Prīti Sandarbha 337.2 Nirveda :: Sthāyī or Vyabhicārī ?
In this rather mad run I am engaged in to complete the Prīti Sandarbha, I have kept somewhat away from human interaction. I have temporarily stopped all classes in the pious hope that I would get more done, but I honestly wonder now if that is at all true.
At any rate, as always, I am ever struggling with a stubbornly recalcitrant mind, which even at this stage of life still seeks the distractions that this brave new world has succeeded placing before us, sucking us all in. Even pretenders such as myself cannot resist falling into the ocean of non-Krishna. We may talk about bhāva, but without avyartha-kālatvam, all else is but pretense.
A couple of days ago I finished up the anubhāva section, of which I regret not having shared even short portions with anyone, here or elsewhere. I did share a portion with the members of a Sanskrit group I moderate on Facebook, but even there I am a little too lazy to do the extra work of reposting here on the blog. We could call it being judiciously avaricious about expending time and energy... no let's call it by its name, lazy. (Which, by the way, is itself a vyabhicāri-bhāva.)
So -- slowly getting to the point -- now I have been changing tracks to get on with the vyabhicārī section (Anucchedas 337-362). Once again, though the material is familiar, there are a lot of cracks in my understanding that need to be filled, refined and then shared with others. All of which will of course be found in the printed volume whenever it comes out.
But just to remind those who are frequenters of this space of cyberspace that I am still teeming with life of all kinds, I decided to share this discussion from Prīti Sandarbha, Anuccheda 337.
Now the vyabhicārīs will be explained. The first, "despondency" (nirveda) is here used for self-contempt (svāvamāne), as exemplified in the following verse spoken by a gopī:
divi bhuvi ca rasāyāṁ kāḥ striyas tad-durāpāḥ kapaṭa-rucira-hāsa-bhrū-vijṛmbhasya yāḥ syuḥ | caraṇa-raja upāste yasya bhūtir vayaṁ kā api ca kṛpaṇa-pakṣe hy uttamaḥ-śloka-śabdaḥ ||
What woman is there, either in the celestial regions, on earth, or in the lower planets, whom He cannot win over by His beguiling and enchanting smiles and the play of His eyebrows? Who are we to Him, the dust of whose feet is cherished even by Śrī. His name Uttama-śloka will prove meaningful only if He cares for the suffering of afflicted people like us. (SB 10.47.15)
The meaning is clear.
स्पष्टम् । ॥ १०।४७ ॥ ताः ॥ ३३७ ॥
nirvedo’tha viṣādo dainyaṁ glāni-śramau ca mada-garvau | śaṅkā-trāsāvegā unmādāpasmṛtī tathā vyādhiḥ || moho mṛtir ālasyaṁ jāḍyaṁ vrīḍāvahitthā ca | smṛtir atha vitarka-cintā-mati-dhṛtayo harṣa utsukatvaṁ ca || augryāmarṣāsūyāś cāpalyaṁ caiva nidrā ca | suptir bodha itīme bhāvā vyabhicāriṇaḥ samākhyātāḥ ||
Despondency, dejection, humility, fatigue, tiredness, intoxication, pride, doubt, fear, agitation, madness, epilepsy, disease, confusion, death, lethargy, inertness, bashfulness, concealment, recollection, conjecture, anxiety, comprehension, contentment, happiness, eagerness, ferocity, intolerance, envy, impudence, sleepiness, dreaming and awaking. (BRS 2.4.4-6, first listed in Anuccheda 158.6) [These are all under examination.]
A general explanation of these can be found in Bhakti-rasāmṛta-sindhu 2.4, and their aptness for each of the rasas, while chapter 13 of the Ujjvala-nīlamaṇi gives examples of those that are specifically applicable to the ujjvala-rasa. As previously Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī will look for examples of all such examples exclusively from the Bhāgavata Purāṇa.
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī says that with the exception of lethargy (ālasya) and ferocity (augrya), all 33 of the customary vyabhicārīs can play a role in madhura-rasa (ālasyaugrye vinā sarve vijñeyā vyabhicāriṇaḥ).
Śrī Jīva's defines nirveda ("despondency") as the sense of self-contempt (svāvamāne). This indeed follows the older tradition and the definition given by Rūpa Gosvāmī:
mahārti-viprayogerṣyā-sad-vivekādi-kalpitam | svāvamānanam evātra nirveda iti kathyate | atra cintāśru-vaivarṇya-dainya-niḥśvasitādayaḥ ||
The verse Jīva Gosvāmī cited here as an example in this anuccheda comes from the Bhramara-gīta, spoken by Rādhā to a honeybee in the presence of Uddhava. The verses of the Bhramara-gīta will be discussed in their entirety under the rubric of vipralāpa in Anucchedas 403-413.
