सदाशिव समारम्भाम् शंकराचार्य मध्यमाम्
अस्मद् आचार्य पर्यन्ताम् वंदे गुरु परम्पराम्
In the first four verses Shankacharya had already summarized vedanta. If you study these deeply , you will learn a lot.
In the 3rd and 4th verses he says atma is of the nature of Sat and Chit . (formless-existence-consciousness)
In the 2nd he says all existence arises from atma just as the tree stems from the seed .
In the first verse he relates how existence through manifestations is seen by the atma.
The summary is this. You are existence-consciousness. From you the entire universe has arisen. You were there before the creation and will be there after the creation . You are the jivatma and paramatma much like roles played. If you know this truly , life would not bother you because life is just a passing show in you. So many appearances have come and gone in you. You are not only everything, but all these things have no power of disturbing you. However he says all this power that you have, only becomes useful , if you become aware of this knowledge. For an ignorant person, this life is a suffering , much like the dreamer who suffers in his dreams without knowing it is a dream.
Ask a layman who he is , the immediate reply would be his body. Ask a slightly educated person, he would say it is a mix of body and mind , but it is very difficult to point out what the I is . It seems as though it is experienced within, but it is not so clear. So for us , the problem of who we really are is not so well established and nobody worries too much because it is not seen as an important question.
"I have enough problems already . So i have no time for any philosophical interludes !!" would be the common response.
Among philosophies in ancient india , there were many viewpoints . The charvakas believed that the I is nothing but the material stuff of the body. There are other group of people who believe that I is the prana. ( pranam iti viduhu) and so on. There are other versions which says I am the sense organs ( Indriyani) .
Buddhist philosophers too form various groups based on what they presume the atma is. For some branch it is the same as consciousness, however consciousness itself is changing and fleeting. Shankaracharya says about this notion as चलां बुद्धिं( fleeting consciousness). To another bunch of Buddhists, atma is the great void or Shunyatha and so on.
Shankacharya spent a great time arguing with philosophers other than Advaita vedanta and he used to defeat them all in tarkashastra with valid points from own experience. However he found many other philosophers to be vehemently holding onto their theories and perceptions like deluded people who believe in various superstitions.
In the fifth verse Shankacharya is addressing these gang of people who have incorrect understanding of what the atma is ( which is explained in the first four verses). But what he says is little more subtle. What he says is the ignorance of atma is the root cause of suffering. So be it ignorance due to wrong notion or ignorance due to not understanding at all, the suffering is the same.
देहं प्राणमपीन्द्रियाण्यपि चलां बुद्धिं च शून्यं विदुः
स्त्रीबालान्धजडोपमास्त्वहमिति भ्रान्ता भृशं वादिनः ।
मायाशक्तिविलासकल्पितमहाव्यामोहसंहारिणे
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥५॥
Deham Praannam-Api-Indriyaanny-Api Calaam Buddhim Ca Shuunyam Viduh
Strii-Baala-Andha-Jaddo(a-U)pamaas-tv[u-]Aham-Iti Bhraantaa Bhrsham Vaadinah |
Maayaa-Shakti-Vilaasa-Kalpita-Mahaa-Vyaamoha-Samhaarinne
Tasmai Shrii-Guru-Muurtaye Nama Idam Shrii-Dakssinnaamuurtaye ||5||
( Some say the atma is the deham, some say it is the prana and for some it is indriyani . Buddhists claim it is a fleeting consciousness or shunyata. Like a naive girl child or a blind person or a dull headed one they vehemently hold on to their viewpoints ( he says भ्रान्ता).
If the inner guru is awakened all these maya of who we are vanishes and truth prevails. I prostrate that guru who is always guiding me)
It is a simple verse, but yet asserts the importance of knowing who we are ( or what atma is ) to be the central point of our studies and life. A misconception is enough to muddle our life into confusion, anger and delusion. The important point is we fail to let go of our misconception like a madman who holds onto his state of confusion how ever hard we try. Unless we try to kill ( Samhaarinne) this delusion (maayaa), we will continue our state of deluded separate selves.
One of the unique characteristics of vedanta philosophy is that it is not based on any belief system. It does not force you into believing any dogmas or concepts. However as the zen master said , you should always have the beginner's mind .
