Ishtopadesh Gatha 11

English Translation of Acharya Pujyapada swami’s Ishtopadesh – Deliberation (vivechana) and Poetic Translation by Acharya shri Vidyasagarji maharaj

Utthanika (Prelude):

Here, the disciple asks a question:
“What harm does a man do to himself by feeling attachment towards women and the like, or aversion towards enemies? Why are these attachments and aversions deemed unworthy of engagement and advised against?”

In response, the Acharya provides an explanation.

इष्टोपदेश गाथा 11

रागद्वेषद्वयीदीर्घ नेत्राकर्षण कर्मणा। अज्ञानात्सुचिरं जीवः संसाराब्धौ भ्रमत्यसौ ॥11॥

Rāgadveṣadvayīdīrgha netrākarṣaṇa karmaṇā।
Ajñānātsuchiraṁ jīvaḥ saṁsārābdhau bhramatyasau ॥11॥

Poetic Translation (Padyanuvad )

Dadhimanthan ke kāl mathānī, manthan-bhājan meṁ bhramatī,
Kabhi idhar to kabhi udhar jyoṁ, kṣaṇ bhar bhī nā hai thamatī.

Rāga-dveṣ kī lambī-lambī, ḍorī se yah̃ baṁdhā huā,
Jñān binā tyōṁ bhav meṁ bhramatā, rudan kare gal saṅdhā huā ॥11॥

Tied to the long rope intwined with (the strands of) attachments and aversions, the soul is whirled about in the ocean of samsara (transmigra- tory existence) for immeasurable time, led by ignorance!

Note – Love and hatred, or attachment and aversion, are the causes of bondage and transmigration. The series of births and deaths is unending, except in the case of him who acquires Self-knowledge. Hence the state- ment that souls wander about in transmigration for time beyond measure. Ignorance of the real nature of the soul and the non-soul, and of happiness and what is not happiness though it may appear to be so, is the producer of loves and hatreds of embodied life. Led by these the soul comes and re- mains under the sway of karmic forces that drag it about in different condi- tions and grades of existence in the different parts of the world.

Deliberation (vivechana)

A worldly being, due to ignorance, wanders endlessly in the vast ocean of existence, much like a churner that never ceases to rotate. Bound by the long ropes of attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesha), the soul continues to rotate, unable to break free.

This is analogous to the mythological churning of the ocean (samudra manthan), where the mountain Mandara acted as the churning rod, and gods and demons pulled the rope from opposite ends. Just as the churning persisted in pursuit of nectar (amrit), a worldly soul is perpetually drawn by the forces of attraction and repulsion, hoping to attain happiness, but instead remains trapped in the cycle of birth and death.

Attachment signifies attraction, while aversion signifies repulsion. Together, these forces keep the churner in motion, pushing the soul through 8.4 million life forms repeatedly. The speed of this churning depends on the intensity of the attachments and aversions—greater intensity accelerates the process, while lesser intensity slows it down.

Just as gods and demons churned the ocean with the hope of extracting nectar, humans churn the ocean of worldly existence for fleeting pleasures. Along with desirable outcomes like wealth, knowledge, and beauty, this churning also brings suffering, symbolized by poison. Similarly, worldly pursuits result in temporary gains but also significant suffering.

The rope of attachment and aversion keeps the churner, i.e., the soul, bound. The soul’s yearning for happiness and belief in worldly pleasures perpetuates its effort, but despite countless lifetimes of striving, true happiness remains elusive. The sages urge us to question this endless cycle: Why has happiness not been attained despite infinite births?

The churning of worldly existence will cease only when the rope of attachment and aversion is severed. Until then, the churner’s motion will persist, fueled by reactions—acceptance (raga) on one side and opposition (dvesha) on the other. The cessation of this cycle is possible only when the soul transcends attachment and aversion, attaining inner stillness and liberation.

Reflect deeply: as long as the rope remains tied and pulled from either end, the churner continues its motion. Similarly, as long as acceptance and opposition dominate our being, the wandering in worldly existence cannot stop.

A worldly being finds it extremely difficult to renounce the accumulation of external possessions entirely. However, complete renunciation leads to liberation. The ideal approach is: “Harbor such aversion (dvesha) that you desire nothing from the world, and such attachment (raga) that you embrace your true self, letting go of everything else.” Yet, most individuals neither cultivate such pure aversion nor such profound attachment that they realize their true self.

