SAUNDARANANDA 16.98: In the End, Growth ...?

kRShTvaa gaaM paripaalya ca shrama-shatair ashnoti sasya-shriyam
yatnena pravigaahya saagara-jalaM ratna-shriyaa kriiDati
shatruuNaam avadhuuya viiryam iShubhir bhuNkte narendra-shriyaM
tad viiryaM kuru shaantaye viniyataM viirye hi sarva-rddhayaH

Saundaranande mahaa-kaavya aarya-satya-vyaakhyaano naama ShoDashaH sargaH

16.98
After ploughing and protecting the soil with great pains,
a farmer gains a bounteous crop of corn;

After striving to plumb the ocean's waters,
a diver basks in a bounty of coral and pearls;

After seeing off with arrows the endeavour of rival kings,
a king enjoys royal dominion.

So direct your energy in pursuit of peace,
for in directed energy lies all growth."


End of the 16th Canto of the epic poem Handsome Nanda, titled "Exposition of the Noble Truths."


COMMENT:
And so we come to an end, and as we do so we might question what that means.

After directing his energies in the dedicated manner that farmers around the world all still tend to do, to this day (I am thinking of my inspirationally hardworking neighbour in France), the farmer gains the end he has laboured to gain -- producing lots of food.

The pearl diver, likewise, gains an end that is not at all abstract. By his own independent efforts, he makes tbe ocean's riches into his own possession.

The king in the 3rd line enjoys royal dominion -- supreme authority, absolute ownership.

So, on first reading, the Buddha seems to be finishing this long monologue (which began back in 12.19), by pointing to the gaining of a definite end, which might be absolute ownership of the four noble truths. In coming to the translation of the final word of the Canto, Rddhi, therefore, my first thought was to translate it as success or accomplshment -- "In endeavour lies all success/accomplishment."

But if we dig deeper into the verse, one thing to notice might be a certain irony around the notion of endeavour. Hitherto the Buddha has heaped nothing but praise on the supreme and invincible virtue of viirya, manly endeavour. But the viirya in the 3rd line is the manly endeavour of rival kings which is defeated, by arrows. The point I take from this apparent irony of viirya being defeated is that endeavour as an abstract concept, or a concept connected to a puffed up, macho, sense of unreal self-confidence, is always liable to be trumped by the real direction of real energy, as manifested, for example, in flying arrows.

So when the Buddha speaks again in the 4th line of viirya, along with shaanti, peace, and Rddhi, success, the irony contained in the 3rd line might be a kind of clue not to react too quickly to those words, not to trust the intellect as it rapidly latches on and tries to convince that it knows. As FM Alexander used to say: "Be careful of the printed matter: you may not read it as it is written down."

Yes, the final word of the Canto, Rddhi, in the context of the previous three lines, seems to point to the gaining of a definite end, i.e. making the four noble truths into one's own possession, gaining full dominion over them. But the first meaning of Rddhi is growth. It is from the verb, Rdh, to grow. So, yes, Rddhi means success or accomplishment, the gaining of an end, but it can also be understood as pointing to growth as an ongoing process. Whether the ambiguity was deliberate, I do not know. But I suspect it was, and I have translated Rddhi accordingly as growth.

Because, in the end, what end have we got to look forward to? The long term outlook for us all, unless we meet a sudden and premature end, is sickness or old age, followed by death -- at which point corn, pearls, or royal power are absolutely no bloody good to us whatsoever. We know, if we open our eyes and look, that those who try to hold on to their corn or their pearls or their little kingdom, in that very effort to hold on, stop growing. That is the usual case. When people grow old, they stop growing. In contrast to that I have been priviliged to have worked with some elderly Alexander teachers who were without question still growing in the truth and toward the truth. Above all, I was privileged to visit my Alexander head of training Ray Evans shortly before he died. Even at death's door, Ray was evidently still working on himself as he had endeavored to teach me to work on myself, by directing my head to go forward and up out of a lengthening and widening back -- and not being too serious about it. As Ray drifted out of the here and now of directed consciousness, and back again, he reported, "I come and go. But that's OK."

From the privilege of meeting Ray in this state, I learned something that has informed my understanding of Alexander work and also, I hope, of this verse.

