Vivekachudamani-Post 44

अयं स्वभावः स्वत एव यत्पर

श्रमापनोदप्रवणं महात्मनाम् ।

सुधांशुरेष स्वयमर्ककर्कश

प्रभाभितप्तामवति क्षितिं किल ॥ ३८ ॥

ayaṃ svabhāvaḥ svata eva yatpara

śramāpanodapravaṇaṃ mahātmanām |

sudhāṃśureṣa svayamarkakarkaśa

prabhābhitaptāmavati kṣitiṃ kila || 38 ||

Indeed , it is the nature of the magnanimous to help remove the troubles  of others, even as the moon of its own accord cools the earth scorched by  the flaming rays of the sun.

Sankara compares a seer with the moon and directs our  attention to the fact that the moon alone can and with effortless  ease does cool the parched earth which gets baked in the  burning rays of the sun. Nothing else can cool the earth as satisfactorily as moonlight, also there is no chance ever of the  moonlight adding a single calorie of heat to the earth. 

The company of the wise is the surest remedy to cool down  the bosom to a state of complete peace and happiness when it is in  conflagration, fed by desires and hatreds, attachments and yearnings. 

In verse 34, we have been told that a disciple should,  having approached a true Master, please him with his service,  humility and surrender. Sankara has so far used four verses in  praise of the Masters to express the attitude of total surrender  of the disciple to the Teacher. In the following verses, we hear  a definite and pointed request to the Master to answer the  seeker's doubts, so that through his inspired discourses and  explanations, the seeker may be lifted out of the ruts of wrong  thinking.

Sankara talks about the magnanimity to remove the trouble of others. This compassion towards the sufferers is not deliberately entertained by these jnanis. It is not a willful action entertained by jnanis; only when deliberations and will are involved, there is a question of what I will get out of it. So, if it is not deliberately, willfully entertained trait, how do they have it. 

Sankaraa says; svabhavaḥ, it is spontaneous; it is intrinsic; it is natural. In fact, they are helplessly compassionate. Even if they do not want to have compassion, they find themselves having that because compassion is an expression of fullness.

And even this lokaḥ sangraḥ karma done by these jnanis like you is not with any motive but it is the very svabhava of the jnani. And therefore, in this verse, which we are seeing, student says ayaṁ svabhavaḥ. 

In fact compassion of a Jnani  is only a bye product of purṇatvam. We can never work for developing compassion. As long as one feels apurṇa, compassion will not come because compassion is directed towards the needy samsaris. 

When I require all the compassion for myself, how can I extend my compassion to others. Therefore as long as I am apurṇaḥ, we do not have direct access towards compassion love, etc. 

It is just like I can never directly work to remove the rope-snake. I can never work to remove the rope snake directly; how ever much hit the rope-snake would not die. All your effort must be in knowing the rope; snake removal is a bye-product. Compassion is a bye-product. Fearlessness is a bye product. Security is a bye-product. Love is a bye-product. So we can never work on them; we have to work only for purṇatvam; and that too how? 

jnanena purṇatvam siddhaye eva prayatnah; once purṇatvam comes, compassion comes from svabhāva; and not deliberately entertained; but naturally enjoyed; and therefore the student says ayaṁ svabhāvaḥ. Oh Guru,  your compassion is your nature.

Eṣaḥ sudhaṁsuḥ. Sudha means moon, chandraḥ; aṁsuḥ means rays; sudhaṁsuḥ means the rays of the moon; chandra rasmih. What does it do? Especially in the summer days. 

Sankara says, during summer the earth is scorched by the rays of the Sun, during the daytime; the earth is scorched by the rays of the Sun during the daytime and what does the moon-rays due during the night-time. The cool rays of the moon; that is poetic imagination; moon's rays rare considered to be sitamsuḥ; himamsuḥ; these are the words they use for the moon; cool-rayed one. 

Sun is called chandra-kiraṇaḥ-scorching-rayed Sun. Now the Sun has scorched the earth; and the moon's rays what do they do during the night whey spread their rays and they cool the earth. 

Similarly, my sun is saṁsaraḥ; and you are the moon and I have been already scorched by the samsara rays and you have to cool me by your glance; by your teaching. 

The moon's cool rays will cool the earth which is scorched by the fierce rays of the Sun and this job of the moon is not a deliberate job of the moon, it is a very nature of the moon. 

Similarly, every jnani is like a moon. Every samsari is like the earth and samsara duḥkhaṁ is like the Sun and as even the jnani comes, he cools the samsari.

Dear all,

These precious verses were written in those times when mumukshu sadhakas were at the feet of their Guru, abandoning everything else in their life, seated at their Guru’s feet in Guru’s ashram, listening to each and every words, paying attention to each whisper, each movement, each silence, each action and each inaction of their Guru who was more than God for them.

Times changed, man changed, perceptions changed and now, sadly, that kind of dedication and surrender to Guru ( Guru tatwam, not guru’s form) is  not there anymore. 

A guru, when He is realized, continues to fulfil each and every description in these sacred treatise about the nature of a Guru, even now. 

He exists with His spontaneous compassion exacly as  given by Sankara in this verse.

But those who come to him, have changed. They listen to Him but choose to use their own mind/intellect to interpret. They come to Him, stay for sometime and leave. 

The Guru Sishya Parampara has lost its sanctity. There are very few ideal Guru Sishya Parampara in today’s world.

Even while  going through these verses and writing on such verses, it pains to realize how less relevant these verses have become in today’s  world.

Love