In this series of verses a certain emphasis seems to be indicated by the repetition of mati in niyata-matiH (3.18) and nishcita-matiH (3.19).
mati is from the root √man, to think.
niyata is the past participle of ni- √ yam, to stop, fasten, bind. So niyata-matiH (3.18) suggests thinking that has become secure, sure, not liable to be destabilized by feelings, or stimuli perceived through the senses.
nishcita is the past participle of nish- √ ci to ascertain, investigate, decide. nish- √ ci is also the root of nishcaya in the phrase parama nishcaya vidhi (supreme method of investigation; 3.6). So nishcita-matiH (3.19) means thinking that has become clear, distinct, definite, as a result of investigation, ascertainment, clarification, verification.
Zen teachers in Japan, where clear thinking is not a strong point and indistinct "intuitive" thinking (not from the brain but from the area of the lower intestines) is rather regarded as a virtue, are prone to emphasize that the Buddha's teaching is not about thinking, but it is all about just acting.
Alexander work, in contrast, is said to be "an exercise in finding out what thinking is."
An Alexander teacher who taught me, Marjory Barlow, used to emphasize that we human beings (in which group even Gautama Buddha is included) cannot control our feelings; rather, our feelings control us. But we can to some extent control what we think.
A student complained to another Alexander teacher named Marjorie Barstow that Marjorie's Alexander work had made her feel confused. "It's all right to feel confused," Marjorie answered, "as long as your thinking is not confused."
I heard something from the BBC radio archives the other day in which the historians Hugh Trevor-Roper and AJP Taylor were arguing about the causes of WWII. I think it was this conversation (I may be wrong) in which the observation was made that "the mistake of appeasement" has become a historical cliche, and a cliche is always an obstacle to clear thinking.
When I tried, admittedly naively and unskilfully, to let my Zen teacher know what FM Alexander had discovered about thinking, my teacher, who was admittedly already an old man of 75, seemed to react blindly to the word "thinking" on the basis of a cliche that had become as if fossilized in his brain and nervous system. The cliche may have had its roots in WWII Japanese propoganda about hakujin no bunka "white man's [intellectual] civilization."
If my teacher had managed to remain more open-minded in his old age, he would not have reacted as he did but would have thought more deeply about the relation between thinking and action, and might have recognized something valuable in FM Alexander's phrase "thinking in activity."
What Alexander called "thinking in activity" has not stopped me feeling anger, and behind the anger, hurt; but it has helped me keep directing the river of my energy in a more or less constructive direction.... notwithstanding quite a few leaks.... of which this comment might be one.
What I was taught in Japan, at least as I received the teaching through the filter of my own faulty feeling, was that action itself -- and not thinking -- is the vital thing, and clear thinking about action (i.e. "the philosophy of action") is also very valuable. What I am doing now is thinking about thinking, which is not what Alexander meant by "thinking in activity" and which is not what Ashvaghosha meant when he described the Buddha as "sure/clear in his thinking."
When I am most sure/clear in my thinking, I direct my head forward and up and the back to lengthen and widen, remembering Marjory Barlow's exhortation "Don't try to do it, just think it," as I withhold or give consent to an action like moving a leg or bowing.
In conclusion, what did Ashvaghosha mean by niyata-matiH (3.18) and nishcita-matiH (3.19)?
Thinking. But not necessarily what eminent historians, Zen masters, or even Alexander teachers understand as thinking.
3.15
sa viniiya kaashiShu gayeShu
bahu-janam atho giri-vraje
pitryam api parama-kaaruNiko
nagaraM yayaav anujighRkShayaa tadaa
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3.15
Having instructed many people at Kashi and at Gaya
As also at Giri-vraja,
He made his way then to the city of his fathers,
In his deeply compassionate desire to include it.
VOCABULARY:
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
viniiya = abs. vi- √ nii: to lead or take away ; to educate, instruct, direct
kaashiShu (loc.): Kaashi ; f. " the splendid " , N. of a celebrated city and place of pilgrimage (the modern Benares , usually written kaashii q.v.)
gayeShu (loc.): Gayaa ; f. " what has been conquered or acquired "; f. Buddha's gayaa , N. of a sacred place near gaya (in Behar) , where Gautama Buddha and all the other Buddhas are said to have attained to true wisdom.
bahu-janam (acc. sg.): m. a great multitude of people
atha: (connecting particle) and then, next
giri-vraje (loc.): Giri-vraja ; m. " mountain-fenced " N. of the capital of magadha
pitryam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. derived from or relating to a father , paternal , patrimonial , ancestral
api: also
parama-kaaruNikaH (nom. sg. m.): with deepest compassion
parama: deepest, highest, etc.
kaaruNika: mfn. (fr. karuNa) , compassionate
karuNa: mfn. mournful , miserable , lamenting ; compassionate
nagaram (acc. sg.): n. town, city
yayau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect yaa: to go , proceed , move , walk , set out , march , advance , travel , journey
anujighRkShayaa = inst. sg. anujighRkShaa: f. (fr. des. anu- √grah) desire to show favour or kindness ; intention to include
anu- √ grah : to follow in taking or plundering ; to support ; to uphold ; to receive , welcome ; to treat with kindness , favour , oblige ; to foster.
tadaa: ind. at that time, there and then, actually
3.16
viShay'-aatmakasya hi janasya
bahu-vividha-maarga-sevinaH
suurya-sadRsha-vapur abhyudito
vijahaara suurya iva Gautamas tamaH
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3.16
To people possessed by ends,
Serving many and various paths,
Splendour that seemed like the sun had arisen:
Gautama was like the sun, dispelling darkness.
VOCABULARY:
viShay'-aatmakasya (gen. sg. m.): belonging to objects
viShaya: object of the senses, end to be gained
aatmaka: mfn. belonging to or forming the nature of
hi: for, indeed
janasya (gen. sg.): m. person, people
bahu-vividha-maarga-sevinaH (gen. sg. m.): resorting to many and various paths
bahu: many, much
vividha: various, of different kinds, assorted, mixed
maarga: path
sevin: going or resorting to, serving, honouring, having sex with, fond of, addicted to, practising.
suurya-sadRsha-vapuH (nom. sg. n.): a beautiful form like the sun
suurya: sun
sadRsha: like, similar to
vapus: n. form , figure , (esp.) a beautiful form or figure , wonderful appearance , beauty
abhyuditaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. risen (as the sun or luminaries)
vijahaara = 3rd pers. sg. perfect vi- √ hR: to put asunder , keep apart , separate , open ; to disperse (clouds); to carry away , remove
suuryaH (nom. sg.): m. the sun
iva: like
GautamaH (nom. sg. m.): Gautama
tamaH (acc. sg.): n. darkness, gloom
3.17
abhitas tataH kapilavaastu
parama-shubha-vaastu-saMstutaM
vastu-mati-shuci shiv'-opavanaM
sa dadarsha niH-spRhatayaa yathaa vanaM
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3.17
Seeing then all sides of Kapilavastu --
Which was famed for its most beautiful properties,
Being pure and clean in its substance and design
and pleasantly wooded --
He looked without longing, as though at a forest.
VOCABULARY:
abhitas: ind. (with acc.) on both sides; on all sides , everywhere , about , round ; entirely
tataH: ind. then
kapilavaastu (acc. sg. n.): Kapilavastu
parama-shubha-vaastu-saMstutam (acc. sg. n.): famed for its exceedingly lovely houses
parama: exceedingly, the most
shubha: splendid , bright , beautiful , handsome
vaastu: houses, properties, real estate
saMstuta: mfn. famed, celebrated
vastu-mati-shuci (acc. sg. n.): pure in substance and design
vastu: material thing, object, substance.
mati: thought , design , intention
shuci: pure
shiv'-opavanam (acc. sg. n.): with auspicious groves
shiva: auspicious, kind, friendly, pleasant, happy
upavana: n. a small forest or wood , grove , garden
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
dadarsha = 3rd pers. sg. perfect dRsh: to see, behold, look at, regard
niH-spRhatayaa = inst. niH-spRhataa: f. freedom from desire
niH-spRha: mfn. free from desire , not longing for (loc. or comp.) , abstaining from (abl.)
- taa: (abstract noun suffix)
yathaa: as, as though, as if
vana (acc. sg.): n. forest, wood
3.18
a-parigrahaH sa hi babhuuva
niyata-matir aatman'iishvaraH
n'aaika-vidha-bhaya-kareshu kim u
sva-jana-sva-desha-jana-mitra-vastushu
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3.18
For he had become free of belonging:
He was sure in his thinking, the master of himself.
How much less did he belong
to those causes of manifold worry --
Family, countrymen, friends and property?
VOCABULARY:
a-parigrahaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. destitute of possession ; mfn. destitute of attendants or of a wife
a: not, without
parigraha: possession, wrapping around, property, dependents, trammels, appurtenances
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
hi: for
babhuuva = 3rd pers. sg. perfect bhuu: to be
niyata-matiH (nom. sg. m.): with fastened inclination
niyata: mfn. held back or in , fastened ; controlled, restrained, definite, sure
ni- √ yam: to stop (trans.) , hold back ; to fasten , tie to (loc.) , bind up (hair &c )
mati: f. (from √man: to think) thought , design , intention , resolution , determination , inclination , wish , desire , mind
aatmani (loc. sg.): m. the individual self
iishvaraH (nom. sg. m.): being the master
[OR]
aatman-iishvaraH (nom. sg. m.): being master of himself
aatman: m. the individual self
iishvara: master , lord , prince , king ; God
n'aaika-vidha-bhaya-kareshu (loc. pl.): causing many forms of dismay
na: not
eka: one
n'aaika: mfn. not one, i.e. many, numerous, manifold
vidha: m. measure, form, kind
n'aaikavidha: mfn. manifold, various
bhaya: n. fear , alarm dread apprehension ; sg. and pl. terror , dismay , danger , peril , distress
kara: mfn. a doer , maker , causer , doing , making , causing , producing (esp. ifc.)
kim u: how much more/less?
sva-jana-sva-desha-jana-mitra-vastushu (loc. pl.): family, countrymen, friends and property
sva-jana: one's own people, family
sva-desha-jana: people of one's own country
mitra: friends
vastu: possession, property
3.19
pratipuujayaa na sa jaharSha
na ca shucam avajNay" aagamat
niscita-matir asi-candanayor
na jagaama duHkha-sukhayosh ca vikriyaaM
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3.19
Being revered gave him no thrill;
Disrespect caused him no grief.
He was clear in his thinking,
come sword or sandalwood,
And he did not change his attitude
when the going got hard or easy.
VOCABULARY:
pratipuujayaa = inst. sg. pratipuujaa: n. doing homage , honouring , revering (with gen.)
prati- √ puuj: , to return a salutation , reverence , salute respectfully , honour , praise , commend , approve
na: not
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
jaharSha = 3rd pers. sg. perfect hRSh: to be excited or impatient , rejoice in the prospect of , be anxious or impatient for (dat.) ; to thrill with rapture , rejoice , exult , be glad or pleased ; to become sexually excited ; to become erect or stiff or rigid , bristle (said of the hairs of the body &c ) , become on edge (like the teeth)
na: not
ca: and
shucam (acc. sg.): grieving, sorrowful
avajNayaa: ind. instr. with disregard , indifferently
avajNaa: f. contempt , disesteem , disrespect
ava- √ jNaa: to disesteem , have a low opinion of , despise , treat with contempt
agamat = 3rd pers. sg. aorist gam: to go, become (with accusative)
niscita-matiH (nom. sg. m.): decided in mind, firm in his direction/thinking, unmoved, unperturbed
niscita: mfn. ascertained , determined , settled , decided; n. certainty , decision , resolution , design
nish- √ ci: to ascertain , investigate , decide , settle , fix upon , determine , resolve
mati: f. (from √man: to think) thought , design , intention , resolution , determination , inclination , wish , desire , mindinclination , wish , desire
asi-candanayoH (gen./loc. dual): towards sword and sandalwood
asi: sword
candana: sandalwood, luxurious incense
na: not
jagaama = 3rd pers. sg. perfect gam: to go, become (with accusative)
duHkha-suKHhayoH (gen./loc. dual): in pain or pleasure, in discomfort or ease, in suffering or happiness, in hard times or in good times, etc.
ca: and
vikriyaam (acc. sg.): f. transformation , change , modification , altered or unnatural condition ; change for the worse , deterioration , disfigurement , deformity ; ailment , indisposition , affection; perturbation , agitation , perplexity
vi- √ kR: to make different , transform , change the shape (or the mind) , cause to alter or change (esp. for the worse) , deprave , pervert , spoil , impair
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
SAUNDARANANDA 3.10 - 3. 14: Turning of the Dharma-Wheel
After nearly two years of studying Sanskrit I have got to the point where my 50-year-old brain can hold five verses at least in short-term memory. For the anonymous monks of old who would have committed to long-term memory every verse in all 18 cantos, reciting Saundarananda must have been a very rewarding experience.
3.10
avabudhya c'aiva param'-aartham
a-jaram anukampayaa vibhuH
nityam amRtam upadarshayituM
sa varaaNasii-parikaraam ayaat puriim
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3.10
Awake to the one great purpose,
Which is ageless; and universal in his compassion,
In order to demonstrate the constant and undying,
He walked to the city that was sustained
by the waters of the Varuna and Asi.