FM Alexander said, "The experience you want is in the process of getting it. If you have something, give it up."

Again, FM said, "Don't you see that if you get perfection today, you will be further away from perfection than you have ever been."

So in the end, to what end is the fourth line directing our attention? Success, or growth? In the end, I think what the fourth line is mainly directing our attention to is neither success nor growth. What the fourth line is directing our attention to, primarily, is the direction of our attention.

EH Johnston:
By ploughing the soil and by guarding (his field) with infinite pains man obtains a splendid crop ; by diving strenuously into the ocean he rejoices in splendid jewels; by overwhelming the might of his enemies with arrows he enjoys the splendour of sovereignty. Therefore show energy for the sake of tranquillity ; for of a certainty all prosperity lies in energy.

Linda Covill:
When a man has plowed the soil and protected it with infinite pains he earns a bounteous crop of corn; after labouring to plumb the ocean's waters he glories in his wealth of jewels; and when his arrows have driven off an enemy force, he enjoys royal sovereignty. So strive for peace, for all progress surely lies in endeavor."

VOCABULARY:
kRShTvaa = absolutive of kRSh: to draw or make furrows , plough
gaaM (accusative): earth, soil, ground
paripaalya = absolutive of paripaal: to , guard , protect , defend
ca: and
shrama: exertion, pains
shataiH = instrumental plural of shata: a hundred ; any very large number
ashnoti = 3rd person singular of ash: to reach , come to , reach , come to , arrive at , get , gain , obtain
sasya: corn , grain , fruit , a crop of corn
shriyam = acc. sg. shrii: f. light , lustre , radiance , splendour , glory , beauty , grace , loveliness; prosperity , welfare , good fortune , success , auspiciousness , wealth , treasure , riches ; bounty

yatnena = instrumental of yatna: effort , exertion , energy , zeal , trouble , pains
pravigaahya = abs. pra-vi-√gaah: to dive into , enter (acc.)
saagara: the ocean
jalam (acc.): water
ratna: a jewel , gem , treasure , precious stone (the nine jewels are pearl , ruby , topaz , diamond , emerald , lapis lazuli , coral , sapphire , gomeda)
shriyaa = instrumental of shrii: f. splendour; wealth , treasure , riches ; bounty
kriiDati = 3rd person singular of kriiD: to play , sport , amuse one's self , frolic , gambol , dally (used of men , animals , the wind and waves , &c); to jest , joke with (instr.)

shatruuNaam = gen. pl. shatru: m. " overthrower " , an enemy , foe , rival , a hostile king (esp. a neighbouring king as a natural enemy)
avadhuuya = abs. ava-√dhuu: to shake off or out or down; to shake off (as enemies or evil spirits or anything disagreeable) , frighten away
viiryam (acc. sg.): n. manly vigour, valour, strength, power,
iShubhiH = inst. pl. iShu: an arrow
bhuNkte = 3rd person singular of bhuj: to enjoy
narendra: m. " man-lord " , king , prince
shriyaM (acc. sg.): f. splendour; wealth , treasure , riches ; high rank , power , might , majesty , royal dignity

tad: so
viiryam (acc. sg.): n. manly endeavour, energy
kuru = imperative of kR: to do, make
shaantaye = dative of shaanti: f. tranquillity , peace , quiet , peace or calmness of mind , absence of passion
viniyata: mfn. restrained , checked , regulated
viniyatam: ind. certainly, surely
viirye = locative of viirya: energy, endeavour
hi: for
sarva: all
RddhayaH = nominative, plural of Rddhi: f. increase , growth , prosperity, success , good fortune , wealth , abundance ; accomplishment

SAUNDARANANDA 16.96: Deliver Us from Diffidence

nayaM shrutvaa shakto yad ayam abhivRddhiM na labhate
paraM dharmaM jNaatvaa yad upari nivaasaM na labhate
gRhaM tyaktvaa muktau yad ayam upashaantiM na labhate
nimittaM kausiidyaM bhavati puruShasy' aatra na ripuH

16.96
When a capable person hears the guiding principle
but makes no progress,

When he knows the most excellent method
but gains no upward repose,

When he leaves home
but in freedom finds no peace:

The cause is his weak direction of energy in himself,
and not an enemy.

