[Advaita-l] Shata-shlokI of Shankara - 23,24 of 101

[V. Krishnamurthy]

Namaste.

23.
tucchatvAn-nAsad-AsId-gagana-kusumavat bhedakaM no sad-AsIt
kintv-AbhyAm-anyad-Asid-vyavahRti-gatisan-nAsa
lokas-tadAnIM /
kintv-arvAg-eva shuktau rajatavad-aparo no
virAD-vyoma-pUrvaH 
sharmaNy-Atmany-athaitat-kahaka-salilavat kiM
bhaved-AvarIvaH //

na asat AsIt : Non-entity was not there
tucchatvAt  : that being absolutely non-existent
gagana-kusumavat : like the sky-flower
no sat AsIt : Nor was there an entity
bhedakaM : that could admit of division
kintu : But
AbhyAM anyat AsIt : there was something different from
these two.
tadAnIM : Then
na Asa lokaH : the universe was not there
vyavahRti-gati-sat : as it now exists in its phenomenal
condition.
Kintu : However,
arvAg-eva : already
(Asa) : it existed 
aparaH : differently
shuktau rajatavat : like silver (already existing) in the
mother-of-pearl.
no : Nor was (then)
virAT : the primordial Cosmic substance
vyoma-pUrvaH : sprung from Space.
atha etat kiM bhavet :  For what is there,
kahaka-salilavat : like the water produced by a magician
sharmaNi Atmani : that can cover the Self?
AvarIvaH: ???

Note 1: It is for us now to recall the ‘Nasadiya-sukta’ of
Rg Veda (X – 129)!

Note 2 : It might be worthwhile to find, in the light of
the wonderful presentation of Ken-ji on ‘MayA in the Rg
Veda’, whether the word ‘kahaka’ occurs in the Rg Veda and,
with what sense.

Note 3. I would need help on the word ‘AvarIvaH’.

24.
bandho janmA-tyayAtmA yadi na punar-abhUt tarhi mokshho’pi
nAsIt 
yadvad-rAtrir-dinaM vA na bhavati taraNau kintu dRgdoshha
eshhaH /
aprANaM shuddham-ekaM samabhavad-atha tan-mAyayA
kartR-samjnaM
tasmAd-anyacca  nAsIt-parivRtam-ajayA jIva-bhUtaM tadeva //

yadi na bandhaH punar-abhUt : If there had been  no bondage
janma-atyaya-AtmA : in the form of birth and death
tarhi : then indeed
mokshaH api na AsIt : there was no liberation either,
yadvat : just as 
taraNau : in the Sun
rAtriH dinaM vA na bhavati : there is neither night nor day
kintu eshhaH dRgdoshhaH : it is only a limitation of
vision.
EkaM tat : That One
aprANaM shuddhaM : which is motionless and unconditioned
mAyayA : by its own mAyA,
kartR-samjnaM : became the ‘maker’ (Hiranyagarbha).
tasmAt anyat ca na AsIt : There was nothing else than that.
Tat eva : That itself
parivRtaM : veiled 
ajayA : by the Unborn (= mAyA)
jIva-bhUtaM : became the individual soul.

Note: Advaita in a nut-shell!

PraNAms to all students of Adi Shankaracharya
profvk

 



=====
Prof. V. Krishnamurthy
My website on Science and Spirituality is http://www.geocities.com/profvk/
You can  access my book on Gems from the Ocean of Hindu Thought Vision and Practice,  and my father R. Visvanatha Sastri's manuscripts from the site.
Also see my webpages on Live Happily, the Gita Way at http://www.geocities.com/profvk/gohitvip/contentsbeach11.html