसादपारः।।
790. Like countless high tides and low tides, worlds arise and sink in me. I abide, however, in my own glory. I am immovable. I abide as the vast ocean(of consciousness). I revel in my own bliss(स्वरस).
NOTE: There is a similar outburst of Janaka, in the flush of his enlightenment(Ashtaavakra Gitaa
– 7-2).
मय्यनन्त महाम्भोधौ जगद्वीचिः स्वभावतः।
उदेतु अस्तमायातु न मे वृद्धिर्न च क्षतिः।।
(In me, the limitless ocean, let the wave of the world rise or fall of itself. There is no increase nor decrease in me thereby).
Similarly, in the 19th chapter of AG, there are several verses ending on स्व महिम्नि स्थितस्य मे (for me, Janaka, who abide in my own glory).
AN also employs स्व महिम्नि in above verse.
SANT JNANESHVAR IN JNANESHVARI ON DEEPAVALI
जय गुरुदेव
शुभ दीपावली
मी अविवेकाची काजळी |
फेडूनि विवेकदीप उजळीं |
तैं योगियां पाहे दिवाळी |
निरंतर ||५४|| ज्ञा.अ.४
आपण जेव्हा दिवाळी हा शब्द वापरतो, तेव्हा तो पाच दिवसांचा सण या अर्थी वापरतो ; पण ज्ञानदेव जेव्हा ‘ दिवाळी , महादिवाळी ‘ हे शब्द वापरतात तेव्हा त्यांना ‘ प्रकाशाचा विलास ‘ हा अर्थ अभिप्रेत असतो . भगवान श्रीकृष्णासारखे , ज्ञानदेवांसारखे अवतारी विश्वात्मक गुरु जेव्हा अविवेकाची काजळी दूर करतात तेव्हा योगीजन निरंतर प्रकाशाच्या विलासातच जीवन जगू लागतात; म्हणजेच निरंतर दिवाळी पाहतात . त्यावेळी स्वसुखाने म्हणजेच आत्मसुखाने विश्व कोंदाटून येतं ; म्हणजे आत्मसुखाचा सगळीकडे सुकाळ होतो आणि जगात फक्त धर्मच नांदतो . जेव्हा अशा अवतारी जगद्गुरु ची मूर्ती प्रकट होते तेव्हा पापांचे डोंगर नाहीसे होतात आणि पुण्याची पहाट फुटते.
अज्ञानाच्या अंधकाराकडुन ज्ञानाच्या प्रकाशाकडे नेणा-या , निरंतर दिवाळीचा आनंद प्रदान करणाऱ्या, अविवेकाची काजळी दूर करणाऱ्या हे विश्वात्मक गुरुदेवा सर्वांच्या आयुष्यात ज्ञानरुपी प्रकाश उजळू दे !
दिवाळीच्या हार्दिक शुभेच्छा.
अथ ज्ञानिगज गर्जनम्।(The roar of the elephant called ज्ञानि, the Knower).
791. जन्मादयो वनचराः प्रवहन्तु कामं,
घर्षन्तु कुम्भमभितो मयि वृत्तिनागाः।
अस्मिन् युगे पर युगे च युगान्तरे वा,
तिष्ठामि निश्चलतया गिरिराजतुल्यः।।
791. May the wild animals called birth etc roam as they like; May the elephants called thought-waves rub their foreheads against me. I abide steady like an immovable mountain in this era or in any other era to come.
NOTE: The wild beasts refer to the six modifications the body is heir to: birth(जायते), being(अस्ति), grows(वर्धते), teen-age transition (विपरिणमते), declines (अपक्षीयते) and dies(नश्यति).
These wild animals can’t affect Atman at all.
Atman is untouched by these विकार-s.
Similarly, the elephants called thought- waves (desire, anger, greed etc) may try to rub their foreheads against me – the elephants do so to get over itch – but, I am not bothered at all because these are vagaries of mind and I am NOT the mind(मनोबुद्ध्यहंकार चित्तानि नाहम्।).
Being thus beyond the विकार-s of body and mind, I abide here as the unmoving king of the mountains (गिरिराज).
792. नीचैर्निपातित विमोहमहीधरस्य,
विन्ध्यस्य मूर्धनि पदं विनिधाय सम्यक्।
इष्टां दिशं प्रतिगतः पुनरागतो न,
स्वच्छन्दमेव विहरामि तदस्म्यगस्त्यः।।
NOTE: There is a reference to a legend here. Once Vindhya mountain grew so high that it hid the sun and the land was plunged in darkness. At the request of the suffering populace, the sage Agastya planted his foot on the mountain and reduced its size. The sun shone brightly once again. Vindhya was told by the sage that he was going south and, till he comes back, he should not rise up again. And lo,
the sage never came back!
792. I am like Agastya who planted his foot on the top of Vindhya, who had caused delusion (of darkness), and went away in the desired direction, never to come back. Like him, I am strolling around as I please.
NOTE: The मोह (delusion, over-attachment), like Vindhya, had grown to gigantic proportions, blocking the sunshine of knowledge. The ज्ञानि like Agastya quells it and moves about free. There will now be no return to ignorance and its child, Moha. Says गीता: अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः।(5-15) (ज्ञान is shrouded by ignorance, hence are the beings in मोह).
अथ ज्ञानिगज गर्जनम्।(The roar of the elephant called ज्ञानि, the Knower).
793. दृष्टो मयाद्य विगलद्वदनप्रसादः,
कश्चित् तृतीयपदतः पतितः पृथिव्याम्।
तन्मे मतिः समुदियाय परावरज्ञा,
स्वर्गस्तु हन्त नरकादपि दुर्विपाकः।।
793. I saw today someone,with a worn-out look, fallen down on earth from heaven. Then, it struck me, my mind knowing about heaven (पर) and earth(अवर), alas (हन्त), the heaven is even worse than hell!
NOTE: Maybe AN had a vision in a dream. He saw a पुण्यात्मा(a soul of merit) slipped down from heaven. This स्वर्गभ्रष्ट soul was far from cheerful and this sets AN musing over heaven and hell.
None can be a resident of heaven forever. As soon as the stock of merit is exhausted, the soul tumbles down into the mortal world(क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति, says गीता 9-21). Having lost the luxurious life in heaven,and saddened by the
prospect of earthly misery, the soul looks sad and lacklustre. AN feels this return to earthly travails after a joyous stay in heaven is worse than a stint in hell. Sorrow after a spell of undiluted happiness is not welcome to anyone. We want it the other way – happy days after days of sorrow. From darkness we wish to move into light. तमसो मा ज्योतिर्गमय। Then, the pleasure is greater. It is darkness which glorifies light. One may have suffered a lot in life, but, he longs for a happy end. Says Santa Tukaram: याजसाठी केला होता
अट्टाहास, शेवटचा दिवस गोडव्हावा। There is a Subhaashita:
सुखं हि दुःखान्यानुभूय शोभते, यथन्धकारादिव
दीपदर्शनम्। सुखात् तु यो याति दशां दरिद्रतां, स्थितः शरीरेण मृतः स जीवति।।
795. नाडीं प्रविश्य यदि जीवति भीतभीतः,
प्रान्ते च खादति मृतिश्चिरजीवनं किम्।
देहस्वभावरहितः परमात्मभावे,
तिष्ठन् मृतिं जयति चेच्चिरजीवनं तत्।।
795. (AN belittles the Hatha Yogi).
He enters the Brahma-naadi(a particular nerve centre)(to conquer physical death), lives in constant fear (of death), eats secretively in a corner – is this a long life? No, it is a living death(मृति). Giving up body-consciousness, abiding in one’s true nature as Brahman is, indeed, the conquest of death. Yes, that is a long life.
796. आलोकितानि च मतानि मुनीश्वराणाम्,
आलोकिताश्च बहवो बहुसिद्धमार्गाः।
अद्यापि तं मलिनभावमपास्य दूरं,,
सिद्धस्तु किं न यदि सिद्ध्यति नित्यसिद्धः।।
796. I have looked up(studied) the doctrines of great sages. I have also looked up the various paths prescribed by those who chase siddhi-s (miracles). Of what avail is being a सिद्ध if one does not discard afar the impure feeling(I am the body) and abide as the perpetually existent Brahman?
NOTE: The word Siddha has several meanings such as: perfect, ready, boiled, cooked. Cooked rice is siddham annam (सिद्धम् अन्नम्). Sri RamakrishNa says in His Gospel: “What is the mark of a Siddha? He becomes as soft as a Siddha (boiled) potato. The hardness of his egotism disappears….The iron, once turned into gold by the touch of the Philosopher’s stone, may be kept under the earth or thrown into a rubbish heap. It will still remain gold and will never return to its former condition as iron. Siddha may be in the bustle of the world or the solitude of the forest – nothing will contaminate him”.
अथ ज्ञानिगज गर्जनम्।
(The roar of the elephant called ज्ञानि, the Knower).
797. अङ्गं प्रसार्य पतितः खलु चित्स्वरूपे,
निद्रालुतां गत इति प्रविनष्टचेष्टः।
विन्ध्यस्य योजन शतायतिका शिलेव,
नैव हृसामि न च वृद्धिमुपैमि पूर्णः।।
797. Very relaxed, my limbs stretched, I have settled into my own nature as pure consciousness. As if asleep, my senses have become dormant. Now I abide in my fullness like the several metres long slopes of Vindhya, neither decreasing nor increasing.
798. परिलसति पिता मे सर्वलोकस्य राजा,
धृतिमतिबलहेतुर्यौवनं मे नवीनम्।
इयमपि च सुबुद्धिः काचिदूढा वराङ्गी,
सुखमधिकमतः किं मत्परो नास्ति धन्यः।।
798. Brahman, my Father, the Emperor of all, is shining. I feel freshly youthful with the accession of willpower, intelligence and strength. I have married this beautiful maiden called pure, bright intelligence. What more happiness is there? There is none more blessed and fortunate than me!
NOTE: This verse poetically tells us how much we stand to gain when we are perpetually mindful of Brahman, the illuminator of all, and never forget Him. Our spiritual stamina, intelligence, physical strength – all these register an increase.
There is the Kena Upanishadic saying: आत्मना विन्दते वीर्यम्। Our बुद्धि becomes सुबुद्धि, bright, pure, morally and spiritually robust. The concluding verse by Sanjaya in Gitaa(यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः….) lists out how we are enriched when we are devoted to God. “I feel a fresh youth” says AN. This transformation of our personality is the चारुविक्रम of God, His charming (चारु) prowess (विक्रम).(77th Name of Shiva in His 108 Names)(ॐ चारुविक्रमाय नमः ॐ).
अथ ज्ञानिगज गर्जनम्।(The roar of the elephant called ज्ञानी, the Knower).
799. समरसपदचिन्तानन्त सन्तोषवन्तः,
क्षणसुखकणतृष्णा तन्तुमन्तर्विमुच्य।
निजसुखनिधिविद्या राजसिंहासनस्था,
वयमिह कलयामः कालमालम्ब्य देहम्।।
799. Infinitely blissfull by contemplation on the homogeneous Brahman, snapping asunder the thread of longing inside for a momentary pleasure (of the senses), seated now on the royal throne of Knowledge that confers the treasure of one’s own Self, we are now just counting days, hanging onto our body.
800. कति कति नहि जीवा देवराजादयोऽमी,
पदपतन हताशाः संसृतौ संसरन्ति।
गुरुपदमवलम्ब्य ब्रह्मविद्यातरिस्था,
अधिगत परपारास्ते वयं धन्य धन्याः।।
800. Oh how many souls like Indra etc, fallen from their seats, are wandering in संसार! Oh
fortunate, indeed, are we, seated in the boat of Brahma Vidyaa, clasping the Feet of the Sadguru, have reached the yonder shore(of Moksha).
798. परिलसति पिता मे सर्वलोकस्य राजा,
धृतिमतिबलहेतुर्यौवनं मे नवीनम्।
इयमपि च सुबुद्धिः काचिदूढा वराङ्गी,
सुखमधिकमतः किं मत्परो नास्ति धन्यः।।
798. Brahman, my Father, the Emperor of all, is shining. I feel freshly youthful with the accession of willpower, intelligence and strength. I have married this beautiful maiden called pure, bright intelligence. What more happiness is there? There is none more blessed and fortunate than me!
NOTE: This verse poetically tells us how much we stand to gain when we are perpetually mindful of Brahman, the illuminator of all, and never forget Him. Our spiritual stamina, intelligence, physical strength – all these register an increase.
There is the Kena Upanishadic saying: आत्मना विन्दते वीर्यम्। Our बुद्धि becomes सुबुद्धि, bright, pure, morally and spiritually robust. The concluding verse by Sanjaya in Gitaa(यत्र योगेश्वरः कृष्णो यत्र पार्थो धनुर्धरः….) lists out how we are enriched when we are devoted to God. “I feel a fresh youth” says AN. This transformation of our personality is the चारुविक्रम of God, His charming (चारु) prowess (विक्रम).(77th Name of Shiva in His 108 Names)(ॐ चारुविक्रमाय नमः ॐ).
अथ ज्ञानिगज गर्जनम्।(The roar of the elephant called ज्ञानी, the Knower).
799. समरसपदचिन्तानन्त सन्तोषवन्तः,
क्षणसुखकणतृष्णा तन्तुमन्तर्विमुच्य।
निजसुखनिधिविद्या राजसिंहासनस्था,
वयमिह कलयामः कालमालम्ब्य देहम्।।
799. Infinitely blissfull by contemplation on the homogeneous Brahman, snapping asunder the thread of longing inside for a momentary pleasure (of the senses), seated now on the royal throne of Knowledge that confers the treasure of one’s own Self, we are now just counting days, hanging onto our body.
800. कति कति नहि जीवा देवराजादयोऽमी,
पदपतन हताशाः संसृतौ संसरन्ति।
गुरुपदमवलम्ब्य ब्रह्मविद्यातरिस्था,
अधिगत परपारास्ते वयं धन्य धन्याः।।
800. Oh how many souls like Indra etc, fallen from their seats, are wandering in संसार! Oh
fortunate, indeed, are we, seated in the boat of Brahma Vidyaa, clasping the Feet of the Sadguru, have reached the yonder shore(of Moksha).
803. रूप्ये रूप्यमतिः कृताकृतधियारङ्गे पुनर्दुर्धिया,
सत्यं द्वावपि संस्थितौ निजधिया स्वे निश्चये निश्चले।
एकस्यैव दरिद्रता व्यपगता तस्थौ द्वितीयस्तथा,
सञ्जाते क्रय विक्रयव्ययविधौ व्यक्तो विशेषस्तयोः।।
803. Of the two things (seen on road) – real
silver and an alloy looking like silver – an
intelligent person picks up the former and a
dullard, the latter. Both are certain in their
conviction that they have silver. However, when the time comes for buying, selling or spending, one will rid himself of poverty and the other will not. The distinction (between the genuine and the fake) will then be clear.
NOTE: The comparative importance of Shreyas (Good) and Preyas (Pleasant)(ref Katha Upanishad) or between the
Saatvic happiness (सुखम्) and राजसिक/तामसिक pleasure (ref गीता) is alluded to in this verse. Remember the saying:
All that glitters is not gold.
804. निम्ना नूनमुदन्वतः स्थितिरियं कल्लोलिनी चेत्कृता,
विक्षिप्तेन कुतश्चिदागतवता विन्ध्याटवी वायुना।
तत्किं नायमापांनिधिः किमथवा स्थानात् असौ चालितः,
किन्तु प्रत्युत तादृशोऽपि महिमा विख्यापितो वारिधेः।।
804. Does the deep ocean cease to be an ocean or does it get shifted somewhere else just because the gust of wind blowing from Mount Vindhyaa churns it into heaving billows? (No, not at all). Indeed, this agitation serves to glorify the ocean!
NOTE: Only the surface of the ocean is agitated when strong winds blow. Its depth is untouched. Same is true of a Jnaani. Since he lives in the world, governed by the five elements, his mundane being is subject to the same pressures and pinpricks that affect any layman. The Lord refers to these happenings that come and go(आगमापायिनः) and counsels patient forbearance(तान् तितिक्षस्व)(गीता 2-14). Unlike the layman, however, the Knower takes these
slings and arrows in his stride and swerves not from his ब्राह्मी स्थिति।
Despite these onslaughts of सुख and दु:ख, the Knower does not forget his true identity. How much have the saints suffered! Not just the normal crises of life, but, humiliation and neglect at the hands of callous zealots of orthodoxy.
Example: Jnaneshwar and his siblings and the socalled ‘untouchable’ saints. They smiled away these happenings, anchored as they were in God-Consciousness. The waves ruffle only the surface. The depth of the ocean remains intact.
805. माधुर्यं च पयस्त्वमाश्रितवता तुच्छे दधित्वाम्लते,
रूपे सम्प्रति बिभ्रता तु पयसा सर्वं यशो हारितम्।
ग्रैवेयत्वमथाङ्गदत्वमथ च क्षुद्रत्वमक्षुद्रतां,
पर्यायैर्भजतः स्वभामजहतो हेम्नस्तु नास्ति क्षतिः।।
805. Milk, turning into curds, gives up its sweetness and milkiness, and assumes the sourness of the curds and thus loses its original glory. (Not so the gold). Gold, by turn, becomes a necklace and a bracelet etc. In so doing, it suffers no lessening of its glory nor its shine and sheen.
NOTE: Milk, turned into curds, cannot become milk again. Its milkiness gets irretrievably lost. Not so the gold. Let the gold be kneaded and moulded into a thousand forms; yet, it still is gold only,. The relation between Brahman and
the creation is not of the millk-curds variety
(परिणामवाद). It is the latter variety – gold and its
ornaments. The Upanishads give such examples only – clay and pottery, gold and its ornaments.
806. नहि नहि चतुरास्ते यैर्न बुद्धं विशुद्धं,
नहि नहि कृतिनस्ते ये न पारं प्रयाताः।
नहि नहि तु कुलीना यैर्न तत्त्वं विविक्तं,
नहि नहि मुनयस्ते यैर्धृता लोभवार्ता।।
806. They are not called clever, who have not realized the pure Brahman. They cannot be deemed as fortunate, who have not reached the other shore. They are not noble if, by discrimination, they have not ascertained the Truth. They are not ascetcs at all, if they are not immune to greed.
NOTE: कृतिनः in the above verse means blessed, fortunate etc. When do we become fortunate?
At the end of 15th chapter (Purushottama Yoga) in गीता, the Lord says: “by understanding this (what is said in chapter 15) one should become truly wise and fortunate”
(एतद् बुद्ध्वा बुद्धिमान् स्यात् कृतकृत्यश्च भारत).
AS in His शिवानन्दलहरी gives us a few thoughts as to when we become fortunate. “When my union (Saayujyam) with Thee is accomplished, O Master, I am fortunate here(and now)”
(सायुज्यं मम सिद्धमत्र भवति, स्वामिन्, कृतार्थोऽस्म्यहम्।) (verse 28).
“Those who take shelter in Thy Lotus Feet, O Shiva, are fortunate”
(ये पादपद्ममिह ते शिव ते कृतार्थाः) (verse 72). “That is the tongue which speaks of the glorious Shiva. Those are the eyes which behold Him. Those are the hands which worship Him. He alone is fortunate who thus speaks, beholds, worships and remembers Him.”
(सा रसना ते नयने, तावेव करौ स एव कृतकृत्यः।
या ये यौ यो भर्गं, वदतीक्षेते सदार्चतः स्मरति।।
(verse 94).
807. हेऽहंकृते तव न कृत्यमिहास्ति किञ्चित्,
लीना भव स्वमहिम्न्यचल प्रतिष्ठे।
चेतस्त्वमपि परमं स्व सुखाब्धिमन्तः,
सोढुं न शक्नुम इमास्तव दुष्टवृत्तीः।।
807. O my ego! Here you have no role to play. Be merged in the glorious immutable Self that is yours. O mind! You, too, be merged in the ocean of bliss that lies within. We cannot now tolerate your wicked ways.
808. आयान्ति नैव सुत तत्र मनोविकारा,
आयान्ति चेदिह विचारय जोषमास्यम्।
त्वं चापि मन्दमिह सञ्चर मुञ्च मोहं,
सोऽहंपदे सुखनिधौ यदि ते मनीषा।।
808. My child, there (in that blessed state) the vagaries of the mind never sneak in. Should they perchance come near you, enquire silently about
them(how they arose in you). . If your yearning is for the treasure of bliss called ‘Soham’, be slow and steady (don’t be rash and over-enthusiastic). Give up delusive over-attachment.
806. They are not called clever, who have not realized the pure Brahman. They cannot be deemed as fortunate, who have not reached the other shore. They are not noble if, by discrimination, they have not ascertained the Truth. They are not ascetcs at all, if they are not immune to greed.
NOTE: कृतिनः in the above verse means blessed, fortunate etc. When do we become fortunate?
At the end of 15th chapter (Purushottama Yoga) in गीता, the Lord says: “by understanding this (what is said in chapter 15) one should become truly wise and fortunate”
(एतद् बुद्ध्वा बुद्धिमान् स्यात् कृतकृत्यश्च भारत).
AS in His शिवानन्दलहरी gives us a few thoughts as to when we become fortunate. “When my union (Saayujyam) with Thee is accomplished, O Master, I am fortunate here(and now)”
(सायुज्यं मम सिद्धमत्र भवति, स्वामिन्, कृतार्थोऽस्म्यहम्।) (verse 28).
“Those who take shelter in Thy Lotus Feet, O Shiva, are fortunate”
(ये पादपद्ममिह ते शिव ते कृतार्थाः) (verse 72). “That is the tongue which speaks of the glorious Shiva. Those are the eyes which behold Him. Those are the hands which worship Him. He alone is fortunate who thus speaks, beholds, worships and remembers Him.”
(सा रसना ते नयने, तावेव करौ स एव कृतकृत्यः।
या ये यौ यो भर्गं, वदतीक्षेते सदार्चतः स्मरति।।
(verse 94).
807. हेऽहंकृते तव न कृत्यमिहास्ति किञ्चित्,
लीना भव स्वमहिम्न्यचल प्रतिष्ठे।
चेतस्त्वमपि परमं स्व सुखाब्धिमन्तः,
सोढुं न शक्नुम इमास्तव दुष्टवृत्तीः।।
807. O my ego! Here you have no role to play. Be merged in the glorious immutable Self that is yours. O mind! You, too, be merged in the ocean of bliss that lies within. We cannot now tolerate your wicked ways.
808. आयान्ति नैव सुत तत्र मनोविकारा,
आयान्ति चेदिह विचारय जोषमास्यम्।
त्वं चापि मन्दमिह सञ्चर मुञ्च मोहं,
सोऽहंपदे सुखनिधौ यदि ते मनीषा।।
808. My child, there (in that blessed state) the vagaries of the mind never sneak in. Should they perchance come near you, enquire silently about
them(how they arose in you). . If your yearning is for the treasure of bliss called ‘Soham’, be slow and steady (don’t be rash and over-enthusiastic). Give up delusive over-attachment.
809. तीव्रं तमः समय एव निशीथनामा,
देशोऽपि चोरबहुलः शिथिला च भित्तिः।
इत्थं स्थिते निजधनं प्रति सावधानो,
जागर्ति चेद् गृहपतिः विफला हि चोराः।।
809. The darkness is dense and it is night. The region is also infested with thieves and the wall(of the house) is feeble. In these circumstances, if the master of the house is
awake, alert and mindful about the safety of his wealth, the thieves are sure to be disappointed.
NOTE: The master of the house is the soul of the साधक. The wealth is Knowledge of the Self (आत्मज्ञान). The dense darkness is Ignorance. The thieves are lust, anger and greed. They are bent on stealing it(ज्ञान). However, these thieves will not succeed if the साधक, armed with विवेक and विचार, is awake, alert and mindful. There is a
सुभाषित to caution us.
कामः क्रोधः तथा लोभः देहे तिष्ठन्ति तस्कराः। ज्ञानरत्नापहाराय तस्मात् जाग्रत जाग्रत।।
(Lust, anger and greed – these thieves are lurking inside the body and they are intent on spiriting away the gem of ज्ञान. Therefore, be awake, be awake!).
810. भूपालकैः निशितशस्त्रधरैरुदारैः,
दुष्टं मृगं शमयितुं मृगया विधेया।
दुष्टो मृगो न निहतो निहतास्तदन्ये,
व्यर्थस्य तत्क्षितिपतेः वद कः प्रभावः।।
810. It is quite appropriate for kings,
possessing sharp weapons, to go on a hunting spree to kill wild, violent animals. The wild animals have not been hunted. Alas, hunted are others, the harmless ones!
NOTE: The साधक has to discipline his mind.
He is armed with sharp weapons of discrimination (विवेक) and philosophical enquiry (विचार). If the mind is tamed, the senses are automatically tamed too. If, however, he lets the mind go scotfree, but, keeps snubbing only the senses, the exercise is futile since the mind will keep hovering over sensory attractions all the time. In the गीता (3-6) the Lord calls him a hypocrite.
कर्मेन्द्रियाणि संयम्य य आस्ते मनसा स्मरन्।
इन्द्रियार्थान् विमूढात्मा मिथ्याचारः स उच्यते।।
(One who, after withdrawing the organs of action, sits mentally recollecting the objects of the senses, that one, of deluded mind, is called a hypocrite).
(Tr. by Revered Swami Gambhirananda of RKM).
811. इष्टे नष्टे नश्वरे त्यक्तभोगः,
सञ्जातालं प्रत्ययो वीतरागः।
तां तां कक्षां स्वैरमभ्येति सूक्ष्मां,
यां यामन्ये साधकाः साधयन्ति।।
811. “This object of my desire is lost or, will be lost, since everything is temporary” – thus thinking, one who develops the feeling ‘enough of this’ (अलं प्रत्यय) and grows dispassionate(वीत राग), ascends subtler and subtler planes easily and effortlessly. Those साधक-s, who are wanting in dispassion (वैराग्य), have to exert more to attain same.