COMMENT:
FM Alexander said, “When an investigation comes to be made, it will be found that every single thing we are doing in the Work is exactly what is being done in Nature where the conditions are right...”

To observe what is being done in Nature where the conditions are right, I spend as much of the spring and summer as I can by the forest in France. And what I observe there is that in Nature where the conditions are right plants, animals, and people become, for a time, channels of a vibrant upflow of energy. Notwithstanding the prediction of the 2nd law of thermodynamics that all energy has an inherent tendency to disperse, as in water flowing downward, in Nature where the conditions are right living things temporarily manifest an upward concentration of energy, associated with vibrant growth.

Again, FM Alexander said, “When an investigation comes to be made, it will be found that every single thing we are doing in the Work is exactly what is being done in Nature where the conditions are right, the difference being that we are learning to do it consciously.”

That is the point. What FM Alexander’s teaching is all about, and what this Canto as I read it is all about, is conscious direction of energy. We are learning consciously to direct our energy. Learning the backward step of turning light and shining means learning consciously to direct one’s energy.

In this connection FM Alexander wrote: “I wish to indicate the process involved in projecting messages from the brain to the mechanisms and in conducting the energy necessary to the use of these mechanisms.”

So it is not enough to have heard the guiding principle: real progress depends on working to that principle. Real progress depends not only on the brain sending down the right messages but also on the belly sending out the requisite energy.

Again, it is not enough to have benefited from personal demonstrations of that most excellent method by which to allow the free working of the natural mechanisms of upright posture: for experience of upward repose to be real, one has to make the method one’s own, by learning to work on oneself, which means learning to direct one’s own energy.

Again, it is not even enough to adopt the outer forms of a forest monk, a hermit, or a wandering mendicant: peace depends on inward work on oneself.

Coming to the last line, I struggled to find a translation of kausiidya that exactly conveyed the sense I wished to convey of a weak attitude towards this business of working on oneself -- that conveyed, in other words, a person’s lack of initiative in directing his or her own energy.

In context, kausiidya is being used as an antonym of viirya, which means manliness, valour, strength, power , energy, heroism. So kausiidya, as opposed to viirya, may be understood as expressing girlishness, diffidence, weakness, impotence, weak energy, wimpishness.

The dictionary defines kausiidya as sloth, indolence, laziness. But these terms strike me as blunt instruments for conveying what I think Ashvaghosha wishes to convey, which is not only physical laziness and not only mental negligence, but rather a lack of both clarity and initiative in a person’s conscious direction of his or her own energy.

So, unable to hit upon a suitable one-word translation of kausiidya, I resorted to a four-word translation: weak direction of energy

In making the above comments, I am drawing on experience that precedes my first encounters with Alexander work in 1994, and with Zazen in 1982. Back in 1971, when I was aged 11, my parents received my first school report in which my house master and rugby coach Billy Buttle, a man whose opinion I respected, described my performance on the rugby field as “diffident.” Not knowing what the word meant, but fearing that praise wasn’t being heaped upon me, I nervously looked the word up in the dictionary: “hesitant in acting or speaking through lack of self-confidence.” I soon learned to compensate -- some would say over-compensate -- for the inherent tendency to diffidence and, aided by daily weight-training sessions in the gym, I developed on the rugby field into an aggressive and loud-mouthed pack leader. But compensation comes at a price and, however convincingly life-like the mask may be, compensation never goes to the root of diffidence.

Inherent diffidence, as I see it, is not only my problem. It is everybody’s problem. All humanity stands to benefit from the discoveries of FM Alexander because human beings are everywhere prone to suffer from lack of self-confidence and low self-esteem. And the faultier the unconscious functioning of a person’s vestibular system, the stronger this tendency is liable to be.

Q. E. D.

EH Johnston:
It is indolence, not his enemy, that is the cause that a man capable of success, on hearing of the method, fails to progress, that, knowing the supreme Law, he does not gain an abode above and that, having left his home, he does not attain peace in Salvation.

Linda Covill:
When a competent person hears the method but makes no progress, when he knows the supreme dharma but wins no higher estate, when he leaves his home but finds no peace in freedom -- the reason for this is his own laziness, and not an enemy.

