॥ मनीषापञ्चकं ॥

.. maniShA pa.nchakaM (with translation) ..

sanskritdocuments.org
August 2, 2016
 .. maniShA pa.nchakaM (with translation) ..

॥ मनीषापञ्चकं ॥

Document Information

Text title : manIShApaJNchakaM

File name : manishhaa5.itx
Category : panchaka
Location : doc_z_misc_shankara
Language : Sanskrit
Subject : philosophy/hinduism/religion
Transliterated by : P. P. Narayanaswami swami at math.mun.ca
Proofread by : P. P. Narayanaswami swami at math.mun.ca, Sun-
der Hattangadi sunderh at hotmail.com
Latest update : January, 6, 2012
Send corrections to : [email protected]
Site access : http://sanskritdocuments.org

This text is prepared by volunteers and is to be used for personal

study and research. The file is not to be copied or reposted for
promotion of any website or individuals or for commercial purpose
without permission.

Please help to maintain respect for volunteer spirit.

August 2, 2016

sanskritdocuments.org
 .. maniShA pa.nchakaM (with translation) ..

॥ मनीषापञ्चकं ॥
Introduction
ManIShA panchakam was written by Jagadguru Adi
Shankaracharya.
A biography of Shankara and his other compositions of
vedic
literature can be found in the shankara.itx document.
Shri Shankara has been criticized by modern western
scholars for
propounding sectarian beliefs in his commentary (bhashya)
of
Brahma sutra where he restricts the recitation of Vedas
to the upper
castes only . However, one should note that one is
handicapped when
writing a commentary on a text . Thus in independent
compositions like
the upadesasahasri and this short text, manIShA pan-
chakam he expounds
his Advaita philosophy in all its glory . Advaita, the non-
dualistic
philosophy expounded in detail by Shri Shankara, does
not recognize
differences between people based on caste, creed, reli-
gion, gender etc
since we are all the manifestations of the same Brahman.
The scene is set in Varanasi (Kashi/Benaras), the ancient
sacred city of India,
and the home to the famous kashi visvanatha temple.
Adi shankarAchArya, the expounder of the advaitic, non-
dualistic
philosophy, was on the way to the temple after finishing
his bath . Suddenly
he saw a chandAla (an outcaste), on the way, and
beckons to him to keep a

manishhaa5.pdf 1
 ॥ मनीषापञ्चकं ॥

distance, as per the practice and custom in those days .

That outcaste is
none other than the Lord sha.nkara (Shiva) Himself! At
such beckoning, the
Lord addresses his devotee sha.nkarAchArya, in the first
two stanzas (the
prologue), as under:
मनीषापञ्चकं
अन्नमयादन्नमयमथवा चैतन्यमेव चैतन्यात्।
यतिवर दूरीकर्तुं वाञ्छसि किं ब्रूहि गच्छ गच्छेति ॥

O great ascetic! Tell me . Do you want me to keep a distance

from you, by
uttering ’go away’ ’go away’ taking me to be an outcaste ?
Is it addressed from one body made of food to another body
made of food,
or is it consciousness from consciousness — which, O, the
best among ascetics, you wish should go away, by saying
“ Go away, go away”? Do tell me.
प्रत्यग्वस्तुनि निस्तरङ्गसहजानन्दावबोधाम्बुधौ
विप्रोऽयं श्वपचोऽयमित्यपि महान्कोऽयं विभेदभ्रमः ।
किं गङ्गाम्बुनि बिम्बितेऽम्बरमणौ चाण्डालवीथीपयः
पूरे वाऽन्तरमस्ति काञ्चनघटीमृत्कुम्भयोर्वाऽम्बरे ॥

Answer me . While the supreme Being

is reflected in every object as the sun’s reflecion could be seen
in the
placid waveless water bodies why this doubting confusion and
differentiation i.e . whether one is a brahmin or an outcaste ?
who is
the superior one etc ?. Is there any difference in the reflection
of the sun
in the waters of the Ganges or in the water present in the street
of an outcaste?
Likewise, is there any difference when the water- containers
happen to be

2 sanskritdocuments.org
 .. maniShA pa.nchakaM (with translation) ..

golden vessels and earthen pots ?

