Dr.Subbaramaiah was discoursing to his weekly Satsang as I walked into his house. He was writing an elaborate commentary on Dakshina Murthy Shloka. The fact that a 2 pages shloka was explained over two massive volumes of books bears testimony to the depth of meaning in the shlokas and breadth of his analytical power. It was amazing to hear how a human mind grasps and contemplates on any object with such a diversity. Soon the class was over and every one left except the venerable couple Shri Narasimhaiah and Smt Manikarnikamma .
“So, what is the matter”, asked Dr Subbaramaiah, with his usual twinkle in the eye. This was enough and I poured out my mental conflicts and concluded that it was becoming impossible to combine a loukika bachelor life in a management function with strict adherence to anushtana and adhyayana.
“That is the path you chose and you must equip yourself for that”, he snapped. He was not known for pulling his punches. “ When Bharati Theertahru asked, you chose management and not Research. It is next to impossible to combine antithetical systems”, he continued, talking like a true scientist that he was.“You are the cross roads in your life and very soon you need to resolve how you want to spend rest of your life.Don’t get too influenced by Umesha as he is a unique siddha purusha and it is tough to emulate his life” .
“I am even contemplating spending my entire life in Sringeri Matha”, I quipped. If I had thought this would impress him , I was mistaken. “I have told you many times that such a thing is impractical in these times”, he retorted rather with a tinge of indignation. “There can only be a handful of bramhacaris or sanyasis in a Matha and only those who start there a very young age can survive. Mathas have always been political and more so now.I wouldn’t recommend that”, he continued emphatically.
“The best way is to persuade your family to support you for life if you want to lead a brahmachari life. Since social support systems have collapsed, your own parents and brothers are the only available safety net. So, work on getting their acceptance if you want to lead this life style. If that is not possible the best way is to become a gruhasta and there is nothing wrong in that”.
“The best way is to persuade your family to support you for life if you want to lead a brahmachari life. Since social support systems have collapsed, your own parents and brothers are the only available safety net. So, work on getting their acceptance if you want to lead this life style. If that is not possible the best way is to become a gruhasta and there is nothing wrong in that”.
Smt Manikarnikamma was very moved by this conversation. As a mother of four herself, she would always sympathize with feelings of my mother. She would ask me if my mother got reconciled with my stand, every time we met. This time she felt sadder looking at my distress. ‘Don’t do anything without her consent and acceptance”, was her sage advice.
It appeared that I did not get any clarity from that visit to Dr Subbaramaiha. The best is to talk it over with Umesha and so I went to meet him in Chennai at the next available opportunity.
Once we settled down after initial social chat, he posed a question rather abruptly, even before I could pour my heart out. “Have you read ashtAvakra Samhita?”, he asked keeping a straight poker face.
“Yes, of course I have”, I replied cautiously. I knew something was coming that would be setting strategic direction for me. I had borrowed a book from Kasturi Srinivasan Library , a small library run with a charity from Kasturi Srinivasan of Hindu Group of publications.
“What do you think of it”, Umesha asked and looked at me, probing my thoughts.
“It is an intriguing piece of work," I replied.“ It denies everything and then denies the denial too. ‘Boot strapped infinite regression’ seems to be its forte and perhaps a fault too”. My mind slid into the story around ashtAvakra .
Ashtavakra was a boy genius who corrected his own father’s mistakes during Veda adhyayana while still being in mother’s womb. The angry father Kahoda curses his yet to be born son to be deformed and the baby is born with eight stunts. Kahoda goes to King Janaka to seek wealth where he is tested by an arrrogant scholar Bandi - with an understanding that Kahoda would get wealth if he defeated him , but will be drowned in the river if he lost. Unfortunately Kahoda loses and is drowned in the river.
Ashtavakra’s grandfather Uddalaka hides this info and raises Ashtavakra as his own son. This secret opens out when ashtAvkara competes with Uddaka’s son Shvetakeu to sit on the laps of Uddalaka. Shvetaketu mocks Ashtavakra for believing grandfather to be his own father. Ashtavakra learns the truth and goes to Kingdom of Janaka to defeat Bandi and reclaim his father’s honor. The gate keepers try to push him away, treating him as a small boy, but he talks his way to King Janaka and demands a debate with Bandi.
Ashtavakra’s grandfather Uddalaka hides this info and raises Ashtavakra as his own son. This secret opens out when ashtAvkara competes with Uddaka’s son Shvetakeu to sit on the laps of Uddalaka. Shvetaketu mocks Ashtavakra for believing grandfather to be his own father. Ashtavakra learns the truth and goes to Kingdom of Janaka to defeat Bandi and reclaim his father’s honor. The gate keepers try to push him away, treating him as a small boy, but he talks his way to King Janaka and demands a debate with Bandi.
King Janaka asserts that ashtAvakra is too young to face Bandi but ashtAvakra retorts that age was not a predicator of wisdom. King Janaka decides to test him before throwing him in front of wolf Bandi. The thrilling back and forth starts :
षण्णाभेर् द्वादशकस्य चातुर्विंशति पर्वणः
यस त्रिशति शतारस्य वेदार्थं स परः कविः
चातुर्विंशति पर्वत्वां सन् नाभि द्वादश प्रधि
तत् त्रिसष्टि सतारं वै चक्रम् पातु सदागति
“What has thirty divisions, twelve parts, twenty-four joints, and three hundred and sixty spokes.' Ashtavakra said, 'May that ever-moving wheel that has twenty-four joints, six naves, twelve peripheries, and sixty spokes protect you
King Janaka went on with riddles and AshtAvakra responding in lightning speed.
‘What go together like two mares, and sweep like a hawk, and to what also do they give birth?'
