SAUNDARANANDA 10.54: Playfully Facing Oblivion

prasiida siidaami vimuNca maa mune
vasundharaa-dhairya na dhairyam asti me
asuun vimokShyaami vimukta-maanasa
prayaccha vaa vaag-amRtaM mumuurShave

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10.54
Please, O Sage firm as the earth, I am sinking,

Free me who am without firmness.

I shall give up my life, O man of liberated mind,

Unless you extend to a dying man
the deathless nectar of your words.


COMMENT:
This verse brings to mind the first words I ever heard the Alexander teacher Marjory Barlow speak in public, at a talk in Birmingham in the summer of 1995. "This work is the most important thing in the world," Marjory said. "It is the most serious thing you can do. But you mustn't take it seriously."

Nanda, in similar vein, describing himself as so burned up with passion that he is practically at death's door, still somehow finds the latitude in this verse to make plays on the words
(a) √sad in line 1 (pra-siida "please"; siidaami "I am sinking);
(b) √dhR in line 2 (dhara "bearer"; dhairya "firm");
(c) vi + √muc in lines 1 and 3 (vimuNca "free!"; vimokShyaami "I shall give up"; vimukta "liberated");
(4) √mR in line 4 (a-mRta "deathless nectar"; mumuurShave "to him who is going to die").

Also in the same vein as Marjory's admonition are the words of Patrick Macdonald that "any emotional involvement in trying to learn what to do, or in what is going on, should be avoided. The best results are gained when a pupil can disassociate himself from what is happening, as if he were standing on one side watching someone else being taught."

Reflecting the desirability of no emotional involvement, Alexander's directions begin with a wish to let the neck be free: "I wish to allow my neck to release, to allow the head to be unlocked forward, and up, to allow the spine to lengthen and the back to widen, while sending the knees forwards and away."

From around 1994, I began to see this as a vitally important teaching for followers of Dogen to understand. But can it be so important that it is worth stiffening one's neck over? Self-evidently not. And yet often I have stiffened my neck over it -- probably because of some narcissistic impulse I seem to have to be loved, recognized, honoured by many people.

As Chuck Berry reportedly said about Elvis Presley in his declining years, "He got what he wanted, but he lost what he had." Mindful of Elvis's mistake, I come back to the Buddha's teaching of small desire. Wanting to be adored by zillions of people as the guy who made the first really meaningful connection between the teachings of the Buddha and FM Alexander, is a big ambition and a potential seed of much emotional suffering. Sitting in lotus in some solitary spot, quietly allowing the neck to be free, is the expression of a much more modest wish, a wish that is much more conducive to not losing what every person originally has -- their own original features.


EH Johnston:
Be merciful to me, I am sinking, rescue me, there is no firmness left in me, O Sage, Who art as firm as the earth. I shall yield up my life, O Thou Whose mind is freed, if Thou dost not grant me, who am dying, the elixir of Thy speech.

Linda Covill:
Please, O sage firm as the earth, I am sinking, save me who am without firmness. I will give up my life, O man of liberated mind, unless you grant me in my dying moment the ambrosia of your words.

VOCABULARY:
prasiida = 2nd pers. sg. imperative pra- √ sad: to settle down , grow clear and bright , become placid or tranquil; to become satisfied or pleased or glad , be gracious or kind (Impv. often " be so gracious , please")
siidaami = 1st pers. sg. pres. sad: to sit down, to sink down
vimuNca = 2nd pers. sg. imperative vi- √ muc: to unloose , unharness ; to release , set free , liberate ; to pardon , forgive
maa (acc. sg.): me
mune (voc. sg. m.): O sage!

vasundharaa-dhairya (voc. sg. m.): O one who is firm as the earth!
vasu--M-dharaa: f. ("bearer of the good") the earth
dhairya: n. (fr. dhR, to bear) firmness , constancy , calmness , patience , gravity , fortitude
na: not
dhairyam (nom. sg.): n. firmness , constancy , calmness , patience , gravity , fortitude
asti: there is
me (gen. sg.): in/of me

asuun = acc. pl. asu: m. breath, life
vimokShyaami = 1st pers. sg. future vi- √ muc: to unloose , unharness ; to release , set free , liberate ; to leave , abandon , quit , desert , give up , relinquish
vimukta-maanasa (voc. sg. m.): O man of liberated mind

prayaccha = 2nd pers. sg. imperative pra- √ yam: to hold out towards , stretch forth , extend ; to offer , present , give , grant , bestow ,
vaa: ind. or else
vaag-amRtam (acc. sg.): the nectar of your speech
vaac: f. speech, voice; word
amRta: n. immortality ; the nectar (conferring immortality , produced at the churning of the ocean) , ambrosia
mumuurShave = dat. sg. m. mumuurShu: mfn. wishing or being about to die , moribund

