Tuesday, July 17, 2012

The ghR^itasUkta of R^igveda 4.58

Courtesy: Sri.Bryan Hill

Here is a paragraph by Mahuli R. Gopalacharya from his book The Heart of the Rigveda on the word ghR^ita, which in paramamukhyavR^itti means Self - Luminous Lord. The ghR^ita - sUkta is at R^igveda 4.58:
 
   " Glance a moment at that word ghR^ita. In 4.58.2 the sage says, " Let us chant the name of the Self - Luminous Lord ", not " Let us celebrate the name ghR^ita ", - which is absurd - and in the phrase paNibhir guhyamAnaM, the first line of 4.58.4 does not mean, " the ghee concealed by the paNis " but " the Light of Truth enveloped in darkness ". To take ghR^itam and payas in their physical sense (in 9.74.4) - " Full of sap the butter and milk is milked from heaven " (Wilson) - is to shy away from the soul of a noble verse and debase it into sheer gibberish. " Bless thee, Bottom, thou are translated !" Surely the sage declares here that " AkAsha is made to yield effulgent Wisdom, Wisdom that is the true nectar. "
                                     The following is Gopalacharya's rendering into English the ghR^ita - sUkta:
 
                                                 घृतसूक्त
ॐ समुद्रादूर्मिर्मधुमां उदारदुपांशुना सममृतत्वमानट् । घृतस्य नाम गुह्यं यदस्ति जिह्वा देवानाममृतस्य नाभिः ॥४.५८.१॥
" From the Supreme Being, the bubbling Fount of all good things, that intensely sweet wave, namely, the vedas, has sprung up; it has, along with the wisdom stored in it, become immortal. This wave(the vedas) happens to be the mystic name of the Self - Luminous Supreme(ghR^ita). It is the tongue of divine beings, the most potent instrument of our Emancipation. "
ॐ वयं नाम प्र ब्रवामा घृतस्यास्मिन्यज्ञे धारयामा नमेभिः । उप ब्रह्मा शृणवच्छस्यमानं चतुःशृङ्गोऽवमीद्गौर एतत् ॥४.५८.२॥
" Let us chant the name of the Self - Luminous God(ghR^ita). Let us meditate upon Him, at this sacrifice, with repeated salutations. May the four - faced brahmA hear this being chanted, inasmuch as it was He, the stainlessly pure one(R^ijutva), that passed on to us the veda.  "
ॐ चत्वारि शृङ्गा त्रयो अस्य पादा द्वे शीर्षे सप्त हस्तासो अस्य । त्रिधा बद्धो वृषभो रोरवीति महो देवो मर्त्यां आ विवेश ॥४.५८.३॥
" He has four horns, three feet, two heads, seven hands; the Bull Sovereign God, Showerer of all bounties, has settled Himself in human beings, where, being chained by the three, He bellows. "
ॐ त्रिधा हितं पणिभिर्गुह्यमानं गवि देवासो घृतमन्वविन्दन् । इन्द्र एकं सूर्य एकं जजान वेनादेकं स्वधया निष्टतक्षूः ॥४.५८.४॥
" The divine beings discovered the Light of Truth enveloped in darkness by the godless crew - the Truth presented crystal clear in its triple form in the vedas: indra illuminated one, sUrya another, the third, seers brought forth to light from the inmost urge of their hearts deeply yearning for God. "
ॐ एता अर्षन्ति हृद्यात्समुद्राच्छतव्रजा रिपुणा नावचक्षे । घृतस्य धारा अभि चाकशीमि हिरण्ययो वेतसो मध्य आसाम् ॥४.५८.५॥
" From God, the abode of all supernal excellences and Beauty, flow down, in countless streams, the vedas that are repositories of infinite Knowledge couched in manifold styles. However the  godless do not see them. Through the grace of God I see the uninterrupted streams of Knowledge. From among us who have seen the shrutis, brahmA stands out as the seer par excellence.   "
ॐसम्यक्स्रवन्ति सरितो न धेना अन्तर्हृदा मनसा पूयमानाः । एते अर्षन्त्यूर्मयो घृतस्य मृगा इव क्षिपणोरीषमाणाः ॥४.५८.६॥
" These soul - stirring shrutis flow like rivers that course on without the least interruption. They are most sacred, welling up as they do from the mind most concentrated. They are the waves of the Self - Luminous sweeping on at great speed like deer scampering away through mortal fear of the huntsman. "
ॐ सिन्धोरिव प्राघ्वने शूघनासो वातप्रामियः पतयन्ति यह्वाः । घृतस्य धारा अरुषो न वाजी काष्ठा भिन्दन्नूर्मिभिः पिन्वमानः ॥४.५८.७॥
" shruti's great streams of light, flow out(from the minds of sages) with the speed of a gale, like rapids rushing down a slope: surging with the high waves of wisdom they break through all obstacles as does a mettlesome war - horse. "
ॐ अभि प्रवन्त समनेव योषाः कल्याण्यः स्मयमानासो अग्निम् । घृतस्य धाराः समिधो नसन्त ता जुषाणो हर्यति जातवेदाः ॥४.५८.८॥
" The shrutis, which are repositories of wisdom, unequivocally draw themselves to God, our Guide Supreme, just as loving wives, faithful and smiling, approach their husbands; and they highlight every aspect of God. The Omniscient Being, graciously pleased, equally longs for the shrutis. "
ॐ कन्या इव बहतुमेतवा उ अञ्ज्यञ्जाना अभि चाकशीमि । यत्र सोमः सूयते यत्र यज्ञो घृतस्य अभि तत्पवन्ते ॥४.५८.९॥
" I picture these shrutis, which centre round the Supreme and are adorned with beautiful figures of speech, as maidens that deck themselves with graceful ornaments when they go to wed the youth of their choice. These streams of wisdom flow(i.e., are recited) where a sacrifice is performed and where the soma is pressed. "
ॐ अभ्यर्षत सुष्टुतिं गव्यमाजिमस्मासु भद्रा द्रविणानि धत्त । इमं यज्ञं नयत देवता नो घृतस्य धारा मधुमत्पवन्ते ॥४.५८.१०॥
" Ye adored divinities, graciously accept our prayer; be pleased to confer on us the most auspicious wealth, sacred and infinitely varied, namely, the multitude of vedas. We pary ye, gods: lead us to that sacrifice(sacred ceremonial) where the shrutis, words of high wisdom, bring sweet purity to us.  "
ॐ धामन्ते विश्वं भुवनमधि श्रितमन्तः समुद्रे हृद्यऽन्तरायुषि । अपामनी के समिथे य आभृतस्तमश्याम मधुमन्तं त ऊर्मिम् ॥४.५८.११॥ 
" The whole universe is entirely dependent upon Thy power, which resides in the ocean, in the hearts of living beings, in their food(bringing longevity), in the vast expanse of waters, in sacrifice and in battle. May we enjoy Thy wave, all - pervading and sweet beyond compare. "
 
