Date uploaded in London – 20 July 2024
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In the very beginning of this series, I told you I am not approaching VC as a God seeker or Brahman seeker; my approach is secular and not spiritual. I wanted to tell you the scientific, linguistic, natural matters in VC; occasionally I point out the comparative materials from Tamil hymns.
Here is sloka 33
Sloka 33 of Viveka Chudamani (VC) of Aadi Sankara
श्रोत्रियोऽवृजिनोऽकामहतो यो ब्रह्मवित्तमः ।
ब्रह्मण्युपरतः शान्तो निरिन्धन इवानलः
अहेतुकदयासिन्धुर्बन्धुरानमतां सताम् ॥ ३३ ॥
śrotriyo’vṛjino’kāmahato yo brahmavittamaḥ |
brahmaṇyuparataḥ śānto nirindhana ivānalaḥ
ahetukadayāsindhurbandhurānamatāṃ satām || 33 ||
33. Who is versed in the Vedas, sinless, unsmitten by desire and a knower of Brahman par excellence, who has withdrawn himself into Brahman; calm, like fire that has consumed its fuel, who is a boundless reservoir of mercy that knows no reason, and a friend of all good people who prostrate themselves before him; –
34
तमाराध्य गुरुं भक्त्या प्रह्वप्रश्रयसेवनैः ।
प्रसन्नं तमनुप्राप्य पृच्छेज्ज्ञातव्यमात्मनः ॥ ३४ ॥
tamārādhya guruṃ bhaktyā prahvapraśrayasevanaiḥ |
prasannaṃ tamanuprāpya pṛcchejjñātavyamātmanaḥ || 34 ||
34. Worshipping that Guru with devotion, and approaching him, when he is pleased with prostration, humility and service, (he) should ask him what he has got to know:
My comments
VC is full of repetitions; naturally a teacher would repeat umpteen times so that even the lowest in the class can get it in full. Sankara repeats the qualification of Guru with two epithets.
Dayaasindhu= boundless reservoir of mercy; we saw this word earlier as well.
Bandhu = friend of all
If we stop there for a minute and think about the Modern Gurus, very rarely you will find a few Gurus. Even if you tell the world you find a Good Guru, people won’t believe you unless you stayed with that Guru for 10 or 15 years. We can’t blame any Guru, because they also change and move with the time.
In sloka 34, he comes back to the student or disciple or God seeker. Humility is stressed there.
35
स्वामिन्नमस्ते नतलोकबन्धो
कारुण्यसिन्धो पतितं भवाब्धौ ।
मामुद्धरात्मीयकटाक्षदृष्ट्या
ऋज्व्यातिकारुण्यसुधाभिवृष्ट्या ॥ ३५ ॥
svāminnamaste natalokabandho
kāruṇyasindho patitaṃ bhavābdhau |
māmuddharātmīyakaṭākṣadṛṣṭyā
ṛjvyātikāruṇyasudhābhivṛṣṭyā || 35 ||
35. O Master, O friend of those that bow to thee, thou ocean of mercy, I bow to thee; save me, fallen as I am into this sea of birth and death, with a straightforward glance of thine eye, which sheds nectar-like grace supreme.
My comments
Two points must be noted. ocean of mercy and sea of birth and death
Sankara repeats ocean of mercy here. This sea of birth and death is in all Tamil and Sanskrit hymns. Samsaara Saagara and crossing the saagara/ocean is in all hymns. We may notice two other things in all Tamil and Sanskrit hymns
1.Snapping or Cutting the cycle (of birth and death) Arukkum in Tamil
2. Both Tamil and Sanskrit hymns describe it as a disease. Punarapi Jananam and Punarapi Maranam is a disease the medicine or doctor to cure this disease is God. This is in Vedas as well (Besajam, Bishak)
36
दुर्वारसंसारदवाग्नितप्तं
दोधूयमानं दुरदृष्टवातैः ।
भीतं प्रपन्नं परिपाहि मृत्योः
शरण्यमन्यद्यदहं न जाने ॥ ३६ ॥
durvārasaṃsāradavāgnitaptaṃ
dodhūyamānaṃ duradṛṣṭavātaiḥ |
bhītaṃ prapannaṃ paripāhi mṛtyoḥ
śaraṇyamanyadyadahaṃ na jāne || 36 ||
36. Save me from death, afflicted as I am by the unquenchable fire of this world-forest, and shaken violently by the winds of an untoward lot, terrified and (so) seeking refuge in thee, for I do not know of any other man with whom to seek shelter.
Here is a beautiful and new description. Forest Fire, Wind.
The world is like a forest with heavy winds. Sankara is the only saint of India who walked through the length of India more than once. The proof lies in the Four Mutts in four directions- Sringeri, Kashmir, Puri, Dwaraka and lastly Kanchi . He personally experienced the forest and monsoon rains. He compares it to family life.
