Bhagavadgita Pages, Chapters 1 to 18
BG01 BG02 BG03 BG04 BG05 BG06 BG07 BG08 BG09 BG10 BG11 BG12 BG13 BG14 BG15 BG16 BG17 BG18
V.Krishnaraj
Hymns of Sankara (788-820 CE)
Saints of India - Sankaracharya
Sankara took his birth in a Malabar Brahmin family (Nambudiri Illom) at Kalladi near Alwaye presently on the Shoranur-Cochin Railway line. Sivaguru was his father's natal name; in due course of time Sankara's father became an adept in Sanskrit and scriptures, married a Brahmin girl, Arya Amba and failed to father a child. The couple prayed to Siva in the local temple, who appeared before Arya Amba in her dream and offered a choice between a long-lived loafer and dullard or a short-lived genius. Obviously Amba chose the latter. That was the child Sankara, said to have been born to her; the father died when he was three years of age. At the tender age of five, he received Gayatri initiation. There is no much mention about his father and he was brought up by his mother, whose last days were the most harrowing for Sankara. His sojourn on earth was a short 32 years; there are many versions and variations in his date of birth (his appearance on earth). One pick is 788-820 CE. (C.E. Common era = Christian Era.) Sankara makes a reference to Dravida (Dramila) Sisu (Dravidian child) who was assumed to be Sankara's contemporary Tirugnana Sambandar. From that reference Professor Sundaram Pillai picked 788-820 CE. This corresponds to the dates given by Prof. Macdonell and Prof. Max Muller. Sankara was a quick study and a genius and became proficient in Sanskrit and sacred texts. He took up Sannyasa at age eight. He found a Guru in Govinda Bhagavatpada on the banks of Narmada. As all mothers, she wanted him to get married and bear grandchildren. He would not have it. There is a story woven around his refusal to marry and his choice for Sannyasa. The mother and Sankara went to a local river for morning ablution. As fate would have it, Sankara was dragged down the river by a croc. He wanted to die a Sannyasin and extracted a promise from his mother to let him die a Sannyasin. The mother consented; the croc let loose the hold; Sankara remained a Sannyasin since then. Some see a parallel between the croc in the river and the croc of Samsara. He somehow disentangled himself from the croc of the river and the croc of Samsara (life on earth--life birth and rebirth).
He wandered far and wide and at last found his Guru in Govinda with whose help he became a Sannyasi, an adept in Advaitam and a seed for the Sanakaracharya lineage. Dasasloki was Sankara's answer to Govindapada, when the latter posed the question to Sankara as to who he was. Adapted from Dasasloki, English translation by S.N.Sastri.
1. I am neither the five elements, nor the organs, nor all of them put together. Self stands alone in deep sleep. I remain alone as non-dual entity.
2. Appellations such as castes, stages of life, rules of behavior, and duties of castes, meditation, concentration of mind or Yoga do not pertain to me. Body and mind being not-self and thus removed, I am the auspicious self free from all adjuncts and attributes.
3) In deep sleep, there is no Pitha, Matha, Deva, worlds, Vedas, Yajna, Tirthas or Void, say the Srutis. I am the auspicious self free from all attributes. Pitha = father. Matha = mother. Yajna = sacrifice. Tirtha = holy place.
4. Sankhya, Saiva, Pancharatra, Jaina, Mimamsaka and the like are unsound (doctrines). Mahavakya purports that Brahman is partless and whole; He is Pure. I am the auspicious self free from all attributes.
Sankhya, Pancharatra, Jaina, Mimamsaka (believer in Mimamsa)
Sankhya: Its philosophy regards the universe as consisting of two eternal realities: Purusha and Prakriti It is therefore a strongly dualist and enumerationist philosophy. The Purusha is the centre of consciousness, whereas the Prakriti is the source of all material existence. For more details go to BG02, refer to comments on VerseBG2.12
Pancharatra: The central dogma of the Pāńcharātra religion is that the deity manifests Himself in five-fold forms: Para, Vyūha, Vibhava, Antaryamin, and Archa. These five aspects are how the absolute, formless Transcendent One (Parabrahman) is brought into living and loving touch with the mundane world so that living beings can interact with the divine. Pāńcarātra are Vaishnavite devotional texts dedicated to a single deity Sriman Narayana who manifests in different forms. God exists in his absolute form (Para), his Vyuha forms (similar to the Catholic trinity), his incarnations (as beings among mankind) and his existence in holy images. For more details go to: vadakalai_tenkalai
Jainism: a dualistic religion founded in the 6th century B.C. as a revolt against current Hinduism and emphasizing the perfectibility of human nature and liberation of the soul, esp. through asceticism and nonviolence toward all living creatures.
Mimamsa: Sanskrit word meaning "investigation" is the name of an astika ("orthodox") school of Hindu philosophy whose primary enquiry is into the nature of dharma based on close hermaneutics of the Vedas. Its core tenets are ritualism (orthopraxy), anti-asceticism and anti-mysticism. The central aim of the school is elucidation of the nature of dharma, understood as a set ritual obligations and prerogatives to be performed properly. The nature of dharma isn't accessible to reason or observation, and must be inferred from the authority of the revelation contained in the Vedas, which are considered eternal, authorless and infallible. The West compares Mimamsa doctrine to similar claims regarding Koran; of Judaism and the Pentateuch, and that of fundamentalist Christian Sects concerning the authenticity of the Bible. - from Harper's dictionary of Hinduism and wikipedia.
Mahavakya = The Mahavakyas are the four "Great Sayings" of the Upanishads, the religious texts of Hinduism. Each of the Mahavakyas belongs to one of the four Vedas and is said to condense the essence of the entire Veda in one statement.
These sayings encapsulate the central Truth of Hinduism.
The Mahavakyas are:
5. Brahman has no attributes such as upper or lower part, no interior or exterior, no east or west, and no middle or diagonal part, because He pervades like space. It is one whole without parts. I am the auspicious without parts.
6. Brahman is neither white, nor black, nor red, nor yellow, nor small, nor big, nor short nor long nor knowable because it is of the nature of Jyoti. I am auspicious self free from all attributes.
Jyoti = Effulgence, Splendor.
7. There is neither guru, nor Sastras, nor student, nor teaching, nor you, nor I nor this world. Knowledge of one’s own nature does not permit variant views. I am auspicious self free from all attributes.
8. I am neither awake and Visva, nor dreaming and Taijasa, nor in deep sleep and Prajna; all arise from ignorance. I am in Turiya State (the 4th state). I am the self free from all attributes.
Details of the below-mentioned entities are described in detail in BG12 (commentary on Verse 12.1)
Visva = the name of the individual soul in waking state
Taijasa = the name of the individual soul in dream sleep state
Prajna = the name of the individual soul in deep sleep state.
Turiya = the fourth state
9. Atma, being the goal, is all-pervasive self-existent, and independent, while the whole universe, apart from the Self, is unreal.
10. Though it is not one, there cannot be a second different from it. It has neither Kevalatvam nor Cakevalatvam; it is neither Sunyam nor Casunyam, since it is free of duality. How can one characterize something that is the essence of Sarva-veda (all Vedas)?
Kevalatvam = Absoluteness
Sunyam = void.
He traveled to Benares and found an eager student and admirer in another South Indian compatriot Padmapada. He distinguished himself among the Sanskrit scholars and pundits. He wrote his commentaries on religious texts.
The legend says that on the banks of the Ganges river he had his first encounter with Siva who is known for pranks on his devotees. A Chandala (person of low caste, born of a Brahmin mother and a Sudra father) was walking along with a dog coming towards Sankara and his band of disciples; the latter asked the Chandala to stay away from the path of Sankara. The Chandala addressed Sankara, "O Guruji! Chandala and Brahmana are of the Supreme, whence this difference?" (It is still a mystery as to how one can tell a Chandala apart from others. Is it by physiognomy, behavior pattern, association, accouterments...? I understand the broom in his hand was the sine qua non of Chandala. Krishna Bhagavan says in BG 5.18: 'A learned humble Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and even a dog-eater are seen with an equal eye by a punditah (sage).' Here a dog-eater is generally considered a Chandala.
Another expansive version of the same incident gives the following narrative. Sankara himself asked the Chandala to keep some distance from him. The Chandala spoke his mind: What is it that you want to keep away from, my Self or my body? Our body is made of food; if you desire, I could keep my physical body away from your physical body. The Self, that is pure awareness, is (shared by) you and me; thus we are one, and one with One. How is it possible for the Omnipresent Pure Awareness go away from Itself? Sankara fell at his feet like a stick with all his eight angas at prostration. (Eight Angas / Sashtanga Namaskaram: Prostration with eight limbs touching the floor: two hands, two knees, two shoulders, chest, and forehead.) Sankara thought that Lord Siva himself in the form of Chandala was there to teach him a lesson. He composed 5 slokas, named Manisha Panchaka (Five Convictions).
