Avaruddha-saurata

Sampadananda Mishra

Prishni shared some questions and answers about Sahajiyaism which she asked of an on-line AI program that almost instantly searches all the data available to it on the internet and is able to construct a human-like response, based purely on superpowered capacity to process information.

It gave quite a good answer, but I recognized in it a kind of mechanical character: it was a collection of data points, pointing to agreements and disagreements with clinical evenhandedness. Nevertheless, Ii have to admit that it was an impressive overview of much of what has happened over a 500 or 1000-year history, something you would expect to get in a university world religions study course.

It did not however show the life of a lived tradition. I do not doubt however that one could get the program to adapt to your particular preferences by refining your inquiries. For instance, you could ask, "Where can I learn about this and implement its practice in my own life, from a living tradition?"

One of Prishni's questions was about sexual practices and this prompted the following reply:

Sahajiyaism includes a naturalistic yogic approach to sexuality, and why not, when the things of this world are meant to lead us to understand the grand secrets that underly its and our own existence. Yoga is expertise in action. Yoga is spiritual awareness in all actions.

Sex is not just something that leads you astray and into hell, though it can do that, but it is at the very basis of this human body and all its transformations. If we are meant to learn to experience God in this world, we are going to have to incorporate into our spiritual culture an evolved concept of human sexuality. Without it, we will never fully understand the human potential for love.

Sahajiyaism goes together with Radha-Krishna prema like butter with rice. There are few educated people in orthodox India who do not have some inkling of the concept of seminal retention. There is a saying that ejaculation in sexual union is kāma, retaining the ejaculate is prema.

I am just now going through the Priti Sandarbha and still on the manana stage, hoping to soon reach the nididhyāsana point from which I will be able to make my truest contributions to this project. I am currently thinking about this verse, where I feel I need to make some additions. The verse is this:

evaṁ śaśāṅkāṁśu-virājitā niśāḥ

sa satya-kāmo’nuratābalā-gaṇaḥ |

siṣeva ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ

sarvāḥ śarat-kāvya-kathā-rasāśrayāḥ ||

Here is BBT:

Although the gopīs were firmly attached to Lord Kṛṣṇa, whose desires are always fulfilled, the Lord was not internally affected by any mundane sex desire. Still, to perform His pastimes the Lord took advantage of all those moonlit autumn nights, which inspire poetic descriptions of transcendental affairs.

This is Babaji (though not the final edit as published)

In this way Kṛṣṇa, who has unfailing desire and to whom all those women were fondly attached, enjoyed all those nights illumined with the full moon rays. He relished all the charms peculiar to the autumn season as depicted in poetry, while keeping the procreative potency contained within Himself. (SB 10.33.26)

The current version I am working with:

He who has unfailing desire, to whom were attached the hosts of damsels, who has captured the amorous energy within Himself, thus enjoyed all those nights illumined with the rays of the full moon and embodying all the charms peculiar to the autumn season and depicted in poetical works (SB 10.33.26)

The problematic word here is avaruddha-sauratāḥ--"not internally affected by any mundane sex desire" "while keeping the procreative potency contained within Himself" "who has captured the amorous energy within Himself."

Jiva Goswami comments on this word in Prīti Sandarbha (300):

ātmani citte’varuddhaṁ samantān nigṛhya sthāpitaṁ saurataṁ surata-sambandhi-bhāva-hāvādikaṁ yena, tathābhūtaḥ san | ata eva satya-kāmaḥ vyabhicāra-rahita-prema-viśeṣaḥ san

He has concealed (avaruddha) all the bhāvas and hāvas in relation to amorous affairs (saurataṁ) in His heart (ātmani) and therefore, He is satyakāma, or possessing a special prema devoid of any infidelity. ...

Babaji's comment here is as follows:

The word saurata is derived from surata, “sexual union,” i.e., that which is connected to sexual union, i.e., sexual enjoyment. Śrīdhara Svāmī has glossed the word as semen.

There are a group of people who interpret the meaning of śiṣeva ātmani avaruddha-saurata to mean that Kṛṣṇa enjoyed sex with gopīs (saurata) while not discharging semen (śiṣeva) but holding (avaruddha) it within Himself (ātmani). They practice coition with their partner while not discharging semen. This they aver will make a man god-realized. Not discharging the semen but raising it up to head will make one’s consciousness to be one with brahman or make the dormant love in the heart be awakened. According to them this is called rāgānugā-bhakti.

Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī refutes such an explanation and interprets the verse that is in harmony with the subject under discussion, the prema.

The problem here is that the "group of people" is headed by Sridhar Swami himself. And his reliance on this particular compound word is that it appears in his introduction to the rāsa-līlā itself (10.29.1). It is one of four "mahā-vākyas" of the Rāsa Līlā that show the victory of Krishna over kāma, as the very last verse of the 33rd chapter confirms.

