Commentary on Sankara’s Atmabodha - Suri Nagamma Letters

It seems that Mr. Minna Nuruddin, a competent Sanskrit scholar and Tamil poet had written and published a translation in Tamil verse on Sankara’s “Atmabodha”. He presented a copy of it to Bhagavan while on a visit to the Ashram. Bhagavan glanced at them and sent them to the library. We could however see from his face that something was wrong. He sent to the library for Sankara’s “Atmabodha” in Nagari script and every now and then was looking into it. After doing so for two days, he took a pencil and paper and began writing something of his own accord. We were wondering what he was writing. On the 16th instant he translated the first two slokas into Tamil verse in venba metre and showed them to us. All of us said it would be good if all the other slokas also got translated. In spite of saying, “Why? Why?” he wrote some more during the next two days and said, “Though I have been disinclined and have been putting off writing them, they come to me from time to time, one after another and stand in front of me. What am I to do?” I said, “If you write down whatever comes to you, the whole thing may be over in a month’s time. That will be good.” “Several people have written it,” said Bhagavan. “Why should I do it?”

I said, “Will any of them be like Bhagavan’s writings?”

By the 19th, he wrote some more and said, “These appear to be suitable for children only, but I am unable to resist the urge to write.”

“Are we not all your children?” I said.

The 20th instant was Vyasa Purnima (full moon, Guru Purnima day). By then thirteen verses were completed.

Addressing Venkataratnam, Bhagavan said, “This won’t leave us now. Stitch them into a book,” and so saying he wrote a verse by way of introduction.

“Anmavin bodhamarul ashanam sankaran...” It means: Could Sankara, who wrote the “Atmabodha”, be other than the Atma? Who else could it be than Himself that was in my heart and made me write this in Tamil?

By the 27th instant all the sixty-eight stanzas got translated into verse and on concluding the work Bhagavan said, “These stanzas were written in Malayalam Script in that small notebook which, as I said, was our first possession forty years ago, but somehow it never occurred to me then to translate them.”

A devotee said, “For everything the right time must come.”

Bhagavan with a smile said, “Yes, that is so. If I write one thing now another presents itself. How is it I feel I have read this before? Is it possible that someone has already written this?”

Muruganar: “No one has written it in venba metre. What surprise is there if one verse after another occurs to Bhagavan? It is said that in every kalpa* the Vedas appeared as though they were standing before Brahma. This also is like that.”

Bhagavan: “Yes. It is said that the Vedas are anadi (without a beginning). That is true.”

Muruganar: “Is not atma vidya also anadi? For Bhagavan even that atma vidya is effortless.”

Bhagavan said with a smile, “That is all right. As in the case of the story of Jayadeva, someone might come and claim authorship of these verses.” * A day of Brahma or thousand Yugas, being a period of 432 million years of mortals and measuring the duration of the world. The one in which we now live is known as Svetha Varaha Kalpa.

Devotee: “What is that story, Bhagavan? Please tell us.”

And Bhagavan began telling us that, as follows:

“Jayadeva’s story is found in Panduranga Bhakta Vijayam. After writing the Gita Govindam, Jayadeva wrote Bhagavatam also in Sanskrit. On hearing about that, Krauncha Raja appealed to Jayadeva to read the Gita Govindam in the Durbar Hall and so he began reading it. People who heard him were so impressed with the writing and with his discourses that his fame spread in all directions and people came in large numbers to hear him. His fame spread so far that Jagannatha Swami of Puri (the deity of the temple) was eager to listen to him. So he started in the guise of a brahmin and one day while the discourse was going on, he entered the Durbar Hall of the king. After blessing the king, he said, ‘Sir, I am a resident of Gokula Brindavan. I am a pundit well versed in all sastras. I have been searching all the world over for someone who could discuss the sastras with me on equal terms but so far I have not found any one. I am therefore itching for a discussion. I learned that Jayadeva was with you and so I came here. Where is he?’ When the people pointed out Jayadeva to him, he said, disdainfully, ‘Oho! You are Jayadeva. Let me see. Let us discuss any one of the sastras you have studied,’ and looking at him steadily, said, ‘What is that in your hands?’ Without waiting for a reply, he snatched the book from his hands and said, ‘Oho! This is Bhagavatam. So you are a Pauranika? (one who gives discourses on the Epics). Who wrote this?’. With fear and devotion Jayadeva said, ‘Sir, I am not a pundit to hold discussions with you. I humbly seek the blessings of elders like you. Though I do not have the courage to say before you that I wrote this book, still as it will be a fault not to tell you the truth, I admit that I am its author.’ That brahmin pretended surprise and said, ‘What! If it is you who wrote it, tell me, how could I have learnt all its contents by heart?’ So saying and

without opening the book he began repeating the contents quickly, chapter by chapter. The king and the audience were amazed. Realising that Lord Jagannatha Himself had come in that form to shower His grace on him, Jayadeva prayed to him to reveal His real form (of Vishnu) with the conch, mace, chakra (discus), etc. Pleased with the stotras (prayers), Lord Jagannatha showed Himself in the various forms in which Jayadeva had invoked Him in his stotras, blessed him and disappeared. In the same way, some one may quarrel with me saying that he had written the ‘Atmabodha’!”