VOCABULARY:
avabudhya = abs. ava- √ budh: to become sensible or aware of , perceive , know
ca: and
eva: (emphatic) truly
param'-aartham (acc. sg. m.): the primary matter
parama: primary, paramount
artha: matter, purpose, aim, point
a-jaram (acc. sg. m.): mfn. not subject to old age , undecaying , ever young,
anukampayaa = inst. sg. anukampaa: compassion
vibhuH (nom sg. m.): mfn. being everywhere, omnipresent; mighty, effective, functional; m. the lord, the almighty
nityam (acc. sg. ): mfn. continual , perpetual , eternal ; constant, ordinary , usual , invariable
amRtam: mfn. undying, immortal; n. immortality, the deathless ; the nectar of immortality
upadarshayitum = inf. causative upa- √ dRsh: to cause to see , show , exhibit ; to explain, illustrate
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
varaaNasii-parikaraam (acc. sg. f.):
varaaNasii: f. N. of a river ; f. the city of Benares (more usually written vaaraaNasii cf. varaNasii ; two small rivers , the varaNaa and asii are said to join or give rise to the name)
parikara: mfn. who or what helps or assists ; m. (ifc. f(aa).) attendants , followers , entourage , retinue , train (sg. and pl.); girdle
pari- √ kR: to surround ; to uphold
ayaat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect yaa: to go , proceed , move , walk , set out , march , advance , travel , journey
puriim (acc. sg. ): f. a fortress , castle , town
3.11
atha dharma-cakram Rta-naabhi
dhRti-mati-samaadhi-nemimat
tatra vinaya-niyam'-aaram RShir
jagato hitaaya pariShady avartayat
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= - - - - - - = - - =
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3.11
And so the wheel of Dharma --
whose hub is uprightness,
Whose rim is constancy, determination,
and balanced stillness,
And whose spokes are the rules of discipline --
The seer turned in an assembly there,
for the welfare of the world.
VOCABULARY:
atha: then
dharma-cakram (acc. sg.): n. the dharma-wheel, the wheel or range of the law; m. " having or turning the wheel of the law " , a buddha ; a partic. mythical weapon
Rta-naabhi (acc. sg. n.): having truth for a hub
Rta: mfn. met with ; fitting, right; upright, honest, true; n. fixed or settled order , law , rule (esp. in religion); sacred or pious action ; n. truth in general , righteousness , right ; n. truth personified (as an object of worship , and hence enumerated among the sacred objects )
naabhi: f. (prob. fr. √nabh , " to burst asunder or into a hole " ; the navel ; the nave of a wheel , centre , hub
dhRti-mati-samaadhi-nemimat (acc. sg. n.): having constancy and intention as its hub
dhRti: f. holding , seizing , keeping , supporting, firmness , constancy , resolution , will , comman
mati: f. devotion , prayer , worship , hymn , sacred utterance ; thought , design , intention , resolution , determination , inclination , wish , desire
samaadhi: m. putting together; integration, physical balance, harmony
nemi: f. ( √ nam) rim, felly of a wheel (the section of a wheel-rim between each spoke); any circumference or edge or rim
-mat (possessive suffix) having
tatra: there
vinaya-niyam'-aaram (acc. sg. n.): with the rules of discipline as its spokes
vinaya: guidance, discipline, instruction, the Vinaya
niyama: rules, precepts
ara: mn. the spoke of a wheel
RShiH (nom. sg. m.): the seer
jagataH = gen. sg. jagat: the world
hitaaya = dat. sg. hita: n. (sg. or pl.) anything useful or salutary or suitable or proper , benefit , advantage , profit , service , good , welfare , good advice &c
pariShadi = loc. sg. pariShad: f. an assembly , meeting , group , circle , audience
avartayat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect causative vRt: to cause to turn or revolve , whirl , wave , brandish , hurl ; to cause to proceed or take place or be or exist , do , perform , accomplish , display; to set forth , relate , recount , explain , declare
3.12
iti duHkham etad iyam asya
samudaya-lataa pravartikaa
shaantir iyam ayam upaaya iti
pravibhaagashaH param idaM catuShTayam
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3.12
"This is suffering;
This is the tangled mass of causes producing it;
This is cessation; and here is a means."
Thus, one by one, this supreme set of four,
VOCABULARY:
3.12
iti: thus, in this manner
duHkham (nom. sg.): n. suffering, unease, dissatisfaction
etat (nom. sg. n.): this is, here is [suffering]
iyam (nom. sg. f.): this is, here is [the tangle]
asya (gen. sg. n.) of it, belonging to [suffering]
samudaya-lataa (nom. sg. f.): the tangle of producing causes, the tangle of aggregations
samudaya: m. coming together , union , junction , combination , collection , assemblage , multitude , aggregation , aggregate ; (with Buddhists) producing cause, instigating cause (of suffering)
lataa: f. a creeper , any creeping or winding plant or twining tendril
pravartikaa = nom. sg. f. pravartaka: mfn. acting , proceeding ; setting in motion or action , setting on foot , advancing , promoting , forwarding ; producing , causing , effecting
shaantiH (nom. sg.): f. tranquillity , peace , quiet , peace or calmness of mind , absence of passion , averting of pain ; alleviation (of evil or pain) , cessation , abatement , extinction (of fire &c )
iyam (nom. sg. f.): this is, here is [peace]
ayam (nom. sg. m.): this is, here is [the/a means]
upaayaH (nom. sg.): m. coming near , approach , arrival ; that by which one reaches one's aim , a means or expedient (of any kind) , way , stratagem , craft , artifice
iti: thus (close quotes)
pravibhaaga-shas: ind. separately, singly, one by one
pravibhaaga: m. separation , division , distribution , classification ; a part , portion
param (acc. sg. n.): highest, ascendant, supreme
idam (acc. sg. n.): this, thus, here
catuShTayam (acc. sg.): n. set of four, tetrad, foursome
3.13
abhidhaaya ca tri-parivartam
a-tulam anivartyam uttamaM
dvaadasha-niyata-vikalpam RShir
vininaaya kauNDina-sa-gotram aaditaH
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= - - - - - - = - - =
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3.13
The seer set out, with its the three divisions
Of the unequalled, the incontrovertible, the ultimate,
And with its statement of twelvefold determination;
After which he instructed, as the first,
him of the Kaundinya clan.
VOCABULARY:
abhidhaaya = abs. abhi- √ dhaa: (in classical Sanskrit generally) to set forth , explain , tell , speak to , address , say , name
ca: and
tri-parivartam (acc. sg. m.): with three three divisions (of the noble eightfold path, to be detailed in Canto 16)
tri: three
pari-varta: m. (from pari- √ vRt, to turn round) revolving , revolution (of a planet &c ) ; a chapter , section , book &c
a-tulam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. uequalled, imponderable, incomparable
√tul: to lift up, to determine the weight of anything by lifting it up, weigh, compare by weighing and examining, ponder, examine with distrust
a-nivartyam (acc. sg. n): mfn. not to be gone back on, incontervertible
nivartya: mfn. (=gerundive from ni- √ vRt): mfn. to be turned back; annulled , declared to be invalid
uttamam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. uppermost, highest, most elevated, furthest removed
dvaadasha-niyata-vikalpam (acc. sg. n.): statement of twelvefold dependence
dvaadasha: twelve (referring to the twelve links in the chain of what is generally known as "dependent origination")
niyata: mfn. held back, held in, tied to; restrained, restricted; limited in number, connecting, dependent on; constant, fixed, established, sure, invariable, inevitably.
vikalpa: m. alternation, option; variation, combination, diversity, manifoldness, difference of perception, distinction, statement, doubt; false notion, fancy
RShiH (nom. sg. m.): the seer
vininaaya = 3rd pers. sg. perfect vi- √ nii : to lead or take away , remove ; to train , tame , guide (horses) ; to educate , instruct , direct
kauNDina-sa-gotram (acc. sg. m.): him of the Kaundinya clan
kauNDina: mfn. fr. kauNDinya
kauNDinya: m. patr. fr. kuNDina ; name of a clan
kuNDina: n. N. of the capital of vidarbha (ruled over by bhiima , the father-in-law of nala , apparently the modern Kondavir in Berar)
sa-gotra: mfn. being of the same family or kin , related to (gen. or comp.)
aaditaH: ind. from the beginning , from the first , at first , at the head of
3.14
sa hi doSha-saagaram agaadham
upadhi-jalam aadhi-jantukaM
krodha-mada-bhaya-taraNga-calaM
pratataara lokam api ca vyataarayat
- - = - = - - - = -
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= - - - - - - = - - =
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3.14
For the fathomless sea of faults,
Whose water is falsity, where fish are cares,
And which is disturbed by waves of anger, lust, and fear,
He had crossed; and he took the world across too.
VOCABULARY:
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
hi: for
doSha-saagaram (acc. sg. m.): the sea of faults
doSha: m. fault, vice, deficiency, sinfulness, harm; misuse; disease [of the three humours, applied also to the humours themselves]
saagara: m. the ocena, sea, flood
agaadham (acc. sg. m.): mfn. not shallow , deep , unfathomable
a: not
gaadha: fordable, shallow
upadhi-jalam (acc. sg. m.): with falsity for water
upadhi: the act of putting or adding on; addition; fraud, circumvention falsity, fraudulence, false pretence, condition.
[MW adds, for Buddhist usage see] upaadhi: a substitute; anything which may be taken for or has the mere name or appearance of another thing; appearance, phantom, disguise; condition; deception; deceit.
jalam: water
aadhi-jantukam (acc. sg. m.): with anxious thoughts for fish
aadhi: (1) mortgage, financial liability, (2) mental trouble, anxious thought, care
jantu: creature, fish [to fry?]
krodha-mada-bhaya-taraNga-calam (acc. sg. m.): moved by waves of anger, lust, and fear
krodha: anger
mada: hilarity , rapture , excitement , inspiration , intoxication
bhaya: fear
taraNga: wave
cala: mfn. moved, disturbed, agitated
pratataara = 3rd pers. sg. perfect pra- √ tRR: to go to sea, pass over, cross
lokam (acc. sg.): m. world
api: also
ca: and
vyataarayat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect causative vi -√ tRR: to cause to pass across or through , cause to traverse
3.10
avabudhya c'aiva param'-aartham
a-jaram anukampayaa vibhuH
nityam amRtam upadarshayituM
sa varaaNasii-parikaraam ayaat puriim
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.10
Awake to the one great purpose,
Which is ageless; and universal in his compassion,
In order to demonstrate the constant and undying,
He walked to the city that was sustained
by the waters of the Varuna and Asi.
VOCABULARY:
avabudhya = abs. ava- √ budh: to become sensible or aware of , perceive , know
ca: and
eva: (emphatic) truly
param'-aartham (acc. sg. m.): the primary matter
parama: primary, paramount
artha: matter, purpose, aim, point
a-jaram (acc. sg. m.): mfn. not subject to old age , undecaying , ever young,
anukampayaa = inst. sg. anukampaa: compassion
vibhuH (nom sg. m.): mfn. being everywhere, omnipresent; mighty, effective, functional; m. the lord, the almighty
nityam (acc. sg. ): mfn. continual , perpetual , eternal ; constant, ordinary , usual , invariable
amRtam: mfn. undying, immortal; n. immortality, the deathless ; the nectar of immortality
upadarshayitum = inf. causative upa- √ dRsh: to cause to see , show , exhibit ; to explain, illustrate
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
varaaNasii-parikaraam (acc. sg. f.):
varaaNasii: f. N. of a river ; f. the city of Benares (more usually written vaaraaNasii cf. varaNasii ; two small rivers , the varaNaa and asii are said to join or give rise to the name)
parikara: mfn. who or what helps or assists ; m. (ifc. f(aa).) attendants , followers , entourage , retinue , train (sg. and pl.); girdle
pari- √ kR: to surround ; to uphold
ayaat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect yaa: to go , proceed , move , walk , set out , march , advance , travel , journey
puriim (acc. sg. ): f. a fortress , castle , town
3.11
atha dharma-cakram Rta-naabhi
dhRti-mati-samaadhi-nemimat
tatra vinaya-niyam'-aaram RShir
jagato hitaaya pariShady avartayat
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - -
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - -
3.11
And so the wheel of Dharma --
whose hub is uprightness,
Whose rim is constancy, determination,
and balanced stillness,
And whose spokes are the rules of discipline --
The seer turned in an assembly there,
for the welfare of the world.
VOCABULARY:
atha: then
dharma-cakram (acc. sg.): n. the dharma-wheel, the wheel or range of the law; m. " having or turning the wheel of the law " , a buddha ; a partic. mythical weapon
Rta-naabhi (acc. sg. n.): having truth for a hub
Rta: mfn. met with ; fitting, right; upright, honest, true; n. fixed or settled order , law , rule (esp. in religion); sacred or pious action ; n. truth in general , righteousness , right ; n. truth personified (as an object of worship , and hence enumerated among the sacred objects )
naabhi: f. (prob. fr. √nabh , " to burst asunder or into a hole " ; the navel ; the nave of a wheel , centre , hub
dhRti-mati-samaadhi-nemimat (acc. sg. n.): having constancy and intention as its hub
dhRti: f. holding , seizing , keeping , supporting, firmness , constancy , resolution , will , comman
mati: f. devotion , prayer , worship , hymn , sacred utterance ; thought , design , intention , resolution , determination , inclination , wish , desire
samaadhi: m. putting together; integration, physical balance, harmony
nemi: f. ( √ nam) rim, felly of a wheel (the section of a wheel-rim between each spoke); any circumference or edge or rim
-mat (possessive suffix) having
tatra: there
vinaya-niyam'-aaram (acc. sg. n.): with the rules of discipline as its spokes
vinaya: guidance, discipline, instruction, the Vinaya
niyama: rules, precepts
ara: mn. the spoke of a wheel
RShiH (nom. sg. m.): the seer
jagataH = gen. sg. jagat: the world
hitaaya = dat. sg. hita: n. (sg. or pl.) anything useful or salutary or suitable or proper , benefit , advantage , profit , service , good , welfare , good advice &c
pariShadi = loc. sg. pariShad: f. an assembly , meeting , group , circle , audience
avartayat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect causative vRt: to cause to turn or revolve , whirl , wave , brandish , hurl ; to cause to proceed or take place or be or exist , do , perform , accomplish , display; to set forth , relate , recount , explain , declare
3.12
iti duHkham etad iyam asya
samudaya-lataa pravartikaa
shaantir iyam ayam upaaya iti
pravibhaagashaH param idaM catuShTayam
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - -
3.12
"This is suffering;
This is the tangled mass of causes producing it;
This is cessation; and here is a means."