This mantra is from the mahAbhArata, anushAsana - parva, adhyAya 115 in the Southern Recension, adhyAya 80 in the Northern Recension. They are spoken by vasishhTHa R^ishhi. One must follow the path that this mantra is addressed to Lord vishhNu with the name of ghR^ita(see ghR^ita sUkta in R^igveda). This not a prayer to ghee. vAdirAja does not comment on these shlokas. nIlakaNTHa makes no significant contribution. If anyone is familiar with the mystic interpretation of this mantra feel free to comment:
 
  घृतक्षीरप्रदा गावो घृतयोन्यो घृतोद्भवाः घृतनद्यो घृतावर्तास्ता मे सन्तु सदा गृहे ॥१॥
  घृतं मे हृदये नित्यं घृतं नाभ्यां प्रतिष्ठितम् । घृतं सर्वेषु गात्रेषु घृतं मे मनसि स्थितम् ॥२॥
  गावो ममाग्रतो नित्यं गावः पृष्ठत एव च । गावो मे सर्वतश्चैव गवां मध्ये वसाम्यहम् ॥३॥
इत्याचम्य जपेत्सायं प्रातश्च पुरुषः सदा । यदह्ना कुरुते पापं तस्मात्स परिमुच्यते ॥४॥ 
__._,_.___
 

No comments:

Post a Comment