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    Vairagya Shatkam of king-sage Bhartrihari
    Vairagya Shatkam of king-sage Bhartrihari
    Vairagya Shatkam of king-sage Bhartrihari
    Ebook203 pages4 hours

    Vairagya Shatkam of king-sage Bhartrihari

    By Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia

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    About this ebook

    This is a rare and wonderful book of one hundred verses ('Shatkam') on the eclectic theme of 'Vairagya', which briefly means renunciation of and detachment from the gross material world, and overcoming its countless temptations.

    The book titled "Vairagya Shatkam of king-sage Bhartrihari" was written by a great and renowned king of ancient India who later on in life turned into an exemplary ascetic, known as a 'Sanyasi'. His name was King Bhartrihari, and he ruled during the golden age of ancient India, during period 320 A.D.—544 A.D. Certain events in his life had such a profound impact upon him that he realized the impermanence of all joys of the material world, the trap of sensual pleasures, the hopelessness of expecting true happiness and peace in it, the transient nature of the world and the life itself, and therefore the futility of wasting time in pursuing them in the hope of obtaining abiding and true sense of happiness, peace and bliss through them.

    'Vairagya' is a spiritual path that not only enables a person to attain freedom from the bondages, the pains, the grief, the torments and miseries that are associated with life in this mundane gross world, but also entitles him to obtain eternal happiness, joy, peace and bliss for his soul. This is the path adopted by true ascetics and self-realised persons. It leads them to liberation, deliverance, salvation and emancipation of their soul. It helps one to break free from the cycle of birth and death.

    This Book contains verse-by-verse Roman Transliteration that has the Diacritical mark as well as the Phonetics in English. This is followed by a detailed rendering in English that explains the text in the pattern of a commentary that is accompanied by notes when elaboration is needed.   

    A Preface and a brief Life-Sketch of King Bhartrihari that precedes the main Text introduces the Book to the reader in a comprehensive manner.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherAjai Kumar Chhawchharia
    Release dateMar 24, 2017
    ISBN9781386792994
    Vairagya Shatkam of king-sage Bhartrihari
    Author

    Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia

    Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia left home when he was approximately 29 years of age due to an inner call of his heart that told him to devote his life in the service of his beloved Lord God, Sri Ram. Worldly attractions did not enchant him at all. So, he didn't marry, and after his father's death he came and settled permanently in Ayodhya, the holy town in India associated with Lord Ram.    Presently he works as an honorary manager of a world famous KanakBhavan Temple at Ayodhya, and spends his time writing in English so that the world can access the wonderful nectar of metaphysical, spiritual and devotional philosophy that is contained in Indian scriptures for which they are so renowned.    His English Books published separately by a reputed publisher of India, the details of whom can be had by contacting the author on his email given below, include: (i) The series on '108 Upanishads' in five volumes having eighteen parts, (ii) Veda Vyas' 'Adhyatma Ramayan' in two parts, (iii) 'Devi Puran Ramayan', (iv) Valmiki's 'Adbhut Ramayan', and (v) 'Biography of Lord Ram' based on Tulsidas' books.   Genre of Writing: Hindu Spiritualism, Philosophy, Metaphysics, Religious, Devotional and Theological.   Author's email: (i) < [email protected] >                                  (ii) < [email protected] >

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      Book preview

      Vairagya Shatkam of king-sage Bhartrihari - Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia

      English Exposition by:

      Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia

      Ayodhya (Faizabad) India

      © By Author—All rights reserved by the author. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission of the author-Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia.

      Language: English.

      Contents

      Dedication

      Preface

      Life Sketch of Bhartrihari

      Vairagya Shatkam of king-sage Bhartrihari  

      Appendix: About the Author

      DEDICATION

      I dedicate this Book to Lord Sri Ram who is my dearest of dear, most beloved, the essence of my life and being, and for whom, and for whose pleasure, and on whose behest, and on whose divine mission, this book is dedicated.

      Nothing that I write is of my own creation. It is the Lord who is getting it done. So I deserve no credit. However, being an ordinary man like the rest of us, I may have committed errors, and for those I beg forgiveness. I hope this book will help to continue the great tradition of singing the glories of the different aspects of same indivisible one Divinity in order to meet diverse needs of the Soul, the Spirit, one such being to find peace and happiness amidst the surrounding turmoil of the world by being able to spend some time in the thoughts of the Divine Being, the same ‘Parmatma’, the same Lord known by different names in different tongues.

      No creature is perfect; it’s foolhardy to claim so. The best of paintings cannot replace the original; the best of words cannot express the original emotions and sentiments. Even the Lord was not satisfied by one flower or one butterfly—he went on endlessly evolving and designing newer forms. So, I have done my best, I have poured out my being in these books. Honestly, I am totally incompetent—it was the Lord who had done the actual writing and had moved my fingers as if they were merely an instrument in his divine hands. But nonetheless, it’s a tribute to the Lord’s glory that he does not take the credit himself, but bestows it to them whom he loves as his very own. And to be ‘his very own’ is indeed an unmatched honour. However, I still beg forgiveness for all omissions, commissions and transgressions on my part that I may have inadvertently made. It’s the Lord’s glories that I sing, rejoice in, write on and think of to the best of my ability. I hope my readers will also absorb the divine fragrance effusing from the flowers representing the Lord’s books, enjoy the ambrosia pouring out of them and marvel at the Lord’s stupendous glories.

