Jivanandana of Anandaraya Makhin (Study)

by G. D. Jayalakshmi | 2019 | 58,344 words

This page relates ‘Analysis of Shivabhakti’ of the study on the Jivanandana (in English) which is a dramatic play written by Anadaraya Makhin in the 18th century. The Jivanandana praises the excellence of Advaita Vedanta, Ayurveda (medical science) and Dramatic literature as the triple agency for obtaining everlasting bliss.

In the first Act of the play it is made clear by Vijñāna Śarmā, that to do sincere penance and worship of the Lord, Jīva has to have the basic requirement of ‘dedicated devotion’ towards lord Śiva. The play-wright has personified the emotion of devotion as Śivabhakti.

Jīva, the king realises that by resorting to that unique and pleasing Bhakti, it would be easy for him to obtain his mental desire of having the vision of the Supreme (I.48):

tāmadvaitāṃ svarūpeṇa bhaktiṃ hṛdayaraṣjanīm |
svīkṛtyahaṃ bhaviṣyāmi prāptākhilamanorathaḥ ||

In the third Act, Jīva recapitulates his experience of the vision of the Lord.

For this, he had to at first cleanse his antaḥkaraṇa; when the antaḥkaraṇa got purified then there arose in him the Śivabhaktibhāva and this bhakti, pleasing Jīva’s manas, led the way to have the darśana of the Lord (III. 21/22; p.159):

āho śruti-smṛtivihitānāṃ karmaṇāṃ prabhāvaḥ | yāni mayā samayeṣu samanuṣṭhitāni madīyam āntaḥkaraṇamaśodhayan | śodhite ca tasmin bhagavadbhaktirnāma kāpi kalpalatā prathamamaṅkuritā | paścādupacitaparicayā ca sā mama hṛdayānuraṣjanī krameṇa bhagavantau parameśvarau sākṣāt darśitavatī |

Jīva considers bhakti as anitarasadhāraṇā, meaning that bhakti is parākāṣṭā.

Jīva also feels that in future too, only with her help he would be able to obtain all his desires (p.159):

āgre'pi tasyā eva mahimnā sakalamapyabhilaṣitaṃ pumarthaṃ lapsyāmahe |

As is natural to human beings, Jīva amidst all his day to day activities loses his connection with Bhakti. In the fourth Act, the playwright makes Bhakti visit him in his private chamber (his manas), along with Smṛti and Śraddhā as attendants. It is an appreciable maneouvre on the part of the dramatist to make Bhakti, Śraddhā and Smṛti (personifications of the innermost mental attitudes), meet Jīva in the manas.

Bhakti understands Jīva’s indifference as caused by Buddhi. She considers Jīva to be of sahaja-nissaṅga-nirmala-svabhāva, satyajñāna-nidhi and parameśvara-aṃśa and decides to help him, once again, to turn his mind towards the Lord (IV.19):

satyajṣānanidhiḥ sadaiva sahajānandasvabhāvo'pyayaṃ
  devo buddhivaśaṃ gataḥ puramidaṃ trātuṃ vyavasyatyaho |
āstvetaddhyupayuktamātmakalane tasmānnirastāmayaṃ
  niścintaṃ punarīśatatparamamuṃ kuryāmabhīṣṭāptaye ||

Jīva in his turn considers her as the repository of compassion (IV.20):

nirupādhikanissīmakaruṇāmṛtavāridhiḥ |
diṣṭyā dṛṣṭā bhagavatī pumarthaghaṭanāpaṭuḥ ||

Hence, on meeting him, Bhakti advises him to get rid of his enemies with Vijñāna’s help, and thereupon promises to help him in getting that Eternal Bliss (IV.24):

nirjitanikhilavipakṣaṃ nīrujapurasusthamapagatātaṅkam |
āham [bhaktiḥ] āgatya vidhāsye paramānandābdhimāptakāmaṃ tvām ||

Accordingly, in the seventh Act, Vijñāna reminds Jīva of this promise of Bhakti and advises him to surrender to her; she would definitely pave way for the Divine Grace sought by Jīva (VII.7; p.436):

bhaktāya mayā kadācidbhavate darśiṣyate sāmbaḥ |
iti bhagavatya mahyaṃ jātucidāveditaṃ bhaktyā ||

iti kadācit kathāntare devenaiva māṃ prati prāguktam |  tadidānīṃ tāmeva bhagavatīṃ bhaktiṃ hṛdi dṛḍhamavalambya bhagavataḥ parameśvarasya darśanārthaṃ saṃnidhānānugrahaḥ prārthyatām || tata eva āsādhyarogābhibhavaḥ sulabhaḥ pratibhāti |

This is confirmed by lord Śiva as he tells Pārvatī that since Jīva under the guidance of Bhakti has sought Him, He has to be present before Jīva to enable him to achieve his goal (VII.19):

ānitarasādhāraṇayā bhaktyā jīvasya māmanusmarataḥ |
sapadi mayāsya purastāt saṃnihitaṃ saparivāreṇa ||

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