Sometime back there was another blog on question. It brings to mind an illustrious daughter of India who raised her voice to question, at an age when none of her ilk dared to storm the male bastion. Your philosophical question reminds me about Gargi.
Gargi Vachaknavi was an ancient Indian female philosopher. And Gargi almost defeated Yajnavalkya.
R.NO. GARGI’S QUESTIONS YAJNAVALKYA’S ANSWERS 1 If all this is pervaded by water, by what, water is pervaded? (pervaded by water because otherwise earth would be scattered like a handful of fried grains - Sankara). By air (since water too being an effect, is gross and limited, it must be pervaded by something else and that is air). 2 By what is air pervaded? By the sky, 3 By what is sky pervaded? By the world of the gandharvas 4 By what is the world of gandharvas pervaded? By the world of the sun 5 By what is the world of the sun pervaded? By the world of the moon 6 By what is the world of the moon pervaded? By the world of the stars 7 By what is the world of the stars pervaded? By the world of the gods 8 By what is the world of the gods pervaded? By the world of Indra 9 By what is the world of Indra pervaded? By the world of Prajapati 10 By what is the world of Prajapati pervaded? By the world of Hiranyagarbha 11 By what is the world of Hiranyagarbha pervaded? (The Supreme Hiranyagarbha is the source and the cause of everything, you say. Who is the cause of this?) “Do not, O Gargi," said he, "question too much, lest your head should fall off. You are questioning too much about the Divine about whom we should not ask too much. Do not ask too much, O Gargi."
Thereupon Gargi held her peace and kept quiet. She did not speak further. Later however, she . with the permission of others asked him two further questions:
Gargi said: "O Yajnavalkya, I shall ask you two straight forward questions. Answer me these." Yajnavalkya agreed. She said: "O Yajnavalkya, what pervades that Sutra which is above heaven and below the earth, which is heaven and earth as well as what is between them and which—they say—was, is and will be?" He said: "That, O Gargi, which is above heaven and below the earth, which is heaven and earth as well as what is between them and which—they say—was, is and will be, is pervaded by the unmanifested akasa. She said: "I bow to you, O Yajnavalkya. You have fully answered this question of mine. Now brace yourself for the other." She said: "Yajnavalkya, what pervades that Sutra which is above heaven and below the earth, which is heaven and earth as well as what is between them and which—they say—was, is and will be?" He said: "That, O Gargi, which is above heaven and below the earth, which is heaven and earth as well as what is between them and which—they say—was, is and will be, is pervaded by the unmanifested akasa." "What pervades the akasa?" He said: "That, O Gargi, the knowers of Brahman call the Imperishable. It is neither gross nor subtle, neither short nor long, neither red nor moist; It is neither shadow nor darkness, neither air nor akasa; It is unattached; It is without taste or smell, without eyes or ears, without tongue or mind; It is non-effulgent, without vital breath or mouth, without measure and without exterior or interior. It does not eat anything, nor is It eaten by anyone. Then said Gargi: "Venerable Brahmins, you may consider yourselves fortunate if you can get off from him through bowing to him. None of you, I believe, will defeat him in arguments about Brahman”.
The Question I dreamed that, as I wandered by the way, Bare Winter suddenly was changed to Spring, And gentle odours led my steps astray, Mixed with a sound of waters murmuring Along a shelving bank of turf, which lay Under a copse, and hardly dared to fling Its green arms round the bosom of the stream, But kissed it and then fled, as thou mightest in dream.
There grew pied wind-flowers and violets, Daisies, those pearled Arcturi of the earth, The constellated flower that never sets; Faint oxlips; tender bluebells, at whose birth The sod scarce heaved; and that tall flower that wets— Like a child, half in tenderness and mirth— Its mother's face with Heaven's collected tears, When the low wind, its playmate's voice, it hears.
And in the warm hedge grew lush eglantine, Green cowbind and the moonlight-coloured may, And cherry-blossoms, and white cups, whose wine Was the bright dew, yet drained not by the day; And wild roses, and ivy serpentine, With its dark buds and leaves, wandering astray; And flowers azure, black, and streaked with gold, Fairer than any wakened eyes behold.
And nearer to the river's trembling edge There grew broad flag-flowers, purple pranked with white, And starry river buds among the sedge, And floating water-lilies, broad and bright, Which lit the oak that overhung the hedge With moonlight beams of their own watery light; And bulrushes, and reeds of such deep green As soothed the dazzled eye with sober sheen.
Me thought that of these visionary flowers I made a nosegay, bound in such a way That the same hues, which in their natural bowers Were mingled or opposed, the like array Kept these imprisoned children of the Hours Within my hand,—and then, elate and gay, I hastened to the spot whence I had come, That I might there present it!—Oh! to whom? - Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Question
A voice said, Look me in the stars And tell me truly, men of earth, If all the soul-and-body scars Were not too much to pay for birth. - Robert Frost
Sometime back there was another blog on question. It brings to mind an illustrious daughter of India who raised her voice to question, at an age when none of her ilk dared to storm the male bastion.
