shrutvaa hy aavartakaM svargam
saMsaarasya ca citrataam
na martyeShu na deveShu
pravRttir mama rocate
12.14
For since I have heard what a fleeting whirl is heaven,
And what varieties there are of aimless wandering,
Neither among mortal beings
nor among heavenly beings
Does the onward cycle of doing appeal to me.
COMMENT:
Every verse that contains the word pravRtti, “progressive doing,” or its antonym, nivRtti, “non-doing,” reminds me what I am mainly here to learn: the backward step of turning light and shining.
It is not a question of learning how to do the right thing. The principle of non-doing is to stop doing the wrong thing, so that the right thing can do itself.
The backward step is, in other words, the backward step of letting the neck be free, to let the head go forward and up, to let the back lengthen and widen, while letting the arms and legs out of the back.
Just because sitting like this is opposed to the onward cycle of doing does not mean that it is a condition of laziness. A certain constancy of effort is required to keep at bay the wrong thing. “The wrong thing” means those wrong inner patterns, the doing that must be stopped.
A stimulus that sets off the wrong thing might be something as gross as lifting up a wooden sleeper, or something as subtle as an impulse from a buried optimistic or pessimistic thought. At the point where such a stimulus reaches consciousness, there is a very fleeting window of opportunity to prevent the army of wrong inner patterns from being mobilized. When the moment is missed, the neck grabs the chance to stiffen (or collapse), so that the head, arms and legs get pulled in to the body, and the breath becomes more or less held.
Insofar as a person is a slave to this pattern of reaction, even if he is lucky enough to find himself between the sheets with the heavenly goddess of his dreams, he will be liable to suffer the misfortune of stiffening his neck, pulling his head back, restricting his breathing.... and so the onward cycle of doing will continue. His inability to stop doing the wrong thing might even bring about a certain droopiness which might, in the end, prevent his long longed-for union with the heavenly goddess from being consummated!
To stop doing the wrong thing is not so easy. I, for one, am not very good at it. For most of my waking hours I am unconsciously giving consent to the onward cycle of doing, wherein what tends to happen unconsciously is that the neck stiffens (or collapses), so that the head, arms and legs get pulled in to the body, and the breath becomes more or less held.
Like Nanda, I find that this cycle of doing does not hold any appeal for me; but insofar as I fail to give up all those layers of end-gaining ideas which set the cycle in motion, I continue to be held in the onward cycle. How about right now, for example?
EH Johnston:
For since I have heard of the impermanence of Paradise and of the vicissitudes of the cycle of existence, the continuance of active being either among mortals or among gods has no delights for me.
Linda Covill:
For I have heard of the cyclical nature of heaven and of the variety of rebirths in samsara, and neither among men nor among gods does active existence hold any appeal for me.
VOCABULARY:
shrutvaa = absolutive of shru: to hear
hi: for
aavartakam (accusative): whirlpool ; revolution
svargam (accusative): heaven
saMsaarasya = genitive of saMsaara: m. going or wandering through ; the circuit of mundane existence, the cycle of mass unconscious reaction, samsara
ca: and
citra: conspicuous ,distinguished ; bright-coloured ; variegated , spotted , speckled ; various , different , manifold
-taa: -nature, -ness (abstract noun suffix)
citrataam (accusative): variety, manifold nature
na: not, neither
martyeShu: locative, plural of martya: a mortal, man
na: not, nor
deveShu = locative, plural of deva: a god, heavenly being
pravRttiH = nominative, singular of pravRtti: f. moving onwards , advance , progress ; active life (as opposed to ni-vRtti and to contemplative devotion , and defined as consisting of the wish to act , knowledge of the means , and accomplishment of the object)
mama (genitive): for me
rocate = 3rd person singular of ruc: to shine , be bright or radiant or resplendent ; to be splendid or beautiful or good ; to be agreeable to , please (dat. or gen.)
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