Maneeshapanchakam

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Dear Gurudevs,

 

Maneeshaapanchakam is one of the famous works of Sri Sankaracharya. I am

giving below an Introduction to this work and the translation of the first two

stanzas.

 

Introduction

In this work consisting of just five verses Sri Sankara has brought out

succinctly the essence of Advaita Vedanta. The occasion for this composition may

first be narrated. One day Sri Sankara was walking towards the temple of Lord

Viswanatha in Varanasi along with his disciples. It so happened that a sweeper

was walking towards him on the same street. Sri Sankara asked the sweeper to

move away from his path. The sweeper then asked him some questions which form

the substance of two verses which are a prelude to the main work. On hearing

these questions, Sri Sankara realized that the person before him was no ordinary

sweeper. Sankara replies to these questions in five verses. These five verses

have been collectively given the name ‘Maneeshaapanchakam’. The word

‘maneeshaa’, meaning ‘conviction’ appears in the last line in all the

five verses.

According to tradition, the sweeper was none other than Lord Siva Himself in

that form. Sri Sankara himself is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Siva.

Therefore this work is in essence a dialogue between two forms of Lord Siva,

intended to convey to the world the essential teachings of Vedanta. Questions

such as whether even Sri Sankara practised untouchability in spite of being an

enlightened soul have no place in the light of these facts. Moreover, in all

such cases the story by itself is not important. To derive various conclusions

about other matters on the basis of the story would be going off at a tangent.

One fact which emerges is that, once a person has attained Self-knowledge,

considerations such as his caste, etc., are totally irrelevant.

The verses are now taken up one by one.

The sweeper’s questions:--

1. O great among the twice-born! What is it that you want to move away by

saying, â€Go, goâ€? Do you want the body made up of food to move away from

another body made up of food? Or do you want consciousness to move away from

consciousness?

2. Is there any difference between the reflection of the sun in the waters of

the Ganga and its reflection in the water in a ditch in the quarters of the

outcastes? Or between the space in a gold pot and in a mud pot? What is this

illusion of difference in the form, “This is a Brahmana and this is an

outcaste†in the indwelling self which is the ripple-free ocean of bliss and

pure consciousness?

Note. The indwelling self, which is identical with the supreme Self whose

nature is bliss and pure consciousness, is the same in all creatures. As the

Bhagavadgita says, “The enlightened see the same Self in the Brahmana endowed

with learning and humility, the cow, the elephant, the dog and the outcasteâ€

(5. 18).

 

The succeeding stanzas contain the reply of Sri Sankaracharya. These will be

given as the next installment.

 

Regards,

S.N.Sastri