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.
Let us recap.
We saw the need for viveka and had some insight to vairaagya. At the
moment they seem rather 'high', something so ideal as to be unmanageable. Many
attempt vairaagya, but fail; sometimes because they have not fully grasped
application of viveka but often simply because they have misused the
concept. There are some who seek to
escape their lives which they perceive as negative and thus use the excuse of
need to 'go to forest or hill' (which was the tradition) and quite literally
run away. In the forest hut or the cave on the hill, they find all the ravages
of life still exist, because they have not properly determined what is Real and
what is not, neither have they worked on chitta-shuddhi and chitta-ekaagrata.
They seek only to separate themselves, physically, in hopes of becoming free
emotionally and mentally, then give vairaagya a bad name by seeming cold,
distant, hard-hearted. Sad indeed. Clear viveka leads to refined vairaagya and,
whilst perhaps to those who live only in their emotion this can appear as
aloofness and distance, it will be found that from such individuals arises pure
compassion and Love without strings.
What is the key point for
viveka? यत् दृश्यम् तद्-जदं तन्नश्वरम् /yat dRshyam tad-jadam
tannashvaram - that which is perceived, that is inert (and therefore)
perishable. DRsh, actually means to see, but in philosophy we are
understanding that perception is beyond mere vision therefore our hearing,
taste, touch are also methods of perception; if we can perceive a thing, it is
an item of matter. Matter is, of itself,
inert. This includes the body. The body
and all other matter is impermanent and therefore not considered as 'Real'.
That which is of matter has a start/creation point, so it follows that it also
has an end/destruction point. It's a fact. The Sanskrit aphorism for this
is उद्पत्ति विनाष सहित/udpatti vinaasha sahita.
In thinking on these things, we need also to bring a sense of true
feeling of the truth in them. That
'feeling' of the truth of the logic settles and brings us into the vairaagya
required to continue our spiritual work. Knowing that things are not permanent
means that there must be something which
is. This is an essential part of human nature, the search for stability and
permanence. The vairaagi makes the search for that elusive condition. In doing
so, he or she finds that material things are desired less and less in life.
They are there, but in their rightful and functional place, not interfering
with the inner world which the vairaagi now inhabits. It becomes easier and
easier to brush aside the small things of life and take up only meaningful
activities.
How might the spiritual aspirant build further on his or her
advancement? What is it that informs the
state of vairaagya, keeping it strong and progressive?
शमाधि-शत्क संपत्ति/shamaadhi-shatka sampatti -The
'sixfold wealth'.
This section is broken into its six components, but the text and
chanting for the whole section are given here in one pass, as each paada is
very small. As per previous example, chanting will be given in small chunks
with gaps for you to repeat the chant, followed by 'together'. Another part of
the teaching tradition, is that the text learned thus far (or at least for the
previous half dozen or so lessons) is also chanted to begin the current lesson.
To give you a feel for this, today's sound-clip will begin with some of the
recording with Swami Advayananda and Sandeepany students, before going into the
part of the text we are about to study. [For
the keen, you might like to think of setting up a playlist folder in your You
Tube page to collect these Aatmaavrajanam clips together - it will make
backtracking access easier for you. Practicing these simple chants now will
make the more complicated and wonderful chants which come later less daunting
for you.]
शमादिसाधनसंपत्तिः का
शमो दम उपरतिस्तितिक्षा श्रद्धा समाधानं च् इति।
Shamaadi-saadhana-saMpattiH kaa?
shamo dama uparati-stitikshaa shraddhaa samaadhaanaM ca iti.
शामः कः मनोनिग्रहः।
shaamaH kaH? manonigrahaH.
दमः कः चक्षुरादिबाह्येन्द्रियनिग्रहः।
damaH kaH? cakshuraadi-baahyendriya-nigrahaH.
उपरमः कः स्वधर्मानुष्ठानमेव।
uparamaH kaH? svadharma-anuShThaanam-eva.
तितिक्षा का शीतोष्णसुख़दुःख़ादिसहिष्णुत्वम्।
titikshaa kaa? shiitoShNa-suKha-duHKka-adi-sahiSNutvam.
श्रद्धा कीदृशी गुरुवेदान्तवाक्यादिषु विश्वासः श्रद्धा।
shraddhaa kiidR^ishii? Guru-vedaanta-vaakya-adiSu vishvaasaH shraddhaa.
समाधानं किम् चित्तैकाग्रता।
samaadhaanaM kim? cittaikaagrataa.
मुमुक्षुत्वं किम् मोक्षो मे भूयाद् इति इच्छा।
mumukshutvaM kim? moksho me bhuuyaad iti icChaa.
एतत् साधनचतुष्टयम्।
ततस्तत्त्वविवेकस्याधिकारिणो भवन्ति।
etat saadhana-catuShTayam.
Tatas-tattva-vivekasya-adhikaariNo bhavanti.
"What is the inner wealth starting with shama? They are shama,
dama, uparati, titikshaa, shraddhaa and smaadhaana.
What is shama? It is control or master over the mind.
What is dama? It is control of the external sense organs such as the
eyes and so on.
What is uparamaH?** It is the strict observance of one's own dharma
(duty).
What is titiksha? It is the endurance of heat and gold, pleasure and
pain etc.
What is the nature of shraddhaa? Faith in the words of the guru and
Vedanta (scriptures) is shraddhaa.
What is samaadhaanam? It is the single-pointedness of mind.
What is mumukshutvam? 'Let me attain liberation!'...this intense
desire is mumukshatvam."
**Sanskrit has 'gender' and some
terms are changed accordingly; uparati and uparamaH are interchangeable. This
is most notable by the alteration to the question; kaH is (m), kaa is (f) and
kim is (n).
SAADHANA
That is quite a lot of chanting practice for the uninitiated! Take time to rehearse it and adjust your ear to these unfamiliar sounds. Let this week's saadhana be about participation… Reading alone is not experience. Taking action based upon what is read becomes the experience. Next week we shall start study of each component.
That is quite a lot of chanting practice for the uninitiated! Take time to rehearse it and adjust your ear to these unfamiliar sounds. Let this week's saadhana be about participation… Reading alone is not experience. Taking action based upon what is read becomes the experience. Next week we shall start study of each component.