Ashtavakra said, ‘Thunder & lightning ; Misery & death. Cloud or mind.
'What does not close its eyes even while sleeping; does not move, even when born; that has no heart; and what increases even in its own speed?'
Ashtavakra said, 'fish that does not close its eye-lids while sleeping; Egg does not move when produced; Stone has no heart; and River increases in its own speed.’
King Janaka was convinced he was not talking an ordinary mortal in Asktavakra and summoned Bandin. What happened between Bandin and Ashtavakra was spectacular clash of intellect and sparks flew.
Bandi, the well read and proud scholar who tormented other scholars into defeat and drowned so many of them took ashtAvakra to be light weight. He challenges ashtAvakra to counter his statements evenly drawing from multiple Shastra texts. Bandi starts with number ‘one (eka)’, ashtAvakra responds with two (dve), Bandi goes to three (thri) , ashtavakra reels of four (chatusya) and so on.
एक एवाग्निर् बहुधा समिध्यते ;एकः सूर्यः सर्वं इदं प्रभासते
एको वीरो देवराजो निहन्ताः यमः पितृणां ईश्वरश्चैक एव
One Sun illuminates; One hero Indra, destroys enemies; OneYama is the sole lord of the Pitris.
द्वाव इन्द्राग्नी चरतो वै सखायौ ;द्वौ देवर्षी नारदः पर्वतश्च
द्वौ अश्विनौ द्वे च रथस्य चक्रे ; भार्या पति द्वौ विहितौ विधात्रा
‘Two friends, Indra and Agni, move together; two sages are Narada and Parvata; twins are the Aswinikumaras; two wheels in a car; husband and wife live as couple
त्रि सूयते कर्मणा वै प्रजेयं ;त्रयो युक्ता वाजपेयं वहन्ति
अध्वर्यवस् त्रिसवनानि तन्वते त्रयो लोकास् त्रीणि ज्योतिंसि चाहुः
Three kinds of born beings are produced by acts; the three Vedas together perform the sacrifice, Vajapeya; at three different times, the Adhwaryus commence sacrificial rites; three is the number of words: and three also are the divine lights.’
They keep going till Bandi hits a barrier at 13 (trayodasi) unable to complete and falls silent.
त्रयोदशी तिथिर् उक्त महोग्राः त्रयोदशद्वीपवति मही च
Ashtavakra completes for him and is declared the winner.
त्रयोदशानि ससार केसी ; त्रयओदशदीनि अतिच्छान्दांसि चाहुः
Mahabharata tells us that Bandi , who gets defeated, was but Son of Varuna who despatched so many scholars to Varun who was conducting a big rite. He brings back every one to life including ashtAvakra’s father.
What is interesting in this Mahabhaarta narrative is the way crux of complex Shastra tatva were being exposed in a way it mesmerizes listeners. It is almost like creating powerful memories through hypnosis using an arithmetic pattern. This is similar to Pada, Krama, Jata, Ghana rendering of Vedas that ensure the student remembers words, accent, intonations, etc exactly without any deviation whatsoever.
This was the ashtAvakra who later teaches King Janaka a way to lead a jnAni life while being immersed in duties of being a great King. Umesha brought this up when I was there very confused on what to do next , beaten by vagaries of laukika life as a management professional.
“‘ Boot strapped infinite regression’ seems to be ashtAvakra samhita’s forte and perhaps a fault too”, I repeated.Unmindful of my sarcasm, Umesha started reciting passages from that book
जनक उवाच -
कथं ज्ञानमवाप्नोति, कथं मुक्तिर्भविष्यति।
वैराग्य च कथं प्राप्तमेतद ब्रूहि मम प्रभो॥१-१॥
King Janaka asks the young Ashtavakra - How is knowledge attained, how liberation is attained and how non-attachment is attained, please tell me all this.॥
अष्टावक्र उवाच -
मुक्तिमिच्छसि चेत्तात्, विषयान विषवत्त्यज।
क्षमार्जवदयातोष, सत्यं पीयूषवद्भज॥१-२॥
Sri Ashtavakra answers - If you wish to attain liberation, give up the cravings as poison. Practice forgiveness, simplicity, compassion, contentment and truth as nectar.॥2
न पृथ्वी न जलं नाग्निर्न वायुर्द्यौर्न वा भवान्।
एषां साक्षिणमात्मानं चिद्रूपं विद्धि मुक्तये॥१-३
You are neither earth, nor water, nor fire, nor air or space. To liberate, know the witness of all these as conscious self.॥3॥
यदि देहं पृथक् कृत्य चिति विश्राम्य तिष्ठसि।
अधुनैव सुखी शान्तो बन्धमुक्तो भविष्यसि॥१-४॥
If you detach yourself from the body and rest in consciousness, you will become content, peaceful and free from bondage immediately.॥4॥
Umesha stopped for a while and asked me if I remembered 5th stanza and then rushed to add, “Oh, you are ‘the spirit is more important than letter’ man and so wouldn’t remember the words”. It was true. I never remember texts and always found it difficult to quote any reference. I am always comfortable talking about a text than quoting it.
He then quoted it himself
न त्वं विप्रादिको वर्ण: नाश्रमी नाक्षगोचर:।
असङगोऽसि निराकारो विश्वसाक्षी सुखी भव॥१-५॥
You are not a Brahmana or any other caste, you do not belong to 'Celibate' or any other stage, nor are you anything that the eyes can see. You are unattached, formless and witness of everything - so be happy.॥5॥
Hearing Umesha recite it and then deliberate on these lines was by itself a rewarding experience. Little did I realize that he was laying foundation for a dramatic change in my life and he had given the quintessence of Upadesha for a life long practice .This would echo in a different way during my next visit to Sringeri
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