Sri Sankaracharya, the greatest exponent of the Advaita Philosophy, has in five short verses given the essence of spiritual practice for the benefit of those seekers who are treading the path. This second verse contains instructions about what the seeker should do after leaving the house till he gets himself initiated by his own Guru.
ORIGINAL Verse ——-
“Sangah satsu vidhiyatam,
Bhagavato bhaktir-dridha dhiyatam,
Santyadih parichiyatam dridhataram,
Karmasu santyajyatam ;
Sadvidvan-upasarpyatam,
Pratidinam tatpaduka sevyatam,
Brahmaikaksharam arthyatam,
Sruti-siro-vakyam samakarnyatam”
a) “Sangah satsu vidhiyatam-Let him resort to Satsanga,company of the wise.”
One of the most helpful Sadhanas for a spiritual aspirant is contact with the wise,the Srotriya Brahmanishthas,those who are well-versed in the scriptures and always fixed in Brahmic consciousness. Sat means Existence-Absolute, which is also Consciousness-Absolute and Bliss-Absolute. Satsanga, therefore, would mean keeping the mind always in one’s own Atman. It also means the company of the learned saints and sages, because their company would always be conducive to keep the mind away from worldly thoughts and absorbed in thoughts about God.
b) “Bhagavato bhaktir-dridha dhiyatam-Let him have unswerving and firm devotion to God.”
This is a natural consequence that follows Satsanga. Company of great saints will kindle the fire of devotion to God as the omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent Being, the instrumental and material cause of creation, preservation and destruction of the universe. The aspirant should have Sraddha,complete unflinching faith in God,so that his ego may get thinned out. To everything including success in his spiritual practice, he now depends on God and God alone. The Acharya in his Vivekachudamani defines Bhakti (devotion) as seeking after one’s real nature (Sva-svarupa-anusandhanam) and Sri Sandilya in his Bhakti Sutras defines this word as extreme attachment to Isvara, the Lord. On a little reflection one understands that there is not much difference between the two definitions.
c) “Santyadih parichiyatam dridhataram-Let the qualities like, Santi, Danti, etc., be practised firmly.”
The aspirant is exhorted to possess the Shatsampat which includes Sama, Dama, Uparati, Titiksha, Sraddha and Samadhana,tranquillity of mind, self-restraint or control of the senses, cessation from all worldly activities, fortitude or power of endurance, faith in God, Guru, the scriptures and the Atman, and concentration or one-pointedness of mind on the Atman.
d) “Karmasu santyajyatam-Let him renounce all Karmas immediately.”
The aspirant who has been following the above-said instructions for a pretty long time without interruption, is now instructed to renounce all Karmas. A full-time aspirant who has already left his own home and has been engaging in the study of scriptures, doing the obligatory Karmas, worshipping God with devotion, attending Satsangas, practising the Shat-Sampat with earnest aspiration for Liberation and who is well-advanced in these practices, is now instructed to renounce all Karmas so that he may become qualified to take the next great step forward in his march which marks a definite turning point in his life. The question of renunciation of all Karmas is a very intricate one about which there is difference of opinion among the several schools of philosophy. Lord Krishna in His immortal Song, the Bhagavad-Gita, has clarified the position. The eighteenth chapter opens with Arjuna’s question about the truth of Sannyasa and Tyaga (renunciation of all Karmas and abandonment of fruits of Karmas) and the Lord’s reply thereto is contained in the next eleven verses. These verses admit of different interpretations and hence the Acharya in his commentary on them has given his view best suited to Spiritual Sadhakas especially those following the path of Knowledge (Jnana Marga). The spiritual aspirants, according to the Acharya, should perform their allotted Karmas without desire for their fruits. What is to be renounced by them is attachment to Karma as well as its result. Inaction on the part of the aspirant is discouraged completely.
e) “Sadvidvan-upasarpyatam-Let him approach a wise sage.”