The causes of gloom or feelings of inadequacy in this verse are the envy (īrṣyā) that Rādhā feels towards the women of Mathurā, such as Kubjā. Separation from Kr̥ṣṇa is another cause of nirveda at play here. The words specifically highlighted by Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī as illustrative of it are, "Who are we to Him, the dust of whose feet is cherished even by Śrī?" (vayaṁ kāḥ?). It is a dhvani, something that is implied rather than stated outright. Many of the verses that follow are similarly designated by the dhvani.
Nirveda, it should be noted, is also preferred by some authorities as the term for the sthāyi-bhāva that leads to śānta-rasa. Since the devotional understanding of śānta-rasa is different, Jīva Gosvāmī says that jñāna-bhakti is the sthāyi of śānta-rasa (PrītiS 203), while Śrī Rūpa simply calls it śānti-rati.
Nevertheless, Śrī Rūpa does take note of the use of the word nirveda as a sthāyi for śānta-rasa. He says: "Some people speculate that by placing nirveda at the head of the list of the vyabhicārīs, despite its being inauspicious, Bharata Muni was accepting that it is the sthāyi-bhāva for śānta-rasa. (BRS 2.4.13)
Mammaṭa however says, "The peaceful is the ninth rasa, having despondency as its permanent mood." (nirveda-sthāyi-bhāvo'sti śānto'pi navamo rasaḥ, Kāvya-prakāśa 4.12). A commentary elaborates on the despondency of one desiring emancipation (a mumukṣu, who is the āśrayālambana), "Life in saṃsāra is like a prison. Relatives are like bonds, etc." So it is called "disgust with existence" (nirveda).
As a sthāyi-bhāva, nirveda can be looked at as a hopelessness or pessimism about life in the world, experienced by one who has become tired of existence. The classical example of nirveda in this sense comes from the Upaniṣads, where it is clearly described as the starting point of the spiritual adventure (i.e., the narrative that leads to śānta-rasa).
parīkṣya lokān karma-citān brāhmaṇo nirvedam āyānty akṛtaḥ kṛtena | tad-vijñānārthaṁ sa gurum evābhigacchet samit-pāṇiḥ śrotriyaṁ brahma-niṣṭham
In this verse spoken by Mahārāja Parīkṣit, nirveda could be either a sthāyī or a vyabhicārī,
tasyaiva me'ghasya parāvareśo vyāsakta-cittas guheṣv abhīkṣṇam | nirveda-mūlo dvija-śāpa-rūpo yatra prasakto bhayam āśu dhatte ||
So "aversion to worldly enjoyments" or renunciation is also within the semantic range of nirveda that fits the idea of a permanent state of mind.
As a vyabhicārī it is often associated with the word dhik, which when directed to oneself is exactly the sense intended by svāvamānam ("self-deprecation, self-blaming", etc.).1 One commentator even paraphrases the definition svāvamānana as ātma-dhikkāra. A good example can be found in the brāhmaṇas' speech after their wives had been blessed by Krishna:
aho asādhv anuṣṭhitaṁ yad abhiniveśito'ham indriyair avidyā-racita-viṣama-viṣayāndha-kūpe tad alam alam amuṣyā vanitāyā vinoda-mṛgaṁ māṁ dhig dhig iti garhayāṁ cakāra.
Rūpa Gosvāmī's example of nirveda in the ujjvala-rasa is taken from Padyāvalī:
mā muñca pañcaśara pañca-śarīṁ śarīre
mā siñca sāndra-makaranda-rasena vāyo |
aṅgāni tat-praṇaya-bhaṅga-vigarhitāni
nālambituṁ katham api kṣamate’dya jīvaḥ ||
Rūpa Gosvāmī ultimately clarifies how to settle such questions about whether nirveda is vyabhicārī and sthāyī,
nirvedo viṣaye sthāyi tattva-jñānodbhavaḥ sa cet | iṣṭāniṣṭa-viyogāpti-kṛtas tu vyabhicāry asau ||
What woman is there, either in the celestial regions, on earth, or in the lower planets, whom He cannot win over by His beguiling and enchanting smiles and the play of His eyebrows? Who are we to Him, the dust of whose feet is cherished even by Śrī. His name Uttama-śloka will prove meaningful only if He cares for the suffering of afflicted people like us. (SB 10.47.15)
स्पष्टम् । ॥ १०।४७ ॥ ताः ॥ ३३७ ॥
Commentary
After describing the last of the anubhāvas, Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī begins to define and give examples of the vyabhicāri-bhāvas. These are 33 in number and have already been listed in Anuccheda 158.5.
[So as with the anubhāvas, we will be carefully examining the translations of each of the traditional terminology used for the 33 vyabhicārīs. The translations for the terms will not be finalized before we get to the end of this section.
