Last Friday, the last of six verses of Nirvana Shatakam (Atma Shatakam) was posted along with the Tamil Translation thereof. This Shatakam addresses the very complicated inquiry of “Who am I?”. Though the answers provided by Adi Sankara appears very simple from an over all reading perspective, the subject itself is the essence of the Advaita philosophy and I can vouch for myself that my understanding is not even at the “skimming” level in this field. My attempt however provides me a reminder that what was attempted was just a drop of water in an ocean. This was also reinforced by the quality of comments that I received from my friends and relatives. One of them was in the form of a poetry rightly titled “Master Piece”. It simply moved me – what deep understanding of the subject and what an expression! The author wanted to remain Anonymous and clearly stated that “spirituality decreases when it is attributed to a person. I was but a scribe.” Here is that Masterpiece
निराकाररूपो (Niraakaara-Ruupo): Nature of Formless
रूप (Ruupa) = Form, Nature
विभुत्वाच्च (Vibhu-Tvaacca): Existing as the substratum
विभू (Vibhuu) = Existing
त्वच् (Tvac) = Cover
सर्वत्र (Sarvatra): Everywhere
सर्वेन्द्रियाणाम् (Sarva-Indriyaannaam): Everyone’s Sense Organs
सर्व (Sarva) = All
इन्द्रिय (Indriya) = Sense Organ
चासङ्गतं (Ca-Aasanggatam): And Attachment
च (Ca) = And
आसङ्ग (Aasangga) = Clinging, Attachment
मुक्तिर्न (Muktirna): Neither Freedom
मुक्ति (Mukti) = Freedom, Liberation
न (Na) = Not
मेयः (Meyah): Measurable
चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness
चित् (Cit) = Consciousness
आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss
रूप (Ruupa) = Nature
शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness
शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness
अहम् (Aham) = I
Meaning of the Verse
6.1: I am Without any Variation, and Without any Form,
6.2: I am Present Everywhere as the underlying Substratum of everything, and behind all Sense Organs,
6.3: Neither do I get Attached to anything, nor get Freed from anything,
6.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness
6. I have neither dualities nor shape or form; I am present everywhere (omnipresent) and pervade all the senses; I am always equanimous; I am neither liberation nor bondage; I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss-Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva.
I begin the blog series with a prayer to Lord Ganesh by Sri. Muthuswamy Dīkshitar (with a pen name Guruguha), one of the Trinity of Carnatic Music. This composition in Raga Nattai in the 17th Century, is still one of the most sought after one by musicians across the world. The undercurrent of Nattai raga and the effervescence of the lyrics have withstood the test of time though hundreds of adaptations and fusions that have been tried out by scores of musicians.
I meditate (smarAmi) on the supreme (mahA) Ganapati who is worshipped (vandita) by Vasishta, the Vamadevas, etc (Adi). He, the son (sutam) of Lord Shiva (mahAdEvA), is praised (nutam) by Guruguha. He shines bright (prakAsham) like millions (kOti) of cupids (mAra). He is tranquil (shAntam). He loves (priyam) great poetry (mahA kAvya), drama (nAtaka), etc (Adi). He loves (priyam) the sweet Modaka. His mount (vAhanam) is a mouse (mUshika).
5.1: Neither am I bound by Death and its Fear, nor by the rules of Caste and its Distinctions,
5.2: Neither do I have Father and Mother, nor do I have Birth,
5.3: Neither do I have Relations nor Friends, neither Spiritual Teacher nor Disciple,
5.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva,
The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.
5. I have no apprehension of death; neither do I have any distinction of caste (or creed); I have neither father, nor mother, nor (even) birth; neither friend nor kith and kin; neither teacher (guru) nor disciple; I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss-Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva.
