Vivekavhudamani- Post 49

मा भैष्ट विद्वंस्तव नास्त्यपायः

संसारसिन्धोस्तरणेऽस्त्युपायः ।

येनैव याता यतयोऽस्य पारं

तमेव मार्गं तव निर्दिशामि ॥ ४३ ॥

ma bhaista vidvaṃstava nastyapayaḥ

saṃsara sindhostaraṇe styupayaḥ |

yenaiva yata yatayo'sya paraṃ

tameva margaṃ tava nirdisami || 43 ||

The Guru said , "Fear not , O learned one! There is no danger for you . There is a way to cross over this ocean of change, I shall instruct you in the very path by which the ancient rishis walked to the beyond." 

First the guru says: ma bhaista; this is the most important statement. Do not be anxious. Do not be worried.

Hey  Vidvan; this is also patting the student, by addressing him: Oh Intelligent One; Oh learned one; the student is really informed and he has done everything correctly. And therefore, he addresses Hey Vidvān.

Tava apayaḥ nasti; there is no danger for you. Because you are imagining the future. 

The perfect disciple, having duly reached the Master's feet, expresses his fears that he will never be able to grow out of the disturbing concepts of time and space which provide for him experiences of unending sorrows of finitude. 

Things change in their relationship to both time and place. Objects remaining the same, they, with reference to different conditions of time and place, react upon the same individual differently. 

These pluralistic experiences produce agitations in the mind and that is indicated in verse 40 by the word, 'samsara duhkha'. When the student reached the Master, he despairingly requested him, 'Condescend to save me, O Lord! and describe in full how to put an end to the misery of this relative existence.' 

The Teacher now gives the answer to the student's question. Psychologically, when a questioner is extremely upset because of some fear or agitation in his mind, he is not in a mood to receive any philosophical idea, even when elaborately explained. 

Therefore, a sympathetic Teacher, if he knows what he is about, will first of all, pacify the student and give him hope and spiritual solace. 

Then alone would he become fit to receive the logical conclusions arrived at by a fully rational philosophy. Most fittingly then, the Master with paternal consideration and love, assures the student that what he fears, is only a myth. 

The Master can clearly see the spiritual destiny and the divine perfection which lie in the innermost core of the disciple. Change is only at the level of the mind and intellect. But when the pure Consciousness, eternal and infinite, functions through these equipments, it gathers into itself a delusive vision which interprets a world in terms of change and plurality. 

Therefore, danger or death is not the phenomenon of the Spirit but only the hallucinations of the mind. Therefore, with all confidence, the Teacher assures the student, 'There is no death for you.' 

Guru says yatayaḥ; many committed seekers; asya param yaata; asya means samsarasya; param means the other shore; yatayaḥ means they have reached. So many sincere seekers of the past have reached the shore of samsara very successfully; you can also reach. 

Tameva margam tava nirdisami; that very same path followed by the traditional people tameva margam- I shall teach you.

Now what the teacher is going to teach the disciple  is not the theory born out of the Teacher's own intellect but it is the path followed by the footprints of the ancient seers, who had themselves crossed over from the finite to the Infinite. 

We are assured that what is to follow now in the Teacher's discourse is an exhaustive discussion upon this sacred path of Self-realization, the authenticity of which has been proclaimed by an endless array of brilliant Rishis of yore.

Love

Vivekachudamani- Post 48

विद्वान् स तस्मा उपसत्तिमीयुषे

मुमुक्षवे साधु यथोक्तकारिणे ।

प्रशान्तचित्ताय शमान्विताय

तत्त्वोपदेशं कृपयैव कुर्यात् ॥ ४२ ॥

vidvān sa tasmā upasattimīyuṣe

mumukṣave sādhu yathoktakāriṇe |

praśāntacittāya śamānvitāya

tattvopadeśaṃ kṛpayaiva kuryāt || 42 

To him, who in his anxiety for Liberation, has sought the protection  of the Teacher , who abides by (scriptural) injunctions , who has a serene  mind and who is endowed with tranquility , the Master should pour out  his knowledge with utmost kindness. 

Vidvan- The guru has clearly estimated and judged the student properly and the guru has understood that the śiṣya is qualified for knowledge. Only if the śiṣya is qualified for knowledge, he can give. 

Mumukshu- Here, the teacher finds that the student is tīvraḥ mumukṣu. He is ready to sacrifice everything for the sake of mōkṣa. And that sacrifice alone is represented by sanyāsa āśrama; because a sanyāsi physically sacrifices everything that he can claim as his own. People as well as things. So that sanyāsi mind is required whether a person physically sacrifices or not; that sanyāsi mind is required. And that is there in this student; mumukṣu.

Yathoktakarine-  the one who leads his life in keeping with vēdic instructions. yathōktakāri means vēdōktakāri; the one who obeys the vēdic instructions; the one who is vaidikaḥ.

We require life of involvement to polish our personality and later gradually we should take to a life of withdrawal also,  and this is called yathoktakaari. 

