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Upadesa Sahasri of Adi Shankara
Upadesa Sahasri is a philosophical treatise by Adi
Shankara in which the great master discuss means to liberation and
realize the Brahman
CHAPTER I - A METHOD OF ENLIGHTENING (Teaching) THE DISCIPLE
1. We shall now explain a method of teaching the
means to liberation for the benefit of those aspirants who deeply desire
liberation, who have asked for this teaching and are possessed of faith
(in it).
2. That means to liberation, Knowledge, should be explained again and
again until it is firmly grasped, to a pure Brahmana disciple, ( Alston
notes:this should not be interpreted in a purely caste sense. At BS
comm.. 3.4.38 Sankara quotes Manu SmR^iti 2.87 'Whoever practices
universal benelovence and friendliness is a brahmana ), who is
indifferent to everything that is transitory and achievable through
certain means, who has given up the desire for a son, for wealth, and
for this world' and the next, (Br.U. 1.5.16) who has adopted the life of
a wandering monk and is endowed with control over the mind and senses,
with compassion etc., as well as with the qualities of a disciple
well-known in the scriptures, and who has approached the teacher in the
prescribed manner, and has been examined in respect of his caste,
profession, conduct, learning and parentage.
3. The Shruti (Mu.U 1.2.12,13) also says, "A Brahmana after examining
those worlds which are the result of Vedic actions should be indifferent
to them seeing that nothing eternal can be achieved by means of those
actions. Then, with fuel in his hands he should approach a teacher
versed in the Vedas and established in Brahman in order to know the
Eternal. The learned teacher should correctly explain to that disciple
who has self-control and a tranquil mind, and has approached him in the
prescribed manner, the knowledge of Brahman revealing the imperishable
and the eternal Being." For only when knowledge is firmly grasped, it
conduces to one's own good and is capable of transmission. This
transmission of knowledge is helpful to people, like a boat to one who
wants to cross a river. The scriptures too say, "Although one may give
to the teacher this world surrounded by oceans and full of riches, this
knowledge is even greater than that." Otherwise (if it were not taught
by a teacher) there would be no attainment of knowledge. For the srutis
say, "A man (Chh.U. 6.14.2) having a teacher can know Brahman,"
"Knowledge (ChhU.4.9.3) received from a teacher alone (becomes
perfect)," "The teacher is the pilot," "Right Knowledge is called in
this world a raft," (Mahabharata 12.313.23)etc. The smR^iti (Bh.G. 4.34)
also says, "Know this through long prostration, through enquiry and
through service, those men of wisdom who have realized the truth," will
be impart it to you.
4. When the teacher finds from signs that knowledge has not been
grasped (or has been wrongly grasped) by the disciple he should remove
the causes of non-comprehension which are: failure to observe the
spiritual law, (dharma), carelessness with regard to worldly activities,
want of previous firm knowledge of what constitutes the subjects of
discrimination between the eternal and the non-eternal, courting popular
esteem, vanity of caste etc., and so on, through means contrary to those
causes, enjoined by the Shruti and smR^iti, viz., avoidance of anger
etc., and the vows (yama: harmlessness, truthfulness, non-stealing,
continence and non-acceptance of gifts) also the rules of conduct that
are not inconsistent with knowledge.
5. He should also thoroughly impress upon the disciple qualities like
humility, which are the means to knowledge.
6. What is the nature of the teacher. The teacher is one who is
endowed with the power of furnishing arguments pro and con, of
understanding questions and remembering them, who possesses tranquillity,
self-control, compassion and a desire to help others, who is versed
(through the tradition handed down) in the scriptures and unattached to
enjoyments both seen and unseen,who has renounced the means to all kinds
of actions (ritualistic etc.), who is a knower of Brahman (brahmavit)
and is established in it, who is never a transgressor of the rules of
conduct, and who is devoid of shortcomings such as ostentation, pride,
deceit, cunning, jugglery, jealousy, falsehood, egotism and attachment.
He has the sole aim of helping others and a desire to impart the
knowledge of Brahman only. He should first of all teach the Shruti texts
establishing the oneness of the self with Brahman such as, "My child, in
the beginning it (the universe) was Existence only, one alone without a
second,"ChhU 6.2.1) "Where one sees nothing else" ChhU 7.24.1. " All
this is but the Self," (ChhU 7.25.2) " In the beginning all this was but
the one Self"(ChhU Ai.U.1.1.1) and "All this is verily Brahman." (ChhU.
3.14.1)
7, 8. After teaching these he should teach the definition of Brahman
through such Shruti texts as "The self, devoid of sins," (ChhU 8.7.1)
"The Brahman that is immediate and direct,"(BrU 3.4.1) "That which is
beyond hunger and thirst," (BrU3.5.1) "Not-this, not-this," BrU 2.3.6) "
Neither gross nor subtle," (BrU 3.8.8) " This Self is not- this,"
(BrU3.9.26) " It is the Seer Itself unseen,"( BrU 3.8.11) " Knowledge-Bliss,"(BrU
3.9.27ff) "Existence-Knowledge-Infinite," (Tai.U. 2.1) "Imperceptible,
bodiless,"(Tai.U. 2.7) "That great unborn Self," (BrU 4.4.22) " Without
the vital force and the mind," (Mu.U 2.1.2) "Unborn, comprising the
interior and exterior," ((MuU2.1.2) " Consisting of knowledge only," (BrU
2.4.12) " Without interior or exterior,"(BrU2.5.19) "It is verily beyond
what is known as also what is unknown" (Ke.U. 1.3) and "Called AkASha
(the self-effulgent One) " (ChhU 8.14.1) and also through such smR^iti
texts. as the following: "It is neither born nor dies," (BhG 2.20) " It
is not affected by anybody's sins,," (BhG 5.15) "Just as air is always
in. the ether," (BhG. 9.6) "The individual Self should be regarded as
the universal one," (BhG 13.2) "It is called neither existent nor
nonexistent," (BhG BhG 13.12) "As the Self is beginningless and devoid
of qualities,"(BhG 13.31) "The same in all beings" (BhG 13.27) and "The
Supreme Being is different" (BhG 15.17)-all these support the definition
given by the Shruti and prove that the innermost Self is beyond
transmigratory existence and that it is not different from Brahman, the
all-comprehensive principle.
