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...

It is a bit hard to divide the Nitisatakam into categores, since it is does tend to repeat certain themes. At any rate, the next 15 verses mostly talk about the characteristics of a hero and of a ruler. santy anye'pi bṛhaspati-prabhṛtayaḥ sambhāvitāḥ pañcaṣās tān praty eṣa viśeṣa-vikrama-rucī rāhur na vairāyate | dvāv eva grasate divākara-niśā-prāṇeśvarau bhāskarau bhrātaḥ parvaṇi paśya dānava-patiḥ śīrṣāvaśeṣākṛtiḥ || 34 || There are five or six planets like Jupiter in the sky that are certainly great and influential, but Rahu does not pick enmity with them; he seeks greater prey. Just look, brother! Though he is left with nothing but a head, when the proper moment comes, he attacks the great luminaries of the sky, the sun and the moon. vahati bhuvana-śreṇiṁ śeṣaḥ phaṇā-phalaka-sthitāṁ kamaṭha-patinā madhye-pṛṣṭhaṁ sadā sa ca dhāryate | tam api kurute kroḍādhīnaṁ payodhir anādarād ahaha mahatāṁ niḥsīmānaś caritra-vibhūtayaḥ || 35 || Ananta Sesha carries the pla...

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, ...

This is Part 7 of a series called "Confession and the Authentic Self." 1. Prologue . 2. Setting the scene. The saga of the Paundraka Vrindavan Today . 3. Staking out the high ground. The frequentations of swans and crows . 4. Confession, a religious act. A concealed provocation. 5. A profession of love and respect for Babaji. 6. Aiming again at the high ground, and a concern troll We are now closing in on the purpose of this series of posts. When I published my response to Alex's publication of my "confession letter" on May 31, Bhakta Demian posted as a comment the letter you see below. On reading it, I had to almost laugh at the venomous diatribe, the pent-up nastiness, and the utter absence of any sign of genuine spiritual insight or understanding, the kind of visceral hatred that should be completely absent from the heart of a devotee... well I refer you to my comments on the first article in this series. Even now as I read this article, the s...