9th December 2020.
ॐ
VIVEKACHUDAMANI
Talks by Swami Shivaprakashananda Saraswati.
सर्ववेदान्तसिद्धान्तगोचरं तमगोचरम् ।
गोविन्दं परमानन्दं सद्गुरुं प्रणतोऽस्म्यहम् ॥ १ ॥
sarvavedāntasiddhāntagocaraṃ tamagocaram |
govindaṃ paramānandaṃ sadguruṃ praṇato'smyaham || 1 ||
Shloka 144.
एताभ्यामेव शक्तिभ्यां बन्धः पुंसः समागतः ।
याभ्यां विमोहितो देहं मत्वात्मानं भ्रमत्ययम् ॥ १४४ ॥
etābhyāmeva śaktibhyāṃ bandhaḥ puṃsaḥ samāgataḥ |
yābhyāṃ vimohito dehaṃ matvātmānaṃ bhramatyayam || 144 ||
From Shloka 137 the author has explained how the Samsara comes about. The cause of Samsara is Bandha—Bandha means taking the Anatma as Atma. Taking the body as Atma is Bandha. It is responsible for Samsara. How Bandha comes about? What causes Bandha?
There are two Shaktis that belong to Maya, Avarana Shakti and Vikshepa Shakti. These two Shaktis are responsible for Bandha.
How do they cause and sustain Bandha? This was described from Shloka 137 to 143.
Now the author concludes the discussion of the cause of Samsara.
एताभ्यामेव शक्तिभ्यां बन्धः पुंसः समागतः ।
etābhyāmeva śaktibhyāṃ bandhaḥ puṃsaḥ samāgataḥ |
Because of these two Shaktis, namely Avarana Shakti and Vikshepa Shakti, bandha has come about for a pumsah / पुंसः --for an individual.
याभ्यां विमोहितो देहं मत्वात्मानं भ्रमत्ययम्
yābhyāṃ vimohito dehaṃ matvātmānaṃ bhramatyayam
yabhyam shakti bhayam --Being deluded by the two Shaktis he thinks the body is the Self --deham matvatmanam.
He takes the body for Atma---He thinks the body is the Self and because of that ---
ayam pumsah brahmati -This man, this individual, he roams about, he wanders in Samsara. He goes through a cycle of birth and death without getting Moksha.
Shloka 145.
बीजं संसृतिभूमिजस्य तु तमो देहात्मधीरङ्कुरो
रागः पल्लवमम्बु कर्म तु वपुः स्कन्धोओऽसवः शाखिकाः ।
अग्राणीन्द्रियसंहतिश्च विषयाः पुष्पाणि दुःखं फलं
नानाकर्मसमुद्भवं बहुविधं भोक्तात्र जीवः खगः ॥ १४५ ॥
bījaṃ saṃsṛtibhūmijasya tu tamo dehātmadhīraṅkuro
rāgaḥ pallavamambu karma tu vapuḥ skandhoo'savaḥ śākhikāḥ |
agrāṇīndriyasaṃhatiśca viṣayāḥ puṣpāṇi duḥkhaṃ phalaṃ
nānākarmasamudbhavaṃ bahuvidhaṃ bhoktātra jīvaḥ khagaḥ || 145 ||
In this verse the author compares the Samsara to a tree, Samsara is looked upon as a tree and different aspects of Samsara are pictured as different parts of the tree. Samsara Vriksha संसार वृक्षः--We can find similar imagery in Bhagwad Geeta in Ch 15.
श्रीभगवानुवाच |
ऊर्ध्वमूलमध:शाखमश्वत्थं प्राहुरव्ययम् |
छन्दांसि यस्य पर्णानि यस्तं वेद स वेदवित् Chapter 15 Shloka 1.
śhrī-bhagavān uvācha
ūrdhva-mūlam adhaḥ-śhākham aśhvatthaṁ prāhur avyayam
chhandānsi yasya parṇāni yas taṁ veda sa veda-vit
Also, we can find similar imagery in Katho Upanishad
ऊर्ध्वमूलोऽवाक्शाख एषोऽश्वत्थः सनातनः ।
तदेव शुक्रं तद्ब्रह्म तदेवामृतमुच्यते ।
तस्मिंल्लोकाः श्रिताः सर्वे तदु नात्येति कश्चन । एतद्वैतत् ॥ १ ॥
ūrdhvamūlo'vākśākha eṣo'śvatthaḥ sanātanaḥ |
tadeva śukraṃ tadbrahma tadevāmṛtamucyate |
tasmiṃllokāḥ śritāḥ sarve tadu nātyeti kaścana | etadvaitat || 1 ||
बीजं संसृतिभूमिजस्य / bījaṃ saṃsṛtibhūmijasya
The author is imagining Samsara, as a tree. Samsrti संसृति—means Samsara.
sam plus sri plus ghanya becomes Samsara --This is in the masculine gender.
sam + sri +tin is in feminine gender , both mean the same.
