Countering Negative Habits 2

Durvasana pratikara dasakam 2

(adapted from the talk by Swami Paramarthananda)

Verse 6

alasyamtvarayasramamsamadhiyatandramsamuthanataha

bhedabhrantimabhedadarsanabalathmithyatmatamsatyataha

marmoktimnijamarma karma kathayakrothamswasamyekshanat

akroshamkushaloktitastyajamanaschindyapramadadbhayam II6II

Overcome laziness by developing a habit of prompt response, fatigue by relaxing the mind, lethargy by forcibly keeping alert, the delusion of plurality or seeing differences among people and situations by showing in practice the strength of non-duality, the mistaken notion that the world is real by understanding the reality of the unreal nature of the world, uttering words and saying things that harm others by realizing one’s own shortcomings and recalling things that hurt themselves, anger by visualizing others also just as themselves, rebuking others by speaking soft and soothing words to them. (Oh Mind!) Through the strength of being well informed of matters dispel the fear born of uncertainty and insecurity.

Laziness, a sign of Tamoguna, has to be countered through brisk activity, a trait of RajoGuna. If this manifests as excessive activity inducing bodily fatigue it is to remedied by calming the mind, a characteristic of Satvaguna.  Perception of plurality and differences among people must be removed by remembering the mithyatvam of the perceived world.  Avoid looking for defect in others remembering your own defects. Controlling anger and inclination to shout, talk only good to the other person, even if he does not.  Eschewing fear act with alertness remembering your Real nature as Athma that is ever free from fear.

Verse 7.

bhutarthasmaranamvrthasramadhiyapraptamtuhaneksanat
bhavyarthavyasanamsadatyajamanahprarabdhachodyekshanat |
sistasistajanakriyastyajavrthakashtanusandhanatah
snehaddveshakatassadatyaja janebhasmantathasamsmrteh || 7 ||

Renounce the tendency to brood over the past due to delusion by recognizing that it has already passed. Give up worrying about the future as to a great extent it is governed by prarabhdha. Taking into account the in-built dukham inherent in them, avoid all karmas, righteous as well as unrighteous, with worldly aspirations. Always avoid ill feelings and hatred by friendship and love. By considering that in the end everything ends up into ashes, avoid attachment to people.

Don’t worry about the past as it is behind and nothing can be done about it and also about the future as it is governed by prarabdha.  Advice to give up karmas is given which applies to sanyasis only.  Conquer hatred through feelings of friendship and where sneha becomes excessive, treat it with Vairagyam.  Don’t blindly follow what others do but act in conformity with your needs. Attachment to the body, one’s or others is to be given up through the remembrance that however loved or lovable it may be, it will end up in flames and will be reduced to ashes only.

Verse 8

adhyatmanubhavanmanastyajamahatapamswabhavekshanat

vaishamyamsamabhavatahparakathavikshobamakshobhatah

dhikkaradhibhavamtudukhamanisamtadyogyatabhavanat

tajjatanyasuchahakshamasvakrupayakarmakshayattadanam II8II

Avoid always the agony caused by the body, senses etc by realizing that in reality you are the Athma (that is always in bliss and is not affected by grief). Avoid injustice and inequality towards others by realizing that the same Brahman is present in all. Avoid the disturbance arising out of gossip without agitation or emotional reaction. Overcome the constant unhappiness caused by contempt by others by your internal search. Condone with compassion the offences committed by others knowingly or unknowingly. Forgive bodily harm (inflicted by others) as expiation of your karmic debts.

Face problematic experiences of life with the Jnanam that you are the ever blissful Athma and body-mind-complex is a upadhi only.  Develop the equanimity of vision to view alike undisturbed, the ups and downs of life. With the understanding that the one and same Athma is in all, learn to treat with compassion mistakes committed by others and to be unperturbed by gossip and not to blame others.  When others cause any harm, accept and tolerate it as a means of exhausting past karma (prarabhdha) 

Verse 9

ayurgachhatipetikajalamivatyaktvaivadehamjavat

gachhantindriyasaktayopikulatayadvannaramnirdhanam

pragnyagacchatidavadahasamayesrenimriginamiva

jnyatvasatvaramasrayatmapadavimdehamvrutha ma kruthaha II9II

Life ebbs away quickly from the body in the same way as water (leaks away from) a vessel (with a hole)! The strength of the organs of the body also goes away just as a prostitute leaves when her paramour becomes pauper. Just as a herd of deer (leaves) at the time of forest fire (so also) the sense of discrimination disappears. Realizing quickly (the impermanence of this life) seek shelter in the state of Real Self.  Do not waste this human life.

