Post by madanmohandas on Sept 19, 2022 13:37:10 GMT -6
Srila Bhaktivinoda Thakura's
Dasa Mula Siksha
or Siksha Dasaka Mulam.
The ten cardinal articles or fundamental principles of Chaitanya Vaishnavism, derived primarily from those didactic portions of Chaitanya Charitamrta, but also substantiated by citations from Gita, Bhagavatam, Upanishads, and the writings of the Vrindavan Goswamis, etc.
The first sloka enumerates all the ten points as propositions to be elaborated in the subsequent verses.
aamnaaya praaha tattvam harim-iha paramam sarvasaktim rasaabdhim,
tad-vibhinnaamsaasca jeevaan prakrti-kavalitaam tad-vimuktaamsca bhaavaad/
bhedaabhedprakaasam sakalam-api hareh saadhanam sudha-bhaktim
saadhyam yat-preetimevetyupadisati harau gauracandram bhaje tam// 1
The Amnaya is deemed self evident,
Which hath in pure succession made descent;
Which first that Hari is supreme decree;
He is possessed of omnipotency;
The source of humours of felicity;
Jiva souls are his parts separated,
In bondage some and some liberated.
That souls and worlds subsist in him alone,
That all is one with him and yet not one;
The means to perfection are said to be,
The nine-fold disciplines of pure bhakti;
The goal whereof is to achieve the bliss
Of Hari's love, than which nought better is.
These articles of faith to ten reduced,
Were by the moon-like Gauranga adduced.
Amnaya refers to the Vedic revelation as received in unbroken preceptorial succession and their corollaries. This represents the pramaana or authority or valid testimony which includes perception and inference as aids.
On the basis of this, the subsequent nine propositions are adduced. 'harim-iha paramam' Herein is decreed that Hari is supreme.
'sarva-saktim', he is possessed of omnipotency, all power. 'rasaabdhim', he is the ocean, store, repository of 'rasa', the humours and ecstasies of love. Thus the ontology of Hari is proposed under three heads.
Then the jiva or soul; 'tad-vibhinnaamsa' they are his disassociated parts, falling into two basic categories, viz. those in bondage, 'prakrti kavalitam' enveloped by nature, and those who are liberated from the said bondage.
'bhedaabheda prakasam' a manifestation distinct and not distinct, 'sakalam' all are such of Hari.
'saadhanam sudha bhakti' the means is unalloyed devotion, 'saadhyam yat preetim' to the supreme end, goal, desideratum, need, prayojana, the divine love for Hari.
Each of these propositions are elaborated in the subsequent verses.
The first sloka adduced the ten propositions; the next verse elaborates on the first article, 'aamnaya praaha, the Vedic revelation or dispensation.
svatahsiddho vedo haridayita-vedhah prabhrtbhih
pramaanam sat-praaptam pramiti-visayaams-taan-nava-vidhaan/
tathaa pratyaksaadi-pramiti-sahitam saadhayati no
na yuktis-tarkaakhyaa pravisati tathaa sakti-rahitaa//
The self accomplished Veda was expressed
To Vidhi and others by Hari blest;
Which, received as valid testimony,
Affirms these nine articles certainly.
Unaided reason is not competent
To conceive of the divine argument;
But reason guided by scripture's mandate,
Is competent these truths to contemplate. 1
The recipients of Sri Hari's grace, Brahma and others received the Vedic revelation, whence are derived the various sects and traditions that subscribe to the 'self accomplished' Vedic revelation, which is 'apaurusiya' not devised by any man.
Perception and inference are admitted as aids, when applied to the examination of the 'amnaya', but independently, which is to say, without the support of revelation, want the power to conceive such lofty speculations.
Now, having established the authority of revelation, the subsequent verses outline the 'prameya', which are the propositions substantiated by the evidence or proofs, 'pramaan'. So, the ten articles of Dasa Mula are distinguished as one, the praman, and the other nine, prameya, propositions. There is a further division under the three heads of 1. sambandha jnana, knowledge of relations, 2, abhidheya, the methods and the modes of attainment, and 3. prayojana, the need or ultimate end. That can be further elaborated in the proper place. As for that, the next verse adduces the first proposition,
haris-tvekam tattvam vidhi-siva suresa-pranamito
yadevedam brahma prakrti rahitam tat-tanumahah/
paraatmaa tasyaamso jagad-anugato visva-janakah
sa vai raadhaa-kaanto navajaladkaantis-cid-udaya//2
Hari is one and the exclusive truth,
All deities are his aspects forsooth;
Thus Vidhi, Shiva and Suresha bring
Their homage and their devout offering.