ReplyDeleteYour philosophical question reminds me about Gargi.
Gargi Vachaknavi was an ancient Indian female philosopher.
And Gargi almost defeated Yajnavalkya.
R.NO. GARGI’S QUESTIONS YAJNAVALKYA’S ANSWERS
1 If all this is pervaded by water, by what, water is pervaded? (pervaded by water because otherwise earth would be scattered like a handful of fried grains - Sankara). By air (since water too being an effect, is gross and limited, it must be pervaded by something else and that is air).
2 By what is air pervaded? By the sky,
3 By what is sky pervaded? By the world of the gandharvas
4 By what is the world of gandharvas pervaded? By the world of the sun
5 By what is the world of the sun pervaded? By the world of the moon
6 By what is the world of the moon pervaded? By the world of the stars
7 By what is the world of the stars pervaded? By the world of the gods
8 By what is the world of the gods pervaded? By the world of Indra
9 By what is the world of Indra pervaded? By the world of Prajapati
10 By what is the world of Prajapati pervaded? By the world of Hiranyagarbha
11 By what is the world of Hiranyagarbha pervaded?
(The Supreme Hiranyagarbha is the source and the cause of everything, you say. Who is the cause of this?) “Do not, O Gargi," said he, "question too much, lest your head should fall off. You are questioning too much about the Divine about whom we should not ask too much. Do not ask too much, O Gargi."
Thereupon Gargi held her peace and kept quiet. She did not speak further. Later however, she . with the permission of others asked him two further questions:
Gargi said: "O Yajnavalkya, I shall ask you two straight forward questions. Answer me these."
Yajnavalkya agreed.
She said: "O Yajnavalkya, what pervades that Sutra which is above heaven and below the earth, which is heaven and earth as well as what is between them and which—they say—was, is and will be?"
He said: "That, O Gargi, which is above heaven and below the earth, which is heaven and earth as well as what is between them and which—they say—was, is and will be, is pervaded by the unmanifested akasa.
She said: "I bow to you, O Yajnavalkya. You have fully answered this question of mine. Now brace yourself for the other."
She said: "Yajnavalkya, what pervades that Sutra which is above heaven and below the earth, which is heaven and earth as well as what is between them and which—they say—was, is and will be?"
He said: "That, O Gargi, which is above heaven and below the earth, which is heaven and earth as well as what is between them and which—they say—was, is and will be, is pervaded by the unmanifested akasa."
"What pervades the akasa?"
He said: "That, O Gargi, the knowers of Brahman call the Imperishable. It is neither gross nor subtle, neither short nor long, neither red nor moist; It is neither shadow nor darkness, neither air nor akasa; It is unattached; It is without taste or smell, without eyes or ears, without tongue or mind; It is non-effulgent, without vital breath or mouth, without measure and without exterior or interior. It does not eat anything, nor is It eaten by anyone.
Then said Gargi: "Venerable Brahmins, you may consider yourselves fortunate if you can get off from him through bowing to him. None of you, I believe, will defeat him in arguments about Brahman”.
The Question
ReplyDeleteI dreamed that, as I wandered by the way,
Bare Winter suddenly was changed to Spring,
And gentle odours led my steps astray,
Mixed with a sound of waters murmuring
Along a shelving bank of turf, which lay
Under a copse, and hardly dared to fling
Its green arms round the bosom of the stream,
But kissed it and then fled, as thou mightest in dream.
There grew pied wind-flowers and violets,
Daisies, those pearled Arcturi of the earth,
The constellated flower that never sets;
Faint oxlips; tender bluebells, at whose birth
The sod scarce heaved; and that tall flower that wets—
Like a child, half in tenderness and mirth—
Its mother's face with Heaven's collected tears,
When the low wind, its playmate's voice, it hears.
And in the warm hedge grew lush eglantine,
Green cowbind and the moonlight-coloured may,
And cherry-blossoms, and white cups, whose wine
Was the bright dew, yet drained not by the day;
And wild roses, and ivy serpentine,
With its dark buds and leaves, wandering astray;
And flowers azure, black, and streaked with gold,
Fairer than any wakened eyes behold.
And nearer to the river's trembling edge
There grew broad flag-flowers, purple pranked with white,
And starry river buds among the sedge,
And floating water-lilies, broad and bright,
Which lit the oak that overhung the hedge
With moonlight beams of their own watery light;
And bulrushes, and reeds of such deep green
As soothed the dazzled eye with sober sheen.
Me thought that of these visionary flowers
I made a nosegay, bound in such a way
That the same hues, which in their natural bowers
Were mingled or opposed, the like array
Kept these imprisoned children of the Hours
Within my hand,—and then, elate and gay,
I hastened to the spot whence I had come,
That I might there present it!—Oh! to whom?
- Percy Bysshe Shelley
A Question
A voice said, Look me in the stars
And tell me truly, men of earth,
If all the soul-and-body scars
Were not too much to pay for birth.
- Robert Frost