[Advaita-l] Shankara Digvijaya Sara - part 7

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

38| mama na mānasamicchati saṁsṛtiṁ na ca punarjananī vijihāsati |
na ca gururjananī tadudīkṣate tadanuśāsanamīṣadapekṣitam ||60||

[Śaṅkarācārya thought to himself,] “In my mind I do not wish to enter saṁsāra 
but my mother doesn’t understand my ideas. But also I do not wish to oppose 
the guru who has given me life.  It is foolish to disobey the commands of such 
a one.”(60)

(The convention is that after completing brahmacāryā, a boy should get married 
and proceed to the gṛhastha āśrama where karma is practiced. Āryambā naturally 
assumed her son would take the same path.  But Śaṅkarācārya knew that karma is 
finite and only leads to saṁsāra -- the futile cycle of endless rebirths.  On 
the other hand, he did not wish to go against his mothers wishes.  In Manu 
Smṛti and other Dharma Śāstras state that as much honour should be given to 
ones guru, ten times as much should be given to ones father, and hundred times 
as much to ones mother as they are the childs first gurus.)

39| iti vicintya sa jātu mimiṅkṣya bahujalāṁ saritaṁ samupāyayau |
jalamagāhata tatra samagrahījjalacaraścaraṇe jalamīyuṣaḥ ||61||

39. Thinking thus, he went to bathe in the river which was in full flood. As 
he entered the water, a crocodile caught hold of his leg in its enormous mouth 
and dragged him in.(61)

40| sa ca ruroda jale jalacāriṇā dhṛtapado hriyate'mba karomi kim |
calitumekapadaṁ na ca pāraye balavatā vivṛtorumukhena ha ||62||

40. In the water he cried out, “A crocodile has seized my leg! Tell me mother, 
what shall I do?  I cannot move even one step in these mighty jaws.”(62)

41| tyajati nūnamayaṁ caraṇaṁ calo jalacaro'mba tavānumatena me |
sakalasaṁnyasane parikalpite yadi tavānumatiḥ parikalpaye ||65||

41. “Mother, if I renounce right now with your permission, this wild crocodile 
will release my leg. I wish to renounce everything if it is in agreement with 
your wishes.”(65)

(The crocodile was actually the embodiment of Saṁsāra.  Saṁsāra has no power 
over a vairagi.)

42| iti śiśau cakitā vadati sphuṭaṁ vyadhita sa'numatiṁ drutamambikā |
sati sute bhavitā mama darśanaṁ mṛtavatastadu neti viniścayaḥ ||66||

42. Hearing her sons words, the mother trembling with fear quickly gave her 
assent.  The good woman imagined she would see her son die in front of her if 
she did not make a decision.(66)

43| tadanu saṁnyasanaṁ manaṣā vyadhātatha mumoca śiśuṁ khalanakrakaḥ |
śiśurupetya sarittaṭamatrasanprasuvametaduvāca śuco''vṛtām ||67||

44. As soon as he had mentally renounced, the fierce beast released its 
saw-like teeth.  The boy reached the river bank and with soft words adressed 
his mother.(67)

(The core of saṁnyāsa is the unshakable conviction that all the phenemona 
of the perceived world are nothing more than māyā. All other signs and 
procedures such as kesari robes etc. are auxillary to that and may be 
omitted in an emergency situation.  On the other hand it is not enough to 
just talk or think about it. māyā and its objects must also be physically 
abandoned in favour of the knowledge of the true Self of all.)

44| saṁnyastavānśiśurayaṁ vidhavāmanāthāṁ
kṣiptveti māṁ prati kadā'pi na cintanīyam |
yāvanmayā sthitavatā phalamāpanīyaṁ
mātastataḥ śataguṇaṁ phalamāpayiṣye ||72||

44. “Let it not be thought of me that the son having taken saṁnyāsa has 
abandoned his widowed mother without a guardian.  Mother, wherever I may be I 
will give you a hundred fold of what I can give you here now.”(72)

(It is not mentioned here but in the full MSD, it is told that as a condition 
of giving permission for saṁnyāsa, Āryambā extracted a promise from her son 
that he would perform her śrāddha for her.  In this śloka, Śaṅkarācārya is 
saying he will return to keep the promise no matter how far away he is.)


-- 
Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>