[ यह बिल्कुल सच है, कि मनुष्य आत्मज्ञान (या अपने सच्चे स्वरुप का ज्ञान) प्राप्त करता है, तथा आत्मज्ञान हो जाने के बाद मनुष्य स्वयं को, एक ही चेतन सत्ता को सचमुच सभी प्राणियों में देख पाता है, निम्नोक्त घटनायें इसी सच्चाई को प्रमाणित करती हैं।]
एक
आचार्य शंकर एक ब्रह्मज्ञानी व्यक्ति थे। उनका जन्म आठवीं शताब्दी में हुआ था। वे एक सन्यासी थे। उन्होंने सम्पूर्ण भारतवर्ष में अद्वैतवाद का प्रचार किया था।
एक दिन शंकर गंगास्नान करने काशी गये थे । गंगास्नान के बाद जब वे वापस लौट रहे थे तो देखते हैं, एक चण्डाल चार कुत्तों को साथ लिए उसी रस्ते से चला आ रहा है। शंकर रुक कर एक किनारे खड़े हो गये, ताकि कहीं उनसे छुआ न जाएँ। उनको यही भय था कि चण्डाल से या कुत्तों से कहीं छुआ गया तो अपवित्र हो जाऊंगा।
शंकर को इस प्रकार एक तरफ हटते देख कर चण्डाल ने कहा, " ब्राह्मण देवता, आप तो वेदान्त के अद्वैतवादी मत के प्रचार करते हुए भ्रमण करते हैं। फिर आपके लिये यह अस्पृश्यता-बोध (छुआ-छूत), भेद-भाव दिखाना कैसे संभव होता है ? मेरा शरीर छू जाने से आप अपवित्र हो जायेंगे, यह सोच कर आप आशंकित हैं ; किन्तु क्या हमदोनों का शरीर एक ही पंचतत्व के उपादानों से निर्मित नहीं है ? आपके भीतर जो आत्मा हैं और मेरे भीतर जो आत्मा हैं, वे एक नहीं हैं क्या ? हम दोनों के भीतर, सभी प्राणियों के भीतर क्या एक ही शुद्ध आत्मा विद्यमान नहीं हैं ?
चण्डाल की बातों को सुनकर शंकर की मोहनिद्रा टूट गयी, वे अद्वैवाद की महानता के प्रति जागरूक हो गये। उनहोंने समझ लिया कि भेद तो केवल शरीर-मन (या नाम-रूप ) की सीमा में आबद्ध है, आत्मा (अस्ति-भाति-प्रिय) तो इन सबसे परे हैं। चण्डाल ने उनके स्वयं के दार्शनिक तत्व (अभेद ) के अनुभूति का द्वार खोल दिया था, यह विचार कर उन्होंने शंकर ने चण्डाल को नमस्कार किया।
और वहीँ पर खड़े खड़े उन्होंने 'मनीषा- पंचकम ' नामक स्त्रोत्र की रचना कर दी। इस स्त्रोत्र के प्रत्येक स्तुति के अन्त में कहा गया है- " इस सृष्टि को जिस किसी ने भी अद्वैत-दृष्टि से देखना सीख लिया है, वह चाहे कोई ब्राह्मण हो चण्डाल हो; वही मेरा सच्चा गुरु है।"
मनीषापञ्चकम्
Introduction
manIShA panchakam was written by
Jagadguru Shri Adi Shankaracharya.
Shri Adi Sankaracharya gives a very
lucid and straight version of advaita
vedanta in five verses called as मनीषा पञ्चकं ; manIshA pa~nchakam. These five verses are placed in such a simple manner that it
becomes very difficult for one to understand with the so called mind. But, when
one is clear of all thoughts and the mind is perfectly calm like without waves in
a pond, then one can see the bottom of the pond provided the water in the pond is
crystal clear also. In the same way the reader is requested to purify the mind
and keep it still so that the advaita vedanta reveals itself from these verses.
