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  • Panchadasi by Vidyaranya Swami

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    Pallab Chakraborty
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    Panchadasi by Vidyaranya Swami

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    Panchadasi by Vidyaranya Swami

    Drepturi de autor:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Descărcați ca PDF sau citiți online pe Scribd
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    327 vizualizări820 pagini

    Panchadasi by Vidyaranya Swami

    Încărcat de

    Pallab Chakraborty
    Panchadasi by Vidyaranya Swami

    Drepturi de autor:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Descărcați ca PDF sau citiți online pe Scribd
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    PANCHADASI OF VIDYARANYA With English Translation, Explanatory Notes and Summary of each Chapter BY M SRINIVASA RAU, Master of Arts of the Madras Unive sity Doctor of Mledterne, Waster in Surgery and Backelor of Science of the University of Edvnburgh Diplomate m Public Health of the University of Cambriige and Fellow of the Chemical Socrety of London Chemacal Exammer fo the Government of Mysme and K A KRISHNASWAMY AIYAR, B A, Head Master High School Ciuckaballapws wy ‘ SRIRANGAM SRI VANI VILAS PRESS, 1912 ve Re 3) {All Rights Reserucd wet DEDICATED TO ALL LOVERS OF TRUTH ae PREFACE Nn the earliest philosophical works of the yt Hindus, namely the Upanishads, we meet == with two schools of thought, the one taking its stand on Reason and umversal Expen- ence, the other laying stress on certain practices that enable the seeker afte. Brahman to have an immediate foretaste of the bliss of Self Both believe in the oneness of existence, but the followers of the latter avoiding the labo of reasoning, aim at controlling the activi- tes of the mind, which after along and steady course of practice, they expect to lead to a direct reahsation of Brabman Pure reasoning, these hold, leads to nothing tangible, while meditation of the Adhyatmic kind opens the Path to Brahnuc Bhss Thus while the rational school acknowledges the absolute sovereignty of reason, the othe: unfurls the standard of Imagination In course of time these two elements noticed above have become hopelessly mixed up and most Vedantic works contain a tmeture of py mysticism, side by side with abstruse 1easoning Doctrines of the most extravagant kind are authoritatively laid down and as unhesitatingly accepted Untenable dogmas are invested with a pecuhar sanctity by unquestioned tradition and an atmosphere of mysticism 1s thereby created The fair name of Vedanta as a Science has consequently suffered and it is the duty, we conceive, of those who would stand up for its reputation to distinguish the rational fiom the so called practical side and point out the bed- rock of reason upon which the world renowned system 1s built The object we have had in view in bringing forward this translation 1s twofold First, to present the naturally unattractive subject. of Vedantic philosophy im clearer and simpler language than 1s to be found in the translations already extant , and secondly, wherever state- ments are made i the text in a crude, dogmatic or unconvincing form, to endeavour to provide explanatory notes appealing to minds trained in the modern methods of scientific reasoning and m comparative ciiticsm The yustificatysl afrauch, a procedure 1s left to the judgmentrof, tle thoughtful ‘ Some scholais mmagine that trusting to reason alone will lead but to diy abstract con- ceptions, while the occult practices will enable the devotee to * Veszon’ the ‘Substance’ This 1s to condemn reason without far tral Vedanta 1s no speculation tis the Science of the Self which 1s no mete abstract idea or figment ol fancy , and 1eason fulfils her function, only when she has landed the enquirer on the shore: of Tiuth, the realisation of the one only existence Sr Vidyaranya the greatest modern expo nent of Vedanta since Sri Sankara, 1s an undis puted authority accepted by all Indians His Panchadasi 1s an mnvaluable epitome of Vedanta, written in an easy intelligible style and calculated to appeal to readers desirmg to study the subject on the intellectual side If this translation should help in any way to satisfy the cravings of the anxious enquner, our dearest wish will have been fulfilled and laboms rewarded ltys our pleasant duty to offer our grateful Iv thanks to Mr B Somanathiah for having placed at our disposal all the documents he had collect~ ed with mnfinite patience and true historic insight, bearing on the life of Sr Vidyaranya Any errors of thought or of representation, wil, when brought to our notice by kind eritics, be thankfully acknowledged BANGALORE, MSR September 