“Seeing Sita, like trying to decipher knowledge from the Vedas which has become barely perceptible after lack of use, his mind became doubtful. As Sita was not decorated, with difficulty Hanuman could recognize her, like understanding a text which has gotten a different meaning due to a lack of purity.” (Valmiki Ramayana, Sundara Kand, 15.38-39)

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तस्य संदिदिहे बुद्धिर्मुहुः सीतां निरीक्ष्य तु।
आम्नायानामयोगेन विद्यां प्रशिथिलामिव।।
दुःखेन बुबुधे सीतां हनुमाननलङ्कृताम्।
संस्कारेण यथा हीनां वाचमर्थान्तरं गताम्।।

tasya saṃdidihe buddhirmuhuḥ sītāṃ nirīkṣya tu।
āmnāyānāmayogena vidyāṃ praśithilāmiva।।
duḥkhena bubudhe sītāṃ hanumānanalaṅkṛtām।
saṃskāreṇa yathā hīnāṃ vācamarthāntaraṃ gatām।।

1. Spoken

I have something to say. There is a message I want to deliver. There is vital communication which must take place. I need one or more recipients to understand something. The content is instructional. The words should translate to action; there must be both a cause and an effect.

I speak these words to someone else. I tell them to do something. Since they are able to hear, they have a chance at understanding. If there is any ambiguity, if I have not made myself clear, there is the opportunity for clarification.

That is to say, the person on the receiving end can ask questions. There is the potential for two-way communication. In the manner that I am the source and someone else is the destination, the roles can reverse. I can listen to what they speak, and in this way words flow through what is known as conversation or dialogue; a full duplex communications system.

2. Remembered

The Sanskrit word is smaranam. The category of sacred texts is smriti. Expanding on the previous example, it may be that I offer the instructions only a single time. There is only one opportunity to hear the words. It is then up to the recipient to retain the information.

If someone else should question them later on, they can tap into the mind, mana, to recall what was spoken. This is one of the reasons vital information has been put into poetry and song since time immemorial. If I remember a line from a song, it is like accessing the original words, as they were first spoken.

3. Written

Vachanam can also be written. The saying or the collection of words form the basis of a text. Modern technology introduces new ways to basically accomplish the same. If I listen to a recording of someone speaking, it is not really different from accessing something written.

The printed words are like symbols which translate to sound. The person who knows how to decode the words can produce an exact replica of the original sounds, whether they were first spoken out loud or thought up in the mind.

The written word can be preserved for a lengthy period of time. Sometimes we have access to words first spoken thousands of years ago, such as in the case of Vedic shastra. As Benjamin Franklin references, there is the saying in Latin: littera scripta manet. The written word remains.

I may be famous today for my accomplishments. I may have a high standing within society, carrying a spotless reputation. But a single collection of words not exactly to the liking of the audience can change everything. If the words were written down, such as in the case of a reveal from a newspaper article, there is little room to hide.

Since the written word carries forward, it can also be misinterpreted. This is referenced one time in an incident involving Shri Hanuman, when he spots the princess of Videha. He is able to identify her properly, though the task is difficult. Sita Devi does not look as she should. This is due to separation from her beloved husband, Shri Rama.

It is something like an old saying or written text which has since lost its meaning. The people of the time lack access to the original culture. There are no qualified people to provide the proper explanation, to transition the concepts to the modern time and circumstance.

Except we see that Hanuman can bridge the gap. He can still identify Sita Devi. This is an example of an empowered representative available on the scene to help others. It is like someone fixing the broken link in the chain.

With respect to teachings of shastra, this chain is known as parampara. It is a succession of disciples. The same message carries forward, with possible alterations in the specific explanations, but never a change in meaning.

एवं परम्परा-प्राप्तम्
इमं राजर्षयो विदुः
स कालेनेह महता
योगो नष्टः परन्तप

evaṁ paramparā-prāptam
imaṁ rājarṣayo viduḥ
sa kāleneha mahatā
yogo naṣṭaḥ parantapa

“This supreme science was thus received through the chain of disciplic succession, and the saintly kings understood it in that way. But in course of time the succession was broken, and therefore the science as it is appears to be lost.” (Lord Krishna, Bhagavad-gita, 4.2)

With fidelity to the succession, the most recent recipients have access to the original content. They are able to bridge the significant gap in time. In the way that Hanuman overcomes the obstacles of a hostile territory and a devoted wife changing in appearance due to distress, so the spiritual master, representing the Supreme Lord, can reinstate the science of connection to the Almighty. The meanings return, and the texts again come to life.

In Closing:

In distress that missing wife,
But recognition coming to life.

By Shri Hanuman found,
Like knowledge with sound.

From shastra originally came,
But with time not known the same.

The guru bridging that gap,
No more ignorance to trap.

Categories: the three

Tags: hare krishna, poem, poems, poetry, ramayana, sanskrit, shlokas, vedas