Advaita Sudha
On Vidyaranya’s note on sixfold transcendental Meditation

āntara-drsya-anuviddha-savikalpaka-samādhi – attention upon the consciousness as the witness of thoughts. Antara Drsya is the subjective witness consciousness which stands dissociated with the nature of ephemerality and is the supreme bliss. Dissociation is with respect to the citta – the mind whose functions are operative in terms of desire, volition etc. Objects that are perceived – the drsya are mithya since they are ‘āgamāpāyi’ as proclaimed by the Lord in the Gita. But the Drk, which is Self, effulgent is ‘anāgāmapāyi’ and is Sathya which is Akhanda the impartite Ultimate. Mithya is Sakhanda. The thoughts, which are insentient, are known and perceived by something other than the thought. These thoughts those are witnessed by the āntara Caitanyam – the inner Consciousness. So thoughts are ‘āgamapāyi’ while Caintanyam is ‘anāgamāpāyi’. Thoughts are mere waves, which is not omni-present. Caitanyam is Sarvajna, the knower of known and is not known to the knowledge of knowable. Thoughts constitute the impressions of finite external empirical objects, the Vasanas which are ‘sa-akāra’ while Caitanyam is ‘nirākāra’ & ‘Nirmala’. Caitanyam is not objectifiable. ‘asango hi Ayam PurusaH says Brhadaranyaka Upanisad. The term ‘purusa’ here refers to the Iswara Saksi which is nothing but the reflective ‘Bimba’ Caitanya. This self-luminous Consciousness that cannot be objectified in āntara-drsya-samādhi, since it is akhandam which is aparoksa – immediate to inner Self – the antarātma. Brhadaranyaka 3.5.2 speaks of this Aparoksa Caitanyam as ‘that cannot see the Seer of the Sight’. Antharyami Brahmana follows the suit to say ‘Adrstam drstr, Srotr..’. This Self is the pure ‘Aham’, which alone is Ultimate – cidānanda rupa. This aham is all-pervading that means my caitanyam is pervaded ‘everywhere’. Ksetram cāpi mām viddhi sarva ksetrēsu bāratah’. ‘akāsavat – like space, ‘sarva ādhara caitanyam asmi’. Vidyāranya points out ‘drsya chittagāh drsyāh – drsya here means (mano) vrtti – modification of thought like kāma, krodha, lobha etc. Is vrtti devoid of Caitanyam ? Vidyaranya says ‘tat vrttitvē cātanam asti’ – cētana is Jiva sāksi – the Aham. Here by Vidyaranya draws attention towards the sarvada ‘Brahmānubhava’ which is ever inherent in āntara. This anubhava is accomplished by saksi-ākara vrttim kuryat which is the savikalpa-drsya-anuviddha-samādhi nidhidyāsana.

Advaita Sudha

On Vidyaranya’s note on sixfold transcendental Meditation

Vidvan is one who is illumined with atma jnana says Mundaka. He who realized the true purport of ‘Aham asmi’ as Brahman. Moreover he knows what ‘pranasya prana’ is. Pranasya Prana Sankaracarya (in his Mun Basyam) defines ‘Para Iswarah’ (Narayana) hi esah – one who shines vibhati – diversely. Such a vidvan cannot be identified with those who claim what they don’t deserve. Sankaracarya says ‘Such a vidvan does not become Ativādi ! who is an ativādi ? ajnani is ativadi. One who talk more. A talker is an ativadi. Acarya defines ‘atitya sarva anyanvadhitum silamasyethyathivādi’ iti meaning ‘one who runs behind everything else (other than ātma). Vidvan too talks tall, in the sense he talks more on the ‘aparoksa anubhava’ that he has seen within ‘BrahmAhamasmi’. Such a vidvan is one who is Bhuma vidvan as he says ‘ayam to vidvan na atmano anyat pasyati; na anyat shrnothi; na anyatvijānināthi’ – ‘he who sees nothing other than atman; hears nothing else; cognizes nothing other than Self’. Such is the Bhuma Vidya the seventh adhyaya of Chandogya Upanishad wherein Narada initiates sanatkumara to Bhuma Vidya. Section 24 of that adhyaya speaks ‘yatra nanyatpasyati nanyat shrnothi nanyatvijanathi sa bhumatha yatra anyat pasyatyanyatshrnotyatanyatvijanati tadalpam yo vai Bhuma thadamrthamatha yadalpam tanmartya ..’ ‘Where one cannot see another, where one cannot hear, where one cannot intuit another, that is Bhuma (great); where one can see another; where one can hear another; where one can intuit another that is Alpa (small)’ says Narada.

