LNKS- 23 - 1 of 2

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Dear bhAgavatOttamA-s,

 

Sankara's "open" encounters with anti-Vedantins, especially the

"chAruvakA-s" (epicurean atheists), were indeed many and …some of them quite

memorable too.

 

There is one apocryphal and particularly engrossing story (I have heard

SrimAn.U.Ve. Mukkur Lakshminarasimhachariar of Kakinada often narrate parts

of it to his audience) of how Sankara was once invited to engage in

philosophical debate with a staunch "chAruvakA-s". Sankara, they say, was at

first rather bemused by the idea.

 

"You invite me to engage in a philosophical debate, but why?", the

bhagavathpAdA was said to have asked, "The tenets of my philosophy are

grounded in the "pramANa" of Vedic first principles. You have neither

intellectual tradition nor philosophical premise. What then are you and I to

debate about?!"

 

"Who says our school has no "pramANa"?", the "chAruvAka" is said to have

countered. "Of course, we have a philosophical tradition! It is called

"chAruvAka-darsanam" (the atheistic manifesto) and it is more than a match

for your Vedas".

 

"Oh, really!" asked Sankara sarcastically, "I was not aware, Sire, that your

school was rooted in philosophy! Perhaps you would deign to expound this

great "chAruvAka-darsanam" to me!"

 

The anti-Vedantin, being quite insensitive to Sankara's half-serious and

half-mocking tone, gravely began to tutor the bhagavatpAdA in the mysteries

of the "chAruvAka-darsanam". The venerable Sankara too played along, it is

said, just to humour the poor, ridiculous fellow who was unaware his leg was

being not just pulled, but quietly yanked! (Whether this account is

legendary or factual, it is certainly one of the most hilarious events to

have happened in Sankara's life. A little diversion to enjoy it here, I

feel, will do us all no harm.)

 

"Our great philosophy can be summed up in one epigrammatic verse", boasted

the anti-Vedantin and recited to Sankara the following lines:

 

"yAvad jeevate sukham jeevate;

RNam kritvA ghritam pibate;

Bhasmee-bhutasya dehasya

punarAgamanam kutaha- "

 

Sankara heard the verse in thoughtful silence for a moment, shook his head

and then pretending as though the profundity of the verse was thoroughly

lost on him, he queried the "chAruvAka", "Sire, the verse you quote no doubt

sounds brilliant. But please enlighten me as to what it purports to truly

convey."

 

"The verse states what according to our "chAruvakA-darsana" is the ultimate

purpose of existence", replied the anti-Vedantin.

 

"And, Sire, what is the great purpose of existence?"

 

"kAma-Eka-Eva purushArtAha!", replied the atheist. "The sole purpose of all

life is to sate the appetites, big and small, of existential desire. To seek

purpose in life is the passion of all living beings; and the pleasure of

Passion is surely the Purpose. Where passion is unfulfilled, purpose too

remains unconsummated."

 

Sankara bhagavatpAdA patiently listened to this wondrous nugget of

philosophical wisdom and, for a moment, he could hardly conceal a chuckle.

"If this man's absurd philosophy were true indeed", the bhagavathpAdA might

well have said to himself, "what a monumental impostor I must seem to people

everywhere!"

 

"Sire, how wonderfully you state your philosophical case!" said the

bhagavatpAdA continuing the rather burlesque dialogue. "Sire, do you mean

each man must seek out his respective desire in life and utterly devote

himself to its complete satiation?"

 

"Indeed, that is the sole and true purpose of all existence," replied the

'chAruvAka'. "Take away the pleasure of passion from life and what is really

there in it? Deduct the pangs of hunger and the passion of desire from the

net aggregate of living… what remains? Nothing… nothing but endless null,

infinite void. A world without pleasure is of no use to us. It negates our

very existence. Pleasure, on the other hand, fulfils it. Hence, it is

pleasure that is The Principle of Life… As long as one is alive one must

seek out pleasure…"yAvad jeevate sukham jeevate!"

 

"How insightful!" Sankara roundly applauded. "Sir, pray tell me now, if

eating be the sole pleasure of a certain man, what then shall be his earthly

goal?"

 

"Eating and evermore eating is such a man's goal!" was the reply from the

anti-Vedantin.

 

"And if his spirit be sated by endless eating, what might he do then with

the rest of his life?"

 

To this question from Sankara, the anti-Vedantin replied simply, "ghritam

pibate!"

"Let him, who by mere eating, has finished sating his spirit, let him then

look to sating his body. Let him in the days he remains on earth take to

gorging down quantities of pure "ghee"". (In Sanskrit "ghritam" means

"clarified butter").

 

Now it must be remembered that in southern parts of India the people are

predominantly rice eaters. When they sit down to a meal, rice is served

first. Then a few teaspoons of "ghee" are generally served to lace the rice.

This is done firstly, to lend a mild but delicious aroma to the steamed rice

and secondly, to add a bit of the vital nutrient of fat to the otherwise

utterly fat-free diet of South Indians. The culinary custom is to usually

add nothing more than a few dollops (or splash) of this "ghee" to the meal;

anything more would only be adding an unhealthy and dangerous amount of fat

to the diet! Nowadays those who are diet-conscious, in fact, often

completely decline it if "ghee" is served with their meal.

 

In Tamil it is referred to as "ney kutthikaNam" i.e. "ghee" is to be just

"sprinkled", not "poured" or "dished out", over the rice that is served. But

we find here instead, in the Sankara episode, the "chAruvAka" actually

advocating not just "sprinkling" of "ghee" but shamelessly "gorging" it! He

specifically uses the Sanskrit phrase "ghritam pibate". Literally, it means

"quaffing down ghee" as if it were so much lemonade in a large pitcher that

an awfully thirsty man or exceptionally greedy child would easily empty in

two massive gulps and one resounding, disgusting belch!

 

What the anti-Vedantin, of course, meant to tell Sankara bhagavatpAdA was

this: that there were no limits to seeking earthly pleasure. If man's

appetite were to become jaded by indulgence, it could also be whetted by

wanton excess. So for them who had exhausted the gourmet delights of life,

there was still the promised salvation of unbridled gluttony!

 

(continued in the immediately following post # 23- 2of 2

 

 

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