The slokas ended with a refrain, 'manīşā mama--This is my Conviction." that essentially said that anyone, be a Chandala or Brahmana, who was learned enough to look at phenomena in the light of Advaita (Monism), was his guru. The great Indian tradition doesn't exclude anybody from acquiring knowledge. He can rise to any height according to his ability and depth of devotion. According to Chandogya Upanishad 5.24.4, if any one offers the sacrificial remnant of his food to a Chandala, it is offered to the Universal Self. Here the caste, the race, and all other discriminatory pettiness are given the short shrift.
Manisha Panchaka: the Five Verses by Sankaracharya.
Chandala's retort:
O the best among the twice-born, What is it that you desire to stay away by asking me to leave? Do you want me to move away my body made of food from your body made of food? Do you want Consciousness move away from Consciousness?
(Man has ownership of the food-body to himself. Consciousness, which is the Universal Soul, pervades all beings and is common to one and all.)
Sankara's extempore verses in reply to Chandala's challenge in Manisha Panchaka.
Verse1. True knowledge is realization that man is not an object but Pure Consciousness that shines in all three states: wakefulness, dream sleep and deep sleep. The Pure Consciousness is the Witness, the Indweller in all bodies from the Creator Brahma to an ant. The one who realizes this knowledge is my Guru, whether he is a Chandala or a Brahmana. This is my conviction.
Verse 2. I am Brahman, the Pure Consciousness appearing as this universe. My Avidya (ignorance/nescience) made of three Gunas (Sattva, Rajas and Tamas) has dreamt all this up. He who realizes this knowledge of the eternal, pure and supreme Brahman, is my Guru whether he is a Chandala or a Brahmana. This is my conviction.
3. He who under the tutelage of his Guru has attained the realization that the whole universe is subject to destruction, meditates on Brahman constantly with tranquil and pure mind, burns his past and future sins in the fire of knowledge, and subjects himself and his body to Prarabdha karma. This is my conviction.
4. Animals, men and gods experience the pure consciousness as 'I.' The reflection (light) of the pure consciousness on the insentient mind, senses and body make them appear sentient. Objects come into perception because of this consciousness. The mind, the senses and the body conceal the Self, though they receive light from it. They are like the clouds hiding the sun. The Yogi who meditates on the Self is my Guru. This is my conviction.
5. The Self, being Brahman, is the eternal Ocean of Bliss. An infinitesimal fragment of that Bliss nurtures Indra and other gods. The sage attains realization by meditating on the Self with tranquil mind. He whose mind identifies with the Self is not only a knower of Brahman but Brahman itself. His feet, irrespective of who he is, are fit for worship even by Indra himself. This is my conviction.
An ideological adversary converts and becomes his disciple and successor. More light than heat in Sankara's words.
During his tour, Sankara was demolishing the opponents of Monism with well-placed explosive charges in the opponents well-structured arguments so much so they became converts to his philosophy of thought. One such incident involved a husband-wife team of towering intellect, disputatious abrasiveness and royal patronage, which obviously gave them a Big Ego. Mandana Misra was the worthy but older opponent and his wife Bharati served as the moderator. She devised a simple objective measure of heat (fever) generated in a person during an argument. The one who generated more heat than light would be the loser. The loser would convert to the philosophy of the victor and his order of life. She gave a flower garland one each for Sankara and Mandana. They wore their garlands and started their arguments and disputations. In the mean time she went about doing her daily chores. They fired salvos and counter-salvos at each other; there was light and heat; this went on for eight days, until it reached a fever pitch. Mandana's hold on his tenets was climbing a slippery slope; he began to cling to the tenets of Sankara and felt helplessly to side with Sankara. Mandana's flowers showed signs of wilting, (external and objective) evidence that Mandana (an incarnation of Brahma) generated more heat than light in his arguments and disputations. Sankara's flower garland were as fresh as the flowers on the living stem indicating that he kept his cool under fire, emitted more light than heat and saved the flowers from wilting. Bharati declared Sankara the winner against her hope and wish. Mandana in the blink of an eye shed his royal robe, donned the saffron robe of Sannyasin, became Sankara's disciple and later his successor. His new name was Suresvara Acharya, appointed as the Acharya of the Sringeri Matha later. Suresvara wrote many commentaries: Vartikas, Taitiriya, Brihadaranyaka Bhasyas, commentary of Dakshinamurthy Stotra and Panchikarana, a book on the teachings of Sankara( Naishkarmya Siddhi)....
Bharati though a fair moderator still had remnants of ego in her, did not accept Sankara's Monism and clung to the tenets of rituals. She was the incarnation of Sarasvati, the goddess of speech according to legend. They launched verbal salvos at each other; Sankara sent bruising replies; her arguments were losing ground. As a married woman, she changed her tune and tactic and thought she would demolish bachelor Sankara on the art of conjugal love. She said to herself, "this time, I will get you good and supine." When Bharati introduced this new element, Sankara asked for and received deferment. By that time, the local king Amaru shuffled off his mortal coil leaving a bevy of inconsolable queens in the harem. Sankara saw the opportunity and by his yogic power left his body, entered the body of dead Amaru to every one's surprise, jumping from one chamber to the next like an Alpha Male, engaged in love-making of queens far beyond the range, scope and practice of Kama Sutra so much so Sankara had more intimate knowledge of the art of love than Bharati. Soon to the consternation of the royal household, the erstwhile anabiotic king dropped dead for real from exhaustion of marathon love-making like the bee on its nuptial flight; Sankara left Amaru's body, reentered his own body (under the watchful eyes of his disciples), and was ready for argument with Bharati with his new facile confidence and attitude, beat-you-in your-own-game. She posed delicate and intimate questions; his counterpoise was telling in its finesse. All her moves received appropriate reciprocal fitting counter moves from Sankara. She, a mistress (miester) in the art of love, found Sankara an (verbal) acrobat, whose verbal pośe of balletic perfection left her breathless. She accepted defeat, was impressed with Sankara's knowledge of the art of love but also the science of love and joined her husband as Sankara's disciple. Even today, she is tall in her defeat in the temple in Sringeri. Devout followers of Sankara and Saradamba (Bharati) believe that the debate material of the type in Kamasutra, (Havelock Ellis, and Masters and Johnson) was invented, appended and integrated into the story by overzealous followers and admirers to prove that Sankara was an all-round expert in Tantric sex and Vaidic ways. After his victorious debate tour, he went to Sringeri along with his disciple Mandana Misra to build a mutt and a temple. There he heard that his mother was seriously ill and went to perform the last rites in Kalladi. He helped his mother in deathbed to have visions of Siva's Ganas and Vishnu's messengers. The local Nambhudiris forbade that a Sannyasi could do the funeral rites and forbade everyone offering help to Sankara. Sankara carried the body to the backyard, created fire before him by his yogic power and cremated her body. He left Kalladi for Sringeri and later east coast, reformed the Saktas and Bhairavas, built Mutts in Puri and Kanchi and returned back to Sringeri. He was back on his tour of the North, built Mutts in Dwaraka, went to Nepal and Kashmir, and later to Badrikesh where he built a temple for Narayana. He lived for 32 years on this earth and shuffled off his mortal coil, some say in a Himalayan cave, some say in Kanchi.
Pandit N. Bhashyacharya (of Madras) in his "Age of Sankaracharya" (Adyar Library, Madras, 1890 A.D., page 22) says "Lastly towards the end of his life he came to the south but had to leave his body and this world at Kancheepuram at the early age of thirty-two:' Saligram Srikanta Sastry of Sringeri has taken a copy of the 16th chapter of the ninth amsa of "Sivarahasya" from the Manuscript Library in Mysore and has rendered it in Kannada. The English translation of a sentence in the Kannada work is as follows: "Having come to Kanchi, in his own ashrama, he (Sankara) absorbed his gross physical frame into the subtle one, became pure, blissful citsvarupa and attained final Siddhi:'---http://www.kamakoti.org/peeth/origin.html
Sankaracharya categorized the Hindu monks into ten orders (Dasnami- ten names): 1) Aranya, 2) Asrama, 3) Bharati, 4) Giri, 5) Parvata, 6) Puri, 7) Sarasvati, 8) Sagara, 9) Tirtha, 10) Vana. The monks are called by the suffixal names as listed above (Dayanada Sarasvati). Some of these names are defunct. These Monastic orders were distributed in India in the four cardinal directions: North, South, East and West headquartered in Jyotirmath in Bhadrinath, Utter Pradesh; Sringeri Math, Sringeri in Karnataka; Govardhana Math, Puri in Orissa; and Sarada Math, Dvaraka in Gujarat. The heads (Mahants) are called Sankaracharyas after the peripatetic founder Adhi Sankaracharya. All Dasanami monks carry a staff symbolizing the essential monistic identity of Brahman and atman.
