सदाशिव समारम्भाम् िन्करचार्यमद्ममाम्
अस्मद् अचर्य पर्यन्ताम् वन्दे गुरु परम्परम ्
Studying vedanta is a big task. The ultimate is to imbibe the upanishadic teachings. However the un-initiated student would find it difficult to assimilate it. Hence there are many introductory texts which prepare the student for this life long journey. Tatva Bodha ,and Atma Bodha by Shakaracharya are such preliminary texts. VivekaChudamani is slightly more advanced and requires some more dedication. Panchadasi also is a comprehensive treatise on vedanta. The introductory texts which prepare us for the vedantic journey are often called the prakarana granthas. If you are more interested, you can go further and try to understand the Brahma Sutras by ved vyasa. Gita often works as a substitute for all these studies, but often is vulnerable to misapprehension because of its rich imagery. All other texts don't carry any mythological overtones. For a keen student , it is important to differentiate the truth from a visualization, the story from its essence , the anatma from the atma . So i am of the opinion that Gita study should come last when the student has acquired the vivekam to understand the essence . In studying it last, you get the milk(gita) from the cows(upanishads ) .
Even though Dakshina Moorthy sthothram is not known as a prakarana grantha , Shankaracharya has done a wonderful task of summarizing the essence of vedanta in 10 terse verses. It is surprisingly a sthrothram which means glorification. Glorification of what?. Glorification of Dakshina Moorthy. Usually a glorification is to please a deity . But here the glorification is not for that purpose at all. The meaning i would like to take from Dakshina Moorthy is Dakshin ( skillful) Amoorthy ( formless) which means a skillful adiguru who teaches non dual truth through his formless presence. The traditional meaning is Dakshina ( South facing ) Moorthy ( idol or symbol) which is shiva the god of laya or resolution . Even this meaning should be seen deeply. What does shiva destroy or dissolve?. He destroys ignorance of duality. Your ego is the embodiment of dualistic existence. By destroying the identity associated with it only you can merge in the sublime. Death alone will not destroy your ignorance, just as sleep alone doesn't destruct our ego as here we remain ignorantly blissful. By imparting light of knowledge , your ignorance is what is resolved or dissolved by the Adi guru.So here the meaning of glorification is to glorify that knowledge which dissolves our ignorance.
In many great books , people write commentaries to make the meaning more clear and easier. One of the direct disciples of shankaracharya called sureshvacharya has written a commentary on Dakshina moorthy sthothram. It is often called Manasollasa. Some verses from these are taken as the Dhyana slokas of Dakshina moorthy sthothram A dhyana sloka is often a prelude to the teaching in a text.
So let us take a look at the first of the six dhyana sloka which is very famous.
The students are great, the teacher is great and the discourse is unique. It is revealed in supreme silence through a mudra, which we discussed earlier . This mudra is called the ChinMudra and it poetically conveys the message that in order to know truth, you have to become dispassionate about all the appearances. The appearances are the body, the mind , the states of wakefullness, dream and sleep, the objects of experience , the panchakosas and so on. Unless the forefinger moves away from them all(the other three fingers) , it never gets closer to truth which is the thumb. So the Acharya is sitting quietly in this mudra (आचार्येन्द्रं करकलितचिन्मुद्रमानन्दरूपं) . He is not an ordinary guru. He is the guru of all(आचार्येन्द्रं --AcAryendraM). He is not a form. He is the truth itself. Therefore truth is revealed by truth itself. When truth is revealing itself words just distort it. Any word is a limitation. If i say some word, it always conveys a limited meaning. A meaning which is intended by me as something , assimilated by you as something else both of which are further from truth. As the truth is revealed it also becomes the source of bliss( आनन्दरूपं), thereby telling that bliss is not in the outside world which is full of imagery but in the poignant nature of truth.
