[Advaita-l] Shata-shlokI of Shankara - 9,10 of 101

[V. Krishnamurthy]

9.

yat-prItyA prIti-mAtraM tanu-yuvati-tanUjArtha-mukhyaM sa
tasmAt
preyAn-AtmA’tha shokA-spadam-itarad-ataH preya etat-kathaM
syAt /
bhAryAdyaM jIvitArthe vitarati ca vapuH svAtmanaH shreya
icchan
tasmAd-AtmAnam-eva priyam-adhikam-upAsIta vidvAn-na cAnyat
//

saH AtmA : That  Self
yat-prItyA : whose dearness is the reason for 
tanu-yuvati-tanUjArtha-mukhyaM : all things like the body,
wife, children and wealth
prIti-mAtraM : being dear,
tasmAt preyAn : must be dearer (than these things).
Atha : On the other hand,
itarat : those other things 
shokAspadaM : are sources of misery.
atah preya etat kathaM syAt : How then can they be dearer
than the Self?
jIvitArthe : For the sake of one’s life
vitarati : one gives up 
bhAryAdyaM  : (even) one’s wife and others;
ca : and 
svAtmanaH shreya icchan : for the good of one’s own self
vapuH (vitarati) : one gives up the body (of oneself).
tasmAt : Therefore
vidvAn : the wise person
upAsIta : should cherish  
adhikaM priyaM : most dearly
AtmAnam-eva : the Self only
na ca anyat : and not anything else.

Note: This shloka is a beautiful synopsis of a famous long
passage from the Brihad-Aranyakopanishad  Ch.II, 4th
Brahmana, concluding with the words: 
“na va are sarvasya kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati,
atmanas-tu kamaya sarvam priyam bhavati; atma va are
drastavyah srotavyo mantavyo nididhyasitavyo”.  For an
authentic  exposition of the passage see:
http://www.swami-krishnananda.org/brdup/brhad_II-04.html ,
particulary the portion before and after the following
conclusive observation:

“The love that you feel in respect of an object is in fact
the love that you feel towards that which is called
perfection and completeness. It is not really a love for
the object. You have thoroughly misunderstood the whole
point, even when you are clinging to a particular object as
if it is the source of satisfaction. The mind does not want
an object; it wants completeness of being. That is what it
is searching for. Thus, when there is a promise of the
fulfilment that it seeks, through the perception of an
object that appears to be its counterpart, there is a
sudden feeling that fullness is going to come, and there is
a satisfaction even on the perception of that object; and
there is an apparent satisfaction, just by the imagined
possession of it together with the yearning for actual
possession. So, what is it that you are asking for? You are
not asking for any object or thing; you are asking for a
condition of completeness in your being. So, my dear
friend, says Yajnavalkya, nobody is dear. No object can be
regarded as lovable or desirable. It is something else that
you love and are asking for, but by a notion that is
completely misconstrued, you believe that the object is
loved”.

10.

yasmAd-yAvat-priyaM syAd-iha hi
vishhayatas-tAvad-asmin-priyatvaM 
yAvad-dukhaM ca yasmAd-bhavati khalu
tatas-tAvad-evA-priyatvaM /
naikasmin sarva-kAle’sty-ubhayam-api kadA’py-apriyo’pi
priyaH syAt 
preyAn-apy-apriyo vA satatam-api tataH preya AtmAkhya-vastu
//

iha : In this world
yAvat : as long as 
priyaM syAt :there is pleasure derived
yasmAt vishhayataH : from an object,
tAvat : so long 
priyatvaM : (there is) love
asmin : for that object;
ca :  and 
yAvat : as long as 
dukhaM bhavati : there is pain or suffering
yasmAt : from an object
tAvad-eva : so long only
apriyatvaM khalu : (there is) indeed dislike
tataH : therein.
ekasmin : In the same object
sarva-kAle : at all times
ubhayam-api : both (pleasantness or unpleasantness)
na asti : do not exist.
kadA api : Sometimes, however, 
apriyaH api : even an unpleasant thing
priyaH syAt : becomes pleasant
vA : or,
preyAn api :  even a pleasant thing
apriyaM (syAt) : becomes unpleasant.
tataH  : Therefore, 
AtmAkhya-vastu : The entity known as the Self
satatam  api preyaH : is always the most beloved. 

PraNAms to all students of Adi Shankaracharya
profvk




=====
Prof. V. Krishnamurthy
My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/
You can  access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and Practice,  and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.
Also see my webpages on Live Happily, the Gita Way at http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/contentsbeach11.html