VOCABULARY:
nayam (acc. sg.): m. leading (of an army) ; plan , design ; leading thought , maxim , principle, system , method , doctrine
shrutvaa = absolutive of shru: to hear ; to hear (from a teacher) , study , learn
shaktaH (nom. sg.): m. one who is able, a capable person
yad: [the fact] that
ayam (nom. sg. m.): this one, this man
abhivRddhim (acc. sg.): f. growth , increase, prosperity
abhi: ind. (a prefix to verbs and nouns , expressing) to , towards , into , over
vRddhi: f. growth , increase , augmentation , rise , advancement , extension , welfare , prosperity , success , fortune , happiness
na: not
labhate = 3rd person singular of labh: to take, gain ; to gain possession of , obtain , receive , conceive , get

param: m. excellent, best, highest, supreme
dharmam: m. teaching, method
jNaatvaa = absolutive of jNaa: to know
yad: [the fact] that
upari: ind. above , upon , on , upwards
nivaasam (acc. sg.): m. clothing , dress ; m. living , dwelling , residing , passing the night ; dwelling-place , abode
na: not
labhate = 3rd person singular of labh: to take, gain ; to gain possession of , obtain , receive , conceive , get

gRham (acc. sg.): m. house
tyaktvaa = absolutive of tyaj: to leave , abandon , quit
muktau = locative of mukti: f. setting or becoming free , release , liberation
yad: [the fact] that
ayam (nom. sg. m.): this man, he
upashaantim (acc. sg.): f. cessation , intermission , remission ; tranquillity , calmness
na: not
labhate = 3rd person singular of labh: to take, gain ; to gain possession of , obtain , receive , conceive , get

nimittam (nom. sg.): n. cause
kausiidyam (nom. sg.): n. sloth , indolence
bhavati: is
puruShasya = gen. sg. puruSha: m. a man, a person
atra: (used in sense of locative case asmin) in him
na: not
ripuH (nom. sg.): m. a deceiver , cheat , rogue; m. an enemy , adversary , foe

SAUNDARANANDA 16.53: First What Not to Do

pragraahakam yat tu nimittam uktam
uddhanyamaane hRdi tan na sevyam
evaM hi cittaM prashamaM na yaati
[- - -]naa vahnir iv' eryamaaNaH

16.53
A "garnering" stimulus

Does not serve when the emotions are excited,

For thus the mind does not find peace

Like a fire being fanned by [the wind].


COMMENT:
To illustrate what I think is the meaning of this verse, following on from the discussion of strength and weakness in the previous verse, I will cite the example of a sensitive woman in a caring vocation -- for example, in medicine -- who has a bad back. Her sensitivity and compassion can be regarded as strengths. But her bad back is a symptom of weakness.

Let us say that the compassionate nurse with a bad back comes for a series of Alexander lessons to address the misuse of herself -- a fundamental weakness -- that is causing her back pain. If the teacher adopts a more direct approach, his first instinct might be to tell the nurse to care less for others and more for the integrity of her own spine; and to teach her how to strengthen her spine, by garnering her energy in an upward direction during the acts of sitting and standing.

First instincts are generally direct and interventionist: our first instinct when confronted with any problem tends to be to do something, in a hurry. But such instinctive interventions have a tendency to turn out badly, to do more harm than good.

So I see it as significant that Buddha/Ashvaghosha's detailed explanation of the means whereby afflictions are given up, is begun with a negative direction, i.e., a preventive direction. The primary thing, Buddha/Ashvaghosha seems to be saying, is not learning what to do. The primary thing is learning, in a given situation, what not to do. Thus, when there is already undue excitement in one's energetic system, which for most of us there generally is, the first thing is not to do anything that might pour fuel on the flames.

So the Alexander teacher in the above example, confronted with the nurse with the bad back, will do well to inhibit his first instinct to read her the riot act and get her immediately going "up." He might be wise not to do anything until having listened for a while with hands, ears, and eyes, to what is really going on. It may well transpire that the nurse's fear reflexes are unduly excited, in which case the best starting point, before trying to teach her anything, might be to draw the nurse's attention to stimuli that will tend to calm her system down.

