Tamil Arts Volume 16
Manīshā Pañchakam
Dr. R. Nagaswamy
This story is certainly known to Śaṅkara as mentioned earlier where the story of Dharma-Vyādha also appears. It is not unlikely that Śaṅkara was inspired by the story of Caṇdālā and wrote the five verses called the Maniṣā-pañchakam where he expounds his Advaita philosophy in a most telling manner that whether one is a Caṇdālā or a twice born, the one who has realized Brahmam is the guru. Evidently he is giving a definition of a true teacher of Advaita Vedanta in the five verses.
Regarding the Maniṣā-pañchakam the following introduction is seen in the web where the five verses and their translations are given.
“Śrī Śaṅkara has been criticized by modern western scholars for propounding sectarian beliefs in his commentary (bhāṣya) of the Brahmasūtra where he restricts the recitation of Vedas to the upper castes only. However, one should note that one is handicapped when writing a commentary on a text. Thus in independent compositions like the Upadeśa-sahasri and this short text, Maniṣā-pañchakam he expounds his Advaita philosophy in all its glory. Advaita, the non-dualistic philosophy expounded in detail by Śrī Śaṅkara, does not recognize differences between people based on caste, creed, religion, gender etc. since we are all the manifestations of the same Brahman.”
These are the five stanzas that go by the name Maniṣā-pañchakam:
jāgrat svapna suṣuptiṣu sphuṭatarā yā saṁvid ujjṛmbhate
yā brahmādi pipīlikānta tanuṣu protā jagat sākṣiṇī .
saivāhaṁ na ca dṛśyavastu iti dṛḍha-prajñāpi yasyāsti cet
cāṇḍālo'stu sa tu dvijo'stu gururityeṣā manīṣā mama .. 1 ..
It is my firm conviction that he indeed is the guru, be he a Candala (outcaste) or twice born who has this unshakeable knowledge that it is the same consciousness manifesting itself truly in wakefulness, dream and deep sleep, and in all the bodies from Brahma (the creator) to the ant, is the witness of this world, “I am that” and not this object of perception.
Brahmaivāham idaṁ jagac ca sakalaṁ cin-mātra vistāritaṁ
sarvaṁ caitad avidyayā triguṇayā aśeṣaṁ mayā kalpitam |
itthaṁ yasya dṛḍhā matiḥ sukhatare nitye pare nirmale
cāṇḍālo'stu sa tu dvijo'stu guruh ityeṣā manīṣā mama || 2||
It is my conviction that he indeed is the guru, be he a Caṇdālā (outcaste), or twice born who, dwells on the joyful, pure and infinite consciousness and remains in the unshakeable thought that “I am that Brahman” and that all these without exception are but my creations out of ignorance of threefold nature and that all the world are expanded by that consciousness.
Śaśvan naśvaram eva viśvam akhilaṁ niścitya vācā guroh
nityaṁ brahma nirantaraṁ vimṛśatā nirvyāja śāntātmanā |
bhūtaṁ bhāti ca duṣkṛtaṁ pradahatā saṁvinmaye pāvake
prārabdhāya samarpitaṁ svavapur ityeṣā manīṣā mama || 3||
It is my conviction that by the teachings of guru and by the eternal, serene Brahmam constantly shining, and having concluded that the entire world is prone to instant dissolution it looks that the past imperfect acts are consigned to the (purifying) fire of consciousness and ones present body is surrendered to the effects of previous birth (prarabda).
yā tiryaṅ nara-devatābhir aham ityantaḥ sphuṭā gṛhyate
yad bhāsā hṛdayākṣa-deha-viṣayā bhānti svato acetanāḥ |
tāṁ bhāsyaiḥ pihitārka-maṇḍala nibhāṁ sphūrtiṁ sadā bhāvayan
yogī nirvṛta-mānaso hi gurur ityeṣā manīṣā mama || 4||
It is my firm conviction that, that Yogi is indeed guru who has clearly grasped within, that effulgence which is clearly recognized as “I” by men, gods and other beings, and by the brilliance of which the heart, eyes, body and other external objects remain brightened, though by themselves are inert, turns away from mind always meditating, through Bhashyas, on that light as halo of the sun that remains veiled.
Yat saukhyāmbudhi leśaleśata ime śakrādayo nirvṛtā
Yac citte nitarāṁ praśānta-kalane labdhvā munir nirvṛtaḥ |
Yasmin nitya-sukhāmbudhau galitadhīr brahmaiva na brahmavid
yaḥ kaścit sa surendravanditapado nūnaṁ manīṣā mama || 5||
I am convinced that he whoso ever may be would become the abode of salutations of king of the celestials who becomes Brahmam and not (simply) knower of Brahmam by his knowledge immersed ever in the eternal ocean of happiness, the Muni who has returned completely after attaining serenity in his who lie this Sakra and others remain relieved by particle of this ocean of comfort.
These are the five verses in which Śaṅkara says “It is his conviction” - eṣa manīṣa mama and so the work is called the Maniṣā-pañchakam. In some of the edition the work consists of only these verses and nothing else. Some scholars who hold that some minor works on Śaṅkara are not his works, are also doubtful about this work. However, as I have shown that Śaṅkara was aware of the story of Caṇdālā from the Varāha Purāṇas in which the Dharma-Vyādhā story also appears. As Śaṅkara has mentioned Dharma-Vyādhā in his Brahma-sutra Bhāṣya there is every reason to believe that the Maniṣā-pañchakam is his work and not by another author.