1912 K AK INTRODUCTION Tux gist of the Vedanta 1s given in the oft quoted half of the verse which says “Brahman alone 1s real the world unreal and Jiva 1s identical with Brahman and no other” The mnumerable sistras (scriptures) that have been written on Vedanta are intended to expound the nature of Brahman, of the world, of the Jiva, to show the unreality of the world and to lead one to a conviction of the oneness of Jiva with Brahman The Vedas, especially the Upamsha- dic portions and the Brahma Sutras with Sn Sankara’s commentaries are the fountam-heads of our knowledge on this subject of perenmal ‘terest to the human 1ace Any one wishing to obtain a perfect revlisation of Vedantic truths must dive deep into the expositions of the Upa- mshads and Sutras Others who have neither the time nor the opportunity to do so may get ghmpses of the lofty 1deals of Advartic thought from such works as Panchadasi which gives a v1 connected and reasoned account of the Vedanta, creatmg in the minds of the readers a desne to resort to the more authoritative and exhaustive scriptures In handhng any metaphysical question, the point in dispute ought first to be estabhshed by reference solely to human 1eason and experience Quotations of authorities either personal o1 scriptural however great or respectable would be appl opriate then and not before A neglect of this elementary principle of procedure especially im religious or metaphysical controversies leads to endless confusion and fanaticism According to the rule laid down hee whichever of the two disputants, fist invokes the ud of God, Vedas, inscrutable mysteries of Providence, the written dicta of ancient preceptors o: of their modern Avatars will have to confess himself discomfited An appeal to miracles 1» particularly out of place, for it 1s not the mention of names however formidable 01 of incidents however extraai dimary, that can serve to decide 2 point but only an ymmediate appeal to reason and experience Nevertheless after a point has heen satisfactorily established, quotations of; authorities though v1 adding nothing to the weight of the argument will be serviceable by way of removing the sting of personal discomfitme, on the pat of the vanquished, the victo. appearing only to parti- cipate m the views of other great thinkers We should not have taken any pams at all to translate a Vedantic work hke Panchadasi if Vedanta could not have been established on the basis of pure reasoning from experience In tact, the one excellent feature of Panchadas: is, that Vidyaranya, limself conscious of the proper canon of discussion has begun his treatise with no dogmatic assertion o1 assump- tion, neither with a cool quotation from sciip- tures We only wish that other writers on Vedanta had followed the same staictly rational- istic method of Vidymanya Hence the clam of Vedanta to the unquestioned iank of a science Vidyaianya, the learned autho. of Pancha- dasi divides his work into three sections, each section contaimng five chaptas The first section deals with the mvestigation mio the’ nature of Biahman, of Jiva, and of the world, vi the unreality of the world ind the onene-- of Jnsa with Brahman = The seeond section trett~ of the cnhghtcnument derived from + cour-e of enquiry and the third of the bliss obtained froin enlightenment Some Account of the Life of Vidyaranya. Vipyaranya is the reputed author of ‘Panchadas:’ The word “reputed” 15 used advisedly, for there are some who believe that Vidyaranya could not have written a work of this kind Others however, while accepting the first five chapters as having been written by him profess to think that some pandits of the court of Vizianagar completed the work and gave the credit of 1b to Vidyaranya It 1s no part of our busmess to engage in a contioversy of this character, for we think that the work is more important than the autho: and are content to let things stand as they are The works attributed to Shakespeare lose none of thew worth, even though some are anxious to make out Bacon to be the real author Such controversial pornts havea peculiar charm of ther own, but our Apprenation of Hamlet, Lear, and Othello is none the less, for want of a final pronouncement on x the subject of the authorship Vidyaranya’s reputation ia grcat man, scholar uid statesman rests on too solid a foundation to be affected by any doubts cast on his authorship of * Panchadasi ’ The following account of the life of Vidya- rinvi does not pretend to be 1 complete or even vertical one The reider is it perfect hberty to reject or accept ts much 1s he chooses of this short biogriphical sketeh Any faults of com- mission or omission will in no way affect the truth of the teachings of Panchadasi Vidyatanjya is outa title, bis real name beg Madhava All accounts that we