[Advaita-l] About Satyakama

[Aurobind Padiyath]

Sri Vyasji,
Mind your words, it doesn't speak good of you. Learn to admit that
Bhashyakara was not impeccable and did have his own limitations.
With all reverence to Acharaya for his elucidation of the shaastras, I will
not hesitate to point out where he has twisted the originals to meet some
compulsion of his times which we are unaware of today. To evaluate his
commentary is not an ordinary task. But where he had his prejudice to
highlight Brahamins by birth ( जात्या ब्राह्मणः) and due to this if he had
over stepped in twisting the shaastras,  it need to be accepted.
There is even one incident where his own disciple Sri Sureswaracharya
himself corrects his master of his over zealous approach in protecting the
rights of above class.

Few places where this has been done are:
1. Jabala's statement of " as a young maiden,  I had served many (बह्वहं
चरन्तीत्यादि )  as a Bahucharini, she had entertained many." Is the
Upanishad wordings.

४,४.१

सत्यकामो ह जाबालो जबालां मातरमामन्त्रयां चक्रे ।
ब्रह्मचर्यं भवति विवत्स्यामि किंगोत्रो न्वहमस्मीति ॥ ४,४.१ ॥

__________

भाष्य ४,४.१ सर्वं वागाद्यग्न्यादि चान्नान्नादत्वसंस्तुतं जगदेकीकृत्य षोडशधा
प्रविभज्य तस्मिन्ब्रह्मदृष्टिर्विधातव्येत्यारभ्यते ।
श्रद्धातपसोर्ब्रह्मोपासनाङ्गत्वप्रदर्शनायाऽख्यायिका ।
सत्यकामो ह नामतो हशब्द ऐतिह्यार्थो जबालाया अपत्यं जाबालो जबलां स्वां
मातरमामन्त्रयाञ्चक्र आमन्त्रितवान् ।
ब्रह्मचर्यं स्वाध्यायग्रहणाय हे भवति विवत्स्याम्याचार्यकुले, किङ्गोत्रोऽहं
किमस्य मम गोत्रं सोऽहं न्वहमस्मीति ॥१ ॥
४,४.२

सा हैनमुवाच ।
नाहमेतद्वेद तात यद्गोत्रस्त्वमसि ।
बह्वहं चरन्ती परिचारिणी यौवने त्वामलभे ।
साहमेतन्न वेद यद्गोत्रस्त्वमसि ।
जबाला तु नामाहमस्मि ।
सत्यकामो नाम त्वमसि ।
स सत्यकाम एव जाबालो ब्रुवीथा इति ॥ ४,४.२ ॥

__________

भाष्य ४,४.२ एवं पृष्टा जबाला सा हैनं पुत्रमुवाचनाहमेतत्तव गोत्रं वेद हे तात
यद्गोत्रस्त्वमसि ।
कस्मान्न वेत्सीत्युक्ताऽहबहु भर्तृगृहे परिचर्याजातमतिथ्यभ्यागतादि चरन्त्यहं
परिचारिणी परिचरन्तीति परिचरणशीलैवाहं परिचरणचित्ततया गोत्रादिस्मरणे मम मनो
नाभूत् ।
यौवने च तत्काले त्वामलभे लब्धवत्यस्मि ।
तदैव ते पितोपरतः ।
अतोऽनाथाहं साहमेतन्न वेद यद्गोत्रस्त्वमसि ।
जबाला तु नामाहमस्मि सत्यकामो नाम त्वमसि स त्वं सत्यकाम एवाहं
जाबालोऽस्मीत्याचार्याय ब्रुवीथाः यद्याचार्येण पृष्ट इत्यभिप्रायः ॥२ ॥
४,४.३, ४

स ह हारिद्रुमतं गौतममेत्योवाच ।
ब्रह्मचर्यं भगवति वत्स्यामि ।
उपेयां भगवन्तमिति ॥ ४,४.३ ॥

तं होवाच किंगोत्रो नु सोम्यासीति ।
स होवाच ।
नाहमेतद्वेद भो यद्गोत्रोऽहमस्मि ।
अपृच्छं मातरम् ।
सा मा प्रत्यब्रवीद्बह्वहं चरन्ती परिचरिणी यौवने त्वामलभे ।
साहमेतन्न वेद यद्गोत्रस्त्वमसि ।
जबाला तु नामाहमस्मि ।
सत्यकामो नाम त्वमसीति ।
सोऽहं सत्यकामो जाबालोऽस्मि भो इति ॥ ४,४.४ ॥