(Immediately shankarAcharya realises the presence of the Lord
Shankara
before him (who has apparently shown Himself with a view to
removing the
last vestige of imperfection in His devotee) and reels off the
following 5
stanzas-constituting ’manIShApa.nchakam’-ending with a fur-
ther stanza
in the form of an epilogue).
जाग्रत्स्वप्नसुषुप्तिषु स्फुटतरा या संविदुज्जृम्भते
या ब्रह्मादिपिपीलिकान्ततनुषु प्रोता जगत्साक्षिणी ।
सैवाहं न च दृश्यवस्त्विति दृढप्रज्ञापि यस्यास्ति चे-
च्चाण्डालोऽस्तु स तु द्विजोऽस्तु गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ १॥

If one is convinced firmly, that he is that very Soul which

manifests
itself in all the conditions of sleep, wakefulness and dream, in
all the
objects from the great Brahma (the creator) to the tiny ant and
which is
also the vibrant, but invisible, witnesser of all, then as per my
clear
conclusion, he is the great teacher/preceptor, be he a twice-
born
(i.e higher castes) or an outcaste.
ब्रह्मैवाहमिदं जगच्च सकलं चिन्मात्रविस्तारितं
सर्वं चैतदविद्यया त्रिगुणयाऽशेषं मया कल्पितम्।
इत्थं यस्य दृढा मतिः सुखतरे नित्ये परे निर्मले
चाण्डालोऽस्तु स तु द्विजोऽस्तु गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ २॥

I am quite convinced that he is the great Master, be he a

Brahmin or an
outcaste, who, dwelling on the pure and infinite Brahman
thinks of

manishhaa5.pdf 3
 ॥ मनीषापञ्चकं ॥

himself as that very Brahman, of whose manifestation the

whole Universe
is,though apparently the Universe is assumed to consist of
different
things, due to ignorance and the three Gunas (Satva, Rajas and
Tamas).
शश्वन्नश्वरमेव विश्वमखिलं निश्चित्य वाचा गुरो-
र्नित्यं ब्रह्म निरन्तरं विमृशता निर्व्याजशान्तात्मना ।
भूतं भाति च दुष्कृतं प्रदहता संविन्मये पावके
प्रारब्धाय समर्पितं स्ववपुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ ३॥

I am fully convinced by the Preceptor’s words that the entire

Universe is
a transitory illusion and that the human body is given to
constantly
meditate on the infinite and supreme Being with a serene and
unquestioning
mind and thus to burn in that sacred Fire the sins with which
the
human is born.
या तिर्यङ्नरदेवताभिरहमित्यन्तः स्फुटा गृह्यते
यद्भासा हृदयाक्षदेहविषया भान्ति स्वतोऽचेतनाः ।
तां भास्यैः पिहितार्कमण्डलनिभां स्फूर्तिं सदा भावय-
न्योगी निर्वृतमानसो हि गुरुरित्येषा मनीषा मम ॥ ४॥

In my considered opinion that Yogi is great who has clearly

grasped within
himself the truth and quality of the supreme Being through
which all our
activities are performed and whose effulgence is hidden by
ignorance [of
an ordinary person] even as the sun’s halo is covered/hidden by
the clouds.
यत्सौख्याम्बुधिलेशलेशत इमे शक्रादयो निर्वृता
यच्चित्ते नितरां प्रशान्तकलने लब्ध्वा मुनिर्निर्वृतः ।

4 sanskritdocuments.org
 .. maniShA pa.nchakaM (with translation) ..

यस्मिन्नित्यसुखाम्बुधौ गलितधीर्ब्रह्मैव न ब्रह्मविद्

यः कश्चित्स सुरेन्द्रवन्दितपदो नूनं मनीषा मम ॥ ५॥

I am convinced that whoever has his mind dwelling upon the

Great Being
who is being worshipped by Indra and other gods and is thus
completely at
peace with himself has not only understood Brahman but he
is himself that
great Brahman!
दासस्तेऽहं देहदृष्ट्याऽस्मि शंभो
जातस्तेंऽशो जीवदृष्ट्या त्रिदृष्टे ।
सर्वस्याऽऽत्मन्नात्मदृष्ट्या त्वमेवे-
त्येवं मे धीर्निश्चिता सर्वशास्त्रैः ॥

Oh Lord ! In the form of body I am your servant . In the form

of life, O
three-eyed one, I am part of yourself . In the form of soul, you
are
within me and in every other soul.I have arrived at this conclu-
sion through
my intellect and on the authority of the various scriptures.
॥ इति श्रीमच्छङ्करभगवतः कृतौ मनीषापञ्चकं सम्पूर्णम्॥

Thus ends the ’manIShApa nchakam’ composed by the Adis-

hankarAcharya.