This is a major issue. Babaji has written a book with Rajiv Malhotra called "Sanskrit Untranslatables," which I feel is justified to an extent, because it is quasi impossible to gather up all the different senses of a single word in one language into another, where the semantic Venn diagram will always overlap imperfectly. For this reason it is often necessary to create neologisms.
The translation "mellows" for rasa suggested by Siddhanta Saraswati is frequently sneered at in some academic circles, but actually it is quite clever. Sanskrit thinkers themselves created terms that may have little or no relation to the intended meaning, purely so that the thing will have a name. Think, for example, of the term śārdūla-vikrīḍitam, which has somewhat arbitrarily given to a particular Sanskrit meter that has nothing directly to do with "the play of a tiger", though it is provoking to think of that lyrical meter as having such a picturesque character. A verse written in that meter ended with the words śārdūla-vikrīḍitam and that became its name. This is not an uncommon occurrence in any language.
This is a major issue. Babaji has written a book with Rajiv Malhotra called "Sanskrit Untranslatables," which I feel is justified to an extent, because it is quasi impossible to gather up all the different senses of a single word in one language into another, where the semantic Venn diagram will always overlap imperfectly. For this reason it is often necessary to create neologisms.
The translation "mellows" for rasa suggested by Siddhanta Saraswati is frequently sneered at in some academic circles, but actually it is quite clever. Sanskrit thinkers themselves created terms that may have little or no relation to the intended meaning, purely so that the thing will have a name. Think, for example, of the term śārdūla-vikrīḍitam, which has somewhat arbitrarily given to a particular Sanskrit meter that has nothing directly to do with "the play of a tiger", though it is provoking to think of that lyrical meter as having such a picturesque character. A verse written in that meter ended with the words śārdūla-vikrīḍitam and that became its name. This is not an uncommon occurrence in any language.
To assign an old word to a new meaning is like cutting another face on a diamond.
The point of creating new terminology is to try to pinpoint as best one can what is both in the "meaning of departure" (i.e., the customary meaning) and "the meaning of arrival," the new meaning one assigns to the word as a fixed term within a circumscribed domain. Normally, nowadays, neologisms are favored, primarily for marketing and public relations purposes. But here we are not trying to sell anything. We are engaged in an investigation into comparative psychology and semantic mapping, if you will.
Nāṭya-śāstra is actually where most of Sanskrit psychology comes from, since the linking of myth to psychological complexes is basically what drama is all about. Especially since the teaching of dharma through rasa is the purpose of all nāṭya.
So, again, to cut short on this introduction, this article will be an examination of the word nirveda with the view of finding a suitable correspondent in the English language. The following content includes numerous options culled from already existing translations.]
Despondency, dejection, humility, fatigue, tiredness, intoxication, pride, doubt, fear, agitation, madness, epilepsy, disease, confusion, death, lethargy, inertness, bashfulness, concealment, recollection, conjecture, anxiety, comprehension, contentment, happiness, eagerness, ferocity, intolerance, envy, impudence, sleepiness, dreaming and awaking. (BRS 2.4.4-6, first listed in Anuccheda 158.6) [These are all under examination.]
Śrī Rūpa Gosvāmī says that with the exception of lethargy (ālasya) and ferocity (augrya), all 33 of the customary vyabhicārīs can play a role in madhura-rasa (ālasyaugrye vinā sarve vijñeyā vyabhicāriṇaḥ).
Śrī Jīva's defines nirveda ("despondency") as the sense of self-contempt (svāvamāne). This indeed follows the older tradition and the definition given by Rūpa Gosvāmī:
The verse Jīva Gosvāmī cited here as an example in this anuccheda comes from the Bhramara-gīta, spoken by Rādhā to a honeybee in the presence of Uddhava. The verses of the Bhramara-gīta will be discussed in their entirety under the rubric of vipralāpa in Anucchedas 403-413.
The causes of gloom or feelings of inadequacy in this verse are the envy (īrṣyā) that Rādhā feels towards the women of Mathurā, such as Kubjā. Separation from Kr̥ṣṇa is another cause of nirveda at play here. The words specifically highlighted by Śrī Jīva Gosvāmī as illustrative of it are, "Who are we to Him, the dust of whose feet is cherished even by Śrī?" (vayaṁ kāḥ?). It is a dhvani, something that is implied rather than stated outright. Many of the verses that follow are similarly designated by the dhvani.
Nirveda, it should be noted, is also preferred by some authorities as the term for the sthāyi-bhāva that leads to śānta-rasa. Since the devotional understanding of śānta-rasa is different, Jīva Gosvāmī says that jñāna-bhakti is the sthāyi of śānta-rasa (PrītiS 203), while Śrī Rūpa simply calls it śānti-rati.
