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CHAPTER - XXXI
Shishyakrityadhikara
In this section, the duties and behaviour of a disciple are outlined. This is an important instruction that is to be practised by all disciples for achieving fruitful success in their enquiry after knowledge.
It is ordained that the disciple should be devoted to the teacher as he is devoted to God. He must be ever grateful to the preceptor for endowing him with the lamp of knowledge. Devotion towards the preceptor is the root cause of all good that happens to one. It is ordained that it should be firm. He must always recount the holy names and qualities of his preceptor with great regard. He must have great regard towards the possessions of the preceptor such as his residence or the deities or the holy texts and others. The disciple would serve that master in an eminent way if he hands over the knowledge gained from his preceptor to those of his disciples who are virtuous. He is enjoined to guard that wisdom from the unworthy. The disciple should be ever grateful to his master who has out of compassion endowed him with precious knowledge. The disciple will practise the dictates of the shastras as ordained by his preceptor. What wealth does he not gain, if he is endowed with this kind of behaviour? The wealth suggested here, is the attainment of the Supreme Paramatman, to whom he would be offering loving service for all time to come. This is pointed out in the introductory verse to this chapter: अशिथिलगुरुभक्तिः तत्प्रशंसादिशीलः । प्रचुरबहुमतिः तद्वस्तु वास्त्वदिकेषु । गुणवति विनियोक्तुं गोपयन्संप्रदायं कृतविदनघवृत्तिः किं न विन्देनिधानम् ॥
A disciple will be grateful to his preceptor, not in the sense of pratyupakara’ or doing some good in return but for not violating the dictates of the shastras that ordain that such people who are ungrateful are great sinners, severly punishable.
सर्वस्वं वा तदर्धं वा तदर्धादर्धमेव वा । गुरवे दक्षिणां दद्यात् यथाशक्त्यपि वा पुनः ॥
‘He should offer every possession of his, or half of it, or half of that half as ‘dakshina’ to the preceptor, or he should offer ‘dakshina’ according to his ability. This statement only ordains a duty of the disciple as pointed out in ‘तद्विद्धि प्रणिपातेन परिप्रश्नेन सेवया’ and it is not a favour done to the preceptor. The preceptor teaches without any desire for anything in return, out of compassion and he does not need any ‘prayojana’. So, it must be understood by the disciple that he is not doing a ‘pratyupakara’ to the teacher by offering a ‘dakshina’. The great sages like Shandilya and Apastamba, have prescribed the duties of the disciple that a disciple should treat the Acharya, as an equal to God himself ‘न प्रमाद्येत् गुरौ शिष्यो वामनःकायकर्मभिः’। अविभज्यात्मनाचार्य वर्तेतास्मिन् यथाच्युते ॥ ‘देवमिवाचार्यमुपासीत’ There cannot be any ‘pratyupakara’ for a preceptor who teaches him the knowledge of Brahman -
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‘ब्रह्मविद्याप्रदानस्य देवैरपि न शक्यते । प्रतिप्रदानमपि वा दद्यात् शक्तित आदरात्’ ।
“It is not possible even for the Gods to pay the ‘dakshina’ to an Acharya, that befits the instruction of Brahma-Vidya. One should give according to one’s ability the ‘Guru-Dakshina’ with great regard.” The disciple should never think that he is helping the preceptor in return to his invaluable instruction. The disciple is exhorted to make good use of the supreme knowledge that is taught to him by his teacher. It should cause in him dispassion; it should result in righteous conduct and it should be made use of for gaining perfect calmness of mind. The disciple is warned against making misuse of the knowledge he gained from the preceptors. He must guard the supreme knowledge from people who are only fault finders. He should ever be grateful to the teacher for the great benefaction he has done to him, and remember him day-in and day-out with great reverence.
When he hands over that knowledge to his tested disciples, he must pay obeisance to the line of his teachers and he must teach his disciples in a way that the greatness of the Acharyas and the truths are well pointed out. He must acknowledge with all humility his indebtedness to his great masters, when he gives instructions in the supreme secrets to his disciples. Though one has great scholarship and ability to understand the profound truths from the texts, it is absolutely necessary for one to gain knowledge through the Acharyas and only then, it will have the efficasy, as it comes from tradition.
When one enlightens his disciples, if one does not proclaim one’s own preceptor’s greatness and compassion, the truths that one imparts will be without any basis and one will be committing an offence of not proclaiming one’s teachers while instructing one’s students:- It is mentioned as one of the thirty two offences.
‘स्वगुरूणां स्वशिष्येभ्यः ख्यापनं चाकृतं तथा’ ।
Similarly, if one teaches something opposed to the instructions given by his teachers, he will be a deceiver and he will be going against the shastras. In the same way, if he fails to instruct a deserving disciple at the appropriate time, he will be committing the fault of transgressing the Divine Command. It is declared in the following verse, as follows:
‘पात्रस्थं आत्मज्ञानं कृत्वा पिण्डं समुत्सृजेत् । नान्तर्धाय स्वयं याति जगद्विजमबीजकृत् ॥
‘Before the fall of his body, a person should hand over the knowledge he possesses the shastra) to a virtuous and worthy disciple. The Acharya should so behave that, without enlightening - through instruction - the Veda Shastras
MEIT), he should not give up his body. Such a person will be called ’lubdha’ (gay). Even when he gains some knowledge through his insight, by the grace of the Lord, he must realise that he has gained that knowledge by the grace of his Acharyas.
An Acharya will have attained his object of life by gaining such a worthy disciple, and the disciple will be gratified hereafter by gaining such a preceptor, who instructs one the direct means of liberation -
‘साक्षान्मुक्तेरुपायान्यः विद्याभेदानुपादिशत् । कथ्यते मोक्षशास्त्रेषु स तु श्रेष्ठतमो गुरुः ।
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आचार्यवत्तया मोक्षमामनन्ति स्मरन्ति च । इहामुत्र च तत्पादौ शरणं देशिका विदुः ॥
In the moksha-shastras, it is ordained that he, who teaches the different modes of ‘upasanas’ that are direct means to moksha, is the most celebrated of all teachers.
The shrutis and smrithis expound that moksha is possible only through an Acharya. The ancient masters like Alavandar and others, have declared that the Holy Feet of the Acharyas are the object of attainment here, that is prior to moksha, and elsewhere, that is in the state of attainment of moksha. The sacred feet of the Acharya alone are our refuge, as evidenced in the prayer of Alavandar as -
‘नाथाय नाथमुनयेत परत्र चापि नित्यं यदीयचरणौ शरणं मदीयं ॥
In the concluding verse of this chapter, Desika expounds that the disciple or the ‘shishya’ will not consider any higher deity than the Acharya. This shows the supreme devotion which a shishya or disciple should have towards the preceptor -
‘अध्यासीनतुरंगवत्रविलसज्जिह्वाग्रसिंहासनात्
आचार्यादिह देवतां समधिकामन्यां न मन्यामहे । यस्यासौ भजते कदाचिदजहद्भूमा स्वयं भूमिका मग्नानां भविनां भवार्णवसमुत्ताराय नारायणः’ ।
We never consider any other deity as greater than our Acharya, on the tip of the tongue of whom - which is verily the throne - where the Supreme Lord ‘Hayagreeval is adoming. The role of the Acharya is so great that sometimes, the Supreme Paramatman - Narayana - who is the God of all gods - himself assumes the form of an Acharya for lifting up the transmigracing souls, who are drowning in the ocean of ‘samsara’.
Thus, in this chapter, the dutics of a ‘shishya’ are expounded by the celebrated author.Nigamanadhikara