Dakshinamurthy Stotram - Post 8

 

Dhyana shloka - 4

 

 

To the abode of all learning, to the healer of all who suffer the disease of Samsara, to the teacher of the whole world, to That Sri Dakshinamurti, do I offer my salutations!

A tribute is paid to the teacher of the knowledge which heals us from the disease of Samsara. The Teacher who imparts that knowledge is offered salutation:

Sarva Vidyaanaam: “all learning”. Indian culture places all learning on a very high pedestal, whether it is secular or scriptural. Any learned person is honored for his learning, quite apart from any other quality he may possess.

The treasure is not with reference to the material wealth such as Gold, Platinum or Diamonds. Rather, treasure among all forms of knowledge.

Is it possible for you to have a vast treasure of Gold or Diamonds and still be miserable in life? Many people are. Having material wealth is no guarantee for happiness in life. 

In fact, it is not hard to make an argument that too much wealth will make you miserable. Obviously not enough wealth will make you suffer. But similarly, too much wealth also leads to suffering.

Since material wealth cannot guarantee peace, happiness, and contentment in life, what can guarantee is spiritual wisdom. 

 

Swami: “Tell me what you understand about ‘Prajnanam Brahma’.”

Devotee: “Swami, ‘Knowledge is God’. Prajnanam means ‘knowledge’ and Brahma is God. So, it means, ‘Knowledge is God’.”

Swami: “There are four forms of knowledge. First is Jnana, second is Vijnana, third is Sujnana and fourth is Prajnana. 

First, Jnana, what is Jnana? All information, all knowledge, all worldly information is Jnana. Everyone has this. Material knowledge, secular knowledge, education, humanities, science, technology -- that is all Jnana.”

Second, Vijnana. Vijnana is the knowledge based on investigation, cause and effect, experimentation, observation, and inference. So, Vijnana is science and technology. Jnana, Vijnana the third one is Sujnana. What is Sujnana? Sujnana is spiritual knowledge.”

“The fourth one is Prajnana. What is Prajnana? Prajnana is your very being. Prajnana is your very Self. Prajnana is awareness. Prajnana is ‘Constant Integrated Awareness’. That Supreme Self, knowledge of the Self, awareness of the Self, the very core of your life, the very being of your life, that is called Prajnana. That Prajnanam Brahma, that Prajnana is Divine. That’s the reason why Vedanta says, ‘You are the Children of Immortality. You are the Children of Eternity. You are the embodiments of Divine Atma.’”

Bhava Roginaam: “the disease of worldliness (literally of existence)”. The view of the world is that we are suffering it as a disease if we do not use our existence to progress towards God, towards Oneness with the Lord in everything. 

Na hanyate hanyamane sarire (BG 2.20). 

After the annihilation of this body the soul does not die. He accepts another body. This is our disease. This is called bhava-roga. Bhava-roga means material disease. 

Bhava-roga, the disease of repeated birth and death in the material world, and being in oneness with God / Self is bhavauṣadhi, the medicine to cure this bhava-roga. 

We exhaust or wear ourselves out or make ourselves sick, by seeking / chasing happiness, peace and contentment in all the wrong places. Typically, this wrong search takes place outside in the external world. The true source of happiness is found within oneself. Shri Dakshinamurti himself is the one who revels in one’s own self. 

The moment the knowledge given by the Guru penetrates our heart, the world is no longer seen as a disease, but as a medicine that cures us of it.

There is no pessimism in this view. It is the view which always looks optimistically at the world to remind us of the highest. The knowledge of God is such that it compels us to view the world as the manifestation of God. The world remains as before, but our outlook is healed of worldliness. There can be nothing more positive than this.

That is why Shri Dakshinamurti is worshipped as the medicine for this illness. He cures the illness by removing the ignorance to reveal the knowledge.

Sarva Lokanaam: “Teacher of the whole world”. This clearly means something very symbolic. It is not referring to a person, but to a principle of learning that has taken a human embodiment and to whom we relate as a disciple. We need the attitude of discipleship towards the universal Teacher. This means keeping ourselves open to learn from all our encounters in the world. In other words, the teacher of the whole world, really means the whole world is our teacher.

Dakshinamurthaye namah: Salutations are offered to such a Guru again and again during meditation. It is the means, by which the meditator connects himself to the Lord within. An attitude of adoration and surrender to the inner Guru is conveyed in this last line of the verse.

“Satchitananda” is the common name for all of us and everything. Satchitananda is our own essential name. And that is the real Guru within. That essence is what you call Satchitananda. It is divided into three parts: Sat, Chit, Ananda. Sat is existence, Chit is knowledge; the Truth revealed. And then by knowing that, the outcome is Ananda or bliss.

For example, wood pulp exists. That is the Sat. Then it expresses as a piece of paper. The existence expresses, so you get the Chit, the knowledge of it. And then when you use it, you have the Ananda. So, existence‑knowledge‑bliss.