In fact, Bharata does not say that. In his short discourse on śānta-rasa (NŚ 6.83), he names śama as the sthāyi. In his commentary there, Abhinava Gupta also writes that śama is the sthāyi and nirveda a sañcāri. That he defines as "a particular state of mind characterized by flowing, expanding grief." (Abhinava-bhāratī 6.83)
Mammaṭa however says, "The peaceful is the ninth rasa, having despondency as its permanent mood." (nirveda-sthāyi-bhāvo'sti śānto'pi navamo rasaḥ, Kāvya-prakāśa 4.12). A commentary elaborates on the despondency of one desiring emancipation (a mumukṣu, who is the āśrayālambana), "Life in saṃsāra is like a prison. Relatives are like bonds, etc." So it is called "disgust with existence" (nirveda).
As a sthāyi-bhāva, nirveda can be looked at as a hopelessness or pessimism about life in the world, experienced by one who has become tired of existence. The classical example of nirveda in this sense comes from the Upaniṣads, where it is clearly described as the starting point of the spiritual adventure (i.e., the narrative that leads to śānta-rasa).
After examining all the worlds that are possible of attainment through works, the wise man becomes indifferent (nirveda) to them, being unfulfilled through deeds. To know this fully, one should take fuel for the sacrifice in hand and approach a spiritual master who is learned and fixed in Brahman. (MU 1.2.11)
Nirveda is used in that sense in Bhagavad-gītā 2.52 (tadā gantāsi nirvedaṃ śrotavyasya śrutasya ca)
Nirveda is also the keen mental suffering or distress over affliction or loss, sharp sorrow, painful regret. It is the sentiment of dejection in oneself caused by deep study of philosophy, jealousy, inescapable danger or misfortune, etc.
In this verse spoken by Mahārāja Parīkṣit, nirveda could be either a sthāyī or a vyabhicārī,
I am very sinful and always deeply attached to home and family life. Bhagavān, the ruler of matter and spirit, has Himself come in the form of the Brāhmaṇa’s curse which has aroused in me a feeling of aversion to worldly enjoyments (nirveda), for such a curse quickly makes a materially attached person afraid. (SB 1.19.14)
So "aversion to worldly enjoyments" or renunciation is also within the semantic range of nirveda that fits the idea of a permanent state of mind.
As a vyabhicārī it is often associated with the word dhik, which when directed to oneself is exactly the sense intended by svāvamānam ("self-deprecation, self-blaming", etc.).1 One commentator even paraphrases the definition svāvamānana as ātma-dhikkāra. A good example can be found in the brāhmaṇas' speech after their wives had been blessed by Krishna:
dhig janma nas trivṛd-vidyāṁ dhig vrataṁ dhig bahujñatām |
dhik kulaṁ dhik kriyā-dīkṣāṁ vimukhā ye tv adhokṣaje ||
Fie on our birth! Fie on our knowledge of the Veda! Fie on our vows! Fie on our vast learning! Fie on our family heritage! Fie on our initiation into ritual performances, as we have turned away from the Supreme Lord. (10.23.40)
“Oh, what a mistake I have made! I have been captivated by the senses and thrown into this well of poisonous sense pleasures which are product of nescience. Enough of all this and fie upon me, a plaything in the hands of this woman.” In this way he condemned himself. (SB 5.1.37, PrītiS 76)
mā siñca sāndra-makaranda-rasena vāyo |
aṅgāni tat-praṇaya-bhaṅga-vigarhitāni
nālambituṁ katham api kṣamate’dya jīvaḥ ||
O Cupid, don’t shoot your five arrows at this body;
O Wind, don’t sprinkle my body
with the condensed nectar of the mango buds;
For if you do, the life will not be able to stay
in these limbs, which are now condemned, as he has not reciprocated my love.
(Pady. 221, BRS 3.5.17)
Indifference to the world is a sthāyi-bhāva [for śānta-rasa] when it arises out of knowledge. If it arises from the attainment of the undesirable or non-attainment of the desirable, then it is a vyabhicārī. (BRS 3.1.51)
Comments
अथ अयोगः —
सङ्गाभावो हरेर् धीरैर् अयोग इति कथ्यते ।
अयोगे तन्-मनस्कत्वं तद्-गुणाद्य्-अनुसन्धयः ॥३.२.९४॥
atha ayogaḥ —
saṅgābhāvo harer dhīrair ayoga iti kathyate |
ayoge tan-manaskatvaṃ tad-guṇādy-anusandhayaḥ ||3.2.94||
Now, the absence of attachment or association with Hari (“ray of light” from the shining one: Viṣṇu-Kṛṣṇa) is called 'ayoga' by the wise. In this state of non-connection, there is mindfulness and reflection upon His qualities and attributes.
तत् प्राप्त्य्-अपाय-चिन्ताद्याः सर्वेषां कथिताः क्रियाः ।
उत्कण्ठितं वियोगश् चेत्य् अयोगे’पि द्विधोच्यते ॥३.२.९५॥
tat prāpty-apāya-cintādyāḥ sarveṣāṃ kathitāḥ kriyāḥ |
utkaṇṭhitaṃ viyogaś cety ayoge’pi dvidhocyate ||3.2.95||
All actions that involve anxiety over gaining or losing something are said to be common to all. Longing and separation are also spoken of in two ways, without union, or in the absence of connection.