The genius of the Dasanami is it is not sectarian and confined to Siva worship. They worship Siva, Vishnu, Sakti, Ganapati, Surya and others and its secular credentials accept Moses, Jesus Christ, Muhammad…. The Sankaracharyas after the tradition of Adhi Sankara can be ardent devotees of Krishna, Sakti Mother Goddess…
Srigeri Matha has the distinction of having had a head of the monastery without interruption from the time of Adhi Sankara. The predominant followers are the twice-born Smarta Sect belonging to Brahmana, Ksatriya, and Vashya Varnas, which offer worship in the tradition of PancAyatana pUja (five Shrines worship) to Siva, Vishnu, Sakti, Ganesa, Surya (and Skanda), who are all aspects of Sagunabrahman (manifest Brahman) originating from Para Brahman (Supreme Brahman without attributes). Skanda worship is the 6th entity in the South. Smarta derives its meaning from Smriti, sacred texts of human authorship, and its inspiration from Adhi Sankara. Smartas believe in polytheistic Hindu pantheon and yet may choose One above Other Deities. Rules, rituals and conduct as depicted in Sutras form the centerpiece of their worship. Siva is the most worshipped among the five, whose principal devotees are the Iyers and the Sastries of Brahmana caste.
Sringeri lineage boasts of celibates as the heads, while Dvaraka and Puri Mathas have had householders assume leadership in old age. Jyotirmath has the unfortunate history of going without a head for long periods.
Ramakrishna Math and Mission, Divine Life Society, and Chinmaya Mission claim inspiration from Dasanami order of Sringeri in the South. The Self-Realization Fellowship and Yoga Vedic Center are the other paramparas.
The Four Amnaya mathas. Modified. Credit: Sarada Peetham publications Sringeri
| Mathas | West | North | East | South |
| Place | Dvaraka | Badariksrama | Jagannatha | Sringeri |
| Name | Kalika Matha | Jyotir Matha | Govardhana matha | Sarada Matha |
| Deties | Siddhesvara | Narayana | Jagannatha | Malahanikara Linga |
| Sakti | Badra Kali | Purnagiri | Vrsala | Sarada |
| Sacred waters | River Gomati | River Alakananda | Mahodadhi | Tungabhadra |
| Acharya | Sri Padmapada | Sri Totaka | Sri Hastamalaka | Sri Suresvara |
| Veda | Sama | Atharvana | Rg | Yajur |
| Sampradaya | Kitavala | nandavala | Bhogavala | Bhuruvala |
| Mahavakya | Tattvamasi | Ayamatma Brahma | Prajnanam Brahma | Aham Brahmasmi |
| Titles | Tirtha Asrma | Giri Parvata Sagara | Aranya Vana | Sarasvati Puri** |
** = Sarasvati, Puri, Bharati, Aranya, Tirtha, Giri, Asrma.
To honor Bharati, Sankara installed her in Saradamba temple as rock-carved Sriyantra and sandalwood image of the goddess in the name of Saradamba by the banks of River Tunga. Bharati being the incarnation of Sarasvati blessed Sankara and gave him a boon that she would go to Sringeri where Sankara found his first monastery. In course of time a golden image of Sarada was installed replacing the sandalwood image (in the 14th century). She sits on the Meru of Sriyantra (Chakra Peetam) on a golden throne. She is Savitri, Gayatri and Sarasvati, all rolled into one. She is Vagdevi (diety of Speech) and Brahmavidya (the anthropomorphic form of Brahman knowledge). Dakshinamurthy is Her male form. She is Tripurasundari and her Yantra is Sriyantra. She is the Sagunabrahman holding in her hands a jar of Amrta (Ambrosia), a book depicting Supreme Knowledge, a rosary of beads depicting Aksaras or Bijas, the origin of the universe, and Chinmudra standing for the oneness of Jiva and Brahman. She is Brahmavidya. Sarada as she sits on Sriyantra is called Lalita Raja Rajesvari. Sankara experienced a wave of Consciousness and Bliss envelope him and so called her Chidananda. Sarada emphasizes the Chit aspect while Lalita emphasizes the Ananda aspect. She rises, transcends and encompasses the Trimurthis (Brahma, Vishnu and Siva) and their respective Saktis (Sarasvati, Lakshmi and Isvari). She is Paramesvari lauded with daily Puja and recitation of Lalita Sahasranamam. She is both Sakti and Saktiman and therefore the temple does not have Saktiman, lingam or Siva.
Sankara, the towering intellect of all times, had disciples: Padmapada known for devotion, Totaka for service, Hastamalaka for self-realization and Sureshvara for depth of knowledge. The Guru encompassed the skills of all of them. Once Sanandana and Sankaracharya were on the opposite banks of Ganges, when no boats were available. Upon invitation from Sankara to cross the river, Sanandana with faith stepped into the Ganges River. At once the Ganges sprouted and floated lotus blossoms to support the feet of Sanandana, facilitating him to cross the river to everyone's surprise. To memorialize this incident, he was called Padmapada (the Lotus foot).
Another legend says that Padmapada, a great devotee of Narasimha assumed His form to tear apart an attacker who came to decapitate Sankara as an offering to Bhairava. Padmapada was wandering in the forest looking for Narasimha and came across an experienced hunter who denied the existence of such a being. Padmapada insisted it existed and the hunter started looking for it. When he could not find it in the allotted time he was ready to sacrifice himself. Narasimha appeared out of nowhere and saved the hunter from the tragedy. At once, the hunter cast a noose around the neck of the man-lion and took him to Padmapada. Narasimha told the enquiring Padmapada that he was impressed by the devotion of the illiterate hunter and thus obliged him. Here is an instance where Lord Narasimha let himself roped by an earthling. Krishna let Himself tied to a grinding stone-wheel by Yasodha. Damodara (Daama + udara = rope [around] + belly) is one of many names of Vishnu/Krishna. The Yadava mothers complained to Yasoda that child Krishna was getting into mischief all the time and was disruptive of their work. To prevent him from leaving her house, Yasoda ties a rope around his waist and anchors it to a grinding stone mortar. The sweet gracious redemptory paradox is that Narasimha and Krishna cut the ropes of karma and give their devotees Moksa. How can one tie him down unless He willingly submits Himself to a devout hunter or his loving earth-mother, Yasoda?
The following is condensed version of Kumbaya (Come by here; Come by Yuh). "Kumbaya" (also spelled Kum Ba Yah) is a song claimed to have been composed by Reverend Marvin V. Frey (1918-1992) in the 1930s in Portland, Oregon. In my opinion, there is no religious accretion in this song. Kumbaya is the phrasal name of the Lord, condensed to give a nice ring to it. .
The Lord Kumbaya is the Lord of all religions, individually or collectively. What is in a name? Brahman, Kumbaya....
Get the complete lyrics from Wikipedia.
Kumbaya, my Lord, Kumbaya
Someone’s laughing, Lord, Kumbaya
Someone’s crying, Lord, Kumbaya
Someone’s praying, Lord, Kumbaya
Someone’s singing, Lord, Kumbaya
Hear me crying, Lord, Kum ba yah
Hear me singing, Lord, Kum ba yah
Hear me praying, Lord, Kum ba yah
Oh I need you, Lord, Kum ba yah
O Lord, Kumbaya
Kumbaya = Come by here = The Lord who comes by. Here is the youtube Video-music presentation. Cut and paste:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Deas0yWz5JM
Totaka was a personal assistant (valet) to Sankaracharya attending to his daily physical needs, thus drawing less respect for his intellectual endowment from the rest including Padmapada. Once Totaka was washing clothes for Sankara in the Ganges River and Sankara waited for him to return before he started teaching the students. Padmapada was impatient and told Sankara that talking to Totaka was like talking to a wall and that he should start his lessons without him. Sankara took offence and by his Yogic power transferred the knowledge of Sastras in a flash to Totaka. (You thought flash memory is today's new thing.) Newly endowed with knowledge, splendor and bliss, Totaka broke out in stanzas in Totaka meter to the surprise of all. He composed Sruti SaraSamuddharana in Totaka meter.
