JAI VIJAYARAYA,
JAI BEDI ANJANEYA,
HARE SRINIVASA
Please forgive any mistakes of mine and please point out learning's, I am ever willing to learn.
As discussed in the end of the last article, we will see some examples as to how sholkas are misinterpreted.
The misinterpretations can be broadly classified as three categories.
1) Tamsic puranas ( Source is invalid)
2) Incomplete statements ( Only part of the statements are considered, the whole context will give the true and complete meaning )
3) Encrypted texts - The text is valid and context is complete, but still statements are misleading.
4) Incorrect translations - People try to substitute dictionary meanings for certain words.
For Ex: If you are reading, a medical report; though the report is in English; you can't decipher the complete meaning through an English Dictionary. You need a medical dictionary/glossary where the terms are defined and well documented.
For 1) we have already seen the concept of asura mohana.
For 2) & 3) we shall see some examples.
For 2) Complete Context consider this sholka from Bhagvad Gita
aparyaptam tad asmakam
balam bhismabhiraksitam
paryaptam tv idam etesam
balam bhimabhiraksitam
1.10
ayanesu ca sarvesu
yatha-bhagam avasthitah
bhismam evabhiraksantu
bhavantah sarva eva hi
1.11
TRANSLATION
Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is limited.
1.10
Now all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
1.11
The focus is on the words "paryapt" and "aparyapt", the translations are limited and unlimited.
Even in basic Hindi these words mean "Sufficient" and "Insufficient".
Let us assume that in Sanskrit there are two meanings for this word. Which one to take? Look at the Next Line, which one makes more sense. Let us subsitute the other meaning
and see which makes more sense.
Original Translation from ISKON site:
Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is limited.
1.10
Now all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
1.11
Substituted Translation:
Our strength is insufficient, and we are protected by Grandfather Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is sufficient
1.10
Therefore, all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
1.11
Which one makes more sense, in terms of continuity, context and completness. The point to be noted here is kali himself is proclaiming Vayu Jeevthoammatva.
For 3) Encrypted Texts consider this example from Valmiki Ramayana Sundar Kanda
evam ukto hari varaH tadaa rakSho gaNa iishvaram
5-50-12
abraviin na asmi shakrasya yamasya varuNasya vaa
dhanadena na me sakhyam viShNunaa na asmi coditaH
5-50-13
jaatiH eva mama tu eShaa vaanaro aham iha aagataH
12, 13. evan= thus; uktaH= spoken; harishreSTaH= Hanuma the foremost of monkeys; tadaa= then; abraviit= spoke; rakSogaNeshvaram= to Ravana the Lord of demons; (as follows); naasmi= I am not (a messenger); shakrasya= of Indra; yamasya= or of Yama; varuNasye= or of Varuna; me= to me; na shakhyam= there is no friendship; dhanadena= with Kubera the god of riches; na= nor; choditaH= instigated; viSNunaa= by Vishnu; eSaa= this; mame eva= is just my; jaatiH= form of existence; aham= I; vaanaraH= am a monkey; aagataH= who came; iha= here.
Hearing the words of Prahasta, Hanuma spoke to Ravana the Lord of demons as follows, "I am not a messenger of Indra or Yama or Varuna. I have no friendship with Kubera the god of riches, nor am I instigated by Vishnu. This is just my form of existence, by my very birth. I am a monkey who came here."
Now let us focus on the part " viShNunaa na asmi coditaH " On the surface, it seems as though Hanuman says he is not inspired by Vishnuh.
Let us try to analyze this part and see how the three streams would elaborate on this shloka.
* The interpretations for the Advaita and Vishisht Advaita are made up, but I have read enough material on the web to say that these meanings are not far from what you would find.
Both of them have the same base. That you are a spark of the divine. Tatvavada clearly states the Panchabeda and says you and GOD are totally different.
Advaita : Since Hanuman, Rama and all of us are the same. Hanuman is teaching us we are the same as Vishnu and he is not above us.
Vishisht Advaita: Hanuman is the very embodiment of concentration, if he concentrates hard enough, if he self identifies with Rama, then he will become Rama. Hence he need not be inspired by Vishnu.
Tatvavada( Dvaita ) : Now see the magic of Srimadacharya :)
Step 1: Is the source Vaild ? Yes
Step 2: Is the context complete ? Yes. Taking these two shlokas is complete
Step 3: Is the text going against Hari Sarvothamma and Vayu Jivothamma ? Possibly
Step 4: Is the shloka encoded? Yes
Step 5: If sholka is encoded then Decode it.
Decoding Sholkas:
evam ukto hari varaH tadaa rakSho gaNa iishvaram
5-50-12
abraviin na asmi shakrasya yamasya varuNasya vaa
dhanadena na me sakhyam viShNunaa na asmi coditaH
5-50-13
jaatiH eva mama tu eShaa vaanaro aham iha aagataH
observe the order of the devatas:
1) Shakra
2) Yama
3) Varuna
4) Kubera
5) Vishnu
Anyone who does Sandhyavandana will recognize this order immidiately.