Both ‘ghanya’ and ‘tin’ are two ‘pratyayas ‘that are added in the sense of bhava. 'bhave ghana’ and ‘bhave tin’ the genders are different!
One is masculine and the other is in feminine, the meaning is same. This is for people who are interested in grammar. Others need not worry about this.
Samsriti means Samsara. It is compared to bhumija / भूमिजा means tree--bhoomi jayate iti bhhomija. It grows from the earth and therefore it is called bhumija / भूमिजा --tree. Samsara Tree—what is the beeja, the seed, the primary cause? It is ignorance AJNANA or MAYA. The author calls it ‘beejam tamah –tamas’ Ajnana is the beeja , the seed. The whole Samsara is because of Ajnana. If there is no Ajnana there cannot be Samsara. ‘tamah beejam’-- Then what is the sprout? देहात्मधीरङ्कुरो / dehātmadhīraṅkuro After seed the sprout comes.
dehe atma buddhi- Identifying the body as Atma, I am the body, I am the mind, I am the senses. This identification which is called bandha, the author calls it bandha, it is ‘ankurha’ / अंकुरः’ -the sprout, because it comes from the Ajnana which causes bandha. Ajnana causes bandha, just like the seed is the cause for sprout.
देहात्मधीरङ्कुरो
रागः पल्लवम / dehātmadhīraṅkuro rāgaḥ pallavamam
‘pallava’—the tender leads that come after the sprout, the first tender leaves—these are ragas /desires.
When we identify with the body there is a sense of limitation since the body is limited we identify ourselves as limited beings confined to this individual body.
Then there is a sense of limitation and this gives rise to desire –raga. It is compared to ‘pallavam’- tender leaves. ‘ambu’—means water. The water that nourishes the tree of Samsara is Karma. When we have desires, we do various types of karmas to fulfil our desires. Some actions might produce punya as those actions are in keeping with the injunctions of Shastras and some actions produce papas as they are in violation with the injunctions of Shastras. Therefore, desires become responsible for Karma. Desires give rise to Karma and the Karma is responsible for the growth of Samsara, the substance of Samsara, therefore it is compared to water. It nourishes the tree of Samsara. Water is ‘karma.’
वपुः स्कन्धः / vapuhu skandah --The Body is ‘skandhah’ .The trunk of the tree, the main body of the tree, because Karma gives rise to this body just like nourishing the tree with water results in the growth of the trunk our present body is the result of our past karmas. The punyas and the papas that we have done in our past life. The branches of the tree are --the Pranas. There are five Pranas.
Prana, Apana, Samana, Vyana and Udana. They are compared to five branches just like the branches of the tree are supported by the trunk the pranas are supported by the body. They are present in the body , therefore –
स्कन्धोओऽसवः शाखिकाः / skandhoo'savaḥ śākhikāḥ
अग्राणीन्द्रियसंहतिश्च / agrāṇīndriyasaṃhatiśca --The group of senses. There are totally eleven senses. Five Jnana Indriyas and five Karmendriyas and also Antah Karana. Totally eleven indriyas according to Vedanta and that is why we say ‘ekadashii indriyani’. The collection of the eleven senses is called, ‘indriyah sanghata’. They are ‘agraani’ they are like the tips of the branches --the ends of the branches, the twigs.
विषयाः पुष्पाणि / viṣayāḥ puṣpāṇi-- The senses that come in contact with the senses with sense objects and the sense objects are compared to flowers.
The sense objects look beautiful like the flower. Look attractive and therefore sense objects are compared to flowers--विषयाः पुष्पाणि / viṣayāḥ puṣpāṇi.
And the flowers in due course of time produce fruits—phala. What is the phala? ‘dukham phalam’. The fruit is dukha.
In life when we enjoy sense objects sometimes, we get pleasure and sometimes we get pain also and yet the author says that only dukha is the result! Why does he say so?