Sathyānrtha mithuni karana is the idiom used in adhyāsa bhāsya to indicate the nature and cause for samsara. This includes objective and subjective dimensions of mix-ups. Vedanta Sravana generated the viveka jnana is that which corrects ajnana. Nithya trptah – objective Nirāsraya – subjective. These both get together as the jivanmuktha laksana. Such a subjective objective corrections are sought by Nidhidhyasa says Vidyāranya. ‘Tat chintanam tat kathanam anyonyam tat parodhanam .. brahmābhyasam vidubudhah’ every act of human life must involve nidhidhyāsana. Every act has the primary component of Nidhidyāsana of Brahmābhyasa. This abhyāsa reveals that the nitya suddha Buddha muktha svabhāva of a mumuksu. Nidhidhyāsa makes the seeker realize the release already in him. He merely recollects his freedom on Mahāvakya sravana. Mahāvakya asserts the ‘Tatvamasi’ and not ‘Tat tvam bhavishyasi’. Moksa is not a future occasion but a present event. Vidyāranya enumerates six types of samadhi. 1) āntara-drsya anuviddha-savikalpa-samādhi. 2) āntara-sabda-anuviddha-savikalpa-samādhi 3) āntara-nirvikalpa-samādhi 4) bāhya-drsya-anuviddha-savikalpa-samādhi 5) bāhya-sabda- anuviddha-savikalpa-samādhi 6) bāhya-nirvikalpa-samādhi. This is a special contributuion of Vidyāranya. With these sad vidha samādhi, the satchitananda tatparah is achieved. Segregating the nāma rupa which is invariably mixed with sat-chit-ananda is tatparah state. Each of these samadhi’s will be dealt with in the subsequent posts.

Samādhim Sarvada Kuryadh – engage in absorption always. Absorption in one’s own heart – thoughts. This is āntara samādhih abhyāsah. The meditation on thoughts is āntara. The same meditation on the external objects is bāhya samādhi abhyāsa. Each of the above two is classified further into two each. Savikalpa and Nirvikalpa ie, with and without divisions (bedah) respectively. Thus samādhi is now four. Savikalpa-āntara, savikalpa-bāhya and Nirvikalpa-āntara, Nirvikalpa-bāhya. Such a division is divided further in relation with two more entities namely, drsya and sabda anuvedhana. Anuvedana is the associative power. Sabda anuviddha is in association with akandakara, asanga, suddha svarupas. Now āntara-drsya-savikalpaka-samādhi. This meditation can be done at the initial stages. In a dark room, have a small dipa lit in the middle. Concentrate on the dipa, while the prakasa pervades the hall. Only with this light we now see some objects in the hall. The dipa-praksa illumines the object. The dipa is suddha and akanda. Objects are sasanga while dipa is asanga. Gradually withdraw the sasanga and absorb the light in you. This is āntara-drsya-anuviddha-savikalpaka-samādhi.

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Advaita-Sudha
On Vidyaranya's note on six-fold transcendental Meditation.
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Cit cāya the pratbimba the reflection of the Consciousness is non-doer and non-enjoyer (akarta and aboktha) enters into the mind-body. Mind body complex is always dependent. This complex is subjected to transmigration. There are two mistakes that jiva does to perpetuate this metempsychosis. First mistake is that we think ‘I am dependent’ and secondly we resort to take refuge of world for our support. Not knowing that we commit these mistakes we identify us with the mind body complex. We say ‘I am in problem’. Thus we subject the Sāksi ‘I’ with pains. We must realize that mind is mere substance and it is not substantial. The discrimination of mind and Sāksi must be endeavored. Mind is mithya, vikara and Drsya. Sāksi is Sathya, avikāra and Drg. This Drg Drsya viveka, Vidyaranya indicates is the means for liberation. Within this body there exists two principles namely, Manas, which is substance, and Sāksi, which is substantial. Since these both are in close proximity we tend to identify manas with Sāksi Caitanya. Such a mix is the cause for Samsāra. Avarana Sakthi of māyā is responsible for veiling the true nature of Drg Drsya Viveka, where Vidyāranya says ‘ Cit Cāyā samāvēsa Jivah Vyavahārikah’ the reflected consciousness alone becomes the embodied Jiva which operates on the phenomenal world which is the cause for Samsara that is unreal.