If you relinquish attachment to the world, you will attain yourself. Conversely, if you seek to acquire worldly possessions, you will lose connection with your true self. Partial attachment and aversion, where you favor some and reject others, reflect ignorance. True wisdom requires consistency: either desire everything equally, without bias, or renounce everything completely.

Worldly beings often fail in both aspects. They do not know how to genuinely attach themselves to everything without discrimination, nor do they know how to renounce possessions entirely. For instance, if attachment must exist, it should be universal, free from favoritism. On the other hand, if aversion is cultivated, it should result in total detachment, avoiding even internal thoughts about the object of aversion.

However, the reality is that while externally appearing indifferent, internally, people often dwell on those they claim to reject. Their minds remain occupied with thoughts like, “They did this,” or “They acted that way.” This inner turmoil of attachment and aversion persists, even when outwardly they seem composed. Such behavior is rooted in ignorance and is a form of inner turmoil (kashaya).

Attachment and aversion are two sides of the same coin, much like a currency bearing a number on one side and an emblem on the other. A worldly soul embodies this duality: attachment on one side, aversion on the other. However, just as attachment (raga) can lead to detachment (veetaraga), aversion (dvesha) can pave the way to freedom from aversion (veetdvesha).

In the liberated soul (siddha jeeva), both these states are transcended. The perfected being experiences neither attachment nor aversion, embodying the ideal state of equanimity and ultimate freedom.

The pursuit of happiness in the worldly sense, driven by attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesha), is futile. If worldly endeavors could yield true happiness, it would have been achieved by now. However, despite exhaustive exploration of the world in various states—poverty, wealth, success, or failure—true happiness remains elusive. This truth is reflected in the words of Bhudhara Das in his Barah Bhavana:

“The poor are distressed without wealth,
The wealthy suffer due to greed.
There is no happiness in this world;
Search the entire world and see.”

Even the most powerful beings, like a Chakravarti (a universal emperor), who conquer vast domains, realize they still fall short of ultimate fulfillment. Similarly, worldly beings scour the three realms (heavens, earth, and hell) seeking happiness, yet fail to find it because they overlook their own soul. True happiness is not external but lies within.

Why Happiness Eludes Us:

1. Illusory Happiness: The world offers only an illusion of happiness (sukh-abhas), leading beings to chase more of it, perpetuating dissatisfaction.
2. Attachment and Aversion: These are the root causes of suffering. As long as they persist, happiness cannot arise, just as night and day cannot coexist.
3. Misdirected Efforts: Just as butter cannot be churned from water, happiness cannot emerge from external pursuits alone. True happiness arises only when the soul is explored and understood.

The Path to True Happiness:

• Self-Reflection: Instead of using knowledge to examine the world, use it to examine yourself. True introspection reveals the means to attain inner peace and happiness.
• Right Tools and Methods: Just as proper churning of milk yields butter, proper spiritual practices—free from attachment and aversion—lead to inner contentment. Using the wrong tools or seeking in the wrong place results in failure.
• Detachment from Raga-Dvesha: Liberation from attachment and aversion is essential for attaining true happiness. As long as these dualities persist, suffering continues.

The Solution:

To achieve lasting happiness, one must:

1. Renounce Attachment and Aversion: Let go of the causes of suffering to make space for peace and joy.
2. Engage in Self-Inquiry: Use wisdom to search within and discover the eternal, blissful nature of the self.
3. Focus on Suitable Means: Pursue spiritual practices aligned with the goal of self-realization, avoiding distractions that lead to worldly entanglements.

Ultimately, true happiness lies beyond the transient pleasures of the world. It is accessible only through self-realization and the dissolution of raga-dvesha.

In the Samayasara Kalasha text, it is aptly stated, “Knowledge tainted with attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesha) is ignorance, while knowledge free from these is true knowledge.” Liberation can only be attained through such true, detached knowledge, which is characterized by freedom from attachment and aversion. This knowledge is the hallmark of charitra (conduct). Therefore, seek that knowledge which is devoid of attachment and aversion; this alone is termed charitra. Beyond this, charitra is nothing else. A veetaragi (one free from attachment) can live anywhere without fear or harm. Engage in worldly activities if you must, but refrain from these three actions: attachment (raga), aversion (dvesha), and delusion (moha).

