PB March 2012 Svarajya Siddhih: Attaining Self-dominion Gangadharendra Saraswati he main texts of Vedanta are the Upanishads, the Bhagavadgita, and the Brahma Sutras. They are referred to as prasthāna traya, triple canon of Vedanta, or three systems of knowledge. Th e Upanishads constitute the revealed texts; they are the śruti prasthāna, system of the Shrutis. Th e Brahma Sutra sets forth the teachings of Vedanta in a logical order and hence is called the nyāya prasthāna, system of Nyaya. And the smṛti prasthāna, system of the Smritis, is the Bhagavadgita, which is the quintessence of the entire Vedas. Th ere is another important group of texts known as prakaraṇa granthas, auxiliary philosophical texts. A prakaraṇa grantha introduces, elaborates, and clarifi es some parts of the prasthāna traya and yet teaches something more. Th ese texts help us prioritize the teachings of the scriptures. A popular verse defi nes a prakaraṇa grantha: MeeOEewkeâosMe mecyeaeb MeeOEe-keâeÙee&vlejs eqmLeleced ~ Deeng: ØekeâjCeb veece «evLeYesob efJeheef§ele: ~~ Th at book is called a prakaraṇa grantha which is related to a particular part of the scriptures and also serves some purpose other than the scriptures. Prakaraṇa is defi ned as: a short manual that confi nes itself to some essential topics of a Shastra, scripture. A prakaraṇa treatise has four indispensable elements or anubandhas, preliminary questions, to adhere to: adhikārī, the determination of the student's fi tness for the study; viṣaya, the subject matter; sambandha, the mutual relationship between the treatise and subject matter; and prayojana, the object to be attained by the study.1 Vivekachudamani, Upadesha-Sahasri, and Drig-Drishya Viveka are some prakaraṇa granthas. Svarajya Siddhih of Gangadharendra Saraswati is one such text. It is one of a group of important texts of Advaita Vedanta called siddhi-pañcakam, pentad of siddhis, which are: Naishkarmya Siddhih of Sureshvara charya, Brahma Siddhih of Mandana Mishra, Ishta Siddhih of Vimuktatman, Advaita Siddhih of Madhu sudana Saraswati, and Svarajya Siddhih of Gangadharendra Saraswati. T -No bleed here- PB March 2012162 Prabuddha Bharata28 The Book and Its Author Svarajya Siddhih is divided into three prakaranas, sections. The first section, called adhyāropa, superimposition, logically refutes other systems of philosophy and establishes the principles of Advaita Vedanta. The second section, called apavāda, de-superimposition, shows that all notions of difference are illogical and the nonduality of Advaita alone is true. The third section, āgama, scriptural, establishes śabda pramāṇa, verbal testimony, as the means to self-realization. The author Gangadharendra Saraswati was a disciple of Ramachandra Saraswati, who was a disciple of Sarvajna Saraswati. 'Ānandabodhendra Sarasvatī, pupil of Gaṅgādharendra Sarasvatī of the nineteenth century, wrote the Tātparyaprakāśa. Gaṅgādharendra also is said to have written a commentary of the same name.'2 Tātparya-prakāśa is a commentary on the YogaVashishtha. Gangadharendra is considered to be the author of Siddhanta-bindu-shikara.3 We find the author's period mentioned elsewhere: 'Rāmabhadrānanda had as his teacher Rāmānanda Sarasvatī, the author of the Vedāntasiddhānta-candrika, on which a commentary was written by Gaṅgādharendra Sarasvatī (ad 1826), pupil of Rāmacandra Sarasvatī and pupil's pupil of Sarvajña Sarasvatī, and the author of the Sāṁrājya-siddhi [sic] with its commentary, the Kaivalyakalpadruma' (2.56). 'Gangadharendra is also credited with the works Vedānta-SiddhāntaSūktimanjari, a commentary on Appayya Dikshita's Siddhāṅta-Leśa-Saṅgraha, Praṇavakalpa Vyākhya, Siddhanta Candrika Vyākhya, and a commentary on Ātmasāmrajya Siddhiḥ of Shankaracharya called Kaivalyakalpa.' 4 Interestingly, some scholars attribute the authorship of Svarajya Siddhih to Sureshvaracharya, while others claim it to be the work of Anandabodhendra Saraswati, the disciple of Gangadharendra Saraswati.5 However, this seems to be wrong as almost all the extant texts of this book show Gangadharendra Saraswati as the author, who is also called Bodhendra by some. As there have been many other monks of the same name, the author of Svarajya Siddhih is called Gangadharendra Saraswati I.6 Gangadharendra Saraswati belonged to the Indra Saraswati order of South India. He was the fifteenth pontiff of Kanchi Kamakoti Pitham, Kanchipuram. Apart from this, nothing is known about him. Section on Adhyāropa As is the tradition in India, this text too begins with a maṅgalācaranam, invocation. It is written in the maṅdākrāṅta metre. iebiee hetj ØeÛeefuele pešeoeemle Yeesieervõ YeerleeceeefuebievleerceÛeueleveÙeeb meeqmceleb Jeer#eceeCe: ~ ueerueeheebiew: ØeCele peveleeb veboÙebMÛevõceewefue cees&nOJeebleb njleg