Hari OM
'Text-days' are for delving into the
words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.
TATTVABODHAH.
[You are reminded that reviewing the
previous week's posts will become essential as the meanings of the Sanskrit
terms may not be repeated. There may come additional or alternative meanings,
but all should be noted. As study progresses, the technical terms must
necessarily become 'second nature' to the student. When the Sanskrit is used,
the translation will fall easily into place - or likewise, if the English is
used, the Sanskrit term must easily come forwards.]
Please revisit THIS post and chant the mangala-charana. Think again on the
meaning. Seek to focus on the subject.
Already, at the very opening of the text itself, we are learning
much...about learning! We have found that mangala-charana can take any one, or
all, of three rupaaH (forms) and that for the student approaching the text,
there needs to be anubandha chatushtaya, four applications of the text to their
needs. Further, there follows a shloka which promises the student a little
more, pratigjnayaa and praakriiya, the means and the method.
साधनचतुष्टयसंपन्नाधिकारिणां
मोक्षसाधनभूतं
सत्त्वविवेकप्रकारं वक्षयामः।
Saadhana-chatuSTaya-saMpanna-adhikaariNaaM
moksha-saadhana-bhUtaM
Sattva-viveka-prakaaraM vakshayaamaH.
"We shall explain to those who are endowed with the four-fold
qualifications,
the mode of enquiry into the Reality,
which is the means of
liberation."
It is a verse to show that the student who has taken up the saadhana
chatushtaya, dedicating themselves to gaining of Knowledge with application of
their discriminative ability (viveka) have the mode already to hand and that
the method, then, is to utilise their intellect to its fullest.
We all think we can think… but what becomes clear when we meet
others who have thought more, is that our thinking is often lacking!
Thus, in the praakriiya vaakya, we are told that viveka is the mode
of inquiry; use the skill of assessment and filtering to get to the kernal of
learning. Man alone has been blessed with such a talent. Too often it is used
simply to recognise objects, perhaps to separate out concepts; but essentially
only to determine what is good or not good for the personal comfort and ease of
the person. This same faculty applied to the determination of the true purpose
of life, to discriminate between the Real and the not-real is what brings a
liberation of spirit beyond all other possibilities.
It is this same mode of
thinking which is the means to obtain the
best out of the text about to be studied. It is said that most problems would
not arise if only we paused to think for a moment; but a moment is a long time
and thinking is a difficult process!
We are all in a state of 'thinking' from morn till night, insofar as
our mind is constantly processing. Are we, though, leveraging the best we can
from thinking? Taking control of the randomness which normally constitutes our
mind, thinking on the basic questions of "Who am I?" or "What is
the goal of life?" and so on. Not alone the questions must arise, but the
consequent queries of , "In order to find the answers to such questions,
where do I go, what can I do…?" These are the things which start us on the
spiritual path, the quest for Self. Along the way we find that we must have a
logical approach, (viveka), the ability to stand back and look on things with a
coolness (vairaagya), have a continual measure of ourselves as marked by the
six inner qualtities (samadhi-shatka sampatti), and last but not least, a true
desire to follow the answers wherever the lead us and face the consequences of
ourselves (mumukshatva).
In this way, we become the adhikaari, the fit student to undertake
study of texts such this.
TattvabodaH proper now begins, with two shlokas regarding the
fourfold qualifications. This we will take up next week.
SAADHANA
Do take time to review the Saadhana Chatushtaaya 'collection' of
posts thus far provided, as the text under study will now elaborate upon the
subject.