Even though there are only five verses
in the
मनीषा पञ्चकं ; manIshA panchakam, the first two verses which are in the question
form before the 5 verses that are asked by chAnDAla should not be ignored at
all. These two verses are like preparatory exercise for the main marathon of
five verses. It is like preparing a lamp with oil and wick so that the lamp can
be lit. For a lamp to be lit, we all know how important is the oil and wick; these
two verses are like that. To remove darkness from a room, we need not try to
remove the darknes step by step, we have to just bring in a lamp into the room,
the darkness automatically gets removed. In the same way the ignorance cannot
be removed step by step from the mind. One has to bring in the wisdom or the
knowledge of advaita vedanta. Immediately after the entry of advaita vedanta,
the duality of nature gets removed.
Instead of these two verses
in total, one has to look into the words and ponder on them. Each word itself
reveals a lot on preparation that is required on the path of advaita. The
famous neti (न na + इति iti – Not this) doctrine is put
forth indirectly in these two verses. The साधना चतुष्टय sAdhana chatushTaya – Four fold Qualifications (विवेकं ; vivekaM-discrimination, वैराग्यं ; vairAgyaM-dispassion, समादी षट्क संपत्ति samAdi ShaTka
sampatti (सम sama – control of mind, दम dama – control of
external sense organs, उपरम /उपरति uparama/uparati – following one’s duty, तीतीक्ष titiksha – acceptance of pairs of opposites (heat and cold;
pain and pleasure etc.), श्रद्धा shraddha – faith in
Guru’s words, समाधानं ; samAdhAnam – one
pointedness of mind), मुमुक्षत्वं - yearning
desire for liberation) are placed in a very subtle manner, which can be overlooked
if we do not concentrate on each word in the verses in a deeper way. (Please refer to tattvabodha for further details).
HISTORY:
It is known that this act happened in
the city of Benaras/Kashi during the period of Sri Shankara’s life. It happened
in such a way that, one day as Shri Shankara went to river ganges for his daily
bath and rituals along with his disciples, and on the way back from the river,
as he was walking on the streets, a chAnDAla (literally a dog eater - an
outcaste) was walking on the same path in the opposite direction. It is
customary in India that whenever a brahmin or an ascetic moves on a path, other
people do not walk against his direction; they give way to the brahmin or
ascetic to walk first. Now, this chAnDAla has not moved aside; instead, he was
also walking in the opposite direction towards Shri Shankara. After seeing this
chAnDAla’s movement Shri Shankara addresses chAnDAla to move away by using the
words गच्छ ,
गच्छ gaccha, gaccha meaning go, go away.
Scribe’s
additional Note
It is futile to debate here, that whether
the chAnDAla is really a chAnDAla or Lord Shiva himself who came in disguise to
remove the ignorance of casteism from Sri Shankara. If chAnDAla is really a
chAnDAla, how can he speak in such a high poetic language and that too in
Sanskrit? If we see this as a moment that occurred in history some centuries
ago, then it does not fetch us anything. However, if we consider that the
Cosmos has arranged for this kind of a situation, for us to probe deeper, learn
and perceive the Truth so that we make a way for our own Self realization, then
only is the situation helpful to us. Here the Cosmos has arranged a situation
for us to go deeper and deeper into our mind and later on go beyond the mind.
So instead of saying to our mind gaccha, gaccha….for the mind to go outward,
let us say gaccha, gaccha…for the mind to go inward and within. Because, when
the mind goes within and tries to perceive the chaitanyam - the consciousness
present within, then the mind will be trained to perceive the same chaitanayam
– the consciousness in the external world and everywhere. When the sAdhak gets
to this stage of perceiving the chaitanyam being all pervading and present
everywhere, then the sAdhak enters into silence and gets aware of the Stillness
which is ever present and is the substratum of the whole Cosmos.
annamayAdannamayam – made up of food.
This body and the external world that we perceive is all panchikruta - made up from
the food of five elements earth, water, fire, air & ether. Anything that is
made up of these five elements is bound to be impermanent and will go away or
perish in the time. So, here the Cosmos is telling us in the form of chAnDAla
to look into the impermanence of this external world. The one that remains
always and is perennial is nothing but chaitanyam or the consciousness which is
all pervading.
