Fwd: My Tribute to the memory of U.Ve.Sri. Mukkur Swami

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tiruvengadam, "Sudarshan M.K." <sampathkumar_2000>

wrote:

 

Dear friends,

 

The memory of Mukkur Swamy remains fresh in my memory thanks to the

many discourses I have heard him give on a variety of religious

subjects in the course of his long career as 'upannyAsa-chakravarty'.

 

Swamy was often fond of explaining the 'philosophy of materialism' as

propounded by the anti-vedantic school of 'chArvaka' (sometimes

referred to also as 'chAruvAka') which held sway during the times of

both Adi Sankara and even Sri.RamanujAchArya.

 

These 'chAruvaka-s' were outright hedonists for whom the only purpose

of human existence was pursuit of sensual pleasure. Their philosophy

was utterly crude but was nevertheless very cleverly enunciated. In

Sankara's times, when moral decadence had set in deeply amongst some

privileged and intellectual classes of society, it appealed to

a lot of people.

 

Mukkur Swamy used to narrate a legendary conversation that once took

place between a 'chAruvaka' and AdiSankara in which the moral poverty

of the 'chArvaka' philosophy got thoroughly exposed. Mukkur Swamy used

to narrate it with great 'svArasyam' in Tamil which 'adiyane's'

English translation can only hope to imitate unsuccessfully.

 

Nevertheless given below is my attempt:

 

******** ******** **********

 

Sankara was once invited to engage in philosophical debate with a

staunch "chAruvakA-s". Sankara, they say, was at first rather bemused

by the idea.

 

"You invite me to engage in a philosophical debate, but why?", the

bhagavathpAdA was said to have asked, "The tenets of my philosophy are

grounded in the "pramANa" of Vedic first principles. You, on the

contrary, have neither an intellectual tradition nor philosophical

outlook. What then are you and I to debate about?!"

 

"Who says our school has no "pramANa"?", the "chAruvAka" is said to

have countered. "Of course, we have a philosophical tradition! It is

called "chAruvAka-darsanam" (the atheistic manifesto) and it is more

than a match for your Vedas".

 

"Oh, really!" asked Sankara sarcastically, "I was not aware, Sire,

that your school was rooted in philosophy! Perhaps you would deign to

expound this great "chAruvAka-darsanam" to me!"

 

The anti-Vedantin, being quite insensitive to Sankara's half-serious

and half-mocking tone, gravely began tutoring the bhagavatpAdA in the

mysteries of the "chAruvAka-darsanam". The venerable Sankara too

played along, it is said, just to humour the poor, ridiculous fellow

who was unaware his leg was being not just pulled, but quietly yanked!

 

"Our great philosophy can be summed up in one epigrammatic verse",

boasted the anti-Vedantin and recited to Sankara the following lines:

 

"yAvad jeevate sukham jeevate;

RNam kritvA ghritam pibate;

Bhasmee-bhutasya dehasya

punarAgamanam kutaha- "

 

Sankara heard the verse in thoughtful silence for a moment, shook his

head and then pretending as though the profundity of the verse was

thoroughly lost on him, he queried the "chAruvAka", "Sire, the verse

you quote no doubt sounds brilliant. But please enlighten me as to

what it purports to truly convey."

 

"The verse states what according to our "chAruvakA-darsana" is the

ultimate purpose of existence", replied the anti-Vedantin.

 

"And, Sire, what is the great purpose of existence?"

 

"kAma-Eka-Eva purushArtAha!", replied the atheist. "The sole purpose

of all life is to sate the appetites, big and small, of human desire.

To seek purpose in life is the passion of all living beings; and the

pleasure of Passion is surely that Purpose. Where passion is

unfulfilled, purpose too remains unconsummated."

 

Sankara bhagavatpAdA patiently listened to this nugget of

philosophical wisdom and, for a moment, he could hardly conceal a

chuckle. "If this man's absurd philosophy were true indeed", the

bhagavathpAdA said to himself, "what a monumental impostor I must seem

to people everywhere!"

 

"Sire, how wonderfully you state your philosophical case!" said the

bhagavatpAdA continuing the rather absurd dialogue. "Sire, do you mean

each man must seek out his respective desire in life and utterly

devote himself to its complete satiation?"

