[Advaita-l] Shata-shlokI of Shankara - 15, 16 of 101

[V. Krishnamurthy]

Namaste.

15.
yaH kashcit soukhya-hetos-trijagati yatate naiva dukhasya
hetoH
dehe’hantA tad-utthA sva-vishhaya-mamatA ceti dukh-Aspade
dve /
jAnan-rogA-bhighAtAdy-anubhavati yato’nitya-dehAtma-buddhiH

bhAryA-putr-Artha-nAshe vipadam-atha parAm-eti
na-arAti-nAshe //

yaH kashcit : Any one
trijagati :  in all the three worlds
yatate : strives
soukhya-hetoH : for the sake of happiness
na eva dukhasya hetoH : and never for the sake of misery.
dukha-Aspade dve : (There are) two sources of misery,
iti : namely,
dehe ahantA : the sense of I-ness in the body
tadutthA ca  : and, arising therefrom,
sva-vishhaya-mamatA : the sense of ‘mine’ in one’s
interests.
yataH : For,
jAnan : (even) the learned man
anitya-dehAtma-buddhiH : mistaking the transient body for
the Self,
anubhavati : undergoes
roga-abhighAta-Adi : suffering from disease, assault, etc.
atha parAM vipadam-eti : and also experiences great sorrow
bhAryA-putra-artha-nAshe :at the loss of wife, son or
wealth;
na arAti-nAshe : (but) not at the loss of an enemy!

Note 1: The last words “na-arAti-nAshe” form the punchline
of the shloka and rightly bring to focus  how an absence of
equanimity is the great  obstacle in the spiritual ascent.
This is why even in the most popular ShAnti mantra
“sahanAvavatu ..”, there is what looks like a postscript: 
“mA vidvishAvahai” – ‘Let us not hate anything or any one’.

 
Note 2: The standard question that is asked whenever this
equanimity is emphasized, is “How do you practise
equanimity in real life? Is it not just a theoretical
abstraction?”.  An elaboration of a possible answer to this
trend of thinking, with particular reference to the Gita,
has been  attempted on the web page “Happiness of
Equanimity in practice” at
http://www.geocities.com/profvk/livehappily_5.html


16. 
tishhTan gehe gRhesho’py-atithir-iva nijaM dhAma gantuM
cikIrshhuH
dehastham dukha-soukhyaM na bhajati sahasA
nirmamatva-abhimAnaH /
AyAtr-AyAsyat-IdaM jalada-paTalavad-yAtR yAsyaty-avashyaM 
dehAdyaM sarvam-eva pravidita-vishayo yashca
tishhTaty-ayatnaH //

gRheshaH : The family man
gehe tishhTan api : though dwelling at home,
nirmamatva-abhimAnaH:  devoid of any feeling of mine-ness,
atithir-iva : (remains) like a guest,
nijaM dhAma gantuM cikIrshhuH : longing to reach his own
destination (moksha, Brahman) 
na bhajati : feels not
sahasA : with fervour
dukha-soukhyam : either the misery or the happiness
dehasthaM : belonging to the body or mind (i.e., belonging
to the home).
dehAdyaM sarvam eva : Whether it be the body or anything
else,
AyAtR : what is bound to occur (or come)
avashyaM AyAsyati : will surely occur (or come);
yAtR : What is bound to be missed (or to go)
(avashyaM) yAsyati : will surely go or be missed,
jalada-paTalavat : like a gathering of clouds.
iti idaM pravidita-vishayaH yaH : He who knows the Truth
thus
ayatnaH tishhTati : remains at ease.

Note: Mark this  shloka that tells us how to be an advaitin
in practice. The Truth “Que sera, sera” is not a fatalistic
view, but is a Vedantic  conclusion  arrived at because of
the seeker’s need to ‘reach his own destination’ (‘nijam
dhAma gantuM cikiRshhuH’).

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