Thus, one by one, this supreme set of four,
VOCABULARY:
3.12
iti: thus, in this manner
duHkham (nom. sg.): n. suffering, unease, dissatisfaction
etat (nom. sg. n.): this is, here is [suffering]
iyam (nom. sg. f.): this is, here is [the tangle]
asya (gen. sg. n.) of it, belonging to [suffering]
samudaya-lataa (nom. sg. f.): the tangle of producing causes, the tangle of aggregations
samudaya: m. coming together , union , junction , combination , collection , assemblage , multitude , aggregation , aggregate ; (with Buddhists) producing cause, instigating cause (of suffering)
lataa: f. a creeper , any creeping or winding plant or twining tendril
pravartikaa = nom. sg. f. pravartaka: mfn. acting , proceeding ; setting in motion or action , setting on foot , advancing , promoting , forwarding ; producing , causing , effecting
shaantiH (nom. sg.): f. tranquillity , peace , quiet , peace or calmness of mind , absence of passion , averting of pain ; alleviation (of evil or pain) , cessation , abatement , extinction (of fire &c )
iyam (nom. sg. f.): this is, here is [peace]
ayam (nom. sg. m.): this is, here is [the/a means]
upaayaH (nom. sg.): m. coming near , approach , arrival ; that by which one reaches one's aim , a means or expedient (of any kind) , way , stratagem , craft , artifice
iti: thus (close quotes)
pravibhaaga-shas: ind. separately, singly, one by one
pravibhaaga: m. separation , division , distribution , classification ; a part , portion
param (acc. sg. n.): highest, ascendant, supreme
idam (acc. sg. n.): this, thus, here
catuShTayam (acc. sg.): n. set of four, tetrad, foursome
3.13
abhidhaaya ca tri-parivartam
a-tulam anivartyam uttamaM
dvaadasha-niyata-vikalpam RShir
vininaaya kauNDina-sa-gotram aaditaH
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.13
The seer set out, with its the three divisions
Of the unequalled, the incontrovertible, the ultimate,
And with its statement of twelvefold determination;
After which he instructed, as the first,
him of the Kaundinya clan.
VOCABULARY:
abhidhaaya = abs. abhi- √ dhaa: (in classical Sanskrit generally) to set forth , explain , tell , speak to , address , say , name
ca: and
tri-parivartam (acc. sg. m.): with three three divisions (of the noble eightfold path, to be detailed in Canto 16)
tri: three
pari-varta: m. (from pari- √ vRt, to turn round) revolving , revolution (of a planet &c ) ; a chapter , section , book &c
a-tulam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. uequalled, imponderable, incomparable
√tul: to lift up, to determine the weight of anything by lifting it up, weigh, compare by weighing and examining, ponder, examine with distrust
a-nivartyam (acc. sg. n): mfn. not to be gone back on, incontervertible
nivartya: mfn. (=gerundive from ni- √ vRt): mfn. to be turned back; annulled , declared to be invalid
uttamam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. uppermost, highest, most elevated, furthest removed
dvaadasha-niyata-vikalpam (acc. sg. n.): statement of twelvefold dependence
dvaadasha: twelve (referring to the twelve links in the chain of what is generally known as "dependent origination")
niyata: mfn. held back, held in, tied to; restrained, restricted; limited in number, connecting, dependent on; constant, fixed, established, sure, invariable, inevitably.
vikalpa: m. alternation, option; variation, combination, diversity, manifoldness, difference of perception, distinction, statement, doubt; false notion, fancy
RShiH (nom. sg. m.): the seer
vininaaya = 3rd pers. sg. perfect vi- √ nii : to lead or take away , remove ; to train , tame , guide (horses) ; to educate , instruct , direct
kauNDina-sa-gotram (acc. sg. m.): him of the Kaundinya clan
kauNDina: mfn. fr. kauNDinya
kauNDinya: m. patr. fr. kuNDina ; name of a clan
kuNDina: n. N. of the capital of vidarbha (ruled over by bhiima , the father-in-law of nala , apparently the modern Kondavir in Berar)
sa-gotra: mfn. being of the same family or kin , related to (gen. or comp.)
aaditaH: ind. from the beginning , from the first , at first , at the head of
3.14
sa hi doSha-saagaram agaadham
upadhi-jalam aadhi-jantukaM
krodha-mada-bhaya-taraNga-calaM
pratataara lokam api ca vyataarayat
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - -
3.14
For the fathomless sea of faults,
Whose water is falsity, where fish are cares,
And which is disturbed by waves of anger, lust, and fear,
He had crossed; and he took the world across too.
VOCABULARY:
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
hi: for
doSha-saagaram (acc. sg. m.): the sea of faults
doSha: m. fault, vice, deficiency, sinfulness, harm; misuse; disease [of the three humours, applied also to the humours themselves]
saagara: m. the ocena, sea, flood
agaadham (acc. sg. m.): mfn. not shallow , deep , unfathomable
a: not
gaadha: fordable, shallow
upadhi-jalam (acc. sg. m.): with falsity for water
upadhi: the act of putting or adding on; addition; fraud, circumvention falsity, fraudulence, false pretence, condition.
[MW adds, for Buddhist usage see] upaadhi: a substitute; anything which may be taken for or has the mere name or appearance of another thing; appearance, phantom, disguise; condition; deception; deceit.
jalam: water
aadhi-jantukam (acc. sg. m.): with anxious thoughts for fish
aadhi: (1) mortgage, financial liability, (2) mental trouble, anxious thought, care
jantu: creature, fish [to fry?]
krodha-mada-bhaya-taraNga-calam (acc. sg. m.): moved by waves of anger, lust, and fear
krodha: anger
mada: hilarity , rapture , excitement , inspiration , intoxication
bhaya: fear
taraNga: wave
cala: mfn. moved, disturbed, agitated
pratataara = 3rd pers. sg. perfect pra- √ tRR: to go to sea, pass over, cross
lokam (acc. sg.): m. world
api: also
ca: and
vyataarayat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect causative vi -√ tRR: to cause to pass across or through , cause to traverse
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
SAUNDARANANDA 3.8 - 3.9: Universal Rejoicing
The main principle behind these two verses is oneness of subject and object: Gautama effected a momentous change in human history, just at the place where he was conscious that the idea of asceticism had been stimulating in him a reaction he did not desire. At that moment, the whole universe changed -- beings up in Heaven with spiritual aspirations for the nectar of immortality, as well as material beings Down Under who love the chilled amber nectar, were all at that moment changed.
This principle, great teachers have taught us, is to be studied in the daily round. But the solitary practice of sitting-dhyana might be the best way of investigating it (parama nishchaya-vidhi).
For six years Gautama had been reacting unconsciously to the idea of asceticism, much to Mara's delight. Once the Buddha stopped being a slave to that idea, however, everything began to change -- for the Buddha and equally for the whole earth and all living beings.
3.8
avagamya taM ca kRta-kaaryam
amRta-manaso divaukasaH
harSham atulam agaman muditaa
vimukhii tu maara-pariShat pracukShubhe
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - - - - =
- = = - = - - - = - = - =
3.8
Sensing the completion of his task,
Heaven-denizens
whose heart's desire was the heavenly nectar
Buzzed with unbridled joy;
But Mara's crew was downcast and trembled.
avagamya = abs. ava- √ gam: to hit upon , think of , conceive , learn , know , understand , anticipate , assure one's self , be convinced
tam (acc. sg. m.): him
ca: and
kRta-kaaryam (acc. sg. m.): having done what was to be done
kRta: done, fulfilled, completed
kaarya: n. work or business to be done
amRta-manasaH (nom. pl. m.): minded towards the deathless
amRta: n. world of immortality , heaven , eternity; n. immortality ; n. the nectar (conferring immortality , produced at the churning of the ocean) , ambrosia
manas: n. thought , imagination , excogitation , invention , reflection , opinion , intention , inclination , affection , desire , mood , temper , spirit (ifc. after a verbal noun or an inf. stem in °tu = having a mind or wishing to)
divaukasaH = nom. pl. divaukas: m. ‘the sky-dwelling’ -- birds, bees, butterflies, and other beings buzzing about in the great blue beyond.
harSham (acc. sg.): m. bristling, erection (especially of the hair in a thrill of rapture or delight); exultation, joy, pleasure, happiness; erection of the sexual organs, sexual excitement
atulam (acc. sg. m.): unequalled, boundless
agamat = 3rd pers. sg. aorist gam: to go, to go to any state or condition
muditaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. delighted , joyful , glad , rejoicing in (instr. or comp.)
vimukhii = nom. sg. f. vimukha: mfn. having the face averted , turned backwards ; turning away from (gen.) , disappointed , downcast ; averse or opposed to
tu: but
maara-pariShad (nom. sg.): Mara's entourage
maara: m. death , pestilence ; m. (with Buddhists) the Destroyer , Evil One (who tempts men to indulge their passions and is the great enemy of the buddha and his religion ; four maaras are enumerated in Dharmas. 80 , viz. skandha- , klesha- , devaputra- , and mRiyu-maara ; but the later Buddhist theory of races of gods led to the figment of millions of maaras ruled over by a chief maara)
pariShad: f. (fr. pari-Shad, to sit round) an assembly , meeting , group , circle , audience , council
pracukShube = 3rd pers. sg. perfect pra- √ kShubh: to be moved or shaken or agitated or confused ; to totter , stagger
pra: ind. forward , in front , on , forth
√ kShubh: to shake , tremble , be agitated or disturbed , be unsteady , stumble (literally and metaphorically)
3.9
sa-nagaa ca bhuuH pravicacaala
huta-vaha-sakhaH shivo vavau
nedur api ca sura-dundubhayaH
pravavarSha c'aambu-dhara-varjitaM nabhaH
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.9
The earth with its mountains shook,
That which feeds the fire blew benignly,
The drums of the gods sounded,
And rain fell from the cloudless sky.
sa-nagaa (nom. sg. f.): having mountains
sa (nom. sg. m.): (possessive prefix)
na-ga m. " not moving " ; mountain
ca: and
bhuuH (nom. sg.) f.: earth
pravicacaala = 3rd. pers. sg. perfect pra-vi- √ cal: to become agitated , tremble , quake
huta-vaha-sakhaH (nom. sg. m.): 'friend of the conductor of the sacrifice,' i.e. that which supplies the sacrificial fire with oxygen -- the wind, a breeze.
huta: sacrifice
vaha: conductor
sakha: friend
shivaH (nom. sg. m.): auspicious
vavau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect vaa: to blow (as the wind)
nedur = 3rd pers. pl. perfect nad: to sound , thunder , roar , etc.
api: also
ca: and
sura-dundubhayaH (nom. pl. m.): the great kettledrums of the gods
sura: gods (as opposed to a-sura, anti-gods, demons)
dundubhi: mf. a sort of large kettledrum
pravavarSha = 3rd pers. sg. perfect pra- √ vRSh: to begin to rain , rain
pra-: ind. before, forth
√ vRSh: to rain
ca: and
ambu-dhara-varjitam (nom. sg. n.): cloudless
ambu-dhara: 'water-holder', cloud
varjita: mfn. excluded , abandoned , avoided ; (with instr. or ifc.) deprived of, wanting , without
nabhaH = nom. sg. nabhas: n. mist , clouds , vapour (esp. of the soma) ; the sky
This principle, great teachers have taught us, is to be studied in the daily round. But the solitary practice of sitting-dhyana might be the best way of investigating it (parama nishchaya-vidhi).
For six years Gautama had been reacting unconsciously to the idea of asceticism, much to Mara's delight. Once the Buddha stopped being a slave to that idea, however, everything began to change -- for the Buddha and equally for the whole earth and all living beings.