Maya does not create Saksi caitanyam the notion of ‘aham asmi’. It is not Mayikam. Caitanyam is Vastavam. Saksi is uncreated. Maya gives the body-mind complex, which is the cause for samsara. Caitanyam is avyavaharyam. Body-mind complex is vyavaharyam. Maya’s avarana Sakti conceals the real nature of Caitanya in the Body-mind complex. It obscures the real distinction between Vastavam and Mayikam or the Drk and Drsya. This sathya mithya difference is not conceived and thus the samsara perpetuates. Mayikam is called Jivatvam. Jivatvam is subjected to six fold transformations, namely, asti, jayate, vartate, viparinamate, apaksiyate and vinasyati. This changing course of Jiva is termed by Vidyaranya as ‘sargam’ meaning that which changes. That, which is changeless, is Consciousness. This Caitanya is not part, product or property. What is ‘presence’ then? When one says ‘world is present’ and that it changes, the adjective change seems to correspond to ‘is’ also, but in actuality it directly corresponds to World alone and not to the existence ‘is’. ‘Is’ness in Vedanta denotes the Adhistana – the suddha caitanyam while the objects related with it are empirical by nature. The change is thus super imposed on the subjective level of existence, which is devoid of any attribute or adjuncts. The cause of samsara as a pain is due to the Avarana Sakthi alone and not the Visepa sakthi of Maya. Avarana makes the jiva have the aviveka of Drk and Drsya. Thus even in the state of Jivan Mukti, the Jivan hood is devoid of Avarana but not the Viksepa. Sravana manana nidhidhyasana alone is the means for annihilation of Avarana Sakthi that gives the true knowledge about the Vasthava Saksi. Vidyaranya says, ‘avrtau tu vinastayam bede bathe yapayathi tat’- with the distinction between the Drk Drsya the avarana Sakthi gets removed, and thus jivanhood disappears. Vidyaranya explains the ‘Tat’ pada viveka here. Brahma-sargayor bedah vibhati – the difference between the satya and mithya is appreciated. Do we experience the Suddha Nirvisesa Caitanya? Vidyaranya answers – all our experiences have five components of which three belongs to Brahman and two belongs to creation. Three are vasthavam and two are mayikam. Our experiences are mixed with these two. The five components are viz, 1) asti – ‘is’ 2) Bati – known ‘sarvam vastuni jnatatvena ajnatatvena va bAti’ everything that we know is known to be either known or unknown 3) Priyam – dear’ness / desire 4) Nama – names 5) Rupa – form / property / Guna. Thus all experience with sat-cit-ananda is experiences with the first three components and last two with the Prapanca. Thus with the sathya amass of all anubhava’s which is changeless the Nirvisesa Cinmatram Brahman is ever experienced. Jnanis are aware of this experience while ajnanis don’t.

The indiscrimination of sathya and the mithya takes place both in the subjective and the objective level. Subjective mix is the drk-drsya aviveka is caused due to avarana. Second aviveka is that between Brahman the Jagat. The former is internal and the latter is external. The two aviveka’s cause for samsara. All human experience is packed between these two types of aviveka’s. Experience at five stages: step 1) knowing that vastu ‘is’ (asti) there indicating sat sambhanda. 2) Vastu is ‘Known’ – (bhati) Chit sambhanda 3) I ‘like’(priyam) that Vastu. This indicates the ananda sambhanda. ‘yatra yatra ananda hetutvam; tatra tatra priyatvam’ 4) Nama – we ‘name’ the Vastu 5) Rupa – we perceive the ‘Form’ of the Vastu. Vidyaranya says all these five steps operate simultaneously. The sat-chit-ananda sambhanda is eternal with all our experiences, which we do not experience. They are the substratum of all empirical cognitions. The first three components of the experience is Brahma rupa which Vidyaranya calls ‘adhya trayam Brahma rupam jagat rupam tato dvayam’. The last two are Mayikam. The ananda, which manifests is not uniform. Experiential pleasure is not permanent. Mind that fluctuates the ananda seems to fluctuate. The pratibimbha ananda varies in degrees. As taitiriya laments IndrAnanda is different from Jivananda while Devananda is different. Samkhyan subscribing to the tara-tamya ananda beda, says that Atman or Purusa is mixed anatma is prakrti. Each atman is different and they are all all-pervasive. Caitanyam, which is one body, differs from the other. Vidyaranya says the existential experience with first three components is indivisible. The sat-chit-ananda elements are the same. Vidyaranya says ‘sat-chit-anandAh abhinnAh’. It is important that we note that Vidyaranya indicates ananda in plural norm. By this it means, that ananda in ananta, which is infinite. It is figurative usage not in physical sense. So plurality is the aupadika beda and not the vastava bedah. It is like fire pervading iron and water. Iron becomes red hot with heat while water takes heat but never becomes red hot. Thus sat-chit-ananda varies in correspondence with the reflective power of mind, but in potentiality it is invariable and inherent in all three grades of beings – deva, tiryak and Nara. There is no lack of Brahmanubhava or samadhi. Only thing we lack is the power of internalizing such Brahmaniubhava. Shravana alone is done but not nidhidyasana. Doing nidhidyasana the aspirant internalizes the Brahmanubhava. This is known as ‘samadhi abhyasa nidhidyasana’

