The Art of Asking The Right Question

In the guest writer* series, please welcome Gyanendra Narayan.  Gyanendra is a Bangalore, India based Sanskrit enthusiast who loves exploring the scientific temper of Sanskrit scriptures relating them to modern human life & analysis of historical facts from socio-cultural dimension. On the professional front he works for a software start-up after his graduation from IIT. 

He raises an important and rarely considered iepistemological issue. How best can we know something? Please read on to discover his point of view. To interact with Gyanendra, please leave a comment on the blog.

The Art of Right Question

My First Sanskrit Article

Devoted to Dr. Bibek Debroy for inspiration

Questions are integral part of our lives. Almost every day we keep on asking questions to others; and many times a day to ourselves. Recognizing this simple characteristics of human being, Sanskrit literature has given due attention to questions. In fact Sanskrit literature has plenty of writings on questions itself. Upanishads like Kena Upanishad, Prashna Upanishad have questions (Kena = why, how, Prashna=Questions) in their names itself.

In Sanskrit literature we can find varied way of asking questions. Apart from asking question, the background and motive of questions have been given due importance. Few shlokas tell us about “how to ask questions”. The beauty of “how” is not in the paraphrasing of questions rather it lies in ultimate purpose of asking questions. It acknowledges spiritual or mental status of person asking the question.

Starting with the motive of questions, Srimad Bhagvad Gita says in Canto (shloka) 9.1 (Chapter 9, shloka 1)

Idam Tu Te Guhyatamam Pravakshyaamyanasuyave |

Gyaanam Vigyaansahitam Yajgyaatvaa mokshyaseashubhaat || 9.1||

Word Meaning:

[ Idam : This, Tu: Despite, Te: (For) you, Guhyatamam: Most secret,  Pravakshyaamyanasuyave: I’m saying to you (because) you are not jealous , Gyaanam : About this knowledge, Vigyaansahitam : With perceived/assimilated science, Yajgyaatvaa: By knowing that, mokshyaseashubhaat:  Will be relieved of bad world ]

In totality it means:

Despite being the most secret knowledge, I’m telling this knowledge, assimilated/perceived, to you because you are not jealous(of me). By knowing this you will be free of the bad (Ashubha) world.

The word “Pravakshyaamyanasuyave “can be bifurcated (vicheda) in two words; i.e.  Pravakshyaami + Anusuyave.

Pravaksyami means “I am saying”, Anusuyave means “A person who is not jealous”. It alludes to the fact that a right question can remain unanswered if the motive of the person is not right or the person is ill-motivated.

Prashna Upanishad also talks about the behavior of knowledge seeker and prescribed way of life for getting right questions. In its first chapter, second shloka it says

Tan ha sa rishiruvaacha bhooya eva tapasaa brahmacharyyena shradhyaa samvatsaram samvatsyatha|

Yathaakaamam prashnaan prichatha, yadi vigyaasyaamah sarvam ha vo vakshyaama eti || 1.2||

Word Meaning:

[Tan: to them , ha: famous, sa : that, rishiruvaacha: Rishi told, bhooya: stay , eva: despite, tapasaa: with tapaa(ascetic),brahmacharyyena: with brahmacharya(celibacy) , shradhyaa: with devotion, samvatsaram: for a year samvatsyatha: stay here , yathaaakaamam: as per your interest, prashnaan: questions , prichatha: ask them, yadi : if, vigyaasyaamah: upto our knowledge, sarvam: all, ha: Clear, vakshyaama: Will tell you,  eti: emphasis ]

In totality it means:

Then the famous rishi told that despite (back activities) stay here for a year with celibacy, devotion & then ask questions as you wish. We will answer you with best of our knowledge.