3.8
avagamya taM ca kRta-kaaryam
amRta-manaso divaukasaH
harSham atulam agaman muditaa
vimukhii tu maara-pariShat pracukShubhe
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - - - - =
- = = - = - - - = - = - =
3.8
Sensing the completion of his task,
Heaven-denizens
whose heart's desire was the heavenly nectar
Buzzed with unbridled joy;
But Mara's crew was downcast and trembled.
avagamya = abs. ava- √ gam: to hit upon , think of , conceive , learn , know , understand , anticipate , assure one's self , be convinced
tam (acc. sg. m.): him
ca: and
kRta-kaaryam (acc. sg. m.): having done what was to be done
kRta: done, fulfilled, completed
kaarya: n. work or business to be done
amRta-manasaH (nom. pl. m.): minded towards the deathless
amRta: n. world of immortality , heaven , eternity; n. immortality ; n. the nectar (conferring immortality , produced at the churning of the ocean) , ambrosia
manas: n. thought , imagination , excogitation , invention , reflection , opinion , intention , inclination , affection , desire , mood , temper , spirit (ifc. after a verbal noun or an inf. stem in °tu = having a mind or wishing to)
divaukasaH = nom. pl. divaukas: m. ‘the sky-dwelling’ -- birds, bees, butterflies, and other beings buzzing about in the great blue beyond.
harSham (acc. sg.): m. bristling, erection (especially of the hair in a thrill of rapture or delight); exultation, joy, pleasure, happiness; erection of the sexual organs, sexual excitement
atulam (acc. sg. m.): unequalled, boundless
agamat = 3rd pers. sg. aorist gam: to go, to go to any state or condition
muditaaH (nom. pl. m.): mfn. delighted , joyful , glad , rejoicing in (instr. or comp.)
vimukhii = nom. sg. f. vimukha: mfn. having the face averted , turned backwards ; turning away from (gen.) , disappointed , downcast ; averse or opposed to
tu: but
maara-pariShad (nom. sg.): Mara's entourage
maara: m. death , pestilence ; m. (with Buddhists) the Destroyer , Evil One (who tempts men to indulge their passions and is the great enemy of the buddha and his religion ; four maaras are enumerated in Dharmas. 80 , viz. skandha- , klesha- , devaputra- , and mRiyu-maara ; but the later Buddhist theory of races of gods led to the figment of millions of maaras ruled over by a chief maara)
pariShad: f. (fr. pari-Shad, to sit round) an assembly , meeting , group , circle , audience , council
pracukShube = 3rd pers. sg. perfect pra- √ kShubh: to be moved or shaken or agitated or confused ; to totter , stagger
pra: ind. forward , in front , on , forth
√ kShubh: to shake , tremble , be agitated or disturbed , be unsteady , stumble (literally and metaphorically)
3.9
sa-nagaa ca bhuuH pravicacaala
huta-vaha-sakhaH shivo vavau
nedur api ca sura-dundubhayaH
pravavarSha c'aambu-dhara-varjitaM nabhaH
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.9
The earth with its mountains shook,
That which feeds the fire blew benignly,
The drums of the gods sounded,
And rain fell from the cloudless sky.
sa-nagaa (nom. sg. f.): having mountains
sa (nom. sg. m.): (possessive prefix)
na-ga m. " not moving " ; mountain
ca: and
bhuuH (nom. sg.) f.: earth
pravicacaala = 3rd. pers. sg. perfect pra-vi- √ cal: to become agitated , tremble , quake
huta-vaha-sakhaH (nom. sg. m.): 'friend of the conductor of the sacrifice,' i.e. that which supplies the sacrificial fire with oxygen -- the wind, a breeze.
huta: sacrifice
vaha: conductor
sakha: friend
shivaH (nom. sg. m.): auspicious
vavau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect vaa: to blow (as the wind)
nedur = 3rd pers. pl. perfect nad: to sound , thunder , roar , etc.
api: also
ca: and
sura-dundubhayaH (nom. pl. m.): the great kettledrums of the gods
sura: gods (as opposed to a-sura, anti-gods, demons)
dundubhi: mf. a sort of large kettledrum
pravavarSha = 3rd pers. sg. perfect pra- √ vRSh: to begin to rain , rain
pra-: ind. before, forth
√ vRSh: to rain
ca: and
ambu-dhara-varjitam (nom. sg. n.): cloudless
ambu-dhara: 'water-holder', cloud
varjita: mfn. excluded , abandoned , avoided ; (with instr. or ifc.) deprived of, wanting , without
nabhaH = nom. sg. nabhas: n. mist , clouds , vapour (esp. of the soma) ; the sky
Monday, August 16, 2010
SAUNDARANANDA 3.6 - 3.7: The Will to Wake Up Leads to Awakening
Having had a couple of years to let the words sink in, I think suvarNa-piina-yuga-baahuH, "being of arms that are golden, full and yoke-like," means having arms that are lengthened and widened, because of being free of undue muscular tension, because, in turn, of being well coordinated with a lengthened and widened back. The point is that when the head is going where it ought to go (not being pulled back), and the back lengthens and widens, then the back supports the arms like a yoke, so that the arms are not pulled into the back but are available to swing, or to be moved, freely.
Similarly, RShabha-gatiH, "being of bull-like gait" or "walking like a bull," means maintaining a good head-neck-back relationship that is not disturbed by use of the legs.
Again, aayat'-ekShaNaH, "being long in the eye," as I read the phrase now, suggests a use of the eyes that is free of undue muscular tension, so that all the muscles of the eyes are lengthened.
Ashvaghosha is describing the physical effects on Gautama's use of his decision to give up the idea of asceticism and turn instead to the kind of joyful sitting he experienced in his youth under the rose-appled tree.
The metre of these verses is three long syllables and seven short in the first and second lines, three long and eight short in the third line, and five long and eight short in the fourth line.
That the verses are composed in metric form is certainly a help in memorizing them -- as practitioners would have done around two thousand years ago, communing with Ashvaghosha exactly as we are doing now, by memorizing his words and finding out through the supreme method of inquiry/investigation (parama nishcaya-vidhi) what he really meant.
Reflecting on this gives extra meaning to ahaaryam -- not to be taken away, irremovable.
Ashvaghosha's gold is not the kind one needs to lock up in a safe.
Understanding more clearly than I did before what the etymological derivation of a-vyaya is (from vi- √i, to go apart), I decided to translate it as "irreducible."
If I have ever been angered by a tendency perceived in others to try to reduce the Buddha's truth, and angered still further by a tendency perceived in others to be conceited about their own reductionist explanations, nothing is more certain than the fact that my anger has derived from a struggle within myself to overcome those false tendencies.
This translation work is part of that struggle, as a work in progress. At the same time, as my grasp of Ashvaghosha's Sanskrit very gradually improves and the translation work, at least, becomes less of a struggle, it makes me happy in working on the translation to think of it as a gift to others...
3.6
sa suvarNa-piina-yuga-baahur
RShabha-gatir aayat'-ekShaNaH
plakSham avaniruham abhyagamat
paramasya nishcaya-vidher bubhutsayaa
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.6
With his golden arms fully expanded and as if in a yoke,
With lengthened eyes, and walking like a bull,
He came to a fig tree, growing up from the earth,
With the will to awakening
that belongs to the supreme method of investigation.
VOCABULARY:
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
suvarNa-piina-yuga-baahuH (nom. sg. m.): with a pair of bulging golden arms
suvarNa: golden
piina: swelling, full, round, robust, muscular, lengthened-and-widened
yuga: n. yoke ; (ifc.) a pair , couple , brace
baahu: the arm , (esp.) the fore-arm
RShabha-gatiH (nom. sg. m.): with the gait of a bull
RShabha: bull
gati: f. going , moving , gait , deportment , motion in general ; manner or power of going
aayat'ekShaNaH (nom. sg. m.): far-sighted, with far-seeing eyes;
aayata: mfn. stretched , lengthened , put on (as an arrow) ; stretching , extending , extended , spread over ; directed towards , aiming at ; extended , long , future
iikShaNa: n. a look , view , aspect, sight; eye
plakSham (acc. sg.): m. the waved-leaf fig-tree , Ficus Infectoria (a large and beautiful tree with small white fruit) ; the holy fig-tree
avani-ruham (acc. sg.): m. 'grown from the earth'; a tree
avani: f. earth, soil, ground
ruha: mfn. ascended, mounted, risen, grown
abhyagamat = 3rd pers. sg. aorist: abhi- √ gam: to go near to , approach (with acc.)
paramasya (gen. sg.): furthest, highest, chief, primary, supreme, ascendant, transcendent.
nishcaya: m. inquiry , ascertainment , fixed opinion , conviction , certainty , positiveness ; resolution , resolve, fixed intention , design , purpose , aim
nish- √ ci: to ascertain , investigate , decide , settle , fix upon , determine , resolve
√ ci: to observe , perceive ; to fix the gaze upon , be intent upon
to seek for
vidheH = genitive case of vidhi: method, means
bubhutsayaa = inst. sg. bubhutsaa: f. (from desid. budh) wish to know, desire for consciousness
budh: regain consciousness, be awake, become aware, notice, understand, learn.
vidheH = gen. vidhi: m. method, means
3.7
upavishya tatra kRta-buddhir
acala-dhRtir adri-raajavat
maara-balam ajayad ugram atho
bubudhe padaM shivam ahaaryam avyayaM
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - -
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.7
Sitting there, mind made up,
As unmovingly stable as the king of mountains,
He overcame the grim army of Mara
And awoke to the step which is happy,
irremovable, and irreducible.
VOCABULARY:
upavishya = abs. upa- √ viSh: to go or come near , approach ; to sit down , take a seat (as men) , lie down (as animals)
tatra: ind. there
kRta-buddhiH (nom. sg. m.): mind made up, resolute
acala: not moving
dhRtiH: holding fast, standing still, stable
adri: mountain
raajavat: like the king
maara-balam (acc. sg. n.): Mara's army
maara: m. death , pestilence ; m. (with Buddhists) the Destroyer , Evil One
bala: n. power, force; military force , troops , an army
ajayat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect ji: to conquer, overcome, defeat
ugram (acc. sg. n.): mfn. powerful , violent , mighty , impetuous , strong , huge , formidable , terrible; cruel , fierce , ferocious , savage
atho: [connecting particle] and then
bubudhe = 3rd pers. sg. perfect budh: to wake , wake up , be awake ; to perceive , notice , learn , understand , become or be aware of or acquainted with
padam (acc. sg.): n. step, footing, place, base ; the foot itself; position, standpoint; cause; state, stage
shivam (acc. sg. n.): happy, auspicious
ahaaryam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. not to be stolen , not to be removed; unalterable, not to be taken away, not to be carried off, inalienable
haarya: to be taken away or carried off or robbed or appropriated; to be shaken or altered
hR: to take, carry; to take away , carry off , seize , deprive of , steal , rob
avyayam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. not liable to change , imperishable , undecaying
vyaya: mfn. (fr. 3. vi + √5. i) passing away , mutable , liable to change or decay (only as opp. to or connected with a-vyaya)
vi- √i: to go apart or in different directions , diverge , be diffused or scattered or distributed or divided or extended ; to be lost , perish , disappear
Similarly, RShabha-gatiH, "being of bull-like gait" or "walking like a bull," means maintaining a good head-neck-back relationship that is not disturbed by use of the legs.
Again, aayat'-ekShaNaH, "being long in the eye," as I read the phrase now, suggests a use of the eyes that is free of undue muscular tension, so that all the muscles of the eyes are lengthened.
Ashvaghosha is describing the physical effects on Gautama's use of his decision to give up the idea of asceticism and turn instead to the kind of joyful sitting he experienced in his youth under the rose-appled tree.
The metre of these verses is three long syllables and seven short in the first and second lines, three long and eight short in the third line, and five long and eight short in the fourth line.
That the verses are composed in metric form is certainly a help in memorizing them -- as practitioners would have done around two thousand years ago, communing with Ashvaghosha exactly as we are doing now, by memorizing his words and finding out through the supreme method of inquiry/investigation (parama nishcaya-vidhi) what he really meant.
Reflecting on this gives extra meaning to ahaaryam -- not to be taken away, irremovable.
Ashvaghosha's gold is not the kind one needs to lock up in a safe.
Understanding more clearly than I did before what the etymological derivation of a-vyaya is (from vi- √i, to go apart), I decided to translate it as "irreducible."
If I have ever been angered by a tendency perceived in others to try to reduce the Buddha's truth, and angered still further by a tendency perceived in others to be conceited about their own reductionist explanations, nothing is more certain than the fact that my anger has derived from a struggle within myself to overcome those false tendencies.
This translation work is part of that struggle, as a work in progress. At the same time, as my grasp of Ashvaghosha's Sanskrit very gradually improves and the translation work, at least, becomes less of a struggle, it makes me happy in working on the translation to think of it as a gift to others...
3.6
sa suvarNa-piina-yuga-baahur
RShabha-gatir aayat'-ekShaNaH
plakSham avaniruham abhyagamat
paramasya nishcaya-vidher bubhutsayaa
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.6
With his golden arms fully expanded and as if in a yoke,
With lengthened eyes, and walking like a bull,
He came to a fig tree, growing up from the earth,
With the will to awakening
that belongs to the supreme method of investigation.
VOCABULARY:
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
suvarNa-piina-yuga-baahuH (nom. sg. m.): with a pair of bulging golden arms
suvarNa: golden
piina: swelling, full, round, robust, muscular, lengthened-and-widened
yuga: n. yoke ; (ifc.) a pair , couple , brace
baahu: the arm , (esp.) the fore-arm
RShabha-gatiH (nom. sg. m.): with the gait of a bull
RShabha: bull
gati: f. going , moving , gait , deportment , motion in general ; manner or power of going
aayat'ekShaNaH (nom. sg. m.): far-sighted, with far-seeing eyes;
aayata: mfn. stretched , lengthened , put on (as an arrow) ; stretching , extending , extended , spread over ; directed towards , aiming at ; extended , long , future
iikShaNa: n. a look , view , aspect, sight; eye
plakSham (acc. sg.): m. the waved-leaf fig-tree , Ficus Infectoria (a large and beautiful tree with small white fruit) ; the holy fig-tree
avani-ruham (acc. sg.): m. 'grown from the earth'; a tree
avani: f. earth, soil, ground
ruha: mfn. ascended, mounted, risen, grown
abhyagamat = 3rd pers. sg. aorist: abhi- √ gam: to go near to , approach (with acc.)
paramasya (gen. sg.): furthest, highest, chief, primary, supreme, ascendant, transcendent.
nishcaya: m. inquiry , ascertainment , fixed opinion , conviction , certainty , positiveness ; resolution , resolve, fixed intention , design , purpose , aim
nish- √ ci: to ascertain , investigate , decide , settle , fix upon , determine , resolve
√ ci: to observe , perceive ; to fix the gaze upon , be intent upon
to seek for
vidheH = genitive case of vidhi: method, means
bubhutsayaa = inst. sg. bubhutsaa: f. (from desid. budh) wish to know, desire for consciousness
budh: regain consciousness, be awake, become aware, notice, understand, learn.
vidheH = gen. vidhi: m. method, means
3.7
upavishya tatra kRta-buddhir
acala-dhRtir adri-raajavat
maara-balam ajayad ugram atho
bubudhe padaM shivam ahaaryam avyayaM
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - -
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.7
Sitting there, mind made up,
As unmovingly stable as the king of mountains,
He overcame the grim army of Mara
And awoke to the step which is happy,
irremovable, and irreducible.
