Vedanta in Dikshitar kritis -
Extracts from an article by N.Seshan for the guruguha gana vidyalaya.
Bases of Advaita:
The entire Advaita Vedanta has
been summarised in half a verse by Sankara Bhagavatpada as 'brahmasatyaM jaganmityA jIvo brahmaivanAparaH'.
ie 'Brahman is the only Reality, the world is unreal and the individual soul(jIva) is non-different from Brahman.
What prevents the direct
Realisation of these three concepts for anyone is the innate
erroneous concept of the world as real and the non-apprehension of Real
Brahman.This juxtaposition is due to the effect of error in realising called avidya,maya
or nescience.The method of how the world appeared on the Brahman is known as adhyAropa.
- Superimposition and the method of removal of the empirically Real world and knowing
the substratum(Brahman) is known as apavAda (De superimposition)
Every advaitin in his own style therefore seeks to prove :
(i) The eternally Real Brahman
which is Existence, Knowledge ,Infinite through Sruti Texts and
reasoning evidenced by experience;
(ii)
the Unreality of all other objects which have origin and cessation and which appear to be real
(iii) the error
of perceiving the Unreal as Real and vice versa. Sri Dikshitar
the true Advaitin that he was, gives the above
concepts of Advaita in this Kriti.
Vedanta
in the Kriti:
The song begins
with 'The Supreme Srinatha GuruGuha shines in glory. Ever mediate'I am Sacchidananda'
in your heart". While the Pallavi deals with the Reality of Brahman in this manner, the Anupallavi
deals with the concept of the Unreality of the world and creation as explained
in Advaita.
The first sentence 'nAnAprapaMca vicitrakaro' explains the 'anirvacana' or indescribableness of the world, a product of Maya through the word 'vicitrakaro' and can be compared to Sankara's'mAyAkalpita deshakAla kalanA vaicitrya citrIkR^itam' (Dakshinamurthy Stotra Verse 2). The second sentence 'nAmarUpa panca bhUtAkaro' explains the same idea that this Brahman which is the Atman created the five elements namely - space, air, fire water and earth expressed by Taittriya Ananda Valli as 'tasmadvA etasmAdAtmanaH AkAshaH sambhUtaH'. Both the sentences read together explain the concept of Brahman qualified by Maya being the 'abhinnanimittopAdhAnakAraNa' (non-different material and efficient cause) of creation.
Creation — Avacceda:
The subject of creation and Isvara's
status is again referred in the second Kriti 'mAnasa guruguharUpam bhajare' Anandabhairavi)
Since Brahman is attributless and impersonal it is indiscribable. To make it an
object of our thought, through names and forms it is made personal. However, pure the form and
attribute bestowed on it, these however, condition it and such Brahman conditioned by Maya is Isvara. So Dikshitar says 'satvaguNopAdhi sahita sadAshivam'. Sadasiva has the limiting adjunct of purity or goodness attached to Him.
He follows it with the second line 'svAvidyAsameta jIvotbhavam' i.e. Brahman conditioned or limited by Avidya is Jiva.The 'Ahamkara' and 'Idamkara due to the Rajoguna causes Jivatva and the idea gets completed with the sentence 'tat tvaM tAmasa yuta vishva vaibhavam' i.e..,the Isvara Chaitanya (conditioned by Sattva Guha and the Jiva Chaitanya (conditioned by Rajoguna) conjoined with the Tamasa Guna make up this Universe (of cetana and jaDa
Bimba—Pratibimba:
While the Avacceda or limitation theory is enunciated above, the Pratimba or reflection theory is given through 'bimbapratibimba rUpiNyA'and 'AtmarUpa pratibimba' in kritis 'Ambhikaya Abhayambikaya' (Kedaram) and the 'Abhayamba Jagadamba' (Kalyani).The Abhasa theory, a variation of the reflection theory, is hinted in the Kriti hATakeshvara (Bilahari) in the line 'cidvilAsa koTi koTi cidAbhAsa'.Thus it is interesting to note that Dikshitar like Sankara and unlike most post-Sankara Vedantins accepted all and to his mind there was no conflict between them.
Brahman—the Substratum:
The error in perception and the final stand of the Advaitin that the changeless Brahman is the substratum on which the illusory world is superimposed (like snake perceived on rope) is brought out beautifully 'mAyAmaya vishvAdhiShTAno' Dikshitar through these words condenses the Advaitin's view of superimposition
(refer Sankara's 'smR^iti rUpaH paratra pUrvadR^iShTAvabhAsaH' in Brahmasutra
Adhyasa Bhasya) and catches the entire beauty of Anirvacaniya Khyati and Vivarta Vada
(apparent modification theory in literally four words. Comparison can also be made with the nAmAvali
in LalithaSahasranama where Devi is extolled as'mithyAjagadadhiShTAnA'.
Jiva Brahma Aikya:
The truth that the Jiva is non-different from
Brahman is brought out with the help of Upanisad
Mahavakya 'tat tvaM asi' (That Thou Art). The 'tat' or
'That' indicates Brahman,'tvaM' or 'Thou' indicates Jiva and 'asi'
indicates 'Art' representing their identity, of one being not different
than the other. But the terms 'That' and "Thou" in their ordinary senses signify
two different spheres of notion and therefore how is their identity possible? The Advaitin resorts to the
method of "Explanation-by-implication" as it is done in
respect of sentences like "he is that Devadatta" (same Devadatta seen years ago
in Benaras), The person seen then was physically and mentally etc. a totally different
person from the one seen now. However, we leave from the direct meaning of the
word 'He' the idea of past time and from the word "This"
the idea of present time and get one indivisible person i.e., Devadatta.
This method of leaving one part of the direct meaning of each of the words
"He" and "This" is known as bhAgatyAga lakshaNa' or 'jagadajagallakshanam'.
This entire concept is succinctly explained by Dikshitar through the words
'jagadajagallakshaNyA jIvaikyAtmano' in the Kriti Guru Guhad Anyam (Balahamsa) whereby he praises the Lord as representing the oneness of Jiva in Himself on the basis of 'Jahadajahallakshana'. Similarly
the other Mahavakya 'ahaM brahmAsmi' (I am Brahman) is expressed by Dikshitar in quite a few Kritis.
In the Kamalamba Navavarna Kriti in Sankarabarnam he sings 'By the grace-filled glances of Sri
Kamalamba,I am the Brahman that is Truth, Knowledge,Bliss'. Similar passages occur in the ">kritis
'Anandesvarena Samrakshitoham'and Sri Guruhasya Daso-ham'.In the latter kriti he says 'I am the 'Dasa
of Guruguha or rather I am Guruguha'
