⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−− Upajāti
(Premā)
maṇi-tsaruṁ
chandaka-hasta-saṁsthaṁ tataḥ kumāro
niśitaṁ ghītvā |
−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦⏑−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−
kośād-asiṁ
kāñcana-bhakti-citraṁ bilād-ivāśī-viṣam-udbabarha
||
6.56
6.56
The
jewelled hilt in Chandaka's hand
The
prince then sharply grasped,
And
from its sheath the gold-streaked sword,
Like a
viper from its hole, he drew up and out.
COMMENT:
Today's verse abandons the 8-syllable
per pāda śloka metre in favour of the 11-syllable per pāda upajāti
metre – signalling that the end of the Canto is not far away. To be
exact, the next ten verses will also be in the upajāti metre, and
the last two verses of the Canto (BC6.67, BC6.68) will be in the
12-syllable Vaṁśastha metre.
With
the change in metre comes a sense of pressing on with relating vital
elements in the traditional narrative – centring on the prince's
cutting off of his hair and acceptance of the ochre robe. In today's
verse the relating is done in a characteristically vivid manner, with
the metaphor of the snake. As EHJ noted (in the 1930s): “The practice of letting
down a bait on a line into a snake's hole and drawing the snake out
by it is said still to persist in India.”
On a
textual note, in the 2nd pāda EHJ changed the old
Nepalese manuscript's kumāro (“the prince”) to sa dhīro (“he
resolutely”), based on the Tibetan translation. The mystery, which
EHJ himself refers to in a footnote, is how EBC, working from later
copies of the old Nepalese manuscript, also came to have sa dhīro in
his text. The Chinese translation has 太子
"the
prince,” as EHJ notes, but the Chinese translation, as EHJ adds,
with justification, “cannot be relied on in such matters.”
Presumably
when drawing out a venomous snake from its hole, it does not do to
dither about, and so the metaphor does indicate a certain
resoluteness or decisiveness. Rather than change the text, however, I
have understood niśitam which ostensibly describes the sword as
sharp, also to be a description of the manner of the prince's
grasping the hilt – sharply, eagerly, or decisively.
As
far as golden streaks are concerned, a quick google search for
“viper” suggests that viper fits the bill:
Today's
verse then seems to me to be all about decisiveness. I say “seems
to me to be” because I am not one hundred per-cent certain.
Looking,
on the basis of uncertainty, for other meanings that may be hidden
below the surface, the most likely place to start digging might be
kāñcana-bhakti-citram
which ostensibly describes the sword as streaked (bhakti-citram) with
gold (kāñcana) but which could be read as describing sitting
upright with an enlightened mind (symbolized by a sharp sword) as
conspicuous (citram) through devotion (bhakti) to what is golden
(kāñcana). In that case the ud (up) of udbabarha (drew up / drew
out) might have meaning that should not be overlooked.
As
I sat this morning reflecting on the meaning of “up and out,” I
could see afresh, from what was happening in terms of my own
direction (or mis-direction) of energy, the wisdom of Alexander's
“head forward and up” which means, in other words, “head out,
and up.” In that order. Going directly for the up, without the
inhibitory forward / out, tends to stimulate, in a person with faulty
sensory appreciation, rooted in an immature tonic labyrinthine reflex
in extension, a stiffening response in which the head pulls back and
down, or in and down – like the head of tortoise retreating into
its shell. “For you,” as one very wise and perceptive Alexander
teacher once said to me, “up is a poisoned word!” Very true. And
the antidote to that poison lies in directions like head and knees
forward, back back; or like left side to go left, right side to go
right – letting the up be a secondary consideration.
None
of this will make much sense to readers who don't have experience of
Alexander work under an Alexander teacher who knows the score. But I am
not writing this for you. If I cared more about you the reader, I wouldn't write such long comments. No, I am writing all this for myself. You are very
welcome to eavesdrop, though.
As
I sat this morning reflecting on why “out and up” is for me a
safer and wiser direction than “up and out,” it struck me that
the jewelled hilt (maṇi-tsarum), can be understood as representing
the head, which leads the whole up – providing that the serpent's coiled tail is not somehow wedged or stuck at the bottom of the hole.
Too
much attention to the jewelled hilt without due attention to the bottom
of the hole is, like thinking up without first thinking forward/out, a path fraught with danger. By “due attention to
the bottom of the hole” I mean allowing the area around the pelvis and the top of the legs (where the spiral musculature of the back meets the muscles which
connect the back and the legs) to come undone.