The next step in the aspirant’s march should be to approach a proper preceptor. Till now, he has been practising the Sadhana enumerated above with the help of the scriptures and the company of the wise in general, and as a result, he is now possessed of the Sadhana Chatushtaya,the four unavoidable qualifications of a spiritual aspirant, viz., discrimination between the Real and the unreal, dispassion or absence of desire for the pleasures of this world as well as heavenly worlds, the six items referred to in No. II-c above, and an earnest aspiration for Liberation from the cycle of metempsychoses. He has now become qualified to approach his Guru. The Acharya indirectly hints that one who goes to a Guru for initiation before acquiring all the above said qualifications will have to face only disappointment.
f) “Pratidinam tatpaduka sevyatam-Let him adore his sandals (feet) daily.”
Having approached the Guru what should the aspirant do? This is laid down in the half line of this second verse. Let the aspirant serve the Guru daily till he (the Guru) is pleased with him. The service of one’s own Guru is the most important Sadhana which prepares the disciple to receive initiation. It is a colossal misunderstanding that prevails among some that the service of one’s Guru is insisted on for the benefit of the Guru. We worship God for our good and for our prosperity and spiritual evolution. God is not in any way profited by our worship. Nor does He lose anything by our not worshipping Him. Similar is the case with the Guru, whose worship and adoration help the aspirant to liquidate his Samskaras lying buried in the depths of his mind in the subconscious and unconscious levels. The scriptures are full of lives of Spiritual Sadhakas, like Satyakama-Jabala, Indra, etc., referred to in the Chhandogya Upanishad, who were tested very severely by their Gurus before giving initiation. The severity of the tests will depend upon the past sins of the disciple, which have to be liquidated. The disciple who comes out successful in these tests alone is fully qualified to get himself initiated into the mysteries of the Supreme Being.
g) “Brahmaikaksharam arthyatam-Let him enquire about the one indestructible Brahman.”
When the Guru is pleased with the service of the disciple, the latter should with great humility enquire about the means of liberation from the bondage of this mundane life. He should pray to the Guru for being instructed about the Atman-Brahman. The relationship between Guru and Sishya,spiritual preceptor and the disciple, is a mysterious and unique one. The disciple should free his mind of all prejudices and preconceived ideas about his learning and achievements. He should unlearn, as it were, all that he has learnt so far and await the instruction from the Guru. The pot should be emptied before being dipped into the river to take water. Even so, the disciple should empty his mind before sitting at the lotus-feet of the Guru to receive the initiation.
h) “Sruti-siro-vakyam samakarnyatam-Let him hear with full faith and devotion the Mahavakyas which are the quintessence of the Vedas.”
To the qualified disciple who has thus approached him and who has his mind purified through service of his feet for sufficiently long period, the Guru gives the Sannyasa Diksha and initiation into the Mahavakyas,the great sentences or dicta of the Upanishads,which through their implied meaning establish the Atman-Brahman identity. There are several Maha Vakyas in the Upanishads of which four are considered to be the prominent ones. They are: Prajnanam Brahma in the Aitareya Upanishad of the Rig-Veda, Aham Brahmasmi in the Brihadaranyaka Upanishad of the Yajur-Veda, Tat Tvam Asi in the Chhandogya Upanishad of the Sama Veda and Ayam Atma Brahma in the Mandukya Upanishad of the Atharva Veda. The Sadhaka is now a Vividisha Sannyasin,a monk engaging himself whole time in deep reflection and profound meditation. Being possessed of the Sadhana-Chatushtaya and having undergone the preliminary practices detailed above, he is able to leave off the literal meaning of these Maha Vakyas and grasp their implied meaning through the Jahad-ajahat Lakshana. This is called Sravana (hearing). Mere hearing of the Vedic dicta will have no effect on one who is not properly qualified and duly initiated. Sravana is hearing, from his own Guru, of the Mahavakya by a qualified aspirant with understanding of its import.
.. to be continued in next blog.
