Saturday, May 25, 2013

కూర్మ జయంతి

అమరాసురకరవిపరి
భ్రమణ ధరాధరవరేంద్రభ్రమణంబునుదాఁ
గమఠేంద్రువీపు తీఁటను
శమియింపఁగఁజాలదయ్యె జగతీనాథా!

-- పోతన భాగవతం నుంచి మహా వైశాఖి,  కూర్మ జయంతి సందర్భంగా


amara, asura kara vipari
bhramaNa dharAdhara-varEMdra bhramaNambunu dA
kamaThEndru vIpu tITanu
SamiyiMpaga cAladayya jagatInAthA!

amara (divine) asura (daemonic) hands churning using the mandhara mountain having supported by the 'back' of great kUrma Tortoise (kamaTham) was not even able to  alleviate the itch of the back of the Lord.

Essential meaning: The great task of churning the milky ocean (milky-way) to produce wealth by divine and daemonic forces using the biggest mountain as  churning rod, longest serpent as the churning rope, with LORD in the form of tortoise as basis to support their effort and make it fruitful, which produced all acceptable wealth (Goddess Lakshmi), health (Lord Dhanvantari), kAmadhEnu, kalpa vRksha etc., etc., was not even capable of scratching HIS back.

Even the greatest effort known to us is so insignificant and useless when comes in comparison with the Lord!

-- Today is mahA vaiSAkhi, kUrma jayanti

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

साक्षी नित्यः - Witness Eternal

 Jagadguru SrI Samkara bhagavadpAda AcArya's divya jayanti is tomorrow. (15th May 2013) In a great work called "sarva vEdAnta siddhAnta sAra samgraha" bhagavadpAda describes the true self experience of deep samadhi as follows:

नाहं देहो नाप्यसुर्नाक्षवर्गो नाहंकारो नो मनो नापि बुद्धिः |
अन्तस्तेषां चापि तद्विक्रियाणां साक्षी नित्यः प्रत्यगेवाहमस्मि ||८३५||

वाचः साक्षी प्राणवृत्तेश्च साक्षी बुद्धेः साक्षी बुद्धिवृत्तेश्च साक्षी |
चक्षुःश्रोत्रादीन्द्रियाणां च साक्षी साक्षी नित्यः प्रत्यगेवाहमस्मि ||८३६||

नाहं स्थूलो नापि सूक्ष्मो न दीर्घो नाहं बालो नो युवा नापि वृद्धः |
 नाहं काणो नापि मूको न षण्डः साक्षी नित्यः प्रत्यगेवाहमस्मि ||८३७||

नास्म्यागन्ता नापि गन्ता न हन्ता नाहं कर्ता न प्रयोक्ता न वक्ता |
 नाहं भोक्ता नो सुखी नैव दुःखी साक्षी नित्यः प्रत्यगेवाहमस्मि ||८३८||

नाहं योगी नो वियोगी न रागी नाहं क्रोधी नैव कामी न लोभी |
नाहं बद्धो नापि युक्तो न मुक्तः साक्षी नित्यः प्रत्यगेवाहमस्मि ||८३९||

नान्तःप्रज्ञो नो बहिःप्रज्ञको वा नैव प्रज्ञो नापि चाप्रज्ञ एषः |
नाहं श्रोता नापि मन्ता न बोद्धा साक्षी नित्यः प्रत्यगेवाहमस्मि ||८४०||

न मेऽस्ति देहेन्द्रियबुद्धियोगो न पुण्यलेशोऽपि न पापलेशः |
क्षुधापिपासादिषडूर्मिदूरः सदा विमुक्तोऽस्मि चिदेव केवलः ||८४१||

अपाणिपादोऽहमवागचक्षुषी अप्राण एवास्म्यमना ह्यबुद्धिः |
व्योमेव पूर्णोऽस्मि विनिर्मलोऽस्मि सदैकरूपोऽस्मि चिदेव केवलः ||८४२||

The complete work can be found here: 
http://sanskritdocuments.org/all_sa/ved_sa.html

My notes:  (rather a rough translation in to English)
I am not the body, not senses, not the ego, not the mind, not intellect, nor their effects internal or external. I am the eternal witness distinct from all these.

I am the witness of speech, witness of vital forces, witness of intellect, witness of intellectual activity, witness of mind, witness of mental activity, witness of all senses. Witness I am, distinct from all of them always.

I am not gross, not subtle, not long; I am not a child, not youth nor old; I am not blind, not dumb, nor impotent. Always been a distinct witness I am.

I am not the one who is not moving, nor the one who is moving, nor the one who is killing; I am not the doer, not the enjoyer,  nor the speaker. I am not the happier one nor the miserable one. I am always been the witness distinct from all these.

I am not yOgi, not detached, nor attached; I am not angry, not desirous, nor possessive. I am neither bound, nor striving for release, nor unbound. I am the witness ever distinct and independent.

I am not the internal illumination (of dream), nor the external illumination (of waking), not illumination nor darkness (of deep sleep); I am not the listener, not the thinker, nor the knower/understander. Ever distinct observer I am always.

In me body, senses, intellect or yoga do not exist; In me there are no traces of virtue, nor even the vice; I am far away from the hunger, thirst etc., always been free unattached consciousness I am.

I have no limbs like hands and legs, I have no faculty like speech nor vision; I have no vital force, no mind, no intellect. I am ever fulfilled like space and ever untouched by any of these! I am ever existent form of consciousness alone!

That is what I am - my true Identity. Let the grace of BhagavadpAda be on one and all... 

"Jaya Jaya Sankara! hara hara Sankara!!"

Sunday, May 5, 2013

అవసరానికి ఉపయోగపడనివి

పుస్తకస్థా తు యా విద్యా పరహస్తగతం ధనం
కార్యకాలే సముత్పన్నే న సా విద్యా న తత్ ధనం

పుస్తకం లోనే ఉండిపోయిన విద్యా (చదువూ), పరహస్తగతమైన ధనమూ, అవసరానికి ఉపయోగపడనివి; అటువంటి విద్య విద్యా కాదు, ధనం ధనమూ కాదు.

pustakasthA tu yA vidyA parahastagataM dhanaM
kAryakAlE samutpannE na sA vidyA na tat dhanam

Knowledge that remains in the book, Money that is handed over to some one else, are not useful at the time of need; Such knowledge is not knowledge, such money is not money!

Note: As I am bringing the knowledge of arthaSAstra out of the book to make it useful, there are less posts on this blog. Any one interested can see posts related to artha SAstra @ http://sastra-artha.blogspot.in/