Written by London Swaminathan

swami_48@yahoo.com

Date: 4 DECEMBER 2019

 Time in London – 19-24

Post No. 7300

Pictures are taken from various sources; beware of copyright rules; don’t use them without permission; this is a non- commercial, educational blog; posted in swamiindology.blogspot.com and tamilandvedas.com simultaneously. Average hits per day for both the blogs 12,000.

VERSE 95

Description of woman’s beauty- one more verse- similar to Tamil verses- eye = bow

Glances drawn to her ear,

Shot from the bow of her brow,

And winged by long black lashes.

xxx

VAIRAGYA SATAKAM

VERESE 104

Don’t send your thoughts into the forest of women. There is a thief by name Kaman (cupid) hiding.

“Let not your wandering mind

Roam in the forest of woman’s form

There in the mountains of her bosom

Lurks the robber Kama/cupid”

xxx

SNAKE BITE IS BETTER

VERSE 129

“There is a cure for snake bites, but not for women’s eyes/glances

I prefer being bitten by a terrible serpent

Long, wanton, tortuous, gleaming like a black lotus

To being smitten by her eye

Healers are everywhere to cure one of a serpent’s bite

But there is no spell or remedy for

I was struck by the glance of a beautiful woman”

xxx

VERSE 131

Gems are women; women are gems

“With the monstrous beauty of her face

Her sapphire black tresses

Her hands the ruby of red lotuses

She glowed with the magic of gems”

VERSE 132

Science in Bhartuhari

Hindus correctly named planet Jupiter as Guru. It means heavy. That is the largest planet. Not only that, the sling shot effect of Jupiter is used by scientists to boost the rockets further without using fuel.  Spiritual guru also sends his disciples further up with his sling shot power. The disciples don’t need any fuel/ power. Of all the visible planets, Saturn is the slowest planet

B also compared the heavy bosom to Jupiter and her slow gait to Saturn.

“With her bosom bearing Jupiter’s weight

Her face radiant like moon

Her languid legs saturnine gait

She glowed with planets magic”

Guruna sthana bharena ……………………..

VERSE 143

Ambrosia from woman’s body

VERSE 151

The cyclic recurrence of sunset and dawn serves to measure life’s decay.

It is in Ramayana as well

VERSE 157

“If the pleasures leave him at random

Man suffers unparalleled anguish;

But if he renounces them at will

He reaps the eternal fruits of calm.”

VERSE 160

Moth attracted by lamp, fish attracted by bait in the fishing rod are used by B. These similes are found in all Indian literatures. Also water drop on lotus leaf.

Tiruvalluvar says,

“Do not take to gambling even if you can win. What can the fish gain by swallowing the baited hook?”- Tirukkural 931

VERSE 161

“Earth is my bed, sky is the roof, mountain stream water is my drink/food, wood  bark is my clothing”.

VERSE 173

“Hope is a river

Hope is a river whose water is desire

Conjectures are birds, destroying the tree of delusion

Makes it difficult to fold. Let ascetics who cross

To the opposite shore, exult in their purified minds”

VERSE 190

“Earth is my bed, hands are pillows,

Sky is the roof, breeze is the fan,

Moon is the lamp, indifference is my wife

Renunciation is pleasure, Yogi smeared with Vibhuti/holy ash is the king”.

VERSE 191

B criticizes barter trade with god. In Tamil Purananuru verse we have similar thoughts. Chieftain Ay is praised for not being a barter trade salesman. He does charity not aiming a place in heaven, but to cure the poverty of the poets.

VERSE 194

Don’t postpone

“While his body’s vigour is whole

While his sensuous powers are unimpaired

And life not yet exhausted;

Only then would a wiseman

Strive to perfect his soul

Why attempt to dig a well

When the house is already burning?”

In Tamil there is a saying what is the use of crying Sankara, Sankara when you are dying?

It means there is no use if you cry for help at your last breath.

VERSE 200

APPAR AND ADI SANKARA

How a man’s life is spent or wasted is sung by Adi Sanakara in Bhaja Govindam and Appar in Thevaram. They say one third of one’s life is spent like a playful youth, one third with the family and one third as old age pensioner with hospital appointments. B also echoes the same,

“The span of man’s life is measured hundred years;

A portion each claim callous youth and hoary age;

His prime is spent in servitude, suffering

The anguish of estrangement and disease

Where do men find happiness

In life  less certain and more transient than the waves?”

—finito – subham —