It tells “live with “tapasaa brahmacharyyen shradyaa “. It means that the person (who has reached Rishi’s Ashram for knowledge) should live with ascetic life, should be celibate, full of devotion. If only these pre-conditions are fulfilled then the Rishi will answer with all question with best of his knowledge ( vigyaasyaamah sarvam ha vo vaskshyaam eti )

Now moving to  the content of question, we find that depending on the context and background of knowledge seekers questions have varied in their intellectual quotient. In today’s world some questions might look too primitive; but at the same time some questions have been path breaking. E.g. look at this question from shloka 5.1 (Chapter 5, shloka 1) of KenaUpanishad

Kena paasnnir aabhrite purushasya, kena maansam sambhritam kena gulfoo |

Kenangulih peshanih kena khaani kenochalankho madhyatah kah pratishtham ||5.1||

Word Meaning:

[Kena: who,  paasnnir: farthest end of feet,  aabhrite: created,  purushasya: of man,  kena: who,  maansam: with flesh,  sambhritam: filled it up,  kena: who,  gulfoo: ankles,  Kenangulih: by whom fingers,  peshanih: beautiful, kena: who,  khaani: by whom,  kenochalankho: who added them,  madhyatah: in between,  kah: who, pratishtham: fixed /balanced]

In totality it means:

Who created farthest end of feet of human being and put flesh in that. Who created ankles, who created fingers, who added feet in leg and who put them in balance in between.

This shloka talks about body structure and asks the Guru about creator of them. It asks “who created ankles and put flesh in them, who created other parts of leg and balanced/fixed them. While prima facie this question looks quite detailed, the response of it would be mired in nitty-gritty of earthly materials. The question itself binds the periphery of answer and hence would elicit same kind of response.

However few questions are path breaking in their nature. Their response has changed the discourse for generations. One of them is ( Srimad Bhagvad Gita, Chapter 4 , Shloka 4)

Aparam bhavato Janma Param janma vivaswatah |

Kathametdwijaneeyaam twamadou proktwaniti ||4.4||

Word Meaning:

[ Aparam: Not supreme, subdued, bhavato: yours,  janma: Birth,  Param: Supreme, upper, vivaswatah: Of Sun,Kathametdwijaneeyaam: How come I assume this , twamadou: you at the outset, proktwaniti: You sermonized so]

In totality it means:

(O Lord) your birth is later than the birth of Sun God, then how do I assume that you sermonized Sun.

The question transcends boundary of death and life, mortal nature of devotee and asks about the relation with the almighty God. The background of this shloka is :At the outset of war of Mahabharata to remove illusion and diffidence from Arjuna’s mind Lord Krishna tells about Srimad Bhagvad Gita and in the same vein about its history.  Lord Sri Krishna tells Arjuna that he has enlightened “Sun” with the knowledge of Gita in very ancient time. In the response, Arjuna , out of normal human curiosity, asks in this shloka : O God, Birth of Sun is earlier than you; then how do I understand that you only gave this knowledge at the outset. This is typical of human mind. We feel that Sun, Moon, Earth etc. are from time immemorial hence how can God come before them. There must be something (e.g. Sun, Earth etc) for God to take birth.  The detailed response of it has been extraordinary in impact on discourse of God’s arrival and relation with mankind. The response in shlokaappears in Srimad Bhagvad Gita chapter 4, shloka 7.

Yadaa Yadaa hi Dharmasya Glaanirbhavati Bharata |

Abhyuthaanamadharmasya Tadaatmaanam Srijayaamyaham ||4.7||

Word Meaning:

[ Yadaa Yadaa : Whenever wherever, hi: Emphasis ,definitely, Dharmasya: Of Dharma , Glaanirbhavati: Loss/decay happens, Bharata: O Arjuna ( Bharata  is used because Arjuna belonged to Bharata Clan ), Abhyuthaanamadharmasya: Adharma surges ahead,  Tadaathmaanam: Then I will,  Srijayaamyaham: Recreate myself ]

In totality it means:

O Bhrata! Whenever, wherever, there is decay of Dharma and surge of Adharma, and then I will recreate myself.