In this verse, a note of caution is sounded by pointing that that life is fleeting. Like water kept in a leaky vessel keeps draining, life in the body is ebbing away. As one grows old, sense organs keep losing power and intellect is also becoming weak.  One should be aware of this and take to the study of Self-Knowledge while the faculties are strong and healthy. This human birth which has come with difficulty should not be wasted but be used to know one’s identity with Brahman.

Verse 10

dhairyairavata shanti dhenudamasanmandarabrindhamsada

maitryadyapsarasamvivekaturagamsantoshachintamanim

atmajnanamahamrutamsamarasamnairasyachandrodayam

vedantarnavamasrayananudinamsevasyamuktisriyam II10II

Seeking refuge in the ocean of Vedanta day in and day out, always help yourself with these treasures: Courage, as Airaavatha; Peace, as Kamadhenu; Sense-control, as the Kalpatharu; Virtues like friendship as Apsaras; Discrimination,as Uchchaisravas, Contentment as Chintamani, Knowledge of the Self as the Amrutha, the truth of Universal Equality, Dispassion, as the rise of the Moon  and the Release from repeated Births and Deaths as Lakshmi Devi.

In this verse an imagery is presented comparing Vedanta vichara to the churning of the milky ocean described in the puranas with Airavatha, white elephant of Indra representing courage; Kamadhenu,  peace of mind; Kalpatharu, the wish-yielding tree,  sense-control; Apsaras, positive values like friendhip and compassion; Uchchaisravas,  viveka; Chintamani, the wish fulfilling stone, contentment; moon, vairagya; Goddess Lakshmi,  final Liberation from the cycle of birth and death; and Nectar,  Athma Jnanam.  Endowed with all this, the Vedanta vichara blesses one with the Truth of universal oneness, without any adverse off-shoot like poison in the samudramathanam

conclusion

prasadatdakshinamurtehsrutyacharyaprasadataha

durvasanapratikaradasakamrachitammaya

By the grace of Lord Dakshinamurthy, by the grace of my own Acharya, and by the grace of the sruthi, I have composed this  Durvasana PratIkara Dasakam.

Swami Vidyaranya concludes his work dedicating it to Lord Dakshinamurthy, to the Sruthi and to his Acharya, whose blessings enabled him to compose this work.  Swami Paramarthananda remarks in his talk that this work is not just for reading only, but one for treasuring and regularly referring to identify one’s durvasanas and take appropriate remedial action.

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Countering Negative Habits 1

        Durvasana-pratikara-dasakam 1

      

     

(adapted from a talk by Swami Paramarthananda)

“Durvasana prathikara dasakam” is a work of ten verses by Sri Vidhyaranya Swami, 12th Jagadguru of Sringeri Saradha Peetam.  Sri Vidhyaranya Swami is a prolific author of many Vedantic texts, one of them being the famous Panchadasi.  Dasakam means a work of ten verses. Vasana means a habit, a tendency, an inclination. Durvasana means unhealthy inclination, negative habit.  These durvasanas are the hurdles to overcome for a sadhaka seeking Athma jnanam.  Even if one manages to complete Sravanam and Mananam successfully, one cannot get established in Athma Jnanam and gain Jnana nishta without overcoming these durvasanas. Prathikara means remedy and this work lists various types of durvasanas along with the remedy and cure for each durvasana.  The durvasanas and remedies as stated in the work are easy to understand and do not need any elaborate explanation. Swami Paramarthananda has delivered a  talk on this work under the heading “Self- Reorientation”.  Based on this talk I wrote an article for the magazine of Sydney Sanskrit School, Medha.  This blog is an adaptation from that article without the slokas in Sanskrit.

