Adam, Eve, Satan
Date uploaded in London – 23 July 2024
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Adam blamed God for giving him Eve and said that she was the one who deceived him. Eve in turn blamed the serpent. God then cursed the serpent to crawl on his belly for the rest of his days and to have a hateful relationship between himself and women. (Genesis 3:14-15).Bible
Slokas 60 to 70 of Viveka Chudamani (VC) have more similes, metaphors and analogies.
अज्ञानसर्पदष्टस्य ब्रह्मज्ञानौषधं विना ।
किमु वेदैश्च शास्त्रैश्च किमु मन्त्रैः किमौषधैः ॥ ६१ ॥
ajñānasarpadaṣṭasya brahmajñānauṣadhaṃ vinā |
kimu vedaiśca śāstraiśca kimu mantraiḥ kimauṣadhaiḥ || 61 ||
61. For one who has been bitten by the serpent of Ignorance, the only remedy is the knowledge of Brahman. Of what avail are the Vedas and Scriptures, Mantras and medicines to such a one?
Sloka 61 has Snake of Ignorance reminding us of Biblical Story. The Biblical serpent, the embodiment of Satan in the Garden of Eden, later becomes the serpent of brass put upon a pole by Moses. Aaron’s rod was transformed into a snake which was capable of pharaoh’s sorcerers.
In Hinduism it is used with positive and negative connotations. It represented Kundalini power in Yogic jargon. All Hindu Gods have snake as belt or umbrella or necklace. It shows absolute control over five senses. In other places it represented falsehood and evil similar to Bible
Tamil poet Bhartiyar sings
பயமென்னும் பேய்தனை அடித்து பொய்மைப் பாம்புயிரைக் குடித்து
Where snake represents falsehood.
Rama Krishna Paramahamsa also used snakes to illustrate dangers of worldly life,
“Snakes are venomous reptiles. If you try to catch them, you are sure to be bitten. But to the man who has learnt the art of snake charming by the use of magnetised dust, it is not very difficult to catch them. He can even play with seven of them twisted together and coiled around his neck. Similarly a man of realisation is immune to the dangers of worldly life”.
“As the snake is separate from its slough , even so is the spirit separate from the body”.
Siddhas like Tirumular used it to illustrate latent Kundalini power.
Tamil Poet Thiruvalluvar used Snakes at lease three times in his Kura/couplets
கண்டது மன்னும் ஒருநாள் அலர்மன்னும்
திங்களைப் பாம்புகொண் டற்று–திருக்குறள் 1146
I saw him but one single day: rumour spreads soon
As darkness, when the snake seizes on the moon.-1146
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உடம்பாடு இலாதவர் வாழ்க்கை குடங்கருள்
பாம்போடு உடனுறைந் தற்று. –; 890
Domestic life with those who don’t agree,
Is dwelling in a shed with snake for company.-890
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ஒலித்தக்கால் என்னாம் உவரி எலிப்பகை
நாகம் உயிர்ப்பக் கெடும். (குறள் எண் 763)
Though, like the sea, the angry mice send forth their battle cry;
What then? The snake breathes upon them, and they die! 763
There are innumerable snake similes in Tamil literature. Since India is a tropical country with millions of snakes, these similes are easily understood by the readers.
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Disease and Medicine
न गच्छति विना पानं व्याधिरौषधशब्दतः ।
विनापरोक्षानुभवं ब्रह्मशब्दैर्न मुच्यते ॥ ६२ ॥
na gacchati vinā pānaṃ vyādhirauṣadhaśabdataḥ |
vināparokṣānubhavaṃ brahmaśabdairna mucyate || 62 ||
62. A disease does not leave off if one simply utter the name of the medicine, without taking it; (similarly) without direct realisation one cannot be liberated by the mere utterance of the word Brahman
Sankara said about the necessity of medicine and diet in Sloka 53 as well.
It is interesting to see that he gives useful tips about medicine and diet while teaching Brahma Jnaan.
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Treasure Hunting
आप्तोक्तिं खननं तथोपरिशिलाद्युत्कर्षणं स्वीकृतिं
निक्षेपः समपेक्षते नहि बहिः शब्दैस्तु निर्गच्छति ।
तद्वद्ब्रह्मविदोपदेशमननध्यानादिभिर्लभ्यते
मायाकार्यतिरोहितं स्वममलं तत्त्वं न दुर्युक्तिभिः ॥ ६५ ॥
āptoktiṃ khananaṃ tathopariśilādyutkarṣaṇaṃ svīkṛtiṃ
nikṣepaḥ samapekṣate nahi bahiḥ śabdaistu nirgacchati |
tadvadbrahmavidopadeśamananadhyānādibhirlabhyate
māyākāryatirohitaṃ svamamalaṃ tattvaṃ na duryuktibhiḥ || 65 ||
65. As a treasure hidden underground requires (for its extraction) competent instruction, excavation, the removal of stones and other such things lying above it and (finally) grasping, but never comes out by being (merely) called out by name, so the transparent Truth of the self, which is hidden by Maya and its effects, is to be attained through the instructions of a knower of Brahman, followed by reflection, meditation and so forth, but not through perverted arguments.
To illustrate his points, Sankara used even interesting treasure hunting. Once you say all will listen to him with pin drop silence.
In the previous two slokas he talks about kingship and mere talking. Only when a king kills his enemies and occupy a vast area, he can claim that he is an emperor. Here Sankara talks about war and capturing territories. Before that he says mere utterance of Braman wont help.
He guides a student to do hard work; practical work.
Swami Vivekananda also says
One ounce of practice is worth thousand pounds of theory
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Interesting Story told by R K Paramahamsa
The great Shankaracharya has a foolish disciple who used to imitate his Master (Guru) in all matters. Sankara uttered Sivoham – I am shiva; the disciple also repeated Sivoham. To correct his disciple’s folly, Sankara one day while passing by a smithy . took a potful of molten iron and asked the disciple also to do the same. Of course, the disciple could not imitate this act of his master and thenceforward he left off saying Sivoham. Base imitation is always bad, but an attempt to correct one’s own self by the noble examples of the great ones is always good.
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Tamil Siddha Tirumular said in his Tirumanthiram
ஞானமி லாதார் சடைசிகை நூல்நண்ணி
ஞானிகள் போல நடிக்கின் றவர் தம்மை
ஞானிக ளாலே நரபதி சோதித்து
ஞானமுண் டாக்குதல் நலமாகும் நாட்டிற்கே. 5
Ruler’s Duty to Impart Wisdom to Erring Brahmins
The senseless fools donning sacred thread and matted locks,
And with chanting phrases pretend to wisdom unpossessed,
Them, the ruler of state shall, with wise men’s help, take and test,
And, for the country’s good, impart words in wisdom drest.
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.நூலும் சிகையும் நுவலிற் பிரமமோ
நூலது கார்ப்பாசம் நுண்சிகை கேசமாம்
நூலது வேதாந்தம் நுண்சிகை ஞானமாம்
நூலுடை அந்தணர் காணும் நுவலிலே. 7
230: Tuft and Thread Alone do not Make a Brahmin
Do thread and tuft alone prove the Brahmin state?
The thread, then, only a dark bond, the fine tuft, only tresses long;
The true thread Vedantam is, the sacred tuft wisdom proves
These the Brahmnins truly see, these virtues to them belong.
—subham—
Tags- Sankara, Brahmam, Sivoham story, Paramahmasa, Treasure hunting, snake, in literature, Research Notes on VC, Part 20, disease, medicine
Tamil and Vedas 