SAUNDARANANDA 10.53: Nanda's Plea for Inhibition

vaag-vaariNaa maaM pariShiNca tasmaad
yaavan na dahye sa iv' aabja-shatruH
raag'-aagnir ady' aiva hi maaM didhakShuH
kakShaM sa-vRkSh'-aagram iv' otthito 'gniH

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10.53
Therefore pour on me the water of your voice,

Before I am burned, as was The Fishes' Foe;

For a fire of passion is going now to burn me up,

Like a fire rising up
to burn both undergrowth and treetops.

COMMENT:
The person to whom is Nanda comparing himself in line 2, as I read it, is Mina-ripu, Foe of Fishes, called here abja-shatruH, "the enemy of the water-born."

In other words, I think Ashvaghosha is alluding to the tale of Kumud-vati and Mina-ripu which the striver referred to in Canto 8:

The daughter of Sena-jit the Conqueror, so they say, coupled with a dog cooker; Kumud-vati, 'Lilly Pool,' paired up with Mina-ripu, 'Foe of Fishes'; / And 'Burly Heroine' Brhad-ratha loved a lion: There is nothing women will not do. // [8.44]

A google search for background information leads to the History of Indian theatre, Volume 3 By Manohar Laxman Varadpande, which describes a drama in which princess Kumud-vati feels for a fisherman called Shurpaka (= Mina-ripu) a very strong love, which the fisherman at first does not reciprocate. But in the end the god of love, Kaama-deva, creates passion for Kumudvati in the fisherman's heart.

A more explanatory translation of line 2, then, would be:

Before I am burned, as The Fishes' Foe was burned by Love.

For alternative interpretations of line 2, see notes by EHJ and LC, which I have relegated to below the vocabulary section, for fear of boring less scholarly readers to death.

Any way up, today's verse as I read it includes recognition of the inhibitory power of a human voice.

Because the human ear is at the center of regulation of energy and tone through the whole organism, one human voice can have a powerful effect on another human system, whether the effect be excitatory, as in the case of a lover's voice or a war cry, or whether the effect be inhibitory, as in the case of soothing noises made by a parent or teacher.

So one way of reading this verse is that Nanda, at the height of emotional suffering, is asking the Buddha to help, through the medium of his voice, with a bit of inhibition.

And one way of understanding the Buddha's response, in light of the Alexander principle that direction is the truest form of inhibition, is that the Buddha met Nanda's request by showing the donkey the image of a carrot, so that at least the donkey would have a target towards which to direct his energies, even if the target was an ultimately unattainable moving target.


EH Johnston:
Cast on me therefore the water of Thy voice lest I be burnt up like the god of the fish-banner. For the fire of passion is about to consume me to-day just as a forest fire arises to consume the dry grass with the tree-tops.

Linda Covill:
Therefore sprinkle on me the water of your voice, before I am burned up like the enemy of the water-born, for passion's fire threatens to consume me right now, like a fire mounting in the underwood to the trees above.

VOCABULARY:
vaag-vaariNaa (inst. sg.): the water of your voice ; vocal rain
vaac: f. speech, voice
vaarin: (ifc.) = vaari: n. rain, water
maam (acc. sg.): me
pariShiNca = 2nd pers. sg. imperative pari - √sic: to pour out or in (esp. from one vessel into another) , to pour or scatter about , sprinkle , diffuse;
tasmaad: ind. therefore

yaavan na: ind. as long as not , before
dahye = 1st pers. sg. passive dah: to be burnt , burn , be in flames ; to be consumed by fire or destroyed ; to be inflamed (a wound) ; to be consumed by internal heat or grief , suffer pain , be distressed or vexed
sa (nom. sg. m.): he [the enemy...]
iva: like
abja-shatru (nom. sg. m.): enemy of the water-born
abja: mfn. (fr. ap and √ jan) born in water; m. the moon; m. N. of dhanvantari (physician of the gods , produced at the churning of the ocean) ; n. a lotus
shatru: m. " overthrower " , an enemy , foe , rival