NOTE: Maharshi Vyaasa, commenting on a Yoga Sootra(1-15) of Patanjali, says: विवेकस्य एव पराकाष्ठा वैराग्यम्।( Dispassion is the culmination of discrimination). In the गीता(6-35) the Lord enjoins practice together with dispassion (अभ्यासेन तु कौन्तेय वैराग्येण च गृह्यते). Thus, वैराग्य is a staple ingredient in साधना.
In His Gospel, Sri RamakrishNa says: The worldly soul can burst through the meshes of माया on the wings of Viveka and Vairaagya. A shy horse does
not go straight so long as his eyes are not covered with blinkers. Similarly, the mind of a worldly man should be dissuaded from roving here and there with the ‘eye-pieces’ of Viveka and Vairaagya.
AN says that dispassion, वैराग्य, accelerates the pace of a साधक.
ज्ञानिगज गर्जनम्। ( The roar of the elephant called ज्ञानि, the Knower).
812. हृदि यदि सुविचारास्तर्हि सम्यक् प्रचारा,
गतिमनुगतिभाजः केवलं दुःखभाजः।
परिकलय यदन्धैः नीयमाना इवान्धाः,
युगपदपि समेता अन्धकूपे पतन्ति।।
812. If one cherishes good thoughts, then his onward journey will be safe and sound. (Giving up this विचार मार्ग) If one just follows the ways of the multitude, he will only reap sorrow. Consider the plight of the blind leading the blind! Together they would fall into a bottomless pit.
NOTE: AN counsels the साधक to think and not be a blind imitator. The ‘herd mentality’ is not good for a spiritual aspirant. Every person is unique in the sense his plus and minus points may not hold good for all. His अधिकार is not everyone’s अधिकार. The beauty of our spirituality is that it
is grounded in अधिकारभेद. So, each साधक has to think about his competence and shape his spiritual regimen accordingly. He should not be just a copycat. सुविचार leads to सु+उच्चार and सु+आचार: Good thought paves the way to good speech and good conduct, says AN.
Our Parama Guru SHRIMAT PARIJNANASHRAM SWAMIJI always taught us to think, to be rational. Here are some of His gems from His discourse entitled IMPORTANCE OF MARCH FIRST: “Do not develop thick heads; reflect on what you have heard and what you are practising. It makes little difference whether you take cow’s milk or buffalo’s milk. If you are repeating Gayatri Mantra, don’t be
content with its mere repetition; go deep into its meaning,…..WE DO NOT ASK YOU TO ACCEPT EVERYTHING BLINDLY.. Reflect on what we have said, on what the elders have said and accept it only if you firmly believe in it…..We have come from SHIVA originally, but, forgetting this fact, we have become SHAVA or mortal. We must now go back to our original state of SHIVA” (Vide His Ashirvachan at Bengaluru in 26-1-1976).
अथ ज्ञानिगज गर्जनम्। (The roar of the elephant called ज्ञानि, the Knower).
813. एकः प्राह पठेति मां तदितरः प्राहाट दूराटवीम्,
अन्यः प्राह समेधयाग्निमपरः प्राहार्कमालोकय।
स्विष्टेप्सुं प्रति मां वचो गुरुजनैरुक्तं त्वमेवासि तत्,
स्विष्टाप्तेर्मम घूर्णितेऽपि नयने अन्धा न पश्यन्त्यमी।।
813. One Guru told me to read(sacred books). Another told me to go to a distant forest. Yet another counselled that I should
light up the fire(for Yajna). There was one who advised me to do sun-worship. Brushing aside all these counsels, the Sadguru told me, desirous of the supreme goal: “Thou art That”. Thus fulfilled with the attainment of my goal, my eyes are intoxicated. Ah, these blind (misguided)
seekers don’t see(the true path)!
NOTE: “Too many cooks spoil the broth” goes the saying. The spiritual seeker has to be on guard lest he is pulled hither and thither by various Guides. Hence, be it God or the Guru, the key word is Ananya Bhakti. Ananya means ‘no other’. Today one इष्ट देव, tomorrow another and yet another, day after – this will lead him, the devotee, nowhere. Same logic applies to the choice of the Sadguru. The Guru Gita says: There are Guru-s galore, whose sight is set on the Shishya ‘s wealth. Very few, indeed, are the
Guru-s who cool his afflicted heart.(गुरवः
बहवः सन्ति शिष्यवित्तापहारकाः। गुरवः विरला सन्ति शिष्य चित्तापहारकाः।।).
In His Gospel, Sri RamakrishNa says: A man started from his home in a distant village to go to Calcutta. He asked a man: “What road must I take to reach Calcutta soon?”. The man said: Follow this. Proceeding some distance, he met another man and asked him: “Is this the shortest route to Calcutta?”. “Oh no, you must retrace your steps and take the road to your left”. The man did so. Going some distance along that new road he met a third man, who pointed out yet another road to Calcutta. Thus the traveller made no progress, but spent the day in changing one road for another.
A sincere साधक, not blessed with a Guruparampara, is today in such a quandary. There is no dearth of various Guru-s, each with his or her own prescription for Liberation.
True Guru, says AN, is he, who teaches the
Shishya the purport of तत् त्वम् असि and guides him to realise this Truth.
814. येषां वज्रदृढं कपोलमथवा जिव्हा वितस्त्यायता,
ख्यात्यर्थं कलहाय पुस्तकपिशाचानां कथा तिष्ठतु।
मां पृच्छाच्छमते कथं विलसति ध्यानं कथं धारणा,
को भावः स्वरसेन केन विधिना चेतः परे लीयते।।
814. O my disciple of pure intelligence! Keep away from those book-goblins(पुस्तक पिशाच), who seek fame by disputations and (by constant scholastic wrangling) whose cheeks have hardened like diamond and whose tongue has lengthened a lot. (Taking leave of such disputant scholars), you better ask me to enlighten you about meditation, concentration and the pleasant way of merging the mind in the Supreme Brahman.
NOTE: We have heard about bookworms. AN uses the word book-goblins(पुस्तक पिशाच). Like the goblin, the vain scholar is a trouble-maker. He misuses his scholarship to rope in fellow- scholars into debates and defeat them. He loves to flaunt the title Prativaadi Bhayankara (Fearsome to the Opponent). He blabbers so much, says AN, that by too much talking the cheeks have hardened like diamond and the tongue has lengthened abnormally. “Keep away from such Pandits and better learn about things that really matter like ध्यान, धारणा and साययुज्यम् ” – this is AN’s message to us.
Samarth Ramdas also dissuades us from such disputations. नको रे मना वाद हा खेदकारी। he says,. दुस्तर्कात् सुविरम्यताम् advises AS too in His Upadesha Panchakam. Such addiction to disputation pampers the ego and makes one a ब्रह्मराक्षस, says Samarth Ramdas.
815. जिह्वे देवि, गृहाण मौनमधुना भूयस्त्वया जल्पितं,
प्रत्यग्वस्तुनि निष्ठिता यदि मतिस्तत्किं प्रलापास्तव।
स्वच्छन्दो परमामृताब्धि लहरी लावण्यलग्ने हृदि,
प्रायः कर्कशतां गतासि कुटिले तस्मान्न मे रोचसे।।
815. O Tongue-goddess, pray be silent now.
Enough have you chattered so long. When my intellect is firmly anchored in Brahman within, why do you keep still chattering?. When my heart is now swept with the beautiful waves of the ocean of my own natural nectarine bliss, you sound very harsh to me. Therefore, O Crooked, you are not dear to me!
NOTE: AN wants us to practise silence and he does this dramatically by addressing the tongue. “When the heart is full, words are few” goes the saying. But, the chattering tongue will not let the heart to be full. So, all saints teach us to talk less and experience more. Samarth Ramdas says there is no joy in being a chatterbox (जनीं वावुगें बोलतां सूख नाहीं।(मनाचे श्लोक २३) and जनीं जल्प विकल्प तोही त्यजावा।(१३०). The Mundaka
Upanishad says: “Know that One Atman alone and give up all other talk”(तमेवैकं जानथ आत्मानम्, अन्या वाचो विमुंचथ।). In the गीता the Lord prescribes Mouna as part of mental austerity(तपो मानसम्) (17-16).
Experience(अनुभव) and talk are in inverse ratio to each other. As the former deepens, the latter lessens on its own. There is no need to scold the tongue. Shri Dakshinamoorti in the days of yore and Bhagavan RamaNa Maharshi and Shri Meher Baba in recent times personified मौन. As Sri RamakrishNa says in His Gospel: When the Rosogollaas arrive during a feast, the decibel level of the noise takes a plunge instantly in the pandal and pindrop silence reigns all around. महामौन courtesy Rosogollaas!
816. सम्पूर्णं जगदेव नन्दनवनं सर्वेऽपि कल्पद्रुमाः,
गाङ्गंवारि समस्तवारिनिचयाः पुण्याः समस्ताः क्रियाः।
वाचः प्राकृत संस्कृताः श्रुतिगिरो वाराणसी मेदिनी,
सर्वैव स्थितिरस्य मुक्तिपदवी दृष्टे परे ब्रह्मणि।।
816. When Brahman has been’seen’ (realised),the entire world appears like the heavenly garden called Nandana, all trees look like the wish-fulfilling Kalpavraksha-s, all water resources like Ganges, all acts like holy acts, all words, be they in vernacular or Sanskrit as Vedic utterances, the entire earth as Varanasi and all states of being like state of Liberation.
NOTE: This is a famous verse illustrating how the creation(सृष्टि) looks transformed when the vision (दृष्टि) is ब्रह्मदृष्टि.
817. ओतं प्रोतमिदं विचित्रमखिलं यस्मिन् जगद् वर्तते,
यत्रोदेति विलीयते पुनरिदं तोये तरङ्गादिवत्।
तच्चेतो मयि लीयते प्रतिदिनं मय्येव तज्जायते,
मह्यं तर्हि वदन्तु हे लयविदः सोऽहं तु लीये क्व नु।।
817. That mind of mine, wherein subsists this wonderful universe, wherein it rises and dissolves like waves in an ocean – that mind
merges daily in me and arises also from me
alone. Now tell me, O Knowers of Merger, where will I merge?
NOTE: When the mind is awake, the world is seen. Its rise and fall are relative(सापेक्ष) to the waking mind. But, this mind merges daily in me during deep sleep. When the mind is awake, we see the world. When the mind disappears, the world disappears, too, to that mind. As said earlier in these posts and as elucidated in the Chaandogya Upanishad, the mind, ego, senses etc are all switched off during सुषुप्ति (स्वे अपीतो भवति). AN asks: Mind with its paraphernalia merges in me, the real me, Atman.
Where can I merge? The answer is simple: Atman should merge into Paramaatman, the अंश, the part(ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः – गीता) should unite with the Whole(पूर्ण). That is Saayujyam.
818. बाला स्वश्रूजननियमिता देहलीदत्त दृष्टिः,
दीर्घचक्षुः किरति वदने यौवनालंकृतस्य।
युक्तस्यैवं न चलति ततो भ्रूतटे दत्तदृष्टेः,
चेतोवृत्तिः स्फुरति पुरुषे मोक्षलक्ष्मी निवासे।।
818. The young bride, disciplined by mother-in-law etc, with her sight centered on
the threshold, still manages to throw a glance with her long eyes at her young well-dressed groom. Likewise, though the Yogi’s gaze is centered between the brows, his thought is in Brahman, the Supreme Purusha, the Home of Moksha Lakshmi, the Goddess of Liberation.
819. पर्यन्तै रहितस्य यस्य महती गम्भीरता तादृशी,
मग्ना यत्र विभान्ति नो अगणिता ब्रह्माण्डमृत्पिण्डकाः।
यादृक् तस्य चिदर्णवस्य सुरसो यादृक् स्वरूपं महत्,
तत्कस्मै कथयामि कस्य विषयः को वास्य वक्ता भवेत्।।
819. Oh, to whom can I speak about that blissful ocean of consciousness and its immense nature ? Whose subject(विषय) it is and who can be its speaker? It is limitless, its depth fathomless and in it shine countless universes like clayballs.
NOTE: God can be experienced, but, cannot be made captive within the net of our thoughts and words – this is the conclusion of the Upanishads (यतो वाचो निवर्तन्ते अप्राप्य मनसा सह – Taittiriya Upanishad). As Bhartrihari says in his invocatory verse in his Neeti Shataka, “our experience (Realization or अनुभूति) is the sole proof for the existence of God, the Infinite, ever Peaceful, Radiant, Embodiment of consciousness, unconditioned by space, time and other limitations”. (दिक्कालाद्यनवच्छिन्नानन्तचिन्मात्रमूर्तये।स्वानुभूत्येकमानाय नमः शान्ताय तेजसे।।).
अथ ज्ञानिगज गर्जनम्। (The roar of the elephant called ज्ञानि, the Knower).
820. आख्यास्यामि रमावरस्य पुरतो गौरीवरस्याथवा,
शब्दब्रह्ममयीवरस्य पुरतस्त्वन्यस्य कस्यापि वा।
प्रह्लादप्रवणं प्रकाशपरमं संवेदितं संविदा,
शान्ते चेतसि यत्कुतूहलमये निर्जिम्हमुजृम्भितम्।।
820. My curious, inquisitive mind has shed all doubt and deception. It has become calm and quiet. (By diligent साधना) I now abide as the witnessing संवित् (साक्षि), exceedingly blissful and luminous. (I am so overwhelmed that) I want to share this transformation in me with the consort of Ramaa(VishNu), consort of Gouri (Shiva),
consort of Gaayatri(शब्दब्रह्ममयी)(Brahmaa) or anyone else!
NOTE: It is human nature to share happiness with others, to convey our glad tidings to those who are receptive to what we say. The exuberance of joy spills over spontaneously in this way. It needs an outlet. Who can be more worthy than Brahmaa, VishNu and Maheshvara to give a patient ear to our outburst of joy?
821. तृष्णाभिर्गलितं क्षमाभिरुदितं प्रज्ञाभिरुन्मीलितं,
मोहैरस्तमितं भ्रमैः प्रचलितं द्वन्द्वैश्च दूरं गतम्।
बोधैरुल्लसितं सुखैर्विलसितं निर्यासितं संशयैः,
स्वंधाम स्फुरितं यदैव मुनिना निर्मायमालोकितम्।।
AN describes what happens upon Self- Realization – the full flowering of personality.
821. All yearnings and longings have dropped off, forgiveness has arisen, wisdom has blossomed, Moha(over-attachment) has disappeared, delusion has gone away, all opposites have moved afar, true understanding has bloomed,
happiness has increased and all doubts have made their exit when the sage (the ripe साधक) has beheld his true home, beyond all माया.
NOTE: Saayujyam, unitive experience with God, is, verily, the springtime for the साधक. Just as nature puts on all its finery and enchants us during Vasanta Ritu, Daivi Sampatti – moral and spiritual values – adorns us as we move nearer and nearer our goal of Saayujyam. The transformation is natural and spontaneous. The
MuNDaka Upanishad exclaims: भिद्यते हृदयग्रन्थिश्च्छिद्यन्ते सर्वसंशयाः। क्षीयन्ते चास्य कर्माणि तस्मिन्दृष्टे परावरे।।(The knots of the heart are torn asunder, all doubts get shredded and all Karma(except प्रारब्ध) withers away when He, the
Most High, has been ‘seen’).
822. पूर्वं नाम किमन्तरं समभवद्यन्नेदमालोकितं,
किं वा कारणमस्ति जातमधुना येनेदमालोक्यते।
इत्थं विस्मयवन्मनो हि विदुषां विज्ञाननिद्राघने,
तत्रानन्दवने मुनीन्द्रसदने लीनं परब्रह्मणि।।
822. What was the reason It(Brahman) was not ‘seen’ earlier? What is the reason that now It is ‘seen’ . Thus wondering, the enlightened merges In Parabrahman, the garden of bliss and the ‘home’ of the great sages.
NOTE: Brahman is our own Self. It is so near and yet, due to अविद्या, it appears to be so far. In Sanskrit we have a maxim called कण्ठ चामीकर न्याय. The necklace was on the the neck only, but, assuming it is lost, the housewife searches for it here, there and everywhere. When her mother-in-law points out that it is there on the neck and not lost, how will the housewife react? Same is the case with the aspirant, साधक. In Marathi they say काखेत कळसा, गावाला वळसा(the pitcher was held by the arm, but, the lady was encircling the village in its search). The Bible says: Seek and ye shall find it. But, when was it lost?. It says: Knock and the door will open unto you. But, the truth is: the door was always open. Again it says: Ask and it shall be given. But, the truth is: it is already given, it was never held back! The pity is we have not accepted it!. This is the paradox of spiritual quest.
AN calls Brahman our Home (सदन), our real home, our true home. Sri RamakrishNa was fond of a song: O Mind, go forthwith to your own home. This संसार is an alien land. Wearing an alien dress, why do you needlessly roam around here? (मोन, चोल निजनिकेतने। संसार बिदेशे बिदेशीर बेशे
भ्रम केन अकारणे?). He used to tell Narendra to sing it often.
823. शुद्धे बोधे स्फुरति परितः क्षालिता वासनाङ्काः,
क्षीणं चित्तं विरतिरुदिता कर्मपाशा विशीर्णा:।
भग्नो भेदः सुख्मधिगतं कल्पना दूरमुक्ता,
दृष्टे तत्त्वे करबदरवन्नास्ति कर्तव्यशेषः।।
823. When there was the dawn of the pure, unsullied बोध (understanding, wisdom, realisation), the following salutary signs made their appearance: all traces of cravings(वासना) were washed away, the mind (yes/no, affirmation/negation, sankalpa/vikalpa) started withering, dispassion (वैराग्य) dawned, the bonds of Karma were torn asunder, duality was wiped out, happiness was attained, fanciful imagination went away and there remained no residue of duty – all these followed spontaneously when Truth was as self-evident like a berry on the palm(करबदर, हस्तामलक).
NOTE: In the earlier posts(no.538 verse, for example), we have seen the testimony of Maharashtrian saints about their spiritual transformation as a result of Divine Grace. In the गीता, the Lord assures that the devotee turns a new leaf and acquires holiness immediately
(क्षिप्रं भवति धर्मात्मा शश्वच्छान्तिं निगच्छति।
कौन्तेय प्रतिजानीहि न मे भक्तः प्रणश्यति।।)
even if he had a shady past.
। ज्ञानिगज गर्जनं समाप्तम् ।
ज्ञानिगज गर्जनम्
(The roar of the elephant called ज्ञानि, the Knower) concluded.
अथ नरहरि षट्कम्।(Six verses in praise of Narahari)
824. नाम्नैव नो नरहरेर्हि विदीर्यतेऽसौ,
दुष्टो हिरण्यकशिपुर्नितरां बलिष्टः।
तस्मात् त्वया नृहरिरूपधरेण चित्त,
मोहो हिरण्यकशिपुस्तु विदारणीयः।।
NOTE: The author of this book is Narahari. He makes use of his name, which also means God VishNu, and gives us six verses to teach us the imperative necessity of killing HiraNyakashyapa, who is Moha (delusive over-attachment).
824. The wicked Hiranyakashipu is very strong and sturdy. By just uttering your name, Narahari, he will not be torn apart. O Chitta(Mind), you should assume the form of Narahari and tear asunder Moha, the HiraNyakashipu.
NOTE: Moha is lust for कामिनी काञ्चन says Sri RamakrishNa. He, whose sight is set on gold, is हिरण्यपश्यक. Due to transposition of consonants (वर्ण व्यत्यय), पश्यक becomes कश्यप(पश्यको भवति कश्यपः). Thus, a soul soaked in worldliness, thirsting for gold and all it is associated with, is HiraNyakashyapa. He represents Moha. This Moha cannot be ‘killed’ by just uttering the name, Narahari. One has to become Narahari – Nara has to be aware that he is Hari. The soul has to remember its divine dimension – अहं ब्रह्मास्मि। Attentive listening (श्रवण) to the महावाक्य, discursive reflection (मनन) on what is heard and then holding fast to the truth with conviction
(निदिध्यासन) is how Nara becomes Hari. This is the three-pronged strategy to kill the demon, Moha, the हिरण्यकश्यप lurking within us.
825. इन्द्रस्य राज्यमपि सम्प्रतिलभ्य लुब्धः
तृष्णामयो निजरिपुर्न जगाम तृप्तिम्।.
अस्याधुना प्रलय एव हितं ममेति,
प्रज्ञात्मना नृहरिणा प्रलयं प्रणीतः।।
825. (According to legend) The greedy HiraNyakashyapa was not satisfied even after conquering the kingdom of Indra(king of gods). Thinking that it is better to kill him now for my good, the wise Narahari sent him to doom.
NOTE: The demon is Moha, obsessed with gold(हिरण्य ) I.e. wealth, property and pelf. Moha is insatiable, ever greedy to grab and it enslaves all senses(इन्द्रिय-s) and still stays dissatisfied. This is the meaning of the demon conquering Indra., The साधक (नर), made wise(प्राज्ञ) and mindful of his divinity (हरि) (by the Sadguru), slays Moha with the cudgel(मुद्गर) of Viveka.
(AS’ भज गोविन्दम् hymn is called मोह मुद्गर).
826. वक्षो हिरण्यकशिपोः किल वज्र सारं,
शस्त्राणि तत्र सकलान्यपि कुण्ठितानि।
तादृक् पुनस्तव नखैः नृहरे विदीर्णम्,
अत्यद्भुतो भवत एष नख प्रभावः।।
826. The chest of Hiranyakashipu is as hard as diamond. All weapons get blunted on it. O Narahari, even such a chest was ripped asunder by your nails. Astonishing, indeed, is the power of your nails.
NOTE: The Durgaa Saptashati says Moha is an abyss(मोह गर्त ) and the so-called ज्ञानी-s, too, stumble and fall into it. Even such a pernicious मोह is dispelled by Narahari, the साधक (नर) who has realised his divinity as a spark of God(हरि)(ममैवांशो जीवलोके जीवभूतः सनातनः – गीता). The power of the nails is the power of महावाक्य like अहं ब्रह्मास्मि
and तत् त्वम् असि etc.
827A. अध्यात्मदृष्टिहृदयं हृदयाग्रसंस्थं,
तेजोमयोऽरिमनयन्नृहरिस्तमस्तम्।
कष्टं समस्तमपि नष्टदशां प्रयातं,
प्रह्लाद एव परमं महिमानमाप।।
827A. The luminous(तेजोमयो ) Narahari wiped him out (तम् अनयत् अस्तम्), the enemy(अरिम्), Moha, who had set his eye on the heart and the soul (of the साधक). All affliction (of the साधक) came to an end. The साधक became extremely(प्र) delighted(ह्लाद) and realised his glory(महिमानम् आप) (as अहं ब्रह्मास्मि).
NOTE: Moha,delusive over-attachment, is a
hydra-headed monster. It enslaves the heart and the soul. As गीता says: Moha brings about loss of memory(सम्मोहात् स्मृतिविभ्रम:)(memory of my true identity, my स्वधर्म etc), which precipitates बुद्धिनाश (स्मृतिभ्रंशात् बुद्धिनाशः) and बुद्धीनाश leads to spiritual downfall(बुद्धिनाशात् प्रणश्यति)(गीता 2-63). That’s why AS tells us in His Bhaja Govindam hymn: दृष्ट्वा मा गा मोहावेशम्।(On seeing temptations, don’t fall a prey to Moha).
When the Sadguru awakens the qualified disciple, the latter, like Arjuna, gladly acknowledges: my मोह is at an end and I have recovered my memory (नष्टो मोहः स्मृतिर्लब्धा त्वत् प्रसादात् मयाच्युत।(18-23). How does the Sadguru awaken the शिष्य? By initiating him into महावाक्य-s like अहं ब्रह्मास्मि, तत् त्वम् असि etc.
827B. नान्तस्तु नापि च बहिर्न दिवा न रात्रौ,
नार्द्रेण शुष्कवपुषा च न मार्यते यः।
नायं नरेण न मृगेण निपातनीयः,
तादृग् रिपुं नरहरिः हतवान् विचित्रम्।।
827B. The demon HiraNyakashyapa had secured a boon from Brahmaa that he cannot be killed by a man or a beast, neither outside nor inside and by none who is wet or a dry . Even such an enemy was killed by Narahari. This is truly wonderful!
NOTE: Moha, the delusive over-attachment,
represented by HiraNyakashyapa can be “killed” only by Realization (ज्ञानं विज्ञानसहितम्) and not by any means within or without. Various postures (आसन), handsigns (मुद्रा), various modes of breath control etc or performance of rituals and pilgrimages cannot “kill” Moha. Says AS in His Bhaja Govindam:
कुरुते गङ्गासागरगमनं व्रतपरिपालनमथवा दानम्। ज्ञानविहीने सर्वमनेन मुक्तिर्न भवति जन्मशतेन।।
(One may go on pilgrimage to Gangaa(to Kaashi) or to the ocean(Rameshvaram), observe religious vows and do charities etc. If he is devoid of Knowledge, he will not get Mukti even in a hundred lives). To “kill” the demon Moha, one has to be नर हरि. He has to wake up to his divine dimension as अहं ब्रम्हास्मि।
When one mistakes a rope for a snake and shows various symptoms of fright, it will be foolish for us to ring the bell(घण्टावादन) and chant Garuda Gayatri 108 times. We should bring a torch and make him see the rope. The ‘snake’ will make good its escape. Says AS: The counter-entity(प्रतियोगि) of अज्ञान is ज्ञान and not कर्म. In the गीता the Lord gives us the genesis of Moha. Moha is the outcome of अज्ञान, says He (अज्ञानेनावृतं ज्ञानं तेन मुह्यन्ति जन्तवः। (5-15).