Sribali, a village near Mookambika Temple in Kollur, Karnataka, India had a 7 year old 'village idiot' in their midst. He was rich like Kubera, cute like a cupid, radiant like the sun, cool like the moon and patient like the earth. And yet he was an idiot. Upanayanam was performed. He had the autistic behavior like not talking, not making eye contact, not studying and not playing with others. Other children would beat him up and he would take it without complaints. The distressed parents took him to the visiting Sankaracharya who asked him, "Who are you? Are you inert?." The boy blossomed out in never-before spoken words, "I am not inert. Inertness becomes sentience in my presence. My nature is eternal infinite Bliss free from hunger, thirst, grief, delusion, old age, and death and the six milestones in life, birth, existence, growth, change, decay and destruction." Sanskrit words poured out in a gentle stream from his mouth in 12 chaste verses describing the nature of the Self. He presented the essence of the Self as if it were a gooseberry on the palm of the hand, which earned him the name Hastamalaka. Hastamalaka or 'gooseberry on the palm' is an idiom meaning 'the fruit or seed of the Myrobalan in the hand' as a symbol of something striking, unmistakable, palpable and clear. Sankaracharya called the boy Acharya and his composition, Hastamalakiyam. Sankara took upon himself to write Bhasya (commentary) on his extempore verses. The boy became Sankara's disciple. He determined that the seven year old was a realized soul and that he was beyond Sagunabrahman stage of learning or writing books. He was a supernal soul. Now the legend as to how he became what he was. A mother left a two year old boy near a Yogi in yogic sleep asking him to look after the boy while she bathed in Ganges. The boy crawled into the river, drowned and died. The mother took the dead boy to the awake Yogi in great panic and upon seeing the distressed mother, he left his body and entered the body of the baby. That is what a perfect Yogi can do. That was the perfected Yogi in the form of a village idiot, uttering the inimitable verses. He had Brahma Vidya and did not need any instructions. There are several real-life stories of this sort, where children and adults with extraordinary abilities were put in institutions and branded as autistic, insane and the like by adults and authorities of lesser intellect.
The gist of the 12 verses composed by the 7- year-old child prodigy, the boy from Sribala in Karnataka, South India.
1. I am Atma, the eternal Consciousness. 2. Atman is non-dual and changeless. 3. Jiva is the reflection of the Self. 4. Mirror and reflection are adjuncts to face. Likewise Atma stands alone. 5. Self is the eye of eye, mind of the mind and yet different and inaccessible to the organs. 6. Self is self-luminous like the sun. 7. Self is the fountainhead of human consciousness. 8. Self illumines all. Without it, there is no illumination. 9. The Self remains unchanged and untainted by the illumined intellects. 10. Avidya is the cloud between self-luminous Self and the Jiva. 11. Self is pure like space untainted by dualities. 12. Self is like a crystal with many refractions and colors. There is one moon and many undulating reflections.
The story of Suresvara Acharya (AKA Mandana Misra) was mentioned earlier.
We always wonder as to how the Acharyas traveled in those days. Life must have been difficult for Sankaracharya while on travel. Here is how Sringeri Guru Nrasimha Bharati traveled from Sringeri to Ramesvaram on January 23, 1868.
| Three Biradaris of horses. | 100 Brahmins | 100 Sudras |
| 83 troops | 10 daggers | 25 Pikes |
| 2 elephants | 2 Palanquins | 50 cows |
| 2 Tonjons | 8 Umbrellas | 25 muskets |
| 6 Chamaras | 20 swords | 10 horses |
Go to MAHAVIDYAS for more details on SriYantra.
Ignorance is the mire of humanity; the one who rescues us from Avidya or Ignorance is Guru. Gu is Ignorance and Ru is light, the remover of ignorance-- the light that removes the darkness of ignorance. The medium of removal is Supreme Spiritual knowledge; the mediator is the Guru. He sheds light where there is darkness. Since Guru is the purveyor of spiritual knowledge and the dispeller of spiritual darkness, he is second only to Brahman. There are variations in the interpretation of Guru. Considered in its parts: g, r, u, the g has a function of granting of Siddhis (supernatural powers); the r has the function of expunging the sins; the u portrays the latent Unmanifest Energy of Vishnu.
Guru came into place when Mantras, Tantras, Yantras had to be committed to memory for practice and posterity. The individual soul is full of spiritual ignorance (avidya); the accomplished Guru is full of spiritual knowledge; they found a mutual fit which leads to Mukti (liberation) of the individual soul. Guru knows the Pinda, the Rupa, and Rupa atitia (body, form and what is beyond the form). Pinda refers to the embodied soul fed and sustained by Pinda, food. The form is Saguna Brahman, the visible form of Brahman: Siva and Vishnu in images. Rupa-Atita is what is beyond the form and refers to Parabrahman, the formless, the nameless and the attributeless. Take Jesus Christ, the son of God; he is the visible form (Saguna Brahman, Brahman with attributes); his Father, the God in heavens is the invisible formless God, Param Brahman. The Pinda is you and me, who know we have a body but ignorant of the immanent soul in us, which is an Amsa (fragment) of the Father.
Pinda-Rupa-Rupa atitia = body- Saguna Brahman-Para Brahman.
Here is the saying of Vivekananda on Brahman.
All this universe was in Brahman, and it was, as it were, projected out of Him, and has been moving on to go back to the source from which it was projected, like the electricity which comes out of the dynamo, completes the circuit, and returns to it. The same is the case with the soul. Projected from Brahman, it passed through all sorts of vegetable and animal forms, and at last it is in man, and man is the nearest approach to Brahman. To go back to Brahman from which we have been projected is the great struggle of life. Whether people know it or not does not matter. In the universe, whatever we see of motion, or struggles in mineral or plants or animals is an effort to come back to the centre and be at rest. There was an equilibrium, and that has been destroyed; and all parts and atoms and molecules are struggling to find their lost equilibrium again. In this struggle they are combining and re - forming, giving rise to all the wonderful phenomena of nature. All struggles and competitions in animal life, plant life, and everywhere else, all social struggles and wars are but expressions of that eternal struggle to get back to that equilibrium. (Author's note: The effort to come back to the center is what I call the centripetal force.)
When Mantras, Tantras and Yantras were formulated, uttered, practiced and propagated, there was a need for a Guru or teacher to hold the repository of knowledge in memory. They also became the intermediaries between God and man, the Light and darkness. The Gurus brought the Light of spiritual knowledge and removed the darkness that shrouded the soul. The First Guru in this world is Siva and the First Pupil is Vishnu in the name of Matsyendra, the teacher of Yoga.
The path of Guru is Guru-Krupā-Yoga (Guru-compassion-Yoga), the Path of Guru's Grace.
Vivekananda is not thrilled about the hereditary predatory Gurudom in India: the father Guru passing on the mantle to the son. Read what Vivekananda says about pseudo-Gurus and real Gurus.
One more idea. There is a peculiar custom in Bengal, which they call Kula - guru, or hereditary Guruship. "My father was your Guru, now I shall be your Guru. My father was the Guru of your father, so shall I be yours." What is a Guru? Let us go back to the Shrutis --"He who knows the secret of the Vedas", not bookworms, not grammarians, not Pandits in general, but he who knows the meaning. [Sanskrit]--"An ass laden with a load of sandalwood knows only the weight of the wood, but not its precious qualities"; so are these Pandits. We do not want such. What can they teach if they have no realisation? When I was a boy here, in this city of Calcutta, I used to go from place to place in search of religion, and everywhere I asked the lecturer after hearing very big lectures, "Have you seen God?" The man was taken aback at the idea of seeing God; and the only man who told me, "I have", was Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and not only so, but he said, "I will put you in the way of seeing Him too". The Guru is not a man who twists and tortures texts. [Sanskrit]--"Different ways of throwing out words, different ways of explaining texts of the scriptures, these are for the enjoyment of the learned, not for freedom." Shrotriya, he who knows the secret of the Shrutis, Avrijina, the sinless, and Akamahata, unpierced by desire -- he who does not want to make money by teaching you -- he is the Shanta, the Sadhu, who comes as the spring which brings the leaves and blossoms to various plants but does not ask anything from the plant, for its very nature is to do good. It does good and there it is. Such is the Guru, [Sanskrit]--"Who has himself crossed this terrible ocean of life, and without any idea of gain to himself, helps others also to cross the ocean." This is the Guru, and mark that none else can be a Guru, for [Sanskrit]--"Themselves steeped in darkness, but in the pride of their hearts, thinking they know everything, the fools want to help others, and they go round and round in many crooked ways, staggering to and fro, and thus like the blind leading the blind, both fall into the ditch. Thus say the Vedas."