The commentator explains:-
For a Viveki, for a man of clear understanding even the sense pleasure is as good as dukha because the sukha is associated with dukha. There is no sense pleasure that is not associated with dukha. There are various types of dukhas. Even to get sense enjoyment it involves effort, therefore, before the pleasure, there is dukkha in the form of effort. No pain, no gain and after the gain even when you enjoy, there is a worry. Suppose, I lose it? There is dukkha and once you lose it there is dukha. It is gone. It was so nice. Therefore, even the sukha is associated with dukha and therefore it is as good as dukha. Temporary sukha is as good as no sukha and therefore the author calls it dukha.
‘dukham phalam’ दुःखं फलं
-The fruit of Samsara tree is dukkha and he describes dukha.
नानाकर्मसमुद्भवं बहुविधं भोक्तात्र जीवः खगः
nānākarmasamudbhavaṃ bahuvidhaṃ bhoktātra jīvaḥ khagaḥ
These are two adjectives of dukkha. The first adjective –It is born out of varieties of karmas. Our karmas produce dukhas and we have done varieties of karmas in the past. We may have killed ants which will produce some kind of dukha. We might have told lies and it will produce another kind of dukha. Varieties of karmas that we have done in the past are responsible for various forms of dukhas that we are experiencing in the present life.
bahuvidham dukham –--dukha is bahuvidha! Varities! Various forms of dukha. दुःखं फलं / bahuvidham duḥkhaṃ phalaṃ
नानाकर्मसमुद्भवं बहुविधं भोक्तात्र जीवः खगः
nānākarmasamudbhavaṃ bahuvidhaṃ bhoktātra jīvaḥ khagaḥ
Etc…..
Then there is a bird sitting on the tree. The individual is the bird ---Jeeva-- khagah. (Jeeva) means the limited individual. An individual who identifies himself as a limited - being and who identifies himself as the doer and the enjoyer, he is the Jeeva.
Jeeva is the bird that eats the fruits –‘bhokta’. He eats the fruits of the tree and the fruits are generally bitter with some sweet taste here and there!
Shloka 146
अज्ञानमूलोऽयमनात्मबन्धो
नैसर्गिकोऽनादिरनन्त ईरितः ।
जन्माप्ययव्याधिजरादिदुःख
प्रवाहपातं जनयत्यमुष्य ॥ १४६ ॥
ajñānamūlo'yamanātmabandho
naisargiko'nādirananta īritaḥ |
janmāpyayavyādhijarādiduḥkha
pravāhapātaṃ janayatyamuṣya || 146 ||
The author describes bandha further –'ayam anatma bandha’. This Bandha.
This -- means what is evident to all of us. We all experience bandha, it is not anything strange to us. All of us from childhood refer to the body as ‘me’. I am male, I am female etc. All these are ‘anatma bandha’ and it is very much evident and very much experienced and evident to us and that is why the author says. This false identification with the Anatma What is the cause? Ajnana It is the result of ajnana.
अज्ञानमूलो जनयत्यमुष्य / ajñānamūlo janayatyamuṣya
Mula -- It is the result of Ajnana.
अज्ञानमूलोऽयमनात्मबन्धो
नैसर्गिकोऽनादिरनन्त ईरितः ।
ajñānamūlo'yamanātmabandho
naisargiko'nādirananta īritaḥ |
Its cause is Ajnana. This bandha is ‘naisargika’ नैसर्गिक:-- It is natural. Which means that we do not have to make an effort to identify with the body. No effort is needed. We don’t have to study Vedanta or we don’t have to do mediation to get this bandha! Everyone in the world, not only human beings but also animals. When they are born, they come with this bandha---inbuilt. Even a cow knows. Even the cow has bandha, it identifies with the body and that is why it runs away if someone gets a stick and tries to beat. Identification with the body is intrinsically there. It is built-in.
Therefore, naisargika. Why naisargika ? It is Anadi ! It does not have a beginning. You cannot say when it began. Even before we got this body, it was there because we had another body. We identified with another body. This body is new, just a few decades old and even before that, we had bandha. We identify with another body. Then that body was gone, but we have the habit. We were put in the new body and as soon as we are put in the new body we hold on to the new body. The identification comes and likewise, it will continue until we get ‘Jnana’. Therefore, it is Ananta. Also, it does not come to an end until we get Jnana.
ananta īritaḥ | अनन्त ईरितः । It is told so by the wise men!