Pertinent here is a passage that FM Alexander wrote in the preface (1941) to The Use of the Self:

Those who have written asking for help in teaching themselves are obviously almost wholly occupied with the idea of learning 'to do it right'. In reply I would refer them to the first chapter of this book, where I put down as exactly as possible what I did and (what was still more important in the end) what I did not do in teaching myself... At the beginning of my experimentation I found that I must not concern myself primarily with 'doing' as I then understood 'doing', but with preventing myself from doing.

In the first line nimittam literally means "a cause." I have given the translation of this word considerable thought since Linda Covill's translation "meditational technique" rattled my cage a few months ago. In this verse I considered translating nimittam as "starting point," and in future verses I intend to translate nimittam as "antidote."

In the end, however, "stimulus" seemed to fit best: here: it carries a medical connotation, like a needle for sitting-dhyana; it includes the sense of a causal factor; and it ties in very neatly with the teaching of FM Alexander, who saw the act of living as basically a matter of constantly reacting (directly, unconsciously, emotionally) or responding (indirectly, consciously, reasonably) to stimuli.

VOCABULARY:
pragraahakam (nom. sg. n.): seizing , taking , bearing , carrying; a rein , bridle
graahaka: one who seizes or takes captive; one who seizes (the sun or moon) , who eclipses; one who receives or accepts; m. a hawk, falcon
yat (nom. sg. n.): [that] which
tu: but
nimittam (nom. sg.): n. a butt, mark, target; the point, the aim; sign, omen; cause, motive, ground, reason; (in philosophy) instrumental or efficient cause (opposed to upaadaana, the operative or material cause)
uktam = nom. sg. n. ukta (past participle of √vac): spoke, said; called; declared, promised

uddhanyamaane = locative of present passive participle ud- √han: to move or push or press upwards or out, lift up, throw away; to root up or out
hRdi = locative of hRd: the heart (as the seat of feelings and emotions) , soul , mind
tat (correlative of yat): it, that
na: not
sevyam = nom. sg. n. sevya: mfn. to be resorted to, followed, practised etc.

evam: thus, in this manner
hi: for
cittam (non. sg.): mfn. "noticed"; n. thinking, the thinking mind, the mind
prashamam (acc. sg.): m. calmness , tranquillity (esp. of mind) , quiet , rest , cessation , extinction , abatement
na: not
yaati = 3rd person singular yaa: to go , proceed ; go to, come to; find out, discover

[- - -]naa: [3 missing syllables] + inst. ending?
vahniH = nom. sg. vahni: m. the conveyer or bearer of oblations to the gods (esp. said of agni , " fire "); fire
iva: like
iiryamaaNaH: nom. sg. m. present passive participle √iir: to agitate , elevate , raise (one's voice); to excite ; to cause to rise ; to bring to life

EH Johnston:
But when the soul is excited, he should not resort to the subject of meditation known as 'inducing energy'; for thus the mind does not reach tranquillity, as fire fanned by (the wind) does not die down.

Linda Covill:
The meditational technique known to promote energy should not be practiced when one's spirits are excited, for thus the mind, like a fanned fire [- - -], does not become peaceful.

SAUNDARANANDA 16.47: Direct Flow, Stop Leaks -- Not Spiritually

tasmaat paraM saumya vidhaaya viiryaM
shiighraM ghaTasv aasrava saMkShayaaya
duHkhaan a-nityaaMsh ca nir-aatamakaaMsh ca
dhaatunn visheSheNa pariikShamaaNaH

16.47
Therefore, good man, direct all your energy

And strive quickly to stop energetic leakage,

Examining in detail
-- as suffering and impermanent and devoid of self --

The elements.

COMMENT:
Line 1 and Line 2 can be read as expressing the same thing from opposite viewpoints -- for example, directing the flow of energy up one's spine, which may be a very good way of stopping it flowing where it ought not to go. "Direction is the truest form of inhibition," as is said in the world of Alexander work.