      I submit this effort at holy feet of my beloved Lord Ram whom even Lord Shiva had revered and worshipped. And surely of course to Lord Hanuman who was a manifestation of Shiva himself. Finding no words to express my profound gratitude to Ram, I just wish to remain quiet, and let my silence do the speaking and praying on my behalf.

      I hope the reader will find my book useful and interesting. Since English is an international language, this book will help the English speaking world to access this masterpiece of classical Indian scriptural text.

      "He leadeth me! O blessed tho't! 

      O words with heav'nly comfort fraught! 

      What-e'er I do, wher-e'er I be, 

      Still 'tis God's hand that leadeth me!" [A Hymn by: Joseph Henry Gilmore in 1862.]

      ––––––––

      Ajai Kumar Chhawchharia 

      Author

      Vairagya Shatkam

      of

      king-sage Bhartrihari 

      PREFACE

      During the golden age of ancient India (320 A.D.—544 A.D.), known as the Gupta period, there was a great king of the Parmar dynasty whose name was ‘Bhartrihari’. He ruled over the kingdom of Malwa with its capital city at Ujjain. He was the elder brother of the legendary king Vikramaditya on whom is founded the Hindu era known as ‘Vikram Samvat’. He was the younger step-brother of Bhartrihari.

      In his early life, Bhartrihari is said to be a very lustful and passionate man who was accustomed to enjoying all the sensual pleasures and material comforts that came easily to him by the virtue of his being a great King of a mighty kingdom. But due to certain developments in his personal life as detailed in a sketch of his life given below, he was so disenchanted and disgusted with this world that he developed a profound degree of renunciation for everything in life. He realised that there was no true happiness in this material world, and all relations in it are superficial and givers of sorrow and grief. He realised that there is no certainty that the object one loves and longs for in the world, the relations that he so assiduously develops and nurtures in life would actually be faithful to him and are sustainable, because betrayal and selfishness are more often the norm than the exception. So there was no guarantee of actually deriving sustainable joy and happiness from any thing or any relationship in the world, no matter how faithful and devoted a person himself may be towards them, and therefore dismay, grief and sorrow are his share in the end. What is the use of pursuing such a world? Would it not be wise instead to search for a way to find a source of abiding and everlasting joy and happiness?

      He discovered that true peace and happiness lay elsewhere, and not in seeking them in the gross world and its sense objects that are all deluding and entrapping for a person just like the enticement of water that is seen by a thirsty man in a hot desert. So Bhartrihari forthwith shook-off and broke free from the fetter of delusion and attachment to the world that he had unwittingly tied around his neck like a millstone till that time when spiritual wisdom and enlightenment dawned upon him. He forsook all his relationships and engagements with the world, completely renounced his worldly ties, and leaving his kingdom to his younger brother, he became a recluse, wondering in a state of ecstasy and bliss that comes naturally to a mendicant whose only aim in life henceforth is self-realisation and attainment of liberation and deliverance for his soul. He took to the life of ‘Sanyas’ and developed a profound degree of ‘Vairagya’ (renunciation, detachment, dispassion). He became an exalted Yogi (ascetic), and got initiated into this discipline by becoming a discipline of the legendary Guru Gorakhnath who himself is regarded as an incarnation of Lord Shiva, the patron God of ascetics, the third God of the Trinity, and the most enlightened of all the Gods of the Hindu pantheon.  

      Bhartrihari has composed three wonderful books on his experiences of life—viz. ‘Sringar  Shatkam’, ‘Niti Shatkam’ and ‘Vairagya Shatkam’. The first book ‘Sringar Shatkam’ deals with the charms of material world and its sensual objects. The second book ‘Niti Shatkam’ deals with ethics and morality; it lays down the codes of conduct one should follow in one’s life. It is the third book ‘Vairagya Shatkam’ which is the subject matter of our present Book. The spiritual ideas of renunciation, dispassion and detachment from the gross, deluding and transient world of material sense objects, of the futility of expecting happiness, joy and peace in this world, of the search for ways to find eternal peace, bliss and blessedness for the self, and of the sense of fulfilment, ecstasy and beatitude that one experiences when one has freed himself from worldly shackles and attained true freedom for his soul which would ensure his deliverance from all misery and grief that are associated with this life—and so many other related spiritual themes find their resonance and reiteration in the Upanishads that especially deal with ‘Sanyas’. A separate Book titled ‘The Sanyas Upanishads’ has also been published by this humble author. The esteemed reader and a seeker of truth and true spiritual knowledge would be well advised to read the two books, viz. ‘The Sanyas Upanishads’ and the present book ‘Vairagya Shatkam of Bhartrihari’, together to get a comprehensive grasp of this spiritually elevating subject because they supplement and compliment each other perfectly. Both these Books describe the futility of hoping to find happiness and joy in worldly pursuits, and the inherent sorrow and grief that one finds if one is involved in the sensual objects of this world. It aims to motivate and guide a spiritual aspirant to the ultimate objective of all endeavours—viz. obtaining bliss and joy which is lasting and meaningful. This can be achieved only when one renounces the illusionary charms and the falsehood associated with this material world, and instead searches for the source of truth and true bliss that is possible by self-realisation. 