Bandha is responsible for the various problems of Samsara, bandha is responsible for varieties of problems. What are the problems?
जन्माप्ययव्याधिजरादिदुःख / janmāpyayavyādhijarādiduḥkha
Janma –birth , apayaya-death, vyadhi -disease , jara- old age etc
The list can continue endlessly. All our complaints are included in the aadi ( etc). All these are varieties of dukhas and because of bandha an individual falls into a current of these dukhas. A perpetual stream of problems. प्रवाहपातं जनयत्यमुष्य / pravāhapātaṃ janayatyamuṣya – for that person.
It makes a person get into the stream of various problems. The cycle of death and birth and all the problems that are between birth and death. Thus, bandha is responsible for Samsara.
So far, the cause of Samsara was discussed. So, what is the solution? Bandha is responsible for Samsara, therefore, the solution is to destroy bandha and to do destroy bandha we have to destroy the cause of bandha –Ajnana. How to do destroy Ajnana? We have only one weapon -- Jnana. There is no other weapon can destroy Ajnana. You can have any form of weapon, even atom bomb or hydrogen bomb but you cannot destroy the Samsara.
Let us read the verse—
Shloka 147.
नास्त्रैर्न शस्त्रैरनिलेन वन्हिना
छेत्तुं न शक्यो न च कर्मकोटिभिः ।
विवेकविज्ञानमहासिना विना
धातुः प्रसादेन शितेन मञ्जुना ॥ १४७ ॥
nāstrairna śastrairanilena vanhinā
chettuṃ na śakyo na ca karmakoṭibhiḥ |
vivekavijñānamahāsinā vinā
dhātuḥ prasādena śitena mañjunā || 147 ||
Ayam bandhaha—( we have to supply ) .This bandha छेत्तुं न शक्यो न च कर्मकोटिभिः / chettuṃ na śakyo na ca karmakoṭibhiḥ |
ASTRA AND SHASTRA -- Both are weapons and yet there is a difference. Astra is the weapon that we throw from a distance, like an arrow. That which is thrown on the enemies is called Astra. ‘Arrows’ and now we have various forms of astras and we also have missiles etc.
astrayehi kshetrum --No form of Astra can destroy Bandha. Shastra is the weapon that we hold and fight with like a sword. It is Shastra. One cannot tear off the ‘bandha’ with the Shastra.
Anilyena kshtrum na sakha . One cannot destroy bandha with gas and nor can one destroy it with fire--vanhina / वन्हिना
कर्मकोटिभिः / karmakoṭibhiḥ --Crores of karma cannot destroy bandha. One may do various forms of karmas and do various charities, yagnas etc. Nothing can destroy bandha.
You may be an accomplished person but even the most accomplished person has not destroyed bandha because all his accomplishments are in terms of karmas therefore no accomplishment can destroy bandha. Therefore, if someone is an accomplished person does not mean that he has accomplished moksha.
Accomplishment of moksha is different from accomplishment from anything in this world. Then what can destroy Bandha?
विवेकविज्ञानमहा: / vivekavijñānamahā -- By the sword of clear understanding born of Viveka. Born of Atma- Anatma Viveka. The process of distinction of Atma and Anatma.
A clear understanding of Atma. It is called Jnana or Vijanana. Jnana is compared to a sword! Jnana Assi-- Jnana khadga--- We can find this comparison here and there in the shastras.
Even in Bhagwad Geeta— असङ्गशस्त्रेण दृढेन छित्त्वा | asanga-sastrena drdhena chittva ( Chapter 15 Shloka 3) ---Jnana is compared to Shastra / शस्त्रः-- a weapon. So, Jnana is like a sword and the sword of Jnana is sharpened by the grace of Ishwara. dhatu prasade --- It is sharpened by the grace, by the prasad of ‘dhata’- Ishwar. Without Ishwar’s grace, the Jnana does not become sharp. Even if there is Jnana it will remain blunt! Therefore, the author hints that one should keep praying to Ishwar so that one’s Jnana becomes strong enough to destroy Samsara.
धातुः प्रसादेन / dhatu prasdanae-- is an adjective of Jnana.
Manju / मञ्जु means beautiful. The Knowledge is beautiful though it is a sword, it is beautiful. It has its beauty. By the great sword of Vijnana, born of the process of Viveka which is being done in the text --Vivekachudamani.
Without this, Jnana sword , Ajnana, bandha will not go.
No comments:
Post a Comment