VOCABULARY:
upavishya = abs. upa- √ viSh: to go or come near , approach ; to sit down , take a seat (as men) , lie down (as animals)
tatra: ind. there
kRta-buddhiH (nom. sg. m.): mind made up, resolute
acala: not moving
dhRtiH: holding fast, standing still, stable
adri: mountain
raajavat: like the king
maara-balam (acc. sg. n.): Mara's army
maara: m. death , pestilence ; m. (with Buddhists) the Destroyer , Evil One
bala: n. power, force; military force , troops , an army
ajayat = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect ji: to conquer, overcome, defeat
ugram (acc. sg. n.): mfn. powerful , violent , mighty , impetuous , strong , huge , formidable , terrible; cruel , fierce , ferocious , savage
atho: [connecting particle] and then
bubudhe = 3rd pers. sg. perfect budh: to wake , wake up , be awake ; to perceive , notice , learn , understand , become or be aware of or acquainted with
padam (acc. sg.): n. step, footing, place, base ; the foot itself; position, standpoint; cause; state, stage
shivam (acc. sg. n.): happy, auspicious
ahaaryam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. not to be stolen , not to be removed; unalterable, not to be taken away, not to be carried off, inalienable
haarya: to be taken away or carried off or robbed or appropriated; to be shaken or altered
hR: to take, carry; to take away , carry off , seize , deprive of , steal , rob
avyayam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. not liable to change , imperishable , undecaying
vyaya: mfn. (fr. 3. vi + √5. i) passing away , mutable , liable to change or decay (only as opp. to or connected with a-vyaya)
vi- √i: to go apart or in different directions , diverge , be diffused or scattered or distributed or divided or extended ; to be lost , perish , disappear
Sunday, August 15, 2010
SAUNDARANANDA 3.1 - 3.5: Abandoning Asceticism
The virtues enumerated in the previous canto cover five of the six paaramitas, transcendent virtues or accomplishments, viz.:
- daana (free giving) e.g. 2.12
- shiila (moral integrity) e.g. 2.1
- kShaanti (forbearance) e.g. 2.21
- viirya (manliness, directed energy) e.g. 2.5
- prajnaa (wisdom) e.g. 2.28).
This opening section in Canto 3 takes us to the point where Gautama, recalling his happy youthful experience while sitting under the rose-apple tree, gives up the idea of asceticism and intuits the supremacy of the remaining paaramita, which is dhyaana, i.e. the zen of sitting-zen.
Among several memorable lines in this part, two lines that stand out for me are:
ayam apy a-maarga iti maarga-kovidhaH
He who intuited the path intuited:
"This also is not it."
"This also is not the path,"
concluded he who intuited the path.
dhyaana-viShayam avagamya param
Understanding the sphere of meditation to be supreme
Intuiting the sphere of Zen to be the ultimate
As always with the best lines, certainty that one has hit the target turns out to be a sin.
Any way up, it is clear from these first five verses that sitting-dhana is not asceticism...
Not hedonism,
Not asceticism,
Beyond even Buddhism
And yet a kind of supremacy, of which I am part...
This to be recognized, as far as possible, not through the filter of conceited egoism.
3.1
tapase tataH kapilavaastu
haya-gaja-rath'-augha-saMkulaM
shriimad abhayam anurakta-janaM sa
vihaaya nishcita-manaa vanaM yayau
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - = -
- = - = - - - = - = - =
3.1
For ascetic practice, then, he left Kapilavastu --
A teeming mass of horses, elephants and chariots,
Majestic, safe, loved by its citizens --
And started resolutely for the forest.
VOCABULARY:
tapase (dat. sg.): n. ascetic practice
tataH: ind. from that place, thence, then, after that
Kapilavaastu (acc. sg. n.): Kapilavastu
haya-gaja-rath'-augha-saMkulam (acc. sg. n.): crowded with horses, elephants and chariots
haya: horse
gaja: elephant
ratha: chariot
ogha: stream, flood, heap, mass
saMkula: crowded together, filled with, thronged; thick, dense
shriimat (acc. sg. n.): mfn. beautiful , charming , lovely , pleasant , splendid , glorious ; possessed of fortune , fortunate , auspicious , wealthy , prosperous , eminent , illustrious , venerable
a-bhayam (acc. sg. n.): free of fear, safe, secure
anurakta-janam (acc. sg. n.): with devoted citizens
anurakta: devoted, attached, fond
jana: people, population
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
vihaaya = abs. vi- v haa: to leave behind , relinquish , quit , abandon
nishcita-manaaH (nom. sg. m.): with resolute mind
nishcita: determined, resolute, decided
manas: mind
vanam (acc. sg.): the forest
yayau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect yaa: to go
3.2
vividh'-aagamaaMs tapasi taaMsh ca
vividha-niyam'-aashrayaan muniin
prekShya sa viShaya-tRShaa-kRpaNaan
an-avasthitam tapa iti nyavartata
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - -
3.2
In the approach to ascetic practice
of the various traditions,
And in the attachment of sages
to various restrictive rules,
He observed the miseries of thirsting for an object.
Seeing asceticism to be unreliable,
he turned away from it.
VOCABULARY:
vividh'-aagamaan (acc. pl. m.): various traditions
vividha: varying, of various kinds
aagama: m. arrival, learning, sacred tradition, received wisdom ; m. anything handed down and fixed by tradition (as the reading of a text or a record , title-deed , &c )
tapasi (loc. sg.): ascetic practice
taan (acc. pl. m.): them, those
ca: and
vividha-niyam'-aashrayaan (acc. pl. m.): attaching to various restrictions
vividha: varying
niyama: restriction, restrictive rule ; any fixed rule or law , necessity , obligation
aashraya: attachment to, devotion to, refuge in, recourse to
muniin (acc. pl. m.): sages
prekShya = abs. prekSh: look on (without interfering), observe
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
viShaya-tRShaa-kRpaNaan (acc. pl.): miseries of thirsting for an object
viShaya: object of sense-perception, object
tRShaa: thirst, great eagerness to get something, craving to gain something
kRpaaNa: n. wretchedness , misery
an-avasthitam (nom. sg. n.): mfn. unsettled , unsteady , loose in conduct
avashtita: mfn. standing near; steady , trusty , to be relied on
tapaH (nom. sg.): n. ascetic practice
iti: thus
nyavartata = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect ni- v vRt: to turn back , stop ; to turn away , retreat , flee
3.3
atha mokShaa-vaadinam araaDam
upashama-matiM tath" oDrakaM
tattva-kRta-matir upaasya jahaav
ayam apy a-maarga iti maarga-kovidhaH
- - = = = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.3
Then Arada, who spoke of freedom,
And likewise Udraka,
who inclined towards quietness,
He served, his heart set on truth, and he left.
He who intuited the path intuited:
"This also is not it."
VOCABULARY:
atha: then
mokShaa-vaadinam (acc. sg. m.): liberation-champion
mokShaa: freedom, release
vaadin: mfn. saying , discoursing , speaking , talking , speaking or talking about ; m. a speaker , asserter , (ifc.) the teacher or propounder , or adherent of any doctrine or theory
aaraaDam (acc. sg.): m. N. of a teacher of Shaakya-muni
upashama-matim (acc. sg. m.): inclined to quiet
upashama: cessation, extinction, quiet
mati: inclination, purpose, thought, design
tatha: likewise
uDrakam: (acc. sg. m.): Udraka
tattva-kRta-matiH (nom. sg. m.): he whose heart was set on truth
tattva: truth, the truth
kRta-mati: mind made up, heart set on
upaasya = abs. (upa- vaas): to sit by the side of , sit near at hand (in order to honour or wait upon); attend, honour, serve
jahau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect haa: to leave, abandon
ayam (nom. sg. m.): this
api: also
a-maargaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. pathless ; m. a bad road , (also figuratively) an evil path
iti: thus [he intuited]
maarga-kovidhaH (nom. sg. m.): he who intuitively knew the path
maarga: path
kovidha: knowing well, apprehending intuitively
3.4
sa vicaarayan jagati kiM nu
paramam iti taM tam aagamaM
nishcayam an-adhigataH parataH
paramaM cacaara tapa eva duSh-karaM
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - -
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.4
Of the different traditions in the world,
he asked himself,
Which one was the best?
Not obtaining certainty elsewhere,
He entered after all
into ascetic practice that was most severe.
VOCABULARY:
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
vicaarayan = nom. sg. m. causative pres. part. vi- v car: to cause to go or roam about ; to cause to go astray , seduce; to move hither and thither (in the mind) , ponder , reflect , consider ; to doubt , hesitate ; to examine , investigate , ascertain
jagati (loc. sg.): the world
[NB EHJ's Sanskrit text has kiM nu; LC has kiM tu but LC's translation indicates kiM nu]
kiM nu: whether indeed? (a stronger interrogative than kim alone)
nu: ind. now , still , just , at once ; so now , now then ; indeed , certainly , surely (often connected with other particles...)
kiM tu: but, however, nevertheless
paramam (acc. sg. m.): (superlative of para) the highest, the greatest, the most [solid], the best
iti: thus [he asked -- which was the greatest]
tad tad (acc. sg. m.): this and that, various, different
aagamam (acc. sg.): m. received wisdom, tradition
nishcayam (acc. sg.): m. inquiry , ascertainment , fixed opinion , conviction , certainty , positiveness
an-adhigataH (nom. sg. m.): being in a state of not finding
adhigata: found , obtained , acquired ; gone over , studied , learnt
parataH: ind. = abl. of para, from others, elsewhere
paramam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. (superlative of para) the greatest, the [harsh]est
cacaara = 3rd pers. sg. perfect car: to do, effect, move
tapaH (acc. sg.): n. ascetic practice
eva: (emphatic) that same [practice] after all
duSh-karam (acc. sg. n.): difficult to practise
3.5
atha n'aiSha maarga iti viikShya
tad api vipulaM jahau tapaH
dhyaana-viShayam avagamya paraM
bubhuje var'-aannam amRtatva-buddhaye
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.5
Having ascertained, then, that this was not the path,
He abandoned that extreme asceticism too.
Understanding the sphere of meditation to be supreme,
He ate good food in readiness to realise the deathless.
VOCABULARY:
atha: then
na: not
eSha (nom. sg. m.): this, this here
maargaH (nom. sg.): m. path
iti: that ["this is not the path"]
viikShya = abs. vi- viikSh: to see, understand, ascertain
tad (acc. sg. n.): that
api: also
vipulam (acc. sg. n.): large, extensive, great, extreme
jahau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect haa: to leave, abandon, desert, quit
tapaH (acc. sg.): n. ascetic practice, asceticism, austerity
dhyaana-viShayam (acc. sg. n.): the realm of Zen/dhyana/meditation
dhyaana: n. meditation , thought , reflection
viShaya: sphere of sensory experience, objective world, realm
avagamya = abs. ava- √ gam: to go down , descend to (acc. or loc.) ; (with acc.) to come to , visit , approach ; to reach , obtain ; to hit upon , think of , conceive , learn , know , understand , anticipate , assure one's self , be convinced
param (acc. sg. n.): farther; superior, higher; ascendant; best, highest, supreme, utmost; transcendent beyond.
bubhuje = 3rd pers. sg. perfect bhuj: to eat
var'-aannam (acc. sg.): choicest food
vara: choicest, best, most excellent
aana: n. food or victuals , especially boiled rice ; n. food in a mystical sense (or the lowest form in which the supreme soul is manifested , the coarsest envelope of the Supreme Spirit)
amRtatva-buddhaye (dat. sg.): in order to realise the deathless
amRta: n. immortality, deathlessness ; n. the nectar (conferring immortality , produced at the churning of the ocean) , ambrosia
- tva: (abstract noun suffix)
buddhi: f. the power of forming and retaining conceptions; comprehension , apprehension , understanding
- daana (free giving) e.g. 2.12
- shiila (moral integrity) e.g. 2.1
- kShaanti (forbearance) e.g. 2.21
- viirya (manliness, directed energy) e.g. 2.5
- prajnaa (wisdom) e.g. 2.28).
This opening section in Canto 3 takes us to the point where Gautama, recalling his happy youthful experience while sitting under the rose-apple tree, gives up the idea of asceticism and intuits the supremacy of the remaining paaramita, which is dhyaana, i.e. the zen of sitting-zen.
Among several memorable lines in this part, two lines that stand out for me are:
ayam apy a-maarga iti maarga-kovidhaH
He who intuited the path intuited:
"This also is not it."
"This also is not the path,"
concluded he who intuited the path.
dhyaana-viShayam avagamya param
Understanding the sphere of meditation to be supreme
Intuiting the sphere of Zen to be the ultimate
As always with the best lines, certainty that one has hit the target turns out to be a sin.
Any way up, it is clear from these first five verses that sitting-dhana is not asceticism...
Not hedonism,
Not asceticism,
Beyond even Buddhism
And yet a kind of supremacy, of which I am part...
This to be recognized, as far as possible, not through the filter of conceited egoism.
3.1
tapase tataH kapilavaastu
haya-gaja-rath'-augha-saMkulaM
shriimad abhayam anurakta-janaM sa
vihaaya nishcita-manaa vanaM yayau
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - = -
- = - = - - - = - = - =
3.1
For ascetic practice, then, he left Kapilavastu --
A teeming mass of horses, elephants and chariots,
Majestic, safe, loved by its citizens --
And started resolutely for the forest.
VOCABULARY:
tapase (dat. sg.): n. ascetic practice
tataH: ind. from that place, thence, then, after that
Kapilavaastu (acc. sg. n.): Kapilavastu
haya-gaja-rath'-augha-saMkulam (acc. sg. n.): crowded with horses, elephants and chariots
haya: horse
gaja: elephant
ratha: chariot
ogha: stream, flood, heap, mass
saMkula: crowded together, filled with, thronged; thick, dense
shriimat (acc. sg. n.): mfn. beautiful , charming , lovely , pleasant , splendid , glorious ; possessed of fortune , fortunate , auspicious , wealthy , prosperous , eminent , illustrious , venerable
a-bhayam (acc. sg. n.): free of fear, safe, secure
anurakta-janam (acc. sg. n.): with devoted citizens
anurakta: devoted, attached, fond
jana: people, population
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
vihaaya = abs. vi- v haa: to leave behind , relinquish , quit , abandon
nishcita-manaaH (nom. sg. m.): with resolute mind
nishcita: determined, resolute, decided
manas: mind
vanam (acc. sg.): the forest
yayau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect yaa: to go
3.2
vividh'-aagamaaMs tapasi taaMsh ca
vividha-niyam'-aashrayaan muniin
prekShya sa viShaya-tRShaa-kRpaNaan
an-avasthitam tapa iti nyavartata
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - -
3.2
In the approach to ascetic practice
of the various traditions,
And in the attachment of sages
to various restrictive rules,
He observed the miseries of thirsting for an object.