Now let us look into the conversation
between chAnDAla and Sri Shankara. Here Shri Shankara is asking chAnDAla to go
away from his path. If we consider these two characters as two individuals,
then the conversation may not be completely helpful. Instead, let us consider
these two characters as two kinds of conditioning of thought process. We all
are taught from our childhood to be pious, religious, to perform good
activities, and to avoid bad. Now what is good and bad? We say a particular
situation that favors us to be good and a situation that does not favor us to
be bad. But is it really so? Because, any situation is just a situation. We
only label the situation with either good or bad. If a situation is favorable
to us, then it might not be favorable to someone. So, what is a good situation
for us is becoming a bad situation for someone. This is the paradox of life.
Isn’t it? In this scenario, how can the chAnDAla be bad to a brahmin? Has the
chAnDala created any hurdle to the brahmin? No. So, the situation of appearing
of a chAnDala in front of a brahmin as a bad situation is only a thought
process which has been conditioned by the illusion of duality. It is a
perception by which the brahmin has created a situation, and a limitation for
himself and his thought process. Hence, in reality there is no good and bad.
These are only our perceptions that are creating limitations for our
pre-conditioned thought processes. As the chaitanyam is all pervading, God is
present both in good and bad. Hence, one has to overcome this illusion of
duality. So, in this case the wisdom in the form chAnDala is telling the
knowledge, which is in the form of Shri Shankara, that one has to overcome the
duality (dvaita) and step into the
non-duality (advaita) to understand
the Cosmos. Only when, one perceives the chaitnayam being all pervading, then
only the ocean of bliss is blessed.
The conversation between chAnDAla
and Sri ShankarAchArya:
अन्नामयादान्नमयम्थ्वा चैतन्यमेव चैतान्यात ।
द्विजवर दूरीकर्तु वाञछ्सी किं ब्रूहि गच्छ गच्छेति ॥
yativara = O! great ascetic!; kim = whom; vAnChasi = (you) desire to; gachCha = go (away); brUhi = (by) uttering (asking to) ; gachCheti = go away, go away; durI kartum = keep or move away (from my
path); annamayaat = this body which is made from food; annamayam = same as yours nourished by food; athavaa = or else, if not so; chaitanyam = the consciousness (in me); (eva = it is also the); iva = just like; chaitanyaat = (same as your) consciousness.
O great ascetic!
Please tell me. Whom you desire to move away from your path by uttering the
words “go away, go away”? Is it this body, which is made from food to move away
from your body, which is also similarly made from food? Or, is it the
consciousness, which is present in this body (physical appearance) to move away
from the consciousness which is similar to the consciousness present in your
body (physical appearance)? Please tell me.
किं गंगाम्बुनी बिम्बितेओम्ब्र्मनौ चंदाल्वातिपयः
पूरे चंत्रमस्ती कच्च्न्घतिम्रित्कुम्भ्योवोर्म्ब्रे।
प्रत्याग्वस्तुनी निस्तारान्ग्सह्जान्न्दाव्बोधाम्बुधौ
विप्रोअयम्श्व्प्चोअय्मित्य्पिमहन्कोअयम्विभेद्भ्रमः ॥
pratyag vastuni = the Truth indwelling in everything; nistaranga = without waves i.e., stillness; ambudhau = ocean; sahaja= natural (which is present always); ananda= Bliss; avabodha = faculty of being resolute in judgment or action; mahaan = Oh Great One!; ko = why; ayam = this; vibhedha = discrimination; bhramah = illusion; ayam = this; vipro = learned Brahmin; iti = this; api = that part also; ayam = this; shwapacho = literally the one who eats dogs, (Shwa.N pacha = dog eat) one who is an outcaste (chanDaala);
gangaa ambudhi = sacred waters of Ganges; payah poore = full of water; vaa = or; chandaala veedhi = the street in which chanDaala lives or slum area; bimbita = reflected; ambara maNou = the jewel of the sky, i.e., the Sun; antaram = difference; kim = what; asti = exists; vaa = or; kAnchana ghaTI = pot made of gold; mrit kumbha = earthen pot; yoH = who / which; ambare = in the reflected sky; vaa = or; antaram = difference; kim = what; asti = exists.
