जन्मनः किं मूलम् ? कर्म एव मूलम् | कर्मणः किं मूलम् ? रागः | रागस्य किं मूलम्? द्वितीयभानम् | द्वितीयभानस्य किं मूलम् ? मिथ्याज्ञानम् , अन्यथाज्ञानम् | अन्यथाज्ञानस्-विच्छेदेनैव जन्मराहित्यम् संभविष्यति | मिथ्याज्ञान-निवृत्तिः वस्तु-याथात्म्यज्ञानेन भविष्यति |
सर्ववस्तु-याथात्म्यज्ञानं मानव-जन्मन्येव संपादयितुं शक्यते, न तिर्यग्योनिषु | अत एव उक्तमाचार्यैः जन्तूनां नरजन्म दुर्लभम् | मानवोऽपि भूत्वा यदि पुनर्जन्मराहित्यं न संपादयति कश्चित् तर्हि तस्य जन्म सार्थकं न भवति | जन्म व्यर्थमेव भवति | अतः प्रतिक्षणं अस्माकं दृष्टिः कुत्र अवधेया ? ‘अस्य जन्मनः किं फलम्? तत् फलं किमस्माभिः संपादितं न वा ? तत् संपादयितुं कियानपि यत्नः क्रियते न वा ? पूर्वजन्म-अपेक्षया अद्य तादृग्जन्मराहित्य-सम्पादनाय किं किं साधनं अस्माभिः अधिकं अनुष्ठितम् , तादृग्जन्मराहित्य-रूपफलस्य कियद्दूरे वयं वर्तामः?’ इत्यनुचिन्तनमेव मानव जन्मनः परमं फलम् |
तादृशमिथ्याज्ञान-निवृत्तिः वस्तु-याथात्म्य-साक्षात्कारश्च भगवदनुग्रह-मूलकम् | तस्मात् भगवदनुग्रहाय भगवदुपासनं , यत् परमं ज्ञानसाधनं, तत् एकैकेनापि मानवेन अनुष्ठेयम् | चित्तं यावन्मलीमसं भवति, तावत् याथात्म्यं न प्रकाशते , यथा मलीमसे आदर्शे प्रतिबिम्बं सम्यक् न प्रकाशते एवं मलीमसे चित्ते वस्तुयाथात्म्यं न प्रकाशते | अतः चित्तमलनिवृत्तये यत्नः प्रतिदिनं कार्यः | शारीरमल-निवृत्तेः साधनं बाह्यं सलिलं भवति | तथा वासोमल-निवृत्तये अपि सलिलं उपयुज्यते |
आन्तरस्य चित्तमलस्य निवर्तनाय किं साधनं – इति चेत्, भगवच्चरणारविन्द-ध्यानतीर्थरूपमेव सलिलं, आन्तरमल-निवर्तकम् | यथा प्रतिदिनं वासःशोधनाय शारीरमलशोधनाय च यत्नं नियमेन कुर्मः, ततोऽपि नियमेन आन्तरचित्तमल-शोधनाय यत्नः कार्यः | तच्च शोधनं भगवद्ध्यान-तीर्थाधीनं यस्मात्, यदि एकमपि दिनं, भगवद्ध्यान-तीर्थेन चित्तमलशोधनं विना, अधिवस्यते अस्माभिः, तदा अस्मज्जन्मनि तद्दिनं व्यर्थमेव भवति | यदा वाससि शरीरे वा उपर्युपरि शोधनं विना मलसंपादनं भवेत् तर्हि भिषजो वदन्ति महते रोगाय भवेदिति |
यदि बाह्यमलमेव रोगाय भवति , तर्हि आन्तरचित्तमलमपि ततोऽपि दीर्घकालरोगाय, जन्मजन्मान्तरेऽपि अनुवर्तमानाय रोगाय, संसाररोगाय प्रभविष्यति | अतः बाह्यमलापेक्षया आन्तरमलं अतिक्रूरम् | तस्मात् आन्तरमल-निवृत्तये प्रतिदिनं भगवद्ध्यानतीर्थेन शोधनं कार्यम् | तत्रापि भगवान्, तत्तद्-भक्तचित्त-रुच्यनुसारेण विविधाकरेण भासते | जगत्पित्राकारेण परमात्मा प्रकाशते, जगन्मात्राकारेणैव परमात्मा प्रकाशते, जगद्गुर्वाकारेण दक्षिणामूर्तिरूपेणैव परमात्मा प्रकाशते |