The Analogy of the Exam:

Even if a student is permitted to cheat in an exam—using a book instead of copying from someone else—they may still fail if they haven’t prepared adequately. With a 500-page book and just five questions to answer, a student who has wasted 365 days on trivial pursuits will struggle to locate the correct answers. Simply having the book isn’t enough; knowing where to find the solutions is equally essential. Likewise, in life, merely reading scriptures without understanding or focusing on what is necessary—avoiding raga, dvesha, and moha—is futile. Without adhering to this central teaching, spiritual success remains unattainable.

The Core Teaching:

• Let Go Completely: “If you must let go, let go of everything. If you must hold on, hold on to everyone equally.” This means abandoning all forms of attachment and aversion. Without doing so, even the most rigorous spiritual practices like chanting, penance, or renunciation become meaningless.
• Samsara’s Endless Cycle: Due to ignorance, worldly beings wander in the ocean of existence (samsara). Driven by raga and dvesha, they continuously desire material possessions and hence only obtain worldly results. True happiness or liberation cannot be achieved unless efforts are directed toward it.

The Path to Liberation:

• Avoid the Triad: The primary instruction is to avoid raga, dvesha, and moha. Without this foundational discipline, spiritual efforts are in vain.
• Cultivate the Desire for Liberation: Liberation (moksha) cannot be attained unless there is a sincere aspiration for it. If one has never even envisioned liberation, how can it be achieved? Desiring worldly possessions leads to their acquisition; desiring liberation opens the path to it.

In essence, spiritual progress depends not on superficial practices but on the eradication of attachment, aversion, and delusion. True knowledge, free from these impurities, is the ultimate key to liberation.

To attain liberation (moksha), one does not need to perform any new actions. Instead, one must stop what one is already doing—cease the restless activity and sit peacefully with hands folded. However, this simple state of stillness seems unattainable because the human mind is inherently restless, more so than even the most energetic monkey.

The Restless Nature of the Mind:

Acharyas illustrate this with an analogy: A monkey, inherently restless, becomes even more so if stung by a scorpion. Seeking relief from the venom’s pain, it might stumble upon alcohol instead of water, drink it, and become intoxicated. If the monkey then goes mad, its restlessness knows no bounds. Similarly, the human mind is far more restless and unstable than such a monkey.

A monkey may commit sins, but the severity of its actions limits it to a certain level of spiritual downfall. For example, a lion, due to its inherent cruelty, may fall to the fifth level of hell (pancham prithvi). However, a monkey, being less cruel, is unlikely to descend that far. In contrast, the human mind, with its limitless restlessness and potential for both cruelty and delusion, can traverse all the levels of hell and even reach the lowest depths of the spiritual universe.

The Paradox of Human Nature:

Though humans are considered the most intelligent and civilized beings, capable of reasoning and contemplation, their minds are rarely at peace. Internally, their thoughts are always in motion, calculating or overthinking something. This intellect, when guided by wisdom, enables humans to achieve great heights. However, when it descends below the level of discernment (vivek), it becomes the source of their greatest downfall.

Humans are unique in that they hold the power to experience both the highest joys and the deepest sorrows. The extremes of pleasure and pain are orchestrated by the human mind itself. When directed inward, the mind can become a tool for liberation. But when it is consumed by external distractions, restlessness, and negativity, it leads to suffering and spiritual degradation.

Key Insight:

Liberation is not about acquiring new knowledge or performing specific rituals but about calming the inherent restlessness of the mind. Only through true inner stillness and self-awareness can one transcend the chaos of worldly attachments and aversions. Without this inner peace, the mind continues to lead one down the path of delusion and suffering.

In conclusion, I would like to emphasize that worldly beings, drawn by attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesha), have wandered endlessly in this cycle of existence. Despite churning the ocean of worldly life repeatedly, they have not been able to extract any essence, any true nectar, or peace. Instead, they are left only with disappointment, their hopes unfulfilled. They keep consoling themselves with thoughts like:

“If not today, then tomorrow; if not tomorrow, then the day after.”
“What’s the hurry? There are years ahead to live and achieve.”

This persistent optimism fuels their belief that one day, their desires will be fulfilled. However, is it truly possible to extract butter by churning water? No, it is not. No matter how much one churns worldly objects, true happiness and peace cannot be found. If such peace were attainable, it would have been achieved long ago.

The True Path to Realization

Fortunate and wise are those who have understood this profound truth. Instead of churning the ocean of worldly desires, they turned inward and began the process of self-reflection and self-discovery. Reflecting upon scriptures like Samayasara and Gommatsara, contemplating their essence, and internalizing their teachings lead one to a deeper understanding of the self.