The Guru within you is Satchitananda. It directs you continuously. We call that the antar Atma, the inner Self which constantly guides you. It is your conscience. “Be true to your Self,” we say. That is the Self. Listen to that Self!

Love.

 

Dakshinamurthy Stotram - Post 7

Dhyana shloka - 3

 

 

(Strange sight indeed! Under the banyan tree, there are aged disciples around the young Guru. He teaches them in the language of “Silence”, but the doubts of the disciples are all dispelled)

The glorification implied in this verse is self-explanatory. In today’s culture, it is not often that we see a young teacher with elderly students. 

This is a rare sight indeed. It also conveys the prevailing tradition, wherein age was immaterial to one’s learning. Old did not mean ‘more learned’, nor did young mean ‘less learned’.

It is amazing that at the root of the Banyan tree students are old and teacher is young. Typically, teacher is expected to be elderly. 

This is a conventional idea, not only in the modern times but in the ancient times as well. It is however based on logical reason. We acquire wisdom as we grow older – at least we hope to acquire. 

So, we give the benefit of doubt to seniors that they must have gained wisdom over the time. The longer and wider the beard grows the more evidence of wisdom. This is where the origin of the idea is, that the teacher would have white beard.

However, that is not the picture painted here in this mantra. Here teacher is young. But students are old.

That is not the only amazing thing. Another amazing thing is that the teaching of the guru take place in silence.

Interestingly if we sit and teach in silence, what would be the result? Nothing. But when Shri Dakshinamurti is teaching in silence, surprisingly, the doubts of the students are destroyed. Therefore, this is astonishing.

The Mudra or “sign language” is again a topic of discussion around this verse. There are numerous Mudras each having a specific meaning. Those interested in the subject can obtain all the details and will realize that by just using a hand sign, a whole instruction is taught to the student. 

Sometimes a sign would be tailor-made to give an instruction to one particular student amongst a whole group; only that student would know what was meant! Such were the ways of the great Masters of spiritual science.

Spiritual instruction is a one-to-one communication, especially at the highest level. This is another reason why the instruction is done in “Silence”. Each student is given the instruction that is needed by him. Students need not know what another student is being instructed. In this way, the doubts of every disciple are individually cleared.

There are some requirements, certain pre-qualifications for the disciples so that all their doubts are cleared through their master’s instructions.

Ashtavakra says,

Yatha tatha upadesena krtarthah sattva budhimaan

Ajivam api jignasuh parah tatra vimuhyati

(A person of pure intelligence realizes Self even by instructions casually imparted. A man of impure intellect is confused in trying to realize the Self, even after enquiring throughout his life)

(Chapter 15, V1, Ashtavakra Gita)

A person of pure intelligence is the one who has evolved from Tamas to Rajas and then from Rajas to Satvic. With a sattvic mind, his desires and passions have reduced and come to almost zero level. 

Whatever instructions are imparted by his Guru, the disciple receives it from his utmost sattvic intellect, with none of the limiting factors – vasana or desires or passion playing in his mind when the transmission of knowledge takes place.

Such a disciple can get greatest revelation even from a casual conversation with his master or a casual line spoken by his master while the master passes by the student.

Whereas, a person engaged in Self enquiry, but not rendered his intellect pure, still continuing with vasanas, desires, passion, attachment, aversion etc,  does not get a glimpse of SELF, even if he spends his entire life in contemplation of his guru's instructions/revelation by mother shruti.

(In fact, such sadhakas do not spend their life time in self-enquiry. They leave sadhana very soon, as they do not get a taste of success in sadhana, they do not get glimpse of SELF which is the core subject/ essence of Shrutis. They leave the path of sadhana even more intensely than the intensity with which they had started their sadhana)

The picture painted in mind through these verses is a poetic representation. What is being taught is beyond words, beyond language, beyond concepts, beyond ideas.

To represent this truth poetically or symbolically, the best way is through silence. The guru teaches in silence. The teachings still take place. The teaching of Vedanta is present in Chinmudra.

This is the symbol Shri Dakshinamurti signifies through his hand gesture. The symbolism is provided in these initial three mantras. 

The remaining two versus of Dhyana Mantras praise Shri Dakshinamurti. It is a prayer / worship. 

 

Love.

 

 

 

YT - JDW - Ashtavakra Gita - Chapter 18 - Further Glimpses

Sairam All,

Today’s session cannot be construed as a session because it was not coming as a preparation but it has naturally happened through the Acharya as though the Self within had to share.

Verses 70, 66 and 67 from Chapter 18 have been touched upon not as an explanation but as an exposition of the State within. It is indeed very difficult to even know how this pour happened. Here is the session for all of you to take in and live in it:

https://youtu.be/B_bfsmFgPRc

Love.