अस्मद् अचर्य पर्यन्ताम् वन्दे गुरु परम्परम ्
Studying vedanta is a big task. The ultimate is to imbibe the upanishadic teachings. However the un-initiated student would find it difficult to assimilate it. Hence there are many introductory texts which prepare the student for this life long journey. Tatva Bodha ,and Atma Bodha by Shakaracharya are such preliminary texts. VivekaChudamani is slightly more advanced and requires some more dedication. Panchadasi also is a comprehensive treatise on vedanta. The introductory texts which prepare us for the vedantic journey are often called the prakarana granthas. If you are more interested, you can go further and try to understand the Brahma Sutras by ved vyasa. Gita often works as a substitute for all these studies, but often is vulnerable to misapprehension because of its rich imagery. All other texts don't carry any mythological overtones. For a keen student , it is important to differentiate the truth from a visualization, the story from its essence , the anatma from the atma . So i am of the opinion that Gita study should come last when the student has acquired the vivekam to understand the essence . In studying it last, you get the milk(gita) from the cows(upanishads ) .
Even though Dakshina Moorthy sthothram is not known as a prakarana grantha , Shankaracharya has done a wonderful task of summarizing the essence of vedanta in 10 terse verses. It is surprisingly a sthrothram which means glorification. Glorification of what?. Glorification of Dakshina Moorthy. Usually a glorification is to please a deity . But here the glorification is not for that purpose at all. The meaning i would like to take from Dakshina Moorthy is Dakshin ( skillful) Amoorthy ( formless) which means a skillful adiguru who teaches non dual truth through his formless presence. The traditional meaning is Dakshina ( South facing ) Moorthy ( idol or symbol) which is shiva the god of laya or resolution . Even this meaning should be seen deeply. What does shiva destroy or dissolve?. He destroys ignorance of duality. Your ego is the embodiment of dualistic existence. By destroying the identity associated with it only you can merge in the sublime. Death alone will not destroy your ignorance, just as sleep alone doesn't destruct our ego as here we remain ignorantly blissful. By imparting light of knowledge , your ignorance is what is resolved or dissolved by the Adi guru.So here the meaning of glorification is to glorify that knowledge which dissolves our ignorance.
In many great books , people write commentaries to make the meaning more clear and easier. One of the direct disciples of shankaracharya called sureshvacharya has written a commentary on Dakshina moorthy sthothram. It is often called Manasollasa. Some verses from these are taken as the Dhyana slokas of Dakshina moorthy sthothram A dhyana sloka is often a prelude to the teaching in a text.
So let us take a look at the first of the six dhyana sloka which is very famous.
मोनव्याख्याप्रकटितपरब्रह्मतत्त्वं युवानं
वर्षिष्ठान्तेवसदृषिगणैरावृतं ब्रह्मनिष्ठैः।
आचार्येन्द्रं करकलितचिन्मुद्रमानन्दरूपं
स्वात्मारामं मुदितवदनं दक्षिणामूर्तिमीडे॥१॥
mounavyAkhyAprakaTitaparabrahmatattvaM yuvAnaM
varShiShThAntevasadRRiShigaNairAvRRitaM brahmaniShThaiH .
AcAryendraM karakalitacinmudramAnandarUpaM
svAtmArAmaM muditavadanaM dakShiNAmUrtimIDe
(I absorb the formless eternal presence(the ever young guru), who teaches the Knowledge of brahman through silence, who is surrounded by disciples who are themselves RRishi-s and scholars in the veda-s, who is the teacher of teachers(thus consciousness itself), whose hand is held the sign-of-Knowledge(chin-mudra), whose nature is bliss, who ever revels in his own Self, and the one who is with ever smiling face.)
(I absorb the formless eternal presence(the ever young guru), who teaches the Knowledge of brahman through silence, who is surrounded by disciples who are themselves RRishi-s and scholars in the veda-s, who is the teacher of teachers(thus consciousness itself), whose hand is held the sign-of-Knowledge(chin-mudra), whose nature is bliss, who ever revels in his own Self, and the one who is with ever smiling face.)