भोज्यं (Bhojyam): Object to be Enjoyed or Experienced
भोक्ता (Bhoktaa): Enjoyer or Experiencer
चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness
चित् (Cit) = Consciousness
आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss
रूप (Ruupa) = Nature
शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness
शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness
अहम् (Aham) = I
Meaning of the Verse
4.1: Neither am I bound by Merits nor Sins, neither by Worldly Joys nor by Sorrows,
4.2: Neither am I bound by Sacred Hymns nor by Sacred Places, neither by Sacred Scriptures nor by Sacrifies,
4.3: I am Neither Enjoyment (Experience), nor an object to be Enjoyed (Experienced), nor the Enjoyer (Experiencer),
4.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.
4. Neither virtue (punyam) nor sin (papam) nor happiness nor sorrow; nor a holy chant nor a holy place of pilgrimage nor Veda nor sacrifice; I am neither enjoyment, nor enjoyable object, nor the enjoyer; I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva.
These are strange and testing times. For many across the world, what next is a big question now. Anxiety and stress appears to be the key question that is lingering.
The answer to this question is not simple. For example, the answer by a Professional need not be applicable to the Retired; the Urban may have a completely different perspective to this question as compared to the Rural. It is a fact that the answer needs to be found out by everyone in their own way and at their own pace.
I am confined for nearly 3 months to the glass, metal & wood partitioned tiny space surrounded by “concrete jungle” in Manhattan. I was no exception to the universal phenomenon of “stress” stated above. Thanks to God and Blessings from elders, in life I am very lucky in several ways; one of them being “having access to a wonderful accommodation at a village in the Suffolk County” post retirement. Riding on my luck, I decided to go in for a heady cocktail of “HPK” (Hamptons and Poorvi Kalyani) twice a day for a week to bust the accumulated stress.
Wondering what is this cocktail about!
“Poorvikalyani” is one of my favourite “Raga (the melodic structure) in Carnatic Music. It is a Pleasant and Popular Raga and has six notes on the ascent and seven notes in the descent. The raga has a profound effect on reducing anxiety and abdominal pain.
“Hamptons” is the near equivalent of Heaven for many upscale Newyorkers with beaches, sprawling bungalows and extensive greenery.
Combine these two. Wow! What a relief: what a magic this cocktail has done to rejuvenate me.
See for yourselves in this video
Music Courtesy: The Legendary Carnatic Music Flutist Dr N Ramani
मात्सर्यभावः (Maatsarya-Bhaava): Feeling of Jealousy
मात्सर्य (Maatsarya) = Jealousy
भाव (Bhaava) = Feeling
धर्मो (Dharmo): Righteousness
धर्म (Dharma) = Righteousness
चार्थो (Ca-Artha): And Wealth
च (Ca) = And
अर्थ (Artha) = Wealth
कामो (Kaamo): Desire
काम (Kaama) = Desire
मोक्षः (Mokssah): Liberation
चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness
चित् (Cit) = Consciousness
आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss
रूप (Ruupa) = Nature
शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness
शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness
अहम् (Aham) = I
Meaning of the Verse
3.1: Neither do I have Hatred, nor Attachment, Neither Greed nor Infatuation,
3.2: Neither do I have Pride, nor Feelings of Envy and Jealousy,
3.3 I am Not within the bounds of Dharma (Righteousness), Artha (Wealth), Kama (Desire) and Moksha (Liberation) (the four Purusarthas of life),
3.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.
3. I have neither aversion nor attachment, neither greed nor delusion; I have neither arrogance nor jealousy; I have no duty (to perform) nor any wealth (to acquire); neither desire nor liberation; I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva
Notes: Greed, delusion, pride and jealousy together with lust and anger constitute shad ripu (also called ari shad varga), the six-fold internal enemies of a human being. Dharma (righteousness), artha (wealth), kama (desire), and moksha (liberation) are together known as purusharthas, the four objectives of a human being.