      These verses of ‘Vairagya Shatkam’ are in beautiful Sanskrit, and are as succulent and vibrant as any composition on the spiritually elevating theme of Sanyas can ever be written, having immensity of depth and profundity of wisdom contained in them that would move even the sternest of hearts of those people who don’t seem to have time for such things, who think that life is meant to enjoy the world and its sensual pleasures, that there is no sense in making oneself suffer by abstaining from such enjoyment, and that true happiness and joy is in this world itself and no where else. Such foolish people deserve pity for they don’t realise the grave error of judgement they are making.

      In this book ‘Vairagya Shatkam’, meaning ‘a hundred verses on renunciation’, Bhartrihari has laid great stress on the futility of worldly pursuits, especially of the sensual  objects, the temporary nature of the body, the falsehood and the entangling nature of the pleasures of the gross world, the transient and perishable nature of life itself, the spiritual value of detachment, dispassion and renunciation, on importance of spiritual upliftment and enlightenment, and the value of leading a life of equanimity, of Tapa (austerity, penance and observation of strict righteous vows), of Yoga (contemplation and mediation) and of true Shanti (peace and bliss).

      A careful reading of the Vairagya Shatkam motivates a person to wake up to the reality of where true peace and happiness lies in his life; it arouses his conscience and makes him think that he must do some good for his own welfare. Such a person who has woken up from his delusions realises the futility of remaining submerged in an illusionary world of dreams in the false hope that it would give him whatever peace, happiness, comfort and pleasure he desires, as this false world has no pith in it. He is motivated and inspired to renounce the sensual pleasures obtained from the gross objects of this world, because all such pleasures are misleading and false. Instead he now endeavours to find eternal peace and joy for himself by spending his time and energy in ‘self-realisation’ that would lead to attainment of liberation, deliverance, salvation and emancipation for his soul—a stature that would grant him, that would vouchsafe for him the nectar of eternal blessedness, bliss, beatitude and felicity.

      To add spiritual flavour to our present Book, to enhance its value and aid in an in-depth understanding of the theme of ‘Sanyas’, I am including herein below the entire text of Bhartrihari’s book ‘Vairagya Shatkam’ consisting of a hundred wonderful verses that enlighten us about the spiritual advice this great ascetic Bhartrihari has given regarding renunciation and dispassion that is entirely based on his personal experiences of life and the falsehood of its myriad charms. Like in the main part of our book, we shall be reading here all the original verses of Vairagya Shatkam with their corresponding English phonetic sounds, which is then followed by a verse-by-verse English rendering in a way that brings out their spirit and charm in a simple language.

      The philosophies of ‘Vairagya’ and ‘Sanyas’ go hand-in-hand, and are like the two sides of the same spiritual coin. ‘Vairagya Shatkam’ not only helps to bridge the gap between the teachings of the Upanishads and their practical application but also helps to elaborate upon them from a practical perspective because the great ascetic known as Bhartrihari had personally understood what Vairagya and Sanyas actually mean, what spiritual reward they bring to a spiritual aspirant, and how one feels a true sense of bliss, true peace and true joy overflowing upon him once he begins to proceed ahead on this auspicious path. The advice that Bhartrihari gives and the ideas that he conveys through the medium of the verses of Vairagya Shatkam are not something hypothetical but are based on his personal experiences of life, of the life’s bitterness, delusions and falsehood, and how best one can avoid falling into this dark and dry pit.

      Sooner or later in everyone’s life comes a point when he feels disillusioned and disenchanted with the world and his life, when he is overcome with frustration, dismay, grief and pain, when he needs some comfort and support for his sagging spirit, when he needs guidance whereby he wishes to put behind his past and search for a way to start afresh on a path that would lead him to get true peace and happiness for himself, that would bestow upon true bliss and abiding comfort. It is then these sublime verses of ‘Vairagya Shatkam’ open a completely new world for him, an ethereal world marked by extreme bliss and pristine pure joy, a world characterised by ecstasy, blessedness and beatitude of an eternal kind, something that sustains and is true, and not of the type of world that only deludes and gives a false sense of pleasure, comfort and happiness that are simply illusionary, superficial, shallow, hollow and transient.

      We can also look at the Upanishads vis-à-vis Vairagya Shatkam from another angle. Whereas the Upanishads talk in an authoritative but formal language as if a teacher is teaching his students profound truths, and are more in the form of doctrines, edicts and philosophy that appeal to the intellect and the mind, Bhartrihari’s verses are juicier as they touch the heart more than the mind. The reason in Bhartrihari’s succulence and lucidity is that he had had personally experienced all the joys and comforts of life as a great king who

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