देवः, महादेवः पित्राकारेण मात्राकारेण गुर्वाकारेण प्रकाशते | श्रुतिश्च वदति पुरुषेण मातृदेवेन भवितव्यं, पितृदेवेन भवितव्यं, आचार्यदेवेन च भवितव्यं इति | एक एव देवः मातृरूपेण, पितृरूपेण, आचार्यरूपेण अपि प्रकाशते | ततः मातुश्चारणारविन्दे यदि ध्यायेते तर्हि चित्तस्य शान्तिः द्रुततरा भवति | लोकेऽपि दृष्टमस्माभिः अत्यन्तकामुकस्यापि वृत्तिः कुण्ठति मातरि इति |
अतः भगवान् जगज्जननीरूपं यद् गृह्णाति तादृशरूपं हृदि कृत्वा तच्चरणारविन्दयोः दृढां भक्तिमाबद्ध्य , चित्तस्य प्रथमं शोधनं कार्यम् | शुद्धे चित्ते आत्मस्वरूपं प्रकाशते सम्यक्, वस्तु-याथात्म्यं प्रकाशते, वस्तु-याथात्म्यज्ञानेन द्वितीयभाननिवृत्तिः, द्वितीयभाननिवृत्त्या रागनिवृत्तिः, रागनिवृत्त्या कर्मनिवृत्तिः, कर्मनिवृत्त्या जन्मनिवृत्तिः |
अतः मानवजन्मनः फलं पुनर्जन्मनिवर्तनमेव | जन्मनः फलं जन्मनिवर्तनम् | यदि जन्मनिवर्तनमेव कश्चिन्न यतते, तर्हि तज्जन्म व्यर्थमेव |
अतः सर्वैरप्यस्माभिः इतर-तिर्यग्जन्त्वपेक्षया अधिक-इन्द्रियविशिष्टैः अधिक-बुद्धिशक्ति-विशिष्टैः तिर्यग्जन्तुभिः यावत् सुखमनुभूयते तादृश-लौकिकसुखमेव अनुभूय यद्ययं देहः त्यज्यते तर्हि व्यर्थमेव मानवजन्म | अधिकानीन्द्रियाणि यदा भगवता अस्मभ्यं दत्तानि , तेन अधिकं सुखं अस्माभिः सम्पादनीयम् | न केवलं अधिकं सुखं, यदपेक्षया अधिको लाभः नास्ति , अधिकं सुखं नास्ति , सुखस्य या पराकाष्ठा, अनन्तं यत्सुखं , तत् कामेन न संभवति, लोभेन न संभवति, आर्जनेन न संभवति परन्तु शान्त्यैव संभवति | शान्तिरेव परमं सुखम् | तादृशशान्तिः मातुः परमानुग्रहेणैव भवति | शिशूनामपि आकुलहृदयानां शान्तिः मातुरनुग्रहेणैव भवति | वयं सर्वे शिशव एव | यस्मात् अज्ञाः सर्वे वयं तस्मात् सर्वे शिशव एव | एकैव माता सर्वेषां अस्माकम् | तन्मातुः शिशुत्वेनैव वयं सर्वे भ्रातरः | नोचेत् कथं भ्रातृभावः भवति लोके इत्यतः , तादृशमातुरनुग्रहेण परमशान्तिरूपं अमृतं नियतमस्माकं लप्स्यते , तादृशशान्तिरेव, सकलरागरोग-जन्मादिसकल-दुरितनिवृत्तिः तेनैव भवति |
तदर्थं प्रतिदिनं देव्याः चरणद्वन्द्व-ध्यानतीर्थेन अस्माकं आन्तरशुद्धिः संपादनीया | इति अस्मच्छास्त्रार्थाः | तत्र यथा अस्माकं नियता प्रवृत्तिर्भवेत् तथा अनुग्रहोपि भगवत्याः संनिधौ प्रतिदिनं प्रार्थनीयं अस्माभिः | तादृशप्रार्थना-पुरस्सरं, तच्चरणस्य हार्दत्वं सम्पादनीयम् |
Translation
What is the root cause of birth? Karma (actions and their results) alone. What is the root cause of action? Desire! What is the root cause of desire? The perception of duality. What is the root cause of perception of duality? False understanding, wrong understanding. Only by severing wrong understanding, freedom from rebirths will happen. The reversal of false understanding comes from knowing the real nature of all things.