Hymns by Sankara to Guru
Isa, the Supreme Lord, having been pleased with Bhakti and Vaidika Lakshana of his votaries in their very many previous births, incarnates out of compassion as Guru in a living and breathing form, inculcates in them the knowledge of the ultimate Reality and helps them cross the ocean of misery of this earthly existence.
Vaidika Laksana = Vedic marks = worship according to Vedic Scriptural injunctions.
Commentary:
Tirumanthiram Verse 139:
Guru is the intermediary between God and man; He is the representative of God on this earth; between God and Guru, Guru takes precedence.
Guru Verses by Sankara with terminal refrain.
Verse 1. One's Sariram (body) may be of great form, Kalatram (wife) beautiful, dhanam (wealth) as big as Mount Meru;. If the mind is not attached to the Lotus feet of the Guru, of what avail are they?
Verse 2. Wife, wealth, sons, grandsons, home and relatives: all these you may have. If the mind is not attached to the Lotus feet of the Guru, of what avail are they?
Verse 3. Satravidya (Scriptural knowledge) may be on one's lips; one may be Kavitvadi (exponent of poetry); one may write good poetry and prose. If the mind is not attached to the Lotus feet of the Guru, of what avail are they?
Verse 4. In foreign lands, I gain honor and fame; in my own country, I am blessed with wealth; I am of inimitable good conduct. If the mind is not attached to the Lotus feet of the Guru, of what avail are they?
Verse 5. Kings and emperors adore his feet; but if the mind is not attached to the Lotus feet of the Guru, of what avail are they?
Verse 6. Virtue and generosity brought me fame and rewards from all over the world. If the mind is not attached to the Lotus feet of the Guru, of what avail are they?
Verse 7. The mind does not dwell on Bhoga, Yoga, stallions and horses, the face of the beloved and riches; If the mind is not attached to the Lotus feet of the Guru, of what avail are they?
Verse 8: My mind does not abide in neither the forest, nor the house, nor the future accomplishments, nor the body, nor the precious. If the mind is not attached to the Lotus feet of the Guru, of what avail are they?
Verse 9. Man of virtue who studies this Guru Astakam (Octad on Guru), and whose mind abides in his sayings--whether he is Yati (ascetic), Bhupati (Lord of the world), Brahmachari (student), or householder-- realizes his desired goal of union with Brahman.
Union with Brahman is the union of Pinda with Brahmanda. Pinda is food and thus our body made of food and the microcosmic edition of Macrocosm that is Brahmanda (Brahma's egg or macrocosm).
Here are some of the sayings of Ramana Maharishi on Guru, rendered in prose form by me. By the way he did not have a Guru for guidance. Extracts from The Garland of Guru's sayings. The actual sequence of verses in numbers is given in the brackets.
1. They who want to escape despondency and yearn for final freedom, the lamp of Guru's wisdom dispels the darkness of illusion of "I" and "mine" and shines as the very Self. (1)
2. I was reeling and writhing, mistaking the body for me; the gracious silent Guru took pity on me and made me see that the inert body was prone to decay and the real me was the Imperishable true Awareness. I bow and offer my head as the Guru's footrest (his twin feet crown my head). (2)
3. Guru is an accomplished sage, who reveals with clarity and certitude the ultimate Truth, which reconciles all the discordant creeds and doctrines. My head wears his feet as a crown. (3)
4. The service rendered to the Guru by the pupil (chosen by the Guru) should be respectful and correct as a wife would do to her husband. (V304)
Sankara's Bhajagovindam, the Hymns of praise to Govinda, Verses 1-31
Sankara contributed twelve verses, Dvadasamanjarika Stotra (a bouquet of twelve blossoms of hymns of praise). His fourteen disciples contributed one verse each, fourteen in all (Caturdasa manjarika stotra). Majarika = cluster of blossoms or bouquet of flowers.
Verse 1. Moha mudgara: delusion hammer. (in everyday parlance, delusion buster)
Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, O fool. When the Time comes for departure, rules of grammar will not rescue you.
Moha: Darkness or delusion of the mind preventing the discernment of truth and leading men to believe in the reality of worldly objects (and knowledge).
Mudgara: hammer
There is a story behind this verse. Sankara was walking along the Ganges River with a coterie of fourteen disciples. Upon hearing a grammarian pundit reciting the rules of grammar, Acharya went into a precipitous debunking (of utility) of grammar in his famous verses.
Rules of grammar refers to Pannini's book of grammar, which is euphemism for knowledge of the material world, (which) we need to make a living. This knowledge is known as Aparavidya as opposed to ParaVidya (Supreme knowledge or Brahma Vidya); only the latter will help us attain liberation. When death comes calling, material knowledge will not come to the rescue; doctors are at a loss; Yamaraja and his minions haul you away.
Govinda is one of many names of Krishna. Sankara defines the word Govinda as follows: 1. The finder or searcher of cows (go = cow; vinda = finder); 2. the finder or knower of earth; 3. the conferrer of speech; 4. the One revealed in Vedanta texts. Govinda by any other name is the Hypostasis of all that exists; He is Reality; He is the Ultima Thule. Bhagavan Krishna likes to be called by His favorite name, Govinda.
Bhaja is worship; the purpose is to attain moksa. Brahma Vidya is the ticket for liberation or Moksa and includes the following. It can be achieved by Sravana, KIrtana, Smarana (Manana), PAdasevana, Arcana, Vandana, DAsya, Sakhya, Atmanivedana, NidhidyAsana, Yoga and SAdhana. (Some more added to indicate Saiva tradition.)
Sravana = hearing (the name and glory of the deity).
KIrtana = singing praise of the Lord.
Manana = thinking (about the deity).
pAdasevana = Serving (worshipping) the feet of the Lord.
Arcana = homage to the Lord
Vandana = showing reverential obeisance to God.
DAsya = servitude to God.
SAkhya = friendship towards or with God.
Satputra (virtuous son) or kriya marga = rituals; (samipya mukti)
SanmArga = path of knowledge
AtmanivEdana = self-gift or offering one's self to God, dedication of one's own self.
NididhyAsana = meditation, perceiving
Yoga = see below
Sadhana is of three kinds or any combination thereof: Karma Yoga, Jnana Yoga, and Bhakti yoga. Go to Bhakti for details.
Here is another variation/corollary of paths in attaining to Siva (God) These four Tamil Saiva saints are generally called Naalvar, the Foursome. Each one is known for his path.
| Mannickavasagar | Sambandar | Sundaramurthy Swamigal | Appar (rich peasant family) |
| Gnanamargam or path of knowledge | Satputramargam or path of the son | Sakhamargam or path of companion or friend | Dasamargam or path of Servant |
| Sanmarga-Union-Sayujya | Sarupa-Likeness-Sarupa | Samipa-Nearness-Kriyamarga | Saloka-Siva's world-Dasamarga |
Bhagavad Gita says the following in the words of Bhagavan Krishna.
Bhagavadgita C8.V5: At the time of death, he, who remembers Me
when leaving the body, goes to My being. Of this, there is no doubt.
There is story in the
Puranas and Narayaneeyam about a Brahmana Ajamila with evil ways. He left his
legally wedded wife and associated with another women and had ten children by
her. He named one of his sons, Narayana, after the Lord. As Death’s (Yama)
ruthless messengers came to grab him, Ajamila yelled out unknowingly (of its
effect) for his son, Narayana, which prompted the arrival of the messengers of
Lord Narayana at his deathbed. Yama’s servants tied him up and were about to
haul
him to hell. But the emissaries of Lord Narayana stopped them (Minions of Yama),
who read out loud a rap sheet of evil deeds perpetrated by Ajamila. The Lord’s emissaries
pointedly told the Yamas’s messengers of the utterance of the Lord’s name
Narayana by Ajamila at the time of death. That utterance has the expiatory
power, destroys all sins, and makes the utterer eligible for residence in
Vaikuntha, Lord’s abode and heaven. Yama’s servants went back to their master
and told him about the incident; subsequently, Yama ordered his servants to
leave the devotees of Narayana alone and never to approach them.
Gandhi, when he was shot by a lunatic Hindu fanatic, knew he was mortally
injured and uttered ‘Hey Ram.’
Hindus utter the names of Ishta-devata, when they trip, sneeze, fall down, and yawn and this is recommended in Bhagavatam 5.3.12. It is like saying 'God Bless,' when someone sneezes.
Achoo, achoo.---gezhunteit!