Verse 1

pratarvaidikakarmatastadanusatvedantasanchintaya

paschatbharata moksha dharma mananaathvasishtharamayanatI

sayambhagavatarthadivyakathayaratrounidhidhyasanat

kalogacchatunassharirabharanamprarabdhakantarpitam II1II

May your time be spent (thus), offering your life to prarabhdha for maintenance of body etc.; in the morning by discharging the duties ordained as per Vedas;thereafter by reflecting on noble (teachings of) Vedanta; after that by (reading / listening to) the Moksha dharma in Mahabharatha and Yogavasishtam in Ramayana and in the evening by (reading / listening to) the divine story of Bhagavatam and in the night by meditation.

In this verse a general and comprehensive list of activities for a grihastha seeker and sanyasi seeker is given. The routine for sanyasi seeker is study of scriptures including Ithihasa and puranas and Nitidyasanam.  For the grihastha seeker the prescribed routine is, performance of the nithya naimithika karmas, listening to Bhagavathapurana and study of selected portions like Moksha dharma in Mahabharatha and Yogavasishtam in Ramayana, engaging in activities for maintenance of body-mind complex and worldly transactions with the understanding that these are governed by one’s prarabhdha and with an attitude of surrender to God.  

Verse 2

ajnanamtyaja heymano mama sadabrahmatmasambhavanat

sankalpansakalanapityajajaganmithyatvasambhavanat

kamam sadhana sadhyadukhanivahadhyanatajasramtyaja

krodhamtukshamayasadajahibalatlobhamtusantoshataha II2II

Oh! My mind! Give up Self-ignorance through proper understanding of Brahman and Jivatma. Get rid of all fancies and actions (to satisfy desires) also by the realization of the unreal nature of this world. By considering the fact that procuring worldly objects is a difficult and endless effort, get rid of desire always. Overcome anger through forgiving, (and) greed by conscious effort  through adopting an attitude of contentment in life always.

By understanding one’s Real nature as Brahman one should give up identification with the finite, mortal body-mind-complex due to Self-ignorance.  Sankalpas are the fanciful thoughts for future, not only for themselves but also for the entire family, which the author advises to give up through the understanding of the mithyatvam of the world.  One should give up all binding desires with the understanding of the three doshas they all suffer from, namely dukhamisritatvam,  atriptikaratvam and bandhakathvam i.e mixed with suffering, not fully satisfying and acting as a bondage.  As anger has the potential for disastrous consequences to one, it should be given up  through patience and tolerance. Through cultivating a feeling of contentment and self-satisfaction one should overcome the greed.

Verse 3

jihvopasthasukhabhramamtyajamanahparyantaduhkhekshanat

parushyammrudubhashanattyajavruthalapasramammounataha

dussangamtyaja sadhu sangamabalatgarvamtubhangekshanat

nindaduhkhamanindyadevamunidurnindakathasamsruteh II3II

O mind! By realizing (that) ultimately (it will only lead to) misery, give up the illusory pleasure (that) the tongue (and) the genitals provide. Give up talking harsh by speaking softly and soothingly. Practising silence, avoid wasteful effort in indulging in useless talk. Give up bad company by deriving strength from the company of the good and righteous people. Give up arrogant pride by realizing that someone could humble you too!  By recalling the stories (you have heard) of criticism of venerable gods (and) sages,give up unhappiness arising out of others criticizing you.

In this verse the author entreats the mind to give up indulgence in sense pleasures be it of tongue or genitals or any other sense organ by perceiving the possible misery to follow.   He advises one to employ sweet and pleasurable language on all occasions, giving up harsh language in any occasion; to avoid needless prattle by practicing mounam regularly; to give up pride and arrogance with the understanding that fall follows the pride; and not to lose one’s  cool  when insulted or criticized remembering that avatarapurushas like Sri Rama and Sri Krishna were also subjected to insults and criticism.