सप्तधातुः (Sapta-Dhaatuh): The Seven Ingredients [of the body]
सप्त (Sapta) = Seven
धातु (Dhaatu) = Ingredient
पञ्चकोशः (Pan.ca-Koshah): The Five Sheaths [of the gross and subtle body]
पञ्च (Pan.ca) = Five
कोश (Kosha) = Sheath
वाक्पाणिपादं (Vaak-Paanni-Paadam): Speech, Hand and Foot
वाच् (Vaac) = Speech
पाणि (Paanni) = Hand
पाद (Paada) = Foot
चोपस्थपायु (Copastha-Paayu): The organ of Excretion
चुप् (Cup) = Move
पायु (Paayu) = Organ of Excretion, Anus
चिदानन्दरूपः (Cid-Aananda-Ruupah): Nature of Blissful Consciousness
चित् (Cit) = Consciousness
आनन्द (Aananda) = Bliss
रूप (Ruupa) = Nature
शिवोऽहम् (Shiva-Aham): I am Shiva, the Blissful Consciousness
शिव (Shiva) = signifying Consciouness
अहम् (Aham) = I
Meaning of the Verse
2.1: Neither am I the Vital Breath, nor the Five Vital Airs,
2.2: Neither am I the Seven Ingredients (of the Body), nor the Five Sheaths (of the Body),
2.3: Neither am I the organ of Speech, nor the organs for Holding ( Hand ), Movement ( Feet ) or Excretion,
2.4: I am the Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness; I am Shiva, I am Shiva, The Ever Pure Blissful Consciousness.
2. I am not indicated by prana, nor the five-fold vital airs nor the seven elements (sapta dhatuh) of the body, nor the five sheaths; nor the organs of speech, nor hand, nor leg; and not generative or excretory organs, I am of the nature of Pure Consciousness-Bliss-Absolute, I am Shiva, I am (verily) Shiva.
Notes: Five vital airs are : Prana (controls respiratory system), Apana (controls excretory system), Vyana (controls circulatory system); Samana (controls digestive system), and Udana (controls ejection of the prana from the physical body). Seven basic elements (sapta dhatuh) consist of: skin, flesh, fat, bone, blood, bone marrow, and semen. Five sheaths (pancha kosha) are believed to veil our understanding of the atman include, in order from gross (outer most) to the subtle (inner most): annamaya kosha (food sheath); pranamaya kosha (vital air sheath);manomaya kosha (mind sheath); vijnanamaya kosha (intellectual sheath); and anandamaya kosha (bliss sheath).
Before we start exploring Nirvana Shatakam and look at the answers to the vital question of “ Who am I?”, it is essential for us to understand what am I made of, what do I do and what is beyond me. To my limited knowledge, there cannot be a more deeper analysis to these questions than by the Saints & Philosophers of Hindu Religion. One needs a lifetime to understand the material available in the religion. I will definitely restate again and again that I am a novice in this field of philosophy (“Vedanta”) and can only skim at the surface without any deep understanding. Yet from this ocean of information and knowledge I will venture out and reproduce one approach advocated by the legendary Swami Chinmayananda (http://www.chinmayamission.com) which helps me in the process of understanding myself.
BMI Chart
Interpretation of Symbols :
The Symbol of Truth
Om
viewed through the veil of
Vasanas
Expresses through the instruments of:
the Body (B), Mind (M), Intellect (I)
As the individual entity or ego:
the Perceiver (P), Feeler (F), Thinker (T)
In the world of:
Objects (O), Emotions (E), and Thoughts (T).
I – The person
Here is how the Swamiji helps us in Understanding Ourselves (Our Personality). When we say “experience” we are looking at three fundamental factors:
1. the experiencer (the subject)
2. the object of experience (the object)
3. the relationship between the two, the experiencing (the act)
The Individual as an experiencer (PFT) is the subject who gains experiences of the world (OET) through the instruments of experiencing (BMI). Through the body, the person experiences the world of objects; through the mind, one experiences the world of emotions, and through the intellect, the world of ideas.
When the subject identifies with the intellect, he becomes the thinker, experiencing the world of thoughts and ideas; when identified with the mind he becomes the feeler, experiencing the world of emotions and feelings; and when identified with the body, he becomes the perceiver, experiencing the world of objects.