With respect to the word shiigram, "quickly," another favourite saying of FM Alexander may be relevant, namely that "The conscious mind must be quickened!" The reason FM used to emphasize that the conscious mind must be quickened, I think, is that the unconscious misdirection of energy is prone to happen extremely rapidly. A person has got to be really on the ball to stop it. Recently I have been observing this on TV in Cesar Millan's work with dogs. A bulldog can go from a calm-submissive 0 to a red-eyed killing-mode 10 in just a couple of seconds. So Cesar endeavors to stay on the ball and nip the unwanted response in the bud before it gets to 1 or 2. My wife and I shared a poignant moment a few weeks ago when Cesar was explaining all this while correcting a bulldog. We looked at each other and smiled wryly, exchanging no words but sharing the same recognition that in describing the tendency of the bulldog Cesar was just exactly describing the tendency of yours truly.

In Line 3, suffering, impermanence and absence of self are three characteristics of what is real, but in Line 4 the elements -- as investigated by scientists, and as prone to be overlooked by workers in the spiritual sphere -- are just what is.

So with this translation I have struggled to maintain the essence of the original four-phased expression that may be observed within the verse.

VOCABULARY:
tasmaat: from that, therefore
param: utmost, in a high degree, completely
saumya (voc.): " O gentle Sir! " " O good Sir! " " O excellent man! " as the proper mode of addressing a Brahman
vidhaaya = absolutive of vidhaa: to give out, supply, effect, make ready, direct
viiryam (accusative): manliness , valour , strength , power , energy

shiighram: quickly
ghaTasu = imperative of ghaT: to be intently occupied about , be busy with , strive or endeavour after , exert one's self for (loc. dat. acc.)
aasrava: leakage
saMkShayaaya = dative of saMkShaya: complete destruction or consumption , wasting , waning , decay , disappearance

duHkhaan (acc. pl. m.): uneasy , uncomfortable , unpleasant , difficult
a-nityaan (acc. pl. m.): not everlasting , transient , occasional , incidental; irregular , unusual; unstable; uncertain
ca: and
nir-aatamakaan (acc. pl. m.): having no separate soul or no individual existence
ca: and

dhaatuun = acc. pl. dhaatu: m. element , primitive matter
visheSheNa (inst. visheSha): particularly, especially, in detail
pariikShamaaNaH = nom. sg. m. present participle of pari-√iikSh: to look round , inspect carefully , try , examine , find out , observe , perceive


EH Johnston:
Therefore, applying your utmost energy, strive quickly for the destruction of the infections, and in especial examine the elements which are full of suffering, impermanent and devoid of self.

Linda Covill:
Therefore apply your utmost energy, dear friend, and be quick to strive for the eradication of the rebirth-producing tendencies, investigating in particular the elements, which are full of suffering, impermanent and without self.

SAUNDARANANDA 16.46: The Evidence of Ending of Energetic Leakages

yathaa-svabhaavena hi naama-ruupaM
tadd-hetum ev' aasta-gamaM ca tasya
vijaanataH pashyata eva c' aaham
braviimi samyak kShayam aasravaaNaam


16.46
For in him who sees a separate bodily form as it is,

And who sees its origin and passing away,

From the very fact of his knowing and seeing,

I declare energetic leakages to be totally ended.

COMMENT:
A person's ability to see, as it is, the transient existence of any entity -- whether it be a flower, or a weed, or a dog, or another person, or a pool of water, or a house, or indeed a work like a translation -- is a function not only of the person's top two inches but of energetic conditions throughout the person's organism.

That is why, I think Ashvaghosha is saying here, if a person is truly able to see what is, without optimism or pessimism, that can only mean that the person is free from energetic imbalances.

Conversely, when a person is unable to to see things as they are, when a person is suffering from what FM Alexander called "faulty sensory appreciation," it is fundamentally not an intellectual problem but a problem of misdirected energy.

And at the root of the misdirection of energy, as we have found to be true in not a few children and adults who have come to us at the Middle Way Re-education Centre, is the problem that FM Alexander called "unduly excited fear reflexes."

