Shata-shlokI of Shankara - 1,2 of 101

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Namaste.

 

Om.

1.

dRshhTAnto naiva dRshhTaH tribhuvana-jaThare

sad-guror-jnAna-dAtuH

sparshash-cet-tatra kalpyaH sa nayati yad-aho

svarNatAm-ashma-sAraM /

na sparshatvaM tathA-api shrita-caraNa-yuge sadguruH

svIya-shishhye

svIyaM sAmyaM vidhatte bhavati nirupamaH tena vA’laukiko’pi

//

 

na eva dRshhTaH : There is nothing known

dRshhTAntaH : (as ) comparable

tribhuvana-jaThare : in all the three worlds

sad-guroH : to the revered teacher

jnAna-dAtuH : who dispenses knowledge.

sparshaH tatra kalpyaH cet : If ‘sparsha’, the

philosopher’s stone be one such,

saH nayati : it turns

ashmasAraM : iron

svarNatAM : into gold,

aho : (but) alas!

na sparshatvaM : not into being ‘sparsha’, the

philosopher’s stone.

tathA api : On the other hand,

sad-guruH : the revered teacher

vidhatte : creates, produces

sAmyaM : equality

svIyaM : (with) himself

svIya-shishhye : in his disciple

shrita-caraNa-yuge : who takes refuge in his feet.

tena : By this reason,

bhavati : he becomes

nirupamaH : peerless

vA : or more,

aloukiko’pi : even transcendental.

 

Important note: In organizing the translation into English,

the Sanskrit words of the verse have been re-sequenced in

such a way that their English meanings as given above, when

read in the same sequence, will make sense. We shall

follow this practice, in all the succeeding shlokas.

Note on shloka 1: That the Guru becomes ‘transcendental’ is

the stamp of the Acharya in this shloka. Such punchlines in

almost every shloka are characteristic of his Vedanta

poetic works, particularly in this Shata-shlokI. As far as

I know -- I would like to be corrected here -- probably

this is the only place, of all his works, where Adi

Shankara mentions this unique quality of the Guru-Acharya –

namely the quality that the Guru produces disciples who

themselves become Gurus in due time, thus keeping the

Guru-paramparA ever alive, -- not just alive, but rising to

greater and greater heights.

 

2.

yadvac-chrIkhaNDa-vRkshha-prasRta-parimaLen-Abhito’nye’pi

vRkshhAH

shAshvat-saugandhya-bhAjo’pyatanu-tanu-bhRtAM

tApam-unmIlayanti /

AcAryAl-labdha-bodhA api vidhi-vashataH sannidhau

sam-sthitAnAM

tredhA tApaM ca pApaM sakaruNa-hRdayAH svoktibhiH

kshhAlayanti //

 

yadvat : Just as

parimaLena : by the fragrance

prasRta : diffused

shrIkhaNda-vRkshha : (by) a sandal tree

anye : other

vRkshA api : trees also

abhitaH : all around (it)

saugandhya-bhAjaH : are full of fragrance

shAshvat : at all times

tApam-unmIlayanti api : and afford relief from heat

atanu-tanubhRtAM : to diverse embodied beings,

labdha-bodhA api : (so) also they that have gained wisdom

AcAryAt : from the teacher,

sakruNa-hRdayAH : with hearts full of compassion,

kshhAlayanti : emancipate

svoktibhiH : by their talks

sannidhaU vidhi-vashataH samsthitAnAM :all those

fortunately situated in their presence

tredhA tApaM : (from) the three kinds of suffering

(adhyAtma, adhidaivata, adhibhautika)

(tredhA) pApaM ca : and also (from) the three kinds of sin

(body, speech and mind).

 

Note 1. Compare from Narada bhakti sutra No.69:

“tIrthI-kurvanti tIrthAni, su-karmI kurvanti karmANi,

sac-chAstrI-kurvanti shAstrANi”

They make holy places holy, make works well worked, and

make scriptures into real scriptures – by explaining their

purport well and meaningful for others.

 

praNAms to all students of Adi Shankaracharya

profvk

 

 

 

 

 

=====

Prof. V. Krishnamurthy

My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/

You can access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and

Practice, and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.

Also see my webpages on Live Happily, the Gita Way at

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/contentsbeach11.html