Physical strength or Will power - What is the yard stick?

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tyAjyaM tyajAni vihitaM cha samAcharANi

nityeshhu shaktiM anurudhya tu vartitavyam.h |

tadbuddhi shaktiM anurudhya na kaaryashaktiM

iti etat.h eva tu shive vinivedayaami || 36 ||

 

AnandasAgarastavaH

(you can access the full text from

http://www.escribe.com/religion/ambaa/m3479.html)

 

Brief translation:

 

O shivE, I will try my best to abandon the works that are not to be done;

and I will try to adhere to what has been ordained by shAstra-s. With

respect to these ordained karma-s, it is said in shAstra-s has to be done to

best of one's ability. This where I have come to plead. Dont measure my

ability based on the physical strength to perform or the knowledge of how

to perform; but use my will power as the yard stick. After all, once can

act only to the limit of his will power.

 

--

To give an example, I may know how to do brahma yajna (a nitya karma) and I

may have the physical strength to perform it; yet if I do not have the

mental strength or will power to get up early, shrug off the laziness and do

the brahma yajna; I will not do it.

 

It is still an inability, but a mental inability due to long term

cultivation of bad habits. It is not as easy to get rid of it as it may

sound. Often times it is what that precludes the devotee and not the lack

of physical power or materials. The lack of mental power is indeed the

strongest obstacle in front of a sadhAka. The temptation of let me sleep for

another ten minutes is an experience known to all but a few. Even

physically handicapped persons may outperfom a so called normal person by a

strong resolve. Hence, the lack of will power is as a much a disease or

inability.

 

Here the poet* does not say I will not do. He says, I will try my best to

do. But it will take time. Solution to this given in various shAstra-s as

"abhyAsa vairAgyAbhyAm tannirodaH" (yoga sutra) or Gita (6-35). But easier

said than done.

 

Another purport of this verse is to realize that one's greatest weakness is

lack of mental/will power and rely more on ambaa for that. Every time, when

one fails to do the ordained karma-s, it only gives greater humility and the

desperate need for support from Lord.

 

--

 

In this verse poet takes up two of the six limbs in the shhaDanga

sharaNAgati. These two are AnukUlasya sankalpam and prAtikUlasya varjanam.

That is the resolve to do what is ordained by shAstra-s and an equal

resolve to stay away from what is prohibited by shAstra-s. These two limbs

of the sharaNagati mArgam indeed indicates that a prapannan is quite series

on these issues, even if he is unable to do it.

 

 

Ravi

* He rather speaks for people like us.