VOCABULARY:
yathaa: as, according to
svabhaavena = inst. sg. svabhaava: own condition or state of being , natural state or constitution , innate or inherent disposition , nature , impulse , spontaneity
hi: for
naama-ruupam (accusative): an individual being, a distinguishable form, a separate bodily form

tat: that, its
hetum = accusative, hetu: " impulse", motive , cause
eva: (emphatic)
asta-gamam = accusative from astaM- √gam: to go to one's eternal home , cease , vanish , perish , die
ca: and
tasya (genitive of saH): of him, in him

vijaanataH = abl. sg. pres. participle vijNaa: to distinguish, know
pashyataH = abl. sg. pres. participle pash: to see
eva: (emphatic), the very
ca: and
aham: I

braviimi = 1st person singular of bruu: to speak , say , tell (with two acc. also = declare or pronounce to be, call); proclaim
samyak: well and truly, properly, fully
kShayam (accusative): end, termination
aasravaaNaam = genitive, plural of aasrava: a door opening into water and allowing the stream to descend through it [hence leakage of energy]; distress, affliction

EH Johnston:
For I say that for him who recognises and understands the nature of corporeality, its cause and its disappearance, the infections are abolished.

Linda Covill:
For I proclaim the total annihilation of rebirth-producing tendencies in a man who knows and sees psycho-physical existence just as it is, and its cause and its disappearance.

SAUNDARANANDA 16.22: How the Three Poisons Develop

roSh'aadhike janmani tiivra-roSha
utpadyate raagiNi tiivra-raagaH
moh'-aadhike moha-bal'-aadhikash ca
tad-alpa-doShe ca tad-alpa-doShaH

16.22
In a life dominated by anger arises violent anger,

In the lover of passion arises burning passion,

And in the predominantly ignorant,
overwhelming ignorance.

In one who has a lesser fault, again,
the lesser fault develops.

COMMENT:
Anger/hatred, greed/lust and ignorance/delusion are the three root faults, sometimes called the three poisons. Lesser faults include being proud, jealous and opinionated.

The Buddha here is reminding Nanda that these basic afflictions, or fundamental faults, are the cause of suffering.

My efforts to get to the bottom of faults, and to understand what is truly basic and fundamental, always seem to lead me back to the vestibular reflexes, and in particular to the antagonism between fear paralysis and the infantile panic/grasp reflex.

For the how and the where of direction of human energy, whether unconsciously or consciously, the vestibular system is fundamental.

VOCABULARY:
roSha: anger , rage , wrath , passion , fury
adhike = locative of adhika: additional, extra-, super- ; surpassing (in number or quantity or quality); n. surplus , abundance , redundancy , hyperbole ; n. more.
janmani = locative janman: birth, existence, life; rebirth
tiivra: strong , severe , violent , intense , hot , pervading , excessive , ardent , sharp , acute , pungent , horrible
roShaH (nom. sg.): m. anger

utpadyate = 3rd person passive singular of utpad: to arise , rise , originate , be born or produced ; to come forth , become visible , appear; to cause to issue or come forth
raagiNi = locative of raagin: having a colour; of a red colour; red; impassioned , affectionate , enamoured; a lover, libertine; a wanton and intriguing woman
tiivra: strong, violent, intense, hot
raagaH = nominative, singular of raaga: colour, red colour; any feeling or passion , (esp.) love

moha: loss of consciousness , bewilderment , perplexity , distraction , infatuation , delusion , error , folly; (in phil.) darkness or delusion of mind (preventing the discernment of truth and leading men to believe in the reality of worldly objects) ; (with Buddhists) ignorance (one of the three roots of vice)
adhike = locative of adhika: surpassing, super, predominant
moha: ignorance, delusion, folly
bala: power, strength
adhikaH = nominative singular of adhika: surpassing, predominating
ca: and

tat: that, those [faults]
alpa: small, less than
doShe = locative of doSha: fault
ca: and
tat: that, those [faults]
alpa: small, less than
doShaH = nominative, singular of doSha: fault

EH Johnston:
In the (new) birth of one addicted to malevolence extreme malevolence is developed, of one possessed by passion excessive passion, of one in whom delusion predominates excessive store of delusion, and of one whose vices are less than this a lesser vice only.

Linda Covill:
Violent hatred arises in the future birth of someone given to hate, violent lust in someone who was lustful, a very powerful delusion in someone given to delusion, and a lesser fault in someone whose fault was less than these.