Yatha uktam; uktam means instructed; instructed by what: by vedena; or even you can include guru; by guru. If guru or vēda, whatever has been instructed; he performs. This implicit obedience is also considered a qualification.

Prashantacittaya- the one who has got a tranquil mind; the one who does not get easily upset; the one who has got mental impunity to face ups and downs. In the sādhanā catuṣṭaya saṁpatti language, this is called Kshama.

samanvitaya; here the word śamaḥ should be translated as damaḥ; the word śama should be translated as damaḥ.

The word sama should be translated as damaḥ And what is damaḥ? indriya nigraḥ; sensory discipline. 

upasattimīyuṣē; the one who has approached the teacher properly. Proper approach. The one who has approached; derived from the root, e to go. yeti, yatchathi, to go. This is the fifth qualification, which means the one who has approached guru also.

Even if a man is well restrained and his mind does not get agitated with low thoughts of sensuousness, the philosophy being so subtle, it is not possible for a layman to understand it immediately, in all its deep significance. 

If the Teacher is impatient and has not the kindness to repeat even for the hundredth time, if need be, with equal love and consideration, the student will not be benefitted by the Teacher. 

So the Teacher should take up the job of initiating the student with extreme kindness. 

The word krpa has, unfortunately, no corresponding word in English. It is not merely 'kindness' nor is it a superficial sympathy.  At best, we can say that it is an attitude of sympathy cooked in  kindness, honeyed with love and served on golden platters of  understanding. 

Love

Vivekachudamani -Post 47

तथा वदन्तं शरणागतं स्वं

संसारदावानलतापतप्तम् ।

निरीक्ष्य कारुण्यरसार्द्रदृष्ट्या

दद्यादभीतिं सहसा महात्मा ॥ ४१ ॥

tathā vadantaṃ śaraṇāgataṃ svaṃ

saṃsāradāvānalatāpataptam |

nirīkṣya kāruṇyarasārdradṛṣṭyā

dadyādabhītiṃ sahasā mahātmā || 41 ||

As he speaks , afflicted by and seeking protection from the conflagration  of the fire of samsara , the Teacher looks at him in all pity and  kindness and spontaneously bestows upon him protection from fear. 

So with the previous slōka, the śiṣya's words are over, which is called paripraśnaḥ. The student has done everything he has to do. He has acquired intellectual qualifications; he has acquired spiritual qualifications, he has approached the teacher; he has surrendered and asked for the way out. 

So whatever he has to do; he has done. Now the ball is in the court of the Guru. Application has been made. Is he going to accept? What will be guru do and that is discussed from verse No.41 to 47. Guru's response. Guru's response, if the student has got all the preparations proper.

Here Sankara is assuming that the preparations are proper; if the preparations are not proper; he is not ready to receive the teaching

Niriksaya; he looks at him; and when he looks at him, what type of glance it is; karunya rasa ardha dr̥shtya; with a glance which is soaked in the essence  of compassion.

The scriptures always emphasise “kaṭaksah”. 

The guru looks at the eye of the disciple. And what type of disciple? He says: tatha vadantam; the teacher looks at the student who has addressed thus. 

Thatha refers to the previous five versus. The one who has spoken thus with humility, with reference, with appreciation, with clarity and also surrender.

Previous verses spoke about the attitude of surrender and devotion with which the student addressed his guru, with reverence.

For all those expressions, the preceptor answers with His one look. The one look expresses everything that the master has to convey to the student who has surrendered to him and is ready to be taken over by his guru to teach him Brahma vidya.

For those who have been following various talks given by the author, this Kataksha of Guru has been explained in the bhajan talk “Beda paar Karo mere Sai” in which one line “Reham Nazar Karo Sai Baba” comes. (Refer to his YouTube channel “satyamurthy viswanathan”.

The teacher looks at the student who has surrendered, taken refuge, Saraṇagatham, taken shelter in the teacher, tvam means the teacher himself, the one who has surrendered to the teacher and samsara  dhavanala tapa taptam. This word has occurred very often; the one who is scorched by the forest fire called samsara.

Mahatma abhitim dadyad. So that mahātma, that jnani , that generous minded wise person, that compassionate person; that saintly person will give abhitim, abhitim means fearlessness, that means confidence, courage.

Fear in any jiva is fear of change.

This fear of change finds its origin in the Jiva’s ego which makes him stick to a particular state, particular likes and dislikes, particular associations or relationships, particular position or power, particular status in society, particular stage even in his spiritual state.

When the Guru takes over his disciple completely, He instantly helps his disciple to let go of the root cause of fear, “ego” of his disciple.

When the disciple has entered the kutir of his guru, offered his prostration with surrender to his guru and has offered himself to be taken over by his guru, at that very instant, his Ego leaves him or atleast gets reduced considerably.

When the root cause is gone, the effect- Fear- is also gone.