However, there is a distinction between academic study and genuine self-exploration. Today, scholars pursue doctorates and advanced degrees on Samayasara, but even they, despite their extensive research, may fail to grasp its essence if their hearts remain attached to worldly accolades and recognition. Reading and teaching such scriptures may convey the idea of renouncing attachment and aversion, but without internalizing these teachings, true realization remains elusive.

Renunciation of Attachment and Aversion

To renounce raga and dvesha means to abandon not only the attachments and aversions themselves but also the objects that give rise to them. Furthermore, one must not even recall or dwell on these objects after renunciation. Only then can one attain the living essence of Samayasara.

The words of a vitraagi (one free from attachment and aversion) naturally carry the essence of Samayasara. A person who experiences peace and fulfillment through self-realization will no longer be drawn to external objects because they find no joy in them. Instead, they will remain immersed in self-reflection, for the true essence lies within.

The Journey of Self-Discovery

Worldly beings, driven by their taste for external objects, have spent their lives churning what is outside of them. Even now, they derive pleasure from the external and strive to obtain more of it. However, a true seeker—a wise and detached individual—focuses solely on understanding and experiencing the self. If obstacles arise in this process of self-reflection, they make efforts to remove them. Ultimately, with perseverance and determination, they will attain the treasure of self-realization.

This approach is beautifully summarized in the verses that follow, guiding seekers further along this path of inner discovery.

Isthopadesh Gatha 11 – Dwadasa Varshiya Shraman Sanskriti Swadhyaya Pathyakram

Anvayarth (Literal Meaning):
This (asau) being (jivah), a worldly soul, in the ocean of existence (samsarabdhau), has for an infinite time (suchiram) been wandering (bhramati) like a churning rod tied with two long ropes of attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesha), due to ignorance (ajnanaat). It is dragged back and forth by these ropes, just as a churn-stick is turned by pulling ropes alternately.

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Bhavarth (Interpretative Meaning):
Just as a churn-stick is placed in a pot of curd, tied with a rope, and rotated by alternately pulling the rope with the right and left hands, so too is the worldly soul tied by the ropes of attachment (raga) and aversion (dvesha). This soul, under the influence of these forces, prepares karmic bonds for itself. When these karmic bonds mature, the soul perpetually wanders through the endless cycle of existence, traversing the realms of matter, space, time, states of being, and emotional states.

The Six Forms of Aversion:

• Anger (krodha),
• Ego (mana),
• Displeasure (arati),
• Grief (shoka),
• Fear (bhaya),
• Disgust (jugupsa).

The Seven Forms of Attachment:

• Deceit (maya),
• Greed (lobha),
• Laughter (hasya),
• Pleasure (rati),
• Sexual desire for women (striveda),
• Sexual desire for men (purushveda),
• Sexual desire for the neuter gender (napumsakveda).

Attachment and aversion encompass all forms of emotional disturbances, binding the soul to karma and leading to its ceaseless wandering in the cycle of birth and death. The root cause of this wandering is attachment and aversion; therefore, their renunciation is essential for liberation.

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Uthanika (Prelude):
A disciple poses a question to the master:
“Swamin! It is understood that the soul is happy in liberation. However, if the soul can also be happy in worldly existence, what is the harm in that? After all, every living being seeks happiness. If happiness can be attained within the worldly realm, then why do saintly individuals strive so hard to eliminate it? What is so undesirable about worldly existence that they advocate its destruction?”

To this, the Acharya provides an explanation. Gatha 12

Swadhyay Ishtopadesh Gatha 10 & 11

Ishtopadesh Swadhyay youtube playlist

इष्टोपदेश Ishtopadesh

गाथा 1 (Gatha 1) | गाथा 2 ( Gatha 2 )| गाथा 3 ( Gatha 3)| गाथा 4 ( Gatha 4) | गाथा 5 ( Gatha 5) | गाथा 6 ( Gatha 6 )| गाथा 7 ( Gatha 7 )| गाथा 8 ( Gatha 8 ) | गाथा 9 ( Gatha 9 ) | गाथा 10 ( Gatha 10)| गाथा 11 | गाथा 12 | गाथा 13 | गाथा 14 | गाथा 15 | गाथा 16 | गाथा 17 | गाथा 18 | गाथा 19 | गाथा 20 | गाथा 21

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