Verse 2. O fool, give up the thirst of avarice; rub out your desire; develop (invite) good thoughts in your mind; whatever karma brings to you by way of wealth, accept it with grace in your mind.
Explanation: There is no objection in having wealth; but the insatiable thirst (trsna) for more wealth should be curbed. Desire is the root of all misery; root out desire for a life of contentment. If one removes one's desire for wealth, how is it that one could make a living in this world? Let karma do its part and bring you the wealth you deserve on account of your past actions. Wealth without greed is good. Live on whatever comes your way without coveting and what you get by honest work. An Avadhuta is an extreme example of Vairagya (absence of worldly passions; freedom from all desires.) He does not earn a living or ask for food. He waits until food comes to him; This situation is compared to a python that waits for food to come to it. Avadhuta. Of course, all cannot be avadhuttas; everything will come to a stop; each one of us is made differently; we follow the path laid by Karma, Vasanas, and Samskaras. SamskAra = mental impressions from former existence. VAsanA = smell that clings to the clothes; here it means the subtle body is laden with Vasanas (residuals) of past karma. Vasanas cause Samskaras, life style and behavior patterns that come natural to you and that which make you different from the rest on account of the fact that the unseen hand of karmic Vasanas move you in such ways.
Verse 3. Having seen a woman with full breasts and a beautiful navel, don't go into a fit of crushing infatuation. It is mere modification of flesh and fat; think it well in your mind, think it well again.
Explanation: Sankara shows how to avoid bumps, potholes and puddles in your chosen path. First the greed and now the pheromonal seizure can get you off the best-laid path. This advice coming from Sankara, the Sannyasi, is applicable to Sadhakas who chose Brahmacharya. It advises against extramarital or premarital flings for the householders. One exercises discrimination in making choices. This is considering the two sides of a question or proposition (paksa and pratipaksa).
Verse 4. A drop of water on a lotus leaf moves to and fro; likewise, know for sure, this wonderful and yet up-and-down life is prone to diseases and seized by egoism; know that the whole world of people is grief-stricken
Explanation: There is a particular stress on ego as an impediment. Yes it is. If two people with ego face each other and try their wits against each other, there is tension, rivalry, enmity and fight. It is I against you. One cannot approach God with this attitude. One has to submerge, drown and destroy ego before one can approach God. Ego is compared to a coconut. When you worship God you offer a coconut, not a whole one but two broken halves. The broken coconut is symbolic of broken ego; that makes it easy to approach God and attain salvation. He is the Real master of the Universe; one offers his ego as a sacrifice to God. U go, Ego.
Ramana Maharishi says:
Karma and MAyA both alike spring from, cling to and grow with ego, the first impurity. When ego dies, the other two can by no means survive. -- Garland of Guru's sayings, passage 733.
Verse 5. One's family is protected and remains attached as long as one is earning money; afterwards when he lives with a decrepit body, no one in the household makes an enquiry of him.
Verse 6. As long as air is in the body, people in the house enquire about your welfare; once the air leaves the body and when life is sucked out (of the body), even the dear wife is afraid of the remains (lifeless body).
(Pavanah = air = prana = breath
Verse 7. As a boy one is absorbed in play; an adolescent, in girls; an old man, in worries. To the Supreme Brahman no one is attached.
Man's progress in the world goes from infancy to a boy at play, to an adolescent in love and lust, to a married man with family and worry and eventually results in death. At no moment he thinks of the Supreme Brahman. The body and mind and senses are catered to, but the spirit is neglected and happens to be the most important for salvation.
Katha Upanishad says in Chapter II verse 1 the following: The Self is not to be sought through the senses. The Self pierced the openings of the senses outward. (The openings are: two ears, two eyes, two nostrils, one mouth, one urinary and or genital, and one anus. The woman has three openings, urinary, vaginal and anal in the perineum, while men have two openings, penile and anal. Through these openings and motor functions, we communicate and stay in touch with this world. There are five sensory organs for hearing, touching, seeing, tasting and smelling. There are five motor organs for speech, prehension or grasping, ambulation or movement, excretion and evacuation, and generation.) Therefore, one looks outward and not within oneself. Some wise man, however, seeking life eternal, with his eyes turned inward, saw the self. Adapted from Dr. Radhakrishnan's translation of Upanishads. Here Self means Brahman.
Verse
8. Who is your wife? Who is your son? Strange
and wonderful is this world. Of whose (son) are you? Who are you? Where did you
come from? O brother, (take a moment to) think of these truths here.
The following passage is based on Hindu religious tenets.
Family, friends, relatives and others are like passengers in a bus and bus stops. People get on, ride in and get off the bus. Wife makes an entry into a man's life as a traveling companion or vice versa; children come and ride along. Do your appropriate Dharma (duty) to wife, son, and others. Parents in due course of travel get off the bus and never seen or heard of again. You didn't know your wife before she got on the bus and took the journey with you. You will never see her again when she gets off the bus or vice versa. The relationship here is temporal and temporary; the whole journey is a dream. After a while everyone gets off the bus; no one remembers any of the traveling companions. When they are reborn again, they will not retain the same relationship with you. Each person's karma determines his heredity, ancestry and environment. He or she may be born across continents, race, and species.
As two wooden sticks, jostle in the ocean (of Samsāra or phenomenal world), meet each other for a fleeting moment, and separate after that, even so is the contact between two family members. One should not feel any particular and any undue passion towards them, for separation is a certainty. Love and hate, joys and sorrows are like (spikes of) fever with its difficulties.
The only traveling companion of all passengers is the Brahman in one's spiritual heart. He is closer to you than any one in this world. You are related to him more closely than you are related to others in the bus. Brahman is the common resident entity in all passengers. Tat Tvam Asi = That Thou Art. The empirical beings, the wife, the parent, the son, the daughter and the rest are products of MAya. Do we get attached or suffer grief when a passenger gets on and gets off the bus? And yet, the Brahman in the spiritual heart is the constant abiding companion of all passengers. We don't realize that. The relatives and others come and go; there is no permanence; get attached to the one who is Eternal and Immutable.
Yoga Tattva Upanishad (131b to 134a) states that upon rebirth a mother may become the wife; the wife, the mother; father, the son; the son, the father. Thus, the egos of this world and people wander in the womb of birth and death switching relationships back and forth. For an easier understanding of this passage, think of death of the entire family in an accident, tsunami, cyclone or some such thing and their subsequent births in different roles.
Verse 9. Through association with good and holy people (satsanga), there comes non-attachment, which leads progressively to delusion-free state, tranquility, and Jivanmukti (liberation while living).
The opposite of this (attachment plus all else) is explained in Bhagavad Gita 2.62-63.
BG 2.62: A person while
thinking about the sense objects develops attachment to them. From attachment
develops desire (Kāmah). From desire develops anger.
BG 2.63: From anger comes forth delusion (Sammohah);
from delusion comes loss of memory; from loss of memory comes loss of intuitive
(discriminative) intelligence; and from loss of intuitive intelligence, he
falls.
Sammohah: delusion, bewilderment Buddhi-nāsāt: loss of intuitive
intelligence
A succession of cascading events from unrestrained senses results in destruction. Buddhi, as said earlier is the intuitive (discriminative) intelligence. Bhagavan infers that a person should keep the horses (senses) in harness; He wants us to keep the senses under tight reins and under the control of buddhi and sattvic mind.
Ramana Maharishi states the following on Satsang and Jivanmukti (association with the virtuous, and liberation while living).
Sensible people shun the company
Of empty talkers who are not content
Humbly to tread the path of dharma
And uphold in practice life's ideals,
But proudly mouth vain words.--Verse 328
Those alone are truly virtuous
Who abide in the flawless, pure
Awareness. Others are but base.
Hence gain new life by dwelling in
The company of those who live
In the purity of true awareness,
Free from all falsehoods. --Verse 332
what is the highest glory, what
The state of Jivanmukti, to be
Yearned for and striven for and gained
By the poor Jiva born to die
To know and be the Self, and so
To end the rampant ego which
Sprang from forgetfulness of one's
True Being. --The Garland of Guru's Sayings --Verse 1144
Verse
10.
What good are lust and love in ripe old age? What is
the use of a dry lake? Where are the family and relatives when wealth is
depleted? Where is Samsara when Tattva (Truth) is known?
RamanaMahaRishi talks about Samsara versus Tattva (Truth) in the following verses.
Samsara = worldly life.
Be not afraid of the base, trivial Samsara which, like dreams in sleep, appears in nescience. A dark shadow caused by the mind's desires it cannot stand the true loving splendor of Pure Awareness. --V 27.