Love

Vivekachudamani- Post 46

 

कथं तरेयं भवसिन्धुमेतं
का वा गतिर्मे कतमोऽस्त्युपायः ।
जाने न किञ्ज्चित्कृपयाव मां प्रभो
संसारदुःखक्षतिमातनुष्व ॥ ४0 ॥

kathaṃ tareyaṃ bhavasindhumetaṃ
kā vā gatirme katamo'styupāyaḥ |
jāne na kiñjcitkṛpayāva māṃ prabho
saṃsāraduḥkhakṣatimātanuṣva || 40 ||

How to cross this ocean of relative existence? What is to be my ultimate destination? Which of the many means should I adopt? I know  nothing of these. O Lord! Please save me and describe in all detail how  to end the misery of this life in the finite. 

The disciple continues addressing the teacher. etam bhavasindhum kathaṁ tareyam.

Saṁsara is often compared to ocean; because our problems are as vast as samsara; I am not able to see the shore at all. Human problems are as vast as samsara  and it is also as mysterious as the ocean.

Many problems we are not even able to diagnose or understand. Everywhere, not only the problems are many, vast, it is also incomprehensible. Like the ocean is full of waves, similarly the problems also come in waves. Physical problem, emotional problem, family problem, company problem , financial problem, they also come  in waves and also the direction is not known; unpredictability is also there. 

I am looking at one  direction, and the wave are hitting me from behind; and there are sharks and there are so many other things.

Here the student asks  katham tareyam. How can I cross this ocean of samsara?

This is the type of question the student should ask when he approaches the Master after having served him long enough and perfectly tuned up to him. These questions in themselves speak volumes of clear thinking and logical conclusions which the  student has reached of his own accord. He has lived intelligently  his life of varied experiences and has evaluated it correctly. He  is neither despaired because of the insurmountable difficulties  experienced by him nor is he ready to make any compromise  with Truth. 

He has analysed his experiences in life and has come  to the conclusion that finite objects cannot give him anything but  finite satisfaction. He has looked within himself and has estimated  correctly his own demands in life as nothing short of infinite  perfection, which alone can yield to him infinite happiness. 

He wants to know from the Master how he can come to experience the  Infinite and thereby gain a complete transcendence of the finite.  Hence he asks, 'How can I cross this ocean of relative existence?' 

ka va me gatir; what is the lot in my life; what will happen to me?

Unless one, somehow or the other, fulfills this self-evolution  and reaches the portals of the Infinite and experiences the Real,  one wonders as to what would be his 'ultimate destination'.  The question, therefore, does not necessarily mean that he is  ignorant of what the destination would be. 

In fact, it is a dreadful  premonition of the consequences of getting entangled in the  finite world of desires, excitements and endless responsibilities  of satisfying each nerve tickling, unless he experiences the  Transcendental. 

Though he has come to an independent conclusion about  the life he is living and though he knows the goal, yet he feels  unsure as to what exactly is the method by which he can end his  delusions and reach the goal. The student has already read a lot  of the science of life as expounded in the literature on religion and  he finds therein, different methods of self perfection prescribed. 

katamō:'styupāyaḥ asti; Is there a way out at all? upāyaḥ means a means to solve; a solution. Upāyaḥ means a solution. A way out. A sādhanam. And do not tell me to solve my problems myself. I have already tried. 

He wants to know from the Guru, what exactly should be the path  for him. Through a process of trial and error one can, for oneself,  find the right path but it is more convenient, and indeed, a sacred  blessing if one can have a true Teacher to show the correct path  of self-development. Therefore, the student asks, 'Which of the  means should I adopt?' 

Suppose everything is going fine for him; suppose everything is going fine for him, do you think, he will be ever happy, because when he sees everywhere else problem is there, he sees himself as an exception, then there is more fear

kinchit na jāne. I am utterly helpless. The student accepts his ignorance, which is a very very important qualification. To accept that I do not know is a great step in the learning process. 

The expression, 'I know nothing', is not the student's  dull-witted confession of ignorance but it is an expression of  modesty, and devotion and reverence for the Teacher.

Ahaṁ kinchit na jāne and therefore kripaya mam bhava; kindly may you protect me. bhava means protect. kindly you protect me, never reject me.

Samsara  dukha ksatim atanusva; dukha refers to problems at emotional, physical and intellectual plane; atanusva; bring out.

Thus, the verse ends with the line “Please save me and describe in all detail how  to end the misery of this life in the finite.”

This kind of surrender, this kind  of total submission by a disciple to his preceptor, this kind of an unconditional faith and trust in one's preceptor- these are rare/ indeed very rare in present day world.

In those times of yore, the disciple would have taken tremendous efforts and sacrifice to set out in search of his Guru and having found a realized master as his guru, he would surrender his mind, his heart, his very existence at the feet of his Guru. In today's world, the preceptor is in search of disciple, a sadhaka easily gets a Guru and therefore, the importance / significance of Guru Tattwam is lost somewhere in the journey.

Love