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VIVEKACUDAMAŅI
pleasing the world? vidyate na khalu kaścidupāyaḥ sarvalokaparitoşakaro yaḥ sarvathā svahitam ācaraniyam kim karişyati jano bahujalpaḥ 11 “Verily, there is no means to please all people of the world. One should act by all means to secure one's own good; what can the people do who speak meaninglessly?" Hence it has been said in the Gītā that the devotee of the Lord treats censure and praise alike: tulyanindāstutih.
śāstravāsanā: This is of three kinds relating to the difficulty of learning, the incompetency for śāstra and the difficulty of observance. These are illustrated respectively by Bharadvāja, Durvāsas and Dāśūra. This has been well explained in the 'Jivanmukti Viveka."42
dehavāsanā: This is of three kinds, namely mistaking the body for the ātman, the ignoring of its evil qualities, and delusion.
Due to these tendencies, true wisdom never dawns.
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By reference to authoritative statements, it is shown that these three alone are obstruction to true knowledge.
संसारकारागृहमोक्षमिच्छोः
अयोमयं पादनिबद्ध शृङ्खलम् । वदन्ति तज्ज्ञाः पटुवासनात्रयं
योऽस्माद्विमुक्तः समुपैति मुक्तिम् ॥ २७३ ॥ samsārakārāgshamokşamicchoh
ayomayam pādanibaddhaśrókhalam vadanti tajjñāḥ pațuvāsanātrayam
yo'smād vimuktaḥ samupaiti muktim 11
Those who have attained knowledge of Brahman say that for those who wish to obtain release from the prison of samsāra, these three strong vāsanās are iron fetters binding their legs. He who is freed from them attains liberation.
42 Bharadvāja learnt many Vedas in three lives and finding his study incomplete, he obtained a further lease of a fourth life. When even then he could not complete his study of the Vedas, he was diverted from it to the worship of the Saguna Brahman. This illustrates pathavyaşana. A muni Durväsas by name went to Sri Parameśara's presence, with a load of books, to make obeisance to Him. Nārada who was there at the time compared him to an ass carrying a load signifying that atmavidyā does not accrue to one merely by study if he has not inward vision and the grace of the guru. This illustrates śāstravyasana. Daśūra was so attached to the rigours of anusthāna that, go where he would in the world, he could not find a spot pure enough for his austerities. This is anusthānavyasana.
