Random musings - part 9

Cleaning has to be done! But not in an obsessive manner. Like some people can be seen to clean their vehicles and other possessions so passionately that sometimes I feel that time can be spent for some other more useful work! Blame it on my 'lazy' outlook otherwise!

रजः means both dust and passion.

रजोभूयाय कल्पन्ते वस्तूनि निखिलानि वै ।

नित्यं तथापि मार्ज्यन्ते रजोभ्य रजसा नरैः ।। 81 ।।

रजोभूयाय of the nature of dust कल्पन्ते will become वस्तूनि things /possessions निखिलानि all वै indeed नित्यं daily तथापि even then मार्ज्यन्ते being cleaned रजोभ्य from dust रजसा out of passion नरैः by men!

All possessions are temporary in the sense they are destructible and eventually becomes dust! Yet people are passionately keeping them clean everyday off dust!

The point is let us not be extremely particular about the dirt outside! It will be there anyhow! Let us focus our time on the internal dirt!

---------------------------

It is better to be cautious with people who readily acknowledge what we say or do! They may have hidden agenda which we may never know! After all everyone has an agenda behind an action!

अंगीकुर्वन्ति ये तेषु जागरेण समाचर ।

न जातु काञ्चनाऽपेक्षां प्रवर्तन्ते विना जनाः ।। 82 ।।

अंगीकुर्वन्ति accept or acknowledge ये who तेषु with them जागरेण carefully समाचर act न जातु never काञ्चन an अपेक्षां expectation प्रवर्तन्ते act विना without जनाः people

Be careful with those who acknowledge or accept (readily)! Never do people act without a motive (which is hidden)! Let us not doubt everyone because of this! We need to exercise discretion!

--------------------------- 

Just for gags!

By eating we gain energy and it is needless to add that mouth is instrumental in that! Alas! Don't we lose that energy through the same mouth when we engage in worthless long talks?

शक्तिराप्ता मया हन्त वदनेन च तेन वै ।

निरर्गलेन नष्टा सा वदनेन च तेन वै।। 83 ।।

शक्तिः energy आप्ता gained मया by me हन्त alas वदनेन by mouth च and तेन by that वै indeed निरर्गलेन by unbridled or uncontrolled नष्टा lost सा that energy वदनेन by mouth च and तेन by that वै indeed

Energy is gained by eating with the help of mouth. Alas! Most of that energy is lost by talking through the same mouth.

--------------------------- 

How do the wise and the non-wise spend their time? The wise, thinking about the Paramatma, and the non-wise, about the rest!

ज्ञानिनामुह्यते कालः परमात्मकचिन्तने ।

स्रस्यते मुह्यमानानाम् अपरात्मकचिन्तने ।। 84 ।।

ज्ञानिभिरुह्यते कालः (alternative first pada)

अन्वय: ज्ञानिनां परमात्मकचिन्तने कालः उह्यते । अपरात्मकचिन्तने मुह्यमानानां (तु) कालः स्रस्यते ।

ज्ञानिनाम् for the wise उह्यते being spent कालः time परमात्मक in higher (Godly) चिन्तने thoughts स्रस्यते slips (time) मुह्यमानानाम् lost अपरात्मक in lowly or about others (gossip etc) चिन्तने thoughts!

The intelligent spend their time in divine thoughts, for the rest who are lost in gossip etc, time just slips away! The choice of words may be enjoyed along with the import!

---------------------------

This one is asking the Lord to have some patience towards me as I also sing in praise of Him!

भक्तिर्न ते पदे चापि क्लृप्तिः पदविभक्तिषु ।

असाधुधातुभिर्हन्त स्तुवे सहस्व माधव! ।। 85 ।।

भक्तिः devotion न not (there) ते your पदे in (your) feet चापि also क्लृप्तिः accomplishment पद words विभक्तिषु and their cases असाधु not appropriate धातुभिः (by) verbal roots हन्त alas! स्तुवे (i) praise (you) सहस्व forbear माधव Madhava!

Madhava! Please bear with me. I sing in praise of you (in Sanskrit) despite not having bhakti in you or jnana in the language!

---------------------------

All philosophical systems state that the future karma (duhkha) can be avoided provided we take appropriate actions from now on. The Yoga school states it explicitly in a sutra (aphorism) - Heyam duhkham anagatam - future misery can be prevented or avoided! I present that sutra as the last pada in this verse with a prayer to Hari!

