Maneesha Panchakam
By
Adhi Sankara BHagwat pada
Translated by
P.R.Ramachander
(One day while Adhi Sankara was returning from the ganges after bath, he saw an
outcaste man with his wife standing in front of him.His immediate reaction was
to ask them to move away from there. Then the man, who was Lord Shiva
himself asked Sankara, whether he wanted
his body to be moved or his soul.
Sankara answers him in five great
stanzas, which brings out his deep
conviction. Unlike most of the prayers written by him , the concepts in these
stanzas are not explained in a simple manner.
I have consulted various translations to understand the import of what he tells in each stanza and have written, what I have understood.)
1.Sathyaacharyasya gamane kadachith mukthi dhayakam,
Kasi kshethram prathi
saha gourya margethu Sankaram
Once in the
salvation giving city of Kasi , opposite
to the real Acharya,
Lord Shiva along
with Goddess Parvathi came in the
same street.
2.Anthya Vesha dharam drushtwaa gacha gachethi chaa
abraveeth,
SAnkarasyomi chandala , tham puna praha Sankaram.
Seeing those in the garb of the downtrodden, He told ,
Hey Chandala , I am Sankara , go away , go away,
And then Lord
Sankara questioned him as follows.
3.Annamayad annamayam adhava chaithanyameva Chaithanyth,
Yathivara
dhoorikrutham vanchasi , kim
broohi Gacha gacheth
Body made of food to another body made of food ,
Or from one universal spirit to another universal spirit,
Oh great sage , between which do you desire the distance ,
Why did you say , go away, go away.
4.Prathyag vasthuni
nistharanga sahajanandaava bodhambudhou,
Viproyam swapacho
ayam ithyapi Mahaan koyam vibhedha brama,
Kim Gangambuni bimbathe ambaramanou chaandala veedhipaya,
Pure vaantharamasthi
kanchana ghati mruthu
kumbhayorvaa ambare.
The reflection of everything is perceived as
same whether in still water or moving sea,
Oh Brahmin , why
this doubt about being a great
one and this confusion of inequality,
What is the
difference of Sun in waters of Ganga or in the ditch in the street of outcastes,
What is the difference of water stored in a gold pot or the mud pot of the potter?
5.Jagrad
swapna sushipthishu
sphutatharaa yaa samviddujrumbathe ,
Yaa Brahmadhipi pilikantha
thanushu prothaa jagat sakshini,
SAivaham na cha
drusya vasthithvathi druda prajapi yasyathi
che,
Chandalosthu sa
thu dwijosthu guru rithyesha maneeshaa
mama.
Whether one is awake
, dreaming or sleeping , suppose
one realizes that ,
He is the soul that is
invisible but which exists and he
is firmly convinced that,
Brahma the creator
to the tiny ant which are vibrant are the witnesses of all activities of the world,
That one whether he is an outcaste or a Brahmin is my concept of a
Guru.
6.Brahmaivahidama jagacha sakalam
chinmathrivisthaaritham,
Sarva chaithadvidhyaya trigunayosesham kalpitham,
Idham yasya drudaa mathi sukhathare nithya pare nirmalam,
Chandalosthu sa
thu dwijosthu guru rithyesha maneeshaa
mama.
“The entire world is only Brahmam which is extended by
the pure consciousness,
But imagined to be
different due to the
interplay of one’s three gunas(characteristics) ,”,
If one with stable
mind understands this and realizes that ,
Everything is
only bliss which is eternal , divine and
pure,
That one whether he is
an outcaste or a Brahmin is my concept of a Guru.
7.Saaaswan nasvarameva viswamakhila nischithya vaachaa
guro,
Nithyam Brahma nirantharam vimrusathaa
nivyajsanthathmana,
Bhootham bhavi cha dushkrutham pradahathaa samvinmaye
paavake,
Prarabdhaaya
samarpitham swapuririthyesha maneesha mama.
Coming to the conclusion
that this world is entirely perishable
,
And not permanent after hearing the words of the Guru,
And if one discusses
within his mind and decides
that
The Brahmam Is forever and not perishable ,
And burns in his fire of knowledge the karmic load,
Earned in the past ,
present and future ,
Then it is my
decision that he is my guru.
8.Ya thiryag nara devathaabhi rahamithyaantha sphutaa
gruhyathe ,
Yad bhasaa hrudayaaksha deha vishayaa bhanthi swatho
chethanaa ,
Thaam bhasyai pihitharka mandala nibhaam sphurthim sadaa
bhavayaa,
Nyogi nirvrutha manaso hi gururithyeshaa , maneeshaa
mama.
That which is understood
within themselves as the self by
men, devas and animals,
And that which is illuminated by the self within oneself as the mind body and sense organs ,
Hides the real self
like a dark cloud hides those lit
by a sparkling sun,
And that Yogi
with emancipated mind who understands this is considered by me as my Guru.
9.Yath soukhyam ambudhi lesa lesatha yime sakradhayo
nirvruthaa ,
Yath chithe nitharaam prasantha kalane labdhwaa muni
nirvruthaa,
Yasmin nithya sukhambudhou galthadhir brahmaiva na brahma
vidh,
Ya kaschithsa surendra vanditha pado noonam maneesha mama.
The self is an ocean of eternal bliss and a minute part of it would make Indra and
Devas happy,
The sages meditating with a mind of peace on this
self and not on any other aspect would attain perfect bliss,
And he who identifies
himself with this ocean of bliss
is not the knower of Brahman but Brahman
itself,
And the feet of
such a person regardless of who he is, is fit to be saluted and this is
my belief.
10.Dasastheham deha drushtyasmi shambho,
Jathastheso jeeva drushtyaa tridrushte ,
Sarvasyathman athma drushtyaa thwameva,
Thwevam may dheernischithaa sarva sathrai .
Oh Lord
Shambhu, who sees the past,
present and future ,
In this form of a body of mine which you see , I am your slave
In the form of the
soul , I am part and parcel of yourself,
You are within me and in all others as the soul
,
And I have come
to this conclusion ,
Based on all scriptures and by deep thought.
Srimad Sankara bhagavatha kruthou Maneesha panchakam
samaptham.
Thus ends the five beliefs of
Shankara Bhagwat Pada.
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