gitAmRta-mahodadhiH

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dear advaitins,

Since I find so much scholarly discussion of advaita in this forum I

make bold to introduce my father's mss. gItAmRta-mahodadhiH to you.

The author R. Visvanatha Sastri (1882-1956) worked in the judicial

department (and retired as Sub-Court Sheristadar, Cuddalore, in 1939)

but had also a gurukula vedanta training from Sri Vasudeva-brahmendra,

a sanyasi of Ganapathi Agraharam. Sri RVS has left around 27 original

mss. all on advaita, all written in grantha script. The largest (and

chronologically, the last but one or two, in his lifetime) is this,

consisting of 2400 anuSTup verses. It has five chapters called

AzvAsAH, entitled - brahma, praNava, advaita, JAna, yogA-zvAsAH. He

has himself given a prose commentary of them all grouping them into a

few verses at a time. Together it all runs to 850 pages. The whole

work is, in my opinion, a masterly thesis on advaita, using the gItA

and upaniSads as spring-board. I have transliterated the entire

thing into devanagari by hand and this mss. of mine is now in the

Kuppuswami Sastri Research Institue, Mylapore Madras. Right now I am

putting the original mss. into the computer acc. to Kyoto-Harvard

Convention. Along with the work I am also trying my hand at

translation of the same, though not word by word, at least by giving

english summaries after every break given by the author himself. Below

I am giving for your information, a sample of two pages of this

resulting work. The sample comes from the first chapter which

contains 510 verses. The english portion is mine (which is subject to

approval after scrutiny by experts); the sanskrit portion (consisting

of the zloka part and the prose vyAkhyAna part) is totally that of

the author. If the rs of 'Advaitin' are interested, I am

willing to give extracts from the mss. at certain intervals of time,

serially from the beginning. At the same time let it not be construed

that I am taking liberties with members of Advaitin to impose my

father's mss. on them.

 

Extract from gItAmRta-mahodadhiH of Sri R. Visvanatha Sastri with

paragraph summaries in english by vk. The extract is actually the two

pages 42 and 43 of the growing computer document:

 

jyotI-rUpANy-anekAni sUrya-candrAdi-rUpataH /

sUrya-pratItir-asmAkaM na sUryAcca bhavet kila // 112 //

candrAgnyAdi-pratItizca na hi tattad-svarUpataH /

sUrya-candrAgny-Adayazca cit-prayuktAt-sva-cakSuSaH //113//

svajyotiz-cakSuSas-cakSuH sUryAdInAM prakazakaM /

ApUrayan svatejobhiH jyotIMSi pravizaty-aho // 114 //

lingatraya-vinirmuktaM jyotiSAM jyotir-uttamaM /

yad-bhAsate vinA mAnaM tasyaiva sva-prakAzatA // 115 //

 

sUrya-bhAnaM na sUryataH / candrAdi bhAnaM na tu candrAdeH /

yaccakSuSA na pazyati yena cakSUMSi pazyati / cakSurgata-cijjyotireva

sarva-vastu-bhAsakaM / zukreNa jyotImSi samanu-praviSTa iti zruteH /

cid-razmibhis-sarvamapy-ApUrayan ghaTAdi-sUryAnta-pravezena

tAn-avabhAsayati / lingatraya-saMyoge tat-tanmaya iva bhAsate / tasya

bhAsA sarvam-idam vibhAti iti nyAyena sahakAry-anapekSatayA

yad-bhAsate / sva-mahimnaH prakAzena sUkSmaM vastu yaH prapazyati

tasyaiva sva-prakAzatA / sApi sva-mAtrA-vaziSTatvaM / tadevAntaraM

bahizca vyApakaM / saiva sattA sAmAnyatA /

_____________

 

What we see as the Sun it is the shining of the Absolute as the Sun.