अस्मद् आचार्य पर्यन्ताम् वंदे गुरु परम्पराम्
In the first four verses Shankacharya had already summarized vedanta. If you study these deeply , you will learn a lot.
In the 3rd and 4th verses he says atma is of the nature of Sat and Chit . (formless-existence-consciousness)
In the 2nd he says all existence arises from atma just as the tree stems from the seed .
In the first verse he relates how existence through manifestations is seen by the atma.
The summary is this. You are existence-consciousness. From you the entire universe has arisen. You were there before the creation and will be there after the creation . You are the jivatma and paramatma much like roles played. If you know this truly , life would not bother you because life is just a passing show in you. So many appearances have come and gone in you. You are not only everything, but all these things have no power of disturbing you. However he says all this power that you have, only becomes useful , if you become aware of this knowledge. For an ignorant person, this life is a suffering , much like the dreamer who suffers in his dreams without knowing it is a dream.
Ask a layman who he is , the immediate reply would be his body. Ask a slightly educated person, he would say it is a mix of body and mind , but it is very difficult to point out what the I is . It seems as though it is experienced within, but it is not so clear. So for us , the problem of who we really are is not so well established and nobody worries too much because it is not seen as an important question.
"I have enough problems already . So i have no time for any philosophical interludes !!" would be the common response.
Among philosophies in ancient india , there were many viewpoints . The charvakas believed that the I is nothing but the material stuff of the body. There are other group of people who believe that I is the prana. ( pranam iti viduhu) and so on. There are other versions which says I am the sense organs ( Indriyani) .
Buddhist philosophers too form various groups based on what they presume the atma is. For some branch it is the same as consciousness, however consciousness itself is changing and fleeting. Shankaracharya says about this notion as चलां बुद्धिं( fleeting consciousness). To another bunch of Buddhists, atma is the great void or Shunyatha and so on.
Shankacharya spent a great time arguing with philosophers other than Advaita vedanta and he used to defeat them all in tarkashastra with valid points from own experience. However he found many other philosophers to be vehemently holding onto their theories and perceptions like deluded people who believe in various superstitions.
In the fifth verse Shankacharya is addressing these gang of people who have incorrect understanding of what the atma is ( which is explained in the first four verses). But what he says is little more subtle. What he says is the ignorance of atma is the root cause of suffering. So be it ignorance due to wrong notion or ignorance due to not understanding at all, the suffering is the same.
देहं प्राणमपीन्द्रियाण्यपि चलां बुद्धिं च शून्यं विदुः
स्त्रीबालान्धजडोपमास्त्वहमिति भ्रान्ता भृशं वादिनः ।
मायाशक्तिविलासकल्पितमहाव्यामोहसंहारिणे
तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥५॥
Deham Praannam-Api-Indriyaanny-Api Calaam Buddhim Ca Shuunyam Viduh
Strii-Baala-Andha-Jaddo(a-U)pamaas-tv[u-]Aham-Iti Bhraantaa Bhrsham Vaadinah |
Maayaa-Shakti-Vilaasa-Kalpita-Mahaa-Vyaamoha-Samhaarinne
Tasmai Shrii-Guru-Muurtaye Nama Idam Shrii-Dakssinnaamuurtaye ||5||
( Some say the atma is the deham, some say it is the prana and for some it is indriyani . Buddhists claim it is a fleeting consciousness or shunyata. Like a naive girl child or a blind person or a dull headed one they vehemently hold on to their viewpoints ( he says भ्रान्ता).
If the inner guru is awakened all these maya of who we are vanishes and truth prevails. I prostrate that guru who is always guiding me)
It is a simple verse, but yet asserts the importance of knowing who we are ( or what atma is ) to be the central point of our studies and life. A misconception is enough to muddle our life into confusion, anger and delusion. The important point is we fail to let go of our misconception like a madman who holds onto his state of confusion how ever hard we try. Unless we try to kill ( Samhaarinne) this delusion (maayaa), we will continue our state of deluded separate selves.
One of the unique characteristics of vedanta philosophy is that it is not based on any belief system. It does not force you into believing any dogmas or concepts. However as the zen master said , you should always have the beginner's mind .
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