Reminiscences of Sargachhi

Dakäiëàmùrti Stotra

Sri Shankaracharya

Verse 4 नानाछिद्रघटोदरस्थितमहादीपप्रभाभास्वरं ज्ञानं यस्य तु चक्षुरादिकरणद्वारा बहिः स्पन्दते । जानामीति तमेव भान्तमनुभात्येतत्समस्तं जगत् तस्मै श्रीगुरुमूर्तये नम इदं श्रीदक्षिणामूर्तये ॥ ४ ॥ 4.Obeisance to him, Śrī Dakṣiṇāmūrti, who is the Guru, whose consciousness is flowing out through the senses like the eyes etc., even as a powerful light kept within a pot full of holes (flowing out through the holes) following whom— the resplendent One—this whole world is shining and thinks, ‘I know.’ The cognition of an object which gives us an awareness, not only of its existence but also the details about it, and producing the knowledge such as, ‘I know this small red pot full of water’ has been analysed by Vedānta and is described as follows: The antaḥkaraṇa (internal organ, mind) is the subtlest upādhi, nearest to the Ātman. The consciousness of the Àtman is reflected most in it. This antaḥkaraṇa is capable of flowing out through the senses like the eyes and establishing contact with the objects outside, bringing back their image. When this image which is also a reflection of the consciousness in that object, becomes one with the reflection of Ātman-consciousness in the antaḥkaraṇa, knowledge as described above arises. A powerful light kept within a pot full of many holes comes out through these holes and illumines the various objects upon which it falls. Similarly, the consciousness of the Ātman (which is the same as Paramātman or Īśvara) comes out through the sense organs like the eyes, and produces the knowledge, ‘I know this object.’ If outside objects were capable of independent existence and power of revelation, then all people should always be getting the knowledge of all objects! Then, sense-organs like the eyes would have been superfluous. The third line of the hymn is an echo of the Muṇḍaka Upaniṣad (2.2.10): न तत्र सूर् यो भाति, न चन्द्रतारकं, नेमा विद्युतो भान्ति , कुतोऽयमग्निः । तमेव भान्तमनुभाति सर् वं तस्य भासा सर्वमि दं विभाति ॥ ‘There, the sun does not shine, nor the moon nor the stars. Neither do these lightnings shine, what to speak of this fire then! All shine, following Him who is resplendent. All this shines by His light.’