ACHARYA AMITGATI

Acharya Amitgati of the eleventh Vikram Century was held in great esteem in the court of Vakpatirai Muni, who was the king of Ujjain. He was himself a great scholar and poet. Acharya Amitgati was a learned scholar and writer on various subjects. All his works are in Sanskrit. He finished his famous work, "Subhasit Ratna Sandoh" in V. S. -1050 and I, Dharam Pariksha" in V. S. 1070. The subject matter and the style of his writings are easy, comprehensible and interesting. Following of his works are available :-

Subhasit Ratna Sandob

Dharam Pariksha

Bhawana Dwatrinshatika

Panch Sangraha

Upasakachar

Aradhana

Subhasit Ratna Sandoh is a collection of moral quotations. It has thirty-two topics and 922 couplets. It is a very important ethical treatise. Those who love such collections should certainly study this work.

Dharam Pariksha is an unique work of Sanskrit literature. This has 1945 couplets. Those who are interested in the knowledge of fundamental principles should study this.

The lesson in hand is the Hindi translation of "Bhawan Dwatrinshatika" in poetic form by Shri Yugalkishoreji of Kota.

Oh God, let me have love for all and feeling of joy in the company of the learned,

Let me have compassion on the unhappy and indifference towards people having perverted faith.

Let this eternally strong soul be distinct from the physical frame,

Just as the sword is different from the cover; let me have the courage of this conviction.

Pleasures and pains, friends and enemies, glass and gold; all should be equal in my view,

I should have no joy and no displeasure in forest and garden or palace and cottage.

Oh Lord ! the path of conquering the god of attachment as shown by you,

Should also be followed by me to ensure my own victory over the senses.

If ever I killed or injured any creature living in this world, big or small,

I repent for that and wish that I should never commit sins like that.

Induced by different passions, if I have ever followed the path against liberation,

All those evil deeds and thoughts may disappear by my own meritorious acts.

Just as a clever doctor destroys the effect of poison, let me also oh God,

By looking into my own inner beings, destroy the multiheaded snake of sins.

Even when I followed truth and non-violence, I behaved recklessly and,

Against the spirit of religion and detracted from the path of conduct.

Sometimes I was overpowered by the fury of the river of passions and,

I indulged in sensenal joys and behaved in a brainless manner.

I practiced deceit and hypocrisy and thus harmed myself and others,

I spread scandals about others and destroyed their reputation in various ways.

Let my mind become faultless and clean and let me always adhere to truth,

Let the stream of consciousness flow in my heart like the pure water of a river.

Let me have in my heart of hearts the image of the omniscient Lord,

Whom monks, monarchs, and masters of heavenly beings adore and worship.

Let that omniscient knower of the self and the whole cosmos bereft of all ills,

Remain before me as my light-house tower to guide me in my pursuit of the self.

The destroyer of the worldly agonies, and having knowledge and perceptional sentience,

This ideal of the monks on the path of liberation, may remain in my spirit.

Let the supreme guide of the path of emancipation, above life and death,

Unblemished seer of the three worlds, occupy my heart and guide me.

Let me rise above all attachments and aversions that mislead the worldly beings,

And accept pure psychic state of my own being as my support on the path of liberation.

Let that guiding star which sees the whole cosmos, as pure and noble,

Be with me throughout my aspirations for achieving the everlasting bliss.

Nothing in the external world belongs to me and I do not belong to that world;

Having decided this and abandoned the non-self, I rest in my own blissful being.

The fountain of happiness lies within, attempts outside are meaningless;

Joys of the World are mirage and so are our attempts to achieve them.

The soul alone is indestructible, eternal, sentient and faultless;

All that is outside is non-self, transitory and dependent upon the karmas.

How can one who regards his body as different, regard his kith and kin as his own?

Just as if one's skin is removed all the hair thereupon are automatically removed.

Those who associate themselves with non-self bodies experience various displeasures;

That self and non-self are absolutely different is the real way to the palace of Nirwan.

One should, therefore, leave the illusion of worldly attachments and aversions;

And dive deep into the passionless ocean of our supreme being.

Whatever deeds have been done by us, they definitely bear their fruit;

There is no body-else who awards rewards or punishments for our actions.

Our own karmas bring us misfortunes or happiness, as a matter of fact;

Let us, therefore, cease thinking that some other being shall deliver the goods to us.

Amitgati says that our Lord is pure, good, beautiful and great;

Those who cherish him in their souls and identify themselves with him attain perfection.

By Dr. H. C. Bharill