Sloka - 51 and 52

Hari OM,

SLOKA 51:
baahyaanityasukhaasaktiM hitvaatmasukhanirvR^itaH .
ghaTasthadiipavatsvasthaM svaantareva prakaashate .. 51..

Pada artha:
Baahya: external
Anitya: illusory
Sukha aastkim: attachment for happiness
Hitwa: after having
Aatma sukha nivrutaha: satisfied with the bliss coming from within
Ghatastha deepavat: a lamp placed inside a jar
Swasthya: comfortably placed
Swaantaha: within himself
Eva: alone
Prakashyate: shines

The self-abiding Jivan Mukta, relinquishing all his attachments to the illusory external happiness and satisfied with the bliss derived from the Atman, shines inwardly like a lamp placed inside a jar.

In the previous sloka we learnt that a jeevan mukta who crosses the ocean of samsara ever dwells in the bliss of Self. In this sloka, Acharya is explaining how a jeevanmukta lives in the world. A jeevanmukta who has realized the nature of illusory happiness from the external objects is ever satisfied with the eternal unlimited blissful Atman and shines inwardly like a lamp placed in a jar.

When a lamp is placed on a table, it illumines all the objects in its vicinity. However the same lamp when covered with a jar or a pot illumines only the inner space of the jar. Similarly, consciousness when associated with the outer equipments or upadhis gets reflected on various objects and illumines the world of duality. But when the consciousness is withdrawn inwards from the illusory equipments also, it can only illumine itself. This is indicated by the word “swaanthaha” or “inwardly” here.

Swami Chinmayananda gives a beautiful explanation for this word as, Here we should not take the direct meaning of the word, but it should be taken as the Self only as in Vedanta, a subtle is conceived as interior to the grosser and hence the subtlest of the subtle must be that which is inner most. Hence the Self which is inner most and the subtlest of the subtle. Thus “within” here suggests the subtlest of the subtle, the pure awareness which is all pervading and that nothing pervades it.

Thus for a jeevanmukta the knowledge of Self and hence the Bliss shines within him. Lord says the same in Gita second chapter as : yadaa sa.nharate chaayaM kuurmo.aN^gaaniiva sarvashaH .indriyaaNiindriyaarthebhyastasya praGYaa pratishhThitaa .. 2\-58..

“When he completely withdraws the senses from sense-objects, as the tortoise (withdraws) its limbs from all sides, his knowledge is steady.”

Let us learn more about how such a realized one acts towards world in the next sloka.

SLOKA 52:

upaadhistho.api taddharmairalipto vyomavanmuniH .
sarvavinmuuDhavattishhThedasakto vaayuvachcharet.h .. 52..

Pada artha:
Upaadhi staha api: though associated with upadhis (conditionings)
Tadmarhi: by their attributes
Aaliptaha: untainted
Vyomavat:like the ether
Minuhi: the contemplative one
Sarva vit: one who knows everything
Moodhavat: like a fool
Tishtate: remains
Asatkaha: knows everything
Vaayu vat: like the wind
Charet: moves about

Though he lives in the conditionings (Upadhis), he, the contemplative one, remains ever unconcerned with anything or he may move about like the wind, perfectly unattached.

In the previous sloka Acharya explained about how a Jeevanmukta lives in the world. In sloka we learn about how such a realized one acts towards the world. Such a realized one’s state is further described here. Lord explains in various places in Gita about such a sthitha prajna or one who is always immersed in the reality of Self. Like the sky a jeevan muktha may seem to be attached with the conditioning of the body or the upadhis and may wander about as an ordinary man in the world but still remains unattached to the world.

A jeevanmuktha may seem to be attached to the Upadhis such as mind and the sense organs on account of association to the body but he considers Self only as a witness to their activities and is least concerned about anything. We learn this from the lives of great saints such as Sadashiva Brahmendra, Ramana Maharshi etc. who were ever unattached to the body and the world.

Acharya compares such a one to the wind and the sky here. The sky though all pervading is never affected by the objects. Sometimes the sky appears to be colored on account of dust in air but the sky itself remains ever untainted by the dust. Like the wind that moves with out being unaffected by anything, like the untainted all pervading sky, the jeevanmuktha remains unaltered and always established in reality and is ever unaffected by the joy or sorrow, praise or blame, or by any actions.

Let us learn about more in the next sloka.

Hari OM

With regards,
Mallika R
What you have is God's gift to you and what you do with what you have is your gift to God