Knowing the real nature of all things is possible to acquire only in a human birth, not in animal births. Therefore (Adi Shankara) Acharya has stated that human birth is hard for creatures to obtain. Even after being born as a human, if one does not attain freedom from rebirths, one’s birth is not fruitful. The birth is wasted. So where should our focus be every moment? “What is the purpose of this birth? Have we obtained that purpose or not? Is any effort being made to obtain it? What extra measures are being followed by us for acquiring freedom from rebirths, compared to our earlier births? How far are we from that goal of freedom from rebirths?” – such contemplation is the supreme fruit of human birth.
Such reversal of wrong understanding and realisation of the true nature of all things is possible to acquire only through divine grace. Therefore, worshipping Bhagavan for His grace, is a supreme means to Jnana that should be practised by every human being. As long as the mind is unclean, the truth does not shine. Just as the reflection does not shine properly in a mirror that is unclean, the truth does not shine in an unclean mind. Hence efforts to remove the impurities of the mind have to be made everyday. The means to remove the impurities of the body is water outside.
Similarly, water is used to remove the impurities of garments.
If one asks “What is the means to remove the inner impurities ?” The water of meditation of Bhagavan’s lotus-feet is what removes the impurities of the mind. Just as we make efforts to cleanse our clothes and body of dirt regularly every day, efforts should be made to remove the inner impurities of the mind, even more regularly. Since that cleansing depends on the water of meditation of Bhagavan, if not done for even a day, that day is wasted. When more and more dirt accumulates in clothes or in the body without cleansing, then it causes serious illnesses, say physicians.
If external dirt itself can cause diseases, internal impurities can cause an even more chronic disease that continues birth after birth, the disease called Samsara. Hence, compared to external dirt, internal impurity is more vicious. Therefore to remove internal impurities, cleansing with the water viz. meditation of Bhagavan has to be done every day. Here again, Bhagavan shines in many forms, which appeal to differing tastes of different devotees. The Supreme Lord shines as the Father of the world, the Mother of the world and the Guru of the world, Sri Dakshinamurti.
The great lord shines in the form of father, mother and Guru. The Vedas say that a person should consider his mother as Bhagavan, should consider his father as Bhagavan and should consider his Guru as Bhagavan. The one Bhagavan shines forth in the form of father, mother and Guru. Again, when the Mother’s lotus-feet are meditated upon, the mind attains calmness quickly. In the world it is seen by us that even the behaviour of the very lustful person becomes muted in the presence of his mother.
Hence, the form of the mother of the world which Bhagavan takes- that form must be held in our hearts, and securing firm devotion to Her lotus feet, cleansing of the mind has to be done first. In a pure mind, the real nature of the Self (Atman) shines forth well. The real nature of all things shines and by knowing the real nature of things, reversal of perception of duality (happens) and by the reversal of perception of duality, there is cessation of desire. From cessation of desire, cessation of action follows and from cessation of action there is cessation of births. Hence, cessation of rebirths alone is the purpose of human birth. The purpose of birth is cessation of birth. If one never takes efforts towards cessation of births, that birth is indeed wasted.
So, if we, who have more sense organs and greater power of intellect compared to other animals, give up this body after experiencing the same worldly pleasures as those animals, then the human birth is in vain. When more sense organs have been given to us by Bhagavan, then higher happiness should be acquired by us. Not just more happiness, but that happiness, compared to which there is no higher gain, no higher happiness, that which is the acme of bliss. That endless bliss does not come from desire, or avarice or by amassing (wealth), but only from peace. Peace alone is supreme happiness. Such peace comes only by the supreme grace of the Mother. Only by a mother’s grace, children whose hearts are agitated, attain pacification. We all are children. Since we are ignorant, we are all indeed children. We all have one mother. Being her children, we all are siblings. How else can fraternal feeling find a place on earth? In this manner, the Amrita called supreme tranquillity will duly come to us by the grace of that mother and that tranquillity is the remover of all desire, afflictions and all difficulties beginning with birth.
For this, we must secure inner purity by means of the waters of meditation on Devi’s two feet everyday. This is the essence of our Shastras. We must pray every day in the presence of Bhagavati for blessing us such that this becomes our regular conduct. Through that prayer we must earn the grace of her feet.
Transcribed and translated: Rajani Arjun Shankar