raag'-aagniH (nom. sg. m.): a fire of passion
adya: ind. today, now
eva: (emphatic)
hi: for
maam (acc. sg.): me
didhakShuH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. (fr. desid. √ dah) desirous of burning

kakSham (acc. sg.): m. lurking-place , hiding-place ; a wood , large wood ; a forest of dead trees , a dry wood , underwood (often the lair of wild beasts)
sa-: (possessive prefix) along with
vRkSh'-aagram (acc. sg.): n. the top of a tree
iva: like
utthitaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. risen or rising
agniH (nom. sg.): m. fire


EHJ's original note to his Sanskrit text reads:
Abja-shatru ('enemy of the sun') is taken to refer to Raahu by Shastri who does not explain the point of the reference. Can it be to Kaama's being burnt by the glance of Shiva? Or abja-shatru may equal miinaripu, i.e. shuurpaka [m. N. of a demon (an enemy of kāmadeva)]

When he later came to produce his English translation, EHJ noted further:
I translate iv'-aabja-ketuH in b as I cannot make anything out of iv'-aabja-shatruH

LC notes:
Abja is also the day lotus, whose enemy is the moon which distils cooling liquid. Another possibility is to follow Johnston's reading of abja-ketuH, he whose banner is the fish, the god Kama.

SAUNDARANANDA 10.52: The Fire of Passion

yathaa pratapto mRdun" aatapena
dahyeta kash cin mahat" aanalena
raageNa puurvaM mRdun" aabhitapto
raag'-aagnin" aanena tath" aabhidahye

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10.52
Just as someone who had been pained by mild sunshine

Might be consumed by a great fire,

So I who was previously toasted by a mild passion

Am now roasted by this blaze of passion.

COMMENT:
There is a fundamental difference between unconsciously trying to be right and consciously allowing the right thing to do itself.

The basic beef I had with my Zen teacher, Gudo Nishijima, before the old bastard became senile, was that he didn't clearly understand this difference. On some level he understood the difference. Hence he took pains to draw the distinction between his own "true Buddhism" and the idealism of non-Buddhists, i.e. all those who held an opinion different from his. But when it came to the most fundamental matter in the Buddha's teaching, as described by Dogen in his Fukan-zazengi, Gudo could never clearly understand what he should have understood. When I made my effort, in my own unskillful way, to cause him to understand, the stupid old man saw me as a potential enemy of his "true Buddhism" and closed ranks. Very annoying.

Regardless of my own anger and frustration at not being listened to, and at being misunderstood, the fact remains that consciously allowing the right thing to do itself is a dispassionate practice. If it becomes passionate, it has already turned into some variation on the theme of unconscious trying to be right, or end-gaining. Conversely, unconscious trying to be right is generally associated with highly emotional states -- like religious wars between tribes with fire in their belly.

Fire, as in today's verse, is the usual metaphor for passion, possibly because both fire and passion involve release of heat in a chain reaction. The end in view might be sex with celestial nymphs or it might be glorious religious martyrdom. The underlying chemistry of end-gaining is the same.

The absence of burning passion, nirvaaNa, many people think, is a state without desire. And the fundamental means of realizing this state, Soto Zen Buddhists like Gudo Nishijima opine, is just to sit, not thinking anything.

But in the Buddha's teaching as I have been excavating it these past 30 years, nirvana is not a state of no desire. It is rather a kind of indirect reward for liking to practise small desire. And included in this fundamental, modest means of passing into nirvana is the practise of dispassionate thinking -- what Dogen called "thinking into the zone of not-thinking" or "non-thinking," and what FM Alexander called "thinking in activity."

Alexander spoke, for example, of "widening across the upper part of the arms as you widen the back." Dispassionately thinking these words this morning, I reflected that "widening across the upper part of the arms" in this direction has a lot to do with the big outer muscles, mainly the trapezius, pectorals, and latissimus dorsi, while "widening the back" has a lot to do with the deeper spiral musculature that the anatomist and anthropologist Professor Raymond Dart wrote about.