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Special Edition: By Shri Praveen Bhat, a Sadhaka in Advaita Vedanta. Currently living in Bombay.

Advaita Ratna Rasāyana

The Chemistry of Self-realization as explained in Sankarācārya’s Eka-sloki.
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kiM jyotistavabhAnumAnahani me ratrau pradIpaAdikaM
syAdevaM ravidIpadarshana vidhau kiM jyotirAkhyAhi me
chakshustasya nimIlanAdisamaye kiM dhIrdhiyo darshane
kiM tatrAhamato bhavanparamakaM jyotistadasmI prabho

Is it your light that shines in the day as the sun and as the bright lamp in the night? Let it be. Which light shines when I close my eyes? (in mental vision) Which light illumines in my mental perception? You are that supreme light that illumines the awareness of 'aham' and I am that light 1

The entire *light* of Upanishads is put there beautifully in that one shloka in such a simple manner. I bow down to that Guru Shankara who is the ever guiding light.

gukAraschAndhakArAhi rukArastejochyate
ajnAnagrAsakaM brahma gurureva na saMshayaH

When there is darkness at night, one can't see anything around, he has to light a lamp to illumine those things. But when the sun rises, the same dark world is now visible owing to sun rays. The commonness in both the sun rays and the lamp's fire is the light by which the objects are illumined. The objects thus illumined are seen by the eye. The same eyes, when closed, still make the objects visible in the antahkaraNa, in our imagination and dreams! Where is the sun then? Where is the lamp then? Where is the world and its objects then? How are those same objects visible with the eyes closed? So the objects are neither seen by the eye nor illumined by the sun/ lamp. That light which illumines is within.While the mind fades away into deep sleep, what is seen? I see darkness. When the sun sets, the objects are darkened, but still darkness is visible. That darkness, even, is illumined by the inner light. For me to know that I slept blissfully, or to know nothing during deep sleep, I need to exist. That avashtAtrayAtita Self is the one that illumines the darkness of sleep, the waking and dream worlds; the Self illumines the intellect, antahkaraNa, the eyes (senses), the sun and the lamp and thus the objects are perceived! In other words, if the sun illumined the world, how would I see the world when the sun sets? By the lamp's light? If so, how would I see the darkness without the lamp and the sun? How would I see the world in my dreams without the sun and the lamp to light them? How would I know of deep sleep, or not know it, or see darkness without the sun and the lamp? And to close the loop, how would I see even the sun during the day and lamp during the night if I didn't exist? So I exists as the guiding light. That I, the Self, is the brahmaN that the shrutI declares as the substratum of everything, that illumines all that is sentient and insentient.

Chandogya 3.13.7 says: There is a light that shines beyond all things on Earth, beyond us all, beyond the heavens, beyond the highest, the very highest heavens. This is the light that shines in our heart.Katha 5.15 says:There the sun shines not, nor moon nor stars;These lightnings shine not, let alone this fire.All things shine with the shining of this light,This whole world reflects its radiance.Kena 1.2 also declares the Self It is the ear of the ear, the mind of the mind, the speech of speech, the breath of breath, and the eye of the eye...The world here, the world of the dreams, those heavenly abodes that the karma khanDa rituals provide for... beyond all those exists a light that illumines all those. That very light is the one in our heart. How else can they be illumined without the existence of I? Who will witness it, who will provide for jIva to be bound to those worlds without being illumined by I? What will the jIva erroneously enjoy or suffer if not illumined by I? How will the jIva even exist without That I? All the worlds that the jIva binds to, gives reality to, thinks of, assumes, errs, enjoys and suffers, including its suns, lamps, and the objects, is but the reflection of the ever-free, ever-shining I, the very Self, the brahmaN of the shrutI.

gurorarpaNamastu
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1.Translation by Dr.Saroja Ramanujam

Advaita Ratna Rasāyana

The Chemistry of Self-realization as explained in Sankarācārya’s Eka-sloki.