 

"Indeed, that is the sole and true purpose of all existence," replied

the 'chAruvAka'. "Take away the pleasure of passion from life and what

is really there in it? Deduct the pangs of passion from the net

aggregate of living… what remains? Nothing… nothing but endless null,

infinite void. A world without pleasure is of no use to us. It negates

our very existence. Pleasure, on the other hand, fulfils it. Hence, it

is pleasure that is The Principle of Life… As long as one is alive one

must seek out pleasure…"yAvad jeevate sukham jeevate!"

 

"How insightful!" Sankara roundly applauded. "Sir, pray tell me now,

if eating be the sole pleasure of a certain man, what then shall be

his earthly goal?"

 

"Eating and evermore eating is such a man's goal!" was the reply from

the anti-Vedantin.

 

"And if his spirit be sated by endless eating, what might he do then

with the rest of his life?"

 

To this question from Sankara, the anti-Vedantin replied simply,

"ghritam pibate!"

 

"Let him, who by mere eating, has finished sating his spirit, let him

then look to sating his body. Let him in the days he remains on earth

take to gorging down quantities of pure "ghee"". (In Sanskrit

"ghritam" means "clarified butter").

 

Now it must be remembered that in southern parts of India the people

are predominantly rice eaters. When they sit down to a meal, rice is

served first. Then a few teaspoons of "ghee" are generally served to

lace the rice. This is done firstly, to lend a mild but delicious

aroma to the steamed rice and secondly, to add a bit of the vital

nutrient of fat to the otherwise utterly fat-free diet of South

Indians. The culinary custom is to usually add nothing more than a few

dollops (or splash) of this "ghee" to the meal; anything more would

only be adding an unhealthy amount of fat to the diet! Nowadays those

who are diet-conscious, in fact, often completely decline it if "ghee"

is served with their meal.

 

In Tamil it is referred to as "ney kutthikaNam" i.e. "ghee" is to be

just "sprinkled", not "poured" or "dished out", over the rice that is

served. But we find here instead, in the Sankara episode, the

"chAruvAka" actually advocating not just "sprinkling" of "ghee" but

shamelessly "gorging" it! He specifically uses the Sanskrit phrase

"ghritam pibate". Literally, it means "quaffing down ghee" as if it

were so much lemonade in a large pitcher that an awfully thirsty man

(or exceptionally greedy child perhaps) would easily empty in two

massive gulps and one resounding, disgusting belch!

 

What the anti-Vedantin, of course, meant to tell Sankara bhagavatpAdA

was this: that there were no limits to seeking earthly pleasure. If

man's appetite were to become jaded by indulgence, it could continue

to be whetted by wanton excess. So for them who had exhausted the

gourmet delights of life, there was still the promised land of

unbridled gluttony!

 

Sankara, with the feigned innocence of a monastic apprentice, carried

on querying the "chAruvAka".

 

"Sire, but you know well that in this world, to desire a thing is one

and to sate it is another matter. There is the cost of satiation that

must not be forgotten. It takes a lot of money these days to buy

"ghee". It's not cheap commodity. So what does the man to whom

quaffing down "ghee" has become the ruling passion of life… what is

the poor fellow to do if he finds he cannot afford "ghee"?"

 

"RNam kritvA!" retorted the unflappable "chAruvAka". "Let such a man

as you describe him to be… let him go about borrowing money any which

way and by any means he can… and from any quarter in the world… but

"ghritam" or "ghee" he must obtain and consume to his heart's

content!"

 

This was the "chAruvAka" way of saying, "The end justifies the means…

any means whatsoever!"

 

"Sire, but is it not imprudent," Sankara continued, "for a man to

borrow money? Debt ("Rnam") enslaves one's soul to another. Surely you

know that, don't you? And how can an enslaved soul be free to pursue

the true ends of existence?" asked Sankara.

 

"Debt may be the bane of the soul in your matrix of Vedic values, O

Sankara… but it is not so in the lofty manifesto of our

"chAruvAka-darsanam"", was the laconic reply of the anti-Vedantin.

 

Sankara next tried a slightly different line of questioning.

 

"Sire, are you saying that in the lofty scheme of your wondrous

"darsana" there is no such a thing as "soul"?

 

"Bhasmee-bhutasya dehasya!" was the emphatic reply of the "chAruvAka".