This is the order of Dik Namaskaras !!!
1) Shakra ( Indra ) - Pracheeyi Disha - East
2) Yama - Avacheeyi Disha - South
3) Varuna - Prateecheeyi Disha - West
4) Kubera - Udeeycheeyi Disha - North
The next Disha is Urdhwaeeyi Disha which is where the Surya is.
And Vishnu is the main among the adityas
Since the remaining are all directions, Vishnu here means the Aditya named Vishnu.
This is one level.
Level 2 :
Hanuman has conquered Vajra, Death ( Chiranjeevi ), the Ocean, desire for Wealth. He also states that he is superior to Sun.
This also clears up the fact that he received instruction from Sun to set an example for us and not for himself.
Level 3 :
Hanuman resides in the hrydaya kamala of all jivas, which is above the aditya manadala ( Solar plexus )
Thus, in this way all conflicts are resolved, the reason why sholkas are encoded is already mentioned.
There is absolutely no compromise with Krishna, you need to understand the meaning of each and every sholka completely and truly and you need to bring it in your daily life ( anusandana )
Level 4:
Hanuman is actually teaching us taratamya that he is above all the aforementioned devatas.
For 4) One popular misconception is that Hanuman means swollen cheek. Because amarkosha translates hanu to cheek.
But in Sundarkanda; Sri Hanuman clearly gives the meaning of the word Hanuman
"hanuumaan iti vikhyaato loke svena eva karmaNaa
By my activity alone, I am renowned as Hanuma in this world".
Therefore the Spiritual glossary has to be taken into interpretation instead of the dictionary.
Shastras are filled with such definitions. One more such example
pitaha -durMargat udrate sanmarga stapithanam - In pratah sanklapa gadyam, Sri Raghavendra swamy explains that one who puts us in the right marga from the wrong marga is called Pitaha
Since Vayu Devaru does this for us he is called Pitaha. There are many instances in which Vayu Devaru has guided peole from the wrong direction
Ex. Hanuman reminded Sugreeva when he forgot his promise to Sri Rama
Jai Bharateesha,
Hrishikesh.S.S.
JAI BEDI ANJANEYA,
HARE SRINIVASA
Please forgive any mistakes of mine and please point out learning's, I am ever willing to learn.
As discussed in the end of the last article, we will see some examples as to how sholkas are misinterpreted.
The misinterpretations can be broadly classified as three categories.
1) Tamsic puranas ( Source is invalid)
2) Incomplete statements ( Only part of the statements are considered, the whole context will give the true and complete meaning )
3) Encrypted texts - The text is valid and context is complete, but still statements are misleading.
4) Incorrect translations - People try to substitute dictionary meanings for certain words.
For Ex: If you are reading, a medical report; though the report is in English; you can't decipher the complete meaning through an English Dictionary. You need a medical dictionary/glossary where the terms are defined and well documented.
For 1) we have already seen the concept of asura mohana.
For 2) & 3) we shall see some examples.
For 2) Complete Context consider this sholka from Bhagvad Gita
aparyaptam tad asmakam
balam bhismabhiraksitam
paryaptam tv idam etesam
balam bhimabhiraksitam
1.10
ayanesu ca sarvesu
yatha-bhagam avasthitah
bhismam evabhiraksantu
bhavantah sarva eva hi
1.11
TRANSLATION
Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is limited.
1.10
Now all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
1.11
The focus is on the words "paryapt" and "aparyapt", the translations are limited and unlimited.
Even in basic Hindi these words mean "Sufficient" and "Insufficient".
Let us assume that in Sanskrit there are two meanings for this word. Which one to take? Look at the Next Line, which one makes more sense. Let us subsitute the other meaning
and see which makes more sense.
Original Translation from ISKON site:
Our strength is immeasurable, and we are perfectly protected by Grandfather Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is limited.
1.10
Now all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
1.11
Substituted Translation:
Our strength is insufficient, and we are protected by Grandfather Bhisma, whereas the strength of the Pandavas, carefully protected by Bhima, is sufficient
1.10
Therefore, all of you must give full support to Grandfather Bhisma, standing at your respective strategic points in the phalanx of the army.
1.11
Which one makes more sense, in terms of continuity, context and completness. The point to be noted here is kali himself is proclaiming Vayu Jeevthoammatva.