(ज्ञान is shrouded by अज्ञान and hence the
beings suffer from मोह).
अथ नरहरिषट्कम् (Six verses in praise of Narahari)
828. सर्वत्रैव सदा स्थितो नरहरिः यत् स्थावरे जङ्गमे,
दैवाद् व्यक्तिमुपागतः पुनरसौ पाषाण पिण्डेपि यत्।
नास्तित्वं गमितो हिरण्यकशिपुः तादृक् प्रपञ्चाश्रयः,
तत्सर्वं किल कौतुकं निज जन प्रह्लादहेतोः कृतम्।।
828. Narahari(Narasimha), present in all things, moving and unmoving, manifested in the stone pillar. Due to this good fortune, the utterly worldly HiraNyakashyapa, was wiped out (नास्तित्वं गमितः). All this wonder was for the sake of His dear Prahlaada.
NOTE: Brahman is omnipresent. He is in the moving and the unmoving. But, in order to bless and favour(दैवाद् ) the Jeeva(soul, साधक), He manifests in the human form of a Sadguru(पाषाण पिण्ड – the body composed of five elements).. Under his guidance, the Moha, HiraNyakashyapa, addicted to the world (प्रपञ्चाश्रय), is wiped out totally(नास्तित्वं गमितः) and all this wonderful(कौतुक) play of God is for the sake(हेतोः) of the Jeeva (soul, साधक), whose intrinsic nature is fully(प्र) blissful (ह्लाद).
829. जित्वेन्द्रियरिपुः षट्कं हृदि गायति वार षट्कं चेत्।
एतन्नरहरिषट्कं विकारषट्कं निवारयति।।
829. If a साधक, conquering the six enemies of the senses, recites this Narahari Shatkam six times, he will ward off forever the six vagaries of human life.
NOTE: This is the फलश्रुति. Lust, anger, greed, delusive over-attachment, arrogance and envy (काम क्रोध लोभ मोह मद मत्सर) lead our senses and the mind astray. So they are refered to as enemies(रिपु). The six vagaries (विकार) incidental to birth are: being born (जायते), exists(अस्ति), grows(वर्धते), teen-age bodily changes (विपरिणमते), declines (अपक्षीयते) due to old-age and senility and death (नश्यति).
अथ उन्मत्त प्रलाप शतकम्।(The inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses).
NOTE: Narahari is God-intoxicated. Like a drunkard in his inebriated (उन्मत्त) condition,
NARAHARI has given us his babble in one hundred verses. A drunkard’s speech is often incoherent and lacks rhyme and reason. NARAHARI would have us believe he, too, is in that condition. Obviously, he is pulling our legs!
In an intoxicated condition, the great Appayya Dikshita poured out his आत्मार्पण स्तुतिः. AN’s this century(शतकम्) is also in the same genre. He is God-intoxicated.
830. शुद्धबोधसुधास्वादी प्रलपामि प्रमत्तवत्।
तत्प्रलाप निगूढार्थं शोधयन्तु सतां धियः।।
830. Relishing the nectar of pure Awakening,
I am prattling like a drunkard. Let the wits of the good and the godly, seek out the hidden meaning of my babble.
831. कामः क्रोधश्च लोभश्च मोहश्च मदमत्सरौ।
संसारतारकाः यद्वत् तथा तद्विवृतिं शृणु।
831. Lust, anger, greed, delusive over-attachment, arrogance and envy – I will explain how they ferry us across संसार.
NOTE: These are traditionally called ‘six enemies’
and hinder our spiritual progress. AN tries to give us an original spin on these words.
832. विश्रान्तिसुन्दरीसङ्ग रति लावण्यलम्पटाः।
एकान्तलीलाचतुराः कामिनो मुक्तिगामिनः।।
832. Those lustful(कामिनः) are on way to Liberation. The ‘beauty’ (सुन्दरी) is the utter peace and relaxation(that ensues after Japa, ध्यान etc) (विश्रान्ति). They are addicted to her company, lured by her beauty.
834. भ्रकुटी कुटिलं यस्य मुखमीक्षितुमक्षमाः।
कामलोभादयो भावाः स द्वेषी केशवप्रियः।।
834. Lust, greed etc are unable to look at his knitted eyebrows. Such an enemy is the beloved of Keshava.
NOTE: A साधक is very alert and on guard lest the feelings of lust, greed etc overpower him and make him go astray by draining away whatever self-control he has achieved. He knits his eyebrows and looks at such विकार-s in his mind objectively. His क्रोध (anger) at these ‘enemies’ is reflected by his कुटिल भ्रकुटी, knitted brows. This anger, directed not at others, but, at one’s own inner enemies, endears us to God (केशवप्रियः).
835. शाश्वते सुप्रसन्नानां नश्वरे भ्रकुटीभृताम्।
रागद्वेषवतां तात मुक्तिः करतले स्थिता।।
835. My child, liberation is as if on one’s palm for those who are attached (राग) to the Eternal with serene contentment and who knit their brows(द्वेष) towards the transient.(Here द्वेष means विराग, lack of राग or attachment).
836. मनः काचमणिं दत्त्वा ज्ञानचिन्तामणिं मुनिः।
क्रीणाति येन लोभेन स लोभो मुक्तिसाधनम्।।
836. The sage barters the glass-bead of his mind for the wish-fulfilling gem called Jnaana (ज्ञान). This ‘greed’ is a means to Liberation.
NOTE: In His commentary on VishNu Sahasra Naama, AS quotes a verse:
एकस्मिन् अप्यतिक्रान्ते, मुहूर्ते ध्यानवर्जिते।
दस्युभिः मुषितेनेव, युक्तमाक्रन्दितुं भृशम्।।
(Even if one Muhoorta(a fraction of time) goes without Dhyaana, it behoves one to wail and weep copiously as though he has been looted by robbers). A miser weeps and wails if a few coins are lost. This is greed. Such ‘greed’ marks a साधक too, but, for devotion and ज्ञान.
837. येन वर्णाश्रमाचार देहभोगधनादिकम्।
विस्मरन्ति चितः प्रेम्णा स मोहः परमं पदम्।।
837. That loving over-attachment (मोह) for (a higher state of) consciousness (चित्) which makes one forgetful of his Varna(class), Aashrama (आश्रम), body, enjoyments, wealth etc – such मोह (is not a defect, but) is the highest state.
NOTE: Tukaram addresses God thus in an Abhang: आवडे हें रूप गोजिरे सगुण। पाहतां लोचन सुखावले ।। आतां दृष्टीपुढ़ें असाच तू राहें। जों मी तुज पाहें पाण्डुरंगा।। Were such words to be addressed by a lover to his beloved, it will be Moha, infatuation.. But, when such fascination is directed to God, this Moha becomes adorable.
As happened to Arjuna, Moha leads to
forgetfulness of one’s true identity. But, this Moha for a higher state of consciousness, for तुरीय state, is not a drawback, but a welcome sign. A साधक blessed with such unearthly मोह has little use for Varna, Aashrama etc. He does not willfully drop them, mind you, but, they just drop off on their own, as we say in Mrityunjaya Mantra उर्वारुकमिव बन्धनात् like a ripe cucumber separating from its stalk naturally. He becomes अतिवर्ण and अत्याश्रमी not by choice, but naturally.
838. मत्तो नान्यत् परं किञ्चित् अहमेव महेश्वरः।
अहमेवोत्तमश्चेति मदो मुक्तिप्रदो मतः।।
838. There is none higher than me. I am Divine. I am the best – this arrogance (मद) is deemed as the bestower of Mukti.
NOTE: This is to be understood as the outburst of one who has totally identified with God. It is like a drop in the ocean saying “ships are sailing in me, huge sharks are sheltered by me.” It makes sense since the drop(बिन्दु ) is now inseparable from the ocean(सिन्धु). If this total identity between जीव and शिव is not there, the above verse will be sheer bravado.
839. दृश्योत्कर्षं न सहते ज्ञानोत्कर्षंबलात् तु यः।
स तु सम्वत्सरशतं ज्येष्ठो निर्मत्सरान्मुनेः।।
839. Due to an upsurge(उत्कर्ष) in his ज्ञान,
he can’t stand upsurge in the ‘seen'(दृश्य). Such a person is senior to a non-envious sage by hundreds of years!
NOTE: The उत्कर्ष in his ज्ञान means his heightened awareness of the distinction between Self and Not-Self(आत्म अनात्म विवेक). Envy(मत्सर) means inability to bear happily the sight of a fellow-being’s material prosperity (उत्कर्ष). Here, AN takes it to mean a ‘holy indifference ‘ to the उत्कर्ष in माया, the names and forms that flit across before one’s eyes. Howsoever enchanting be the दृश्य before him, he will ever be mindful of his distinction as the seer(दृक्) and will not let the दृश्य(the seen) to tempt and overpower him. Says वेदान्त डिण्डिम –
(दृक् दृश्यौ द्वौ पदार्थौ स्तः परस्पर विलक्षणौ। दृग्ब्रह्म दृश्यं माया स्यादिति वेदान्तडिण्डिमः।।).(The see-r and the seen – these are two categories, distinct from each other. The seer is Brahman and the seen is माया. This is the drumbeat of Vedanta).
840. क्षणं न क्षमते यस्तु बाह्य स्फुरणमक्षमी।
तद्वाम चरणाङ्गुष्ठे निबद्धाऽश्रमिणां गुणाः।।
840. Even for a moment, he will not be able to bear an ‘outer flicker'(बाह्य स्फुरण) (of sensation). The virtues of all, belonging to all आश्रम -s (like celibate, householder etc) are held captive as it were in his left toe.
NOTE: Unlike for us, every sensation for him is not just a flicker(स्फुरण), but, a perception of Brahman. It is HE sporting in the guise of the sensations for our various इन्द्रिय-s. Each ज्ञानेन्द्रिय (eye, ear, nose, tongue, touch) presents to the साधक its own unique bunch of sensations. We ordinarily are just content with enjoying the sensations. Not so the ज्ञानी. The second line in the verse is in praise of him.
841. कामादयो महाधूर्ता धूर्तितं यैः जगत् त्रयम्।
तान् धूर्तयति यो युक्त्या स धूर्तो धूर्जटिप्रियः।।
841. Lust, anger etc are great cheats and they have defrauded the three worlds. He, who cleverly outwits these cheats, such ‘master cheat’ is the beloved of Dhoorjati(Shiva).(Shiva has matted locks,जटा, on His head, hence the name धूर्जटिन्)(In Shiva Poojan, while offering धूप,
we say धराधरसुतानाथ धूर्जटे धवलप्रभ। …..).
NOTE: Lust, anger etc are cheats because they rob us of our आत्मसुख (our blissful nature) by leading us astray. The Yogi, the ज्ञानी, the ‘ripe’ साधक does not fall a prey to them. He cheats the cheats as it were!
In the गीता, the Lord uses harsh words like शत्रु, वैरी, महाशन, महा पापी, नित्यवैरि of ज्ञान etc for lust, anger etc(3-37 तो 43). AN calls them धूर्त (cheats, rogues).
842. यो लालयति लोभादीन् अन्तः मूलानि कृन्तति।
बहिरन्योऽन्य एवान्तः मुक्तिमेति कपट्यसौ।।
842. He, who outwardly appears to foster qualities like greed, but, inwardly nips them in the bud as it were, whose outer and inner looks are in contrast, such a ‘hypocrite’ attains Liberation.
NOTE: The word ‘hypocrite’ is used in zest. Kings like Janaka have to juggle their royal duties and obligations (Pravritti) in such a way that their inward ‘withdrawal’ (Nivritti) is not compromised. This art of governance was taught to Shri Rama by Guru वसिष्ठ (अन्तस्त्यागी बहिस्संगी लोके विहर राघव).
In one of the parables of Sri RamakrishNa, a
serpent, whose non-violence made its life miserable at the hands of naughty urchins,
is told: “hiss, but, don’t bite”. The kingdom would have gone bankrupt if Janaka had not pretended to be worldly. Monks who head spiritual Missions and Heads of Maths (मठाधिपति) have to be worldly wise (lest they are exploited) for the smooth running of their Missions and Maths.
843. गुणात्मकेषु सर्वेषु दोषमेवान्तरात्मनः।
कर्णे जपति यो नित्यं पिशुनोऽसौ विमुक्तिभाक्।।
843. That ‘talebearer’ ‘backbiter’ attains Liberation – he, who whispers into the ears of the self within, the defects of the three गुण-s (which constitute Prakriti)(and awakens him to realise his distinction from her(प्रकृति) with आत्म-अनात्म विवेक). A tale-bearer whispers into our ears the faults and foibles of others. A Guru, too, alerts us to the defects of the three GuNa-s(सत्व रजस् तमस्) sothat we are mindful of our being distinct as Atman. So AN amusingly uses the word पिशुन in this positive sense.
अथ उन्मत्तप्रलाप शतकम्।(Inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses)
NOTE: AN uses the words काम क्रोध etc in such a manner that their complexion is altogether new. There is an overwhelming testimony of saints who have defanged these ‘serpents’ and played with them. Their strategy was simple: They directed them towards God. Says Santa Tukaram:
काम क्रोध लोभ स्वार्थ।
अवघा माझा पंढरीनाथ।।
As if explaining what Tukaram said, says Sri RamakrishNa in His Gospel: “Direct the six
passions to God. The impulse of lust(काम) should be turned into the desire to have communion with the Divine Spirit. Feel angry(क्रोध) at those who stand in the way to God. Feel greedy (लोभ) for Him. If you must have the feeling of I and Mine, then associate it with God. If you must have pride, then feel proud(मद) thinking that you are a servant of God or a child of God”.
(Quoted in MEDITATION AND SPIRITUAL LIFE by Swami Yatiswarananda – pages 118,119).
Says Sri RamakrishNa: “If you can give a spiritual turn to your तमस् (तमोगुण), you can realise God with its help”(vide Gospel, page 147) Sage Narada gives us a Sootra in this respect in his BHAKTI SOOTRA: तदर्पिताखिलाचारः सन् कामक्रोध अभिमानादिकं तस्मिन् एव करणीयम्।(सूत्र 65)
(One should offer all actions to God and direct lust, anger, pride etc towards Him only).
Says Sri RamakrishNa: As long as these passions are directed towards the world and its objects, they are enemies, but, when they are directed towards the Deity, they become the best friends of man, for they take him to God…..They can be educated and turned into a different channel… ..When the fruit grows out of the flower, the petals drop off themselves. So, when the divinity in you increases, the weaknesses of your human nature will all vanish of their own accord.
(TEACHINGS OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA, Page 117).
When we direct these ‘serpents’ – काम क्रोध लोभ मोह मद and मत्सर – to God, He lovingly accepts them and flaunts them as His ornaments. He cherishes them as the souvenirs of His reformed devotees. We then invoke Him as
ॐ भुजङ्गभूषणाय नमः ॐ (63rd name in 108 names of Shiva).
अथ उन्मत्त प्रलाप शतकम्।(Inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses).
844. परापवाद एवास्ति हृदये यस्य सर्वदा।
परां गतिं गतो दृष्टः स मया मुनिशेखरः।।
The literal translation of this verse will be:
844. I have seen him, the foremost sage, who has in his heart only blame and reproach for others always and who has attained the supreme goal of life.
NOTE: Taken at this face value, this verse makes no sense. A person who always indulges in blame-game cannot be a sage, leave alone a foremost sage. Then, what is its true interpretation?
पर stands for creation outside our true Self. It is alien, पर, not part of my being(अनात्म). अपवाद here has the Vedantic meaning of refutation. अपवाद is the opposite of अध्यारोप (imputation). When a rope is perceived as snake, this snake is an अध्यारोप. When you fetch a torch and see the rope, there is the अपवाद of the snake-appearance.
He is a foremost sage, मुनिशेखर, who negates the world- appearance by saying नेति नेति (not this, not this) and looks at it as Brahman only. AS quotes an ancient maxim: अध्यारोपापवादाभ्यां निष्प्रपञ्चं प्रपञ्च्यते
in His commentaries to illustrate the Vedantic method of teaching.
845. मिथ्यैवेदं जगत्सर्वमिति निश्चयचेतसाम्।
स मिथ्यावादिनां लोको दुर्लभः सत्यवादिनः।।
845. For those who have the conviction that all this is unreal, the world available to these ‘liars’ is difficult of attainment for the truth-sayers!
NOTE: Like the earlier verse no.844, here also there is double meaning. Can a liar, given to uttering falsehood, score over a सत्यवादी, truth- sayer? No. The inner meaning is: one who is convinced that Brahman is real and the world is unreal (ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन्मिथ्या) scores over those who see only the world and are blind to Brahman
underlying it.
846. नैव किञ्चित् करोमीति यः सदाचारवर्जितः।
आचारिणो न गच्छन्ति तस्यानाचारिणो गतिम्।।
846. The doers don’t reach that goal which is attained by the non-doers. The latter resolve not to do anything and give up good conduct.
NOTE: This is also a brain-teaser. Taken literally, we are confused. How can one who gives up सदाचार (good conduct) score over a non-doer?
The inner meaning is: The socalled non-doer is not really a non-doer. He has only given up his notion of कर्तृत्व (I am the doer) and, therefore, he has risen above भोक्तृत्व (enjoyership) also. In the गीता, the Lord calls him an egotist fool who arrogates to himself the notion: I am the doer.
(अहङ्कारविमूढात्मा कर्ताहमिति मन्यते।)(3-27). HE, God Almighty, is the real Doer. He is the Puppeteer and we are mere puppets in His hands.(ईश्वरः सर्वभूतानां हृद्देशेऽर्जुन तिष्ठति। भ्रामयन् सर्वभूतानि यन्त्रारूढानि मायया।।)(18-61).
847. पूर्वं यानि च मित्राणि विचारादीनि तान्यपि।
विहाय तत्परं यातो मित्रद्रोही स मुच्यते।।
847. Earlier, thinking etc were considered our friends. He, who gives them up and goes ahead, such ‘betrayer of friends’ is liberated,.
NOTE: In our spiritual journey, our staunch allies are the mind, intellect, imagination etc. With them on our side, we embark on विचार and विवेक (enquiry and discrimination). But, a stage comes when we need to transcend them. Our goal is मनोनिवृत्ति (also called अमनीभाव). All the above so-called ‘friends’ (मित्र) agitate our मानस सरोवर – our mindlake in one way or the other. Yoga is stilling the thought-waves (योगश्चित्तवृत्ति निरोधः) said Patanjali. This ascent to a thoughtless state is humourously called मित्रद्रोह(betrayal of friends) by AN.
848. पञ्चभूतात्मकं विश्वं निर्मितं येन मायया।
स एव हि मया दृष्टो मायावी मुक्तिभाजनम्।।
848. I have seen Him, that Magician, who has created this universe with His illusory power. Now, I am Liberated.
NOTE: In our day-to-day life, the magician is
just an entertainer. He cannot bestow Mukti.
But, God Almighty is a class apart. He is a magician par excellence. श्वेाश्वतरोपनिषत् says:
मायां तु प्रकृतिं विद्यात्, मायिनं तु महेश्वरम्।(4-10). “Only by knowing Him, one goes beyond death. There is no other way to go beyond”(तमेव विदित्वा अतिमृत्युमेति नान्यः पन्था विद्यते अयनाय।.(Yajurveda 32-18)(श्वेाश्वतरोपनिषत् 6-15).
849. स्वेच्छयैव कृतं विश्वं स्वेच्छयैव निहन्ति यः।
कृतज्ञादपि पूज्योऽसौ कृतघ्नो मोक्षमश्नुते।।
849.He, who creates the universe of His own wish and then destroys it of His own wish – the latter कृतघ्न is more adorable than the कृतज्ञ. He, who worships the कृतघ्न, attains Liberation.
NOTE: AN has a flair to be original in the usage of words. He says: God is कृतज्ञ because He knows (ज्ञ) what He does(कृत), the creation (विश्व ). He is कृतघ्न because He destroys (हन्ति) what He does(कृत) I.e. creation. The words कृतज्ञ and कृतघ्न normally mean the grateful and the ungrateful. But, AN uses them differently. God, being all-knowing, knows my Karma (कृतं जानाति इति कृतज्ञः). But, when worshipped with loving devotion, He “kills” my Karma, makes it ineffective, hence becoming कृतघ्न (कृतं हन्ति). The साधक, for whom God becomes कृतघ्न in this sense, attains Liberation. Says Sri RamakrishNa in His Gospel: “Call on God with Bhakti and the mountain of your sins shall go out of sight, much as a mountain of cotton will burn up and vanish if it but catches one spark of fire”.. Thus, God becomes kritaghna by destroying (ghna) sins we have committed (krita).
850. आश्चर्यं योऽभिमन्येत जीव आत्मानमीश्वरम्।
सोऽभिमानी गतिं याति निरहङ्कार दुर्लभाम्।।
850. It is a wonder that the soul(जीव), who proudly calls himself the Lord, attains the supreme goal of life, which is out of reach for the egoless!
NOTE: An egoless person is humble and humility is one of the essentials of a साधक. But, this alone does not guarantee Liberation. Humility, want of pride, is a means. It is not an end in itself. The end is to realise in one’s own being that he is divine, that he is inseparable from Him, whose spark or particle he is. The great maxim: अहं ब्रह्मास्मि must come alive in his experience. AN says that such identification is not egoism. This अभिमान that “I belong to God, I am Godlike” may sound like an egoistic utterance, but, it is not.
The Advaitin does not mean he is Trinity that creates, sustains and dissolves the universe (ब्रह्मा विष्णु शिव). What he means is: like ईश्वर he, too, is Sacchidananda. Like ईश्वर, he,too,is नित्य शुद्ध बुद्ध and मुक्त (eternal, pure, awakened and free) essentially.
851. गुणेषु दोषं पश्यन्तो विश्वमात्र विनिन्दकाः।
आत्मस्तुतिपरा यान्ति नित्यं वैकुण्ठमन्दिरम्।
851. Those who find fault in the virtues, run down the universe and are given to self-praise – these go to VaikuNTha(abode of VishNu) always.
NOTE: This is also a tricky verse. Taken superficially, it is very deceptive. The hidden meaning is:
1. The गुण -s stand for सत्व रजस् and तमस् – collectively known as Prakriti. A साधक is wary of Prakriti lest he gets enmeshed in it.
2. विश्व, the universe, is an interplay of the three गुण-s. So, he is always mindful of his distinct identity. He belittles विश्व as a bubble, doomed to burst at any moment.
3.His concern is with the ocean that supports the bubble – Atman. His praise, स्तुति, is for Atman also called Brahman.
Such साधक-s are in heaven here and now. For them, Vaikuntha is not s faraway planet. As the RgVeda puts it:
तद्विष्णोः परमं पदं सदा पश्यन्ति सूरयः।
(The wise, the enlightened – they behold the seat of VishNu always).
852. बुद्ध्वापि शुद्धमात्मानं व्यावहारिकलोकवत्।
करोति, न करोमीति दम्भकृत् शम्भुवल्लभः।।
852. Even after realising himself as the unsullied Self, he acts like a man of the world, but says: I am not acting – such a hypocrite is dear to Shambhu.
NOTE: A hypocrite is one whose words don’t match with deeds. An enlightened person –
whenever I use this word ‘enlightened’, please visualise our Sadgurus – acts and yet, he does not act. In the words of गीता, he sees कर्म in अकर्म and vice versa. Outwardly, it looks he acts, but, inwardly he knows he is only play-acting.
He is in संसार, but, संसार is not in him. He is IN the world, but, he is not OF it. The boat is in water, but, the water is not in boat. To quote Sri RamakrishNa, he is like the governess in a Zamindar’s household, who acts AS IF the house belongs to her. A modern example will be of a Cashier in a bank, who acts AS IF all the cash is his! AN humourously terms this as hypocrisy.
अथ उन्मत्तप्रलाप शतकम्।(The inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses).
853. बोधखड्गेन तीक्ष्णेन मोहाहङ्कार दुर्धियाम्।
घातकः पातकं हन्ति पूर्वजन्मशतार्जितम्।।
853. He, who, with his sharp sword of Knowledge, “kills” the delusive over-attachment and egoism of persons of perverse intelligence,
“kills”, indeed, the cumulative sins of hundreds of his earlier births.
NOTE: A killer is normally a criminal, but, not so this “killer”. AN plays with the word घातक here in a noble sense.
854. अहङ्कारं हरिरहं ब्रह्मैवाहम् अहं शिवः।
इति विश्वास्य हन्तारः पुण्याः विश्वासघातकाः।।
854. They, the betrayers (विश्वास घातक), who “kill” that ego which says: I am Hari, I am Brahmaa and I am Shiva” after reposing faith in him(the ego), are holy and meritorious.
NOTE: अहंकार, ego, has many options before it. It can choose to be सात्विक, राजसिक or तामसिक. It can choose तादात्म्य, identification, with the body(देहात्मबुद्धि), senses, vital airs, mind, intellect or imagination. It is said: There were two prisoners. At night, both came to the balcony. One looked at the stars above and the other at the mud below! It was open for the latter, too, to gaze at the twinkling stars, but, he chose to gaze at the slush and the slime. We, too,are prisoners. We are captives in this body (Sri RamakrishNa calls it pillow case).
While a few choose to say I am Hari etc, the
vast majority choose to identify with body etc (called उपाधि in Vedaanta). But, अहङ्कार, no matter it is सात्विक, is to be transcended. A chain does not cease to be a chain just because it is of gold. So, we disown this अहङ्कार by saying: मनो बुद्ध्यहंकार चित्तानि नाहम् – I am none of these appendages: mind, intellect, ego, chitta etc.
