[Advaita-l] Shata-shlokI of Shankara - 1,2 of 101

[V. Krishnamurthy]

Namaste.

Om.
1. 
dRshhTAnto naiva dRshhTaH tribhuvana-jaThare
sad-guror-jnAna-dAtuH
sparshash-cet-tatra kalpyaH sa nayati yad-aho
svarNatAm-ashma-sAraM /
na sparshatvaM tathA-api shrita-caraNa-yuge sadguruH
svIya-shishhye
svIyaM sAmyaM vidhatte bhavati nirupamaH tena vA’laukiko’pi
 // 

na eva dRshhTaH : There is nothing known
dRshhTAntaH : (as ) comparable
tribhuvana-jaThare : in all the three worlds
sad-guroH : to the revered teacher
jnAna-dAtuH : who dispenses knowledge.
sparshaH tatra kalpyaH cet : If ‘sparsha’, the
philosopher’s stone be one such,
saH nayati : it turns
ashmasAraM : iron
svarNatAM :  into gold,
aho : (but) alas!
na sparshatvaM : not into being ‘sparsha’, the
philosopher’s stone.
tathA api : On the other hand,
sad-guruH : the revered teacher
vidhatte : creates, produces
sAmyaM : equality
svIyaM : (with) himself
svIya-shishhye : in his disciple
shrita-caraNa-yuge : who takes refuge in his feet.
tena : By this reason,
bhavati : he becomes 
nirupamaH : peerless
vA : or  more,
aloukiko’pi : even transcendental.

Important note: In organizing the translation into English,
the Sanskrit words of the verse have been re-sequenced in
such a way that their English meanings as given above, when
read in the same sequence, will make sense.  We shall
follow this practice, in all the succeeding shlokas. 
Note on shloka 1: That the Guru becomes ‘transcendental’ is
the stamp of the Acharya in this shloka. Such punchlines in
almost every shloka are characteristic of his Vedanta
poetic works, particularly in this Shata-shlokI. As far as
I know -- I would like to be corrected here -- probably
this is the only place, of all his works, where Adi
Shankara mentions this unique quality of the Guru-Acharya –
namely the quality that the Guru produces disciples who
themselves become Gurus in due time, thus keeping the
Guru-paramparA ever alive, -- not just alive, but rising to
greater and greater heights.

2.
yadvac-chrIkhaNDa-vRkshha-prasRta-parimaLen-Abhito’nye’pi
vRkshhAH
shAshvat-saugandhya-bhAjo’pyatanu-tanu-bhRtAM
tApam-unmIlayanti /
AcAryAl-labdha-bodhA api vidhi-vashataH sannidhau
sam-sthitAnAM 
tredhA tApaM ca pApaM sakaruNa-hRdayAH svoktibhiH
kshhAlayanti //

yadvat : Just as
parimaLena : by the fragrance
prasRta : diffused
shrIkhaNda-vRkshha : (by) a sandal tree
anye : other
vRkshA api : trees also
abhitaH : all around (it) 
saugandhya-bhAjaH : are full of fragrance
shAshvat : at all times 
tApam-unmIlayanti api : and afford relief from heat 
atanu-tanubhRtAM : to diverse embodied beings,
labdha-bodhA api : (so) also they that have gained wisdom
AcAryAt : from the teacher,
sakruNa-hRdayAH : with hearts full of compassion,
kshhAlayanti : emancipate
svoktibhiH : by their talks
sannidhaU vidhi-vashataH samsthitAnAM :all those
fortunately situated in their presence
tredhA tApaM : (from) the three kinds of suffering 
(adhyAtma, adhidaivata, adhibhautika)
(tredhA) pApaM ca : and also (from) the three kinds of sin
(body, speech and mind).

Note 1. Compare from Narada bhakti sutra No.69:
“tIrthI-kurvanti tIrthAni, su-karmI kurvanti karmANi,
sac-chAstrI-kurvanti shAstrANi”
They make holy places holy, make works   well worked, and
make scriptures into real scriptures – by explaining their
purport well and meaningful for others.

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