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What is that which is so bright as the Sun, that which is as bright as the light during the night? ‘adithyah aham jyothisam nama Visnu’ says Sankaracarya, ‘illuminaries illumine due to me’ the sutrātma who is Visnu. Such a Vishnu is the resident of all beings the true Self. Acarya equates the term ‘aham’ with all pervading Vishnu who is the pratyagātman. Such pratyagartman that Eka sloki describes – ‘ravi dipa darsanam’ one that is seen as the brilliance of Sun. In Gita bashya too acarya calls the pratyagatman, as Ravi. Acarya raises the question ‘as to who lights up the entire Universe – just as Sun lights up the earth ? he gives the answer saying ‘ravivatsarvaksetresu eka eva ātma’ – the sunlike atma alone illumines the prapanca. Why is acarya so particular about equating atman with the Sun who is Vishnu? He says ‘ravi drstānta; atra ātmana: ubhayor api bhavati’ The analogy of Sun for ātman serves two purposes. One, Sun is only one like ātman beinf advitiya and secondly Like the Sun, atman too is unstained. Sun is tejomaya. Atman is jyothir maya. The atman which is Self effulgent is known by ‘Aham’ which is termed to be known as amsumān – the radiant ‘tvam’. The Sureme Visnu who is not subjected to avidya pariccinnas, limiting adjuncts is the jyothis svarupa – the ‘tat’tva. Both these tat and tvam are pure and pristine. The body and the aggregate organs are dual by nature, which are tainted by attributes such as names and forms. The rays of Sun, as the effulgence of atman spreads all along, permeating all these dualities in terms of names and forms. Kathopanishad conveys the purport of such, ‘ Just as the Sun, which is the eye of the whole Universe, is not tainted by ocular and external defects, similarly the Self that is but one in all beings is not tainted by sorrows of the world. It is transcendental. The matrix of body and mind is transcended by the atman. Acarya says ‘sarva bhutāntarātma lokadukkena na lipyate bāhyah’ Ignorance when superimposed on the Self, causes misery arise from the desire and work. Self though not inhere the attributes of ignorance as the rope does from that of the snake. The lust that gets accrued like that on rope, Shell, a desert and the sky where the defects appears to be so while the substratum remains unchanged. Similarly the Jiva having the superimposed karmas seems to affect the atman but actually not. The false notions of agent, actions and fruit and this is the samsara – the misery of birth and death. Where is that pratyagatman be seen inside? In the aparoksa level? Shruthi says ‘ravi madhye sthithah Soma- Soma madhye hutasanah; tejo madhye sthitham sattvam sattva madhye sthitah achyuta. Achyuta who is Vishnu who is pure sattva svarupa stays in the midst of tejah – fire which is in the midst of moon that which lies in the midst of Sun. Such pratyagatma Vishnu is described as scalam amrtam, Vishnu samjnitam – immovable immortal omniscient Vishnu who is Satyakāma – the abode of all desires.
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Advaita Ratna Rasāyana

