Jagat

After all the talk about character, now comes the last section about Fate and Karma. Bhartrihari does not let you off the hook, even though he admits the omnipotence of destiny. For instance, after declaring Fate to determine our fortunes, in the next verse he immediately tells us that sloth is our greatest enemy. One still has to act and think (v. 90); for Destiny is nothing other than the unseen consequences of previous acts. This is an apparent contradiction that cannot be escaped. The point is that one has to act without attachment to the results because those are not fully under our control. So, this is the last of the Niti-sataka. Links to the other instalments: Niti-sataka 1 :: The Fool Niti-sataka 2:: In praise of learning and the learned Niti-sataka 3 :: The greatness of the hero and the duties ofthe king. Niti-sataka 4: The dependent and the wicked Niti-sataka 5 :: The qualities of the virtuous and resolute bhagnāśasya karaṇḍa-piṇḍita-tanor mlānendriyas...

Sorry for the interruption in posting the rest of Nīti-śataka . There will be one more segment after this. These are really pretty nice verses and all seem to be without any contradiction to the principles of good character that are at the basis of all religious temperament, including that of the Vaishnava. It is when fanaticism leads one to ignore these principles that religion becomes debased. It is interesting to me that so many of the verses are confirmations of my feelings about the turmoil of the last few weeks, even though it may be said with justification that I failed to act with true virtue. The virtuous vāñchā sajjana-saṅgame para-guṇe prītir gurau namratā vidyāyāṁ vyasanaṁ sva-yoṣiti ratir lokāpavādād bhayam | bhaktiḥ śūlini śaktir ātma-damane saṁsarga-muktiḥ khale yeṣv ete nivasanti nirmala-guṇās tebhyo narebhyo namaḥ ||62|| I bow my head respectfully to those in whom dwell these qualities: the desire for the company of the pious, an appreciation of the virt...

Trying to divide these up into meaningful sections is a bit difficult, like I said yesterday. There are only a couple of verses describing the ideal servant, or dependent person, but I gave them its own section. The section on the wicked is somewhat short also. Then we will move into a section on the characteristics and behavior of the wicked. I think ideally, the entire sataka should be slightly reorganized for the sake consistency.  The dependent yad dhātrā nija-bhāla-paṭṭa-likhitaṁ stokaṁ mahad vā dhanaṁ tat prāpnoti marusthale'pi nitarāṁ merau tato nādhikam | tad dhīro bhava vittavatsu kṛpaṇāṁ vṛttiṁ vṛthā mā kṛthāḥ kūpe paśya payonidhāv api ghaṭo gṛhṇāti tulyaṁ jalam || 49 || Everyone is destined to have a certain amount of wealth, great or small; it has been written on the tableau of your forehead. You will get what is coming to you even if you live in the desert, and will not get it by climbing Mount Meru. So be patient and do not play the beggar with the wealt...

hartur yāti na gocaraṁ kim api śaṁ puṣṇāti yat sarvadā’py arthibhyaḥ pratipādyamānam aniśaṁ prāpnoti vṛddhiṁ parām | kalpānteṣv api na prayāti nidhanaṁ vidyākhyam antar-dhanaṁ yeṣāṁ tān prati mānam ujjhata nṛpāḥ kas taiḥ saha spardhate || 16 || Knowledge is an internal wealth: it is imperceptible to the thief; it always brings real calm to the spirit; when given away to those who ask for it, it increases rather than dwindling, and even after ages, it does not come to destruction. O kings, give up your pride with those who possess such wealth, for it is not possible to compete with them. adhigata-paramārthān paṇḍitān māvamaṁsthās tṛṇam iva laghu lakṣmīr naiva tān saṁruṇaddhi | abhinava-mada-lekhā-śyāma-gaṇḍa-sthalānāṁ na bhavati bisa-tantur vāraṇaṁ vāraṇānām || 17 || Never disrespect the scholars who have understood the highest goals of life. Fortune is like grass to them; it cannot bind them any more than the threads found in the stem of lotus can bind a mad ele...

This is the first of three centuries, or works of a hundred verses each, written by the very influential Sanskrit poet Bhartrihari. Many legends are told of this Bhartrihari and perhaps I will later recount some of them. His style of writing subhāṣitas , or "well-turned verses," have affected many poets throughout the history of Sanskrit literature, including most notably for Gaudiya Vaishnavas, Prabodhananda Saraswati. Bhartihari’s three śatakas have the themes of nīti (moral philosophy) , śṛṅgāra (love) and vairāgya (renunciation). I translated these many years ago, but I never posted them on this blog, though I did post them on-line a few years ago and reposted on Speaking Tree in 2012 ). I have made a few changes. The first theme of the Nīti-satakam is “the fool.” dik-kālādy-anavacchinnānanta-cin-mātra-mūrtaye | svānubhūty-eka-mānāya namaḥ śāntāya tejase || 1 || I bow down to the Supreme Lord whose form is infinite and spiritual, unrestricted by time and space, ...

The third week’s readings were four in number, and shorter than the previous week. I have listed them at the end of this text. I have to admit that I was surprised and pleased by the direction my readings took me this week. In the seminar on the Holy Name, one of the questions that came up was about the difference between mantra and the Holy Name. My students have been somewhat influenced by Devesh Soneji, the bright young professor who currently teaches most of the courses on Hinduism in the department. He specializes in a number of fields, including Bharatanatyam and Tantra, especially Sri Vidya, so he has given them a good background in the Tantric theory of mantras, yantras and so on. The explanation I gave in class was based on the distinctions that I have admittedly acquired from Bhaktisiddhanta Saraswati and Bhakti Rakshaka Sridhar Maharaj about the difference between the Bhagavata and Pancharatra approaches to spiritual practice. The former is far less ritualistic and more...