Here Lord Krishna takes away the attachment of the evolution/arrival of God from mortal cosmic things. He links God withDharma. Meaning of this shloka goes as: O Arjuna! Whenever, wherever there will be seize of Dharma, there will be surge ofAdharma, I will create myself in mortal form (to uplift Dharma). This one shloka has imparted faith, hope in millions of people since time immemorial in tough times. It gives hope that when going gets really tough, there is somebody; there is God who will come and uplift the Dharma, and uplift right things. You will find similar resonating tones in other religions also which came much later than sanatan dharma. This shloka remains unparalleled in history.

Perhaps, even God responds only to right questions.

*The views of guest authors are their own and do not represent the intent of this blog. Whether I agree or disagree with guest writers, I respect their right to believe what they do, and their right to express their view. 

Setting the record straight on Manusmriti

Please welcome guest writer*  Rohit Viswanath.  Rohit is a public affairs professional with Edelman India.  He has been a journalist in the past and was the recipient of the CNN Young Journalist of the Year Award in 2006. He holds a Master's degree in International Relations and a Bachelor’s degree in Ancient Indian Culture. He is interested in Indian religious thought and Sanskrit literature. He has participated in the archaeological excavations at Gilund, an Indus-Sarasvati valley civilisation site in Rajasthan. 

In a series of articles, Rohit will be sharing his views on Manusmriti with us. And in the coming weeks, we hope to hear more from him about his experiences at the archaeological dig at Gilund. Absolutely fascinating! To interact with Rohit, please leave a comment on the blog. 

Manusmriti: Setting the record straight

The Manusmriti is a favorite punching-bag of modern day critics of Indian society. Most of their points of criticism, however, lack objectivity. They do not take into account the fact that the Manusmriti belongs to a different age and hence must be seen in that context. The critics (or liberals as they call themselves), symbolize the collective Indian soul that is yet to recover from the sense of inferiority that centuries of colonial rule has resulted in. India’s colonial masters exploited every tool at their disposal (including the usage of selective portions of the Manusmriti) to justify their racial superiority to subjugate the Indian masses.

The British left behind not just their language but also bequeathed to us an academic system that promotes the same biases. Contemporary liberals who see Manu through the same lens are a product of this system. Their want to disassociate themselves from the heritage that belongs to them and their vehement attack on the Manusmriti is means to this larger goal. The vilifying of ancient institutions like the Manusmriti also has a boomerang effect that causes the alienation of our souls even further.

Manu, the author of Manusmriti, is disparaged by these liberals primarily because he gave legal and social sanction to the caste hierarchy. He is said to have established the subservience of the lower castes and women. They do not understand that Manu did not give any new laws. He only codified existing practices. On reading the text, hence, one can find extremely contradictory injunctions. Some of them can be quoted to prove exactly the opposite of what the liberals contend. For eg. While 5.148 says, “By a girl, by a young woman, or even by an aged one, nothing must be done independently, even in her own house” (बाल्या वा युवत्या वा वृद्धया वापि योषिता न स्वातन्त्र्येण कर्तव्यं किम् चिद्कर्यं गृहेष्वपि I ), 5.150 says, “she must always be cheerful, clever in (the management of her) household affairs, careful in cleaning her utensils, and economical in expenditure,” (सदा प्रह्रष्टया भाव्यं गृहकार्ये च ......चमुक्तहस्तया I ) insinuating that she not only must independently manage the household but also astutely handle expenses.

Similarly, while on one hand the Manusmriti states, “One occupation only the Lord has prescribed to the Sudra, to serve meekly even these (other) three castes,” (1.91 एकमेव तु शूद्रस्य प्रभुः कर्म समादिशत् एतेषामेव वर्णानां शुश्रूषामनसूयया I ), on the other it has also shown extra consideration for Sudras and has provided that members of the dvija varnas (upper castes) should display unqualified respect to an aged Sudra, even though he may be illiterate. (2. 137….मानार्हः शूद्रोऽपि दशमीं गतः ). The notion is further dispelled by 2.238, “He who possesses faith may receive pure learning even from a man of lower caste, the highest law even from the lowest, and an excellent wife even from a base family. (2.238 श्रद्दधानः शुभाम् विद्यमाददितावरI दपि I अन्यादपि परम् धर्मं स्त्रीरत्नं दुष्कुलादपि I )

Every age has its own social standards and it is unfair to use contemporary yardsticks to judge the past. With this in mind, even a cursory examination of the treatise is enough to show that contrary to what is commonly understood, the Manusmriti is guided by compassion towards all rather than inhuman discrimination. Sir William Jones, in his preface to the first ever English translation of the Manusmriti, says, “A spirit of sublime devotion, of benevolence to mankind, and of amiable tenderness to all sentient creatures, pervades the whole work.”

