Verse 30
एतयोर्मन्दता यत्र विरक्तत्वमुमुक्षयोः ।
मरौ सलीलवत्तत्र शमादेर्भानमात्रता ॥ ३0 ॥
etayormandatā yatra viraktatvamumukṣayoḥ |
marau salīlavattatra śamāderbhānamātratā || 30 ||
(Sama
and so on, become as ineffectual as the mirage in the desert for him who
has a weak detachment and yearning for freedom.)
Sankara is talking about the
preparation required on the part of the student before the pursuit of moksha or before the
pursuit of self-enquiry.
First, he talked about certain general
intellectual qualifications, like the knowledge of the language, the capacity
to think and analyze, etc. because this involves knowledge or understanding.
After talking about certain general intellectual qualification like medhavi, panditah, etc. he talked about spiritual
qualifications consisting of sadhana catushṭayam, viveka, vairagyam, satka sampatti and mumukshutvam, discrimination, dispassion, discipline and desire.
And there afterwards he wanted to
arrange these four qualifications in terms of their importance and pointed out
that mumukshutvam he will give top importance and next
to mumukshutvam he said is vairagyam. So in the three
verses 28-30 Shankaracharya underlined mumukshutvam and vairagyam as the important qualifications.
So here while reading the three verses,
especially the 28 and 30, there is a seeming contradiction, which you should
carefully understand. In the 28th verse, Sankara pointed out that even a feeble
mumukshutvam would produce
phalam.
In the 30th verse, he says, etayor yatra mandata marau salilavat.
Feeble mumukṣutvam cannot produce
result; it is mirage water; you know mirage water is useless for drinking,
taking bath etc.
So the question comes, how Sankara can
contradict himself in these three verses.
For that we say there is no
contradiction, if you see closely, the 28th verse he has put a condition for
the feeble mumukshutvam to be feeble and in the 30th verse
that condition is not mentioned.
So feeble mumukshutvam is fruitful if the condition is fulfilled; otherwise, it is
futile. And what is that condition in the 28th verse? He has used the word
pravr̥ddha, that is the crucial word; pravr̥
ddha means what? When it is nourished.
In the 30th verse, the word pravr̥
ddhā is not mentioned. Therefore, it means what; it is a apravr̥
ddha; that it is not nourished.
So now what are the two statements?
Feeble mumukshutvam is fruitful when it is nourished
and made tīvraḥ mumukshutvam.
30th means what; feeble mumukshutvam is worthless if it is unnourished and kept feeble. What is
the final lesson. When feeble mumuksutvam comes, be happy; but do not be
complacent; do not be relaxed; allow the feeble mumukshutvam to grow, nourish it like a plant sprouting;
Be happy that the seed sprouted; but do
not be complacent and therefore mumukshutvam is important and
that too when it is nourished it will take you to the self. Up to this we saw
in the last class.
In those, who have, neither the spirit
of detachment from the unreal, nor a consistent aspiration to evolve, true
calmness and so on, cannot flourish. The Acharya says that in such people self-control,
self-restraint, joy and happiness are all mere delusion, they are only a
similitude of Reality, and they do not thrive well and flower forth to
bear fruits.
This, we can observe even in present
day world among few who declare their detachment and
mumuksutva and yet, in their life, they seek to enjoy no calmness and so
on, to experience no joy, to practise no self-control. In such
individuals where true vairagya and mumukshutva are absent, sama, dama and
so on, can never bear fruit or grow or even germinate.
Love.