What good are lust and love in ripe old age? Sankara would say at this moment in time: It is beyond redemption even from Viagra!
Verse
11. Don't be arrogant on account of wealth,
Jana (people or community), and youth, in a wink, Time takes away all. Give them
all up because all this is delusion. Having been convinced, know, enter and
merge with the Brahman.
Verse 12. Night and day, dusk and dawn, winter and spring come again and again. Time plays; life is wasted and yet the wind of desire never releases (its grip).
Verse 13. Who is your wife? Why are you so worried about money? O babbling fool, don't you have a restrainer (guide)? In the three worlds, Satsanga alone can serve as a boat to take you across the ocean of Samsara.
Satsanga = association with virtuous people. The three worlds are Earth, atmosphere and heaven. Samsara is life on this earth, subject to death and rebirth in a cyclical fashion with no liberation or Mukhti. Satsanga guarantees the end of Samsara and attainment of Mukhti.
Here is a view of Samsara from Swami Vivekananda.
"Samsara is the recurring round of birth and death literally, until the soul becomes free. The alpha and omega of Vedanta philosophy is to give up the world, giving up the unreal and taking the real. The bodies of the souls have been constantly dissolving and recurring. Every form, let us say, beginning from the little worm and ending in man, is like one of the cars of the Chicago Ferris Wheel which is in motion all the time, but the occupants change. A man goes into a car, moves with the wheel, and comes out. The wheel goes on and on. A soul enters one form, resides in it for a time, then leaves it and goes into another and quits that again for a third. Thus the round goes on till it comes out of the wheel and becomes free."
Verse 14. (There goes) one with matted hair; (here comes) one with shaven head; (there sits) yet another with plucked hair and saffron cloth; the fools sport various disguises. They all claim to "see;" (What they "see" no one knows and neither he knows what he "sees.") In reality he does not "see." All this Vesha (disguise) is to fill the belly.
Sannyasi's persona consists of shaved head or matted hair, yellow robes (pitambaram), a stick, a bowl and a flag. This insignia of renunciation commands respect and earns a livelihood for the pseudo-sannyasins. (The accouterments of the Real Sannyasi are the same. He eats to live and does not know where his next meals comes from.) There is no halo around former's hollowness. His hollowness as opposed to His Holiness wanders around in search of food, pretending to be a Sannyasi.
Matted hair, deerskin, and pious pretension do not make an
ascetic. An ascetic in name and epicure in practice, though he professes to
know Brahman, is far away from Brahman. Appearance
does not make an ascetic, though he wanders naked and shameless; a donkey does
the same. Jackals, rodents and deer live
in the forest, eat grass, and drink water: are they ascetics? The frogs and
fish take birth, eat and die in
A yogin, in a spirit of renunciation, gives up all activities including the performance of sacrificial rites. It is not the external act of renunciation but the internal change that makes a yogin.
Verse 15. His body is old and fragile; head, gray; and jaws, toothless. He ambles with a stick; and yet hasn't abandoned his bag (pindam = mass) of desires.
Verse 16. There is fire in the front and sun at the back; he sits with his chin between the knees in the night. He receives alms in his (outstretched) palms and makes a home under the tree. And yet the ropes of desire has tied him in knots.
Verse 17. One may go to River Ganga where it joins the sea or may observe Vratas (vows) and distribute his wealth in charity. One who has no Knowledge (of Brahma Vidya) will attain release in one hundred births, according to all doctrinal schools.
Three are mentioned for attaining the means towards liberation: pilgrimage to holy places, observing religious vows and anniversaries, and charitable acts such as Anna Dhanam (feeding the poor), keeping the temple clean, digging pond or tank near the temple, doctoring the poor, building hospitals and schools for the poor. These by themselves do not guarantee liberation. Brahma Vidya (Brahman knowledge) is the only way to obtain release.
River Ganga is holy to the Hindus. Streams, ponds, lakes, wells, peaks of mountains are among the Tirthas (holy places). Tirtha means all these: water; sacred bathing-ghat; water used in worshipping an idol and given to devotees; water used to washing the feet of great men, as Gurus; temple festival; and sacred places worthy of pilgrimage. Visiting Tirthas goes a long way releasing a soul from being born again in a body in this world of dualities (pleasure and pain). The soul attains liberation and merges with Isvara or Brahman, the very source of the soul. Pilgrimage is common to many of the world religions. Pilgrimage is only the means and not the end. All these are adjuncts in obtaining release. The real that obtains release is knowledge of Brahman and realization, which entail knowing in your heart and soul that you are not the body, and you and Brahman are one. The first step to wards Brahman knowledge is to annihilate Anava Malam (ego) along with Maya and Kanma malam. Primer in Saiva Siddhanta. In this world, we celebrate birth, children, youth, beauty, marriage, valor, all related to the body. There is no festival for the celebration of Spirit; if any have a remote resemblance, it is usually defiled by commercialism.
The Amnayas (Doctrines) lead one to liberation-*. He who knows all the Amnayas is Siva himself. Urdhavamnaya is the most exalted doctrine and Law of all doctrines: it is the musk among fragrances, Kanchi among cities (it is like saying 'New York' among cities; Remember Frank Sinatra's New York, New York), head among the limbs, Brahmana among castes, King among men, Sanyasa among Asramas, swan among the birds, cow among the four-legged animals, sandal-wood among trees, gold among metals, gem among precious stones, sweetness among tastes, Asvamedha among sacrifices, Mount Meru among mountains, Ganga among rivers, Kasi (the old Benares or Varnasi) among Tirthas (sacred places), Sun among the luminary objects, and Vishnu among Gods. It has to come from the mouth of a Guru. The Mantra is Hamsa. OM NAMASIVAYA MANTRA
Here is what Vivekananda says about visiting Tirthas.
It is in love that religion exists and not in ceremony, in the pure and sincere love in the heart. Unless a man is pure in body and mind, his coming into a temple and worshipping Shiva is useless. The prayers of those that are pure in mind and body will be answered by Shiva, and those that are impure and yet try to teach religion to others will fail in the end. External worship is only a symbol of internal worship; but internal worship and purity are the real things. Without them, external worship would be of no avail. Therefore you must all try to remember this.
People have become so degraded in this Kali Yuga that they think they can do anything, and then they can go to a holy place, and their sins will be forgiven. If a man goes with an impure mind into a temple, he adds to the sins that he had already, and goes home a worse man than when he left it. Tirtha (place of pilgrimage) is a place which is full of holy things and holy men. But if holy people live in a certain place, and if there is no temple there, even that is a Tirtha. If unholy people live in a place where there may be a hundred temples, the Tirtha has vanished from that place. And it is most difficult to live in a Tirtha; for if sin is committed in any ordinary place it can easily be removed, but sin committed in a Tirtha cannot be removed. This is the gist of all worship -- to be pure and to do good to others.
Verse 18. Having home at the roots (foot/feet) of the trees near the temples, sleeping on the bare earth, wrapped in a deerskin, renouncing all possessions and bhoga (enjoyments): (Tell me) who won't be happy with this Vairagya (renunciation)?
He has no home that one can covet; he has no possession that one can steal; laying on bare earth, he sleeps well; he eats a few mouthfuls a day just to allay his hunger; he wraps himself in deerskin to ward off the elements. An ascetic eats only roots, leaves and fallen fruits. Why shouldn't he be happy?
Verse 19. One may perform Yoga, indulge in Bhoga (enjoyments) or enjoy a good Sanga (good company) or solitude; he and he alone is happy, whose mind finds delight in Brahman.
Verse 20. He who has studied the Bhagavad Gita in part, who drank a drop of Ganga water, and who worshipped Murari (Krishna, the killer of demon Mura) at least once, has not much to fear Yama (Yama has nothing much to talk about him).
Yama, the god of death, hauls people at any time or place of his choosing through the gates of death. He is always deferential to the devotees of Krishna (and Siva).
Here conquering death or not fearing Yama does not mean that the votary will not face physical death; it means that the devotee has no fear of physical death once again because he gets eternal release from rebirth on account of his merits in this birth and upon this present death.
Verse 21. To be born again, to die again and to lie in the womb are struggles in the world and sea of Samsara, which is difficult to cross. O Murare, Take (me) to the other shore with your compassion.
Murare: Krishna the killer of Mura, an euphemism for ignorance.
saMsAra: going or wandering through, undergoing transmigration; course, passage, passing through a succession of states, circuit of mundane existence, transmigration, metempsychosis, the world, secular life, worldly illusion.
