Introduction
Dictionaries define family as , “a group of persons united by the ties of marriage, blood or adoption, constituting a single household and interacting with each other in their respective social positions, usually those of spouses, parents, children and siblings”.
Adi Sankara in his eighth strike in his Smithy (eighth verse) addresses common people like us who are totally engrossed in this worldly family life and tells us clearly that there are limitations to this social concept and advises us that one should clearly inquire and understand these limitations.
Let us try to understand this strike in its totality
Sanskrit Verse
का ते कान्ता कस्ते पुत्रः
Adi Sankara
संसारोयमतीव विचित्रः |
कस्य त्वं कुत आयातः
तत्त्वं चिन्तय तदिह भ्रातः ||
English Transliteration
Kaa tE kaantaa kastE putrah,
SamsaarOyamatIva vichitrah
Kasya tvam kuta aayaatah,
Tattvam chintaya tadiha bhraatah
Meaning of the Sanskrit Words
का ते - kaate = who is your
कान्ता - kaanta = wife
कस्ते - kaste = who is your
पुत्रः - putrah = son
संसारोयमतीव - सम्सार अयम् - samsaara ayam = this samsara
अतीव - atiiva = supremely
विचित्रः - vichitrah = wonderful
कस्य - kasya = of whom
त्वं - tvam = who are you
कुत - kuta = from where
आयातः - aayatah = have come
तत्त्वं - tatwam = of that Truth
चिन्तय - chintaya - dwell over, think, inquire
तदिह - तद् इह - tad iha = that here alone
भ्रातः - bhraatah : O brother
Meaning in English
Oh, brother! Who is your wife? Who is your son? This life is very strange. You belong to whom ? Where did you come from? Dwell and reflect on these truths here.
Explanation
Adi Sankara raises some fundamental questions here. He takes us to a different plane of inquiry.
“Who is your wife? Who is your son? You belong to whom ? Where did you come from?”
The questions posed above are important and fundamental. But can we really ponder over these questions and grasp the explanations given in the scriptures while our minds are clouded by preconceived and unsubstantiated notions underlying our relationships that bind and blind us? Let us try to understand these relationships.
1. Initially the relationship is between two individuals through “marriage”. From a dictionary perspective, marriage is “the state of being united as spouses in a consensual and contractual relationship recognized by law”.
2. Over a period of time, this relationship fructifies into a “family” as defined in the introduction to this blog.
3. The “family” takes us to the arena of interactions with roles, responsibilities, authorities, goals and tasks for each member of the family individually and collectively.
4. Add to this the dimension of “Time” and the impermanence of materialism. We are now in the thick of issues, challenges, attachments, detachments, pains and pleasures.
5. This process is never ending till the soul permanently terminates its lease agreement with the body and identifies itself with the Ultimate Reality, which happens after innumerable cycles of births and deaths (called Samsara)
This is the ground reality which we decide to ignore and continue life till it hits us one day with all its severity. So the definitions of marriage and family continues to be highly controversial. This is not an issue to be resolved by dictionaries. Therefore, Adi Shankaracharya is looking at these relationships, beyond one’s family concerns and encourages us to question:
1. Did these relationships help to discover the inherent oneness and harmony that obtains between them, inspite of their obvious duality at the level of the body, their individual personalities etc.
2. Were these meant to achieve another goal in life; the realisation of the unity of life in this universe?
For many of us it may appear that Adi Sankara is questioning the validity of the institution of the family. The family institution itself has to be seen in the broader context of the purpose of human life. It is valid for a certain period, during the householder’s stage of life. When it has served its purpose, one has to go beyond its parameters, i.e. wife and son, etc. It is valid only for a certain task in life, not throughout life. So look at these relationships from outside, says Sankara. Then only the true nature of worldly existence or Samsara can be understood.
For example, the son was in the mother's womb before birth. Before that, he was as an energy in our own body. Before that, that energy was in the food that we took, that food was from the plants and vegetables in the fields and all of that was earth before that. What we call earth became food, then energy in my body, then a fetus, then a child in the mother's womb. So when we look at the whole process of transformation, what we call wife, son and husband are nothing but transformations of one basic substance called the five elements (pancha bootha) over a period of time.
When we are in a giant roller coaster , we do not know in which direction we are going. Only when we step out of it, can we see see that we were being spun around in never-ending circles. So it is with Samsara. Step out and see says Sankara.
Conclusion
We must bear in mind that this sloka does not demean the structure of family; We should not misjudge that it diminishes one's affection and the performance of one's duties in father, son, spouse, etc.
Spirituality and family life are not mutually exclusive. Spiritual life can be lived without sacrificing family life.
On a practical level, what Adi Sankara is pointing out here is that even as we interact with and feel affection for others in our various roles, we must maintain a sufficient degree of objectivity so that we do not let those bonds blind us and get in the way of our seeking unadulterated, permanent and eternal happiness called liberation (mukti) from the unending cycles of births and deaths (samsara).
Pretty deep questions posed in a simple manner sums up this eighth strike. Let us now get prepared for the next one soon. Until then………
God Bless.
Prabhu's Ponder 