"The right thing does itself" FM Alexander observed, over many decades, with dispassion, and with true scientific precision. That's what Dogen's Fukan-zazengi is all about, as I understand it -- allowing the right thing to do itself. Very many so-called Zen masters of today, I dare say, even though they consider themselves to be Dogen's descendants, haven't understood it yet. As a rule, we are all going around passionately trying to be right, like ascetic strivers, end-gaining. We tend to be too religious in our inquiry into what the Buddha discovered, too quick to arrive at conclusions, and too lazy in activities like thinking and observing. We tend to be not dispassionate enough, not scientific enough. I for one have tended to be like that.


EH Johnston:
Just as a man who is warmed by a little heat would be burnt by great conflagration, so I who was but warmed previously by a feeble passion am now burnt up by this blaze of passion.

Linda Covill:
Just as somebody warmed by a gentle heat would be burned by a huge fire, so previously I was warmed by a mild passion but am now scorched by this fiery passion.

VOCABULARY:
yathaa: ind. just as
prataptaH (nom. sg. n.): mfn. hot , glowing, shining ; subjected to great heat , annealed ; pained (esp. by heat) , tortured , harassed
mRdunaa (inst. sg. n.): mfn. soft , delicate , tender , pliant , mild , gentle
tapena (inst. sg.): n. warmth, heat
aatapena (inst. sg.): m. heat (especially of the sun) , sunshine

dahyeta = 3rd pers. sg. optative passive dah: to be burned ; to be consumed by fire or destroyed
kash cid (nom. sg. m.): someone
mahat'-aanalena (inst. sg.): by a great fire
mahataa (inst. sg. m.): mfn. great, big
analena (inst. sg.): m. fire

raageNa (inst. sg.): m. redness, passion, love
puurvam: ind. previously
mRdunaa (inst. sg. m.): mfn. soft , delicate , tender , pliant , mild , gentle
abhitaptaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. scorched , burnt

raag'-aagninaa (inst. sg.): fire of passion
raaga: m. redness, passion, love
agni: m. fire
anena (inst. sg.): this
tathaa: ind. so, likewise
abhidahye = 1st pers. sg. passive abhi- √ dah: to singe , burn

SAUNDARANANDA 10.51: Fickle Nanda

aasthaa yathaa puurvam abhuun na kaa cid
anyaasu me striiShu nishaamya bhaaryaaM
tasyaaM tataH samprati kaa cid aasthaa
na me nishaamy' aiva hi ruupam aasaaM

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10.51
For just as previously, when I beheld my wife,

I had no interest in other women,

So now when I behold their beauty

I have no interest in her.

COMMENT:
The fickleness of Nanda's mind is somehow shocking and yet one senses that it did not come as any surprise to the Buddha, who knew that as a general rule the human mind is fickle.

At least insofar as we would like the human mind to remain steadfast, loyal, constant, the mind shows itself to be shockingly fickle.

Conversely, when we would like to orient the human mind in a particular direction of our choosing -- as for example the striver in cantos 8 and 9 wants to change Nanda's mind -- the mind shows itself to be incredibly resilient and resistant to change.

Hence the Buddha's resort to an indirect approach, a skillful means whereby Nanda is being guided towards discovery of the deathless nectar by the most circuitous of routes, including Nanda's present excursion to the very edges of fickleness.

In order to help Nanda clarify for himself where the deathless nectar might reside, the Buddha has guided him to the antithesis of the deathless nectar, which is the fickleness Nanda is exhibiting in today's verse.

So the deathless nectar can be understood as the antithesis of, or the antidote to, fickle-mindedness. And what that deathless nectar is, if you ask me, is sitting in lotus allowing the neck to be free, the head to go forward and up, and the back to lengthen and widen, while sending the knees forwards and away.


If I may indulge in some personal reminiscing (and who is going to stop me?), at primary school I was ahead of the game when it came to the 3 Rs. I was precocious at reading, and at reciting times tables. Reciting times tables never seemed to me like a big effort of memory; it was more like an act of repeated discovery, accompanied by the declaration of a series of constant truths: seven times seven is forty-nine! eight times seven is fifty-six! nine times seven is sixty-three! and therefore, without any shadow of a doubt, ten times seven is seventy, eleven times seven is seventy-seven, and twelve times seven is eighty-four. When I skipped a year and went to an elitist secondary school, however, with this kind of basic arithmetic I was way behind the game. Classmates there seemed already to be familiar with more advanced mathematical constants, like the ratio of a circle's circumference to its diameter (π; approx. 3.142), not to mention a way of reading music that was a total mystery to me. Unaccustomed to being confronted with mathematical conceptions that I could not understand and symbols that I could not read, I found myself a few times in my first term at my new school, while struggling with maths homework at home and, much more embarassingly, in music lessons at school, blubbering like a baby. Nobody had explained to me that it was OK not to be able to understand everything, and it took me a while even to begin to figure that out.

