[Advaita-l] Shankara Digvijaya Sara - part 5

[Balasubramanian Ramakrishnan]

Thanks Jaldhar, this is very useful.

Rama

On Wed, Apr 22, 2020 at 2:10 AM Jaldhar H. Vyas via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> 26| vede brahmasamastadaṅganicaye gārgyopamastatkathā
> tātparyārthavivecane gurusamastatkarmasaṁvarṇane
> āsījjaiminireva tadvacanajaprodbodhakande samo
> vyāsenaiva sa mūrtimāniva navo vāṇīvilāsairvṛtaḥ ||19||
>
> 26. Like Brahma in Vedas, Gārgya in Vedāṅgas, Guru [i.e. Bṛhaspati] in the
> sacred stories, their interpretation and their meanings, Jaimini in the
> understanding of ritual, and his speech and conduct made him seem like a
> new
> embodiment of Vyāsa in his understanding of the ultimate meaning of the
> śāstras.(19)
>
> (At the sṛṣṭi or creation at the beginning of each yuga-cycle Brahma
> speaks
> the four Vedas.  Later ṛṣis create the Vedāṅgas to safeguard the form and
> meanings of the Vedas.  (Gārgya wrote on jyotiṣa.) The essence of the
> Vedas is
> extracted into Purāṇas, Mahābhārata etc. Bṛhaspati is one who knows all
> these.
> Jaiminis sūtras are the foundational text of Pūrva Mīmāṁsā which
> systematizes
> and compiles the ritual karma taught in the Vedas.  But the ultimate
> purport
> of all śāstras is the knowledge of Brahman taught in the Uttara Mīmāṁsā or
> Vedānta which Veda Vyāsa organized in the Brahma sūtras.)
>
> (The next few ślokas explain the origin of Śaṅkarācāryas' composition
> called
> Kanakadhārā Stotra.)
>
> 27| sa hi jātu guroḥ kule vasansavayobhiḥ saha bhaikṣalipsayā |
> bhagavānbhavanaṁ dvijanmano dhanahīnasya viveśa kasyacit ||21||
>
> 27. Once while living in his gurus’ house, Bhagavān [i.e. Śaṅkarācārya]
> went
> with a classmate to ask for bhikṣā at the house of a Brāhmaṇa who lived in
> great poverty.(21)
>
> (Asking the householders for bhikṣā or alms of food is one of the principle
> duties of a brahmachāri.)
>
> 28| tamavocata tatra sādaraṁ yativaryaṁ gṛhiṇaḥ kuṭumbinī |
> kṛtino hi bhavādṛśeṣu ye varivasyāṁ pratipādayanti te ||22||
>
> 28. The lady of the house said to him respectfully, “Reverend Monk,
> fortunate
> indeed are those who can give alms to ones like you.”(22)
>
> (Strictly speaking, yati or monk should be reserved to denote a sannyasi
> only
> not a brahmachāri though I suppose there are similarities.)
>
> 29| vidhinā khalu vañcitā vayaṁ vitarītuṁ vaṭave na śaknumaḥ |
> api bhaikṣamakiñcanatvato dhigidaṁ janma nirarthakaṁ gatam ||23||
>
> 29. “But truly, Vidhi [i.e. Brahma] has deceived us, bringing us to a state
> where we cannot even offer bhikṣā to a Brāhmaṇa boy. Dhik! This birth is
> useless.”(23)
>
> (Brahma has cheated them because He has given life but not livelihood.
> Dhik is
> an exclamation of disgust.)
>
> 30| iti dīnamudīrayantyasau pradadāvāmalakaṁ vratīndave |
> karuṇaṁ vacanaṁ niśamya so'pyabhavajjñānanidhirdayārdradhīḥ ||24||
>
>