−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−− Upajāti
(Indravajrā)
tad-buddhim-atrānyatarāṁ
vṇīṣva dharmārtha-kāmān vidhivad-bhajasva |
−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−¦¦−−⏑−¦−⏑⏑¦−⏑−−
vyatyasya
rāgād-iha hi tri-vargaṁ pretyeha ca bhraṁśam-avāpnuvanti
|| 10.28
10.28
So decide, in respect of these two
options, between one and the other,
And pursue dharma, wealth, and pleasure
in a principled manner –
For when men in this world, because of
passion,
overdo [any one of] the triple set,
overdo [any one of] the triple set,
In both this world and the next they
suffer ruination.
COMMENT:
In one of the early Indiana Jones films
the eponymous hero is confronted with an adversary skilfully wielding
sharp blades, as if to say: “Come and fight we with your whip and
bare hands, or else run away.” Indiana Jones promptly pulls a gun
and downs his opponent with a single bullet, before turning to the camera
and shrugging – as if to say “He presented me with a false
dichotomy based on a wrong assumption.”
In today's verse, the two options King
Bimbisāra has placed before the bodhisattva seem to be:
1. To throw his lot in with Bimbisāra,
sharing Bimbisāra's kingdom and immediately becoming the joint ruler
of Magadha.
2. To join Bimbisāra in a compaign to
conquer foreign foes and thereby gain sovereignty over new
territories.
These are the two options referred to
in the 1st pāda, as I read it.
Bimbisāra also, then, is making a false dichotomy based on a wrong assumption. And
the wrong assumption arises from his not being able to see a true
dichotomy.
The effect is to underline in the
reader's mind the true dichotomy, which is namely the
incompatibility, or mutual exclusivity, between the dharma of kings,
as understood by Bimbisāra, and the dharma of liberation, as
understood by the bodhisattva.
According to Bimbisāra's conception,
pursuit of the triple set of dharma, wealth and pleasure is a given.
The choice for a king, in that case, is between alternative ways of
pursuing the dharma of kingship.
According to the bodhisattva's
conception, the original choice is between the dharma of kings and
the dharma of liberation.
Thus, when Bimbisāra in his ignorance
now proceeds, in this and the next several verses, to discuss the
pursuit of the three things or the triple set (trivargam) of dharma,
wealth and pleasure, he thinks he is being reasonable. He discusses
the pursuit of dharma, wealth and pleasure vidhivat, “with
principle,” or “according to a rule” – as opposed to
haphazard, imbalanced pursuit of one element at the expense of the
other two.
What Bimbisāra doesn't know, but we
know because the bodhisattva spelled it out for us in BC Canto 9, is that
the dharma of kings, in the first place, is incompatible with the
dharma of liberation:
śama-pradhānaḥ kva ca mokṣa-dharmo
daṅḍa-pradhānaḥ kva ca rāja-dharmaḥ || BC9.48
How can the dharma of liberation, in
which peace is paramount,
be reconciled with the dharma of a
king, in which the rod is paramount?
The dharma of kings, in which the rod
is paramount, involves coercion, or force. And the use of force tends
to proceed from ignorance and to usher in unintended consequences.
One doesn't have to be a student of
international history to observe this: one can observe it on one's
own round black cushion.
It is all there in the unenlightened
practice of sitting-meditation – ignorance, force, irony.
VOCABULARY
tad:
ind. so, therefore
buddhim
(acc. sg.): f. intention , purpose , design ; (buddhiṁ- √kṛ or
pra- √kṛ , to make up one's mind , resolve , decide , with loc.
dat. acc. with prati , or inf.)
atra:
ind. in this matter , in this respect
anyatarām
(acc. sg. f.): either of two , different
vṛṇīṣva
= 2nd pers. sg. imperative vṛ: to choose, select
dharmārtha-kāmān
(acc. pl. m.): dharma, wealth, and pleasure
dharmārtha-kāma-mokṣa:
m. pl. religious merit , wealth , pleasure and final emancipation
(the 4 objects of existence)
vidhivat:
ind. according to rule , duly
vidhi:
m. a rule , formula , injunction , ordinance , statute , precept ,
law , direction; any prescribed act or rite or ceremony
bhajasva
= 2nd pers. sg. imperative bhaj: to turn or resort to ,
engage in ; to pursue , practise , cultivate
vyatyasya
= abs. vy-aty-√as: to be above , excel , surpass
aty- √
as 1: to excel, surpass
aty- √
as 2: to shoot beyond , overwhelm , overpower (as with arrows).
rāgāt
(abl. sg.): m. colour, redness ; any feeling or passion , (esp.) love
, affection or sympathy for , vehement desire of , interest or joy or
delight
iha:
ind. here, in this world
rāgādi
[EBC] (?): “love and the rest”
ha
[EBC]: ind. indeed , assuredly , verily ,
hi: for
tri-vargam
(acc. sg.): m. the three things
pretya:
ind. having died , after death , in the next world , in the life to
come , hereafter (opp. to iha)
abs.
pra- √i: to come forth , appear , begin ; to go on , proceed ,
advance ; to go out or away , depart (this life)
iha:
ind. here, in this world
ca: and
bhraṁśam
(acc. sg.): m. falling or slipping down or off ; decline , decay,
ruin
avāpnuvanti
= 3rd pers. pl. ava-√āp: to reach , attain , obtain ,
gain , get ; to suffer
自力廣收羅 天下孰不推
明人知時取 法財五欲増
明人知時取 法財五欲増
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