For 3) Encrypted Texts consider this example from Valmiki Ramayana Sundar Kanda
evam ukto hari varaH tadaa rakSho gaNa iishvaram
5-50-12
abraviin na asmi shakrasya yamasya varuNasya vaa
dhanadena na me sakhyam viShNunaa na asmi coditaH
5-50-13
jaatiH eva mama tu eShaa vaanaro aham iha aagataH
12, 13. evan= thus; uktaH= spoken; harishreSTaH= Hanuma the foremost of monkeys; tadaa= then; abraviit= spoke; rakSogaNeshvaram= to Ravana the Lord of demons; (as follows); naasmi= I am not (a messenger); shakrasya= of Indra; yamasya= or of Yama; varuNasye= or of Varuna; me= to me; na shakhyam= there is no friendship; dhanadena= with Kubera the god of riches; na= nor; choditaH= instigated; viSNunaa= by Vishnu; eSaa= this; mame eva= is just my; jaatiH= form of existence; aham= I; vaanaraH= am a monkey; aagataH= who came; iha= here.
Hearing the words of Prahasta, Hanuma spoke to Ravana the Lord of demons as follows, "I am not a messenger of Indra or Yama or Varuna. I have no friendship with Kubera the god of riches, nor am I instigated by Vishnu. This is just my form of existence, by my very birth. I am a monkey who came here."
Now let us focus on the part " viShNunaa na asmi coditaH " On the surface, it seems as though Hanuman says he is not inspired by Vishnuh.
Let us try to analyze this part and see how the three streams would elaborate on this shloka.
* The interpretations for the Advaita and Vishisht Advaita are made up, but I have read enough material on the web to say that these meanings are not far from what you would find.
Both of them have the same base. That you are a spark of the divine. Tatvavada clearly states the Panchabeda and says you and GOD are totally different.
Advaita : Since Hanuman, Rama and all of us are the same. Hanuman is teaching us we are the same as Vishnu and he is not above us.
Vishisht Advaita: Hanuman is the very embodiment of concentration, if he concentrates hard enough, if he self identifies with Rama, then he will become Rama. Hence he need not be inspired by Vishnu.
Tatvavada( Dvaita ) : Now see the magic of Srimadacharya :)
Step 1: Is the source Vaild ? Yes
Step 2: Is the context complete ? Yes. Taking these two shlokas is complete
Step 3: Is the text going against Hari Sarvothamma and Vayu Jivothamma ? Possibly
Step 4: Is the shloka encoded? Yes
Step 5: If sholka is encoded then Decode it.
Decoding Sholkas:
evam ukto hari varaH tadaa rakSho gaNa iishvaram
5-50-12
abraviin na asmi shakrasya yamasya varuNasya vaa
dhanadena na me sakhyam viShNunaa na asmi coditaH
5-50-13
jaatiH eva mama tu eShaa vaanaro aham iha aagataH
observe the order of the devatas:
1) Shakra
2) Yama
3) Varuna
4) Kubera
5) Vishnu
Anyone who does Sandhyavandana will recognize this order immidiately.
This is the order of Dik Namaskaras !!!
1) Shakra ( Indra ) - Pracheeyi Disha - East
2) Yama - Avacheeyi Disha - South
3) Varuna - Prateecheeyi Disha - West
4) Kubera - Udeeycheeyi Disha - North
The next Disha is Urdhwaeeyi Disha which is where the Surya is.
And Vishnu is the main among the adityas
Since the remaining are all directions, Vishnu here means the Aditya named Vishnu.
This is one level.
Level 2 :
Hanuman has conquered Vajra, Death ( Chiranjeevi ), the Ocean, desire for Wealth. He also states that he is superior to Sun.
This also clears up the fact that he received instruction from Sun to set an example for us and not for himself.
Level 3 :
Hanuman resides in the hrydaya kamala of all jivas, which is above the aditya manadala ( Solar plexus )
Thus, in this way all conflicts are resolved, the reason why sholkas are encoded is already mentioned.
There is absolutely no compromise with Krishna, you need to understand the meaning of each and every sholka completely and truly and you need to bring it in your daily life ( anusandana )
Level 4:
Hanuman is actually teaching us taratamya that he is above all the aforementioned devatas.
For 4) One popular misconception is that Hanuman means swollen cheek. Because amarkosha translates hanu to cheek.
But in Sundarkanda; Sri Hanuman clearly gives the meaning of the word Hanuman
"hanuumaan iti vikhyaato loke svena eva karmaNaa
By my activity alone, I am renowned as Hanuma in this world".
Therefore the Spiritual glossary has to be taken into interpretation instead of the dictionary.
Shastras are filled with such definitions. One more such example
pitaha -durMargat udrate sanmarga stapithanam - In pratah sanklapa gadyam, Sri Raghavendra swamy explains that one who puts us in the right marga from the wrong marga is called Pitaha
Since Vayu Devaru does this for us he is called Pitaha. There are many instances in which Vayu Devaru has guided peole from the wrong direction
Ex. Hanuman reminded Sugreeva when he forgot his promise to Sri Rama
Jai Bharateesha,
Hrishikesh.S.S.