have of hm are tinged with mythology, so much so, that 1t 1s a dificult matte: to distingmsh 1t from history Current traditions are utterly unreliable and we have eschewed them 1ltogether, leaving the curious-minded amongst our readers to refer to such works as “ Manimanjai. Bhedim ”, Mr G Snramamuitr’s “ Life of Vidyaranya ” and Mr Subba Row’s article on Vidyaranya m “ The Theosophist ” In 1 verse given at the end of “Vedabhashya” XL his parents’ names are given as Mayanna and Srimati respectively But this 1s open to doubt, as this verse appears to us to bea subsequent interpolation The Shikaipur Taluk imseription No 281 of 1868 A C clearly states that his father’s name was Chamundayya or Chamun- Gabhatta A Goa insctiption gives it as Chanda- bhatta and his mother’s name as MAchambika The Shikarpur mseription 1s very reliable as 1t was mscribed on a rock at the tame of and under the orders of Madhava himself. From this we also learn that his gotra was “ Angnasa” His ancestors were the family gurus of Sangama the father of Bukka and Haithara under whom Madhava served as minister, general and Viceroy As Sangama wasa Raja of Anegondi of some amportance, Madhava’s ancestors could not have been the poo: and helpless brahmins which they are repiesented to be according to tradition Madhava himself could not have passed his youth m povetty European scholars have tacitly assumed Madhasa and Sayana to be the names of one and the same person, but the Bitia- gunta mant of Sangama IT conclusively dis- proves this theory Sayana and Bhoganatha x the subject of the authorship Vidyaranya’s reputition is 1 great man, scholar and state~man rests on too solid a foundation to be affected by any doubts cast on his authorship of Panchadas.’ The followmg account of the hfe of Vidya- 1anva does not pretend to be a complete or even acritical one The reader is at perfect liberty to reject or accept a> much as he chooses of this short biographical -ketch nv faults of com- mission or omission will in no way affect the truth of the teachings of Panchadasi Vidyaianya 1s outa utle, his real name being Madhava All accounts that we have of hm are tinged with mythology, so much so, that 1t 1. a difficult matte: to distinguish 1t from history Current traditions are utte1ly unrehable and we have eschewed them utogethea, leaving the curious-minded amongst our readers to refer to such works as ‘ Mantmanjar. Bhedim ”, Mr G Siuramamuit’s “ Life of Vidyaranya ” and Mr Subba Row’s article on Vidyaranya m * The Theosophist ” Tn a verse given at the end of “Vedabhashya” XL hus parents’ names are given as Mayanna and Snmati respectively But this is open to doubt, as this verse appears to us to bea subsequent interpolation The Shikarpur Taluk inscription No 281 of 1368 .A C clearly states that his father’s name was Chamundayya or Chamun- dabbatta A Goa mseiption gives it as Chanda- bbatta and his mother’s name as Machambika The Shikarpur mseription 1s very 1ehable as 1 was inscribed on a rock at the time of and under the orders of Madhava himself, From this we algo learn that his gotra was “ Angnasa” His ancestors were the family gurus of Sangama the father of Bukka and Harhara under whom Madhava served as minister, general and Viceroy As Sangama wasa Raja of Anegondi of some umportance, Madhava’s ancestors could not have been the poo. and helpless brahmins which they are represented to be according to tradition Madhava himself could not have passed Ins youth im poverty European scholars have tacitly assumed Madhava and Sayana tobe the names of one and the same person, but the Bitia- gunta gant of Sangama IT conclusively dis- Proves this theory Sayana and Bhoganatha xu appear to have been his two brothers, the latter bemg the court jester of Sangama II in 1356 Madhava was boin, probably in or slightly before 1314 His early teacher was Sarvagnavishnu, the son of Sarangapani, whom he salutes at the commencement of ‘“‘Sarvadarsana Sangraha” which along with ‘Soota Samhita Vyakhya ” appears to be one of his earher works His two brothers also were very learned scholars, having received the same educational advantages as Madhava From a study of a number of inscuptions it may be concluded that Madhava helped Bukka and Harthara to found the empire of Vizianagar, acting as the commander in-Chief of the army sent to relieve Goa He also acted as their minister and subsequently as the Viceroy of the Western Districts of the newly-founded empire, with Chandiakuta now known 1» Chandragutti as his capital At Banavast, he built or restored a temple of Madhukeswata in or about 1368 or 1369 A C At Goan temple of Saptanath: was also constructed From the Shikarpur inserip- tion of 1368 noted above we see thit during Ins Viceroyalty, Madhava performed 1 Sana Viati xu and at the completion of