[Advaita-l] Shata-shlokI of Shankara - 21, 22 of 101

[V. Krishnamurthy]

Namaste

21.
loke bhojas-sa evA-rpayati gRha-matAy-Arthine’nnaM kRshAya
yas-tasmai pUrNam-annaM bhavati makha-vidhau
jAyate’jAta-shatruH /
sakhye nAn-nArthine yo’rpayati na sa sakhA sevamAnAya
nityaM 
samsakthAy-Annam-asmAt vimukha iva
parAvRttim-icched-kadaryAt //

sa eva : He alone 
loke : in the world
bhohaH : is the giver
arpayati : (who) offers
annaM : food
kRshAya arthine : to the famished seeker (of food)
gRha-matAya : who comes to his house.
tasmai : To such a one 
pUrNaM annaM bhavati : there is plenty of food
makha-vidhau : for the requirement of yajna-ritual,
jAyate : and he turns out to be 
ajAta-shatruH : devoid of all enemies.
yaH saH na arpayati : He who does not offer
sakhye : to the friend
anna-arthine :  who seeks food,
nityaM sevamAnAya : who has continuously served him 
annaM samsaktAya :  with an attachment for food,
na sakhA : is not a true friend.
asmAt kadaryAt : From such a miser
vimukha iva : as if out of disregard
parAvRttim icchet : one should turn away. 

Note 1: Here is one of the many instances to show that
Shankara’s is not a ‘dry’ armchair philosophy.

Note 2: Recall  (thanks to Ken-ji) from Rg Veda: X – 117. 
sá íd bhojó yó gRháve dádaaty ánnakaamaaya cárate kRshaáya
Bounteous is he who gives unto the beggar who comes to him
in want of food and feeble.
ná sá sákhaa yó ná dádaati sákhye sacaabhúve sácamaanaaya
pitváH
No friend is he who to his friend and comrade who comes
imploring food, will offer nothing  

Note 3 : Let me also recall,  though the context is
different, from the Yajur veda Taittiriya Aranyaka (I – 8):
Ko nu marya amithitaH , sakhA sakhAyam-abravIt, jahAko
asmad-Ishhate, yastityAda-sakhividam-sakhAyaM, na tasya
vAcyapi bhAgo asti, yadIM shRNoty-alakam-shRNoti.

Is there a friend who mistrusts a friend from whom he has
derived only good? Whoever discards such a good friend in
mistrust and doubt, for him there is no right to read and
hear the scriptures any more; even if he hears them, he
listens in vain.
The context is different, because, here the ‘friend’
referred to is ‘shruti’, the vedas. But note the
parallelism in the words and thought process employed.

22.
svAjnAna-jnAna-hetU jagad-udaya-layau sarva-sAdhAraNau staH

jiveshh-vAsvarNa-garbhaM  shrutaya iti jagur-hUyate
sva-prabhodhe /
vishvaM brahmaNy-abodhe jagati punar-idaM hUyate brahma
yadvat 
shuktau roupyaM ca roupye’dhikaraNam-athavA
hUyate’nyonya-mohAt //

jagad-udaya-layau : The manifestation and dissolution of
the universe
sva-ajnAna-jnAna-hetU : have for their (respective) cause,
ignorance or 
knowledge of the Self
sarva-sAdhAraNau staH : and are applicable to all
jIveshhu : beings
AsvarNa-garbhaM :  from Creator Brahma downwards –
iti shrutayaH jaguH : Thus the vedas declare.
sva-prabodhe : When the Self is revealed
vishvaM : the universe
brahmaNi hUyate : is sacrificed into Brahman;
abodhe : When (the Self is) not realised,
punaH brahma hUyate jagati : again Brahman is sacrificed
into the universe. –
yadvat : just as
roupyam shuktau hUyate : (the appearing) silver disappears
into the mother-of-pearl
athavA : or
adhikaraNam roupye : the substance into the silver
anyonya-mohAt : owing to the non-recognition of each of
them in turn.

Note 1: There is a subtly-advanced advaita here. That the 
Reality is what appears in the form of the universe is very
often talked about in advaita. But here the unreal
disappearing into the real is also talked about in the same
fashion.  “anyonya-mohAt”.  Non-duality  par excellence!
There is matter here for a deep ‘nidhidhyasana’.

Note 2 : Starting from this shloka, until the end, without
any digression, the Acharya waxes eloquent on advaitic
thoughts, in his inimitable profound manner.

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