Guru-Sishya Introduction

Vakyavritti -1

Vakyavriiti is a small work of 53 verses by Sri Adhi Sankaracharya.   Here the word Vakyam refers to Mahavakyam and vritti means a brief commentary. So this work is a brief commentary on Mahavakya, the Mahavakya analysed here being “Tat Tvam Asi (That Thou are)” which is from Chandogya Upanishad of  Sama Veda.  The work opens with two verses of invocation. With this brief introduction let us enter the work.

Verse 1

Sarga-sthitipralaya hetum achintya sakthim,

Vishweshwaram vidita vishwam ananta murthimI

Nirmukta bandhanam apaara sukha-amburaasim,

Shree vallabham, vimala-bodha-ghanam namaami.II

I bow down to that Pure Consciousness, an ocean of unlimited happiness, the beloved of Sri (that is Vishnu), the all-knowing Lord of the universe, assuming endless forms yet free of all bondages, possessing inscrutable power and the Cause of the creation, maintenance and dissolution of the Universe.

In this sloka grace of Lord Narayana is invoked for writing the text. Let us read it seeking Lord’s grace for studying the text.  This verse is called Narayana prarthana or Narayana Mangalacharanam.  Lord Narayana is invoked in this verse in all three forms; as Eka rupa Iswara i.e. sree vallabha (Lakshmi Narayana); Viswa rupa Iswara i.e.anantha murthy; and Arupa Iswara i.e. vimala bodhanam (Pure Consciousness).  After Narayana namaskara in the first sloka, Sri Sankara invokes Guru’s grace in verse no.2.

Verse 2

Yasya prasaadaat aham eva vishnuh,

Mayi eva sarvam pari-kliptam chaI

Ittham vijaanaami sadaathma-roopam,

Tasya angee-padmam pranatah asmi nityam.II

I bow down to the lotus feet of my Guru by whose grace I understand that forever I am the all-pervading Vishnu and that this world of multiplicity is a super-imposition on me alone.

In this verse Sri Sankara offers his worship to the lotus feet of Guru through whose teaching he got the knowledge which he will be sharing with us through this text namely the oneness of one’s Real Self with Brahman, the substratum for this created world of multiplicity.  Only he calls Brahman as Vishnu in line with earlier prayer-sloka. 

Verse 3

Taapa-traya arka santaptah kashchid udvigna maanasahI

Samaadi saadhanaih yuktah sadgurum pari-pricchhati II

Scorched by the blazing sun of the three miseries,  dejected with the world and restless for release, having acquired qualifications like self-control,  the student enquires of a noble teacher:

Verse 4

sishya uvaacha:

Anaayaasena yena asmaan muchyeyam bhava bandhanaatI

Tanme sankshipya bhagavan kevalam kripayaa vada.II

The disciple asks the Guru: “The means by which I may easily get liberated from the sorrows of this bondage, O Holy Teacher, you please explain to me briefly, having pity on me.”

The scenario of a sincere student approaching his revered Guru is presented in these two verses.  Guru and sishya are introduced to indicate that self-knowledge should be gained only from the mouth of a Guru and not by self-study. The disciple yearns to be freed from the scorching misery of Samsara characterised by three types of miseries; adhyathmikam, adhibauthikam and audhidaivikam.  Adhyatmika taapam is pain caused by one’s own body-mind-sense complex like headache, back-pain etc.  Adhibauthika taapam is the pain caused by others; maybe from family members or  neighbours and other people  or even by animals, insects etc.  Adhidaivika taapam is the pain caused by natural forces like heat, cold, storm etc.  The person with the mind disturbed, did not lose his reason and reasoned out that all solutions other than Athmajnanam can give only temporary relief and so he decided to approach a sad-guru and seek Athmajnanam.  The sad-guru is one who is srotriya, well-learned in sastras and Brahmanishta, well-established in Brahman, This action on the disciple’s part shows he has viveka, discrimination; vairagyam, dispassion; and mumukshutvam, desire for liberation.   The disciple is also described to be “Samaadi saadhanaih yuktah”  which means he is also having Samadhi shatka sampathi i.e. the six qualities of sama, dama, uparama, titiksha, sraddha and samadhana. This means the disciple is sadhana chathushtaya sampanna and this qualified disciple approaches the qualified guru and prays to him to take him as a disciple and teach him Athma Vidya through which he can get liberated from the shackles of cycle of birth and death.

Verse 5

Guru  uvaacha:

Saadhvee te vachana vyaktih pratibhaati vadaami te I

Idam tad iti vispashtam saavadhaana manaah shrinuh.II

The Guru said: “Your question is indeed valid and is clearly expressed by you. I shall also answer your question very clearly. Do listen to it with full attention!”

Verse 6

“Tat Tvam asi” aadi vaakya uttham yat jeeva-paramaatmanoh I

taadaatmya vishayam jnaam tad idam mukti-saadhanam II

Statements such as ‘Thou art That’, etc, reveal the identity of individual self and the universal Self. The direct knowledge of that total identity is the immediate means to Liberation.

First, the teacher appreciates the clarity of the disciple’s thinking.   One of the indications of clarity is the capacity to present the question in a precise and short form and the student has revealed it through precision and brevity in his prayer for Self-knowledge.  As the disciple is a qualified student with the sadhana chathushtaya sampathi, the teacher straightaway initiates him in Jnanam by talking about the identity of Jiva, the individual Self with Brahman, the universal Self.  He uses the word Tadatmyam that means identity rather than Ikyam which means merger. For Ikyam can give the wrong impression to a novice that Jiva is in a different location and has to gradually approach Brahman for merger.  But both of them are one entity only and the difference between them is only a seeming difference.  Mahavakakyams convey this identity and Mahavakya vichara helps one to gain this knowledge and establish oneself in this knowledge which is a means to liberation.

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