⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−− Upajāti
(Mālā)
tato viśeṣeṇa narendra-mārge
svalaṁkṛte caiva parīkṣite ca |
−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−
vyatyasya
sūtaṁ ca rathaṁ ca rājā prasthāpayām-āsa bahiḥ kumāram
|| 3.53
3.53
Then, the royal road having been
adorned even more beautifully
And inspected with even more care,
The king switched around the charioteer
and the chariot,
And urged the prince on his way,
outwards.
COMMENT:
The first two pādas of today's verse
seem to describe the king persisting with the same tactic, with ever
increasing intensity. Such persistence might be understood as the
height of stupidity, insofar as it represents adherence to a means
that evidently does not lead to the desired end. “If at first you
don't succeed, try harder,” represents the essence of the approach
of the end-gainer – the one who goes for the desired end without
having stopped to reason out an appropriate means.
On the face of it, then, today's verse
seems to be another one that is holding up the king's behaviour as an
example of selfish stupidity.
If we look for an alternative reading,
or hidden meaning, it might be that the first two pādas are
describing exactly the kind of effort made by a king of dharma, which
is to practise that sitting which is originally untainted by any
separation of means and end, but which is characterized by utter
lucidity through full awareness (upekṣā-smṛtimad viśuddhaṃ;
SN17.54 / upekṣā-smṛti-pāriśuddhiḥ SN17.55).
In the 3rd pāda even the
ostensible meaning is in doubt, due to the ambiguity of vyatyasya,
from vy-aty-√as, which Apte gives as “to invert.” EHJ and PO
understood vy-aty-√as simply to mean “change” i.e. replace;
hence EHJ: “the king changed the charioteer and the chariot”; PO:
“he changed the driver and the chariot.” EBC, more
interestingly, understood vy-aty-√as to signify a change of
direction; hence: “having ordered the charioteer and chariot to
proceed in a contrary direction (to the previous one).”
Whatever ostensible meaning Aśvaghoṣa
intended, his real intention might be related with Dogen's teaching
that there is sitting with body (represented by chariot) which is
different to sitting with mind (charioteer), and vice versa. Because sitting with the body is different from sitting with the mind, and vice versa, when we are stuck in our sitting it may sometimes be wise to study a sentence or two of ancient wisdom and reflect deeply on our own motivation, and it may sometimes be wise to eat plenty of carbohydrates and, having digested them, to embark on some physical challenge like a long walk or run or cycle ride.
The 4th pāda again features
the word bahiḥ, which points outwards. In so pointing it points
again to a paradox inherent in sitting practice, which is a turning
of one's attention backwards and inwards, in order that one's head
might release in a direction that is sometimes described as “forwards
and outwards,” so that the whole torso might expand outwards, while
the legs and arms also are released outwards.
Awareness of this paradox, I suspect,
is what is behind Aśvaghoṣa’s repeated use of bahiḥ, outwards,
alongside words derived from ni-√vṛt, to turn back.
VOCABULARY
tataḥ: ind. then
viśeṣeṇa: ind. exceedingly ,
especially , particularly , even more
narendra-mārge (loc. sg. m.): the
royal road, the king's highway
svalaṁkṛte (loc. sg. m.): mfn.
beautifully adorned
alaṁ-kṛta: mfn. adorned , decorated
ca: and
eva: (emphatic)
parīkṣite (loc. sg. m.): mfn.
carefully inspected , tried , examined
pari- √īkṣ: to look round ,
inspect carefully , try , examine , find out , observe , perceive
ca: and
vyatyasya = abs. vy-aty- √ as: (1)
[middle voice] to be above , excel , surpass; (2) [Apte; active
voice] to invert
aty- √ as: to excel , surpass ; to
shoot beyond , overwhelm , overpower (as with arrows).
sūtam (acc. sg.): m. the charioteer
ca: and
ratham (acc. sg.): m. the chariot
ca: and
rājā (nom. sg.): m. the king
prasthāpayām-āsa = 3rd
pers. sg. periphrasic perf. caus. pra- √ sthā: to send out ; send
away or home , dispatch messengers &c , dismiss , banish ;
drive , urge on (horses)
bahiḥ: ind. out , forth , outwards ,
outside (a house , village , city , kingdom &c
kumāram (acc. sg.): m. the prince
増修王御道 防制諸不淨并勅善御者 瞻察擇路行
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