This ‘disowning’ is humourously called by AN as Betrayal (विश्वासघात)!
855. मुक्तो विधिनिषेधाभ्यां निश्चिन्तः स्वेच्छया चरन्।
कर्मठानाम् अपाङ्क्तेयः सोऽस्माकं पङ्क्तिपावनः।।
855. Free from do’s and don’ts, carefree and moving as he pleases – such a person may be deemed unworthy by ritualists to sit along with them, but, for us, he is a “purifier of the row” indeed.
NOTE: Orthodox Brahmins will feel greatly honoured if another learned, pious Brahmin were to sit in their row(पङ्क्ति )during dinner. By his presence, he becomes its (of the पङ्क्ति) purifier(पावन). To the hardboiled ritualists, a ‘freelancer’, an Avadhoota, who has shrugged off the conventional do’s and don’ts, will be unwelcome to sit in their row. But, says AN, to those who have moved beyond the beaten path of rituals, such an Avadhoota, such a Jeevanmukta will be most welcome as a “Purifier of the Row”(पङ्क्ति पावन).
This verse and many such verses in Vedantic texts are likely to be misunderstood. What is meant is that the Enlightened person does not feel the ‘constraint’ of duty. Dharma comes to him naturally. It is spontaneous. Does a mother need a textbook to love her child?. A truly awakened soul is never out of step with Dharma. In his book NAISHKARMYA SIDDHI
Acharya Sureshvara, foremost disciple of AS, asks: If a so-called ‘awakened’ person were to behave as he pleases, what difference is there between him and a dog?
(बुद्ध्वा चाद्वैततत्वस्य यथेष्टाचरणं यदि।
शुनां तत्वदृशां चैव को भेदोऽशुचिभक्षणे।।)
Saying that he goes beyond विधि and निषेध is a rhetorical flourish. He does not have to labour to conform to Dharma. Dharma flowers naturally in him. Sri RamakrishNa says: An expert dancer is never out of step. During one of his lecture sessions years ago in Gita Mandir, Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,Mumbai, I remember late Pandit K.G.Ginde-ji saying a seasoned musician never goes out of ताल howsoever he may gyrate in his आलाप and तान. Like a beginner, he does not need to be unduly self-conscious lest he misses the beat of सम् !
856. निन्दितावभिनिर्मुक्ताभ्युदितो यौ तु तौ हि नः।
पूतौ, कर्माभिनिर्मुक्तोऽभ्युदितश्च चितौ सदा।।
856. One, who sleeps during sunset and one, who sleeps during sunrise – both have been reviled. But, for us they both are pious and holy.
NOTE: Among ritualists(sticklers of कर्म काण्ड), those who sleep during sunset and sunrise are frowned upon since they miss to perform the rituals(कर्म) ordained at that time. AN says that this does not apply to us(नः) – the exponents of the ज्ञानमार्ग. Their realisation of Brahman by listening (श्रवण), reflection (मनन) and contemplation (निदिध्यासन) on the महावाक्य-s like तत् त्वम् असि (That thou art) is not governed at all by sunrise or sunset.
857. दत्त्वा द्वारि कपाटं यः खण्डलङ्डुकवन्मुनिः।
एकाकी मिष्टमश्नाति स याति परमां गतिम्।।
857. He, the sage, who latches the door and
eats alone the sugary ‘laddu’ as it were – he attains the supreme goal of life!
NOTE: Our sacred books teach us to keep our doors open for a guest(अतिथि) and serve food to him. अतिथि देवो भव – let the guest be a god to you, is the rule. सह नौ भुनक्तु – let us have food together, is the ideal. One who disregards this and eats alone is condemned(एकाकी अघमश्नुते – केवलादी भवति केवलाघी – the lone eater eats sin!).
Here, AN is not refering to this at all. The door he is refering to, is the sensory complex. The sage bolts the runaway senses, seeks solitude(एकाकी) and feasts on ब्रह्म सुख – the sugary laddu! No doubt, he reaches the supreme goal of life.
858. ज्ञानकर्मेंन्द्रियगणो निरुद्ध्य निजमन्दिरे।
पङ्क्तीकृत्य हतो येन सोऽस्माकं पङ्क्तिपावनः।।
858. He, who “kills” in his own home(called body) the ten इन्द्रिय-s, after rounding them up in a row, is for us a “purifier of the row”.
NOTE: This is AN’s rhetorical way of saying that a साधक, who tames and subdues his ten indriya-s (five organs of perception, ज्ञानेन्द्रिय, and five organs of action, कर्मेंन्द्रिय) and “kills” their तामसिक(tendency to do harm) nature, is a purifier of the row(पङ्क्तिपावन). The arena of his fight is his own body, his temple (देहो देवालयः प्रोक्तः – देह देवाचे मन्दिर). By his clever युक्ति-s (strategies) imbibed from the Sadguru and Satsang, he turns them into soulmates. They become friends, not foes. He employs them in the service of the God and the Guru.
Our life is a perpetual warfare, both within and without, says Santa Tukaram:
रात्रंदिन आम्हां युद्धाचा प्रसंग।
अंतर्बाह्य जग आणि मन।।
859. पश्य संसारनाशार्थम् आत्मनाशं सहन्ति ये।
संसारद्वेषिणां तेषां मुक्तिः शास्त्रेषु वर्णिता।।
859. Look my child(शिष्य), they, who endure their destruction, for the sake of destroying the संसार – the liberation of these enemies of संसार is described in the sacred books.
NOTE: The आत्मनाश – destroying oneself – refered to by AN is the repudiation – नेति नेति, not this, not this) – of all the Non-Self(अनात्म) which we had hugged hitherto as being our true nature. In the state of ignorance, our तादात्म्य, our identification with them was total. We have to destroy this mistaken identity – this is refered to as आत्मनाश by AN . The five कोश-s, our body-mind complex,
are our instruments(साधन). They are distinct from साधक who uses them positively to hasten his spiritual progress.
अथ उन्मत्तप्रलाप शतकम्।(The inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses).
860. अहं ममेति सर्वस्वं बोधद्यूतेषु हारितम्।
येनासौ मुक्तिभाक् प्रोक्तो बृहदारण्यक श्रुतौ।।
860. He, who has lost everything comprising of I and mine in the game of dice called Enlightenment, is called the recipient of Liberation in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.
NOTE: The game of dice(द्यूत) turned the PaaNDava -s into paupers. Gambling is fraught with risk. AN humourously calls साधना as a game of dice. The साधक loses two ‘precious’ things which he had cherished zealously – I and mine
(अहम् मम). A gambler, who loses all, is doomed to despair and dejection. But, this gambler called साधक is a very special person. He is entitled to bliss. He is a claimant to Mukti (Liberation).
861. दीनेन्द्रिय मृगेष्वेव दया यस्य न विद्यते।
स एव देवकीसूनोर्दीनबन्धोरतिप्रियः।।
861. He, who has no compassion towards the helpless sense-animals, is alone very dear to the son of Devaki, hailed as the ‘kinsman of the helpless'(दीनबन्धु).
NOTE: Our body-mind complex is meant to serve us. Who can take care of it, if not ourselves? They are दीन, helpless, unable to fend for themselves. But, like a hunter who shows no mercy(दया) towards the hunted, the साधक puts the senses(इन्द्रिय) under leash, rationing considerably their intake of ‘food’ (विषय – शब्द स्पर्श रूप रस गन्ध). Such a ‘merciless’ साधक becomes the darling of Shri KrishNa, who is praised as Deenabandhu. The truly दीन are the sense-animals (इन्द्रिय मृग) and they should have been प्रिय to the Lord. It is ironical that HE favours the hunter(साधक) rather than the hunted.
AN peppers his teachings with such literary
graces (चमत्कार) and hence this book was very dear to our Parama Guru.
862. आत्मभोगरतो राजा यस्तु नावेक्षते पुरीम्।
लिप्यते न स पापेन प्रमाणं मुण्डकश्रुतिः।।
862. The king,engrossed in self-enjoyment, and does not look after his kingdom, is not stained by any sin. This is vouched for by MuNDaka Upanishad.
NOTE: Here the king is the soul, the साधक. He rules over his kingdom comprising of three bodies(शरीरत्रय – स्थूल सूक्ष्म कारण). Unlike the ignorant mortal, wallowing in sense pleasures and thus pampering his ‘kingdom’, the साधक is steeped in his own Atmic bliss. He is स्वतन्त्र whereas we are परतन्त्र, looking for crumbs of pleasure tossed by the senses. His is the true स्वाराज्य. The ब्राह्मी स्थिति – being anchored in Brahman/Atman – is praised as स्वराज्य सिद्धि. The MuNDaka Upanishad refers to him: आत्मक्रीड आत्मरतिः क्रियावान् एष ब्रह्मविदां वरिष्ठः।
863. ज्ञानवैराग्यपाशेन हतो येन मनोधनी।
य स्यादेवंविधः पाशी तस्य काशी पदेपदे।।
863. Wherever walks he, who, quells the wealthy person called the mind, with his ropes of Knowledge and Dispassion, there, at every step, it is Kaashi(Varanasi) as it were.
NOTE: The mind is refered to as धनी because it strives incessantly to enrich itself with mundane pleasures. In His small hymn called काशी पञ्चकम्, AS refers to the state of no-mind(मनो निवृत्तिः) as Kaashi. Those, not conversant with Vedantic Psychology, are likely to be confused with this assertion. No-mind is not a mental aberration. It is that serene state of contentment wherein the undulating pendulum of the mind grinds to a halt. “Yes-no, love-hate, affirmation-negation
(सङ्कल्प विकल्प) – this is mind in Hindu psychology – सङ्कल्प विकल्पात्मकं मनः। When we accept every bit that falls on our lap as His प्रसाद and stop whining, we have gone beyond mind. In that pellucid state of our mind-lake (मानस सरोवर) there arise no ripples of चित्तवृत्ति। Cessation of Chitta Vritti(incessant agitations in mind) is Yoga, said Patanjali(योगः चित्तवृत्ति निरोधः). When the mind is full of light(प्रकाश) – enLIGHTened – it is काशी for the true ज्ञानी, true भक्त and true कर्मयोगी at every step (पदे पदे).
864. गङ्गा यमुनयो मध्ये बालरण्डां तपस्विनीम्।
बलात्कारेण यो भुङ्क्ते स रण्डाव्यसनी शुचिः।।
864. Between Gangaa and Yamunaa there is a minor(not yet adult) ‘prostitute’ engaged in penance. He, who forcibly molests her, he, this addict, is pure indeed.
NOTE: One of the literary gimmicks of Narahari is to shock and startle us by use of apparently indecent words and phrases. Here is one instance. A literal meaning of this verse shocks us: a ‘बाल रण्डा’ cannot be a तपस्विनी(engaged in austerities). Here, this word ‘बालरण्डा’ means सुषुम्ना, a subtle सूक्ष्म नाडी (nerve) in between इडा (गङ्गा) and पिङ्गला (यमुना)in our spine. It is called मोक्षनाडी. The awakened Kundalini (Serpent Power as it is called) rises up through this middle नाडी. In the word रण्डा, रम् is the seed-syllable (बीजाक्षर) of Agni(fire), symbolic of upward movement. डा means to go up, rise up, fly(डीङ् विहायसा गतौ – डयते – धातुपाठ). So, the रहस्यार्थ of this word is: She is the सुषुम्ना नाडी where through the flame of our consciousness (symbolised by Agni, रम्) goes(डयते) upwards in the sky(विहायसा) of consciousness (चिदाकाश).
The Yogi, who is an ‘addict’ (व्यसनी) to this सुषुम्ना and forcibly ‘molests’ her(awakens her) is ever pure(शुचिः).
865. बोधदावाग्निना दग्धं येन द्वैतवनं घनम्।
अति पुण्यां गतिं याति स हि दावाग्निदायक:।।
865. He, who, with his fire of Knowledge, burns down the dense forest of duality, attains a very meritorious end – this incendiary of the forest.
NOTE: One who sets a forest on fire(दावाग्नि दायक) is counted among grave sinners. But, this one is an exception! The forest here is the notion of duality (द्वैत). A wayfarer loses his way in a forest. Same is true of a wayfarer in संसार. He should cultivate a feeling of ‘one-ness’ with all that is. This will make his journey pleasant,. Says sage Ashtaavakra to Janaka in Ashtaavakra Gitaa:
एको विशुद्धबोधोऽहमिति निश्चयवह्निना।
प्रज्वाल्याज्ञान गहनं वीतशोकः सुखी भव।।
(Burn down the forest of ignorance with the firy conviction “I am the One and Pure Consciousness” and be free from grief and be happy)(1-9).
866. गृहे स्थितानामपि यॊ गवां ग्रासं ददाति न।
आचरत्यात्मनः पुष्टिं सर्व पापै: प्रमुच्यते।।
866. He, who does not feed even the cows that are in his house, but, only nourishes himself – is freed from all sins.
NOTE: As noted in earlier posts, AN is fond of literary gimmics. He sometimes uses common words in uncommon sense and amuses us. Here is an example: the word गौ normally stands for cow. It is prescribed that a householder should take good care of his cattle by letting them go out to graze and by feeding them(गो ग्रास) timely. Here AN uses the word गौ in the sense of senses (इन्द्रिय). The householder here is a साधक. He does not let his senses go scotfree. He reins them in with discipline. He does not pamper them. He allows them only limited food (गो ग्रास) in the form of sensory enjoyment,. Therefore, he is free from all sins!
The word गौ has several other meanings like earth, speech etc besides cow. Indriya is one of them. In one of his Ashtami songs(म्हण्ति), Revered Sri
Ramavallabhadas says:
श्रवण गायी येवो, शब्द चारा घेवो।
याचें दूध देवो, कृष्णबाळा।।
नयनगायी येवो, रूपचारा घेवो।
याचें दूध देवो, कृष्णबाळा।।
etc (Let the ear-cow come, let her have the sound-fodder and give her milk to the Infant-KrishNa. Let the eye-cow come, let her have the form-fodder and give her milk to the Infant-KrishNa…..). Here, Sri Ramavallabhdas, like AN, uses गौ in the sense of इन्द्रिय.
867. रसाः सर्वेऽपि विक्रीता धर्माधर्ममजानता।
ग्रन्थौ बद्धं बोधधनं स धन्यो रसविक्रयी।।
867. That seller of juices is, indeed, fortunate, who, regardless of Dharma and Adharma, ‘sells’ all the juices and earns in return the wealth of Knowledge and ties it up securely.
NOTE: A Brahmin is forbidden from selling milk, curds(रस) etc. It cannot be his vocation. The साधक gives away the juicy sense pleasures – I.e.he practises शम and दम – and, in return, earns the wealth of Knowledge(बोध धन). Abstinence from sensory enjoyments is called here by AN as an act of barter or विक्रय – give and take. Knowledge cannot come on its own. We have to pay a price. वैराग्य – dispassion – is the price. कुछ पानेके लिये कुछ खोना पडता है। We have to let go the ‘juicy’ (रसात्मक) sensory enchantments to be rewarded by the Supreme Rasa – रसो वै सः –
God. The Lord says in गीता : “When the Supreme is glimpsed, the taste(रस) for sensory objects recedes.(रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते।) (2-59).
868. अन्तर्याम्यात्मना येन रचितो वर्णसंकरः।
स्वयं शङ्कर एवासौ वर्णितो वर्णसंकरी।।
868. He, who has identified himself with the inner monitor(अन्तर्यामी) in all the four castes
(वर्ण), such वर्णसङ्करी (the doer of intermingling of castes) is himself, verily, Lord Shankara Himself.
NOTE: AN strives for dramatic effect. The
intermingling of castes is frowned upon in our scriptures. Arjuna made it an excuse not to fight and loftily told the Lord Himself that such सङ्कर leads to hell(सङ्करो नरकायैव – 1-42). AN is cracking a joke here: the Knower identifies himself with God residing in all castes(वर्ण) and thus is guilty of वर्ण सङ्कर! But, rather than go to hell as feared by Arjuna, he himself shines as Shankara!
869. येन वेदाः समभ्यस्य विदित्वार्थं स्वचिन्तया।
प्लाविताः सह वेदान्तैः वेदप्लावी सः मुच्यते।।
869. He, who, after a proper study of Veda-s and knowing their true import by independent reflection, lets go same along with Upanishads, such ‘Veda forsaker’ is liberated!
NOTE: A student who gives up the study of
Veda-s midway is called वेदप्लावी (one who lets Veda-s to flow out) and incurs reproach. Here, the Knower has no use of these texts as he has assimilated their teachings. Such वेदप्लावी is worthy of praise. He surely attaines liberation. Sri RamakrishNa says: We use the boat to cross the river, but, after crossing, give it up. Same is the case with sacred books. Don’t we discard the bus ticket once we get down?
Swami Vivekananda says: We want to lead mankind to the place where there are neither the Veda-s nor the Bible nor the Koran; yet, this has to be done by harmonising the Veda-s, the Bible and the Koran.(6-416 Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda).
870. शिवे निवेदितं सर्वं शिवनिर्माल्यतां गतम्।
तद्भुनक्ति पवित्रात्मा शिवनिर्माल्यभोजनः।।
870. Whatever is offered to Shiva becomes His निर्माल्य(leftover of offering). The Knower enjoys this निर्माल्य and is pure.
NOTE: The flowers etc offered to a deity, say today, become निर्माल्य tomorrow. These stale flowers are replaced with fresh ones tomorrow. Nirmaalya is not reusable. It cannot be recycled. AN says that all creation is His and what we are enjoying is His stale निर्माल्य. One who reuses निर्माल्य is a sinner, but, not he who experiences the things of the world, knowing they were not his at all, but, His!
Just as all creation is शिवनिर्माल्य, all that is worth saying in the world is called as a leftover of Vyaasa: व्यासोच्छिष्टं जगत् सर्वम्। About His Mahabharat it is said in its आदिपर्व – यदिहास्ति तदन्यत्र यन्नेहास्ति न तत् क्वचित्।(Whatever is here, you may find elsewhere; what is not here, you may not get anywhere). So, whatever we say now is just stale and second-hand.
871. ब्रह्मचर्यगतो भुङ्क्ते सर्वा नगरनायिका।
लिप्यते न स पापेन चित्रं वेदान्तदर्शनम्।।
871. The so-called celibate enjoys the company of all the dames of the city. Yet, he is not stained by sin. Wonderful, indeed, is the philosophy of Vedaanta.
NOTE: Here, the Knower is referred to as Brahmachaari because he lives, moves and has his being in Brahman(ब्रह्मणि चरति). To his vision, all are ब्रह्मस्वरूप – manifestations of Brahman. नायिका is a courtesan. To the Knower she is just another form assumed by God. This ब्रह्मदर्शन is referred to as भुङ्क्ते नगरनायिका:।
Often Sri Ramakrishna ‘s carriage, to and from His devotees’ homes, had to pass through Sonagacchi, a notorious red light area in Calcutta. He used to see the नायिका-s, but, would silently bow down to them, muttering to Himself: O Mother, are You revealing Yourself to me today in this form?
872. अन्तस्त्यक्त कषायो यः वृन्ताकमप्य्दृच्छया।
लब्धमश्नाति हि मुनिः तस्याऽदूरतरो हरिः।।
872. Inwardly free from any impurity, he, who consumes even brinjal that he gets unsought, from such a sage Hari is not far away.
NOTE: Certain vegetables are to be avoided by a साधक. Onion, garlic, mushroom etc are taboo for him. . Brinjal(वृन्ताक) is one such vegetable that is out of favour. But, if there is no choice and Brinjal, unsought by him, is the only vegetable available, a sage consumes it, making no fuss.
873. भृगवे वरुणेनोक्ता ब्रह्मविद्या तु वारुणी।
तद्वारुणी रसास्वादमत्तानाम् उत्तमा गतिः।।
873. Brahma Vidyaa, Teaching about Brahman, was imparted by VaruNa to his son Bhrigu and is, therefore, known as VaaruNee. Liquor is also called VaaruNee. Those who imbibe and get intoxicated with the VaaruNee given by VaruNa attain the supreme goal of life.
NOTE: In the Taittiriya Upanishad the section called Bhriguvalli is a dialogue between the father VaruNa and the son Bhrigu.
874. पराग् वृत्तिं परित्यज्य या प्रत्यक् सा तु वारुणी।
तदभ्यासरतानां च न दूरे परमं पदम्।।
874. That state of consciousness wherein the mind turns inward (प्रत्यक्) rather than outward(पराक्) is called VaaruNee(taught by VaruNa). For practitioners of this, the supreme goal of life is not far away.
NOTE: “By nature, our senses run outward. The Creator has crafted them that way. Hence, one always looks out and not in. Once in a way there arises an intrepid साधक who, bends his vision inward, seeking immortality” – thus said Yama to Nachiketa( पराञ्चि खानि व्यतृणत् स्वयंभूः, तस्मात् पराङ् पश्यति नान्तरात्मन्। कश्चित् धीरः प्रत्यगात्मानमैक्षत् आवृत्तचक्षुः अमृतत्वमिच्छन्।। Kathopanishad).
We conclude our दीपनमस्कार with the words: भो पराक् स्वामिन् पराक्। We are deeply conscious that the Sadguru-s are lost in contemplation with their vision turned inward(प्रत्यक्). For our sake, in order to bless us, we implore them to please look outward (पराक्) and bless us with their कृपा दृष्टि.
875. सुन्दरीं वीक्ष्य चित्कान्ताम् इन्द्रियेश्वरमिन्द्रियम्।
मानसं स्खलितं येषां ते मुक्ता अजितेन्द्रियाः।।
875. They, whose mind (which is the ruler of the senses) gets overwhelmed on beholding the Beauty (कान्ता )called चित् are liberated indeed. Those ruled by senses are not (liberated).
NOTE: AN calls the highest Advaitic consciousness – चित् – as a handsome, loving wife and the साधक as her devoted consort.
876. योगभूमिं समारुह्य गम्भीरे ब्रह्मसागरे।
पश्चात् निपतितो लीन आरूढ़पतितः शुचिः।।
876. After climbing the Yoga-ladder, he, who tumbles down later into the ocean called Brahman, is pure (though he is an आरूढ पतित).
NOTE: One who climbs the Yoga-ladder and then falls is called आरूढपतित. Sages like Vishvaamitra and Paraashara fell for the charms of Menakaa and Matsyagandhaa respectively and became आरूढपतित.
In the गीता Lord KrishNa uses the word योगभ्रष्ट for those whose ascent on the Yoga-ladder is cut short(chapter 6-41).
In the above verse AN does not use the word आरूढपतित in a negative sense. Just as an ace swimmer goes up to a height and then dives down – the greater the height, the more spectacular the dive – the sage reaches the acme of Yoga and then plunges down into the ocean of ambrosia called Brahman.
877. चिद्विद्याकर्मनाशायां नद्यां स्नानं मया कृतम्।
कर्मनाशाजलस्पर्शात् कर्मबन्धो निवर्तते।।
877. I have bathed in the river of Brahma Vidyaa. Thanks to the touch of this water which puts an end to Karma-bondage, this bondage is now receding!
NOTE: Brahma Vidyaa – Upanishadic wisdom – if rightly imbibed and assimilated, relieves us of the twin notions of कर्तृत्व and भोक्तृत्व (doership and enjoyership) which precipitate कर्म-bondage. The devotee assigns both these to the Lord
and lives in peace.
878. अङ्ग वङ्ग कलिङ्गेषु सौराष्ट्र मगधेषु च।
सर्वत्र परिपूर्णोऽहं पुन: संस्कारवर्जितः।।
878. Wherever I roam – the territories like Anga, Vanga, Kalinga, Magadha, Sahraashtra etc – I am ever full and I need no ritual to purify me.
NOTE: In the good old days for whatever reasons, certain territories were out of bounds for the cultured. AN says rhetorically that his Brahman-realisation is not conditioned by space (and time) restrictions. He is the ever-full Brahman wherever he goes. There is no need for any ritual to cleanse him for the ‘sin’ of straying into forbidden territory (there is no need of प्रायश्चित्त ceremony).
879. निजं गृहं परित्यज्य रमते परमन्दिरे।
स गृहस्थो गतिं गच्छेत् पराम् इति विदां मतम्।।
879. Giving up one’s own homes, he, who makes merry in an alien home, such householder attains the supreme goal of life. This is the opinion of the Knowers.
NOTE: In this verse, one’s own home refers to the three bodies – स्थूल gross, सूक्ष्म subtle and कारण causal – and the alien’s home(para mandira) refers to Tureeya, the fourth dimension of Atman. The जीव is called as जीव as long as he feels embodied(encased in body). The moment he shrugs off this wrong identity, he steps into his true home, the संवित् or साक्षी dimension. Due to ignorance, he had thought it to be पर मन्दिर – somebody else’s home. Spiritual life is a चारधाम यात्रा, elucidated beautifully in MaaNDookys Upanishad. The three states – जागृत् स्वप्न सुषुप्ति, waking dreaming sleeping – are the three transit camps. The real home of जीव is the Tureeya, to abide as the watchful witness (तत् धाम परमं मम).
अथ उन्मत्तप्रलाप शतकम्।(The inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses).
880. आत्मनः सुखलोभेन सुकृतं येन हारितम्।
स एव सुकृती शेषः सुकृत्यपि हि दुष्कृती।।
880. Longing for bliss of the Self, he, who forgoes पुण्य, he alone is truly meritorious.
Rest, though deemed meritorious, are not
so.
NOTE: AN, as we have been seeing, loves to give us verses that sound like puzzles. He plays this game throughout in this Century(शतकम्). सुकृत means meritorious deed which gives rise to पुण्य. दुष्कृत gives rise to पाप. Both bind the soul. When the stock of पुण्य is exhausted, we tumble down from heaven(क्षीणे पुण्ये मर्त्यलोकं विशन्ति – गीता).
