Friday, April 17, 2020

Wasp analogy in Bhagavatam

श्रीमद्भागवते भमरकीटन्यायप्रदर्शनम्    Bhramara -keeTa nyaaya in the Bhaagavatam                                                                            In Vedanta the idea of 'constant contemplation of X by Y will result in Y becoming X' is taught by the analogy of 'bhramara keeTa nyaaya'.  The wasp brings in an insect, its victim, and places it in a hole from which it can't escape. The insect, out of fear, keeps thinking of its predator and over time, assumes the form of the wasp. 

This analogy is used by Shankara in various works, as shown below, to convey the idea that the aspirant, due to intense nididhyasanam, becomes Brahman itself.  

In VivekachudamanI;

सति सक्तो नरो याति सद्भावं ह्येकनिष्ठया । कीटको भ्रमरं ध्यायन् भ्रमरत्वाय कल्पते ॥ ३५९ ॥   

अपरोक्षानुभूतिः - https://sanskritdocuments.org/doc_z_misc_shankara/aparokshaanbhuuti.html    भावितं तीव्रवेगेन यद्वस्तु निश्चयात्मना । पुमांस्तद्धि भवेच्छीघ्रं ज्ञेयं भ्रमरकीटवत् ॥ १४०॥

आत्मबोध:  -  जीवन्मुक्तस्तु तद्विद्वान् पूर्वोपाधिगुणांस्त्यजेत् । सच्चिदानन्दरूपत्वात् भवेद् भ्रमरकीटवत् ॥  

This analogy is stated in the Srimadbhagavatam to drive home the idea that one, constantly meditating on the Lord, assumes His form:  11.9.22,23:                                                                                                                                                                            यत्र यत्र मनो देही धारयेत् सकलं धिया ।
 स्नेहाद् द्वेषाद् भयाद् वापि याति तत् तत्स्वरूपताम् ॥ २२ ॥
 कीटः पेशस्कृतं ध्यायन् कुड्यां तेन प्रवेशितः ।
 याति तत्सात्मतां राजन् पूर्वरूपमसन्त्यजन् ॥ २३ ॥      
If out of love, hate or fear an embodied soul fixes his mind with intelligence and complete concentration upon a particular bodily form, he will certainly attain the form that he is meditating upon.



O King, once a wasp forced a weaker insect to enter his hive and kept him trapped there. In great fear the weak insect constantly meditated upon his captor, and without giving up his body, he gradually achieved the same state of existence as the wasp. Thus one achieves a state of existence according to one's constant concentration.

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