Verse meaning
Oh Great One! Please
answer me. How can you get into the illusion of difference that the same
Truth and natural perennial bliss do not exist in an outcaste and a
brahmin, when it is as clear as a reflection of the sun in the still
waves of an ocean? What happened to your faculty of judgement?
Also please answer me. Is
there any difference between the empty space that exists in a golden pot
and an earthen pot? And, is there any difference between the reflection
of the sun that is being reflected in the waters of Ganges and in the
waters that passes through the slum areas?
Scribe’s additional Note
These two verses are the
preparatory exercise for every sAdhak. Because, in these two verses the
minimum requirements for a sAdhak have been prescribed. Those are:
1. To understand the Truth one need to have pure discrimination and stillness of mind.
2. To have equality so that one should be able to see that there is in reality no difference in any thing and everything.
3. All the external world is only a reflection of the Absolute.
With this background, now we will enter the realm of advaita vedanta where the manIsha panchakam is being told.
Shankara replies as follows:
जाग्रत्स्वप्न सुषुत्पिषु स्फुटतरा या संविदुज्जृम्भते
या ब्रह्मादि पिपीलिकान्त तनुषु प्रोता जगत्साक्षिणी,
सैवाहं न च दृश्य वस्त्विति दृढ प्रज्ञापि यस्यास्तिचे
च्चण्डालोस्तु स तु द्विजोस्तु गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम. ॥ १ ॥
jaagrat = wakeful state; swapna = dream state; sushupti = deep sleep state; shu = also; sphuTataraa = that which is very clear; ujjrumbhate = shines in all beings; samvid = consciousness; yaa = the one which; protaa = embedded, indwelling, pervaded by, contained in; brahmaadi = from the Creator onwards; pipIlikAnta = upto the ant, tanu shu = all living bodies and, jagat sAkshiNI = the one who is the witness all worldly activities; saivAham = he is that I; na = not; cha = and; drusya = that which is seen (na cha drusya = not be perceived) ; vastviti = this as an object; api = also; druDha = firm; praj~na = intelligence; asti chet = it exists as the same; astu = let it be; chAnDaalo = the outcaste; sa tu = in the same way; astu = let it be; Dwijo = the twice born, learned (Brahmin); maneesha mama = my prudent reflection; eshaa = this; Guru iti = is the real preceptor.
If
one says with firm conviction, that he is the one who is present in all
the states of wakefulness, dream and sushupti (deep sleep), and present
in all beings and objects beginning from Brahma (the creator) to the
tiny ant and who is vibrant as energy consciousness in everything and
being witness of the whole cosmos, then this I say with my prudent
reflection that, that individual is revered preceptor, be he a twice
born (brahmin) or an outcaste. Do not see that person in any other way.
Scribe’s additional Note
This first verse itself is
breaking all the shackles of dogmatic rituals. Now, we have to clearly
understand the word dwija = twice born. It is foolish and erroneous to
say that all those persons who undergo the thread ceremony (upanayana)
ritual are twice born. Remember in nature no one and no thing can take
re-birth without dying first. So, how can a thread ceremony makes one
twice born? This sacred ceremony is a ritual where the person is asked
to die before his physical death. That is the ego has to be completely
get rid of. When the “i” dies, then that person is ready to perceive the
cosmos with pure discrimination and see the Truth in everything and
treats with equality every part of the cosmos. That person sees and
perceives the same in all the three states of jagrat, swapna &
sushupti. That person, the twice born perceives the inherent vibrant
energy being existing as a substratum in every thing in the whole
cosmos. That person sees himself in everything and every part of the
cosmos. Such person becomes indeed none other than the Guru, Preceptor.