Likewise, when our stock of पाप is exhausted, we are expelled from hell. Together पुण्य and पाप constitute a द्वन्द्व (a dual unit). The supreme goal of life is to be द्वन्द्वातीत – transcend the pairs of opposites including पुण्य and पाप.
How to accomplish this feat? The above verse DOES NOT mean we should not do good deeds (सुकृत). We should be good all the time – “To do good and be good is the whole of religion” said Swami Vivekananda. What is required of us is not to do good deeds with the motive of gaining पुण्य, but to do them selflessly with ईश्वरार्पण बुद्धि, to dedicate the fruit of our deeds to Him. Then the सुकृत will not not bind us.(फलाभिसन्धिरहित निष्काम कर्म). Will the jackfruit gum stick to our hands if our palms are oiled, asks late Swami Nityanandji of Vajreshvari/Ganeshpuri?
881. अज्ञानमेव विज्ञानम् अविवेको विवेकिता।
सर्वात्मकात्वं कैवल्यं येषां ते सिद्धसत्तमाः।।
881. They, for whom Non-Knowledge itself is Knowledge, Non-Discrimination itself is Discrimination and seeing the Supreme Self in all and in everything is Liberation are the foremost Siddha-s(Accomplished साधक -s).
NOTE: AN’s puzzle game continues. Here the word अज्ञान should not be understood as mere ignorance. It is absence of the notion of an
‘other’. For that very reason, it is Non-Discrimination too because, to discriminate, we need two entities. If everything
is One, where is room for Discrimination? So it is said that सर्वात्मकता is Liberation(कैवल्य).
882. बोधो यदवधानेन तन्मनो नाशयन्ति ये।
विपरीतकृतां तेषां मुक्तिरित्याह शंकरः।।
882. For them is Liberation, says AS (Acharya Shankara) – they, the contrary-doers, who nullify the very mind whose attentive application gives rise to Knowledge (Understanding, Wisdom).
NOTE: Mind is a valuable tool given by God. It is the cause of both bondage and liberation
(मन एव मनुष्याणां कारणं बन्धमोक्षयोः).
With mind only we are asked to perceive that there is no (real) multiplicity
(मनसैव अनुदृष्टव्यं नेह नानास्ति किञ्चन –
Brihadaaranyaka Upanishad). Mind’s attention(अवधान) is indispensable for
pursuing श्रवण मनन and निदिध्यासन. However, we should not get stuck only at the level of mind. The Upanishads call upon us to go beyond mind and discover Him, the mind’s monitor – God(न मनसा मनुते येनैवेदं मनो मतं तद्ब्रह्म तत् तु त्वं विद्धि – Kena Upanishad). This is what AN refers to as मनोनाश and AS refers to as मनो निवृत्ति(मनो निवृत्तिः परमोपशान्तिः सा तीर्थवर्या मणिकर्णिका च vide His काशीपञ्चकम्).
883. वेदान्तपाठरूपेण स्वधर्माः कीर्तिता मया।
स्वधर्म कीर्तनादेव सायुज्यं पदमर्जितम्।।
883. The attributes of one’s Self(Atman) have been narrated by me in the guise of imparting Vedanta lessons. By dint of this recitation itself, I have attained the state of union with Brahman (Saayujyam).
NOTE: There is a saying that Dharma wears out by recitation(धर्मः क्षरति कीर्तनात्). Blowing one’s own trumpet is frowned upon. Let’s say someone is very generous. He should not praise himself. His self-praise drains away his merit,. This maxim, however, does not apply to Self(not self) praise.
The more we remind ourselves of our true nature as Atman, as Sacchidananda, the better for us. That’s why the Lord reeled out the attributes of Atman in many verses in the second chapter of Gita to rescue Arjuna(and us) from the perilous body-consciousness (देहात्मबुद्धि).
884. द्विभार्यो ब्राह्मणो यस्तु त्यजेत् पूर्वां पतिव्रताम्।
परस्या गुणलोभेन स याति परमां गतिम्।।
885. प्रवृत्तिश्च निवृत्तिश्च द्वे भार्ये वेदबोधिते।
प्रथमा कर्मनिष्ठा स्याद् ब्रह्मनिष्ठा तथाऽपरा।।
884. The BraahmaNa (first of the four वर्ण) has two wives. Wishing for the qualities of the second wife, he gives up his first wife, devoted though she is to him, and thereby he attains the supreme goal of life.
885. (AN himself solves the puzzle). Engaging in
Karma-KaaNDa (the path of ritualism) is the first wife(प्रवृत्ति). Withdrawal(निवृत्ति) from this path and pursuit of Jnaana KaaNDa and being thus anchored in Brahman is the second wife. Both paths have been taught by Veda-s (according to one’s competence(अधिकार)). The latter path scores over the first – ज्ञानादेव तु कैवल्यम् – hence, the BraahmaNa ‘s गुणलोभ for it.
अथ उन्मत्तप्रलाप शतकम्।(The inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses)
885A. कर्कशा रसिका चेति तयोर्नामान्तरं क्रमात्।
कर्कशा कर्मकाण्डस्था रसिका ब्रह्मवादिनी।।
885A. These two wives are also named as कर्कशा and रसिका. The one engaged in rites and rituals is not of pleasant temperament while the other one, devoted to Brahman, is very pleasant and joy-giving.
886. कर्कशा रसिका चेति यद्यपि द्वे पतिव्रते।
रसिका स्वपतिं भुङ्क्ते कर्कशा कष्टभागिनी।।
886. Though both of them are loyal and devoted to their consort, रसिका (ज्ञानमार्ग) enjoys the company of her consort(ब्रह्मन्) while the latter(कर्म मार्ग) suffers hardship.
887. कर्मनिष्ठा तु दासीव गृहकर्मरता सदा।
ज्ञाननिष्ठा महाराज्ञी राजसिंहासने स्थिता।।
887. The allegiance to the path of rites and rituals is like the maid-servant, engaged in household drudgery always. The allegiance to ज्ञानमार्ग is like an Empress seated on the royal throne.
888. पतिहेतोर्दिवानक्तं गृहकर्म करोति सा।
पतिं नालिङ्ग्य निद्राति कथं सौभाग्यभागिनी।।
888. For the sake of her husband, the former slogs day and night in household work. (Alas), she is unable to sleep, embracing her Lord. Oh how can she be entitled to सौभाग्य?
889. रसरीतिं न जानाति कर्कशा कर्मवादिनी।
पतिव्रता स्वभावेन भर्तारं स्तौति केवलम्।।
889. The unpleasant pursuer of the path of
ritualism knows not the way to be pleasant. A पतिव्रता by nature, she only praises her consort.
890. ज्ञाननिष्ठा तु रसिका तत् तत् संस्कारलक्षणैः।
आनन्दयति भर्तारं तमेवाश्लिष्य खेलति।।
890. Allegiance to the path of ज्ञान – the second wife – is of pleasant nature and delights her consort by her various refinements and plays around, embracing him.
NOTE: The various refinements (संस्कार) refer to the four-fold equipment(साधन चतुष्टय) prescribed in वेदान्त. AN is very figurative in these verses about the Paths of कर्मकाण्ड and ज्ञानमार्ग. I personally feel he is overdoing his comparison.
891. आसने शयने याने भोजने सा तदन्विता।
क्षणं न तिष्ठति स्वामी तां विना रसलालसः।।
891. The ज्ञान-wife is inseparable from her consort while sitting, sleeping, moving around, having food etc. Her consort, yearning for joy, remains not even for a moment away from her.
NOTE: The two paths are Pravratti and Nivratti – active engagement in कर्मकाण्ड and pursuit of ज्ञानमार्ग by withdrawing (निवृत्ति) from it. Atman/Brahman is the consort (भर्ता, husband).
अथ उन्मत्तप्रलाप शतकम्।(The inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses)
891A. यस्तु जानाति चातुर्यान्महदन्तरमेनयोः।
स कथं तत्र मूढायां रमेत किमु तत् सुखम्।।
891A. How can he, who wisely knows the huge difference between these two, engage with the former dullard? What joy is there, being with her?
892. यस्तु कश्चिन्महामूढः पामरः पशुधर्मवान्।
कर्कशायां रमते रसिकां च न विन्दति।।
893. तस्यां च दु:खमाप्नोति प्रत्यहं कलहायते।
भूयस्तामेव भजते, दौर्भाग्यं तस्य तादृशम्।।
892/893. He is truly unfortunate who, being foolish and body-conscious(पशु धर्मवान्), enjoys the company of the ‘quarrelsome’ first wife, ignoring the pleasant company of the second wife He is doomed to sorrow. He ‘fights’ with her daily, but still serves her!
894. अत्र द्विभार्ये शास्त्रार्थे विषयोऽयं व्यवस्थितः।
निवृत्तिवनितां त्यक्त्वा प्रवृत्तो दुःखभाग्भवेत्।
895. प्रवृत्तिवनितां त्यक्त्वा निवृत्तो मोक्षमश्नुते।
विषमोप्येष शास्त्रार्थः प्रमाणं व्यासवाक्यतः।।
894/895. The two wives are the two paths – the subject matter of scriptures. He, who gives up the wife called Nivritti and resorts to Pravritti is liable to sorrow. But, he, who parts with the wife called Pravritti and resorts to Nivritti, attains Liberation. Hard to understand though this purport of the scriptures is, it is sanctioned by the words of Veda Vyaasa,.
NOTE: AN is needlessly dismissive about Pravritti, the word he uses for द्रव्य यज्ञ – कर्मकाण्ड.
कर्मकाण्ड is picturesque and has its own beauty. कर्मकाण्ड has played an important role in the preservation of Veda-s by profusely including Vedic chants during various rituals.. AN could have also avoided harsh words like मूढा कर्कशा कलहायते etc. In his zeal to be figurative, he sometimes goes overboard!
In गीता, the Lord asks us to do this Karma(rituals) dedicating it to Brahman(ब्रह्मण्याधाय कर्माणि सङ्गं त्यक्त्वा – 5/10) and assures us that even this path finally culminates in ज्ञान – सर्वं कर्माखिलं पार्थ ज्ञाने परिसमाप्यते – 4/33). Karma becomes ब्रह्मकर्म when we perform rituals with our focus on Him (ब्रह्मार्पणं ब्रह्म हविर्ब्रह्माग्नौ ब्रह्मणा हुतम्। ब्रह्मैव तेन गन्तव्यं ब्रह्मकर्मसमाधिना।। 4/24). गीता teaches us Pravritti in Nivritti and vice versa. This is the Art of Living taught to Shri Rama by sage Vasishta too. This, too, is the teaching of our Guruparampara as enshrined in our Shri Chitrapura Guruparampara Charitra.
896. एको विष्णर्महद्भूतं व्यासेनोक्तं लगेद्यदि।
तन्महाभूत सञ्चारे न दूरे परमं पदम्।।
896. If the महाभूत, Vishnu, spoken of by Vyasa, were to possess someone, then, the Supreme State(Liberation) is not faraway.
NOTE: Here AN plays with the word भूत. Vishnu is hailed as the Mighty Being(महद् भूत). भूत has the ordinary meaning of a goblin or ghost etc. If someone is a victim of spirit possession (भूत प्रवेश), he or she is to be pitied. In his/her case there is no question of that spirit bestowing
Supreme Blessedness (परम पद). Vishnu is a
Mighty Spirit and he/she is truly blessed, indeed, if this God-possession takes place. In such case, परम पद is, indeed, not faraway. Blessed is he/she who has this Bhoota Sanchaara – the भूत being none other than Vishnu Himself(महद्भूत)!
897. डाकिनी सिद्धमन्त्रोऽयं ब्रह्मास्मीत्यक्षरात्मकः।
भावनामात्रतो यस्य सद्यस्तद्रूपतां व्रजेत्।।
897. “I am Brahman” – this is a well-tried and
verified magic formula like a डाकिनी मन्त्र. By just contemplating thereon, one, verily, becomes that (which is the object of contemplation).
NOTE: A Daakinee is a क्षुद्र देवता – an inferior demi-goddess and, by invoking her with her specific मन्त्र, one wins her grace and attains her identity(तद्रुपता). Such मन्त्र -s maybe okay to deal with sundry spirits, but, to winover the grace of that Mighty Bhoota called Vishnu, the requisite मन्त्र is the महावाक्य AHAM BRAHMAASMI.
898. गुरुशास्त्रप्रसादेन संप्राप्य परमं पदम्।
ममैवेदं मया प्राप्तम् इति प्राह स उत्तमः।।
898. Receiving the grace of the Guru and the scriptures, he, who attains the Supreme State and then says: oh, I have obtained what was mine only, is the best (uttama) seeker(साधक).
NOTE: Moksha(liberation) is a recovery of oneself. It is a Self- discovery. It is not an invention, but, a discovery. My true nature had got concealed from me. The शास्त्र and the Sadguru guide me to unveil myself and then I exclaim: Oh,I have obtained what was mine only!
899. यस्तु जन्मशताभ्यस्त विज्ञानैरपि वस्तुतः।
न किञ्चिदपि सम्प्राप्तम् तस्य प्राप्तिर्महीयसी।।
899. After acquiring knowledge over hundreds of
births, what was not obtained – is attained . its (मोक्ष) attainment is praiseworthy indeed.
NOTE:. Liberation is an attainment of oneself. It is not getting something outside of me.(It is not an आगन्तुक उपलब्धि).
अथ उन्मत्तभूत प्रलाप शतकम्।(An inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses).
900. अणीयसो महीयस्त्वं नेदीयस्त्वं दवीयसः।
परस्य निजरूपत्वं यत्प्रत्येति प्रमा हि सा।।
900. That is true perception which sees the subtle as the gross, the distant as the near and the other as oneself only.
NOTE: Brahman is tinier than the tiniest(अणोरणीयान्) and bigger than the biggest (महतो महीयान्), say the Upanishads. This is the correct or true perception (प्रमा).
901. यद् दृश्यते तत् तु मिथ्या तत्सत्यं यन्न दृश्यते।
एतत् प्रामाणिकत्वं हि महोपनिषदां मतम्।।
901. What is visible is unreal. What is invisible is the Truth. This is the considered (प्रामाणिक) conviction of the Upanishads.
NOTE: We see the name and form(नाम रूप), but, we don’t see Him, who is sporting(लीला) as the visible name and form. The name and form are here today, gone tomorrow – everchanging, hence मिथ्या. The latter, Brahman, is the Real. Brahman is the Truth.(आरामम् अस्य पश्यन्ति न तं पश्यति कश्चन – Everyone sees His garden, but, alas, none sees Him, the gardener!)
अथ उन्मत्तप्रलाप शतकम्।(The inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses)
902. विचित्रा यस्य रचना समस्ता भाति नीरसा
जीवन्मृतकतुल्योऽसौ जीवन्मुक्तः श्रुतौ श्रुतः।।
902. He, to whom this mind-boggling creation looks insipid and tasteless and is thus more dead than alive, is, however, refered to in the Upanishads as a Jeevanmukta(liberated though alive).
NOTE: To the Jeevanmukta, Brahman(God) is the Supreme Rasa (रसो वै सः as said in Taittiriya Upanishad). All other sentiments (रस) this wonderful creation gives rise to and which are hailed in epics, dramas etc – शृङ्गार, हास्य, करुण, वीर, रुद्र, भयानक etc – don’t sway the Jeevanmukta. To Him, God is the ultimate रस. The Gita says:
रसवर्जं रसोऽप्यस्य परं दृष्ट्वा निवर्तते – 2/59).
But, to the worldly, such a Jeevanmukta looks as a जीवन्मृतक – dead though alive!
903. स्वयमेव प्रकाशेत दीपः शून्यालये यथा।
तस्य व्यर्थप्रकाशस्य सार्थकं जन्म वर्णितम्।।
903. Like a lamp shedding its light in an empty house, his(Jeevanmukta’s) light (may appear to be) a waste, there being nothing to be illumined. But, it has been described as fruitful(in the sacred books).
NOTE: A sage has no ‘other’. A lamp has ‘others’ – people, things, furniture etc in the house. But, to a Jeevanmukta there is no other – नेह नानास्ति किञ्चन as the Upanishads put it. His flame of Samvit shines in solitary splendour like a नन्दादीप. He abides as a shoreless continuum of Sacchidananda in which all names and forms (नाम रूप) have dissolved. Blessed, indeed, is his life.
904. न बोधयति भावानाम् आत्मनो भेदमण्वपि।
अबोधदीप एवायम् अस्माकं बोधदीपकः।।
904. This Lamp of Enlightenment (बोध दीपक) is, verily, its opposite(अबोध दीपक) because it does not make us feel that there is even a bit(अणु अपि) of भेदभाव(the sense of variety, multiplicity and difference)! (It has entrenched us so firmly in Advaitic vision that there is not even a trace of duality to cloud our understanding).
905. निशायामेव जागर्मि निद्रामि सकलं दिनम्।
न च रोगाः प्रबाधन्ते मां जरामरणादयः।।
905. I stay awake only during night and I sleep during the whole day. Still, I am not distressed by diseases, old age and death!
NOTE: A healthy person sleeps at night and is awake during the day. This is the norm. A contrary lifestyle is an invitation to assorted ailments, says Ayurveda. However, AN says that though his acting is contrary, leave alone ailments, even death will not touch him. What does he mean?
This verse echoes the famous गीता verse(2-69):
या निशासर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी।
यस्यां जाग्रति भूतानि सा निशा पश्यतो मुनेः।।
(To the self-restrained sage, it is day when all beings are asleep and it is night when they are awake). The beings, by and large,
are in dark with reference to things spiritual and they are very awake and alert to worldliness. The seeing sage (पश्यतो मुनेः), who is self-restrained, is ‘asleep’ to worldliness and is awake to God and the Guru,. He is untouched by death (मरणादयः in AN’s verse) because he is aware that he is the deathless Atman,.
906. उत्तमाधम मध्यानां भेदभानं धियां फलम्।
ताभिर्हीनस्य हरिणा प्रोक्ता पण्डितराजता।।
906. The notion of superior, middling and inferior is a reaction of Buddhi. Hari(KrishNa) has said (in गीता) that he is entitled to be called a PanDit, he, who is free from such discrimination.
NOTE: This refers to the verse in गीता (5-18):
विद्याविनय संपन्ने ब्राह्मणे गवि हस्तिनि। शुनि चैव श्वपाके च पण्डिताः समदर्शिनः।।(The PaNDits look with equanimity on a learned and humble BraahmaNa, a cow, an elephant, a dog and a dog-eater).
907. जडेन येन सन्त्यक्ते उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते।
बुद्धियुक्तः स एवेति पार्थं प्राह जनार्दनः।।
907. The dullard(from the worldly point of view), who has given up both virtue and vice, he is, indeed, intelligent and wise – thus said Janaardana to Paartha(Arjuna).
NOTE: This refers to Gita verse(2-50): बुद्धियुक्तो जहातीह उभे सुकृतदुष्कृते। तस्माद् योगाय युज्यस्व योगः कर्मसु कौशलम्।। The Yoga advised here by the Lord is the Yoga of Equanimity (समत्वं योग उच्यते 2-48).
The truly wise(बुद्धियुक्त) acts for God; he offers at His Feet his day’s labour, relinquishing his right to the fruit of his actions. Thus, he goes beyond पुण्य and पाप which bind us normally. Remember the oft-quoted example of applying oil to the palms to avoid the sticky gum of the jackfruit. This ईश्वरार्पण बुद्धि is the oil. It enables us to ensure that the gum of पाप (दुष्कृत)and पुण्य(सुकृत )does not stick to us.
908. कृताकृतैर्न यस्यार्थो नाश्रयो यस्य कुत्रचित्।
पार्थं सारथिरित्याह स तुच्छः स्वच्छमुक्तिभाक्।।
908. He, for whom, performance or non-performance of an action is of no concern and who depends on none, is deemed inferior (तुच्छ) (by the worldly). But, the Charioteer of Paartha (Arjuna) said that such a person is the recipient of pure bliss of Liberation.
NOTE: This refers to गीता (3-18):
नैव तस्य कृतेनार्थो नाकृतेनेह कश्चन।
न चास्य सर्वभूतेषु कश्चिदर्थव्यपाश्रयः।।
A sage, an enlightened person, is immersed in Atmic bliss and is truly independent. He has no axe to grind. He has no ulterior motive at all. So, he depends neither on any action nor on any thing or person. The Charioteer of Paartha is Shri KrishNa and He inspires Arjuna to aspire for this exalted state.
909. धर्माधर्मौ न जानाति न जानाति शुभाशुभे।
सुखदुःखे न जानाति स ज्ञानीति मतं हरेः।।
909. He, who does not know Dharma and Adharma, the auspicious and the inauspicious and happiness and sorrow is enlightened – this is the opinion of Hari(Shri KrishNa).
NOTE: In this verse न जानाति(doesn’t know) means ‘who has risen above, who has transcended). Hari’s opinion refers to गीता
wherein He has extolled a true Jnaani and a dear Bhakta in such words many times.
अथ उन्मत्तप्रलाप शतकम्।(An inebriated chatter of Narahari in one hundred verses).
910. चिन्तनेनैव मुक्तिः स्यादिति सर्वत्र वर्णितम्।
अस्माकं तु मते स्वस्मिन् न किञ्चिदपि चिन्तयेत्।।
910. Everywhere it has been expounded that thinking(reflection) alone leads to Mukti. Our view, however, is that one should not think at all.
NOTE: In keeping with his style of giving us brain teasers, here again AN is at play. All teachers speak about Vichaara, ShravaNa, Manana etc and all this involves thinking(चिन्तन). AN rightly says – and this is also voiced in Ashtaavakra Gitaa and Yoga Vaasishtha – that our ultimate aim is to surpass the mind, to rise above the mind and be rooted in mindless – अमनी भाव, उन्मनी भाव – state and abide as the witnessing Samvit. To abide as साक्षि is our goal. We aspire to be watchers, standing aside and apart from the flow of our breath, thoughts etc. मनोनिवृत्तिः परमोपशान्तिः – says AS in His काशी पञ्चकम्।
911. चिन्तनं सर्व शास्त्राणां मतमन्यन्मतं मम।
न किञ्चिद् चिन्तनादेव स्वयं तत्वं प्रकाशते।।
911. All sacred books prescribe Chintan(to think, to reflect upon); but, my view is different. When nothing is thought , then, the Atman shines forth.
NOTE: Like smoke concealing the fire, like moss concealing water or dirt and dust covering the mirror, the tangled web of thoughts conceals our Self. To see the fire, we have to blow away the smoke. To get water in a lake, we have to set
aside the moss; To be able to see in the mirror, we have to wipe out the dust. Likewise, to make our Atman manifest, we should lay the mind to rest.
912. एकॊऽपि न गुणो यस्मिन् द्वौ त्रयो वा कुतः किल।
गुणान् गायति गोविन्दो निस्त्रैगुण्यस्य तस्य हि।।
912. In whom there is not even one गुण, how can there be two or three? Govinda(KrishNa) sings about the गुण-s of him, who is (according to KrishNa Himself) beyond the three गुण-s.
NOTE: Here AN uses the word गुण in double sense. The constituents of Prakriti –
सत्व रजस् तमस्
– don’t pertain to Purusha, the Atman. That’s why the Lord urges Arjuna to be free from these गुण-s(निस्त्रैगुण्यो भवार्जुन – 2/45). However, the same Govinda eloquently describes the गुण -s of a स्थितप्रज्ञ, ज्ञानी and भक्त (अद्वेष्टा सर्वभूतानां.. स मे प्रियः etc). Here, the word गुण has a different connotation. By it the Lord means Daivi Sampatti.
913. यस्य नैवाधिकारोऽस्ति कस्मिंश्चिदपि कर्मणि।
मुख्याधिकारी कैवल्ये स गीतो नन्दसूनुना।।
913. He, who has no right to any action, he is entitled to Liberation (कैवल्य) – thus sang the son of Nanda(Shri KrishNa).
NOTE: According to कर्मकाण्ड – the system of rites and rituals – the governing rule is: अर्थी ह्यधिक्रियते – one who is desirous, has the right (to perform specific rituals). The thrust of Lord’s teaching in गीता is to free us from the thraldom of desires. (विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान् पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः। निर्ममो निरहङ्कारः स शान्तिमधिगच्छति।। 2/71). गीता is full of such sayings. Such a निष्काम aspirant(साधक) has the first claim(मुख्याधिकारी) to Liberation, says AN.
914. पश्यन् शृण्वन् स्पृशन् जिघ्रन् यः प्रत्यक्षापलापकृत्।
नैव किञ्चित्करोमीति तमार्यं प्राह केशवः।।
914. Even while seeing, hearing, touching, smelling etc, he, who negates this direct experience saying: “I am not doing anything”, he is hailed as noble by Keshava(KrishNa).
NOTE: Arya is defined as one who does not violate Truth and Dharma (यः ऋतायते सः आर्यः). The truth is that the sage or the Enlightened person engages his senses like everyone else, but, he says “I am not doing anything, the गुण -s are interacting with गुण-s (गुणाः गुणेषु वर्तन्ते) or the senses are engaged with their respective objects(इन्द्रियाणि इन्द्रियार्थेषु वर्तन्ते)”. Is this not a lie? Is it not hypocrisy? Is it befitting an Arya?
But, in the गीता, the Lord describes the Yogi in this way
(योगयुक्तो विशुद्धात्मा विजितात्मा जितेन्द्रियः।
सर्वभूतात्मभूतात्मा कुर्वन् अपि न लिप्यते।। 5-7).
The same words: पश्यन् शृण्वन्…occur in the next verse, 5-8, also.