The crux of Visistadvaita philosophy is expressed by the verse, which a follower of the school has to follow!

दासोऽहं च मतिं वृत्तिं दाससेवासु ते हरे ।

दृढीकुर्यास्तु मे नूनं हेयं दुःखमनागतम् ।। 86 ।।

दासः dependent or subordinate अहं I  च and मतिं buddhi वृत्तिं job दाससेवासु in serving (other) dasas ते your हरे Hari! दृढीकुर्याः (you) place (the above two) firmly (in me) तु if मे my नूनं indeed हेयं prevented / avoided दुःखम् misery अनागतम् of future!

Hari! (Only) If you put it firmly in my head that I am your dasa and my job is only to serve other dasas of yours, indeed my future miseries can be overcome!

---------------------------

Why are our fate lines (thalai ezuthu) behaving like fault lines (as on earth)? Where exactly lies the problem? Well, the problem is with one grand old man who is racing against time in drawing so many of them in a hurry. He is caught alone as against the millions and millions of lives!

भवन्तिभूताः शतकोटिवर्गाः अनन्तजन्माः विधिनिर्मितं तत् ।

अलब्धकालस्तु विरिञ्चिरेकः ललाटरेखा ननु वक्रगा नः ।। 87 ।।

भवन्ति are भूताः beings शतकोटिवर्गाः  in so many classes  अनन्तजन्माः endless births विधिनिर्मितं decided by fate or Brahma  तत् that अलब्धकालः lacking time तु but विरिञ्चिः Brahma एकः being single ललाटरेखा lines on the head ननु indeed वक्रगा are crooked नः ours

Indeed our fate lines are crooked (not straight) as there are so many beings caught in so many rebirths due to fate and there is only one Brahma, lacking time to scribble them properly....

---------------------------

Can we earn or buy peace of mind? We may, by effort, acquire money, knowledge, valour and fame.  But without providence we may not attain peace of mind. One who attains it is indeed lucky.

धनं भवेत्तथा ज्ञानं शौर्यं यशश्च यत्नतः।

शान्तिः कुतो विना दैवं लभ्येत स हि भाग्यवान्।। 88 ।।

धनं wealth भवेत् be there तथा and ज्ञानं knowledge  शौर्यं valour यशः fame च and यत्नतः through effort शान्तिः peace of mind कुतः wherefrom विना without दैवं providence लभ्येत if got स हि he is indeed भाग्यवान् lucky

When we think of fire perhaps its association with destruction and affliction comes to the top of the mind. But it is the primary mover of life! It cooks Earth (all food being predominantly Earth) with water and air in space.

---------------------------

आकाशे पृथिवीमद्भिः पचत्यग्निश्च वायुना।

तस्मात्सर्वप्रवृत्तिस्तु कोत्र वक्ति स नाशकः ।। 89 ।।

आकाशे in space पृथिवीम् earth अद्भिः  with water पचति cooks अग्निः fire च and वायुना with air तस्मात् therefore or from him सर्वप्रवृत्तिः all activities तु indeed कः who अत्र over here वक्ति says स  he नाशकः is a destroyer

It is fire which cooks earth (along) with air and water in space. All activities spring forth from that..(this being the case) who (over here) dares to call him a destroyer (only)....

---------------------------

There is a superb verse attributed to Bhoja, which ends with the words कवयामि वयामि यामि, spoken by a Weaver who composed the said verse.

The below one in influenced by that but of course in anushtup. 

What do I do? With my limited knowledge, I bring together words that are like threads, join them out of mere wish (not out of special intellectual capability) and thus weave a poem in a random manner. Check out for the repetition of the word यामि....

एकत्र पदतन्तून्तान् आनयामि यथामति ।

योजयामि यथाकामं वयामि कवयामि च ।। 90 ।।

एकत्र in one place पदतन्तून्तान् word threads  आनयामि I bring यथामति within my intelligence  योजयामि join them यथाकामं out of wish वयामि weave  कवयामि compose च also

I bring together those word-threads with whatever intelligence, out of mere wish join them, weave in the name of composing. This will sound better in a bigger metre which I will weave or compose someday....

---------------------------