The radiant and transcendental light
Of his supreme person is Brahman hight.
His emanations constitute the whole,
World father and the universal soul.
That Hari as Radha's beloved know,
Who does with divine cloud like lustre glow. 2
In his own English, Bhaktivinoda elucidates the foregoing verse,
"In Vedic theology, the creative principle of the Deity is personified in Brahma and the destructive principle in Shiva. Indra is the head of some lower elements of administration. Hence, they are not the Almighty himself, but are different representations of different attributes of the Almighty. They have obtained their powers from an original fountainhead. Thus, they are subordinate beings in the service of Hari.
Then again, there are three distinct philosophical ideas of the Deity: 1. the idea of the all-pervading Brahman of the pantheistic view, 2. The idea of the universal soul (paramatma) or the yoga school, and 3. The idea of the personal God (Bhagavan) with all his majesty, might, glory, beauty, wisdom and supremacy combined in his person. The ideas of Brahman and Paramatma are therefore included in the idea of Bhagavan. Thus Bhagavan is Hari, the Supreme Being." (Sri Chaitanya; His Life and Precepts)
Dasa Mula on 'sarva shakti sampanna' possessed of omnipotency.
paraakhyaayaah sakteraprthagapi sa sve mahimani
sthito jeevaakhyaam svamacidabhihitaam taam tripadikaam/
svatantrecchah saktim sakalavisaye preranaparo
vikaaraadyaih soonya paramapuruso'yam vijayate//
Hari abides in his glorious state,
Possessed of divine powers tripartite;
The life-force in which all beings subsist,
Whereby all beings flourish and exist.
His own subjective power intrinsic,
And non-sentient nature extrinsic.
And as these potencies in three divide,
He doth each their respective functions guide;
While he remains immutable and free,
The Primal Being in his own glory. 3
The author, in his own English explains,
"Power is known by its exercise. In this world we have experience of only three of the attributes of God's power. We see the material phenomena and we understand that his power has has the attribute to create matter. This attribute is known in the Vedas as Maya shakti. We see man and we understand that the Supreme power has the attribute to produce the limited and imperfect souls. The sastras call that attribute jiva shakti. We conceive of One who is spiritual and supreme in his realm of eternal spirits; thus we understand that his power has the attribute to exhibit perfectly spiritual existences. The Vedas call that attribute by the name of aatmaa shakti or chit shakti."
So far, in Dasa Mula we have had 1. Vedic revelation as valid testimony; 2. Hari is supreme; 3. Hari is possessed of omnipotence, and now 4, Hari is the repository of rasa or ecstatic humours. In 3, Hari being possessed of omnipotency, that potency was divided under three heads, the own or self potency, the potency that manifests souls and the illusory or extrinsic potency. In 4, Hari being the repository of rasa is demonstrated in terms of the functioning of the self potency.
sa vai hlaadinyaasca pranaya-vikrter-hlaadana-ratas-
tathaa samvicchakti-prakatita-raho-bhaava-rasitah/
tayaa srisandhinya krtavisada-tad-dhaama-nicaye
rasaambhodhau magno vraja-rasa-vilaasi vijayate//
His own subjective person generates
The power that with joy exhilarates;
His power of intrinsic consciousness
Animates volition and sentience;
And by his existential power subsists
His realms divine all that there exists.
All hail to him who revels in the sea
Of Vraja's rapture and felicity! 4
Bhaktivinoda, again in his own English,
''In spiritual rasa, the souls with each other and the all beautiful Lord have their unfettered action in Vrindavan, rising above material time and space. Hari, with his infinite supreme will, has eternal ecstasy in his spiritual power or chit shakti. The hladini aspect of chit shakti gives him infinite pleasure. The samvit attribute of chit shakti produces all bhavas (moods), relations, and affections. The sandhini aspect of chit shakti produces all existence, including the dhamas (abodes), individualities, and other substances in connection with the action of the spiritual rasa. All these exhibitions are from chit shakti or the spiritual power.".........."taste the subject and your own conviction will be the same as mine. Brethren, do not give up such an important subject without liberal examination!"