Source: Bhakti-rasamrta-sindhu (Śrīla Rūpa Gosvāmī).
O Bow with quiver holding five,
hold back thine arrows, keep them still,
let not their whispering tips imbibe,
this fragile form against its will.
Caress not winds with nectar sweet,
of love's embrace, in torrents flow,
for once the heart has skipped a beat,
how does one tame a wayward throw?
Those tender limbs that once did cling,
to love's embrace, now torn apart,
by Cupid’s careless fickle wing,
how can the soul withhold its heart?
When love's sweet song has lost its tune,
and whispers of the night betray,
the soul's lament is but a boon,
to dreams that slowly fade away.
><(((@>
In plaintive whispers does despair,
upon the senses softly dwell,
born of truth’s knowing, stark and bare,
in realms where yearning hearts rebel.
In partings bittersweet it lies,
in meetings never meant to be,
and with lost hopes and lonesome cries,
it flits and wanes, eternally.
Where heart's desires meet their end,
and what’s not sought is brought to bear,
there, tender bonds do break and bend,
and in that dance moves nimble despair.
With knowledge of the soul so deep,
and transient joys that wane and weep,
despair's the steady flame that burns,
as love's fickle wheel yet turns.
No More "I Love You's"
Annie Lennox (Medusa Album, 1995):
https://tinyurl.com/3d4c4wka
Divine is RadhaKrishna combined but what can I do when I have feelings only towards Krishna. I really do not know where to go.
वासुदेवपरा वेदा वासुदेवपरा मखा: ।
vāsudeva-parā vedā vāsudeva-parā makhāḥ
Vasudeva is the supreme knowledge; Vasudeva is the supreme sacrifice (sacrificial oblation to fire).
वासुदेवपरा योगा वासुदेवपरा: क्रिया: ॥ २८ ॥
vāsudeva-parā yogā vāsudeva-parāḥ kriyāḥ
Vasudeva is the supreme union (or yoga); Vasudeva is the supreme action (by directing the mind in undivided attention towards in worship and sacrifice).
वासुदेवपरं ज्ञानं वासुदेवपरं तप: ।
vāsudeva-paraṁ jñānaṁ vāsudeva-paraṁ tapaḥ
Vasudeva is the supreme wisdom (knowledge derived from meditation); Vasudeva is the supreme inner light.
वासुदेवपरो धर्मो वासुदेवपरा गति: ॥ २९ ॥
vāsudeva-paro dharmo vāsudeva-parā gatiḥ
Vasudeva is the supreme path; Vasudeva is the supreme destination.
Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (Bhāgavata Purāṇa), Canto 1: Creation, Chapter 2: Divinity and Divine Service, Verses 28-29.
Read on from:
“The graduated process of spiritual endeavour of those persons who have realised the state of gopees, is as follows. In the course of their sojourn in this world, the music of Krishna’s Flute enters the ear of a few exceptionally fortunate persons. The sweetness of the music exercising its attraction on such persons makes them fit for the highest spiritual status. This quickly dissipates their male disposition which prompts people of this world to seek for their own sensuous enjoyment. On the complete disappearance of the male disposition there is aroused another temperament characterized by a spontaneous preference for following the guidance of those who are possessed of the mellow quality of spiritual consorthood. In this position the femininity of the soul in the form of capacity for ministering to the enjoyment of Godhead, manifests itself.”
Source:
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/sri-krishna-chaitanya/d/doc1112781.html
nija nija bhāva sabe śreṣṭha kari’ māne
nija-bhāve kare kṛṣṇa-sukha āsvādane
Everyone considers their own mood (devotional sentiment) to be the best,
and in that mood, they relish the happiness of kṛṣṇa.
taṭastha ha-iyā mane vicāra yadi kari
saba rasa haite śṛńgāre adhika mādhurī
However, if one becomes impartial and reflects,
the sweetness in conjugal love (śṛṅgāra) surpasses all other mellows.
Caitanya-Caritāmṛta 1. 4. 43-44
An interesting read:
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/tevaram-religion-and-philosophy/d/doc421391.html
and:
https://www.wisdomlib.org/history/compilation/triveni-journal/d/doc71796.html
At present I do find myself dealing with guilt of not loving Radhakrishna together but only Krishna in Kanta Bhav. I really do not know what to do and where to go. Where to find a true Guru ... but I guess I will spend my life with my Krishna Vigrah whom I love like my beloved. May be some day by grace of Radha Krishna I will be able to become more selfless and love Radha ji too but my own desire that " I wish I were Radha" does not go which makes it very difficult to have loving feelings towards Her. I used to admire RadhaKrishna relationship so much when I was not in love with Krishna in Kanta bhav and now I have started to envy it. But I trust my Krishna and Radha ji too that they will do something about it.