The above profound assertion of Shri KrishNa, endorsed in this verse by AN, is not everyone’s cup of tea. There have been hypocrites galore – some of them are now cooling their heels behind bars – who lived licentiously, pretending all the time (गुणाः गुणेषु वर्तन्ते) that they are unsullied by what they are doing. Alas, they misused and exploited Vedaanta for their ignoble ends!
915. जानन्तोऽपि न सन्मार्गं मूढायोपदिशन्ति ये।
मूढमार्गं प्रशंसन्ति तान् साधूनाह माधवः।।
915. Though knowing the true path, they don’t preach it to the dullard, but, endorse what he is pursuing – such persons have been considered good and righteous by Maadhava (Shri KrishNa).
NOTE: This refers to the गीता verse(3-26):
न बुद्धिभेदं जनयेत् अज्ञानां कर्मसङ्गिनाम्।
जोषयेत् सर्वकर्माणि विद्वान् युक्तः समाचरन्।।
(The enlightened man should not create disturbance in the beliefs of the ignorant, who are attached to कर्मकाण्ड. The wise man should inspire them to carry on what they are doing intelligently.
NOTE: The path of ज्ञान is not for one and all. अधिकार is a key concept in our philosophy. One’s competence should be assessed before laying out a plan of साधना for him. This is how a true Guru goes about. If someone is comfortable with Karma(which means not only rituals, but, day to day work also), he should be taught how he can do it in a better way by sublimating it into worship. As Sri RamakrishNa says repeatedly in His Gospel, अहं ब्रह्मास्मि (I am Brahman) is not for everyone. The attitude of servant(दासोऽहम्) of God rather than सोऽहम् should be our first choice. Sri RamakrishNa says: God only will crown us with अहं ब्रह्मास्मि realisation in due course, maybe in this life or the next. A Vedantic verse reprimands: He, who teaches an ignorant and an immature person that all is Brahman, he is, verily, pushing him (the disciple) into the greatest hell (अज्ञस्यार्धप्रबुद्धस्य सर्वं ब्रह्मेति यो वदेत्।
महानिरयजालेषु स तेन विनियोजितः।।).
Without examining the disciple, the fool who teaches him, he himself will go to hell till the day of dissolution.
(अपरीक्ष्य च यः शिष्यं प्रशासिष्यति मूढधीः।
सः एव नरकं याति यावद् आभूतसंंप्लवम्।।).
That’s why the Lord cautions us: न बुद्धिभेदं जनयेत्। A victim of such Buddhi Bheda will be neither here nor there – इतो भ्रष्टः ततो भ्रष्टः।
916. यस्मिन् मार्गे प्रविष्टस्य भ्रष्टताऽग्रिम जन्मनि।
तमेव योगिनां मार्गमस्तौषीत् पार्थं सारथिः।।
916. Shri KrishNa, the Charioteer of Arjuna, has praised the path of Yoga as worthy of pursuit in the forthcoming birth for those who slide(in this life) from that path.
NOTE: साधना is an ascent, step by step. For a variety of reasons, the conscientious साधक may stumble and slip down. Then, he is called Yogabhrishta. Is everything lost for him? No, not at all, says the Lord in गीता. The soul will enjoy the merit in heaven(until it is exhausted) and, thereafter, HE will ensure that this साधक/साधिका is born in in a noble family, imbued with spiritual values. In that life, he/she will climb up the ladder from the point where he/she left off in the earlier birth. AN is refering to this verse:
प्राप्य पुण्यकृतां लोकान् उषित्वा शाश्वती समाः। शुचीनां श्रीमतां गेहे योगभ्रष्टोऽभिजायते।( 6-41).
917. यथेष्ट चेष्टारोधो हि सिद्धिदो हठयोगिनाम्।
यथेष्ट चेष्टा कैवल्यम् अस्माकं ज्ञानयोगिनाम्।।
917. For the Hathyogi-s, the way to Liberation is by repression and suppression of the movements of the body-mind complex. For us, the pursuers of the Path of Knowledge, these movements pose no problem to lead to Liberation.
NOTE: For the Hatha Yogi, repression and suppression is the path. For the Jnaana Yogi, sublimation is the path. He transforms work into worship. यद्यत् कर्म करोमि तत्तदखिलं शम्भो तवाराधनम् says AS(Oh Bhavanishankar, whatever I am doing, is Thy worship!).
918.; यस्तु कापुरुषः कामात् सर्वस्मादपि निर्गतः।
स एव पुरुषार्थीति जगाद पुरुषोत्तमः।।
918. That coward who gives up all desires is alone the true goal-seeker – thus spoke
Purushottama(Shri KrishNa).
NOTE: कापुरुष means a coward and AN is using it in jest to refer to him, who says goodbye to the desire-driven life. AN is, indeed, glorifying him rather than belittling him. It is called व्याज स्तुति. Our life is a battle and we are busy battling assorted desires. But, the Lord holds up before us the ideal of a साधक,who moves around desireless, letting go all wants. He lets go ‘I and mine’ and is blessed with peace,.(विहाय कामान्यः सर्वान् पुमांश्चरति निःस्पृहः। निर्ममः निरहङ्कारः स शान्तिमधिगच्छति।। गीता 2-71). A warrior who flees from the battlefield is a coward. Here is a spiritual warrior who runs away from desires, so he is a coward!!!
919. विष्णुगीता मयाधीता निर्णयस्तत्र निर्गतः।
सर्वधर्मपरित्यागी सर्वपापैः प्रमुच्यते।।
919. VishNu Geetaa(Bhagavadgeetaa) has been studied by me and the conclusion there is that he, who abandons all forms of rites and rituals (and takes God as the sole shelter and support) is freed from all sins. सर्वधर्मान् परित्यज्य मामेकं शरणं व्रज। अहं त्वा सर्वपापेभ्यो मोक्षयिष्यामि मा शुचः।। गीता 18-66)
920. असङ्गवस्तुविषये प्रलापोऽयं तु सङ्गतः।
ध्यातो मुहुर्मुहुर्दद्यात् सतां पूर्णामसङ्गताम्।।
920. My (inebriated)(intoxicated ) chatter about Brahman (the detached entity – असङ्ग वस्तु) is very relevant. Contemplated upon again and again, it will confer upon the good aspirants(सतां) total detachment(I.e. the capacity to be a witness, साक्षी).
921. अगोचरविचारेऽस्य निन्द्य कामादिवर्त्मना।
शतकस्य प्रवृत्तस्य व्यक्तोऽन्मत्त प्रलापता।।
921. This century of verses, in the guise of a God-intoxicated (उन्मत्त) chatter was composed by me to speak about what is, indeed, beyond thought. I did this by usage of unholy concepts of काम क्रोध etc(in an original creative way).
922. अस्योन्मत्तप्रलापस्य उपेक्षां तात मा कुरु।
नूनमेतस्य भावार्थो दुर्बोधो विषयात्मभिः।।
922. My child, pray don’t ignore this composition called Unmatta Pralaapa. Its true inner purport is beyond the comprehension of those infatuated with sense objects.
923. नूनमेकान्त निष्ठेन नित्यमेकाग्रचेतसा।
इत्युन्मत्तप्रलापोऽयं विचार्यः कृतबुद्धिना।।
923. This composition must be reflected upon by an aspirant of cultivated intelligence in solitude with one-pointed attention.
924. अवस्थया मनोन्मन्या उन्मत्ता ये महाधियः।
निधिस्तेषाम् प्रलापोऽयं स्थाप्यो हृदयमन्दिरे।।
924. This inebriated chatter is like a treasure for them, the noble-minded, who, too, (like me) have gone above mind and are ‘intoxicated ‘. This should be cherished by them in the shrine of their heart.
UNMATTA PRALAAPA SHATAKAM SAMAAPTAM
NOTE: Annotating this ‘chatter’ was a challenging task. Almost every verse was like a puzzle(प्रहेलिका). Straight-forward translation without unravelling the puzzle would have made no sense. With the blessings of God and the Guruparampara, I hope I have done at least some justice to the text.
अथ शिवपूजा शतकम् (One hundred verses on
Shiva-Worship).
925. शिवपूजात्मकं कर्म कर्मनिर्मूलन क्षमम्।
सङ्कल्पः शिवपूजायाः सर्व सङ्कल्प हृत्।।
925. The act of Shiva-worship is capable of
ending our Karma-bondage. The thought to
do Shiva-worship is capable of taking away all thought(I.e. we will rise above yes-no, preference -prejudice, affirmation negation etc).
926. शिव पञ्चाक्षरी दीक्षा शब्दब्रह्ममयी हिता।
शब्दब्रह्मणि निष्णातः परं ब्रह्माधगच्छति।।
926. The initiation into the five-lettered Mantra (ॐ नमः शिवाय) is a beneficial initiation into word-Brahman (नाद ब्रह्म, sound-form). One well-versed
in word-Brahman attains the Supreme.
NOTE: AUM is regarded as Shabda Brahma.
ॐ इत्येकाक्षरं ब्रह्म says गीता,. ॐ इत्येतदक्षरमिदं सर्वं, तस्य उपव्याख्यानम् says the Shruti.
927. तिस्रो रेखा विभूतेस्तु श्रद्धा भक्ति विरक्तयः।
पूजाधिकार सिद्ध्यर्थं धार्याः स्वाङ्गेषु शाम्भवैः।।
927. The three horizontal lines of Vibhooti
signify Faith, Devotion and Dispassion
(Non-Attachment). These are to be worn by devotees of Shambhu in order to be eligible for Shiva-worship.
अथ शिवपूजा शतकम्।(One hundred verses on
Shiva-Worship).
928. रुद्राभरणमुद्रास्तु धार्या रुद्राक्षमालिकाः।
देवो भूत्वा यजेत् देवम् इतीयं शाश्वती श्रुतिः।।
928. The rosaries of Rudraaksha should be worn. Wearing these ‘ornaments’ of Rudra is like having His imprint(मुद्रा )on one’s person. The Shruti(Upanishad) says: By divinising oneself, one should worship the Divine.
929. आकाराः कल्पिता यस्यां ब्रह्माद्या स्थिर जङ्गमाः।
तन्मृत्तिकामयं शैवैः शिवलिङ्गं प्रपूज्यते।।
929. HE, in whom the moving and unmoving creation, including gods like Brahmaa, is imagined, He is worshipped by the Shaiva-s in an earthen form as Linga.
930.सर्वगस्यापि देवस्य भक्तिरावाहनं तव।
आवाहयामि भक्त्या तमित्य्वाह्य पिनाकिनम्।।
930. Devotion towards the all-pervading God is itself Thy invocation. I am invoking Him, the wielder of Pinaaka-bow.
NOTE: Shiva’s bow called पिनाक symbolises AUM according to some scholars. It ensures ‘no entry’ into heaven for the wicked and the vicious. (पि पिहितः closed. नाक heaven)
931. अथ ध्यानम्।
ध्यायेन्नित्यं महेशं रजतगिरिनिभं चारुचन्द्रावतंसं,
रत्नाकल्पोज्ज्वलाङ्गं परशुमृगवराभीतिहस्तं प्रसन्नम्।
पद्मासीनं समन्तात्स्तुतममरगणैः व्याघ्रकृत्तिं वसानं,
विश्वाद्यं विश्ववन्द्यं निखिलभयहरं पञ्चवक्त्रं त्रिनेत्रम्।।
931. One should always meditate on the Great Lord, fair like the silvery Kailaas, having the charming crescent moon on head, with limbs radiant like gems, His hands holding an axe, a deer and showering boons and fearlessness, the origin of the world, adorable to the world, dispeller of all fears, with five faces and three eyes.
932. अनित्ये नित्यं विरसा नित्ये नित्यं धृतव्रताः।
नित्यं महेशं ध्यायन्ति नित्यानित्य विवेकिनः।।
932. They, who have no taste for the transient, but, are perpetually committed to abide in the Eternal(Self), always meditate on Mahesha (Great Lord Shiva). They know to discriminate between the eternal and the ephemeral.
933. रजतस्य गिरिः शम्भुः शाम्भवानां परं धनम्।
धनेन तेन पूर्णानां दरिद्रत्वं न विद्यते।।
933. Shambhu is precious like a mountain of silver. He is the supreme wealth of His devotees. For those who are full of this wealth, there is no poverty and penury,.
934. शुद्धात्मा शीतला कान्ता सूक्ष्मा बोधकला परा।
वक्रायते दुरापेयं चन्द्रचूडो बिभर्ति ताम्।।
934. The crescent moon represents बोधचन्द्रकला (the subtle, cool, beautiful , supreme aspect of Knowledge of the everpure Atman). The curve of the crescent signifies it is difficult to attain).
935.योगदीक्षामयान्येव बोधरत्नानि कानिचित्।
ददाति शङ्करोऽतोऽस्य रत्ना कल्पोज्वलाङ्गता।।
935. His gemlike radiance signifies that He
bestows (to His devotees) gems of wisdom after their initiation into Yoga.
936. येन मोहवनं छिन्नं कदाचिन्न प्ररोहति।
स बोधः परशुस्तीक्ष्णो हस्ते रुद्रस्य वर्तते।।
936. The axe in Rudra’s hand is the Understanding wherewith He axes down the forest of (our) delusion. Once axed, it doesn’t sprout again.
937. धर्तुं न शक्यते धीरैः यो धृतोऽपिपलायते।
लीलयैव धृतो हस्ते शम्भुना स मनोमृगः।।
937. That which cannot be held(firmly) even by the brave and, even if held, flees away, that mind-deer has been playfully held in hand by Shambhu. (If we offer Him our fickle mind, He will make it steady – मन्मना भव, मय्येव मन आधत्स्व – गीता).
938. वरार्थिभिर्वरेण्याय वृतो यैस्तु वरः स तम्।
वरं ददाति हस्तेन वरदस्तेन शङ्करः।।
938. He, who is most worthy of being chosen(वरेण्य, वरणीय) by the boon-seekers, confers the boon with His hand – hence His name as Varada (giver of boon).
अथ शिवपूजा शतकम्।(One hundred verses on Shiva -Worship).
939. मृत्योर्बिभेति ब्रह्मापि मृत्युरेव भयं महत्।
तस्माद् मृत्युरभयं हस्ते मृत्युञ्जयस्य तत्।।
939. Even Brahmaa(Creator) is afraid of death. Death is the foremost fear. Therefore, Shiva (Conqueror of Death, मृत्युञ्जय) shows the gesture of fearlessness from death.
940. सिद्धिमेकामपि प्राप्य कश्चिदन्तः प्रसीदति।
निधानं सर्वसिद्धीनां प्रसन्नः सर्वदा हरः।।
940. After attaining even one siddhi (miraculous power) one looks very pleased. Shiva is the treasure-house of all siddhi-s. (Needless to say)
He looks always serene and pleasant.
941. सतां हृदयपद्मेषु यदासीनः सदा शिवः।
अत एव हि वेदेषु पद्मासीन इतीरितः।।
941. Shiva is always seated in the lotus-hearts of the good and the godly. Therefore, He is hailed in the Veda-s as Seated in the Lotus (पद्मासीन).
942. स्तुवन्ति देवान् मनुजास्ते देवा देवनायकान्।
देवदेवो महादेवः स्तूयते देवनायकैः।।
942. The mortals praise the gods who, in turn, praise their leaders. These leaders sing His praise and, therefore, He is God of gods.
943. शङ्करेण किरातेन मोह व्याघ्रो निपातितः।
कटौ कृत्तिस्वरूपेण पश्य तस्य निदर्शनम्।।
943. By the hunter Shankara the tiger called मोह (delusive over-attachment) has been felled. See its proof on His waist in the form of the tiger hide.
944. श्रुतिःभयमिति प्राह द्वितीयाद्वै भयं भवेत्।
हरो हरति भक्तानां मुक्तिदो निखिलं भयम्।।
944. The Shruti(Upanishad) says that fear arises when one has the notion of an ‘other, a second entity’. Hara(Shiva), the bestower of Mukti, wipes out (harati) all fear ( from His devotees).
945. ध्यायन्ति भक्ताः सर्वत्र सर्वेषामपि संमुखः।
उन्मुखो विमुखानां यः तस्य सा पञ्चवक्त्रता।।
945. He faces all the devotees who are meditating everywhere. Towards those who are not facing Him, He, too, faces elsewhere. This is the meaning of His five faces.
NOTE: The devotees are in four directions and He is towards(सम्मुख) them. He turns away from Non-Believers.
946. कर्मोपास्ती उभे नेत्रे, ज्ञाननेत्रं तृतीयकम्।
ललाटे राजते यस्य त्रिनेत्रः तेन शङ्करः।।
946. Karma and Upaasanaa(worship, Bhakti) are His two eyes. Knowledge is His third eye on His forehead. Hence Shankara is said to have three eyes,
947. यद्वासना प्रसादेन सर्वा दुर्वासना गता।
स्वभाव शीतला सेयं शिवे कर्पूर गौरता।।
947. Longing for Him (yearning for Him) is itself His प्रसाद and it drives away all unholy cravings. By nature, He is cool, symbolised by the whiteness of camphor attributed to Him.(He is कर्पूरगौरं करुणावतारम्).
948. निरावरण विज्ञान स्वरूपो हि स्वयं हरः।
स्वैरं चरति संसारे तेन प्रोक्तो दिगम्बरः।।
948. Hara (Shiva) is pure Cosmic Consciousness without any cover (आवरण) to conceal (His radiance). Thus, He moves all over as He pleases. Hence His name as Digambara.
NOTE: The usual meaning of Digambara is naked as in the case of some Jain and Naaga ascetics. But, when this word is applied to Shiva and Dattatreya, it has a different meaning altogether.. We invoke Shiva as ॐ कृत्तिवाससे नमः ॐ (He wears animal hide – tiger’s or elephant ‘s).
Dattatreya wears पीताम्बर like VishNu.(ॐ पीताम्बराय नमः, ॐ श्वेताम्बराय नमः, ॐ दिव्याम्बराय नमः, ॐ चित्राम्बराय नमः ॐ in 108 names of Dattatreya ). The अन्तरार्थ (गूढार्थ) of the word Digambara is that their ( Shiva’s and Dattatreya ‘s) consciousness is so expansive (unlike ours) that it encloses all the directions (दिक्) like a cloth (अम्बर, garment)(ॐ जगद्व्यापिने नमः ॐ). In the अष्टोत्तर of both Shiva and Dattatreya, no doubt the name Digambara occurs, but, we should construe it as above since there are other names which clearly specify their clothing. When an alternative higher meaning is available for the word दिगम्बर, why should we be content with a popular usage, particularly when it concerns our most revered icons: Shiva and Dattatreya?
अथ शिवपूजां शतकम्।(One hundred verses on Shiva -Worship).
949. ज्ञानाग्निः सर्वकर्माणि भस्मसात्कुरुते किल।
तेनैव भस्मना गात्रमुद्धूलयति धूर्जटिः।।
949. The fire of Knowledge reduces to ash all कर्म (actions). Shiva(Dhoorjatih) applies that ash on His person all over.
NOTE: Karma(action) binds us when we are infected with the notion of doership(कर्तृत्व) and enjoyership(भोक्तृत्व). If we let go this notion and sincerely dedicate them to God, Karma ceases to bind us.(Recall the analogy of oiled palm and jackfruit gum).
950. भासते भिन्नभावानामपि भेदो न भस्मनि।
स्व स्वभाव स्वभावेन भस्म भर्गस्य वल्लभम्।।
950. In ash, no distinctions can be deciphered. That’s why Bhasma is very dear to Shiva(bharga).
NOTE: Shiva is called Bharga because He roasts (भर्जयति) the seeds of Karma. Roasted seeds don’t sprout.(भर्गो देवस्य धीमहि – गायत्री). भर्जनं भव बीजानाम्… राम रामेति गर्जनम्।(रामरक्षा स्तोत्र).
When several things are reduced to Bhasma,
can we then identify those things again in the ash? No, not at all.
951. नश्यन्त्यस्य कला: सर्वाः सा कला नैव नश्यति।
यार्पिता शङ्करे भक्त्या चन्द्रचूडः तया हरः।।
951.Except one aspect(कला), all others wilt and wither away. That one aspect is what has been offered to Shankara with devotion. Hence, He is called Chandrachooda.
NOTE: Shankara has the crescent moon as His crest jewel. Hence His name as Chandrachooda. What does this moon symbolise? It stands for mind. The soul is equipped with sixteen aspects (कला), representing sixteen abilities – five organs of perception (ज्ञानेन्द्रिय), five motor organs(कर्मेंन्द्रिय), five vital breaths(पञ्च प्राण) and mind. These are the sixteen aspects or facets of Purusha, soul(षोडशकलामयोऽयं पुरुषः). Of these, except mind(inclusive of Buddhi also), none other is coveted by God from a devotee. The moon emanated from the Cosmic Mind of God. (चन्द्रमा मनसो जातः – Purusha Sookta). Hence, the moon represents mind and God sports the pure mind of the devotee, saturated with love and devotion, as His crest-jewel. Our Lord Bhavanishankar goes all out to flaunt what belongs to His devotees as His embellishments (Alankaar). The reformed sinners(अपिचेत् सुदुराचारो..9-30.गीता), who have shed their venom(विष) of the six aberrations(काम, क्रोधः etc), turn into His adornments(ॐ भुजङ्ग भूषणाय नमः). What does the Lord seek from us in गीता? Only mind(and Buddhi) and naught else. मन्मना भव, मय्येव मन आधत्स्व, मयि बुद्धिं निवेशय – this is His call. Blessed are they who heed His call and offer their mind. This, to Him, is our most precious gift and He sports it on His head!
952. विश्रामोऽयं मुनीन्द्राणां पुरातन वटो हरः।
वेदान्त सांख्य योगाख्याः तिस्रः तज्जटयः स्मृताः।।
952. HE, Shiva, is the resort for rest and repose for the sages. He is like an ancient banyan tree. Vedaanta, Saankhya and Yoga – these three (systems of philosophy) are its three hanging(aerial) roots.
NOTE: God is our true holiday resort. If we have a stressed mind, an anxious tense mind and we go to the so-called Resorts, will we be truly at peace there? Our body may relax, but, not our mind.(जगसे चाहे भागले कोई, मनसे भाग न पाये। तोरा मन दरपण कहलायो।). Divine Name alone is our true resort. Raam Naam is hailed as विश्रामस्थानमेकम् …भूतये रामनाम। Samarth Ramdas says: भजा राम विश्राम योगेश्वराचा। (मनाचे श्लोक). विश्राम is no.424 in VishNu Sahasranama. It is a name of
VishNu.
953. आप्यायानस्तमोहन्ता विद्यया दोषदाहकृत्।
सोम सूर्याग्नि नयनः त्रिनेत्र: तेन शङ्करः।।
953. He is pleasing, He dispels darkness and He burns away the dross and the dirt in us with Knowledge – hence He is said to have the moon, the sun and the fire as His eyes.
954. शङ्करेणाभ्रशुभ्रेण यद्विषाम्बु दयालुना।
कण्ठे धृतमतः कण्ठः नीलकण्ठ इति स्मृतः।।
954. The poisonous liquid, imbibed by the compassionate Shankara, fair like a white cloud, was held in His throat and hence, He is known as नीलकण्ठ( With Blue Throat).
955. रामोऽस्य परमो भक्तः शङ्करो भक्तवत्सलः।
रामरत्नं धृतं कण्ठे नीलकण्ठत्व कारणम्।।
955. Raama is a staunch devotee of Shiva and Shankara is very fond of devotees. This Raama- gem is held in his neck and hence He is NeelakaNTha.
956. योगिनः पवनाहाराः तथा गिरिबिलेशयाः।
निजरूपे धृतास्तेन भुजङ्गाभरणो हरः।।
956. The Yogi-s(like serpents) subsist on air and live in caves on mountains. Therefore, Hara(Shiva) sports the serpents as their likes.
957. शान्ति वैराग्य बोधाख्यैः त्रिभिरग्रैः तरस्विभिः।
त्रिगुणत्रिपुरं हन्ति त्रिशूलेन त्रिलोचनः।।
957. Three-eyed Shiva’s Trishool symbolises, with its sharp spikes, peace, dispassion and
Knowledge and with it(त्रिशूल) He ‘kills’ the three cities(bodies – स्थूल सूक्ष्म कारण) composed of the three गुण-s(सत्व रजस् तमस्).
NOTE: शूल रुजायाम् – the root ‘shool’ means illness, ache, pain(stomach ache उदरशूल). Our mortal life is afflicted with three aches – तापत्रय – आदिभौतिक, आध्यात्मिक and आदिदैविक. Shankara, with His Trishool, wipes out this तापत्रय from His devotees. (This तापत्रय has been explained earlier in these posts many times, so I am not repeating same). In the गीता the Lord calls lust, anger and greed as the three gates of hell(त्रिविधं नरकस्येदं द्वारं नाशनमात्मनः 16-21). Life becomes a hell for their victims. If we surrender to our Lord Bhavanishankar, He will, with His Trishool, help us to come out of their clutch. In the final analysis, all the above ‘tormentors’ boil down to the three गुण-s,refered to by AN. तापत्रय and काम क्रोध लोभ – these constitute an interplay (permutations and combinations) of the three guNa-s only.
958. कैवल्ये लसते रुद्रः तद्भक्ता अपि सर्वदा।
तत्कैवल्य विलासेन कैलासं शम्भुमन्दिरम्।।
958. Rudra’s residence is called Kailaas because He rejoices playfully (लास )in Kaivalya (कै). His devotees too are rejoicing always (मच्चित्ताः मद्गतप्राणा बोधयन्तः परस्परम्। कथयन्तश्च मां नित्यं तुष्यन्ति च रमन्ति च – गीता 10-9)(नन्दन्तु साधकाः सर्वे…Spiritual aspirants should always exude cheerfulness and joy because they are now aware that God is with them – जेथें जातो तेथे तूं माझा साङ्गाती)
959. मथितो मुक्तिरत्नार्थं येनायं भवसागरः।
स बोधो मन्दरो नाम मन्दिरं शङ्करस्य तत्।।
959..That Knowledge is the Mount Mandaara – the Knowledge with which the ocean of संसार was churned for securing the gem of Mukti (Liberation).