it gave away to the learned brahmins from Kashmere whom he had sent for, a large village Palaspalh, renaming it Vidyeswarapura and dividing it into 80 vrittis Madhava was very grateful to his teachers and collaborators both ltmary and philosophical He built a fine and costly monument in the form of a temple mm memory of one of lis Gurus Vidya Sankera at Singer. When he was a powerful minister and Viceroy, he encouraged scholars snd gave a fresh impetus to Vedic learmng There 1s nothmg to support the traditional account that he first became a Sanyasm and while remaining such, sei ved Bukka as a mimster It 1s opposed to the 1ules of Sanyasa Asrama, fo. one to engaye m worldly pursuits and to perform Vratas (religious ceremonies) Similarly the tisdition of his having once been the head of Snnger Mutt, vests on no reliable basis In all extant inserptions Madhava 1» known as Madha- va Amatya, Mantri or Srehiva and never Acharya or Vidyaranyi: His many works and comment- sues on Vedas were all written when he was xn appear to have been his two brothers, the latter being the court jester of Sangama II in 1356 Madhava was born, probably in or shghtly before 1314 His early teacher was Sarvagnavishnu, the son of Sarangapani, whom he salutes at the commencement of “Sarvadarsana Sangraha” which along with “Soota Samhita Vyakhya ” appears to be one of his earher works His two brothers also were very learned scholars, having received the same educational advantages as Madhava From a study of a number of insczptions it may be concluded that Madhava helped Bukka and Harihara to found the empire of Vizianagar, acting as the commander in-Chief of the army sent to relieve Goa He also acted as then muster and subsequently as the Viceroy of the Western Districts of the nen]y-founded empue, with Chandiakuta now known a» Chandragutti as his capital At Banavast, he built o1 restored a temple of Madhukeswata im or about 1368 or 1369 A C At Goaa temple of Saptanatha was also constructed From the Shikarpur inserip- tron of 1368 noted above we see thit durmg Ins Viceroyalty, Madhava performed a Sarva Viati xur and at the completion of it gave away to the learned brahmins from Kashmere whom he had sent for, a large village Palaspalh, renaming it Vidyeswarapura and dividing tt into 80 vrittis ‘Madhava was very grateful to his teachers and collaborators both literary and philosophical He built a fine and costly monument in the form of a temple in memory of one of his Gurus Vidya Sankara at Srmgern When he wasa powerful mimster and Viceroy, he encouraged scholars and gave a fresh impetus to Vedic learmng There is nothmg to support the traditional account that he first became a Sanyasin and while remaining such, set ved Bukka as a minister It 1s opposed to the rules of Sanyasa Asrama, for one to engage in worldly pursuits and to perform Vratas (religious ceremonies) Similarly the tradition of Ins having once been the head of Sringeri Mutt, rests on no reliable basis In all extant insariptions Madhava 1s known as Madha- va Amatya, Mantn or Sechtva and never Acharya ov Vidyaranya is many works and comment- wes on Vedas were all wntten when he was XIV a householder still and had not become 2 Sanyasin Moreover he could not have become a Sanyasin in his extreme old age as he wrote many excellent works after he entered into Sanyasa Asrama The verses written at the beginning of “Sankara Vyaya” show that Madhava must have spent a large part of his hfe 10 Royal Courts either flattermg others or being flattered by them and that feelmg sorry for such a misuse of life, he retired from court and turned his attention to a study of Vedanta. His salutation addiessed to Sr Sankarananda at the beginning of “ Panchadasi” shows this woik to have been taken up after his retirement from the duties of hts Viceroyalty and after his initia- tion mto Sanyasa Asrama by Sri Sankarananda His renunciation of the world must have there fore taken place some time after 1368 the date of >bikarpur inscription when he was about 54 or 55 years old The Guru that admitted him into the order of Sanyasins conferred on him the title of Vidyaranya (forest of learning) not so much as a compliment to his erudition as because Aranya 1s one of the ten recognised titles which a Sanyasin cin assume at the time of mitiation xv Tn the case of Madhava the title happens to be a most appioptiate one, as is evidenced by his monumental work “ Veda Bhashya” or com- mentaries on Veda for which all the succeeding generations ought to be profoundly grateful We are ignorant of the exact date of Vidya- ranya’s death, but from a grant of 1381, it appears that he was alive at that date and gave away a’ village 1enaming it Madhavapura Tradition says that he died aged 90 or 120 years, but we can safely assume that the