Verse 4

nidramsatvikavastusevakatayaswapnamsadajagarat

roganjirnamitasanatjahisadadainyammahadhairyataha

arthanarthaparigrahamtyajavruthasamsargasantyagataha

strivanchantyajadoshadarshanabalatduhkhamsukhatmekshanat II4II

By taking to Satvic pursuits, avoid sleeping (for long hours).  By being alert always (and practical and realistic), avoid day dreaming fantasies in life!  By taking proper medicines overcome diseases. Always overcome the feeling of helplessness by mustering mental strength. Get over the desire for hoarding and accumulating property by giving up all unnecessary interactions and transactions.  Get over temptation for women by thinking of the possible ill effects of excessive sex or over- attachment.  By realizing that Athma or Self is by nature always in Bliss, get over grief (that affects body)

Tamoguna manifests in excessive sleep.  It is to be countered with Satvic practices like satsangh and religious rituals. While planning for future, avoid brooding and daydreaming. While care for the body is necessary, guard against pampering the body or being obsessively attached to it.  At the same time don’t neglect health and take proper medicines in required doses to overcome sickness.  Whenever a feeling of depression or inferiority complex, grief or sorrow affects you, get over it quickly through reminding yourself that you are not the finite mortal body that is subject to grief, sorrow and depression but the eternal, blissful Athma, untouched by the fleeting experiences of the world.  Don’t hoard money or possessions by regularly reviewing and discarding the excessive ones and by not associating with people having such tendencies. Avoid developing illegitimate desires and attachments with the members of opposite sex keeping in mind the fate of such characters in the scriptures. 

Verse 5

darasaktimanadarattyajasuthadhanasaktimtvaniyataha

snehammohavisarjanatkarunayanaishturyamantastyaja।

audasinyasamasrayattyajasuhrunmitradhidurvasanaha

sarvanarthakarandasendriyaripunekantavasatjahi॥5॥

Give up (over) attachment towards the spouse. Give up (over) attachment (towards) children and wealth (by realizing) their transient nature. Get over attachment (towards anything / anybody) by getting rid of delusion. By compassion get over harsh feelings. By an attitude of equality and non-involvement avoid the evil propensities (towards) friends or enemies. Give up all evil-causing (internal) enemies (i.e.,) ten sense and action organs by retiring to solitary place.

While having affection for wife and children and taking care of them don’t lean on them for security or happiness and don’t let the affection grow into deep attachment. Let it be what Lord Krishna calls “asakthir anabhishvangaha putradaragrihathishu i.e. absence of attachment and the feeling of mineness in respect of son, wife, home etc.”(Gita13-9).  Cultivate compassion to curb unhealthy tendencies like harshness and cruelty to others.  By not judging people as good or bad, friend or enemy, develop an attitude of equality and non-involvement., Exercise control over the sense organs by retiring to solitude frequently or staying in an ashram without camera, cell phone etc.

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Conclusion - Athma Bodha

(Athma Bodha 12)

Verse 65

Sarvagam Satchidaatmaanam Jnana Chakshur Nireekshate I

Ajnaana Chakshur Na Eekshet Bhaswsorbed inwardantam Bhanum Andhavat II

Though Athma is Pure Consciousness and ever present everywhere, yet It is perceived by the eye-of-wisdom (Jnana Chakshu) alone: but for one, whose vision is obscured by ignorance he does not see It; like the blind who does not see the resplendent Sun.

Jnana Chakshu, the eye –of-wisdom, is the eye backed by a mind with Jnanam. This wise mind is intelligently withdrawn from external attractions of the world and is focussed inward to apprehend the Reality that is Brahman which it sees everywhere and also as one’s Higher Self.   On the other hand the ordinary mind is turned outward and is absorbed in the attractions of the world ignorant of the inner Reality that is Brahman. Its ignorance coupled with the preoccupation with worldly matters makes it blind to the presence of all pervasive Brahman.  This point is explained by Sri Sankara through the analogy of a blind man and shining sun.  The bright sun shines for all but a visually blind person cannot see the resplendent sun.  Similarly an ajjnani is blind to the presence of Brahman everywhere including his inner heart.