9. The disciple who has thus learnt the definition of the inner Self
from the Shruti and the smR^iti and is eager to cross the ocean of
transmigratory existence is asked, "Who are you, my child?"
10, 11. If he says, "I am the son of a Brahmana belonging to such and
such a lineage; I was a student or a householder, and am now a wandering
monk anxious to cross the ocean of transmigratory existence infested
with the terrible sharks of birth and death," the teacher should say,
"My child, how do you desire to go beyond transmigratory existence as
your body will be eaten up by birds or will turn into earth even here
when you die? For, burnt to ashes on this side of the river, you cannot
cross to the other side."
12, 13. If he says, "I am different from the body. The body is born
and it dies; it is eaten up by birds, is destroyed by weapons, fire
etc., and suffers from diseases and the like. I have entered it, like a
bird its nest, on account of merit and demerit accruing from acts done
by myself, and like a bird going to another nest when the previous one
is destroyed I shall enter into different bodies again and again as a
result of merits and demerits when the present body is gone. Thus in
this beginningless world on account of my own actions I have been giving
up successive bodies assumed among gods, men, animals and the denizens
of hell and assuming ever new ones. I have in this way been made to go
round and round in the cycle of endless births and deaths, as in a
Persian wheel by my past actions, and having in the course of time
obtained the present body I have got tired of this going round and round
in the wheel of transmigration, I have come to you, Sir, to put an end
to this rotation. I am, therefore, always different from the body. It is
bodies that come and go, like clothes on a person." The teacher would
reply,"You have spoken well, you see aright. Why then did you wrongly
say,' I am the son of a Brahmana belonging to such and such a lineage; I
was a student or a householder, and am now a wandering monk'?"
14, 15. If the disciple says, "How did I speak wrongly, Sir?," the
teacher would reply, "Because by your statement, 'I am the son of a
Brahmana belonging to such and such a lineage etc.' you identified with
the Self devoid of birth, lineage and purificatory ceremonies, the body
possessed of them that are different' (from the Self)."
16, 17. If he asks, "How is the body possessed of the diversities of
birth, lineage and purificatory ceremonies. (different from the Self)
and how am I devoid of them?" The teacher would say, "Listen, my child,
how this body is. different from you and is possessed of birth, lineage
and sanctifying ceremonies and how you are free from these." Speaking
thus he will remind the disciple saying, "You. should remember, my
child, you have been told about the innermost Self which is the Self of
all, with its characteristics. as described by the Shruti such as 'This
was existence, my child' (ChhU. 6.2.1) etc., as also the smR^iti, and
you should remember these characteristics also."
18. The teacher should say to the disciple who has remembered the
definition of the Self, "That which is called akaSha (the self-effulgent
one) which is distinct from name and form, bodiless, and defined as not
gross etc., and as free from sins and so on, which is untouched by all
transmigratory conditions, 'The Brahman that is immediate and direct,' (Br.U.
3.4.1) 'The innermost Self,' (Br.U.3.4.1)'The unseen seer, the unheard
listener, the unthought thinker, the unknown knower, which is of the
nature of eternal knowledge, without interior or exterior, consisting
only of knowledge, all-pervading like the ether and of infinite
power-that Self of all, devoid. of hunger etc., as also of appearance
and disappearance, is,. by virtue of Its inscrutable power, the cause of
the manifestation of unmanifested name and form which abide in the Self
through Its very presence, but are different from It, which are the seed
of the universe, are describable neither as identical with It nor
different from It, and are cognized by It alone.
19. "That name and form though originally, unmanifested, took the
name and form of ether as they were manifested from that Self. This
element called the ether thus arose out of the supreme Self, like the
dirt called foam coming out of transparent water. Foam is neither water
nor absolutely 'different from it. For it is never seen apart from
water. But water is clear, and different from the foam which is of the
nature of dirt. Similarly, the Supreme Self, which is pure and
transparent, is different from name and form, which stand for foam.
These-corresponding to the foam-having originally been unmanifest, took
the name and form of the ether as they were manifested.
20. "Name and form, as they became still grosser in the course of
manifestation, assumed the form of air. From that again they became
fire, from that water, and thence earth. In this order the preceding
elements penetrated the succeeding ones, and the five gross elements
ending 'with earth came into existence. Earth, therefore, possesses the
qualities of all the five gross elements. From earth, .compounded of all
five great elements, herbs such as paddy and barley are produced. From
these, after they are eaten, are formed blood and the seed of women and
men respectively. These two ingredients drawn out, as by a churning rod,
by lust springing from ignorance, and sanctified by mantras are placed
in the womb at the proper time. Through the infiltration of the
sustaining fluids of the mother's. body, it develops into an embryo and
is delivered at the ninth or tenth month.
Adi Shankara Upadesa Sahasri
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