[Advaita-l] गुरुपूर्णिमा शुभाशयाः

[Venkata sriram P]

नामांसि !

गुरुपूर्णिमां पुरस्कृत्य मदीय शुभाशयाः ।

On the occasion of ‘guru-purnima’, I am reminded of a beautiful couplet from चन्द्रालोकः (‘chandralokaH”) of जयदेव कविः (Poet Jayadeva). 

तं पूर्वाचार्यसूर्योक्तिज्योतिस्तोमोद्गमं स्तुमः |
यं प्रस्तूय प्रकाशन्ते मद्गुणास्त्रसरेणवः || (1.4)

संप्रति कविः स्वाहंकारं परिहरति । वयं तं पूर्वे प्राचीनाः ये आचार्यास्ते सूर्या इव तेषां ज्योतिःसमूहतुल्या या उक्तय वचांसि तेषां उद्गमं प्रसरणं स्तुमः । तं कं , यं संश्रित्य सम्यक् श्रित्वा मद्गुणाः त्रसरेणव इव प्रकाशन्ते प्रकटिभवन्ति । त्रसरेणवः सूयोदये सति गवाक्षादिमार्गेण प्रविष्टेषु तत्किरणेषु प्रकाशन्ते यथा तथा मद्गुणास्तदाश्रयेणैव प्रकाशन्ते न तु स्वतः ॥

The poet in order to erase his ego as a poet composes this couplet and says that whatever qualities he acquired are owing to his act of taking refuge at the feet of his guru and the knowledge he gained is owing to the study of the literature (scriptures) handed down in the ancient tradition of his preceptor’s lineage in the form of guru-parampara. 

This being the purport but how beautifully he acknowledges his wisdom which he acquired owing to the merits of the teachings handed down in the lineage from ancient teachers to the present and compares the ancient teachings of the lineage with the “streak of sunlight that peeps inside the room through an open window”.  If we observe the sunlight carefully, we are able to see fine dust particles in the streak of light.  This ability to observe the dust particles is owing to the steak of sunlight that peeps inside.  

Similarly, the poet Jayadeva compares his poetic attributes, qualities, knowledge & wisdom with those “fine speck of dust particles” that are ONLY visible in streaks of sunlight in the form of teachings and grace of his glorious lineage of his ancient preceptors. The visibility of dust participles is owing to the presence of sunlight; similarly, the presence of knowledge & wisdom is owing to the presence of the grace of one’s guru’s lineage which is handed down in tradition to our guru and to us.

वन्दे गुरुपरंपराम्....

भवदीयः,
श्रीराम