Bhagavan Shankara has started the text of Vaakya Vritti in the same format and tradition of his other books and as generally followed in our scriptures of Sanathana Dharma. He starts Vaakya Vritti with an invocation and salutation to Lord Shri Vallabha**, that Supreme Consciousness who is all pervading (Vishnu) and all powerful. This is a stotram (स्तोत्रं) rich and deep in its meanings, that we all should learn, recite and meditate upon regularly in our daily prayers.
सर्गस्तिथि प्रलय्यहेतुम् अचिन्त्यशक्थि
विश्वेस्वरम् विश्वम् अनन्थमूर्थिं
निर्मुक्त बन्दनमपारसुखंबुरासि
श्रिवल्लबं विमलबोधघनं नमामि
Sargasthithi Pralayahetum Achintyasakthi
Vishveswaram Vishwam Ananthamoorthim
Nirmuktha Bhandanasukhmaburaasi
Shrivallabham Vimalabodhaghanam Namami
"I bow down to that Pure Consciousness Divine - a shoreless ocean of happiness , which is all pervading (Vishnu), the beloved of Shri (Shri Vallabha**), the all-knowing Lord of the Universe, assuming endless forms and yet ever-free, having an inscrutable power to become the cause of creation, maintenance and dissolution of the universe."
In concurrence to our tradition, Shri Shankara, in the second verse, seeks the blessings of HIS GURU whose teachings and grace has helped him in realizing the 'Atman' within himself and the 'Brahman' all around, and importantly realize that the Atman and Brahman are one and the same (Tat Tvam Asi). As in every type of education, a student will benefit from the teachings of his/her Guru only if they both are tuned-in at the same wave-length of their thoughts (controlling the mind and intellect) and understanding. It is important for the student to contemplate on the words and advice of the Guru to realize the deeper meanings of the Vedantic scriptures. By Guru's grace alone, can the student arrive at his true knowledge culminating in the wisdom "I alone am the all-pervading essence of this universe".
In the third sloka Shree Shankara starts the text in a format very commonly used in the Upanishads - a student, already trained and prepared on the Vedantic concepts, with a burning desire to delve deeper into the scriptures that he has already learnt so as to attain the culmination point which is the experience of Brahman. approaching the Guru with a serious set of questions on the finer points of his education. Vedanta is the science of knowing ourselves and our inner core. It is a subject that is abstract and difficult for an ordinary person living a pure materialistic way of life. It is a topic to understand the very subject of an individual, hence cannot be understood through the usual faculties of body, mind and intellect (BMI). One has to transcend these BMI layers and look deeper into oneself (thro contemplation and meditation) to achieve this knowledge. Hence the students need to have an inherent interest, maturity and fundamental knowledge developed through years of education and practice before he/she can embark on a journey to learn Vedanta. Hence it has always been a tradition that the student who is thus qualified fully and has the urge to dive deeper will approach a Guru with the necessary preparations (indicated symbolically by the student carrying 'samith' and approaching the Guru in old Gurukula days) and with a question that has been baffling him for a long time.
Similarly, in Vaakya Vritti, the student approaches the Guru with the question to know the "means by which I may easily get liberated from the sorrows of this bondage of change" . The Guru (Shree Shankara) then responds to the earnest student to dwell deeper into the meaning of the Mahavakya 'Tat Tvam Asi' as immediate means of liberation.
In the rest of the text book, Shree Shankara very clearly and beautifully explains, with examples, the deeper meanings of each term (Tat and Tvam) and how it merges together to give the overall significance (Lakshyartha) of the sentence Tattvamasi (तत्त्वमसि ). The verses 11 to 27 is devoted to a detailed explanation of 'Twam' or THOU which is the Self, the Atma that is the inner core of every personality. From verses 28 to 37, Shankara explains the term 'Tat' or THAT which indicates the Brahman that is the substratum of this universe. From verses 38 to 53 are the explanations on how these two pregnant terms are threaded as a garland by the Mahavakya 'Tat Tvam Asi' (तत्त्वमसि). Let us explore more in the next few posts.
**There is a Sri Vallabha temple in Tiruvalla, Kerala. The town was earlier called 'Sri Vallabhapuram' which over a period of time came to be shortened into 'Thiru Valla(bha)' or Tiruvalla. This temple is one of the 108 famous Vaishnava temples in India and is said to be 4000 years old. For more details on the temple, visit www.srivallabhatemple.org
Hari Om.