The present series is an attempt at setting the record straight. It aims at establishing the context to Manusmriti, giving the correct information on Manu and the Manusmriti, at carrying out an objective appraisal of the treatise by removing misgivings about it, and thus at creating a balanced opinion about it. I would however add the caveat that I am no Sanskrit expert and have just some rudimentary knowledge of the language. I will be heavily drawing from the English translation of the Manusmriti by G Buhler. I am grateful to scholars- Dr Bibek Debroy and Ms. Rohini Bakshi, for the enthusiasm with which they welcomed this humble endeavor. They have graciously agreed to be my guide and to vet the translations & interpretations against the original Sanskrit.

*The views of guest authors are their own and do not represent the intent of this blog. Whether I agree or disagree with guest writers, I respect their right to believe what they do, and their right to express their view. 

Background to the Verses for #SanskritAppreciationHour on Twitter 3-4pm GMT 6.3.13

The background to the verses we are translating today: 

Bhishma has been mortally injured, and is lying on his bed of arrows on the battle field, surrounded by blood-splattered carnage. But he has been given the boon of choosing his moment of death. Upon falling, he notices that the sun is in the Southern Quarter. He decides to retain his vital breaths (प्राणाः) i.e. stay alive, till the Sun is reaches the Northern Quarter. If you are unfamiliar with this concept, this is a reference to the path of the gods (deva-yaana) and the path of the ancestors (pitr-yaana). The earliest reference to these two paths after death are to be found in the Brihad-aranyaka Upanishad (6.2.15-16)

The relevance to today's verses is that Bhishma has a lot of time for contemplation and more importantly for sharing his vast knowledge. The battle ends; last rites are performed; Yudhishthira becomes king. Then the Pandavas along with Krishna return to the battlefield to ask the grandsire about dharma. The result is the शान्ति पर्व of the Mahabharata. Chapters 55 to 167 are taken from Hindu dharma texts (dharmasutras and dharmashastras) and relate to the duties, conduct, sin, penance and punishment relating to the king, and for each of the castes. 

From Chapter 174 onward, the मोक्षधर्म पर्व of the शान्ति पर्व begins. It is one of the most complex chapters in the entire epic, encapsulating the teaching of all the schools of Hindu philosophy, the importance of the Veda and Vedic rites, accounts of the soul and other philosphical concepts like liberation and salvation. PhDs have been written and continue to be written about this chapter - speculating on its function, its raison, d'etre, its legacy. 

It's not my place to tell you what I think. My advise as always is - read it for yourself, and make up your mind. At least in a good translation, or better still, learn Sanskrit and read the original.

My job today is to translate a few verses from this incredible chapter of the Mahabharata. 

See you on Twitter at 3pm GMT.

Golden Treasury of Shlokas - 2 न अहं वसामि

Shloka 2. 

Hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4ShGsV4UqA at the 55 sec mark


न अहं वसामि वैकुण्ठे योगिनां हृदये न च 

मद्भक्ता यत्र गायन्ति तत्र तिष्ठामि नारद

O Nārada, I do not dwell at Vaikunṭha, nor in the hearts of yogis,

I remain where my devotees sing. 

Golden Treasury of Shlokas - 1 एकं शास्त्रं

Hear it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4ShGsV4UqA at 35 sec mark.

