(4) atha māna-śūnyatā—
utkṛṣṭatve’py amānitvaṁ kathitā māna-śūnyatā ||
yathā pādme—
harau ratiṁ vahann eṣa narendrāṇāṁ śikhā-maṇiḥ |
bhikṣām aṭann ari-pure śvapākam api vandate ||quoted · atha māna-śūnyatā
The verse — decoded
L1definition
utkṛṣṭatve’py amānitvaṁ kathitā māna-śūnyatā ||
utkṛṣṭatveeven when one is eminent, standing high locative, concessive with apiउत्कृष्ट पद पर होने पर
apieven so, despite thatभी
amānitvaṁnot thinking oneself worthy of honor; claiming no respect -tva abstract: the state of being amāninअमानी होना, अर्थात् अपने लिए मान न चाहना
kathitāis called, is named past participle, predicateकही गई है
māna-śūnyatāmāna-śūnyatā — being empty of pride, free of self-regardमान-शून्यता (अपने प्रति आदर-भाव से रहित होना)
utkṛṣṭatve api — even when one stands high; amānitvaṁ — not thinking oneself worthy of honor; māna-śūnyatā kathitā — is what is called māna-śūnyatā, freedom from pride
utkṛṣṭatve — उत्कृष्ट पद पर होने पर; api — भी; amānitvaṁ — अमानी होना अर्थात् अपने लिए मान न रखना; kathitā — कही गई है; māna-śūnyatā — मान-शून्यता। (उच्चतम पद पर होने पर भी अमानी बने रहना — यही मान-शून्यता कही गई है।)
Now the definition of māna-śūnyatā, freedom from pride. Even when a person is eminent, he does not think himself worthy of honor. He claims no respect for himself. That is what is called māna-śūnyatā, being empty of pride.
श्रेष्ठ पद पर होने पर भी अपने प्रति मान की भावना न रखना। इसी को मान-शून्यता कहा गया है।
māna: in ordinary usage 'honor, respect, high regard' (and, in rasa-śāstra, the sulking pride of a lover). Here māna is one's own self-regard, the sense of deserving respect; śūnyatā is being empty of it. So māna-śūnyatā is the devotee's humility that persists even at the height of eminence.
'मान' शब्द सामान्य प्रयोग में 'आदर, सम्मान, ऊँचा भाव' है (और रस-शास्त्र में प्रेमी का अभिमानपूर्ण रूठना)। यहाँ 'मान' का अर्थ है अपने प्रति आदर-भाव, अपने को सम्मान-योग्य समझना; और 'शून्यता' उससे रहित होना। अतः मान-शून्यता भक्त की वह विनम्रता है जो सर्वोच्च पद पर भी बनी रहती है।
L2definition
harau ratiṁ vahann eṣa narendrāṇāṁ śikhā-maṇiḥ |
harautoward Hari, for Hari locative, object of ratiहरि (कृष्ण) में
ratiṁlove, loving attachment accusative, object of vahanरति (प्रेम) को
vahanbecause he carries, bears within him present participle, causal forceधारण करता हुआ
eṣathis man here (Bhagīratha, per the commentary)यह पुरुष
narendrāṇāṁamong kings, of all rulers genitive, partitiveराजाओं में
śikhā-maṇiḥthe crest-jewel, the very best; the gem worn at the crownशिखा-मणि, अर्थात् शिरोमणि (सर्वश्रेष्ठ)
eṣa — this man; harau ratiṁ vahan — because he carries love for Hari; narendrāṇāṁ śikhā-maṇiḥ — is the crest-jewel among kings
harau — हरि में; ratiṁ — रति को; vahan — धारण करता हुआ; eṣa — यह पुरुष; narendrāṇāṁ — राजाओं में; śikhā-maṇiḥ — शिरोमणि। (हरि में रति धारण करता हुआ यह पुरुष राजाओं में शिरोमणि है।)
This man is the crest-jewel of kings, the finest of all rulers. And why? Because he carries love for Hari within him. (The commentary names him: this eṣa is King Bhagīratha.) This line opens the example that will illustrate the definition. Watch the setup: he is a great king, the top of all kings — the very 'eminence' the definition spoke of. The next line will show his humility.
कृष्ण में प्रेम धारण करने वाला यह पुरुष राजाओं में शिरोमणि है।
śikhā-maṇi: literally the jewel worn on the crest or topknot, hence idiomatically 'the best, the topmost of a class' — here, the foremost among kings.