Here is the greater part of Sridhara's commentary on that verse:

brahmādi-jaya-saṁrūḍha-darpa-kandarpa-darpahā |

jayati śrī-patir gopī-rāsa-maṇḍala-maṇḍanaḥ ||

"All glories to the husband of Sri, adorning the circle of gopis in the Rāsa,

who destroys the pride of Kāmadeva, which had become inflamed

by his victories over Brahmā (and the rest of his creation)."

nanu viparītam idam, para-dāra-vinodena kandarpa-vijetṛtva-pratīteḥ | maivam,

But isn't this all upside down? Thinking that one can conquer over Lust by enjoying with others' wives? No, don't think like that, because--

1. yoga-māyām upāśritaḥ [bhā.pu. 10.29.1], "He took shelter of his yoga power."
2. ātmārāmo’py arīramat [bhā.pu. 10.29.42], "Though enjoying in himself, he enjoyed with them."
3. sākṣān manmatha- manmathaḥ [bhā.pu. 10.32.2], "[In the form that] directly churned the mind of the Mind-churner."
4. ātmany avaruddha-saurataḥ [bhā.pu. 10.33.17] "He kept confined [avaruddha--hindered, checked, stopped, kept back] the semen within himself."

ity-ādiṣu svātantryābhidhānāt |

These verses show that he is fully independent, [he is his own law.]

tasmād rāsa-krīḍā-viḍambanaṁ kāma-vijaya-khyāpanāyety eva tattvam |

Therefore it is true that the staging of the Rāsa games took place to show His victory over desire.

kiṁ ca, śṛṅgāra-kathāpadeśena viśeṣato nivṛtti-parā iyaṁ pañcādhyāyīti vyaktīkariṣyāmaḥ |

Moreover, through the means of telling a story related to the erotic rasa, these five chapters are particularly intended for teaching the path of renunciation. (nivṛtti-parā).

The above translation above of saurata is given as semen because that is what Sridhara himself says:

ātmany evāvaruddhaḥ saurataś carama-dhātur na tu skhalito yasyeti kāma-jayoktiḥ |

"Held back within himself the saurata," namely the ultimate of the seven dhātus: [i.e., the components or products of the body--chyle, blood, flesh, fat, bone, marrow, and semen, according to Āyurveda]." In other words he did not spill it, thereby showing his victory over [the god of] Desire."

Vamsidhara:

carama-dhātur atra retaḥ | rasāsṛṅ-māṁsa-medo’sthi-majjā-śukrāṇi dhātavaḥ ity atra dhātu-gaṇanāyāṁ śārṅgadhareṇa śukrasya caramatvam uktam | kiṁ cotpatti-krameṇāpi śukrasya caramatvam eva | tad uktaṁ saṁhitāyām—

The "ultimate dhātu" here means the semen. This is because in Śarngadhara's listing of the dhātus, it comes at the end. Or it can also be considered ultimate because it is the ultimate product sequentially. [ That is stated in the [Śārngadhara] Saṁhitā--

rasād raktaṁ tato māṁsaṁ māṁsān medaḥ prajāyate |

medaso'sthi tato majjā tasmāc chukrasya sambhavaḥ || iti |

From chyle comes blood, then flesh; from flesh is produced fat, from fat bone, then marrow, and from that semen is made possible.

rasād annādi-rasād ity arthaḥ |

Chyle (rasa) here means digestive fluid.

vīryaṁ niruddhya surataṁ karotīti ayam eva kāma-jayaḥ |

To engage in sexual activities while restraining the semen is victory over sexual desire. And that is also stated in the Saṁhitā:

strī-saṅge'pi na patitaṁ reto yasya parecchayā |
sa dhanyaḥ puruṣo loke kāma-jetā sa kathyate || iti saṁhitokteḥ ||

When the semen does not fall by another's wish, even while being intimate with a woman, the such a fortunate man is called a victor over sexual desire in this world.

Vamsidhara is writing in the 19th century, but he is a brahmana and presumably somewhat orthodox. But I know from living in India that there is a general awareness of this, whether one agrees with it or not, or whether one is capable of following it or not.

Retaining the semen is the whole point of brahmacharya. The idea that the semen rises upwards through retention is as old as the Vedas, where the word ūrdhva-retaḥ first appears to describe the śramaṇas.

The idea that sexualilty should not be subject to the same kind of yogic / scientific exploration implied by the words yogaḥ karmasu kauśalam is ridiculous. That it cannot be a part of yukta-vairāgya, as the above

Here is the bedrock of sahajiyaism:

eṣā buddhimatāṁ buddhir manīṣā ca manīṣiṇām |

yat satyam anṛteneha martyenāpnoti māmṛtam ||

This then is the intelligence of the intelligent, the cleverness of the clever, that a mortal attains immortality in this world by finding the truth in that which is untrue.

Vishwanath concludes his commentary to that verse as follows:

sarvopadeśa-sāro’yaṁ śloka-cintāmaṇiḥ prabhoḥ |
hṛdaye yasya rājeta sa rājed bhakta-saṁsadi ||

"This verse is a philosopher's stone containing the essence of all the Lord's teachings [to Uddhava]. Should it reside in one's heart, one will preside in the assembly of devotees."

Now the claim is to be proven or not proven. What is the relation of seminal retention to them prema implied by victory over kāma? Is it only a physical act that needs no further psychological or spiritual development to support it? Is it possible that anyone's critique of Sahajiyaism could be that shallow?