Encoding by Narayanaswami at swami at math.mun.ca

Translation by Shri S. V. Ganesan

Shri Kanchi MAhaswami Discourse

(English translation of discourse by P N Ramachandran
pnramchandran at gmail.com)
The Mahaswami (late Shri Chandrashekharendra Sarasvati
Swami) is

manishhaa5.pdf 5
 ॥ मनीषापञ्चकं ॥

considered a saint of recent times. His discourses on various

topics
while on a visit to Madras in 1930’s are indeed the benchmark.)
The Harijan asked:
ANnmyadNnmymtva cEtNymev cEtNyaT
(Maneesha Panchakam . Brihatstotram)
Which should get away from which, whereto and how? What
is your intention? Is
it that one frame made of bone and flesh and itself a product
of food, should
get away from another frame of same composition and same
origin? Or, that the
soul (atma) resident in a frame should not come near another
soul (atma)
similarly resident in another frame? Oh! The best among
Brahmins, please
answer me, what is that which should get away?.
pratyagvastuni
(Maneesha Panchakam . Brihatstotram)
The sun.s light falls both on the waters of the Ganges as well
as of those of
drains. The sun.s image gets reflected from both these surfaces.
Is there any
difference between the two images? Similarly, is there any
difference in the
images of the sun reflected in the water contained in a vessel
whether the
latter is made of gold or of mud?
There is a permanent reality (paramatma) in our bodies. Para-
matma, which is
all perfect has the innate attributes of both bliss and knowledge.
There are
no differences in it. It is omniscient like the ocean. Even this
comparison is
not fully correct. In the ocean there are many waves. But in the
paramatma

6 sanskritdocuments.org
 .. maniShA pa.nchakaM (with translation) ..

there are no waves. The physical ocean has atmosphere stand-

ing upon it. This
causes the waves in the ocean. But paramatma exists every-
where. There is no
place without it. In view of its omnipresence there are no waves
in it. It is
both unexcellable bliss and limitless knowledge. In the para-
matma which is of
such nature, how can there be differences?.
The question being in the nature of highest knowledge, evoked
reply in the
same vein. Adi Sankara said, .If you are such a knower of
Brahmam (supreme
reality), then you are indeed my Guru (revered teacher).. Adi
Sankara.s reply
is in five slokas known as ManeeshA Panchakam. Maneesha
means firm conviction
and Panchakam means five-fold. Adi Sankara sets out these as
his firm
convictions.
Adi Sankara replied:
jAgratsvapna
(Maneesha Panchakam . verse 1)
If this type of firm self-knowledge is found in any one . the
knowledge that
from the great Brahma (the creator) to the tiny ant, in all
animate and
inanimate things there is the supreme Brahman that is .I.; that
the things
which knowledge perceives as .I. are not .I.; then whether he
be a Harijan or
a Brahmin, that one alone is my Guru. This is my deep
conviction and faith.
How are we to look at all living things in the world as identical
with

manishhaa5.pdf 7
 ॥ मनीषापञ्चकं ॥

ourselves? This self-knowledge is indeed hard to attain. There

are three
states of experience: waking (jagrat), dream (swapna) and
deep sleep
(sushipti). Although the states differ and the mental attitudes
during these
states differ, the person who experiences these is one and the
same. Similarly
we should be firmly convinced that one and the same .I. prevails
in various
things and in various places in the three states of experience.
Although we
perform or experience in different states acts and mental
attitudes distinct
from one another and although these acts and attitudes seem to
be the work of
distinct bodies and minds, we know that it is one and the same
person that
performs these acts or experiences these attitudes. Likewise the
acts and
mental attitudes, seemingly of other persons, are in reality our
own. Bodies
alone are separate but the inner self (the .I.) is the same. We
should thus
look at the entire world in this unitary view and not be misled
by apparent
differences.
We see an article. The act of seeing has both an object (the
particular
article seen) as well as the subject (one who does the act of
seeing). These
two states (object and subject) are separate and distinct from
one another.
The body is seen . so it is the object. Atma (soul) sees . so it is
the

8 sanskritdocuments.org
 .. maniShA pa.nchakaM (with translation) ..

subject. This analogy can be extended to other acts such as

perception or
consciousness. The body is perceived . so it is the object. Atma
(soul) does
the act of perceiving . so it is the subject. Thus the body and
the soul are
separate from one another. He who considers the soul as that
which is seen
(that is, confuses the object for the subject) can only be termed
as an
aggyani (ignorant of reality/truth).
yatsaukhya
(Maneesha Panchakam . verse 5)
Encoded by Narayanaswami at swami at math.mun.ca
Translation by Shri S. V. Ganesan

.. maniShA pa.nchakaM (with translation) ..

was typeset on August 2, 2016

Please send corrections to [email protected]

manishhaa5.pdf 9