'शिखा-मणि' शब्दशः वह रत्न है जो शिखा या चोटी पर पहना जाता है; अतः लाक्षणिक रूप से इसका अर्थ है 'किसी वर्ग का सर्वश्रेष्ठ' — यहाँ राजाओं में अग्रगण्य।
L3definition
bhikṣām aṭann ari-pure śvapākam api vandate ||
bhikṣāmalms, begged food accusative, goal of aṭanभिक्षा के लिए
aṭanwhile wandering about, going door to door present participleघूमता हुआ
ari-purein an enemy's city, in the town of a foe locative of placeशत्रु के नगर में
śvapākama dog-cooker, a lowest-born outcaste accusative, object of vandateश्वपाक (चाण्डाल) को
apieven, of all peopleभी
vandatehe bows down to, pays homage to present, main verbप्रणाम करता है
bhikṣām aṭan — while going about begging for alms; ari-pure — in an enemy's city; śvapākam api — even a dog-eating outcaste; vandate — he bows down to
bhikṣām — भिक्षा के लिए; aṭan — घूमता हुआ; ari-pure — शत्रु के नगर में; śvapākam — श्वपाक (चाण्डाल) को; api — भी; vandate — प्रणाम करता है। (शत्रु के नगर में भिक्षा के लिए घूमता हुआ वह चाण्डाल को भी प्रणाम करता है।)
This same king goes door to door begging for alms, and in an enemy's city at that. There he bows down even to a śvapāka, a dog-eating outcaste, the lowest of the low. Now the example lands, so read the mapping. Bhagīratha is the eminent person of the definition — the crest-jewel of all kings. The begging in a hostile city and the bowing to an outcaste are the amānitva, the total absence of self-regard. What holds the two together is his love for Hari (from the previous line): that love is why a supreme king claims no honor at all. So Bhagīratha illustrates māna-śūnyatā — humility that survives even at the summit of greatness. The example shows the quality in a real devotee; it does not measure how low he could go, only that no eminence leaves any pride in him.
शत्रु के नगर में भिक्षा के लिए घूमता हुआ वह श्वपाक (चाण्डाल) को भी प्रणाम करता है।
śvapāka (literally 'dog-cooker'): a name for the caṇḍāla, the most excluded outcaste in the old social order — the standard śāstric shorthand for 'the very lowest person'. The point is the extremity: the topmost king bows to the lowliest man.
'श्वपाक' शब्दशः 'कुत्ते को पकाने वाला' — यह चाण्डाल का नाम है, पुरानी सामाजिक व्यवस्था में सबसे बहिष्कृत अन्त्यज, और शास्त्रों में 'सबसे नीच व्यक्ति' का रूढ़ प्रतीक। तात्पर्य इस पराकाष्ठा में है: सर्वोच्च राजा सबसे नीच व्यक्ति को भी प्रणाम करता है।
Commentary — decoded
Jīva Gosvāmī + Viśvanātha Cakravartī
s1gloss
eṣa bhagīrathaḥ ||
eṣaḥthis one — the king the verse points to ("harau ratiṁ vahann eṣa," this one bearing love for Hari) nom. sg. demonstrative; picks up eṣa from mūla L2यह (मूल श्लोक में जो 'एष' कहा गया, वही)
bhagīrathaḥis Bhagīratha nom. sg., naming the referentभगीरथ है
eṣaḥ — this one, the king the verse points to; bhagīrathaḥ — is Bhagīratha
eṣaḥ — यह (एष); bhagīrathaḥ — भगीरथ है। (मूल श्लोक का 'एष' — वह भगीरथ है।)
The verse says "this one" (eṣa) — the king who carries love for Hari, the crest-jewel of kings, who begs for alms in an enemy's city and bows even to a dog-eater. Jīva and Viśvanātha tell us who that king is: he is Bhagīratha. So the whole example of pridelessness is about King Bhagīratha.
मूल श्लोक में जो 'एष' कहा गया है, वह भगीरथ है।
Bhagīratha: the famed ancestor-king of the solar line who, by long austerity, brought the Gaṅgā down to earth; here he is named as the model of a great king who is utterly free of pride.
भगीरथ: सूर्यवंश के प्रसिद्ध पूर्वज-राजा, जिन्होंने दीर्घ तपस्या से गंगा को पृथ्वी पर उतारा; यहाँ उनका नाम मान-रहित महान् राजा के आदर्श रूप में लिया गया है।
Mukunda-dāsa Gosvāmī
s1gloss
eṣa bhagīratho bhikṣām uddiśya ||
eṣaḥthis one — the person the verse is praising nom. sg., picks up eṣa from the verse (the crest-jewel of kings)
bhagīrathaḥis King Bhagīratha nom. sg., naming who eṣa is
bhikṣāmalms — what he is after acc. sg., object of uddiśya
uddiśyawith this as his aim; that is, he wandered in order to beg absolutive of ud-√diś, 'having aimed at / for the sake of'; governs the acc. bhikṣām
eṣaḥ — this one (whom the verse praises); bhagīrathaḥ — is King Bhagīratha; bhikṣām — alms; uddiśya — aiming at, i.e. wandering for the sake of begging
Mukunda tells us who the verse is talking about: this crest-jewel of kings is King Bhagīratha. Then he clarifies the verse's phrase "wandering for alms." The word uddiśya means "with alms as his goal": Bhagīratha went about precisely in order to beg. So the wandering in the verse is purposeful — he roamed aiming at alms.
uddiśya (absolutive of ud-diś): its everyday sense is "pointing out / naming"; in this idiom bhikṣām uddiśya it means "with alms as the target," i.e. "for the purpose of alms" — Mukunda uses it to spell out the purpose left implicit in the verse's bhikṣām aṭan ("wandering [for] alms").