[Advaita-l] YogAmRRitaM by R. Visvanatha Sastri - 13

[V. Krishnamurthy]

Namaste.

IMPORTANT NOTE:  Before I proceed further, let me make some
corrections,  in the last portion of the previous post
(#12) http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m25466.html  
(Delete shloka 144 and whatever follows thereafter in the
previous post.  Replace it  by the following. The original
text is the same. Only my translation is different.  My
corrections have been  triggered by Sunderji’s welcome post
 http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m25491.html   My
thanks to Sunder-ji) :
 
eShA brAhmIsthitiriti dvitIyAmArurukShati .
ekabhAvasyAsya dArDhyaM vicArAdibhirIhate .. 144 ..

 Revised Tr.: This is the BrAhmI-sthiti (mentioned at the
end of the second chapter  B.G. #II - 72).Thus one takes
the second BhUmikA ( second step out of the seven steps). 
The confirmation of the ‘eka-bhAva’ – oneness of everything
 --  comes by Persistent Enquiry  (VichAra).

NOTE:  VichAra is the second step, as given in
Mahopanishat.  The first step was ‘shubecchA’  (the
auspicious desire that arises from dispassion) as given in
the Upanishat.  (See the note under shloka 115 in
YogAmRRitaM -10: 
http://www.escribe.com/culture/advaitin/m25386.html  )
It was  however described as ‘deha-pravrajanaM’ (‘attitude
of exit from the body)  by the author. For the benefit of
the reader the other steps as given in the Upanishat are:
3. tanumAnasI – the condition of mind where the attachment
to sense-objects is reduced by means of auspicious desire
and reflection.
4. satvApatti -  the mind in the pure sattva, by the
practice of the earlier three stages
5. asamsakti -  the developed condition, without even a
trace of involvement, by means of the practice of the four
stages.
6. padArtha-abhAvanA – Resulting from the five stages ,
this stage delights in the spirit firmly by the
non-contemplation of objects internal or external. In other
words the attitude is one of no cognition of anything that
is non-self
7. turyagA – this is the turiiyA

Note that here we have a slow motion analysis of what lies
between our three normal states of awareness and the
turIyA.
__________________________________________________________________________________

nityavastvetat . anityametat . iti vivekaH kAryaH .
iShTAniShTe, AnukUlya-pratikUle,  priyApriye,
preyaHshreyasI , sadasat , eteShAM tattvaM vicAraNIyaM .
sthitvAsyAmantakAle.api ityantya-bhUmikApi sUcyate .
saptasu bhUmikAsvapi akhaNDapUrNa eka-bhAva eva bhAvabhedAH
sopAnatayA ucyante . evaM vedAnta-vicArasya
adhikAri-nirUpaNaM viShayasya sthUlatayA saMkShepena
pratipAdanaM brahmApti tatsaMbandhashca ityanubandhaM
catuShTayamapi samagreNa uktaM adhyAyadvaye.api
shAstrarItyA arghyAntadhyAnavat .. 

 Revised Tr. :   Discrimination between what is eternal and
what is ephemeral is to be done. Enquiry is to be pursued
into the
fundamentals that govern  likes and dislikes, favourable
and unfavourable, good and bad, real and unreal. 
‘Established therein,, even at the end of one’s life’ (B.G.
2nd ch. #72), -- this is indicative also of the last step
(in the sequence of seven steps). In all the seven steps
what is reiterated  is the same attitude of Oneness of the
Unfragmented Fullness  Absolute. It is described in terms
of seven steps that are only different shades in the bHAva
(attitude). Demarcation of prerequisites for enquiry  the
Vedanta way;  Concrete delineation in brief of the Subject
of enquiry;   object of ‘obtaining’ of brahman; and  the
relationship between the Subject and Object.  All the four
have been well declared in the two chapters (of the Gita)
like the winding up dhyAna after ‘arghya’.
________________________________________________________________
Now we continue: 


tatkiM karmaNi ghore mAM ityevaM hi vicAryate .
shreyo hetuH pRRicchhyate.atra tRRitIye bhagavanmataM ..
145 ..

‘Why me, in  this ghastly action ? What will lead to good? 
– thus the enquiry goes on, in the third discourse of the
Lord. 
_____________________________________________________________________
pApaM kathaM ca carati  kAmanAheturucyate  .
tadvayo mukha eveti rahasyaM cAvatArayoH .. 146 ..

We are told about how one commits sin and how one generates
desires and how it has two faces.  We are also told (in the
next discourse) the secret of His avatar.
___________________________________________________________________________
aj~nAtvA svasya bhUmAnaM  kavayo.apyatra mohitAH .
karmaNAM marma-vij~nAnaM shrIkRRiShNena tathoditaM .. 147
..

And Krishna goes on : Without knowing one’s own greatness,
even scholars get confused. And He gives us the secret
science of karma.
___________________________________________________________________________
dehArUDhasyaiva karma vihitaM ninditaM tathA . 
deho jaDastvaciddRRishyaM dehI kShetraj~na ucyate .. 148 ..

Karma is prescribed or tabooed only for those who are one
with their body. The body is inert, non-intelligent and
belongs to the visible world. The resident of the body
however is called the One who is cognisant of all this.
________________________________________________________________________
jaDasyApi na kartRRitvaM citashcApi na hi kvacit .
jaDe citashca hyAropaH kRRito yena samUDhadhIH .. 149 ..

There is no agency of  action for an inert body, nor there
is for the Consciousness. On the inert, the conscious has
been superimposed by the ignorant.
______________________________________________________________________________
kartA tvaM kuru karmeti lokabuddhyanuvAdi yat .
tathaiva bhAShayA coktiH shrImadbhagavataH kila .. 150 ..

You are the doer; do action – all this is only a statement
in the worldly sense. Krishna uses the language of the
worldly.
___________________________________________________________________________________
dharmashAstreShu vihitAni karmANi. dehAtma-matInAM kAmataH
pravRRittiH . tadrItyaiva kuru karma ityuktvA kartustava
svAtantryAbhAvAt shAstra-coditamavashyaM kartavyaM ityeva
kuru . tvaM tu vastutaH niShkAmaH niShkrodhaH nirmAnamoha
iti AtmanaH nityashuddha-buddhatvaM vij~nAya
akartRRitva-bhAvanayA yaH karoti saH karteva
dRRishyamAno.api vastutaH akarteva .. 

Synopsis: The shastras prescribe various karmas. People who
identify themselves with their body involve themselves in
action. ‘Do works’ has been stated only for them. The
‘doer’ who is addressed like this has no freedom of action.
Do only those actions which are sanctioned by the shastras.
 In reality, you are desireless, angerless, and without the
bewilderment of mAyA. Thus remaining aware of the
eternality, purity and conscious nature of the Atman,
whoever does action without the I-am-the-doer attitude, he
is actually a non-doer even though he appears to be doing
works.
__________________________________________________
PraNAms to all advaitins and to my father.
profvk



Prof. V. Krishnamurthy
New on my  website, particularly for beginners in Hindu philosophy:

Hinduism for the next generation: http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/contentsbeach10.html

Free will and Divine will - a dialogue:
http://www.geocities.com/profvk/HNG/FWDW.html