The dhyana sloka is full of compound words . मोनव्याख्याप्रकटितपरब्रह्मतत्त्वं (mouna-vyAkhyA-prakaTita-parabrahma-tattvam) means one who reveals the supreme truth through a discourse of silence. The vyAkhya means teaching or explanation and prakaTita means revelation or throwing light on. It is mentioned that it is revealed by a guru who is युवानं(yuvanam or youthful). To whom does he reveal ?. To वर्षिष्ठान्तेवसदृषिगणैरावृतं ( varShiShTh- Antevasad- RRiShigaNai) which means a bunch of old students who are resident and who themselves are Rishis . In the olden days disciples were resident with the guru's house ( Antevasad). It is also mentioned that they themselves were brahmaniShThaiH ( established in brahma tatvam).So the young guru is surrounded(AvRRitaM) by a old set of disciples.
The story behind this is well known. The disciples were the four manasa putras of Brahma who sought the truth through the study of vedas and finally reached the adi guru who is Shiva to learn about the para vidya ( non dual teaching). It is reminiscent of our samsaric life. All through our life we seek many material things and finally when we get old, we seek the truth. Similarly the vedas consists of two parts .The Veda purva is full of rites and ceremonies which we have to perform for our artha kama , dharma pursuits. But all this leaves us unfulfilled , finally when we have exhausted our life we seek truth or vedanta or end of vedas. So that is why the disciples are old. The guru who is eternal is always youthful. He is always near us.
The students are great, the teacher is great and the discourse is unique. It is revealed in supreme silence through a mudra, which we discussed earlier . This mudra is called the ChinMudra and it poetically conveys the message that in order to know truth, you have to become dispassionate about all the appearances. The appearances are the body, the mind , the states of wakefullness, dream and sleep, the objects of experience , the panchakosas and so on. Unless the forefinger moves away from them all(the other three fingers) , it never gets closer to truth which is the thumb. So the Acharya is sitting quietly in this mudra (आचार्येन्द्रं करकलितचिन्मुद्रमानन्दरूपं) . He is not an ordinary guru. He is the guru of all(आचार्येन्द्रं --AcAryendraM). He is not a form. He is the truth itself. Therefore truth is revealed by truth itself. When truth is revealing itself words just distort it. Any word is a limitation. If i say some word, it always conveys a limited meaning. A meaning which is intended by me as something , assimilated by you as something else both of which are further from truth. As the truth is revealed it also becomes the source of bliss( आनन्दरूपं), thereby telling that bliss is not in the outside world which is full of imagery but in the poignant nature of truth.
But here comes many doubts. How can silence convey anything?. If i am ignorant also i may be silent. How can silence teach me anything.? How do i know if the meaning i got is correct.?. This is where we should understand the indirect method in vedanta. When we learn the kena upanishad , we would be discussing this further. You cannot learn about brahman directly. You can only learn the other part. You can know what it is not first. Therefore all vedantic teaching is indirect. It tries to point out what brahman is not. Thereby this silent teaching to those who are old seasoned seekers by pointing out the Para brahma tatvam is really not any of the appearances , but the underlying essence of all which is consciousness itself which is formless(amoorthy) and eternal( Yuvanam) . Any sabda vritti pramanam is only about forms and appearances which is not the truth. So through the power of implication, truth is revealed.
The last line conveys the source of everything. It says स्वात्मारामं meaning that happiness is derived from I or atma himself and not from anything else. Have you noticed the moments when you are happy. You feel that you don't need anything or anybody. Your happiness is deriving from yourself not from the outside . When i say happiness i don't mean the pleasures of our body or sensory happiness , but the spiritual bliss we very rarely experience in moments of contentment. You say internally "I really don't need anything any longer. I accept what is with complete contentment". A wry smile spreads ( मुदितवदनं). It is this glory of knowledge that i prostrate.
Brahman is existent and is not any of the objects of perception. What do i convey through this ?. It is not an object and yet it is existent. What can be that ?. When we have eliminated all the objects what remains is the subject. The subject which is formless and eternal and never limited in time , space or words. When you negate everything what remains is the negator himself. The negator cannot be non existent as he is negating. He cannot be an object also as he negates all objects. So ergo he must be the subject or experiencer or the formless presence itself. Since all objects come and go , identifying subject with any object is the cause of all misery. When you have abandoned it , you reveal in the ananda that remains of unlimited presence.
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