[Advaita-l] DoShaparihArAShTakam - series -4

[Lakshmi Muthuswamy]

DoshapariHarAShTakam continued –
   
  Verse – 4  yassamshritah svahitadhIrvyasanAturastat
  doShasya tam prati vacah astu tadanyadoSham
  yadvacmi tanmama na kim Xataye svadoSha
  cintaiva me tadapanodphalocitAh atah
   
  The author says that one can talk about others defects, under any one of the following three conditions only:
   
  Condition no.1 – Yassamshritah – If the person has approached me for guidance, either as a student, son or as one seeking shelter in me, with an attitude of taking guidance from me.
   
  Condition no.2 – sva-hitadhIh- he is personally interested in getting his doshas corrected. He should have given me permission saying “ If I have got any defects, please point them to me, because I want to change.”
   
  Condition no.3 – vyasanAturah – the other person must be suffering or in difficulty due to dosha.
   
  Under any one of these conditions, I have a right to talk or point out the dosha in him/her. Since he has given me permission, he is not going to mistake / feel hurt, as he interested in correcting/changing himself. He has shraddha and bhakti as he has taken guidance from me. My advice is not going to be misunderstood. He/she will apply himself and try to change himself/herself.
   
  Tad doShasya tam partyi vacah: point out, that that doSha, to that that person, with that that person’s permission. (typical Tamil translated English)
   
  Who on earth will give me such an open-minded permission? If given an opportunity, even my own family members will give me a non-stop commentary about me for hours.
   
  None of us are ready for this, because we do not want to listen/face our own defects. Then we have no right to find fault with other people. Exception to the rule is, that one of the above conditions applies.
   
  Tad anya dosham vachmi – if I talk about the defects of the other person to a third person
  Tan mama kim xataye? Will it not be harmful to me?
  So there is only one thing left for me to do sva – doShaive cintaiva me – if at all I have to think/talk of doShas, Oh Lord I must think/talk of the doShas of only one blessed person in the world. Who is this blessed person? It is mama- me and mine alone.
  How? Here the author gives a strong warning. 
   
  There are some people who always think about their doShas and in the process develop guilt, inferiority complex, frustration, depression etc. This inferiority complex is dangerous.  He /she will constantly brood over that, damaging his personality.
   
  There fore, the thought, that should be entertained is ‘ How should I avoid these doshas?’ That I am inferior is not a healthy thinking, labelling myself, as ‘I am no good/ or good for nothing’ is not the purpose. 
   
  The thinking has to be tadapanodaphala ucitA atah- I have got such and such a defect, how can I eliminate that? What are the methods that I should adopt for elimination? Rather than condemning myself, I should constantly question myself, constantly think about the solutions, read books regarding that, adopt measures to change my attitude, will help me progress. This is INTROSPECTION.
   
  To be continued


   
  Om namo narayanaya
   
  Lakshmi Muthuswamy
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  y

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