960. सखायः शङ्करस्येते योगिनो भैरवादयः।
जीवन्मुक्ता जडैरुक्ता भूतप्रेतपिशाचकाः।।
960. The companions of Shankara are the
जीवन्मुक्त(Liberated while living) Yogi-s. The
dullards refer to them as भूत प्रेत and पिशाच –
an assorted variety of goblins!
961. विवर्तित जगज्जालः कालोऽस्य द्वारपालकः।
कालाद्बिभेति यद्विश्वं स गणः कालभैरवः।।
961. Kaala Bhairva in His retinue(गण) is Time(काल) – His gatekeeper – of whom the whole world is afraid(बिभेति). It is Time which makes and unmakes the creation (कालाय तस्मै नमः).
962. यस्योपरि स्फुरद्रूपो दृश्यते परमेश्वरः।
स बोधः शुद्धभावात्मा गीयते नन्दिकेश्वर।।
962. That Knowledge which gives rise to the radiant(स्फुरद्) vision(रूप) of the Great Lord (परमेश्वर) (everywhere) Is the pure-hearted Nandikeshvara (Nandi, His Vehicle).
NOTE: Nandi is the symbol of an ideal devotee. He is always full of joy. The root(धातु) नदि means fullness (नदि समृद्धौ). The bull in Shiva’s shrine has his gaze fixed unwaveringly on the Lord only. He is not at all mindful as to who comes in and who goes out. This one-pointed attention (एकाग्रता) and total absence of restlessness endear us to our Lord Bhavanishankar.
963. यः कीट भृङ्गभावेन भक्तः सारूप्यमागतः।
स एव खण्डपरशोः भृङ्गिनामा गणः किल।।
963. That devotee who has assumed Shiva’s likeness by conforming to the maxim of the worm(कीट) and the wasp(भृङ्ग) is the member called Bhringee in Shiva’s retinue.
NOTE: It is believed that the wasp picks up a stray worm, keeps it in a crevice (of a wall etc) and goes on humming around it incessantly and, in due course, the worm emerges as a wasp. Likewise, if a devotee keeps up the hum ‘shivoham’ continuously and with understanding , he comes to assimilate शिवतत्व slowly but surely and he attains the holiness of Shiva.
964. कालेन भक्षितं विश्वं कालो बोधेन भक्षितः।
बोधात्मा कालकालोऽयं महाकालोऽपरो गणः।।
964. The creation is swallowed up by Time. Time is ‘consumed’ by Knowledge. The enlightened Atman transcends time. Time is one of the members of Shiva’s retinue and goes by the name: महाकाल.
NOTE: Time is consumed by Knowledge – this means the साधक realises that he is Atman and Atman is unconditioned by space(देश) and time(काल). It is body and its appendages that are prey to Time.
AN is trying to give symbolic meanings. Sometimes they are appealing and sometimes they sound farfetched and are unconvincing.
965. बोधस्य सेनया येन मोहस्य स्कन्दनं कृतम्।
स बुद्धिमान् महासेनः स्कन्दो नाम शिवात्मजः।।
965. The man of wisdom – Knower – is the Great Commander known as Skanda. With his army (of सद्गुण, good qualities) he wipes out मोह (delusive over-attachment). He is refered to as the son of Shiva.
NOTE: स्कन्द् means to leap, jump and attack.
Skanda is also called Kaartikeya or SubrahmaNya. In the south He is called Muruga. In mythology He is the Commander of Celestial armed forces(सेनानीनाम् अहं स्कन्दः says the Lord in गीता 10-24).
966. सुतोऽन्यो विघ्नराशिघ्नः सर्वविद्या विशारदः।
आनन्दतुन्दिलः साक्षात् सिद्धिदाता गणेश्वरः।।
966. Shiva’s other son, GaNesha, is the expert, well-versed in all streams of learning, full of joy, conqueror against all odds and giver of success. He lords over all groups in His service.
967. या निशा सर्वभूतानां तस्यां जागर्ति संयमी।
जागर्ति शिवरात्रौ यः शिवस्तस्मिन् प्रसीदति।।
967. The self-controlled साधक is awake when it is night(of ignorance ) to the world at large. On him, who stays awake on Shivaraatri, Shiva showers His grace.
NOTE: The world at large is forgetful of Shiva. This forgetfulness is the night. The world is asleep in this night. However, the Yogi stays awake, awake to the Reality of Shiva, the Supreme Truth. This is Shivaratri to him. This Shivaraatri is not just a tick on the calendar. It is psychological. It is a state of mind.
968. पञ्च कर्मेन्द्रियाण्यैव पञ्च ज्ञानेन्द्रियाणि च।
मनोऽहंकृति चित्तानि त्रीणि बुद्धिः चतुर्दशी।।
969. इयं तु शाम्भवैः प्रोक्ता शिवरात्रिः चतुर्दशी।
निराहारतया तत्र वृत्तिलोपो भवेद् बुधः।।
968/969. Five motor organs, five organs of perception, mind, ego, chitta(storehouse of memory etc) and बुद्धि – this cluster of fourteen is the Chaturdashi of Shivaraatri spoken of by the devotees of Shambhu.
The wise man’s fast (on Shivaraatri) means his abstinence from feeding the senses and the stilling of thought-waves.
970. शिवभक्तैः कृता पूर्वं शिवस्यात्यन्त वल्लभा।
शिवरात्रिरियं पुत्र शिवसायुज्यदायिनी।।
970. This Night of Shiva, observed by the devotees of Shiva, is very dear to Him.. My
child(शिष्य), this Shivaraatri bestows सायुज्य –
merger into Shiva.
NOTE: The festival of Shivaraatri is a metaphor (रूपक) for साधना. It symbolises staying spiritually alert and awake when the multitudes are asleep in the night of ignorance. Staying awake (जागरण) for the four याम(each याम equals three hours) symbolises being alert and watchful during our entire life(four आश्रम-s). Upavaasa symbolises not just abstinence from eating, but, reining in our runaway senses and rationing their respective ‘food’ intake. The important item – बिल्वपत्र समर्पण – symbolises dedicating our thought, speech and deed (the three leaves of बिल्वपत्र) to Shiva, God Almighty.
971. यस्यानन्दलयेनैव नन्दिता नारदादयः।
तदानन्द विनोदाख्यं शाम्भवं विद्धि ताण्डवम्।।
971. Know that dance of Shambhu(Shiva) to be Aananda Vinoda with the rhythmic pace of which sages like Naarada etc were filled with delight.
972. हृते स्मरे हृता एव षडप्येते स्मरादयः।
स्मरादिहरणादेव देवः स्मरहरो हरः।।
972. With desire(lust, काम) dispelled, all
(in all six) vagaries of mind(काम क्रोध लोभ मोह मद मत्सर) also get dispelled,. It is on account of this, He, Hara, is hailed as स्मरहर.
NOTE: काम is the fountainhead of all other
aberrations like Anger, Greed etc – the inner
adversaries(अरि षड्वर्ग). If this rootcause is
eradicated by the grace of God, all others, too, wilt and wither away.
973. या स्वभावेनैव वामैव मनोवाचाम् अगोचरा।
वामाङ्गी वामदेवस्य वामे गौरी विराजते।।
973. Gouri(fair, pure), who, by nature is beautiful (वामा) and is beyond the reach of our mind and speech, whose all limbs are beautiful(वामाङ्गी), She shines radiantly to the left(वामे) of Shiva, who is also a beautiful God(वामदेव).
974. सा ब्रह्मवादिनां श्रेष्ठा भवानी ब्रह्मवादिनी।
या कटाक्षेण सर्वत्र शिवाख्यं ब्रह्म वीक्षते।।
974. Bhavani is foremost among expounders of Brahman. Even with Her side-glance, She sees Brahman everywhere as Shiva.
975. मम प्रियो मम स्वामी ममात्मा मे गृहेश्वरः।
इति यस्याः शिवे भावः सा धन्या शैलकन्यका।।
975. Fortunate, indeed, is the Daughter of the Mountain(Parvati, daughter of Himalaya), whose feelings for Shiva get expressed as: my dear, my Master, my Self, Lord of my home etc.
976. स ईक्षितः स आश्लिष्टः स भुक्तः स च पूजितः।
स एव हृदये ध्यातः पार्वत्या परमेश्वरः।।
976. He, the Supreme Lord, was seen, embraced, His company enjoyed, adored and was meditated upon in heart by Paarvati.
977. नित्यं नृत्यति पार्वत्याः पुरतः परमेश्वरः।
तदन्तः तादृशं प्रेम तदग्रे किं न नृत्यतु।।
977. The Supreme Lord, Shiva, always dances in front of Parvati. With so much love for Her, why shouldn’t He dance?
978., एकात्म भावसम्पन्नौ स्थितौ भिन्नात्मकाविव।
भवानीशङ्करौ वन्दे ब्रह्मविद् ब्रह्मणो यथा।।
978. It is as if they stand separate though both are one in spirit. It is like the Knower of Brahman being Brahman himself. My salutations to Bhavaani and Shankara.
979. प्रकार द्वितयेनापि पार्वती स्तुतिमर्हति।
यदस्याः शङ्करे प्रेम, यदस्यां प्रेम शाङ्करम्।।
979. In two ways does Parvati deserve our praise: She has love for Shankara and the latter has love for Her.
980. पूजनीया विशेषेण शङ्करादपि पार्वती।
साक्षात् आनन्दरूपो यस्तस्याप्यानन्द वर्धिनी।।
980. More than Shankara, Parvati deserves special adoration. He is by nature blissfull and She serves to enhance His bliss.
981. परं ब्रह्म स्वरूपैव पार्वती नात्र संशयः।
यदस्यां प्रचुरप्रेमा ब्रह्मज्ञानी सदा शिवः।।
981. पार्वती is the Supreme Brahman Herself.
Always does Shiva, Knower of Brahman,
cherish profuse Love for Her,.
982. मन्दारास्तरवो वनेषु परिखा तोयं सुधा सागरो,
द्वारेऽप्यष्ट विभूतयो निधिगणैरन्तःपुरे पार्वती।
शूलं शस्त्रवरं वृषः प्रियसखा नारः कपालः करे,
ग्रैवेयं गरलं भुजेषु भुजगाः भस्माङ्गरागे रुचिः।।
982. Shiva’s groves have wish-fulfilling Mandaara trees. The abrosial ocean marks the boundary of His residence. The eight miraculous powers stand vigil at His gate along with nine treasures. Parvati is in the inner apartment. (Despite this opulence) His supreme weapon is Trishool(three-pronged spike), His dear friend is the bull, He holds in hand the human skull, the adornment for His neck is poison, His arms are entwined with serpents and He likes to apply on His person the holy ash!
983. चन्द्रादित्यशत प्रकाश जयिनी चन्द्रावतंसोज्जवला,
गङ्गाक्लिन्न जटाधरा त्रिनयना गङ्गाम्बुवन्निर्मला।
वामे भूधरकन्यका सहचरी भूत्या सदालंकृता,
स्वानन्दा शितिकण्ठिनी पुरभिदो मूर्तिः पुरः स्फूर्जति।।
983. The form of blue-neck Shiva( destroyer of the three cities, पुरभित्) looms radiantly before us – whose effulgence excels that of hundreds of moons and suns, whose bright crest-jewel is the moon, whose matted locks are moist with Ganges, who is three-eyed, pure like Ganga water, on whose left as His companion is the daughter of Mountain Himaalaya(Paarvati) always adorned with ornaments and who is in perpetual bliss.
NOTE: The three cities(of iron, silver and gold) are those built by the three demons known as Tripurasura -s(तारकाक्ष , विद्युन्माली and कमलाक्ष). These demons were tormenting the denizens of the three worlds. Symbolically, the three cities are the three bodies – sthoola, sookshma and kaaraNa (gross, subtle and causal). Shiva divests His devotees of these three sheaths in the state of Videha Moksha(disembodied
liberation).
984. पशुत्ववासना त्याज्या ज्ञानगङ्गाम्बुधारया।
पवित्रया शीतलया स्नाप्यः पशुपतिः शिवः।।
984. With the stream of wisdom-Gangaa, the animal cravings must be washed out. Shiva, the Lord of पशु-s, must be bathed with this pure and cool stream.
NOTE: We are all पशु because we are bound by the ropes(पाश) of I and mine(अहम् मम) and all their evil brood of lust, anger, greed etc. God is the Divine Shepherd.
985. शिवो देवः शिवो जीवः शिवादन्यन्नविद्यते।
एवं शिवे प्रकर्तव्यं भक्त्या चन्दनलेपनम्।।
985. God is Shiva, the soul is Shiva. There is
naught else apart from Shiva. With such thought one should apply the sandalpaste to Shiva.
986. भजनाद् अक्षता भक्ता देवस्तु स्वयमक्षतः।
अतस्त्वक्षतया भक्त्या पूजनीयः शिवोऽक्षतैः।।
986. By devotion, one becomes unharmed.
God is Himself beyond any harm. Hence, with unimpaired devotion, Shiva should be adored with rice grains(अक्षत).
NOTE: Whole rice grains are called अक्षत. They are whole(अ+क्षत). This is the conventional meaning. The etymological meaning of अक्षत is ‘not-injured’. During worship if any item of offering is wanting, we offer the अक्षत as proxy. In my book FROM PAADA PRAKSHAALAN TO PHALA MANTRAAKSHAT. I have dealt with the symbolism of receiving Phalamantraakshat from the Sadguru.
987. अर्कः पाशुपतो नाम बोधः पशुपतिप्रियः।
अतः पाशुपतार्कस्य पुष्पं पशुपतेः प्रियम्।।
987. The sun-plant(रुई in Marathi) symbolises the sun(अर्कः) of Knowledge, beloved of Pashupati (Shiva). Therefore, the flower of sun- plant is dear to Shiva.
NOTE: On Rathasaptami, the sun is worshipped with the sun-plant flowers. Sun presides over Buddhi, hence in Gaayatri we invoke the sun (सविता). With sunrise, darkness takes to its heels.
Likewise, with the dawn of Knowledge, the
darkness of अविद्या, ignorance, goes away. Arka flower is dear to Shiva because it symbolises the Sun of Enlightenment.
988. कटुपत्रतरुः कोऽपि भक्तेन गिरिशेऽर्पितः।
प्रकाशकः तमोहन्ता स एवार्कत्वमागतः।।
988. The tree of bitter leaves is offered to
Girisha by the devotee. It then turns light-giving and dispeller of darkness. It acquires the quality of being sunny.
NOTE: Our body-mind complex is a tree of bitter leaves when we are not devotees. Human failings like lust, anger etc are its bitter leaves. However, when this bitter tree is offered in the service of Shiva, it sheds its bitterness and turns sunny(अर्कत्व). It becomes luminous and dispeller of darkness- the miracle of Grace.
गिरिश (not गिरीश) means ‘one who sleeps on the mountain'(गिरौ शेते इति गिरिशः), the mountain being Kailaasa. गिरीश is derived as ‘Lord of the mountain ‘(गिरेः ईशः गिरीशः), the mountain being, of course, Kailaasa.
989. पुष्पं कटुदलस्यास्य शाम्भवेन निवेदितम्।
शम्भुना स्वीकृतं तेन सा जाता शिवमल्लिका।।
989. The devotee of Shambhu has offered to Shambhu the flower of the bitter tree. Shambhu has accepted it. Such offering turns into a garland for Him.
NOTE: As in the previous verse, when we direct our negative traits like lust, anger etc towards God only (this is prescribed by sage Naarada in his Bhakti Sootra), they get purified and sublimated. Such is the alchemy of BHAKTI.
990. ईश्वरस्य प्रसादेन भासतेऽन्यादृशं जगत्।
स्वसमान गुणत्वेन धत्तूरः शिववल्लभः।।
990. The Dhatura flower (धोतरा in Marathi)(thorn apple in English) is beloved of Shiva. By the grace of Shiva, the world looks different (not the usual look) as does Dhatura juice to one who imbibes it.
NOTE: Dhatura causes disorientation: the world looks topsyturvy as happens to a drunkard. Grace of God also brings about a disorientation of a sublime kind. The ordinary vision sees, let us say, a dog or a cat; but, the spiritually ‘disoriented’ vision beholds Shiva behind the cat or the dog!
991. उन्मन्या स्वयमुन्मत्त उन्मादयति शाम्भवान्।
अत एव प्रियं शम्भोः पुष्पम् उन्मत्तसम्भवम्।।
991. Dhattura flower is dear to Shambhu because it intoxicates. Shiva is perpetually in transcendental state(उन्मनी) and He confers this divine frenzy(उन्माद) to His devotees(शाम्भवान्) too.
NOTE: उन्मत्त plant is Dhattura plant. Over the centuries, for reasons unknown, intoxicants are associated with Shiva. Bhaang (भांग) is a favourite of some of the so-called Shiva devotees and on Shivaratri they consider it almost mandatory to imbibe a drink with भांग in it, just as Holi revellers do.
992. कैतवं कितवस्यास्य सर्वगोऽयं न लिप्यते।
अतः कितवधूर्तस्य कैतवं कुसुमं प्रियम्।।
AN plays on the word कैतव. Dhatura has several synonyms and Kaitava is one of them. Kaitava also means कपट(trickery). God is praised as कपटनाटक सूत्रधार – the entire creation being His trickery. Being unsullied and ever नित्य शुद्ध बुद्ध
मुक्त, He ‘fools’ us with His camouflage of name and form. This should be borne in mind while reading this verse.
992. Though He goes everywhere (सर्वगः), He is untouched by anything. This is His trickery (कैतव). Therefore, He loves कैतव flower. He is a Master Trickster(कितव धूर्त)!
993. भक्त्या भक्तेन चेद् वृत्तिर्मनसः शङ्करेऽर्पिता।
स कण्टकस्वभावापि जाता साऽकण्टकारिका।।
993. When the prickly(कण्टकी) vagaries of mind are offered to Shankara with devotion, they lose their prickly nature (and aid the साधक).
NOTE: Vagaries of mind like desire, anger, greed etc are prickly by nature. They are like thorns and make one restless. However, if they are ‘offered’ to Shankara, they aid rather than hinder the साधना,.
Though I have elaborated this point in my earlier posts, it bears repetition here.
Naarada in his Aphorisms on Devotion (Bhakti Sootra) says: तदर्पिताखिलाचारः सन् कामक्रोध अभिमानादिकं तस्मिन्नेव करणीयम्।।(सूत्र 65).(Being totally dedicated to Him, one should direct desire(lust), anger, egoism etc towards Him only).
Tukaram echoes:
कामक्रोधलोभ स्वार्थ। अवघा माझा पंढरनाथ।।
As if elucidating Tukaram ‘s words, Sri RamakrishNa says: ” Direct the six passions to God. The impulse of LUST should be turned into the desire to have communion with the Divine Spirit. Feel ANGRY at those who stand in the way of God. Feel GREEDY for Him. If you must have the feeling of I and MINE, then associate with God. If you must have PRIDE, then feel proud
thinking that you are a servant of God or a child of God” (vide Gospel of Sri RamakrishNa, page 155).
Hanuman told Ravana, when asked to introduce himself, in the royal assembly, boldly and bravely: “I am the servant of Rama, the King of Kosala, for whom no task is difficult” etc, (दासोऽहं कोसलेन्द्रस्य रामस्याक्लिष्ट कर्मणः…). This is egoism in the name of God.
994. शिवभक्ति प्रभावेन शाण्डिल्यो हि महामुनिः।
तन्नाम्नैव प्रियं शम्भोः पत्रं शाण्डिल्य सम्भवम्।।
994. ShaaNDilyo attained eminence as a great sage, thanks to his unflinching devotion to Shiva. Bilvapatra is dear to Shambhu due its tree named after ShaaNDilya.
NOTE: ShaaNDilya is a great sage and is the author of ShaaNDilya Bhakti Sootra-s. Bilva leaf has many other names and ShaNDilya is one of them (vide Apte’s dictionary).
995. विश्वरूपो महादेवः स्वयं शैलूषलक्षणः।
अतः शैलूषपत्राणां पूजया स प्रसीदति।।
995. The Great God, whose form is the universe, is Himself a great बहुरूपि (an actor donning various guises, mono-acting). Hence, He is pleased with worship with Bilvapatra-s.
NOTE: A बहुरूपि is called Shailoosha and Shailoosha is also a synonym of Bilvapatra.
Shiva is fond of Bilvapatra because its name as Shailoosha ( which means बहुरूपी) is in sync with His mono-acting in the form of this universe.
996. जन्मनस्तु फलं श्रीमद्बिल्व पत्रार्पणात् शिवे।
अतो निरूपितो वृक्षो बिल्वः श्रीफलसंज्ञया।।
996. Offering of Bilvapatra to Shiva makes life fruitful. Hence, the Bilva tree is named after श्री.
NOTE: Like coconut, Bilva tree is also named Shree because the offer of its leaves to Shiva fills life with grace, beauty, richness etc – the various meanings of Shree.
997 धूप प्रदीप नैवेद्य फल ताम्बूल दक्षिणा।
शिवाय नम इत्येव सर्वमेवास्य पूजनम्।।
997 Offer Dhoop, lamp, Naivedya, fruit, taambool (पान) and DakshiNaa etc by chanting नमः शिवाय and this will suffice as Shiva’s worship.
NOTE: नमः शिवाय is called Shiva Panchaakshari Mantra since it has five letters(अक्षर). If you add ॐ at the beginning, it becomes ShaDakshari Mantra since now it has six (षट्) letters.
As we know, Shiva Panchaakshara Stotra
(नागेन्द्रहाराय…) has five stanazas, each beginning with a letter of the Mantra.
The five letters are invested with lot of meaning in Shaiva Siddhaanta. नमः शिवाय means (my) salutations to Shiva. But, it is supposed that : न, म, शि, वा and य respectively represent the five elements (पञ्च महाभूत) – earth, water, fire, air and the sky.
Likewise, the five letters are supposed to represent the five functions of God( as in the case of Goddess Lalitaa whose one name is पञ्चकृत्य परायणा). The five functions are: Creation (सृष्टि), Preservation (स्थिति), Dissolution (लय), Restraint (निग्रह) and Benediction (अनुग्रह).
998. विद्यासु श्रुतिरुत्कृष्टा रुद्रैकादशिनी श्रुतौ।
तत्र पञ्चाक्षरी श्रेष्ठा सा जप्या शिवतुष्टये।।
998. Of all streams of learning, Vedic learning is excellent. In Vedic learning, रुद्राध्याय (नमकम् is meant here) consisting of eleven sections (अनुवाक) is excellent. There(in नमकम्), the five-lettered Mantra (नमः शिवाय) is excellent.
Hence, one should do its जप for propitiating
Shiva.
NOTE: In the 8th section(अनुवाक) of नमकम्, we have a cluster of six (नमः शम्भवे च मयोभवे च, नमः शङ्कराय च, मयस्कराय च, नमः शिवाय च and नमः शिवतराय च) and नमः शिवाय is hedged in between other names). The message is: to शिव पञ्चाक्षरी is most excellent and its जप will confer on us the merit of study of all streams of Vedic learning. Another text glorifies the name शिव as follows: तन्मध्ये जीवरत्नं स्यात् शिव इत्यक्षरद्वयम्। (In the पञ्चाक्षरी, the two-lettered name शिव is the ‘gem of the soul'(जीवरत्नम्).
The above verse by AN reminds me of a सुभाषित
about the play शाकुन्तलम् of Kalidasa. It says:
काव्येषु नाटकं रम्यं तत्र रम्या शकुन्तला।
तत्रापि च चतुर्थोऽङ्कः तत्र श्लोक चतुष्टयम्।।
(Of all forms of literature, drama
is most charming. Of the dramas, Shaakuntalam is most charming. In शाकुन्तलम्, the fourth Act (अङ्क) is most charming. In the fourth Act, a cluster of four verses is most charming!
999. द्रष्टा च दर्शनं दृश्यमिति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद् रूपे प्रथमा बिल्वपत्रिका।।
999. The first offering of Bilva Patra symbolises the offering of the triad – seer, seeing and the seen – to Shiva, whose form is (pure) . Consciousness.
NOTE: AN has eleven verses on the offering of Bilvapatra. Eleven is the favourite number of Shiva. The Rudra-s are eleven. The text recited during Abhisheka – Rudraadhyaaya – has two sections – नमकम् and चमकम् – and each of them has eleven sections (अनुवाक).
The various kinds of Rudraabhisheka also involve multiples by eleven. For the information of my readers:
One cycle(आवर्तन) of entire Rudraadhyaaya is called Roopam. Eleven times, it is Rudree or एकादशिनी. 121(11X11) cycles is Laghurudra. Mahaarudra is 1331(121X11) and Atirudra is 14,641 आवर्तन-s. My aim is to highlight the importance of 11 and not to elaborate on Rudraabhisheka of which I have given above a simplified version.
1000.. कर्ता कार्यं च करणम् इति पत्र त्रयात्मिका।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद् रूपे द्वितीया बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1000.. The offering of second Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of the triad – Doer, Deed and Instruments(ten organs plus mind) of Action to Shiva whose form is (pure) Consciousness.
NOTE: During Shiva-poojan, while offering the Bel leaves, we say:
त्रिदलं त्रिगुणाकारं त्रिनेत्रं च त्रयायुधम्।
त्रिजन्मपापसंहारम् एक बिल्वं शिवार्पणम्।।
This श्लोक is from Bilvaashtakam(This is in our Stutimanjari). This hymn says that even seeing a Bilvapatra and touching it, wards off our sins
(दर्शनं बिल्वपत्रस्य स्पर्शनं पापनाशनम्।).
