Vivekachudamani - Post 4

Verse 2

 

                        जन्तूनां नरजन्म दुर्लभमतः पुंस्त्वं ततो विप्रता

                        तस्माद्वैदिकधर्ममार्गपरता विद्वत्त्वमस्मात्परम् ।

                        आत्मानात्मविवेचनं स्वनुभवो ब्रह्मात्मना संस्थितिः

                        मुक्तिर्नो शतजन्मकोटिसुकृतैः पुण्यैर्विना लभ्यते ॥ २ ॥

 

    jantūnāṃ narajanma durlabham ataḥ puṃstvaṃ tato vipratā

    tasmād vaidika dharma mārgaparatā vidvattv amasmātparam |

    ātmānātma vivecanaṃ svanubhavo brahmātmanā saṃsthitiḥ

    muktirno śhata janma koṭi sukṛtaiḥ puṇyairvinā labhyate || 2 ||

 

(For all living creatures, a human birth is indeed rare; much more difficult it is to attain full manhood; rarer than this is a sattvika attitude in life. Even after gaining all these rare chances , to have steadfastness on the path of spiritual activity as explained in Vaidika literature is yet rarer; much more so , to have a correct knowledge of the deep significances of the scriptures. Discrimination between the Real and the unreal, a personal experience of spiritual glory and ultimately to get fully established in the living consciousness that the Self in me is the Self in all - these come only later on and culminate in one's Liberation. This kind of a perfect Liberation cannot be had without merits earned in hundred crores of lives, lived intelligently.)

 

In the very beginning of the textbook, Sankara is emphasising the difficulty of awakening ourselves to the real communion with the Divine in us. In fact, there are innumerable specimens of living creatures in the universe. Truth is the substratum of all and, therefore, the real nature of all creation, even the inert and the insentient. There are many qualities dealt in this single verse. We will deal with all of them one by one. In fact, this one verse lays the very foundation for this entire text- Viveka chudamani and gives the pre-requisite for “Self realization through Sadhana”.

 

Human birth is rare. Here Sankara seems to emphasise that this text is meant only for evolved human beings since it explains and expounds a theory of spiritual perfection, which can be understood, practised, pursued and perfected only by men of certain mental calibre and moral character. Such perfect ones who are ripe for a sudden and immediate spiritual self-development are always rare in the world at any given period of its history.

 

Thus the Acharya says that to get a human birth is rare, having got a human birth to have a masculine temperament is rarer still.

 

"The traditional number of created beings is 84 lakhs, and man is the final item of the evolutionary procession; but, why did the number stop at 84 lakhs? It stopped because man is the zenith, the fullness; He is endowed with manas, buddhi, chiththa and ahamkaara (mind, intelligence, reasoning faculty and ego), all four, in an integrated personality, whereas the birds and beasts and all other species have mostly ahamkaaram (ego) alone. Man has the capacity to follow sathya, dharma, shaanthi and prema; man alone has it." (SSS Vol. 6-15).

 

"Man alone has the chance to liberate himself from the wheel of birth and death, through the pleasant means of serving God. But as a result of ignorance, or what is worse, perversity, he lets the opportunity slip from his hands, and suffers grief and pain, fear and anxiety, ad infinitum." (SSS Vol. VI, page. 60).

 

“Embodiments of Love! Human life is the most sacred in the entire creation of God. Daivam Maanusha Rupena (God incarnates in the form of human being). Humanness is pure, unsullied and beyond attributes. Such a sacred human life is being polluted with evil desires and thus man is bringing disrepute to human birth itself. Jantu Naam Nara Janma Durlabham (human birth is the rarest and the noblest). It was God who created everything in the universe, right from the microcosm to macrocosm. In that case, why is it that He has attached utmost importance to human birth alone? Only man has the capacity to accomplish things which no other living being can.” Divine discourse -16.10.1999.

 

Let us believe in the above Sai’s words, believe in the sanctity and sacredness of our life, pour our infinite gratitude to God for having made us essentially so pure, so sacred, no matter what we are as of now.

 

 

Continued….

 

 

Love.