Sridakshinamurtistotram Part II

[Guest guest]

For Convenience sake, I am clubbing two posts of Madathil ji and responding.

 

Ref:Message: 6

 

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 08:54:14 -0000

 

"Madathil Rajendran Nair" <madathilnair

 

Re: Sridakshinamurtistotram Part II

 

 

 

Namaste Subbuji.

 

 

 

This is not written in the spirit of tarka but with the sole

 

objective of generating new thoughts.

 

 

 

A city reflected in a mirror needs a relatively real city outside.

 

A reflection has no independent existence without the actual object

 

outside. The analogy, if understood the way you have explained, thus

 

has the flaw of granting more reality to the outside world, which is

 

reflected. For this reason, isn't it safer to assume that the verse

 

only means that the entire universe is within the seer like the image

 

in a mirror. Here the mirror is Consciousness.

 

 

 

Response:

 

Namaste Nair ji:

 

In fact I had intended to include a sentence to the effect that the analogy

provided by the Acharya is specific to the reflection in the mirror and that the

extending of the analogy to consider the real object outside would be improper.

But later I thought mentioning this would be an 'insult' to the learned and

highly intelligent members. Hence I did not add that. What you have said, in

the last two sentences above is perfect. Incidentally, I remember a definition

of the term Vaartikam. You know a vaartikam is a commentary. It is said :

Ukta-anukta-durukta-chintaa vaartikam……Someone pl. correct that sentence. The

Vartika author has the agenda of commenting on that which has been said, that

which has not been said, due to various reasons like keeping to brevity, and

the last one is durukta, that which has been wrongly said. This last one,

durukta, may be there or may not be there in the main work. The 'objective' that

you have said on top will be a helpful exercise indeed.

 

 

 

 

Nair Ji says:

 

Secondly, why do we attach the meaning of swapna (dream) to nidrA?

 

Hasn't Acharya devoted Verse 8 to deal with the question of dream

 

and waking? Nidra is sleep. Can't it therefore mean that we are in

 

a state of sleep, i.e. not awake to Reality. Don't we often

 

say `Wake up to the truth'? Nidra can, therefore, be ignorance – the

 

sleep of ignorance – due to which (yathA nidrayA) the Universe which

 

is really within the Self is projected as existing separately outside

 

in a state of diversity.

 

 

 

Response:

 

Again you are right. It is 'prasiddhi' that a shakti does not remain dormant.

It does express itself. This expression of the nidra shakti, as per, for

example, the Mandukya scheme, is in the form of swapna/jagrat. The Mandukya

karika prefers to club the two together and labels it as swapna. That is why

in the karika that has been quoted by me, the Turiya, the Self, is characterised

as anidram and asvapnam. Thus, nidra is the kaarana paada and svapna is kaarya

paada comprising of the other two states. The eighth verse lays emphasis on the

nature of the 'contents' of the svapna and jagrat and what are all the

misconceptions that we entertain regarding them. Let me keep that in

'suspense'. Right?

 

 

 

Nair ji says:

 

Long back, I likened Consciousness here to a self-iridescent screen.

 

The iridescence glows the world of duality creating a seer-seen

 

division. We call it the error of adhyAsa. When the truth of the

 

one-without-a-second screen is realized as all that there is, the

 

division, including the iridescence, sublates into the Oneness of

 

Consciousness. We realize that the screen couldn't have self-

 

iridescence as a property. Isn't this all that the verse means? The

 

mirror is all that remains. The world seen in it is actually the

 

mirror.

 

 

 

Response:

 

Quite true.

 

 

 

The real intent of the verse is to show that the `inside' becomes

 

an `outside' due to ignorance, i.e. what is actually in the mirror is

 

misunderstood as existing outside. Am I right?

 

 

 

Response:

 

You are absolutely right again.

 

 

 

Nair ji:

 

Needless to say, your attempt is brilliant and you have gathered a

 

lot of insightful references. I am, therefore, eagerly looking

 

forward to reading your further inputs on this great hymn which

 

encapsulates the whole of advaita.

