[Advaita-l] Shankara Digvijaya Sara - part 29

[jaldhar at braincells.com]

śrīmadācāryāṇāṁ śāradāpīṭhavāsavarṇana nāma ṣodaśaḥ sargaḥ ||16||
Canto 16: The account of Śrīmadācāryās’  Occupation of the Śāradāpīṭha.

187| svasthaḥ so'yaṁ brahma sāyaṁ kadācitdhyāyangaṅgāpūrasaṅgārdravārtaiḥ |
āgacchantaṁ saikate pratyagacchatyogīśānaṁ gauḍapādabhidhānam ||33||

187. After he recovered his health, one evening he went to contemplate Brahman 
on the wet, sandy banks of the Gaṅgā when the Lord of Yogis called Gauḍapāda 
arrived.(33)

("After he recovered his health" refers to an episode not otherwise mentioned 
in this work but told in the MDS in the end of the previous sarga and the 
beginning of this one.  in Kāmarūpa (modern Assam) Śaṅkarācārya meets a tantrik guru named Navagupta who curses him with a terrible disease.  The 
curse is eventually turned back on Navagupta by Padmapadācārya.  Nothing seems
to be known about this Navagupta.  In some places of the MDS, he gets confused
with Abhinavagupta, the famous Kashmiri saiva thinker.  But he lived almost
two centuries after Śaṅkarācārya and he is from Kashmir not Assam.

During the summer even mighty rivers such as the Gaṅgā dry up somewhat leaving
stretches of sand along the riverbanks.)

188| āryasyātho gauḍapādasya pādau abhyarcyāsau śaṅkara paṅkajābhau |
bhaktiśraddhāsambhramākrāntacetāḥ prahvastasthāvagrataḥ prāñjaliḥ san ||36||

188. Worshipping the lotus-like feet of the noble Gauḍapāda, Śaṅkara, with 
with Bhakti and Faith, bowed with hands folded.(36)

189| siñjannenaṁ kṣīravārāśivīcīsācivyāyā''sannayatnaiḥ kaṭākṣaiḥ |
dantajyotsnādanturāścāpi kurvanāśāḥ sūktīṁ sandadhe gauḍapādaḥ ||37||

189. Gauḍapāda gave a merciful glance that seemed like the waves of the 
milk-ocean and the brilliance of his teeth shone like moonlight.  He said with 
kind words…(37)

(The milk ocean described in the śāstras is extraordinarily calm.)

190| kṛtāstvayā bhāṣyamukhā nibandhā matkārikāvārijanuḥsukhārkāḥ |
śrutveti govindamukhāprahṛṣya dṛgadhvanīno'smi tavādya vidvan ||49||

190. “You have written a commentary on my Kārikās that is pleasant like the 
lotus and other works -- so I have heard directly from Govinda. Thus today I 
have made myself perceivable to you oh Scholar!”(49)

(Govinda is the guru of Śaṅkarācārya and the disciple of Gauḍapādācārya.)

191| matkārikābhāvavibodhitādṛṅ māṇḍūkyabhāṣyaśravaṇotthaharṣaḥ |
dātuṁ varaṁ viduṣāṁ varāya protsāhayatyāśu vara vṛṇīṣva ||51||

191. “Your Māṇḍūkya commentary fully explains the meaning of my Kārikās; 
hearing it I am filled with joy.  I wish to bless you with a blessing oh 
Learned One.  Quickly choose a blessing.”(51)

(Gauḍapādācāryas' principal work is Kārikās on the Māṇḍūkyopaniṣad. 
Śaṅkarācārya has commented on both the Upaniṣad and Kārikās.)

192| sa prāha paryāyaśukarṣimīkṣya bhavantamadrākṣamatiṣvapūruṣam 
varaḥ paraḥ ko'sti tathā'pi cintanaṁ cittattvagaṁ me'stu guro nirantaram ||52||

192. He [i.e. Śaṅkara] replied, “I have seen you who are Śuka Ṛṣi in another 
form sir and what can be a greater blessing for a man than this sight? 
Nevertheless guru, may my mind always be focused on the Cittattva [i.e. 
Brahman.]”(52)

(Śukadevaji is the guru of  Gauḍapādācārya.)

193| tatheti so'ntardhimapāstamohe gate cirañjīvimunāvathāsau |
vṛttāntametaṁ sa mudā''śravebhyaḥ saṁśrāvayaṁstāṁ kṣaṇadāmanaiṣīt |53||

193. The long-lived sage who has cast off delusion said “May it be so” and 
vanished. He [i.e. Śaṅkara] happily spent the pleasant night recollecting 
these events for his disciples.(53)

194| atha dyunādyāmuṣasi kṣamīndro nirvartya nityaṁ vidhivatsaśiṣyaiḥ |
tīre nididhyāsanalālaso'bhutatrāntareaśrūyata lokavārtā ||54||

194. Now the Lord of the Merciful [i.e. Śaṅkara] got up at dawn the next 
morning proceeded to the banks of the river [i.e. Gaṅgā] and performed the 
daily duties as per the śāstras wth his disciples and became absorbed in 
meditation.  Later they heard some news.(54)

(what this news is will be revealed in the next installment.)

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