In the foregoing verses the ontology of Krishna was treated under three heads, his supremacy, his omnipotence and his being the repository of ecstatic humours. Now, in the ensuing three verses is treated the subject of the jiva souls; what are they? In what conditions do they subsist? Bound or released?
sphulingaa ridhaagneriva cidanayo jeeva-nicaya
hareh sooryasyaivaaprthag-api tu tabhedavisayaah/
vase maayaa yasya prakrtipatirevesvara iha
sa jeevo mukto'pi prakrtivasayogyah svagunatah//
As sparks to fire, souls are separate
Atoms of consciousness that emanate
From Hari, like the sun and the sun rays;
Distinction and non-distinction displays.
Hari is always master of the soul,
The souls are always subject to control;
And even when they liberation gain,
As entities dependant still remain. 5
From Bhaktivinoda's English,
"The soul, according to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is an atomic part of the Divine Soul. It is a part of God's power to produce beings who are spiritual in essence, but liable to be enthralled by Maya (illusion) when they forget their position as eternal servants of the Supreme. God here is compared to the sun, and the souls are said to be the atomic portions of that sun's rays, unable to stand freely unless they are protected by another attribute of God's power. The word 'part' is not meant in the same way as to describe portions cut out of a piece of stone by an axe, but should be understood by the example of one lamp lit from another, or gold produced from the alchemical stone.
The souls are also compared with separate atomic particles of a burning fire. Each soul has drawn from its fountainhead a proportionate share of the attributes of the supreme, consequently, a small portion of the free will. These souls are naturally located between the chit jagat and mayik jagat."............."Avoid the misleading question, when were these jivas created and enthralled? the mayik time has no existence in spiritual history because it has its commencement after the enthralment of the jivas in matter; one cannot, therefore, employ mayik chronology in matters like these."
(Sri Chaitanya His Life and Precepts)
Controlled by Maya; who Maya controls,
Distinguish the Almighty from the souls.
If you say they are one, then you should see,
The Gita text calls them the potency;
Thus the Lord and souls are separate.
(CC.M.6)
The nature of the jiva is to be
The servant of Krishna eternally;
As Krishna's marginal power expressed,
As distinct and non distinct manifest;
Like sun rays and sparks of fire we see,
Krishna has three-fold innate potency.
(CC.M.20)
Forgetful of Krishna, this jiva soul,
From time beginningless hath turned away;
Therefore Maya the misery confers
Of the existence transmigratory.
(CC.M.20)
Dasa Mula Siksha
or Siksha Dasaka Mulam.
The ten cardinal articles or fundamental principles of Chaitanya Vaishnavism, derived primarily from those didactic portions of Chaitanya Charitamrta, but also substantiated by citations from Gita, Bhagavatam, Upanishads, and the writings of the Vrindavan Goswamis, etc.
The first sloka enumerates all the ten points as propositions to be elaborated in the subsequent verses.
aamnaaya praaha tattvam harim-iha paramam sarvasaktim rasaabdhim,
tad-vibhinnaamsaasca jeevaan prakrti-kavalitaam tad-vimuktaamsca bhaavaad/
bhedaabhedprakaasam sakalam-api hareh saadhanam sudha-bhaktim
saadhyam yat-preetimevetyupadisati harau gauracandram bhaje tam// 1
The Amnaya is deemed self evident,
Which hath in pure succession made descent;
Which first that Hari is supreme decree;
He is possessed of omnipotency;
The source of humours of felicity;
Jiva souls are his parts separated,
In bondage some and some liberated.
That souls and worlds subsist in him alone,
That all is one with him and yet not one;
The means to perfection are said to be,
The nine-fold disciplines of pure bhakti;
The goal whereof is to achieve the bliss
Of Hari's love, than which nought better is.
These articles of faith to ten reduced,
Were by the moon-like Gauranga adduced.
Amnaya refers to the Vedic revelation as received in unbroken preceptorial succession and their corollaries. This represents the pramaana or authority or valid testimony which includes perception and inference as aids.
On the basis of this, the subsequent nine propositions are adduced. 'harim-iha paramam' Herein is decreed that Hari is supreme.
'sarva-saktim', he is possessed of omnipotency, all power. 'rasaabdhim', he is the ocean, store, repository of 'rasa', the humours and ecstasies of love. Thus the ontology of Hari is proposed under three heads.
Then the jiva or soul; 'tad-vibhinnaamsa' they are his disassociated parts, falling into two basic categories, viz. those in bondage, 'prakrti kavalitam' enveloped by nature, and those who are liberated from the said bondage.
'bhedaabheda prakasam' a manifestation distinct and not distinct, 'sakalam' all are such of Hari.
