vivekachUdAmani

[Vaidya Sundaram]

45)
maa bhaishhTa vidva.nstava naastyapaayaH
    sa.nsaarasindhostaraNe.astyupaayaH .
yenaiva yaataa yatayo.asya paaraM
    tameva maargaM tava nirdishaami

 Fear not, O! learned One! There is no danger to you. There is a means to cross
the ocean of SamsAra. I shall show to you the way by which those who have
striven in the past have reached the other shore.

 By saying "vidvan, do not fear", freedom from fear has been vouchsafed
immediately. Be calling him "vidvan", learned one, the Guru means that, having
accquired viveka etc., he has learnt that sorrow cannot be surmounted without
the grace of the Guru. There fore it is indicated that having taken refuge in
him, the sisya will learn what is to be learnt. "For you, who have done thus
there is no danger. For the gIta says: na hi kalyAnakrt kascit durgatim tAta
gacchati - For, dear one, none who does good verily comes by an evil fate. There
fore, do not be afraid by saying "How shall I cross this ocean? What is to be my
fate ...etc" Having thus comforted and assured him that he need not fear, that
there is no adverse fate for one who does good, the guru in answer to the
sisyA's query: what is the means? says that there is a means to cross the ocean
of samsara. To create confidence in the mind of the sisya, he conveys the means
supported by what will produce belief. He says: "I shall teach you the way
itself by which those who have striven before, namely the samnyAsins, have
reached the other shore.

 yatayah: pratyatnasIlAh: those who are given to effort, samnyAsins.

--
from Adi Shankara BhagavadpAda's VivekachUdAmani, with commentary by Sri
Chandrasekhara Bharati of Srngeri.


Pörnam adah` pörnam idam pörnaat pörnam udach`yaté |
Pörnasya pörnam ädaya pörnam éva avasish`yatè ||

The Absolute[adah] remains Perfect [poornam]as before, while the derivatives are
also Perfect [idam, poornam,]. Even though a Perfect is derived from the
original Whole, Perfect[poornasya, poornam, aadaya], the Original Perfect remain
Whole and Perfect.[poornam, eva, avasishyate.]