ब्रह्मैवाहमिदं जगच्च सकलं चिन्मात्रविस्तारितं
सर्वं चैतदविद्यया त्रिगुणयाशेषं मया कल्पितम्
इत्थं यस्य दृढा मतिः सुखतरे नित्ये परे निर्मले
चण्डालोस्तु स तु द्विजोस्तु गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ २ ॥
Brahma = The Brahman; eva = really; Aham = the inner Self or “I”; idam = this; jagat = universe; cha = and; sakalam = total, whole, everything; chinmaatra = pure intelligence, mere consciousness alone; vistAritam = fully stated and extended; sarvam = completely; cha = and; etat = this; avidyayaa = ignorance together with non-existence; triguNayaa = set of three characteristics (attributes – sattva, rajas & tamas); sesham = that which remains as; kalpitam = imagined; mayA = by me; yasya = Who so ever, dhruda matih = with firm conviction (with accurate knowledge and perception); ittham = this way of understanding; nitye = that which is everlasting, permanent, does not undergo any change or modification; pare = that which is other (Supreme or Eternal consciousness); nirmale = pure, stainless, resplendent; sukhatare = bliss; astu = let it be; chAnDaalo = the outcaste; sa tu = in the same way; astu = let it be; Dwijo = the twice born, learned (Brahmin); maneesha mama = my prudent reflection; eshaa = this; Guru iti = is the real preceptor.
If one says with firm
conviction, that he is the one who is present in Brahma as the creator;
he is pervaded in the whole cosmos as pure intelligence and
consciouness; he who says that he has imagined this world with the three
characteristics of sattva, rajas and tamas because of ignorance of the
Truth; he who is pure, stainless, resplendent, always in that bliss;
then this I say with my prudent reflection that, that individual is
revered preceptor, be he a twice born (brahmin) or an outcaste. Do not
see that person in any other way.
Scribe’s additional Note
A person who constantly
meditates on the Absolute will one day gets awakened. He realizes that
all the emotional experiences that are undergone are because of
illusion/maya or ignorance of Truth. He understands that this illusion
is governed by three characteristics or gunas – sattva, rajas and tamas.
Once he overcomes these three gunas and becomes nirguna - guna rahita (not
characterless, but beyond characters), his mind becomes pure, stainless
and would be able to reflect the Absolute. Then such person will always
be in that bliss.
शश्वन्नश्वरमेव विश्वमखिलं निश्चित्य वाचागुरोरः
नित्यं ब्रह्म निरन्तरं विमृशता निर्व्याज शान्तात्मना,
भूतं भावि च दुष्कृतं प्रदहता संविन्मये पावके
प्रारब्धाय समर्पितं स्ववपुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ ३ ॥
vishwaM
= Universe; akhilaM = whole, entire; shashwat = perpetual, endless,
permanent; eva = really; nashvaraM = perishable,
transitory; nishchitya = having determined; guruH = the Guru,
preceptor; uvaacha = saying, words (vaca gurae vaachaa guro = words of
Guru); brahma = Supreme Spirit, Absolute; nityaM = permanent;
nirantaraM = eternally; vimrushataa = carefull analysis; nirvyaaja =
pure, sincere; shaanta = peaceful (without any attachments); Atmanaa =
you yourself, by yourself; sva = of self; vapuH = body; samarpitaM =
delivered unto; prArabdhaaya = revenue of prArabdha, revenue of the
undertaken deeds; duShkR^itaM = wrongly or wickedly done; bhUtaM = of
the past; bhaati = pass for (to present and future); cha = and; eShaa
=this; pradahataa = burns of; paavake = fire, shining; saMvinmaye =
consisting of that intellect; esha = this; maneesha mama = my prudent reflection.
I say
with my prudent reflection and conviction through Guru’s words, that
this entire Universe is transitory and only the Brahma or Supreme Spirit
is permanent; the human body is delivered unto us as our praarabdha to
meditate on that Absolute constantly with a calm and pure mind and after
awakening with this fire of self effulgent intellect (wisdom), that
individual burns his past and the future karma in that shining fire of
knowledge and will just surrender his present body to the praarabdha.
Scribe’s additional Note
As per the ancient
scriptures it is said that man is bound by three types of karma or
conditional thinking. The first one is called as sanchita karma,
which is based upon his past lives. This is the conditional thinking
which he has brought from his past lives. This is the conditioning by
which some people like certain things and do not like some other things.
May be a person lived in India in his previous life may be speaking the
Indian languages very well even though that person might be born in USA
and might have never heard or written these languages in his present
life. It is the same with many of the emotions also. If a person is very
angry and is unable to control his anger in his previous life may have
more or less the same tendencies in this life. A person who might be
interested in yoga in his previous life will continue the same in this
life also. The second type of karma is the praarabdha karma.