Seeing asceticism to be unreliable,
he turned away from it.
VOCABULARY:
vividh'-aagamaan (acc. pl. m.): various traditions
vividha: varying, of various kinds
aagama: m. arrival, learning, sacred tradition, received wisdom ; m. anything handed down and fixed by tradition (as the reading of a text or a record , title-deed , &c )
tapasi (loc. sg.): ascetic practice
taan (acc. pl. m.): them, those
ca: and
vividha-niyam'-aashrayaan (acc. pl. m.): attaching to various restrictions
vividha: varying
niyama: restriction, restrictive rule ; any fixed rule or law , necessity , obligation
aashraya: attachment to, devotion to, refuge in, recourse to
muniin (acc. pl. m.): sages
prekShya = abs. prekSh: look on (without interfering), observe
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
viShaya-tRShaa-kRpaNaan (acc. pl.): miseries of thirsting for an object
viShaya: object of sense-perception, object
tRShaa: thirst, great eagerness to get something, craving to gain something
kRpaaNa: n. wretchedness , misery
an-avasthitam (nom. sg. n.): mfn. unsettled , unsteady , loose in conduct
avashtita: mfn. standing near; steady , trusty , to be relied on
tapaH (nom. sg.): n. ascetic practice
iti: thus
nyavartata = 3rd pers. sg. imperfect ni- v vRt: to turn back , stop ; to turn away , retreat , flee
3.3
atha mokShaa-vaadinam araaDam
upashama-matiM tath" oDrakaM
tattva-kRta-matir upaasya jahaav
ayam apy a-maarga iti maarga-kovidhaH
- - = = = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.3
Then Arada, who spoke of freedom,
And likewise Udraka,
who inclined towards quietness,
He served, his heart set on truth, and he left.
He who intuited the path intuited:
"This also is not it."
VOCABULARY:
atha: then
mokShaa-vaadinam (acc. sg. m.): liberation-champion
mokShaa: freedom, release
vaadin: mfn. saying , discoursing , speaking , talking , speaking or talking about ; m. a speaker , asserter , (ifc.) the teacher or propounder , or adherent of any doctrine or theory
aaraaDam (acc. sg.): m. N. of a teacher of Shaakya-muni
upashama-matim (acc. sg. m.): inclined to quiet
upashama: cessation, extinction, quiet
mati: inclination, purpose, thought, design
tatha: likewise
uDrakam: (acc. sg. m.): Udraka
tattva-kRta-matiH (nom. sg. m.): he whose heart was set on truth
tattva: truth, the truth
kRta-mati: mind made up, heart set on
upaasya = abs. (upa- vaas): to sit by the side of , sit near at hand (in order to honour or wait upon); attend, honour, serve
jahau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect haa: to leave, abandon
ayam (nom. sg. m.): this
api: also
a-maargaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. pathless ; m. a bad road , (also figuratively) an evil path
iti: thus [he intuited]
maarga-kovidhaH (nom. sg. m.): he who intuitively knew the path
maarga: path
kovidha: knowing well, apprehending intuitively
3.4
sa vicaarayan jagati kiM nu
paramam iti taM tam aagamaM
nishcayam an-adhigataH parataH
paramaM cacaara tapa eva duSh-karaM
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - -
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.4
Of the different traditions in the world,
he asked himself,
Which one was the best?
Not obtaining certainty elsewhere,
He entered after all
into ascetic practice that was most severe.
VOCABULARY:
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
vicaarayan = nom. sg. m. causative pres. part. vi- v car: to cause to go or roam about ; to cause to go astray , seduce; to move hither and thither (in the mind) , ponder , reflect , consider ; to doubt , hesitate ; to examine , investigate , ascertain
jagati (loc. sg.): the world
[NB EHJ's Sanskrit text has kiM nu; LC has kiM tu but LC's translation indicates kiM nu]
kiM nu: whether indeed? (a stronger interrogative than kim alone)
nu: ind. now , still , just , at once ; so now , now then ; indeed , certainly , surely (often connected with other particles...)
kiM tu: but, however, nevertheless
paramam (acc. sg. m.): (superlative of para) the highest, the greatest, the most [solid], the best
iti: thus [he asked -- which was the greatest]
tad tad (acc. sg. m.): this and that, various, different
aagamam (acc. sg.): m. received wisdom, tradition
nishcayam (acc. sg.): m. inquiry , ascertainment , fixed opinion , conviction , certainty , positiveness
an-adhigataH (nom. sg. m.): being in a state of not finding
adhigata: found , obtained , acquired ; gone over , studied , learnt
parataH: ind. = abl. of para, from others, elsewhere
paramam (acc. sg. n.): mfn. (superlative of para) the greatest, the [harsh]est
cacaara = 3rd pers. sg. perfect car: to do, effect, move
tapaH (acc. sg.): n. ascetic practice
eva: (emphatic) that same [practice] after all
duSh-karam (acc. sg. n.): difficult to practise
3.5
atha n'aiSha maarga iti viikShya
tad api vipulaM jahau tapaH
dhyaana-viShayam avagamya paraM
bubhuje var'-aannam amRtatva-buddhaye
- - = - = - - - = -
- - - - - = - = - =
= - - - - - - = - - =
- - = - = - - - = - = - =
3.5
Having ascertained, then, that this was not the path,
He abandoned that extreme asceticism too.
Understanding the sphere of meditation to be supreme,
He ate good food in readiness to realise the deathless.
VOCABULARY:
atha: then
na: not
eSha (nom. sg. m.): this, this here
maargaH (nom. sg.): m. path
iti: that ["this is not the path"]
viikShya = abs. vi- viikSh: to see, understand, ascertain
tad (acc. sg. n.): that
api: also
vipulam (acc. sg. n.): large, extensive, great, extreme
jahau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect haa: to leave, abandon, desert, quit
tapaH (acc. sg.): n. ascetic practice, asceticism, austerity
dhyaana-viShayam (acc. sg. n.): the realm of Zen/dhyana/meditation
dhyaana: n. meditation , thought , reflection
viShaya: sphere of sensory experience, objective world, realm
avagamya = abs. ava- √ gam: to go down , descend to (acc. or loc.) ; (with acc.) to come to , visit , approach ; to reach , obtain ; to hit upon , think of , conceive , learn , know , understand , anticipate , assure one's self , be convinced
param (acc. sg. n.): farther; superior, higher; ascendant; best, highest, supreme, utmost; transcendent beyond.
bubhuje = 3rd pers. sg. perfect bhuj: to eat
var'-aannam (acc. sg.): choicest food
vara: choicest, best, most excellent
aana: n. food or victuals , especially boiled rice ; n. food in a mystical sense (or the lowest form in which the supreme soul is manifested , the coarsest envelope of the Supreme Spirit)
amRtatva-buddhaye (dat. sg.): in order to realise the deathless
amRta: n. immortality, deathlessness ; n. the nectar (conferring immortality , produced at the churning of the ocean) , ambrosia
- tva: (abstract noun suffix)
buddhi: f. the power of forming and retaining conceptions; comprehension , apprehension , understanding
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Canto 2: A Portrayal of the King
The real gold in this canto, as I read it, is not in historical information about the King but rather in Ashvaghosha's portrayal of a king. The real gold, in other words, is in understanding what Ashvaghosha considered in human affairs to be most important, central, primary.
Thus in this canto Ashvaghosha praises King Shuddhodhana again and again for certain virtues, such as:
- Doing no wrong
- Not deferring to the power of the senses
- Not being unduly proud of himself
- Honouring forebears by his integrity / excellent conduct
- Not end-gaining
- Free giving of fitting gifts
- Devotion to dharma
- Being in the middle
- Directing fiery energy upon his enemies; i.e. greed, hatred, delusion and, especially, conceit
- A good relationship with those "offshoots" (prajaa) subject to the primary agency of his control.
2.1
Some time thereafter that realm passed,
Through familial succession,
To a king named Shuddodhana
Who, being pure in his actions,
had thwarted the power of the senses.
2.2
Neither stuck in his desires
Nor conceited about gaining sovereignty,
He did not, as he grew, look down on others,
And nor did he shrink from others in fear.
2.3
Strong and strong-minded,
Learned as well as intelligent,
Daring and yet prudent,
Determined, and cheerful with it,
2.4
He had a fine form without being stiff,
Was dexterous but not dishonest,
Was energetic but not impatient,
And active but never flustered.
2.5
Challenged by his enemies in battle,
And petitioned by friends,
He was not backward in responding
With an intense energy, and a willingness to give.
2.6
Wishing to tread the dutiful path of dharma
Trodden by previous kings,
And bearing his kingship like a call to total dedication,
He emulated the forefathers through his conduct.
2.7
Due to his good governance,
And under his protection,
his subjects rested at ease,
Free from anxiety,
As if in a father's lap.
2.8
Whether skilled in use of book or of sword,
Whether born into an eminent family or not,
No-one was seen as useless,
Who came into his presence.
2.9
When given good advice, however disagreeable,
He listened and did not react;
He let go of a wrong done to him, however great,
And remembered a service rendered, however small.
2.10
The meek and mild he befriended;
Tribal foes he apprehended;
Sufferers he comprehended;
Waverers he reprehended.
2.11
As the general rule in his dominion
Those influenced by his integrity
Seemed to take possession,
As if securing treasures, of virtues.
2.12
He minded the supreme sacred word,
He never failed in fortitude,
He gave fitting gifts to deserving recipients,
No evil did he do at all.
2.13
He resolutely carried out a promise undertaken
Like a good horse carrying a load;
For he did not desire, apart from truthfulness,
Even a moment of life.
2.14
He was there for the intellectually bright;
He shone with his own self-containment;
And on people in the directed state,
he positively beamed,
Like the moon in the last month of the rains.
2.15
He knew, through intelligence and learning,
What was fitting, both in here and out there;
He guarded, with constancy and directed energy,
Both his senses and his subjects.
2.16
He bore away the suffering of the oppressed
And the boastful fame of the cruel,
And covered the earth with guiding principles
And a much greater glory.
2.17
Seeing people suffering he overflowed
With his original emotion as a man of compassion;
But he did not, through eager desire,
undermine his honour
By unprincipled acquisition of treasured objects.
2.18
In his kind-hearted iron devotion
Even to imperfect friends,
He had no will to take away from them,
but willingly gave,
Cheerful-faced, to each according to his need.
2.19
Without offering the first portion to revered beings,
And without bathing, he did not eat anything;
Neither did he milk the earth unjustly,
As a cow is milked by a man thirsting for milk.
2.20
He never scattered the food offering except when due;
He never developed lordly arrogance;
Committing of the scriptures to his mind
He did for dharma, not for praise.
2.21
A few doers of harsh deeds,
though they deserved harsh treatment,
He did not treat harshly;
And due to his noble nature he never cast a veil
Over the virtues of a true man, even one who defied him.
2.22
With his fine form he ripped away,
As does the moon, people's views;
He never touched, in an act of becoming,
what belonged to others,
Any more than he would touch
a venomous snake slithering on the earth.
2.23
Nowhere in his dominion
Lamented anyone hurt by anyone;
For the bow in his hand
Bestowed peace upon the afflicted.
2.24
Even those who transgressed, if submissive,
-- And before them, of course,
those who acted agreeably --
He surveyed with an affectionate eye
And steeped in loving speech.
2.25
He studied many subjects
Without being interested in objects;
Abiding in dharma as it was in the golden age,
He did not drift, even in a predicament,
from dharma.
2.26
Because of his virtues, he continually grew;
In joy at friends' success, he kept growing;
In the stream of grown elders, again he kept going,
But on a blameworthy path he did not go.
2.27
He quietened his enemies, using arrows;
He gladdened his friends, using virtues;
His servants, when there were faults, he did not goad;
The offshoots who were his subjects he did not,
with doing hands, overtax.
2.28
Under his protection, and because of his heroism,
Seeds were planted over the whole earth;
And by the transparent working of his judicial system,
Sessions were sat into the dark stillness of night.
2.29
By the conduct of a royal seer,
He propagated through his house
the fragrance of honour;
Like the son of Aditi shining light into darkness,
He with the intensity of his energy
caused the enemies to scatter.
2.30
Using virtues that befitted a good son,
He caused the forefathers, again,
to disseminate their light;
And, like a raincloud using rain,
He enlivened his offshoots, his subjects, using conduct.
2.31
With inexhaustible and great acts of giving,
He caused the brahmins to press out their soma;
And by dutifully adhering to his kingly dharma,
He caused corn, at the right moment, to ripen.
2.32
He talked no talk that went against dharma,
Being free in himself of doubts and questions;
While, like a wheel-roller, he caused others
To bear up in service of dharma.
2.33
No special tribute
Did he cause the kingdom to pay him;
But with sustained endeavour, and using only regulars,
He caused enemy pride to be cut down.
2.34
Again and again, he caused his own house to be pure,
Using just his own virtues;
At the same time, he did not let his offshoots decay,
For all were established in all dharmas.
2.35
A man of tireless sacrifice when the time was right,
He caused sacrificial ground to be measured out;
And he enabled twice-born men,
who under his protection were unburdened by anxiety,
To know the weight of the sacred word.
2.36
He caused the soma to be measured out on time
-- in the presence of gurus, and obeying the rule --
As a cool, mild man of soma;
And yet, with intense ardour, with fiery energy,
He saw the enemy army cut down to size.
