Re: shrI Shankara charitam: exposition by KAnchi ParamAchArya
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pravRtti--nivRtti
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Two thousand, two thousand and five hundred years ago, the condition of our desham--country, had extremely deteriorated.
Since anAdi kAlam--eternity, the vedokta--Vedas-sanctioned, path has been prevailing in our desham. Its name is SanAtana Dharma. Since it arose in anusaraNam--conformity with, the Vedas, it can also be called the vaidika matam--Vedic Religion. Only bahu kAlam--several millennia, later, did the people of anya desham--foreign countries, gave it the name Hindu Matam, and we are using only the name they gave it. It is not even mentioned in the books that are the basis of our matam--religion, that the name for it is SanAtana Dharma or vaidika matam. Since there were no other religions and only this single matam was prevailing from eternity, there was no avashyam--necessity, to give it a name. Later, those who came from the western countries, since they had to pass the Sindhu nadI first in our BhArata desham, making Indus of the (name) Sindhu, they gave the name India to the BhArata desham that had its territory therefrom, and started calling its matam--religion, that came prAchInam--from ancient times, Hinduism, and all of us who follow it Hindus, and these names have prevailed.
In this SanAtana Dharma systematized by the Vedas, two mArgas--paths: the pravRtti mArga, and the nivRtti mArga.
• To conduct life in this lokam--world, well and in accordance with Dharma, the pravRtti mArga.
• To let go the worldly life, and on completing it (at death), to come in aikyam--unity, with ParamAtmA and get liberated from the janana-maraNam--birth and death, the nivRtti mArga.
• To live in accordance with Dharma, that is, to conduct the household life as per Vedic regulations so as to bring good to oneself and good to the jana samUham--community, and do the karmAnuShTAnams--prescribed duties, in anusaraNam--conformity, with the varNAshrama vyavastas--bounds of the occupational class system, is the pravRtti mArga.
• In this mArga, we obtain puNyam--good karma, to the extent we do our karmAnuShTAna well, and due to that puNya phala--fruits of good karma, obtain vAsam--residence, in the inba lokam--pleasure world, of svargam--heaven.
• But then that pleasure is not shAshvatam--perpetual. As we go on experiencing the pleasure, our puNya balance would become lesser and lesser. After it is exhausted, 'punarapi jananam'--back again to birth, as it is said, to be born again on this earth.
• Still, as we lived according to the Veda Dharma (in the pUrva janmam--earlier birth), this would be a good birth that obtains good facilities. If the life is led without failing in Dharma in this life too, again the svaga bhogam--heavenly enjoyment. But then as said (earlier), this bhogam--enjoyment, is not shAshvatam--eternal.
• That it is not shAshvatam is on one side. With that, even while enjoying it, this pleasure will not be one that gives us pUrNa tRpti--complete satisfaction. "Nothing further is required! Has not this state been obtained in nirantaram--perpetually? There is nothing to move away from this, even slightly. There is no further need for us."--Only when one can become such, only then, the tRpta pUrNAnandam.
However much santoSham--happiness, is there in these two, bhUlokam--world of earth, and svargam--heaven, it cannot give such fulfilment of Anandam--bliss. One cannot be in these lokas--worlds, without the various kinds of bhayam--fear, duHkham--sorrow, and the izhupaRigaL--unsettling condition, of kAma-krodhAdi--desire, anger, etc. To obtain these pleasures, one should be making incessant efforts too. That is, one should keep on struggling.
• Not only that. Will these pleasures satisfy what we are in our inner depths? Never. Except that somehow there will be a pleasant experience to the eye, ear, mouth, and other sparshAdi--tactile senses, to the manas--mind, even to the buddhi--intellect, there won't be even some slight sukhAnubhavam--comfortable experience, in these (pleasures) to the AtmA, which is resident beyond all these, and beyond our antaHkaraNa--inner organs too.
Even to us while experiencing the pleasures, from time to time when some dIrgha yojana--deep thought, comes up, it would seem, "What is this? Without obtaining any fulfilment for that something that sits inside us as sArabhUtam--excellent thing, we continue to seek at the outer level something that is asthiram--impermanent, as saukhyam--comfort, inbam--pleasure, do whatever (to have them) and seem to get satisfied with them?"
• That which gives complete inner satisfaction is only the nivRtti mArgam. Only the man who gives up karmas--labour and activity, gives up the jana samUham--community, becomes sannyAsi--ascetic, and remains sadA-sarva-kAlam--at all times, in Atma-chitana--thinking about the AtmA, doing dhyAnam--meditation, would get into the state of complete fulfilment that lets him know and experience that the AtmA is nothing but Brahmam.
Only that state which is called samAdhi and sAkShAtkAram--Self-Realization, is one that remains shAsvatam--permanent, once it is obtained. Even in normal conversation, we say, "it was brahmAnandam!", about an experience of happiness that is known to us. In vAstavam--truth, however, that 'brahmAnandam' would be known only the man who has got siddhi--personal success, in the nivRtti mArgam!
• It is not the feeling of bliss that someone experiences about something else as Brahmam. The bliss that he is the brahmam is the brahmAnandam. This one (who has got siddhi in the nivRtti mArgam) himself becomes that Anandam that is called brahmam. Only there, there is no bhayam--fear, no duHkham--sorrow, and the unsettling condition of kAmam--desire, and krodham--anger; and no incessant efforts are required.
• One should work hard before he gets the siddhi. I said struggle, and it would perforce be a great one. But once that lakShyam--target, is reached, there is no sliding down from it.
What is said as
தில்லை வெளியிலே கலந்து விட்டாலவர்
திரும்பியும் வருவாரோ?
tillai veLiyilE kala~ndu viTTAlavar
tirumbiyum varuvArO?
--SubrahmaNya BhArati
"Once they merge with the space of Thillai (Chidambaram), will they ever return?"
is only this. And what Brahma SUtram has ended, with two times instead of one, as
अनावृत्तिः शब्दाद् अनावृत्तिः शब्दाद् ॥४.४.२३॥
anAvRuttiH shabdAd anAvRuttiH shabdAd ||4.4.23||
"No return (for those liberated souls) on account of the scriptural statement (to that effect)."--svAmi ShivAnanda
only says this. The brahmasUtrakAra--author of BS, says, "This is not what I have said; it is in the shruti--Vedas." 'shabdAd' means 'from the shruti which is the shabda pramANam'.
The ChAndogya upaniShad which is the shruti shiras--crest of Vedas, also ends saying it twice in this way.
Therefore, the nitya pErinbam--permanent Heavenly Bliss, is obtained only by the nivRtti mArgam. All that is obtained in pravRtti (mArgam) is only the chiRtRinbam--earthly pleasures, which is nashvara--perishable.
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रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥
To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.
--viShNu purANam
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