The Chemistry of Self-realization as explained in Sankarācārya’s Eka-sloki.
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Nirvāna-anusāsanam Veda-anusāsanam 1 says Shrthi. What is Nirvāna? Nirvāna is the trance, a state of pure existence that makes a jiva emancipate the wordly existence. In this Supreme state there exists neither the existence nor the non-existence, not even existence & non-existence and so it is said ‘na san asan na sadasan’. Such is the Nirvāna or the Nirguna. The Nirguna aspect is described as ‘satya kāma’ by the Mundaka Upanishad; the abode of the Ultimate desire – the moksa. An aspirant for this ultimate Desire, known as mumuksu endeavors to relieve himself from the ephemeral affinities and so he gains the gems of self realization. Shruthis mention four gems of ātma darsana vide, atma kāmā – desire for Self, āpta kāma desires fulfilled (paryāpta kāmasya krtātmanastu says Mundaka), nishkāma – no desires and jirna kāma – desires consumed. These are the steps to attain the self-realization as prescribed by the Upanishads – atma darsana sopāna. First the mumuksu desires for knowing the nature of Self. He then develops the desire for investigating the scriptures, which are the true testimonies of valid knowledge (Sāstra yonitvāt says Vyāsācārya). The scriptures are the āpta vacanas. Soon after mumuksa crosses the stage of being āpta kāma he renounces the ephemeral desires and hence becomes desire less – the nishkāma. Mundaka Upanishads shares it view to say kāmānyah kāmayate manyamānah – one he who ponders over the worldly desires, sa kāma birjāyate tatra tatra – he is born life after life. Finally the mumuksu enters the final stage – the jirna kāma wherein he realizes that he himself is the abode of the Supreme realization – the Ultimate state Oneness with Brahman that exists no where but within him. The Jiva drops the notion of duality and attains liberation with the Partless Ultimate – Akhanda Brahman. Such jirna kāma is known as satya kāma. A mumuksu who attains this Visnu pada, & sees everything as Vishnu in this world, is a Jivan Muktha says Shruthi. It says ‘Jivan muktasya vijnēyah, sa dhanyah krta krtyavān; Jivan muktha is one who is blessed with bliss, he has all his duties fulfilled in him Jivan mukthapadam tyaktva svadēhē kālasātkrtē’ after when he quits his body ‘visatya dēha muktatvam pavanah spandatam iva’ He merges into the dis-embodied motionless state of Brahman, which is the Nirvāna. It is the state of Nirguna Brahman, which is asabdam, asparsam, arupam, avyayam, amalam, anantam. Satyam- jnānam-anantam as Taitiriya preaches, the realization to be this stateless state of attribute less Brahman alone gives Moksa. The aspirant becomes one with this Supreme Brahman, who is the indwelling spirit of all beings. Shruthi conveys the same as ‘ātmendriya mano yuktam bhoktety āhur maharsayah; tato Nārāyana sāksād hrdayē supratistitah’ Sankarācārya, remarks that this Nirguna Brahman is omni potent and non-different from the Jivātma. The seer thus gains the vision to see the Golden hued creator in him, the most immediate being. Immediacy is, Niranjanah paramam sāmyam as the Mundaka Upanishad proclaims. The Jivan muktha shines with his effulgence, illuminating the un-illumined. ‘antar jyohir bahir jyothir’ says Sankarācārya. What jyothi is this? Surēsvarācārya in his Vārtika on Jyotis Brāhmana clearly says it is the Light of the Self. ‘ātma jyotis tatai vedam, sadānandastamidomitam’ – the nature of this light is atman which is the inner most self, that neither sets nor arises unlike the Sun – it is all glorious’. Is Sun’s effulgence inferior to Self-effulgence? Sankarācārya begins his Eka-sloki with the same question ‘Kim jyothir svabāvānumānahani me rātrau pratipādikam?’ meaning…

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1) Subālopanishad XI.1

On the eve of Mother's Day,

Sankarācārya’s Mātr Pancakam

Remembering ācāryā’s bhakthi towards Motherhood and his polemics in describing the Nature of her compassion.
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The Mother of all worlds is Ksama – patience. Ksama is Kriya the cosmic force & she is composure of compassion. She is none but Māyā. The immense bliss is her innate nature as she is the divine consort of Lord Visnu, as Sankarācārya says ‘Vaisnavim sām Māyām’ She renders the divine wisdom which is as sweet as Honey (Amrta). She is hence called Madhu-mathi. By her pleasing phenomenal postulations, she is magical in Phenomenon. She is inseperable from the Ultimate abode – Visnu – jagat kartrtvam iswaratvam māyikam ēva. She manifests with Visnu Bhakthi. She bears the golden womb and known as Hiranmayi. By her absolute pure compassion daya, she makes Vishnu Black like 'moisture bearing clouds' in the sky. Mother Māya is so intimate to Vishnu and her luster illuminates the world. She is Vishnu amsa says Bāgavata Mahāpurāna ‘sa vai bhagavatas sāksāt Vishnor amsāmsa sambhavah’ She is tranquil (sāntata) and trance. Such is the nature of Māya as she is the mother of Universe. Sankarācārya considers his mother as the incarnation of the Universal Mother – Māyā and worships her by the following five stanzas, popularly known as Mātr pancakam. On account of Mothers day, it is indeed important to meditate on ācāryās words, those that are relevant in each and every walk of our lives.