2.37
As knower of the dharma that is paramount,
He caused his offshoots to abide in dharma in a small way,
And yet caused them, because of experiencing dharma,
To let heaven wait.
2.38
Even the obvious course, in dire straits,
He did not institute if it went against dharma;
Nor, out of nothing more than fondness,
Did he dotingly promote incompetence.
2.39
With his intense energy and his light
He exposed to view his enemies, the conceited;
And with the blazing lantern of his brightness,
He caused the world to shine.
2.40
He gave out of non-cruelty,
not for his glorification,
And always to meet a need;
Giving up even a thing of great substance,
He mentioned nothing of it.
2.41
He did not shun one afflicted by suffering,
Even an enemy, who had taken refuge;
And having conquered his enemies, the conceited,
He did not become proud on that account.
2.42
No rule did he break,
Out of love, hate, or fear;
Even while abiding in pleasurable circumstances,
He did not remain in thrall to the power of the senses.
2.43
He was never seen to do shoddily
Anything anywhere that was to be done;
When required by friend and non-friend to act
He did not fall into inaction.
2.44
He drank and guarded, as prescribed,
The soma and his honour;
And he was constantly mindful of the vedas
As well as the dharma proclaimed in the vedas.
2.45
Not eschewed by such
Uncommon virtues as these
Was he who on no side could be shackled --
The unshackleable Shakya King, like Shakra.
2.46
Now at that time
Dharma-loving denizens of the heavens
Moved into the orbit of the human world,
Wishing to investigate dharma movements.
2.47
Those essences of dharma, moving,
With the desire to know dharma, over the earth,
Saw that leader of men
Whose essence was particularly given over to dharma.
2.48
Then, rather than among Tushita gods,
The bodhisattva, coming down to earth,
Put down birth-roots
In the family of that earth-lord.
2.49
That man-god at that time had a goddess,
A queen whose name was Maya;
She was as devoid of anger, darkness
and the maya which is deceit
As was the goddess Maya in heaven.
2.50
In a dream during that period
She saw entering her womb
A white six-tusked elephant,
Mighty as Airavata.
2.51
When they heard this dream,
Brahmins who knew dreams predicted
The birth of a prince
Who would bring honour,
through wealth or through dharma.
2.52
At the birth of this exceptional being
Whose mission was the end of re-birth
The earth with its immoveable mountains shook
Like a boat being battered by waves.
2.53
Unwilted by the sun's rays,
A rain of flowers fell from the sky
As if shaken,
by the trunks of the elephants of the quarters,
From the trees of Citra-ratha's forest.
2.54
Drums sounded in heaven,
As if the storm-gods were rolling dice;
The sun blazed inestimably,
And the wind blew benignly.
2.55
Gods in Tusita Heaven became calm and content,
As did gods of the clear Shuddhavasa yonder,
Through thinking highly of true dharma
And through fellow feeling among sentient beings.
2.56
To one who was a lamp of honour
Came a supreme bringer
of the brightness of higher good:
He shone with tranquil splendour
Like dharma in a separate bodily form.
2.57
To the king's younger queen, also,
Like fire in the notch of a fire-board,
A son was born named Nanda, Joy,
A bringer of constant joy to his family.
2.58
Long in the arm, broad in the chest,
With shoulders of a lion and eyes of a bull,
He because of his superlative looks
Bore the epithet "handsome."
2.59
Like a first month in spring having arrived,
Like a new moon having risen;
Again,
like the non-physical having taken a physical form,
He radiated sheer loveliness.
2.60
The king with exceeding gladness
Brought up the two of them,
As great wealth in the hands of a good man
Promotes dharma and pleasure.
2.61
Those two good sons, in time,
Grew up to do the king proud,
Just as, when his investment is great,
Dharma and wealth pay a noble person well.
2.62
Being in the middle, with regard to those two good sons,
The Shakya king reigned resplendent,
Like the middle region, adorned
By the Himalaya and Pariyatra mountains.
2.63
Then, gradually,
those two sons of the king became educated,
In practical arts and in learning.
Nanda frittered all his time on idle pleasures;
But Sarvartha-siddha, Accomplisher of Every Aim,
was not mottled by the redness of passions.
2.64
For he had seen for himself
an old man, a sick man, and a corpse,
After which,
as he witnessed with a wounded mind
the unwitting world,
He was disgusted to the core
and found no pleasure in objects
But wished totally to terminate
the terror of being born and dying.
2.65
Having focused his agitated mind
on the end of becoming,
He fled the king's palace,
indifferent
to the most beautiful of women sleeping there;
Determined to go to the forest, he fled in the night
Like a goose from a lake of ruined lotus flowers.
The 2nd canto in the epic poem Handsome Nanda,
titled "A Portrayal of the King."
Thus in this canto Ashvaghosha praises King Shuddhodhana again and again for certain virtues, such as:
- Doing no wrong
- Not deferring to the power of the senses
- Not being unduly proud of himself
- Honouring forebears by his integrity / excellent conduct
- Not end-gaining
- Free giving of fitting gifts
- Devotion to dharma
- Being in the middle
- Directing fiery energy upon his enemies; i.e. greed, hatred, delusion and, especially, conceit
- A good relationship with those "offshoots" (prajaa) subject to the primary agency of his control.
2.1
Some time thereafter that realm passed,
Through familial succession,
To a king named Shuddodhana
Who, being pure in his actions,
had thwarted the power of the senses.
2.2
Neither stuck in his desires
Nor conceited about gaining sovereignty,
He did not, as he grew, look down on others,
And nor did he shrink from others in fear.
2.3
Strong and strong-minded,
Learned as well as intelligent,
Daring and yet prudent,
Determined, and cheerful with it,
2.4
He had a fine form without being stiff,
Was dexterous but not dishonest,
Was energetic but not impatient,
And active but never flustered.
2.5
Challenged by his enemies in battle,
And petitioned by friends,
He was not backward in responding
With an intense energy, and a willingness to give.
2.6
Wishing to tread the dutiful path of dharma
Trodden by previous kings,
And bearing his kingship like a call to total dedication,
He emulated the forefathers through his conduct.
2.7
Due to his good governance,
And under his protection,
his subjects rested at ease,
Free from anxiety,
As if in a father's lap.
2.8
Whether skilled in use of book or of sword,
Whether born into an eminent family or not,
No-one was seen as useless,
Who came into his presence.
2.9
When given good advice, however disagreeable,
He listened and did not react;
He let go of a wrong done to him, however great,
And remembered a service rendered, however small.
2.10
The meek and mild he befriended;
Tribal foes he apprehended;
Sufferers he comprehended;
Waverers he reprehended.
2.11
As the general rule in his dominion
Those influenced by his integrity
Seemed to take possession,
As if securing treasures, of virtues.
2.12
He minded the supreme sacred word,
He never failed in fortitude,
He gave fitting gifts to deserving recipients,
No evil did he do at all.
2.13
He resolutely carried out a promise undertaken
Like a good horse carrying a load;
For he did not desire, apart from truthfulness,
Even a moment of life.
2.14
He was there for the intellectually bright;
He shone with his own self-containment;
And on people in the directed state,
he positively beamed,
Like the moon in the last month of the rains.
2.15
He knew, through intelligence and learning,
What was fitting, both in here and out there;
He guarded, with constancy and directed energy,
Both his senses and his subjects.
2.16
He bore away the suffering of the oppressed
And the boastful fame of the cruel,
And covered the earth with guiding principles
And a much greater glory.
2.17
Seeing people suffering he overflowed
With his original emotion as a man of compassion;
But he did not, through eager desire,
undermine his honour
By unprincipled acquisition of treasured objects.
2.18
In his kind-hearted iron devotion
Even to imperfect friends,
He had no will to take away from them,
but willingly gave,
Cheerful-faced, to each according to his need.
2.19
Without offering the first portion to revered beings,
And without bathing, he did not eat anything;
Neither did he milk the earth unjustly,
As a cow is milked by a man thirsting for milk.
2.20
He never scattered the food offering except when due;
He never developed lordly arrogance;
Committing of the scriptures to his mind
He did for dharma, not for praise.
2.21
A few doers of harsh deeds,
though they deserved harsh treatment,
He did not treat harshly;
And due to his noble nature he never cast a veil
Over the virtues of a true man, even one who defied him.
2.22
With his fine form he ripped away,
As does the moon, people's views;
He never touched, in an act of becoming,
what belonged to others,
Any more than he would touch
a venomous snake slithering on the earth.
2.23
Nowhere in his dominion
Lamented anyone hurt by anyone;
For the bow in his hand
Bestowed peace upon the afflicted.
2.24
Even those who transgressed, if submissive,
-- And before them, of course,
those who acted agreeably --
He surveyed with an affectionate eye
And steeped in loving speech.
2.25
He studied many subjects
Without being interested in objects;
Abiding in dharma as it was in the golden age,
He did not drift, even in a predicament,
from dharma.
2.26
Because of his virtues, he continually grew;
In joy at friends' success, he kept growing;
In the stream of grown elders, again he kept going,
But on a blameworthy path he did not go.
2.27
He quietened his enemies, using arrows;
He gladdened his friends, using virtues;
His servants, when there were faults, he did not goad;
The offshoots who were his subjects he did not,
with doing hands, overtax.
2.28
Under his protection, and because of his heroism,
Seeds were planted over the whole earth;
And by the transparent working of his judicial system,
Sessions were sat into the dark stillness of night.
2.29
By the conduct of a royal seer,
He propagated through his house
the fragrance of honour;
Like the son of Aditi shining light into darkness,
He with the intensity of his energy
caused the enemies to scatter.
2.30
Using virtues that befitted a good son,
He caused the forefathers, again,
to disseminate their light;
And, like a raincloud using rain,
He enlivened his offshoots, his subjects, using conduct.
2.31
With inexhaustible and great acts of giving,
He caused the brahmins to press out their soma;
And by dutifully adhering to his kingly dharma,
He caused corn, at the right moment, to ripen.
2.32
He talked no talk that went against dharma,
Being free in himself of doubts and questions;
While, like a wheel-roller, he caused others
To bear up in service of dharma.
2.33
No special tribute
Did he cause the kingdom to pay him;
But with sustained endeavour, and using only regulars,
He caused enemy pride to be cut down.
2.34
Again and again, he caused his own house to be pure,
Using just his own virtues;
At the same time, he did not let his offshoots decay,
For all were established in all dharmas.
2.35
A man of tireless sacrifice when the time was right,
He caused sacrificial ground to be measured out;
And he enabled twice-born men,
who under his protection were unburdened by anxiety,
To know the weight of the sacred word.
2.36
He caused the soma to be measured out on time
-- in the presence of gurus, and obeying the rule --
As a cool, mild man of soma;
And yet, with intense ardour, with fiery energy,
He saw the enemy army cut down to size.
2.37
As knower of the dharma that is paramount,
He caused his offshoots to abide in dharma in a small way,
And yet caused them, because of experiencing dharma,
To let heaven wait.
2.38
Even the obvious course, in dire straits,
He did not institute if it went against dharma;
Nor, out of nothing more than fondness,
Did he dotingly promote incompetence.
2.39
With his intense energy and his light
He exposed to view his enemies, the conceited;
And with the blazing lantern of his brightness,
He caused the world to shine.
2.40
He gave out of non-cruelty,
not for his glorification,
And always to meet a need;
Giving up even a thing of great substance,
He mentioned nothing of it.
2.41
He did not shun one afflicted by suffering,
Even an enemy, who had taken refuge;
And having conquered his enemies, the conceited,
He did not become proud on that account.
2.42
No rule did he break,
Out of love, hate, or fear;
Even while abiding in pleasurable circumstances,
He did not remain in thrall to the power of the senses.
2.43
He was never seen to do shoddily
Anything anywhere that was to be done;
When required by friend and non-friend to act
He did not fall into inaction.
2.44
He drank and guarded, as prescribed,
The soma and his honour;
And he was constantly mindful of the vedas
As well as the dharma proclaimed in the vedas.
2.45
Not eschewed by such
Uncommon virtues as these
Was he who on no side could be shackled --
The unshackleable Shakya King, like Shakra.
2.46
Now at that time
Dharma-loving denizens of the heavens
Moved into the orbit of the human world,
Wishing to investigate dharma movements.
2.47
Those essences of dharma, moving,
With the desire to know dharma, over the earth,
Saw that leader of men
Whose essence was particularly given over to dharma.
2.48
Then, rather than among Tushita gods,
The bodhisattva, coming down to earth,
Put down birth-roots
In the family of that earth-lord.
2.49
That man-god at that time had a goddess,
A queen whose name was Maya;
She was as devoid of anger, darkness
and the maya which is deceit
As was the goddess Maya in heaven.
2.50
In a dream during that period
She saw entering her womb
A white six-tusked elephant,
Mighty as Airavata.
2.51
When they heard this dream,
Brahmins who knew dreams predicted
The birth of a prince
Who would bring honour,
through wealth or through dharma.
2.52
At the birth of this exceptional being
Whose mission was the end of re-birth
The earth with its immoveable mountains shook
Like a boat being battered by waves.
2.53
Unwilted by the sun's rays,
A rain of flowers fell from the sky
As if shaken,
by the trunks of the elephants of the quarters,
From the trees of Citra-ratha's forest.
2.54
Drums sounded in heaven,
As if the storm-gods were rolling dice;
The sun blazed inestimably,
And the wind blew benignly.
2.55
Gods in Tusita Heaven became calm and content,
As did gods of the clear Shuddhavasa yonder,
Through thinking highly of true dharma
And through fellow feeling among sentient beings.
2.56
To one who was a lamp of honour
Came a supreme bringer
of the brightness of higher good:
He shone with tranquil splendour
Like dharma in a separate bodily form.
2.57
To the king's younger queen, also,
Like fire in the notch of a fire-board,
A son was born named Nanda, Joy,
A bringer of constant joy to his family.