Therefore each individual acts out the various roles of a perceiver, feeler, and thinker as he seeks his happiness in the world of objects, emotions, and thoughts.
In every experience in life, man contacts the world through the media of four constituent entities in him. They are his body, mind, intellect, and the Consciousness, symbolized by the symbol Om, which is the Life Principle in him.
Now let us have an idea of what these elements are as explained by the Swamiji.
Body, Mind, Intellect:
“ The physical body (பிண்டம்) is solid matter, the densest aspect of the human personality. It contains five organs of perception (ஞானேந்திரியம்) and the five organs of action (கர்மேந்திரியம்). The size and shape of the body differ from individual to individual, but the essential ingredients and the functions of the organs are common to all.
The variable factor in man is the mind and intellect equipment. The mind is the seat of impulses and feelings, and it is common to all living creatures. Animals also possess a mind. It all boils down to how one applies the mind.
Human being alone has the capacity to discriminate and analyze his/her feelings as and when they arise. He/She alone can allow his/her actions to be guided and directed by his/her power of discrimination instead of being driven and carried away by momentary impulses and feelings. This faculty of discrimination, this power of judgment, this capacity to discern what is to be done and what is to be avoided, is the function of the intellect.
Vasanas:
The quality and textures of the mind and intellect equipment differ from one individual to another, depending upon one’s inherent and innate tendencies or inclinations, which are called vasanas.
Vasanas create desires in the intellect; desires produce thoughts in the mind, and thoughts manifest in the form of actions at the level of the physical body. Desires, thoughts and actions are, therefore, only manifestation of vasanas in the respective individual. Each one of us thus becomes a helpless statement of our past though this impulse of vasanas.
(Note: How did we get these Vasanas in oneself? This is a separate subject by itself. For this particular blog I would just compare Vasanas to the Residual Magnetism in a material.)
Om, the Symbol of Truth:
In the ultimate analysis, the whole aim of living for a human being is to condition the body, mind and intellect to ensure that the vasanas are transcended in order for us to regain our true nature. At this individual level, when the vasanas are completely transcended, the Self manifests of its own accord. Only then does man know his true birthright. At the Individual level, this Self is called an Atman and at the level of the cosmic totality, this Divine Self called Om, the Life Principle, is called the Brahman.
The Ground Reality:
Due to our vasanas and the consequent desires, agitations, and actions, we are ignorant of this Divine Self. Therefore, we identify with our body, mind, and intellect and their limitations. An individual is the Self as though contaminated by this ignorance. The only method for regaining one’s true nature is to vigilantly and ceaselessly divert one’s mind and intellect away from preoccupation with objects, emotions, and thoughts and direct it to an awareness of the divine Self”. (Material Courtesy – Chinmaya Mission).
How do I proceed?
This is the essence of Spirituality. The paths that we take to get rid of this ignorance are the path of knowledge (Gnana) , the path of devotion (Bhakthi) and the path of action (Karma). These three paths are not independent and are seamlessly integrated. At this point I will quote the blog I wrote on May 17, 2019, about Knowledge and Devotion as part of my attempt to write in Tamil, Adi Sankara’s Sivananda Lahari. In that blog I quoted the eminent Indian Scholar C. Rajagopalachari. He brings out the integration of the three yogas beautifully by saying “ When intelligence matures and lodges securely in the mind, it becomes wisdom. When wisdom is integrated with life and issues out in action, it becomes bhakti. Knowledge, when it becomes fully mature, is bhakti. If it does not get transformed into bhakti, such knowledge is useless tinsel. To believe that gnyaana and bhakti, knowledge and devotion, are different from each other, is ignorance”.
Nearly a year later I am fortunate to attempt to write in Tamil, the philosophical treatise in Vedhanta by Adi Sankara called Nirvana Shatakam. Understanding the simple concepts outlined by the Swamiji will help us unravel the truths brought out by Adi Sankara
Prabhu's Ponder 