Radhekrishna 🙏
Abhaya Caraṇāravinda Bhakti-vedānta Svāmī Prabhupāda named the writer of this blog hiraṇya-garbhá dāś (now known as jagadānanda dāś); it is the nameless one that dwells within the heart of the hiraṇya-garbhá that is my true guru.
Cultivate Vairāgya (वैराग्य) of mind.
Use the mahā-mantra to cultivate vairāgya (वैराग्य) of mind:
Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa
Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare
Hare Rāma Hare Rāma
Rāma Rāma Hare Hare
Why do this?
See page 78:
“Another early reference to Śāmbhavī Mudrā occurs in the Parājapavidhi, a manual on mantra recitation which is part of a corpus of texts composed by the Oriya Paipalādins sometime between the tenth and fourteenth centuries. This reference reveals that Śāmbhavī Mudrā was practised in mantra-recitation:
Every day the Sādhaka should repeat the mantras as [many times as] he is able, drawing upwards the descending breath, correctly practising the Śāmbhavī [Mudrā].”
https://www.ora.ox.ac.uk/objects/uuid:4edd5abe-0aa6-4c52-96d2-c4acfce1ad60/download_file?file_format=pdf&safe_filename=Birch_2013_The_Amanaska.pdf&type_of_work=Thesis
Supplementary reading:
The Quest for Liberation-in-Life
A Survey of Early Works on Haṭha- and Rājayoga:
https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/35258/1/Jason%20Birch%20The%20Quest%20for%20Liberation%20Ra%CC%84jayoga%202020.pdf
Especially pages 212, 219 and 231.
N.B.* The Devanāgarī and transliteration of the text of the Candrāvalokana (a dialogue between matsyendranātha and īśvaraḥ) may be found online in the Muktabodha Digital Library (Catalogue number: M00506).
https://muktalib7.com/DL_CATALOG_ROOT/digital_library_secure_entry.htm
Yours,
MN
Dear Jagadananda Das,
In regard to your 2018 blog post “A few observations on īśvara-praṇidhānād vā:”
https:// /2018/08/a-few-observations-on-isvara.html
The name “īśvara” hold within itself the key, use saṃdhā-bhāṣā to break-down this compound Sanskrit word to its syllables and decipher its real meaning.
MN
"The state of time not being wasted:"
चक्षुरग्र स्थितो नित्यं विस्फुरन्योमणिर्यथा |
तं दृष्ट्वा व्यापकं शम्भुं भवबन्धैः प्रमुच्यते ||
cakṣuragra sthito nityaṃ visphuranyomaṇiryathā |
taṃ dṛṣṭvā vyāpakaṃ śambhuṃ bhavabandhaiḥ pramucyate ||
- candrāvalocakana
Yours,
MN
Whilst sitting next to one of the world’s ten oldest buildings (4000–3500 BC, its ancient passage chamber built to align with the rising sun at spring and summer equinox) the other day.
Was reading Mallinson and Szántó’s excellent translation of ‘The Amṛtasiddhi and Amṛtasiddhimūla: the Earliest Texts of the Haṭhayoga Tradition.’ In practical terms, these texts can only be described as masterpieces.
On page 121 is a brilliant passage in the Amṛtasiddhi (pun intended):
“Bindu is Buddha, Bindu is Śiva, Bindu is Viṣṇu, [Bindu is] Brahmā, Bindu is the god in all [beings], Bindu is the mirror of the three worlds (trailokyadarpaṇaḥ).”
Notes
The Amṛtasiddhi and Amṛtasiddhimūla
The Earliest Texts of the Haṭhayoga Tradition
Critically edited and translated by Péter-Dániel SZÁNTÓ, James MALLINSON
https://publications.efeo.fr/en/livres/966_the-am-tasiddhi-and-am-tasiddhim-la
Moving across cultures (it makes no difference, the eternal same truth), the late Clesson H. Harvey was on the right track, his English translation of utterance 407 of the Egyptian Pyramid Texts (reproduced in Adobe Pdf from Mr. Harvey’s former website www.pyramidtexts.com).
https://drive.proton.me/urls/J27ESF6VQR#BDHWTXRX57qI
Apology Jagadananda Das (words are important), the previous comment post (Thursday, 13 July, 2023):
Dear Jagadananda Das,
In regard to your 2018 blog post “A few observations on īśvara-praṇidhānād vā:”
https:// /2018/08/a-few-observations-on-isvara.html
The name “īśvara” hold within itself the key, use saṃdhā-bhāṣā to break-down this compound Sanskrit word to its syllables and decipher its real meaning.
