Shata-shlokI of Shankara - 15, 16 of 101

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Namaste.

 

15.

yaH kashcit soukhya-hetos-trijagati yatate naiva dukhasya

hetoH

dehe’hantA tad-utthA sva-vishhaya-mamatA ceti dukh-Aspade

dve /

jAnan-rogA-bhighAtAdy-anubhavati yato’nitya-dehAtma-buddhiH

 

bhAryA-putr-Artha-nAshe vipadam-atha parAm-eti

na-arAti-nAshe //

 

yaH kashcit : Any one

trijagati : in all the three worlds

yatate : strives

soukhya-hetoH : for the sake of happiness

na eva dukhasya hetoH : and never for the sake of misery.

dukha-Aspade dve : (There are) two sources of misery,

iti : namely,

dehe ahantA : the sense of I-ness in the body

tadutthA ca : and, arising therefrom,

sva-vishhaya-mamatA : the sense of ‘mine’ in one’s

interests.

yataH : For,

jAnan : (even) the learned man

anitya-dehAtma-buddhiH : mistaking the transient body for

the Self,

anubhavati : undergoes

roga-abhighAta-Adi : suffering from disease, assault, etc.

atha parAM vipadam-eti : and also experiences great sorrow

bhAryA-putra-artha-nAshe :at the loss of wife, son or

wealth;

na arAti-nAshe : (but) not at the loss of an enemy!

 

Note 1: The last words “na-arAti-nAshe” form the punchline

of the shloka and rightly bring to focus how an absence of

equanimity is the great obstacle in the spiritual ascent.

This is why even in the most popular ShAnti mantra

“sahanAvavatu ..”, there is what looks like a postscript:

“mA vidvishAvahai” – ‘Let us not hate anything or any one’.

 

 

Note 2: The standard question that is asked whenever this

equanimity is emphasized, is “How do you practise

equanimity in real life? Is it not just a theoretical

abstraction?”. An elaboration of a possible answer to this

trend of thinking, with particular reference to the Gita,

has been attempted on the web page “Happiness of

Equanimity in practice” at

http://www.geocities.com/profvk/livehappily_5.html

 

 

16.

tishhTan gehe gRhesho’py-atithir-iva nijaM dhAma gantuM

cikIrshhuH

dehastham dukha-soukhyaM na bhajati sahasA

nirmamatva-abhimAnaH /

AyAtr-AyAsyat-IdaM jalada-paTalavad-yAtR yAsyaty-avashyaM

dehAdyaM sarvam-eva pravidita-vishayo yashca

tishhTaty-ayatnaH //

 

gRheshaH : The family man

gehe tishhTan api : though dwelling at home,

nirmamatva-abhimAnaH: devoid of any feeling of mine-ness,

atithir-iva : (remains) like a guest,

nijaM dhAma gantuM cikIrshhuH : longing to reach his own

destination (moksha, Brahman)

na bhajati : feels not

sahasA : with fervour

dukha-soukhyam : either the misery or the happiness

dehasthaM : belonging to the body or mind (i.e., belonging

to the home).

dehAdyaM sarvam eva : Whether it be the body or anything

else,

AyAtR : what is bound to occur (or come)

avashyaM AyAsyati : will surely occur (or come);

yAtR : What is bound to be missed (or to go)

(avashyaM) yAsyati : will surely go or be missed,

jalada-paTalavat : like a gathering of clouds.

iti idaM pravidita-vishayaH yaH : He who knows the Truth

thus

ayatnaH tishhTati : remains at ease.

 

Note: Mark this shloka that tells us how to be an advaitin

in practice. The Truth “Que sera, sera” is not a fatalistic

view, but is a Vedantic conclusion arrived at because of

the seeker’s need to ‘reach his own destination’ (‘nijam

dhAma gantuM cikiRshhuH’).

 

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