The point I am getting round to is that there is evidently a kind of constancy in maths, the constancy of 2 + 2 always = 4, but on its own it a mathematical constant does not qualify as deathless nectar; it is not sufficient as an antidote to the labile emotions of an immature human mind.

Sitting in lotus allowing the neck to be free, the head to go forward and up, and the back to lengthen and widen, while sending the knees forwards and away, seems to me to fit the bill much better. It is a much more total response to the problem of human fickleness.

When I went to Japan and at the age of 22 met Gudo Nishijima, a purported Zen Master, I was struck by his confident assertion that "all questions can be answered." Whatever question anybody asked Gudo about the Buddha's teaching, he always had an answer. The answer would usually touch upon idealism and materialism, or at least be based on the underlying logic of his theory of four philosophies, and would conclude with the importance of sitting with the spine straight vertically in order to keep the autonomic nervous system balanced. After a number of years, however, I began increasingly to feel that what I was getting from Gudo -- though it had an admirable rational constancy about it -- was not the deathless nectar any more than the reciting of a times table is effusion of the deathless nectar.

What the deathless nectar is, if you ask me, is sitting in lotus allowing the neck to be free, the head to go forward and up, and the back to lengthen and widen, while sending the knees forwards and away.

Sitting like this is the realization of a kind of constancy. But it is not a state of rightness along the lines that the religious-minded are wont to expect. It is rather a constant veering in the right direction.

To recap, today's verse is a reminder of the shocking fickleness not only of Nanda's mind but of the human mind. And the best antidote to this fickleness, at least as far as I have been able to figure out so far, is sitting in lotus allowing the neck to be free, the head to go forward and up, and the back to lengthen and widen, while sending the knees forwards and away.

Sitting like this is not the keeping of a right position. On the contrary, it is a constant veering in the right direction.

FM Alexander said "There is no such thing as a right position. But there is a right direction."

For those who seek an antidote to the fickleness of the human mind, there might be ageless and deathless real wisdom in Alexander's words.


EH Johnston:
For just as no other woman before moved me when I looked at my wife, so now I have no feeling for her when I look at their beauty.

Linda Covill:
Just as previously I did not care for other women when I beheld my wife, so now I have no regard for her when I behold their beauty.

VOCABULARY:
aasthaa (nom. sg.): f. consideration , regard , care , care for (with loc. e.g. mayy aasthaa , care for me)
yathaa: ind. just as
puurvam: ind. previously
abhuut = 3rd pers. sg. aorist bhuu: to be
na kaa cid (nom. sg. f.): not any [consideration]

anyaasu (loc. pl. f.): other
me (gen. sg.): in/of me
striiShu (loc. pl.): f. woman
nishaamya = abs. ni- √ sham: to observe, perceive
bhaaryaam (acc. sg.): f. wife

tasyaam (loc. sg. f.): towards her
tataH: ind. from that, on that basis
samprati: ind. now
kaa cid (nom. sg. f.): any [consideration]
aasthaa (nom. sg.): f. consideration , regard , care

na: not
me (gen. sg.): in/of me
nishaamya = abs. ni- √ sham: to observe, perceive
eva (emphatic)
hi: for
ruupam (acc. sg.): n. beauty, good looks
aasaam (gen. pl. f.): their, of those [nymphs]

SAUNDARANANDA 10.50: Nanda Tells It As He Sees It

hary-aaNgan" aasau muShit'-aika-dRShTir
yad-antare syaat tava naatha vadhvaH
tad-antare 'sau kRpaNaa vadhuus te
vapuShmatiir apsarasaH pratiitya

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10.50
"Whatever difference there might be, Master,

Between that one-eyed she-monkey
and your sister-in-law,

Is the same when your poor sister-in-law

Is set against the lovely apsarases.