37
शान्ता महान्तो निवसन्ति सन्तो
वसन्तवल्लोकहितं चरन्तः ।
तीर्णाः स्वयं भीमभवार्णवं जनान्
अहेतुनान् यानपि तारयन्तः ॥ ३७ ॥
śāntā mahānto nivasanti santo
vasantavallokahitaṃ carantaḥ |
tīrṇāḥ svayaṃ bhīmabhavārṇavaṃ janān
ahetunān yānapi tārayantaḥ || 37 ||
37. There are good souls, calm and magnanimous, who do good to others as does the spring, and who, having themselves crossed this dreadful ocean of birth and death, help others also to cross the same, without any motive whatsoever.
My comments
Sankara tells us about past saints here.
1.They are like spring. Without expecting anything they help all.
2.They reached the goal already
3.They come and tell what they found.
Ramakrishna Paramahamsa explains the types of saints
“There are two kinds of Siddhas (perfect men or God men)
Saadhana Siddhaas and Kripaa Siddhaas ( those who have gained perfection through religious discipline and those who have gained perfection through grace)
To get a good crop, some have to irrigate their fields with great labour by cutting canals or by drawing water. But some others are lucky enough to be saved all this trouble of getting water; for there comes the rain and floods the whole field. Almost all have to perform devotional practices assiduously in order to get freedom from the shackles of Maayaa. But Kripaa Siddhaa are saved from all this trouble; they attain perfection through the grace of god. The number, however, is extremely small”.
38
अयं स्वभावः स्वत एव यत्पर
श्रमापनोदप्रवणं महात्मनाम् ।
सुधांशुरेष स्वयमर्ककर्कश
प्रभाभितप्तामवति क्षितिं किल ॥ ३८ ॥
ayaṃ svabhāvaḥ svata eva yatpara
śramāpanodapravaṇaṃ mahātmanām |
sudhāṃśureṣa svayamarkakarkaśa
prabhābhitaptāmavati kṣitiṃ kila || 38 ||
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/vivekachudamani/d/doc144486.html
38. It is the very nature of the magnanimous to move of their own accord towards removing others’ troubles. Here, for instance, is the moon who, as everybody knows, voluntarily saves the earth parched by the flaming rays of the sun.
My comments
Magnanimous people help voluntarily. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa explains it.
“There are two classes of perfect men in the world.- those who ,on attaining Truth, become silent and enjoy it all by themselves without any thought of others; and those who attain Truth, but finding no pleasure in keeping it to themselves, cry out in a trumpet voice to all- Come Ye and enjoy the Truth with us”
Sun scorches; moon cools down. Moon voluntarily helps.
God also voluntarily helps some.
Tamil saint Manikkavasagar says
It is the God that showers mercy on us and guide us to worship him
அவன் அருளாலே அவன் தாள் வணங்கி – திருவாசகம்
This is also explained by Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa
“The police man with his lantern (bull’s eye) can see everyone on whom he casts the light, but no one can see him so long as he does not turn the light on himself. So does God see everyone; but no man can see Him until He reveals Himself to Him in His mercy”
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Parallels from Tamil Literature
யான் பெற்ற இன்பம் பெறுக இவ்வையகம்
Let the world avail the bliss, I attained
வான்பற்றி நின்ற மறை பொருள் சொல்லிடின்
ஊன் பற்றி நின்ற உணர்வுறு மந்திரம்
தான் பற்றப் பற்றத் தலைப்படும் தானே- திருமூலர்/Tirumular
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தாம் இன்புறுவது உலகு இன்புறுவது கண்டு
காமுறுவர் கற்று அறிந்தார்—திருக்குறள் 399
Their joy is joy of all the world, they see; thus more
The learners learn to love their cherished lore. Kural 399
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கண்டோம் கண்டோம் கண்டோம்
கண்ணுக்கு இனியன கண்டோம்
தொண்டீர் எல்லீரும் வாரீர்
தொழுது தொழுது நின்று ஆர்த்தும்- Viashnavite saint ஆழ்வார் பாடல்
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காகம் உறவு கலந்து உண்ணக்
கண்டீர்; அகண்ட ஆகார சிவ
போகம் எனும் பேரின்ப வெள்ளம்
பொங்கித் ததும்பிப் பூரணமாய்
ஏக உருவாய்க் கிடக்குது, ஐயோ!
இன்புற்றிட நாம் இனி எடுத்த
தேகம் விழுமுன் புசிப்பதற்குச்
சேர வாரும் ஜகத்தீரே!— தாயுமானவர்
Meaning of the Song:
You see the crows eat along with the flock.
Alas! The boundless Shivabhoga, the flood of Bliss
is brimming full and available unbroken!
Before the body that we have taken falls,
oh the people of the world,
come and congregate to enjoy It!—Tamil Saint Thaayumaanavar
–subham—
Tags- Types of Siddhas, Types of Gurus, Voluntary help, Research Notes on VC














