Verse 13
अर्थस्य निश्चयो दृष्टो विचारेण हितोक्तितः ।
न स्नानेन न दानेन प्राणायमशतेन वा ॥ १३ ॥
arthasya niścayo dṛṣṭo vicāreṇa hitoktitaḥ |
na snānena na dānena prāṇāyamaśatena vā || 13 ||
(Neither sacred baths nor any amount of
charity nor even hundreds of pranayamas can give us the knowledge about
our own Self but a firm experience of the nature of the Self can be gained
when we send our thoughts along the rails of arguments laid down in the
salutory advices of the wise.)
When you say enquiry alone can give
knowledge it is a positive statement called anvaya; nothing else can give
knowledge is stressing that negative.
Here again we find the superficial
methods of easy religious practices condemned. Since the student is a Vedantin,
Sankara's efforts are to show him the right and direct path. In thus
indicating to the student the correct path, every Master has to be very
severe in his criticism of the by-lanes of religion. No doubt, they too
can help in the progress of the individual, but they are all primary
lessons.
External methods of self-purification
such as baths at the sacred confluences of rivers, visits to various
temples and other sacred places, desire prompted or even unselfish
charities, exercises such as breath control and asanas are wholly
condemned as they would not take one to Moksha.
The hasty convert to Vedanta suddenly
finds it very convenient to give up every religious practice and call
himself an accomplished Vedantin. This attitude also has no sanction in
the Master's advice.
Here it is said, snanena would not give mokṣa; It is never
said that snanena will not give
anything; It not only purifies the body; as it is done with Ishvara samaraṇam; it purifies the mind also.
Similarly we never condemn praṇayama;
praṇayama is extremely
wonderful practice; to tone up the annamaya kosa; to tone up the praṇamaya kosa; to tone up the mano maya kosa;
Vedanta does not question the validity
and role of praṇayama; But after integrating
through praṇayama; come to
sastra. That is to be done.
While condemning these preliminaries,
he is, at the same time, very strict and severe in prescribing the more subtle and
intense practices of Vedanta. For a Vedantin, he prescribes correct
thinking and continuous self-analysis. Merely giving up the usual methods
of religious discipline is not the Vedanta prescribed by the
Acharya.
If at all they are to be given up, it
is only after greater abhyasa called 'vichara'. This atma-vichara is not to be done in any manner that pleases the
individual. There is an exact method of correct and intense thinking and
this method is advised in the scriptures. Therefore, vichara, undertaken
as taught by the rishis (hitoktitah), alone can take us ultimately to our
redemption.
In the previous verse, we said, Sastras
/ scriptures are like a torchlight which throws light on reality.
Here also what is the extra torch
light; hitoktitah; hitaḥ means guru; a
well-wisher; a guide; a support is called hitaḥ; literally one who is a well-wisher, Hitoktitah means guru
vakyeṇa; and what is the guru vakyam? the
extra torchlight.
So in the previous sloka, we said
sastram vakyam is the extra light; here we say guru vakyam is extra light; we
do not make any difference between sastra vakyam and guru vakyam; because guru
is by definition one who teaches based on sastra.
Love.
