Dakshinamurthy Sthothram 3

(slokas 4-6)

Sloka 4

Nanachchitra ghatodara sthita mahadipa prabhabhasvaraṃ
Jnanam yasya tu chakshuradikaraṇa dvara bahih spandate |
Janamiti tameva bhantamanubhatyetatsamastam jagat
Tasmai Sri gurumurtaye nama idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye || 4 ||

He whose light gleams through the senses like the light emanating from a pot with holes (in which a lamp is kept), He whose knowledge alone brings the state of knowing (I am That), He whose brightness makes everything shine - to that Lord Dakshinamurti, who is the greatest teacher, I offer my profound salutations.

In Vedanta light is used for anything that makes others known.  Extending this principle the “ultimate light” has to be Consciousness, because only in the presence of Consciousness everything else can be known.  The light of Consciousness not only illumines one’s mind but travels out through the senses to illumine the external world which makes the external world existent and Real for one.  This verse uses the metaphor of a light placed within a pot which has holes through which beams of light are streaming out to illustrate this.   Only in the light of Consciouness everything else is known. But to know the light of consciousness no other light is needed as it is self-luminous. As we have seen the identity of Jivathma and Paramathma in sloka no.3, we can call both as Sat Chit Athma and that is Lord Dakshinamurthy who is also the Guru of Brahma Vidya to His disciples who come to Him seeking Athma Jnanam. His presence makes everything knowable and in His presence everything is known as expressed in the following verse which occurs in Katha Upanishad (2-2-15) and Mundaka Upanishad (2-2-10)

Na tatra suryo bhati na candratarakaṃ nema vidyuto bhanti kuto’yamagniḥ|

Tameva bhantamanubhati sarvaṃ tasya bhasa sarvamidaṃ vibhati॥

The sun does not shine there, nor the moon and the stars, nor these lightnings, not to speak of this fire. When He shines, everything shines after Him; by His light everything is lighted.

Sloka 5
Dehaṃ pranamapindriyanyapi chalam buddhim cha sunyam viduh
Stri balandha jadopamastvahamiti bhrantabhrsam vadinah |
Mayasakti vilasakalpita mahavyamoha samharine
Tasmai Sri gurumurtaye nama idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye || 5 ||

Some philosophers contend the body, prana, senses, fluctuating  consciousness, and emptiness (sunya) as the real `I' (Atman). Their comprehension is similar to that of women, children, blind and the dull.  He who destroys this delusion caused by Maya (and makes us aware of the Truth)- to that Lord Dakshinamurti, who is the greatest teacher, I offer my profound salutations.

In this and the next sloka negation of other theories regarding Athma is done by Sri Sankara after giving Advaita Vedanta version of Athma.  For as Swami Paramarthananda says “In the first four verses, Sri Sankara has given the whole Vedanta in a nutshell. ---. This alone is expanded in Prasathana triam. All the Brahma sutras; all the Upanishads, all the Geetha everywhere, this alone is expanded-----“.   In this verse some of the other theories regarding Athma are stated and simply negated without giving reason while in the next sloka the most important one of them is taken up for detailed discussion and repudiation. The theories referred to in this verse are:

1)    One group of Charvakhas OR Lokayathikas - They believe and say that body is I, the Athma.

2)    Second group of Charvakhas OR Lokayathikas – They say Prana is I, the Athma

3)    Third group of Charvakhas OR Lokayathikas – They say Indriyas is I, the Athma

4)    Yogachara Buddḥism  - They say consciousness is Athma but they hold that the consciousness is subject to constant change like the water in the flowing river

5)    Sunya vadha Buddhism – They say emptiness or Sunyam is I, the Athma

The above list of people, referred to as philosophers hold definite views on Athma that is supported by incorrect logic and confused thinking, but they hold to their views strongly and argue vehemently in favour of their views.  Sri Sankara says that they are no different from lay persons who do not bother about Athma-anathma viveka and are happy considering their physical body as the Self.  They are ones with intellect ruled by emotions, ones with undeveloped intellect, ones who turn a blind eye to the study of sastras  or teachings of Guru in matters concerning Self and ones too lazy to think about such matters i.e. people with emotional intellect, undeveloped intellect, unaided intellect and unused intellect referred to as stri, bala, andha and jada in the verse. The confused incorrect conclusions of such philosophers is due to the play of Maya sakthi and Lord Dakshinamurthy is the Brahma Vidya guru who destroys all such delusions and confusions regarding one’s  Real Self by his teaching of Athma Jnanam and to Him prostrations are offered.

Sloka 6

Rahugrasta divakarendu sadrso maya samachchadanat
Sanmatrah karanopa samharanato yoabhutsushuptah puman |
Pragasvapsamiti prabhodasamaye yah pratyabhigyayate
Tasmai Sri gurumurtaye nama idam Sri Dakshinamurtaye || 6 ||

Just like the Sun and Moon eclipsed by Rahu, the Pure Consciousness is veiled by Maya in the deep sleep.  A person on awakening becomes aware that he was asleep earlier. Similarly, a person who awakens to the Consciousness as the Self recognizes his previous state of ignorance as unreal.  He by whose grace alone does one awaken to the Consciousness as the Self - to that Lord Dakshinamurti, who is the greatest teacher, I offer my profound salutations.

In this verse Sri Sankara is taking up Sunyavada for negation.  In doing so he is adopting the Prathamamalla nyayah which is based on the fact that by knocking down the Champion wrestler, the winner becomes the Champion wrestler.  In the same way Sri Sankara is taking up sunya athma vadah among the five systems of  deha athma vadah, pranathmavadah, indriyathmavadah, ksanikavijnana vada, and sunya athma vada, as the sunya vadah philosopher has argued and demolished the arguments of other four philosophers. Sunya vadha philosophers argue that emptiness is the ultimate truth in which emptiness the consciousness comes and goes and they cite the example of deep sleep where one is not conscious of external world and of one’s own body mind complex. But Advaita Vedanta points out that in deep sleep state, there is pure Existence; but it is an unqualified Existence; which is not available for any transaction.  Only qualified Existence is available for transaction; unqualified Existence is not available for transaction. And therefore one makes a mistake that it is emptiness; because one has the general misconception that whatever is not available for transaction is non-existent.  Sri Sankara compares this state of deep sleep to the eclipsed sun and moon.  In solar eclipse the sun is eclipsed; in lunar eclipse the moon is eclipsed; eclipsed sun is not non-existent sun; it is only not-prominent and visible.  Similarly, eclipsed-moon is not not-existent moon; it is only not-prominent and visible.  In deep sleep, there is a total eclipse, in the sense that there is absolute darkness on the screen of one’s mind. Yet the shining of Consciousness continues. The illumination of the mind continues. Consciousness shines – unabated, unimpeded, unchanged.  The Consciousness shines during one’s waking state of mind, during dream state and it shines identically during deep sleep; illumining the absence of activities of one’s mind.  Knowledge is represented by light. Ignorance is represented by darkness. In deep sleep one has the perfect experience of the darkness of ignorance as Consciousness still shines in deep sleep. And Consciousness illumines that blanket of perfect ignorance. Therefore, one’s experience in deep sleep is experience of nothing, which he recognises and recalls on waking up.  He by whose grace alone does one awaken to this awareness, the Consciousness as the Self - to that Lord Dakshinamurti, who is the greatest teacher of Brahma Vidya, salutations are offered. 

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