MN
Should read:
Dear Jagadananda Das,
In regard to your 2018 blog post “A few observations on īśvara-praṇidhānād vā:”
https://jagadanandadas.blogspot.com/2018/08/a-few-observations-on-isvara.html
The name “īśvara” holds within itself the key, use saṃdhā-bhāṣā to break-down this compound Sanskrit word to its syllables and decipher its real meaning.
MN
Hope you and you audience make good use of this non krishna material....i brought this to Nitai's and his groups attention in good faith but rather was just censored even when there was a section on his caitanyasympos.proboards.com to talk of anything and everything of anything........
https://www.civilianintelligencenetwork.ca/2023/01/07/endgame/
Jai Nitai
“For the mind does not require filling like a bottle, but rather, like wood, it only requires kindling to create in it an impulse to think independently and an ardent desire for the truth.”
Mōrālia - Plutarch
THE NĀṬYAŚĀSTRA
A Treatise on Hindu Dramaturgy and Histrionics
Ascribed to Bharata-muni
Vol. I. (Chapters I-XXVII)
Vol. II. (Chapters XXVIII-XXXVI)
Completely translated for the first time from the original Sanskrit with an Introduction and Various Notes by MANOMOHAN GHOSH M.A., PH.D. D. (Cal.):
https://archive.org/details/NatyaShastra/natya_shastra_translation_volume_1_-_bharat_muni/page/n1/mode/2up?view=theater
Read an outstanding post yesterday (Verse 7 note in bold parenthesis, my own), which is reproduced here:
Ways to perceive nada
Posted on June 9, 2023
What are the sources through which the yogi can perceive nāda? There are two main ways. The first is mantra yoga (tantras), the second is haṭha-yoga (prāṇāyāma, mudrās, etc.). Here is what the Śāradā-tilakam tantra (Рrathamaḥ paṭalaḥ) tells us:
सच्चिदानन्दविभवात् सकलात् परमेश्वरात् ।
आसीच्छक्तिस्ततो नादो नादाद् बिन्दुसमुद्भवः ॥७॥
saccidānandavibhavāt sakalāt parameśvarāt ।
āsīcchaktistato nādo nādād bindusamudbhavaḥ ॥7॥
From the eternal goodness of Parameśvara, whose nature is Eternity-Knowledge-Bliss, Śakti (power) manifested first, then the vibration (nāda) manifested from the power, and bindu (point of light) manifested from the peak of the tension of nāda.
That is, if you practice yoga, then by doing practices to activate Śakti, such as bhastrikā–prāṇāyāma, etc., Śakti can release the pulsation, the vibration of nāda. Or, if you practice mantras, then “activating the mantras,” awakening them in various ways, you will also come to the perception of nāda.
Of course, these methods in the traditions have always been directly transmitted from Gurus to their students. It is more than just information or theory, although knowledge of the theory, one way or another, can help.
Source:
https://matsyendranatha.com/?p=984
A copy of a recent conversation:
Am currently reading page seven of the excellent paper “The Amaraughaprabodha: New Evidence on the Manuscript Transmission of an Early Work on Haṭha - and Rājayoga.”
https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/31309/2/Amaraughaprabodha%20Jason%20Birch%20July%202019%20JIP.pdf
Yes, I agree the word बिन्दु (bindu) is used to describe vital seed - semen (implied by the word “drop”); the word bindu also refers to “point” - a point of light (a small point of light seen before the brow which is the true seed of yoga) that a yogi perceives having first successfully seated (ādhāra) his empty mind in repose upon the sound of nāda.
This bindu (seed or point of light) is also a doorway, a door which eventually opens to the yogin, allowing his lucid consciousness (in the vehicle of the light body) to cross the three worlds (physical, subtle and causal) into the great light of the हिरण्यगर्भः (hiraṇyagarbha) “shining womb of all creation.”
Notes
See verses 61-62 (page 231) and footnote 257 (“drop [of energy]”) in Gudrun Bühnemann’s “The Śāradātilakatantra on yoga: A new edition and translation of chapter 25.”
https://www.academia.edu/11799357/The_%C5%9A%C4%81rad%C4%81tilakatantra_on_Yoga_A_New_Edition_and_Translation_of_Chapter_25
A good all-round text:
Haṭhapradīpikā of Svātmārāma (10 Chapters): With Yogaprakāśikā Commentary by Bālakṛṣṇa
https://ia904508.us.archive.org/10/items/ml_gharote_parimal_devnath_ed_hathapradipika_of_svatmarama_1/ml_gharote_parimal_devnath_ed_hathapradipika_of_svatmarama_1.pdf
Practice of mantra → nādānusandhāna → laya yoga
प्रबलम् अनन्य-श्रयिणा निषेवितः सहज-रूपेण ।
अघ-दमनो मथुरायां सदा सनातन-तनुर् जयति ॥२.१.१॥
prabalam ananya-śrayiṇā niṣevitaḥ sahaja-rūpeṇa |
agha-damano mathurāyāṃ sadā sanātana-tanur jayati ||2.1.1||
The one who is intensely and exclusively worshipped, in his natural form,
the vanquisher of sins, eternally resides in Mathura1, may he always be victorious.