'saadhanam sudha bhakti' the means is unalloyed devotion, 'saadhyam yat preetim' to the supreme end, goal, desideratum, need, prayojana, the divine love for Hari.
Each of these propositions are elaborated in the subsequent verses.
The first sloka adduced the ten propositions; the next verse elaborates on the first article, 'aamnaya praaha, the Vedic revelation or dispensation.
svatahsiddho vedo haridayita-vedhah prabhrtbhih
pramaanam sat-praaptam pramiti-visayaams-taan-nava-vidhaan/
tathaa pratyaksaadi-pramiti-sahitam saadhayati no
na yuktis-tarkaakhyaa pravisati tathaa sakti-rahitaa//
The self accomplished Veda was expressed
To Vidhi and others by Hari blest;
Which, received as valid testimony,
Affirms these nine articles certainly.
Unaided reason is not competent
To conceive of the divine argument;
But reason guided by scripture's mandate,
Is competent these truths to contemplate. 1
The recipients of Sri Hari's grace, Brahma and others received the Vedic revelation, whence are derived the various sects and traditions that subscribe to the 'self accomplished' Vedic revelation, which is 'apaurusiya' not devised by any man.
Perception and inference are admitted as aids, when applied to the examination of the 'amnaya', but independently, which is to say, without the support of revelation, want the power to conceive such lofty speculations.
Now, having established the authority of revelation, the subsequent verses outline the 'prameya', which are the propositions substantiated by the evidence or proofs, 'pramaan'. So, the ten articles of Dasa Mula are distinguished as one, the praman, and the other nine, prameya, propositions. There is a further division under the three heads of 1. sambandha jnana, knowledge of relations, 2, abhidheya, the methods and the modes of attainment, and 3. prayojana, the need or ultimate end. That can be further elaborated in the proper place. As for that, the next verse adduces the first proposition,
haris-tvekam tattvam vidhi-siva suresa-pranamito
yadevedam brahma prakrti rahitam tat-tanumahah/
paraatmaa tasyaamso jagad-anugato visva-janakah
sa vai raadhaa-kaanto navajaladkaantis-cid-udaya//2
Hari is one and the exclusive truth,
All deities are his aspects forsooth;
Thus Vidhi, Shiva and Suresha bring
Their homage and their devout offering.
The radiant and transcendental light
Of his supreme person is Brahman hight.
His emanations constitute the whole,
World father and the universal soul.
That Hari as Radha's beloved know,
Who does with divine cloud like lustre glow. 2
In his own English, Bhaktivinoda elucidates the foregoing verse,
"In Vedic theology, the creative principle of the Deity is personified in Brahma and the destructive principle in Shiva. Indra is the head of some lower elements of administration. Hence, they are not the Almighty himself, but are different representations of different attributes of the Almighty. They have obtained their powers from an original fountainhead. Thus, they are subordinate beings in the service of Hari.
Then again, there are three distinct philosophical ideas of the Deity: 1. the idea of the all-pervading Brahman of the pantheistic view, 2. The idea of the universal soul (paramatma) or the yoga school, and 3. The idea of the personal God (Bhagavan) with all his majesty, might, glory, beauty, wisdom and supremacy combined in his person. The ideas of Brahman and Paramatma are therefore included in the idea of Bhagavan. Thus Bhagavan is Hari, the Supreme Being." (Sri Chaitanya; His Life and Precepts)
Dasa Mula on 'sarva shakti sampanna' possessed of omnipotency.
paraakhyaayaah sakteraprthagapi sa sve mahimani
sthito jeevaakhyaam svamacidabhihitaam taam tripadikaam/
svatantrecchah saktim sakalavisaye preranaparo
vikaaraadyaih soonya paramapuruso'yam vijayate//
Hari abides in his glorious state,
Possessed of divine powers tripartite;
The life-force in which all beings subsist,
Whereby all beings flourish and exist.
His own subjective power intrinsic,
And non-sentient nature extrinsic.
And as these potencies in three divide,
He doth each their respective functions guide;
While he remains immutable and free,
The Primal Being in his own glory. 3
The author, in his own English explains,
"Power is known by its exercise. In this world we have experience of only three of the attributes of God's power. We see the material phenomena and we understand that his power has has the attribute to create matter. This attribute is known in the Vedas as Maya shakti. We see man and we understand that the Supreme power has the attribute to produce the limited and imperfect souls. The sastras call that attribute jiva shakti. We conceive of One who is spiritual and supreme in his realm of eternal spirits; thus we understand that his power has the attribute to exhibit perfectly spiritual existences. The Vedas call that attribute by the name of aatmaa shakti or chit shakti."