COMMENT:
A dramatic moment. The moment when a man in a buddha-robe shows himself to be a fickle-minded end-gainer who is greedy for something. A shocking moment.

Yesterday I felt it was a comic moment. Today I feel it is a tragic moment.

Which feeling is reliable? Neither. The Buddha's teaching is to have small desire and know contentment. That is reliable. My feelings are not reliable.

Still, sickness and death are no joke. Aging is no joke. That's for damn sure.


EH Johnston:
'Thy sister-in-law appears, Lord, as wretched in comparison with the beautiful Apsarases as she was superior to the one-eyed she-monkey.

Linda Covill:
"Whatever difference there might have been between the one-eyed monkey and your sister-in-law, Lord, is the same when your pitiable sister-in-law is set against the lovely apsarases.

VOCABULARY:
hary-aNganaa (nom. sg. f.): she-monkey
hari: m. monkey
aNgana: f. " a woman with well-rounded limbs " , any woman or female
asau (nom. sg. f.): that
muShitaika-dRShTiH (nom. sg. f.): one-eyed, with one eye missing
muShita: mfn. robbed; bereft or deprived of
eka: one
dRShTi: f. eye

yat (correlative of tad.): which
antare: ind. between
syaat = 3rd pers. sg. optative as: to be
tava (gen. sg.): your
naatha (voc.): m. a protector , patron , possessor , owner , lord
vadhvaH = gen./abl. sg. f. vadhuu: f. bride; any younger female relation

tad (correlative of yad): that
antare: ind. between
asau (nom. sg. f.): that
kRpaNaa (nom. sg. f.): mfn. inclined to grieve , pitiable , miserable , poor , wretched , feeble
vadhuuH = nom. sg. f. vadhuu: f. younger female relation
te (gen. sg.): your

vapuShmatiiH (acc. pl. f.): mfn. having a beautiful form , handsome
apsarasaH (acc. pl.): f. nymphs
pratiitya = abs. prati- √i: to go towards or against , go to meet (as friend or foe);

SAUNDARANANDA 10.49: Stuck-minded Stammering

ath' aapsaraHsv eva niviShTa-dRShTii
raag'-aagnin" aantar-hRdaye pradiiptaH
sa-gadgadaM kaama-viShakta-cetaaH
kRt'-aaNjalir vaakyam uvaaca nandaH

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10.49
So, letting his gaze settle upon the apsarases,

Burning in his innermost heart with a fire of passion,

And stammering, with a mind stuck on objects of desire,

Nanda joined his hands like a beggar and spoke.

COMMENT:
Stammering is, in many cases, a symptom of the end-gaining mind which stops things from flowing as they might.

One of the things that the end-gaining mind prevents from flowing is speech in which the ear-voice connection is open and uninterrupted.

I write this as one who has been plagued by the end-gaining habit for most of his life.

But nowadays, because of all my efforts to become a true Zen master, not to mention 17 years now in the Alexander work, I seem to have become more or less free from desire for objects. Yes, now all that end-gaining nonsense is well and truly behind me I am very p... p... p... pleased to say.



EH Johnston:
Then fixing his gaze on the Apsarases, with the fire of passion blazing in his heart and his feelings dominated by love, Nanda raised his hands in supplication and spoke falteringly thus :--

Linda Covill:
Then with his eyes resting on the apsarases, his heart burning with the fire of passion and his thoughts stuck in lust, Nanda folded his hands in reverence and stammered out these words:

VOCABULARY:
atha: ind. and so, then
apsaraHsu (loc. pl.): f. apsaras, celestial nymph
eva: (emphatic)
niviShTa-dRShTii (nom. sg. m..): his gaze come to rest on them
niviShTa: mfn. come to rest; entered, lying or resting or sticking or staying in (loc. or comp.)
dRShTin: mfn. having an insight into or familiar with anything ; having the looks or thoughts directed upon anything

raag'-aagninaa (inst. sg.): with love's fire
raaga: m. redness, passion, love
aagni: fire
antar-hRdaye (loc. sg.): in his innermost heart
antar: ind. interior
hRdaya: n. heart
pradiiptaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. kindled , inflamed , burning