1. See the constellations of Kṛttikā, Rohiṇī and Mṛgaśīrṣa, Chapter 14, 15 and 16 of the Brihat Samhita (The geographical divisions of the Earth and of India particularly, corresponding to the various stellar divisions along the ecliptic):
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/brihat-samhita/d/doc228914.html
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/brihat-samhita/d/doc228916.html
https://www.wisdomlib.org/hinduism/book/brihat-samhita/d/doc228917.html
वीतरागभयक्रोधा मन्मया मामुपाश्रिता: |
बहवो ज्ञानतपसा पूता मद्भावमागता: ||
vīta-rāga-bhaya-krodhā man-mayā mām upāśhritāḥ
bahavo jñāna-tapasā pūtā mad-bhāvam āgatāḥ
Free from passion, fear, and anger, absorbed in Me, taking refuge in Me, purified by the fire of knowledge, many have attained My divine nature.
ये यथा मां प्रपद्यन्ते तांस्तथैव भजाम्यहम् |
मम वर्त्मानुवर्तन्ते मनुष्या: पार्थ सर्वश: ||
ye yathā māṁ prapadyante tāns tathaiva bhajāmyaham
mama vartmānuvartante manuṣhyāḥ pārtha sarvaśhaḥ
As they surrender unto Me, I reward them accordingly. Everyone follows My path in all respects, O son of Pritha (Arjuna).
Verses 10 & 11, Chapter 4, Bhagavadgītā
Notes
Ancient Greek αὐστηρός (austērós)
N.B.* See αὔω (aúō, “light a fire”).
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%CE%B1%E1%BD%90%CF%83%CF%84%CE%B7%CF%81%CF%8C%CF%82#Ancient_Greek
Cognate with Ancient Greek αὔω (aúō, “to ignite, singe”):
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B6%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%B7%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BF#Sanskrit
Dear Jagadananda Das,
In regard to the comment (Sunday, 06 August, 2023) “Ways to perceive nada”:
https://tinyurl.com/2w52nzbp
Note well the use of the word ‘tantra.’ “This verse is named as the maha-mantra. It has sixteen names and thirty-two syllables, this is the tantra.”
Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.14.145:
হরে কৃষ্ণ হরে কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ কৃষ্ণ হরে হরে হরে রাম হরে রাম রাম রাম হরে হরে ॥ ১৪৫ ॥
हरे कृष्ण हरे कृष्ण कृष्ण कृष्ण हरे हरे हरे राम हरे राम राम राम हरे हरे ॥ १४५ ॥
hare kṛṣṇa hare kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa kṛṣṇa hare hare hare rāma hare rāma rāma rāma hare hare || 145 ||
hare krsna hare krsna krsna krsna hare hare hare rama hare rama rama rama hare hare (145)
English translation:
(145) Hare Kṛṣṇa Hare Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Kṛṣṇa Hare Hare/ Hare Rāma Hare Rāma Rāma Rāma Hare Hare.
Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.14.146:
এই শ্লোক নাম বলি’ লয মহা-মন্ত্র শোল-নাম বত্রিশ-অক্ষর এই তন্ত্র ॥ ১৪৬ ॥
एइ श्लोक नाम बलि’ लय महा-मन्त्र शोल-नाम बत्रिश-अक्षर एइ तन्त्र ॥ १४६ ॥
ei śloka nāma bali’ laya mahā-mantra śola-nāma batriśa-akṣara ei tantra || 146 ||
ei sloka nama bali’ laya maha-mantra sola-nama batrisa-aksara ei tantra (146)
English translation:
(146) This verse is named as the maha-mantra. It has sixteen names and thirty-two syllables, this is the tantra.
- Caitanya-bhāgavata
Further:
Bengali text, Devanagari and Unicode transliteration of verse 1.14.147:
সাধিতে সাধিতে যবে প্রেমাঙ্কুর হবে সাধ্য-সাধন-তত্ত্ব জানিবা সে তবে” ॥ ১৪৭ ॥
साधिते साधिते यबे प्रेमाङ्कुर हबे साध्य-साधन-तत्त्व जानिबा से तबे” ॥ १४७ ॥
sādhite sādhite yabe premāṅkura habe sādhya-sādhana-tattva jānibā se tabe” || 147 ||
sadhite sadhite yabe premankura habe sadhya-sadhana-tattva janiba se tabe” (147)
English translation:
As one practices and practices, when the sprout of love (prema) emerges, only then will one truly understand the essence of both the means (sadhana) and the goal (sadhya).