“At the base of Bilva, is Brahmaa, in the
middle is VishNu and at the top is Shiva “(मूलतो ब्रह्मरूपाय मध्यतो विष्णु रूपिणे।
अग्रतो शिवरूपाय एकबिल्वं शिवार्पणम्।।).
Leaves(दल) are three and they symbolise सत्व रजस् and तमस् (three गुण -s), three eyes(नेत्रम्) of Shiva( सोमसूर्याग्निलोचनाय नमः ), His three weapons(त्रयायुधम्) – Pinaaka bow( पिनाकिने नमः), Trishool( शूलपाणये नमः ) and axe(परशु)(परशुहस्ताय नमः ). Offer of even a single Bilvapatra is said to wipes out the sins incurred in our three births
(त्रिजन्म पाप संहारम् एकबिल्वं शिवार्पणम्).
1001. भोक्ता च भोजनं भोज्यमिति पत्र त्रयात्मिका।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद् रूपे तृतीया बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1001. The offering of third Bilvapatra symbolises
the offer of the triad – enjoyer, enjoying and
enjoyment to Shiva, whose form is (pure)
Consciousness.
NOTE: The above triad also stands for one who is having food, the process of eating and the food.
In गीता in the 15th chapter(verse 14), the Lord says: अहं वैश्वानरो भूत्वा प्राणिनां देहमाश्रितः। प्राणापानसमायुक्तः पचाम्यन्नम् चतुर्विधम्।। (As the gastric fire वैश्वानर inside the bodies of all beings, I digest the four-fold food, aided by the vital breaths प्राण and अपान).
In गीता, chapter 5, verse 29, the Lord says He is the enjoyer of sacrifices and austerities (भोक्तारं यज्ञ तपसाम्….)
1002 भूर्भुवश्च तथा स्वर्ग इति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद् रूपे चतुर्थी बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1002. The offering of fourth Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of three realms –
Bhooh, Bhuvah and Svah – to Shiva, whose form is (pure) Consciousness.
NOTE: These small words भूः etc are seven and are called Vyaahriti -s. Vyaahriti means a special or profound utterance. They are chanted during Sandhyavandan. Their chant precedes Gayatri Mantra. These Vyaahriti -s have several meanings and Swami VidyaaraNya has given us a Sanskrit commentary and this forms part of
H.H.Swami Anandashram’s writings in our
Math publication entitled ANANDA BODHAMRITA Part two) in KonkaNi.
Leaving aside the subtler meanings, here we will take the above Vyaahriti -s to mean the earth, the sky(अन्तरिक्ष) and heaven above.
1003. जाग्रत् स्वप्नस्तथा सुप्तिरिति पत्र त्रयात्मिका।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद्रूपे पञ्चमी बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1003.. The offering of fifth Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of the three states – waking, dreaming and deep sleep – to Shiva, whose form is (pure) Consciousness.
NOTE: About the three states, says AS in His book entitled TATVABODHA:
जाग्रदावस्था का? श्रोत्रादि ज्ञानेन्द्रियैः शब्दादि विषयैः च ज्ञायत इति यत् सा जाग्रदावस्था। (What is the waking state? The state of awareness in which the organs of perception like hearing come in touch with their respective objects like sound, is called the waking state).
स्वप्नावस्था केति चेत्, जाग्रदवस्थायां यद् दृष्टं, यत् श्रुतं, तज्जनित वासनया निद्रा समये यः प्रपञ्चः प्रतीयते, सा स्वप्नावस्था।(What is the dream state? All that is seen or heard in the waking state become mental impressions and the world they project during sleep is called the dream state). This reminds us of the saying in Marathi: जे मनीं वसे ते स्वप्नीं दिसे।
सुषुप्त्यवस्था का? अहं किमपि न जानामि, सुखेन मया निद्राऽनुभूयत इति सुषुप्त्यवस्था। (What is the state of deep sleep? ‘I do not know anything, I slept happily’. (To think thus) is called the state of deep sleep).
The small, but, important MaaNDookya Upanishad is entirely an exposition of the above three states we experience daily. Towering above the three is Tureeya, the fourth dimension. The Tureeya is Shiva Himself. Tureeya is pure चित्. It is not an item of offer, but, the recipient of the offer. It is that which thunders चिदानन्दरूपः शिवोऽहं शिवोऽहम् within us. The चिद्रूप Atman is the cinematic screen on which takes place the passing show of जाग्रत् स्वप्न सुषुप्ति.
Kaivalya or Liberation consists in our abiding in the Tureeya, as an onlooker, as a witness, a साक्षि, to this passing parade of three states(अवस्था). One shines alone(केवलीभाव), uninvolved and aloof.
1004. स्थूलं सूक्ष्मं कारणाख्यमिति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद् रूपे षष्ठिका बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1004. The offering of sixth Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of our three bodies – gross, subtle and causal – to Shiva, whose form is (pure) Consciousness.
NOTE: AS in His TATVABODHA explains these three bodies.
स्थूलशरीरं किम्? पञ्चीकृत पञ्चमहाभूतैः
कृतं स्वकर्मजन्य सुखदुःखादि भोगायतनं शरीरं,
अस्ति जायते, वर्धते, विपरिणमते, अपक्षीयते, विनश्यतीति षड्विकारवत् एतत् स्थूलशरीरम्। (What is the gross physical body?
That which is constitued of the permutations and combinations of the five cosmic elements and that which is the experiencer of happiness or sorrow born of one’s actions is called the gross physical body. This body undergoes the following six modifications: it is(in womb), is born, grows, undergoes change, decays and dies. This is the gross body).
सूक्ष्म शरीरं किम्? अपञ्चीकृत पञ्चमहाभूतैः कृतं सत्, कर्मजन्यं सुखदुःखादि भोग साधनं, पञ्च ज्ञानेन्द्रियाणि, पञ्च कर्मेन्द्रियाणि, पञ्च प्राणादयः, मनश्चैकं, बुद्धिश्चैका – एवं सप्तदश कलाभिः सह यस्तिष्ठति तत् सूक्ष्मशरीरम्। (What is the subtle body? Those organs formed from unmixed five cosmic elements, which are formed as a result of past actions, which are the means of experiencing pleasure and pain, and which consist of five organs of knowledge, five organs of action, five vital breaths, the mind and the
intellect – these seventeen organs are collectively called the subtle body).
कारण शरीरं किम्? अनिर्वाच्य अनादि अविद्यारूपं शरीरद्वयस्य कारणमात्रं सत् स्वस्वरूपाज्ञानं निर्विकल्पकरूपं यदस्ति तत्
कारण शरीरम्।(What is meant by causal body? That which is formed from the indefinable beginningless ignorance, that which is the cause of the other two bodies, that which gives rise to ignorance of the Self and is not marked by the modifications(six, spoken earlier) is called the causal body.
1005.. अविद्या संसृतिर्जीव इति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद् रूपे सप्तमी बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1005.. The offering of seventh Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of the triad – ignorance, transmigration and the embodied Self as
Jeeva – to Shiva, whose form is (pure) Consciousness.
NOTE: Avidyaa is ignorance. AS says in TATVABODHA:
आत्मा तर्हि कः? सच्चिदानन्दस्वरूपः।
(Who then,is Atman? He is of the nature of
Existence, Consciousness and Bliss). एवं सच्चिदानन्दस्वरूपम् आत्मानं विजानीयात्।(Thus, one should know oneself). This awareness is विद्या or true Knowledge. Opposite of it, identifying oneself with body etc, is अविद्या. This perverse intelligence causes संसृति – transmigration – पुनरपि जननं पुनरपि मरणं पुनरपि जननी जठरे शयनम्।
इह संसारे…(repeated round of births and deaths) as described by AS in His Bhaja Govindam hymn.
Who is Jeeva? AS says in TATVABODHA: स्थूलशरीराभिमानी जीव: स्वस्माद् ईश्वरं भिन्नत्वेन जानाति, अविद्योपाधि: सन् आत्मा जीव उच्यते।(Being conditioned by अविद्या, mistaking the gross body for oneself and looking upon the Almighty Lord as an Other, different from himself, Atman is called as Jeeva.
Atman plus body-mind complex is Jeeva. Jeeva minus this appendage is Atman. Paddy is rice with husk. Dehusked paddy is rice. This plus- minus is psychological, we should bear in mind. AS says in His commentary on Brahma Sootra:
जीवतोऽपि विदुषः अशरीरत्वम्।(Even while he is alive, the true Vidvaan feels he is bodyless) whereas an unawakened soul does not give up his sense of physical identity even when death has cut asunder this bond. Samarth Ramdas stresses on this विदेहीपण so many times in His मनाचे श्लोक.
1006. उत्पत्तिश्च स्थितिर्नाश इति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद्रूपेत्वष्टमी बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1006.. The offering of eighth Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of: coming into being, subsistence and dissolution to Shiva, whose form is (pure) Consciousness.
NOTE: The universe comes into being, endures for a length of time and then goes back to its Source – Shiva.(यतो वा इमानि भूतानि जायन्ते येन जातानि जीवन्ति यत् प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति तद् ब्रह्म – तैत्तिरीय उपनिषद्).
It is this understanding that we should offer to Shiva. It is symbolised by the Bilvapatra.
Likewise, in the Lake of our Mind (मानस सरोवर) thought-waves arise, stay for a while and then subside. This, too, is His play.
1007.. ब्रह्मा विष्णुस्तथा रुद्र इति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद्रूपे नवमी बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1007.. The offer of nineth Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of Trinity – Brahmaa, VishNu and Rudra – to Shiva, whose form is (pure) Consciousness.
NOTE: Brahmaa, VishNu and Rudra are not articles that we can pick up and offer. What we have to offer is the understanding that it is the Impersonal Brahman who assumes the forms of the Trinity.
1008. तमो रजस्तथा सत्वमिति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद्रूपे दशमी बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1008.. The offering of tenth Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of the three attributes of Prakriti – सत्व रजस् and तमस् – to Shiva, whose form is (pure) Consciousness.
NOTE: What is the understanding symbolised here? The answer is in गीता. Says the Lord: ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये। मत्त एवेति तान् विद्धि न त्वहं तेषु ते मयि।। त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत्।
मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम्।।(7-12,13).
(Those things and beings that are marked by Satva and those others marked by Rajas and Tamas – know them to have sprung from Me alone. However, I am not in them; they are in Me!
(All the world, deluded as it is by these three Qualities, does not know Me, the Immutable, who am above them).
माया – the delusive Power – is a fabric of these three Qualities. All are under Her sway. How to outwit Her? Surrender is the answer. Says the Lord in the next verse no.14 : दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया। मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते।।
(This divine माया is difficult to cross over. Those, who take refuge in Me alone, cross over this माया).
It is this understanding that should accompany our offer of the tenth Bilvapatra.
1009. त्वन्ताऽहन्ता तथेदन्त्वमिति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद्रूपे रुद्राख्या बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1009. The offering of eleventh Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of notions of thine, mine and this to Shiva, whose form is (pure)
Consciousness.
NOTE: In the above verse Rudra stands for
eleven. Our daily life spins around mine, thine,his etc. However, with deepening devotion, these notions melt away. Soyarabai sings: अवघा रंग एक झाला, रङ्गीं रङ्गला श्रीरंग। मीं तूंपण गेले वायां। पाहतां पंढरीचा राया।नाहीं भेदाचें तें काम। (All hues have melted into one colour. Shriranga(Vithoba) revels in that colour. Notions like mine and thine have become pointless now, on seeing the Ruler of Pandharpur. Now, difference is irrelevant).
1010. एकादशैताः कथिताः शाम्भवा बिल्वपत्रिकाः।
एताभिरर्चितः शम्भुः सद्यो मुक्तिं प्रयच्छति।।
1010. Thus have been narrated eleven Bilva leaves, beloved of Shambhu. Adored with them, He immediately bestows Liberation.
NOTE: Sofar we have seen eleven triads,
symbolising eleven Bilva leaves. “शिवे समर्प्या” –
“should be offered to Shiva” – this has been the recurring refrain. What does this समर्पण mean?How does it enrich our understanding? The answer is: All these triads – they are countless,
though only eleven have been named here – constitute Chidvilaasa of Shiva, who is Brahman. Creation is an inspired effulgence, inspired outburst, of Shiva – ब्रह्म सत्यं जगत् स्फूर्तिः according to Jnaneshwar.
He says: सुताचिये गुञ्जे। आंत बाहेर नाहीं दुजें। तेंवीं तिनपणेंविण जाणिजे। त्रिपुटी हे।। (In a bundle of thread, there is nothing but thread within and without. Likewise, in the triad(त्रिपुटी) there is really no three-ness (तिनपण). It is all One).घडियेचेनि आकारें। प्रकाशिजे जेंवीं अंबरें। तेंवीं विश्वस्फूर्ति स्फुरे। स्फूर्तीचि हें।
(Folded cloth is cloth only. Likewise, the creation is His inspired effulgence, inspired outburst only).(vide His चांगदेव पासष्टी).
1008. तमो रजस्तथा सत्वमिति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद्रूपे दशमी बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1008.. The offering of tenth Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of the three attributes of Prakriti – सत्व रजस् and तमस् – to Shiva, whose form is (pure) Consciousness.
NOTE: What is the understanding symbolised here? The answer is in गीता. Says the Lord: ये चैव सात्त्विका भावा राजसास्तामसाश्च ये। मत्त एवेति तान् विद्धि न त्वहं तेषु ते मयि।। त्रिभिर्गुणमयैर्भावैरेभिः सर्वमिदं जगत्।
मोहितं नाभिजानाति मामेभ्यः परमव्ययम्।।(7-12,13).
(Those things and beings that are marked by Satva and those others marked by Rajas and Tamas – know them to have sprung from Me alone. However, I am not in them; they are in Me!
(All the world, deluded as it is by these three Qualities, does not know Me, the Immutable, who am above them).
माया – the delusive Power – is a fabric of these three Qualities. All are under Her sway. How to outwit Her? Surrender is the answer. Says the Lord in the next verse no.14 : दैवी ह्येषा गुणमयी मम माया दुरत्यया। मामेव ये प्रपद्यन्ते मायामेतां तरन्ति ते।।
(This divine माया is difficult to cross over. Those, who take refuge in Me alone, cross over this माया).
It is this understanding that should accompany our offer of the tenth Bilvapatra.
1009. त्वन्ताऽहन्ता तथेदन्त्वमिति पत्र त्रयान्विता।
शिवे समर्प्या चिद्रूपे रुद्राख्या बिल्वपत्रिका।।
1009. The offering of eleventh Bilvapatra symbolises the offer of notions of thine, mine and this to Shiva, whose form is (pure)
Consciousness.
NOTE: In the above verse Rudra stands for
eleven. Our daily life spins around mine, thine,his etc. However, with deepening devotion, these notions melt away. Soyarabai sings: अवघा रंग एक झाला, रङ्गीं रङ्गला श्रीरंग। मीं तूंपण गेले वायां। पाहतां पंढरीचा राया।नाहीं भेदाचें तें काम। (All hues have melted into one colour. Shriranga(Vithoba) revels in that colour. Notions like mine and thine have become pointless now, on seeing the Ruler of Pandharpur. Now, difference is irrelevant).
NOTE: The offering of 11th Bilva Patra marks the total effacement of all sense of duality. It is the culmination, the summum bonum, it is सायुज्य, the बिन्दु merging into सिन्धु. Let us celebrate this offer of एकादश बिल्वपत्रिका by listening to अवघा रंग एक झाला sung by Gaana Saraswati Padma Vibhushan Smt.Kishori Amonkar.
1011. शर्वो भवो रुद्र उग्रो भीमः पशुपतिस्तथा।
महादेवस्तथेशान इति मूर्ति प्रपूजनम्।।
1011. Sharva, Bhava, Rudra, Ugra, Bheema,
Pashupati and Mahadeva – these (eight)
Forms of Shiva are adored (with utmost devotion).
NOTE: Worship of the eight forms of Shiva –
अष्टमूर्ति – is an important aspect of Shiva’s
worship.
During Shiva -Worship eight flowers are offered, invoking the eight forms as under:
ॐ शर्वाय क्षितिमूर्तये नमः।
ॐ भवाय जलमूर्तये नमः।
ॐ रुद्राय अग्निमूर्तये नमः।
ॐ उग्राय वायुमूर्तये नमः।
ॐ भीमाय आकाशमूर्तये नमः।
ॐ ईशानाय सूर्यमूर्तये नमः।
ॐ महादेवाय सोममूर्तये नमः।
ॐ पशुपतये यजमानमूर्तये नमः।
These forms of Shiva represent respectively
the five cosmic elements (पञ्च महाभूत), sun, moon and the worshipper(यजमान) himself.
AS in His DakshiNaamoorti Stotra, verse 9,
attributes these eight forms to Shri
DakshiNaamoorti, the Aadi Guru, as under:
भूरम्भांस्यनलोनिलोम्बरमहर्नाथो हिमांशुः पुमान्,
इत्याभाति चराचरात्मकमिदं यस्यैव मूर्त्यष्टकम्।
नान्यत् किञ्चन विद्यते विमृशतां यस्मात्परस्मात्विभो,
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये।।
1012. अष्टौ प्रकृतिरूपाणि कष्टान्यष्टैव देहिनः।
स्पष्टं मूर्तिभिरष्टाभिः अष्टमूर्तिः हरत्यसौ।।
1012. Shiva, endowed with the Eight Forms, wipes out the eight-fold distress of the
embodied soul(देहिनः).
NOTE: The eight sources of affliction are:
Birth, old age, sickness, death, getting what one doesn’t want, not getting what one wants, being with people one doesn’t like and not being with people one likes. These eight कष्ट-s are detailed in Buddhism too.
1013. अपर्यन्तो महादेवस्यास्य कल्पशतैरपि।
न स्याद् प्रदक्षिणं तेन शिवस्यार्ध प्रदक्षिणम्।।
1013.Even after countless epochs, one cannot(अ) reach the end (पर्यन्त) of Shiva (who is Infinite). So, we circumambulate (प्रदक्षिणा) only half in His case.
1014..It is not possible to speak about the nature of Shiva. To Shambhu a hymn of praise and Galla Vaadya – both are accepted alike.
NOTE: During festival revelry, say Holi, if one pats his own cheeks(गल्ल) and shouts, it is गल्लवाद्य since the cheeks turn instrumental!
1015. प्रेमनिर्भरभावेन दण्डवत् पतितैर्भुवि।
महादेवो नमस्कार्यो गलित्त्वाद् अहङ्कृतेः।।
1015. Mahadeva should be offered salutations, falling prostrate on the earth, with heart full of
love, (by the devotee) since his egoism has
melted away.
1016,. मानुष्यमपि सम्प्राप्य पूजितो न महेश्वरः।
अपराधो महान् जातः क्षमस्वेति मुहुर्वदेत्।।
1016. “I didn’t adore Shiva, though born as a human being. This is a very big lapse(अपराध)
on my part. Pray forgive me” – thus one should
say again and again.
1017. ज्ञत्व कर्तृत्व भोक्तृत्व जीवत्वादि विसर्जनम्।
एतस्यां शिवपूजायाम् एतदेव विसर्जनम्।।
1017. Relinquishing knowership, doership, enjoyership and जीवत्व (being an embodied soul) etc – this is the true Visarjan (dismissal) in Shiva-worship.
1018. आज्ञाकरत्वमायाति पुरुषार्थ चतुष्टयी।
यतोऽस्याः शिवपूजाया महिमा केन वर्ण्यताम्।।
1018. The four primary goals of human life
are ready to do the bidding of the worshipper of Shiva. Who can describe the glory of this worship?
NOTE: Dharma, Artha, Kaama and Moksha are called Purushaarth-s. Here, Dharma does not mean Religion, say Hinduism, Islam etc. Dharma means the most essential values that should enliven our thought(विचार), speech(उच्छार) and deed(आचार). Dharma is what sustains(धारयति) human life at his personal as well as his various collective levels. Dharma stands for the do’s(नियम)and don’ts (यम) specified by Patanjali. They are universal vows(सार्वभौम महाव्रत). In verses 13 to 19 in chapter 15 of गीता, the Lord spells out some qualities that we need to cultivate and, in verse 20, He says they constitute the nectar of Dharma (धर्म्यामृतम्). This Dharma should be the foundation of our life and Moksha(Liberation) should be its crowning glory(कलश). In between these two poles we have to earn wealth(अर्थ) righteously and fulfill our legitimate wishes(काम).
1019. तत्त्वतो यः शिवं वेद स वेद शिवपूजनम्।
कस्तत्त्वतः शिवं वेद को वेद शिवपूजनम्।।
1019. One who ‘knows’ Shiva as He is truly, he, indeed, knows what worship of Shiva is. But, who knows Shiva as He is? So, who knows Shiva -Poojan also?
शिवपूजा शतकम् समाप्तम्।
Thus ends the Shiva Poojaa Century (Gleanings given by me).
1020. आदौ गुरुस्तवो यत्र प्रान्ते च शिवपूजनम्।
मध्ये मुकुन्दस्मरणं बोधसारः स उत्तमः।।
1020. In the beginning there is praise of the
Guru and, in the end, there is worship of Shiva.
In the middle there is obeisance to Mukunda
(VishNu) – this Bodhasaara is excellent.
1021. सिद्धार्थः सुगमार्थश्च विशेषैः बहुभिर्वृतः।
ग्रन्थस्त्वेतादृशस्तात न भूतो न भविष्यति।।
1021.. Settled conclusions spelled out in easy-flowing style and with many special features – such a book has not been earlier and will not be there again, too!
1022. अविद्योन्मूल कुद्दाल: अविद्यादावपावकः।
अविद्यामृग शार्दूलः अविद्या गजकेसरी।।
1022. BODHASAARA is a pickaxe to uproot Ignorance. It is like fire to burn down the jungle of ignorance. It is like leopard for the deer called ignorance. It is like lion to the elephant called ignorance.
1023. अविद्याशैल दम्भोलि अविद्यान्धक शङ्करः।
अविद्याकंस गोविन्दः अविद्या चण्डिका।।
1023.. BODHASAARA is like the thunderbolt to the mountain called ignorance. It is Shankara to the Andhaka demon called ignorance,.it is Govinda (KrishNa) to the Kamsa called ignorance. It is Goddess ChaNDikaa to the demon ChaNDa
called ignorance.
1024. अविद्या दाहशीतांशुः अविद्या ध्वान्तभास्करः।
तथैव बोधसारोऽयम् अविद्यास्वप्न जागरः।।
1024.. BODHASAARA is like moon to the scorching heat of ignorance,. It is like sun to the darkness of ignorance. Likewise, it is Awakening from the dream of ignorance.
1025. उपनिषदि वने ये पुष्पिता मन्त्रवृक्षाः,
सुरभि कुसुममेषामेकमेकं विविच्य।
समरस पदलब्ध्यै वाङ्मयैरेव पुष्पैः,
नरहरिसुधियैतत् पूजितं बोधलिङ्गम्।।
1025.. The good NARAHARI has adored the Linga called Bodha( Knowledge). How? He has carefully culled out one by one the fragrant flowers that bloomed on the trees called Mantra -s in the forest of Upanishads and woven them into this BODHASAARA with words full of aesthetc beauty.
1026. बुधजन हितकारी सम्प्रदायानुसारी,
परम सुखनिधानं मोहमुक्तेर्निदानम्।
नरहरविहितोऽयं बोधवृक्षस्य तोयं,
कुमतिवन कुठारः पठ्यताम् बोधसारः।।
1026.. May this BODHASAARA composed by NARAHARI be read! How is it? It is beneficial to the wise. It is in accord with the Vedaantic tradition. It is the repository of supreme joy. It is the solution for release from delusion. It is the axe to destroy the forest called perverse understanding.
श्री नरहरि विरचित बोधसारः सम्पूर्णः। BODHASAARA COMPOSED BY ACHARYA NARAHARI IS NOW CONCLUDED. (MY GLEANINGS ONLY).
TODAY IS MARCH FIRST, THE AUSPICIOUS VARDHANTI OF THE MOST SACRED DAY OUR PARAMA GURU, SWAMI PARIJNANASHRAM, WAS INITIATED AS SHISHYA BY OUR PARAMESHTI GURU SWAMI ANANDASHRAM. BODHASAARA
WAS ONE OF THE FAVOURITES OF OUR PARAMA GURU. HENCE MY LAUNCH OF THIS ‘GLEANINGS’ (ON 21-11-2023) AS MY MOST HUMBLE HOMAGE TO HIS REVERED MEMORY. HIS INSPIRATION(PRERANAA) WAS MY STRENGTH.
WITH THE ANUGRAHA OF LORD BHAVANISHANKAR, OUR ILLUSTRIOUS GURUPARAMPARA AND OUR REIGNING GURUDEV SHRIMAT SADYOJAT SHANKARASHRAM SWAMIJI, MY “GLEANINGS” IS CONCLUDED TODAY.
IT WAS A LONG JOURNEY AND VERY EXHILARATING TOO. NEEDLESS TO SAY WE HAVE TO CELEBRATE. LET US LISTEN TO THIS SONG OF DEAR SUDHATANAY (VEDAMOORTI VIJAYKUMAR BHAT OF VITTAL) SUNG MELODIOUSLY AND WITH DEEP FEELING BY OUR APARNA NAGARKATTI ULLAL –
हे गुरो भवसिन्धु तारक…
MELODIOUSLY AND WITH DEEP FEELING BY OUR APARNA NAGARKATTI ULLAL –
हे गुरो भवसिन्धु तारक…