एकं शास्त्रं देवकीपुत्रगीतं एको देवो देवकीपुत्र एव 

मन्त्र अपि एकः तस्य नामानि यानि 

कर्म अपि एकं तस्य देवस्य सेवा 

There is [only] one śāstra, the song of Devaki's son [Kṛṣṇa]

There is only one God, Devaki's son [Kṛṣṇa]

There is only one mantra, also, those that are his names

And there is [only] one karma, service of that God.  

Lokokti collection 1

One of the many sources of wise sayings

All the lokoktis I share are from Stenzler's Sanskrit Primer: http://www.archive.org/stream/elementarbuchde01stengoog#page/n3/mode/2up

Translated into English by Dr. Renate Sohnen Thieme for SOAS students. 

Over the years she has found the sources of most of the sayings. It's an ongoing process!

If you have a problem with grammar please leave a comment and I'll reply as soon as possible. Some of the sources are abbreviated. If you want further detail, just leave a comment and I'll try to get it from Dr. RST, asap.

मुले हते  हतं सर्वम्

मुले हते This construction is called sati saptami or a locative absolute. It gives a sense of time: When the root is cut/destroyed/killed, everything (सर्वम्) is destroyed ( हतं)
Source: not identified as yet

अर्धं भार्या मनुष्यस्य 
Of the man (मनुष्यस्य) wife is [one] half
Source: part of Mahabharata 1.68.40 Poona ed.

न गर्दभो गायति शिक्षितो sपि
A donkey doesn't sing even if it is instructed/taught
Source: ShatrunjayamAhAtmya 2,186

वरं अद्य कपोतः श्वो मयूरात् 
Better a parrot today than a peacock tomorrow
Source: VAtsyAyana, KAmasUtra 1.2.23

वृत्तेन भवति आर्यः न धनेन न विद्यया 

By conduct one is Arya, not by wealth or knowledge
Source: not identified as yet

न वैद्यः प्रभुरायुषः 
The doctor is not the Lord [decision maker] of how long one lives
Source: Vallabhadeva, SubhAshitAvali, 2320

औषधं न गतायुषाम् 
Medicine is not for the dead lit. those whose life has gone
Source: unknown

स्त्रियो निसर्गाद् एव पण्डिताः 
Women are wise by nature
Source: MRicchakaTika act IV, verse 19

असन्तोषः श्रियो मूलम् 

Dissatisfaction is the root/source of prosperity
Source: MahAbhArata 2.50.18, Poona ed.

धर्मेण हीनाः पशुभिः समानाः 
[those] without dharma are akin to animals
Source: VRiddhacANakya, ed. Sternbach, 4.15

चाला लक्ष्मीः चालाः प्राणाः
Like and wealth are unstable
Source: SubhAshitAni 203

दरदुराः यत्र वक्ताः तत्र मौनं शोभनम् 

Where frogs are speakers, silence is beautiful [cf. Eng: Silence is golden]
Source: Neetiratna 11

न जलौकसाम् अङ्गे जलौकाः लगति
A leech doesn't attach itself to the body of other leeches
Source: DhUrtasamAgama 93.7

Patañjali's yogasūtra 1:22 Nature of our pursuit

{1:22}

मृदुमध्याधिमात्रत्वात्  ततो sपि  विवेषः 

mṛdumadhyādhimātratvāt tato’pi viśeṣaḥ

Further differentiation arises by reason of mild, medium [and/or] (nature of the pursuit)

मृदु मध्य आधिमात्रत्वात्  ततः अपि विशेषः 

मृदु - soft, tender, moderate 

मध्य - middling, medium, moderate 

आधिमात्रत्वात्  - आधिमात्र= above measure, excessive; त्वात् ending gives a sense of 'resulting from' 

ततः that, due to that

अपि -also, even

विशेषः - gradation, distinction, differentiation, particularity

This sūtra is to be read in conjunction with the last three [1.19-21], which outlined birth, qualities and intensity of desire for samādhi as factors which determined the achievement of samādhi. Now we are told that the nature of our effort, the intensity of the means that we employ is also a determining factor. 

Taimini speculates that this injects a certain elasticity into the rigid super-structure of techniques, so that each one of us can adapt them to our personal temperament and need.