"What is this thing called "soul" you Vedantins are so fond of

talking about?" he counter-queried the bhagavatpAdA. "It is nothing

but a fanciful figment of overwrought Vedic imaginations! For us

"chAruvakA-s" the soul and the body are one and the same. When the

body lives and breathes, the "soul" that you speak of lives and

breathes too. When the body dies and turns to ashes, your "soul" turns

to ashes with it."

 

"Sire, in that case, does the soul enliven the body or the body

enliven the soul? Which enlivens what?" asked the relentless Sankara.

 

"Pah!" exclaimed the anti-Vedantin, "What kind of ridiculous questions

you Vedantins pose! Tell me this, O Sankara! When you munch

"tAmboolam" (betel) your mouth and tongue turn scarlet in colour,

don't they? Now, I ask you, what makes your mouth go red? Is it the

betel-leaves? The areca nut? The scented lime-paste? Or is it the warm

flesh of your salivating tongue? Eh? Which amongst them makes your

mouth go red? Can you tell me?"

 

The "chAruvAka" paused a moment to let his dramatic question hang in

the air for effect. Then he answered it himself, "The answer obviously

is: none of the them individually can cause redness in your mouth; but

all three… betel-leaf, nut and lime… when chewed together as

"tAmboolam" in the mouth will certainly redden your tongue, isn't it?

Likewise, neither body nor soul (if there is such a thing at all) can

singly constitute the material Cause for the Effect of Life. But when

"body" as one element and "soul" as another, cohere… they "enliven"

each other to form a third element called "Life". As long as the

constituent elements remain coherent, the resultant element of "Life"

too is sustained. When the constituents dissipate on death and devolve

to their elemental ante-state, the phenomenon of "Life" too simply

ceases to be.

 

"And that's all there really is to Life and earthly Existence, O

Sankara! But you Vedantins will never leave it all at that! You have

to concoct all your complex and fanciful metaphysics about the "jiva",

the "brahmham" and the "sarIra" or "body"… Your Vedanta, O Sankara, if

it amounts to anything at all, is nothing indeed but a conspiracy

against the common man! You and your entourage, after all, have to

somehow make a livelihood, right?"

 

Sankara was amazed at the ingenious arguments of the anti-Vedantin!

Crude ideas whose "sound and fury otherwise signified nothing" were

very nearly made to seem like high philosophy!

 

"If, as you say, there is no purpose to earthly existence other than

seeking its temporal pleasures, then, I suppose, there is nothing like

"svargA" (paradise) or "naraka" (perdition) in the

"chAruvAka-darsana"? There is no system of moral reward and

punishment? There is no ethical system under which man must account

for his deeds?"

 

To this the anti-Vedantin replied, "punarAgamanam kutaha- ?".

 

"O Sankara, we do have "svargA" and "naraka" in our system. But it is

not along the ridiculous lines of your "karma" theory where the

so-called "soul" of man casts off one body after another in a cycle of

birth and death… journeying relentlessly, back and forth, from this

world to the ones beyond… and along the way liquidating its

outstanding account of sin and virtue… Oh, no, we don't to

that humbug you Vedantins have invented and now retail!"

 

"What then is your idea of "svarga" and "naraka", heaven and hell?"

asked Sankara.

 

"Heaven and Hell, O Sankara, reside on this very earth. One does not

have to look into the empty skies for them. If a man should find ample

means in this world to satisfy his every desire for pleasure, that

verily is the Heavenly state. And if he, on the contrary, suffer

deprivation and cannot indulge or fulfil his passions… there indeed is

the state of Hell", replied the "chAruvAka".

 

"Sire," Sankara bhagavatpAdA finally asked, "do you have the concept

of "mokshA"… eternal liberation… in your "darsana"?

 

"Of course", replied the "chAruvAka", "In our system of thought we

consider Death to be "mOkshA"… "Bhasmee-bhutasya dehasya"… Death

grants us the eternal liberation you speak of "!

 

********** ************* ************

 

In Sankara's times, corruption and bankruptcy, in thought and morals,

had seeped so deeply into the society of India that masses of men

actually believed in the system of "chAruvAka-darsana" --- by far the

most classic example of the fungus of "anti-Veda" then destroying

'sanAtana-dharma' at its very roots.

 

With humble 'praNAmam' to the memory of Mukkur Swamy,

 

dAsAn,

Sudarshan

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