So far, in Dasa Mula we have had 1. Vedic revelation as valid testimony; 2. Hari is supreme; 3. Hari is possessed of omnipotence, and now 4, Hari is the repository of rasa or ecstatic humours. In 3, Hari being possessed of omnipotency, that potency was divided under three heads, the own or self potency, the potency that manifests souls and the illusory or extrinsic potency. In 4, Hari being the repository of rasa is demonstrated in terms of the functioning of the self potency.
sa vai hlaadinyaasca pranaya-vikrter-hlaadana-ratas-
tathaa samvicchakti-prakatita-raho-bhaava-rasitah/
tayaa srisandhinya krtavisada-tad-dhaama-nicaye
rasaambhodhau magno vraja-rasa-vilaasi vijayate//
His own subjective person generates
The power that with joy exhilarates;
His power of intrinsic consciousness
Animates volition and sentience;
And by his existential power subsists
His realms divine all that there exists.
All hail to him who revels in the sea
Of Vraja's rapture and felicity! 4
Bhaktivinoda, again in his own English,
''In spiritual rasa, the souls with each other and the all beautiful Lord have their unfettered action in Vrindavan, rising above material time and space. Hari, with his infinite supreme will, has eternal ecstasy in his spiritual power or chit shakti. The hladini aspect of chit shakti gives him infinite pleasure. The samvit attribute of chit shakti produces all bhavas (moods), relations, and affections. The sandhini aspect of chit shakti produces all existence, including the dhamas (abodes), individualities, and other substances in connection with the action of the spiritual rasa. All these exhibitions are from chit shakti or the spiritual power.".........."taste the subject and your own conviction will be the same as mine. Brethren, do not give up such an important subject without liberal examination!"
In the foregoing verses the ontology of Krishna was treated under three heads, his supremacy, his omnipotence and his being the repository of ecstatic humours. Now, in the ensuing three verses is treated the subject of the jiva souls; what are they? In what conditions do they subsist? Bound or released?
sphulingaa ridhaagneriva cidanayo jeeva-nicaya
hareh sooryasyaivaaprthag-api tu tabhedavisayaah/
vase maayaa yasya prakrtipatirevesvara iha
sa jeevo mukto'pi prakrtivasayogyah svagunatah//
As sparks to fire, souls are separate
Atoms of consciousness that emanate
From Hari, like the sun and the sun rays;
Distinction and non-distinction displays.
Hari is always master of the soul,
The souls are always subject to control;
And even when they liberation gain,
As entities dependant still remain. 5
From Bhaktivinoda's English,
"The soul, according to Chaitanya Mahaprabhu, is an atomic part of the Divine Soul. It is a part of God's power to produce beings who are spiritual in essence, but liable to be enthralled by Maya (illusion) when they forget their position as eternal servants of the Supreme. God here is compared to the sun, and the souls are said to be the atomic portions of that sun's rays, unable to stand freely unless they are protected by another attribute of God's power. The word 'part' is not meant in the same way as to describe portions cut out of a piece of stone by an axe, but should be understood by the example of one lamp lit from another, or gold produced from the alchemical stone.
The souls are also compared with separate atomic particles of a burning fire. Each soul has drawn from its fountainhead a proportionate share of the attributes of the supreme, consequently, a small portion of the free will. These souls are naturally located between the chit jagat and mayik jagat."............."Avoid the misleading question, when were these jivas created and enthralled? the mayik time has no existence in spiritual history because it has its commencement after the enthralment of the jivas in matter; one cannot, therefore, employ mayik chronology in matters like these."
(Sri Chaitanya His Life and Precepts)
Controlled by Maya; who Maya controls,
Distinguish the Almighty from the souls.
If you say they are one, then you should see,
The Gita text calls them the potency;
Thus the Lord and souls are separate.
(CC.M.6)
The nature of the jiva is to be
The servant of Krishna eternally;
As Krishna's marginal power expressed,
As distinct and non distinct manifest;
Like sun rays and sparks of fire we see,
Krishna has three-fold innate potency.
(CC.M.20)
Forgetful of Krishna, this jiva soul,
From time beginningless hath turned away;
Therefore Maya the misery confers
Of the existence transmigratory.
(CC.M.20)