hejceevebocetefle&: efMeJees ve: ~~ 1 ~~ Let Lord Shiva, who has the moon on his head and is supreme bliss incarnate, who smilingly sees Parvati-who embraces all and gives happiness by bestowing her grace on those who salute her- getting afraid of the serpent-king fallen from his locks, which have been shaken by Ganga's flow, remove the darkness of our ignorance. The next part of the maṅgalācaraṇam salutes God and the guru: mceejb mceejb peefvece=efleYeÙeb peeleefveJes&o Je=efòeOÙee &ÙebOÙeeÙeb heMegheeflecegceekeâevlecebleefve&<eCCeced ~ heeÙeb heeÙeb meheefo hejceevevo heerÙet<eOeejeb YetÙees YetÙees efvepeieg®heoecYeespe Ùegiceb veceeefce ~~ 2 ~~ Thinking about the fear of birth and death again and again I developed dispassion, which made me meditate again and again on Pashupati [Shiva], the consort of Uma [Parvati]. I soon drank again and again of the flow of immortality of supreme bliss. I salute the lotusfeet of my guru again and again. 163PB March 2012 29Svarajya Siddhih: Attaining Self-dominion The next verse of the maṇgalācaranam, in śārdūla-vikrīdita metre, is a salutation to the teachers of the unity of jiva and Brahman. ÙemceeefÉMJecegosefle Ùe$e efveJemelÙebles ÙeohÙesefleÙeled melÙe %eeve megKemJeTMheceJeefOeÉwleØeCeeMeesefpPeleced ~ Ùeppee«elmJeheveØemegefhle<eg efJeYeelÙeskebâ efJeMeeskebâhejb ØelÙeiyeÇÿeleoeqmce ÙemÙe keâ=heÙee leb osefMekeWâõb Yepes ~~ 3 ~~ That in which this universe is born, stays, and gets dissolved and is of the same essence as the universe; that knowledge of truth that gives happiness and is beyond the limitations of space and time; that which shines in the three states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep; that is one and is the supreme, without any sorrow. I worship that illumined guru by whose grace I have got the knowledge that 'I am that Brahman' indwelling in all beings. Now the author describes the qualifications required of the student of Vedanta. This verse is in the śikhariṇī metre. DeOeerlespÙee oeve›ele pehe meceeOeeve efveÙecewefJe &MegaemJeevleeveeb peieefoocemeejb efJece=Meleeced ~ DejeieÉs<eeCeeceYeÙeÛeefjleeveeb efnleefceob cegceg#etCeeb ùÅeb efkeâceefhe efveieoece: megceOegjced ~~ 4 ~~ We now clearly tell the truth that will be sweet to hear, will be dear to the heart, and will do good to the aspirants of liberation who have purified their minds by the study of the Vedas, sacrifices, charity, austerities, spiritual practices, control of senses, have no attachment, aversion, or fear, and are convinced that this world is not real. The author proceeds to give evidence of superimposition from the Vedas in a verse written in the śālinī metre. %eelJee osJeb meJe& heeMeeheneefve vee&vÙe: hevLeeMÛesefle YetÙeesJeÛeesefYe: ~ %ehles: mee#eevcegeqkeäle nsleglJe efmeaeeJeOÙeemelJeb yevOevemÙeeLe&efmeaeced ~~ 5 ~~ The sentences of the Shruti proclaim that 'having known the truth, all bonds are destroyed' [Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 1.11] and 'having known that, one transcends death; there is no other path for liberation' [Shvetashvatara Upanishad, 3.8]. Superimposition causes bondage. The direct knowledge of Atman born out of the sentences of the Shruti or Vedas is the cause of liberation. The passages of the Shruti provide inference for the realization of Truth. The superimposition is destroyed by knowledge and the eternal Truth is revealed. Only false superimpositions like the snake on the rope are destroyed by knowledge. Objection: As in the material world, objects are destroyed only through positive actions like cutting, hitting, and so on, ignorance can be destroyed only by doing meritorious deeds mentioned in the scriptures. Therefore, the unreality of the world cannot be established if the bond with meritorious deeds capable of producing happiness is destroyed. This objection is answered in the next verse. (To be continued) References and Notes 1. See John A Grimes, A Concise Dictionary of Indian Philosophy: Sanskrit Terms Defined in English (New York: State University of New York, 1996), 235. 2. Surendranath Dasgupta, A History of Indian Philosophy, 3 vols (Cambridge: Cambridge University, 1952), 2.231. 3. See A History of Indian Philosophy, 2.220. 4. See 'A Disciple of Sri Iṣta Siddhindra Saraswati Swami of the Upaniṣad Brahmendra Mutt, Kancheepuram', Advaita Grantha Kośa (Calcutta: Deva Vani Parishad, undated), xxxxvii, 54, 136, 150. 5. See Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, ed. Karl H Potter, 13 vols (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1981), 3.19, 3.420; and Catalogue of Tamil Books in British Museum Library, ed. L D Barnett and G U Pope, 2 vols (Delhi: Asian Educational Services, 1995), 2.15. 6. See Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies, 1.466–7. -No bleed here-