__________

भाष्य ४,४.४ स ह सत्यकामो हारिद्रुमतं हरिद्रुमतोऽपत्यं हारिद्रुमतं गौतमं
गोत्रत एत्य गत्वोवाच ब्रह्मचर्यं भगवति पूजावति त्वयि वत्स्याम्यत
उपेयामुपगच्छेयं शिष्यतया भगवन्तमित्युक्तवन्तं तं होवाच गौतमः ।
किङ्गोत्रो नु सोम्यासीति विज्ञातकुलगोत्रः शिष्य उपनेतव्य इति पृष्टः
प्रत्याह सत्यकामः ।
स होवाच नाहमेतद्वेद भो यद्गोत्रोऽहमस्मि ।
किं त्वपृच्छं पृष्टवानस्मि मातरम् ।
सा मया पृष्टा मां प्रत्यब्रवीन्माता ।
बह्वहं चरन्तीत्यादि पूर्ववत् ।
तस्या अहं वचः स्मरामि सोऽहं सत्यकामो जाबालोऽस्मि भो इति ॥३ ।। , ।। ४ ॥

From the above how can you say

नाहमेतद्वेद तात यद्गोत्रस्त्वमसि ।
बह्वहं चरन्ती परिचारिणी यौवने त्वामलभे ।
साहमेतन्न वेद यद्गोत्रस्त्वमसि ।

Is the same as

कस्मान्न वेत्सीत्युक्ताऽहबहु भर्तृगृहे परिचर्याजातमतिथ्यभ्यागतादि चरन्त्यहं
परिचारिणी परिचरन्तीति परिचरणशीलैवाहं परिचरणचित्ततया गोत्रादिस्मरणे मम मनो
नाभूत् ।

2. Then in the same Upanishad
JnAna shruti is also demoted at two occasions by Acharaya both to give a
twist to his pet idea. Once when Bhallaksha tells his friend and other time
when he approach Riqua for upadesha.
3. In Brhadaranyaka Ajathashatru Aakhyayika,
After understood that the king knows more when GArgin conceeds and becomes
a listner and leaner from the king,
4. In Brhadaranyaka 4.3.21, a mere word स्तेनः which means thief is
commented as ब्राह्मणाः सर्णहर्ताः  what was the need for it?
5. The pinnacle of many such places ends up in his commentary of
अपशूद्राधिकरणं .

These are to name a few.

Please understand that, I have greatest respect and revearence to Acharaya.
No human mind could have dispelled the opposition then in vogue to
establish Advaita Vedanta, none but a 'man' of Acarya's potential.  Just as
no man is perfect, he was conditioned by his time to safe guard brhamin
community and for that he has walked extra mile and even used his masterly
dispositions to twist even the common meanings of some sruti vakya to meet
his needs. But those should not be pushed under carpet and declare that he
has not done it is to become blind to oneself.

Regards,

Aurobind
On 27 Jun 2016 07:48, "Jaldhar H. Vyas via Advaita-l" <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> On Mon, 27 Jun 2016, Aurobind Padiyath wrote:
>
>
>> Are you reading any English translation? You may go through the following
>> links also.
>>
>> http://www.rkmissionkhetri.org/news/?p=131
>>
>> https://youtu.be/67nE0-vjLUY
>>
>>
>> http://vaniquotes.org/wiki/Satyakama_Jabala_was_born_of_a_maidservant,_but_
>>
>> wanted_to_become_a_brahmana,_and_so_he_approached_Gautama_Muni_for_initiati
>> on
>>
>
> No I only read the shankarabhashya in Sanskrit and your links amply
> demonstrate the necessity.  The slanderous idea that Jabala was promiscuous
> and that Satyakama was of illegitimate birth is utter nonsense and has no
> support in the text of the upanishad or in the bhashya.
>
> Remember a couple of months ago there was a todo about some American
> professor who was allegedly "distorting our shastras"?  Unfortunately this
> is ample proof that there are brown skinned Indians who are willing to do
> the same thing.  I hope there will be a similar level of outrage towards
> these wretched pashandas.
>
> --
> Jaldhar H. Vyas <jaldhar at braincells.com>
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