Guest guest Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 9. yat-prItyA prIti-mAtraM tanu-yuvati-tanUjArtha-mukhyaM sa tasmAt preyAn-AtmA’tha shokA-spadam-itarad-ataH preya etat-kathaM syAt / bhAryAdyaM jIvitArthe vitarati ca vapuH svAtmanaH shreya icchan tasmAd-AtmAnam-eva priyam-adhikam-upAsIta vidvAn-na cAnyat // saH AtmA : That Self yat-prItyA : whose dearness is the reason for tanu-yuvati-tanUjArtha-mukhyaM : all things like the body, wife, children and wealth prIti-mAtraM : being dear, tasmAt preyAn : must be dearer (than these things). Atha : On the other hand, itarat : those other things shokAspadaM : are sources of misery. atah preya etat kathaM syAt : How then can they be dearer than the Self? jIvitArthe : For the sake of one’s life vitarati : one gives up bhAryAdyaM : (even) one’s wife and others; ca : and svAtmanaH shreya icchan : for the good of one’s own self vapuH (vitarati) : one gives up the body (of oneself). tasmAt : Therefore vidvAn : the wise person upAsIta : should cherish adhikaM priyaM : most dearly AtmAnam-eva : the Self only na ca anyat : and not anything else. Note: This shloka is a beautiful synopsis of a famous long passage from the Brihad-Aranyakopanishad Ch.II, 4th Brahmana, concluding with the words: “na va are sarvasya kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati, atmanas-tu kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati; atma va are drastavyah srotavyo mantavyo nididhyasitavyo”. For an authentic exposition of the passage see: http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/brdup/brhad_II-04.html , particulary the portion before and after the following conclusive observation: “The love that you feel in respect of an object is in fact the love that you feel towards that which is called perfection and completeness. It is not really a love for the object. You have thoroughly misunderstood the whole point, even when you are clinging to a particular object as if it is the source of satisfaction. The mind does not want an object; it wants completeness of being. That is what it is searching for. Thus, when there is a promise of the fulfilment that it seeks, through the perception of an object that appears to be its counterpart, there is a sudden feeling that fullness is going to come, and there is a satisfaction even on the perception of that object; and there is an apparent satisfaction, just by the imagined possession of it together with the yearning for actual possession. So, what is it that you are asking for? You are not asking for any object or thing; you are asking for a condition of completeness in your being. So, my dear friend, says Yajnavalkya, nobody is dear. No object can be regarded as lovable or desirable. It is something else that you love and are asking for, but by a notion that is completely misconstrued, you believe that the object is loved”. 10. yasmAd-yAvat-priyaM syAd-iha hi vishhayatas-tAvad-asmin-priyatvaM yAvad-dukhaM ca yasmAd-bhavati khalu tatas-tAvad-evA-priyatvaM / naikasmin sarva-kAle’sty-ubhayam-api kadA’py-apriyo’pi priyaH syAt preyAn-apy-apriyo vA satatam-api tataH preya AtmAkhya-vastu // iha : In this world yAvat : as long as priyaM syAt :there is pleasure derived yasmAt vishhayataH : from an object, tAvat : so long priyatvaM : (there is) love asmin : for that object; ca : and yAvat : as long as dukhaM bhavati : there is pain or suffering yasmAt : from an object tAvad-eva : so long only apriyatvaM khalu : (there is) indeed dislike tataH : therein. ekasmin : In the same object sarva-kAle : at all times ubhayam-api : both (pleasantness or unpleasantness) na asti : do not exist. kadA api : Sometimes, however, apriyaH api : even an unpleasant thing priyaH syAt : becomes pleasant vA : or, preyAn api : even a pleasant thing apriyaM (syAt) : becomes unpleasant. tataH : Therefore, AtmAkhya-vastu : The entity known as the Self satatam api preyaH : is always the most beloved. 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 11, 2004 Report Share Posted June 11, 2004 Professsorji, I have been silently enjoying these verses of Adi Shankara. However, i have a confession to make. As you know , i am a poetry buff and therefore i was totally charmed by the presentation of Saundarya Lahari with all the beautiful similies, metaphors, alliteration etc . and of course, Bhakti bhava appeals to me always. These shata slokas have their own beauty but they need to be contemplated on and introspection is needed. None the less, they are valuable for any student of Advaita. I particulary like sloka 9 and the allusion to that famous passage in Br. up - the conversation between YAgnavalkya and his wife Maitrayee . You state in sloka 10 tasmAt : Therefore vidvAn : the wise person upAsIta : should cherish adhikaM priyaM : most dearly AtmAnam-eva : the Self only na ca anyat : and not anything else. and this is what our beloved atma guru shri Ramana states so beautifully in the following passage In what sense is happiness or bliss (ananda) our real nature? Sri Ramana Maharshi: Perfect bliss is Brahman. Perfect peace is the Self. That alone exists and is consciousness. That which is called happiness is only the nature of Self; Self is not other than perfect happiness. That which is called happiness alone exists. Knowing that fact and abiding in the state of Self, enjoy bliss eternally. If a man thinks that his happiness is due to external cause and his possessions, it is reasonable to conclude that his happiness must increase with the increase of possessions and diminish in proportion to their diminution. Therefore if he is devoid of possessions, his happiness should be nil. What is the real experience of man? Does it conform to this view? In deep sleep man is devoid of possessions, including his own body. Instead of being unhappy he is quite happy. Everyone desires to sleep soundly. The conclusion is that happiness is inherent in man and is not due to external causes. One must realise the Self in order to open the store of unalloyed happiness." and our own beloved Adi shankara says in Viveka Chudamani (crest jewel of discrimination) "As a cloud wreath, brought into being by the Sun's shining, spreads and conceals the Sun, so the personal self, which comes into being through the Self, spreads and conceals the true Self." Yes, all the sensual cravings are there in this world of Samsaric maya - and these temptations are the clouds that conceal the Sun of our 'soul' nature ............. so, what is the next step? With the tool of discernment ( viveka) cut the bonds away! is this easy ? Aum Tat Sat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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