This karma is based upon the deeds that person performed in his
previous lives, which made him to obtain his present body. A person who
might be an athlete in his previous life will have a strong physique
even in this life. A person who might be following all the health
restrictions may have a very healthy body in this life. The third type
of karma is called as aagaami karma. This is the karma
which an individual is going to obtain in future based upon his present
& future nature and deeds. Simplest example would be, if any
individual over eats, the immediate result would be indigestion. He is
bound to fall sick. If any individual irritates someone, he is going to
get the repercussions from the individual whom he irritated. If any
individual pollutes the environment, he is bound to inhale polluted air.
The Nature’s laws are always certain and there will be no deviation in
the consequences of Nature.
So, when one meditates on
the Absolute and constantly is in the state of awareness of the
Absolute, will clear all thoughts in the mind i.e., will not have any
attachment towards thoughts. Such individual will merge the mind in the
Absolute and becomes one with the Absolute. In Vedanta a simile
is given where a doll made of salt went into the ocean to measure the
depth of the ocean and not only lost itself, but has become one with the
ocean. So, the individual who meditates on the Absolute not only melts
and becomes one with the Absolute, but becomes the Absolute itself. For
such a person the sanchita and aagaami karma gets burnt and he will be living just to burn his praarabdha karma.
He surrenders himself to the Absolute. Such kind of a person has
overcome all his conditional thinking from the past and will not be
succumbed to any conditional thinking in future. Such a person will act
only as per the situation as long as the present body stays alive and
may not react in any situation.
या तिर्यङ्नरदेवताभिरहमित्यन्तः स्फुटा गृह्यते
यद्भासा हृदयाक्षदेहविषया भान्ति स्वतो चेतनाः,
ताम् भास्यैः पिहितार्कमण्डलनिभां स्फूर्तिं सदा भावय
न्योगी निर्वृतमानसो हि गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ ४ ॥
yaa = arrive at; sphuTaa = clear, apparent; gR^ihyate = perceived; ahaM = as the I; iti = this; antaH = within, inside; tirya~N.h = all animals; nara = human beings; devatA = the gods; abhiH = inclusive of; yadbhaaasa = with that effulgence or consciousness; swataH = self; achetanaa = insentient (jaDa = without any feeling); vishayaa = the sense objects; bhaanti = understood, illuminated by; hR^idaya = the heart; deha = the body; axa = the eyes (here it is all five senses that capture the vishaya); taam = those (the heart, body, all sense organs); bhaasyaiH = to be brought to light, to be made visible; pihitaa
= concealed, hidden; arkamaNDala = the sun’s outer layer effulgent
with luminous light, sun’s halo; nibhaaM = similar to that of; sphUrtiM
= appearance or display; yogI = yogi, contemplative saint; nirvR^ita = be accomplished; sadaa = always; Bhaavayan = present in that state of condition (meditation); maanasohi = always in that mind or consciousness; maneesha mama = my prudent reflection; eshaa = this; Guru iti = is the real preceptor.
I clearly arrive at the
perception with my prudent reflection and say with conviction that, the
one who sees the ever effulgent consciousness in all animals, human
beings and gods; and the one who says that it is by the reflection of
this effulgent consciousness that makes all the body, mind and sense
organs as sentient even though they are insentient; who says that all
the external objects are perceived only through this consciousness,
which is hidden as the clouds hide the self-effulgent sun’s halo; the
one who meditates always on that eternal consciousness and is always in
that state of stillness, that great one is the Guru, preceptor.
Scribe’s additional note
The heart, body, mind and
senses are in reality insentient. But we perceive them as sentient. So,
what is that, which is present in them to appear them as sentient? It is
the self effulgent consciousness which is actually making them to
appear sentient. So, this self effulgent consciousness is present as
substratum in all these and creating an illusion that all these are
sentient. It is like when we watch a movie on a screen we see various
colorful shadows created by the reel through which the light is passed
through. In reality all these shadows or the casting/movie that we see
on the screen is not real. Only the light is real. This self effulgent
consciousness is shadowed by the mAya as the clouds hide the sun’s halo.