sa-gadgadam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. with stammering (voice)
sa: (possessive prefix)
gadgada: n. stammering , indistinct or convulsive utterance (as sobbing &c )
kaama-viShakta-cetaaH (nom. sg. m.): his mind fastened on sexual love
kaama: m. desire, love , especially sexual love or sensuality ; object of desire or of love or of pleasure
viShakta: mfn. hung to or on or upon , hung or suspended to , hanging or sticking on or in , firmly fixed or fastened or adhering to (loc.); turned or directed towards (loc. or comp.) ; (ifc.) dependent on
cetas: n. consciousness, mind

kRt'-aaNjaliH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. one who joins the hollowed palms in reverence or to solicit a favour (holding the hollowed palms together as if to receive alms or an offering) , standing in a reverent or respectful posture
aNjali: m. ( √ aNj) the open hands placed side by side and slightly hollowed (as if by a beggar to receive food ; hence when raised to the forehead , a mark of supplication)
√ aNj: to apply an ointment or pigment , smear with , anoint ; to honour, celebrate
vaakyam (acc. sg.): n. speech, saying, words
uvaaca = 3rd pers. sg. perfect vac: to say, speak
nandaH (nom. sg.): m. Nanda

SAUNDARANANDA 10.48: Exhortation to Observe

etaaH striyaH pashya divaukasas tvaM
niriikShya ca bruuhi yath"-aartha tattvaM
etaaH kathaM ruupa-guNair mataas te
sa vaa jano yatra gataM manas te

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10.48
"Look at these women who dwell in heaven

And, having observed, truly tell the truth:

Do you think more of these women
with their lovely form and excellent attributes

Or the one upon whom your mind has been set?"


COMMENT:
bruuhi yath"aartha tattvam
Speak the reality truly, or in short, tell the truth.

Without putting a politician's spin on it, without the calculating mind of a lawyer, more in the manner of the boy who observed that the king was in the altogether, tell the truth.

But before that, look. In order to tell the truth truly, first truly observe.

The use of two verbs meaning to see, look, or observe -- the imperative pashya ("look!") and absolutive niriikySha ("having looked") -- along with the addition of artha in line 2, could represent a certain redundancy, except that Ashvahoghosha is not generally one for including redundant words.

So Ashvaghosha as I hear him is emphasizing something about the relation between truly telling the truth, and first observing.

The point might be that truly telling the truth is not simply a matter of passing on information, in the manner of a disreputable journalist, irrespective of how that information has been gleaned; ability to tell the truth truly rather depends on having exhibited a certain integrity in the process of discovering the truth for oneself.

The point might be that people who truly tell the truth are not those who believe in received wisdom. People who truly tell the truth might rather be the ones who, through observation, have seen it for themselves.


EH Johnston:
'Look at these celestial women and, considering them well, answer me truly and precisely. How do their beauty and accomplishments compare with those of the person on whom you have set your mind ?'

Linda Covill:
"Look at these heavenly women and after observing them, speak in accordance with the truth of the matter. Do you prefer these women with their beauty and accomplishments, or the person who holds your mind?"

VOCABULARY:
etaaH (acc. pl. f.): these
striyaH (acc. pl.): f. women
pashya = 2nd pers. sg. imperative pash: behold , look at , observe
divaukasaH (acc. pl.): m. " sky-dweller " , a deity
tvam (nom. sg.): you

niriikShya = abs. nir- √ iikSh: to look at or towards , behold , regard , observe
ca: and
bruuhi = 2nd pers. sg. imperative bruu: to speak , say , tell
yath"-aartha: ind. according to truth or fact , truly , really
tattvam (acc. sg.): n. true or real state , truth , reality
artha-tattva: n. the true state of a case , fact of the matter

etaaH (nom. pl. f.): these
katham: ind. how? sometimes katham merely introduces an interrogation
ruupa-guNaiH (inst. pl.): with their lovely forms and excellent attributes
ruupa: n. any outward appearance or phenomenon or colour (often pl.) , form , shape , figure ; handsome form , loveliness , grace , beauty , splendour
guNa: m. a quality , peculiarity , attribute or property; good quality , virtue , merit , excellence
mataaH (nom. pl. f.): mfn. thought ; regarded or considered as , taken or passing for (nom.)
te (gen. sg.): for you

sa (nom. sg. m.): the, that [person]
vaa: ind. or
janaH (nom. sg.): m. person
yatra: ind. wherein, in whom
gatam (nom. sg. n.): has gone, is at
manaH (nom. sg.): n. mind
te (gen. sg.): of you, your