Aasthām tāvaddiyam prasoothi samaye durvāra soola vyathā, nairuchyam thanu soshanam malamayī sayyā cha samvatsarī, ēkasyāpi na garbha bāra bharana klēsasya yasya kshmah
Dhathum nishkruthi munnathopi thanayas tasya jananyai namah 1

Padārtha:
Aasthām tāvaddiyam what can be compared to the care prasoothi samaye during the time of my birth durvāra irresistible hard pain soola vyathā the sharp pain,nairuchyam (your) health thanu Body (condition) soshanam withered and dessicated malamayī troubled with dirt sayyā in bed cha samvatsarī for a year long,ēkasyāpi garbha bāra the weight of the foetus bharana bearing na without klēsasya distress and aversion yasya for your akshmah irresistible suffering Dhāthum having given nishkruthi my atonement munnathopi (however) Noble thanayas son tasyai your jananyai oh mother namah I salute

Vācyārtha:
Oh divine mother! It is you who forbeared the immense pain that casued during the time of labour, When I was born to you. Oh mother you kindly made me sleep beside you even when I was stinking with excretions. It was due to me Oh Mother your body was made thin due to pain and hunger.you treated me as a jewel adorning your waist for all those months you bore me in your womb. For all these in return, what do I have with me my dear Mother ! I can never imagine any thing in this world that can compensate your compassion. however high may I go, nothing best will reach apart from you lotus feet.Oh Mother I worship you!

gurukulamupasruthya swapnakaale thu drushvtā, yathi samuchitha vēsham prārudho mām tvamucchēhgurukulamadha sarva prārudatthē samakshamsapadhi charanayosthē māthurasthu pranāmā. 2

Padātha
Gurukulamupasruthya Having reached my Teachers residence swapnakaale thu in your dreams drushvtā when you saw me, yathi as an ascetic samuchitha vēsham wholly in that attire prārudho rushed mām unto me tvamucchēh you cried aloud gurukulamadha in my teachers place sarva everyone prārudatthē (were) emotionally stirred samaksham (when they saw your compassion) manifested before their eyes sapadhi that moment charanayosthē the bliss that I had māthurasthu Oh Mother! Pranāmā My Salutaions.

Vācyārtha
Oh my dearest mother! While in your dreams when you say me as an ascetic, you wept and rushed to my place where I studied. Cuddled and fondled me with warmth and love. On seeing this, my teacher and fellow students were moved by your passionate love. I am still frozen by this oh mother! I do not know anything else except to fall at your lotus feet to offer my salutations.

ambethi thāthēthi shivēthi tasmin, prasoothikale yadavocha ucchēh, krishnethi govinda hare mukunda, iti jananyē rachito ayamanjali 3

During the terrible time of hard labour while you delivered me, Oh Mother ! you cried aloud the auspicious names of the Supreme God ‘Hey Hari! Govinda! And Mukundha!’ I helpless when I think of that pain you endeavored then. What do I do in return ? Please accept by humble prostration unto your feet, my dearest Mother !

na dattam mathasthē marana samayē thoyamapi vā, svadhaa vā no dhēyā maranadivasē srādha vidhinana japthvā mathasthē marana samayē thāraka manur, akāle samprāpthē mayi kuru dhayām mātharathulaam 4

I was not here with you to give water when you are in need. Neither did I offer the last oblative ceremonies that’ll aid your last journey! I did not even recite the tāraka mantrā in your ears when you needed ! Oh Mother ! Do forgive me for all these lapses on my side, may it merge unto your compassion. I’m afer all your beloved Son Mātha !

mukthā manithvam, nayanam mamēthi, rajēthi jīvēthi chiramsthu thathvam, ithyuktha vathya vāchi māthah, dadāmyaham thandulamēva shushkam 5

Oh Supreme Mother ! you are eternal in me ! as the darling pearl. Glittering as soul. You adorne me as a jewel. You are the gems, rolling in my eyes! You are ever intimate Oh Māthā! You are the song of my Self and rhythm of my Life! You have offered me the most precious things in this world! In turn of all that you’ve given me, I give you the dry rice in your mouth, when you are dead.

Hari Om