We can see all the objects
in the world in a broad day light even if the sun is covered by the
clouds. Does it mean that the sun is not present when the clouds cover
the sun? No. There is another simile to understand it easily. When we
see the full moon in the night we say that the moon is so good and the
moon light is making us to see all the objects in the night also. But in
reality moon is not self-luminance. What we see the moon is actually
the reflection of the sun’s light which is falling on the moon. In the
same way this whole world is only a reflection of that self effulgent
consciousness as the substratum.
While we watch a movie we
undergo through many emotions as similar to that of the emotions that
are projected on the screen. Now let us say instead of watching the
movie on the screen if we take 180o turn and see the light
coming from the booth/projector, we will not be undergoing any emotions;
instead, we will be so peaceful without any thoughts/emotions. Suddenly
the illusion of the movie is gone from us. In the same way the one who
sees, perceives and always be in the awareness of that self effulgent
consciousness i.e., always meditating on that self effulgent
consciousness is always peaceful to the brim, completely fulfilled,
contented, self-satisfied, without any desires (no thoughts – in a
perfect stillness) and full of bliss. Such an individual is none other
than a Guru, preceptor.
यत्सौख्याम्बुधि लेशलेशत इमे शक्रादयो निर्वृता
यच्चित्ते नितरां प्रशान्तकलने लब्ध्वा मुनिर्निर्वृतः
यस्मिन्नित्य सुखाम्बुधौ गलितधीर्ब्रह्मैव न ब्रह्मविद्
यः कश्चित्स सुरेन्द्रवन्दितपदो नूनं मनीषा मम ॥ ५ ॥
yat = that (The Self – Brahman); ambudhi = ocean; saukhya = supreme bliss; lesha leshata = even the smallest of the smallest portion; ime = this; nirvR^itaa = be accomplished, become; shakraadayo = Surendra (Indra) and other gods; prashaanta = composed, indifferent, peaceful; kalane = state of being fulfilled with; chitte = consciouness; yat = that; na itaraaM = not by any other special means; muniH = the munis or sages; labdhvaa = having received such experience, who is in that awareness; nirvR^itaH = being accomplished of fulfillment; Yasmin = whose; dhI = mind, mental attitude; nitya = always ever permanent; galita
= melted in (here it means that, that individual who have overcome all
thoughts – mind, who has gone beyond mind, beyond all experiences, whose
mind has dissolved in the ocean of bliss, who does not have any
identity – ego or I); ambudhau = ocean; suo sukha = eternal bliss; na brahmavid brahmaiva = that is not Brahma, but Brahman itself; sa = such an individual; yaH kashchit = whosoever; pado = feet (his feet); vandita = worthy to be worshipped of; surendra = Indra, king of gods; nUnaM = indeed, certainly; maneesha mama = my prudent reflection
It is my strong conviction
that the person who is always in that ocean of eternal bliss is not a
mere knower of Brahman, but Brahman itself. Even the minutest portion of
that bliss is enough to satisfy the Indra and other gods. By meditating
on that Supreme ever effulgent, permanent consciousness with calm mind
melted in that ocean of bliss and is always in that awareness, he is
completely fulfilled. Whosoever that individual, his feet are fit to be
worshipped even by the lord of kings Indra himself. This is my prudent
reflection and conviction.
Scribe’s additional note
An individual who has
overcome every kind of conditional thinking is free from all kinds of
desires. Such a person need not worry about anyone and anything in life.
Such a person is full of Love, kindness and joy. Such a person responds
to everyone and everything happening around him, but will not react to
anyone or anything. Such a person is always in that eternal self
effulgent bliss. Such a person is completely fulfilled and
self-contented. Even if a minutest portion of that bliss is tasted, then
it will satisfy king of gods, Indra himself. That means that joy is far
more than billions of billions of happiness experienced together.
इति श्रीमत शंकर भगवतः कृतौ मनीष पञ्चकं सम्पूर्णं
Thus ends the manIshApa~nchakaM composed by Shri ShankarAchArya