death of Vidyaranya took place long after 1381 It 15 not Known whether his body was buried at Hamp: or Sringeri We have unfortunately no data on this point, neither on others such as, who his wife was, whether he left any children to perpetuate his family and if any representatives exist at the present day xv a householder still and had not become a Sanyasm Moreover he could not have become a Sanyasi in his extreme old age as he wrote many excellent works after he entered into Sanyssa Asrama The verses written at the beginning of “Sankara Vijaya” show that Madhava must have spent a large part of his life mm Royal Courts either flattering others or bemg flattered by them and that feeling sorry for such a misuse of life, he retired from court and turned his attention to a study of Vedanta. His salutation addressed to Sri Sankarananda at the beginning of “ Panchadas:” shows this work to have been taken up after his retrrement from the duties of his Viceroyalty and after his initia- tion into Sanyasa Asrama by Sri Sankarananda. His renunciation of the world must have there- fore taken place some time after 1368 the date of Shikarpur mseription when he was about 54 or 55 years old The Guru that admitted him into the order of Sanyasins conferred on him the title of Vidyaranya (forest of learning) not so much as a compliment to his erudition as because Aranya 1s one of the ten recogmised titles which a Sanyasin can assume at the time of imitiation. ww Tn the case of Madhava the title happens to be a most appropriate one, as is evidenced by his monumental work “Veda Bhashya” or com- mentaries on Veda for which all the succeeding generations ought to be profoundly grateful We are ignorant of the exact date of Vidya- ranya’s death, but from a grant of 1381, it appears that he was alive at that date and gave away a village 1enammg it Madhavapura Tradition says that he died aged 90 1 120 years, but we can safely assume that the death of Vidyaranya took place long after 1381 It 1s not known whether his body was buried at Hamp: or Sringeri We have unfortunately no data on this point, neither on others such as, who ins wife was, whether he left any children to perpetuate his family and if any representatives exist at the present day att qaqa DOs SECTION 1 CHAPTER | an Sfreceraenaasrae | QRaAAEMEMETAS HAT 1 LU 1 I bow down at the lotus like feet of my master Sri bankarSnand. whose sole fune- tion consists m devouring the crocodile of primal ignorance, with its effect (the phenomenal, universe) a satiate | gedie aaa Aasisa Pea 8 y 2 2 This work teaches how to discrimmate truth (.egardmg Biahman) for the eas, compre hension of those whose heaits are purified by a course of woiship of the lotus hke feet of 511 Sankarananda The object of the author 1s to show thaf what 1s described as Brahmin in the Vedas 1s identical with the self known to all of us intuitively This would clearly establish the authotitativeness of the Vedas, as their teachings are simply an expiession of the facts of our experience qeqermadt ae APasaeuAT gTH | adr Raver aeaeteecre frat 8 3 The objects we perceive m the wake- . I ful state, eg , sound, touch dc, are distingwsh- ed from one another by ‘then characteristic properties When considered apart from the multipherty of percepts, the percermme cons- ciousness 1s found to remain one and the same —_— am aisa Fa g a fue wat ere aggiscaa atenen a frat ny | 4 The same is true of the dreaming state, the only difference between it and the waking state being that m the former, the percepts are associated with (a notion of) transciency and in the Intter with (a notion of relatie) permanency But the percerving consuiousness which persists 1m both states 1s one and the same x aA. ASSN LN a Gitaee algaaiigint wicegit al wageenage TAG AA 4 1 5 Toa person waking fiom a dieamless sleep thee comes a remembrance of ignorance {1e, of not having perceived anythmg durmng sleep) Remembrance imphes a previous act of experience Therefore we conclude that a consciousness persists experiencmg ignorance durmg sleep a aah Reatgat & tereandreag | we erase afagigarat 1 ¢ 1 6 This consciousness 1s distinct from its percept (ignorance) and does not, as conscious- ness, differ from atself but 1s identical with cons- ciousness in the dieammg state (because one and the same mdividual refers the experiences of all the three states to himself) It 15 therefore esta- 4 blished that consciousness 1s one and the same in all the three states And soon from day to day MARAT, TATA | arate areataat aaeer saw to tt 7 It also continue. unbroken through the different months, yeas, ages and cycles past o1 future (Unhke the sun of the universe which depends for its hght on an extraneous source,) the consciousness ts

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