Verse 66

Sravanaadibhi Uddepta Jnaanaagni Paritapitah I

Jeeva Sarvamalat Muktah Swarnavat Dyotate Swayam II

The 'Jiva' free from impurities, being heated in the fire of knowledge kindled by hearing and so on, shines of itself like gold.

Gold, as it comes up from the gold-mines as ore, is mixed up with a lot of impurities.  When the washed gold is heated and poured in, the molten gold cleaned of impurities shines in its real beauty and brilliance. In the same way the ego-centric personality of Jiva mixed up with the impurities of vasanas and raga-dweshas and of ajjnanam has to be smelted down through rigorous sadhanas consisting of Sravanam, Mananam and Nitidyasanam over a prolonged period with patience, to shine as pure Consciousness as in the case of realized Jnanis.  Then the mind will be free from impure thoughts, vasanas and viparitha bhavana and the ego-centric personality gets transformed to Brahman-centric personality making one shine like pure gold as Jivan muktha. 

Verse 67

Hrudaakaasodito hi Athma Bodha Bhaanus Tamopahrut I

Sarva Vyaapee Sarva Dhaaree Bhaati Bhaasayate Akhilam II

The Athma, the Sun of Knowledge that rises in the sky of the heart, destroys the darkness of the ignorance, pervades and sustains all and illumines all and also Itself.

In this penultimate verse Sri Sankara recalls a few major metaphors employed earlier. They are:
 1) the luminous sun which stands for the Self, which is also self-effulgent (v41);
 2) the rising sun at dawn, which resembles the lifting of the dark veil of ignorance and the emergence of the light of Knowledge of the Self (v43);
 3) the all-pervading nature of the Self, seen in the simile of Space used to describe the heart – “Hrid-Akasha” (v 52); and,
 4) the lighting up of the intellect due to its closeness to the Self (v28).  
Heart here does not refer to the biological organ that pumps the blood but here it means the arena of the mind from where noble and humane thoughts flow.   As at the approach of dawn the darkness rolls off and the light in its own glory brings everything clearly to our cognition, so too at the Dawn of Wisdom all knowledge bursts up to our awareness.  The Sun of Knowledge, Athma, as it rises in the sky of the heart, destroys the darkness of ignorance, pervades everything and sustains all.  It shines and makes everything in the universe to shine as well.

Verse 68

Dikdesa Kaa laadi Anapekshya Sarvagam Seetadi Hrunnitya Sukham Niramjanam I

Yassvaatma Teerdham Bhajate Vinishkriyam Sa Sarvavit Sarva Gato Amruto Bhavet.II

He who renouncing all activities, worships his own Athma that is free of all the limitations of time, space and direction; that is present everywhere; that is the destroyer of heat and cold: that is Bliss-Eternal and stainless: becomes all-knowing and all-pervading and attains Immortality thereafter.

In this concluding verse Athma is compared to a holy thirtham like Prayag.  Sri Sankara says Athma is the greatest theertham as a dip in it will wash off our ajjnanam permanently.  It involves no travel and besides ajjnanam, our papam and punyam also will be washed off and also all our karmas except prarabhdha will be washed away, ensuring Videha mukthi on exhaustion of prarabhdha karma.  Until exhaustion of prarabhdha karma he continues in the body as a Jivan Muktha with the realization that the essence of everything is Brahman and as Athma that is Brahman he also:

1)    Transcends all limitations, breaking free of all upadhis that limit one to the narrow confines of experience through the body, mind and intellect, and to the limitations of time

2)    Overcomes all pairs of opposites like heat and cold and so on.

3)    Becomes a stainless person endowed with  Chitta Suddhi and Chitta Ekagrata

4)    Renounces all rajasic and tamasic activities during rest of life

5)    Turns a Muktha Purusha free of sorrow and samsara

With the above verse 68, the text Athma Bodha concludes.  While concluding the series of blogs on Athma Bodha, I wish to record my deep debt of gratitude to the writings and speeches on this subject, of:

1)    Swami Paramarthananda

2)    Swami Chinmayananda

3)    Swami Gurubhakthananda &

4)    Swami Nikhilananda  

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