2.58
Long in the arm, broad in the chest,
With shoulders of a lion and eyes of a bull,
He because of his superlative looks
Bore the epithet "handsome."
2.59
Like a first month in spring having arrived,
Like a new moon having risen;
Again,
like the non-physical having taken a physical form,
He radiated sheer loveliness.
2.60
The king with exceeding gladness
Brought up the two of them,
As great wealth in the hands of a good man
Promotes dharma and pleasure.
2.61
Those two good sons, in time,
Grew up to do the king proud,
Just as, when his investment is great,
Dharma and wealth pay a noble person well.
2.62
Being in the middle, with regard to those two good sons,
The Shakya king reigned resplendent,
Like the middle region, adorned
By the Himalaya and Pariyatra mountains.
2.63
Then, gradually,
those two sons of the king became educated,
In practical arts and in learning.
Nanda frittered all his time on idle pleasures;
But Sarvartha-siddha, Accomplisher of Every Aim,
was not mottled by the redness of passions.
2.64
For he had seen for himself
an old man, a sick man, and a corpse,
After which,
as he witnessed with a wounded mind
the unwitting world,
He was disgusted to the core
and found no pleasure in objects
But wished totally to terminate
the terror of being born and dying.
2.65
Having focused his agitated mind
on the end of becoming,
He fled the king's palace,
indifferent
to the most beautiful of women sleeping there;
Determined to go to the forest, he fled in the night
Like a goose from a lake of ruined lotus flowers.
The 2nd canto in the epic poem Handsome Nanda,
titled "A Portrayal of the King."
Friday, August 13, 2010
SAUNDARANANDA 2.65: As the Goose Flies
udvegaad a-punar-bhave manaH praNidhaaya
sa yayau shayita-var'-aaMganaad [LC: aaMganaasv] anaasthaH
nishi nR-pati-nilayanaad vana-gamana-kRta-manaaH
sarasa iva mathita-nalinaat kalahaMsaH
= = = - - = - = - = - - = -
- - = - - - - = - = - = =
- - - - - - - - = - - - - - - - - =
- - - - - - - - - - = - - = =
saundaranande mahaa-kaavye raaja-varNano naama dvitiiyaH sargaH
= - - = = - = = = = - = - = = - - = = = =
2.65
Having focused his agitated mind
on the end of becoming,
He fled the king's palace,
indifferent
to the most beautiful of women sleeping there;
Determined to go to the forest,
he fled in the night from the palace
Like a goose from a lake of ruined lotus flowers.
The 2nd canto in the epic poem Handsome Nanda, titled
"A Portrayal of the King."
COMMENT:
In this verse Gautama is compared to a goose, going to the forest. Why a goose?
Maybe because when a goose flies, its head leads and its body follows. The same is conspicuously true for other birds with long necks, like swans: the head leads and the body follows. When geese and swans fly away from a lotus lake, they, unlike Nanda, never look back longingly at the lotus flowers they have left behind.
What the Buddha leaves behind him, without looking back, is compared to ruined lotus flowers. How had the sleeping beauties in the palace become for Gautama a matter of indifference, as attractive as ruined lotus flowers?
No special method is mentioned, no esoteric technique for quelling sexual desire. It is simply that Gautama knows exactly what he desires -- to go to the forest -- and he follows just that desire, like a flying goose, letting his head lead and his body follow.
Going further, the meaning of mathita-nalina ("ruined lotus flower") might extend beyond a wife who has lost her allure to certain falsified notions, romantic ideas, disappointed ideals, wilted flowers in the sky -- illusions which are revered in the unwitting world, but which Gautama has already seen through and become disgusted with.
Some false notions, however, Gautama does not yet leave behind but carries with him. And foremost among these false notions is asceticism. Ashvaghosha's description of how that particular flower also is discarded, awaits us in Canto 3.
But the final word in this canto must belong to the goose, which, in its clear desire to go in a definite direction, lets its head lead and its body follow.
People think Buddhism is about compassion, giving up desire, keeping precepts, enlightenment, balance of the autonomic nervous system, understanding a philosophy of action... and so on, and so on, and so on... but in the Buddha's teaching as I see it none of those things is primary. The primary thing is just the direction of the head. That is why the closing word of this Canto is kalahaMsaH, "goose." The goose, in following its desire, conspicuously demonstrates the primary matter of letting the head lead and the body follow.
I understood this point from going completely wrong in this primary matter, and from being put wrong by a teacher whose understanding was wrong. In the world of geese and swans there is no case of a geese or a swan who thinks it is enlightened teaching other geese and swans to fly with their heads pulled back, but in the human world such stupidity actually exists.
EH Johnston:
Fixing His mind in His agitation on escape from rebirth and unmoved by desire for even the best of women as He saw them lying asleep, He determined to go to the forest, and departed at night from the king's palace, like a swan from a lake whose lotuses have been rent in pieces.
Linda Covill:
Distressed, he set his mind on freedom from rebirth and decided to go to the forest. Like a goose leaving a lake of bruised lotuses, he left the king's palace at night, indifferent to the beautiful women sleeping in it.
VOCABULARY:
udvegaat = abl. sg. udvega: m. trembling , waving , shaking ; agitation , anxiety; m. regret , fear , distress (occasioned by separation from a beloved object)
ud: ind. up, upwards
vega: m. (fr. √ vij) violent agitation , shock , jerk ; outbreak , outburst (of passion) , excitement , agitation , emotion
√ vij: to move with a quick darting motion , speed , heave (said of waves)
a-punar-bhave (loc. sg.): not again becoming
a-punar: ind. not again
bhava: coming into existence, becoming
manaH = acc. sg. manas: mind
praNidhaaya = abs. pra-Ni- √ dhaa: to place in front , cause to precede ; to turn or direct (the eyes or thoughts) upon (loc.); (with manas " to resolve upon " )
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
yayau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect yaa: to go ; to go away , withdraw , retire, flee, escape ; with the acc. of an abstract noun = to go to any state or condition , become , be
shayita-var'-aaMganaad (abl. sg.): from the most beautiful woman who was asleep
shayita-var'-aaMganaasu (loc. pl.): to the most beautiful women who were asleep
shayita: mfn. reposed , lying , sleeping , asleep
vara: mfn. "select " , choicest , valuable , precious , best , most excellent or eminent among (gen. loc. abl. , or comp.)
aMgana: f. " a woman with well-rounded limbs " , any woman or female
anaasthaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. indifferent
nishi (loc. sg.): at night
nR-pati-nilayanaad (abl. sg.): from the palace
nR-pati: m. "man-lord," king
nilaya: m. rest , resting-place ; house, residence
ni- √ lii: to settle down (esp. applied to the alighting of birds) , alight , descend ; to hide one's self
nilayana: n. settling down ; hiding-place &c
vana-gamana-kRta-manaaH (nom. sg. m.): with mind made up to go to the forest
vana: forest
gamana: going
manaH √ kR: to make up one's mind
sarasaH = abl. sg. saras: n. " anything flowing or fluid " , a lake , large sheet of water , pond
iva: like
mathita-nalinaat (abl. sg.): torn lotus
mathita: mfn. stirred round, churned; shaken , agitated , afflicted , hurt , destroyed ; dislocated , disjointed
math: to stir or whirl round ; to churn ; to stir up , shake , agitate , trouble, disturb , afflict , distress , hurt , destroy
nalina: n. (fr. nala because of its hollow stalk?) a lotus flower or water-lily
kalahaMsaH (nom. sg.): m. N. of several species of the haMsa bird or goose
saundara-nande mahaa-kaavye (loc.): in the epic poem Handsome Nanda
raaja-varNanaH (nom. sg. m.): m. description of the king
raajan: king
varNanaH (nom. sg.): m. depiction, description
naama: ind. by name
dvitiiyaH sargaH (nom. sg. m.): 2nd canto
sa yayau shayita-var'-aaMganaad [LC: aaMganaasv] anaasthaH
nishi nR-pati-nilayanaad vana-gamana-kRta-manaaH
sarasa iva mathita-nalinaat kalahaMsaH
= = = - - = - = - = - - = -
- - = - - - - = - = - = =
- - - - - - - - = - - - - - - - - =
- - - - - - - - - - = - - = =
saundaranande mahaa-kaavye raaja-varNano naama dvitiiyaH sargaH
= - - = = - = = = = - = - = = - - = = = =
2.65
Having focused his agitated mind
on the end of becoming,
He fled the king's palace,
indifferent
to the most beautiful of women sleeping there;
Determined to go to the forest,
he fled in the night from the palace
Like a goose from a lake of ruined lotus flowers.
The 2nd canto in the epic poem Handsome Nanda, titled
"A Portrayal of the King."
COMMENT:
In this verse Gautama is compared to a goose, going to the forest. Why a goose?
Maybe because when a goose flies, its head leads and its body follows. The same is conspicuously true for other birds with long necks, like swans: the head leads and the body follows. When geese and swans fly away from a lotus lake, they, unlike Nanda, never look back longingly at the lotus flowers they have left behind.
What the Buddha leaves behind him, without looking back, is compared to ruined lotus flowers. How had the sleeping beauties in the palace become for Gautama a matter of indifference, as attractive as ruined lotus flowers?
No special method is mentioned, no esoteric technique for quelling sexual desire. It is simply that Gautama knows exactly what he desires -- to go to the forest -- and he follows just that desire, like a flying goose, letting his head lead and his body follow.
Going further, the meaning of mathita-nalina ("ruined lotus flower") might extend beyond a wife who has lost her allure to certain falsified notions, romantic ideas, disappointed ideals, wilted flowers in the sky -- illusions which are revered in the unwitting world, but which Gautama has already seen through and become disgusted with.
Some false notions, however, Gautama does not yet leave behind but carries with him. And foremost among these false notions is asceticism. Ashvaghosha's description of how that particular flower also is discarded, awaits us in Canto 3.
But the final word in this canto must belong to the goose, which, in its clear desire to go in a definite direction, lets its head lead and its body follow.
People think Buddhism is about compassion, giving up desire, keeping precepts, enlightenment, balance of the autonomic nervous system, understanding a philosophy of action... and so on, and so on, and so on... but in the Buddha's teaching as I see it none of those things is primary. The primary thing is just the direction of the head. That is why the closing word of this Canto is kalahaMsaH, "goose." The goose, in following its desire, conspicuously demonstrates the primary matter of letting the head lead and the body follow.
I understood this point from going completely wrong in this primary matter, and from being put wrong by a teacher whose understanding was wrong. In the world of geese and swans there is no case of a geese or a swan who thinks it is enlightened teaching other geese and swans to fly with their heads pulled back, but in the human world such stupidity actually exists.
EH Johnston:
Fixing His mind in His agitation on escape from rebirth and unmoved by desire for even the best of women as He saw them lying asleep, He determined to go to the forest, and departed at night from the king's palace, like a swan from a lake whose lotuses have been rent in pieces.
Linda Covill:
Distressed, he set his mind on freedom from rebirth and decided to go to the forest. Like a goose leaving a lake of bruised lotuses, he left the king's palace at night, indifferent to the beautiful women sleeping in it.
VOCABULARY:
udvegaat = abl. sg. udvega: m. trembling , waving , shaking ; agitation , anxiety; m. regret , fear , distress (occasioned by separation from a beloved object)
ud: ind. up, upwards
vega: m. (fr. √ vij) violent agitation , shock , jerk ; outbreak , outburst (of passion) , excitement , agitation , emotion
√ vij: to move with a quick darting motion , speed , heave (said of waves)
a-punar-bhave (loc. sg.): not again becoming
a-punar: ind. not again
bhava: coming into existence, becoming
manaH = acc. sg. manas: mind
praNidhaaya = abs. pra-Ni- √ dhaa: to place in front , cause to precede ; to turn or direct (the eyes or thoughts) upon (loc.); (with manas " to resolve upon " )
sa (nom. sg. m.): he
yayau = 3rd pers. sg. perfect yaa: to go ; to go away , withdraw , retire, flee, escape ; with the acc. of an abstract noun = to go to any state or condition , become , be
shayita-var'-aaMganaad (abl. sg.): from the most beautiful woman who was asleep
shayita-var'-aaMganaasu (loc. pl.): to the most beautiful women who were asleep
shayita: mfn. reposed , lying , sleeping , asleep
vara: mfn. "select " , choicest , valuable , precious , best , most excellent or eminent among (gen. loc. abl. , or comp.)
aMgana: f. " a woman with well-rounded limbs " , any woman or female
anaasthaH (nom. sg. m.): mfn. indifferent
nishi (loc. sg.): at night
nR-pati-nilayanaad (abl. sg.): from the palace
nR-pati: m. "man-lord," king
nilaya: m. rest , resting-place ; house, residence
ni- √ lii: to settle down (esp. applied to the alighting of birds) , alight , descend ; to hide one's self
nilayana: n. settling down ; hiding-place &c
vana-gamana-kRta-manaaH (nom. sg. m.): with mind made up to go to the forest
vana: forest
gamana: going
manaH √ kR: to make up one's mind
sarasaH = abl. sg. saras: n. " anything flowing or fluid " , a lake , large sheet of water , pond
iva: like
mathita-nalinaat (abl. sg.): torn lotus
mathita: mfn. stirred round, churned; shaken , agitated , afflicted , hurt , destroyed ; dislocated , disjointed
math: to stir or whirl round ; to churn ; to stir up , shake , agitate , trouble, disturb , afflict , distress , hurt , destroy
nalina: n. (fr. nala because of its hollow stalk?) a lotus flower or water-lily
kalahaMsaH (nom. sg.): m. N. of several species of the haMsa bird or goose
saundara-nande mahaa-kaavye (loc.): in the epic poem Handsome Nanda
raaja-varNanaH (nom. sg. m.): m. description of the king
raajan: king
varNanaH (nom. sg.): m. depiction, description
naama: ind. by name
dvitiiyaH sargaH (nom. sg. m.): 2nd canto
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