⏑−⏑⏑¦⏑−−−¦¦−⏑−−¦⏑−⏑−
yadā
tu jarayā pītaṁ rūpam-āsāṁ bhaviṣyati |
−⏑−⏑¦⏑−−−¦¦−−−⏑¦⏑−⏑−
ātmano
'py-anabhipretaṁ mohāt-tatra
ratir-bhavet || 4.88
4.88
But since growing old
will drain from them
Any semblance of
beauty,
Enjoyment of such, on
the grounds of ignorance,
Might be an occurrence
that nobody
– including the
women themselves – should expect.
COMMENT:
Today's verse, as I
read it, only begins to make sense after studying the
plays that Aśvaghoṣa makes in Canto 3 on the words jarā, growing
old (i.e. becoming mature, developing into a true human being,
beginning to understand how little one really knows), and rūpa,
beauty or outward appearance (i.e. beauty that is only skin deep, or
the illusion of beauty).
The ostensible gist of today's verse is
that, given the impact that growing old has upon a woman's beauty, it
is only out of delusion/ignorance (mohāt) that one would find
enjoyment/delight (ratiḥ) therein (tatra).
In this reading, tatra
means in women's beauty, and anabhipretam (which the dictionary gives
as “an occurrence different from what was intended”) means a
nasty shock, i.e. something unintended or unexpected that is
abhorrent or repulsive, like dry wrinkly skin, broken teeth, sunken
eyes, incontinence, et cetera.
Hence:
But seeing that, when their beauty has been drunk up by old age, it will be abhorrent even to them, delight in it could only arise from delusion. [EHJ]
But when these lovely forms of theirs will have been consumed by old age, / They'll be repulsive even to themselves; it is a delusion to delight in them. [PO]
EBC follows a slightly
different track, taking anabhipretam to mean something that cannot
be approved, and ātmanaḥ to refer to Udāyin. Hence:
But since their beauty will be drunk up by old age, to delight therein through infatuation cannot be a thing approved even by thyself. [FN: or by the soul].
I think the weakness of
these translations of the 3rd pāda, and the variance
between the translations, reflects the fact that, especially in the 3rd
pāda of today's verse, the ostensible meaning of the words is only
a facade behind which Aśvaghoṣa is up to his usual trick, playing
with irony.
Today's verse, as I
read it, is really all about unexpected enjoyment of the path, as
opposed to grimly expectant striving with constantly blistered feet and
permanently gritted teeth – the former state being enjoyed from
within the cloud of unknowing, the latter condition being directed
from a top two inches wherein resides the arrogance of certainty.
On this basis, being
admittedly wrong, I venture to submit that whereas the past several
verses are ostensibly following one thread of idealistic thinking,
Aśvaghoṣa's hidden agenda, especially in today's verse, is to
subvert that idealism. I think today's verse, in other words, is out
to subvert the idealism whereby pursuit of the truth becomes an
exercise in grimly determined striving after yonder
enlightenment/realization – as opposed to honestly recognizing this
ignorance/delusion.
As in BC3.30 and
BC3.36, Aśvaghoṣa is suggesting how the process of growing old or
maturing into a true human being (jarayā; [instrumental agent])
drinks up, or drains away, or rips away, all superficial appearance,
or illusion, or pretence of beauty (rūpam). Aśvaghoṣa is
suggesting how, contrary to idealistic expectations, but as an
occurrence different from what was intended, or as an unexpected
side-effect – in short, as a pleasant surprise – this process of
being disabused of illusion might turn out not always to be a matter
of grim ascetic determination, but might actually be enjoyable.
In this reading tatra
does not mean “in women's beauty”; tatra means “in that process
of growing old.” And anabhipretam does not mean anything abhorrent or repulsive or not approvable; anabhipretam describes benefits that are unexpected because they accrue indirectly, not by end-gaining for specific results. These are the kind of
unexpected benefits that FM Alexander described as accruing
indirectly when a person learns to use himself or herself better on a
general basis.
The final point to
clarify is the difference between the ostensible and hidden meaning
of mohāt, which means “through infatuation” [EBC] or “from
delusion [EHJ/PO]” or “on the grounds of ignorance.” In the
ostensible meaning, it is only delusion or infatuation or ignorance
that would cause a person to delight in women's fleeting loveliness.
In the hidden meaning, which brings back to my mind Marjory Barlow's
oft-quoted teaching that “being wrong is the best friend we have
got in this work,” the fallible wrongness of ignorance/delusion may
be the only basic raw material we have to work with.
The Buddha never asked
us to try to be right. On the contrary, he asked us in the first
instance not to do any wrong. And with good reason. Because not to do
any wrong is a big ask. But more than being a big ask, being right
might be totally impossible.
The gist of today's
verse, then, at least as I read it, is that in this process of
growing old, even if the wrongness of ignorance/delusion is all we
have to work with, it might be possible for us – unexpectedly –
to find enjoyment in that.
When we stop and
reflect on it, is it not true that ignorance in the sense of not
knowing, or delusion in the sense of faulty sensory appreciation, are
not necessarily blocks to enjoyment? A much bigger block to enjoying this process is
the ignorance/delusion of trying to be right, or the arrogance of thinking oneself already to be one who is right and who knows.
This hidden message
could hardly be more different from, or more subversive to, the
pessimistic idealism of the ostensible meaning of today's verse.
Wherein lies the irony. Wherein always lies the difficulty of
understanding and translating Aśvaghoṣa's words.
If I add a personal note, the three years I spent at Sheffield University from 1978 - 81, purportedly studying Accounting & Financial Management, are lost in a blur of Tetley bitter and very low level karate training. But one thing I did study was the writing of Karl Popper, and one thing I do remember is Popper quoting the words of the Greek philosopher Xenophanes that "all is but a woven web of guesses." And now that I google that phrase, here is the full quote, as translated by Popper himself:
XENOPHANES of Colophon
(570-480 BC)
'The gods did not reveal, from the beginning,
All things to us; but in the course of time,
Through seeking, men find that which is the better ...
These things are, we conjecture, like the truth.
But as for certain truth, no man has known it,
Nor will he know it; neither of the gods,
Nor yet of all the things of which I speak.
And even if by chance he were to utter
The final truth, he would himself not know it;
For all is but a woven web of guesses.'
VOCABULARY
yadā: ind. when , at
what time , whenever
tu: but
jarayā (inst. sg.): f.
aging, old age
pītam (nom. sg. n.):
mfn. drunk , sucked , sipped , quaffed , imbibed
rūpam (nom. sg.): n.
any outward appearance or phenomenon or colour (often pl.) , form ,
shape , figure ; handsome form , loveliness , grace , beauty
āsām (gen. pl. f.):
of them
bhaviṣyati |= 3rd
pers. sg. future bhū: to be, become
ātmanaḥ (gen. sg.):
m. the soul; the self (ātman in the sg. is used as reflexive
pronoun for all three persons and all three genders e.g. ātmānaṁ
sā hanti , " she strikes herself " ; putram ātmanaḥ
spṛṣṭvā nipetatuḥ , " they two having touched their son
fell down ")
api: even
anabhipretam (nom. sg.)
n. an occurrence different from what was intended
abhipreta: mfn. meant ,
intended ; accepted , approved
mohāt (abl. sg.): m.
loss of consciousness , bewilderment , perplexity , distraction ,
infatuation , delusion ; ignorance
tatra: ind. therein
ratiḥ (nom. sg.): f.
pleasure, enjoyment
bhavet = 3rd
pers. sg. optative bhū: to be, become
人有老病死 彼應自不樂
何況於他人 而生染著心
何況於他人 而生染著心
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