INVOCATION
The first
verse of any text is called an Invocation, i.e. making a start of
beginning the project.
That which
fills us with confidence, which removes all Obstacles, is called a
Mangalacharan. Mangala means “auspiciousness”. Acharan means “the practice or
form” used to bring about the auspiciousness.
Auspiciousness
is invoked at the very outset of this book - project, in the form of a Prayer to
remove all obstacles.
The Obstacles
to be removed are of three types:
i) Adhyatmika: Those arising from within oneself, due to illness, lack of capacity, weak will,
procrastination, etc. These arise from the Microcosm or individual.
ii)
Adhibhautika: Those arising from things and beings around one, eg., People
who interfere needlessly, criticize or try to harm the work are in this
category. The prayer is offered to keep away such people by whatever wise and
appropriate means that exist.
iii)
Adhidaivika: These arise from God’s hands, and we have no control over
them, eg., floods, natural calamities, earthquakes, epidemics etc.
The three
Shanti Mantra chanted by us are to protect us from the three kinds of obstacles
given above.
The silence
which follows each Shanti is very important.
This silence is representative of true peace. For the
spiritual seeker, peace is the goal. For an Enlightened One, peace has been realized
as his very nature. To be equipoised in every situation in life verily is
realization.
Invocation Prayer
Vaasudevendra Yogindram Nathva Jnaana Pradham Gurum
Mumukshunaam
Hitharthaaya Tattva Bodhobhidhiyathae
Having prostrated
Vaasudevendra Yogindram who is the embodiment of Knowledge, this work of
Self-knowledge (Tattva Bodha) is expounded to the seekers.
Vasudevendra means
“one who resides as a Deva – effulgent, bright and luminous – is the Lord who
controls.” He rules over all functions, under whose command everything
functions. If not for Him, there would be no action, no knowledge. He makes the
insentient sentient.
Yogindra is the Yogi who has united with the Lord. The Indra or king of Yogis
is being addressed, referring to the Guru. He is the Brahma Nishtha Yogi.
That Lord of
the Yogis has become embodied in the Guru. Lord Krishna, who is addressed here,
was also called Govinda, and Sri Govindapadacharya was the name of Sri
Sankaracharya’s Guru. The meaning can therefore be taken that the Lord and the
Guru are being addressed at the same time.
Gurum
The Advaitic
tradition lays great emphasis on the need to have a Guru when following the
path of Jnana Yoga. The Guru is one who guides us to God-realization, having
himself done so. This section explains the Guru tradition as enshrined in Hindu
scriptures.
AVATARAS
Firstly we
outline the various ways in which God makes Himself available to mankind. When
He comes down in human form the Lord is called an Avatara. There are several
types of Avataras, and we list them first:
i) Purna
Avatara: The Lord descends in His complete form, with all facets of His glory
vividly expressed. Sri Krishna is recognized to have all 16 rays of
Divine Glory.
ii) Amsa
Avatara: This is a partial Avatara, displaying a facet of the full glory of the
Lord. When the work to be accomplished is smaller, and His full manifestation
is not required, He comes as an Amsa Avatara. Examples of these are Matsya,
Kurma, Varaha and Vamana.
iii) Avesha Avatara: A sudden and overpowering manifestation of high impact, such as
Narasimha Avatara.
iv) Nitya
Avatara: As Sadhus and Mahatmas, the Lord is always available on earth. It is
said, “God, could not be everywhere, so He made mothers.” Similarly, in saints
and sages we find all His aspects. God comes for a purpose in all these great
beings. They provide direction and guidance to man so that he may strive for
liberation.
v) Guru
Avatara: And finally He comes down in a special form to bless “me”. This is a
special Avatara of the fourth type just for “me”.
Out of
compassion, He takes the form of a Guru – specially “customized” to the
disciple's requirements. This concept shows us how much God takes
responsibility for finding the right Guru for us.
For this
reason, in the Invocation, the Guru is invoked for His blessings. There can be
nothing more auspicious than to invoke His blessing at the outset.
Anubandha Chatushtaya
The
Invocation also serves a second purpose. The verse mentions that this work is
for seekers (of Self Knowledge).
The requirement related to such seekers is given here.
Anu means
“after knowing which”; Bandha means “getting connected”;
and Chatushtaya means “fourfold”.
There are 4
such considerations for a seeker and his Master, while spiritual knowledge
is to be transferred from the Master to His disciple.
i) Adhikari: This is the eligibility of
the student to become involved. He should have the proper qualifications. In
the case of this book, the qualification requested is a burning desire to
attain liberation. In the next post, this aspect would be dealt.
ii) Vishaya: This
is the Course content being offered. In the case of Liberation, the subject
that will give this is Brahma Jnana, knowledge of the Self. This is the subject
one should be studying for the purpose of Liberation.
iii) Prayojanam: This
gives the benefit that is to be obtained from the Course. The fruit of the
study of Tattva Bodha is to lead us towards our goal of liberation.
It leads us to the complete cessation of sorrow, or the attainment of Supreme
bliss.
iv) Sambandha: This
word means “connection”, and here, it refers to the connection between the
work (Tattva Bodha in this case) and the goal of liberation. Is there a
connection between these? The Sambandha states that connection explicitly.
Tattva Bodha makes
it clear that it will reveal the Knowledge leading to liberation.
Once this intrinsic connection to the goal is established, the student has all that he needs to decide on whether he will pursue the study of the book.
Love.
