hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté
One more term... brahman. I have used the notion of a person's eye that sees ; the eye by itself, without any aids (a mirror), cannot view itself. Just like that pure awareness
is the final seer behind all that we see and perceive. Where did I get that idea from?
The spandapradīpikā¹ by utpalabhaṭṭa – this utpala-ji is the vaiṣṇava ( following the school associated with viṣṇu), says the following :
अदृश्यं नेत्रवद् ब्रह्म द्रष्दृत्वं चास्ति नेत्रवत् ।
स्वात्मन्येवोपलम्भोऽस्य दर्शनं घटवन्न तु ॥
adṛśyaṁ netravad brahma draṣdṛtvaṁ cāsti netravat |
svātmanyevopalambho'sya darśanaṁ ghaṭavanna tu ||
Like the eye (netravad) brahman (brahma) is not the seen (adṛśyaṁ ); like the eye (netravat) it is only the seer (draṣdṛtvaṁ);
Its recovery/’meeting with’ (lambha) brahman is only dwelling within (aysa) one’s own SELF (svātman); it is not (na) observed (darśanaṁ) like a jar (ghaṭavan).
- adṛśyaṁ - invisible, latent
- netravad = netra + vat or eye + like ( ~ like the eye~); the beauty of this term ‘netra’ is it also means a guide. The alignment here is the eye is the ‘guiding’ organ.
- brahma – (brahman) wholeness, fullness, Being, ‘That’ , pure awareness, one’s own SELF
- draṣdṛtvaṁ = draṣṭā – seer, pure awareness ( that which is behind all perceptions – the ultimate and final subject of all things )
- compare this term draṣṭā to dṛṣṭa ; dṛṣṭa is what is seen, what is observed. What is used in this śloka for ‘seen’ is darśanaṁ - seeing , observing which is found in the second verse of this śloka
- cāsti – ca + asta = and + given up, setting (as in setting of the sun)
- netravat = netra + vat or eye + like ( ~ like the eye~)
- svātmanyevopalambho'sya
- svātman - owns own SELF
- lambho'sya
- lambha – attaining or obtaining; meeting with; capture or recovery
- asya = as + ya = pertaining to (ya) + 'as' - to abide , dwell , stay
- I am still perplexed by the use ‘yevopa’ which can be a case ending (ye) + vopa ( which is vu+opa) ; I lack a reasonable translation for it.
- darśanaṁ - seeing, looking, observing
- ghaṭavanna = ghaṭa+van+na or jar + wooden vessel + not ; this too could be ghaṭava +nna = a water (va) + jar + not ( nna by the rule of sandhi)
- tu = but, or
इतिशिवं
iti śivaṁ
words
- spandapradīpikā = spanda + pra + dīpa + kā or offering fulfilling (pra) & satisfying (kā) light (dīpa) on spanda. I do not possess a copy of this work; I just find various couplets ( verses) quoted here and there.
- utpala+bhaṭṭa - bhaṭṭa is a title of respect , the ‘venerable’ utpala.
- There is also the other utpaladevācārya I have mentioned in the last post above: utpala+deva+ācārya utpala = blossoming, any flower + deva = divine, of highest excellence + ācārya is the master, knowing or teaching the ācāra or rules, the spiritual guide & luminary within kaśmir śaivism.
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