Life is a Sea of Samsara. The fetus floats in a sea of amniotic fluid. To be born again, to die again and to lie in the womb are struggles in the world and sea of Samsara, which is difficult to cross. The fetus drinks from the sea, piddles in the sea, drinks and piddles again and again. Confined, crouched, and bent, it stays all by itself. Rounded up in a ball in its fetal position, with its hands folded in front of the chest and legs bent at the hips, it winces, grimaces and emits sounds no one hears. It wiggles and yawns from boredom. There is nothing to do but to grow. It opens the eyes and sees cataracts all around. It hears the echoes of the sloshing sea. Muffled sounds of the mother's heart and the cacophony of hoots, cackles, wails and sirens impinge on the ears like distant thunders. It has come to recognize the melody of music and the voice of its host. It wants to stretch but a stretch that will never come, until after extrusion. Occasional kicks and thrusts, it can manage to deliver to its host in frustration.
Verse 22. The Yogi who wears clothes stitched together from rags on the roadside, treads a path beyond punyam and apunyam (merit and demerit), and whose mind is yoked to yoga, rejoices (in the vision of Brahman) like a child or madman.
Verse 23. Who are you? Who am I? Wherefrom did I come? Who is my mother; who, my father? Think about them deeply and know that all experiences of the world are worthless dreams and give up on them.
Verse 24. There is One (all-pervading Vishnu) in you and me and elsewhere also. It is useless (for you) to be impatient and get angry with me. See the Self in all things and give up Bhedajnanam (Inability to see Unity in all things).
Verse 25. Make no war with the enemy, friend, son, or relative; neither you patronize them. if you want to attain Vishnuhood, treat all things equally.
Verse 26. Relinquishing desire, anger, greed, and delusion, he sees in the self: “He I am.” The fools without self-knowledge remain captives in hell and get roasted.
Verse 27. One should sing the Bhagavad Gita and Sahasranamam. Always mediate on Sripatirupam (the form of consort of Sri = Vishnu). The mind should be guided to the company of virtuous people; the wealth should be given to the needy (the depressed, the afflicted).
Verse 28. One takes to carnal pleasures; alas, the body is afflicted with disease. Although in this world, Maranam (death) is Saranam (refuge, the end), one does not give up the Paapa-aacaranam (evil behavior).
Verse 29. Wealth is worthless; always reflect on it. There is no happiness coming from it; that is the (stark) Truth. For the rich, even a son is a source of fear. Everywhere this is the destined course.
Verse 30. Perform Pranayama, Pratyahara, Nitya-anitya-viveka vicaram, and Japa and attain Samadhi; do them certainly and with great care.
Pranayama = breath control; pratyahara = withdrawal of senses; Nitya-anitya-viveka vicaram = eternal-non-eternal-discrimination-enquiry; Japa = muttering prayer; Samadhi = absorption of the consciousness in a high spiritual and intellectual objective. TMTM03
Verse 31. Devote yourself to the lotus-feet of the Guru and attain Mukti (salvation) soon from Samsara (rebirth and death). By controlling the Indriyas (senses) and the manas (mind), you will see the deity residing in your heart.
Verse 32. O Bhakta of the Lotus Feet of the Guru, may you attain Mukti (salvation) free from Samsara. By control of indriyas (senses) and manas (mind) you will experience the Lord abiding in your heart.
Verse 33. The foolish grammarian immersed in rules (of grammar) was cured of his tunnel vision and shown the light by the disciples of Sankara.
Verse 34. Worship Govinda, worship Govinda, worship Govinda, O fool; there is no means other than chanting the name of the Lord to cross the ocean of life.
End of Bhajagovindam
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Saundaryalahari by Sankara
Saundarya = beauty, loveliness, gracefulness, elegance
Lahari = Large wave, billow, surging wave
A surging wave of beauty, grace and elegance
There are one hundred Verses in this composition. Sakti is the Transcendental aspect of Divine Mother who in the bodily aspect is known as Kundalini. She remains in Muladhara Chakra in a static state. The Yogi awakens and takes Her to Sahasrara Chakra for union with Siva. Sakti in Her diagrammatic representation is Sri Chakra. She is worshipped and adored by Bija Mantras or indeclinable syllable seed Mantras (Verses 32-33). The Transcendental Sakti stays in Muladhara in its corporeal aspect as Kundalini. The first 41 Verses describes raising Kundalini from static aspect in Muladhara Chakra to a dynamic form going up the chakras to Sahasrara for union with Siva. Verses 42 to 100 describe the beauty (of the body parts) of the anthropomorphic form of Sakti (Tripurasundari--TPS).
Verse 1. Siva, only when united with Sakti, gains the power to create; if not, Siva is unable to move forward. Who except a punyavan can pay obeisance, prostrations, worship and praise to you, who is worshipped by Hari, Hara and Virinci?
punyavan = he who has accumulated good karmic merits. This word is not in the verse.
Verse 2. Virinci (Brahma) gathers the fine dust from your lotus feet and creates all worlds; Shouri (Vishnu) somehow carries out the support of the universe by a thousand heads (Adisesha). Hara (Siva), having pulverized it observes this injunction by sprinkling and rubbing the sacred ash all over his body at dissolution.
Sankara is not an Astronomer with a Ph.D. But here he mentions that the universe originated from a cloud of cosmic dust. It gives us an idea that perfected souls knew about the origin of the universe even before today's pundits with Ph.Ds.
Verse 3. For the spiritually ignorant, it (the dust) is the island city of the Sun. For the dull-head, it is the flowing stream of honey from the bouquet of Kalpa blossoms of pure intelligence. For the deprived, it is the necklace of Cintamani. For those drowning in the sea of births, it is the tusk of Varaha (Lord Boar or Vishnu), the enemy of Mura.
For the devotee in ignorance of spiritual knowledge, you are the sunshine of knowledge. Your pure intelligence pours forth to uplift the dimwit. For the indigent, your grace yields all wishes. For those drowning in the sea of Samsara, you lift them as you raised the globe of earth by your tusks from the abyss of deep waters during Pralaya when you incarnated as Lord Boar.
Incarnation of Vishnu as Cosmic Boar to rescue the earth from a demon
Hiranyaksha was a Daitya (titan) and terrorized the world along with his brother Hiranyakasipu. Hiranya + aksha = golden + eyed; Hiranya + kasipu = golden robed. The golden-eyed demon was beating the ocean with a big cudgel and began producing tsunamis. Varuna, the god of waters was so much agitated by this that he went to Vishnu for help. Vishnu took the form a Boar and saw the demon beating ocean waves into big waves. Hiranyakasa saw Vishnu and took the earth, dove into the ocean and hid it in the netherworld. Vishnu followed him, killed him and brought the earth back to its place.
Verse 4. The galaxy of gods offer protection from fear, and boons by empty mudras (Abhaya Varado--hand gestures). You alone do not show by gesture bestowing of boons and protection from fear. O refuge of the worlds, even your feet are skilful in protecting from fear and granting fruits more than desired.
Abhaya Varado: If you see Hindu gods in the temples, they hold hand and foot positions in such ways that each pose means something. The common pose is Varada-Abhaya Mudra (Boons-No fear Pose)
There are gods and there is the God; the former are numerous and the latter is One. He is the Antaryamin (Inner dweller) of gods, men and all living beings. All prayers to gods go to Vishnu, because he is the Inner Dweller and Inner Controller of all gods, men and beings. Pray to Him and not to the gods, so says Sankara. Did you know that you can graduate from a human being to a god, according to Hindu religion, if you lead a virtuous life? Still you are not God. The God is God of gods. God (not god) has the ability to create, maintain and destroy the universe. Think of Black Hole, Worm Hole and White Hole as Destruction, Origin, Birth, Maintenance and back again to Destruction.
Here are examples of Varada and Abhaya Mudras. The deities (Lakshmi) hold the right anterior hand in almost high-five position (Varada) and left anterior hand (Abhaya) pointing down. The palms always face the worshipper in Abhaya Mudra. The left hand is actually pointing to the feet of the deity, which means that if the votary takes refuge at the deity's feet, there is no fear.
Vishnu and Lakshmi Credit Exoticindia.com
Verse 5. Hari, the giver of prosperity to bowing obeisant devotees, became a woman (one with Sakti--sārūpyam) and stirred the passions of Hara, the enemy of the three cities of the demons. Having bowed to you, Smara (Cupid) sports a body, the cynosure of Rathi’s eyes, which are capable of creating delusion and infatuation in great Munis.
The diagram below shows the paths to attain and merge with Siva: Chariya, Kriya, Sakha, and Sanmarga and the equivalent relatio