That which cannot be seen by the eyes but what makes the eyes see is

what is known as the absolute. It is the Light of the Absolute that

lights up everything – including the Sun, the Moon, the stars, the

universe and all the objects that are cognized by our senses including

our own body and mind. It is that Absolute Effulgence which makes

everything effulgent. So that which shines by itself without any other

base or support or substratum is the Self. That is what shines inside

and outside. That is the Truth pure and simple!

112 to 115

 

sva-mahimnaH prakAzazca suSuptau vedyate kila /

indriyoparame svapne svenaiva dRzyate jagat // 116 //

Atmanaiva jyotiSAste ityeSA hy-anubhUyate /

dRzyAntaHstha-sva-svarUpa-dRgjyotir-anubhUyate // 117 //

 

jadAnAM dehendriyAdInAM prakAzakatvaM nAstyeva / svaprakAza-cidAtmani

mAyA-tamaH avidyAdayaH na santi / deha-sangAt nAma-rUpa-cauryaM

kRtavAn-AtmA / deho’pi AtmanaH saccid-AnandatvaM apahRtavAn / AtmA

svaprakAza iti na zAstreNa prakAzyate / sva-mahimaiva

mahAdarza-sthAnIyaH / dhI-gata-vAsanAH tatra dRzyante / dhiyaiva

nirasanIyAs-tAH / dRg-jyotiriti aizvaraM vyApakaM tatvaM udvayaM

tamasaspari iti mantrAmnAtaM yadvinA na kimcid-avagantuM zakyaM

tadekameva draSTR-darzana-dRzya-rUpeNa bhAsate / jyotir-antargataM

sarvaM jyotIrUpatvAdeva jyotiSi vilIyata ityucyate /

______________

 

The inert senses cannot shine by themselves . On the other hand the

Absolute Consciousness has no darkness or ignorance in it. As such the

manifestation that is cognized is only a feat of the Absolute through

names and forms. The body also usurps the Existence-Knowledge-Bliss

state of the Atman. That the latter shines is not to be known by the

authority of the scriptures. The expression of the Self is by its own

Light or Glory., All the vAsanAs that are deeply embedded in the

mind-intellect express themselves and we are led to believe that it

is the Atman that is being cognized through this. These vAsanAs and

images that have been brought into the picture by the intellect have

to be eradicated by the intellect itself .

116, 117.

 

etAdRza-sva-prakAze brahmAnanda-mayo rase /

tatkaNAneva gRhNantaH tadrasAzca tadAtmikAH // 118 //

sva-brahmatvaM sva-sarvatvaM na jAnanti vimohitAH /

AtmA na cakSuSA grAhyaH tathApyAste ca sarvataH // 119 //

iti zrutir-vadatyeva tasmAd-dRzyaMca zodhayet /

dRgbrahma dRzyaM mAyeti dRgjyotiSi vikalpitaM // 120 //

 

svaprakAzAtmaka-gItAmRta-mahodadhi-madhya-vartinaH sarve vayaM

viSaya-vAteritAn amRta-kaNAneva bhunjantaH amRtatva-dharmeNa sarvato

rAjamAnA api tadajAnAnA eva asarvo’haM abrahmAhaM iti mohaM

prApnuvantaH svarUpa-yAthA-tathyaM na jAnImaH

svamRtAnanda-praJnAna-ghane dRzyasya saMbhavaH iti vicAraNIyaH /

loukika-dRStyagocara AtmA divya-dRStyaiva grAhyaH tasmAt sUkSma-tamaM

vyApakaMca dRgjyotir-eva sarva-kalpanA-dhiSTAnaM bhavati /

_____________

 

This kind of self-effulgence is what makes us cognize ourselves and

express through our senses. But we don’t seem to be aware of this

because of our colossal ignorance. What we experience as our knowledge

is because of this self-illuminating Consciousness. This

Consciousness-cum-Reality cannot be sensed by our senses; we must

have a divine perception to see it . What we see outside as the

Universe is just a superimposition on the Self whose effulgence is

what makes the Universe what it is.

118 to 120.

Yours,

V. Krishnamurthy