Panchadasi-Chapter 1-Verses 1 and 2

Hari Aum

Prostrations to my Guru. Prostrations to All.

namaH shrii sha~Nkaraananda guru paada ambu janmane .
savilaasa mahaa moha graaha graas aika karmaNe .. 1..

Panchadasi is one of the famous advaiti works of Swami Vidyaranya. As the name suggests, the text has fifteen chapters explaining about the Reality. The text uses various logics to describe the Reality. The text can be divided into three parts, namely the Viveka-panchaka (five chapters of discrimination between the real and the unreal), Dipa-pachanka (five chapters expounding the nature of Self as Pure Consciousness) and aananda-panchaka (five chapters expounding the blissful nature of the Self) and hence for convenience we can say that these three parts explain the Sat, Chit and Ananda aspects of Brahman. Vidyaranya has written many other Vedantic works and one of the other famous work is Jivan-Mukthi-Viveka. He has written commentaries to the Upanishads.

With prayers to Guru let us start learning the first chapter of Panchadasi.

Verse 1:

Salutations to the lotus feet of my Guru Sri Shankarananda whose only work is to remove the monstrous delusion along with its effects, the phenomenal universe.

Verse 2:

tat paada amburuha dvandva sevaa nirmala chetasaam.h .
sukha bodhaaya tattvasya viveko .aya.n vidhiiyate .. 2..

This discussion about the discrimination of truth is being initiated for the easy understanding of those whose hearts have been purified by service to the pairs of lotus feet of the Teacher.

In the first verse the acharya Vidyaranya offers his prostrations to his Guru Sri Shankarananda and he tells that his main work is to remove the delusion and its effect from the seeker. Delusion comes out of ignorance of ones nature of the Self. So the Guru is one who removes the ignorance and its effects. When the ignorance is removed then he is free from all bondages and hence realizes ones own identity with the Brahman. Thus the phalam or result of reading this text is getting rid of the ignorance and knowing ones own identity with Brahman. To apprehend the Reality, one requires a purity of mind. So when one has a purity of mind, it will be easy for such a person to apprehend the Reality. Therefore, to get that purity one should get the blessings from his Guru. Therefore one should develop Bhakti and Faith towards the Guru and have to serve his feet all the time.

In these two verses the Anubandha Chathushtayam is told
Adhikaari: a seeker who desires for liberation
Vishayam: Brahman
Samandham: removal of ignorance
Prayojanam: knowing the identity of oneself with Brahman.

Prostrations to all

Hari Aum

Thanks,
Rajesh