[Advaita-l] Shata-shlokI of Shankara - 47,48 of 101

[V. Krishnamurthy]

Namaste
47
piNDI-bhUtaM yad-antar-jalanidhi-salilaM yAti
tat-saindhav-AkyaM 
bhUyaH prakshhiptam-asmin vilayam-upagataM nAma-rUpe jahAti
/
prAjnas-tadvat-parAtmany-atha bhajati layaM tasya ceto
himAMshau 
vAg-agnau cakshhur-arke payasi punar-asRg-retasI dikshhu
karNau //

yad-antar-jalanidhi-salilaM : That water which is taken
from the sea
piNDI-bhUtaM : when solidified,
tat-saindhavAkhyaM : is known by the name of salt.
bhUyaH prakshhiptaM asmiN : When it is thrown back into the
sea
v ilayaM upagataM : and is dissolved,
jahAti : it abandons
nAma-rUpe : its name as well as  form.
tadvat prAjnaH : So also the individual soul
parAtmani : (merges) into the Supreme Self.
atha : At that time,
cetaH : mind
layaM bhajati : is dissolved,
himAmshau : into the moon;
punaH : also,
vAk agnau : speech into fire,
cakshhuH arke : sight into the sun,
asRk retasI :blood and semen
payasi : into water, (and) 
karNau dikshhu:  hearing into the directions.

Note:  Before one does a ritualistic puja, one sanctifies
oneself by uttering, among other things, a passage from
Yajur-veda beginning with “agnir-me-vAci-shritaH”.  This
passage recalls how every subtle sense organ is  to be
re-fixed back into its source so that when the puja takes
place the body and its contents are not any more physical,
but they are elevated to their divine sources. The Acharya,
in the above shloka, religiously follows the scheme
envisaged in this vedic passage. That is why he says, mind
is dissolved into the moon, speech into the fire, sight
into the sun, blood and semen into water and hearing into
the directions. 
Look at the following lines from the  vedic passage, in
order to understand the above comment.

agnir-me-vAci shritaH :  Fire is  seated in my speech
vAg hRdaye :  Speech, in the heart
hRdayaM mayi : heart, in Me
aham-amRte : this ‘I’ in immortality
amRtaM brahmaNi:  Immortality, in brahman.

vAyur-me prANe shritaH : Air is seated in my prANa
(life-breath)
prANa in the heart, heart in Me, ..., Immortality in
brahman.  

sUryo me cakshhushhi shritaH : Sun is seated in my eyes
cakshur-hRdaye .... amRtaM brahmaNi.
And so on it goes for the following also: 

Moon is seated in my  Mind .....
The Directions are seated in my ears ....
Water is seated in my semen and blood ......
Earth is seated in my body ....
The Lords of the herbs are seated in my hairs .....
Indra is seated in my strength ....
Rain God is seated in my head ...
Lord IshAna is seated in my anger ...
Atman is seated in my Atman ...
--------------------------------
48
kshhIrAntar-yadvad-AjyaM madhurima-viditaM 
tat-pRthag-bhUtam-asmAt 
bhUteshhu brahma tadvad-vyavahRti-viditaM
shrAnta-vishrAnti-bIjaM /
yaM labdhvA lAbham-anyaM tRNam-iva manute yatra nodeti
bhItiH 
sAndrAnandaM yadantaH sphurati tad-amRtaM viddhy-ato
hy-anyad-ArtaM //

yadvat : Just as 
AjyaM : (ghee) butter
kshIrantaH : (is contained ) in milk
madhurima-viditaM : as indicated by the sweetness (of the
latter),
tat pRthak  bhUtaM : but it becomes separate 
asmAt  : therefrom (when extracted),
tadvat : so also is
brahma : brahman
bhUteshhu : in all beings,
vyvahRti-viditaM : as indicated by the activity (of the
being),
shrAnta-vishrAnti-bIjaM : and is also the cause of rest
(vishrAnti) when one is tired  --(i.e. when one is asleep).
yaM labdhvA : Attaining it,
manute : one considers
anyaM lAbhaM : any other gain
tRNam iva : as nothing but straw.
Yatra : Therein
Na udeti bhItiH : there springs up no fear.
Yat : Whatever
antaH sphurati : sparks within oneself
sAndrAnandaM : as concentrated bliss
tat amRtaM : that is immortality.
anyat : All else 
ArtaM hi : is indeed transient.
viddhi ataH : Know it thus.

Note 1. Recall Gita VI – 22:  And having attained Which, he
does not think of any other gain as superior to That; being
established in Which he is not shaken much by misery,
however powerful that may be.

Note 2. As a direct implication of the above quote from the
Gita, which the Acharya must have had in mind when he wrote
“yaM labdhvA lAbham-anyaM tRNam-iva manute” , he reminds us
of the consequence – namely, “there springs up no fear”.
Thus he has told us the connection between the above Gita
passage and the vedic quotes 
“na bibheti kadAcaneti”  (Tait. U. II-4-4) – ‘Never does he
fear’;
“atha so’bhayaM gato bhavati” (Tait.U. II-7-12) – ‘Thus he
reaches the state of fearlessness’;
“na bibheti kutashcaneti” (Tait. U. II-9-4) – ‘ He has no
fears from anywhere or anything’.

Note 3. “sAndrAnandaM yad-antaH sphurati tad-amRtaM”. This
word “sAndrAnandaM” 
meaning ‘Bliss Concentrate’ is used in the literature only
to denote the Absolute Bliss associated with the
Transcendental Absolute. Recall
“sAndrAnand-Avabhod-Atmakam..” right in the beginning of
nArAyaNeeyaM, in the same context and with the same
meaning. 

PraNAms to all students of Adi Shankaracharya.
profvk







=====
Prof. V. Krishnamurthy
My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/
You can  access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and Practice,  and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.
Also see my webpages on Live Happily, the Gita Way at http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/contentsbeach11.html