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

Vivekachudamani-Post 45

 O Lord / Thy nectarine speech, honeyed by the elixir bliss of Brahman, pure, cooling, issuing in streams from thy lips as from a water jug, and pleasing to the ear; do thou shower upon me who am tormented by earthly afflictions as by the tongues of a forest fire. Blessed are those who have received even a passing glance from thy eyes, accepting them under thy protection. 

He Prabho vakyamr̥ taiḥ secaya; He prabho, he guro, secaya; bathe me, rinse me with what? vakya amr̥taiḥ, the waters which are int he form of your teaching; your words, your sentences; and here, the word amr̥taiḥ water the remedy is water and here the water is called amr̥taiḥ; the philosophical significance is, water will only quench or remove the pain; the heat temporary, but by using the word amrutham, not only it will remove the pain temporarily, but it will give immortality or moksha also. To indicate that duḥkha nivr̥tti, amr̥tatva prapti, and what is the glory of these words?

Brahma anandah rasa anubhuti kalitaiḥ; so endowed with the experience of the taste of Brahmanandaḥ. kalitam means endowed with the experience of the taste of brahmanandaḥ; that means what; when the guru uses the word he does not repeat like a parrot. Upanishad says Tattvamasi; and therefore I say Tattvamasi. 

Upaṇiṣad says that you are nitya suddha buddha muktaḥ; and therefore I also say. It is not parrot-like repetition of the words but it should be coming from the guru's own heart; when he says that you are Anandaḥ

So therefore when he says: You are anandaḥ; the guru must be anandaḥ svarupa. When he says you are secure, the guru's heart must enjoy security. When he says he is asangaḥ; guru's heart must be asangaḥ; in fact what he teaches, he must be.

That is why in Kathopanișad, guru is defined as ananyaḥ; a beautiful definition of guru; ananyaḥ means he is what he is teaching; he is what he is speaking; there is no difference between what he is and what he preaches. 

This is called teaching from heart; and when the words come from heart, not from lip, those words alone are live-words; like a live-wire, those words alone are called live-words. And therefore, he adds this adjective He Guro, you have those words which are endowed with the taste of brahmanandah; that means you are enjoying pūrṇatvam. And similarly, here also the waters are taste, pure, and clear waters. This is adjective No.1.

And the second adjective is putaiḥ; pavithram or śuddham; pūtham means pavithram or śuddham. 

Therefore puthaihi; sudhaaihi; seethaihi; the third adjective of word water; what is it; it is cool, with a cooling effect. And that is also applicable to both; it has got a cooling effect on a person who is scorched with heat; and also it has got the words have got a cooling effect that a student who has come with a disturbed mind, restless mind; he goes with a cool mind; he is santaḥ; samaḥ; therefore the teaching makes the student cool; santaḥ and samaḥ. The water also makes a person cool. Therefore sītaiḥ. More I will take in the next class.

And therefore Oh Teacher, with puthai, with such proper words, and suśītai, the words which are cold, which are with calmness, with śānti. So here the words cool has to be extended to both water as well as the words. Because somebody's body is scorched, you should rinse with what water. 

So suśītair; means the water is also cold and when you extend it to words, their cold means what; it has got śānthi. So when you say, a person is cool in disposition, it means he is never provoked. He enjoys śamatvam.

Love

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