 

 

 

PraNAms.

 

 

 

Madathil Nair

 

 

 

Thank you Madhathil ji and humble pranams

 

 

 

 

 

Ref:Message: 8

 

Wed, 08 Feb 2006 09:50:44 -0000

 

"Madathil Rajendran Nair" <madathilnair

 

Re: Sridakshinamurtistotram Part II

 

 

 

Namaste Subbuji.

 

 

 

I forgot to write this in my previous message.

 

 

 

My view is that nidrA and mAyA should be read together, i.e. yathA

 

nidrayA mAyayA.

 

 

 

Response:

 

The above reading would not be proper for the reason that:

 

There are two things involved in this: First, the very appearance of the world

in the Self. This is due to Maya. Maayayaa hetunaa. This is where the mirror

example was used. Just this would not be sufficient. Its appearing as though

it is outside has also to be shown. The mirror-reflection will not accomplish

this. This is where the dream analogy is used by using the word yathaa

nidrayaa.

 

 

 

Nairji says:

 

It would be helpful if you can endeavour to provide Sanskrit anwaya for

 

each verse as you post them so that the meaning you intend to elaborate

 

will be clear. I know that this quite a tall order. However, kindly

 

try your best.

 

PraNAms.

 

 

 

Madathil Nair

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Response:

 

 

 

Let me try the anvaya. Scholars, pl. do not curse me for the 'murder' of the

sacred text !!

 

 

 

maayayaa (hetunaa) aatmani darpana-drshyamaana-nagarii-tulyam nijaaantargatam

vishwam, nidrayaa (hetunaa) yathaa bahiriva udbhuutam (tathaa) pashyan

 

YaH prabodhasamaye svaatmaanam advayameva saakshaatkurute, Tasmai Srigurumurtaye

Sridakshinamurtaye idam namaH.

 

Optionally, the word vishwam can be read after tathaa. This would have the

advantage of reading 'nijaantargatam bahiriva udbhuutam' in a nice, natural

sequence. That is, the 'inside' appearing as though it is 'outside'. Svaatmaanam

advayameva : He realizes his Self as none other than the Secondless One, in the

manner of 'Sa Eva Aham'.

 

 

 

A tough exercise indeed!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

PraNAms.

 

subbu

 

 

 

 

 

Relax. Mail virus scanning helps detect nasty viruses!

 

 

[Guest guest]

Namaste Subbuji.

 

Thanks for your brilliant clarificatons.

 

My preference would be as follows:

 

nidrayA mAyayA bahiriva udbhuutaM yatA vishwaM Atmani darpaNa-

drshyamAna-nagarI-tulyaM nijAntargataM pashyan yaH prabodhasamaye

advayaM svAtmAnaM sAkSAtkurute tasmai srIgurumURtaye

sridakshinamurtaye idam namaH.

 

yatA is effectively used in the verse to show that the outside

appearance of the world is only 'as though'.

 

I have to confess that my knowledge of Sanskrit is rudimentary. I am

in fact learning from you.

 

In Devi MAhatmyaM Chapter 1, Devi is described as 'nidrAm

bhagavatIM'. In the 5th Chapter, she is extolled as error (bhrAnti).

That is the Advaitin's adhyAsa. Hence, there is every reason to

believe that nidrA denotes mAyAshakti and not a reference to swapna

of the avastAtraya although many commentators including Sw.

Chinmayanandaji have gone in for that explanation. Isn't She also

called moharAtRi (the night of delusion) in Chapter 1?

 

PraNAms.

 

Madathil Nair

 

 

 

advaitin, V Subrahmanian <subrahmanian_v

wrote:

>>

>

>

> maayayaa (hetunaa) aatmani darpana-drshyamaana-nagarii-tulyam

nijaaantargatam vishwam, nidrayaa (hetunaa) yathaa bahiriva udbhuutam

(tathaa) pashyan

>

> YaH prabodhasamaye svaatmaanam advayameva saakshaatkurute, Tasmai

Srigurumurtaye Sridakshinamurtaye idam namaH.

>