The
Sanskrit word kuṇḍalinī, if I understand it correctly, is the
feminine of kuṇḍalin, which means “decorated with ear-rings”
or “circular” or “coiled.” And the feminine substantive with
which kuṇḍalinī agrees is śakti, which means power or energy.
Now to google kuṇḍalinī is liable to lead one to all sorts of
esoteric descriptions of a serpent which I dare say does not exist,
in me or in any other human being. Most descriptions of kuṇḍalinī, especially ones by superstitious Indian worshippers of many gods, are a load of old rubbish, to be treated with extreme skepticism. I
also wouldn't recommend believing a single word I write on the
subject.
But
what I would submit from experience is that it is not so difficult to
train oneself, especially if one starts early enough in life, physically to
sit in full lotus for several hours a day – just as it is not all
that difficult for most young people to train to run a marathon -- because the human body is so adaptable.
But
to learn consciously to direct one's energy in an upward direction –
and to keep this practice going on a daily basis, even while, for
example, your Zen teacher is forgetting who you are but is continuing
to act in his habitual controlling manner as if he were still in
possession of all his faculties; or while your family's life savings
are heading south due to the effect of central bank intervention in
the gold market that you did not see coming – is not at all easy.
Doing stuff is relatively easy. Human beings have evolved to do stuff. Allowing, which requires conscious thought, or mindfulness, is a much tougher proposition.
Doing stuff is relatively easy. Human beings have evolved to do stuff. Allowing, which requires conscious thought, or mindfulness, is a much tougher proposition.
A
year or so ago, I was doing some Alexander work with my hands on a
follower of this blog who turned to me and said, “It is curved,
isn't it?” My answer was an unequivocal, decisive yes – even
though I am not entirely certain what “it is curved” means.
A
few weeks ago I was doing some Alexander work with an Alexander head
of training who had his hands on a trainee teacher who had her hands
on me. After we had finished working, the head of training turned to
me and said, “It is curved, isn't it?” Again, I am not really
certain what he meant. And yet, on some level, on a good day,
I know.
So
I do not affirm these images. In reality, there is no snake as
depicted below. But in upwardly directed human energy, there might be
something spirallic. Or at least there is something that is curved.
VOCABULARY
maṇi-tsarum (acc. sg. m.): mfn. jewel-handled ; the jewelled hilt
maṇi-tsarum (acc. sg. m.): mfn. jewel-handled ; the jewelled hilt
tsaru:
m. a crawling animal ; the stalk of a leaf , handle of a vessel ;
the hilt of a sword
chandaka-hasta-saṁstham
(acc. sg. m.): in / by Chandaka's hand
saṁstha:
mfn. standing together , standing or staying or resting or being in
or on , contained in (loc. or comp.); being in or with , belonging
to (loc. or comp.)
tataḥ:
ind. then
kumāraḥ
(nom. sg. m.): the prince
sa
(nom. sg. m.): he
dhīraḥ
(nom. sg. m.): mfn. steady , constant , firm , resolute , brave ,
energetic , courageous , self-possessed , composed , calm , grave
niśitam
(acc. sg. m./n.) mfn. sharpened , sharp (lit. and fig.) ; stimulated
, excited , eager for (loc.) ; n. iron , steel
gṛhītvā
= abs. grah: to take, grasp, seize
kośāt
(abl. sg.): m. a cask ; a sheath , scabbard , &c
asim
(acc. sg.): m. ( √2. as) , a sword , scimitar , knife (used for
killing animals)
kāñcana-bhakti-citram
(acc. sg. m.): streaked with gold ; conspicuous through devotion to
the golden
kāñcana:
n. gold; mfn. golden
bhakti:
f. a streak , line , variegated decoration; a row , series ,
succession , order ; attachment , devotion , fondness for , devotion
to (with loc. , gen. or ifc.)
citra:
mfn. conspicuous , excellent , distinguished ; bright , clear ,
bright-coloured ; variegated , spotted , speckled (with instr. or in
comp.)
bilāt
(abl. sg.): n. a cave , hole , pit , opening ,
iva:
like
āśī-viṣam
(acc. sg.): m. a kind of venomous snake
āśis:
f. a serpent's fang
viṣa:
n. " anything active " , poison , venom , bane , anything
actively pernicious
udbabarha
= 3rd
pers. sg. perf. ud- √ bṛh (= ud- √ vṛh): to draw up , pull
out by the roots , eradicate ; to draw out (e.g. a sword from the
scabbard)
衆寶莊嚴劍 車匿常執隨
太子拔利劍 如龍曜光明
衆寶莊嚴劍 車匿常執隨
太子拔利劍 如龍曜光明
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